Disclaimer: I don't own Danny Phantom. I only own my OC's and their stories. You already knew that, huh? ;) All rights go to their respective owners. :)

Elizabeth's POV:

Everything was done. Appetizers and entrees were cooked and ready to be served, the cake was cooled and frosted in the fridge, all of the decorations were set up, and the staff was dressed formally for the event. All that was left was her.

Elizabeth sighed as she stared into her vanity mirror, spotting an elegant young girl staring back. That girl looked like an exact copy of what a Barbie doll was supposed to look like. Too perfect in appearance and unable to change it. Her black hair stood up in a neat bun and hid the blue highlights since it wasn't considered 'proper' or 'acceptable' with her position in Class. Her makeup was plastered on her face, painted on almost, and unable to smudge or be taken off until she used a special remover. The diamond necklace hanging from her neck sparkled against the lights from her vanity and highlighted her appearance. Finally, the modest short-sleeved light pink dress that hugged her body nicely sold the idea that she was indeed a Barbie doll. Presentation was everything.

Another sigh escaped her mouth, and she picked up a pair of matching earrings then jumped when her phone vibrated beside her. Her hand reached for the device until she recognized the caller ID. It was Susan, and Elizabeth still hadn't looked up the post to discuss what upset her. Her promise to be there for her friend was broken as soon as her father assigned her to help set up for tonight. Her thumb pressed the green call button. "Hello?" she answered.

"Finally! I've been trying to reach you all day! I was worried you saw Camille's post and wouldn't call me back!" Susan exclaimed, her tone concerned. "Did you look at it yet?"

"I got a little sidetracked," Elizabeth admitted. "I'm sorry, Susan."

Her friend sighed. "I figured as much, especially once I found out about the party your Dad's throwing which, by the way, I wasn't invited to."

She scoffed. "My Dad's the one that sent out the invitations, not me. If I had known about the party, I would have asked you to come."

"I know you would have." A door shut on the other line. "I bet your Dad's still holding a grudge after what happened at the campsite. That's why he didn't tell you about it because he didn't want you to invite me."

"I wouldn't be surprised." Elizabeth stood from behind her vanity and walked over to her matching open-toed heels. "He holds a grudge against everyone."

"Yep." The sound of a bath turning on reached her ears. "Listen, I'm going to take a long and relaxing bath now. I need to preoccupy my mind from Camille and the fact I'm not attending a party with my best friend, so I'll talk to you later."

"I'm really sorry, Susan."

She giggled. "Don't worry about it. When my birthday comes, and I organize a party for it, I'll invite you but not your father, okay?"

A small smile graced Elizabeth's lips, amused, and slipped on her heels. "That'll go over well."

"Oh, I know. He's going to hate me after that, especially once I base the theme on teen rebellion."

"I can't wait for it."

"I'm sure. You're going to need an awesome party to reawaken your rebellious side after this boring one."

"Hey, my Dad worked really hard on this one."

"Yes, but I bet he invited all of the downers and snotty rich people to it."

She shrugged. "You're probably right."

"Probably? I'm one hundred percent correct!" She turned off the faucet. "Seriously, though, I'm going to go. I would tell you to have lots of fun, but I doubt you'll even have an ounce of it."

Elizabeth giggled then exchanged goodbyes with her and hung up. She slipped her phone into her dress pocket then walked to the door. After taking a deep breath, she took one last look in the mirror. "Time to be the girl you're expected to be," she muttered then plastered on a smile and brushed a stray flyaway behind her ear. Her hand reached toward the door, but she gasped and stepped away from it when she realized she forgot something essential to her look. "The gloves."

Running over to her vanity, she picked up the never worn gloves and was about to slip them on until she noticed the strange blue marks glow on her wrists. A week after the accident, those erratic designs appeared, and she wasn't sure what they were. All she knew was that they kept getting brighter with each transformation. The patterned marks spread from her wrists to her elbows which caused Elizabeth to sigh in defeat and throw the gloves back on the vanity. They would be easily seen through the white silken gloves. She would have to wear something darker and possibly ruin her reputation as her father's little Princess. A small smirk fell on her face at the thought then looked over at her closet. Although tonight would be boring, at least she could look like Elizabeth instead of Elizabeth Masters.

Vlad's POV:

The guests had already arrived, except for his true love and her ridiculous family. He straightened his tie as he stood at the top of the staircase, watching as people moved from the foyer to the ballroom. He smiled at them although he had no idea who most of the guests even were. He tried to invite everyone that Maddie knew as well as a few college students she might have associated with in the past. He also convinced her sister to stop by, but he doubted she would stay for very long.

He looked over his shoulder at Elizabeth's door, wondering what was taking her so long. He asked her to be ready before the first of the many guests arrived to greet them as it would keep their reputation as good party hosts. Whenever they had social gatherings or parties in the past, she would be finished early, and they would have a nice chat until people arrived. For some odd reason, she was ten minutes late, and he kept debating on whether he should check on her or not.

Oh, he was overthinking this. She probably lost track of time or couldn't decide what to wear. They had been late to other social gatherings elsewhere because one of them wasn't ready to leave. Perhaps, she was having one of those late days that evening. It wasn't anything to be concerned about.

He sighed then returned his attention to the front door and spotted a familiar teenage boy with messy black hair walk through. Vlad grinned, recognizing the boy as Maddie's son, and hurried down the steps to greet him. No, he'd never met the boy but was eager to make introductions. After all, the boy was going to be his son one day, and he was looking forward to it.

The halfa walked up to him and placed a hand on his shoulder, accidentally startling him. "Oh, I'm terribly sorry, my boy," Vlad apologized as the young lad turned to face him. "I had no intentions of scaring you."

"It's fine, uh, Mr?" he questioned, sheepishly rubbing the back of his neck.

"Masters. Vlad Masters." He arched a confused brow. "I'm surprised your Mother hasn't mentioned me."

His eyes widened in surprise. "Oh, no, she did! I just didn't know what you looked like, Mr. Masters." He smiled sheepishly and held out his hand. "I'm Danny Fenton, sir."

Vlad smiled softly and shook the lad's hand, pleased that he was already taught proper introductions. No doubt Maddie made sure he learned that. Jack, on the other hand, most likely tried to teach him inappropriate lessons, such as voraciously devouring food or slouching at the dinner table. Once the boy was his, Vlad would ensure he mastered every lesson on propriety.

"So, uh, this is a nice mansion." Danny glanced around, admiring his foyer, and smirked. "You're a Packer's fanatic, huh?"

"Oh, that's not a word I'd use to describe myself." The Billionaire smiled fondly then nodded. "But yes."

Danny grinned but gasped and ran past him, seemingly forgetting about Vlad. The latter frowned at the unexpected end to their conversation but smiled as soon as he realized why he ran away from him. The boy gawked over his most prized possession as it stood on its pedestal. "Whoa! This is awesome!" he exclaimed then grinned when Vlad joined him.

"Thank you, my boy." The halfa picked up the football. "I value this football greatly because the legendary Ray Nitschke signed it himself. " He put the ball back and straightened it when it tilted a bit. "I won't even allow the staff to touch it because I worry they'll only ruin it."

"Wow." Danny smiled.

Vlad smiled fondly at him once more before widening his eyes and hunching over when someone rammed into him, almost forcing him to fall over. A rather large and long arm wrapped around his neck which caused him to let out a choke of surprise. "V-Man, it's good to see you!" an all too familiar, yet annoying, booming voice practically yelled into his ear.

Well, this was bound to happen eventually, he knew. "Jack, how nice to see you again." Although he wished he could obliterate the buffoon as he towered over him, he couldn't. Daniel was witnessing their interaction with one another and no doubt Maddie was close by if he was there. He pushed out of the almost deadly choke hold and straightened up then smoothed out his ectoplasmic colored tie. "I see you made it here in one piece and on time."

"Oh, you bet, Vladdy!" Jack grinned and puffed his chest out, and Vlad couldn't help but roll his eyes at the sight of that ridiculous orange jumpsuit he never seemed to take off. The only change he made to alter his appearance was put on a loose purple and green tie. "As you already know, traffic can't get the best of me! When the other drivers see me coming, they move out of the way and let me through!"

"What else do you expect from them when you're racing forward at a hundred miles per hour?" He crossed his arms. "Enough nonsense though. Now, tell me, where can I find Maddie?"

"I'm here," a pleasant and angelic voice announced. Vlad gawked, and his eyes widened when he spotted the love of his life wearing an extraordinary green ankle length dress. Her heels clicked against the marble as she hurried over to them, her short, beautiful red hair bouncing in protest. Oh, she looked perfect.

"I'm so sorry for the late entry." She giggled which caused the halfa's heart to melt. "I couldn't decide what to wear for tonight."

He smirked and tightened his tie then pushed past Jack and gently grabbed her hand. He leaned forward and pressed his lips against the soft top of her hand, it lingering for a moment, before straightening back up in time to see the faint blush on her cheeks. "You look ravishing, my dear, as usual."

"Oh!" Her hand shot out of his hold which caused him to frown. "Well, thank you, Vlad. That's kind of you to say."

Before he could say anything more, another teen walked into view. Her long red hair fell down the back of her short-sleeved purple dress. Her eyes looked him up and down before settling on looking around the room. "So, you like the Packers," she stated, and he rose a curious brow. "Does that mean you'll buy the team?"

His frown deepened, and he sighed in dejection. "No, I can't," he answered bitterly. "The City of Green Bay owns the Packers. They won't let me buy the team."

"Huh." She shrugged then walked past him and toward Danny. "That's too bad. You wouldn't have had to buy any of this-" She gestured to his possessions encased behind glass. "-if you had the team."

He rolled his eyes at her know-it-all ego. No doubt this was Jasmine, Maddie's daughter. He remembered Maddie enthusiastically informing him of Jasmine's success in school. Based on what he knew about her, he wouldn't be surprised if she graduated high school early and started college immediately after.

"Yes, well, I would if I could, dear child." Vlad gestured to the living room which led to the Ballroom. "Until that day comes, may I show you to the Ballroom?"

"Sure thing, V-Man! But first-" Jack grinned and ruffled Danny's hair a bit, much to the boy's annoyance as he tried to swat his hand away. "-where's that little girl you're always bragging about?"

"Elizabeth?" the halfa questioned and looked up at the top of the staircase. "I believe she's still preparing for tonight." His eyes narrowed a tad bit. "Why do you ask?"

"Well, we haven't been here for a while-" Jack sheepishly rubbed the back of his neck. "-and Danny couldn't stop talking about her in the RV."

"I wasn't talking about her!" Danny protested, attempting to smooth down his already messy hair. "I just wanted to know how she was doing nowadays."

"Oh, I'm fine, I suppose."

Vlad looked up at the direction of her voice, and his eyes widened in surprise when he saw her. His daughter stood at the bottom of the staircase and wore a long dark blue dress with an unbuttoned black vest. Her hair stood up in a messy bun, and her blue highlights acted as stripes encasing it. A small, yet noticeable, diamond necklace hung from her neck and matched the blue earrings she wore. He couldn't see the shoes she was wearing because her skirt covered them. What was strange was that she chose to wear black gloves that went up to her elbows; he thought she hated wearing gloves.

"I hope I'm not too late," Elizabeth started, stepping off of the last step and walking toward them. "I wouldn't have wanted to miss the famous Fenton family arrival."

Elizabeth's POV:

Elizabeth smiled gently at all of them to distract herself from chuckling at her father's surprised expression. She knew he wouldn't have expected her to dress in her style, especially for Maddie's birthday. He would probably reprimand her for her choice of clothing later, but that didn't matter now. Now, she could have a good time with being herself.

However, it seemed her change of appearance didn't surprise only her father. Danny's eyes were wide, and his mouth hung open as he stared, oblivious to the faint blush forming on her cheeks. Honestly, she wasn't sure how she felt with the newfound attention she was receiving. Yes, she liked him but not in anything more than friends.

Her brow furrowed as a sudden thought came to mind; were they friends? They were both eight years old the last time they saw each other, so they haven't seen each other in six years. They never kept in touch, and they didn't know anything about each other. Were they only acquaintances then? Or old friends? Maybe distant friends?

"Well, aren't you sweet." Jack smiled fondly and nudged Danny in the ribs which forced the latter back into reality. "Isn't she sweet, Danny?"

Danny winced and rubbed his ribs. "Yeah, she is," he answered then smiled at her. "Hi, Elizabeth."

"Hello, Danny," she greeted back and smiled. "Nice suit."

"Oh, thanks." He rubbed the back of his neck sheepishly. "You look great."

She giggled and brushed a stray hair behind her ear. "Thank you."

The boy grinned, but Elizabeth dropped her smile when she saw the glare her father tried burning into the back of Danny's head. Well, at least, she knew he was protective against her dating boys. That was a fatherly trait she wanted him to have, like the fathers in the movies. "So, how about we all head to the Ballroom?" she suggested, hoping to deter her father's attention from Danny. "Don't you think we should, Dad?"

"What?" her father questioned, pulling his eyes away from Danny.

"I think we should take them to the Ballroom." Elizabeth folded her hands in front of her and rose an eyebrow as if trying to remind him of something. "Didn't you mention you had a surprise for Maddie?"

"Oh!" He straightened his tie and nodded as a big grin formed on his face. "Yes, I did!"

Before Maddie could protest, Vlad grabbed her hand and dragged her along with him with Jack obliviously following behind. Elizabeth rolled her eyes then gently placed her hands on Danny's and Jazz's backs as she guided them through the almost empty living room.

As they were walking through the hallway, Danny whispered, "Do you know what the surprise is?"

"No idea," Elizabeth whispered back. "All I know is that my father thinks it'll blow Maddie away."

"Well, I hope so." Danny frowned. "She doesn't like big birthday parties."

"I figured as much." She smirked. "My Dad told me he had to tell Maddie our mansion was haunted, so she could come here."

"My Dad seemed a little more enthusiastic about it than she did." Danny looked up at her. "Is your house really haunted though?"

She shook her head and smiled gently. "I would have known about it if it was." Her eyes widened, surprised by the slip. Of all of the things to say, she had to say what hinted at her ability to sense when other ghosts were around. Stupid, stupid, stupid.

"What do you mean?"

"Well, I would have heard about it." She shrugged, trying to play her slip off. "I mean, ghosts cause chaos, right? So, someone would have heard it in this house, saw the destruction it caused, and reported it to either my father or me."

"I guess so."

Elizabeth took the silent moment between them as an opportunity to sneak a glance at her father. He held Maddie's hand as if she was his favorite person in the entire world. The ghost hunter was always on his mind, and the teen girl couldn't help but feel a little small. Maddie was always his favorite topic to talk about, but had he ever talked about his daughter with the same pride and enthusiasm as he did with the former? Lizz sighed in dejection and shook her head slightly. No, he never had, she knew. She wasn't as important as Maddie was and would probably never be.

Jazz and Danny both gasped which caused Elizabeth to return her attention to reality. Her mouth dropped open at the sight of what her father's surprise was. The Ballroom looked like an early Halloween room. Balloons shaped as green ghosts floated around the room, purple and green streamers hung from the ceiling and songs from the eighties played from the DJ on stage. A disco ball hung from the center of the room and spun to the beats of the music the DJ played. To top it all off, dancers performed the moonwalk on stage. "Oh, my gosh," Elizabeth muttered then looked down to spot black, green, and purple confetti pieces scattered across the floor.

What the heck was this? The Ballroom looked nothing like this an hour ago! Was her father some sort of speedy Sonic character and put this all together? Where did he get all of the decorations so quickly? When did he hire dancers and a DJ? How come she wasn't informed of this by the staff?!

"Oh, Vlad." Maddie smiled, and her eyes lit up with excitement as soon as she spotted the dancers. "It's like college all over again!"

"So, you like it then?" Vlad turned Maddie to face him as he held her hands in his. "You really like it?"

"Of course, I do!" Maddie's lips thinned. "Well, it's a little much for a birthday party, but I love it all the same." She smiled at him. "Thank you, Vlad."

Elizabeth let out a disappointed sigh and walked away from the scene, unintentionally leaving Danny and Jazz alone. Of course, he decided to spoil Maddie. Why wouldn't he? Her existence was much too important to not be ignored or neglected by him, unlike his own daughter's.

The teen girl stopped and widened her eyes, surprised with where her train of thoughts went. Was that true? Was her life nowhere near as crucial as Maddie's? Was her life that meaningless? Did her father not care?

No, that wasn't true. Her thoughts needed to stop immediately. Thinking like that would only upset her and who knew how her powers would react to it. She couldn't give them that kind of power, and she knew that. She needed to distract herself but what?

"Hey." Soft fingertips gently tapped her arm. "Are you okay?"

She turned around and smiled at Danny. A small smile graced his lips, and he averted his gaze to the dance floor. Her smile grew at his shyness, and she stepped a little closer to him. He could serve as a temporary distraction during the party, and hopefully, that would calm her emotions and cease her negative thoughts. "Yes, I'm fine, Danny. I'm sorry for leaving you like that."

"Oh, it's fine." He shrugged. "Honestly, I wanted to get out of there too, especially once your Dad started hitting on my Mom."

Her eyes widened, surprised he noticed that as well. "And here I was starting to think it was only my imagination."

"Nope." Danny frowned as he glanced back at his Mom and her father. "It's a little unsettling."

"Tell me about it," she agreed then cringed when her Dad kissed Maddie's hand for the second time before Jack took her out to the dance floor. "Maybe it's nothing though." Hopefully, that was true.

"What do you mean?"

"Well, I've seen my father flirt with countless women at parties before." Her brow furrowed in confusion when she noticed her father would sneak a few glances at the Fenton couple as he conversed with other guests. "Perhaps, he chose Maddie to be one of them."

"So, he flirts with married women?"

"Well, uh, no?"

"That didn't sound very convincing."

"Honestly, I don't know, Danny." Elizabeth frowned when her father spotted her and Daniel together. "I've never paid much attention to who he'd flirt with and if that person was already taken." She shrugged. "Besides, he's probably hitting on Maddie for practice and will concentrate his attention on someone else."

"I hope you're right."

So did she.

Elizabeth's POV:

Elizabeth sighed in boredom for what felt like the hundredth time that night. An hour had only passed, and she already wanted it to end. Don't get her wrong; her father threw an excellent party, but it felt a little isolated. Most of the people there were from Maddie's, Jack's, and Vlad's college days, so she knew no one besides the Fentons. Well, there were a few of her father's associates from work, but she was afraid she would bore herself to death from their conversations.

Her gaze moved from his associates to the dance floor, spotting Danny in the center of it and dancing with a guest from the party. A small amused smile graced the teen girl's lips as he was seemingly forced to dance with her. He caught her staring and mouthed what she assumed was a cry for help. She giggled and shook her head, and he rolled his eyes then yelped when he was spun around.

Another amused giggle escaped, but the smile soon vanished when she found her father talking with Maddie, again. Why did it always feel like Maddie was the only person he wanted to talk to or about? What was so great about her that caused his daughter to feel like nothing in comparison?

Elizabeth's gaze averted away when her father glanced in her direction, and she stood from her seat. Grabbing her purse, she pushed her chair in then made her way toward the garden, the one place she knew wouldn't be crowded tonight. Her hand grasped onto the handle, but she paused and looked over her shoulder as a sense of false hope filled her and made her believe her father would stop her from leaving; he was too busy talking to Maddie. She sighed in dejection and walked through the door, assuming no one spotted her leaving.

The smell of freshly fallen rain reached her nose as she closed the door behind her. Silence, save for the continuous chirp from the crickets, filled the air around her, and she stepped away from the door and smiled blissfully. Finally, peace and quiet.

The wooden patio steps creaked as she walked down them, and a soft gasp of surprise left her lips when she accidentally stepped in a puddle. However, her smile only grew, and she continued her journey down the steps. At the bottom, she stepped down onto a rock pathway and took one step forward, smiling wider as a pair of garden lights turned on when she stood between them. Yes, they were motion-sensor lights, but when she was a young and naive little girl, she believed they turned on because a fairy was nearby. It was a silly belief, and her father could have told her why they turned on, but he didn't for the sake of her imagination. She frowned slightly as she glanced up at a shooting star, silently wishing for time to reverse and to go back to when times were simpler and less lonely.

However, that was a hopeless wish, and she continued forward. The lights illuminated her path as she continued down it, only turning on when they saw her, and soon made it to the end of it. Her hand landed on the railing of the gazebo, and she smiled up at it then climbed its stairs. Her fingertips trailed the cold metallic railings as she circled the small building and gazed out at the lovely array of this season's flowers. She stepped closer to the edge and stared at the waterfall not too far from her. Maybe she should go there next? It wasn't like she had anything better to do.

A surprised gasp escaped her, and she took a step away from the edge when she heard the backdoor from her house open. Loud chatter filled the air from a couple that stepped outside, seemingly too distracted by each other to notice her in the lightened gazebo. They laughed and stumbled down the steps then completely dismissed the pathway and treaded through the once neat and beautiful flowers as they made their way to the front of her house. Elizabeth rolled her eyes at their disrespectful behavior and incompetence to take the long way to the front which was indoors. "Snotty rich people," she muttered then made a mental note to help the gardener with the flowers tomorrow and returned her attention to the waterfall.

The teen girl wandered over to the other pathway and treaded down it, minding where she walked for the gardener's sake. As soon as she reached it, the sounds of the water falling from the top of the hill reached her ears, and she couldn't help but smile. Crickets continued to chirp, frogs croaked from nearby, and an owl hooted in the distance. She let out a relieving breath and sat down on a stone bench as she admired the fall. Finally, she felt at peace.

As if to taunt her, a loud branch snapped from behind her, and she looked over her shoulder with fright. Her eyes wandered around the area as they searched for the culprit who disturbed her but no one was there. "Hello?" she called out and scrunched her eyebrows together when no one came into view or answered her. She shook her head, dismissed the disturbance as a wandering rabbit, and returned her attention to the fall. If someone were there, they would've announced their presence and went on their way.

Elizabeth scooted farther back and uncrossed her legs as an attempt to get comfortable again, and her eyes widened as a bright flickering light flew by her. More flickering lights flew by, and she smiled as soon as she realized that they were fireflies. She sat perfectly still as they wandered around, not wanting to scare them off. One of them landed on her hand, and her smile grew as its light stopped flickering. If it was perfectly content and relaxed around her, then she should feel the same. They would have scattered if they felt threatened or scared, so there was no reason for her to worry that something dangerous was around.

As if the universe wanted to prove her wrong, the firefly's light dimmed down until it was entirely diminished, and it flew off her hand. One by one, the lights darkened and the bugs vanished into the bushes. Another branch snapped, and she stood suddenly then clutched her purse closer to her stomach as her frightened eyes kept searching for someone. "Who's there?" she called out again, hoping someone would step out of the darkened bushes, apologize, and return to the house. That never happened.

Her eyes widened in fear, and she took a step back when the bushes started rustling. Cautiously, she set down her purse and started taking off one of her gloves to prepare to use her powers if need be. An uncomfortable feeling settled in the pit of her stomach, and she took off her glove completely. Something was wrong.

Before she could activate her powers and light up the area, two arms quickly wrapped around her torso, and she screamed in fright. Her eyes glowed dangerously dark, and her elbow instinctively shot back, hitting the attacker's nose. He grunted and stumbled back, letting her go. "What the heck, Lizz?" he bellowed.

Elizabeth turned around as she stepped away from him and gasped as soon as she registered who startled her. "Matt, why would you scare me like that?" she yelled, her eyes narrowing as the glow slightly diminished.

He leaned his head all the way back as blood dripped out of his nose and covered his hand he used to hold it. "Well, the thought that my best friend wasn't going to break my nose may have encouraged me," he admitted, his voice a little wheezy, and frustrated. "Plus, it was a little payback for not inviting me to your party."

She sighed in annoyance and walked over to him before she took his hand and lowered it down from his nose. "It's not my party," she stated as she examined the damage she caused to him. "It's Maddie's."

"Who's Maddie?" He winced when she gently touched his nose but didn't pull away. "Is she your Dad's girlfriend?"

"No, he doesn't have a girlfriend." Blood started to coat her hand, and she pulled away then scrunched her nose in disgust at the feeling of it. "We need to get that cleaned up and looked at."

"No kidding." He brought his hand back up to his nose and looked down at her. "But I seriously doubt your father would let you help me, especially if we were alone."

She wrapped her arm around his and guided him through the garden as he kept his head up to prevent a lot of blood from spilling. "Yeah, but I'm sure he'll be too distracted to notice us walk in together anyway."

Unknown's POV:

There she was. The legendary Ghost Girl herself. She was so young and so bright but so easily fooled.

A small smirk settled on the King's lips as he watched her lead the young Matt into her mansion, oblivious to the reality that the boy wasn't the only one hiding in the bushes. He shook his head in disappointment then stood and walked out from his hidden position, amused that she wasn't fully aware of her surroundings yet. His attention diverted from her retreating form to her abandoned purse, and he smirked wider. Not to mention, she could be forgetful at the worst of times.

He ran a hand through his smoothed down blonde hair then strolled over to her purse and picked it up. He slipped a small note inside and would have placed it back down if he hadn't spotted a very familiar picture. His fingertips took out the delicate memory and turned it over, smiling gently as he stared back into Elizabeth's young and innocent eyes. How old was she in this? Eleven, maybe twelve? He wasn't sure, but she looked so happy as she was practically smushed by her group of friends all trying to fit into the small area of the picture.

However, his smile dropped and his gaze drew away from the memory as soon as he heard hurried footsteps getting closer to him. Not wanting to be seen, he placed the picture back inside and set the purse down then scrambled back into the bushes. He crouched down but quietly pulled the leaves apart to watch the unexpected arrival come into view. "Where is it?" Elizabeth questioned, returning to the peaceful waterfall. Her dark blue eyes searched the area before landing on the sought out item sitting on the bench. "There you are." Her hand grasped onto the once-forgotten purse before she turned and started to follow the path back to the Mansion.

The King leaned forward a bit to watch her leave but jumped back and yelped when something unexpectedly flew past him and into the sky. He scowled at the foul crow but froze in fear as soon as he realized it attracted Elizabeth's attention. "Oh, no," he thought but stayed where he was and waited to see if she would move closer to him. She stood in place as her curious gaze searched the outline of his bush but never directly landed on his crouched form. Finally, she took a step toward him.

He bit his bottom lip in anticipation at getting found. Their meeting wasn't supposed to happen yet. Fate made it so they wouldn't meet for another twenty years. His fists clenched together as he summoned his powers to awake, but he wouldn't use them unless it were absolutely necessary. Their paths shouldn't cross yet, and he doubted it would any time soon, but with her idiot father and Clockwork attempting to pave hers, there was a small chance they would.

Her steps got closer until they stopped only a few inches from him. There was no chance she would see him below her since it was far too dark out, but he didn't take any risks. He stilled in his crouched position and didn't dare move or breath until she did. He didn't want her to know about him yet.

"Elizabeth!" Matt called from the gazebo which was where she left him to retrieve her purse. "Did you find it?"

Her gaze immediately looked over at the sound of her friend's voice, and the King quickly turned invisible to further lower his chances of getting caught. "Uh, yes!" she called back then took a step away from the unseen and uninvited guest. "I did!"

"Then, let's go! I don't think I can hold my head up much longer!"

"Coming!" Elizabeth stepped further away from the King then quickly returned to the path back to the Mansion. However, before she hurried off, she took one last glance at his hiding spot. Their eyes met for a brief moment before she looked away and walked away from him, possibly dismissing him as an animal.

He waited until she reached her back door before sighing in relief and returning visible. That was close, too close. If she had so much as saw him, even if it would have been for a second, it could have messed up their timelines and ruined their past. Everything would have been different, and he might not know how to win their war.

He attempted to stand from his crouched position but fell back down as soon as pain shot through his legs. He scowled and glared at Elizabeth's back, silently blaming her for this. Everything he felt, she would feel. All he needed was time until that precious day where he would finally declare victory and watch her suffer like she did with him.

His glare softened as he watched her walk into the Mansion and help Matt inside. His anger diminished as a sigh of loss escaped him, remembering the past. She was so caring back then, even to him. He wasn't sure what persuaded her to hurt him, but it tore their relationship apart. She let him feel pain and suffer as he lay in that hospital bed all of those years ago and did nothing to help him. All he was to her was a sacrifice that she felt needed to be made, even though she knew it could have killed him.

What happened that made her hate him to the point where she would want him dead?

The King sighed again and stood back up as his ghost powers gave him the necessary strength to do it. Whatever the answer was, it didn't matter now. He had more important matters to think about, such as his upcoming war with her. This time, he would win, and she would suffer his pain.

He looked back at her home once more before shaking his head in disappointment and teleporting back to his workshop, using the stolen device Skulker created. He checked off the device on his list, pleased it was finally functional. He could now travel back and forth between dimensions and timelines which he was sure Clockwork would be bothered by. Perhaps, that would lure him out of his tower then the King could play his wild card and force the Time Ghost to turn to dust.

He smirked and set the item down then involuntarily shivered as he sensed another ghostarrive in his broken castle. His eyes glowed a dark shade of green once the temperature lowered and a whiff of the winter season hit him. Winter returned, and she was early which meant she brought him what he wanted without hesitation or resistance. "Perfect," he muttered then flew to the door, leaving his workshop empty for the rest of the night.

Elizabeth's POV:

Elizabeth rested her hands under the faucet, watching as the cold water rinsed Matt's blood off of them. It swirled in the sink before sliding down the drain and disappeared from view. When was the last time her blood looked red, like his? At least a month, she thought. "A month," she muttered then took her bar of soap and started washing off the rest of his blood.

Once she was finished, she dried her hands off then rested them on the counter and looked at herself in the mirror. The bright lights hanging in her bathroom lit up her appearance, revealing her unexpected transformation from Elizabeth to her other half. What happened to Elizabeth, the girl she longed to be once again? Who was this new personality and why did she insist on making herself known? All she wanted, was to feel normal again.

She scoffed at the word and rolled her eyes. 'Normal?' Really? When did her brain add that to her vocabulary? 'Normal' was a word that was seen when she played the part as Elizabeth, but it would never describe who she was. Not anymore, at least.

The girl sighed softly then left the bathroom, not bothering to attempt to change back. Her powers wouldn't listen anyway. She walked over to her bed where she abandoned her purse and gloves then sat down. Her hand reached into her pouch to take out her phone, but her eyes widened in surprise once her fingertips touched something smooth. She pulled it out, and her eyebrows scrunched together in confusion as she recognized it as a folded piece of paper. Her hands carefully unfolded it then lifted it closer to her face so that the light coming from the bathroom could reach it.

Her eyes slowly started reading the note but then widened unexpectedly and started rushing through it. "What?" she questioned, anxiety and confusion shooting through her as she reread it. This wasn't accurate. It couldn't be, right? It had to be a false rumor or a prank someone thought would be funny. Her father would never use her, especially for this.

Her father would never adopt her only to attract Maddie's attention.

Right?

Author's Note: Hey, everyone! Good news! Everything's returned back to normal... Wait a minute... How did Elizabeth find out why her father adopted her in the first place? She wasn't supposed to. Not yet, at least.

Oh, no... Not again.

*sighs* Okay, I don't know who the King is, but he's back. This has gotta be a prank, right? Alright, well, I guess we'll have to keep pulling through, and I'll make sure Elizabeth won't feel like this in the next chapter. Don't worry. I'll fix this! ;)

Fun Fact: Elizabeth hates the taste of caramel.

Review Time!

Thank you, beautiful Unprofessional Writer, for your two reviews! Hey, I totally understand! Please don't apologize! I hope things are well, and I hope things calm down for you. :) Thanks again! :)

Thank you, beautiful ElealehBlue, for your review! I know, right? It's easy to understand Mr. Roth, but it's difficult to like him. Lol, yeah. It's okay. I'm sorry I confused you with 'Winter' and the 'King.' It wasn't intentional. :) What's the book called that your reading? Is it on here or somewhere else? :) Maybe lol. I'm probably going to keep referring to it as WS, but it can stand for that. :) Maybe you're right. It could have been a glitch, and I had nothing to do with it. ;) I hope it gets fixed soon. ;) I don't want anything to happen to Elizabeth. :(

xD