I woke up to barking. I immediately knew that it was Cujo, since I could feel the ghost puppy's weight as he bounced around my feet. It took about thirty seconds for me to remember that my parents would think that hearing a dog in their house was weird, and that they would probably come investigate with Fenton blasters in tow. That would be the end of my pet. I sat up and grabbed him from the end of my bed. He was so small that he fit easily under my arm. He barked again excitedly.

"Shh," I urged him, stuffing him under my blanket.

Cujo pawed at the blanket for a moment before sticking his head out from underneath the comforter. He licked at my hand, ectoplasmic saliva soon covering my fingers.

"Gross," I complained, but Cujo didn't care. I picked him up, my hand sliding underneath his front limbs. I held him up in front of my face, looking at him. He wagged his tail, his little green body shaking. "What am I going to do with you?"

He squirmed and I dropped him into my lap, running my fingers through his fur. I had been trying to get most, if not all of the ghosts, to cross over. More and more of them were coming to me for help, wanting to be free of both the Earth and the Ghost Zone. I was more than happy to help them, even if it meant a lot of research into their pasts. I had even gotten Wulf to cross over. But when it came to Cujo, I was stumped. He was a dog. He had been bound to Earth like any human ghost, but unlike the human ghosts, I couldn't get him to understand that there was an afterlife beyond the Ghost Zone and that it was time for him to go.

Cujo had just flopped down between my legs when my phone vibrated. Cujo was off like a shot, collecting the electronic between his jaws before floating back to me. I cringed as he proudly offered me my phone. If there were bite marks in the screen, I didn't know how I would ever explain it to my parents. But someone must have been watching out for me for fuckin' once - God knows I've needed guidance too many times before – because Cujo hadn't damaged it. He'd just gotten it covered in drool.

"Thanks," I told the dog. Appeased, Cujo returned to his spot between my legs, rolling onto his back. I dropped one hand to his stomach and used the other for texting.

Mikey: Are you still coming this afternoon?

Me: Yup – with the fam.

Mikey: Just checking!

Me: I'll see you later.

I switched from my conversation with Mikey to one with Kwan.

Me: Are you going to the party at Starr's lake house?

I didn't really expect a reply. Kwan was bad with texting. Cujo licked at my hand.

"Just a second," I said. "I'm texting Tucker."

Me: Starr's?

Tucker: Yeah baby. Bikini time!

Me: Not for you I hope.

Tucker: Afraid I'll turn you on?

Me: That's exactly it

Tucker: Damn. Guess I'll have to cancel the bikini. I can't let your boner give the ladies the wrong impression of me.

Me: The ladies already have the wrong impression of you

Tucker: Ouch

Tucker: I'll have you know that out there somewhere is the girl

Me: That'll take your virginity?

Tucker: V-card long lost

Me: wait what?

Tucker: Yeah, happened when we were on a break

Me: The fuck? Tucker who the fuck?

Tucker: I'VE SAID TOO MUCH

Me: YOU CAN'T IGNORE ME FOREVER YOU HAVE TO TELL ME WHO THE FUCK WOULD HAVE SEX WITH YOU

Tucker: I'm insulted

Me: I'll apologize once you tell me!

Tucker: NEVER

Me: PREPARE FOR THE EMOJI SPAM

Tucker: YOU'LL NEVER TAKE ME ALIVE FENTON

Me: THIS CONVERSTION ISN'T OVER

Tucker didn't respond, and my internal annoyance flared. Just because we were just starting to be friends again now didn't mean that we hadn't been best friends for years. And because we'd been best friends for years. I had the right to know who the hell had screwed him. I looked down at Cujo, who was lolling around in my lap, just happy for attention.

"You're lucky you're a dog," I grumbled to him, and his tongue flopped out of his mouth.

Someone knocked at my door. Shit. I pulled the blanket over Cujo, urging the dog to be quiet. I didn't know if he would listen. Sometimes he acted well-trained, other times he acted like a puppy who'd never heard a command before.

"Come in," I called, and breathed out a sigh of relief when my sister walked in.

"Someone's sleeping in," she sniffed, but even though she sounded condescending, I brushed it of easily. My sister wouldn't be able to sleep in if she were in a coma – if there was ever a day that she didn't wake up before eight a.m., it would probably be the day she died.

"We're not leaving for Starr's cabin until later, so why not?" I shrugged. "Also, I was up late last night."

"Playing stupid video games with Tucker."

"Yes, playing stupid video games with Tucker," I repeated. He'd left ridiculously early this morning, his mom needing assistance with something.

"There's something we need to talk about," Jazz said.

"If this is about Vlad –"

"It's not," Jazz began heatedly. "It's about Sam."

"Sam?" I blurted out, surprised. In my shock, I let go of Cujo – who I had been holding still, and he phased through my blanket, bounding toward Jazz and up into her lap.

She raised her ginger eyebrows at me. "You let the ghost dog into the house?"

I shrugged, innocent for once. "The portal is in our basement. Cujo does as he pleases."

Jazz began to pet Cujo, who didn't try to pull any tricks with her; he just cuddled.

"So, what about Sam?" I demanded anxiously.

"Well, I heard that she's back –"

I nodded. "She is. She got here last night."

"So I just think that I should come in here and talk to you about that. See how you're feeling." Jazz looked at me, her eyes so full of empathy that I couldn't be mad at her. Jazz was the one who had coddled me through my break-up and my fuck-ups. She was the one who had found me, destroyed and crying, the night that Sam left me. If there was anyone who had the right to talk to me about my feelings, it was her. That didn't mean I wanted to talk about my fucking feelings, though.

"I'm fine."

Jazz gave me a look and Cujo barked. Even the damn dog didn't believe me.

"Seriously, Jazz. Everything's fine. It's better than fine."

"What are you going to do if you see her again?" Jazz asked.

"Propose," I told her.

"Danny!"

"No," I corrected myself. "I'm going to give her about two minutes to fall back in love with me and then I'm going to propose."

"You're a piece of work!" Jazz exclaimed.

"I think I'm fucking funny," I explained, but she just rolled her eyes. "And I think you're a nag."

"A nag?" Jazz repeated. "I'm just trying to look out for you!"

I opened my mouth to say something, but instead of words, out came a blue wisp. Duty calls. "Not that this hasn't been fun, Jazz, and not that we shouldn't do it again sometime but, I've got to go."

Jazz rolled her eyes at me again. "I thought you were done being an asshole, little brother." She stood up, and Cujo followed her out the door.

I clenched my fists together in frustration, but I didn't have time to deal with Jazz's mood swings right now. I transformed into Phantom then phased out my bedroom wall and into the open air. I followed my ghost sense to a relatively secluded area, my eyes peeled for my opponent. It took a long moment for Plasmius to become visible in front of me, and I almost fired at him immediately.

"What do you want?" I snapped.

"I am giving you one last chance," Plasmius said calmly. "Stand down, Daniel. Stop talking to the ghosts."

"You don't get to tell me what to do," I growled, taking a step closer. I tried to look as threatening as possible, but in the back of my head, I knew that it was in vain. Vlad knew that I was powerful, but he believed that he was far more powerful, and he would never be intimidated by me.

"No, I don't," Plasmius agreed, surprising me. "But you should rethink your stance. I mean, you have your best friend – what would you do if something happened to him? What would you do if something happened to Jasmine, hmm? And Maddie and Jack … Well, if something ever happened to their precious daughter and they knew it was their son's fault … Tsk tsk. They'd never speak to you again."

"You wouldn't dare," I spat.

"Wouldn't I?" Plasmius placed his hand against his chest, eyes widening in surprise. "Do you really want to see if I'm bluffing?"

No, because Vlad was one bat shit fruit loop. "If you ever lay a hand on my family, Vlad, I'll gut you myself."

I turned my back on him, but he had to get the last word. As I went to fly away, Vlad called, "There's one person you're forgetting, little badger."

I turned around as my curiousity piqued. Vlad's lips widened into a grotesque imitation of a smile, his fangs showing. "Samantha Manson is a very pretty girl, don't you think?"

I could feel my heart slow to a stop. My jaw pulsed. I leapt at Vlad; ghost powers forgotten, I was going to pummel the man with my fists.

"Don't be so childish," Vlad hissed as he dodged me. "I'll see you another time, and don't forget. This is your last chance."

"Go fuck yourself!" I shouted, grabbing for him one more time.

"Child," Vlad cursed, and then he vanished.

I roared, pounding my fists into the ground. If there was ever a person on this Earth that I was going to kill, it would be Vlad Masters. And no one who knew the truth about him could say that he didn't deserve it. I would be justified in decapitating him, phasing his organs out of his body one by one, and shoving hot coals down his throat until they burnt out of his ass. He deserved all of that and more.

I let out another yell, and almost attacked an innocent tree when my cell phone started ringing.

"What?" I barked into the phone.

"Mom wants to know if you're coming back to go to the Orien's with us or if you've got another way there." Jazz said.

I grumbled internally. "Tell her to give me ten minutes. I'll be there with you guys."

"Are you okay?" Jazz asked.

"Vlad's a bastard," I moaned, taking to the air as I talked to her.

"Oh, he was the one you met up with?"

"Uh-huh. Jazz … You were right. I should have realized how far he was going to take this when you did. You are absolutely not allowed anywhere alone. From now on, none of us are, okay?"

"What are you going to do about it?" Jazz wondered, and, even though I knew she was trying her best to hide it, I could hear that she was scared.

"I don't know. Look, I'm two minutes away from home. Let's … try not to think about it right now. We're going to be fine at Starr's. We'll brainstorm tonight, okay?"

"Okay," Jazz sighed. "See you soon."

I touched down in my bedroom with enough time to change – having only been in boxers when I had transformed into Phantom. I had to get ready quietly, as Mom and Dad apparently thought that I was out somewhere. When I was done, I had to bail out of the house and go around to the front door to let myself in.

"Who's ready?" I shouted to my family.

"No one!" Mom called back. "Give us ten more minutes."

Fine.

I don't own anything recognizable. Thanks to my betas: Forever Sky.

~TLL~