Danny continued to stay in a paranoid mood until after dinner, only relaxing when his family and Jack returned. Somehow, having the house full of people made him feel better.
"Hey Mom, where have you guys been all day?" he asked. Maddie smiled widely, holding up several bags of purchased items.
"We went shopping, honey! Well, we didn't shop too much; we had so much fun just chatting away at the burger place you like to hang out in. Anyway, we brought back some food for everyone."
A bag of ready to eat food was thrust into the boy's hands, and his mother ushered him into the kitchen to serve the food to his friends. Naturally, his friends followed, and the food was devoured within minutes.
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"It's starting to get late," Tucker announced. Sam nodded in agreement, saying that she wouldn't be able to stay the night again.
"All of us shouldn't stay holed up in a single place for too long, no matter how safe it is. It would be best for the two of you to go back to your homes." Alex said, finishing off his meal. "Vlad doesn't know where the two of you live anyway, right?"
Sam and Tucker nodded. Danny looked stricken.
"What if he does find you guys? He could hurt you!"
"He saw us in the park today, and we were fine. He only said that we were 'very lucky', and he vanished."
"That's when he left to meet us then."
The conversation lapsed into silence, with only the voices of the clinking silverware to create any sound. Danny had a moody look on his face, reminded of the earlier events.
I really think Vlad has lost it now… I'm surprised he hasn't done anything yet. Will I be ready when he does?... Wait, my ghost sense? Now?
Danny shivered, dropping his fork as blue mist escaped from his lips. Alex looked up at him, curious and worried. The halfa didn't bother picking up his fork. He hid his face in his hands.
"It's Vlad; it has to be Vlad…"
Alex coughed awkwardly.
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Danny's parents were for the idea of Sam and Tucker leaving as soon as the meal was over. They thought it would be best for them to go back to own houses, though they lacked any reason for this. With smiling faces, they saw the two teens to the door.
"Why don't you come back tomorrow? That way, everyone will be fresh and ready to start another summer adventure!"
Sam and Tucker had expressions of embarrassment on their faces, blushing as they scurried out the door.
An hour or so later, the Fenton's rounded on their son and Alex, advising them to go to bed.
"Camp starts tomorrow! We can't have the two of you sleeping the day away!"
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Alex had never actually gone to bed. Instead, the boy stayed up, quietly reading a book. He wasn't too pleased over the choice of books in the room, and only settled on this particular book because it was the only one out of the collection that had absolutely nothing to do with cats.
His eyes had begun to droop twice, and he shook his head to wake up.
"This is getting to be a pain," the spy grumbled, readjusting his pillow. The clock next to his bed blinked at him, telling the time of midnight. "I've waited long enough, I have to get going." Alex whispered, getting out of the bed and tossing the book aside. Making sure that no one was around outside the door, and realizing that he'd never know until he opened the door, he left the room, silently running down to another door, which he opened just as quietly. The room was dark, lit only by the light of the moon shining through the window. Its light fell across the bed in the room, revealing the one sleeping in it.
Alex crept over to the bed, stopping to poke Danny's shoulder. The halfa grumbled, turning slightly in his sleep. Alex poked him harder. "Wake up!" he hissed, putting a hand over the boy's mouth before there was even a chance to cry out. Danny had been about to shout, thinking that he was under an attack.
"Shh! Danny, calm down, it's only me!" the spy said forcefully, glancing towards the door. "Danny! It's Alex!"
Danny panicked, phasing away to stand a few feet away. He was breathing heavily, wearing the black shirt from earlier and some red shorts. He glared with furious eyes across the bed to Alex.
"Geez, Alex! Don't scare me like that! I thought you were Barry-" he shut himself up quickly, closing his eyes tightly and clenching his fists. A wave of insane laughter swept through his head, making him shudder.
"I'm really sorry about that, I truly am, but we've got some trouble. Sam just called. She and Tucker were out, sneaking around, and Skulker chased them." Alex spoke hastily, instantly erasing Danny's anger, and getting his attention.
"How did you get her number? How is Skulker even back up and running already?"
"She gave me her number to me when you were gone! Does it matter how Skulker got back? We need to go!"
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Danny didn't protest. If his friends were in trouble, he'd do anything to save them. Forcing himself to transform, he flew over to Alex, picking him up and phasing out of the house.
"You know where they are, right?" he asked over the wind. Alex nodded, pointing out the direction. Danny followed the spy's finger with his eyes, flying off towards the given point. If he was guessing correctly, Danny knew that they'd end up near the warehouse from earlier. "How did they get all the way out here?" he asked. Alex suggested Tuckers moped. It was a fair thought, and Danny nodded, increasing his speed to get them there faster.
He set Alex on the ground after phasing through the wall of the warehouse. As soon as this was done, Danny began shouting his friend's names, walking a few paces to the left and right to see around the shelves. He was using his power again to create a green light to see by. Alex walked off somewhere else, picking up a metal tool, wrapped lightly in a strange fabric, off a shelf. He blew on it, removing invisible dust away, before hiding it in the waistband of his jeans, hiding it by pulling the borrowed white shirt over it. He began trailing after the halfa, mimicking him by calling Sam and Tuckers names.
"Tucker, Sam!" Danny shouted, voice growing hoarse. "Where are you guys? Alex, are you sure this is where they said they were? Alex?"
Alex hadn't acted out of behavior until they were out of the aisles of shelves. He was now standing there, stiffly, with his head slightly forward, hiding his eyes with his black hair. Danny took a tentative step towards him. Worry was clear in his green eyes as he raised his glowing hand. He instantly recoiled when Alex looked up at him with shining red eyes. The spy's face was impassive.
Danny jumped back, hovering in the air with a fully charged ecto blast. His aim was anything but steady, and he was shaking with dread. "What have you done to him? What have you done to Alex?"
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Alex smirked, eyes flashing before returning to their normal color.
"What do you mean, Danny? I'm fine."
"Stop joking! Who are you?"
Alex smiled, taking a step towards the ghost boy. He held a hand to his chest, looking hurt.
"You don't believe me?"
"Where are Sam and Tucker?"
"Safe and sound in their beds, but you shouldn't be worrying about them." He laughed, making Danny flinch. The laughter wasn't like Alex's at all; it belonged to someone else completely. Alex tugged at a piece of his black hair, smirking up at Danny.
"You know, he looks almost exactly like you now, like this. He doesn't know. As soon as all of this is over, I'll have to explain. I can't allow him to look like he had been before however, it wasn't right."
"So you dressed Alex up to look like me? Why?" Danny was now up against the ceiling, as far away from Alex as possible without leaving the building. He cringed when Alex began laughing again, making his skin crawl.
"Why? Ah, young Daniel, it's because I can." Alex said, adjusting his voice and allowing his eyes to glow red again.
"I can't believe you. Why would you do this?"
"Now, that's no way to talk to your uncle, Daniel. Come down here so that I can see you."
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"Get out of Alex!" Danny yelled weakly down to the overshadowed boy. "If it's me that you want, then just leave him out of this!"
"This boy is my reason. He stays."
Alex began to glow softly as Vlad's ghostly power took hold of his body. He flew up to meet Danny, who pressed his back further into the ceiling. Alex laughed.
"Daniel, your greatest weakness," he whipped something out from the waistband of his jeans, revealing the metal tool and pressing it to the ghost boy's chest before he could react. "Is that you can be fooled so easily."
Danny screamed as the electricity of the Plasmius Maximus ripped through him, almost like he was on fire, cutting his ghostly powers away. He felt his body transform, and he began falling to the hard ground. Alex reached out, taking the boy by his wrist before he could get too far away. He pulled the boy up until they were seeing eye to eye.
"You and your friends should have done your research. I bought this warehouse five years ago. I was notified by a security system the minute you entered this place, and when you ran away, I came here and hid this, knowing that I could use it here, and eventually kill you, if the book failed. We're just far enough from society, that no one will be able to hear you.
"Because I closed this warehouse, no one will be able to get in unless I allow it. Your body could be stuck in here for years. There is nothing, no evidence or motive, which could possibly pull me in or arrest me. I'll be able to live free, with Alex as my new apprentice." Alex hissed, tightening his grip on Danny's wrist. "Don't be foolish and try to escape from this height, and- look at me!" Alex barked, wrenching Danny's face towards him. The young halfa had his eyes tightly shut, trying in vain to stem the flow of tears. Alex tightened the grip on the hand holding his chin until Danny got the message and opened his blue eyes.
Alex smiled cruelly at the defeated look on the boys face. He looked up to his hand, gripping the boy's wrist even tighter. Danny looked up as well, eyes wide with fear.
"No! Stop!"
Alex sent a charge of electrical energy through his hands, electrocuting Danny until he finally passed out. He was flung down to rest on the top of an empty shelf, and Alex flew down to meet him there. He noted the hand shaped burn mark on the halfa's arm.
"That's amusing. Hmm, I suppose I should leave now, but first," Alex mussed, kicking out roughly and sending Danny's limp form skittering across the shelf. The last he saw of the boy was his bare feet as he fell over the edge, crashing onto something hard below.
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AN: So? What do you think?
Alex was overshadowed, which explains his odd behavior and lies, and Danny is…
That will be revealed next!
I'll be leaving in a few days to go to Italy and some other places! Because of this, I won't be able to update in that time (or type anything!), so it may take some time before the next chapter is ready. It's not important to the readers of this story, but I'm really excited about going!