Tuckers eyes widened, and he slowly sat up, wiping drool from his face.

"He did do something weird last night. In the kitchen, he bent over and coughed. Then he smiled and started talking about the costume. He was interested in changing his appearance just like that." Tucker mussed, snapping his fingers at the end.

Both teens knew that that was when Alex had been overshadowed. They were surprised that the older halfa had been able to keep up the act for as long as he did.

"Tucker, I really think he had something to do with the warehouse burning."

"Why would Vlad go out of his way to burn the place? Unless he had something to hide…"

"Or dispose of. I don't know if you've noticed yet, but Danny has been missing all morning."

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Danny woke screaming. He was on his side, and he curled in on himself, trying to seek protection from the horrors plaguing his mind. His lip trembled, and he looked about him to figure out where he was. The abundance of trees and grass was enough to figure it out. He relaxed, sitting up to check himself over for wounds.

His arms and legs were black from the fire; his face was probably the same. Cuts from previously bleeding wounds had been slashed across him, mainly on his legs. He coughed.

"How long was I out?" he croaked. It had been for longer than three hours; that much was for certain. Danny transformed into Phantom, turning invisible and flying away. For the moment, he was dead to Vlad, and that meant that he wouldn't be hunted.

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Sam and Tucker continued to quietly discuss the current problem of Alex's overshadowing and Danny's disappearance. They were pale faced, eyes dark with sadness. Sam was sitting at the foot of Tuckers unmade bed, fingering the lacing of one of her boots.

Both teens glanced up when a gust of wind blew a stack of papers from the boys desk.

"Danny? Is that you man?" Tucker asked. He sniffed the air, picking up the scent of smoke. "Dude?"

Danny ignored him, going over and flopping across the foot of the bed. The only way they knew he was there was by the human-shaped impression he created. He coughed lightly.

"Vlad overshadowed Alex." He said hoarsely. "He tricked me to take him to the warehouse, and then he short circuited my powers, beat me up, and left me to die. When I woke up, the whole building was on fire."

His friends stared, horrified. Danny continued speaking.

"It was Vlad who had the idea to dress Alex up as me. It was never to trick him. He wanted Alex to look like me." Danny sat up, keeping his back to Sam and Tucker. His shoulders began to shake, and his concentration broke, returning his visibility.

"The entire time, in the warehouse, he stayed in Alex. Every time I close my eyes, I see Alex doing all of that, not Vlad." He muttered, staring down at his blood stained gloves. He closed his eyes, transforming back to Fenton, and Sam and Tucker finally saw what had happened.

Danny, still in his nightclothes, was covered in small cuts and soot. Tucker and Sam rushed to his side, thinking it was the right thing to do. They saw Danny's eyes, bloodshot, when he opened them.

"Vlad thinks that I'm dead. He thinks that he won." He rubbed at his eyes, ending up in just spreading soot across his face. Tucker patted him on the shoulder. Danny looked up, expressionless.

"Come on, dude. You need to get cleaned up. Bathroom is down the hall. Go and take a shower and then meet us in here."

Danny began to protest, saying that he was just about to leave, but Tucker would have none of it. He walked Danny to the bathroom, handed him a towel and pointed out where the shampoo and stuff was, and then left, leaving Danny to stand barefoot and sooty in a rather clean bathroom.

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Tucker shook his head, frowning as he walked back to a familiar door. He wouldn't step back into his room until he heard the sound of running water. Leaning against the wall, he waited patiently, an unusual trait for him, nodding and spinning into his room. Sam was there, sitting where she had been last. She looked up at him, her eyes finally showing the signs of exhaustion and worry she had kept hidden for so long.

"He's breaking, isn't he?" she finally said, lower lip almost trembling. A sigh escaped her lips, and her head hung. "Danny, I mean. He can't handle all of this."

Tucker bit his lip, leaning against the wall of his room next to the door. Not exactly ready to give an answer, he removed his eyeglasses from his head and began to clean them on his shirt. Sam continued talking, never noticing him.

"Vlad has only been playing, even with the fire. I'm sure he would have enjoyed Danny dying then, but I also think that he's planning on something much worse. He'll keep at it until Danny breaks completely, and then he'll kill him."

"We'll have to stand between them then, Sam." Tucker said, slipping his glasses back on. Sam looked up with wide eyes.

"Tuck, do you really mean-?"

"Yeah, and we may be able to get Alex back."

"We have to!" she nodded bravely.

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Danny stood, allowing the cold water to stab like needles on his bare back. The thought to adjust the waters temperature had never crossed his mind, and all he did was stand there under the water, arms crossed across his chest. He blinked when water fell into his eyes.

I'm tired.

He turned slightly, allowing the water to wash the soot from his face. The black mess fell away from his skin, and was washed away. He watched the soot as it traveled down the length of the shower, until it was finally consumed by the drain. Danny blinked slowly, poking at the last remains of soot stuck around the drain with his toe. The soot clung to his skin, and was only removed when he stuck his foot back under running water. Danny didn't bother to watch the soot's doomed journey, and he shut the water off, grabbing a towel and getting out to dry off.

He wrapped the towel around his waist, approaching the mirror and looking. There was no steam to speak of on the mirror, and he could clearly see how blue his lips were.

Cold as a ghost. Cold as death.

Danny turned away; grabbing his sooty clothes and pulling them back on.

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The bathroom door was opened as quietly as possible, and Danny walked out, his bare feet silent on the floor. To his left, he saw that Tucker had set out some clothes for him to borrow: a pair of blue jeans, and a faded superhero shirt. Slightly thankful, Danny took the clothes, retreating back to the bathroom to redress. The black shirt and red shorts were thrown away.

Something in the back of his mind told him that Tucker was making a point with the shirt, and the boy began thinking, pulling the fabric over his head and putting his arms through the sleeves. He looked back in the mirror with a flat expression. The hero was faded, he noted, to make the shirt seem old when it really wasn't. It was still there, and stronger than you'd think.

Tearing his eyes away, Danny left the bathroom again.

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Sam looked up when Danny entered the room.

"Danny!" she cried out. The halfa's lips were still blue, and he was shivering lightly. He made no move to seek warmth, and kept his arms hanging limply by his sides. He shuffled in to the room, standing just out of the doorway. Tucker stared with wide eyes.

"Dude, what happened?"

"I took a shower."

"You didn't adjust the water temperature?"

"It was fine that way."

"Danny, You're really scaring us."

"I'm sorry."

Danny lightly shied away when Sam got up and made her way towards him. He flinched when she tried to take his hand.

"I'm sorry," he said, looking at his feet.

"There's nothing to be sorry about. Danny."

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Danny's voice was still slightly hoarse. It had been brought on by the smoke in took in and his desperate screams. Now, it was from his emotions. He took a shaky breath in, preparing to speak through trembling lips.

"Back when Vlad was over for dinner, when he talked to me in the bathroom, he said that," his voice broke, and he went invisible to hide his face. Sam immediately took his hand to know where he was. He took another shaky breath in, gripping her hand tightly. "Vlad said that I'd be as sane as he was, when he was done with me. The only thing that I think is keeping me from loosing control right now is the fact that I know he thinks I died last night, and that he isn't hunting me anymore. Then I remember what's happened to Alex. We have to get him back, but then Vlad will see me. If he sees me, he'll know I'm alive, and I'll loose it. We need to save Alex though, but then Vlad will see me. If he sees me, I'll loose control, and I'll… I'll…"

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AN: I'm back from Europe! :D I sort of wish that I was still there though!

Pretty dramatic chapter… Was it too much? Tell me what you think! Reviews are loved!