Disclaimer: Danny Phantom belongs to Butch Hartman and Nickelodeon. I am making no profits on this plot.

AN: This story contains rape and male sex.

Chapter 11: Friendship

I opened a blast on the wall but it just glowed, my parents' invention absorbing the attack and protecting against it. "No!"

I can't go through the portal. Vlad's is destroyed and there isn't any more out there. The lab has no locks… Sam and Tucker have just secured it. I ran back in, frantically trying to reach the ops center before it was too late.

"Danny," my mom's voice cried above my heartbeat. "How did they lock that door?"

"I've got to stop them," I cried out, not paying any attention to her. I darted up the steps, running as fast as I could. The shoots crossed my mind but I had already put so much effort into running. All I had to do was reach the top. But what if it's too late? They've had plenty of time to get dressed and push that damn button. If it's already began… I couldn't cease it.

I phased through the door, hitting myself for not flying to the top to begin with. I reached the cameras, turning it to the lab immediately. This same angle had caught my accident… it would show me if they were being electrocuted. Sam and Tucker came into focus, inside the closed down portal. Sam and Tucker were dressed in their pure white outfits, holding hands as they prepared to take that plunge together.

Now's my chance! I ran over to the control panel, ripping out chords and wires. I didn't care… I'd have to wait for authorization if I went about the normal way to shut it down. If the power beings to shut down after they push that button, they'd be killed. My only choice was to stop the power from reaching the portal. Lights started faltering, the shocks every once and a while greeting me. With my sensors in full force, I felt each jolt but I ignored my pain. The pain Sam and Tucker were about to inflict on themselves would be ten times more powerful… hell, ten thousand times more powerful. The lights on the camera burned out, eventually taking the picture with it.

I sank to my knees, knowing how close I came. I sat there until I heard my mom's angry voice: "Daniel James Fenton, what do you think you were doing?"

I came to my feet, "I'll repair everything. I didn't have a choice."

"Danny, what was going on," Mom demanded angrily. Dad was breathing heavily like he always does when forced to the ops center.

"I just saved Sam and Tucker's lives," I commented quietly, walking out of the room. Now, to have a stern talking to them.

XXX

"How dare you," Sam shot back at me, anger burning all over her features. Tucker was angry too, but Sam shook from her fury. We three stood in my room, the darkness surrounding us. "We were so close!"

"Too damn close," I shot back. "How many times do I have to tell you two you are not becoming half ghost like me?"

"We're not looking for your approval," Tucker shot back. "This is our choice! We can do as we damn well please!"

"I'm not going to let you ruin your lives," I shot back, glaring at Tucker now. "You guys see this as a game! You guys don't know half of the hell it creates walking this damn line!"

"Then tell us," Sam said, her tone softer.

"No," I turned on her. "I will not hurt you if I can and that includes allowing you to turn half ghost. You may think that it's none of my business but if I could, I'd stop myself. I didn't have anyone there to tell me what a mistake it was. No one was there to stop me from making the biggest mistake of my life. I didn't know that when I woke up that morning, my life would forever change at 5:47 pm. Heaven only knows how I pray that someone could have been there!"

"Danny," Tucker replied, now his voice going soft, "We can't change the past, that's true, but we can make the future better."

"And you believe becoming half ghost will make the future better," I asked, incredulous. "Do you know what it's like inside that portal? Do you know how it feels to sit there, screaming for five minutes, watching your best friends sit there and be powerless to stop it? Hell, the pain wasn't as painful as the look on you two's faces. And after the fact, waking up beside Sam and watching you two go about like I was dead. Then the hell of keeping it secret! Constantly struggling with your powers! What would the Manson's do to you if you suddenly disappeared from their sights or was so translucent that they can see right through you?"

"Danny, let us worry about that," Sam said softly.

I held onto my anger, trying to get them to see the mistake they just barely made: "I can't! I can't see you guys screwing up your futures' the way mine is screwed up. I can't watch you guys go through the hell I'm going through. I can't!" Suddenly the anger turned into tears and I sunk to my knees. "I-I couldn't forgive myself.

"I have no future… but you two… you have your whole lives ahead of you. A-and I shouldn't be dragging you two down in the mud with me but I do and now you guys are so determined to walk this line with me… and when you find out that it's not as glamorous as you once thought… you'd hate me. It's all selfish. Everything I do anymore is all about me… and I don't deserve you guys!"

"Danny," Sam sank to her knees, taking my head into her hands. "Hey, that is not true. You are the most unselfish person I've ever met. You protect the town even though they vilify you. You put others needs ahead of your own. You take your parents punishments and the detentions even though you are doing something bigger than their small minds can comprehend. Danny, you are not selfish."

"I don't want to lose you guys. I'm so terrified one day you'll wake up and realize that you are wasting your time on me. You'll realize I'm just a half-dead freak who is destroying your lives and you'll leave me. I can't take that," I said, feeling shameful. How could I demand so much of them?

"Dude," Tucker came down to my side. He wrapped one arm around my shoulder, "You couldn't get rid of us if you tried. Do you remember after the accident and you started to push us away?"

"But that was so long ago," I shook. "How much longer can you guys pretend that this isn't disrupting your lives? How much longer will it be before you realize that I'm not worth it?"

"It'll be an eternity before then," Tucker said, pulling me into a hug. I took the embrace, holding onto the boy who was my brother. I needed them. I needed them much more than they needed me and one day, they will realize that.

I felt Sam wrap around me, holding me as well. "We'll always be together. We'll never turn our backs on each other. Danny, you're just going to have to accept that our destinies include being together. The minute we met, we were destined to go through this life together. When you had that accident, Danny, you included us. And there's nothing you can do to change that fact."

"I know," I whispered softly. "Both Grandpa and I have had the dreams. Nothing Grandpa does changes the outcomes… you both become half ghost." Their faces lit up, the happiness making them practically glow. "But there's something you need to know. I had a dream about two months ago that I haven't told you about."

"I imagine there are many dreams you haven't told us about," Tucker replied with a grimace.

"There's really no point to tell you all of them," I remarked, "But I should have told you about this one. This one directly involves you."

"What was it," Sam asked me.

"Well, there's this pale man. He has a big nose and he carries a red staff. The staff controls ghosts and I go under his spell. I start to act up in town, robbing places and the such. You two are the ones fighting this man because I'm his puppet. He created so much damage with just one half ghost… what could he do with three? And then there's the fact that you two are the ones who save me. If you're half ghosts, who will save us?"

The color drained from their faces as they realized the severity. "Oh, man," Tucker was the first to break the silence. "So, after this attack… we turn half ghost?"

"Yeah," I said slowly, "I don't know how. All I know is I get a phone call one morning and Tucker is jumping for joy, saying he's finally converted. Apparently, it was a long process."

"Long process," Sam asked me. "And what about me? Did I turn half ghost?"

"Yeah," I said, a small blush coming to my cheeks. I purposely left out the fact that I woke up to Sam screaming in the bathroom, my wife opening her eyes to white hair and orange eyes. She had been trying to remove her costume that she and Tucker wore to bed every night for some reason but had failed, finally looking into the mirror. "It had taken… five years."

"Five years," both Sam and Tucker screamed.

"That's what you two were yapping about," I said, wincing at how my head hurt now. "It had taken you five years to finally convert but you guys got some powers over the years."

"That's too long," Tucker complained. "Five minutes and we could be flying on our own."

"After the big nosed man with the staff," Sam cut in.

"Right. After that," Tucker commented.

I smiled softly, "I guess. At least wait until after then before you try it again. I don't want the world to be doomed."

Sam and Tucker came to their feet, giving me room to stand up. I followed their suits, walking to the door. "I'd better go fix that breaker box. Mom and Dad will kill me if I don't get it done soon."

"You want any help," Tucker asked me.

I smiled, "I always want you two around."

"Good," Sam smiled back, "Because we're not going anywhere."

XXX

Sam, Tuck and I entered into the ops center, laughing together. Mom sat at the console, her arms crossed over her chest. Our laughing ceased normally, not finding her posture threatening in the least. Tucker walked over to the breaker, examining it. "Shouldn't be too hard to rewire it. It'll just take time."

"Your father and I could rewire it ourselves but I demand to know why you ripped the breaker box to shreds, Daniel," Mom demanded.

"It's nothing, Mrs. Fenton," Sam commented. "Danny just panicked and done the only thing he knew to do."

"Don't think I'm just scolding Danny," Mom turned to Sam. "You two locked my lab door! There are no locks on that door! You purposely tried to keep us out!"

"No," Tucker replied coolly, "We tried to keep Danny out."

"And it worked," I shot back. "That hurt by the way!"

"Sorry," Sam smiled sheepishly towards me. "I didn't know how else to keep you from getting in that way!"

"Impressive," I replied, "But not cool!"

"I want to know what is going on," Mom declared.

"Sorry, Mom," Tucker remarked, shrugging his shoulders. "It's between us three."

"Not when it involves the lab," Dad shot. I hadn't even noticed Dad sitting against the wall. "You kids could have been hurt. What would have happened if you two got hurt and no one could have entered into the lab?"

"Don't worry about it," Sam remarked. "Now, I'll grab the tools, Tucker, you grab the circuits and Danny, you grab the wires."

"Do not think that you two can get away with this," Mom demanded angrily.

"Oh, we already have," Sam commented smugly.

"No you haven't," I shot back. "I still stopped you."

"Yeah," Sam said, looking a little dejected, "But eventually one day you won't."

I looked away, "Don't remind me."

"What is going on," Mom came to her feet. Her eyes were flashing with the pent up anger.

"Not your concern," Tucker replied, walking off to grab the circuits. I chuckled, grabbing the wires.

"Daniel," Mom scolded me.

"How long," I asked, ending my laughter normally.

"How long what," Mom asked me, confusion crossing her face.

"Grounding. How long," I asked, grabbing the wires for the job.

"You are too used to this punishment," Mom sighed. "You're not grounded. I give up on grounding you!"

"Really," I asked, surprised. "It'd help a whole lot."

"Do not think that just because we're not grounding you anymore that you can just go about disobeying," Dad spoke up. "Chores and curfew are still required."

"I know," I replied, walking over to the breaker. "I'll try to improve but a lot of what happens is out of my control."

"Soon, we'll be able to help you," Tucker smiled up, daydreaming.

"Just remember, I said not until after that incident," I reminded him.

"What incident," Mom asked.

We all three groaned, "It doesn't concern you!" We burst out laughing.

"You three need to realize we are the parents and you are the children," Mom said sternly.

Sam ceased her laughing, ending ours with her sudden change. "We got that perfectly," Sam remarked back, "It's you two who don't know your places."

My eyes widened. Town butt head! Town butt head! "S-Sam, let's not get hasty. Come on, let's just get this done!"

"She may be from another town but we're in Amity and around here children make the rules," Sam shot back.

Tucker was next to react, "Okay, Sam, I get that better than Danny but you know how Mom is. She won't shy to turn us over her knee!"

"You're darn right I won't," Mom shot back. "I understand perfectly the backward ways of this town but in my house, the parents run the household and the children listen and do as they're told! Samantha, I know your parents are a bunch of low lives but that does not give you the right to mouth off to me!"

"Samantha," Sam shot off, her purple eyes blazing. I grabbed Sam by the waist, pulling her away from charging at Mom.

"That's what Mom does when her children mouth off. That's why Jazz and I have full names but go by our nicknames. So when we're in trouble, she can make the point easily!"

"No one calls me Samantha," Sam declared angrily.

"When you go running your mouth off, I will call you what I want. You may not be my child, Sam, but I have raised you since you were eight! For all intents and purposes, we are your parents," Mom replied back.

"I get that. And you know I respect you a lot," Sam said, much calmer. I let go of her waist now that she was herself again. "But there are things that we are involved in that doesn't concern you. I'm sorry I shot my mouth off. I do respect you, but it was a conversation between us and no one else."

"You forgot who you were talking to, didn't you," Dad looked amused.

"Not really," Sam spoke softly. "If I thought I was talking to my parents, I'd been much more rude. I just lost my cool because I forgot how the people I was talking to act."

"Well, let's finish this up," Tucker cut in. We got to work, repairing the breaker box.

XXX

It didn't take long for us to connect every wire to where it belonged and after an inspection from Mom and Dad, we were allowed to leave. It was now after nine o'clock and the three of us were nestled back into my room, now with the lights on. I could feel the, well, feeling slipping away and now I could barely feel the sweater I wore. I started tugging at the neckline, the cloth beginning to constrict me. It wasn't because I was hot; it was like a tie around my neck.

"You're starting to lose it, aren't you," Sam asked me as I tugged more at the neckline.

I looked up, surely my eyes betraying what I was trying to detail. I gave up, showing my true emotions. "Yeah. I'm not feeling anything now. Not hot or cold," I said, my voice weak. "And the sweater is becoming tight."

"We're here," Tucker said. I looked towards him to see he had his hand on my shoulder. It was almost time.

"Thanks," I spoke softly. I pulled my knees up to my chest, the world seemingly getting smaller. Before it felt as if the world wasn't bigger than what I could see or hear… but now, the world was much bigger. I could taste the world, I could feel the world, I could interact with the world. Soon, all I will be able to do is live vicariously through my friends and a life I used to have.

My air valves began to constrict, breathing becoming a chore. I tugged at the sweater neckband but it refused to give anymore relief. I closed my eyes, doing a test. Nothing but sounds came to me. I opened my eyes, a silent tear slipping down my cheek. I'm back to being a creature who walks both lines, neither alive nor dead.

I pulled the sweater over my head, the action giving much relief to my aching throat. I sucked in as much of the air as I could but it did little to give me the perception I have received lately. I tossed the sweater to the floor, hugging my knees tighter.

"We're here," Tucker spoke again, wrapping his arms around me. If you hadn't said that, I'd never know.

Sam propped her head on my shoulder but the only sign she was doing it was how my shirt wrinkled up from the pressure. I couldn't feel her weight, I couldn't feel the warmth of her body, I couldn't feel her breathing. I gently laid my head on top of hers, grateful for my friends. I don't know what I'll do when they leave me.

XXX

We laid wrapped up in ourselves for the remainder of the hour but when the clock read ten, I gently lifted Sam up so I could come to my feet. It was time for them to leave.

"We're not going," Sam commented. She turned around to face me, "You need us. Mr. and Mrs. Foley wouldn't mind Tucker staying the night here."

"You guys need to go home," I replied, closing Tucker's phone. He looked up at me in shock.

"I'm not leaving you," Tucker objected. "You're taking this hard. Mom and Dad will understand."

"I wouldn't," I cut in. "Tomorrow is school and I don't want you two to lose any sleep over me."

Sam tried pushing me over to no avail. Finally, she gave in and dealt another blow to me: "Then let us stay here because we won't get a wink if you aren't by our sides."

"You guys can't keep ignoring your needs and your lives because of me," I objected.

"When are you going to get it," Sam demanded. "You are our lives! We need you!"

"We're in this together," Tucker added.

"No, we're not," I said, floating out of our embrace. "You guys are as far removed from this as possible and that's the way I want it to stay. I don't want you to get hurt! I don't want you to watch me get hurt!"

"I've seen you hurt before," Sam remarked. "And let me tell you, nothing hurts more than watching you ignore us and shut us out. Every day you push us away, the deeper you plunge the knife in our hearts. If you let us into what is going on in your life, then it wouldn't be as painful!"

I wish that were true. "The actual injuries are not what I'm talking about. A rocket from Skulker, a blast from a random ghost; that is nothing. It's a bee sting. But watching you guys trail behind me, jeopardizing your lives to follow me into a pointless battle; it hurts more than you could imagine. And one of these days, you two will be shot. One of you may break bones or get a concussion. That's when I'll lose it!"

"One of these days, we'll hit a building like you and we'll shake the concrete from our hair like you and we will charge back into battle—just like you!" Tucker's eyes blazed as he imagined what he was speaking of. I knew these two dream of becoming half ghost like me, but one day they'll wake up and realize what they awoke from wasn't a dream but a nightmare.

"We're not leaving," Sam said. She stood up from my bed and walked over to my closet. Soon she was exiting my bedroom with a pair of violet floral pajamas. Of course, the flowers were black roses. Tucker followed suit, leaving with his own pair of monster truck pajamas. I sighed, grabbing my simple purple PJs.

XXX

I stared at the ceiling, the lights out and my friends soft breathing coming through my ears as loud rasping. The incandescence of Fentonworks lit the sky with an eerie green. I couldn't keep doing this. Soon, Vlad will return and I know that it will be more frequent than what he's been doing now. I closed my eyes, not really tired but I knew I needed to get some sleep. My human side still needs sleep and when I don't get it, it shows just like when I don't eat. I can't die from exhaustion or starvation but it shows on my human form.

I restlessly fell into sleep, strange images appearing to me. I wasn't having a pathetic dream, it wasn't really complete images. I've never had a dream quite like this. A woman… she looks a lot like Mom but her appearance doesn't match Mom's. The woman wears Mom's HAZMAT suit. The background is some kind of basement; brown brick walls, concrete flooring, support beams and columns. There's a portion of the basement that is blocked off with steel bars. The woman's face is tear-streaked and she's scared.

Another face flashes in my mind. A young boy, around my age. He looks a lot like me, even his hair styled like mine but yet again his appearance isn't exactly right. He's curled in the back of the room, knees hugged to his chest. Every other image, his eyes change position. His chest rises up and down, fear evident in his features. His clothing are exactly like mine.

A soft voice meets my ears. I can't tell who it is or what they're saying, but it's frantic; pleading. "Please," it finally cries out coherently. "Help me! I have a newborn at home! What will she do without me?"

"Shut up," a harsh voice cut out. Vlad appears in my vision, in his ghost form. His image becomes distorted.

"Vlad, please, don't do this," another voice cuts above, nearly deafening me. "They're innocent!"

"Not anymore they're not, Daniel," Vlad's voice replies. I have a hard time identifying it as Vlad and if it weren't for his mouth moving in my mind I probably wouldn't figure it out. "However, I do no longer have any use for the woman. With your mother's blatant rejection of my feelings, she's obsolete."

"Just let her go. You could erase her memory," the deafening voice pleaded again. "Hell, you could do this without the bodies! Just make everyone see me dead!"

"I can't do that, Daniel," Vlad remarked again, his mouth moving in my mind. "The way Jack and Maddie are, they won't give up that easily."

"Please, they're innocent, Vlad," it cried again. The image shook and became more distorted.

"Enough," Vlad erupted. "We end this!"

Vlad raises his hand and the image shakes as two bare arms grab his hand. Vlad lifts his hand, sending the hands away and the picture of Vlad disappears as the ceiling comes into contact. The picture goes black for a moment but it reappears frantically at the boy and the woman. "No!"

The woman is blasted with the red energy, her form dissolving into nothing more than dust. "And now for the lose end," a harsh voice announced. I imagine it was Vlad but I can't really tell. The image falls on the young boy as he screams out a strangled scream, scooting farther into the cell. Suddenly, he stops moving and his hands reach for his throat. His eyes go wide, unshed tears pooling.

"Please, no," the broken voice cries out. "This isn't necessary! Vlad, for God's sake, I'll do anything! He's just a boy! He has someone out there who loves him, who needs him!"

"He's a failed specimen; a mistake! We all must die, Daniel, we might as well take the mistakes first," the voice replied.

"He's not a mistake," the voice snapped back but it was strangled and panicked. "Please, boy, listen to me. It's not real! You can breathe. All you have to do is breathe! Just breathe!"

The boys eyes dulled over and he fell to the floor in a thump. The image disappeared, the floor replacing it. Water dripped into a puddle on the concrete. The image shook hard as it was lifted from the floor, falling on Vlad's face. "Now, we can be together forever."

The images become more smoothly as it followed a set of stairs leading higher into the building. Soon, a familiar bed filled the vision. The floor came into close proximity, painfully so. "I'm going to give you five minutes after you're undressed to prepare," Vlad instructed. I remember this. I came to my feet, terrified but determined.

As the door shut, I took in my surroundings. All memories of the woman and the boy vanished from my mind. I shut them out because if I tried, I could pretend they didn't exist and I didn't see what I saw. I didn't fail them and Vlad wasn't going to keep me prisoner.

XXX

I ran from the room, begging to find Mom. If Vlad had killed the woman so easily, what could he do to Mom? He might have mentioned her with Dad, but that doesn't mean the body Dad will find wouldn't really be Mom.

XXX

I didn't want to return to Vlad's. Things were different now. Things could get ugly and I was still ten minutes away from being able to do a damn thing.

XXX

I shot awake, screaming. In the darkness, two shadows jumped from their cots. I jumped out of bed, pacing the floor. "No, he wouldn't. He couldn't. I couldn't!"

"Danny," Sam cried, grabbing my hands to cease my pacing.

"No, no, no," I repeated softly, breathing hard. "It couldn't be."

"What's wrong," Tucker asked me.

"Plasmius," I spoke, breathless despite the large volume of oxygen I was sucking into my lungs. "It was just a dream! He couldn't. I wouldn't just sit there, powerless or not!"

"What are you talking about," Sam demanded, fearful.

"That night," I replied, my thoughts jumbled. "During DALV. I dreamed… I mean blocked… a woman and a boy… killed by Plasmius. I tried… I didn't do anything… they died. She had a baby. He was an only child to a single mother. No, no, no."

"Danny, calm down. It was just a nightmare," Sam tried to soothe me. I paced the floor again, pulling out of her hold.

"No, no, no," I repeated again, but this time in determination. "He-he wanted us. He was going to fake our deaths. Oh, my God." I cried out. "How could I not do anything!"

"I'm sure you tried," Tucker spoke softly. "He took your powers, remember."

"Yeah," I said, gathering my thoughts. "It was after he short circuited my powers but before what I clearly remember. But why did I… how could I? Their faces. Their horrified faces!"

My door swung open, my parents and sister standing just outside the door. Seeing my mom caused my eyes to well up.

"We've got it," Sam commented.

"That sounded pretty terrifying," Jazz said softly. "Do you want to talk about it?"

"We can handle it," Tucker commented. I resumed pacing. I couldn't see straight.

"You son of a bitch, how could you," I shot out, furious. My pacing took me by my cell phone and I dialed his number. I couldn't tell what my family was doing behind me but I heard Vlad's voice groggily come over the line. "You did it, didn't you!"

"Daniel," he asked, confused. "What are you doing calling me at this late hour?"

"Is this inconvenient," I asked, furious. "Because, I'm sure they felt the same way when you did that to them!"

"Who," Vlad asked, his voice sounding genuine.

"The boy and the woman," I hissed. "I remember! Did you make me forget?"

"Of course not," Vlad replied, shaking the sleep from his voice. "You made yourself forget. I wanted you to remember so you'll know I meant business but when we started making love they were long gone from your mind. What made you think of them again?"

"I'll kill you for that, you bastard," I shot.

"Danny," my mom cried.

"Daniel, is that Maddie," Vlad asked, alarmed.

"You stay away from me and you stay away from my family, do you understand me! I told you not to make me hit my knees! I'm done! Do you hear me, you God damned bastard, I'm done! It ended when I remembered innocent people were involved!"

"Danny, honey, who are you talking to," Mom tried to grab my phone. I kept it out of her reach.

"Hardly, Daniel. I will return for you either tomorrow or the next day. And you will come or the next person I kill will be family."

"You won't have the opportunity, you bastard. I begged you! You could have done anything but you decided to do that," I shot back.

"It's my choice. They were pathetic life forms. They didn't deserve to live," Vlad replied coolly.

"They were human beings and they had people who loved them! I mean, what even happened to the boy?"

"I disposed of him in the woods. Wolves probably got him," Vlad said, not caring he was talking about a child.

"I mean it, stay away from us and if you try to come after my family, I will make you pay. It's over," I shot. I slammed my phone shut and dropped it harmlessly to my bed. "Damn him!"

"Honey, who was that," Mom demanded.

"I don't have time for this," I shot off, storming out of the room. My anger was boiling. I was losing control. "I need a flight!"

"Danny, wait, you shouldn't go out alone," Sam cried.

"I'll be fine," I replied. I stomped down the stairs.

"Danny, you will not leave this house at this hour," Mom ordered. "It's after three in the morning!"

"I'm sorry, I need to cool myself down before I do something I'll regret… if I haven't already," I added. I exited the house, taking for my favorite transformation hiding spot. As soon as I was safe in the alley, I transformed and rocketed into the sky.

"Hey," Dad called out from the ground. I looked down to see him pointing in my direction. "It's that ghost boy! Inviso-Bill!"

"Don't be ridiculous, Dad," Jazz commented in a distance voice. "It's just a shooting star!"

I left hearing range.

XXX

I walked back home in my human form, allowing the biting cold nip at my bare arms. I walked back into my house, a quarter after four, to find my entire family waiting in the living room. I bit back the guilt, speaking up: "You guys didn't have to stay up for me."

Mom's eyes groggily opened, not quite awake yet not quite asleep. "Danny," Mom cried over joyous. "Young man, don't you ever leave this house at this late of an hour again, do you hear me?"

"I had to get away," I said, casting my eyes down. Sam and Tucker came over to stand beside me. "I need to make a phone call. I made a mistake."

"You sure did," Dad commented. "I couldn't imagine what Vladdie's face must have been like when you called him at three in the morning."

"Vlad's," my voice broke, surly my face paling. "Why would you say that?"

"They looked at your cell phone," Sam groaned.

"I tried to get them to leave it alone but Mom wanted to know who you had called. Why would you call Mr. Masters," Jazz asked me.

"I-I was out of my mind. I just—you know, I was tired. That's the reason I had to—have to call him back. Apologize."

"I already talked to him," Mom replied. "He told me it was no big deal and that he had been up working on paperwork anyway. I told him you'd call him in the morning. Now, get upstairs and you stay in this house," Mom scolded me.

I nodded, a lump forming in my throat. I headed upstairs, mentally kicking myself. Vlad was going to kick my ass for this! I stepped aside to allow my two friends in the room then closed my door. I initiated the silent proof walls.

"Now, do you mind filling us in because now we're the ones clueless," Sam commented.

"I'm not clueless," I defended.

"Not important," Tucker interrupted us. "What's going on, Danny, and no more stalling. No more lies. No more half-truths. Give us the full truth, unedited!"

I sighed, "Okay. You know about Plasmius and you know about Vlad. What you don't know is they're one and the same. Vlad Masters is Vlad Plasmius; he's my archenemy."

"What," Sam cried, alarmed. "You mean to tell me you spent a week with him alone!"

I suppressed a shiver, "Yeah. It wasn't all bad. I met my grandfather, Dad's dad, and I got to go swimming in December."

"How on Earth did you manage to do that," Tucker asked.

"Well, just like how it is for me, you and Brit, it was for Mom, Dad and Vlad. Vlad calls Grandpa Dad. And Vlad has an island in the southern hemisphere."

"He took you somewhere we didn't know," Sam asked, infuriated.

"Yeah. We only spent 32 hours in Wisconsin. The rest of the time was spent in Florida and the Island."

"Did he hurt you," Tucker asked me, his voice breaking.

"Don't worry about that," I replied. "I'm more worried about the present. He may kill me for going off the way I did."

"He won't touch you," Sam defiantly remarked.

"We can't stop that," I replied weakly. "He's so powerful. I imagine he'll make Mom and Dad forget about what they heard now that they've called him and he'll beat me."

"Did you not hear Sam," Tucker demanded, "He won't touch you!"

"There's nothing we can do," I replied quietly. "Just pray I'm recognizable."

"He better hope he's recognizable," Sam said, deadly.

"You are not to go near him," I cut in. I looked to Tucker, "Neither one of you!"

"If he's messing with you, he messes with us," Sam broke in. "You don't mess with the best and expect only the rest!"

"Team Phantom has never faced anything like this before," I replied coldly. "We've never experienced his kind of power. That sheer power!"

"And he's never faced anything like us," Tucker remarked. "If he gets too out of line, I wonder what he'd think about his employees receiving a notice in their offices about his status."

"His employees already know," I shot back. "Well, at least his women do."

"His women," Sam demanded.

"Yeah," I said slowly, "He's a real pig."

"Well, then, I wonder what he'd think about CNN or FOX News," Tucker suggested.

"Leave him alone," I shot back. "I didn't tell you guys so you could challenge him!"

"You didn't have a choice," Sam demanded. "And we're not through. What was this about the woman and the boy?"

"I'm not entirely sure. I had no memory of this but when I was dreaming, I seen what happened. Whether it's my overactive imagination or something that really happened, I don't know. But he killed two people who looked just like Mom and me. He was going to hold us against our wills, keeping Mom for himself and making me his evil apprentice."

It sounded plausible because that's what he once upon a time wanted.

XXX

Morning came fast, with the three of us getting no more sleep. We sat, legs crossed, on my bed, chatting about anything and everything when my alarm started going off. I slapped my hand on the off button, silencing it before it really began.

"It always amazes me how touchy your ears are," Tucker said, shaking his head. "I just heard it when you slammed it off."

"It sounds like a freight train to me," I commented, throwing my legs over the side of the bed. "I hate the sound. I'm trying to talk Mom and Dad into making me one that is softer sounding."

"How are you going to explain that," Sam asked me.

"Migraines," I explained simply. "I've told Mom that I've been having tension headaches lately from all the work Samuels's been giving me and the blaring alarm isn't helping. Worked like a charm."

"You mean she's doing it," Tucker asked, surprised.

"Sort of," I said, opening my closet. "She said she would but she's been so busy lately she hasn't begun. I've tried to remind her but I don't want to overburden her either. I mean, most of her obligations are because of me."

"I think we have a solution," Sam said, looking to Tucker. "You usually pick me up and we pick up Tucker but Tuck and I could meet you here and wake you up."

"Yeah," Tucker cut in, backing her up. "It's the least we could do! It'll also help cut back on the days you try to go to school on Saturdays." He snickered on the last part.

"No," I groaned, picking my outfit for the day. "I couldn't ask you guys to do that. Besides, I need to start taking more responsibility… not less!"

"More," Tucker cried out as Sam's eyes widened.

"Danny, you're overloaded as it is," Sam exclaimed.

"But I can't just pretend that I don't have other responsibilities. My grades have slipped, I don't do my chores, I'm neglecting you guys… and I haven't been to the office in so long, I imagine Julie won't recognize me!"

"Well, it's not like you're blowing these things off," Sam declared. Tucker nodded his head in agreement.

"But I can't exactly explain that, now can I. The way other people see it is I've been slacking. I can't expect to have that reputation and go far," I declared. "How will I get into a good college? How will I progress to reach the top of the Paranormal Ghost Hunters?"

"Danny," Tucker scolded, "Didn't Samuels tell you he was going to select you to take the Director spot when he retires."

I shot a dirty glare at him, "Not that high! There's a difference between what Samuels does and what I want to do. I want to make a difference, not just sign papers all day and babysit!"

Sam snickered, "Okay, what do you want to do?"

"I want to take the division places it can only dream of. Right now, we have unlimited power but absolutely no recognition. We have to mention we're with Homeland Security to generate a response. Could you imagine what it'd be like if Division G had a legitimate mission? I know we can't tell the people about the ghosts, I'm not that stupid, but I'm certain we could create a name for ourselves and get out there."

"Danny, I'm not sure that's even possible. There are people out there who have built reputations on the title ghost hunters and they've been perceived as either idiots or truth seekers. We don't want that kind of reputation for Division G," Sam said softly.

"I don't want to make it publicly known, not about the ghosts anyway," I remarked. "I want kind of a word of mouth kind of business… organization. There is so much the Division G could do if it had the word out there but like you said, I don't want the non-believers confusing us with the quacks."

"That's going to be a tricky job," Tucker remarked.

"I know that," I said playfully, "What else would you expect from the best ghost hunters? If we wanted easy, we wouldn't be in this profession now would we?"

They smiled back at me as I paused by the door. Finally, Sam was the first to her feet, Tucker following. I left the room, wondering if they thought I didn't know what they were doing. Sam and Tucker were dragging this out as much as possible so I'd have to let them fly to school. I'm beginning to see no harm in letting them do that every day.

I walked slow enough for Sam and Tucker to grab their clothes for the day and to catch up to me. Once they were by my side, I spoke up, "Tuck, you and I will take the basement shower so I don't have a repeat of last time. Sam, you shower up here so you can have some privacy. See you in the kitchen."

"Okay," Sam said, turning towards the shower while Tuck and I descended the stairs.

"What happened last time," Tucker asked me, snickering.

"I knew Sam was down here but I didn't expect showering near her would be so… difficult."

"Don't you mean hard," Tucker replied playfully.

I blushed, "Come on, Tuck! Things are getting weirder and weirder. Don't you remember when we use to go swimming with Sam or when she'd sleep over and it was totally normal to see her… that way!"

Tucker laughed some more, "That was before she turned into a girl! At least that's what it feels like. You like her so now it's not just seeing your best friend naked, it's seeing the girl you really want to see naked naked. Sam has really blossomed in the last two-to-three years! She's a really beautiful lady."

"And that scares the hell out of me," I shot back, opening the lab door. "I shouldn't feel like this for my best friend. It'd be like… feeling like that for you!"

"Whoa, whoa, whoa," Tucker interjected. "I'm a guy. You're straight. What you feel for Sam is normal. If you felt that way about me… it'd just be weird." Tucker said the last part slowly as it sank in. "Ew."

"Tell me about it," I replied. We now were at the bottom of the stairs and entering into the lab portion of the basement. "But it's still the same thing. It shouldn't matter if Sam's a girl or not… she's my friend. Aren't there boundaries or something?"

"D, you've always liked Sam," Tucker interjected. "Remember what you said when we first met her. She was bullying us but you still thought she was the coolest girl on the planet!"

"And I still do," I cut in, "But that doesn't mean I want to date the coolest girl on the planet. I just thought she was awesome and so unlike all the other girls." I laughed, embarrassed, "I thought I found a girl who had been sanitized from her cooties."

Tucker laughed hard at this, "Danny, it's called denial and you're swimming in the part that is way over your head. Why don't you just tell Sam how you feel?"

"Because, she doesn't feel the same way and we might lose our friendship! How could things go back to the way they were when suddenly Sam realizes what it means when I stare at her for three seconds longer than I use to. Now, she just becomes self-conscious, worried about spinach stuck in her teeth. If I told her, she'd be grossed out and wouldn't want to hang out with us anymore… or at least me!"

"Don't be ridiculous," Tucker demanded. "Let me prove it to you. If anyone would cause Sam to react that way, it would be me. If I ask Sam out and when she says no and we're still friends, will you ask her then!"

"Tucker," I cried out, stopping just outside the basement portion of downstairs. "You wouldn't risk your friendship for that, would you?"

"I know I'm not risking it," Tucker retorted back. "D, I've told you a thousand times. I'm Kix in 'If You See Him, If You See Her.' Sam's Reba and you're Ronnie!"

"Tucker," I scolded now, "Sam doesn't feel the same about me. You've heard her and you see how she reacts. She couldn't imagine being with me."

"Well, the late night chats we've had says differently," Tucker interjected. "I promised both of you that I wouldn't tell the other what you've said, but I can't ignore that my two best friends like each other and would make a perfect pair!"

I glared a dirty look at him, "You haven't!"

"And why shouldn't I," Tucker shot back. "Sam's told me how she feels about you and I've tried talking to you. You've told me how you feel about her and I've tried talking to her. Damn it all if I can't get the two of you to see a fifty foot meat monster right in front of your faces!"

"It's not exactly Lunch Lady, Tuck," I said, resuming my walking. Tucker began to follow me again.

"Well, I think that it is. You are both so clueless! Every blush, every slip of the tongue, every look gets ignored but it's like a damn barge horn going off!"

"Tuck, you're mistaken," I interjected at him again. I formed ectoplasm around my hand, "Sam doesn't like me!"

"Whoa, Danny, just calm down," Tucker said, panic and urgency crossing his face. I pointed my hand in the corner and shot, Tucker shouting, "Danny, don't kill me!"

"Kill you," I asked, confused. I removed my shirt. "Why would I kill you?"

"Danny, you just… I mean, you have… what did you do?"

I blushed, "Oh, right, it was Sam who saw me do this. It's a little trick I learned from Vlad. You can mold ectoplasm energy blasts into solid objects. I just made a shower with ecto-energy."

"I thought you were pissed at me and was going to shoot me again," Tucker cried out. "Don't scare me like that!"

"Sorry, dude," I apologized. I smiled sheepishly at him as Tucker removed his own pajama top. I removed my pants and stepped into the shower.

"Hey, Danny," Tucker asked me out of my sight.

"Yeah," I asked, turning on the water. I have to admit, I've gotten pretty good at creating the shower with one blast. Vlad was right, once you've had some practice imagining it, it comes easier.

"Where'd you get that cut across your chest," Tucker asked me.

Inwardly, I jumped. I formed ectoplasm in my hand and imagined a mirror. The refection of my chest shinned up at me and a scar from night before last's fight with Invincible was clearly visible. "Wow," I commented, surprised. "It hasn't healed!"

"Where'd you get it," Tucker asked again. "And doesn't all your injuries practically heal up on sight!"

"They're supposed to," I commented quietly, trying to figure this out. If the Ectoranium was out of my bloodstream enough to return my senses to normal, shouldn't it have resumed my healing process.

"Dude, are you okay," Tucker asked me.

"Yeah, just surprised is all," I said. "This thing should be healed. It's over 24 hours old!" Seeing the scar reminded me of the little blue lines. I adjusted the mirror and sure enough, the lines were still there.

"Who hit you," Tucker asked me, his voice off key. I imagined he was shampooing his hair.

"A new kind of ghost," I remarked, my voice soft as I observed the blue lines. "It's nothing you need to worry about," I remarked, focusing on Tuck again. I dissolved the mirror.

"The injury he gave you is reacting differently than the normal ghosts you face," Tucker remarked dryly, "I say it's something we need to worry about."

"No, no, no," I brushed his fear off, "That's not what I meant. He thinks I'm dead!"

"What," Tucker strangled out, "And this is good news?"

"Well, yeah," I commented. "If we don't cross paths again, he'll just go about his afterlife while I go about my life."

"Danny, you can't expect to never cross paths with him again," Tucker interjected. "He wanted you dead for a reason."

"Yeah," I commented. "He was sore that someone else in the Ghost Zone was called unbeatable. He wanted to settle the score on who was more powerful. He didn't do what he wished to accomplish but he showed me he's not someone I want to mess with if at all possible."

"Who is he," Tucker asked me. I formed ectoplasm in my hand and began to lather it into my hair.

"It doesn't matter," I remarked, now my voice wavering. "It doesn't include you."

"Come on, D, it's about you. That means it includes us," Tucker remarked, the water sounding louder. He's rising.

"It doesn't matter," I remarked dryly. "If it doesn't include you guys, I'm not going to involve you guys."

Tucker groaned as I finished lathering up my hair. I began to rinse the soap out and when I finished, I turned the water off. I stepped out of the shower, dissolving it away as soon as my feet hit concrete. I turned intangible, the water pooling over the drain in the basement. Tucker's water shut off next, him stepping out.

"That looks really bad, D," Tucker commented, looking at my chest.

"It doesn't hurt," I commented. "It's just like a wound I got weeks or months ago. It may only be a day old but it's progressed to be much older."

"Still," Tucker said, grimacing. "I imagine it hurt like hell when it happened."

I chuckled. "I can't deny you here," I said. "It hurt more than what I'm used to. But I'm okay now!"

Tucker nodded sadly and I felt the guilt pile on. I was hurting him because I was being open. I shook my head and went to get dressed. When I pulled my shirt over my head, completing my outfit, I looked down to my arm. My chest and my leg was covered but the scar on my arm was still visible. Tuck and I headed upstairs.

XXX

I kept my arm close to me, trying not to look too suspicious but I bound to have not been doing a good job at it.

"Danny," Sam asked me as we reached the kitchen from the lab, "Why are you holding your arm?"

"His arm," Tucker asked alarmed. I gave a weak smile.

"I need to run upstairs real quick. Be back in a minute," I said, running up the stairs. I heard loud clanging following me. Shit! I turned around, the action nearly causing Sam and Tucker to ram into me. "It's nothing, all right. I guess I can show you."

XXX

I led them upstairs to where I retrieved the first aid kit from the bathroom. Once safely in my room, I removed my hand from my arm. Sam and Tucker gasped.

"Danny," Tucker cried out again.

"I told you it was nothing," I tried to sound indifferent.

"That's not nothing," Sam declared.

"Come on," I said, placing a finger on Sam's elbow. "Remember this one! You slipped on ice and you skid your elbow!"

"I heal normally," Sam shot back. She picked up the scissors and cut the top of my hand to make a point.

I hissed, "Sam! What'd you do that for?" I looked for my hand to heal up but it continued to ooze blood from the incisor. "What the?"

"You're not healing," Sam cried out in horror.

"Oh, crap," I groaned. I sat down on my bed and opened the first aid kit. I put a band aid on the cut but it really wasn't that bad. I wrapped my arm up, adding nothing more. Tucker grabbed the other gaze and, lifting my shirt up to my chin, wrapped my chest. Sam gasped at the one across my chest.

"Damn it, Danny, you lied to us," Sam shot at me.

"What do you mean," I asked up from my bandaging.

"You told us you were handling some things yesterday," Sam shot back. "You were healing!"

"Isn't that something," I asked innocently. "Just like an art project is turning yourselves half ghost?"

Tucker gasped as what Sam finally made sense to him, "Oh, my God, Danny! Where were you?"

"The Free Clinic," I said in a hushed voice. Honestly, I'd speak that sentence quieter than one along the lines 'I'm half ghost.'

"What did you tell them," Sam asked.

"It doesn't matter," I remarked. "Sam, would you wrap my leg up?" I lifted my leg up, careful not to disrupt Tucker or myself in our bandaging. I turned my leg intangible, causing the fabric to fall through but I brought my leg back to its solid form, the skin exposed.

"Danny," Sam scolded as Tucker stared at the third wound I'd received from Invincible in horror.

"That's the last one," I commented. "He struck me three times and he left, thinking the job was done."

"What job," Sam asked as she began to wrap my leg.

"It doesn't matter," I replied simply.

Tucker, however, betrayed the Dude Code, saying, "Kill Danny."

"Tucker," I shot back angrily.

"You told him but you weren't going to tell me," Sam demanded, furious.

"I wish I hadn't told Tucker," I said, my gaze diverting away from my two friends. "I don't want to hurt you guys."

"Trust me when I say that we're actually in less pain now than when you were hiding this from us," Sam commented.

"How can I believe that," I shot back. "You had no idea that I was hurt. You believed I was off taking care of some ghost business. It didn't even cross your minds."

"But thinking back, it hurts more to know you don't trust us with some things," Tucker interjected.

"More than that," Sam continued even before Tucker finished speaking. "We know you so well we can tell when something is bothering you. It's getting harder to tell what is affecting you. Before you went to Vlad's, it was almost easy to tell what issue had you worked up but now… there are so many things going wrong in your life I'm not even sure you know which one is bothering you the most."

I finished wrapping my arm, holding the gaze in place until I could secure it, "No. I know which one affects me the most." I placed the pin in the cloth, securing it in place. Tucker grabbed a pin of his own, securing his work. "Thanks, you guys. I know I shouldn't ask you…"

"Just stop," Tucker interrupted me. "We're your best friends, aren't we?"

"Of course," I said, a little offended.

"Well, then there's no need to thank us. It's in our job description!"

"Right," Sam backed Tucker up. "It's nice to be involved in the less-than-flattering roles of your life. We haven't been included in this club in forever!"

I looked down, shamefully. They've been in every club involving the less-than-flattering roles of my life. I haven't just hung out with them, or done something that isn't either ghost related or ghost-interrupting in ages. I need to show them how much they mean to me… more than just a couple sidekicks. They're my partners. We're not Team Phantom because it's my last name in ghost form, but because we're invisible. It was a play on words from how we don't stand out in school. We were Team Phantom long before I became half ghost!

Sam secured the pin, announcing, "Any more wounds we should know about?"

"No," I answered truthfully. "Everything else heals on impact."

"Which begs the question," Tucker began, "What are we going to do when a ghost attacks today?"

I held up my first aid kit, "Bandage me up!"

"You mean us," Sam cut in. "If you're not healing like normal, then you can't use the excuse that we can't help because we don't heal."

"Maybe not," I remarked, "But I'm still the weapon. It's pretty hard to shoot my weapon out of my hands considering I'm a sometimes alive, sometimes breathing weapon."

Tucker cracked a smile, "Yeah, but that sometimes alive, sometimes breathing weapon can share his abilities."

"No way," Sam objected. "When Danny does that, it weakens his own and shortens his attention span. Danny has a short enough attention span in battle as it is. With his probability of getting injured higher, then we'll just have to go it as humans. It's not like we're the first human ghost hunters, Danny. You're actually just the first hybrid-ghost ghost hunter."

"No," I objected my own objection. "You guys aren't going to get involved."

"See if you can stop us," Tucker challenged.

"If I have to ecto-rope you guys to each other, I will," I demanded.

"And we have a Jack-o-nine tails in our book bags. That thing eats through just about anything!"

I groaned, "Well, we'd better be getting to school if we're going to make it, even flying."

"Remember, we need to pick up our bags," Tucker objected.

It was almost too easy but I knew they had more than ghost weapons in their bags. I stood up, turning my leg intangible, careful to include the bandage Sam had wrapped around it and phased my leg back in my pant leg. Once we were all ready, I transformed, opening their minds. I took Sam and Tucker's hands, preparing to lift them in the air.

"Actually," Sam interrupted. "Danny, activate my powers but you guys go get something to eat while I fly and get our books. Don't forget to get me something, Danny. I don't trust Tucker to get me a vegetarian meal."

"Good idea," I remarked. I phased Sam out of my room, turning her invisible. Tuck headed for the door as I picked up my sweater from yesterday, following him down the stairs.

"Danny," Mom scolded me. "Honey, you're going to be late to school!"

"It's okay," I replied, placing my arms in the sweater. "I had something I had to take care of. Do you have anything we can eat in a hurry? You know Tucker can't go two hours without something to eat!" I finished slipping the sweater over my head.

Tucker playfully glared at me as Mom nodded her head. I pulled the sweater down as she grabbed the hot bag out of the cabinet, turning it on and packing it with easy to eat food. Mom handed me the bag.

"Thanks, Mom," Tucker cried, grabbing the bag before I could. I stared in shock at how Tucker had managed to outmaneuver me.

We took off running for the door. I picked up my bag, slipped the first aid kit inside and headed out the door. Tucker smacked into something hard, a groan coming from seemingly nowhere. Sam appeared before our eyes, I jumping back but Tucker shrieking like a little girl.

"Oh, can it Foley," Sam shot back. She tossed Tuck his bag. "Let's fly!"

I opened Tucker's mind, triggering my rings once again. I lifted Tucker in the air, turning him invisible then vanishing myself. I turned Sam invisible and we headed towards school.

XXX

We ran through the door, slamming into our desks just as the bell rang. We scooted our desks together and Tucker handed the hot bag to me. Quietly and subtly, I created an ecto-energy box on the bottom of my desk which was directly between Sam and Tucker's. I rummaged through my book bag, bring out my books and what looked to anyone else like a pencil box. I removed a small green capsule inside. I opened the hot bag, snapping open the capsule and placing it in the bag.

"Any odor will be absorbed by the capsule," I whispered to Sam and Tucker. They nodded, Tucker the first one reaching for the food.

Tucker sighed, satisfied, once the food silently slipped in his mouth. Sam reached under, grabbing her a pastry. The hot bag was divided in two compartments, one vegetarian and one carnivorous. It was breakfast themed, not the normal pastries, so I slipped one in my mouth too. The bacon, egg and cheese melted in my mouth, the small hot-pocket-like pastry causing me to slightly sigh in satisfaction. Mom did know how to do it right!

We ate silently as we listened to Mrs. Harold teach our class. She was one of the few teachers who stuck around more than a period and even fewer who have remained. Sometimes, you're so desperate to get a full-time job, you'll even put up with ghosts!

XXX

First period went uninterrupted, as did second and third like usual. However, as our combined fourth periods were going more than halfway through, my ghost sense went off. I raised my hand, sighing.

"Yes, Mr. Fenton," Mr. Lancer replied, sighing his own disappointment.

"Tuck, Danny and I need to be excused, Mr. Lancer," Sam spoke up before I could reply. "It's business related."

"Excuse me," Mr. Lancer asked, cocking an eyebrow.

"We have other obligations," Tucker spoke up.

"Guys," I scolded.

Sam slipped her backpack over shoulder, "Don't try to weasel your way out of this."

"I prefer to think of myself more as a badger, but you two aren't going. It'll just be me, Mr. Lancer," I replied.

"I'm thinking about letting none of you go. One person at a time goes to the restroom, Miss Manson. You know that," Mr. Lancer responded.

"We're not going to the bathroom," Tucker replied. He slipped his bag over his shoulder, adjusting the straps. "We have real business to tend to."

"If you have any questions, the excuse will be in your office at the end of the day," Sam remarked. I groaned. This was going to be a long day.

"Hey, Dweebs," Dash called out angrily, "Who do you think you are? The A-List?"

"No," Sam shot back, glaring him in the eye. "We don't pretend!"

I groaned out. "Okay, you two. Stick close. If we're going to do this, we better get to work or we'll have to wait for the next one!"

"Right," Tucker said, leading down the aisle.

"Mr. Foley, Mr. Fenton, Miss Manson," Mr. Lancer scolded.

"It's Division G related," I said, looking him in the eye. Tucker and Sam exited out of the classroom first, followed by me. I groaned, "When this happens again, please do not disrupt the class. I try to slip out as quietly as possible." I wasn't being rude. I was just letting them in on protocol.

"Okay," Sam commented. I took the lead, following the ghost's detection. Sam and Tucker started pulling out weapons, growing them to full size.

We got into character, pulling out all the stops. We started scanning the halls, trying to detect where the ghost was. Finally, my ears picked up a commotion. I looked to the ceiling, "The upper floors! Jazz!"

"Let's go," Tucker called, making his way up the stairs. When we made it to the sources of the screaming, we came across Johnny 13's shadow. I narrowed my eyes.

"So, if it's not the Dork of Darkness," I stated, remembering the last time he came through here.

Tucker snickered as he tucked his ecto-weapon under his arm and pulled out his PDA. Tucker began typing away, doing something on the device while I started circling him. Sam called up to me, "How about a little tag team?"

"Be my pleasure," I called. Sam centered her weapon and I triggered my rings. I fired the first blast which Sam quickly countered on. We began a bombardment of fire on him, causing the shadow to withdraw. The light from Sam's ecto-rifle and the energy from my blasts began to weigh down on him. Just as he was about to attack, the backup lights flooded the area, shinning tremendous light on him. He shrieked from existence.

"Bye, bye," Tucker waved sarcastically. "God, I love that shadow!"

"Well, I don't," I grumbled. "He stuffed my head down the sewage system. I'll torture that damn shadow any time of the day."

"Yeah, don't mess with the 'do," Sam commented, a smile on her lips. "Nice play, Danny."

"You two did good," I commented. They smiled back up at me.

XXX

Sam and Tucker followed me as I entered into the administrator's office. "Hello, I need to use the telephone."

"Are you sick," The secretary asked me. "You need to speak to the nurse if you are."

"I'm not sick. I need to call my office. I need to make an excuse," I replied. I pulled out my wallet, opening it to a badge.

"What are you trying to pull," she eyed me suspiciously.

"Nothing," I rose my voice. "If you won't let me use the phone, I will go talk to Principal Ishyama."

"Fine," she grumbled. "The Principal's busy."

I picked up the phone and called Julie in Chicago. She told me she'd take care of it. A few minutes later, the secretary came to the counter where Sam, Tuck and I were waiting for our excuse. Her voice was hollow from shock. "I'll put this in Mr. Lancer's office, here's your class admittance and I'll keep the extra one on file for any time you need it. It's good for the rest of eternity."

AN: If you need any of the chapter companions, one through seven are posted on my forum. If you have any questions, please don't hesitate to ask. Eleven down, six more to go. I plan to have Danny's Story, Part 2: New Beginnings up by August fourth. Please stick around and don't forget to review. I like to hear your feedback.