Dawning of a Sun Chapter 35: The Price of Hope, a danny phantom fanfic

Hello all! Back to DoaS again! I did say it would take priority over Endgame. So, here we are.

I just want to clarify something before you guys start reading. I have already said this, but I continue to get messages and comments about it. People keep saying Sam's father's name is Jeremy. Well, if you don't know by now, that is NOT true. Sam's father's name was only mentioned once on the show, and it was in Control Freak, and Jack calls him Thurston. As for Sam's mom, her name was never given and neither was her grandmother's. Now, you may ask where the name Jeremy and Pamela came from then? Well, there's this site called wikepedia that people just love taking as 'fact'. Let me tell you right now that everything added on that site is written by 'normal' people; so anyone can go in there and add something as 'fact', when it is not. The fans over time have decided to name Sam's parents Jeremy and Pamela. But that's not fact. And although I have no problem sticking to the names that most fans recognze them by, I won't do it if it contradicts the show. So, I am sticking to Sam's dad's name being Thruston, because it's what the show said. But to make it easier for those use to 'Jeremy', I have his name being Thurston Jeremy Manson; and he's nickname's Jeremy. Kay?

Anyways, hope you all remember what happened last chapter; Vlad and Danny are now at the Rockies. Things are still chaotic in the Ghost World; and Tom's still making schemes to take down the ghost race. But in the last chapter, with the help of the Fentons, he discovered Danny's core energy has regenerative properties and it reacts to both humans and ghosts...

Onward, then.

Chapter 35: The Price of Hope

With all that Skulker had in hands and on his mind these past few days, he had not been able to go see his niece. Not only that, but he didn't want Ember to see or feel how stressed out he was. Of course, Dora had kept him up-to-date on her recovery; and last night, Skulker had been greatly relieved to learn from his fiancée that his niece was doing a lot better. In fact, Anĝela released her to go back home, and just gave Dora some medications for the little girl ghost.

But Skulker had made the decision of bringing Ember to his home. It had been late at night, so she had been asleep when he brought her to his lair.

It was now morning of the next day, and Skulker decided to finally face his niece again.

He walked to his guest room where he had put her to rest last night, and then quietly entered. He was surprised when he saw his niece was awake. But she was still on the bed, hugging her knees and looking quietly at her toes. There was a sober expression on her face, one no child should ever have.

"Ember?" Skulker called softly when he realized she did not even notice his entrance.

The happiness in her eyes when she looked up at him was as extinguished as her flaming blue hair. And yet, at the sight of him, a bit of hopefulness came to her voice as she whispered, "Uncle…"

Skulker smiled and walked over to his niece. As soon as he sat down, she threw herself into his embrace and just buried her head in his metal-plated abdomen. She didn't seem to mind though because she just whimpered and gripped at him like her life depended on it.

Skulker sighed. "I know this is hard, Ember. But I promise everything will be alright. I am going to take care of you, child."

"But I'll never see my mommy and daddy again!" she whimpered. "I miss my mommy and daddy! I want my mommy and daddy back!"

Skulker said nothing as his niece began to cry loudly. He didn't know how to consol her. How could he when his own grief… and hate were consuming him? But he had to stay strong—at least on the outside—for his niece's sake.

"Shush now," he said gently, placing a hand on her back and rubbing it. "I know you want them back, but sometimes unfair things happen, Ember. And it makes us very sad, but your parents are not gone, child. They will always be with you. They will always watch over you. And you know what else?"

Ember sniffled, pulled her face from her uncle's body and stared at him with puffy eyes. "W-What?" she whimpered.

Skulker forced a warm smile on his face as he replied, "They don't want you to be sad, Ember. They want you to be happy again. I want you to be happy again, child."

Ember rubbed at her eyes as she tried to quiet her sobs. But then with a choked voice, she replied, "You miss them, too, Uncle Skulker?"

The hunter's eyebrows creased with sadness as he nodded back and shakily replied, "Y-Yes, child. I do miss them. I wish they were here to tell me how to make you happy again."

Ember hugged her uncle again. "Don't leave me, okay? I love you, Uncle Skulker. And I don't want you to leave me, too!"

"I won't, Ember," he answered, hugging her back. "I told you, I am going to take care of you, child. You are my priority from now on."

Ember sniffed some more for a few more minutes, but then suddenly, she whispered in a more resentful voice, "I know who killed my mommy and daddy…"

Skulker instantly tensed, but then pulled his niece away from him to look at her. "What did you say?"

Ember suddenly glared down at the bed she was sitting on, and repeated, "I know who killed them. I know who did it."

Skulker's eyes widened in shock. Had his niece seen Aragon's son kill her parents?

"You… You saw…?" was all he dared to ask.

Ember's eyes filled with more tears as she shook her head. "I saw him attack Daddy. He hurt him. And then I didn't see daddy again. And I heard Mommy screaming and I saw him again… and then she was gone, too." Suddenly, she looked up at Skulker and asked, "Did you see him, too, uncle? Did you see him hurt my mommy and daddy?"

Skulker searched his niece's eyes; and by her words, he concluded she had not witnessed the actual death of her parents, but had seen who had attacked them. But he had to be sure.

"Ember, the humans attacked you and your parents," he answered carefully.

Ember nodded, and said with quiet anger, "Yeah, but I saw him hurting them, too! He killed them."

"Who is 'him', Ember?" Skulker reluctantly pressed himself to ask.

Ember whimpered before choking out, "Danny's dragon friend! It was him! I saw him! He hurt my daddy and mommy! He killed them! Elliot killed them!"

She suddenly broke into loud sobs again, but Skulker was frozen in place. Her niece knew the truth, except she was blaming Aragon's other son instead of the one that disappeared six years ago. He had preferred for her not to know the truth and just believe her parents were killed by the humans; but she did know—at least enough to know one of Aragon's sons was responsible.

He was tempted to correct his niece and explain to her she was blaming the wrong dragon; but he resisted the urge. She was too troubled and young to understand right now. He knew he would be forced to tell her when she was older; but for now, he knew talking about this was only going to make matters worse.

"Don't worry, Ember…," Skulker muttered, hugging her again. "No sin in our world or the other goes without punishment." But then he added darkly to himself, "I will make sure of it."

Horris flew with purpose towards Clockwork's abode. It had been a couple of days since Skulker had told him about the location of the King and Prince.

And it had been just as long since he had learned the truth…

How? How could Vlad—the child he had watched over and cared for like a son—keep something so significant from him? Didn't he trust him? Didn't Vlad see how serious it was that he kept this from him?

And worse, Vlad wasn't the only one who had kept quiet…

"Clockwork!" Horris called sternly as he reached the Clock Tower and entered without knocking.

He found the Time Master standing next to his Viewing Orb; but clearly, the time ghost had known he would be arriving since he had already turned and was looking right at him.

"Why didn't you tell me?" Horris demanded almost angrily. "Why would you permit Vlad to keep something like this from me?"

Clockwork turned into an old man and spoke with a tired voice, "I did not want to interfere with his decisions. And… I knew you would find out eventually."

Horris rubbed his temple within his hood, showing he was more troubled than angry. "He should have told me. He should have known I would understand! He should have known I would have kept his son's secret just as I have kept his!"

"He was protecting his child, Horris," Clockwork replied. "It is all he has been trying to do. You must also understand his position. If the council—if the kingdom—finds out…"

"That is exactly the problem!" Horris exclaimed. "I think there is no choice now! If he would have told me before, maybe I could resolve things differently, but now… "

"There are some things that cannot be prevented," Clockwork answered when the Ancient trailed off.

Horris was quiet for a moment; but then looking at the time ghost with troubled eyes, he softly begged, "I want to see them. Let me see them, Clockwork."

Clockwork sighed, but he nodded and turned to his Viewing Orb. He raised his staff at it, and with a swirl of blue energy, an image appeared within the orb. It was of Vlad sitting beside Danny, who was lying on a bed. Both were currently human.

Horris sighed and shook his head. It was even worse to confirm with his eyes what Skulker had told him.

"Since that… condition fell upon Vlad, I had been afraid it would have future consequences… that it would keep him from forming a child," the Ancient spoke softly. "It was why I had insisted so much that he formed one. I insisted so that if it were true, he would be forced to tell me."

The Ancient raised his hand to the orb as he continued. "But then the Prince was formed, and I was at ease, because I was sure that my fear was unfounded…."

Clockwork said nothing. He knew all Skulker had told the Ancient. He had told him everything but the fact that Danny was not truly Vlad's son. Clockwork understood the hunter's reasons for keeping it from the Ancient. And Clockwork knew he would have done the same as Skulker if he had been in his position.

"But now… I see my fears were true to some extent…," Horris said sadly. "Vlad's condition… it has carried into his own son. Maybe it is a curse…"

"Horris," Clockwork spoke up at last. "We both know that's not true. We both know the truth. It was never Pariah's spell on his crown and ring which turned Vlad half-human. That curse had been meant to kill him. We both know it was his own mother's counter-spell that turned him human."

Horris nodded. "She had known of the curse; but since she knew she could not undo it, she countered it with another spell. It was the only thing she could do… the only way to protect her son in case he ever took the throne."

"I know why you have not told Vlad, Horris," Clockwork said. "You saw how hard it was for him to accept what he had become. So, you were afraid he might resent his mother, so you kept it from him. You feared the truth would harm him further, so you have let him believe even till today that his condition was his uncle's doing."

"Why are you reminding me of this? Why does it matter now?" Horris asked, his voice tired and distressed.

"It matters, Horris," Clockwork assured him seriously. "And I am to remind you of it so that you may understand. If you have kept something so significant from him, then you should understand why Vlad had kept the truth about his son from you. He's afraid for his son—just as you were—and still are— afraid for him."

Horris quietly nodded, realizing the time ghost was right. He could not be angry at Vlad for this; but he was still hurt by it. If only that was the extent of it…

"I do not know what to do, Clockwork," Horris whispered anxiously. "Vlad refuses to return without his son, and the council is in a panic. It won't be long before rumors spread and the Kingdom begins to question the King's absence. And if those humans attempt to invade or attack now, there will be mass hysteria, Clockwork. Our entire world is hanging by a thread, and the council knows this, too. They are awaiting a decision—an action."

He paused for a moment before adding soberly, "The only thing that will stop them from taking matters into their own hands is the truth. But if I reveal the truth… if I tell them their King and future King are… half-human… it could be as disastrous as having the humans enter our world. It could mean the end of the kingdom—then the end of our social and economic structure. The end of all balance. And then… the entire Ghost World will be destroyed."

"It seems your choices are limited, Horris," Clockwork said soberly. But raising an eyebrow, he added, "Perhaps there is a way to speak the truth without it spiraling out of control?"

And used to the time ghost's cryptic way of speaking, Horris nodded in understanding. He looked back at the Viewing Orb, and watched the scene of the father and son still on it. The Ghost World really was doomed without the King…. And by the looks of it, he was not coming back any time soon.

"Where are they, Clockwork?" Horris asked soberly, making up his mind on his next course of action.

"A place known as the Rockies," Clockwork replied.

"Alright," Horris said. He looked seriously at the time ghost before commanding, "Summon the Observant Leaders."

"Skulker?" Dora called as she walked towards him. He had been outside watching his niece. She was sitting with the baby phoenix by a small brook in the near distance.

The hunter turned his head a bit as his fiancée placed a hand on his shoulder. He smiled weakly at her before looking back at Ember.

"How is Cujo?" Skulker suddenly asked soberly.

Dora sighed. "He is out of danger, but recovering. Do not fret, Skulker. He will survive. But… how are you, my brave warrior?"

"Brave warrior…," Skulker repeated quietly. He shook his head. "I am no such thing—not when I failed to protect those that mattered." His eyebrows creased as he asked with a hint of desperation, "What am I going to do with my niece, Dora? How could I possibly raise her as well as her parents? How will I ever replace the warmth and love Ghostwriter and Lydia gave her?"

"Their presence is irreplaceable," Dora replied sadly, but added more hopefully, "However, love is something you and I can give her. We will make sure she never is without it, Skulker."

Skulker looked at Dora, but there was uncertainty in his eyes. He knew he had a very important decision to make… and as the days passed, he was beginning to realize what it truly meant… There were sacrifices he would have to make…

"Dora…," Skulker began, a pained tone in his voice as he turned and grabbed her hands in his. However, before he could continue, a red sphere of light suddenly flew right past him.

Dora gasped in surprise. But just as quickly, the sphere turned back around; and this time, Skulker raised his hands and caught it just as it came to him.

"What in the world?" Dora whispered as Skulker slowly opened his cupped hands and revealed a glowing red metallic beetle. "What is that?"

"Plasmius," Skulker answered, a small hopeful smile curling his lips. "This is how he communicates with me when he is in the Human World. This is a man-made device made to look like an earthly bug. It's one of his inventions; but they are powered by his energy, so until they stop, they just look like ghostly creatures."

The little beetle's antennae twitched towards Skulker, and identifying him as the ghost it was programmed to seek out, its wings expanded again and under it was a small compartment. It soon opened, revealing a folded note within.

Skulker pulled it out and quickly read it.

"What does it say?" Dora asked when she realized it was written in Human Speech, which she did not know how to read.

"The Prince…," Skulker replied seriously. "He needs help."

In spite of all that had happened a couple of days ago, Tom had not forgotten his personal problems with his sister and her family. After all, Pamela had not been very happy with him when, coincidently, his niece had been present the day he had captured the Queen and Prince. That had certainly been a mess.

But although his work did come first, he would have preferred to avoid putting his niece in harm's way if he could have helped it. True, he really hadn't shown as if he cared when he had been in his 'work mode' at that particular time, but underneath, he had been concerned about his niece and sister. After all, they were all the family Tom had around here.

So, even though he was still very busy, he decided to finally take the time to visit them and apologize about what had happened.

Walking up to the large mansion in the richest part of Amity Park, Tom scoffed. He still remembered the day his sister went off and married that haughty idiot, Thruston—or, as most people called him, 'Jeremy'. If anything good came out of their marrying, it was that the moron was loaded—and, of course, the birth of his niece. At least his sister was well taken care of in the economical sense.

Thomas smirked at his next sudden thought. It was a good thing Jeremy's brother had died. Otherwise, his brother-in-law's inheritance would have had been split two ways… And Tom couldn't have had his sister lose half of that fortune… Sure, Jeremy's mother was still alive, but she posed no threat since she was an old hag and had already signed off Jeremy as sole owner of 'Manson and Manson Enterprise…'

As for himself, Tom was interested in something more than mere money. After all, with power came everything else…

Feeling some satisfaction at the thought, he smiled calmly and finally knocked on the door. He was soon greeted by one of the servants.

"Good day, Mr. Chrome. Are you looking for Mrs. Manson?"

"Yes, Jobson," Tom replied calmly. "Is she home?"

"Indeed, sir. Come in. I'll let her know you are here," the butler replied.

Tom nodded and stepped in. As soon as Jobson excused himself, the Guy-in-White leader removed his sunglasses and looked around the foyer. As always, his sister and brother-in-law had the most expensive things. They were such snobs that it was a surprise they even still lived in this wash-down town…

"Thomas, it's about time you showed up…" But whatever else Pamela had been about to say was obviously forgotten when she saw her brother….

The ghost hunter turned to look at his sister as she walked in. As usual, she was wearing a prissy pink dress to match her impeccably styled hair and perfectly manicured nails.

"Pamela!" Tom replied with a bright smile, ignoring how his sister's displeased frown had instantly melded into a look of shock and worry over his 'new' look. Of course, he expected her reaction. She had not seen him in a few days, and he had only changed his appearance since last night...

"Tom…," she finally gasped out. "What in the world—?"

"Yes, I know. It's different," he purposely interrupted her, and dismissed what he knew would be the beginning of an annoying interrogation on his sister's part. And hoping to avoid that, he quickly walked over to her and gave her a kiss on the cheek before pleasantly asking, "How are you?"

At first, the woman was too surprised and upset at the way he looked to respond—especially when she knew he had purposely cut her off to avoid answering the obvious question. Still, she wasn't going to let him get away with that.

Placing her hands on her hips, she looked pointedly at him as she replied, "Now even more upset with you, Tom. Not only do you rudely interrupt me, but you're also trying to avoid telling me about your new 'fashion statement.' But more importantly, you are brushing off my concern! What happened to your face? I noticed it in the park when I last saw you, but I didn't think… Is it permanent?" she asked, uncertainty returning to her face.

"Yeah, it is…," he muttered, but then he shook his head and said with a bit more annoyance, "But in any case, it's not important. We can talk about that later. I think there's more pressing matters to discuss than my 'fashion statement'."

Pamela's face scrunched up in irritation this time, not missing how he rolled his eyes as he mocked her choice of words. She hated it when he tried to avoid talking about things like this; but she hated even more when he acted like she was overreacting to those things he didn't want to talk about.

"Then, let's first discuss said pressing matters, Thomas," she replied tersely. "Let me tell you the main reason why I'm upset with you. You endanger the life of your own niece and don't bother showing up until five days later—though now I see it took that long for you to give yourself a questionable makeover!"

"Cut me some slack, Pam," Tom replied with his own frown, ignoring her barb. "Things have been crazy around here. Someone's gotta protect the citizens of this town, and it happens to be me."

"Yes, Yes. I know your 'little ghost hunting job' is picking up again, but you still could have at least called!" she reprimanded. "And speaking of all that, what's going on? Are we under a ghost invasion, because if we are, perhaps it's best that…"

"Relax," Thomas cut her off again upon seeing the fear in his sister's face. "I'm taking care of it. The ghosts have been trying to attack again, but thanks to my 'little ghost hunting job' we've been able to keep them at bay. And soon we'll have them completely eliminated."

Pamela sighed. "I suppose I should give you more credit… It's just that… for the longest time, I thought this whole thing with 'ghosts' was ridiculous… There was a point I didn't even believe they existed. But now… seeing how I could have lost my little Sammy to those evil creatures…"

"It's why I'm here," Tom assured her with a smile. "I was worried about my niece. How is she?"

Pamela sighed before replying, "Come on. I'll explain everything in the parlor over a cup of tea."

Tom nodded and followed his sister further into the mansion. But as they neared the area, the eldest Mrs. Manson rolled into the same hall on her scooter.

The woman tensed at seeing Tom present, and noticing it, he smirked and greeted her, "Hello, Millie. How are you?"

The woman frowned and answered coolly. "I was better…" But she then raised an eyebrow and asked, "What in good heavens happened to your face?"

Tom replied a bit sharply, "Work accident."

"Some accident…," the eldest woman answered uncertainly. "Did you lose your hair, too?"

"Mother!" Pamela exclaimed in disapproval.

"I'm just wondering," she defended herself.

"No, I actually shaved my hair off," Tom replied, suppressing his annoyance. "I felt like giving myself a new look."

"Yeah… You need to work on that," Millie replied, but when she saw her daughter-in-law open her mouth to protest, she sweetly smiled and flippantly said, "But what do I know about modern styles now-a-days? So, lighten up! I'm sure women are into bald guys with scars on their faces… Maybe you'll get married at last."

Tom narrowed his eyes a bit, while Pam placed a hand against her forehead in helplessness.

Millie mischievously smiled and innocently quipped, "Oh, I was just kidding! You know how old women are! We have to get our kicks somehow! But I'm sure you two have lots to talk about, so I'll just be on my way."

"Well, we were about to have tea in the parlor. Why don't you join us?" Pamela asked.

"No, no, dearie," she said quickly. But then realizing she had dismissed it too fast, she causally shrugged and added, "I'm a bit tired. Thank you, though."

"Alright," Pamela answered with a small frown. She then watched the elder woman ride off, turning towards the hallways leading to her room.

"Why do you call her 'mother'? She isn't your mother, Pam," Thomas said, annoyed.

"Well, of course, Tom. But you know how much I care for Millie. She's lived with us for a while now, and Sammy loves her."

"I'd ship her off to a nursing home if I were you," Tom muttered with a roll of his eyes.

"Thomas!" Pam scolded, slapping his shoulder. "Stop that. You know I would never do that."

"I know. But I could always do it for you…," Tom answered with a small smirk.

Pamela shook her head. "You're impossible sometimes. Come on."

Thomas chuckled and continued to follow his sister. They soon came to a cozy living room, and Pam ordered her butler to bring them tea and cookies. As they settled into the plush chairs and waited for the butler to return Tom began to tell her a bit more about what happened at that day of 'the invasion'…

But Pamela was more interested in a previous topic.

However, just before she could ask what was on her mind, her butler returned along with one of her maids. Tom fell quiet as they placed the tea and cookies on the table between them.

Once the servants left, he continued, while Pam reached over and began to pour tea into two cups.

"As I was saying, we managed to apprehend almost all of them at the pier; and we caught them all at the park. And, of course, we dealt with those creatures accordingly. Clearly, they were targeting the innocent by attempting an attack at the park," Tom coolly lied, knowing that it had just been coincidence the Prince had ended up at the park of all places. "What we are trying to investigate now is the odd earthquake and the opening of all those portals…"

But Pam just nodded; and unable to keep quiet anymore, she hesitantly asked, "Exactly what happened to your face, Tom? …It looks much better than days ago, but… it has left such terrible scars on your face…"

Tom sighed as he reached up to his face and touched one of the four claw marks running down one side of his face from his eye to his ear.

"It was a ghost. It caught me off guard. But don't worry. I killed the little beast," Tom replied a bit darkly.

"See? That's another reason I don't like your job," Pamela said with a sigh, lowering the tea pot. "It is so dangerous. That horrid creature could have killed you, Tom! And… I don't know what I would do if something would ever happen to you."

Thomas reached forward and grabbed his sister's unoccupied hand. He gave it a squeeze as he assured her, "You don't need to worry about me, Pam. I've been doing this for a long time. Yeah, there's some risk, but I've learned to watch my back. I just wish for the safety of the people, mostly you and my niece."

She smiled warmly before she carefully reached forward and touched his scarred face. "You really are a selfless man, Tom. I don't like what you do, but I'm still proud of you." She pulled away before offering her brother one of the steaming teacups. As he accepted it with a quick 'thanks', she studied the claw marks on his face a bit more carefully, and then said with slight confusion, "You know, I'm amazed your injuries healed so fast."

Tom took a sip of tea before lowering it back on the table. He shrugged lightly and replied, "I used this new… healing ointment…. Works miracles…."

"Hmm. But, really, did you have to shave your hair off as well?" Pam asked, her eyes on her tea as she added sugar to it.

Getting annoyed, Tom quickly changed topics, "Where's your husband?"

"At work," she replied with a small smile. She knew when her brother wanted to drop a subject, and she decided to respect that this time. "He should be home any minute, though."

"Uh-huh. And Sammy?" the hunter further asked, grabbing a cookie.

Pamela instantly deflated and lowered her gaze. "In her room…. She's been very upset since that day, Tom. I don't know what to do. I have had to force her to attend her piano rehearsals and vocal classes. I even told her she could go visit that common boy, Tucker. But she refused. She only lets him come over, but she doesn't even want to go play outside! I'm worried for my daughter, Thomas. It's not normal for a six-year-old to isolate herself like that, which is why I need to know what happened to her that day! She kept crying for two days how you killed her friend!"

Tom frowned deeply. "I arrived just seconds before you did, Pam. But from what my commander told me, Sammy was with the very ghost that did this to my face. Those creatures are deceitful and malignant, Pamela. They probably did something to Sammy to confuse her."

"Oh my gosh! Do you think it's permanent? Should I take her to the doctor?" Pamela instantly questioned in a panic.

"Calm down, Pamela," Tom quickly said. He picked up his tea again before adding, "That ghost is dead; so anything it could have done to Samantha is gone, too. I'm sure she's just a bit traumatized." He took a sip of tea before adding with a smile, "Perhaps I should go talk to her. I'm sure I could get rid of any confusion that's troubling her."

Pamela instantly perked up. "Oh, please, Tom! I'm just so worried about her!"

"Don't worry. I'm sure she'll be fine, and I'll check her over for any spectral contaminants just in case," Tom assured her with a comforting smile.

But seeing her brother put down his tea and stand up, Pam quickly said, "Wait. Why don't you finish your tea, first? Then, we'll go see, Sammy-kins."

"It's fine. My niece comes, first. I'll be right back. There's some other things I need to talk to you about." But seeing his sister move to stand up, he quickly added, "And if it's okay with you, I would rather go see her alone. It'll be better that way."

"Well, alright," Pam answered, slightly put out that she couldn't go listen to what Tom said to her daughter. But then she smiled and added, "You know the way, right?"

"Of course I do," Thomas answered with a smirk. "I'll be back in a couple of minutes…" He turned and headed out of the parlor. He then headed down two halls before taking some stairs. Finally, one more hallway and he came to his niece's bedroom.

"Sammy?" Tom called, knocking on the door before going in. The room was so pink and bright that it almost hurt to look at it. There was also a large collection of dolls and proper little girl toys. Honestly, his niece's room looked like a life-size doll house. Tom knew, though, that this was his sister's doing. His niece never seemed all that interested in her toys and how her room looked. She was more hands on in her activities, much to Pamela's dislike.

So, it was of no surprise to the hunter when he quickly spotted his niece on the ground, drawing. But the instant her purple eyes locked on him, the marker fell out of her hand.

"Uncle Tom," she whispered in surprise, but then it quickly left her and she suddenly glared at him.

Thomas pouted teasingly. "Aw, Sammy. Why the look?"

"What did you do with Danny?" she demanded, getting to her feet and fisting her hands on her sides. If it wasn't for her pink little dress, she would almost look intimidating.

"Danny?" the ghost hunter repeated back in brief confusion. But suddenly remembering that was the Prince's real name, Tom raised a surprised eyebrow. Just how much time had her niece spent with that little demon? Clearly, enough to know his name…

Tom didn't like the fact.

He walked further into the room and then sat on his niece's bed. He watched as she turned to face him, an angry look still on her face.

The ghost hunter almost smiled. His niece was so cute when she tried to look angry. Still, he resisted the urge, knowing she wouldn't appreciate being teased right now.

"Look, Sammy," Tom began more seriously, only to be cut off.

"My name's Sam," she corrected him, crossing her arms.

"You're name's Samantha," Tom answered, raising an eyebrow again.

"Yeah, well, I don't want to be called that anymore! I like Sam now," she snapped.

"Uh…," he replied, for once not knowing how to respond. He shook his head, and calmly said, "Anyways, I came to talk with you about what happened at the park a few days ago. What were you doing near those ghosts, huh? You know what I told you about those creatures."

"You said they're evil and can kill me," Samantha replied back with a frown. But then she added in protest, "But that's not true! I met one! Danny's good, Uncle! He was nice and—and he was my friend!"

"Don't be ridiculous, Samantha," Tom scolded. "That's what they make you think. He was probably distracting you for the bigger ghosts to come and hurt you. Could you imagine how distraught your parents would be if that had happened? Do you know how upset I would be? It's certainly a good thing my men came at the time they did."

Sam fell quiet, her glare falling into an uncertain look. She wanted to know something, but she was afraid of the answer. But she just had to know…

"Uncle? Did… Did you kill him? Did you kill… Danny?" she asked quietly.

"Sammy," Thomas answered, rolling his eyes. "Of course I did. He was an evil ghost."

Samantha's bottom lip began to quiver, and seeing that, Tom quickly stood up and said, "Oh, don't cry, Sammy."

But she began to sob all the same. In fact, she was so upset she didn't even protest when her uncle scooped her up in his arms.

"He was just a ghost, Sammy," Tom said gently, rubbing her back.

"B-But he was good!" she cried out, though she buried her face into her uncle's neck. "He was nice. He was my friend!"

Tom sighed before he walked over to the bed and sat down with his niece. He then pulled her away from him as he said more seriously, "Samantha, look at me. Do you see my face?"

Sam nodded, though she continued to cry.

"Your so-called 'friend' did this to my face." And seeing her eyes widened with the news, he added, "Now, tell me, could that ghost have been good? He attacked me, Sammy, and he would have done the same to you if given the chance."

Samantha looked torn for a moment, but she vigorously shook her head. "No, he… You probably did something to him, and it's why he hurt you!" she accused, a weak glare returning to her face.

"Sammy, I did what I had to do," he answered with a frown. "Ghosts are evil. They're the bad guys. And me?" He smiled. "I'm the good guy—the hero. Do you understand that? I do what I do for the good of people. And whether you think that ghost was your friend or not, it had to go, because it was a threat to everyone. Trust me, Sammy. I know best. Besides, you know how much I love you, right?" He wiped away her tears with a hand, and added gently, "I would have preferred not to hurt you like this if I could have helped it. But this is just how things played out… Now, come on, cheer up. And don't be mad at me anymore. It breaks my heart, Sammy."

Samantha sniffed a bit, but didn't reject her uncle when he pressed her closer to him in a hug. She felt more tears prickle against her eyes, but she rubbed them away with her hand.

"Now…," Tom began, pulling away from his niece. "I told your mother I would check you for any spectral contaminants. So, if you could just hold still for me…"

Sam frowned when her uncle pulled out of his pocket some device that looked like an instrument tuner, only bigger.

"If there's any kind of ghost energy close by, it's going to pick it up," he explained.

But hearing that, Sam's eyes widened for some reason and she abruptly pushed off her uncle's lap. "There's no ghost stuff here! I'm okay now! I am!"

Tom startled a bit with her niece's sudden reaction. "I'm sure, Sammy. After all, you appear fine and it's been a few days since your encounter with those evil ghosts. But your mother… Well, you know how paranoid she is."

Sammy pouted as she answered, "Can't you just tell her I'm okay? I want to finish my drawing. Please, Uncle Tom!"

Thomas stared at his niece's beautiful purple eyes, and unable to resist her pleading look, he smiled warmly and replied, "I suppose… only if you give me a kiss, though."

Sam smiled and quickly jumped back on her uncle's lap to give him a kiss on the cheek.

"You're such a sweet girl, Sammy," Tom told her, still smiling. "You have no idea how much I love you, darling."

Sam frowned a bit, but replied, "I love you, too, uncle." It was true. She did, but… he also scared her….

Tom patted her head before lowering her back to the ground and standing up. "Well, I'll let you continue your masterpiece," he teased. "And don't worry. I'll talk to your mother for you. But I don't want to hear that you're hiding up in your room. You need to do what your mom wants and go out and play, too, alright?"

Seeing the stern look on his face, Sam nodded and replied, "Okay, Uncle."

"Good girl," Tom said approvingly. "I have to get back to your mom. But I'll come by this weekend and we can go get ice-cream at that place you like."

Sam just smiled back and nodded. She then waved as her uncle left. But once he was gone, she let out a loud sigh. She then quickly ran over to her door and locked it before looking towards her dresser. She frowned sadly as she slowly walked over to it. But instead of opening a drawer, she got on her hands and knees and reached under the dresser. She pulled out a small box.

She felt her eyes begin to water as she opened it. She pulled out some pictures from her camera. She always liked to print out her favorite pictures she took with her digital camera. And her latest print-outs she had put in her small box because they were the ones she had taken at the park with Tucker that day…

Sammy stared sadly at the pictures of the scared ghost boy with green eyes caught by her camera. But she then placed them aside, and stared at the other item in her box.

She reached towards it and brushed her fingers against it, seeing how it slightly reacted to her touch. It was Danny's necklace with the blue ice gem—the one his mother had given him…

Sam did not know how it was still in one piece after being stepped on and crushed by one of her uncle's men. But she was glad she had spotted it in the snow and grabbed it before her uncle's men could stop her.

Still, Samantha didn't know much about ghosts, but she had been around her uncle enough to know the dim glow of the necklace and gem was produced by something called ghost energy. So, she had known if her uncle had used his instrument, it would have picked up the necklace's energy. And Sam did not want anyone taking her friend's necklace from her. The picture and this was all she now had to remember him by…

Sadly, it didn't glow as brightly as when Danny had been wearing it, but the contained pink energy inside the blue gem was still constantly spinning.

"You were good…," Sam whimpered as her tears came again. "I know it. I'm… I'm sorry I couldn't save you, Danny."

The little girl started crying all over again, sure she would never see her special friend again…

Tom finally made it downstairs to the foyer. He was just about to turn into the hallway which led to the parlor where he left his sister when Thurston walked in through the front door.

"Thomas," Jeremy said in surprise, but then his eyes widened and he blurted out, "What in heaven's name happened to your face?"

Tom resisted the urge to roll his eyes and just shrugged before he answered off-handedly, "Work accident. Ask your wife."

"That's terrible," Jeremy muttered. But then he shook his head and affectionately patted the ghost hunter on the back. "It's good to see you. Pamela had been expecting your visit for a few days now."

"Tell me about it," Tom replied with slight annoyance, though he returned the warm greeting. "She sure let me have it, too."

"Yes, well, we were upset because of what happened to Samantha at the park…," he replied with a small frown.

"Yeah, I know. And I apologize. It really was an unfortunate coincidence that Sammy had been there that day. If I would have known, I would have never authorized my men to engage those ghosts there," Thomas answered, though he knew it was a lie. "But it was for the best. If we hadn't intervened, Sammy could have suffered more than a scare—her and all the children and people there. You understand, right?"

"Yes," Jeremy answered with a small sigh. His eyebrows creased as he added, "But all this surge of ghost activity is troubling, Thomas. Those creatures possess powers beyond the imagination. And, clearly, they are determined to use all their means against us. I fear for my family, Tom, especially in this place. I told Pamela we should consider moving… I know it would mean you wouldn't see her and Samantha as much but… You can understand, right?"

Thomas frowned before he carefully replied, "I understand your concern, Jeremy, but you have to understand that ghosts can appear anywhere. You can't outrun them, which is why I am so determined to fight them."

"But they have been so focused on Amity Park lately, Thomas," Jeremy argued.

"If they're attacking Amity Park, it is because they know the Guys-in-White's stronghold is here—at least one of the main two," the GiW leader replied seriously. "They see us a threat, Jeremy. They're afraid and want to eradicate us before we get to them first." He then added with an almost evil smirk, "But the Guys-in-White agency is expanding quickly, far too quickly for those demons to stop us from beating them back."

Tom's expression melded back into a reassuring look as he placed a hand on Jeremy's shoulder and said, "Trust me. I would never let any harm come to Pam or Sammy. Your family is in the safest place. It would be unwise to move them away from the protection my men and I can offer them and you. So, as uncertain as all this might make you, I can assure you that the reign of those demons will come to its end by my hand. I will eradicate them from the face of this earth. I swear on my life," he ended with determination.

Jeremy stared back with a bit of fear. It was somewhat… scary when his brother-in-law got into his 'ghost hunter' mode. But then Sam's father sighed and nodded, "You're right. And I know you would never let anything happened to Samantha and Pamela." He smiled weakly as he added, "Besides, it would be hard to leave Michigan right now when 'Manson and Masters Enterprise' is going through some big changes."

Tom mentally jolted. "Wait, what? Don't you mean 'Manson and Manson Enterprise?'"

"No, I meant 'Manson and Masters Enterprise,'" Jeremy replied with a small chuckle. "You see, since Charles died, it's been very hard for me to keep up with my father's company's demands. So, about a month back I made a decision. I decided to sell half my company and partner up with another established business man."

Tom just stared in disbelief. "You sold half of your family's inheritance? … Why?"

Jeremy was a bit taken aback at the hint of anger in his brother-in-law's voice. He frowned. "I told you, Tom. It was too much for me to do alone. I didn't want to neglect my family, and the company was already struggling. I think it was the best decision, and Pamela agreed, too. Besides, the half I still hold is plenty to secure my wife and daughter's future and beyond, too."

Tom felt his teeth clench, but then something clicked, and he frowned, "Did you say 'Masters'? As in Vladimir Masters?"

"That's right. The very one, Tom," Jeremy replied with a smile. "You've done business with him in the past, so you must know I chose wisely. He has the name, influence, and knowledge to make Manson and Masters Enterprise even better than before."

"Just hope he doesn't finish taking all your company from you, Jeremy," Tom answered in slight displeasure. "Masters is a cunning man. If you let him, he'll walk right over you in his unquenchable quest for money and power."

"I'm surprised to hear you say that," Jeremy said with a troubled look. "I thought you liked him."

"I wouldn't say I 'like' him," Thomas replied with scoff. "He's just a good source of profit for my agency. I won't deny that the man is a genius, which is why I have insisted that he partner up with the government's ghost technology division, but he refuses every time. Still, just because we have use for each other now-and-then doesn't mean I trust him or like him. The man's a shark, and all sharks bite sooner or later. That's what I'm saying."

"Well, it's a good thing I have experience with business sharks, then," Jeremy answered, clearly unaffected by his brother-in-laws warnings. "Not to mention, this particular shark has yet to really take an active participation in the company's activities. Everyone knows he's always disappearing. In fact, we had scheduled a meeting for today, and he did not show up. It's odd because when he cancels, he's always responsible enough to have one of his secretaries call to reschedule…"

"Huh…," Tom answered, thoughtfully touching the scared-side of his face.

"Yes, I hope he shows soon because we have much work to do," Jeremy added. "Then again, I am not too worried. Masters has plenty of experience, and knows how to make a business take off quickly. Perhaps that's why he doesn't really need to be on top of them so much. He's good at handling things from a distance."

"It's still strange," Thomas answered, still sounding thoughtful. "Masters has always been elusive. Even the press has a hard time getting anything on him." He paused. And as if suddenly dismissing whatever he had been thinking about, he scoffed and rolled his eyes. "I'm sure he's in some condo somewhere getting drunk and sleeping around like the rich boy he is… No offense, Jeremy."

"None taken," he answered, though he raised an eyebrow.

"Oh, Jeremy, you're home," Pamela suddenly said, walking into the foyer where the two men were talking.

She greeted her husband before saying, "What are you two doing talking in the entrance way? Come, let's go back to the parlor. Did you talk with Sammy-kins, Tom?" she added.

"Yeah, I did," he answered. And as they walked back to the small living room, he told them about his talk with his niece. And yet, Tom's mind was whirling on another topic…

He couldn't believe Jeremy had sold half his company to Vladimir Masters! It was infuriating in a big way to Tom because all his work to secure his sister and niece's future had just been thrown down the drain. But in another way, it opened up an opportunity to get closer to the young elusive tycoon…

Perhaps Masters could be of even more use to him without his knowing…

With all the permanent portals opened, it was all the easier for Spectra and Bertrand to access the human world. Of course, Frostbite, along with other members of the council, had given orders to patrol all the kingdom's perimeters. But the Ghost World was vast. All the two evil ghosts had to do was find a remote area with an open portal.

And yet, it was still a big risk. If they were spotted using a portal in this moment of chaos, it would end badly for them. Not to mention how all the ghost hunters—not just the Guys-in-White—were on full alert.

But Walker was demanding his end of the bargain; and even if the King and Prince were dead or not, Spectra did not want Walker on her bad side. But if the Royal Family was dead, the warden would certainly regain free range in interpreting the kingdom's laws like he had during Pariah's rule. And Spectra could not afford an angry tyrant after her—not until she secured her place in the hierarchy as supreme ruler.

But that was yet to be seen. So, she had to tread carefully. The truth was Spectra had purposely withheld from Thomas that Danny could not call to his parents. She had been sure Vlad would not fall into the Guys-in-White's death trap because the King would have no way of finding Danny or Desiree. So, in spite of what she had made the humans and even Bertrand otherwise think, her true plan had been to have her sister and nephew killed; not Vlad. Never him.

After all, she still had use for King Plasmius. Not only did she… desire him, he would make it easier for her to take her place on the throne. The Ancient Laws clearly stated that a female ghost could not rule the Kingdom on her own. And if she did, the Council would have authority over the decisions made in the Ghost World.

Spectra didn't want just the title as Queen; she wanted the authority that came with it, so she could do as she pleased without anyone being able to oppose her wishes. She wanted to be revered and worshipped, like her sister once was.

And for that, she needed a king at her side. And who better than Vlad? A male ghost that matched her not only in beauty, but also in her wisdom and power!

Yes, he would hers… She would wear his mark, and she would mark him in her own way, too… It was a matter of time.

"Spectra? Spectra!"

The female ghost jolted, and blinked over at her male partner. They were flying invisibly over the sky of Amity Park, heading to Circus Gothica. But annoyed at being taken away from her wonderful thoughts, she scowled and replied, "What, Bertrand?"

"I've been calling your name for the past minute, Penelope!" he snapped back.

"Okay, well, what?" she answered, still annoyed.

Bertrand frowned, but still answered, "I said, Plasmius has been missing for over five days. I'm starting to think 'our king' is truly dead."

Spectra frowned in slight worry and looked away. She had been thinking about that, too. As much as she mused over the reasons why Vlad was missing—why he hadn't returned back to the Ghost World—she could only find one reason that made sense: that he had indeed been killed.

But how? How would Tom be able to lure him into his trap if Vlad had had no way of finding his family? No, the King couldn't be dead. She refused to believe it.

"You give Vlad little credit, Bertrand," she finally answered causally. "It's going to take more than Tommy with his little plastic soldiers and their guns to take him down. I'm sure he's somewhere."

"You sound like you want him to be alive," Bertrand answered, narrowing his eyes a bit. "It was part of the plan to have 'Tommy' kill him along with the Queen and their brat. Remember?"

But when she shrugged it off, he suddenly realized the truth and his eyes flashed with anger. "You didn't want Vlad dead, did you?" he accused her. "It was never about him. You just made Tom and Walker and me believe that! All you wanted was your sister and her kid out of the way so you can get to Plasmius! You lied to me!"

"Calm down, Bertrand," Spectra lightly scolded.

But Bertrand abruptly stopped flying and crossed his arms with a glare.

She sighed and stopped, too. "Okay! Yes, it's true. But if I want Vlad alive, it's not for the reasons you think. We need him, Bertrand. Walker explained the Ancient Laws to me a while back, and I can't secure my place on the throne without him."

"So, you're gonna marry him?" he hissed.

"If it comes to that… but it'll just be to get the throne," she quickly assured him. "Once I have it, Vlad won't be of use to us. I'll kill him in my own way," she added with a wicked smile before it melded into a sweet one. "Then, you can marry me and we'll rule together… forever…"

"That better be true, Spectra," he answered seriously, though there was a hidden smile on his lips. But then he frowned and added, "You better hope Walker and Tom don't find out you purposely tricked them."

She shrugged. "I'll just deny it. I mean, how was I supposed to know the Prince couldn't call to his daddy?"

"Didn't you tell Walker about that?" he asked, raising an eyebrow.

The female shadow ghost smirked. "Well, yeah. But Walker doesn't know Tom had been relying on that link for the King to fall into his trap. It's what's so good about making deals with a human and a ghost—they are worlds apart! We can make deals to our benefit without either party being able to find out about it."

Bertrand looked uncertain, but then he just shrugged and turned his focus back on where they were going.

"Oh, look, we're here," he commented when he saw the black tarps of Circus Gothica coming into view below.

Having been invisible this whole time, the two ghosts turned intangible and phased right into the main tent.

They soon spotted the man they had been looking for… And he wasn't alone.

"You, drone! I said to wait for my cue!" he snarled at a large ghost 'walking' on the tightrope.

Spectra raised an eyebrow. So, Freakshow was finally making use of those rogue ghosts she had captured for him? Well, it had technically been Tom who had asked for the ghosts. She remembered that it was to train Gregor. The young dragon had ended up killing the female of the three ghost siblings. Thomas had handed the two that were left over to Freakshow to do as he wanted with them. Eklips and Eta were their names, if she recalled correctly. And although Eklips was small in stature—a dwarf, to be exact—he was the oldest of the two brothers.

Freakshow raised his staff at Eta and the big ghost suddenly screamed in pain before falling off the wire and dropping the twenty feet. The ghost slammed into a ground with a whimper.

Eklips, who was currently on a tricycle, almost seemed to tense; but it was quickly forgotten when Freakshow turned his eyes on him.

"You, come here! I want you to—"

"Training ghosts for your circus act now?" Spectra suddenly asked, amused, as she and Bertrand took their human disguises.

Freakshow startled, and looked towards the voice just as Penelope and Bertrand materialized.

The red-eyed man scoffed and said, "Well, look who finally decides to show up. Tom's pissed at you."

Spectra grinned. "I figured as much."

But when, suddenly, a third ghost abruptly flew down from somewhere above and landed besides Freakshow, Penelope and Bertrand gasped.

"It can't be! I thought—" Penelope began, but she was cut off.

"Like my newest addition?" Freakshow asked with a chuckle before turning to face the third ghost. He lifted its bowed head by grabbing its chin and added, "I have many plans for this beauty…"

Spectra and Bertrand looked at each other, clearly unsure of how to feel about this. "Does… Tom know you…?"

Freakshow narrowed his eyes at the two evil ghosts and hissed, "No, and it better stay that way! I won't let you ruin this gem for me, like you did with my dragon slave when you snitched to Tom about his existence! I swear if that ghost hunter finds out by either of you, I will turn you both into my personal slaves!"

Spectra took a step back when Freakshow pointed his staff at her, but then she quickly narrowed her eyes and darkly replied, "But what makes you think you could control me faster than I could kill you?"

Bertrand was just as tense, clearly ready to strike if need be. But he made sure to keep his eyes averted from the glowing red staff…

Freakshow grinned as he lowered his staff and its power dimmed. "Look around you, Penelope, you're out-numbered. All I need to do is call the very drone you handed into my hands. You and your… partner here wouldn't be able to even kick before I forced my control upon you. So, I would tread carefully."

Penelope frowned, but replied, "I do tread carefully. I know my limits. Don't worry. If Tom finds out you're making plans behind his back, it won't be by me or Bertrand." A cunning smirk curled the female ghost's lips as she added, "You should be more worried about your little drone, Gregor… One of these days he might just betray you to Tommy…"

Freakshow snarled, "I would kill him, first!"

Spectra chuckled. "Anyways, I came because I need to talk with Tom, and to get my end of the deal from him…"

"Well, why didn't you just go to him?" the ringleader snapped.

"Because, it's too risky," Penelope answered with slight bite. "Yes, my human disguise suppresses my ghost energy, but I'm not dumb enough to walk into an agitated bees' nest all the same."

"You have means of calling the ghost hunter, right?" Bertrand asked the ring leader.

"Yes, but I'm kind of busy right now," Freakshow replied, narrowing his eyes. He didn't want Tom here more than necessary.

Penelope smirked. "You might have that staff that controls ghosts, Freakshow, but we all know who pulls your strings." The female ghost suddenly narrowed her eyes darkly as she coldly ordered, "Call, Tom, because if you don't, he'll miss seeing me today because of you. And then we'll see who he'll be more pissed off at…"

Freakshow glared darkly back. But then he looked over at the three hypnotized ghosts which had been standing stalk still the whole time.

"You three! Return to your cubes!" he commanded harshly.

"Yes, Master," the three answered at the same time before they turned intangible and vanished through the floor.

Freakshow then brought his red staff closer to his mouth and whispered, "Drone. Come here."

In an instant, Gregor, in his dragon form, phased through the floor and landed in front of Freakshow. His eyes were glazed over completely with the staff's power and his head bowed submissively at his master.

Spectra raised an eyebrow. "You have him under your full control? I thought Tom wanted you to keep his mind open."

"Yes, well, Tom isn't here, is he?" Freakshow snapped, clearly in a bad mood now. And it only escalated with his next words, "That brut-of-a-hunter thinks he owns my drone! I'm sick of Tom giving him so much freewill! Every time I get him back from Tom, I have to increase my power over my slave to repair the damage Tom does each time!"

Penelope grinned. "You could always get another dragon ghost, and just let Tommy have Gregor… "

"Are you kidding?" Freakshow hissed. "I spent too much time training Gregor to go replace him with another dragon ghost and start from scratch!"

"Well, I don't know about having to start from scratch… Did I ever tell you Gregor has a twin?" Spectra's grin widened evilly as she crossed her arms. "I heard he's doing so well. I'm sure he even has a wider understanding of his powers than Gregor, considering he's been longer with his kind…"

Freakshow fell quiet as he looked back at Gregor.

But Bertrand quickly hissed quietly at Spectra, "Are you crazy? There's no way we could kidnap Elliot! Not to mention, it would start a war in our world! I doubt we need one between us ghosts when we're on the verge of one with the humans!"

"Trust me," Spectra whispered back, before clearing her throat and adding to Freakshow, "Tempting, isn't it?"

Freakshow finally turned his eyes from Gregor and nodded calmly. "It is… But all in due time."

Spectra frowned in confusion, but the man didn't elaborate and instead pulled out Gregor's ring and the Gem of Form from his trench coat. He then turned his eyes on Gregor again. "Drone!" he called, snapping his fingers in front of his glazed eyes. "Wake up."

Gregor startled but then his red eyes dimmed as he blinked out the fog from his mind.

"Master?" he breathed out in confusion, unsure of where he was. He quickly glanced around, but when he saw the two other ghosts present, his features instantly twisted with hate, and a dark rumble echoed from his throat as his glare batted between Spectra and Bertrand.

"Slave!" Freakshow snapped, slapping Gregor's muzzle and jolting him back to attention.

"Sorry, Master," he quickly said, bowing his head at him.

"Don't make me hurt you, drone. I'm not in the mood for your disobedience! " Freakshow warned before handing Gregor the gem and ring. "Here, put them on, and call Tom."

"But… he told me to return to you, so why…?" But Gregor never finished because Freakshow instantly raised his staff and its power drilled a hole right into his mind. The dragon ghost instantly wailed in agony.

"You see!" Freakshow exclaimed furiously at Spectra and Bertrand. "This is the damage I have to deal with because of Tom!" He focused back on Gregor and hissed, "What did I tell you about questions, you insignificant speck? What did I tell you about questioning my commands?"

"They have no place in my mind! Your commands are law, Master!" Gregor recited in a whimper. "Forgive me!"

But the ring leader didn't let up on his staff's penetrating torture on the young ghost's mind, and instead, growled, "Put the gem back in your core, and use the ring to call Tom. Right now!"

Gregor gasped as he tried to fulfill his master's command while the burning agony was still consuming his mind. He didn't even know how he managed to fuse the gem into his core with how badly he was shaking; but he did notice the fusion caused an even deeper agony than normal in his core.

Spectra and Bertrand gasped when they saw Gregor remove his hand from his chest and saw it was coated in green ectoplasm. For once, Penelope felt sorry for the little dragon.

"Freakshow, you need to stop," she said seriously. "He clearly just injured his core because you won't let him focus with how badly you're torturing him!"

"Stay out of this! If I have to kill him to make him submit then so be it!" Freakshow said darkly.

As the gem turned him to a human form, Gregor gasped, feeling his head spinning with the unrelenting agony now coming from the staff and his injured core. But his mind was set on obeying his master's command; so with shaky hands, he slipped on the ring Tom gave him. He then pressed it down and a beeping began to emit from it.

And instant later, Tom's voice sounded from the ring, "What, Gregor?"

"Help. Help me. Make him stop," was what crossed Gregor's pained mind, and it took all his will power to keep his mouth from opening and saying those exact words.

But before Gregor could do or say anything, Freakshow suddenly yanked the ten-year-old's hand with the communicator/ring on it up to his lips, and tersely said, "Tom. Spectra and Bertrand are here."

There was silence on the other end. Then, unexpectedly, instead of acknowledging Freakshow's words, Tom angrily demanded, "What are you doing to him?"

The ring leader jolted. "What? Who? What are you talking about?"

"Gregor, you freak! Stop it right now! I don't need you causing him permanent damage. Tell Penelope I'll be there in half-hour."

And with that, the communicator on the ring shut off.

Freakshow just stared down at the ring in confusion. How had Tom known he was doing something to Gregor? Did… Did the ring have some kind of scanner that picked up what the ghost's health or strength was and it was picking up that Greor was being hurt?. Was that even possible? It was all Freakshow could think of.

The man growled before he lowered his staff and released Gregor from his punishment. In an instant, the boy dropped to his knees, gasping and gripping at his chest. He then suddenly coughed up ectoplasm before it made him sick and he further released the contents of his stomach.

Freakshow snarled in disgust as he stepped away from his sick slave. He looked over at Penelope and Bertrand who had fallen quiet, a mixture of confusion and disgust on their faces.

"He'll be here soon," Freakshow muttered before he turned and walked off.

Meanwhile, Gregor just curled up on the ground, not caring he was getting all dirty. His core was in so much agony. Now that he could think, he realized he hadn't properly turned the gem intangible and had hurt his delicate organ with the fusion. And yet, in spite of the pain, he was relieved that his master's staff was no longer attacking his mind.

For the first time, Gregor was thankful for Tom. He didn't know how Tom had known he was being tortured, but the ten-year-old was secretly glad he had made his master stop.

However, his relief was short lived when a powerful force suddenly slammed into his side. He tried to cry out, only to swallow a gallon of water. He gagged again before he curled his body protectively against the knives stabbing him all through his body.

Not soon enough, the force stopped and he was left panting and soaked on the ground.

"Tom wouldn't want to see you all dirty when he gets here," Freakshow said nastily, holding the now closed fire hose. But seeing the boy cough up more ectoplasm along with water, he sprayed him with the pressurized water again.

"Finished?" the man asked sarcastically.

Gregor struggled to his feet and suppressed the urge to cough up the water in his lungs. He bowed his head submissively, waiting for his master's next command.

Satisfied that the ghost's drama was over, Freakshow raised the hose again. Gregor cringed away, but then realized his master was just extending it towards him with the purpose of handing it to him.

"Put this back and return to your cage. I want you dried up when I call you again," the ring leader commanded harshly.

"Yes, Master," Gregor whispered, taking the hoes hose. It seemed he was even having trouble holding the hose as he shakily walked to the back of the tent to roll it up.

"You're a horrible master, Freakshow," Spectra suddenly spoke up, shaking her head.

"I wouldn't have to be, if he were a good slave," Freakshow retorted, glaring after Gregor's retreating form. He then rolled his eyes for some reason before his mood almost abruptly changed. "So, what's the latest word in the ghost realm?" he asked in a causal tone of voice.

Bertrand raised an eyebrow at the clearly insane man, but Spectra just shrugged before telling Freakshow what was happening….

After closing his car door, Tom took meaningful steps towards the main tent of Circus Gothica. He didn't really care how there was construction equipment around the area—though the workers were absent since it had been snowing pretty badly almost all day. He was simply too focused on one single thought alone—one he was about to put into action.

As he reached the main tent, the ghost hunter pulled out a silver ghost gun and cocked it. With a familiar gleam in his eye, he then lowered it to his side and pushed back the tent's flap without hesitation.

He immediately spotted his targets speaking with Freakshow.

Penelope and Bertrand instantly froze when they saw Tom walk in. But when he raised a humming gun at them without a single word, the two ghosts gasped and jolted out of the way when two beams instantly came at them.

Freakshow also jolted in surprise, but then quickly backed away a good distance, not wanting to get in the way of the clearly ticked off ghost hunter, who was already in the 'set to kill' mode.

"Tom!" Penelope yelled, barely dodging another blast. Her human appearance was cumbersome when it came to defense. "At least let me explain!"

"Not interested," Thomas replied coldly and he then fired more blasts at the two ghosts.

Bertrand yelped as he was forced to turn into a cougar and jump away from a blast. But Spectra couldn't move fast enough, so she raised a shield to protect herself against the ghost weapon's blast.

Now, both ghosts were separated; but Tom focused mainly on the female one, while Bertrand took the opportunity to put some distance between himself and the ruthless hunter.

"You gotta understand I couldn't come sooner! Things are bad in the Ghost World!" Penelope said before grunting as another strong blast hit her shield.

"That's not why I'm going to kill you," Tom growled. "I'm going to kill you because you think you can—and tried to—play me for a fool."

"What? No, I haven't—Stop shooting at me!" she abruptly screamed furiously; but Tom continued to fire at her shield, which began to crack. The blasts from the weapon were so strong, in fact, that Penelope had dropped to her knees, clearly buckling under the pressure.

And seeing this, Bertrand narrowed his eyes and went on the defense. He quickly ran towards the hunter, knowing he was still focused on Spectra.

However, just as he lunged to subdue the hunter, Tom quickly pulled out a second gun from inside his white coat. Without so much as looking at Bertrand, the hunter fired at him and amazingly hit him right on.

Bertrand cried out as a green bullet drilled through his stomach and he dropped to the ground with gasps of pain.

Penelope froze in fear for a moment. She had forgotten how formidable this ghost hunter was. But right then, Tom fired another blast at her shield and it shattered. On the ground, Spectra tried to scoot away as Tom walked closer to her. But when he raised his gun and aimed it right at her core, she stopped moving all together.

"You really have no idea who you're dealing with, do you, you harlot dog?" Tom said darkly. "Either that, or you're more stupid than I thought. Did you really think I wouldn't figure it out? Do you think I'm a dumb trigger-happy brut that you can screw over?"

"N-No, Tom, I haven't—" Penelope attempted to speak, only to be silenced when Tom squatted down and pressed the cold barrel of his ghost weapon against her chest. For a brief moment, she contemplated bringing out her claws and running him through. But her logic reminded her, he would fire faster than she could do that.

"Stop denying it," he hissed at her. "I know you're used to manipulating men of all species; but I'm not one of them. We had a deal, you lying little ghost Delilah. And our deal was simple: I kill your demon sister and her brat for you if you help me trap the Ghost King, so I could kill him myself. Guess what happened? …Not only was I not able to kill him with my own hands, I have yet to have any guarantee that he was killed by my back-up plan!"

"But—But I did everything you asked me!" she defended, only to cry out in pain when the Tom shot her in the leg. "Ahh! You bastard!" she screamed, only to gasp when he grabbed her by the hair and pulled her closer to his face.

The man's eyes almost glowed, and she was shocked by his inhuman strength as he snarled, "You said the Prince could call to his father! You said he would lure the Ghost King to me! If I hadn't taken drastic actions, all my years of planning would have been for nothing—they could still have been for nothing! And it's your fault! You knew your little nephew demon couldn't call to his father, didn't you?"

"What? No! I didn't—" But seeing the ghost hunter press his gun right into her core, she finally panicked and exclaimed fearfully, "I swear I didn't know! Tom, I did what you wanted! I didn't back-stab you! I swear!"

"Besides, you got what you wanted!" Bertrand suddenly spoke up in a pained voice. He switched back to his human appearance as he pressed a hand against his bleeding stomach.

Tom didn't look back at the male ghost and kept his glare on Spectra.

"You wanted the King dead, well, he is!" Bertrand further said.

Tom finally glanced back at Bertrand, before looking again at Spectra and growling, "Is that true? Is he dead?"

She shook her head, knowing she couldn't lie again to the hunter, because if he found out about it, he would probably torture her slowly instead of just trying to kill her outright like now.

"That's what everyone's saying," she answered seriously. "He's missing. He hasn't been seen since you killed his family. But I don't know for sure."

Thomas narrowed his eyes and his hand tightened on his gun.

"Tom, I swear I didn't purposely sabotage your plans!" Spectra shouted at him.

Tom kept his dark gaze on her for a moment. He then leaned forward and whispered in her ear, "You screw with me again and I'll rip out your core with my bare hands."

Penelope gasped as she was thrown back on the ground.

Rising to his height, Tom then looked between the two injured ghosts and snarled, "Get out. I don't want to see either of you until you know for sure if Plasmius is dead or not!"

Spectra gripped at her bleeding leg; but knowing she had come for something from Tom, she knew she had to get him to believe her, and she continued to defend herself, "Look, Tom, it's not my fault your trap for Plasmius didn't go as you wanted! It's not fair you're blaming this on me!"

"I already told you, I'm not stupid, Penelope," Tom retorted darkly. "I see what you did. You wanted me to get the King's family out of your way so you can screw Plasmius and get your sister's title. But let me tell you something right now: if he's still alive, I will kill him—just like there will come a day when I kill every single one of you demons, including you two!"

Penelope glared as Tom turned away; but now angry, she quickly snarled, "Fine! Think what you want! But you have to keep the end of your bargain, Tom!"

The ghost hunter turned back around and sneered, "I don't have to do anything. But in any case, I already did fulfill my part of our agreement—your nephew and sister are dead."

"That was the biggest part, but we agreed to one more thing: you owe me a human, Tom. A male human for Walker—the third ghost that helped with all this," Spectra said seriously.

Tom scoffed. "You're crazy if you think I'm going to give you anything after you deliberately kept information from me to foil my plans!"

"I have another bargain to uphold," Spectra snapped. "You wouldn't have even gotten a chance at the Ghost King, let alone killed his family, if Walker hadn't helped us trick the Prince out of our world! So, it benefits you not to screw over this ghost!"

"If 'Walker' has a problem with it, tell him to come see me and my gun," Tom sneered before walking off. Surprisingly though, Tom walked toward the center rink.

But hearing everything that had just been said from a relatively safe distance, Freakshow's eyes widened in realization, and he quickly ran after Tom.

"Tom, wait," Freakshow said, grabbing his shoulder just as the man reached the center rink.

But the ghost hunter shrugged him off and demanded, "Where's Gregor?"

A wave of anger swelled inside Freakshow's chest with the question, but instead he whispered urgently, "Look, I know you're angry with the possibility that the King might still be alive and whatever Penelope did, but they're offering you the perfect solution to your unresolved problem!"

"What are talking about?" he snapped, clearly out of patience.

"The fool I have locked up under this very stadium!" Freakshow hissed. "Or, don't you remember you forced me to bring the Axion Lab owner here after you knocked him out at Axion?"

Tom frowned. He had forgotten about Gray…

But then the hunter shook his head. "No, I'm not giving these ghosts Gray. Penelope tried to trick me! And besides, I'm not about to turn in one of my kind to some demon for its sick purposes. Unlike you, I don't kill humans. I kill ghosts!"

Freakshow rolled his eyes. "Yeah, unless someone gets in your way. Or, did you also forget how you hired me to make sure your brother-in-law's brother had an unfortunate accident? And I'm sure he's not the first, either."

"That was a last resort-kind-of-thing—as it always had been! And it's always been quick," Tom snapped defensively. "I'm not going to let some ghost torture a human being! It goes against all I stand for, Frederick!"

"Then, what are you going to do with the guy?" Freakshow demanded. "He knows everything. He knows who Gregor is. He's seen him transform! He knows all you and I did! You gotta get rid of him, Tom! And Spectra's offering us the best way to do it!"

Tom fell quiet this time before looking over at Spectra and Bertrand. The latter had made his way over to the female ghost, and they were whispering to each other. And by the fearful look on Bertrand's face, Tom guessed that the male ghost was pleading with Penelope for them to leave.

Tom sighed before putting away his guns. He hesitated before asking again, "Where's Gregor?"

Freakshow scowled but replied, "Below us. I punished him because he was misbehaving, so don't say a word to me."

Tom's eyes narrowed, but he didn't press the issue and just turned away. He pressed the button on the stand beside the rink. The center rink opened and a platform was revealed. The circus leader only frowned as the hunter stepped on top of it before the platform started to descend to the large basement-like storage area below…

Gregor curled inside his cage as he gripped his hurting chest with one hand while he held his stuffed dragonfly in his other. He really had damaged his core. He just hoped it wasn't permanent. He really just wanted to pull out the gem because it was making the pain worse… But his master had ordered him to put it on in. He couldn't disobey him anymore than he had.

A groan caught his attention, and he quickly remembered his new 'companion' down here…

Crawling out of his cage, Gregor stood up and put his stuffed toy on top of his cage before heading further into the underground storage area. He moved past several caged animals until he came to the last cage where Damon Gray was locked up. He was also bound and gagged.

Looking around, Gregor spotted the barrels and crates of food his master kept to feed the animals. He walked over to a barrel with apples and grabbed one. He then moved back to the cage as he did his best to clean the apple with his shirt.

He briefly regarded the locked door before he lowered his eyes to his ring and pulled it off. Feeling his suppressed powers awaken, he called forth intangibility only to cry out as all it did was cause himself pain.

Feeling the pain ebb slightly, his eyes, which had automatically squeezed closed, slowly opened again and he rubbed his chest. This was not good. He bit his lip, but hearing Damon groan louder this time as he began to stir, Gregor focused back on what he was doing.

Having no other choice, Gregor retracted out his claws, knowing he didn't need energy from his core for that. He then used on of his claws to pick the lock and finally opened the door.

"Mr. Gray?" Gregor called softly as he sat down in front of him, looking and sounding like a timid child for once.

It took the man a moment, but he soon opened his eyes. And seeing who it was, he blinked in surprise "Mmm…?"

Gregor frowned, knowing the man wanted to talk. But he also knew his master would be angry if he un-gagged Gray, only for the man to start screaming. The child hesitated before saying, "I'll take off the gag if you promise not to scream…"

Demon quickly nodded.

Gregor hesitated but then sat up on his knees and undid the gag. "Better?"

"Yes," Damon replied as he moved around his sore jaw. But taking in the child's appearance and seeing the green blood drying around his mouth and on his shirt, the man quickly asked, "Gregor? Are you alright? What did that sick man do to you now?"

Gregor looked down at his clenched hands and muttered, "Nothing I didn't deserve."

Demon's eyes widened and he replied, "What? No, don't say that! You don't deserve to be treated like this… no matter what you are."

Gregor raised his green eyes back to the man and whispered sadly, "You don't deserve to be treated like this. You shouldn't be here…"

"Then, help me, Gregor," Damon pleaded. "I swear I'll get you out of this, too."

The ghost kid almost seemed to consider it, but then he shook his head and raised the apple to Damon. "Are you hungry…? I've been with Tom these past couple of days, so I don't know if my master's been feeding you…"

"Just water," Damon answered with a sigh. "But I can't eat that unless you untie me."

"I can't do that," Gregor said seriously. "You'll try to escape and then my master will get angry with me again." He suddenly let out his claws again, and Damon tensed. But seeing it, Gregor frowned and said, "I won't hurt you unless my master orders me to…"

The comment didn't exactly make him feel any better, but Damon nodded all the same. He watched as the child cut the apple into mouth-size pieces before he began to feed it to him.

They were quiet the entire time, but Damon kept staring at the child. It was amazing to think this boy was a ghost—a ghost who had more humanity than the two humans who had him locked up in here.

Gregor seemed to be off in his own little world; but when he raised another piece of apple and realized the man wasn't taking it, he finally looked up at Damon. He had his head bowed in sadness.

"What's wrong?" the boy asked worriedly.

The man didn't reply right away, but then he whispered, "I'm not getting out of here, am I?"

Gregor lowered his hand with the piece of apple and looked away. He knew the truth already—he knew the inevitable…

"I'm so worried about my daughter. I'm all she has, Gregor," Damon said, his voice cracking. "Her mom died when she was very young. Got hit by a drunk driver… All Valerie knows is me… Now, she's all alone, and if I don't return, who will watch over her? Who will protect her?"

Gregor looked up at Damon, and something inside him swelled, and he answered almost automatically, "I will."

Damon's eyes widened, but then he shook his head. "That's nice of you, Gregor; but… you're only a child, too, and a trapped one at that. You need someone to protect you."

"I can still protect, Valerie. She…," Gregor sighed and then quietly admitted, "She was nice to me since we met—she's the only one who has treated me like a normal person, who's never hurt me… And… I don't want anything to happen to her… or you."

Damon smiled sadly. "I can see now that not all ghosts are evil… I wish I would have known that sooner." He paused before soberly adding, "In the end, I brought this on myself for letting Agent C convince me to help him. I helped him kill two innocent beings like you… Maybe I deserve this…"

Gregor shook his head. "No, you don't. You're good—"

"No, you're good, Gregor," Damon cut him off seriously. "You're good. And you can't let Agent C and Frederick make you forget that. You can't let them take you down their dark path."

"I don't have a choice," he whimpered back as tears gathered in his eyes.

"Yes, you do. You just have to be brave, Gregor," Damon said encouragingly. "You have a choice right now. All you have to do is use your ghost powers and fly us both out of here. We'll go to the police together and put an end to Agent C and Fredrick's evil."

"Tom would never let me go," Gregor choked out, trying to push back the sobs in his throat. "My master would hurt me and then kill me!"

"I swear on my life they wouldn't hurt you again," Damon vowed with determination. "I will find a way to get you back to your family and—"

"They abandoned me here," Gregor cut him off, this time unable to stop a sob from escaping his throat.

Damon's eyebrows creased in sympathy, wishing his hands were untied to comfort the child. But then thinking of something and certain of it, he answered, "Then, you can come live with me. I'll adopt you; and you, Valerie, and me can be a family."

Gregor froze and he looked at the man in disbelief. "I could… live with you? You would be my… dad? But…But I'm a ghost and—"

"I don't care what you are, Gregor. I would gladly be your dad," Damon answered warmly. He didn't know why, but he just had such a strong feeling for this poor, lost little ghost boy.

Gregor stared back, a smile tugging on his lips. For once, he really believed he could… escape this life. He felt… hope.

"Gregor, things could be so different for you," Damon said softly. "But you have to make the choice, little one. You have to choose to stand and fight—fight against Tom and Fredrick!"

Gregor's eyes began to dart from side-to-side, feeling suddenly trapped as the mere thought of betraying his master triggered a rooted fear within him. But his green eyes suddenly flashed red and he abruptly jolted away from Damon. "No… No, no, no. I can't! I can't betray my master! No!"

"Gregor!" Damon yelled.

But the child just shook his head and backed away. He then whirled around and quickly ran out of the cage, and just kept going, ignoring Damon's quiet shouts at him to come back.

The boy was so panicked that just as he made it past all the caged animals, he didn't see the person standing next to his own open cage until he ran right into him.

"Omphf!" Gregor grunted as the force threw him down on his butt. He quickly looked up but his teary eyes were too blurry to make out whom he had just run into. That is, until he spoke…

"Look at you. I let you return to Fredrick for one day and you're a complete mess again."

"Tom?" he asked quietly. He then quickly rubbed his eyes into clarity before adding, "How long have you been down here?"

"Long enough to hear you're panicked voice. Why are you so freaked out?" Tom asked with a raised eyebrow.

But suddenly annoyed, Gregor got back to his feet and grumbled, "It's none of your business! Go away!"

"You don't really want that," Tom assured him with a smirk; but noticing a certain stuffed dragonfly on top of Gregor's cage, the man leaned forward and grabbed it.

Gregor gasped when he realized too late what the man took. "No! Give it back! He's mine!"

But even when the boy reached for it, Tom held the toy away and shook his head. "I sometimes forget what a child you are, Gregor. You really do need someone to take care of you…"

Gregor's eyes widened. "You were listening?"

"Listening to what?" Tom asked innocently before kneeling in front of Gregor.

In reality, the man had not heard any of Gregor's conversation with Damon. The hunter was just messing with the young ghost for kicks.

Tom then pulled out a napkin from his pocket and wiped the green blood off from around the boy's mouth. "Such a mess…" he said with a helpless sigh.

Gregor was too shocked to react at first; but finally catching the man's mocking voice, he abruptly yanked himself away. "Shut up! I don't need anyone to take care of me, let alone you!"

But much to the boy's surprise, Thomas chuckled as he rose to his full height, stuffed toy still in one hand. "It's funny, Gregor. You swear up and down that you hate me and want nothing to do with me, and yet… in your subconscious, you feel the opposite… " Tom raised the dragonfly toy up to his eye level and said, "This is your favorite one, isn't it? And it's the one I gave you no less…"

Gregor growled before he jumped and snatched his stuffed dragonfly away from Tom before replying defensively, "I just like dragonflies!"

"Uh-huh," Tom answered with a smirk. But then he added causally, "By the way, I got your message…"

Gregor frowned in confusion. "What message?"

Tom suddenly leaned forward and whispered in his ear, "Help. Help me. Make him stop."

Gregor froze in place. He was so shocked he didn't even hear Tom chuckle or feel how the man ruffled his hair as he stood up to his height.

The young ghost watched with a confused frown as the man walked away from him, heading further into the underground storage area. The child didn't understand it. He… He had used his telepathic abilities to call for Tom? Why would he do that?

But in his core, the child knew why. Yes, he hated Tom, but… the ghost hunter took care of him. With him, he didn't go hungry or go to sleep cold or get beaten to the point he couldn't move. He hated to admit it, but he needed Tom.

Gregor looked down at his stuffed dragonfly before gripping his chest.

You don't deserve to be treated like this… no matter what you are."

No, it didn't matter how 'nice' Tom was to him. He was nothing but a weapon to him—a dog, at best. Tom only took care of him because it benefited him to do so. It was only to keep his 'secret weapon' at optimal condition to later use for his selfish purposes.

Tom hated him for what he was—he would never see him as anything but a demon….

"I don't care what you are, Gregor. I would gladly be your dad."

Gregor brought his stuffed animal closer to his body and smiled at those sweet words. No one had ever said something so nice to him. Damon was giving him the chance to be normal—to have a family!

"Agent C… And here I thought you were too much of a coward to face me again…"

Gregor's hopeful thoughts shattered in an instant when he heard Mr. Gray's voice, and suddenly realized where Tom had gone to. He had been so shocked and now so lost in his thoughts he had forgotten all about the ghost hunter!

A bit panicked, Gregor dropped his toy on the ground and ran over to where Damon and Tom were. He quickly spotted the ghost hunter standing in front of the cage in which Damon was; but just as the young ghost was about to say something, he froze when Tom suddenly looked over at him with a deep frown.

"Did you remove his gag?" the hunter asked, a curious and calculative tone in his voice.

Gregor hesitated before nodding fearfully. "I-I'm sorry. I just thought he might be hungry and… please don't tell my master!"

"You have no mercy, do you?" Damon suddenly said in disgust at Tom.

The ghost hunter quickly looked back at the tied man as Damon added, "How could you hurt this poor child like you do? You're a horrible man, Agent C."

Thomas raised an eyebrow before leaning a hand against the cage and sighing. Ignoring the other man's comment, he muttered, "I don't generally do this, but… You really should have just cooperated and minded your own business, Gray. You wouldn't be here if you had. You would be at home with your daughter…"

"If I regret anything it's helping you set that trap for the King and his family at Axions. If I regret anything, Agent C, it's ever meeting you," Damon spat back.

Tom didn't reply, and just looked back at Gray. Meanwhile, Gregor's eyebrows were creased in worry and confusion. He had never seen Tom so hesitant about something—whatever it was he was thinking about…

At last the ghost hunter lowered his arm and regained his composure. He frowned in displeasure before sighing again and finally grabbing the cage door, which was still unlock thanks to Gregor. He walked in and grabbed one of Damon's arms and said, "Come on. And don't struggle. You know it's pointless."

Damon stared fearfully at the ghost hunter before he lowered his gaze in resignation and stood up.

Tom brought them out of the cage before saying, "I want you to know that it's nothing personal, Gray. I didn't plan this, got it?"

Damon looked coldly back at the ghost hunter. "Don't try to act like you have a heart now, Agent C. I've seen the type of man you are. And you can try to justify yourself any way you want, but I want you to know that my blood is always going to be on your hands."

Gregor's eyes widened at Damon's last words. He had not wanted to admit to himself the obvious reason for Tom's being here; but now, he couldn't deny it—not when Mr. Gray also could see the obvious, too!

Gregor shook his head and whispered, "No… No, don't kill him."

Tom glanced at Gregor at hearing his quiet plea, but then he frowned in determination, and coolly yanked Damon with him as he headed back to the storage area's exit.

Gregor watched as the two man walked past him, his eyes wide with helplessness. But he then began to shake with a sudden emotion swelling inside him; and just as Tom reached the platform, Gregor cried out, "NO!"

He ran after the two men and just as the surprised Tom turned to face him, Gregor dropped to his knees and wrapped his arms around the hunter's legs pleading and crying, "No, please! Tom, don't kill him! Please, don't kill him!"

The young dragon had never felt the need to defend anyone; but right now, the feeling driving him was overwhelming and he just gripped at the hunter tighter and sobbed.

At first, Tom was so shocked he couldn't do anything but stare down at the young ghost. He didn't understand why he was so worked up about this one man. He had only seen him a handful of times at best! Or maybe…

The ghost hunter's eyebrows creased before he smirked, "Gregor, if you're worried about you're little girlfriend, then relax. Gray's daughter will be just fine."

But Gregor shook his head and finally looked up at the hunter, though he didn't let go of his legs. "No, she needs him. Valerie needs him! I-I need him!" he admitted without thinking, realizing that no one had ever given him hope like Valerie's father had. And he wanted it! He wanted what the man had offered him!

"Please! I swear I'll do anything you ask me. I won't glare or talk back or anything ever again! Just… Don't kill him!"

"Gregor, no," Damon suddenly spoke up, his voice both awed and saddened. "I don't want you to do that for me. You have to keep fighting. Just… keep your promise to me, okay?"

Thomas looked between Gray and Gregor, but his eyes soon fell completely on the dragon ghost. The hunter's eyes narrowed possessively. So, that what was it…

"So, you need Gray, Gregor?" Tom asked coldly. "Why do you need him exactly?"

The dragon ghost's eyes widened in fear, finally realizing his slip.

"I-I…," the child stuttered, trying to think of a reply. But when Thomas suddenly tightened his hold on the other man, enough to make him gasp in pain, Gregor jolted and his own hold on the hunter's legs tightened.

Thomas his eyes turned into dark slits as he said, "You know what, Gregor? I think you've just given me an even better reason to do what I'm going to do with Gray. Listen to me well, you little demon: I am the only one you need, and I intend to keep it that way…"

Gregor yelped as Tom suddenly kicked him off before he turned back around and pressed the platform button to go up. There was a furious glare on the hunter's face as he held Damon tightly and waited for the platform to come down.

Gregor got back to his feet in a panic; until he remembered Damon's words again.

"Gregor, things could be so different for you, but you have to make the choice, little one. You have to choose to stand and fight—fight against Tom and Fredrick!"

The dragon ghost eyes narrowed darkly as he slipped off his ring and then let his claws draw out. His fear was suddenly gone, and killing the man trying to take away his happy-ending seemed like a very good idea.

But the moment the dragon ghost took a step forward, determined to do what he had in mind, Tom instinctively turned to face him again. There was a brief flash of disbelief in the hunter's eyes, but then his glare returned as he pulled out a gun and pressed it against Damon's temple.

"You take another step, and I'll put a bullet through his head in front of you," he growled out.

That stopped Gregor cold, and his claws instantly retracted inside his hands. He suddenly couldn't believe what he had been about to do, and he whimpered in distress. "Tom…," he pleaded softly as he watched the hunter step backwards onto the platform still holding a gun at Damon's head.

Tom just kept his angry eyes on the dragon ghost as the platform rose upwards; and all too soon, the two men were gone.

Gregor instantly dropped to his knees and began to cry. He wept harder than he ever had in his life as whatever hope Damon had brought him was extinguished with his departure…

Vladimir stood at the foot of his son's bed, watching the life monitors and the quiet drip of the meds through the child's IV.

The thirty-four-year-old man seemed to have grown twenty years older in just one day. There were dark circles under his eyes. His skin looked pale and his features were bony; and his once bright blue eyes were gray.

To think this man was the Ghost King and a powerful millionaire seemed an impossible thought at the moment.

Vladimir sighed and rubbed his eyes, his shoulders slouched with all the weight of his troubles and emotions.

He had sent his message to Skulker in the morning. It was almost mid-night now. Vlad wondered how long it would be before he answered… Or, if he would be able to answer at all.

But just as he thought that, something hot tingled in his chest; and too tired to suppress it, a red vapor slipped past his mouth.

Vladimir's eyes widened and a bit of hope lit them up again. He glanced at his comatose son before quickly exiting the room. He wanted to just transform and teleport to where he needed, but he didn't want to risk using energy in the Human World. Even when they were at his chalet hidden deep within the Rockies, he had to be careful.

If any ghostly activity was detected, especially with how alarmed everyone was with what happened six nights ago, he and his son could be discovered. And he didn't have the strength to escape from danger a third time…

Finally making it to the bottom room, he went to a wall with a large self-portrait and pressed a hand against it. In an instant, a retinal scanner appeared. Recognizing him, the wall split open, revealing a door. He didn't hesitate to open it, and walked into a large laboratory. It was vast with many computers and instruments. But there was one thing that stood out most than anything: the whirling green portal at one end of it.

But Vlad didn't care about that. He cared for the figure that was standing in front of it.

"Skulker," he said with a sigh of relief.

The two friends quickly moved towards each other, and Skulker was immensely relieved to feel his friend hug him back. He was definitely a lot more responsive than the last time he had seen him at the hospital.

"Sorry it took so long. I couldn't think of a way to do what you asked me," Skulker explained as they let go. But suddenly taking in his friend's appearance, he frowned and added, "Vlad, you look unwell. Have you been eating?"

"I'll eat later," the millionaire replied quickly and asked what was on his mind, "Were you able to…?"

"Yes," Skulker cut him off with a sigh.

"Well, where is she?" Vlad asked anxiously.

Skulker frowned. He hesitated, but instead of answering his friend, he worriedly questioned instead, "Are you sure you want to do this? She's from the council, Plasmius. This could end in disaster."

Vladimir nodded and glanced over at the now sealed portal. "I know… But it's all I can think of. My son needs help, and… she's the only ghost I can turn to."

Skulker nodded before he pulled out a small cube.

Vlad gasped. "Please tell me you didn't trap her in there!"

"I told you I didn't know how to get her here," Skulker replied with a troubled look. "It was all I could think of, Vlad. She would have never come here out of her freewill!"

Vladimir fell quiet, realizing his friend was right. He hesitated before he pointed over to a door on the opposite end of the portal. "Come. We'll let her out in my simulation room. Like this lab, it is both ghost-proof and blocks ghost-detection instruments. But it will be safer there since there's nothing… irreplaceable or that could explode."

"Perhaps you should return to your true form," Skulker advised as he followed his friend to the opposite side of the lab.

But Vlad shook his head. "Not yet. I need to measure her reaction to my human self, first."

The King knew that although the ghost he had asked Skulker to bring was smart and knowledgeable, she had never encountered a human, or even been to the Human World…

"If you think so," Skulker answered uncertainly. "I just hope she understands, because I still cannot believe I trapped a member of the council into one of my cages. She's going to be furious with me…"

"Once she knows the truth, she'll understand," Vladimir reassured him, though it sounded like he was trying to reassure himself, too.

The two friends entered and walked into a solid white room without another word. There was nothing inside—no decorations or furniture. All that was there was a large and dark mirror-like window on one end of the room and the door they had just entered.

Vladimir then called out to the room, "Activate and lockdown."

In an instant, the door of the plain white room vanished, and the white walls, ceiling, and floor were covered with a green rock-like layer—except for the black mirror. It remained the same. The green rock layer, though, was similar to the ghost shields the humans had recently invented, except Vlad had made his 'ghost shield' from ghostly rocks containing ecto-uranium.

It was actually the same material from the rocks at the caves his son played at. They were impenetrable to ghost powers. But… he had discovered the rocks also blocked ghost-detecting instruments, too.

"Before you do this," Skulker began a bit nervously, "I want you to know that I told Horris about everything—everything except that your son isn't… biologically yours."

Vlad quickly turned his eyes to his friend. "I told you to tell him everything."

"I know, but I didn't think you were thinking clearly. And, honestly, I still do not believe you are," Skulker said seriously. "It's why I did not tell him about your son's origins. I will not be responsible for the consequences. And more importantly, I did not want to do something I thought you might later regret."

Vladimir lowered his gaze and was quiet for a moment. But then he quietly asked, "How did he take it? You know… that Daniel is also half-human…"

"He was shocked at first, then he became angry. However, I think he was mostly upset that you didn't confide in him before now... I cannot say for certain, though. He… walked out of my house without a single word. I haven't seen him since." Skulker sighed and passed a hand through his flaming hair. "There's no telling what he'll do with the information now. I just… I do not think this is going to end well, Plasmius."

"He wouldn't act against me," Vladimir replied without hesitation.

"No, he thinks of you as a son," Skulker agreed. "But he is the Ancient Leader. He has a responsibility to the safety of our world, as you do to the Kingdom. He might not want to act against you, but… he might not have a lot of choice, especially when you have been missing for over five days!"

Vladimir fell quiet again before he softly said, "It doesn't matter what he or the council does. All I care about right now is my son…"

"I know and I understand," Skulker replied soberly, though he added mentally, "But it still troubles me." The hunter knew that his friend was so focused on his son that he didn't seem to care how the entire Ghost World was crumbling before him. And yet… Skulker couldn't really blame him.

Skulker suppressed a sigh and instead just extended the ghost cube in his hand to his friend. "Here. I will stand to the side. My immediate presence will probably make matters worse…"

Vladimir nodded. He watched his friend move to the opposite side of the room before he turned his eyes to the object in his hand. He bit his lip nervously before he took a breath and pressed a single button on the cube. He then threw the small cube on the ground, where it quickly began to expand into a large green cage.

Within it, was a single unconscious ghost.

Vlad quietly approached the cage before kneeling on one knee in front of the figure inside. She was curled on the ground, her face hidden by golden curls and large white wings…

"Anĝela ," Vladimir called softly, reaching inside to push the ghost's hair from her face. "Vekiĝ, specon kuracisto…" (1)

It took a moment, but eventually the female ghost's wings slowly moved away from her body as she began to come to. However, when her large wings hit the barriers around it, she gasped and her eyes snapped open.

Vlad instantly retracted his hand, just as she sat up, only to jolt again when she found herself confined. She instantly tried to spread her wings again, only to hit the same barrier. The ghost panicked.

"Stop!" Vladimir quickly said when she began to thrash against her confines.

But when her gold eyes finally locked into his, her eyes grew wider with a new form of terror.

"Ne… Ne," she muttered in Ghost Speech, and her hands quickly began to glow with energy. But when she tried to use it, she received a mild shock from the cage. She gasped, and too afraid to think, she tried again, only receive the same unpleasant effect.

Meanwhile, Skulker cringed, forgetting about the cage's reaction to ghost energy. He had never expected to put a member from the council inside it. He usually used it to trap primitive ghosts to transfer those creatures to new environments, and the mild shock was meant to keep them from attempting to break out. It wasn't life-threatening; just unpleasant.

"Liberig min!" (2) the female ghost screeched, drawing out her claws this time.

"Anĝela, I need you to calm down and look at me! Look at me!" Vladimir said firmly in Ghost Speech, knowing she didn't speak Human Speech.

The female ghost froze, finally realizing this… human could speak her language. It was alarming to say the least.

"Listen," the currently human Ghost King commanded more softly in his native language. "I am going to release you. I promise I will not hurt you, alright? Just stay calm and let me explain…"

Anĝela tensed when the human stood to his height, towering over her. But all she could do was stare back, while her wings quickly closed around her, as if they would protect her.

Vlad glanced at Skulker behind him and nodded. Anĝela couldn't see Skulker, but she heard a sigh from somewhere else in the room. The hunter pulled out a control and pressed the release button on it.

In an instant, the cage around the female ghost vanished into nothing.

It took Anĝela a moment to understand she had just been freed. She only glanced once at the human in front of her before she suddenly bolted into the air.

"Anĝela!" Vladimir exclaimed as the female ghost turned intangible, planning to shoot straight through the ceiling…

Vladimir cringed as the female slammed into it with a cry of pain and dropped back down to the ground. Alright, so maybe letting her go free wasn't the best idea. He had hoped she would at least calm down a bit at being released. He had been wrong.

Anĝela gasped as she got to her feet, her six-foot wings spread wide in her panic. She quickly turned to face the human; and understanding she was trapped, she barred her fangs at him as she hissed at him in Ghost Speech, "What do you want? How did you bring me here?"

"I'm sorry I had to resort to such extremes to bring you here, Anĝela," Vladimir said in their language, his voice gentle so as not to scare the female ghost anymore. "But I am desperate. You're the only one who I could turn to."

"What?" she asked, confused. But then she glared again. "I do not consort with humans! And I don't know how you became so fluent in our language, but if you're looking to get information out of me, you're wasting your time. You might as well kill me now!"

"No one is going to kill you, Anĝela ," Skulker suddenly spoke up.

The female ghost jolted and gasped as she finally saw the third person in the room. "Skulker?" Her eyes widened as she finally recalled what had happened before she lost consciousness. Skulker had come to her house and… shot her with a tranquilizer.

"You brought me here," she whispered in disbelief. "Why? Why would you do this, Skulker? Why would you betray our kind like this by consorting and aiding these barbaric creatures?"

"He brought you here on my command," Vladimir answered for the hunter.

Anĝela bared her fangs again and growled at the human, "And who are you to give any ghosts commands?"

"I am your king," Vlad replied without hesitation. And before the female ghost could react, black rings appeared around his waist and he transformed into his ghost self.

Anĝela's eyes widened and she took a step back. "No, it… it cannot be… King Plasmius?" But then she shook her head in denial. It couldn't be! It was impossible!

Filled with sudden rage, she snarled and unexpectedly thrust her wings forward sending a wave of energy at Plasmius.

Unprepared for it, the King was thrown back into the opposite wall by the force.

"Anĝela, no!" Skulker exclaimed, quickly stepping forward.

"Stop!" Plasmius commanded Skulker, seeing his intentions to defend him. Vlad got back to his feet, and raised his hands up in a pacifying gesture. "Anĝela, it is me. I am King Plasmius," he assured her.

But Anĝela's eyes only narrowed more. "Lies! It's impossible! It's a trick! You humans are vile! How dare you attempt to impersonate my good King!"

Vlad quickly raised a shield in front of him when the female ghost thrust her wings forward and sent another wave of energy at him.

The female froze for a second, shocked by this human's almost-convincing trick. He was somehow even managing to summon something that resembled ghost energy to protect himself! But she had already heard the human's breathing when he had been close to her. He was human, and the King was a ghost! It seemed real—but it had to be a trick!

"I don't know what you want, but you won't get it from me," she growled. "I will never betray my king or my kind!" Anĝela quickly raised her wings up and energy seeped out of her hands, ready to send a different form of attack

However, before she could make another move, Vlad teleported in front of her and grabbed her wrists.

The anger left the female ghost, and she panicked as she struggled against his hold. "Let go of me!" she screeched in fear.

Vlad knew Anĝela had no experience in active battle. He knew how scared she was without needing to touch her.

"Anĝela, listen to me," Vlad stressed, not letting go. But seeing her wings come up for an attack, he quickly flew forward and pinned her against the wall. She cried out as her wings were trapped behind her.

"For goodness sake, Anĝela, think!" Plasmius exclaimed with a mixture of anger and desperation. "You're a doctor. You're the smartest female advisor I have! Think. There is no possible way the humans could pull off a trick as sophisticated as impersonating me—or any ghost for that matter! And if you don't believe that, then maybe this will convince you…"

Anĝela gasped as her hand was forced against the male ghost's chest and pressed into his Energy Signature. She had never felt the King's core before. The only time she had asked to touch it had been when his wife had been sick, and he had refused. But she knew a core when she felt it. And as a doctor, she knew it could not be replicated by anything. She could even feel the unique feeling of this core, so similar to that of the young Prince…

Anĝela immediately stopped struggling. "It can't be…," she whispered in denial, though she was now certain this was her King. "But… But how did you just…?"

Vlad cut her off, replying, "I'm a ghost. I'm your King. But… I am also human…"

To prove this, he let the rings reappear and turned human again.

Anĝela gasped as the feeling of a core vanished under her fingers and something warm and pulsing replaced it. A human heart.

"Oh God…," she whispered, further feeling her King actually breathing. "This is impossible!"

"No, it's unlikely, not impossible," Vlad corrected her, before slowly letting her go and taking a step back. "I'm both human and ghost. It happened a long time ago, and I promise to explain it all to you, but right now, there is something more important… Anĝela, I need you to help my son. I need you to save Daniel."

Anĝela stayed against the wall as she replied back, "The Prince…" Her eyes widened. "He's alive?" He looked back at the human in front of her and added, "You're alive…"

"Yes, and I'm sorry for this. I'm sorry for forcing you into the Human World, but I had no other choice because… I cannot take Daniel to you. Anĝela … my son… He shares my condition. He is like me."

"Human?" she whispered back.

Vlad nodded. "Human and ghost."

But Anĝela shook her head. "This cannot be happening." Her eyes darted nervously. "No, I… cannot help humans. You… You can't be my King…"

"Anĝela , please," Vladimir begged. "I am still the same person, regardless of what I am. And so is Daniel. I know you trust me—and after hearing all you said when you thought I was just another human who had captured you, from your refusal to betray me, I am further certain of your loyalty. I am also certain you care for my son, and I wouldn't trust his life to anyone but you."

So, please. I am begging you," he continued, raising his hands in plea as his voice began to shake. "He's dying, and I don't know who else I can turn to but you. He's an innocent child. Human or ghost, he's a soul in need, and you have vowed as a doctor to help those in need. You can think of me what you want. You can despise me for what I am. You can expose me to the whole Ghost World if you want, but please, just help Daniel. You're his only hope. Please."

Anĝela bit her lip as she stared back at the desperate human—No, he was more than that. He was a desperate father.

Anĝela glanced at Skulker who stared back at her with a troubled look. He was clearly afraid of her knowing the truth about the King, but he also seemed to be pleading silently to her, too.

She sighed and her wings dropped to her sides. "Where is he?" she asked softly.

Translations:

1. Wake up, kind doctor.

2. Let me go!

*Next update: Endgame* Thanks for reading!