11/13/24: I have about 3 pages of this written already, so hopefully it doesn't take too long to write.

The song theme for this chapter is "Die for You" by Starset. I recommend listening to it, it's the perfect song for them, especially when it talks about galaxies colliding and sending a rocket ship to find her. That's completely Danny.

Disclaimer: I do not own Danny Phantom.

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Chapter 21: Die for You

–

Another week had passed and it was now two weeks to Christmas. Danny had been occupied with his children and the errands Skulker kept sending him on.

Despite talking to at least a dozen ghosts, he'd been unable to figure out why the other ghosts had gone missing. The hunter had been right when he said there was no physical evidence and no witnesses to the disappearances. The young man was becoming frustrated.

While many of the ghosts seemed pleasantly surprised that Danny was trying to help and genuinely seemed to care about the danger they were in, many were still skeptical and two had outright attacked him. They stood no chance, of course, and after pummeling them into submission, Danny let them go as a show of good faith.

Word was now spreading through the Ghost Zone, for better or for worse, that Danny Phantom was not only trying to help them, but was also incredibly powerful.

It was now evening, the cloudy day giving way to a clear night sky, the stars twinkling brightly. He'd been away from Amity today, to a ghost's lair that resided in the human world. This ghost had been reclusive, preferring to keep to himself in the woods. He'd been in the Ghost Zone in the area the last ghost disappeared, but once again, this lead was a dead end.

Out here, beyond the city limits, in a large area where there was no light pollution, the stars shined even brighter. Danny marveled at how many more he could see, noting a few constellations that were more clear out here. He even spotted a nebula, a small, wistful smile lighting his lips.

He wished he could share this with Sam.

I will run alone tonight,

Without you by my side.

When he wasn't worrying about the ghosts or his kids, he was worrying about her. He felt like worrying was all he did these days. He absently wondered if ghosts could have core attacks from too much stress, like humans could have heart attacks.

No matter how much time passed, or the wounds she inflicted, he simply could not believe she was herself. There's no possible way the Sam he knew would turn on him like this.

I know your eyes, I know inside

The walls you hide behind.

And I saw the truth inside the real you.

Was she going through what he had? Was she stuck there with no way home? It seemed like she was there willingly, but something didn't feel right; he could sense it in his core.

Was Mira exploiting Sam? Was Mira using her to get to Danny to get what she wanted? The problem was that Danny knew it would eventually work. He'd do anything to save Sam, even making a deal with the devil. If he had to give himself to Mira, to go back to that life and who he was before Sam found him, he would do it.

For her.

Because I know you're lost when you run away,

Into the same black holes and black mistakes.

It was killing Danny that he knew where Sam was but couldn't get to her. Faking his way in wouldn't work a second time, and from what Skulker said, security at the warehouse was now extremely tight. Even if it wasn't, Sam had made it clear she wouldn't go home until he was dead.

He looked in the direction he knew the shipping port was. It was too far to really see it, but his mind's eye could. He felt like his core was calling out to her. When would he see her again?

Taking all my will just to run alone,

When are you coming home?

With a heavy sigh he continued his journey back home. He could teleport there in an instant, even from this distance, but he enjoyed the solitude of the night, the comforting glow of the moon and stars, and the solace they brought with them. He felt like he could think more clearly.

All too soon he passed over the city limits and into Amity Park. Despite wanting to stay out under the stars he was anxious to get home and see his kids. Jackson did pretty well with his parents, but it was obvious he still missed the warmth of his mother. Even Aurora was starting to seem out of sorts, as if she sensed her brother's discomfort.

Now over the city, he kicked in a little speed, legs turning into a tail. But as he passed over several of the taller buildings in the city, his ghost sense went off.

It was Sam.

He stopped his flight, tail reforming into legs and spun around. She was in this area, but he cursed that blasted distorted ghost sense as he couldn't tell exactly where she was.

"Just who I wanted to see."

The young ghost spun around again, finding Sam a few dozen yards away, dragon wings pumping to keep her in the air.

"Sam," he breathed.

Her smirk turned into a glower. "I told you, it's Shade!" she growled.

She looked as she had the last time: black leather pants, knee-high black boots, black shirt and long billowing black trench coat. Her hair was down, the strands wafting in the breeze her flapping wings created.

"I'm not calling you that," he responded, knowing it was likely to spike her ire.

Shade glared. "You're going to have to get over the fact that I'm Shade now."

"No, I don't," he said, returning her glare. "I know for a fact Sam wouldn't act like this."

"News flash! Sam's not here!" That comment made Danny stop and think. That was an odd thing to say.

"I see you're healed from our last encounter," she continued. "I won't go so easy on you this time."

Danny raised a brow. If that had been 'going easy', he wasn't sure he wanted to see her at full throttle. He didn't really have a chance to think about it before she'd drawn her ghostly sword.

The young ghost grunted as he dodged her charge, using the time to form his own sword. He swung, but Shade closed her wings, dropping several feet to get out of the way, before opening them up and coasting down towards the street.

Danny followed her, using his free hand to form a ball of ice. As Shade went to land, he threw the ice. It shattered, coating the asphalt in a thin slippery layer, causing Shade to slip as she landed. She fell on her butt with a growl of frustration. The fact that she had to use real wings to fly was starting to piss her off, as it was a lot harder to instantly halt flight or make hairpin turns when things like this happened.

Danny used her down time to fly in. He spun his sword around, brandishing the hilt and aimed to smack her in the head with it with the hopes it would knock her out and he could take her home.

But Shade, despite her fall, was quick, and she deftly ducked out of the way before spinning in a flourish, trench coat flaring around her, and coming back up, sword at the ready.

They squared off, both now circling each other in the middle of the street. Her face was a mix of a smirk and a glare as if she wasn't sure she should be angry or smug. Danny's face only reflected his determination.

Shade moved then, swinging her sword in a feign, before throwing an ecto-blast in his direction. The ghost dodged it, before headbutting her.

The goth stumbled back, holding her forehead. "What the hell!" she shouted.

Danny didn't like hurting her, and it cut him deeply to do so, but he'd vowed to do whatever it took to get her back. If that meant beating her up until she couldn't fight anymore so he could take her home, so be it. He'd ask for forgiveness later. Besides, it's not like she wouldn't do the same.

With a snarl, she charged again, their swords meeting in battle, the sound ricocheting off the buildings and creating an echo that hurt the ears.

Danny charged up his core, building his energy as they exchanged blows, knowing that if she got frustrated she would likely shift again. Their swords clanged at near ear shattering frequencies. Then, Shade faltered, allowing Danny's sword to swipe by her, cutting her cheek.

She growled, brandishing her sword to try and run him through. When he blocked that attack, she lost her patience. Her form began to glow, eyes shining like bright diamonds. But this is what Danny was waiting for.

"Oh, no you don't!" he said, before releasing his build up of energy in one large shockwave. The sound was like a ping at the beginning, fading out before the energy blasted outwards, the bass from the noise throttling the eardrums and shaking nearby windows.

Shade gasped as it hit her, canceling out her transformation and throwing her back into a brick building. Her head hit hard, and stars like a thousand supernovae exploded behind her eyes. She slumped down, groaning.

The ghost cautiously approached her, sword pointed at her just in case she tried anything. Now that he had her here, he had no idea what to do. Did he drag her back with him? Lock her up? He didn't even know why she was acting this way, let alone how to help her.

She slowly opened her eyes, her lids fluttering for a moment before her amethyst orbs landed on Danny and the sword he was pointing at her. "D-Danny?" she asked, confused.

He tilted his head, unsure if this was a trick or not. "Sam?"

Suddenly she choked up, tears welling in her eyes. She had such a look of anguish on her face that Danny knew she wasn't faking it. He dissipated his sword and dropped to his knees in front of her.

"Oh, God, Danny," she said, instantly reaching for him. He grabbed her, left hand going to her face, thumb caressing her cheek, right hand the other side of her face. "Please…" she sobbed.

"Please, what?" he asked, desperate for answers.

"Please…you have to kill me," she said between sobs, eyes pleading and desperate.

He looked at her in horror, feeling as though his core stopped pulsing. "I can't do that, Sam. We can fix this."

She broke down even more, her tears falling like rain, body racking with sobs as she tried to convey her message. "You can't fix this, and it's going to come back any minute! Please…you have to," she pleaded, hands clutching onto his chest. "Please, Danny, I'm going to kill you if you don't stop me."

His green eyes darted between hers and she could see his answer plainly: he wouldn't do it. "There's no pain that I won't go through even if I have to die for you," he said softly.

She clenched her eyes shut in defeat, lowering her head and crying harder. He brought her head to his chest and held her, praying to whatever God there may be that he could save her.

"Ah," she groaned, and gripped her head. Then her head darted back up and she looked at him in panic. "I don't have much time. Please…if I don't kill you, then I'll make your life hell."

Now he was crying as well, realizing that whatever had snapped her out of it was only temporary. He held her face in his hands and shook his head. "The only hell I know is without you."

She shouted in frustration, pounding her fist on his chest, more sobs breaking through. Her breathing was erratic as she cried, her agony and desolation trying to choke her. Then she groaned again when she felt it trying to take back control. "You need to leave before I lose this. Danny…I-" she looked up at him, eyes trying to impart her love for him. "I forgive you," she said.

This time it was Danny who couldn't hold back his sobs and before he knew it, he leaned forward, his hands bringing her to him and his lips crashed into hers. She returned the kiss, desperate, but then felt it taking back control. She tried pushing him away, but he wouldn't budge.

Suddenly, she stopped fighting him.

Then her hand went through his chest.

He gasped, pulling back and grabbing her arm. Her hand was gripping his core, his ecto-plasm snaking down her arm. He looked into her eyes as she gave him a wicked grin and saw only contempt in them. "You should have killed me," she mocked darkly.

Danny flared his core as best he could in this state, hoping beyond hope that Vlad would feel it.

He screamed as she began to squeeze, sending waves of hot energy into his ice core, and he realized with dismay that he couldn't pull her hand out without it killing him. He coughed, ecto-plasm spilling from his mouth. "S-Sam."

All at once, her wicked grin turned into a sneer and she quickly removed her hand from his chest, leaving his core intact. She leapt up and moved, a violet colored ecto-blast landing where she'd been.

"Daniel!" Vlad yelled as he descended from the sky, firing another blast to keep Shade away from the vulnerable ghost.

She didn't want to contend with Plasmius. While he wasn't as strong as Danny, the blow she'd suffered to her head had given her a splitting headache and she was dizzy. She glared at the ghost before her wings materialized and she flew off.

Vlad warily watched her go before he landed next to Danny. The young man was retching, ecto-plasm and bile hitting the pavement. The billionaire placed a hand on his back. "Oh, Daniel. Can you fly?"

"She-" he was cut off by a coughing fit, more ecto-plasm spilling from his mouth. He grabbed onto Vlad's free hand when it stopped, feeling weak. "She had my core," he said, voice gravelly.

"She really was going to kill you," Vlad said sadly.

Danny let out a sob, gasping when it jarred his sore core and open wound.

"Easy, easy now," the billionaire said. "You're in no condition to fly." He gently pulled the young ghost to his feet, wincing at the cry of pain it elicited from Danny. "Come on, we'll teleport."

–

The pair teleported into Danny's living room in a cloud of magenta smoke. The young ghost immediately collapsed, Vlad trying to hold onto him.

"Danny!" Jack said, alarmed. He rushed to their side, helping Vlad pick Danny up. "What happened?" he asked, helping the billionaire get his son to a chair.

"Samantha," Vlad answered, grunting as they placed Danny in a dining table chair.

Maddie heard the commotion from the bedroom where she was watching the twins and came out. "Danny!" she exclaimed upon seeing the ecto-plasm coming from his chest.

The redhead ran to get some towels and wet them with warm water. As she came back, Danny coughed, green ecto-plasm spilling from his lips. "Oh my God, what happened?!" she cried.

Vlad patted the young ghost's back. "He fought with Samantha and was on the losing end when I found them. While it's a bad injury, his core is intact; he will heal."

Danny started to lose consciousness and lean forward. Jack held his shoulders. "Hang in there, Danny-boy," he said in a soothing voice, one that did little to hide his worry.

Maddie wiped his face first, then handed Vlad a cool wet washcloth. "Put that on his forehead while I clean this up."

Vlad nodded, doing as asked, proud that she had listened to his first aid lessons and was taking charge.

She cleaned around the wound, stopping and ripping his shirt off when she was frustrated with it getting in the way. She gasped at the wound. "It's so deep."

Vlad gave her a sympathetic look. "She had a hold of his core. If he had not called me when he did, she likely would've killed him."

Maddie was both terrified at the prospect, and angry with her son. "You were supposed to have Vlad with you when you fought her again," she said, hot tears slipping down her cheeks.

"I'm sorry," her son replied. "She caught me off guard." His voice was shaking from pain.

"Hush," his mother said, gently apply pressure around the wound to help stem the bleeding. "Save your strength."

"She's in there," he coughed. "Sam's still…in there."

Vlad's brow furrowed. "She tried to kill you, my boy."

The young ghost attempted to talk, but his mother shushed him again. "You can tell us when we've patched you up and you've had some pain meds," she said, voice full of authority.

After that, Jack went to cover Danny's bed so they wouldn't get ecto-plasm on the sheets, and then helped Vlad get him to his bed. Maddie and the billionaire then set about properly cleaning the wound and closing it up. Vlad gave the young man some pain meds, watching as Danny seemed to settle into the bed a little more comfortably.

Once finished, Jack checked on the twins, bringing them into the room for their father to see. The young father smiled lightly at them but didn't dare hold them while on the meds. "We'll take them for you tonight," Jack said. "You focus on getting some rest."

Maddie patted his arm. "We'll talk tomorrow, okay?" At her son's nod, the group left the room, leaving Danny to sleep.

–

Danny dozed for several hours before he couldn't any longer. He sat up in bed, groaning at the pain it caused, but he couldn't lay there any longer. He glanced at his clock, noting the early morning hour, and carefully engaged his core to phase out so he could fly to the roof.

He gasped at the pain as his core throbbed from use, but as he held the power, the pain lessened. He slowly made his way up to the roof, both he and his core thankful when he was able to release the power and disengage his core. Danny sat there for a moment, hand over his chest, before finally looking out over the skyline.

This early in the morning was always quiet, and it was Danny's favorite time to come up here. But in the stillness he found himself missing Sam even more.

Because I know you're lost when you run away,

Into the same black holes and black mistakes.

Now he knew Sam was still in there and it was confirmed that she was being controlled somehow. Mira had done something to her, he just didn't know what. How could he break it? What could he do to get her safely back to him?

Taking all my will just to run alone,

Until I bring you home…

Danny looked up at the stars, something he felt like he never stopped doing. It was certainly a comfort for him as there was familiarity in the gleams of stars coruscant. The fixed points of light were like a hail of polar-white sparks and it sent him back to the days when he dreamed of flying among them.

And if the Sun grows cold for you along the way,

And if the stars don't line to light the way,

The young ghost found himself lost. He had no idea where to go from here. The warehouse was far too well guarded for him to attack alone. Even with Vlad's help, the chances of success were nil. And then there was Sam herself; angry, murderous, and completely unwilling to let him live.

And when you fall away and crash back down below,

I'll search the skies for you and I'll follow.

And I'll bring you home…

All he knew was that he'd give anything and do anything to bring her home, to get her back to the way she was supposed to be. Her pleas for him to kill her were absolutely gut wrenching and as he thought back to the look on her face, he felt tears going down his cheeks.

Even if the sky does fall,

Even if they take it all,

His gaze went from constellation to constellation, his core crumbling under the weight of what kind of decision he might have to make in order to save her.

I can't see, but I'll follow you…

Finally, he closed his eyes, another tear escaping down his face.

Even if I die.

–

11/15/2024: I did mean for this to be longer, but it just didn't happen. Again, I am trying to get these chapters written in a timely manner, so they are likely to be shorter than the chapters for Taken.

When I first heard this song a few weeks ago, this particular section just came to life. The scene between the two of them wouldn't exist without the song!

I hope I did the scene between the two of them justice!