7/6/2024: Important explanation: Okay quick explanation of something. I'm not entirely sure where I got it from, but I do know I've seen several stories with this idea. Danny has a 'ghost core'. Think of it like a human heart, but for ghosts. It sits in the middle of his chest and instead of beating, it pulses to circulate ecto-plasm and it supplies his ghostly energy. Once it runs out, he's forcibly shifted back to human. It also has the ability to heal him more quickly than a normal human and it's just as vital for life as his heart.

Pearl84 has a much more in depth version in her story, Dawning of a Sun, where there are different kinds of cores that supply different kinds of energy and different temperatures. Mine isn't as deep as that, but you'll see me reference his 'core' now and then. This is what I mean.

And no, I didn't rip this idea off from Pearl. This was already outlined in 2006, whereas Dawning of a Sun, while still being updated, wasn't published until 2008. It's a great read, by the way. I recommend it.

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Aaaaaaand chapter 3 of Taken. I hope you all are enjoying it so far. I'm taking my time to pre-write most of this, as I have a really bad habit of writing the beginning, and then taking FOREVER to write more chapters. Not only did my 11-chapter story Home take 3 years to complete, but I've had the previous 4 chapters of this written for 4 years…yeah. (7/2/24: *snickers* little did I know…)

I've always known the story; I dream about it every once in a while. It's weird, like my mind won't let me forget, even though it's been 4 years since I last wrote anything for it. Anyway, since I can't forget it, it seems to be the only story I never need to write an outline for. No matter how long it takes, I always know what comes next.

I'm also going to try and make the chapters longer from here on out. I want to make this as detailed as possible and I really suck at that!

Disclaimer: The horse I am currently leasing is like DP, I don't own it. *Sad face*

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Chapter Three: Sighting

–

Weeks went by and Sam became increasingly restless. Christmas came and went and she hardly noticed its passing. She called Tucker every night, and despite his continued—yet wavering—support, she refused to leave. She herself was beginning to believe that perhaps the killer had left, as he sometimes does, to make a hit on someone in a different city.

But then another murder happened a week ago. This time it was a visiting ambassador from another country.

The raven-haired girl was only able to get near the crime scene after the police had cleaned it up. Needless to say, they were thorough and there were no traces of anyone—victim or killer—anywhere.

She continued to watch the sky before she went to bed. But like home, the only things in the night sky were the moon, stars, planes and the occasional satellite and shooting star.

Sam hated to admit it, but the more time she spent here, the more she lost hope. It scared her; she had never been one to lose hope when it came to Danny. She didn't want to. He was her best friend and she loved him more than anything. No, she wouldn't let him go—she couldn't.

She closed the book she was reading and looked out over the city. It was lit beautifully at night and it almost reminded her of the lights of Las Vegas when she visited last year.

She contemplated going back out searching. She had been out earlier this morning but was forced to return and sleep after nearly 30 hours of wakefulness. She was so mentally drained, her body so worn out, that she slept for 12 hours. Even after a long and deep sleep she still felt as if she'd been up for days.

After a moment she decided to go back out. What else was there to do anyway?

Shifting her legs to the side of the lawn chair, she jumped when something furry moved beneath her feet. She chuckled as DJ moved indignantly to the other side of the balcony.

"Sorry, DJ. I didn't realize you had fallen asleep right there."

The black and white dog made his way to a comfortable spot and circled once, twice, before lying down. He let out a heavy breath as if to say 'whatever'.

Sam smiled at the clearly irritated dog and headed into the hotel room. She was already dressed comfortably in her jacket, dark blue denim jeans and a black tee with a flaming skull on the front. She zipped her heavy jacket and grabbed her hat, scarf and gloves and stepped out the door, shutting and locking it behind her.

She had explored nearly every part of the city by now, but there was no telling where Danny could be at any given time. She also believed that if most of the murders were centered in Beijing, then he had to have a place to live in the city; it was just a matter of finding it.

She stepped out of the hotel and adjusted her hat. She was already familiar with the streets nearest the hotel. By this point she had traveled them so many times she practically had all the cracks in the cement memorized. She sighed and decided to go right. She had gone left this morning, so maybe going right tonight would be a better choice.

After a half hour of walking she entered a darker area of the city. She had been here a few times, but it was run down and poorly lit so she avoided it as much as she could. However, she knew she couldn't count it out. Danny could literally be anywhere, and he very well could be in the parts she avoided.

Wrapping her arms around her torso she pushed on. She had chills running down her spine as the darkened alley ways reminded her of the day her best friend was taken.

It only served to depress her.

She walked on for another ten minutes, the lit areas becoming fewer and farther between and the buildings becoming increasingly uninhabitable. This was where she had turned back last time.

But not this time.

She would move forward, despite her fears, and search for Danny.

She rubbed her arms as if to comfort herself and her eyes darted from side to side watching for any sign of danger. She was on pins and needles ready to run at the slightest notice.

A rat squeaked and ran out from a building, across her path and into the sewer. Sam Manson was not afraid of rats, but the suddenness of it made her yelp in surprise. She stopped and grasped her chest, willing her pounding heart to slow its frantic pace.

That's when she heard it.

It was far away at first and so low she believed she had imagined it, but when it happened again a few moments later she knew she had to investigate.

The rational part of her brain was telling her to turn tail and run, to escape the possible danger she was throwing herself in. But her heart…

Her heart was telling her to run as fast as she could towards the noise.

Her brain, however, refused to allow her legs to completely obey her heart. The rational side at least was able to keep her cautious enough to sneak forward instead of barrel ahead.

Another noise, but this time it was unmistakably a scream. It jarred her nerves and she nearly stopped, a cold fear gripping her body and almost triggering her flight response. With a gulp she kept going. She had to know what was up ahead.

Oh, curiosity definitely killed the cat.

As she moved forward, she could hear a scuffle in an alley up ahead on her right. The shuffling of feet and grunts alerted her to a struggle. She plunged her hand into her coat pocket and thumbed the small lipstick phaser she had taken from the Fenton's lab. It was much more useful against ghosts, but it was still fairly effective against humans.

She just prayed it was enough.

A loud bang resounded from the alley. It sounded like something hitting metal. A groan followed it and she swore she could hear someone talking; she just couldn't make out what was being said.

Then her eyes went wide and she stopped in her tracks as a green light flashed in the alleyway. Another scream ripped through the chilly night air and within a few moments a man came running out of the alley and down the sidewalk towards Sam.

She could tell at first glance that he was someone of importance. His business suit was designer, although now it was smoking on the right side and scorch marks marred the once beautiful jacket. His wild eyes were wide and unfocused as he tore down the sidewalk. He never noticed her, not even as he whizzed past her and screamed again.

She barely watched the man as he ran, wanting to see his pursuer. A gasp escaped her chapped lips as a glowing figure in black and white darted from the dark corridor and flew past her.

His startlingly white hair burned into her retinas.

She blinked and didn't even have time to yell when the ghostly figure caught up to the man and in a swift blast, ended the man's escape. His lifeless body hung in the air for a moment before finally falling and hitting the pavement with a sickening crack. Sam felt her stomach turn.

The man dressed in black and white floated a few inches above the ground staring at the body. Sam was entranced. She couldn't look away.

He leaned down, and in a show of compassion, closed the man's now unseeing eyes and placed a cold hand on his chest. She heard him murmur something she couldn't make out and bow his head.

Her excitement had been quickly extinguished at the man's death, but in her heart, she knew who this ghost was. She didn't want to believe it, because that meant he really was a murderer, but staring at him, even from behind, it was impossible to deny.

His cropped white hair, the black and white hazmat suit and, as he stood and turned, shock making him go rigid, those toxic green eyes. It was him.

It was Danny.

His hair was still short but a bit shaggy, his bangs hanging around his eyes, and he was more muscular than she remembered. He had obviously grown quite a bit; she must be eye level with his chest now. Of course, it wasn't a surprise, he was 21 years old now; it was just so different from the boy she had memories of in her mind. His hazmat suit clung to him; it was the same as she remembered, down to the stylized 'D' symbol on the front.

She wasn't the only one staring. As she looked back up into those burning eyes, she could see the confusion, relief and agony in them as he watched her.

"…Sam?" His voice was soft, yet so much deeper. His baritone voice made her knees weak and her heart race. She mentally berated herself and tried, in vain, to calm down.

She had heard that voice before, right? Yes, it was the voice of Dark Dan. Sorrow clenched her heart. Perhaps Dan was right all those years ago; there was some of him still left in Danny.

She stepped forward but stopped when he floated back. Her heart sank at the fear on his beautiful face. She tried a small smile and it seemed to work, but only minutely. He at least stopped retreating.

"I…" she started. It felt as if the words were stuck in her throat. Come on, Sam. Now is not the time to choke up.

She took a deep breath and tried again. "I almost…almost lost hope."

Danny shook his head. "You aren't Sam."

The goth furrowed her brow. "What?" her confusion was palpable.

"You're dead…I saw…I…" he gulped.

Sam felt as if the air dropped twenty degrees. Dead? What in the world was he talking about?

He shook his head again, white locks sweeping across his forehead. Agony gripped his heart and his whole body trembled. He balled his fists. "I watched you die!" he shouted.

Sam went numb. He…he w-what? The world spun and she felt nauseous. She clutched her stomach hoping to stave off the feeling, but to no avail. Her eyes focused back on his and the utter torture she saw swimming in them tore at her heart.

Her eyes watered. "Danny…I'm not dead." She tried to reassure him, but it only seemed to make him more frightened.

He settled on the ground and took a step back. "No…no you're not." He crouched and clutched at his hair with his hands, nearly doubled over. "I'm dreaming…p-please wake up…please…I c-can't go through this an-anymore…" His body trembled.

The tears fell freely now. She was sure he hadn't meant for her to hear it, or perhaps really thought this was a dream and didn't believe it mattered. Either way, something terrible had happened to him and it was far worse than what she had been going through.

Cautiously she stepped forward. She moved very slowly trying to keep Danny from taking flight. He hardly seemed to notice, lost in his own world of grief and misery.

She was now ten feet from him and he jumped, finally aware of her proximity. He stood and she could see the muscles in his legs tense for flight. "No, Danny, please don't fly away." She reached a hand out and he shrunk away from it.

Sam was determined. He would not run away, she needed him to stay. She looked down and blanched as she had to sidestep the body. As she looked up, she realized Danny had stopped retreating, though his eyes and body language clearly said he was frightened and wanted to flee.

A warm feeling spread through her, starting in her chest and spreading its heated tendrils throughout her body, leaving a tingling in her fingers and toes. It took her a moment to recognize it but once she did, she clung to it like a babe to his mother's breast.

It was hope.

Of course, she felt she had always had it; that she always knew Danny was out there and that she'd find him. Only now did she realize that it had been false hope. It wasn't real. She knew Danny was alive; she had been right when she told Tucker she'd know if he wasn't. But she never truly thought that she'd ever find him.

Fresh tears welled in her eyes and she smiled at the boy—no—man in front of her.

Danny didn't know what to do. His body shook with the effort to keep from taking off. Oh, how he wanted to; to take to the skies and leave this nightmare behind. But something kept him from doing it. This was…different from his dreams. She was closer than she had ever made it to him and wasn't dead yet.

There was no flash of memories, no screams, no blood pooled around her lifeless body as her accusing eyes held him captive. In fact, the only things he saw in her eyes were relief, hope and something else…

He desperately wanted this to be real; he needed it to be real. But his nightmares…his memories…he knew what he had seen, right? They were so…vivid, so genuine.

He couldn't keep the flood of memories from overtaking his mind. Sam running, her eyes wide and terrified, her mouth forming a silent scream. A flash and she was on the ground, her body contorted and her stark black hair sticky with blood.

He was panicking inside and even though his eyes were wide open, he was unseeing to the real events in front of him. He was too focused on her eyes.

Her dead eyes.

Their once beautiful amethyst color was dull and dilated. They stared straight at him, condemning and cold. They pierced his soul and set him ablaze. All they did was accuse and curse him, they—

He jumped as a warm hand touched his cheek. Those lifeless eyes were replaced by vibrant amethyst, slightly clouded in worry. But what stunned him more was the fact that he could feel her. In all his nightmares there were only a few where he had tried to touch her…but he never felt her. His hand always passed through her.

Reality hit him hard. She really was standing in front of him…

His legs buckled and his knees hit the asphalt. Sam's hand never left his face. He stared at her trying to memorize her tender smile so that he'd never forget it and perhaps be able to override the haunting images that tormented him.

Her tears splashed the pavement and he barely noticed as his joined hers. An ache for her he hadn't felt in a long time assaulted him and he threw his arms around her waist, pulling her to him and burying his face into her stomach. She could hear 'you're alive' mumbled into her abdomen.

Sam smiled and wrapped her arms around his neck and let him hug her, his tears soaking into her jacket.

This was a reunion she never believed they'd have. And if Danny's behavior was any indication, neither did he.

Her eyes glistened with new tears. What torment he must have endured to act like this…

She startled as he jerked back. He turned his head to the side as if listening to something.

"Danny…? What's wrong?" Sam asked, confused.

He wiped his face with his hand and detangled his other from the back of her jacket. Standing, he gave her a sullen glance. Her puzzlement was written all over her face.

It made his heart sink to know that she was right here, but he'd never be able to go home. He couldn't defy the Headmaster. It would be a death sentence to his family.

As he heard the call again, he placed a hand on her cheek and gave a small smile. Without another word, he took off into the sky and headed back.

"Wait!" Sam shouted, but he never stopped. Her heart sank. It had taken her this long to find him; God only knew if she'd manage to do it again. She cried out desperately, "I'm staying at the Xing Hotel! Floor nine, room 913!"

He gave no indication that he heard her, but she hoped with his enhanced ghostly hearing that he did. She watched as his glowing form quickly faded into the night sky and she bit her cheek to keep from crying out. But there was nothing she could do about it now. She could only hope to find him again.

As she refocused on her surroundings, she remembered the body. She was repulsed by the sight, but she pulled out her phone and called it in before heading back to the hotel.

On her way back she began to feel apprehensive. Her excitement had blinded her, but now that she was beginning to calm down the gravity of what she had just witnessed began to gnaw away at her. That was Danny, but he wasn't her Danny. He was a cold-blooded killer. He had destroyed that man without batting an eye.

She debated on whether or not to tell Tucker. But as she pondered it, she realized she had to tell him about finding their friend and the techno-savvy man would put two and two together, so ultimately, the decision was already made for her. She feared his reaction.

–

Sam opened the door to her room and stepped in, shedding her jacket and placing it on the hanger in the closet. She looked up when she heard a soft 'woof' in greeting from DJ who simply turned back over to return to his nap. She smiled softly at the tired collie.

Despite her 12-hour sleep earlier she sighed with the weight of all the emotions that had plagued her since coming here. She was exhausted, and not just physically.

She glanced at her watch. It was very late, 1:22am to be exact. Beijing was 12 hours ahead of Amity, so she wouldn't be disturbing Tucker's sleep if she called.

She sighed again at the thought. She suddenly really didn't want to call him.

Shaking her head, she grabbed her cell from her jeans pocket and dialed Tucker's number. It rang twice before it picked up and his familiar voice said, "Hey Sam!"

"Hey, Tuck," she replied. "How is everything in Amity?" She mentally berated herself. She was stalling and she knew it. She wanted to tell him, but she didn't. And to be honest, on her way back to the hotel she even began to doubt that she even saw Danny at all. Her best friend was a lot of things but a murderer was not one of them. It was just too unbelievable.

"Pretty great!" She could practically hear the smile in his voice. "The company just got this huge contract so I've been working a lot, but it comes with a raise so Jasmine and I should be able to afford a bigger house now!"

Sam grinned. "Oh, Tucker, that's wonderful! Now you can have room for all the little minions you want!"

She heard a chuckle on the other end. "Just can't resist can you? And they're called 'mini me's' not 'minions'. Besides, it doesn't matter how many mini me's I want, as Jazz said, I don't give birth to them so I don't have a say in the matter."

It was Sam's turn to laugh. "She really has you by the cajones, huh?"

"Now that's just not nice!"

Sam plopped herself down on the couch and stifled another snicker. "She has a point though. She goes through the pain, so she gets to choose when she's done."

"Yeah, well I have my ways of convincing her otherwise," she could hear the innuendo and blanched.

"Oh God, Tuck, I don't need the mental image."

Her dark-skinned friend guffawed on the other end of the line and she couldn't help but smile. After a few moments he finally calmed down, but even as he replied she could still hear the fluctuation of laughter. "So, what did you call me for?"

She instantly sobered. Her smile fell and she clenched her free hand tightly. She knew she took too long to answer when his tentative and now worried voice drifted to her. "Sam, what's wrong?"

"Tuck…" she swallowed. I can do this… "Tucker, I found him."

There was silence on the other end as her words sank in. She could hear his breathing speed up. "Are…are you sure?"

"Yes. No. I mean…I think so. I even touched him but…"

"But what?"

"But…I don't want it to be Danny!" She finally voiced what she had kept hidden from even herself and she gasped at the revelation.

"Sam, I don't understand. You have to tell me what happened," his voice was urgent.

The goth leaned forward on the couch and placed her arm on her knee, cradling her forehead in her hand. "I saw him, I touched him, and I even spoke with him. B-but he was…he was so different."

"We're all different Sam, it's been four years."

She shook her head violently even though she knew he couldn't see the gesture. "It's not that! Tucker…" Here goes nothing… "I'm afraid he is the one killing all those people…"

More silence. She knew he was mulling it over in his head.

Then, "Are you sure?"

She tried to keep any inflection from her voice as her body began to rock from fresh tears. "Yes. I saw it. I saw him…God Tuck. It wasn't even hard for him! He didn't even care!"

But true to his nature, Tucker went into 'protective' mode. "It's alright Sam I'm sure there is a reason. When you interacted with him, how was he then?"

Sam tried to reel herself back in and calm her nerves. It worked to some degree. "He was just…Danny." Then her eyes lit up at her memory. "There's something else! He thought I was dead!"

"What?"

"He said that I wasn't Sam, that he watched me die. I was able to prove to him that I wasn't dead, and he just broke down and hugged me."

"See, Sam? Something isn't right here. Whatever he's doing, he can't be doing it himself. That's just not Danny."

The goth ran a hand through her locks. "That's just it though. That's why I'm not truly sure if I saw him. Danny—our Danny—wouldn't kill people."

Tucker sighed. "You are right about that, but something tells me it wasn't just your eyes playing tricks on you. You touched him and talked to him. You can't make that up."

Sam raised her hand and gazed at it. It was true. She could still feel the ghostly cold on her hand left over from touching his face. But her heart still did not want to accept that her Danny could murder someone in cold blood.

She huffed and stood, making her way to the balcony. She slid the door open and stepped into the cold air. In a way, it was welcoming. "I don't know, Tuck. It felt real. But I just don't think I can…" She trailed off as her eyes caught sight of something perched on the railing. She scrunched her brows in confusion.

"Sam?" Tucker called to her.

The woman walked closer to the railing and her eyes widened as she reached out and grasped the glowing item. Her heart clenched.

"Sam!" Tucker was becoming frantic.

"I'm here, Tuck," Sam answered absentmindedly.

"Jeez, Sam. What, did your mind go for a vacation mid-sentence?"

She chuckled briefly at the jab. "No, Tucker."

"Then what?"

"I did see him. And he knows where I am." Despite herself, she smiled.

"How?"

"He left me a gift on my balcony."

The goth twisted the beautiful green rose in her fingers; the form perfected after four years. The glowing flower seemed to shimmer in the cool night air; the thorns gleaming deadly in the moonlight.

–

Didn't really come out as I would've liked, but I've been taking a long time to get this done. I want to get more written before I start posting. I have a VERY bad habit of taking way too long to finish!