Hi! I don't know why, but for some reason my chapters keep getting shorter :S Anyways, I hope you guys enjoy this one! And just for fun, I wanna know your predictions :D Let me know what you think is going to happen after this chapter; see endnote for more details.

Happy reading!

Decisions, Decisions

"What do you mean she knows about your powers?" Tucker cried, almost knocking my microwave off the counter. Tucker had come over awhile ago after receiving my text message, but he had needed a moment alone with me to come to terms with the fact that Sam knew about Phantom.

"Tucker," I said exasperatedly. "That's not the point! I've lost my powers here! Vlad could be out planning the destruction of the planet and we're just sitting here- we need to do something."

Pouting, he answered, "Fine. But when I said she was cute I didn't mean that you should go blab all your secrets to her!"

I sighed in frustration."Yeah, okay Tucker. Look, will you just come back to the living room with me?" He followed me out where Sam was sitting patiently and waiting for us.

"Everything all sorted out?" she asked. I nodded as Tucker and I took a seat.

"So, what are we going to do about this?" Sam asked.

"I'm usually the one who starts the ghost meetings around here…" Tucker muttered. I shot him a look that said, Would you just be quiet?

"We probably need to go to the Ghost Zone and stop this Plasmius," Sam said. "While I was with him, I was staying in a castle in what he called the Ghost Zone's underworld…"

"The Ghost Zone's underworld?" I frowned. I'd never heard of that before. Unless…Tucker and I exchanged glances as we simultaneously realized, "Pariah's Castle!"

"Yeah!" Sam said, snapping her fingers. "That's what he called it."

"Okay, well if we're going to stage an attack against Vlad, we need to have a plan," Tucker said. "Danny, give me your phone." I handed him my blackberry. He opened the Ghost Zone application and started pushing buttons. I looked over his shoulder. "What are you doing?" I asked.

"I'm trying to map out Pariah's Castle and pinpoint it on the general Ghost Map," he answered, still vigorously pressing buttons, his fingers moving at the speed of light. Finally, he cried, "Got it! I've located the Castle on the map and I outlined the way to get there."

"Nice one, Tuck!" I said, giving him a high-five. "Now, if we can just get this portal to appear…"

"I'm on it!" Tucker began pressing buttons again.

"Um, Danny," Sam started, "What exactly do you plan on doing? After all, what can you do to him without your powers?"

"Good point," I answered. "Against Vlad's powers and my own, I won't be able to do much."

Tucker, who was still typing furiously on my phone, said, "I think maybe this needs to be an inside job."

I was about to protest- I knew what Tucker meant by an 'inside job'- but I stopped my objection as I realized Tucker had been fiddling with my phone for an awfully long time, "Tuck? Are you still working on the Ghost Zone application?"

Tucker grinned sheepishly, "Oh…no I'm done," he said apologetically. "I was just playing solitaire…"

I sighed. "Anyways," Tucker said as he gave back my phone, "You need to infiltrate the perimeters and steal your powers back."

"That's right," said Sam. "He kept muttering that if you agreed to join him, he'd drop his 'plan'. I guess now we know what his stupid plan was. Maybe if you 'join' him, he'll give you your powers back..."

I groaned, sounding a lot like a little kid who didn't want to do his homework.

"Come on, man," Tucker tried to persuade me. "This is the only way. Just get all buddy-buddy with Vlad. Make him feel like he's your father. Then, once you've won him over, find out where he's storing your powers and find a way to get them back."

"But, how do I know hasn't already combined my powers with his own? How do I know they're still being stored?"

"You don't, dude. But this is the only way."

I glanced at Sam. "He's right," she agreed.

"Look," Tucker maintained, "We'll keep in contact with you the whole time. Just like in high school; with the Fenton Phones and the Fenton RV. Remember?"

"Yeah," I argued tersely, "but it's not like high school! Tuck, I have a job; I have responsibilities! I can't just leave my home for who-knows-how-long to go be Vlad's son-,"

"Danny!" he yelled, interrupting me, "You don't get it, do you? You think this is just about getting your powers back, don't you? Because it isn't!"

"What are you talki-,"

"Danny," he said, taking a deep breath to calm himself, "When you went in your parents' portal, you DNA was changed. You were no longer a complete human."

"Yeah," I said, "I became a human with ghost powers."

"But that's just it!" Tucker pointed out, "You didn't become a human with ghost powers. Your DNA was altered. You lost half your humanity and it was replaced by a ghost half. If you lose that ghost half, then you'll be losing half your DNA, Danny. You can't live with only fifty percent of your genetic material. It's only a matter of time before you…you know…" he trailed off, less snappish now.

"Before I die," I said quietly, finishing Tucker's sentence.

He looked down at the floor. Sam's expression was one of utter horror. I dropped back into my seat. A few moments of silence passed.

"Then, I guess it's the only way," I concluded.

Tucker patted me on the back. "Hey, we'll figure it out, okay?" he promised.

Sam smiled as she gave me her hand. "It's going to be fine," she concurred.

Tucker rose and went to my room. When he returned, his arms were filled with ghost gadgets he'd no doubt gotten from the back of my closet, where I kept my weapons. He dropped them onto the table.

"Okay," he sighed, "We're going to need you to pack a bag and hide some weapons in it in case you need to defend yourself." He put aside the Fenton Ghost Peeler and the Ecto-blaster for this purpose. "These are the Fenton Phones," he continued, picking up three pairs of green earphones. He handed one to me, one to Sam and kept one for himself. "We can use these to communicate."

Still somewhat dazed, I said. "I guess I ought to go pack a bag." I made my way to my room while Tucker explained to Sam how to use the Fenton Phones. Once in my room, I pulled out my duffel bag and threw in a bunch of clothes and other necessary articles. I changed into some jeans and a t-shirt (I noticed I was still in my pyjamas) and headed back for the living room, where Tucker handed me some weapons to hide in my bag.

"Danny, I think we should keep your phone. Vlad already knows that it's a portal," Tucker explained to Sam, "And if he sees it, he's sure to try to get it away from him."

"I dunno…" I said uneasily.

"We can help guide you through the Zone. And since we'll be in constant communication, we'll be able to open up the Ghost Portal whenever you need it," Sam said.

I agreed. Finally, we had decided on the plan. Tucker would activate the Ghost Portal through my phone and I'd go in. Then, through the Fenton Phones, he and Sam would direct me to Pariah's Castle, aka Vlad's place. Then, once I gained Vlad's trust, I would find out if he was still storing my powers. If so, I'd just need to get them back. If he'd already combined them with his own, I'd use the Handheld Fenton Ghost Catcher to get them back.

I rubbed my hands together, and with a tone of finality, said, "Well, I guess this is it."

"Alright," Tucker said, "You ready?"

I nodded. He pointed the phone in front of him and pressed a few buttons, opening the hologram portal before us. With a deep breath, I bid them farewell and entered the Zone.

The last thing I heard before disappearing was, 'please be safe'…

Okay, so its kinda obvious Danny's going to Vlad's ;) But I mean, what do you think will happen when he gets there? How will Vlad receive him? Will he get his powers back? Let me know!