Catalyst: A Story about Change

Here be Shout Outs! Arrg!

Fried nooooodles, Rachel Astraea Doshimi, pottersparky, seghen, FentonPhantom,

Karaway , Jiece 18, Lyoko'sPrincess, Leppers , Howdoesitfeel, Raven of the Night676,

Me The Anon One (whose fanfiction you should all check out), Divine-Red-Crayon,

rANDOM rEVIEWER, luv2bamom, Galateagirl, Celestial Moonshine, Cassidy, Emma

Annabelle Carter, The Raven of the Night,Twisted Rain, zombie-rodeo-frog

Sasia – bwahaha, I can be creepy. Thank ye.

Cassie – woot, you left me your e-mail address! I'll have to…e-mail you sometime. :) I'm glad you enjoyed the Vlad/Sam talk, and I'm glad you could tell how much I love those characters. About using your review in my story description, heh, just so you know I do mention you by name in the author's note in the first chapter in case you were wondering. I didn't get the impression you were, but it might be nice to know that I do mention you! You're absolutely right about Carradine and Walkin, by the way. Walkin…he does creepy so very well. Also, your comment at the end, about the soul…very, very insightful. You're the only one so far to connect the dots, actually! As such, you can probably guess better than some where this story may be heading… ;)

cardinal – counterpoint between Sam and Danny…always a good thing in a story that I claim will eventually be S/D, eh:)

JJ – Thanks much! I'm glad you enjoy my own personal explanations of stuff.

RedHatGuy – Your secret is safe with me, you scallywag.

DarkMoon1301 – Thanks, that would be telling, of course you want to know, and Gracias!

Anyway, so…I'd like to say thanks a bunch for the reviews, truly :D

Chapter 13: Plans

Amity Park, Thanksgiving

"A road trip?"

"Yeah! You, me, and Tucker. This Christmas break."

Jazz's suggestion percolated slowly through Danny's head. They were sitting on the living room couch after Thanksgiving Dinner, and he was feeling a little drowsy from all the food.

Somehow it seemed like a good idea, actually. They could travel west, stop a whole lot on the way, maybe…keep an eye out for familiar faces? "Where to? Any place specific you had in mind?"

Jazz shrugged, smiling. "Not really. Actually, I thought you might like to choose, Danny."

Ah. So he was right in assuming this was meant to, once again, get his mind off of Sam. Jazz had obviously talked with Tucker.

Danny sighed and put his hands behind his head, leaning back into the couch. Mom had bopped into the kitchen to fix drinks for everybody, and Dad had followed quickly after to scrounge for something sweet, probably fudge. Apple pie and ice cream hadn't done the trick, apparently. The first faint scents of Mom's favorite brand of coffee were slowly wafting through the door.

Danny looked over at Jazz drowsily. "Have you mentioned this to Mom and Dad? They might want us around for the holidays, you know."

Jazz's expression took on a slightly timid look. "Actually, yes, they're all for it." She went on, as if trying to justify their reaction, which made Danny immediately suspicious. "I just told Mom that I really wanted to do some sight seeing, you know, to stay active over the break. But I still wanted a vacation, so this seems like the perfect combination, you know? Plus I thought you might like to get out of Amity for a while. And Tucker." She smiled again, and added wryly "It'll make me keep my head out of my books for a while, too."

Danny snorted, half smiling. "Plenty of time for that in the car, isn't there?"

Jazz smirked in response. "You know I get sick if I read too long in the car, so that's not true. Besides, I want to spend quality time with my little brother." She gave him a fond look, and though she obviously didn't mean for it to show, a gentle concern tinged with sadness came through as well. She was worried for him.

Danny bristled at that, and it suddenly seemed pretty clear why she really wanted to go on this road trip. He couldn't stop his next words. "I don't know Jazz, maybe what I need is a camping trip to get me away from this town for a while. All these ghosts are obviously wrecking my nerves. And who knows, this trip may be just what I need to keep me from going crazy or something." The sarcastic edge in his voice could've cut through rock like butter. He looked quickly away, feeling somewhat bad, but still angry none the less. If he needed help, he'd ask for it!

Jazz was silent for a long moment, letting him cool back down. "Okay." Her voice was quiet, and calm. "So maybe there are multiple reasons for this trip. But…I just want us to have a good time, Danny. I want you to be happy and enjoy yourself." Her tone was so sincere that it made him feel ten times worse for the harsh words. She meant well! Why was he blowing up at her like this? Besides, this road trip could be a good thing…

He looked back over, giving Jazz a quick, sheepish smile in apology. "I know that, Jazz. Things have just been…" He sighed, shrugging. "A road trip sounds like fun." He paused, looking up at the ceiling. "We'll have to see if Tucker's interested first, I guess…"

"Um." Danny looked back over, eyebrows raised, to see Jazz looking embarrassed.

"You already asked him, didn't you?"

"Yes?"

Danny brought his hands down from behind his head and sat up, feeling exasperated. He locked gazes with Jazz for a few moments. She looked distinctly guilty however, and his anger melted away.

He rolled his eyes, leaning back again. "I should've known."

Later that evening

Danny sat staring at a map of America he'd downloaded off the internet. He'd moved it into some cheapo photo editing program and had just finished drawing a thin horizontal line across it.

The line went from Wisconsin into the west, and just a tiny bit to the south indefinitely, and was to his recollection the direction Sam had been heading before Vlad's tracking device had been discovered.

If I were Sam, where would I go? Assuming I didn't change direction after finding Vlad's tracking device, which is incredibly unlikely…

Danny sighed and leaned back, putting his hands behind his head. This was pathetic. But it was also the closest thing to a lead on Sam he had, and in any case, Jazz had graciously suggested a road trip. It was a good thing she hadn't been there for the trip to Vlad's, though. He didn't want to fight with her, and if she found out he wasn't just going for fun and relaxation there'd be trouble.

Danny narrowed his eyes at the computer screen. The line skimmed the northern border of Iowa, then South Dakota, Wyoming, Idaho, and lastly Oregon, which was as far west as she could go without getting on a boat or a plane. Assuming Sam did stay on this vector, though, which state would she have stopped in? But again, if she'd found Vlad's tracking device, surely she would've changed her plans?

His only hope, then, was that she'd still had far enough to go that she didn't think she had to bother changing direction. Vlad would be searching for a needle in a haystack if she went far enough west, after all. This meant that the closer states were probably out, then. So maybe he should nix Iowa and South Dakota?

A tiny pit of despair was threatening to open up inside Danny as he let his chain of thoughts really sink in. What was true for Vlad was also true for him! And actually, this was worse than searching for a needle in a haystack! How likely was he to come across Sam on this road trip? One to ten billion or something? Even if he guessed right about which state she was in (which was totally unlikely in and of itself), there were still millions of people in any one of these states to sift through! Danny leaned forward and took his head into his hands, feeling the burning frustration that had slowly simmered in his gut over the past months rise up.

His breathes soon came in short, angry gasps, and he had to stop himself from doing something violent and waking up his family. But he really, really wanted to hit something! Where was the Box Ghost when you needed him?

Danny kept his elbows pressed down on his desk however, digging them in, and forced himself to stay human, and to calm down. He was not going to do this! He was not going to lose control, again! No howling into the night sky, no flying at super sonic speeds, no beating up random ghosts! He was just going to get it…under…control.

After a few moments his heart rate went back down, and the burning in his stomach, the ache in his throat, began to subside. He took a few deep, slow breaths, and leaned back in his chair again. Then he let out a whoosh of air and ran both hands through his hair, consciously unclenching muscles that felt like taught bowstrings.

He'd already gotten angry at Jazz for nothing earlier today. He'd gotten it under control fast, but it was way too easy for him to just go off on someone these days, and he didn't like it. Also, he couldn't afford to just fly away and take out his aggression whenever he felt like it, not if he wanted to keep his ghost identity a secret.

Danny sighed again, and looked back at the computer screen, which was still glowing softly, impervious to his emotional turmoil. He focused back on the little line he'd drawn across the map, following it into the west with his eyes.

This was something. Danny could feel he was right about this. Sam was somewhere in this handful of states, and that narrowed the field down considerably. Though he still had no clue where she might be specifically.

Danny looked away from the screen, still aware of the slowly smoldering frustration in his stomach, a sensation that had been there for so long now it seemed like forever. Yet it hadn't been there when Sam was still here, he knew. He let his mind wander from the map of America, and where Sam might be on it. He needed to drop it for a while; let it gestate in the back of his mind.

His thoughts drifted to his other tracking efforts. There was still no sign of Clockwork, and asking random ghosts about Sam was proving to be useless. They were pretty much either crazy or stupid, or both, and thus completely nerve wracking to talk to as a result. Danny had located Vlad's ghost portal, though. It was a lucky thing, since it was well hidden. No doubt Vlad wanted to cut down on the number of random ghosts using it to get into the human world.

He'd discovered it over a week ago now. He'd seen Skulker at a distance, emerge from behind one of the floating islands found in the ghost zone. While flying over to ask a few questions, Danny had noticed the dull metal frame built into the rock of the island a few meters behind Skulker, and after their brief talk he'd taken a closer look. His suspicion had been confirmed; the portal's build was unmistakably familiar, despite the camouflage. Skulker hadn't come around the little floating island; he'd come out of it.

Their conversation had been completely useless, though. Skulker knew nothing about Clockwork, still hadn't heard anything about Sam, and wasn't willing to discuss why he'd been to see Vlad.

"How Skulker occupies his time is nobody's business but his own." Danny had assumed that he was probably there to deliver some mechanical gizmo, though, since Vlad seemed to employ him for that occasionally.

Danny yawned suddenly, his jaw cracking and eyes tearing up. After getting over his anger, the sleepiness he should've been feeling was finally kicking in, apparently. He looked over at his alarm clock to see 1:21 a.m. glaring up at him in red through the darkness, and as he watched, the numbers unfocused into a red blob.

He blinked a few times, pulling himself out of his semi-stupor, and started shutting down the computer. He needed sleep. Figuring out the road trip could wait. Winter break was over three weeks away, after all.

As he slipped into bed his thoughts once again turned to Sam. Where was she? What was she doing right now? Was she thinking of him? Had she spent the holiday with anyone?

That night Danny dreamed he lived alone, and that when he looked out his window there were mountains in the distance.

Wisconsin

Vlad watched Samantha as she watched Nathaniel. She'd placed the sleeping child in his playpen, but wasn't quite willing to go to bed herself. He stared for a moment longer, then sighed and looked away. He knew she'd go to sleep in a few minutes if he left her alone.

Stubborn girl. Somehow she could sense when he was watching her, he was sure of it. He'd realized this at some point while scanning over the recordings he'd missed watching in real time. (He was ever hopeful of catching another one of Nathaniel' transformations.) In doing so he'd noticed marked changes in her behavior.

When watching her in real time, she sometimes looked over her shoulder, frowned to herself often, and did any number of other little things that suggested she was nervous. She also held Nathaniel most of the time. Vlad had thought this was her normal behavior given her trauma and currently difficult lifestyle, but this wasn't the case.

The recordings of her were different. She didn't look over her shoulder, would put Nathaniel down fairly frequently to do household chores more efficiently, and generally appeared more relaxed. After observing a while more to confirm it, he'd determined that she only exhibited this semi-paranoid behavior when he was watching her in real time.

It was quite annoying, but intriguing as well. The girl was extremely perceptive. If he'd been in the same room, he could understand this level of sensitivity, but apparently she could feel his eyes on her even when he sat hundreds of miles away.

Vlad risked a glance back to the computer screen. Sure enough, she'd made her way to bed, and probably only moments after he'd looked away, too. He pursed his lips, brow furrowed, and turned off the monitor. It was strange, but he'd watch her, and more importantly Nathaniel, indefinitely if he didn't pay attention to himself. His thoughts would wander, but his eyes would stay on the view screen, the thought of seeing another transformation always in the back of his mind.

After realizing this was raising her anxiety he'd made an effort to stop and simply watch the recordings, but he still liked to check on them both in real time occasionally.

Vlad leaned back and steepled his fingers in thought. Today had been hard for her. Thanksgiving was the first family centered holiday she'd missed, and naturally she was thinking of the people she'd left behind. He could sympathize, though he wasn't one to wallow in self pity. He didn't have the time.

She wasn't the type either, but he couldn't miss the occasional tears, the sighs, and the times she would hold Nathaniel for no particular reason. It almost made him feel guilty. He could've told her family where she was months ago, after all.

But that would ruin his plans, and besides, it had been her decision to leave. He snorted softly. It was hardly his place to tell her what to do.

Speaking of which, why was he thinking about this in the first place? It was late, so his mind was a bit muddled, and he did admit he was feeling a little emotionally off as well. He'd watched football, had his feast; had done the things one traditionally did on Thanksgiving. But he'd done them alone.

Vlad shook himself a little to clear his head. He didn't want to think about Maddie tonight. He didn't want to think about what should've been. It was better to spend time planning for the future, plotting out how he could gain back what had been stolen and how best to take revenge for the wrongs done to him.

Shifting to his ghost form Vlad rose invisibly through the ceiling of his lab and towards his bedroom, a dark smile playing over his features. He'd have his hay day, there was no doubt of that.

But the smile became wistful as his thoughts turned back to his present life, and to the people in it. In a strange if sad way, it felt comforting to know there were not only one, but two people out there who truly understood what it meant to be a half ghost, or in Samantha's case, to care for a half ghost child.

Vlad rose through his bedroom floor and, changing back to his human form, he kicked off his shoes and strode towards the bathroom. He pulled out his hair tie as he went, shaking his head so that his hair fell around his face, and went about getting ready for bed.

In short, this…condition ruined your life. It had certainly ruined his. It was true that he'd gained material things through using his ghost powers, but the other half of the equation, the human half, had fallen by the wayside. It had taken years for Vlad to gain complete control of his ghost body, and his social life had died along the way.

Vlad smirked darkly to himself as half remembered recollections floated by. His ghost half wasn't the prettiest sight to behold (truly, he'd been scared half to death the first time he'd seen himself in a mirror), and doing things like sinking through the floor tended to…bother people. His eyes glowing red at odd times hadn't been a good thing either, if memory served. Naturally, he'd become a near recluse for years, in which time he'd practiced controlling these newfound powers. His privacy and safety had very much depended on it.

And now it was no different for Samantha, who could hardly command Nathaniel, a small infant, to suppress his ghost half when in public. Daniel, the foolish boy, was finally beginning to understand what it meant to be a halfa as well, but he still didn't have the indescribable pressure of having no one, not a soul in the world, that he could trust with his secret. In this way Vlad had more in common with Samantha. Daniel still had his sister and Tucker to confide in, to cover for him. To run defense for him.

Of course, he knew there was a possibility that Samantha might give in and attempt to go back home. The pressure of her current lifestyle was tremendous, and after he'd revealed himself to her the anxiety she'd been feeling had only increased. And with good reason, he had to admit.

Vlad had thought it through, and though the idea of kidnapping both her and Nathaniel was distasteful, his hand would be forced if she attempted to leave. It would have to be done eventually in any case, as she could hardly resist going to Daniel for help when she found Nathaniel missing someday. And that would mean all sorts of trouble he didn't want to deal with. Daniel was quite a formidable foe, and the Mansons were quite rich. They would certainly call for a full scale investigation, which could potentially put him in a very precarious position.

As such, it was better to just take them both. Vlad hardly wanted to hold her captive, of course, but at least he could provide for her in every way she could possibly wish. With the obvious exception of allowing her contact with her friends and family.

Vlad scooted under the satin covers of his bed, having already changed for sleep, and frowned to himself. He shouldn't feel too bad about it, really. She'd already chosen Nathaniel over her family, over Daniel by leaving, and she'd still have the child.

And truly, it would be good for the boy to have a mother. Vlad hoped that over time Samantha would realize that all he wanted was a son, and that he could be kind and loving to the boy. He could be a good father. And even if she couldn't see this she'd behave for fear of losing the privilege of being a mother to her son.

Vlad sighed, and turned onto his side. There was still the ace in the deck, however, the one wild card he couldn't predict in the form of Dark Daniel and the mysterious time traveling ghost. He liked a good puzzle, but after coming up with almost nothing over the past few weeks, he was considering asking Samantha a few more pointed questions. How exactly had Dark Daniel come from the future, for instance, and how had she learned of his creation? She'd been certain he was Daniel's pure ghost, but had he himself told her this? How powerful did she think he was? Did she have any ideas what his motives might be? The list went on.

Perhaps another interview was necessary? Hmm. He had an idea for a ghost gadget that might help her with Nathaniel considerably. He could work on that, and speak to her while dropping it off, as a sort of olive branch, possibly.

Then again, maybe he should be pro-active and just move them both here right now? That way he could ask her all the questions he liked at his leisure. And there was, after all, the constant danger of Samantha contacting family or friends as long as she lived on her own.

Her phone was tapped, and he had the ability with the click of a button to cut her phone line. But even a few moments' conversation with Daniel could ruin the game of chess. Still, there was a very good reason for letting her live on her own for a while longer. Vlad needed her to be desperate, to some extent, and ready for another helping hand. His, specifically.

But it was a delicate balance. Samantha couldn't be pushed far enough to call or return home, but if life was too comfortable she wouldn't be as easy to manipulate when he did bring her and Nathaniel to live with him. Not that she was easy to manipulate in any case, but he hoped that the stressful environment she was in would considerably wear her resistance down over time.

Ideally this meant she would continue to live on her own for the next few years. By then she'd be begging for extra help, what with having to go back to work and raise a child she couldn't trust with a baby sitter at the same time. Quite the impossible situation, actually. Vlad smirked to himself. He'd be practically rescuing her at that point.

Actually, when it came down to it, he would be doing Samantha a huge favor. She had already decided to stay away from family and friends and raise the child on her own, so it wasn't like he would be taking her away from them. And she would be considerably more comfortable living under his protection. There would be no cause for stress in her life whatsoever, no fear of Nathaniel's powers being discovered, no worries about money, and any freedom she felt she lost would be minimal. And it wasn't like she had much freedom right now, what with being trapped at home most of the time.

Actually, living with him would give her more time to do what she liked with herself, not less. She could even go out occasionally, to see a movie or what not, if she behaved well. Although, he would have to accompany her, of course. Still, clearly the life he could give her and Nathaniel was infinitely superior to the one she currently led, and so long as she could accept that fact they'd get along swimmingly.

Vlad brought up his right hand, holding it out in front of his face, and slowly turned it partly intangible, letting it hover somewhere in between solid and ghostly. A tingling sensation ran from his mid-forearm, where the ghostly turned human, and up into his shoulder. His mind was wandering over what-ifs of the future, he knew, but perhaps this was a fitting end to such a nostalgic day?

For him, involuntarily turning intangible had been a nightmare early on. But what would it have been like to grow up with these powers? It would be wonderful to raise Nathaniel, to be the one to help and guide him through life, and through mastering his powers. And Vlad knew he would learn new things in the process as well, since the child was already using some of these powers naturally, instinctively. To some extent, controlling them would be like learning to walk for Nathaniel, or learning to control any other basic bodily function. Still, perhaps Vlad could teach the little badger a thing or two, and certainly Samantha would see the benefit of having him there to help with these things.

Truly, truly…there were so many things she was ill prepared for. She would never be able to discipline the boy effectively, for instance. If he didn't want to listen, all he had to do was fly through the wall! Vlad smiled to himself. Yes, Samantha might not know it yet, but he would be doing her the biggest favor of her life. And it just so happened to give him what he'd craved for so long as well.

Idaho, the next morning

Sam sat at the kitchen table looking out the dining room window, while Nathaniel ate breakfast. It was mid morning and the day was cool, crisp, and clear. From this window, she had a beautiful view of the Rocky Mountains, and they were particularly breathtaking at the moment, glittering in the distance. The view was partly why she'd chosen this apartment, actually. She might not have the freedom to go there, but at least she could appreciate a little of the beauty from here.

It really was too bad skiing was out of the question, though. She was actually pretty good at it, and was dying for a chance to stretch her legs. But Sam knew indoor aerobics would have to suffice, just as they had for the past several months.

Yesterday had been depressing in that it was a major holiday, yet nothing had changed in her routine, except that she'd taken the time to cook an unusually nice meal. But sitting down to eat it alone had only caused her to feel incredibly home sick for a while. When it came down to it she'd gone to extra trouble just to do what she normally did; eat by herself, clean up by herself, etcetera.

At least yesterday had helped Sam make up her mind. She would be returning to Amity Park. She had to. Vlad's involvement didn't really leave her a choice.

It was easier said than done, though. What would she tell everyone? And how would they react? She needed to decide on this before returning. Obviously Nathaniel would have to be explained, but did she really have to tell Danny the absolute truth?

And her family would assume bad things, very bad things, if she didn't come up with something believable. Even as tiny as he was, Nathaniel's resemblance to Danny was already obvious, and would make coming up with something plausible (and unrelated to Danny) all that much harder. Her story, whatever it was, had to be absolutely rock solid before she left. As such, she planned on taking her time to figure it out.

Besides, she'd also have to slip by Vlad's net, (since she was sure he was watching her) and his wealth coupled with his ghost abilities would make that more than a little tricky. Sam was sure she could come up with a plan to get around him however.

Overall it was exciting to think of finally seeing her family and friends again, but terrifying as well. Could she really pull the wool over Danny's eyes? And if his future self ever returned, her cover would be blown regardless, she knew.

Of course, deep down she knew this was all just a dream. There really wasn't any way Danny wouldn't put two and two together, however believable her story might be. The facts would literally be starting him in the face. But this was something she wouldn't think about, since it wasn't something she could change. Danny had been the reason she'd left in the first place, after all, and to think about how it all had been for nothing was just too darn depressing.

And who knew? Maybe she could pretend, and everyone would pretend with her, even Danny. He did have amazing powers of denial, after all. Sam smiled to herself. She couldn't help feeling happy at the thought of returning, and for now she could imagine for a little while that everything would be alright when she returned. She'd come up with the perfect alibi, they'd all be overjoyed to have her back, and Danny would never find out the truth. Things would pick up where they'd left off.

Yeah, Sam…right. She ignored the voice.

Author's Note: Well...yeah, this kind of dragged on into more introspection, less action, once again. Eheheh... So, things, will pick up very soon, I promise. :) And of course, if you could review that would be terrific! If there's too much introspection, too much this, that, or the other...or, perhaps not enough of something, whatevever it is... I'd love to know what you think. :)