A/N: Hello, everybody, and a VERY happy Friday to you! Looks like it's time for an update, doncha think? How's summer (or winter for ALL of you 'down under' the equator) going? It's been going great for me so far, especially since my beta was able to get this to me in time! Her internet was down and I can relate to angst about all that! …But, ahem, changing the tone a bit, things are getting heated for all our heroes. And now, we're about to go into overdrive with the story—or was that a nosedive? Oh, well, hope you're strapped in no matter what you're in! All I know that all our heroes are going to be in more trouble—soon. So, with that, IDNOAC and here is Chapter 47. Enjoy!

TrueHeart—Chapter 47—Fateful Decision

The snow storm had now passed; and the ghost animals leapt into the clearing sky. They headed westward, chasing after the thick orange, pink and purple ribbons of the shortening day. They knew they had to find a way into the Ghost Zone. But, of course, they didn't know how to do that, since, after all, they hadn't been out of the Ghost Zone for centuries.

After only just a few minutes, however, when Derek realized that they had made their way to really nowhere, he finally stopped in mid-flight. He scanned the area in which they were and glided over to the top of a nearby building. He landed and Sarah immediately floated down so that she could see his face. She, too, had reached the same conclusion as he: they had left in such haste that they were now utterly lost in this foreign world.

"I am sorry, Husband. I, too, do not have an idea on where to go! Nevertheless, we will find a way back to the Ghost Zone and then we will be able to continue onward in our endless wanderings." She unconsciously let her eyes fall from his after she said that.

He paused and looked at her lowered face. He could tell that she didn't really desire to do this. But then, a thought hit him. She had said that for his sake! After all, that was what he had wanted to do before their argument and right before they were attacked the last time by that Bertrand creature. He had been the one who wanted to escape from these troubles that seemed to forever chase them.

He gently replied, "I know you too well, Beloved. Your heart is not in that. You do not wish to flee from here nor that part of the Ghost Zone where we last found ourselves."

"N-No, t-that is not true!" She immediately objected, stumbling over her words. But she couldn't look into his eyes when she did.

She had promised herself that if she were ever to see her love again, she would do anything to please him. And even though she knew that she had not failed to do that in the past, it was, in a way, now time for her to put her own desires aside. He had already done so much for her and they had been in so much peril lately because of his bending his will to hers. Besides, she knew that it had been his underlying desire to flee this place and never to return.

She finally said, "No, Derek, I want to please you, and I know that you wish to go as far as possible from this wretched place. I do not blame you for wanting to do so. There has been more tragedy upon us and those around us since we have lingered."

He paused again. She was doing her best to hide her true feelings. But she was too honest a ghost to do a good job of it.

Suddenly, he chuckled.

She looked up at him in bewilderment. Why was he amused by what she had just said? She uttered, "I do not understand, Husband. I thought you would be pleased that we were forever leaving this place."

He grew more sober and replied, "I thought so, too, Wife. But now, I am not certain. I have had a chance to think about everything these past few days, especially after your kind desire to please me just of late….And, suddenly, your actions made me think of another who wished to put my well-being above her own. I speak of the human girl in whose company I had been and in whose room you found me. I was suddenly more aware and now more than ever taken by the feelings and spunk of that human girl. I have finally come to fully understand all about this young girl, especially how devastated she must be now that we helped tear her away from her love. And just as sudden, I could no longer ignore what we had done."

Sarah blinked, suddenly astonished yet enthralled by what he was telling her.

He continued, "I was both amazed and bewildered when in spite of how much turmoil she was in, she yet remained kind and concerned for my well-being. But then, shortly after that, something odd happened that I have yet to tell you...Our eyes met briefly; and in that fleeting moment, though I cannot explain it, I could somehow sense everything about this young girl. That she has been doing extraordinary things. Things that she strived to do only because it was noble and worthy, even when she took great risks to her own well-being. And notwithstanding of her youth, she had already been through much danger and sacrifice because of that boy—and for some reason, she did it more than willingly. Furthermore, she would not hesitate to do more in the future, even if the risk included facing her demise. She was able to, I think, not only because she felt what she was doing was justified, but because of her feelings for that boy who was her love."

He stopped a moment, feeling a swell of emotions within him once more.

Sarah felt tears caressing her eyes, but she remained firm as he continued.

"But then, I could tell that this girl was suffering poorly during all this time. Suffering because of the boy; but oddly again, she was also doing that willingly! In spite of all the anguish I had put her through when I used that other human boy under the dark bidding of Spectra, I could tell that this remarkable girl still loved that boy who was important to her. And once more, in spite of it all, she was still determined to get to him. My inner being was stirred by that. I felt that she still hoped to find him and get through to him. And when I saw—and somehow felt— that amount of hope amidst her misery, I thought of you, and how you still hoped even amidst our own despair."

Derek drew his lower lip in slightly before continuing, "And when I realized that all because of your actions just now, it finally made me come to my senses. I suddenly understood all that I had done and how very anguished this girl was because of it…It was the same way how I did feel when you had been torn away from me all these days when we were injured. I did not know if I would ever see you again then, and I was anguished to my very soul. I knew then that I was gravely wrong to have rent that young human couple apart in such a despicable, devious way, and then leave them to their despair without a care. I was ashamed because of it."

"But you do not bear this burden alone, Husband. I, too, am ashamed," Sarah gently replied.

He smiled weakly at her and said, "Thank you, my love. That gives me strength. But being ashamed does not absolve us from making amends! So, if it pleases you, Dearest, we need to stay here and help that young human couple."

Sarah's eyes suddenly sparkled with her happy tears. This was the Derek she had fallen in love with those many years ago. But her uplifting thoughts were short-lived when they drifted back to the matter at hand. She became more serious and uttered, "It does please me that you and I both understand what we must do. But I must tell you that now that we have some time, I can tell you about what happened to me when we were parted. I had been in the company of the very same boy of which we speak, the same love of the girl,…the fair Lady Sam, who took care of you. It was Sir Danny who cared for me when I was injured."

The lynx scrunched up his face a little as he commented, "Yes, I am most grateful that you have recovered. I had feared the worst. But I did not know that the boy was in your company and I am most content that he did not harm you any further. And, for some strange reason, a curious memory has just surfaced when you spoke of his name again. That evil female ghost had said something of needing something of value from him. I do not remember what that was, but she was adamant about it."

Sarah brightened at his reply. She excitedly explained, "I know what that was, Derek! I have yet recalled the name of which she called it, but Sir Danny had told me that Spectra was always in search of human misery, and that it would keep her young! What she wanted from him, then, must be nearly the same! How she could take it from him, I do not know and she did not say. But he said that she wanted that from all humans. But there is even more to that and you are correct! I suddenly remember! When we were prisoners but when you were still incapacitated, the dark sorceress had mentioned that she wants even more than that from Sir Danny. She made me think he was very special, more special than ordinary boys. I did not understand that then, but I do now."

He frowned, wondering what she meant.

She saw his look and her face became more serious as she continued, "And here I must tell you what I now know. He is indeed a very special human boy, Derek. For some reason he can be both human and ghost."

"What do you mean?" he finally asked, still surprised.

Sarah quickly explained to him everything that she had seen about Danny and what his sister had told her.

This time Derek frowned in worry, "That would explain to whom that witch Spectra had been referring and who I, too, at first believed were two different people. He must be one in the same, though I still do not understand how that can be!" Then he gasped at his next thought, "But he also is evil, then, Sarah! He had attacked us when we first came to this world and had kept us prisoners! We cannot help him, then!"

"No, no, Derek! He thought you were attacking me and defended me when you first encountered him," she insisted.

"But he attacked me again, in the home of the Lady Sam," he countered. He then explained to her what had happened that night.

"Do you not see, then, Beloved, that at that time he still thought of you as a real wildcat threatening his love?" she gently chided him. "Surely, you will not tell me that you do not understand that?"

He looked at her and seeing her weak smile, returned it with his own. "You tease me, Wife, but I am persuaded.

She smiled back and replied, "I am pleased that you understand, my love." But then her face scrunched up in worry as she added, "But I fear that it is because Sir Danny can be both human and ghost that the wicked Spectra wants to hurt him. She insisted that she wants him injured so severely, he will be in her control, or worse! In fact, I fear Sir Danny is in danger of losing his life!"

Her husband swallowed hard when she had said that. He, of course, knew that. She had tried to convince him several days ago about that and he hadn't wanted to listen. But now, he could not deny or ignore it any longer. He knew how much graver the burden they both bore, now that they had possibly put the boy in mortal peril.

He clenched his jaw in determination and said, "Then, let us not discuss any further about the 'whys' and 'wherefores' of this boy. We both know that all we need to be certain of is that we must find a way back into the Ghost Zone so that we can help him, if we can. But how can we be certain that Spectra has him?"

She answered, "We cannot be. But, he had not return after much passing of the hour before I could come to you. And we both know that Spectra wanted him, and wanted even more from him. Furthermore, he did say he had to go to fight a ghost when he departed. Would it be wise to suppose, then, that we should at least find out for ourselves whether that wicked ghost has him?"

"It would not be unwise, Wife," he gently replied, before growing more serious. "But, do not forget that if we are able to find a way back into the Ghost Zone, it will be dangerous for us to return. Spectra would not be pleased if she were to discover us!"

"I know, Derek. But we have the duty to find out. We can be careful," she said with just as serious a tone.

He was smiling when he remarked, "Have I ever told you how very brave you are?"

Her emerald eyes sparkled as she replied, "All the time. And I feel the same way about you, Beloved!"

He chuckled a little before saying with determination, "Then, let us make haste, Wife, and try to find a means back into the Ghost…."

But his words were abruptly cut off when a large red blast suddenly hit right near them….

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"There, I think that'll do it!" Mrs. Foley said as she finished securing the bandage on Valerie's arm. She had already given her a shot of antibiotics and a dose of the tetanus vaccine before cleaning, stitching, and dressing the wound. She then frowned and added, "Uh, how did you say you got that ugly gash, Valerie?"

"Uhm, I didn't," Valerie sheepishly replied before throwing a skittish glance at Tucker.

Tucker nervously jumped in, "Well, it is kinda embarrassing how it happened, Mom! You know how we're always fiddling with our techno stuff. Well, when my phone broke, it somehow freakishly cut her arm. In fact, it was really bizarre, 'cause it actually broke on her arm and cut it!" He lifted his decimated cell phone up 'as proof' for his mother to see.

Valerie cringed, praying that Tucker would shut up now before he blew it. But she still managed to keep her own mouth shut and nod in support of his 'story'.

Mrs. Foley's eyebrow lifted in suspicion. She didn't think a cell phone could smash to smithereens on someone's arm. But even if it could freakishly do that, she didn't think a broken cell phone could make a gash like that. She thought about asking Tucker exactly how his phone had managed to fall on Valerie's arm, but she gave up on that. After all, this wasn't a 'first' for her son. She really had thought he had gotten out of his clumsy stage, but obviously she was wrong. For one who loved techno gear as much as Tucker did, he had certainly broken a lot of them since he had gotten into high school. Still, she wondered why this strange thing had happened to them, but she was more relieved now that it looked like they were back together again. She decided to leave it be.

But then, she added, "Well, OK, then. But I think I need to let your father and doctor know about that cut, Valerie."

"Uh, thank you, Mrs. Foley! But do you think I could tell them? Please? I-I don't want them to think you're crazy when you give them that explanation!" Valerie sheepishly asked.

One of the woman's eyebrows hitched in suspicion again. But then she said, "Well, OK. But be sure to tell them right away. But I have to report this to my supervising physician just the same."

"Yes, ma'am," Valerie began, mentally breathing a sigh of relief that she wasn't going to press the issue. "And, of course, thank you, Mrs. Foley! Tucker did tell me that you were a great nurse practitioner!"

"Were?" she said, feigning feeling insulted. "Just because I only practice nursing part-time now doesn't mean I do it part-way!"

"OK, Mom," Tucker replied with a roll of his eyes. Maybe he inherited his sense of humor from her, too! "But thanks for all your help! Uh, we have to get going! See ya!"

He quickly turned and hurried off, with Valerie right on his heels. But she turned back to the woman and said, "And thanks again, Mrs. Foley! See ya!"

"Good-…." Mrs. Foley began, but the young couple had already dashed out of eye and earshot before she could wish them a proper 'good-bye'…..

When they finally got to Tucker's room, the boy proudly announced to his girl, "OK, now it's my turn to fix things up!"

Just as he said that, he pushed a button on his PDA, and a holographic small-scale, but very useable, workbench appeared in front of them, fully equipped with all sorts of gadgets and tools.

"Whoah!" Valerie said, awestruck. "I had no idea, Tucker!"

"Yeah, pretty cool, huh? Kinda puts all those portable handymen to shame, don't ya think?"

She rolled her eyes in amusement.

But he continued, "Anyhow, I've been wanting to show you this, like, forever, but, you know, I couldn't 'cause I would've had to explain to you how I got this mega-cool PDA in the first place. But I'm so happy that I can now! Even though, really, how exactly I did get it will have to wait. We have to get to the Ghost Zone as soon as we can."

"And you know about that, too? The Ghost Zone, I mean," she inquired, flabbergasted once more.

"Yeah, been there hundreds of time, too!" he said, briefly closing his eyes and smirking with a bit of smug pride. But he quickly turned sober and reaching with an upturn hand at Valerie, added, "But enough of this! Let's get at your wrist control band…"

She quickly surrendered it to him, and watched him as he pushed another button on his PDA. A holographic blueprint of her wrist control band suddenly appeared in the air.

He smiled sheepishly at her and uttered, "Uh, I used my PDA to scan it a while ago. Sorry, couldn't help myself! It's just such a mega-cool piece of techno gear!"

She rolled her eyes before widening them when he began to work. And as she watched him, she couldn't help but be enthralled, unaware that a look betraying her dazed admiration had crept onto her face.

He expertly repaired all the damage her wrist control band had sustained. He was finished in hardly any time and deftly handed it back to her once he was through.

She smiled and blushed as she grabbed it and said, "Gee, Tucker, I didn't know how resourceful you really were. I'm totally wowed about what you just did."

He smiled back, flattered by her remark. But instead of eating it totally up as he would have in the past, he seriously replied, "Thanks, Valerie. But I think we need to get going….But first…"

He pushed another button on his PDA and the holographic workbench morphed into a holographic cell phone.

Valerie smiled knowingly this time. That is why he wasn't too upset that his other, much-less-cooler cell phone had broken!

Tucker quickly dialed Sam's number as he took the phone. He had heard only a couple of rings when the connection was made. "Hello?" he said, but all he could hear was some confusing noises. "Uh, hello?" he asked again, and then he thought he heard, "Tuc—" and then….But Tucker wasn't sure what that last thing he heard was. Then, he thought he heard a painful scream. He wasn't sure if it was Sam's scream, but he knew that it was bad! "Sam? Are you OK?" But all he could hear was a wheeze, and a strange buzzing sound. "Sam?" he asked more frantically.

But before he could say anymore, he yelled when a powerful pulse of purple electricity jolted both his phone and his ear. He quickly severed the connection before it could harm his PDA. After he quickly inspected the little computer and sighed that it seemed to be all right, he asked himself how that could have happened. He thought about it and his face wrinkled to a serious frown. Then, as if it were a wave crashing on top of the surf at high tide, a sudden, strange feeling came over him. He just knew it! He had heard it right. It was Sam screaming!—just as that bolt of electricity zapped him. But that same feeling told him that Sam was somewhere far away. But he couldn't be certain.

"That's not right!" he said with the same frown, doubting those strange thoughts. "Let's get to Sam's house! Something's wrong!"

"Well, of course we have to get to Sam! She's a part of the team, after all. A close part!" Valerie said with a weak smile. She was really trying hard to put all her past behind now that there was so much at stake.

Tucker was so worried, he barely smiled in response. Yet, he still managed to quip, "Well, we do have to take your wrist control band for a test run, you know."

Valerie didn't need any more prompting. She activated one of the buttons of her repaired wrist band and she instantly morphed into the Red Huntress.

"You know, it's a good thing you know that I know you're the Red Huntress now. I never really got the chance to tell you that I think you look hot in that outfit!" He commented as he opened the window.

Her shaded helmet hid her blush but since she felt the warmth on her cheeks, she knew it was there. Still, she knew they had no more time for this. "C'mon, Tucker! We got to get going!" she insisted.

She followed that comment with a click of her heels and her hover-board instantly jumped out of her boots.

Without saying another word, Tucker quickly hopped behind her and wrapped his arms around her waist, trying to stay focused and ignore how nice it felt to be close to his girlfriend again.

Together, they glided out the window, and Valerie stopped right outside of it so that Tucker could close the window. Once he secured it, they soared toward Sam's house.

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They were there in no time and landed in the alley nearby. Valerie pressed a button and in an instant, she was back to her normal self. They dashed around the corner, halting just as they got to the door. Tucker rang the doorbell and waited.

Finally, Sam's grandmother opened it.

"Uhm, hello, Mrs. Manson. Is Sam home?" Tucker asked her, trying to control the worry in his voice.

"No, she isn't. But don't tell me that you also need to pick up something you let Sam borrow?" the old woman asked.

"Huh?" he replied, totally clueless of what she meant.

Valerie just stood silently by.

But Mrs. Manson quickly added, "Never mind! Jazzy was here not fifteen minutes ago looking for Sam, too. I thought she would be with you and Danny, Tucker. I don't like this. She usually…" But the old woman stopped her outward thoughts, and said instead, "I'm just worried. Her phone is dead."

Tucker gasped. Maybe Sam did go after Spectra in order to help Danny, and maybe now something had happened to her! But then, he had a sudden sick feeling about his female friend. Still, he controlled himself and truthfully replied. "Well, maybe she dropped it by accident. I did that very thing not more than an hour ago. But when I see her, I'll have her call you, OK?"

"Thank you, Tucker….and Valerie."

Valerie just smiled in slight embarrassment, but said nothing.

"You're welcome, and we have to go!" Tucker replied to Sam's grandmother.

No sooner had he said this when he lead the way away. Valerie quickly followed and they both dashed to the same alley in which they had first landed.

Mrs. Manson lingered a little longer at the door as she watched them dart into the alley. She frowned in puzzlement why they would do that, or at the strange sound she heard come out of it shortly after they entered it. She frowned a little more, but still finally closed the door.

Valerie quickly reverted back to the Red Huntress once they had gotten into the alley. She then turned to Tucker and said with chagrin, "Now what are we going to do?"

He pulled his lower lip in with both concentration and worry. He immediately replied, "Sam must have gone after Spectra after all. I understand why, but don't know why she would do that alone; though she's done a lot of crazy things before. Still, we need to go after her and Danny."

"But how are we going to get into the Ghost Zone?" his girl asked in worry.

Before he could explain that very cool feature about his nifty futuristic PDA, Valerie's ghost alarm was activated.

"Oh, no!" she cried, turning to him, and searching for his counsel. "Ghosts! And they're close by!"

He, of course, knew that that had been her ghost alarm, but he said, "You know what to do. I'll be right here. I got to figure out a few more things."

She smiled weakly, but he couldn't see that through her mask.

But just as she was about to bolt upward, he touched her shoulder.

She halted, frowning in confusion.

He didn't see her frown, but he smiled weakly at her and added, "And try to be a little merciful with them—if you can, I mean. OK?"

"OK," she softly said with a nod, returning in understanding his weak smile with her own. She then turned away and shot upward.

Her radar quickly homed in on the ghosts. She studied her data. Two ghost animals. But that was odd! One of them was small and one was much bigger—and different. She darted toward the direction her radar was showing her.

She could see that the ghosts were near the rooftops and she accelerated her hover-board in pursuit.

Finally, she spied them. She produced a large ectoplasmic ray gun and threw her eye at its sites. She suppressed her gasp. What? It looked like some kind of cat…and a bird? What were a ghost cat and a ghost bird doing together here? But she knew she couldn't waste any time. She steadied her gun, rechecked her aim, and fired. She growled when she missed her mark, and fired again…..