Okay, so who else was thoroughly pissed about Phantom Planet? *raises hand*

Warning: Nimrod is about to rant.

In my opinion, Phantom Planet is completely ridiculous. Danny Phantom, while regrettably a children's show, is not cliche and the whole finale was nothing but one giant cliche. Seriously? An asteroid? And Vlad. Oh Lordie, Vlad. He is not an idiot, and Vlad was a complete moron in Phantom Planet. Why is world domination even one of his goals? It was all about getting into Dan-er, Maddie's pants for the first two seasons! Then BOOM. New writer, new Vlad. Makes me simmer. He turned flat, cliche, and boring all in the span of one hour and Nimrod cried. And Danny. Has anyone else noticed how ridiculously emotional he's gotten as the episodes have progressed? There's no development! No growth! He's even more impulsive than he was in the first episodes. Come on! Getting rid of his ghost powers? Is he mad? He's had them for ages, he shouldn't still suck at them! It's like he's slowly turning into a whiny, emotional, little girl. ...and while I like Danny as a girl, I don't like him as a whiny emotional one! (And we're not even going to talk about friggin Sam. *explodes* Stupid canon...)

So maybe the fact that I'm actually complaining about this is a little sad, but that's okay, I can live with that. What I can't live with is a stupid Vlad and a stupider Danny. So I made this. :D

The only way Vlad would ever reveal his identity and place his entire life on that kind of gamble is if he were absolutely sure he would win. Then, he'd have even more back up plans to make sure he couldn't possible loose after he's won. And he wouldn't just want a bunch of cash, he's already got all that! So if he's going to reveal his secret to the world, demand a-bazillion more dollars, and gain ultimate control of the earth, he's gotta be missing a few screws.

And if he's gonna be insanse then by god he's gonna be throughly insane. Pompous Pep! Ha! Take that canon!

REBEL!!!

*is shot by Butch Hartman*

If you ignored my rant, here's a few things to know.

-Vlad won

-Danny still has his ghost powers

There's a significantly different feel in the air when you wake up and your arch enemy rules the world. The sun isn't nearly as bright and the utter silence of everything around you seems to press on your already chaotic brain. Then there's this vast blank of nothingness when you look to the future because it's so bleak you don't even want to think about it.

That's pretty much what happened to me when I woke up on that wet, Monday morning after the whole Disasteroid incident. My eyes snapped open with an unmistakable weight in my stomach, the nightmares plaguing my dreams all night becoming real as I gazed out my window into the cloudy sky. I honestly didn't know what to do. Should I get dressed like normal? Go to school and sit in class like nothings different? Should I still fight ghosts, or fly to school, or even go have a normal breakfast?

Eventually I did get dressed, though the complete silence of the house continued to send unnerving chills down my spine. I wore my usual clothes, jeans and a T-shirt. I got my school books together like normal, haphazardly ran a brush through my hair like normal, and even scrounged around for my elusive math homework like normal. Other than the pit of dread in my stomach and the pressing silence, everything was...normal.

Except Dad still wasn't home.

He had flown Vlad up into space so the older hybrid could turn the Disasteroid intangible. I remember guiltily hoping Vlad wouldn't be able to do it, praying that the Disasteroid would remain solid as I watched one of the many TV's televising the whole event. Of course, Vlad was easily able to turn the hunk of rock intangible. I couldn't help but feel impressed and even a little envious of his skill. If only I was as strong as him, then I could have saved the Earth and we wouldn't be screwed over in his whole worldwide domination scheme. We'd all be free, and Dad would be home.

I left my school books on my desk and gave up trying to find my homework. Today was not a normal day, and I wasn't going to go to school like normal either. Quietly, I closed my bedroom door and made my way downstairs. The sullen air was heavy on my shoulders as I ambled into the kitchen to find Mom already awake. She was sitting at the kitchen table with a far away look in her eyes, a cup of cold coffee in front of her.

"Mom?" I whispered after five solid minutes of silence.

"Oh! Danny!" she jumped, coming out of her far away thoughts to give me a startled look, "I didn't realize you were standing there."

I didn't reply, staring at the dark bags under her eyes and taking in her already thin form. Without a word, I pushed a chair right next to hers and sat down, laying my head on her shoulder. Maybe it was really childish of me, but I needed her right now, and I got the feeling that she needed me too. It was starting to hit me that this was way bigger than anything I've ever had to deal with.

"Oh Danny..." she whispered, the sadness returning to her voice as she ran her fingers through my hair.

"When did the ship land?" I managed to ask, hating how weak my voice sounded. And I was supposed to be the strong one.

"...fourteen hours ago."

"Shouldn't he be home by now?" I whispered, knowing my pointless questions were doing nothing but causing pain, but needing to voice them anyways. I was so scared that Vlad had already...

"It's okay Sweetie," My mother began, pulling up an impressively strong voice as she kissed my forehead, "I'm sure you're father will be here soon."

I just wrapped my arms around her, hugging her tightly. It's been a long time since I needed to do that. She hugged me back, her smaller arms encircleing around me protectively. It was nice. Then light footsteps shuffled into the kitchen, and even though we both knew there was noway they could belong to Dad's, we broke apart and looked up expectantly.

"I'm guessing he's still not home?" Jazz asked from the doorway, a hand fiddling nervously with her necklace.

Our lack of answer was answer enough, and she sighed heavily before coming to sit on Mom's other side, staring at the plain table. I don't know how long we sat there, the morning sun slowly rising as we waited in the dead silence. Erratic thoughts of every kind plagued my head. There were a million and one things to worry about with Vlad in charge. They only thoughts I wouldn't let my brain stray to were the ones where Dad's already been... It doesn't matter, I refused to believe it. I had plenty of other things to worry about. Definitely a lot more than anyone else, and my worries were, in some cases, slightly more disastrous too.

Such as, should I tell Mom and Dad about my ghost half? They've just been forced to come to terms with the fact that their ex-best friend is half ghost, a fact which in and of itself is unbelievable and astounding. Not to mention he's also a twisted, manipulative, evil master mind bent on world domination and other various pursuits which spell out doom for the Fenton family. How would they deal with the added weight of their own son being half ghost too? Do they think it was the ghost half that drove Vlad to his villainous self and assume mine would do the same? Would they automatically hate me because to only other half ghost is a cruel, world dominating jerk?

Part of me knew I was being irrational. After all, they are my parents. I'm sure they wouldn't compare me to Vlad just cause I'm half ghost too. But with everything going on and with so many new uncertainties hanging over my head, I couldn't help but be a little worried. However, as scared as I was of their reactions, I knew there wasn't anyway for me to put it off much longer. With Vlad ruling the Earth and having a personal vendetta against me, it's only a matter of time until my secret gets blown. Honestly, I'd rather my parents hear it from me than Vlad's gloating, self-righteous face.

And speaking of Vlad, what's he going to do now? He has the world at his finger tips, and the worst part is, that statement is completely literal. Besides having enough money to bribe every defiant country into silence or allegiance, he has the power to completely obliterate all the countries and people who don't bow their heads and accept this new turn of history. He could nuke China if he wanted to, eradicate Canada, blow up the White House. Everything is under his control.

And that includes me and my family. He's got my Dad all set up for the noose, my Mom in holy matrimony, and me six feet under. But knowing that power hungry fruitloop he'll toy with us for a while before going through with anything. That's how I know my Dad isn't... He just can't be. If he was, then I would be too, and Mom would be locked away in Vlad's castle while Jazz would be god knows where. So maybe Vlad won't go through with his plans immediately, maybe he'll just gloat for a while about how he finally has complete control. I suppose it doesn't really matter in the long run though. Eventually, he will go through with his plans, and by then, no one will be left to stop him.

My eyes hardened, anger suddenly flaring up at my own hopeless thoughts. I couldn't let him get away with this. Sam would be furious if she knew I was just sitting here and doing nothing. I couldn't wait for him to bust through that front door and do whatever he wants to us. I still have the power to save my family and friends; I can still protect them!

But, first things first...

"Mom, there's something you should know about me." I whispered quietly, breaking the cold silence of the kitchen. Jazz slowly lifted her head up, giving me a wide, disbelieving stare.

"What is it sweetheart?"

"...You know how Vlad got his powers? With the whole proto-portal incident where he got blasted in the face with all that pure ectoplasm stuff?"

"Yes." she answered slowly.

I opened my mouth to continue, but my voice was stuck, butterflies churning my stomach. It turns out I wasn't very good at this. My throat started getting all dry, brain running in circles. I didn't know how to tell her, I didn't know what to say. I took a deep breathe, changing tactics and trying to ignore the fear clawing at my tongue.

"I knew Vlad was half ghost."

"You what!" she gasped, staring at me with wide eyes. "Since when?"

"Since the reunion incident. I, uh, discovered it after he locked me in his lab and tried to get me to renounce Dad."

She was speechless, staring at me with horror as the beginnings of fury were starting to make it's way into her eyes.

"The stupid fruit loop has spent the last two years trying to get me to become is 'son.'" I frowned in disgust, glaring at the floor.

"That's why you've always hated him so much... Oh, Danny, I can't believe I was so blind to that sick..." she was finally able to mutter, the fury quickly becoming more apparent when she clenched her fists tightly.

"Uh, that's not the only reason." I swallowed.

She waited for me to go on, though obviously nervous about what else I was going to reveal to her.

"There's, um, a specific reason he wants me as is son." I swallowed again, running a hand through my hair nervously.

"Danny, are you okay?" she asked, resting a hand on my back worriedly.

"Do you remember the ghost portal incident a few years back? The one where I got blasted with all that pure ectoplasm stuff?" I asked quietly, and her hand stilled. I looked up into her eyes guiltily, watching as a dawning disbelief slowly started to appear on her face.

And then the door burst open.

Instantly, everything was dropped. Mom hovered for barely a minute to glance back at me before rushing into the living room, Jazz and I hot on her heels. Our hearts were racing, my legs felt like jelly from both the anticipation and my conversion with Mom. However, just as quickly as we all sprung into action, we froze when we saw Dad leaning against the door frame, purple bruises covering half his face and blood dripping from open cuts in his dirtied jumpsuit suit.

"Oh Jack!" Mom cracked, her voice boarding on an agonized sob as she rushed at him.

Dad almost fell against her, limping the rest of the way in the door and locking it behind him before he wrapped her up in a tight hug. I was numb, for some reason shocked that Vlad would hurt my defenseless father like this. I barely felt Jazz grab my arm for support. But the numb was slowly starting to melt as yet more anger for Vlad was added to the boiling pot.

"W-where's Danny?!" My Dad suddenly said, his voice wild and he looked all around.

"Jack? He's right here." Mom croaked, wiping an eye as she gestured to me in confusion? "Why? What's wrong, Honey?" I got a bad feeling in the pit of my stomach. ...again.

"Vlad...he...he's gone crazy! He said things, he said he'd becoming for-I thought it would be... but then he...he-" Dad gapped, holding his shaking head and blinking rapidly. I could only stare in slight shock; I've never seen him like this.

"Here, sit down sweetie. There you go, it's alright now, everyone's here and no one's getting taken away. It's okay now. Relax on this pillow Jack. Thank you Jazz, here have some water, hon..."

I slowly ambled into the room on stiff legs as Mom fluttered around Dad, petting his matted hair and whispering to him softly. What had Vlad said to make Dad so scared like this? He didn't tell him my secret, did he?

"Mads. We need to lock up the house." He gasped, draining the cup. "He's coming."

"Right now?!"

"I-I don't know when. He said soon, but that could be now or, or five minutes from now or...We gotta protect the kids, Maddie. Where's all the weapons?"

"In the vault-no, don't you move Jack Fenton. Danny'll get them. Jazz! I need the first aid!"

"No!" Dad said, his voice wild again. "No, don't let Danny out of my sight!"

I couldn't take it anymore. With purposeful strides I was at the couch in seconds, looking Dad right in the eye as he gazed up at me in relief.

"Dad. What did Vlad say to you?" I said in a gentle, but stern tone, authority in my voice that I usually saved for Phantom.

"He said...He said he was going to take you away," Dad whispered quietly, all childish humor gone from his face and despair clouding his eyes as they glassed over, "He said I was never going to see you again..."

Silence rang in the house, the finality in his quote sending chills up my own spine. Mom had her hands over her mouth, eyes shining just a little to bright. I looked up at Jazz, meeting her pale, stricken face and swallowing thickly as I looked back to my Dad.

"It's okay Dad. I can fight him. He's not going to get me, I promise."

"Danny?" Mom whispered, brows furrowed in sheer shock and confusion at my words. "You can...fight him?"

But before I could answer I felt my entire body go cold, that familiar sense filling me with dread as my breathe misted unnaturally in front of me.

"Oh no..." I breathed, the blue fog dissipating as I glanced out the windows at the dark, thunderous sky.

Something was coming, and I don't mean just Vlad. There was a lot more than just one.

"Jazz! Go grab a thermos!" I yelled, leaping over the couch and rushing to punch the hidden red button that would release the ghost shield.

Jazz's running foot steps were gone, returning just as fast with a first aid kit, two Jack-o-nine tails and a thermos. I slammed my hand on the button, ignoring her shouts of "What's happening?" as the house started rumbling.

I looked back to see Mom in a defensive stance, ignoring her lack off information in favor of protecting her family. Jazz was quickly moping up a few Dad's more extreme injuries, her speed and talent with the first air speaking clear of the practice she's had with me.

The green glow of the shield cast an unnatural glow in the house, but I felt a bit of the fear wane as its comforting protection wrapped around the house. Granted, it wouldn't do squat for Vlad, but there was more than just Vlad coming, and hopefully the shield would stop whatever else was on its way.

"Dad, did you see any other ghosts with Vlad? Any kind of minions or lackeys or something?" I asked, keeping a trained eye on the dark windows. I'd never know it was late morning with how ugly the clouds were.

He didn't answer, and I looked back to see him forcing himself up, a determined fire in his eyes.

"No one hurts Jack Fenton's family!" he grunted, gritting his teeth as he limped his way in front of us.

"Jack! No! Your already wound-" But Mom's protesting was halted when a thunderous explosion sounded from the top of the house and all the lights flickered threateningly.

Bit's of the Op-Center fell to the ground outside the window and I felt my gaping fear return when the ghost shield flickered and died. Cackling laughter, the kind so familiar in the ghost zone, echoed all around us and seemed to suck all the life out of the air. I saw Mom, Dad, and Jazz unconsciously shrink in on themselves a bit from the feeling of death, though their fighting stances remained strong. Being a little dead myself, I didn't feel the same biting cold chill as they did, but I still felt the fear. Everything was falling apart so fast that I was barely holding a grip on it. I looked around in all directions, hoping to pin point where the laughing was coming from, but it was everywhere. I couldn't-

The door busted open for a second time that day, actually breaking off the hinges and hanging lopsided against the wall. All the laughing and roaring came to a climactic high as none other than 'King' Plasmius walked in, looking quiet proud of himself as he surveyed our huddling forms. I felt my blood boil just looking at him, my ghost half itching to punch that smug grin right off his face.

"If it isn't the Fenton's." He began slowly, as though he hadn't spent the past twenty odd years of his life stalking and watching us. I noticed the ghostly cackling died down and the air seemed to go flat, waiting for something.

"What are you doing here?" Mom snapped venomously, glaring daggers at him. I was impressed with her bravery, cause Plasmius was looking pretty intimidating tonight. Not that it changed the fact that I had every intention of beating him into the ground, but to a small woman like my mom (even though she's probably ten times more deadly than I'll ever be) he looked pretty frightening.

I felt one of Dad's arms silently move in front of me, protectively, his cold eyes never leaving Vlad's nonchalant form. Vlad didn't miss the subtle action and rose an eye brow in amusement, meeting my eyes for a moment and smirking in a way that was definitely not good for my health.

"Jack seems to know why I'm here. Let's not bother with the obligatory fight and just do this the easy way, shall we?" I wasn't sure if he was talking to me or my parents.

"Get out. You're not going to lay a hand on my family." Dad said dangerously, the threat clear in his voice.

"Am I?"

Through the busted door, a dozen or more ghosts filed in, each formless goon looking as brainless as the next. The foul creatures were armed with primitive, but sharp weapons, brandishing them threateningly whenever one of us would move. Eyeing them suspiciously, I watched as they formed a wall around the living room, blocking us in from all sides. Well crap.

"You didn't think I'd plan to take over the world with nothing to back me up, did you?" he laughed, noticing our stunned faces. "I almost feel insulted."

"Where did these ghost's come from Plasmius?" I muttered, not recognizing a single one. The Ghost Zone was big, but I could even feel it, these ghost were...different.

"Yes Daniel, you are correct. They didn't exactly come from the ghost zone. I created them myself, using the foundation of lost, wandering souls and building up countless ghoulish bodies to render them under my complete control. Unlike idiotic minions or stubborn apprentices," he glared at me pointedly, "They don't have minds of their own and thus make the perfect army."

Mom glanced between Vlad and me suspiciously, not missing the exchanged glare. I didn't take my eyes off Vlad, frowning more deeply at his loose tongue.

"No banter? You must be truly frightened, my boy."

"Leave my son alone you monster!" Dad yelled, standing in front of me and halting our challenged glares.

Vlad snapped his eyes up at Did in irritation.

"I thought I told you to stay out of my way, Jack. You should be thankful I let you return home at all. Now step aside."

He didn't move and Mom stood in front of Dad, Jazz right beside her with guns charged and eyes blazing. I watched as my family stood in front of me selflessly, a silent message that spoke louder than words. I can't describe how wonderful it was, knowing I had so many people who would protect me instead of the other way around for once. But I also had a duty, and I knew there was no way they would stand a chance against Vlad. Hell, I barely stood a chance against Vlad. I couldn't let them lay their lives on the line when I knew how dangerous it really was, especially when I had the power to protect myself to begin with.

"Stubbornness is a quality not lost on any of you, is it?' Vlad said dryly, sighing dramatically, "Alright then, the hard way it is."

Acting on some unseen que, all the ghosts around us suddenly converged. I looked around in surprise, having almost forgotten about their silent figures. Immediately, they started grabbing at my family, pulling them apart and dragging them away from each other. We all jumped into action, firing shots and throwing punches so fast we didn't know who was doing what. But more and more ghosts kept coming, like some never ending magic trick. We'd blast one out of existence and three more would be there to take its spot.

"Get away from me you filthy ghosts!" My mom yelled, kicking one in the face when her gun was knocked away.

"Maddie!" Dad yelled, fighting his way to her despite his injuries. However, the ghosts multiplied again, dragging him away, holding me down, and pressing my Mom and Sister against the wall.

"Dammit." I grunted, risking a small ectoblast to one of the goons and kicking the rest away. But by the time I was up, I was the only one left. Mom, Dad, and Jazz were all lined up, trapped against their own personal goon and struggling against their tight embrace. I was just about to kick a few in the teeth when someone started giving me slow measured claps, making me cringe.

"Bravo, Daniel." Vlad said mockingly, "You're really excellent at this hero business, aren't you?"

I grit my teeth, slowly turning around to face the inevitable confrontation.

"What do you want, Vlad?" I asked flippantly, hoping he couldn't sense how scared I really was.

He didn't like my tone. Frowning, he nodded to the ghouls, and I watched in horror as they all started suffocating my family, their air tight goo-hands covering their noses and mouths.

"Okay, okay! Stop! Please!" I yelled, taking a few steps toward him and glancing fearfully at them.

The goons removed their hands once Vlad nodded again, allowing my family to breathe in vital oxygen. It was clear that funny, joke around Vlad wasn't here today.

"It doesn't matter if you do or do not know what I want, Daniel. You're going to do what I say no matter what my desire is. That is something you should quickly get through your head."

"I'm not going to be your slave." I growled, hands fisting.

"Oh no my dear boy," he laughed, "You're far too valuable to be a mere slave. I have much bigger plans for you."

I really didn't like the way the grinned at me. It sent goosebumps racing up my arms and prickled at the hairs on the back of my neck. He held his palms us and let red ecto fire burn threateningly. I took a few tentative steps back as he slowly started walking forward.

"Unlike your idiot father, you're not a defenseless imbecile, so I expect a much better fight from you." he smirked, the restrained blasts glowing brighter with every step.

"Stop saying crap about my Dad." I said through gritted teeth, standing my ground and balling my hands into fists again.

"Danny! Run!"

"Danny!"

My families anguished cries from behind me were clear, the fear in their tone unmistakable. I glanced back at them fearfully, watching as they thrashed against the expressionless goons.

"Plasmius, you leave my son alone!"

"Don't you dare hurt him, Vlad!"

"Well, Daniel?" my head snapped back to my adversary, and I gasped. He was right in front of me. "Care for a bit of a fight?"

With a yelp, I back flipped away from his fist, landing in a smooth squat as he broke the coffee table in half. Okay. No more messing around, Fenton.

Vlad came at me with a laugh, fists charged with ecto blasts as he threw punch after punch at me. In the two years I've had to fight him, I've spent much of that time dodging. Thus, I've become quite good at it. I could hear my parents gasps as I expertly avoided his lightening attacks, flipping and ducking my way out of harm. Unfortunately that was all I could do, at least in my human state, and I was quickly tiring out.

"What are you waiting for Daniel?" he asked, managing to land a hit on me that send me rolling across the floor.

"Danny!" my Mom screamed.

I frowned, focusing on the fight as I rolled away from another punch and jumped back up, hoping to take advantage of his exposed back and kick him into the wall. Unfortunately, not only did I tire out more quickly in my human form, but I also wasn't as fast. Vlad caught my kick, jumping into the air and dangling me by my ankle above the floor.

"You're boring me, son." he yawned.

"Don't call me son!" I yelled, kicking my other foot against his elbow and hoping to snap it in half. Vlad read my intentions before I could carry them out though, and threw me to the ground.

"Ow..." I winced, rubbing my head as stars danced in my eyes. Suddenly I felt a sharp pain on my head and realized Vlad was in front of me again, holding me up by the hair on my head.

"I'm running out of patience Daniel. Change into your ghost half." He snapped. I couldn't stop myself from glancing at my family, their stricken faces locked on me and Vlad.

Vlad glanced back at them, a cruel grin curling on his lips.

"Well if they're holding you back, little badger." he shrugged, dropping me to the ground and alighting his hands with a powerful ecto blast.

"Vlad! Stop!" I yelled, rushing forward to stand in front of my restrained family. "Don't hurt them."

"Then give me a real fight." he frowned. I hesitated, but I waited too long because Vlad blasted me out of the way and sent me sliding across the floor again. I gasped in pain as I forced myself to stand, my chest burning.

"Dammit Vlad! Leave him alone!" Dad yelled, struggling for all he was worth.

"Change, Daniel." Vlad said in a bored voice, totally ignoring Dad and holding up two glowing hands to my family.

"Don't!" I yelled, but there was no way he would listen.

I acted before he even fired the shot. Heart racing, I made an impossible leap and fell into a smooth crouch in front of my family. The hot ectoblast shot forward and I had just enough time to see Vlad smirk triumphantly before several things happened at once.

"Danny! No!" My mom shouted.

But I already had the green shield up, easily blocking the single blast. I watched grimly as it dissipated into a shower of sparks, sizzling to the ground. The shock from my parents was palpable, and I didn't even have to look behind me to know their jaws were on the ground.

"Danny...?" Mom breathed, her voice so quiet it was almost imperceptible.

Maybe that was just the final straw, you know, after having been toyed with in front of my family, getting punched into the floor, turning my life upside down and taking over the world. I felt my anger snapped in that instant, dropping the shield and falling into a clear fighting stance, ready to pound him into the ground. That was my secret to tell. Not. His.

"You seem a bit angry, little badger." he smirked. My eyes glowed furiously.

"Shut up Plasmius." I spat, so tired of repeating myself and wishing he could just take a hint. "I don't care what plain of existence you think you rule, I'm not interested in anything you have to offer!"

"Yes, well unfortunately for you, what you want doesn't matter. The fact is I do rule this world, and whether you like it or not, you will do as I say."

"You think so?" I laughed, no humor in my voice as green ecto fire engulfed my hands and I finally transformed into my alter ego. "Bite me, Plasmius."

I think someone gasped from behind me, but, ironically, the absolute last thing I could focus on was the reactions my parents had after finally learning that I'm Danny Phantom. Vlad let out a furious yell, clearly done holding back and planning on making me eat my words. I yelped, throwing up another shield as a barrage of ectoblasts exploded against it. I had to take the fight away from my family, so I threw the shield at him as a distraction and zoomed across the ceiling, leaving a path of sharp, icy stalagmites behind me. I dodged another blast and kicked the ceiling hard, causing the ice shards to break and come crashing down on top of him.

Vlad gasped and threw up a shield, momentarily put on the defensive which I gladly took advantage of. The second that shield came down I was on him like blitzkrieg in London. My ghost form was much faster, and I was happy to feel the satisfying ache in my knuckles as I landed a few good hits on him.

But that was all I got. Vlad got really pissed off that I managed to hit him first, and more than once. He let loose a way of energy that shot me back. I flipped in the air before I could crash into the wall, kicking off with my feet and coming right back at him. But Vlad was ready, and even as I tackled him to the floor, he had a clone that came out of no where and kicked me into the wall again.

I groaned painfully, seeing stars again but forcing them away as Vlad's fist came flying. For a while were were nothing more than a blur. Vlad kicked and punched and I blocked and evaded. Occasionally we'd switch, offensive to defense and vise versa, but I never got the offensive for long. Two years of ghost fighting had taught me to hold my own in a battle with Vlad, but not indefinitely.

I felt his grip on my arm and he buried his fist deep in my stomach, knocking all the air out of me. Before I could recover his fist was against my face again, and once more I was thrown into the wall, this time leaving a good sized dent in it. Shaking my head, I turned intangible to avoid his next attack and flew all around the living room, hoping to throw him off a bit.

The shattered coffee table was nothing more than a few cinders and half the couch was a block of ice. Scorch marks, dents, cracks, and strains of all type could be seen in the floor, walls, and ceiling. Fatigue was getting the best of me, and that was quickly becoming apparent as I made several more back imprints on the walls and ceiling again.

"Please Vlad, Stop!" Jazz screamed, but I barely heard her.

Somehow I ended up on the floor again, face pressed against the ruined floor. I felt someone pick me up by my arm and panicked, acting on instinct and lashing out. Vlad avoided the pathetic, half aimed attack, opting instead to punch me in the gut again and kick me to the floor. Yeah, I was so beat.

Everything ached and hurt. Blood was pouring from my nose and dripping slowly from somewhere on my head. I felt some one yank me to my feet again, but I was too weak to lash out. Vlad gripped my hair and yanked my head back, and I saw his leering face for a moment before he turned me to my family.

I couldn't hear what anyone was saying, but their lips were moving. My Mom was crying and Dad looked like he was trying to re-enact the Hulk against his captor. Jazz was screaming something at Vlad, but I still couldn't hear. Then I felt someones fingers brush some hair behind my ear, holding me against them possessively and start walking away from my family, taking me with them.

I still couldn't hear but I didn't need to to know what Vlad's mouth was saying before I passed out.

"You're mine, little badger."