CSIalchemist: You never know with some people. They can surprise you a lot.

Danny shuddered as he looked at the carved faces on the walls.

"Something wrong?" Sam asked, holding the cooler with the offerings.

"It's those faces," he replied, "It's like they're watching you or something."

"Ugh," Jazz replied from behind, "Now that I think about it, it does."

"Great," Tucker piped in, "I'm going to have nightmares tonight about those faces, as if Dan disappearing wasn't enough."

"I wonder where he went off to." Sam muttered.

"Who cares?" her hybrid friend growled, "So long as it's away from us, I don't care where he is or what he's doing."

The goth frowned at him, but he didn't notice. He doesn't care? Danny does not care about where Dan went after he disappeared into thin air right in Vlad's mansion? Well, she certainly cared. She wanted to know where he went and what he's doing. She wanted to know what mayhem he's planning on next and if the town was going to be demolished. She wanted to know if Danny, Tucker, Jazz, everybody was going to be victims or survivors.

Most importantly, though, she wanted to know why he saved her. She wanted to know why he leapt up from his safe corner, away from Skulker's weaponry and shot himself straight towards her. Why did he phase her through the knife, knowing that one wrong move or one wrong second would probably kill him.

"Sam?" Jazz asked, making the goth return to reality, "The offerings?"

Sam blinked as she noticed for the first time the pedestal in front of her. Everyone stared at her as she grinned, sheepishly.

"Sorry," she apologized, bending over the cooler, "Man, that was a quick walk, right?"

"Quick?" the geek rebutted," Are you crazy? We ran into so many dead ends, traps, and who knows what else, and you think it was quick?"

"Um…" she answered, trying to think of an excuse, "What? You guys never heard of a joke before?"

"Okay," Danny answered, slowly as he put the cat back in its proper place.

Sam removed the fish and its poor eggs and placed them next to the statue. Everyone stared at the pedestal in anticipation and excitement. When nothing happened, Tucker broke the silence.

"So," he asked, "We just go then?"

"I guess," Jazz answered, leading the way back, "I think the Speeder's this way."

Jazz's hypothesis was proven correct an hour later, after avoiding even more death traps and dead-ends. The two cats in the backseat growled and hissed furiously, glaring at their captors.

"What were you thinking about?" Danny asked Sam as Jazz drove the vehicle home.

"About what?" his friend asked, confused.

"Back in the temple?" he answered, "You were thinking about something."

"Oh," she replied, shaking her head, "It's nothing. Just, you know, wondering."

"About Dan?" he asked, already knowing the answer, "Look, Sam, don't worry, okay? I'm not going to let him try anything on this town. You, Tucker, Jazz, and everybody else in Amity Park will be perfectly safe. If he even thinks about trying to kill us all again, I'll tear him apart! Does that make you feel any better?"

"Um," Sam answered, not knowing what to say, "Sure. Let's go with that."

"We're home!" Jazz thankfully interrupted the conversation, "What are we going to tell Mom and Dad when they ask about the cats?"

Everyone looked at the two evil kitties in thought. The pair hissed in response, wagging both their tails furiously.

"You think Mom and Dad will buy the lost cats story again?" Danny asked.

"I don't know," his sister replied, skeptically.

"Here," Sam volunteered, "I'll take them. If my parents ask, I'm watching them for a friend until we figure out what to do with them."

"Sam," the hybrid said, not pleased at the idea, "They're ghost cats. Do you really think-?"

She took out the Fenton Laser, not letting Danny finish his question. Pointing the metal tube at the space between the two kitties, Sam pressed the button and waved her hand, letting the light dance in front of them. Mesmerized, the cats stared before pawing the floor of their cages in a desperate attempt to break free.

"Meow!" Skulker pleaded.

"Mreow!" the other followed.

"Okay then," Danny chuckled, "I guess it's not too hard for you to handle."

Smiling, Sam put away the laser and took hold of the cages.

"I better go home," she said, stepping out of the Speeder, "Dinner's almost ready."

Saying good-bye, the goth headed for home with the unhappy felines. Her attention was diverted by a baby bird cheeping sadly as it desperately flapped its wings.

"Oh," Sam cooed, "You poor thing. Did you fall out of your nest?"

After setting down the cages, she scooped the bird into the palm of her hand and used the other to climb up the tree.

"Let's find your home," she continued cooing.

"What?" a familiar voice asked, confused.

Sam abruptly turned her head to the direction of the voice and gasped she saw the muscular ghost look at the goth with the same surprised expression.

"What are you doing here?" she asked, forgetting about the bird for the moment.

"Plotting," Dan replied, looking her, "You?"

"The bird," she said, remembering it, "The poor thing fell out of the nest."

She saw the mentioned nest just a few inches from Dan's foot and eased her way over to it. As Sam deposited the baby back to its home, it cheeped happily before fluffing its feathers, preparing to sleep.

"Why did you run off?" Sam asked, turning her attention back to him.

"Yeah," he snorted, placing his hands behind his head as he leaned back, "Like I'm going to stick around your little boyfriend of yours so he can call Clockwork on me."

"Okay," the goth answered, "First of all, he's not my boyfriend."

The ghost rolled his eyes in response, but Sam ignored him.

"And second of all," she continued, "Doesn't Clockwork already know you're here?"

"Most likely," Dan answered with a shrug, "Which means I need to get my ass out of here now. You done with your interrogation?"

"Wait," Sam pleaded as Dan stood up, "One more. Why did you save me?"

"Excuse me?" he asked, folding his arms, "What are you talking about?"

"You know what I'm talking about," she answered, folding her own arms, "Why did you save me from Skulker? You were safe where you were. Why endanger yourself and help me?"

Dan glared at the girl as she glared back. Both were silent as the minutes dragged on. Finally, the phantom let out an aggravated sigh.

"Look," he answered, "If you think it's because I had a change of heart and felt guilty for all the horrible things I did, well, sorry to burst your bubble, but it's not. I did it because I can't appreciate my revenge on my pathetic little punkass self if he's too depressed over his girlfriend's death."

"I'm not his girlfriend!" Sam shouted.

"Whatever," the spook muttered.

He flew up into the air and raised his hand to tear a portal into the Ghost Zone, but before he did, Dan looked back and noticed the cat cages on the ground.

"Before I go," he asked, lowering his arm, "What are you going to do with those two?"

"What?" the goth looked down, "Them? I'm just going to tell my parents I'm watching them for a friend until we figure out a permanent solution."

"Hmm," Dan thought, grinning evilly, "If I might make a suggestion?"

He lowered himself down and whispered his idea into Sam's ear. Bursting out into laughter, the girl had to hold onto a nearby branch to keep from falling.

"Oh, my gosh!" she gasped, "Oh, my- That is just- BWAHAHAHA!"

"Am I to take that as a yes?" the ghost asked, already knowing the answer.

"Yes!" the girl continued laughing, "Oh, my gosh! A thousand times, yes!"

The cats looked at each other as the muscular demon swooped down and picked up the handles of their cages.

"See you later," he called back to Sam before taking off.

The girl wiped the tears away from her eyes as she prepared to climb down. It wasn't until she reached the ground did she realize the truth of Phantom's words. "See you later." The question was when he did see her later would it be as terrible as Danny predicted, or would it be as good as Sam predicted?

Look! A line break!

Humming to herself, the girl looked at her nails, inspecting each and every one. Satisfied, she smiled as she put away the nail polish. She heard the doorbell ring and growled in irritation. Probably some nobody again. Sighing, she descended down the stairs and yanked open the door. Too her surprise, she found no one there. That is, until she looked down.

"Meow!" cried a strangely, green kitty.

"Mreow!" a black one cried out staring at her with its red eyes.

"Aw!" she squealed, happily, "Kitties! Wittle Bitty Kitties! Oh, you're so cute!"

The cats cast a frightened look at each other as the girl bent down to pick up the cages.

"Well," she continued cooing, "Aren't we so adorable! What am I going to name you? I know! I'll call you Cupcakesprinklies and Unicornglitterkins!"

"Meow!" Skulker cried out in horror.

"Mreow!" Vlad repeated the sentiment.

"Aw! You love your new names!"

Both cats glared at Dan laughing his head off in the sky as Paulina carried her new victims inside.

The End