The Soul Sepulchre Chapter 10: Rare Game, a danny phantom fanfic

Chapter 10

Chapter 10… Already? When did that happen? ;P

I'm so, so, SO incredibly sorry that this chapter is so late! Beware massive introspection and evil cliffs ahead. Hehe.

Disclaimer: No, Cujo, let go of the nice ownership documents, please? (Grrr… Dog grows really big) Uh oh… nice… huge doggie, please shrink back to normal. I wasn't trying to steal the ownership documents for Danny Phantom, I promise! (Yip! Dog shrinks) Aww… how cute! I'll just be… going… now (runs away). Oh wait! (runs back) I don't own the Packers either! (runs away again before the readers can realize what this means).

Special thanks to Thunderstorm101who kindly informed me that Dash's pet was actually a dog (you're right, of course! For some reason I thought it was a cat XD). I hope you don't mind though, if for the sake of this fic, I keep Pooky as a cat (it just fits better :p ). Thanks for telling me!

Also, thankies to MutantLover09 who kindly picked out a spelling mistake I made (I'm not kidding! Really, thanks, I know it feels a little weird to mention something small like a misspelled word, but I have no beta, and I'm practically blind to my own grammar mistakes, so I really appreciate you pointing that out!).

Enjoy!

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The Soul Sepulcher

-By Sholay

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Chapter 10—Rare Game

Danny was speechless. He staggered back from Sam and Tucker as a graphic picture of Dash's cat swinging atop the flagpole—tongue lolling, legs hanging—flashed across his vision. Standing there, in the middle of Mr. Lancer's classroom, it seemed surreal, he couldn't believe it, what Sam and Tucker were saying. Yet the solemn faces of his friends did not lie.

"Y-you're not serious…" Danny stammered. "W-why?"

"Did you see Dash's face as he was leaving?" Tucker asked with a shake of his head. "He was one of the ones who first saw it—him—the cat… When me n' Sam got here, the police were already there and they were pulling it down…"

"They were asking all sorts of questions." Sam picked up the story. "Classes were cancelled all morning while the police interviewed lots of different people. It wasn't until the Principal herself came down and insisted the students go back to classes that the police backed off. They took numbers from everyone who was there though. They said they might call us—and anyone else from the school—to ask some questions if necessary."

Danny frowned, feeling his shock fading as a different emotion took over. "They're acting like it's a homicide." He didn't mean to sound cold, but his analytical side was taking over. Latching onto the promise of a mystery, he could treat this like it was another ghost hunt, another supernatural adventure. "Why all this fuss… over a cat's death?"He asked, sending an apologetic look at Sam when she frowned at his word choice.

Tucker answered. "They think it's the same guy who's been vandalizing the city over the past few weeks—"

'Since the museum incident.' Danny's mind couldn't help but point out.

"—and they think he—"

"—or she." Sam sent the boy a pointed look.

Tucker didn't even stutter. "—is escalating. The police want to stop 'Willo' before it gets any worse. Besides, this is, like, the first real, human problem we've had in Amity for a long time. Of course the police are going to jump on this. I mean, there was all the crazy ghost stuff that used to be goin' on… but, you know, it's not really the police's job to handle that, right? And they can't, I mean, it's been your parents and Valerie… and you doing all the work. Not the police. Now they've got this big case and there's no way they're gonna let it go unsolved."

Danny saw the sense here. He nodded. It was simply a matter of the police wanting to regain their status and respect in the eyes of the public.

"It IS a human problem though, isn't it?" Tucker looked at Danny. "I mean, you didn't sense any ghosts last night did you?"

"No…" Danny thought back, putting a hand over his lips pensively. He hadn't sensed anything last night, just as he hadn't the night before, and the night before that… 'Is there something wrong with my ghost sense? But no, no one has seen any ghosts for weeks now. Even Mom and Dad are worried. Where have the ghosts gone? They aren't here; they aren't in the ghost zone…'

"But Danny," Sam's voice broke into his thoughts.

"Hmm?" His eyes flicked in her direction.

"There's something you should know" Her voice was low and before saying anything else, she hesitated, moving to look out the classroom door into the empty hall. It was break time for the students, no one would be around for a while, but Sam still scouted the area for teachers. Apparently satisfied, she pulled back into the room, then moved away from the doorway.

She beckoned the boys over to the seats, where she sat down sideways at one of the desks. Danny did likewise on the seat opposite her while Tucker sat backwards on top of the desk in front of Sam, placing his feet on the chair and leaning forward.

"Danny, you should know something." Sam repeated, leaning in. Danny shifted closer, looking at her intently and crossing his arms on his knees. "While the police were asking questions… your name came up."

"What?" He hissed, leaning back.

"Danny, you knew it would." Sam stated logically, as though that would placate him. "I mean, you're suspendedfor getting into a fight…with Dash!"

Danny clenched his teeth. "I know that. But still… I didn't… Youknow I wouldn't! Did you tell them?" He looked at Sam with wide eyes. Her hand was on her knee and he placed his over it, shaking her lightly. "You told them I'd never do something like that, right?"

"Yes, of course we told them." Sam looked down, sounding a little awkward. She shifted her hand underneath Danny's and he immediately pulled away.

"But dude, you know our word isn't enough for those guys." Danny looked up at Tucker, who had a strange smirk on his face, which was quickly wiped off when Danny raised an eyebrow at the hazel-eyed boy. "But don't worry about it, Jazz got your back. The police said the cat was… hung… sometime in the early morning, like, a few hours before school, and Jazz said she saw you in bed at that time."

"Ahh…" Was all Danny said. Jazz had come into his room? When? Sure she had come to wake him up before going to school, but Tucker was implying that she's seen him hours before that. Danny supposed he could have been asleep, but wouldn't he have woken up if someone had come into his room?

"Anyway, we're just giving you a heads up. You've got your alibi, but they still might be calling you to talk. Besides, they have a new suspect now…" Tucker's voice trailed off, he didn't sound too happy about the last part.

"Who?" Danny prompted.

"Nathan." Tucker ran his tongue over his upper teeth, then sat straighter. "Seems as though Dash's been bullying him a lot recently, so the police think he has 'probable cause' or whatever."

"Nathan?!" Somehow, this seemed more shocking to Danny than it should have.

"Yeah, typical police: always running after the wrong person." Sam muttered. "I mean, what about all those jocks? They're so shallow, they'd be willing to do just about anything to knock Dash off his high horse as the school's best athlete. What, do they automatically get a pass just because they're popular? That's so disgustingly chauvinistic!" She paused briefly before giving a cynical chuckle. "But then again, none of those guys are exactly smart enough to pull something like this…"

"But Nathan?" Danny was incredulous. "I mean, come on, the worst the guy's ever done was chase Valerie all over the school begging her to be his date for prom."

"Danny, prom is three years from now." Sam said wryly. Tucker grinned and Danny felt his lips twitch, an amused 'huh' leaving his throat.

Just then there was a dull thunk at the classroom's door and all three teens' heads swiveled to the front of the room. Danny, realizing he was suspended and technically not even supposed to be out of his house, half-rose from his seat in panic.

"Augh! Blasted sling, can't move anywhere without—"

"Well… speak of the devil…" Sam's voice was a strange combination between wonderment and irritation. Danny looked at her face just to see her expression, but it was oddly closed. Danny looked back to the front a sinking feeling in his chest realizing it was too late to go invisible as a mop of curly brown hair came into view.

"Oh!" Valerie looked up, surprised. "Tucker, Sam! What are you—" Then her eyes met Danny's stupefied ones. "Danny!" Shock gave way to a mischievous smile.

"Valerie." Danny gave a small, lopsided smile, sinking back into his seat and bringing a hand to the back of his head, embarrassed.

"Aren't you supposed to be suspended?" The smirk grew

"Eh heh, heh… Um… I'm a… hallucination…?" Danny flushed, he saw Sam raise an unamused eyebrow out of the corner of his eye, but Valerie laughed.

"Only you could make such a lame joke work." She grinned.

"Um… thanks?" Danny raised an eyebrow. "It's a talent you know. One I've worked on for years to perfect."

"Uh huh." Valerie raised her own eyebrow. "Guess it's kinda late to be telling you you've wasted your time then, huh?"

"Oie."

Valerie just smirked.

"And what are you wearing?" She added, eyes squinting in amusement.

This was the second time someone had commented on his baggy clothes. So they used to be his fathers', so what? They were comfortable! Danny rubbed the back of his neck, a self-conscious flush rising in his cheeks. Desperately searching for another topic of conversation, Danny's eyes fell on Valerie and he straightened suddenly, his hand dropping to his side.

"Hey! What happened to your arm?" He asked. Valerie's left arm was covered by a large, white and blue sling which stretched over her shoulder. Danny eyed the sling with obvious concern.

Valerie smiled a tiny, bitter smile, fingering the strap with her right hand. "There was an accident at… work. I was just being clumsy… probably channeling you." The corner of her lips turned up sardonically and she sent Danny a pointed look.

"Hey! What is this, bash Danny day?" Danny raised both his hands, palms outward in a peaceful gesture. Nonetheless, he refused to be sidetracked. Standing up, he made his way over to Valerie. He wished he could ask her how she'd really hurt her arm… It didn't make sense for her to have hurt it on her shift at the Nasty Burger... And he knew all about her second 'job' (i.e. ghost hunting), but she didn't know that he knew… So instead, he asked a different question. "But seriously, are you ok? How bad is it?"

Valerie looked vaguely uncomfortable at Danny's earnest worry and shifted under his scrutiny. A soft smile played at her lips. "Don't worry, it's nothing. Two weeks, the doctor said, and I'll be back, good as new. Besides, it's not my right hand, right? So apparently, I can still function well enough to come to class, take notes and write tests. Lucky me." Valerie laughed.

Danny also laughed. "Well, it's better than me, I can't even come to class."

"Yeah, I heard about that." Valerie's expression suddenly turned serious and it was Danny's turn to be uncomfortable. He turned to the side, shifting his hands into his pockets. Valerie eyed his profile. "I saw the fight, Danny."

"Yeah, yeah… I know…" Danny ran a hand through his hair, it immediately flopped back. "I shoulda… I shouldn't've—"

"It was impressive."

"Huh?" Danny looked back at her, stunned. "What?"

"Excuse me?" Sam suddenly felt it was prudent to enter the conversation. She stood up, walking over to join Danny and Valerie. Tucker meanwhile, leaned back on the desk, watching silently and looking amused. "You think it's okay for Danny to just go around beating people up?"

"Of course not!" Valerie looked at Sam, affronted. "But Dash was acting way outta line! And he hit Danny first! Danny was acting in self defense… And besides, Dash deserved to get hit for what he said about your family." She directed the last part of her sentence at Danny, looking at him straight on.

"It's never ok to hit someone! Danny should have found another way!"

"Sometimes there is no other way!"

"There's always another way!"

"Guys! GUYS!" Danny interrupted the girls with a shout and they both turned to look at him. Tucker's quiet chuckles could be heard in the background. "Look…" Danny turned his head to the ground, putting a hand in the hair at his nape, then fisting it. What was right? Violence? Pacifism? Would it have been better if he'd taken the beating? Would it have solved anything? "I… don't know what I should or shouldn't have done… But I went overboard. I shouldn't have kicked him like that. I shouldn't have picked up the bat…"

"Danny, we all make mistakes. It happens. It was an accident." Valerie soothed.

"Oh so that makes it ok?" Sam spat caustically.

Valerie scowled darkly. "Stop putting words into my mouth!"

"I only put what you give—"

"Guys…" Danny groaned. Why did Sam and Valerie always do this? Why couldn't they just get along? He got along fine with Sam and he got along fine with Valerie, doesn't that logically translate to them getting along with each other?

He looked between the two girls, noting the evil stares they were giving each other.

Apparently not.

"Hey Danny," Suddenly Valerie tore her eyes away from Sam and she smirked at Danny. "You know you have some pretty good moves."

"Huh?" Danny was caught off guard. 'Moves? What's she talking about?'

"Well, I mean, of course there's room for improvement…"

"HUH?!" Danny gaped and Tucker burst out in a wave of giggles that nearly knocked him off the desk.

"But you showed some promise. The way you kicked Dash in the chest was nearly professional! Where'd you learn how to fight like that?"

"Y-you… uh… you—ah, you're talking ab-about… my, my fighting?" Danny stumbled over the words, ducking his head and looking up at Valerie bashfully.

"Yes…" Valerie said slowly. "What did you…?"

"Oh Danny!" Sam burst out laughing and smacked Danny on the arm. "You're so… clueless!"

Danny muttered something unintelligible, hunching his shoulders and pushing his hands deeper into his pockets. His cheeks were flaming red.

After a few seconds, Danny mustered the ability to speak. "Never mind, never mind. What were you going to say, Valerie?"

"Umm…" Valerie looked divided between poking fun at Danny's obvious misconception or taking the tactful high road. She opened her mouth, giggled, cleared her throat and tried again. "Ahh… Danny… I just wanted to… heh, heh… I mean… your fighting… Oh yeah! Your fighting! It's got potential! Where'd you learn how to fight?"

"Well…" Danny was resolutely ignoring the fact that his cheeks were hot enough to fry eggs on. "My Mom's a ninth degree black belt and she taught me a thing or two, I guess."

"You guess?" Valerie sounded skeptical. Silently, she was impressed at the information on Danny's mother. She hadn't known Mrs. Fenton knew martial arts. It was something to make a note of. "Those were some pretty honed instincts you showed there."

"Well, it's for ghost hunting and stuff. My parents had to teach Jazz and I some stuff, just in case. That, and they've always held out for another ghost hunter in the family. And with Jazz heading to med school, I'm pretty much their best bet." Danny grinned.

"You?!" Valerie crowed. "Mr. 'I'm-not-allowed-to-handle-any-potentially-breakable-glassware', a ghost hunter?! How many beakers did you break before they banned you from the labs, 35?"

"Hey," Danny smirked, pointing a finger at Valerie. "I'll have you know that I could blast off the head of my sister's Bearbert Einstein when I was three. And it was thirty-four beakers."

This comment led to a range of comments and expressions from his friends.

"Weren't you supposed to be aiming for a target nowhere near Jazz's bear?" Sam asked dryly.

"Never underestimate the mind of my three year old self." Danny nodded sagely. "I was a nefarious little kid."

"Doesn't your sister still have that bear?" Tucker wondered.

"Mom sowed the head back on." Danny answered.

"…Bearbert…Einstein?" Valerie still hadn't moved on from that point.

"…Eh… I've told you, compared to the rest of my family, I'M the normal one." Danny snorted and he, Tucker and Sam all laughed, as though sharing some private joke. Valerie raised an eyebrow, stepping back and looking between the three friends silently, feeling a little left out.

They did this often, she noted, they acted and moved as one unit: a well oiled machine that had been working together for so long its flaws were invisible. They seemed to know everything about each other, down to the very last detail. Valerie had seen them communicate entire sentences in silence, with only an exchange of glances passing between them. She had seen them mediate each other, hide each other's faults and build each other up to heights Dash and the other A-list crowd could never, ever hope to achieve.

But Valerie had to wonder: were they too perfect? Was there no weak spot in their armour of friendship? Was there no small crack which she could exploit, anywhere for her to dig in her nails and pull?

Was there no room for her in their tight-knit group?

Then Valerie's eyes landed on Danny. Blue eyes, clearer and brighter then the sky, sparkled in the light as he threw his head back. Messy black hair, darker than ebony, swept through the air and splayed across his boyish features as he laughed at something Tucker said. And what a beautiful laugh it was. Valerie had heard many different kinds of laughter: there was Dash's smug chuckle, Paulina's screechy cackle, Star's fake giggle, her father's caustic mumble… but Danny's laughter… Danny's laughter was pure. It lacked any form of malice: there was no self-consciousness; Danny wasn't afraid to throw himself into his emotions with reckless abandon, and there was no self-satisfaction… not like Dash, whose dark laughter, grating on her ears, only came at the expense of someone else's pain.

It was odd… that Danny's laughter would remind her so much of… And it was weird to think this, because Danny was in no way, shape or form, feminine… But his laughter, it reminded her a lot of what her Mother's used to sound like…

Valerie sometimes couldn't understand it. When her dad had gone broke and she had plummeted from the social standing, she'd thought she was going to be alone forever. Sure, she'd held onto some misbegotten dreams of regaining her popularity, of shoving her way back into the A-list crowd… But really, there was only so long one could stay blind to the world. And having one's supposed 'friends forever' drop you in less than a second, like wet trash, was a very good eye-opener.

She had been misguided and shallow. She had held onto her stupid concepts of social hierarchy, and she had shunned Danny's concern like it was worthless. All she had seen was a stupid looser, with his pervert sidekick and freaky goth girlfriend. Valerie still winced when she remembered how mean she'd been to Danny.

But Danny had persisted.

She remembered that class project they'd had together, where they'd pretended they were parents looking after a 'baby'… or in that case, a sack of flour. She'd been overwhelmed at the time, what with her Dad being broke, having to get used to a completely new lifestyle, and her new two new jobs: the first at the Nasty Burger, where she'd spent hours dressed in that suffocating, humiliating costume of Nasty Ned, and the second… Her much more fulfilling job as the resident ghost hunter.

Even still, she had been unreasonably selfish, trying to put the weight of the entire project on Danny's shoulders. Then, when Danny had abandoned her with their flour sack 'baby' she had been infuriated with him. How dare he make her do the project on her own?! She was the one with two jobs. She was the one with her life going down the tubes… Not that she'd told him about any of that… But he could have been more sensitive!

But then, he'd shown up, at the last possible second, and apologized. He'd looked her straight in the eye, brushed away the ruined flour sack that she'd inadvertently destroyed because of that stupid Danny Phantom, and he'd apologized. To her! She hadn't said anything in return, being too shocked at the time. Apologies were as rare as sincerity in the popular crowd. Yet here Danny was, offering her both.

It wasn't until much later that night—when she'd held the dirty, empty flour sack in her hands, staring at it blankly—that she realized what a fool she'd been. If anything, she should have been apologizing to him. But no, there he'd been, adorable eyes and all, asking her to forgive him for something she couldn't even blame him for. It was then that Valerie's head had shot up, eyes wide with shock. She had never thought this way before. Having her eyes opened and actually feeling guilty?! It was unbelievable to her that this one boy, someone she barely even knew, had inspired this epiphany in her.

Had made her want to be a better person.

Valerie believed that that was the moment when she'd fallen for him.

And as Valerie looked at Sam, Tucker… and Danny… together, laughing, talking and teasing each other, she realized she really didn't care if there was no room in their little group for her. She would make room. It didn't matter if Sam hated her; it didn't matter if Tucker thought of her as his back-up spare date for the prom. It didn't matter, because she knew she had Danny's favour and that was all she needed.

Valerie looked up. Her eyes passed over Danny's lithe, relaxed form. His posture was casual as he leaned back, hands resting deep in his pockets. A lopsided grin broke out on his face as he ducked his head, bringing one hand to the back of his neck in embarrassment at something Sam said.

It really was too bad things hadn't worked out between them. When he had asked her out, she'd literally been on cloud nine. They'd had a few, amazing weeks together and Valerie had never thought, not in a million years, that she would have been the one to end things between them… But that damned Phantom had ruined everything. Her secret, her passion…her vengeance had nearly gotten one of the people she cared most about in the world hurt. Danny. Sweet, guileless, Danny. Was nearly hurt by her demons.

No. She shook her head. She would never let anyone hurt Danny. Better that she kept her distance now, and maybe one day, when her revenge was complete, and Phantom lay cold and dead at her feet, then maybe, they… could be something… again.

Valerie never considered the possibility that by the time she'd fulfilled her ambition, it would already be too late.

A loud bell rang through the room, shattering Valerie's thoughts and the easy atmosphere in the room. Danny's head shot up in sudden panic.

"Oh no! Break is over? Already?! I-I'm suspended. I'm not supposed to be here. I gotta leave. Now!" Danny dodged around Sam and Valerie with surprising grace and shot toward the door. Valerie's eyes widened as she realized what he was going to do.

"Hey!" She reached out her hand to him. "You can't go out there, it's too late, you'll be seen for sure!"

Danny halted, his hand on the doorknob. He looked like he was ready to throw open the door, regardless of what Valerie was saying.

"Just let him go!" Sam interrupted anxiously, shooting a frown at Valerie. "Danny knows what he's doing, or don't you trust him?"

"Excuse me, but half the time, Danny doesn't know what he's doing." Valerie shot back haughtily, staring down the slimmer girl. By God, she couldn't stand this girl. "So excuse me for being cautious." She could practically hear Sam's teeth gritting together. "Now, Danny, jump out the window."

"WHAT?!" A trio of yells answered her and Valerie resisted the urge to roll her eyes. Honestly these guys spent too much time together.

"We're only two floors up, and there's a tree right outside the window. Now, I'm assuming you're at least dexterous enough to climb a tree?" Valerie sent Danny a teasing grin.

Danny sent her a look and Valerie laughed, taking it as an affirmation. She walked over to the window, yanking it up with one powerful tug. She held it there, open as far as it could go. Standing to the side, she let go of the window, making sure the pane would stay up, then made a courteous gesture toward the open space.

"Ladies first." She fought to keep her lip from twitching, but didn't quite succeed.

Danny strode over to her, stopping so close she had to look up to meet his eyes. She drew in a deep breath, and forced herself to focus on his nose. This was not the time to loose herself in his eyes. She was a hunter dammit! She did NOT do the fluffy, swooning thing. Silently though, she couldn't help but wonder when he'd gotten taller than her.

"I'm gonna get you back for that, missy." Danny said in a low, smooth voice she had no idea he'd possessed. "You'd better watch you your back."

Words escaped Valerie.

Danny turned back then, bidding a cheery goodbye to Sam and Tucker, and the spell was broken. Valerie cursed Danny's good nature under her breath. He was so clueless. He had no idea about the affect he had on people.

Taking her last chance, she reached out and touched his arm. She refused to appear shy, so she made the gesture harsh, gripping his upper arm with her hand. Danny turned his head to look at her questioningly. Though he clearly missed it, Valerie was not so oblivious to Sam's spiking hostility.

"I want to fight you." Valerie said definitively.

Danny looked visibly shocked at this. "Me?!" He gaped.

Valerie laughed, letting go of his arm. "Yes, you."

"But Valerie, I can't—"

"Stop making excuses." Valerie said sharply. "I saw you out there with Dash. You can most certainly fight. Now I want to see just how well. Besides, you seem to be a bit paranoid. You lashed out at Dash without even thinking, right?"

This topic was obviously making Danny uncomfortable; he shifted, tugging at the collar of his ratty sweatshirt and avoiding her eyes. At length, a quiet "Yeah…" made its way out of his mouth.

"I can help you with that. By fighting me, you'll get all that nervous energy out of your system so it won't just explode on the next person who pisses you off."

Danny winced, but seemed to be thinking about her words. He stared at something on the floor for a few seconds before raising his head to meet her eyes. "Ok, you've got a deal."

Valerie didn't think her smile could have gotten any bigger. "Good! Then as soon as this thing is off," she gestured toward her sling. "It's a date." As soon as the word came out of her mouth Valerie cringed. She had NOT meant to say that, why had it slipped out? Had Danny noticed?

She looked up, expecting Danny to be giving her some 'are you insane?' look, but he was still smiling at her brightly, as though he had never heard what she's said.

Valerie was disbelieving. 'Is it even possible for one guy to be so oblivious?'

But however clueless Danny was, Sam most certainly was not. And she wasted no time before making her opinion known.

"Danny, you can't do that." She came up to them and gave Danny a significant look, cocking one eyebrow. Danny looked back at her and, to Valerie's extreme irritation, she realized they were doing that silent communication thing again.

"Aww, it's not so bad Sam," Danny smiled. "Besides, Val here's an expert; she could really teach me some stuff." Valerie was pleased by this comment.

"And besides, she's right." His blue eyes were speculative. "I should have a more… positive outlet for my aggression." Then he grinned again. "That way, the next time Dash insults you I'll be able to stop myself from punching the living daylights out of him… No matter how much I'll want to."

And just like that, Sam stopped arguing. Her face got the lightest tinge of pink to it and Valerie let out a puff of air between clenched teeth. Honestly, did Danny have some sort guidebook on what to say to girls? If she didn't know any better she'd think he did it on purpose. But then she remembered that this was Danny… Yeah, no, not possible..

Danny was looking between the two quiet girls—both of whom were deep in their own thoughts— with a look of vague bafflement. As though finally realizing the awkwardness of the situation, the corner of his lip quirked and he took a few steps back, raising his hands, palm facing outward.

"Hey, hey, I'm just suspended for a few days. This isn't goodbye forever, you'll see me again soon enough!"

This comment earned him an exasperated look from Valerie and a smack on the arm from Sam.

"Typical boys, always think the world revolves around them." Sam said.

"Or at lest, they think girls do." Valerie added. Sam snorted.

Danny made a face, clutching his arm where Sam had smacked it in mock pain. He didn't retort though, instead, after a few seconds of silence, the expression on his face melted away and he looked up in the direction of the door.

"Well," He said to no one in particular. "I've wasted your time for long enough. I've gotta get back before my parents come home anyway."

This comment made Valerie wonder why he'd made the risk to come to the school in the first place, but she didn't get the chance to ask as Danny moved toward the open window.

The raven-haired boy climbed up on the window sill then, and in a single, clean move, jumped to the tree neighbouring the school. Valerie watched in muted fascination as he flawlessly navigated his way down the branches, not missing a single step. There was nothing of the shy, clumsy Danny she knew in his movements, and Valerie had to wonder exactly how much she didn't know about Danny Fenton

Her thoughts were interrupted once more by Mr. Lancer entering through the door.

"Ms. Gray, Ms. Manson and Mr. Foley! You're all early for English class. Since you're all so keen to get started on your educational endeavours, why don't we begin our discussion on last night's reading assignment?"

Valerie mentally groaned, Tucker was not so reserved.

And the day wore on.

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When Danny arrived home, the first thing he did was to float through his house invisibly, checking to see if his parents were there. Luckily there was no sign of the older Fentons, but as Danny touched down in the family room—letting himself turn back human with a flash—he couldn't help but wonder why. As the local ghost hunters, Danny's parents were often called out for various jobs—everything from crop circles to monsters under the bed—in the middle of the night. But it was rare for them to be so busy in the morning.

Especially since Danny already knew there were no ghosts terrorizing the town.

Danny walked through the empty house until he reached the kitchen. Circling the counter, he stopped in front of the sink.

Maybe his parents were busy investigating Dash's cat's death? Or maybe they were looking into that vandalism case… Or—since Tucker said the police thought they were connected—maybe both?

Danny looked down into the sink, remembering the sponges and towels he'd thrown in there almost an hour earlier. He picked up one of the dirty sponges and tried to squeeze it, but the gooey green stuff it had been soaked in had hardened and now it felt not dissimilar from a rock in his hand. With a flick of his wrist, he tossed the sponge under the tap and ran the water.

Five minutes later, plumes of hot steam were rising from the sink and the water was still running straight over the glowing green sponge without any of it soaking in.

Sighing, Danny turned the tap off. Reaching down, he found the sponge too hot to the touch and so, with a small mental exertion, managed to create an icy chill around his hand before picking the the thing up.

He grinned at his new discovery: he had at least some minute control over his ice powers while in human form. He doubted he could do anything fancy, but it was still nice to know.

'At least nothing is going haywire like last time.' Danny immediately sobered as he remembered yesterday's incident in the bathroom.

Coming back to the matter at hand, Danny placed the sponge on the counter then picked up one of the cleaning cloths. A brief test—consisting mainly of rapping the hardened material on the counter and receiving dull 'Clunk! Clunk!' sound in return—led him to surmise that they too were completely ruined. The orange rubber gloves, however, hadn't gotten much green goo on them and were salvageable. He replaced these in the cupboard.

Carrying the sponges and cloths down to his parent's lab, he barely hesitated before dropping them into the Fenton Garbage Destroyer. Closing the lid of the deep cylindrical device, he pressed the ON button and a loud rumble filled the room, punctuated by random intervals of crunching and grinding. It was not that unusual to have to dispose of things in such a manner in the Fenton household. After living for nearly fifteen years in a home where his parents' cooking would often come alive and try to eat him back, Danny had learned to take weirdness in stride.

Once the sounds died down from the disposal, Danny turned the machine off and left it. His parents would get rid of the waste later.

Danny drew in a deep breath as he gazed around his parent's lab. It looked oddly foreign to him, even though nothing much had changed in the room since the last time he'd been in here.

The steel-blue, metal paneled walls were polished and ran in smooth curves from the ceiling to the floor. Heavy titanium tables were attached to the ground with large, round rivets and three-inch thick shelves protruded from the walls. Covering almost every bare surface were the fruits of his parents' labours: microscopes and pipettes were strewn about the tabletops. Papers depicting equations with no rhyme or reason filled up any empty spots. Beakers full of unknown liquids—coloured neon blue, purple, pink and green—were sitting on what looked like a gurney and bubbled seemingly of their own volition. And unfinished weapons: guns lying naked, their inner machinery exposed, lasers that occasionally sparked with electricity and vicious looking blades with serrated edges were stacked against every wall. These were ghost hunting weapons that Danny's parent's had been working on, either unfinished or failed. Danny shivered as he warily eyed the more painful looking weapons.

'Definitely filed under the 'must avoid' column.'

Standing on the ground, reaching a height that was at least a foot above Danny's own, and resembling an overgrown dream catcher, was the Fenton Ghost Catcher. Behind it was the door to the weapons vault.

And finally… Danny's eyes slid half way closed as his gaze fell on the last object in the lab.

…The Fenton Ghost Portal.

The dark-haired teen's hand reached up to touch the circular frame and he started. He hadn't realized he'd walked so close to the portal. Looking back, he brushed the metal frame and ran the tips of his fingers along the contours of the metal. In his mind, he knew the metal should be cold. But to his altered body, it felt lukewarm.

Often, Danny wondered what his life would have been like if he'd never taken that fateful step into the portal. He'd been foolish, thinking he could make his parents feel better by fixing their greatest discovery. He remembered the day they had brought him and Jazz down to unveil their newest creation. His sister had been skeptical and he'd been largely disinterested, wishing he were somewhere else. His dad had covered the portal in a thick white sheet and his mom had been jumping around from one desk to the other, checking equations and graphs, jittery and nervous. He'd never seen his parents so excited. They were like little children, hopping up and down on the balls of their feet, eager and impatient.

Danny hadn't been overly surprised when the invention didn't work… Really, a ghost portal? Opening up to another dimension? Sure, it was a cool idea and all, but that stuff was for science fiction novels, not real life.

But when the portal stuttered and wheezed, emitting a plume of grey smoke: failing in a spectacular show of sparking electricity and high pitched whines, Danny would never forget the looks on his parents' faces. It was like watching the last moments of a dying bird. One moment there was life and shine dancing in his mother's eyes, and the next it was gone, dead.

Jazz had reprimanded their parents, telling them that of course it wouldn't have worked. They were scientists, they based their work on fact and theories, not all this supernatural nonsense.

Danny had been watching his parents' faces, and as their expressions dropped, further and further he'd felt his heart clench into a tight ball of sympathy. He did not like it when his parents felt bad. He had wanted to help, he just didn't know how.

So, when he, Sam and Tucker had gone down to the lab, and Sam had told him to check out the portal, Danny had realized his opportunity. If he could fix the portal, his parents would be happy! They'd been mopping about for days since the failure of the portal and Danny wanted nothing more than for them to go back to normal…

…And from there—Danny pulled his hand away from the portal—it was history.

His ghost powers, his parents success, and all the subsequent ghost fights, the near invasion of Amity… It was all because of this portal. If he had never made it work… Would the ghosts still be haunting Amity? Would Vlad have ever come into their lives? Would he have gotten better grades, been a better son to his parents?

Danny didn't know.

Suddenly, as though realizing where his thoughts were taking him, Danny shook his head and turned away from the bright yellow and black warning sign on the portal.

Thinking about what could have been, what might have been… That path led only to madness. This was what is. This was the truth. And he could not escape that, so he just have to live with it.

Danny looked up into the white fluorescent lights lining the ceiling, squinting slightly as they irritated his sensitive eyes.

What had started all this random thinking?

Oh yes, he'd been wondering why the lab looked so foreign to him… Maybe it was because he hadn't been down here in such a long time?

Danny would often come down to the lab to empty the thermos of captured ghosts, or to travel into the ghost zone via the portal, but… he hadn't done that in a while. With the obvious lack of ghosts in Amity at the moment, there'd been no reason for him to go down into his parent's lab and now that he was standing in here, it just felt odd.

Which of course, brought him to another question: if there were no ghosts around, then how HAD Valerie hurt her arm? She'd said she'd hurt it at her job, Danny assumed she was talking about her secret 'job' as a ghost hunter… but maybe she was being truthful and she'd actually sprained it while on her shift at the Nasty Burger?

…Where were the ghosts anyway?

Danny realized his circular questioning and put his thumb and index finger around the bridge of his nose, massaging lightly. Suddenly, he felt very tired. Actually, it wasn't a new thing, ever since he'd woken up in the morning he'd had that itchy eye feeling of not having gotten enough sleep.

Figuring that there wasn't much for him to do anyway—chores could wait, and he didn't have any schoolwork yet—Danny made the spontaneous decision to take a short nap. Climbing up the stairs, he made his way sluggishly to his room. Consciously thinking about his tiredness seemed to make him even more tired and by the time he reached his room he was yawning with every second step.

Danny was asleep before his head hit his pillow.

"Tucker."

"Tucker!"

"TUCKER!" This time the hissed call was accompanied by a flying piece of crumpled paper.

"OW! Hey! What the—!?"

"Ms. Manson, Mr. Foley! Is there something you wish to share with the class?"

"No ma'am." Sam and Tucker chorused in low voices.

"Very well, then might I suggest you keep your lovers spat on the burner until the end of class."

Sniggers floated around the classroom and Sam scowled darkly while Tucker grinned, not looking at all displeased by the idea. This prompted Sam to chuck another paper ball at Tucker's head.

"Ow!"

"Ms. Manson!"

"Sorry. Slipped." Sam glared narrowly at Tucker, who gulped.

Just then, the bell rang, signalling the end of the school day. With a collective sigh, the students stood, scraping back their chairs and moving toward the door in a thick throng of people. Sam moved forward, gripping Tucker by his yellow sleeve and dragging him unceremoniously out of the classroom.

"Hey, Sam! What's with all the manhandling? If you wanted me so bad, all you had to do is ask."

"Stop with all the bad jokes Tucker! This is serious!" Something in Sam's expression must have clicked, because Tucker immediately sobered.

"What is it, Sam?" He let himself be dragged to their lockers, where they collected their books and jackets before slamming their lockers closed. Sam didn't answer, not until they had left the school and rounded the next block.

"It's Danny." Sam said finally, tucking a strand of pitch black hair behind her ear. "I think he's hiding something from us."

Tucker sighed, looking away from his friend and focusing instead on the cracks in the sidewalk. "Sam, we've gone through this. Danny already explained, and he said he was sorry."

"No, I mean, I think he's hiding something BIG." Sam made a wide gesture in the air.

Tucker frowned. "How big?" He yielded to Sam on this, knowing well that she was able to read Danny's quiddities better than he ever could.

Sam made a frustrated sound. "I don't know! Big, big." She put her hand on a passing tree trunk and spun around it so she was facing Tucker full on. He stopped before her. "Look, I know Danny apologized to us and everything, but he never actually told us what he'd been hiding from us."

"And I thought you were okay with that, you said so yourself: it's all in the past." Tucker was apparently loosing interest in the conversation, and he pulled out his PDA.

With a quick swipe, Sam snatched the device away. Tucker protested, leaping for it, but she held it behind her, easily dancing away from his grasping hands. "Well maybe I'm not so okay with it. This… whatever it is, is affecting him. He's acting strange, and it's not normal!"

Tucker suddenly stopped chasing after his PDA. He straightened and Sam could see a mischievous sparkle in his hazel eyes that immediately made her wary.

"Oh NOW I understand." He grinned. "You're still jealous about Danny's date with Valerie!"

"It is not a date!" Sam blurted before she could stop. Shooting Tucker an annoyed glare when he smirked knowingly, she attempted to save face. "And it has nothing to do with that. Danny can do whatever he wants, I don't care."

"Even if it's dating Valerie?" Tucker asked innocently, looking at his nails.

"Hmph." Sam crossed her arms and Tucker took that moment to snatch back his PDA.

Sam had had enough of his games. "Will you just listen for a second?! Honestly, you don't always have to have your nose in that thing!"

"Don't insult Rosalina!" Tucker held his hands over his PDA protectively.

"You have a name for it?!"

"Well, she's lasted four months now! None of my other PDA's have lasted that long before getting blasted into poor, little, nanochips by one of Danny's ghost fights."

"So what, this is your one-third-of-a-year birthday present to it?" Sam asked caustically.

"As a matter of fact it is! And she's a she. You're being insensitive!"

"…" Sam restrained herself from making a jab at Tucker's obvious lack of social interaction and instead took a death breath before going back to the topic at hand. "Look, Danny's been acting weird. Do you agree with me or not?"

"Uh huh." Tucker nodded slowly, relaxing his posture over his PDA.

"And this has been going on for awhile."

"Uh huh."

"There haven't been any ghosts around and strange things have been going on around town with that freak, Willo, or whatever."

"Uh huh."

"Now tell me, when did all this weird stuff start happening?"

Tucker thought. "I dunno… a few weeks ago?"

"Two weeks and four days, Tucker. Two weeks and four days. And what happened two weeks and four days ago?"

"We… uh…"

"At school, Tucker."

"We, uh, went… to… the… museum?"

"Exactly! And that was when Danny fought that ghost that he refused to talk to us about. He came back hurt and bruised and then he had that nightmare."

"Yeah… so what?" Tucker raised an eyebrow. "I mean, I don't like it either, but Danny's always getting hurt in those fights."

"But not that bad. He's gotten much better since he first got his powers; you know it's almost been a year, now."

"Yeah…" Tucker got a far away look in his eyes as he remembered that fateful day that Danny got his ghost powers. He cringed and a shiver ran down his spine as he remembered the chilling screams of his best friend getting electrified in the ghost portal. A morbid part of him always wondered how much pain Danny had been in that day, or if it had even hurt at all. After all, didn't the nerves kinda shut down after experiencing such a shock, all at once? But another part of him was repulsed by this curiosity and ashamed of it. It alarmed him that he would wonder about the amount of pain his best friend had endured. It also brought back memories of his old jealousy and how that had nearly destroyed him… And so, like all the times before, he buried this curiosity. Some things were meant to be left in the past… and besides, Tucker did not want to see the look Danny would give him if he ever asked his friend that question.

Sam, as though sensing Tucker's thoughts, had grown silent herself. However, her silence was tinged by guilt. Tucker looked at her. Strong, sensible, dogmatic, Sam Manson. Such a sharp contrast to his own wayward, 'do-what-you-want-when-you-want' personality. Together, they didn't really get along; Danny was their buffer, acting as the calm sea that regulated the unyielding Earth and unpredictable sky. But Tucker nonetheless cared for Sam like a best friend, or a sister. She didn't need to be coddled. Her personality was too stubborn for that, and she didn't need to be protected, the very idea was absurd. Sam was predictable. Sam was constant.

And self-deprecation did not befit Sam Manson.

But Tucker knew why she was feeling this way. Though many months had passed, and Danny had long forgiven her—if he'd even blamed her at all—Sam had never forgiven herself. She still blamed herself for telling Danny to put on the Hazmat suit and step into the ghost portal.

'Fun' she had called it, 'exciting', 'who wouldn't want to check out a ghost portal in their own house?'

Only it hadn't been so much fun when Danny had accidentally turned it on and electrocuted himself to near death.

'Sometimes it's hard to believe he survived that… Or if he's even alive, really… After all, can someone really be half-dead?'

But that was aside the point. Sam blamed herself for Danny's half-ghost status. And she shouldn't, but Tucker knew that nothing he could say would change her mind, so instead he sighed and opted to change the topic.

"So where are you going, Sam, with all this?"

Sam snapped back to the present, and Tucker was silently pleased to see the conviction return to her orchid eyes. Tucker grinned to himself as he remembered once when he'd asked her why she wore such freaky contacts. They'd been 8. Danny had backed away with a look of horror and pity while Sam wound back to deliver her trademark right hook…

Tucker rubbed his jaw. Yup… memorable. That was Sam for ya.

"I want to go back to the museum."

"Huh?" Tucker suddenly focused back on the conversation.

"Everything started there, right? I want to check the place out. Danny said there was someone in the room. We didn't see anyone. Maybe it was a ghost. Maybe something in that room is causing all the vandalism that's been going around. Maybe something in that room killed Dash's cat!"

"Whoa, whoa! Hold on there!" Tucker raised one hand, gesturing for Sam to stop, and looked around the street with wide eyes. Sam's voice was getting louder, and people were beginning to stare, so he grabbed Sam by the arm and pulled her off the sidewalk. They crossed the street and walked into an alley between the houses. Following the dark, secluded alley for a few minutes, Tucker led the way until the narrow path opened up to a small, quiet playground.

This was their place. His, Danny's and Sam's. He and Danny had found it way back in kindergarten, and they had brought Sam here a few years after that. Small and quiet, without a tree or blade of grass in sight, this was their little concrete world. It was simple: a short, rusty slide, a junglegym that barely reached Tucker's head and a set of squeaky swings, three, in a row. A thin, circular cobblestone pathway surrounded the little play area.

To his childlike, five year-old mind this place had signified success. That was why he'd always like it. It was their personal trophy, their proof that they had gone on an adventure and come home winners, like going on a treasure hunt and finding a chest full of gold coins. Tucker had loved the playground because it was theirs, and theirs alone.

But what had really struck him, and stuck with him for all these years, was what Danny had said when Tucker asked him why he liked this place. Danny had paused, and gotten that far-away look in his eyes that he always got whenever he was thinking deeply. He hadn't answered for a while and Tucker had begun to think he hadn't heard the question. He'd brushed it aside, and opened his mouth preparing to change the topic, when Danny had begun talking.

Danny's answer had confused him. He'd spoken slowly and deliberately, as though trying to make sure that he said the right words. He had spoken about human nature and responsibility.

Danny had said that he liked the playground because it was dead: there was not a single speck of green in the entire place, no weeds grew in the cracks and no birds visited it in the summer. The place was stone: nothing breathed, nothing moved… except for them.

Tucker had been baffled, and he'd said so. He could not understand why Danny would ever like such a thing. He himself had noticed how cold and empty the park seemed, and it had been one of the things that had unnerved him about the place. How could Danny like such a thing?

And Danny had said that when things were alive, there was responsibility, emotion, worry and fear attached to them. If a single flower, wilting, had been growing in the middle of the park, he would have felt obligated to water it every day. If a bird, maimed, had landed in the park, he would have fretted and worried over it until it got better. And if it died, he would have felt sad. These things were normal, it was human nature to care for other things… But sometimes, Danny said, he got tired of it all. He liked the park because here he could come and sit and forget. Here, he could forget his responsibilities, forget his obligations. Here, nothing existed, not the world, not his responsibilities, not his worries, not even him. And that, Danny said, was the ultimate freedom.

Tucker hadn't known what to say. In his heart he knew that Danny's logic was flawed. He just didn't know how to correct it.

"Tucker…"

"Huh, what?" Tucker looked up at Sam, suddenly remembering that she was there.

"You were spacing again, like in class." Sam had a disapproving look on her face and Tucker humoured her, putting a suggestive grin on his face.

"Well, you know, I was only imagining what that new exchange student from Iceland would have looked like in a bathing suit…" He wiggled his eyebrows.

Sam rolled her eyes. "Sometimes, Tucker, you're so shallow."

The smile began to feel forced on Tucker's face and he knew it was time for a topic change. "So, what were you saying about the museum?" He sat on one of the swings. It squealed in protest as he forced it to move.

"Oh yeah," Sam took a seat next to him. "See, I just have this feeling that there's more to whatever happened in the museum than meets the eye."

"Ok, but don't you think Danny would've told us if he thought something really important had happened in there? I mean, it's not like him to hide something so big from us. And if you think that this museum ghost, or whatever, is what killed Dash's cat… Then that's… pretty big…"

"Yeah, well, maybe he doesn't know that that's what's causing it. Danny's pretty slow on some things, he might just have not thought about it." Sam rolled her eyes upward as she wrapped her arms around the chains of the swing, hugging it.

"Now we're assuming there is a museum ghost." He pointed out.

"Well, what else could it be? All these weird things started happening since we went to the museum: Danny's behaviour, the disappearance of the ghosts, Willo, Dash's cat… That's more than just a coincidence, Tucker." She said matter-of-factly.

Tucker could not refute such logic. "…Ok… So what do we do?"

"Like I said, we should go to the museum."

"Yeah, but we can't just go there without a plan. We should do some research first… And in case you've forgotten, Danny's grounded, how're we gonna get him to come?"

"We go at night; his parents can't get mad if they never find out." Sam said as though it were obvious.

Sometimes Sam's ability to take great truancy and disobedience in stride amazed Tucker. Really, he knew she had issues with her parents and didn't really care what they'd do if she was caught sneaking out, but what about him?

Again, Sam's insight seemed to inform her of Tucker's thoughts and she grinned.

"Don't worry, Danny and I'll sneak you out, if you're afraid."

Tucker eyed her leerily.

"Ri-i-i-ight… That's exactly what I'm afraid of."

"Psh," Sam waved his concerns away. "Your parents haven't caught us yet, have they? We'll be fine."

'Famous last words…' Tucker could help but think as Sam stood and they left the park, heading to her mansion, where they'd begin their research on the museum.

Danny woke with a start. Sitting up straight in his bed and looking around with wide, hyper-alert eyes.

Another chill racked his form and he shivered, hugging his arms and hissing out a stream of blue air.

" 'M Goin' ghost." He muttered, and two rings of white-blue light, one traveling up and the other down, turned him from human to ghost.

The blankets slid away from him as he rose into the air. Moving silently as death, Danny glided through the floor, turning intangible as he went.

Another shiver built up in his chest, but Danny had control over the feeling now and he easily suppressed it. Yes, definitely his ghost sense. Danny frowned. Now what was setting it off?

He sensed, more than saw, a whisper of movement in the room ahead of him, the kitchen. Feeling not unlike a hunter stalking its prey, he crouched down and entered the room.

What he saw there, made him shimmer back into existence with a shocked expression.

"Skulker?!"

"Ah, whelp, I was wondering if you'd wake up." The ghost hunter looked back at Danny with a—if Danny read it right—dour expression on his mechanical face.

"Skulker, what are you doing in my house?" Danny was feeling oddly calm, considering the fact that the ghost who wanted to tear off his hide and use it as a doormat had broken into his house and was standing mere meters away from him. And had probably just been watching him sleep.

Now that he thought of it, that last part did freak Danny out a bit.

"It was unintentional, I promise you." Skulker waved a large robotic hand at Danny in a dismissive gesture. "Now go away. I have decided not to hunt you today."

"Excuse me?!" Danny was taken aback, even a little offended.

"I have bigger game than you." Skulker mouth parted into a fearsome show of gleaming metal teeth. The hunter cocked a massive arm gun. "Rare game."

"Rarer than a half human, half ghost hybrid?" Danny scoffed, raising an eyebrow.

Skulker levelled a distinctly condescending look on the young halfa. "Well with you, Masters and that little runt twin of yours, it seems like your kind is multiplying all over the place. No, I hunt only the best, and the rarest. And game like this… is sublime, my ultimate goal. I will sate my hunger on such a kill."

There was an odd glint in Skulker's glowing eyes as he said this and Danny couldn't help but wonder at the ghost's words. 'Ultimate goal? What ultimate goal?'

Just then, something occurred to Danny and his eyes widened.

"This game that you're hunting… It wouldn't happen to be called…" Danny's throat closed and he had to force himself to say the name. "Legion… would it?"

Skulker's eyes snapped to Danny and narrowed. The hunter took on a guarded posture, raising his gun. "Where did you hear that name, whelp?"

"I-I… you…" Danny didn't want to divulge his knowledge. He struggled with the right way to phrase his sentence but ended up saying something completely different. "Is Legion the reason why all the ghosts are gone?"

Skulker looked taken aback and lowered his gun. "Noticed that, did you, punk?"

"It's kind of hard not to." Danny said wryly

"Yeah, well, Masters noticed it too. Your kind is all the same, so nosey." Danny refrained from commenting on the fact that Skulker was the one who stalked him on a regular basis. "This has nothing to do with you… Or Masters for that matter. This is a ghost matter. And you, you're not a real ghost anyway." There was disdain in Skulker's voice, but it was the words, not the tone that rubbed Danny the wrong way.

'He is but a pantomimic thief…'

'…a poor copy of our glorious kind…'

'…Halfa…'

Danny grit his teeth. "Shut up!" He cried to the air and when Skulker gave him an inquiring look, Danny scowled and turned away, folding his arms.

"I could beat you in a battle any day." Danny grumbled. Then he pointed a finger at Skulker. "So don't you go belittling me because I'm a halfa."

"Indeed," Skulker mused. "You have some skill. But nonetheless, you do not have the same… ethos… as a full ghost. We do not answer to the likes of you."

'What the heck is ethos?'

Danny was getting tired of all this round-a-bout talking. Since when did Skulker talk in riddles? "Either tell me what the heck you're talking about, and where all the ghosts have gone, in normal words, or I'll pummel it out of you." Danny, still floating spread his feet in mid-air and bent his knees, bringing his fists up in an offensive gesture.

Skulker grinned and pulled up his gun.

"Well, I was in need of some warming up. Come at me, ghost child."

And Danny obliged, leaping at Skulker with a loud battle cry. One hand was held in front of him, while the other was behind, powering up a ball of glowing green energy. Skulker dodged, but didn't move fast enough and Danny's hand gouged a deep dent in the hunter's shoulder armour.

"Hey, I just got that shined, whelp!" Skulker cried angrily.

"Oh, so sorry Skulky, here, let me make it better," and Danny leapt at Skulker again, this time gouging a hole in the opposite shoulder. He jumped back, and held his thumb up, squinted with one eye closed and regarded Skulker like he was a piece of art. "There, now you're even."

"Why you—!" Skulker yelled wordlessly as he jumped at the teen. But Danny was faster. He spun to the side, grabbing Skulker by one thick metal arm and spun around in a tight circle, letting the hunter go at the end of his turn, throwing him straight up into the air. Skulker turned intangible to avoid hitting the ceiling and sailed through it, the floor above and out the roof. Danny grinned, proud of himself for avoiding unnecessary damage to his house, and flew upward to join Skulker.

On the roof, Danny didn't see Skulker immediately and he turned a full 360 degrees, trying to spot the hunter. A flash in the corner of his eye was the only warning Danny had before a beam of light hit him directly, throwing him back several feet.

Danny tumbled through the air, but didn't fall. The blast wasn't as bad as he'd thought it would be. Recovering quickly, he spotting Skulker hovering in front of the huge FENTONWORKS sign on his house. The hulking metal ghost had his massive gun pointed in Danny's direction and it hummed as he prepared to fire.

Danny had no intention of being anywhere in the vicinity when Skulker finally fired that weapon.

Righting himself in the air, the teen sped away to the side in a zigzagging pattern before rising straight above Skulker and diving. Skulker snarled and raised his arm to deflect Danny, but was unprepared when the halfa, instead of punching the other ghost, brought the glowing ectoplasmic energy in his hand down like a sword, severing the gun in half.

Skulker's rage was palpable and the ghost's eyes turned from glowing green to deadly red. Danny was caught off guard by the ghost's sudden fury and couldn't quite manage to block the unexpected onslaught of punches and kicks the ghost rained on him. Skulker made it past Danny's feeble defense and nailed him hard in the chest with a violent kick. Danny dropped out of the sky and straight into the ground, creating a small crater where he landed.

Groaning, Danny blinked and looked up blearily into the air only to gasp and roll away as Skulker's fist rammed into the place where his head had been only second before. Scrambling to his feet Danny back peddled to avoid a laser, then ducked to avoid a blade thrown at his neck. Throwing out a hand, Danny deflected a kick, then threw a few ectoplasmic-charged punches of his own. Each punch made contact, but didn't seem to slow Skulker down in the slightest.

Danny jumped back to avoid another kick, but noticed how Skulker had hyperextended his limb, foolishly exposing his wire joints. The halfa could have easily reached out and chopped off Skulker's leg then, debilitating his mechanical suit long enough to extract the small ghost from the helmet. But something stopped him. Skulker wasn't acting normal. The hunter barely ever engaged him in direct hand-to-hand combat, usually preferring to set elaborate traps and wait for Danny to fall into them before doing anything.

Why was Skulker doing this?

Danny dodged yet another desperate punch and gazed into Skulker's blood red eyes.

Had Skulker gone mad?

"Why are you doing this Skulker? You never get this mad when I destroy one of your toys."

"You… You … blasted whelp! You ruined my chance, the only chance I had—!" Skulker paused and pinned Danny with a look of indescribable rage, clenching his hands into shaking fists at his sides.

"Your chance to do what?" Danny raised his hands, palm outward in a peaceful gesture. He had no idea why, but something was telling him to solve this in a way that was not violent. "You chance to beat Legion? Skulker, you told me that this guy is rarer than me, stronger than me. If your gun couldn't stand up to me, then how could you ever expect it to work against Legion?"

Skulker stumbled and his jaw went slack. His eyes flickered from red to green.

"Tell me, Skulker, why do you want to fight Legion?"

"He…" Skulker looked away. "He's rare game. I must fight the ultimate battle against the ultimate foe worthy of pursuit." The words sounded plastic and flat, like a well rehearsed speech.

"But why, Skulker?" Danny was honestly curious. "Why do you have to be the ultimate ghost hunter? Why hunt at all? Why is it so important to you?"

"I-I…" Skulker faltered uncharacteristically. "You—" He looked up and wide, green eyes met Danny's own. "Why are you asking me this? Why do you care?"

"I—" Danny hesitated. "I… don't know." He said truthfully and shrugged. But then he grinned. "I guess I just want to know more about what motivates you. I mean, you've chased me around for a year demanding my pelt at the foot of your bed. I should at least have the right to ask you what made you this way, right?"

"You—" Skulker stumbled back in the air. "No one has ever… asked me… about my past before… Why?"

"Well…" Danny wasn't sure how to answer, and he paused, thinking hard. He wanted Skulker to stop hunting. He wanted to know why the ghost pursued his hunt so doggedly. He wanted…"I guess I just want... to help."

There was a spark, and ball of glowing white light formed between Danny and Skulker. The ball curled and twisted upon itself and spikes of radiant energy fanned out around it, cutting the air.

"What—?!" Skulker shied away from the light and Danny moved to protect his eyes with his arms. The move was futile though, as the light expanded outward, enveloping them both. Danny's vision filled with white.

Il Il Il Il Il Il Il Il Il Il Il Il Il Il Il Il Il Il Il Il Il Il Il Il Il Il Il Il Il Il Il Il Il Il Il Il Il Il Il Il Il Il Il Il Il Il Il Il Il Il Il Il Il Il Il Il Il Il Il Il Il Il Il Il Il Il Il Il Il Il Il Il Il Il Il

Profound silence pounded on Danny's eardrums and after a few moments he blinked, and up. The light was bright, but not painfully so. It reached as far as he could see and covered everything. He couldn't even see Skulker.

"…Uh… Skulker?" Danny called hesitantly into the white. "Hello? Can you hear me? Skulker? Anyone?"

'Boy!'

Danny jumped and spun around at the sound of the voice, but there was only white. He saw no one.

'Boy! Come here!'

'Yes, Father!'

Danny searched the area extensively, his head whipping back and forth, but there was no one. The first voice was older, more mature, while the second voice was of a young boy, probably no older than Danny, maybe younger.

'Stand up straight, boy! Haven't the tutors taught you anything?'

'Sorry, Father.'

'... Now, what is this I've heard about you loosing your match today against the minister's son?'

'He was so much bigger than me, Father! There was no way I could—'

'SILENCE!'

Danny flinched back at the harsh tone, as though the word had been directed at himself.

'I will not stand for your petty excuses.'

'But Father—'

'Too many times you have shamed this family's honour with your cowardly behaviour. A proper man stands up and faces his fears head on! ...Get out of my sight. I can't even look at you right now.'

'…I… yes, Father.'

The boy sounded so despondent, it tugged at Danny's heart. A few seconds of silence passed and somehow Danny knew the older man was no longer around.

'I'll be better Father. Someday, I'm going to be the bravest, strongest, biggest fighter you've ever seen! And then you'll recognize me. Then you'll be proud to call me your son…'

Danny felt a sharp tug at his chest and suddenly he was falling. The white light dissipated around him and Danny found himself back in front of his house. His feet slammed into the ground hard and Danny's knees gave. He collapsed face down into the grass.

He put his hands underneath him, trying to push himself to his feet, but for some reason he had no energy. His arms shook and violent trembles racked his body. He only managed to raise himself a few inches off the ground before he had to stop, panting heavily. He was tired… Why?!

"You!"

Danny looked up to see Skulker looking at him with a wild, expression on his face. So many emotions were running through the ghost hunters eyes; but they were a mess, Danny couldn't read a single one.

"You—how did you…!?" Skulker looked completely unbalanced and had his thrusters activated, floating a few feet away from Danny. "You… are you? You couldn't be…" Suddenly, Skulker got a serious frown on his face and dropped down to the earth. He reached out and grabbed Danny by the collar. Danny tried to protest, but only managed a low whine as he was pulled bodily into the air.

Skulker held the halfa in front of his eyes and Danny grimaced as his toes barely brushed the ground. Seemingly satisfied with what he saw, Skulker dropped Danny who fell like a bag of sand into a heap at the hunter's feet.

"You're just so full of surprises, aren't you, ghost child?" Skulker raised an eyebrow at Danny's prone form and the teen gave him the best glare he could muster in such a vulnerable position. "Well, for giving me such a valuable piece of information, I will let you live. Today. Be grateful child, because you will not find much mercy from me in the future." And with that, Skulker fired up his rockets and blasted away into the sky.

Danny groaned, trying to move, but only ended up rolling over onto his chest again. He craned his neck, looking at the quickly disappearing speck in the sky that was Skulker.

"Blast'd ghost." He grumbled. "Didn't even learn 'nything usef'l... Wha's tha' ligh' 'nyway?" Danny's voice slurred with exhaustion and he gazed wistfully in the direction of his house, the front door was barely ten meters away. 'Great, now I got something else to worry about… And I'm gonna get into trouble for leaving the house. Could this day get any worse?'

His vision blurred at the edges and blackened. Danny scowled, squinting his eyes, trying to keep his consciousness, but it was a lost cause. The two rings of energy enveloped him and he was human.

Danny's last conscious thought was that he really had to figure out what the word ethos meant.

Fingers interlaced under a long, aquiline nose and pale, colourless eyes studied a flickering screen intently. A neat red bowtie was tied over a crisp, starched white shirt that gave way to a well-cut, expensive suit covering a thin frame. Legs were crossed, revealing polished black shoes and shoulder length, silvering hair was pulled back into a low ponytail.

The screen paused on a single image and the man leaned back in his chair, enjoying the soft crunch of pristine leather under his weight.

"Ah, Daniel." Vlad Masters crooned. "I leave you alone for a mere couple of weeks and see the trouble you've gotten yourself into."

The screen was paused on the prostrate figure of Danny Fenton, unconscious on his front lawn.

Vlad tsked, shaking his head, a small smile twisting the corner of his mouth. "Whatever am I going to do with you, my boy?"

"Oh Vlad-love!" A high, overly perky voice singed.

Vlad leaned his head back slightly and gazed over his shoulder at his holographic assistant, Maddie Fenton. "Yes, Maddie-dear?"

"The manager from the Packers team called and said they know you stole their mascot's uniform and ask that you return Packy Pack Packer before they file a lawsuit on you suing for grand larceny."

"Oh, Butternuts."

I¤I-I¤I-I¤I-I¤I-I¤I-I¤I-I¤I-I¤I-I¤I-I¤I-I¤I-I¤I-I¤I-I¤I-I¤I

End Chapter 10

To Be Continued…

I¤I-I¤I-I¤I-I¤I-I¤I-I¤I-I¤I-I¤I-I¤I-I¤I-I¤I-I¤I-I¤I-I¤I-I¤I

What do you think of my new dividers? FF. net deleted all my old ones so I had to go back and edit EVERY. BLASTED. CHAPTER. to fix the problem… So you like them… right? Right?!

Oh my... I do believe this chapter ended up being even LONGER than the last. I got many reviews stating that overall, you guys like long chapters, so here ya go! No horror in this chapter, I'm afraid, but now you've got a hint to the plot, can anyone guess where I'm going with this story?

Shining Zephyr: XD Yeah, not too quick on the update, sorry 'bout that, but I hope the length made up for it! I love putting details into my fic, but somehow it just makes everything so long and sometimes I wonder if I make it a little toodetailed, loosing some of the mystery or plotline :3 I'm glad though, that you think it's intriguing! I've never written suspense before, and it's a little awkward, so I'm happy you like it so far!

pearl84: Ha! Yes! I agree with you completely! Vlad is technically supposed to be difficult to write, and yet, I'm so happy he's finally entered my story! You wouldn't believe it, but after that long, long segment with Sam and Tucker, when I finally got to Danny and Vlad I was practically sighing with relief (now I just hope I got his character right XD). You know, it's odd but even though I know where I want this story to go, I STILL get writers block! I mean, it's ridiculous, I should have a 'get-out-of-writer's-block' free card because I've planned the story… but no! Of course not! (Then again, exams didn't exactly help my free time schedule though :3). You're right though, long chapters do seem to work better when you don't have the time to write (odd oxymoron init? XD). That dream which you described, the one in which you died… wow… that's creepy! I know what you mean about feeling pain though, I once had this dream in which I got a bee sting (of all things!) and when I woke up I could've sworn that I actually felt the prick on my arm… weird, huh? And also, I once had this dream in which I got shot, but I was still there… I was just a ghost… It was strange, but kind of cool at the same time because I could float through things and fly XD… Anyway, thanks for the long review, it completely made my day, and I hope you liked my Vlad (there wasn't much of him in this chapter, but he'll be quite important as the story moves on!).

Nylah: Hehe, you'll never complain about a long chapter? Not even this one? XD But yeah, I know, the dream was kinda long. In all honesty, I had envisioned it as short… was trying to make it short… and had counted on it being short… And then I just kept getting all these new ideas on how to describe things, and new scenes I could put in…XP I basically sabotaged myself… garg… Oh well, every part of that dream was (and will be) important for the plot, so I'm glad you stuck through it all :3 I think I know what you mean about the 'waking dream' thing. I once had this weird thing where I was half asleep and half awake: I was lying on my bed and I couldn't move. I could see the bed and the blanket around me but I couldn't move my arms or legs I could just blink. It was terrible! Eventually, it wore off, but I can still remember how it felt o.O

MutantLover09: I never saw a thing (shifty eyes) nope! I never saw you with a bat with Dash's name on it, never happened XD. So! I'm glad you like long chapters, what did you think about this one? Longest one yet! Even I can't believe how long it turned out! So, you've finally realized how secretly nefarious the Box Ghost is? See? He doesn't even have to show up in my story and he's already a suspect (no really, he hasn't shown up yet! For him that is odd, isn't it? XP). I'm glad that you like the detail in this fic! This chapter definitely had PLENTY of detail in it (ohh, finally, I'm getting into their heads, (rubs hands together evilly), writing introspection is so much fun! XD). I've never read the book 'Salem's Lot' but sticking a dog on a spike sounds kinda… morbid, you think my hung cat was worse than that?... Um… thanks… I think… XD. Oh, and after a few (ok many) apologies and the promise of a new virus scan, my computer eventually forgave me for chucking it to the side XP… But yeah, it took some time, lol.

Thunderstorm101: Would you believe I simply forgot that Dash's cat was a dog? XD Eh, well, let's just pretend the dog was a cat… or that it was always a cat… or something (getting confused here o.O''). Anyway, hope you liked the chappie!

Flashx11: Glad you liked the length of the last chapter! Lots of length and content galore in this chapter too. Hope you liked!

sciencefreak330: Yay for awesome morbidness! And yeah, don't worry about not saying anything critical, I know exactly how the brain goes completely to mush after exams and things (it took me a week to start thinking normally after my exams! Actually probably even more, since I'm still prone to spouting random bits of chemistry information every time I see water boil XD. Thanks for the review!

Soulcat56: Hiya! Thanks for reviewin'! I'm glad you liked my random bits of humour in this fic! Humour seems to escape me or most occasions and it sometimes it just ends up more lame than funny, so it's good to know when my attempts sometime work XD

Wishes for Wings: Heya! Yeah I know, it's been way too long since I updated last. Sorry, I didn't mean for it to take so long, I've just been swamped in recent exams… and post-exam-brain-mush syndrome :D Tucker and Sam remind you of George and Elaine? Really? Well… excusing the age difference, I guess that's a good thing… I think… maybe ;P. That dream you described about your death and the eulogy thing sounded really… creepy, I guess you now know what people would say about you after you died o.O'… I've never had a dream like that… but I have had a dream in which I knew it was a dream (weird, huh?). And to prove it was a dream I ran and jumped off the balcony I was on and, somehow, managed to fly away (yeah, I have NO idea how that happened either, but it was so cool! I guess it's a good thing it WAS a dream, huh? XD). Hope you liked the chapter!

Akia Starfrost: Hello! Wow, it has been awhile, hasn't it? I haven't heard from you since chapter 4! Thank you, though, very much for what you said. It's a huge compliment to hear that my writing has drawn you in emotionally! I've been trying to develop the characters in a realistic and believable way (like Danny's parents: Jack is just plain oblivious, he thinks Danny'll become strong if he is hard on him… But Maddie was hoping that by getting angry and punishing Danny, she'd get him to open up about what's going on in his life… too bad Danny's too closed mouthed for that ;P). You know, Mr. Lancer is also one of my favourite characters, so you can expect to see more of him in future chapters! And I'm glad you liked the dream, I hope you also liked this chapter.

chalicity: Hiya! Thank you so much for your reviews! Yup! Lots of weird and mysterious things going on in this fic, everything will be explained though, eventually! And Vlad has officially made his appearance, what did you think? That dream you had about Godzilla was so funny! I'm just imagining now everyone running around screaming their heads off, while just standing there all calm and thinking 'It's all a dream, people! C'mon!' You know, I once had this dream where I WAS able to make myself fly… but it was only for a very short amount of time and it never happened again after that…XD Anyway, super long chapter for you to enjoy, hope you liked it!

blue-eyed-blond227: Hey! Thanks for the review! Glad you liked the story so far and I hope you enjoyed this chapter!

xheartkreuzx:XD Loved your review, thanks!

Deyinel: Wow, interesting pen name, does it mean anything? Anyway, you really think this fic is one of the best? That's amazing to hear, especially with all the excellent Danny Phantom fics out there, thank you! I'm glad you like the way I portray Danny. I made him slightly different than the show, I think (maybe more sensitive? Or a little more thoughtful?) but I kinda like him this way, it makes him more… realistic (instead of just showing random traits whenever it's convenient, like in the show, when they want to teach a lesson on being humble, they make Danny all egotistical, which, to me, was very out of character for him). Anyway, thanks for the review and I'm sorry this chapter took so long to get out (BEWARE the evil exams of DOOM! XD), but I hope you enjoyed it!

Adio!