Sorry for the wait! I needed to get my muse back, that was all. Birthday and stuff drained it from me. I own nothing but the plot and Ros ein this story!

Rose kept his promise to my mother; whenever he hit a new record speed, he informed her about it. Even though she didn't actually end up getting us regular phones, she did make us promise to always have a Fenton Phone on us. Rose used it often because he kept getting faster and faster, even in human form. His current record was 315 mph, and he seemed unable to get past that.

His athleticism was almost on par with Dash's, even though mine surpassed Dash's. I suspected Rose didn't really put in the effort in that class, nor did he feel the need to. After all, why should he when all he had to do was find a ghost to fight to get his exercise in? After school we ended up getting a (not so pleasant) surprise. We had just finished taking down Skulker yet again, congratulating each other on the victory, when we heard an all-too-familiar voice behind us.

"Aww, Shadow dear, there you are!" Rose's mother, Vanessa, cooed. Rose turned so fast that he stumbled, shaking like a leaf. His one eye was wide and terrified. "I've been looking for you, mister," she tutted, walking closer to Rose. I landed in front of my boyfriend with a glare at the silver-haired woman, knowing what I did about her relationship with my Rose.

"Get away from him," I snarled at her. "I know what you did to him, you pitiful excuse for an existence."

She narrowed her eyes at me, causing Rose to shake more. "D-Don't antagonize her, D-Danny," Rose whispered urgently to me. "S-She'll j-just hurt y-you..." Rose dropped his voice to a whisper and he hissed into my ear, "Danny, she's a ghost!" I felt my own neon green eyes widen at that news, looking her over. Now that Rose mentioned it, I could see the very thin red glow of an evil ghost. "And she can hide her ghostly form!" Rose shook more, backing away from both of us very, very carefully.

"Oh, Shadow darling," Vanessa purred; Rose stopped in his track and shivered uncontrollably, panic pouring off him in waves. "Wouldn't you be so kind as to walk with Mummy?"

***line break***

Rose had had no choice but to walk alongside his biological mother (nicknamed "the monster") and he led her to an empty alleyway, where he changed back into his human form and led her to FentonWorks.

She acted nice and pleasant to my parents and Jazz, not seeming to notice their cold stares and voices, not seeming to notice how Rose disappeared to my room the moment he could. I noticed, and I was sure that Jazz noticed too. But we didn't say anything. My father put her in the guest room, and she politely and way too sweetly thanked him.

Later, I heard her talking to Rose in her room. I entered invisibly and watched on.

"I know he loves me," Rose told his mother, tears shining in his hair and eye.

"Loves you? Please, Rose, that's demented. This is why you never should have left!" Rose flinched away from Vanessa and it took all my strength not to attack her. "Dear, this whole romance that you've invented just proves that you're too naive to be here..." The woman took on a pitying look and took a step towards Rose, ignoring his step back. She let her hand brush across his cheek, ignoring his whine of fear. "Why would he love you? Come on now - really! Look at you!" She gestured to his baggy clothes, the ones that I adored to no end on him. Rose stared defiantly (with only the tiniest bit of fear - I was proud of him) back at her, refusing to look at his clothes. "You think that he's impressed?" Vanessa's tone changed, a silky smooth tone that was very convincing. "Don't be a dummy, come with Mummy... Mother-"

"No!" Rose shouted, startling her. His defiant gaze changed to one of absolute terror, and it took yet again all my might not to step in. I wanted to know exactly what she would do if she thought she was alone with him.

"No?" Vanessa's eyes hardened and narrowed. "Oh. I see how it is." She stalked a circle around Rose, glaring at him. He flinched and trembled, unable to get away from her. She blocked him at every turn. "Rose knows best, Rose is so mature now, such a clever grown-up, yes. Rose knows best, fine if you're so sure now, go ahead and give him this!"

She threw him a black crystal rose, the one that he used to take such precious care of. It was still in full bloom, unwilted and undying. I used to love it along with him; it had always drawn my eye, and I used to ask him if I could have it. When he had told me in a whisper that his mother had given it to him for his birthday, a rare time when she hadn't been drunk and had been sober and nice enough to remember and get him something, I'd stopped asking. But I remembered always wanting it, because it was really pretty. Rose flinched as he caught it, the sharp crystal thorns digging into his palms.

She barked a cold, cruel laugh. "This is why he's here! Don't let him deceive you!" Vanessa spat into Rose's face. Rose shrunk down with a whimper, blood beading at the end of the rose from the thorns cutting into his hands. "Give it to him, watch, you'll see! Trust me, my dear, that's how fast he'll leave, I won't say I told you so-" Vanessa cut herself off, a devilish smirk appearing on her face. It was demonic and terrifying. "No, Rose knows best! So if he's such a dreamboat, go and put him-" Vanessa roared into my poor boyfriend's face, "-to the test!"

Now I was stopping myself from throwing ectoblasts at her, or even better shoving her into the Fenton thermos. A nice long time in there would teach her not to hurt him...

"If he's lying, don't come crying! Mother knows best!"

Rose whimpered, tears spilling down his cheek. That settled it for me. Vanessa would never ever ever be allowed to be alone with my poor Rose. Ever. Not if I could help it. I would put Jazz and Sam and Tucker on watch too. She would not get the chance to hurt him like this again.

I didn't tell Rose that I knew why he was crying when he came up to me later that night, his pretty black rose in a vase made of shadowy black crystal. But I did tell him that I was glad he'd found it again; when he told me that he wanted me to have it, I told him that I was happy he was sharing it with me, as I hadn't forgotten that his mother had gotten it for him on the one birthday when she wasn't drunk.

I felt his smile as I kissed him.

THIS CHAPTER IS TOO SHORT FOR HOW LONG I MADE YOU GUYS WAIT I'M SORRY