Let me just take the time to thank everyone who's reviewed! Your feedback is much appreciated, and much loved!

As everyone else was getting ready to go home, Danny managed to catch Vlad alone to speak with him privately. "...Why did you give me this, Vlad?" he asked, sounding a little suspicious. Vlad only arched a finely groomed brow and gave Danny an almost-genuine smile.

"I've noticed that your grades have tremendously improved, Daniel," he replied, crossing his arms and leaning against the wall. Danny blinked. The hell did that have to do with anything? "And it did not escape my notice that you have given up 'hero work'. I've gone on a few rounds of the town myself, and have not seen or sensed you once. So I did a little spying on you, and noticed that you were spending all of your time with schoolwork. So, being the GENEROUS person I am-" He ignored Danny's snort. "-I have ceased any ghostly wrongdoing, and even convinced many of your enemies to leave Amity Park alone. Or have you not noticed that Skulker has not ONCE bothered you?"

Come to think of it, Skulker HADNT bothered him. Not at all.

"I find it..." Vlad looked like he was forcing these words out. "...Honorable that you are trying so hard to finish school, and get into a good college. You're putting maturity and schoolwork ahead of your pride and hero-complex, and for that..." Danny noticed Vlad's eye twitch. "...I'm...proud of you."

Danny blinked. What the hell was Vlad smoking?

"So," Vlad continued, "I decided that if you could be mature enough for such priorities...I can be mature enough to let bygones be bygones between us. And the least I can do for putting you through all that hell the past three years is to give you your own space for when you go to college. I own the apartment, and I wont charge you rent. The utilities are paid for through two years, which should be enough time for you to complete community college before transferring to a university for whatever degree you feel like pursuing. After that, you can give the apartment back, or start paying utilities yourself." Vlad paused, then reached forward and held Danny's shoulder, giving Danny a 100% genuine smile this time.

"Merry Christmas, Daniel."

Danny gaped at his archrival in awe. Sheer. Total. Awe. Was this for real? Seriously?

"Danny, we're leaving!" his mother called from the front door. Vlad let go of Danny's shoulder, then held his hand out in front of the young man. Danny stared at it for a moment before grabbing it and shaking hands.

"Stay away from my mom," he said, grinning. Vlad squeeze his hand, sending a tiny jolt of an ecto-shock at him.

"No promises."

Danny let go and joined his family out the door. "Hey," Jazz said, nudging Danny. "What's Vlad want?" Danny gave his sister a shrug.

"Just saying Merry Christmas," he replied.

When they got home, everyone went to their rooms for bed. It had been a long day, and everyone was full and sleepy. Danny had hooked his apartment key onto the keychain Sam gave him along with his Suzuki key on the way home, and he was twirling them around his finger as he walked up to his room and put them on his desk. He took off his coat and draped it over the back of his chair, then moved to close his laptop shut when he noticed something on his desk that had most definitely not been there when he left.

It was a small rectangular package that was wrapped in green wrapping paper, with a small purple bow on the corner. Danny sat down, confused, and picked the gift up. Who had sent it, he wondered. He tore the wrapping paper off and nearly dropped it when he saw what it was.

"Finding the Inspiration Within".

And it had the faint pulse of ghostly energy.

Ghostwriter...

Danny turned his laptop on, nibbling on his lip in anxious anticipation as he waited for his programs to load, then he clicked online and onto his email. Sure enough, there was a message from 'The-Ghost-Writer'. He clicked it open.

As any novelist knows
A book is useless without words
Words are useless without meaning
If I wrote a book entitled "I'm Sorry"
Know for sure that the title is not meaningless

-Andrew

Danny could hardly believe what he was reading right now. He looked between the email and the book in his hand a few times before transforming and practically diving straight down to the lab and through the Portal, making a beeline for the library. He thought he saw Walker on the way, but the warden didnt bother going after him, which Danny was happy for. He finally found the library and landed, taking a moment to compose himself before stepping up to the doors, which opened for him.

He could feel the library's joy at his return as he stepped into the building. He smiled and sent his own joy back at the library, and he could literally FEEL the library push him further into itself until he saw Ghostwriter sitting on the couch with a book (no real surprise there). Danny swallowed hard and stepped forward.

"...Andrew?"

The Ghostwriter jumped when he heard Danny's voice, and dropped his book when he saw the halfa standing there, holding "Finding the Inspiration Within" to his chest. His green eyes were wide with hope, his white hair messily framing his face, which looked flushed as though he had just run-flown-a marathon. The 'Writer picked up his book and put it on the coffee table, then stood up and stepped up to Danny, though keeping a small distance.

They had a stare-off for a moment, Danny holding the book and Ghostwriter fiddling with his scarf, until Ghostwriter spoke.

"...Does it count for anything...if I say I'm sorry in person?" he asked.

Danny burst into a smile and rushed forward to pull Ghostwriter into a hug. The 'Writer hugged back, thanking every god he knew the names of that he was forgiven and he had Danny back. And he swore on his library and every book therein, that he would never hurt Danny like that ever again.

Hardly any words had been spoken for the past few hours. Danny and Ghostwriter were reclining on the couch in silence; Ghostwriter half-lying back, his legs propped up on the coffee table, with Danny leaning against him, his head on the 'Writer's shoulder. The Ghostwriter was stroking Danny's long hair lovingly as he continued reading the book he had been occupied with when Danny arrived with one hand ("A Christmas Carol" by Charles Dickens). Danny was reading "The Inspiration Within" for the thousandth time.

Ghostwriter could hardly focus on his book with the true object of his affections so close to him. It wasnt an unpleasant distraction at all, but rather a pleasnt one. The guilt that had been plaguing him for the past day was slowing ebbing away with the warmth of Danny's forgiveness. Not that he felt he deserved it; he had been so nasty to the boy that day, and just after he had told Danny he liked him. A lot. Maybe even loved him.

A movement made him look from his book at Danny, whose body had gone limp and the book fallen out of his hands. Danny had fallen asleep.

Ghostwriter smiled and gently went partially intangible so he could hold onto Danny while slipping away at the same time. He laid Danny down on the couch all the way, then pulled the afghan that was always draped over the back of the couch over the boy. Danny mumbled something about 'fruit loops' in his sleep, then quieted down. The 'Writer smiled and brushed Danny's hair out of his face before leaning down and kissing the boy's temple.

"Merry Christmas, Danny," he said softly, then sat down on a chair just across from the couch to both resume reading and watch the object of his affection.

At the Fenton house come morning, Jazz woke early and gently knocked on Danny's door. "Danny?" she called softly. She knocked again. "I wanted to go out for breakfast today, do you want to come?" No response. "...Danny?" She opened the door and stepped in, seeing that the room was empty. The bed was made and Danny's coat was hung over his desk chair, but Danny was gone. She stepped into his room, and noticed his computer was on and something was on it. Concern for her brother overriding her desire to keep his privacy, she glanced at the screen and saw what was written on the email, signed by 'Andrew'.

Jazz smiled softly to herself; Danny must have gotten this message last night and gone to patch things up with his, ahem, close friend. She moved the mouse to click the message shut, but then she caught who had sent the message: 'The-Ghost-Writer'.

...Didnt Danny mention one of his ghost encounters being called "Ghostwriter"? And that he lived in a library? Danny was seeing a tutor in a library...

Sighing, Jazz closed the internet program and turned the computer off. 'Protective big-sister mode' kicked in, and she knew that a trip to the Ghost Zone was imminent before she returned to college.

Yeah, it was a short chapter, but I still got another chapter and an epilogue coming.