10/19/24: yes…I swapped the roles for the last chapter. It's Sam's turn! MUWHAHAHAHA… Ahem. Apologies.

Believe it or not, things only escalate from here. Extra long to whet your appetite.

Disclaimer: I do not own Danny Phantom.

–

Chapter 13: Plans

–

To say Danny was a wreck was a complete understatement. The ghost was nearly inconsolable, especially as he realized he had no idea where Sam had been taken. The signature his ghost sense picked up was distinctly Mira's, so he knew who had her, and that only served to frighten him more.

Maddie had called everyone to Danny and Sam's place while her son was frantically flying around Amity, trying to locate Sam.

When he returned, clearly not in a good state of mind, he found them all there. He touched down in the living room with force, a clear sign that he was fuming.

"What happened?" Tucker asked immediately, but not unkindly.

"Mira," Danny growled, glare dark.

Suddenly, the cries of both his twins rang out. Maddie was holding Jackson, and Jazz had Aurora in the cooling blanket.

Vlad spoke up then. "Daniel, your energy is very dark right now, and they can sense it. You need to calm yourself."

Danny turned his glare on the billionaire, hands clenched into fists. The utter rage Vlad could see in the young ghosts' eyes gave him pause.

Nevertheless, Danny forced himself to reign in his energy. The cries of his children, coupled with Vlad's warning, brought his fear of passing on the darkness in him to the forefront. As he calmed, so did Jackson and Aurora, the babies quieting.

"Did you figure out where they went?" Jazz asked tentatively.

Her brother shook his head, walking to her and taking his daughter. "There's no way they could've gotten very far in the seconds it took for me to figure out Sam was taken. Mira has to be masking her signature somehow."

"Wait," Jack started, "How did you know it was Mira if you never saw her?"

"Each half ghost seems to have a unique signature; they feel different from each other. Mira has shown up more than once, so I know hers." He nestled Aurora on his chest, up near his neck, taking comfort in her. He then went over to his mother and checked on Jackson, running a gentle hand over his head.

His family could see his anger beginning to dissipate, his body relaxing as he focused on the twins. But even though his anger was beginning to wane, his anguish was rising like bile. He swallowed hard against it.

"Let's settle them in the bassinets," he said finally. "If you don't mind, I'd like some time to myself to think."

His family acquiesced, and soon, Danny was in the bedroom with only his twins.

"Do you think he's going to be okay?" Maddie asked.

Jazz shook her head. "No, I don't. I think he's going to bottle this all up until he either explodes or falls apart." She glanced worriedly in the direction of the bedroom.

–

Danny sat on the edge of the bed and watched his children sleep. DJ was in the room as well, curling up on his bed and softly whining. He could tell something was wrong.

He needed to come up with a way to find Sam quickly. He knew Mira, and the chances of her actually letting Sam live were extremely slim. He felt the panic slowly sinking in.

He didn't need to breathe and yet he felt like he was suffocating; he wasn't under water but he felt like he was drowning.

He was supposed to protect them, all of them, and now…

He held his head in his hands, fighting back the sobs that threatened to come. His core pulsed painfully as his emotions threatened to overwhelm him.

There was a knock on the door. After a moment it opened, despite him refusing to answer it. He heard the patter of soft footfalls until the bed depressed next to him. Then he felt an arm go around him.

"I know you want to be alone, but I'm not sure that's the best idea," he heard his sister say in a soft voice.

Her brother swallowed painfully, forcing the again growing tempest inside him to the back of his mind so he could try and clearly focus on the problem. Jazz allowed him this time, recognizing that he was pulling himself together.

Finally, "I'm scared of nothing, yet I'm scared to death," he admitted.

"You're not scared of anything for yourself anymore, but this is different. You're scared for her and for your children," she explained.

He ran a hand down his face, feeling suddenly tired. "She hates Sam," he said in a near whisper. "If we don't find her soon, Mira is going to kill her."

Jazz squeezed his shoulder and leaned into him. "We talked about that. Vlad is headed to his place and will be back. He has a device that keeps track of ghosts and their whereabouts. He says it can be attuned to a specific signature. Since you've felt Mira's signature, you can help him attune it so you can find her. He built it after you were abducted, but it never worked on you."

"It wouldn't have," Danny started. "They put that tracker in my neck shortly after we got to Beijing. It wasn't just for finding me if I ran, but it also suppressed my signature so I couldn't be found that way."

Jazz patted him on the shoulder. "Well, hopefully it will find Mira." She stood from the bed. "I'll let you know when he returns," she said before leaning down and kissing his cheek.

She left and Danny sighed. He did feel a little better now that they had a plan, but the thought that his children could grow up without their mother was tearing him apart. He reached over, carefully placing a hand on each of his babies, hoping they would take comfort in him as much as he would in them.

–

A short time later, Vlad was back and Jazz called Danny from his room. The ghost grabbed the baby monitor and went to the living room. Vlad was holding a small device in his hand. It had a screen on it, with some buttons, and a dial on the side.

"It looks a little crude," the billionaire started when Danny joined them. "But it should get the job done. I am going to broadcast a signature and I want you to turn the dial until it syncs up with Mira's," he explained.

Danny nodded, intent on the device. Vlad hit a button and handed it to the other ghost.

Danny felt the signature it was broadcasting. It was too deep, so he turned the dial a bit, adjusting it until it triggered the same feeling within his core. There was only one problem. "I'm not sure this will work, exactly," he frowned.

"What's wrong with it?" Jazz asked.

"The signature it's broadcasting is clear and crisp like a normal ghost's, or half ghost's, signature. But Mira's is off like all the others."

"I programmed it with a margin of error. Hopefully that will be enough, but you can test it out," Vlad explained. "Turn the range up, and it should ping on the signature Mira left behind. You can use that to follow where they went," he said, pointing to a button.

Danny hit the button, increasing the range. When he still received nothing, he tuned the signature a little more to try and account for the odd feeling hers caused. Finally, the machine beeped, and a dot showed up on the screen.

The ghost's eyes lit up. "It's pinging on the bathroom, which is where she took Sam from."

"Good." Vlad looked around the room. "The rest of you stay here, I will go with Daniel and see if we can find her."

Danny wanted to reject his help; he was far too used to doing things on his own. But now that Vlad was at full fighting strength, he could use the extra power, especially after seeing what Mira was capable of. Aside from that, he could hear Sam in his head telling him to get over it and accept the help.

He nodded at the billionaire and they took off through the ceiling. They paused above the apartment and Danny spun in a circle, watching the dot move off towards the west. He pointed to indicate the direction to Vlad and they set off without a word.

Vlad had a feeling speaking right now was not something Danny wanted, if the look on his face was anything to go by. Now that they had a lead, the rage was starting to boil once again, just beneath the surface. The billionaire peeked over at the young ghost, noting the drawn brows, clenched fist, and set jaw. Danny's green eyes glowed brightly, telling Vlad the young man was keeping his core on standby so he could quickly summon large amounts of energy if need be.

But it was also the look in his eyes that made Vlad worry. There was murder in his eyes, a look Vlad hadn't seen from the ghost in quite some time. He didn't want to admit it, but he was getting nervous of the darkness Danny sometimes talked about. If they didn't get to Sam in time, Vlad had no doubt that Danny would kill every last person involved, regardless of whether they were half ghost or human.

Once they reached the edge of the city, the dot stopped. Danny growled in frustration, spinning around to see if it would move again, but the dot stood firm. "Why isn't it doing anything? There's nothing here!" he said, looking at the forest around them.

Vlad looked around as well. "I think you're right: she must be masking her signature."

Danny was so angry he wanted to throw the blasted device. "Then this was a waste of time!"

"Daniel," Vlad said sternly, his tone making the other ghost look at him. Vlad's glare at Danny's behavior did not deter Danny in the slightest. "This was not a complete waste. We now have a direction in which they have gone, which is more than we had before. And if the signal has stopped here, they cannot be far."

Danny mulled over this information. He wanted to go headlong into danger, consequences be damned. But he had two kids to think of now.

He needed a game plan.

Finally, he nodded to Vlad, his look relaxing a bit. "The only thing that's fairly close to Amity in this direction is the shipping port. They might be there, but we need a plan." He jammed his thumb in the direction they'd come from. "Let's head back and brainstorm with the others."

–

Danny was frustrated. He and his family had been going around and around for an hour about what they could do to find Sam, but no idea so far was viable.

"What about the Guys in White?" Tucker asked. "We could call them and send them in."

Vlad shook his head. "They're incredibly incompetent. They wouldn't stand a chance if Mira is as powerful as Daniel says."

Said ghost was pacing around with Aurora on his chest, head resting on his shoulder. He had been quiet for some time, listening to their ideas while thinking of one of his own. The idea he was thinking of broke his heart a little, as it meant he had no idea how long he'd be away from his children, but he felt like it might be the only option that didn't involve going in guns blazing, slaughtering everyone in sight, and burning the place down. And that's if they could even find the place Sam was being held at. No, if he wanted to find the place, he needed an in.

He stopped pacing and faced his family. "I have an idea, but you're not going to like it."

The rest of them donned a wary look, exchanging glances. "What is it?" his mother asked.

He looked each of them in the eye. "I surrender myself."

All at once it was chaos, with everyone talking over each other, each person adamant that it was a stupid idea.

When Aurora and Jackson, who was being held by Jack, started to fuss, Danny growled. "Enough!" The room quieted at his commanding voice and he sighed. "I need to find this place somehow. I think the best option is to get Mira's attention and make her think I'm joining her side. Or, at the very least, giving myself up in exchange."

Maddie felt the tears starting. "Honey, you were gone for more than four years the last time. Who knows how long you'll be gone this time, or even if you can get Sam out. You have children to think about," she pleaded.

He shook his head, giving her a sad look. "I'm doing this for them. If there's even a small chance I can get her out, I have to try."

Jazz felt her nervousness rising and she gripped Tucker's arm for support. "We can think of something else, Danny."

His green eyes met hers and she saw his resolve. "There isn't time," he replied.

Vlad, ever the logical one, took a few minutes to think about it, while the rest of Danny's family tried different arguments to talk him out of it. Finally, "Daniel is right," he said softly. Despite how low his voice was, it got everyone's attention, and he felt like he was under close scrutiny when heads turned his way.

"You can't be serious," Tucker said.

"I am,"the billionaire answered. "He's more likely to get in this way, and if Mira really hates Sam as much as Daniel believes she does, Sam doesn't have much time. We need to move before it's too late."

"So we're in agreement," Danny said.

"We are not," Jazz said sternly. "We need to find another way, one that doesn't involve you potentially getting shipped back off to China!"

The ghost stopped himself from saying the quip he had on the tip of his tongue, and instead said, "The twins need their mother."

"They also need their father!"

"I'm already dead!"

There was silence then, Jazz staring at him wide-eyed. "I'm sorry," he said. "But it's true. I may have come back, but that doesn't negate the fact that I died." Danny sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose with his free hand. "We know Mira wants me alive, but she wants Sam dead and there's no guarantee she'll come back. At least, if I can exchange myself for Sam, Sam will live, and I'll have a chance to get back here." His eyes pleaded with his sister. "That's the worst case scenario. The plan is to just get her out of there and come back here with her myself."

His sister sniffed back tears, Tucker rubbing her back for support.

"When will you leave?" Maddie asked.

Danny gently patted his daughter on the back. "As soon as I say goodbye."

Jazz was stuffing down her anger, hot tears in her eyes. Maddie wasn't angry, but she was fighting back tears as well. Jack gave his son a solemn look. "You have to understand son, we've already lost you twice. This feels like we're losing you again."

Danny looked his father in the eye, his own eyes reflecting his determination. "You won't lose me again. I will get her and we'll both come home."

He glanced at his daughter then, sighing. Despite his resolve, he knew as well as they did that there was always that chance. He kissed her head before handing her to Vlad, who had grabbed the cooling blanket. He then went to Jack and kneeled down, kissing his son's head as well. Danny then hugged them all in turn before heading for the door. He turned back to them, his conviction clear, before he departed.

–

Danny made a show of flying around the shipping port. It was absolutely massive and there was no way he could search every building himself. He also wasn't getting any kind of ghost signature which was worrying him.

After flying around for half an hour, he touched down just outside the main gate in a forested area and waited. If he was right, Mira was somewhere in this area and would come to him.

After an hour he was getting antsy. It was quite possible this wasn't where they were. There was a whole world beyond the shipping port they could've gone to. Oh God…was Sam gone?

He was biting his thumb when the now familiar signature triggered his ghost sense. He took a deep breath, bracing himself for what he was about to do. It made him hate himself even more, but it was the only way to get to Sam.

Mira suddenly materialized a few yards from him with her brow raised. "To what do I owe this visit?" she asked without her usual teasing.

So they were in this area. He watched her, trying to keep the disdain off his face. "I've come to surrender," he said simply.

Mira rolled her eyes. "You're not sincere. You're only here because I have your little pet human."

The ghost worked hard to prevent himself from clenching his fists. "You're not wrong. I'd like to make an exchange, me for Sam."

The half ghost pulled her hand up and began looking at her nails as if she didn't have a care in the world. "That's not going to happen; I'll need leverage." She dropped her hand, blue eyes meeting his green ones. "But if you join me, I'll let her live."

Danny breathed a sigh of relief at hearing she was still alive, and could only hope that Mira wasn't lying about it. "Deal," he said quickly.

"Hmm," she hummed, with a satisfied look. She walked to him, stopped just short of his personal space. "You should have heard the catch before agreeing to it."

Now Danny was nervous.

She walked around him then, appraising him as her predatory look returned. "If you want your precious human to live, then you need to be mine and only mine."

This time he did clench his fists, feeling his core energy suddenly spike from annoyance and anger. Danny forced himself to calm, reminding himself that he'd already vowed to do what he had to to get Sam back. After a moment, he nodded.

He instantly loathed the grin she gave him, before she walked forward, placing a hand on his broad chest. She then stood on her toes giving him a little wiggle of her eyebrows before her lips met his.

He allowed it, though he didn't return it. She didn't seem to mind as she pulled back, hooking her fingers in the neck hole of his t-shirt. "Come. Let's head to base."

"Will I get to see Sam?" he asked.

Her right eye twitched slightly with annoyance. "At some point, probably. But no, I am not taking you to her."

Danny didn't budge when she pulled on him by his shirt. "I need proof she's alive."

Mira let go of his shirt and put her hands on her hips, glaring at him in exasperation. "She's alive and she's got a mouth on her, but I am not taking you to her."

The ghost returned the glare, but the simple fact that Mira said Sam was mouthy was at least proof she'd been alive long enough to talk. He felt pride swirl through him that Sam's response to being abducted was sarcasm and sass.

Finally, he nodded and held his arm out, indicating for Mira to lead the way. They took off, flying towards the shipping port. Ahead of them, the sun was setting below the horizon, the bellies of the clouds reflecting the dying light in a tapestry of yellows, oranges, pinks and purples. Just to the left of where the sun was setting, Danny could see Venus, the lone planet bright enough to be the first thing out in the evening sky.

Then he looked behind them and at the skyline of Amity Park some distance away. His core pulsed with sadness as he thought of his children. At least they were in safe hands and would be well taken care of, should anything happen to both him and Sam.

He looked forward again, determined to see this through, no matter what it took.

–

Danny and Mira touched down just outside a very large warehouse. This end was a hangar, the large door open and revealing the inside. He was transported back in time to a vulnerable almost 17 year old and felt his core lurch. This was where he'd been taken just after his abduction.

Mira was watching him. "So you recognize it, huh? I thought you might."

He swallowed hard, forcing back the memories and emotions. He had a job to do; he wasn't here to have a panic attack. The first moment he got a chance, he was getting Sam out of here and running. He just needed to find something that could create a distraction.

She moved and he followed her in. The large hangar bay door closed behind them with a boom. "I'd show you around, but really," she said, giving him a sultry look. "I just want you all to myself." She placed a hand on his chest again, this time running it over his muscles.

Danny resisted the urge to tear her limb from limb. He already knew she was quick, and if he messed up and didn't kill her, it would be Sam who would pay.

He tried to keep the utter disgust from his tone when he responded. "You can't seriously believe I'm doing that tonight."

She grabbed his shirt, her red energy swirling around her hand. He kept quiet then, not wanting a repeat of her toxic powers. "That was the deal, sugar," she said in a dangerous and low mockingly sweet tone.

He steeled himself. "I'm just…very tired. Could we wait? Maybe tomorrow?"

She stared at him for a few moments. She knew he was stalling, but decided to allow it. "Alright. But you're still required to keep me company tonight. We'll head to my room, maybe have a little dinner," she dropped her energy and smoothed out his shirt. "And then we can cuddle until we fall asleep," she said, batting her eyes at him.

Danny swallowed the bile back down. "Alright, we can do that."

Mira squeaked with happiness, giving him a grin before sashaying off towards the exit. Danny's brows drew down in a serious look before he followed her out of the hangar.

–

Ki Oh had indeed come for Sam. She couldn't say she exactly felt safe with the man, but he at least wasn't a creep, and he was generally kind.

The goth wasn't sure exactly how much time had passed since Mira had stolen her from her home, especially since she was knocked out twice, but she could see from what windows there were that it was now night. Ki Oh had mentioned it was late so they wouldn't be training long, but mostly going over what she should be capable of as a half ghost.

Sam resisted the urge to tell them she already knew about ghosts and what they could do.

They stepped into a hanger bay, the large doors on the one side closed. There was a catwalk on one wall, with a section of it jutting out into the middle. The large room was otherwise empty, save for a few odds and ends, but Sam instantly recognized it as the warehouse Danny had been taken to just after he was taken. Her heart skipped a beat at the realization. He'd been so close…

Ki Oh stopped in the middle of the room and turned back to her, eyes kind and expectant. Sam stopped a short distance away, eyes wary and full of mistrust. If it offended him, he didn't show it.

Sam really didn't know what to make of the Asian. He was quite different with her than with the others; more patient and understanding. He respected her space and didn't get angry at her outbursts.

"As the most infamous half-ghost-turned-full-ghost in existence is your boyfriend, I'm sure you are familiar with ghost powers." He continued at her nod. "But knowing what they are and understanding how to use them are two different things. You can feel your core, yes?"

Sam nodded again, feeling the thrum of the new organ situated next to her heart.

"As you become familiar with the specific way yours pulses energy throughout your body, you'll begin to understand how to use your powers. Using them is actually fairly simple," he explained. "If you want to be invisible, simply think it." He disappeared from sight, then reappeared. "If you want to be intangible, you need to not only think about it, but also imagine that part of your body going through the solid object." He moved, walking through a random cart in the room. When he was done, he held his hand out to her as indication for her to try.

Sam watched him carefully for a moment, unsure if she should cooperate. However, when she remembered they knew where she lived, and subsequently, where her kids were, she decided to play along. She looked at her hand and concentrated on wanting it to disappear. Within moments, it was gone.

Ki Oh's brows lifted. "I'm impressed, that's pretty quick."

"I'm a quick study," she responded without emotion.

He watched her before nodding. "I see. Then it shouldn't take you long to master all elements of your powers."

She looked at the cart before walking forward. She did as he instructed, and, while the intangibility in her legs phased in and out at first, it eventually went solid and she was able to walk through the cart.

Ki Oh smiled at her. "You might be the easiest one to train yet."

She glared. "Training me is a mistake," she snapped. "Hell will freeze over before I fight for your side."

He sighed, gaining a look of sympathy. "You'll be surprised how little it takes to freeze hell."

"Whatever," she grumbled. "I'm tired. Can I go back to my room now?"

Ki Oh raised a brow. "We've barely begun, though. Don't you want to understand these powers?"

Her eyes blazed brightly. "I have someone who can train me already."

He sighed again, finding the goth was a fairly frustrating enigma. "Alright. I'll take you back to your room, but Mira won't let you get out of it for long."

"Yeah? Well, Mira can go to hell."

–

A few hours later, Danny's glowing eyes opened, shedding a muted light in the dark room around him. He'd had dinner with Mira as promised, and then slipped into bed with her. Nothing happened, as she agreed, but she had made him take his shirt off and spoon her.

He felt completely disgusted with himself, but kept telling himself it was all for Sam. He just needed to get her out of here.

They'd had wine with dinner, and while he had only pretended to drink, he'd made sure Mira had gotten tipsy and managed to get her talking. She didn't mention specifics, but their conversation led Danny to believe that Sam was in a room very much like this one, and probably not far.

Mira's breathing was evened out, signaling her sleep. The ghost pulled his arm from around her stomach and carefully slipped out of bed. He went over to where his shirt was on the floor and picked it up, putting it on. He then slipped his shoes on, glancing over at the bed every now and then to ensure the half ghost was still asleep.

Quietly, he phased his head through the door, peeking up and down the hall. All was quiet, so he snuck through the door.

Blue eyes watched him go, a smirk on her lips.

Once in the hall, Danny quietly made his way door to door, carefully peeking his head into rooms as he passed them. He spent the better part of an hour searching, feeling his frustration rise with each failure. Just how big was this place?

Finally, he peeked inside a room and saw a figure sleeping in the bed. The long black hair indicated the figure was likely female. He cautiously phased in, floating slowly over to the bed. He could see the rise and fall of her chest as she slept, and, as he got closer, was able to see enough to confirm it was Sam.

He felt as though his core wanted to leap from his chest at the joy he felt at seeing her alive. He touched down on the floor in front of the bed and squatted, a cool hand resting on her cheek.

Her eyelids fluttered before her beautiful amethyst was staring back at him. "Danny?" she whispered, lifting her head.

"I found you," he said softly, tears brimming his eyes.

Her hand came up and rested on his, a brief smile flashing across her face. She was immensely happy to see him, but at the same time, emotions from earlier started to take over, and it sparked anger. She quickly hid it, deciding to confront them again once safely out of this place.

He pulled her up from the bed and hugged her tight. She let him, wanting to feel the comfort of him despite her anger with him. Then he kissed her before pulling back and running a hand through her long hair. "It's time to get you home."

She nodded, but stopped him when he tried to pull her up through the ceiling. "I can't go through," she said. "They have some kind of barrier preventing me from leaving this room."

He furrowed his brows in confusion. "That's odd, I got through just fine." He mulled it over before an idea came to him.

He put his hands on the ceiling. "Stand back a little." When she did, he braced himself. "So much for doing this quietly."

He sent energy into the ceiling, feeling it collide with the barrier. It cackled and fizzed, sending sparks around the room and creating a racket Danny knew was going to draw attention. Finally, the barrier gave one last dying bzzzt before fizzling out. He quickly went back to Sam, scooped her up, and flew through the ceiling and out of the building.

Now that it was November, the night air was cold, but Danny was so focused on getting out of there that he didn't notice how little it affected Sam.

However, he didn't get far before she shouted. "Wait!"

He halted his flight and stared at her incredulously. "We need to move," he stated firmly.

She shook her head, her facial expression worried. "I promised Dr. Tanning we would get him out of there."

Danny turned, looking back at the warehouse. "Dr. Tanning is in there?"

At her nod, he cursed. "That's not a good idea, Sam. If we had been able to get out quietly, sure, but there's no way that wasn't heard."

Her glare gave him pause. "I'm not leaving him in there," she growled. Danny took a deep breath, letting it out quickly. She knew he was frustrated with her request, but she didn't care. "We're going back in," she stated firmly.

"Fine," he said tightly. "Any idea where he could b–wait a minute," he cut himself off. "When I was going through rooms to find you, I'm fairly certain I came across the room of someone who is clearly a doctor."

"Then let's go get him. But once we do, we need to get his son as well."

He looked at her like she'd grown a second head. "What are we, taking in strays now?"

She glared again. "He doesn't deserve to be in there, and his son doesn't deserve to die just because his dad escaped."

Danny was torn between being annoyed at her, and proud of her for sticking to her guns on this and wanting to save the only light he'd had for four years. With a resolute nod, he dove back into the building, quickly recounting his whereabouts. He could hear the telltale sounds of people getting up to see what was going and growled low in this throat.

Finally, he believed he found the right room. Someone was coming down the hall, about to turn the corner, so Danny dove right in without even looking.

He heard a gasp and looked up, relieved to see he'd been right. Dr. Tanning was sitting up in bed with an astonished look on his face. "Danny?" he asked in a quiet voice.

The ghost nodded and went over to him. "We're getting you out of here."

The doctor looked both happy and wary at the same time. "My son?"

"We'll get him, too, just like I promised," Sam told him. "Where is he?"

Dr. Tanning pushed up his glasses. "He actually lives in Amity. I was taken from here about the time Danny was years ago."

"Alright, let's go. We'll grab him when we get to Amity," Danny said. "Hold onto my shoulders, when we fly, I can make you weightless so you just need to hold on."

The doctor nodded, quietly getting out of bed, and grabbing his jacket from a hook on the wall. Danny then knelt down on one knee, keeping Sam in his arms. The doctor grabbed his shoulders, and when the ghost was sure he had a good hold, transferred his weightlessness to the doc. They then quickly phased through the roof and out over the shipping port.

Danny put on some speed to get them away from the port, not even looking back.

–

"Are you going to stop them?"

"No."

"Why?"

"All part of the plan."

"Really?"

Mira watched Danny leave with Sam and the doctor from the roof of the warehouse. "I may be insane, but I'm not stupid," she responded before turning to Ki Oh. She tapped her temple with an index finger. "I got my smarts from my mother."

Realization crossed his features. "You knew he was bluffing."

"Of course I did," she said incredulously. "He wouldn't come to me willingly like that, at least, not as composed as he was. If he was truly going to stay in order to save his human pet, he would've been devastated." She turned her attention back to the retreating ghost. "He's not that good an actor."

"But you let him take Sam," Ki Oh said, brows furrowed.

She nodded. "Again, part of the plan. But don't worry," she started, giving him a knowing look. "She'll be back."

"Willingly or unwillingly?"

"Willingly," she stated as if it were obvious. "I installed a failsafe. Trust me, she'll come running back."

–

10/22/2024: 3 days on this one. It's longer and so it took a little time. I have a short bit for the next chapter witten, about 3 pages. I wrote it a while ago so I could get my thoughts on paper.

My hopes are I can keep this up so I can update in short intervals (every 2-3 days). I can't guarantee that, though. It will slow down a bit if I get behind on chapters again. I posted chapter 10 last night.