11/26/24: Hello! You're in for a treat! I just finished a large chapter (27) in one day so…here's a present. Big news in this one.

Disclaimer: I do not own Danny Phantom.

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Chapter 25: Plan of Action

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Once again, Danny called his whole family to his place, and once again, it made everyone nervous. He had the twins on the floor on their playmats with Chase playing with his own toys next to them. Jazz and Tucker were on the loveseat keeping an eye on their son while Jack, Maddie and Vlad were on the couch. DJ was curled up against Danny's leg, occasionally licking Chase.

Skulker suddenly appeared, startling everyone, but they quickly calmed. The hunter nodded to Danny and stayed out of the way in the corner of the room.

There was surprise when there was a knock at the door, everyone but Danny looking around the room to be sure everyone was already there.

The young ghost stood and went over to answer it, smiling warmly and extending his arm for a handshake when Bruce and Dash said their hello's. The pair entered, exchanging pleasant greetings with everyone in the room. Danny grabbed two chairs from the dining room table and brought them in so everyone could sit, then he sat back down on the floor with the twins.

Bruce didn't take a seat just yet, however. His gaze was fixated on the two infants on the floor. He tentatively walked over to them and stared for a moment. "May I?" he asked, indicating he would like permission to kneel down and say hi.

The young ghost nodded. "Of course," he answered.

Bruce kneeled down, with some effort, and smiled down at the little ones. He looked them over, noting their hair and eye colors. "They look just like the two of you," he commented. "Are they half ghosts?" He asked, glancing at Danny.

The young man nodded. "Aurora, the one with the blue eyes, has already used her powers. Jackson hasn't yet; his core is still dormant."

Bruce nodded, unable to wipe the smile off his face. "I'm glad you two could reunite. It was my second greatest wish," he looked at Dash. "After seeing my family, of course."

Once the older man was done, his son helped him up and they took the chairs. Danny knew he couldn't stall any longer. He turned the TV on, increasing the volume enough that it should drown out what they were saying to outside ears, but low enough they could hear each other without shouting, and cleared his throat.

"I called all of you here to formulate a plan," he said.

"To get Sam back?" Tucker ventured.

Her brother nodded. "I have no idea how, so we need all our brains to come up with something." He sighed. "Also…I've been keeping something from you."

"I knew it!" Jazz exclaimed, pointing at him in victory.

He raised a brow and she quieted down with a blush.

"I'm lost," Dash said with a raised hand. "Where's Sam?"

"She was turned into a half ghost by the woman who is head of the organization who abducted me," Danny explained. "But something went wrong and now she's joined them and is trying to kill me."

Dash was quiet for a moment before, "Harsh, dude."

Dr. Tanning looked like he was deep in thought. "This is out of the ordinary for her, correct?"

Tucker shrugged. "She's always been violent, but no, wanting to kill Danny is not normal."

The doctor furrowed his brows, obviously mulling this information over, but remained quiet for now.

"So what were you hiding from us?" Jazz asked with a raised brow.

Her brother nearly rolled his eyes at her smug attitude and sighed. Best to get it over with. "Mira and I, for lack of a better term, did come to an 'agreement'."

Vlad pulled one side of his mouth. "Meaning?"

"She won't let Sam go, and she doesn't want me there because Shade wants me dead and Mira isn't ready for that yet," he licked his lips, concentrating on his kids and not the others in the room. "I am to go to her whenever she calls and do whatever she asks."

Jazz scoffed, as well as Jack. Dash exchanged a confused look with Tucker. Maddie cocked her head. "Or what?" she asked.

When Danny answered, his voice was so low the rest weren't sure they heard him correctly. "Or she kills the twins."

"WHAT?!" his sister exploded.

The rest exchanged deeply troubled and worried glances. "How did she find out about the twins?" his father asked.

Danny's sorrowful gaze met Jacks. "She has someone watching us, which is why I turned the TV on; to try and drown out our conversation. She says if I move them or disobey her, she'll send that halfa after Aurora and Jackson."

"Don't take this the wrong way, dude, but why risk telling us when it's your kids on the line?" Tucker asked, worry lacing his tone.

Danny's eyes met his. "Because I can't do what she's asked."

"And that is?"

"She wants me to kidnap and bring her Wulf so she can kill him and use his core to get his portal powers."

When Bruce visibly paled, Danny knew the doctor knew something. "What are they planning on doing with it?" he asked, his attention now on the balding man.

Bruce swallowed hard. "She uses the cores to create half ghosts. It's how Sam was created: with the core of a dragon ghost."

Danny's eyes widened and he looked over at Skulker, who mirrored his expression. "That means Dora's core was used to create Shade."

The hunter scowled now, visibly upset. "So they're dead then, all of them. Dozens of ghosts…gone," he growled.

"There's dozens of half ghosts?" Maddie asked.

"If they've used all the cores, then yes," Skulker answered.

"What do you plan to do?" Jazz inquired.

"We need to put a stop to it," Danny responded. "The problem is, come tomorrow when I don't deliver Wulf, Mira is going to send her man after my kids." He ran a gentle hand through the hair of each of his kids. "We need to figure out a way to move them and all of you without them finding out we've moved, or where. Then I need to get Sam."

Tucker handed his son a different toy to play with. "That's all well and good, but how do you plan to do that without her trying to turn you into a chalk outline?"

"That's why I asked Dr. Tanning to this meeting," Danny said, turning to the doctor. "Do you have any ideas?"

Bruce blinked when he realized all eyes in the room were on him and he cleared his throat in a nervous way. "I believe I know why Sam is acting the way she is."

The young ghosts' eyes brightened. "You do?!" he asked excitedly.

The doctor nodded. "Mira has a specific power: the power to essentially brainwash. She can make you believe pretty much anything she chooses. It can be as benign as a suggestion, or as severe as a complete personality overhaul."

"So, she's brainwashed Sam against Danny?" Jazz asked. At Bruce's nod she said to Danny: "It makes so much sense when you look at it that way. There's no other way she'd turn against you, no matter what you did."

"There's always a trigger," Bruce interjected. "Mira likely implanted the brainwashing when Sam was turned half ghost, but there had to have been a catalyst to turn her against you."

The doctor watched as Danny's cheeked tinged green. "I found out I did something in my past and then lied to Sam about it," he answered.

Bruce furrowed his brows in confusion. "That's….vague."

"He slept with Mira," Jazz interjected, pointedly ignoring her brother's sudden shocked glare.

"Jazz!" both he and Maddie admonished.

"Dude, you slept with the enemy?" Dash asked, looking horrified.

Danny winced. "Apparently so. I didn't remember until I had my first run in with Mira months back."

"That never happened."

All eyes turned to the doctor. "What do you mean?" Vlad asked when it seemed no one else had the voice to do so.

"Exactly what I said: it never happened. I should know, I was there." He turned his gaze to Danny. "Did she touch you in that first encounter?"

The young ghost nodded. "She cornered me and managed to kiss me before I shoved her off."

"It's her power, Danny. She implanted those memories with it. You never slept with her. You were so adamantly against it, and even if you hadn't been, the Headmaster never allowed it. It made Mira furious with her mother," Bruce explained.

Danny nearly screamed, forgetting they were supposed to be quieter than the TV. He threw his hands up, his hoot startling his kids who promptly started crying. "Oops," he said as he picked Aurora up. Jazz jumped in and took Jackson, but her grin was just as big as Danny's.

The shouting startled DJ as well, who jumped up and ran around from person to person, trying to figure out what was going on.

"You have no idea how much of a relief that is," Danny said, his large grin settled on Bruce.

Bruce smiled back softly. "I am glad. However, implanting memories and changing one's entire personality are two completely separate beasts. We won't be able to get through to her just by telling her she's brainwashed."

The young ghost turned serious. "What do I have to do?"

The doctor looked at Danny for a long moment. "That depends: how far are you willing to go to get her back?"

Danny was now nervous, feeling apprehension and unease seep into his limbs. He swallowed hard, trying to force down the sudden bile that threatened to rise. "I'd do anything," he answered softly.

Bruce stood, going over to the young man, only increasing Danny's worry. The doctor knelt down to get eye level with him so he could impart the seriousness of the situation. "Can you kill her?"

"What?" Danny asked breathlessly. "Of course not."

"The only way to get rid of the brainwashing is by doing a 'factory reset'. In layman's terms, she has to die."

There were gasps from most everyone in the room. Danny was absolutely sure all color drained from his face. Well, what color he had as a ghost. "I can't kill her," he said softly, but adamantly.

Bruce shook his head. "I'm not talking permanently. We need to stop her heart long enough for her brain activity to slow. Then we restart it. It's the only way to ensure Mira's power is gone."

Vlad stood, his face a mix of shock and anger. "Stopping her heart for that long could cause brain damage, and there's no guarantee it'll even restart after that long."

Bruce looked up at the ghost. "I know. But it's the only way. Otherwise, she won't stop until Danny is dead, and even then, she'll never be the Sam you knew."

"We can't do that; there has to be another way," Danny pleaded. He looked stricken when the doctor shook his head.

"There is no other way."

Danny felt as if the world stopped, like he'd been sucked into a void in which he could not escape. It was his worst nightmare all over again. "I can't…" he said quietly, barely loud enough for anyone else to hear. "Not again…I can't do it again…"

Jack and Maddie glanced at each other in confusion. Their son had refused to tell them about the time he'd killed Sam, Tucker and Jazz's clones thinking they were real. Because of that, his statement caught them off guard. All they knew was that Danny was starting to go into a panic attack.

Maddie quickly went to him and took his daughter to keep her safe, as his hold on her had gone slack in his shock and panic. Jack rubbed his back, telling him to take deep breaths, despite the fact that it likely wouldn't work on a ghost who didn't breathe.

Meanwhile, Jazz, Tucker and Vlad gave him sympathetic looks, understanding exactly why he was so upset. Dash was just as confused as the Fenton's.

Bruce, ever level headed, reached out with a hand and grasped the young man's shoulder. "This isn't like before, Danny. We're doing this with the intention of saving her, with the intention of reviving her."

Danny's grief-stricken eyes met the doctors. "Even if we revive her, if she's got brain damage…it could be as good as killing her anyway."

The doctor took a deep breath, letting it out slowly, tilting his head in thought. Finally, "What about what Sam wants?"

"What?" the young man asked, confused.

"You told me about your encounter with her when you called me–when you knocked her out and she was Sam again. She begged you to stop her–to kill her–so she couldn't hurt you. Despite the dangers, don't you think this is what she would want? Do you think she'd want to be suppressed and forced to be Shade the rest of her life?"

"I don't think–"

"He's right." Danny looked over at Tucker, stunned. The dark-skinned man glanced at Jazz, who nodded at him, and continued, eyes going back to his friend. "Remember when we found out about the situation before and none of us blamed you? This is the same thing. I know I would want you to do everything in your power to stop me, even if I meant I didn't come back from it. I know for a fact Sam feels the same way."

Danny wanted to be angry, to rail against his friend's reasoning, to scream and shout that this was wrong and they shouldn't even be considering it. But then his gaze landed on his son in Jazz's arms before turning to his daughter in his mother's arms. At the very least, shouldn't he give them a chance to have their mother?

The room was silent for several minutes as everyone let Danny think and come to his own conclusion now. Dash was still hopelessly confused, and Vlad, while understanding, was still not fully on board. He kept quiet, however, as despite his reservations, he knew this was likely their only chance.

Slowly, they saw as Danny's resolve changed and hardened, as his back straightened, as the look in his eyes changed from panic to determination. Finally, his gaze met Bruce's and he nodded, still pained, but on board. The doctor gave him a small smile and nodded before he stood and returned to his seat.

"Now we need to figure out what to do with the twins. Mira will send someone after them once my deadline to deliver Wulf is up," Danny said, switching topics.

"When is it up?" Jazz asked.

"Tomorrow."

"That's not much time," Dash commented.

"The Ghost Zone," Skulker said suddenly. "Unless Mira has an access we don't know about, they should be safe there."

Danny looked uncertain. "I thought of that myself. I hate that answer, but I think it's the only viable one we have."

Maddie scrunched her brow in concern. "Are you sure? She's managed to get the ghost's from there and we don't know how." she said, pulling Aurora a little closer to her chest protectively.

Her son nodded, reaching over and lightly brushing his daughter's cheek. "I don't know if he'll help, but I want to take them to Clockwork. He has the power and the means to hide them in ways others can't."

The hunter hummed. "He tends to stay out of situations. I would suggest you have a back up."

Danny sighed. "I thought of that, too, and I think, aside from Clockwork, the best option would be Frostbite at the Far Frozen. Jackson might be a little pissed off at the cold, but they should be well protected there."

Skulker hummed again, this time a slightly different tone to show his agreement. "Well chosen."

"I guess now the question is: how do we get them to the Ghost Zone if we're being watched?" Jack asked, curious.

"The hardest way to track is teleportation," Vlad supplied.

The young ghost nodded. "It's not my favorite option, as they're so young and it's rough on beings that need to breathe, but I think it's the only option."

"So, you teleport them to our house and use the portal to access the Ghost Zone," Maddie stated, summing up that part of the plan.

"Everyone else, except for Vlad and Skulker, should go with them in the Specter Speeder," Danny added.

He wasn't prepared for all the objections at once. He held his hand up, but it didn't stop the arguing, so he sent out a light blast of energy from his core; not enough to do any kind of damage, but enough to command attention. Everyone, including his kids and DJ, were staring at him now. He surprised them when, instead of him instantly pushing back, he said: "State your objections."

Dr. Tanning went first. "I'm a doctor, you'll need me there in case anything goes wrong."

Danny glanced at Vlad who nodded. "I may have some knowledge in the area, but his expertise would be wise." The young ghost nodded his agreement.

His parents went next. "We're the resident ghost hunters," Jack said. "They may only be half ghost, but what if they send more than you can handle?"

"Exactly," Maddie chimed in. "And we did really well against the human enemies when the Headmaster showed up."

"Also, you said it yourself: we're family and so is Sam. We want to be there to help," Jazz added, hand reaching out and grabbing Tucker's in solidarity.

Danny sighed, before looking at Dash, who was the only one who had remained quiet. "What about you? You said you wanted to stay out of the ghost stuff."

Dash shrugged. "I'm not really sure what I'm doing, but if my dad's involved, I want to be there. I just got him back, so I want to keep him safe."

The young ghost knew he was outnumbered and he was beginning to realize that he couldn't force his will on them. He was slowly coming out of the solo mindset he'd had when in the service of the Headmaster and was learning to accept help. Finally, he nodded.

Maddie reached out and squeezed his shoulder, giving him an encouraging smile. She was proud of him.

Her son, calmer now, reached out for his daughter and placed her back on the play mat, Jazz doing the same with Jackson. The infants wiggled around and cooed at each other once they realized their twin was next to them. Danny smiled down at them. "Vlad and Dr. Tanning," he started, looking up and glancing between them. "Can you two come up with a way to 'reset' Sam?" He refused to use any word associated with 'kill'.

At their nod, his gaze returned to his kids. "I'll head into the Ghost Zone tonight and see if I can get Clockwork's aid–or Frostbite's if he refuses. That shouldn't raise suspicion since I'm supposed to be going after Wulf. The rest of you prepare in any way you can think of. We're likely to have some angry half ghosts thrown at us when I don't deliver."

He looked up and glanced at everyone. "When we reach the deadline, I'll teleport with the twins and head to the Zone. Then I'll come back and we'll wait for Mira."

–

Danny was on his way to Clockwork's tower. His face was set in determination, fists clenching and unclenching in nervousness. The time ghost likely knew Danny was on his way, and the young man could only hope he would listen and help.

After half an hour the tower came into view and Danny felt his core pulse quicken in anticipation. He hadn't seen the ghost since he pleaded with him years ago to take him home, and even though he understood why Clockwork had told him no, it still left a bad taste in his mouth.

He slowed as he approached, unsure if he would be welcome, but then set his jaw and continued. Despite his refusal to help Danny, Clockwork was still his pseudo guardian.

Danny entered the tower and navigated to the main area where he'd delved into the screens before. It was empty, but he knew Clockwork was in the tower; he could feel the time ghost's signature.

Sure enough, moments later, a clock appeared in the air before it disappeared, revealing Clockwork in his child form. "Phantom," he said in a way of greeting.

Danny nodded. "Clockwork." He felt awkward now. He never had before in front of his guardian, but he felt almost like the dynamic had changed since their last conversation.

The time ghost remained silent even though he must have known why Danny had come.

The young ghost cleared his throat. "You must know what's going on. I-I…" he licked his lips. "I need to keep my kids safe. They're what matters and I need your help to do it. Please…I'll beg if I have to. I'll–"

"Yes."

"-get on my knees and-wait, what?" Danny stalled as Clockwork's answer registered.

"I said yes," the time ghost repeated.

Danny stood, looking like he couldn't believe what he just heard. "But why?"

Clockwork tilted his head and changed from his child form into an old man. "I just agreed to what you wanted and you ask why? Should I take it back?"

"No!" Danny said quickly, hands up. "I just…after our last conversation I'm surprised you agreed to it, especially so easily."

Clockwork went over to a screen and waved his staff. A video came up of Danny and Maddie talking.

Maddie brushed his bangs from his eyes. "Sounds like he means it was meant to be."

Her son practically growled, the deep tone reverberating in his chest. "But how? How can all this be 'meant to be'?"

His mother rubbed his back in soft soothing circles. "I may have phrased that wrong. Instead of 'meant to be', maybe it means…'not broken'?"

The half ghost turned to stare at her with a raised brow. She sighed. "What I mean is people go through things like this all the time; horrible things. Children are abused and die young, women are kidnapped and sold, good people are murdered. There's no 'do-over' for them. Giving you one wouldn't be fair in the grand scheme of things, no matter how much we want that."

Danny got a far away look as he turned that over in his mind. "To give one a second chance, he'd have to give everyone a second chance."

"Exactly," she said. "He gave you one second chance probably because your other self destroyed the world. This…while extremely awful in its own right, isn't world ending."

"Your mother is a very wise woman," Clockwork commented when the video ended before turning to Danny. "There are times and reasons for which I cannot interfere. But as you've said, the half ghosts are not natural. Their existence warps the time field and skews the flow. They must be stopped and eliminated. Because of that, I will intervene."

A thought crossed Danny's mind and it made him feel numb. "And Sam? She's one of them. What you're saying is that I need to eliminate them…but you can't ask me to kill her."

The time ghost shifted to a younger form and he looked at Danny with sympathy and understanding. "What happens with her I cannot say because I do not know; I cannot see the future of any of those half ghosts. All I can say is that you must eliminate those who seek to harm. Once that is done, we can converse further."

Danny nodded. "But you'll take the twins?"

Clockwork gave him a rare smile. "Bring them here. No harm will come to them, I promise you that."

The young ghost couldn't help it and he flew forward, hugging the time ghost tight, tears in his eyes. "Thank you," he said softly.

Clockwork uncharacteristically put a hand on the young man's back and patted him. "No matter what I may have to do, never doubt that I care for you."

Danny chuckled, pulling away. "I know, fate of the world and all that."

Clockwork nodded. "Now, bring me those babies. I've been dying to meet them."

–

The next day Sam was bored and watching out her window. Ki-oh had come and gone and now she was just waiting for when she was tired so she could sleep.

She sighed, watching the clouds roll by and wondering how cold it was outside. She reached forward with her index finger and lightly pressed it to the window pane, judging it to be quite cold if the freezing glass was anything to go by. The clouds above indicated it may snow soon, a telling sign that they may get a white Christmas.

Speaking of Christmas, tomorrow was the day before Christmas Eve. Her heart clenched when she thought of her kids. Had Danny gotten them gifts? Would their eyes light up at seeing new toys? Were they smiling yet? It killed her to think she was going to miss their first Christmas.

Danny would come for her, wouldn't he? He'd swoop in like Superman and save her like he always did, right? He was just late…he was out saving the day somewhere else right now, that's all.

She sighed again, realizing it was becoming a habit, before she startled when the door abruptly opened. Her surprise turned into a glare when Mira entered. "Didn't anyone ever teach you to knock?" she asked in a huff before she noticed the serious look on Mira's face. "What is it?"

The slim woman scowled. "Get ready to go. Your boyfriend missed his deadline and now he needs to learn a lesson."

–

11/28/24: Finished Thanksgiving!

Crap hits the fan next chapter.