DP: M. of the Spirit Gems ch19

Danny led them behind an abandoned building and glued himself against the wall. Tucker, Sam, Andy, Jazz, Jack, Maddie and Johnson followed his action and hid as he did, panting loudly in the progress.

"Danny, you're finally back home!" Jazz exclaimed happily, looking at her brother.

"You don't know how much we've missed you!" Maddie added.

Danny looked at them and grinned. "If it's as bad as I've felt for the past five years, I think I've got a pretty good idea," he replied. He stared out towards the clearing. "Though you guys really could have picked a better time to activate those Spirit Gems." He looked at Tucker and frowned softly. "Cutting it a little close, don't you think?"

"Hey; don't go blamin' it on me, Dude!" Tucker replied. "I'm the one who broke into the museum to get that stupid rock!"

"Aren't heroes supposed to make it in the nick of time anyway?" Sam asked with a sly grin.

Danny looked at her. "Sure," he replied. "But not this close."

"Consider yourself lucky not to have emerged too late, Daniel," Johnson announced, catching the ghost's attention. "A little longer and your friend would have been destroyed."

"Dr. Johnson?!" Danny exclaimed. "What the heck are you doing here?"

"Delivering a Spirit Gem you left behind, although I do believe that I've just gotten myself in the middle of another Danny Phantom mission."

Danny grinned. "About time you figured out who took those stones," he said.

"Why did you do it?" Tucker asked.

"Hello; to keep guys like Shade from figuring out where I was?" Danny replied sardonically. "Those bling-blings were giving me a headache, so I had to separate them in order to keep my location, as well as all of yours, safe." He stared up at the sky. "Though thankfully, I was able to hide them where you guys could find them. I didn't figure out that they could bring me back until just a few weeks ago, when Dr. Johnson first activated his by accident."

"The jewels told us what to do with them," Sam noted. "They told Tucker and me what had to be done."

Danny looked at her. "No they didn't," he replied. He grinned very weakly. "I told you what to do with them. Once they were activated for the first time, I was able to contact you guys and give certain indications. I couldn't do it for long or else I'd waste my breath, if you get my drift."

"Ha!" Tucker exclaimed, leaning forward to see Sam. "Told you it was him!"

Sam stared at him in silence before a distant thud on the ground caught their attention.

Danny looked down at his feet. "Okay, he recuperated faster than I expected," he said, slightly concerned.

"He's going to tear up the town if you don't stop him, Danny!" Jazz said worriedly.

Danny looked at her. "There's one line I didn't miss," he said sarcastically. He looked down at his feet. "Do remember what situation I'm in, Jazz. I just got out of a zone that I've been traveling for the past five years. Try riding a merry-go-round that long; you'll see where I'm going with that."

Sam began to lose her patience. "Danny, either you're gonna help us get rid of this guy or you can go back in there!" she snapped.

Danny looked up at her and smiled amusingly. "Woo, I missed you too, Cupcake," he replied, making Tucker laugh.

"As much as this isn't cute, Danny, Sam does have a good point," Maddie announced.

"Now's a good time for one of your plans, Son!" Jack added worriedly.

"I know, I know," Danny muttered thoughtfully, looking down at his feet. Another thud, much closer, and a few nearby shouts of fright in the neighbourhood caused him to look up again. "Dad, you, Mom and Dr. Johnson get back to the RV once I've got Shade's attention," he said. "You'll need to make sure that Ghost Portal stays open. Not that I don't want your help, or don't need it, but I need to have less people as possible with me if I intend on fighting this guy properly. If I need you, I'll give you a shout."

"That's all good and well, Danny, but what about now?" Maddie asked urgently. "What should we do right now?"

Danny looked at her. "Right now?" he echoed. "I'll tell you what we'll do right now—!"

All of a sudden, the top of the building they were hiding behind exploded. Everyone shouted in fright while Danny threw a shield over them until the rubble had stopped falling. Then, everyone looked up in terror.

Shade, now nearing the height of a forty-foot black ghost, leaned over them and growled menacingly.

Danny immediately looked at the others. "Here's what we'll do," he said, hastily pushing Tucker and Sam forward. "RUN!!! RUN, RUN RUUUUNNN!!!"

They immediately dashed off after him, though Sam stopped short to grab her son's hand and make sure he was near her. Shade roared angrily and stretched out his arm to grab them, but missed.

Jazz screamed and ducked, avoiding the attack. "He's growing stronger!" she exclaimed.

"That's what Shadow Ghosts do, Jazz," Danny replied as they continued to follow him. "They feed off of shadows and grow on energy! That's why they can last longer in daylight than any other ghost!"

"So how do we stop him?" Tucker asked.

Danny looked at him. "For now, let's just focus on getting somewhere's safe," he said. "We'll deal with Shade later." He grabbed Tucker's hand. "Form a chain, everyone!" Danny shouted out as Tucker grabbed Sam's hand and Andy grabbed his Grandmother's. "We're about to run through a wall!"

Maddie held Jack's hand, who then linked to Johnson, who finally grabbed Jazz. Once Jazz had announced that they were all linked, Danny focused his energy and turned them all intangible. With everyone shouting in fright behind him, he phased through the wall of the warehouse building they were running towards, dragging everyone along with him.

Shade stopped short of the wall and began slithering around it, looking for a way to get in without them noticing.

*****