~Danny~
Three months elapsed since Sam's arrival, and since the fallout that had caused both of them suffering and pain. Once in a while, Danny would fly past her house to check and make sure everything was ok. Sometimes, Sam would be out on the porch in a rocking chair, Nolan in her arms. He could hear her pleasant singing voice cooing a lullaby all the way up above. For a fraction of a second, he would become hypnotized by it before shaking his head in shame and flying off.
He missed her so much. Her scent, her laugh, her smile…
But he also understood how much he had hurt her.
He needed to give her time. Keep his distance.
He remembered what Maddie had told him before: "when she's ready, she'll come to you."
He trusted his mother, and she was right.
Danny just had to sit this one out.
…
There were good things that came out of this. NASA had finally taken a closer look, seeing his history of robotics in college and figured that he could be used in the more underground levels of work, assisting in crafting metal parts for spacecrafts (let's just pretend; it's FanFiction, why not). It wasn't exactly an astronaut, but it was in the same line of work, and Danny happily accepted. Finally, he felt that his time and money wasn't wasted in school. On the side, Maddie and Jack had loaned him money to help get him back on his feet, even resorting to selling a couple of pieces of ghost equipment to get him there. He was, after all, their son. They would do anything for him.
It took quite a while, but Danny had finally found a small apartment that was just right for him. It wasn't too run-down and it wasn't brand new and modern either. It was the perfect residence for someone who just wanted to own a compact place where they could be on their own. Regardless, Danny was proud of ridding himself of such a burden, and he finally felt more like an adult instead of a sad sop.
Meanwhile, off to the side, he and Tucker were slowly mending a withered friendship. Apologies were exchanged, and the two men later made up. Off to the side, Tucker had done research on "Ally", determined to find out her true identity, as well as her boss who she claimed was Demigod. With everything that had gone on, it was almost like they had disappeared into thin air right after that supermarket incident. At the confrontation, Alyson sounded awfully cryptic. She had talked nonsense about kidnapping Danny and bringing him as a slave to Demigod… whatever that meant.
Perhaps that's why the ghost attacks had been quiet for the past couple of years.
As much as he would like to think so, Danny knew that often times when ghosts were so quiet, they had something much bigger in mind.
…
~Sam~
Spade barked loudly, watching as a couple of joggers crossed the front of Sam's house on the sidewalk. Sam was a little ways away, right after where the living room merged into the kitchen, feeding Nolan a tiny spoonful of baby food, mixed with concentrated sweet peas and carrots. The woman scoffed, rolling her eyes.
"Spade! Enough, come here."
But like the stubborn dog he was, Spade continued to bark.
"Spade, now! Get away from the window!"
With a sad whimper, the full-grown German Shepherd hopped away from the window, speed-walking to the kitchen as his master had directed him. With Nolan held in one hand, Sam picked up the dog food bowl, crouching down and setting it on the ground. He approached it, giving it a couple of sniffs before lying down beside it, his nose pressed up against the metal.
"Spade, what-?"
Before she could finish her sentence, her phone began ringing. She let out a long, drowned out groan before she reached to grab it off the counter. She answered it and held it between her cheek and her shoulder.
"Hello?"
"Sam, it's me."
"Hey Danny. Listen if you want to talk about getting Nolan, I'll have to call you back in just a second," she says as she feeds him his last spoonful. "I'm a little heavy-handed right now."
"That's actually what I was talking about. Remember that I called yesterday to say that I was coming to pick him up today?"
"You did?" Sam was silent, trying to recall said conversation. She stepped over Spade and went upstairs, opening the door to Nolan's room. "Oh my God, that's right, you did!"
"Everything… ok… over there?"
"Yeah, everything's great," she huffed, placing Nolan on his changing station and unbuttoning his onesie pajamas. "I'm just having a hell of a time right now. I haven't gotten any sleep lately; Nolan's been absolutely restless. He's walking now, and he's curious about everything. I've had to save him a couple of times."
"Save him?" Danny's voice was concerned over the speaker. "What happened?"
"It's really nothing to worry about now, Danny. He's just… really explorative and stubborn," she smirks, "kind of like you." She removed his dirty diaper and fastened it, setting it aside before wiping his bottom and putting on a fresh one.
"Are you sure he didn't get his stubbornness from you?"
"I think it's from both of us." After tossing the pajamas in a hamper, she takes out a pair of khaki pants, a white shirt with blue on the hem of the sleeves and a baseball bat perpendicular with a glove as a logo in the center of it and little white Nike shoes with velcro. She began dressing him, all the while listening to Danny as he talked.
"Sam… I've been thinking a lot about everything-"
"Danny, I told you that we're done. Nolan is our son, but… that doesn't change anything. You still lied to me."
"I know, but I-I'm just… nevermind. Forget it," he mumbles.
"I'm sorry Danny, but you have to understand that-"
"-I hurt you. I know."
She inhales sharply, picking Nolan up and hoisting him onto her lap, grabbing his diaper bag that had already been packed from the night before, when she remembered to do so. Strapping it onto her shoulder, she gave Nolan his pacifier before going back downstairs and sitting him in his play chair. She grabbed the phone with her hand after setting the bag right beside the front door.
"Sam," Danny said.
"Yeah?" she responded.
"I just… all I wanted to say was that I miss you."
She swallows, saying nothing, but nodding.
"Yeah…"
"How are you feeling about all of this?"
"You mean the whole mother thing?"
"Yeah."
"Well… it's tiring. It's hard work. And most of all," she sighed, "it's painful."
"Sam, I'm so sorry-"
"But it's worth it, Danny, because he means everything to me. I've even gone back to teaching early, had my mom bring him in and the new class loves him. Word got out and all of the kids from last year came back to see him. They adored him."
Danny didn't want to interrupt her, so he continued to let him talk.
"And you know Danny, while I was in Vegas, I realized something… at first I was so opposed to having a baby… when in all reality, it wasn't nearly as bad as I thought. It wasn't even bad when you offered to stay with me all throughout it. My only heartbreak, Danny, was you, lying to me. If you had told me before, perhaps everything would have been different. But whatever, you know; I can't keep hassling you about the past. It's done and over with."
"Sam… can I say something?"
"Yeah, sure."
"I can't change what happened, you're right about that. And I can't, in any way, make up for it either. And I'm not here to answer for myself because to be honest, I don't even have an explanation anymore. I don't need one. All I need is acknowledgement that what I did was wrong, and I know that now. I knew that before, and I still chose to continue to make the wrong choices. That was completely fucked up of me, and I'm sorry. I'm sorry that I'm a horrible person and I'm sorry that you trusted me more than anyone and I threw it in your face. I can't ever erase that. I can't cover myself for that. I know, and I'm sorry. And I hope that you and I can somehow end up together in the end because I love you Sam. I love you more than life itself, you and Nolan; I always have. But if we just remain friends, for Nolan's sake, I'm ok with that too. I just need to be someone in your life, not just a resort. You know?"
With no words to escape her mouth, Sam just nodded and sniffed a little bit.
"Yeah, I know."
For a while, all there was was cackling over the line. Sam listened as it filled her ears. She could feel her heart swell up with passion. No matter how mad she wanted to be at him for what he did, she wanted it to be the two of them. But how can you have a relationship with someone you can't even trust? She's known Danny since they were kids, and yet still didn't know him. But she loved him so much it hurt. And he didn't mean to hurt her. It was never his intention-she knew, but it still meant everything to her.
What was she going to do?
"Sam."
"Yeah?"
"You ok? I've been calling you for the past minute and half."
"Oh… yeah, I'm fine."
"I thought that you hung up at first, but I heard you breathing on the other line. I figured you were dazed but-"
"No, I'm alright."
"Right… well, I'm pulling up."
"Ok."
She hung up and put her phone in her pocket, peeking out through the blinds to see Danny's car pulling into her driveway. With a long, dragged out exhale, she gets Nolan and grabs the baby bag, strapping onto her shoulder before she opened the door. Danny was just walking onto the porch as she gave him a flat look. Nolan's blue-green eyes glistened in the sunlight, and he reached out for his father's hand. Danny let out a little laugh and softly grasped his index finger.
"Hey little guy," he greeted him sweetly.
Nolan cooed and Sam could feel her heart swell.
"When will you guys be back?" Sam asked suddenly.
"We'll just be a couple of hours. I have a little surprise for him."
"A surprise?"
"Just… trust me, okay? I promise I'll bring him back in one piece."
She gave a quick nod.
"Sam, we're still not done talking about this-"
"It's not about that-"
"I'm not dumb; I know it is."
"I mean this doesn't involve your visitations with Nolan," she crossed her arms, shrugging from the chilly, windy weather. "I'm just concerned for him. I'm a mother now, and it's what I do."
"And I'm his father. You don't think I'm concerned either?"
"No, of course not Danny; that's not what I said."
Danny decided to cut the cord. Realizing the conversation was over, Sam handed the diaper bag to Danny and waited for him to adjust it before giving away the silent toddler. "Well, he'll be fine. And I'll have him home in two hours, at the latest."
"That's fine… and he's been working on potty training. He's doing well, kind of getting the hang of it."
With a smile, Danny turns on his heels and walks off the porch, putting Nolan in his carseat in the back. Sam leans against the doorframe, resting her head near her shoulder.
I just have to trust him. I have to trust that he'll take care of him.
Long after Nolan is strapped in and checked for security, Danny shut the door, but it wasn't enough for Sam. She steps off the porch in a hurry and Danny, now on the other side of the car with the driver's door open, looks at her in confusion. "What the hell are you doing?"
With no answer at all, she opens Nolan's door again, pulling on all of the straps to make sure they're sealed.
"Sam I checked everything; he's fine."
"I'm just making sure, damn it. Shut up." She kissed him on the forehead and shut the door behind her. Then she looks at Danny. He gives her a triumphant grin, as if to say "are you happy now?" She flicks him off and turns to walk off.
"You know," he says, stopping her in her tracks, "for someone who never wanted to be a mother, you sure play the part well." He lets out a teasing chuckle and sits in the car. She scoffs, walking back into the house, shutting the door behind her. As Danny pulls out of the driveway and down the street, Sam's mood, once serious and dark, was brightened, and she plastered a cocky smile on her face.
~Danny~
Phase one to Danny's surprise was to bring the little guy to meet his grandparents. Not Sam's parents, of course; the last time Danny set foot in her house, he was a kid and his dad threaten to use a taser on him. He was obviously going to bring Nolan over to meet Maddie and Jack, who had been waiting to see him from day one. Upon his arrival, Sam kind of kept Nolan all to herself, which was fine by Danny; after all, she needed her space, at least long enough for her to collect her thoughts. But now the time had come, and Maddie and Jack couldn't wait any longer.
So they prepared, and they were ready. Maddie squealed with delight, immediately taking Nolan from Danny's arms and pinching his little cheeks and tickling his tummy, making him giggle uncontrollably. But they wanted to make sure they all got to spend time with him before he got too tired.
So then came phase two, and they all took Nolan to Pat's Playland, where he had many other children to play with. In the shallow ball pit, Danny about thought that he lost him until a blue ball hit him in the back of the head. He turned around to see the little bugger in hysterics, bouncing happily as to say "I got you!". Danny playfully makes a monstrous growl and bends down, scooping him out of the pit and holds him up in mid-air, his belly at face level, giving him a raspberry. Nolan was in a laughing fit, and Danny had never been more ecstatic in his life.
That was, until his ghost sense went off; Nolan's followed shortly after with a little hiccup. His face sunk and he brought Nolan to his waist, placing one of his hands on the base of his back, protectively bringing him closer to his torso. Looking left and right, he spotted no one except for many little children running and playing about. He spotted his parents at the bench just ahead, sitting and conversing, as they were just a tad bit old to engage in rigorous activities.
He started over to them, handing Nolan over to Maddie. Her motherly instinct kicked in when she noticed the distraught look on her son's face.
"Honey, what's the matter?"
"I just… need you to hold him for a second while I go check on something," he answered unsurely. In the corner of his eye, he noticed something move quickly across one side of the entrance door to the other.
Whatever was here was outside of the building.
Before they asked too many questions, Danny hurried outside and transformed, hovering up and looking around to see if he could find the enemy. He thought he was being observant enough. He thought he was being vigilant. But he was taken off-guard when an ecto-net made him drop to the ground.
Oh no… this is the part where-
Before he could finish his thought, an electric shock erupted through his body, making him scream out in pain before he transformed back into his human form.
God damn it, I hate that part.
A woman in a red tight dress with fishnets and black high heels walked towards him, and at first his vision was too blurred to see who it was. But when his eyes cleared up, he looked up to see Allison, standing with a smirk on her face. Dark eyes. Satan red lips.
"Oh, great… you again…"
"Hello to you too, handsome," she let out a laugh and winked. "Looks like you're caught in a little pickle. Let me help you with that."
Danny never gave her the benefit of the doubt to begin with, but even still she caught him off guard as she grabbed the net by the tie strings and hoisted him upward, sealing the net completely. Then she dropped the net to the ground, and Danny landed on his hind-end.
"Hey," he cried out, "was that really necessary?!"
"Of course it was, puny one," he heard a familiar voice answer from behind him. He couldn't see the face of the one who said it, but he didn't have to.
He'd recognize that voice from anywhere.
He turned, and sure enough, saw Skulker starting straight toward him.
"Oh great, you're in on this too?"
"I'm a bounty hunter now-that means I'm here to collect my bargain."
Danny spent only a brief second staring at him in disbelief, then let out a snort, which slowly turned into a giggle, which then erupted into a full blown bellowing laugh. Skulker suddenly felt slightly insecure, an eyebrow raised, eyes narrow, and crossed his arms in offense. "Stop that!"
Danny continued to laugh so hard that he fell over, tears welling in his eyes.
"What's so funny?! Knock it off!"
"I'm sorry, I'm sorry," Danny wiped his eyes, finally calming down enough to say. "It's just… you, big bad Skulker, the metallic ghost that I fought from day one, who used to be taken so seriously… is now a bounty hunter? Are you joking me right now?" Danny smirked. "This has gotta be the best day of my life."
"Oh, and you've got a much more interesting life, yeah?"
"I've got a family Skulker. I've left my feuds behind me. Why do you think the Ghost Zone has been quiet about me these past few years? And you… you are a bounty hunter? For who, the big bad sheriff of the GZ?"
"No," Skulker answered shyly, "for… for Walker."
This made Danny nearly shit his pants as he fell into yet another laughing fit. Skulker's face switched to that of irritation, and one could practically see steam rising from his head. "Enough!"
This only made Danny laugh even harder. "This is too rich!"
"Stop it, right now!" Skulker points a finger and steps forward. "I demand you to stop!"
This made Alyson roll her eyes, gripping her ecto-gun in irritability. "His current occupation is of no concern to you. Point being that he is here to assist me in bringing you to my boss." She kneels down, eyeing him narrowly. "You're somewhat of importance to him."
"Listen…" Danny said, "I've got important things to worry about now. I've got a life. I've got-"
"Yeah, we know. A son. It would be an absolute shame if something were to happen to him, yeah?"
Danny's face instantly shrank. It was more serious. Slowly, it turned into a deep glare. His eyes flashed green. His hands clenched into fists. "If you so much as breathe on my son-"
"You'll what? Shoot me with your ecto-ray? Good luck; you'll need it to get out of that net."
"God damn you both!" Danny struggled to exit the net. "You bitch, if you go anywhere near my family, you're going to wish you had stayed where you belong: in the Ghost Zone."
Alyson put a hand to her mouth. "Yawn." She looked at Skulker and snapped her finger and he grabbed the net by the pull-string, letting him hang over his shoulder. "You just need to shut up already. Things will go a lot smoother if you stop talking."
Skulker was getting ready to fly off, but Alyson was not done. She was hungry for even more revenge.
He looked at her.
She looked at him.
She smiled.
An ecto-ray came flying straight toward him.
~Sam~
Something felt wrong.
Something felt very wrong, and Sam was never the paranoid type.
But somehow she felt like Nolan was in trouble.
She double-checked the text from Danny, looking at the message that told her where him and her son were. She let out a breath and opened her door, but just when she looked up, she saw a woman, standing in her way, smiling casually.
Right away, Sam knew that there was something off about her. Her green eyes were something evil, but her blonde hair and pale skin spelled innocent. She'd thought that maybe she was a woman in need of help. So, like the kind-hearted person Sam was, she greeted her.
"Um… hello," Sam smiled.
"Hi," the woman responded. "I'm sorry to bother you, but can I use your phone?"
"Uh… yeah, sure. Come on in."
The woman bowed her head in a thankful gesture and stepped in, the door shutting behind her. Sam laced her fingers together, and the slow clicking of her heels against the polished tile made echoed throughout the hall.
"You've got a nice house," the girl smiled, her fingers clutching a black handbag within her grasp. "It's very exquisite."
"Thank you," Sam answered awkwardly. The phone was on a small side table that was right by the staircase. I know that she sees the phone; why won't she use it?
"It looks awfully familiar… it's weird. It's like I've seen it before."
"Excuse me?"
"Oh, that's right. I remember," she turns reaches her arm back a little bit and locks the door behind her, slowly walking towards Sam. This caused her to back up towards the wall. "I've been here before… yeah. Right over there" she pointed at the white couch in the living room area "on that expensive piece of furniture? That's where I fucked your boyfriend."
Sam's eyes narrowed, her mouth slightly agape. "What the hell did you just say?"
"I gotta say: he's got quite the size, if you know what I mean. I have no clue how he even put that big thing into such a tiny little body."
"Shut your mouth-"
"Drop the tough girl act, buttercup," the girl smirked. "I see through you. I know your weakness."
"Who are you?"
"The name is Alyson… your man candy was stupid enough to pick me up at a bar, which is just what I wanted." To Sam's left, Alyson held up her right hand, which was slightly mutated in a ghostly manner, long claw-like fingernails tracing lines on her face. "I had to get him right where I wanted him, so that I could bring him in as a captive."
"To whom?"
"To my superior in the Underworld of the Ghost Zone," Alyson said. "He's very important to him. And you're coming with us."
"Like hell I am," Sam spit. Alyson wiped her eye slowly. She laughed maliciously. Slowly.
"I was afraid that you'd say that…" she turned her head towards the door and called out, "Skulker!"
On cue, Skulker phased through the door, ecto-net in hand. He tossed it towards the two women, and sealed snuggly inside was Danny's unconscious body. Sam gasped, holding out her hand. "Danny," she whispered.
"Aww, what a cute little reunion!" Alyson cooed mockingly at the former couple. "Too bad that's it about to be cut short… Skulker," she turned looked at the metallic ghost before smiling and commanding him, "hold her down."
Before Sam could even react, Skulker was already rushing full speed towards her and she was forcibly grabbed. He moved himself behind her, holding her by the crevices between her biceps and forearms as Alyson unclipped her bag and began digging in it.
"Get away from her!" Danny cried out, trying to wiggle himself free from the net to no avail.
"Danny!" she gasped.
"I swear to God," his eyes flashed green when he looked at Skulker, "if you hurt her…"
"Relax there tiger," Alyson walks over to Sam, standing directly next to her and facing straight ahead. "If she cooperates, she'll barely feel a thing."
With that she takes out a syringe, pops that cap off and sticks the needle Sam's neck. She cries out in pain, breathing heavily as her pulls began to weaken.
"Sam, no!" he turns to look at Alyson, "what is that? What are you doing to her!?"
"It's a sedative. She'll drift off to sleep, and when she wakes up she'll be in an unfamiliar place… that same goes for you."
"Dan-... Danny…" Sam's voice dies down to a whisper before she slowly begins slipping towards the ground. Skulker reaches down and grabs her, throwing her over his shoulder. Alyson takes out a remote, the remote that is connected to the ecto-net (? idk wtf it's called) and presses a big red button. Danny didn't have anytime to figure out what it was for before he felt an electric shock run through his body. It went on for nearly ten seconds before he began to see stars in his vision.
And then everything went black.
~Tucker~
It had been hours before he heard back from Danny, and started to worry.
Why was he answering?
He tried to dial Sam's number, hoping that she wasn't still pissed off at him enough to not answer.
She didn't.
That was when Tucker got a bad feeling in his gut-the one that was hard to describe but that many knew all too well.
Something wasn't right.
He quickly dialed Maddie's number, hoping with every fiber of his being that he'd have luck in finding out where his friends had gone.
The phone rang.
And rang.
And rang.
Then Maddie answered, a frantic tone accompanying her voice. "Hello?"
"Mrs. Fenton! It's Tucker."
"Oh thank God, Tucker. Have you heard from Danny? I can't find him and I've looked everywhere."
"No… I was calling you to ask the same thing. The baby! Is he alright?"
"Yes, thankfully. He left Nolan with Jack and I before he took off. I think he might in trouble."
"I think you might be right."
"He might in trouble with a ghost… do you have any idea who could've taken him?"
Tucker blinked, remembering the girl from the bar and how strange she had been acting. His eyes narrowed. "Yeah… I know just the one. Take Nolan somewhere safe… I'm gonna need your help."
~Danny~
Danny's vision was blurred when he first opened his eyes.
Where am I?
He blinked, eventually his vision adjusting and focusing on the world around him. He had been staring at a gray ceiling. Confused, he sat upright and looked around. He recognized the place before…
It was Walker's prison.
The bars just beside him about four feet away gave it away.
He quickly climbed to his feet, ignoring the dizzy feeling that rippled from his brain to his body, and grabbed ahold of the bars, trying to get a peek outside the cell. He didn't see anyone walking around. No guards. No inmates.
No Walker.
His eyes slowly turned its gaze to the left to see a barred wall… with Sam on the other side. She was lying with her back towards him, still passed out.
Oh, shit… Sam…
He rushed over to the wall that separated them, reaching his hand through to see if he could touch her to no avail. He gripped them, his face leaning in as he called out her name.
"Sam… Sam, wake up!"
She stirred, but did nothing beyond that. He groaned in frustration and tried once more-this time louder.
"Come on, Sammy. You have to wake up!"
She finally awoke, looking around before she sat up. She looked genuinely frightened and confused… until her eyes landed on Danny.
It was clear to him then that she had remembered what happened.
"Danny?" she rushed over to the bars, expecting to phase right through them. He stopped her just shy of a foot away from them, pointing to the bracelet on her wrist. It was a metallic bracelet that closed with a certain key, and whenever it was activated the light would turn green. He figured the only one that could have said key would be Walker.
"I recognize that… I've seen it in my parent's lab before. They use it on humans… makes their bodies out to be like ghosts. Humans can normally phase through things in The Ghost Zone… but not with those on."
"Shit," she muttered. She touched one of the bars for verification, immediately recognizing that it was tangible. He was right: she couldn't pass through anything. "I guess Skulker and Alyson are smarter than we give them credit for."
"Something tells me that they weren't the ones who thought of it."
"You have one too," she pointed. "But it looks different than mine."
"This one…" Danny sulked, "keeps me in my ghost form. I can't change back… damn it!"
Sam's face suddenly flushed with panic. "Where's Nolan?"
"Don't worry, he's safe… he's safe."
She sighed with relief. "Thank God."
"Oh, I wouldn't be thanking anyone just yet."
They heard the click clack of heeled shoes against bare floor, and didn't even have to look to know it was Alyson coming up at the bars. She smiled sarcastically, bringing her face to look closer at Sam's. "Hello. How are you?"
Sam glared back at her, and if looks could get Danny was convinced she'd have Alyson on the floor.
"Ouch. Kitty claws out tonight."
She walked over to Danny's cell, and he turns towards her.
"Hi there handsome… by the way… I never got to properly thank you for that night. You know, that night where we went back to Sam's place… I had an amazing time."
"Nothing happened between us," Danny shot her down. "You know that. Stop trying to make something out of nothing."
"But something almost happened. Poor Sam… if only she knew what she was getting herself into… what kind of challenge she was up against."
"Fuck you," he could hear Sam growl through grit teeth.
"Oh babe, if I swang that way absolutely." Alyson winked.
As if on cue, Skulker and Walker approached from the right of Danny's cell, eyeing the two like trapped little children.
"I'm glad to see you two are awake," Walker said. "That means you're willing to listen to what I have to say."
"You guys have got me… let Sam go. She has nothing to do with this, whatever it is."
"Oh, but she does," Skulker butted in. "She's just as vital to the plan as you are."
"Plan… what plan?" Sam asked confusingly. She turned and looked at Danny. "Danny did you know about this? Did you know that they were up to something?"
"I knew that Alyson was… but I didn't know Tweedle Dee and Tweedle Dum were too."
"Kiss my ass," Skulker spat at him.
"Danny… you knew who she was-that she was out to get you… you could've put our son in harm's way! You asshole!"
"I didn't know that it was this bad, Sam! You have to believe me."
"Oh, it just gets worse for you guys then," Walker started.
"What do you guys want? I understand Alyson and Skulker, but you Walker? You're your own boss; who could you possibly be working for?"
"The same who that Alyson and Skulker are working for. It's a buyout. You see… you may think The Ghost Zone has been quiet about you… but there's always something going on behind closed doors. You guys have quite a bounty on your heads… both of you. The Savior of the Ghost Zone and his loving companion. That's part of the reason that my appointed bounty hunter Skulker was sent out to get you two."
"Wait… you're a bounty hunter now?" Sam asked, letting out a laugh. "You've got to be kidding me."
"Why does everyone think this is so funny!?" Skulker replied in rage.
"Because bounty hunters are a joke," Danny responded.
"Continue, Walker," Alyson assured Walker.
"As I was saying…" Walker continued, "you guys are worth a lot here. So many people dying to get their hands on you just to bring you in for a reward… but there's only one person that's worth more than you two…"
A flash of light erupted just above them and out flew none other than Vlad Plasmius. Danny tried to get a good look at him but it was hard to see from his angle. He appeared to be holding something in his hands. As he floated down and reached the ground before them, Danny's heart had stopped and he heard Sam gasp.
It was Nolan. He had been sleeping, his head on his shoulder, completely unaware of his surroundings.
Vlad had an evil smile on his face.
"Nolan!" The couple responded. Vlad, in satisfaction of their distraught, laughed almost maniacally. Danny's face lit up with anger.
"Hello Samantha. Daniel. It's good to see you both again."
"Plasmius," Danny practically growled.
"Let him go!" Sam half-pleaded.
Danny's hand began to glow, but Vlad tsked.
"Ah ah ah," he turned his body to where Nolan was blocking him, making Danny gulp and the glow from his hand die down.
"What do you want with him?"
"I want what I was never given: a half-ghost child of my own. And since I couldn't have you and I don't have enough ecto-DNA to produce a halfa offspring, I figured there were other means of claiming what I want."
"No," Sam whispered, tears forming in her eyes. "Please… please let him go."
"Vlad… if you hurt him, I swear-"
"Oh, relax Daniel. Why would I ever want to hurt my son?"
"Your son!?"
"The hell he is!" Sam yelled angrily. "Give him back to us!"
"I have a better idea," Alyson smiles before taking ecto-gun and pointing it at Nolan.
"NO!" Danny and Sam yelled, trying to push against the bars.
"If you don't cooperate and let us take the child, then he dies. It's as simple as that. Don't worry," she leans, looking at them both. "I don't miss."
Danny could feel his heart beating in his stomach. He became sick. Sam didn't look like she was doing so hot either. She had sunk to the ground, completely at the mercy of those who had taken her child from her.
"What's it going to be?" Alyson asks. "Does he live, or does he die?"
"I'll tell you what it's gonna be," they heard a voice in the distance, but before they had any time to react, an ecto-ray shot out and knocked Alyson across the room. Skulker went to fire at them, but he too was hit. Vlad was about to make a break for it when they saw Maddie drop down from above in front of him, wielding what looked like an ecto-plasmatic version of a machete.
"Not so fast," she hissed. "Give me my grandson."
"Oh, Madeline!" Vlad acted shocked. "It's not at all what you think!"
Walker had almost escaped before Tucker dropped an ecto-net on him, tangling him up enough for him to reach the keys out of his back pocket. "That takes care of that."
"Tucker!" the two cried out in happiness.
"Hey guys! Sorry we didn't get here sooner. Traffic is crazy out there, you know."
He sticks the key in the lock of Sam's cell door first, twisting it and opening it up, followed by doing the same to Danny's.
"Thank you Tuck," Danny says before making a break towards Vlad and his mother while Sam hung back. Maddie had just taken Nolan from his hands when Danny sent an ecto-ray hurling straight for him.
"Oh, fudge sticks," he muttered before being shot back against the far wall.
But Danny didn't let up. He sent another.
Then another.
Then another.
Each one hitting Vlad like cement blocks. At this point, Sam had reached Maddie and taken Nolan from her hands as she watched in shock. Vlad held up a hand as if surrendering, and Danny grabbed him by his suit and threw him up against the wall.
"Alright Daniel," he coughed. "You win."
"No… not yet. I know you all are working with Demigod… and you're going to tell me where I can find him, or I'm going to smash your fucking teeth in."
"Oh Daniel… Demigod is not a ghost that you can just 'find'... he comes to you."
"Is that so? Well why don't you pass on a little message for him?"
Danny begins to punch Vlad in the face repeatedly over and over again. He didn't let up even when Vlad began bleeding at the nose and mouth. Sam covered her mouth in shock; Danny has never lost his cool like this before. If he didn't stop, he was going to kill him.
"Danny!" Sam called out. "Stop!"
Danny's hand stayed raised midway in the air, and he began panting slowly. He backed away; Tucker had made his way over to him after he had just got done carrying an unconscious Alyson to the cell that Sam had previously been in, and Maddie had helped him do the same with Walker and Skulker.
"Danny, dude… are you ok?"
"I'd be better if Vlad were dead… but I'm as fine as I'll ever be."
Vlad was out cold, and they used that opportunity to make their getaway. Sam cradled Nolan close, going with the rest of the group towards the Spector Speeder. Danny followed just behind her, bracing his hand on her back protectively as he looked back. He didn't want to believe that his son was the center of unwanted attention, but he knew how to take the right precautions to better protect his family. It became evidently clear that members of the Ghost Zone wouldn't rest until Nolan was successfully taken from them.
The best that Danny could do at that point is be there to keep his family safe.
And hopefully, Sam and Danny could put aside their differences for the sake of Nolan's well being.
…
A/N: Hello!
I am so sorry that I fell out of touch with this story. I didn't even realize that I didn't finish it until I got back on my account and saw that it was still in incomplete status.
To be very honest with you, this story is all over the place and I think that I had a good idea going when I first started writing it but now it's kind of drifted off, you know? I'm still going to continue this story to the end, for those of you who have been long waiting for it. BUT after that, I'm probably going to delete it and do a different DP story along the same lines once my other one is done.
By the way, I've started a new DP story titled "Fell On Black Days" that I think you guys will REALLY REALLY REALLY like. Please check it out when you can!
This story will probably have about one or two more chapters before I bid it farewell. I will give it a good 3-6 months before taking it down, so don't worry. You guys will have plenty of time to read it.