With their final goodbyes said, Danny and Tucker left. They had taken an extra sweater and jacket for Alex and Sam, leaving the rest of the clothes out on the floor. Shaking her head, Jazz began to pick them up and put them away before someone came by.
She found it sad that Danny, currently believed to be missing with his friends, had come all the way back home without telling his parents that he was alright. If only he knew that they would accept him! They were his parents; they would never turn away from their only son just because he was also the infamous Danny Phantom. Still, for the time being, she understood why he was so scared. The ghost hunting couple had, after all, threatened to rip Phantom apart molecule by molecule. That was enough to frighten almost anyone.
F%**)&*$%#$*(&#&+)_&*_$#%&&((_#$#%**)&*)()_%$^^#&#*
"Well, look who's finally back," Alex said, waving over to Danny. Tucker was peering into the store, and was trying to find them. Danny tugged on his sleeve, pointing over to where Alex and Sam really were.
Danny smiled, placing a hand on each of their shoulders to turn them intangible. Sam grinned as the cold water fell off of her, leaving her dry and slightly warmer than she had been. Gratefully, she accepted the black sweater that was offered to her, leaving the hoodie for Alex to claim. She felt a little sorry, but there was no way she'd be caught dead in that. It was like a huge fuzzy brownie, as far as color went, and was partially made with rabbit fur in it.
"So, what now?" the Goth asked. The rain had begun to let up a little, but the temperature had dropped. Everyone had noticed this, and they all knew it wasn't a good sign. There wasn't much to do about it.
They began walking.
"Yassen was just here, right? I saw him." Danny said, pulling his hood up. He looked a little curious, but it was clear it didn't really matter. Alex explained what Yassen had been doing, leaving a large chunk of information out of it. "How did he know your dad?"
"They worked together."
"Spies?" Tucker cut in, looking excited. Alex shook his head.
"Yassen was an assassin."
"Geez, Tuck, pay attention!" Danny sighed, looking out across the street in an over dramatic way. From this point on, he became transfixed by at the sight of a squirrel, and was only kept within the group by Sam, who had taken his hand to keep him from straying. She had cut her attention between the halfa and the other two boys.
"My dad had been 'working' for a group once. He and Yassen worked together then."
"And that's where you met him, or at least heard of him?"
"No. I met him on the Stormbreaker mission. He had been hired by Herod Sayle."
"You two aren't exactly friends then, I'm assuming." Tucker said lamely. Alex chuckled, though you could tell he didn't think it was too funny.
The group fell into silence, walking forward. They ended up in the park, stopping at the base of the fountain. The water gurgled out of the fountain sluggishly; as if it would much rather stay out of the out-of-season cold. Everyone was able to sympathize with it.
F%**)&*$%#$*(&#&+)_&*_$#%&&((_#$#%**)&*)()_%$^^#&#*
Jazz had just finished putting away all of the clothes that had been thrown out over the floor when the faint ring of the doorbell, followed by her mother's weary "I'll get it", met her ears. Thinking nothing of it, the girl went back to her room, retreating to her computer. She quickly set up a chat window, connected to Tucker's PDA, so she could contact her brother.
F%**)&*$%#$*(&#&+)_&*_$#%&&((_#$#%**)&*)()_%$^^#&#*
Maddie quickly checked her reflection in a mirror before opening the front door. She knew she looked like a wreck, but she was too tired to really care. Silently, she opened the door.
"Hello, Vlad. What brings you here again?" she asked in a bland tone, stepping aside to let the man in out of the odd cold. Vlad, looking properly solemn, nodded to her, placing a reassuring hand on her shoulder as he brushed past her.
"Maddie, I'm terribly sorry about young Daniel. He'll turn up."
"Danny's a good kid, he'd never just run off for no reason." Maddie whispered, lips trembling as she barely managed to keep her emotions in check.
"Yes, I suppose." This was the wrong thing to say however, for Maddie burst into tears. Hastily, Vlad tried to cover up the fumble.
"Really now, the little badger is fine."
"I just want to see my little boy again." The woman sniffled, covering her eyes with her hands. Vlad looked down at her, wrapping an arm around her shoulders to pull her into a hug.
"I know, Maddie. Believe me, I miss him too."
For a minute or so, it was quiet.
"Jack's down in the lab. We found a motorcycle in her earlier that had belonged to this creep, so Jack offered to take it apart to see if there was anything odd about it. He doesn't really want to be disturbed though," she added the last part when Vlad made to get up. "Uh, would you like some coffee or something?" she offered, forgetting that the coffee maker was out of service until further notice. She changed tactics, offering instead some iced tea when she recalled the event. The silver haired man took her up on that offer, and they left for the kitchen. As he passed the stairs, he caught a girl with long red hair standing in the hall, her eyes wide in shock. What was her name again? No matter, she wasn't that important.
Maddie quickly busied herself with the pitcher of tea she had pulled from the fridge and two empty glasses. She sighed, her mind elsewhere as she began to pour the drinks. She didn't notice that she had missed the first glass, and had spilt tea across the table before moving onto the other cup. Vlad raised an eyebrow, accepting the half empty glass offered to him.
F%**)&*$%#$*(&#&+)_&*_$#%&&((_#$#%**)&*)()_%$^^#&#*
"Why is that fruit loop here? He knows Danny isn't here, right? Wait, nobody knows where Danny is!"
Frantically, Jazz ran back to her room, running into Jack in the process as the woman made her way to the stairs. Before she could even mutter an apology, Jazz grabbed Jack, dragging her into her room and slamming the door behind them, locking it for extra precaution. Jack tottered on her feet for a moment before she found her balance.
"Hey, what's up?" she asked.
"You can't go downstairs." Jazz whispered, her back pressed to the door.
"I know; you won't let me. Is everything alright?"
Jazz shook her head. She pointed to her computer, where the articles and photos of Phantom were still up. Quickly pulling up the chat window from earlier, she began typing, talking to Jack at the same time. Jack leaned forward a little, reading over her shoulder: "Vlad is here, most likely looking for Danny and Alex. Stay alert, but don't do anything stupid!"
"There's this guy down there. He's not one of the good guys though, he's dangerous."
"He's wants Danny and Alex?" Jack demanded, angry. Jazz shrugged, staring at the computer as she waited for any sort of response.
"He won't, if he knows what's good for him." Jazz finally said with a glare.
F%**)&*$%#$*(&#&+)_&*_$#%&&((_#$#%**)&*)()_%$^^#&#*
"Anyone have a quarter or something?" Danny asked, wanting to make a wish. Tucker shook his head, saying that he would rather not run into Desiree any time soon if she picked up on him making a wish. Danny pouted, sitting on the edge of the fountain and returning to silence. The wind began to pick up, causing everyone to shiver. Alex wasn't to bothered by the chill, he was used to weather like this back home, but he pulled the hood of his borrowed hoodie up anyway.
"Why don't we find a place to get out of the weather for a bit?" the spy offered.
"We'll be spotted." Danny quickly whispered.
"Disguises, then." Alex pressed.
"Are you possessed again?" Sam demanded.
Alex made a face.
"You know, it wouldn't be a bad idea to get out of the cold. Why don't we go back to the car?"
F%**)&*$%#$*(&#&+)_&*_$#%&&((_#$#%**)&*)()_%$^^#&#*
It was a good idea to Danny, and he leapt to his feet. Taking Sam and Tucker by the hand and waiting for one of them to grab Alex, he took off for the sky, landing back beside the car in minutes.
Danny phased through the driver's door, sitting himself behind the wheel and starting the whole thing with the key that Alex had left behind for the sake of the car's stupid owner. They hadn't planned on using the car again. The halfa put the car into gear, advancing forward a few feet before Alex rushed to the door, pounding his fist on the glass.
"No way, man! I'm the only one who knows how to drive, budge over!" the boy called through the glass. Sam and Tucker seized the moment by jumping into the backseats of the car. Danny rolled his eyes, crawling over to the vacant seat as Alex got behind the wheel. He quickly put the car in park, and then turned the heater on.
"There's ectoplasm back here." Sam stated, noting the green stain on the floor. Danny apologized, saying that he had cut his feet while running barefoot earlier. Sam bit her lip, moving her feet a little out of the green mess. The awkward moment was remedied by Tucker's PDA. He pulled it out, reading the screen. Almost instantly, the blood drained from his face.
"Guys," he said slowly "Vlad is at Fenton Works."
Alex cursed, hitting his good hand against the steering wheel.
F%**)&*$%#$*(&#&+)_&*_$#%&&((_#$#%**)&*)()_%$^^#&#*
"He's been gone for too long," Maddie hiccupped, wiping her eyes as tears began to well up in them once more.
"Maddie, I assure you, Daniel is fine." The man said for what felt like one time too many. He couldn't help but think that Daniel was safe- because the older halfa currently had no idea where he was. Vlad barely kept his smirk in check. When the love of his life looked up, he had already twisted his facial expression into a more appropriate one. He reached across the table, taking her hand in his. Maddie looked down, blushing at the gesture. Again, the silver haired man tried to reassure her that everything was going to be fine.
F%**)&*$%#$*(&#&+)_&*_$#%&&((_#$#%**)&*)()_%$^^#&#*
Jack frowned. Without saying a word, she approached the door, opening it with more force than necessary. She looked over her shoulder once.
"C'mon."
Jazz nodded, following her down to the kitchen. She stopped just short of the doorway, behind Jack, who was taking in the scene. A stranger was there, holding Maddie Fenton by her hand? Could he be a secret lover?
Maddie sniffled, releasing her hand and brushing over to hug her daughter. For Jack's benefit she introduced Vlad, her old college friend, again. Jack still only had a vague idea who he was. Vlad got to his feet, extending his hand to shake Jack's. As soon as it was over, the woman wiped the palm of her hand off on her jeans as discreetly as possible.
The man tried to start another conversation, saying how sorry he was that the children were missing. It was, quite frankly, difficult for him to concentrate on talking when Jasmine was just out of his line of vision. She was armed with a sinister looking knife, and was in the process of cutting up an apple in quite a savage manner.
F%**)&*$%#$*(&#&+)_&*_$#%&&((_#$#%**)&*)()_%$^^#&#*
Alex let another string of curses pass his lips as Tucker read the message aloud:
"Vlad is here, most likely looking for Danny and Alex. Stay alert, but don't do anything stupid!"
Suddenly, the car wasn't as warm as it had just been. Danny moaned softly, hiding his face in his knees. "I don't believe this. He's cheating."
F%**)&*$%#$*(&#&+)_&*_$#%&&((_#$#%**)&*)()_%$^^#&#*
Jazz barely noticed the state of the fruit she was cutting, until the knife cut her finger. Her attention had been on the words coming from Vlad's mouth, but they were drowned out when she gave a yelp, pulling the injured finger to her lips. Luckily, the cut wasn't too deep.
The scene went unnoticed by Vlad, while Maddie saw the entire thing without actually looking. Her maternal instincts were on high power and, quick as a flash, she was at her daughter's side, towel in hand.
"Jazz, honey, you really need to be more careful." The woman chided, leading the girl to the sink. "Please watch what you're doing." Jazz mumbled an apology before cleaning her hand and the knife off. She threw the ruined fruit into the trash and quickly left the room. Vlad couldn't help but smirk. If the girl, Jazz, had been trying to threaten him, then he had nothing to worry about. She was no threat. He turned to Jack, smiling again.
"So, correct me if I am wrong. You are here with young Alex, correct?"
"…Yes." The woman answered slowly, raising an eyebrow.
"The two of you must be very close."
"I should hope so. I'm his guardian."
F%**)&*$%#$*(&#&+)_&*_$#%&&((_#$#%**)&*)()_%$^^#&#*
Twenty minutes later, Vlad finally left. Jazz saw him leave by watching through her bedroom window, and notified Tucker.
"He just left the house. Everything is okay here."
A few miles away, Tucker relayed this message to the rest of the teens in the car. Everyone was glad that he had left the house without hurting anyone, but now he was outside. He was looking for them. Danny straightened up, staring out of his window with dull eyes, mumbling something.
"Sorry, mate, didn't catch that."
"I said that Vlad has the book. He has to have it."
F%**)&*$%#$*(&#&+)_&*_$#%&&((_#$#%**)&*)()_%$^^#&#*
Vlad walked into an alley before pulling the small cursed book from his jacket pocket and transforming into his ghostly half. A dry giggle passed his lips as he scanned the pages of the book with hungry eyes. Towards the back, there had been a few blank pages, and they had only recently been filled. Now they had horrifying drawings covering every inch of them, drawn with a cruel hand that favored the color of blood.
The book had drawn them in, reflecting some of the finer points of Daniel's brief stay between its pages.
Vlad slammed the book shut, looking up to the sky. His grin grew.
"Oh, Danny boy, where are you?" he sang, cackling.
F%**)&*$%#$*(&#&+)_&*_$#%&&((_#$#%**)&*)()_%$^^#&#*
The thought of simply releasing the demon of the Black Peacock, the cursed being that had almost done Daniel in, was very tempting. Whoever, or whatever, was responsible had a tasteful style. It would be interesting to watch.
No. That would never work! Taking care of the little badger was his duty, his purpose. He could not just pass it off to someone else! Besides, Daniel was missing. The least he could do now was get Alex back under his thumb.
That, he would do.
F%**)&*$%#$*(&#&+)_&*_$#%&&((_#$#%**)&*)()_%$^^#&#*
"Oh. Well, that would explain the weird weather. Vlad must have done something."
"You think?" Sam said sarcastically, sitting her arm on the door and resting her chin in its palm with a huff. Alex made a face, a cross between annoyance and sympathy. He chose his next words carefully.
"I think…" he began, rubbing his jaw in deep thought. "I think we should go back to Amity. If we find Vlad, it would be loads better than him finding us, right? We'll take him by surprise. What do you think?"
"It's stupid, but better than staying here like sitting ducks." Sam said, earning a nod of agreement from Tucker.
"I'm disinclined to acquiesce to your request." Danny said flatly, leaning back and stretching his feet out on the dash board.
"Well, by all means, Danny. Please explain." Alex sighed with an air of impatience.
"If we find him, he'll see me. He'll see you too."
F%**)&*$%#$*(&#&+)_&*_$#%&&((_#$#%**)&*)()_%$^^#&#*
AN: I'm back! So yeah, lots of school stuff… I won't bore you with the details, but let's just say I had a brush with insanity. o.0;
On another note... I read this book a while back... There was this kid in it named Danny, and he had blonde hair and brown eyes! XD