Okay, So, I had to split this chapter again. I did promise a certain scene in this one to some of you; but it's on the second half. So, it will be in the next chapter. Also, I want to thank 'Dracon Asahara' on Deviantart for inspiring me with a scene in this chapter from her amazing drawings! You'll see what I mean when you see it. But if you have not seen her drawings of Prince Phantom, I highly recommend you visit her page or the Hidden Pearl to check them out. Really cool! And while I am on it, I want to thank everyone on Deviantart who always showers me with such wonderful drawings! I love them all! I also love everyone's reviews! They mean a lot to me so thank you! Also, as always, I want to thank Truephan for being my beta. She does an awesome job! Then again, she's an awesome writer herself; if you have not checked out her stories, I also highly recommend them! Well, onward. This took me a while to dish out, so here's a recap for you all below. Enjoy!

...Vlad has returned home after his triumph in Berlin. However, his relationship with Danny is not like before. More often than not the two hybrids are butting heads; but in spite of their differences, the King and Prince continue to care deeply for each other. Still, while Vlad wishes he could make his son understand that all he wants is to protect him, Danny wishes his father would understand his need to protect others and his growing desire to do more for the kingdom. Things seem to have settled a bit in the Ghost World with Danny's coming birthday celebration. However, in the Human World, Tom continues to search for ways to get the upper hand against the ghost race. He definitely has plenty of cards in his deck, and he knows all he needs to do is turn them into the winning hand. Spectra continues to help the GiW leader by providing intel, and recently, a dangerous plant known as Blood Blossoms. Then, there is Sam. Even though reluctant, she is working in favor of her uncle. And, of course, there is Gregor. An odd relationship has bloomed between Tom and his secret weapon. Meanwhile, Gregor continues to grow more powerful, and seems to have learned to 'keep secrets' of his own, even from his own Master. Freakshow has his eyes on Lydia, and remains unaware of Gregor's telepathy. However, it seems Gregor has fallen into someone else's radar. His encounter with Sam for the second time in their lives has left Sam Manson curious and even suspicious of circus' star attraction. However, she remains unaware of a more serious discovery—one Tucker has recently made. He has discovered that Danny is alive, but that he is also the 'Evil Ghost King's heir' and who also attacked the Fentons' Specter Speeder. Nevertheless, in spite of all the recent discoveries, much more has yet to be uncovered…

Disclaimer: I do not own Danny Phantom; but this AU plot is my own.


Chapter 49: Emerging Bonds


"Prince Phantom, you know you should not be using your Ghostly Wail," Anĝela scolded him gently as she held a hand against the young hybrid's core.

Danny sighed while sitting on the female doctor's examination table. As expected, his father had been serious about bringing him to be seen by Anĝela. In spite of Danny's instance that he was fine and no consequences came from his confrontation with those ghost hunters, his father insisted on 'wanting to make sure'. And so, Danny relented, if only to avoid another argument with his father.

"Yes, perhaps he will listen toyou," Vlad added with slight annoyance.

Danny shot his father a look as he replied with his own irritation. "I already told you I was fine." But he then looked at Anĝela, and added seriously, "It was sort of an emergency, Anĝela. I needed to disable those humans' ship before they could cause serious trouble. Besides, Frostbite has taught me to control my energy. I can now use my Ghostly Wail without it weakening me too much."

Anĝela lowered her hand from the Prince's symbol and nodded, "Yes, I can feel that your encounter with those humans has not left you with any lasting consequence."

Danny smiled triumphantly.

"However, as much control as you have developed, that power still requires a high level of energy your core cannot afford," the female ghost continued. "In fact, your core's energy reserve is low. So, my advice to you is to avoid that power all together, Prince. And it will be best that you take it easy with your powers for a few more days. At least, until your core's reserves return to normal."

This time, Plasmius smirked in triumph.

Danny rolled his eyes at his father, but sighed and muttered, "Fine. Fine… Are we done?"

"Just about," Anĝela replied as she went to grab something else from a drawer. "Just to be on the safe side, let me give you a dose of pure energy to help your core recover quicker."

Danny tensed slightly. "A shot?"

Anĝela turned and smiled sympathetically. "It will be quick."

"Anĝela, perhaps Daniel can just take an extra dose of those pills?" Vlad suggested with a troubled frown.

"It's fine, Father," Danny said with a small smile. "I can take the shot."

Plasmius didn't reply.

Anĝela came back over to Danny and said, "I am going to inject it near your core so that it will be absorbed more effectively. It will only be a pinch; so just try to relax."

Danny nodded; but when he saw the needle, a sudden memory of pain and the sound of his own screams and pleas flashed in his mind. He sighed deeply but quietly before looking away from the needle and turning his eyes to his father instead.

But Danny's eyebrows readily creased at finding his father staring right back at him with this haunted look in his red gaze. The Prince couldn't help but wonder and worry about what was going through his father's head, though he had an idea.

The shot went in, and Danny tensed; but as the initial sting left and a soothing cool feeling began to flow into him, he relaxed again.

He smiled at the older hybrid and said teasingly, "Hey, Father, maybe you should take one of these, too… I heard vitamin and energy shots are a must at your age."

Plasmius' sober expression melded into a mock glare as he replied with a hint of mirth, "You better watch your cheek, little Phantom. I would hate to punish you on your birthday."

"Just looking out for you," Danny answered with a grin.

"Hmm… He does have a point, your highness," Anĝela agreed calmly. "You are constantly using energy and I am sure you do not properly eat while in the Human World. A regular dose of vitamins and energy is advisable."

"Will it help with the gray hairs, too?" Danny asked with fake innocence.

The female doctor bit back a laugh.

"Anĝela, I am curious," Plasmius said off-handedly as he pretended not to hear his son's jab. "Is there another shot you could give my son to cure his terrible witty-banter?"

"Sorry to say, I have no cure for that, my King," she answered with a small smirk.

"Ah, what a shame," Plasmius said with a sigh. "I guess I will have to silence him the old fashion way…"

"What…?" Danny began, only to jolt when his father abruptly shot goo at his mouth. "Hmm!" he protested as he pulled at the gag.

Vlad smiled smugly. "Much better. Is he ready? I'd like to enjoy a few more moments of silence before that wears off."

Danny growled in his throat as he continued to pull at the gag.

"No, that is all," Anĝela said as she chuckled this time.

Danny whined when he turned intangible and found the gag still held on.

"Sorry, Son. That is not coming off…" Plasmius replied.

The Prince crossed his arms and glared; but when his father looked unfazed, the teen rolled his eyes and raised his hands in a plea as he mumbled something that sounded like, "Okay, I'm sorry."

Vlad walked over to his son, and placed a hand on his cheek and the goo dissolved.

"I can't believe you just gagged me!" Danny scowled. "That cannot be good parenting."

The older hybrid chuckled before pulling closer and kissing the boy on the forehead. "Of course it is, Daniel," he then answered. "Come, let's go home…"

"I'm going to get you back for that," Danny warned with mock glare.

"Don't make me gag you again, Son," Plasmius retorted calmly.

The teenager chuckled nervously. "You know I'm just kidding!"

Vlad just hummed in amusement before looking back at Anĝela, who was smiling fondly at the two.

"You will be coming this evening, yes?" he asked.

Anĝela nodded. "I wouldn't miss it for the world."

Vlad smiled back and thanked her; but as he turned to leave, Danny quickly said, "I'll meet you outside. I just want to ask Anĝela something."

Vlad raised a questioning eyebrow, but then nodded and left.

"What is it, Prince Phantom?" Anĝela asked curiously.

"Do you remember the feather you gave me when I was a child?" he asked.

"Of course. I made it specifically for you," she replied.

Danny's eyebrows creased. "What do you mean? Is it not like all your other feathers?"

"Well, it is like any of my other feathers," Anĝela replied with a small chuckle as she brought one of her wings forward and lightly raked her fingers through the soft down.

"However, whenever I take one out, I insert my power and energy into it. But the type of power and amount of energy I put into the feather depends on my purpose for it. I gave you that feather with a strong amount of energy and a special power that allows you to control it with your imagination."

"I do not understand," Danny replied.

"Prince, that feather can do anything and be anything you imagine it to be…," Anĝela said warmly.

"I want it to heal my core," the young hybrid replied seriously.

The female ghost's smile fell and her eyebrows creased, "Oh, child… If my powers were strong enough to heal your core, do you not think I would have already done it myself? I would give anything to be able to heal your core, Prince."

But Danny wouldn't accept the response, and insisted, "What if I enhanced the feather's healing properties with another power source? Could it heal my core, then?"

Anĝela stared in worry at him for a moment.

"Prince… You must realize that there are some things that cannot be fixed or healed… Otherwise, we would be immortal. And we are not."

Danny lowered his gaze this time, and fell quiet.

Anĝela sighed. "I will search my medical references. If I find anything, I will let you know."

The young hybrid quickly looked at the doctor and smiled. "Thank you, Anĝela."

"Of course, Prince Phantom… and, happy birthday. It brings me great joy to know fifteen years ago you were formed, and we can now have a kind and handsome Prince like you."

Danny chuckled. "See you at the party, Anĝela."

Leaving the female doctor's abode, Danny met up with his father outside.

"What did you need to speak with Anĝela about?" the older hybrid immediately asked.

Danny shrugged. "Just… things."

"Things?" Vlad repeated, hitching an eyebrow. "I am fairly sure I raised you to be more articulate than that, Daniel."

The Prince rolled his eyes. "Simple concerns, Father. I had a few questions about my core."

"Hmm… Alright," Vlad answered, clearly not buying it, but letting it go.

Danny smiled. "You worry too much. You know that makes you age faster, right?"

"Daniel, am I really going to have to gag you again?" Vlad asked, narrowing his eyes slightly.

"You'd have to catch me first, old man!" Danny quipped before he suddenly darted past the older hybrid and took off at full speed away from Anĝela's home.

"Daniel!" Vlad exclaimed in alarm before he quickly took off after his son. "Anĝela just told you to take it easy! Daniel!"

But the Prince just laughed and sped up.

"Blast it all! Stubborn child!" Plasmius said in exasperation before accelerating to his maximum speed. But he knew even at his top speed, he was no match for his son's own. Nevertheless, he had his own tricks to overcome the younger hybrid's agility.

Danny saw Skulker's island appearing in the distance when his Father suddenly teleported in front of him. Unable to stop in time, the teen gasped as he collided into the older hybrid.

But Vlad immediately wrapped his arms around his son and had the foresight to turn them both intangible to reduce the force of their impact. He then slowed them both down until what little momentum they had left propelled them forward a few feet.

As they came to slow halt, the King let go and raised an eyebrow at his son. "You really should have seen that coming after all these years."

"That's completely unfair!" Danny protested as he held his head to stop it from spinning. He pretended it was just because of his collision with his father, but he knew it was also for flying so fast.

"Using one's abilities to get the upper hand is not cheating, my son," Plasmius said smugly.

"Keeping telling yourself that, Father," Danny retorted, rolling his eyes. But then, he smiled as he asked hopefully, "Do you think you could help me develop my teleportation power?"

Vlad's eyebrows creased inwardly. "Daniel… teleportation requires a lot of energy. Perhaps it's something you should use only when absolutely necessary."

Danny frowned. "I am a lot stronger than you give me credit for…"

"My boy, I will always be the first to say that I know no one stronger than you..," Vlad replied, placing a hand on his son's shoulder.

"Just not physically," Danny replied soberly.

"Well, you are still a child…," Vlad said with a chuckle.

But when Danny didn't laugh, the older hybrid sighed. "What do you want me to say, Daniel? That I believe you have a physical limitation? You do, my son. But you know this, too. We cannot change what happened, and you are old enough to understand that. I just want you to be careful."

Danny didn't reply and just looked towards Skulker's island.

"But…," Vlad continued with a surrendering sigh, "We can work on teleportation if you really want as long as you promise me you won't overdo it."

The young hybrid instantly perked up and nodded. "Thanks, Dad."

Vlad smiled warmly back. His son didn't often called him 'Dad'; but not because his son considered 'Father' more formal than 'Dad', but because his son used the word 'Dad' as more of a term of endearment than a title, much like he he called him 'Little Phantom'.

"Can I ask you for one more favor?"

Plasmius sighed helplessly. "I suppose…"

"After we visit Ember and Skulker, can you come with me to visit my mother?" Danny asked with creased eyebrows. "It will be quick. Please?"

Vlad frowned this time. "Daniel, Dora is waiting for us to return. We are fortunate enough that we had time to have Anĝela check you over and now come have breakfast with Skulker and Ember…"

"You're making excuses, Father," Danny replied with a frown of his own.

"They are not excuses. It's the truth. In any case, you know how I feel about that gravesite," Vlad answered.

"But I don't understand why…?"

"It's your birthday, little Phantom," Vlad cut him off. "Must we really bring up sad memories today?"

The Prince deflated. "I guess you're right…" he muttered before he flew off towards Skulker's abode without another word.

Vlad sighed before following after his son.


Arriving at their destination, Sam and Tucker got off their mopeds.

Ignoring the crowd of people for the moment, Sam frowned as she thought back to their previous conversation, and said, "I still can't believe the speeder didn't capture even a glimpse of the ghost that attacked the Fentons. I thought you said the camera was still intact."

Tucker swallowed nervously. "I, uh, thought it was, but when I checked it last night with Mikey… Uh…Guess I was wrong."

Sam's frowned deepened.

Sometimes Tucker hated how good Sam was at knowing when people were either hiding something from her or lying to her. And it didn't help that he wasn't the best liar. But he couldn't tell her the truth. He just couldn't bring himself to break her heart by telling her that the little ghost boy they befriended so long ago was the evil Ghost Prince…

"I think what's worse is that it'll be a while before Mr. and Mrs. F can fix the speeder and get back in the Ghost World," Tucker said in an attempt to steer the conversation to safer grounds.

"I wonder if they'd let me go with them the next time they go. I'd like to see what that other world looks like…," Sam said with a thoughtful look.

"You're kidding, right? The Fentons would never take anyone in there with them. That's super dangerous, Sam! Why would you want to go in there anyways?" Tucker asked with worry.

Sam just shrugged.

Tucker shook his head before glancing at their current location, and adding, "Fine, then at least answer me this: Why are we here? I thought you hated this place, and swore never to come here again."

Sam turned her own gaze to the large black tents in front of them.

Circus Gothica.

"Well, I still hate the place," Sam muttered, "but… there's something I need to find out…"

Tucker startled when his friend suddenly began to make her way towards the circus' main entrance.

"Sam!" Tucker called as he quickly fought his way through the crowd to catch up to the girl. And when he did, he asked, "This isn't about Valerie's friend, right? That 'Gregor dude'?"

"I'm telling you, Tucker," Sam said seriously. "I have seen him before… It's gotta be him. I mean, what are the odds that the kid I saw here all those years back had the same eyes Gregor has, and now, Gregor works at the circus!"

"What do you mean? Plenty of people have green eyes!"

"Not like his, Tucker," she insisted.

"Um… How sure are you that you even saw this kid locked up in a cage, Sam?" Tucker asked, unsure.

Sam glared. "I know what I saw, Tucker." But then her eyebrows creased as she added more soberly, "I could never forget that little boy, and how… I wasn't able to do anything to help him… I… I just need to know the truth!"

Tucker didn't bother protesting any longer. Sam was stubborn. When she got an idea in her mind, there was no one that could sway her from it.

The two friends finally made it to the ticket booth, and purchased two tickets for the next showing at the main tent, which was in only a few minutes.

"I should have invited Valerie," Tucker suddenly spoke up. "With her being friends with the 'star attraction' of this place, I'm sure she could have gotten us some free tickets—or, at least front row seats!"

"Too bad she's working," Sam replied in a sarcastic tone of voice.

"Why are you so against her, Sam?" Tucker asked with a frown.

But the goth girl just shook her head. "Forget it, Tucker. Let's just go in."

The boy still looked a bit upset, but dropped the subject, and followed Sam inside the main tent.

The amount of people was almost overwhelming, but the noise was deafening.

"How are we supposed to find our seats in this place?" Tucker asked loudly.

"What?!" Sam replied; but her voice was lost in the roar of the crowds.

The two gave up talking to each other, and began to look around for some indication of seat or row numbers. They soon spotted the bright red letters and numbers on the hand rails and stairways going through each section of the stadium-like seating.

As they walked through the crowds, Sam frowned in displeasure. This place had certainly gotten much more popular than when she had come here so many years ago… No doubt that creep who called himself 'Freakshow' had gotten his hands on some quality performers. And she had a growing suspicion that his 'star attraction' was the very boy she had found locked in some cage. The question was, who was the kid? If it was really Valerie's friend Gregor, then how had he gotten locked in that cage? Had Freakshow kidnapped him, or… was he that creep's son? But who would be so cruel to their son as to keep him locked up like some animal?

Sam sighed. She needed to slow down. She didn't truly know if that kid in the cage was Gregor. Maybe the little boy was somebody completely different. After all, Tucker was right. There were plenty of people who had bright green eyes… And she had only been a small kid. Her memory of the boy was blurry. But she did recall that the kid she had seen in the cage had had black hair…. Gregor had white hair with black tips.

Then again, it could have been dyed. And… why did he flee like that at the sight of her some days back?

Sam mentally groaned at finding her thoughts come full circle. It was why she had to come here. She needed to know the truth.

The girl's attention was suddenly captured by red and black spot lights that began to dance and move throughout the arena.

"Sam!" Tucker yelled, and this time Sam heard him, thanks to the diminishing noise. Clearly, the show was about to start and everyone knew it.

Sam saw Tucker pointing towards their seats, and she quickly followed him.

After they took a seat in one of sections slightly to the left but in the center of their row, the two friends looked out at the large rink below.

"This looks bigger than I remember it," Tucker remarked.

"I noticed, too," Sam said with a deep frown. But it didn't matter how mesmerizing the place looked now; to her it still represented one of the worst experiences she had had. There was no doubt in her mind that Freakshow was evil, and his intent that day long ago had been to kidnap her—kidnap her like perhaps he had done to that little boy. Except… she had escaped. But had he? Or… was he still here? Was he actually… Gregor?

"Are you sure you want to be here, Sam?" Tucker asked worriedly. He knew his friend had been traumatized by this place, which was why Tucker had been greatly surprised when Sam had said she wanted to come see the show. But… she looked too thoughtful for his liking.

However, before Sam could answer, the lights all went off before a softer yet ominous red light covered the entire arena below. Then, in a flash of red smoke, a person covered in a purple cloak with glowing red eyes appeared.

The person only briefly stared at the silent audience around the arena before the cloaked figure's arms suddenly spread out and the full-body cloak dissolved into nothing, revealing that the person was actually a woman. But she was strangely covered in tattoos and her hair was twisted into black spikes.

"Welcome to your darkest nightmare," the woman said calmly as her tattoos turned a bright green. In an instant, creatures that looked like bats seem to come out of her and flew out into the audience in all directions.

People gasped in disbelief while others screamed in fear.

Sam and Tucker frowned with uncertainty.

"Those are really some tricks," Tucker muttered in surprise. His eyebrows creased as he glanced at his friend and asked, "I don't remember this place having such realistic tricks… Do you?"

"No, Tucker," Sam replied seriously. "It didn't… All this is new. The question is how are they doing it? I mean… the tricks almost seem… ghostly."

"I doubt ghosts can be 'trained' like animals, Sam," Tucker replied with a shake of his head. "Besides, didn't your uncle run a full investigation on this place? With how much your uncle hates ghosts, if there was something remotely ghostly around here, he would have found it… and killed it by now."

"Yeah…," was Sam's only response as she continued to watch the woman perform what should have been impossible feats as the music played on. However, after several minutes, the woman suddenly vanished in a flash of smoke, and the music took on a darker heavy metal style just as the spot lights moved upwards.

Sam gasped with the crowd this time as a person came out of nowhere and dove fifty-feet down.

Tucker's mouth parted. "No way…. Dude, that's Val's friend! That's Gregor!"

Sam watched as Gregor grabbed onto something that could not be seen; so it appeared that he was just floating in mid-air. But it was clear he was latched onto some kind of pole when he then spun and propelled himself back up. This time, he continued to swing through a series of trapezes that were black in color, and were barely visible. It looked like the boy was flying. It was an amazing illusion.

At the end of his acrobatics, Gregor jumped up on top of a high wire and his hand burst with blue fire. He began to juggle four spheres of fire while still on the high wire.

It was both beautiful and frightening to look at.

Gregor then dove; and this time, he dropped all the way down, bouncing on a trampoline once, and doing a front flip to the ground at last.

People clapped and cheered the boy's name as he continued with his tricks. Apparently, he changed up his performance enough to keep people entertained and coming back for more of his surprises.

Standing on top of an elephant, he began to juggle flaming swords as the animal ran around the rink. However, what was most impressive was his manipulation of fire. Or, so it seemed. Sam didn't know how he did it, but at the end of his performance, he created different images with blue fire, and the last one was that of a dragon. It was awing but dangerous. Gregor could be killed at any time with all the precarious stunts he performed.

Sam narrowed her eyes in disgust when the end came, and Gregor was left bowing in front of Freakshow before the teen vanished and Freakshow began to host the rest of the circus performance.

The show was captivating. From the clowns, to the animals, to the performers. The whole time, it kept you at the edge of your seat. Circus Gothica had definitely improved, and Tucker and Sam could see why it was now the most popular place for entertainment in Amity Park.

Gregor returned at the end for his final number which everyone had been clearly anticipating.

Sam had felt her heart stop at seeing the boy trapped inside a container full of water. And if she didn't know any better, she could swear Gregor looked a bit panicked himself.

But he still went through it, and everyone cheered and applauded. The older teenager definitely ended the show with a bang.

"Man, you gotta admit, that was really cool!" Tucker exclaimed, all hyped up by the end of it. "I see why people like coming here so much!"

"Too bad it's run by an evil creep," Sam replied angrily before she stood and began to make her way out of the tent.

"Where are we going?" Tucker asked, confused. "I thought you wanted to talk with Gregor… I think the meet and greet is in here…"

"Yeah, but I rather wait for him to come out," Sam replied.

A good hour passed in which Tucker happily occupied his time by trying out the carnival food. However, Sam never took her eyes off the main tent's entrance, waiting for Gregor to appear.

"Hey, are you sure you don't want anything? Food's greasy and delicious!" Tucker said in between bites.

Sam shot him a disgusted look. "I don't know how you can fit 'greasy' and 'delicious' in one sentence."

Tucker laughed. "Because the 'greasy' is what makes it delicious!"

Sam rolled her eyes but there was slight amusement in her expression.

Just then, she finally caught sight of Gregor, still in his circus get-up, coming out of the tent.

… But he was with three girls from her school. Star, Paulina, and she believed the last one was named Tracy. She was a red head with green eyes and freckles. The newest girl that had joined the 'in crowd.'

"Hey, look, Star's here…," Tucker said in surprise.

The two knew Star was part of their ghost hunting group, Team Fenton. But like all the teenagers in their team, what they did at night was kept under wraps. However, they did talk to each other during school; except for Star. She hung out with the 'popular kids' and she rarely gave even a glance to the group of ghost hunters she worked with during the nights. She had once told them that it was nothing against them, but that she needed to be able to pretend she had a normal life at least during school hours.

Sam still remembered how she was once offered to be part of the popular kids' group. Being that everyone knew who her rich parents were, it had instantly made her a candidate to be in the 'in' crowd. But Sam had always disliked their judgmental and shallow personalities. She preferred to be around people who were genuine and really her friends.

Not that she had many friends. Actually, Tucker was her closest friend; and then there was Mikey and the twins, Lester and Nester. They were great guys.

Of course, the fact that she hung out with the 'losers' from school had quickly made her a 'loser', too. Ironically, her parents believed she and Paulina were the best of friends. In reality…

They hated each other.

"Um, do you still want to go over there? He seems pretty… er, busy," Tucker said cautiously.

Tucker already knew how vicious the popular girls could be with other girls they didn't like; and Sam had always been their main target at school—much like he was often a target for the popular guys at their school. But in a way, Tucker was glad to see the girls. At least he knew for sure now that Gregor and Valerie had nothing but a friendship. It had been a small doubt in Tucker's mind from how much Valerie talked about Gregor, and then when he met him… They were so close.

But clearly, Gregor had more interest in having fun with multiple girls than just holding onto one.

Although Sam initially hesitated at the sight of Paulina, her face quickly tensed with determination and she moved towards Gregor.

Tucker quickly followed.

The older teen didn't even notice the approaching threat. He was occupied with one of his favorite pastimes. And so far, his charm and good looks seemed to be effectively seducing his newest conquests.

"Of course I go to school," Gregor lied with ease. "Just not Casper High. Too bad, though, it would be fun to spend the day with you three… Or, an evening. You babes interested?"

Paulina giggled. "Maybe… What do you have in mind?"

Gregor shrugged lightly. "Movie, dinner… then we could come back here, and I'll show you my more private tricks… You know, those that most people don't get to see…"

Star grinned. "That would be so cool!"

The other two agreed excitedly.

Gregor smirked; but right then, he finally saw who was approaching them, and the boy visibly tensed.

"Crap!" he thought in alarm.

"Hey…. Gregor, right?" Sam asked as she stopped in front of the four teens. "Can we talk?"

But before the older teen could answer, Star frowned and asked a bit impatiently, "What's up, Sam? Can't it wait? Gregor's talking with us right now."

"Yeah!" Paulina quickly snapped. "Get lost, you loser freak! We saw him first!"

Sam narrowed her eyes at the Hispanic girl; but Tucker quickly jumped in, and said, "Ladies! I'm sure Gregor wants to spend his time with you all, too; but Sam and I just want to talk with him for only a minute. Promise you all can have him right back…"

Gregor jolted out of his initial surprise when he heard Tucker talking about him like he wasn't there; or like he was some kind of toy. At least, that's how the older boy took Tucker's attempt to prevent a fight between Sam and Paulina.

Scowling at Valerie's boyfriend, Gregor said sarcastically, "Thank you, Mucker. Anything else you want to decide for me? Like when I should use the toilet maybe?"

The popular girls laughed while Tucker blushed in embarrassment.

Sam instantly turned defensive and she furiously yelled at the older boy, "What's your problem?"

Gregor smirked. "I'm not the one with the problems, babe. Do you always fight Mucker's battles for him?"

"Of course she does," Tracy said with a sneer. "He's a total wimp, and she's a total freak."

"And a complete loser," Paulina added with a laugh.

Star, however, seemed uncomfortable and her laugh was forced. She might not hang out with Tucker and Sam outside of their ghost hunting thing, but the girl didn't hate them like her friends did…

Gregor crossed his arms and then rested his cheek against one of his palms as he asked Sam with thoughtful amusement, "Is that true, baby girl? 'Cause that would be a total shame…"

Sam growled, and sneered, "Think what you want, jerk! I only came to ask you something, but I think I already got my answer. Come on, Tucker!"

Tucker opened his mouth to protest but Sam had already grabbed his hand and was dragging him away.

"Sam, I thought—" Tucker began.

"Forget it, Tucker… It's not him. And if it is, he's turned into a complete jerk. I'm sorry for making us come here."

Gregor's smug smile fell, and he watched the two go with a troubled look, while the three girls with him continued to laugh and make fun of Sam and Tucker.

The older teen glanced nervously at the circus tent behind him. He didn't want to be mean, but if he didn't drive Sam away, it would spell trouble. If his master or Tom found out he did anything else, he would be in deep trouble…

But…

He looked towards Sam with longing. Since he had met her, he had wanted to get to know her. He now had a chance, and he had a feeling it would be his only chance… He knew what he had been ordered to do, but… To hell with it!

"You know what? How about I take a rain check with you girls?" Gregor asked with a small smile.

"What? Where are you going? With them?" Paulina sneered.

"Yeah, but only because I have to keep 'appearances.' My boss would hate it if I drove the customers away… Don't worry, though, you three are definitely my favorite fans," Gregor replied with a wink. "I'll find you babes later."

And with that, Gregor left.

The teen quickly made his way through the crowd and caught up with Sam and Tucker before they had gone too far.

"Hey, wait up!" Gregor called.

But Sam and Tucker just scowled at him before they just kept walking.

Gregor frowned, but picked up his pace until he managed to finally catch up. As he fell in step beside Sam, he said, "Look, about what happened back there… I just don't like being talked about like I'm not there. And… you guys kinda took me by surprise…"

"And that's what you do when people surprise you, then? Treat them like crud?" Sam replied sarcastically. "Just go back with those airheads since you're obviously just like them."

"You don't even know me," Gregor answered with slight irritation.

"I just saw enough," Sam snapped back. "So, leave us alone."

Gregor suddenly grabbed the girl by an arm, stopping her as he answered firmly, "No."

Sam was taken aback by the boy's abrupt change in demeanor, and for a moment, she almost felt… afraid of him.

But realizing his reaction, Gregor quickly let her go, and his face softened. "I… At least give me a chance to show you I'm not like them…"

But then glancing at Tucker, he smiled and playfully punched the younger boy in the shoulder, "Come on, Mucker. No hard feelings, right?"

Tucker glared. "It's Tucker."

Gregor grinned. "I know. I just like messing with you. Is Val around here?"

Tucker still looked annoyed, but replied, "No, we came alone."

"Oh…," Gregor replied before looking over at Sam, who had calmed down a bit. The older teen made a mental note to play it cool with Valerie's geeky boyfriend while around Tom's niece if he wanted to get anywhere with her…

"So, why are you guys here?" Gregor asked casually as he crossed his arms over his bare chest. "You said you wanted to ask me something…,"

Sam seemed unsure if she should stay angry or reply to question; but it was Tucker who replied for them, "Look, man. We just wanted to come by to make sure you're alright. I mean, you left really abruptly that day we were going to hang out together… I thought maybe it was something I did."

Gregor raised an eyebrow. "So, you came all the way here just to ask why I wouldn't hang out with you guys that night? I already told you, I was called into work. It had nothing to do with you…" Gregor then glanced at Sam, and added, "Or, you."

Sam just regarded the older teen for a moment. Although he was acting calm at the moment, she could see Gregor was actually tense. She just couldn't figure out why.

"Have we met before?" Sam abruptly asked, deciding to drop the run-arounds.

Gregor blinked; but then he smirked slightly as he pulled closer towards the girl. "No, 'cause I'm pretty sure I'd remember a girl as hot as you."

Sam rolled her eyes. "Right…" The goth girl sighed as she realized coming here really was a mistake.

"Come on, Tucker. Let's go," she said. She glanced over at Gregor one last time before she turned and headed away with her friend.

Gregor watched her go with a pained expression. He really should just let her leave, but… He couldn't help himself anymore. Sam was finally within reach. He just couldn't let her go.

The older teen quickly ran after Sam and Tucker again. He causally fell in step with her again as he asked, "So, is this your first time at the circus?"

"No," Sam replied annoyed. "But it will be my last time now."

"Aww, come on. You're really missing out," Gregor replied with a grin. "Not only is the show great—thanks to me, of course—but the rides are pretty good, too … Interested?"

"Not really," Sam answered coldly, and Tucker quietly snickered. It was funny seeing his friend shoot down other guys' obvious come-ons.

Gregor frowned, but didn't relent. "I bet I can make you change your mind, if you give me a chance? Come on, Sam. Just one ride… I'll even throw in some cotton candy," he added with a grin.

Sam instantly stopped walking as she looked at Gregor with creased eyebrow. "Cotton candy?" she repeated.

"Yeah, best stuff there is! You haven't lived until you've had the cotton candy at this place!" Gregor quickly said without wondering why the girl had suddenly become so interested. He was just focused on getting her to bite.

Sam smirked slightly. "Alright. But one ride."

Gregor grinned. "Ferris wheel?"

Sam scoffed but still smiled. "Fine."

Tucker blinked at his friend, but quickly said, "Sam, I'm not sure if—"

"Mucker, relax. I won't try anything," Gregor assured him with his hands raised in a pacifying manner. "I can respect that protective brother spirit. Totally! But, really, I'm not gonna do anything to your friend."

Tucker glared. "It's Tucker. And you better not try anything funny. I don't care if you are Valerie's friend or if you're older or whatever."

"Pfft!" Gregor said with a dismissing hand gesture. "I'm harmless!"

"Oh, and…" Gregor suddenly moved forward and turned the boy's beret forward. "From one bro to another…Try working on your image. Valerie will find you irresistible if you do…" He winked at the younger boy as he added, "Trust me on this."

"Are you two done?" Sam asked dryly.

"Way done…," the older boy quickly replied before extending his hand at the girl. "I'll show you the way…"

Sam looked at the boy's hand before she turned and moved away towards the Ferris wheel on her own.

Gregor chuckled before following her.

Tucker hesitated, but knowing his friend must have a reason for accepting the older boy's invitation, he sighed loudly. He looked around and he soon spotted something that made him grin.

"Turkey legs here I come!" he exclaimed and headed over to the stand.

Meanwhile, Gregor got them on the Ferris wheel without needing to pay, thanks to his 'employee benefits'. As the ride soon took off, the boy stretched out his arms before crossing them behind his head.

"So, then… What's really on your mind, Sam?" he asked with a smug smile. "I know you didn't just agree to hang out with me just for my good looks… Or, am I wrong?"

Sam instantly answered, unimpressed, "Are you always this conceited about yourself?"

"Ouch," Gregor replied with fake hurt in his voice as he removed his hands from behind his head. "At least be gentle when you shoot me down, Sammy."

Sam instantly frowned in discontent. "It's Sam."

Gregor seemed to realize his slip, and smiled nervously. "Right…. Sam."

The girl stared critically at him; and Gregor began to wonder which of them had the mind-reading powers. He was almost tempted to search her mind to see just what she was thinking, but he didn't want to hurt her… and it was too dangerous to try using his powers when she already knew too much.

"Have you always lived and worked at this place?" Sam asked curiously this time.

"Uh… Not really," Gregor replied, looking away. "My parents died when I was young, and uh… Freakshow took me in."

"So, that guy isn't your father or relative?" Sam asked with surprise.

Gregor shook his head. "He just takes care of me. Well, did. I was adopted some time back by someone else, and well, now I mostly just work here. It's… fun, and pays good."

"Who adopted you?" Sam further questioned.

Gregor raised an eyebrow. "What's with the interrogation, Sam? Maybe I should ask you a few questions of my own? I think it's only fair."

Sam shrugged. "What do you want to know?"

"Who are your parents?" Gregor asked with a small smile. He already knew, of course, but she didn't know that.

"Pamela and Thurston Manson," she replied.

"Really? Aren't they the owners of Master and Manson enterprise?" the older boy questioned with fake interest.

Sam shrugged again. "Half really… Vladimir Masters is co-owner."

"Huh… So you're both pretty and rich…," Gregor teased before moving closer and adding in a whisper, "I bet you have all the guys drooling over you…"

"Not any I'm interested in," Sam replied coolly as she narrowed her eyes at the boy.

Taking the hint, Gregor returned her personal space. He smiled before further questioning, "Any other relatives?"

"In Amity? Just one. Thomas Chrome. He's my uncle."

"The Guys-in-White head-hancho, eh?" Gregor replied with a smirk. "You just keep getting more and more interesting…"

"Yeah, sure," Sam replied, rolling her eyes.

Gregor frowned slightly. "Anyone else?"

Sam looked out into the darkening sky as she muttered, "No, no one else."

Gregor's eyebrows creased. He was almost sure Sam had a grandmother. Why would she not mention her?

"You know… I haven't been here in years," Sam suddenly said as she continued to look out at the sight. It was pretty. You could see all of Circus Gothica and more.

"I was six to be exact," Sam elaborated casually. "None of these rides were here. Just the main tent. I actually came here that day with Valerie and Tucker."

"Really?" Gregor asked curiously.

Sam nodded as she looked at the older teen. "Yeah, I remember how excited we were to be at the circus… You're right. They do have the best cotton candy ever..."

Gregor tensed as he finally realized why Sam had accepted to get on a ride with him. He liked cotton candy thanks to her. She had given him that treat when she found him locked in the cage…

For once, the older teen couldn't think of what to say. And the now analyzing look on Sam's face didn't help.

"The guy you work for is a real creep," Sam said seriously.

"Yeah… he can be," Gregor muttered.

"I can't believe I actually wanted to meet him…," she continued bitterly. "So much that I snuck in under the stage in hopes of finding and meeting the 'famous ringleader'… Well, I did find him… Or, more like he found me." But the girl paused and looked right at the older boy's green eyes behind his sunglasses, and revealed soberly, "He tried to hurt me. He tried to kidnap me."

Gregor tensed even more. He didn't know about that. He didn't remember much of those times when his master had his mind completely subdued.

"What's worse," Sam continued with her gaze focused on the boy. "—is that I don't think I was his first victim. Just before Freakshow found me, I found a boy trapped in a cage below the stage… He was covered in filth and wore dirty and torn rags for clothing. His hair was black, but it looked grey from how dirty it was… and…"

Gregor cringed when Sam grabbed the sunglasses off his face.

"He stared back at me with lost and fearful bright green eyes like yours," she finished.

The older teen was silent for a long moment before he hesitantly grabbed his sunglasses back from the girl. As he slipped them back on, he finally replied, "I'm not who you think I am, Sam… I'm not that little boy you think you saw."

The purple-eyed girl frowned. "I know what I saw, Gregor. And I know that boy also remembers me. You know, he liked cotton candy, too. I touched him. He touched me. He was real, Gregor. I have regretted all my life not being able to help him that day. And I've wondered all my life what became of him… Was he able to escape like me? Or… is he still trapped in this circus?"

Gregor shook his head. "I don't know why… Freakshow would keep a kid locked in a cage, Sam," he replied, staring out towards the main circus rink. Then looking back at her, he added without hesitation, "All I know is that no one that fits your description is at this place."

Sam looked at Gregor with something akin to disappointment before she sighed and answered, "No, I guess not…"

The ride finally ended and as the two stepped off, Gregor suddenly said, "Think I can see you again?"

Sam regarded him with a calculating look. "Depends… 'Jerky Gregor' or 'nice Gregor'?" she asked.

The teen smirked. "Probably both, but more 'nice' than 'jerky'."

Sam scoffed, but smiling she replied, "Why not…" She gave him her number before waving goodbye.

Gregor grinned at the small piece of paper in his hand; but then remembering something else, he gasped and ran towards the nearest vendor. He then took off after Sam.

He spotted her just as her and Tucker were about to exit the circus.

"Wait!" he called.

Sam paused and turned to look at him in surprise.

Gregor smiled and extended a cone of cotton candy at the girl. "Deal's a deal."

Sam smiled genuinely for the first time at the older teen before taking the treat. "See you around, Gregor."

Tucker blinked at the interaction before he followed after Sam; but as they climbed on their mopeds, Tucker said, "Okay, what was that about?"

Sam shrugged as she picked off a piece of cotton candy and ate it. "He's… not bad."

"Not bad?" Tucker asked, raising an eyebrow. "Not bad as in 'he's making you fall for his charms'? Or, not bad as in 'boyfriend material'?"

Sam rolled her eyes. "Neither, Tucker. I just… He's interesting. It's hard to explain, but something about him makes me want to get to know him more. He's not what he appears to be, and I am curious to know why."

Tucker gave the girl a weird look. "I don't understand you sometimes, Sam; but whatever. Just be careful. The guys much older than us. I think he's eighteen, and he's clearly a ladies' man."

"Relax, Tucker," Sam replied with a chuckle. "I fight ghosts practically every night. I can handle a smug guy and his come-ons."

"Difference is you can't shoot the latter with a gun if he decides to cross the line," Tucker replied, narrowing his eyes.

Sam laughed. She had never seen this protective side of Tucker before. It was both endearing and hilarious.

The two friends eventually took off, deciding to head to Fenton Works…


Danny was sure he was about to fall forward with how heavy the silver cape he was wearing was. He didn't really know what it was made of, but it had two layers. The main part of the pleated cape was partially hidden under an armor-like and slightly darker silver capelet that had a decorative edge and an emerald studded clasp in the front. And below the clasp hung his mother's royal necklace that he always wore.

The rest of the cape flowed under the capelet and fell against the back of his thighs, fanning outward into an almost feather-like pattern, except that the ends were oval. The delicate silver-threaded embroidery design interwoven within the underlying cape shimmered in the soft light.

He had to admit, it was beautiful. Dora had picked out a nice costume for him. The cape went perfectly with his loosely-fitting silver pants, which was accented by a thick metal belt and other decorations. Besides being adorned with his bejeweled silver bracelet and armlets, he was wearing his silver crown, which burned with green energy above him. Lastly, he wore his hair tied back as usual, but two thin strands of hair had been braided and small emerald jewels were entwined in them.

Everything about him screamed 'Ghost Prince'; and though he supposed it should be a good thing, Danny had never liked dressing up. Even to this day.

It was pointless to fight it, though. His father, and especially Dora, wouldn't have it any other way.

But, why did this cape have to be so heavy? It made standing up straight almost painful.

As he walked beside his father to the celebration hall, Danny glanced at the older hybrid.

His father was as over the top as he was. However, the man was wearing mostly gold and red colors. His golden pants shimmered, along with a large belt with a red ruby at its center. His cape, which was velvety red on the outside and dark gold on the inside, stretched so far down that at least two inches of it dragged behind the King. And, of course, he was also wearing his crown and jewelry.

Danny rolled his shoulders in discomfort, and his father noticed.

"Are you alright?"

"Yes… It's just that… I'm almost certain this cape is made of stone," Danny replied with a grimace.

Vlad chuckled. "You exaggerate, Son. I would think you'd be use to wearing royal attire by now."

"And I would think royal attire would be more comfortable," Danny replied in annoyance.

"Honestly, Daniel. It's just a few hours. You will survive," Vlad said, rolling his eyes. But then smiling, he added, "And smile, hmm? It is your birthday, dear boy."

Danny gave him a fake and exaggerated grin. "Better?"

Before Vlad could reply, the two turned the corner and were greeted by a couple of the royal guards. Then, the grand doors were opened for them and their presence announced.

As they walked in, everyone bowed and soon applauded as Danny's fifteenth birthday was announced and the celebration began.

The King and Prince took a seat at their thrones; and for almost an hour, they were greeted by other ghosts from the Kingdom. Danny continued to hear praises while being presented with gifts. In no time there were so many that one of the guards had to just take the presents and put them somewhere else to keep the Prince from being drowned under all the gifts.

Although Danny appreciated all the kindness from the ghosts of the kingdom, after almost an hour, he was growing weary. Yet, he made it a point to not show it. However, the Prince couldn't hide the relief in his eyes when Ember and Amorpho showed up to save him.

"Prince Phantom, happy formation day!" Amorpho said with grin.

"Someone's getting old," Ember teased. "I'd say you're starting to sprout grey hairs, baby-pop, but with your white hair, it would be hard to tell."

"At least my hair can't be snuffed out by a gust of wind," Danny retorted with a smirk.

"You're lucky I gotta be nice to you today," Ember replied, narrowing her eyes playfully at her friend.

"Ember," Plasmius interrupted them calmly. "You look lovely, dear. And, Amorpho… My, how you have grown. How are you, children?"

The two teenagers cringed. They forgot the King was present.

"Thank you, Uncle," Ember said with a small blush.

She was actually wearing a dress. It was black with bright blue designs, and her hair was down for once, which, with her fiery illusion, seemed to reach down to her back.

"Forgive us, your highness," Amorpho quickly said as he bowed slightly. "We did not mean to be rude. And thank you, I'm well."

Plasmius chuckled. "It's fine. I am aware of my son's ability to capture another's undivided attention."

"Father, may I…?" the Prince said with a small pleading look.

"Of course," Plasmius replied with a calm smile. "I am sure the rest of our guests will have plenty of time to speak with you throughout the celebration. Go enjoy yourself with your friends."

Danny smiled thankfully before standing from his chair and leaving with Ember and Amorpho.

As the trio walked over to a less crowded part of the room, Ember whistled, "Wow, Danny… that outfit you're wearing has to be worth three times your weight in gold."

"I think it also weighs that much," Danny replied with a tired sigh.

Ember laughed. "Don't you know that the price of looking hot is a bit of pain?"

"Or, is his case, cold?" Amorpho snickered.

Danny rolled his eyes at his two laughing friends, but he then chuckled, too.

Right then, Johnny and Kitty approached them, and Johnny exclaimed, "Hey, little guy! Someone told me you're not so little anymore, eh?"

"Well, he will always be our 'little Prince' to me, Johnny!" Kitty gushed as she actually pinched one of Danny's cheeks.

The Prince grinned at Kitty, "If it means I can still get away with messing with Johnny, then, I'm okay with that… "

"Don't make me bring out Shadow, kid," Johnny warned teasingly. "He'll make you remember to respect your elders."

"Yes, you are pretty old," Danny replied with a smirk. "I'm surprised you can still get around without a wheelchair, actually."

Johnny scowled lightly. "I'm not that old…"

The Prince laughed heartedly. It was always fun to mess with the biker ghost. He didn't have many friends; at least not close friends; except for Ember. But he knew he could always count on Amorpho, Kitty, and Johnny to always be there for him.

Johnny smirked, and his body began to glow black as he summoned Shadow; but before he could, Kitty jabbed him in the side.

"Don't even think about it, Johnny! That no good shadow of yours gets out of control. Do you want the King to be furious with you for ruining the party?"

"Aww, man," Johnny groaned. But then he narrowed his eyes a bit in challenge at Danny, and added, "You're lucky, kid. Next time, then."

"I look forward to it," the Prince replied daringly.

Johnny playfully jabbed him in the shoulder before Kitty kissed Danny on the cheek and wished him a happy birthday. The pair soon walked off, and Danny went back to chatting with Ember and Amorpho. Or, tried to. He continued to get interrupted by other ghosts eager to speak with him.

Meanwhile, Vlad was still sitting on the throne; but now Skulker was keeping him company. The hunter was standing beside the King as they spoke.

"Are you sure you want to have this meeting tomorrow, Plasmius?" Skulker asked quietly so that only the King could hear him.

Making sure no one was too close to them, Vlad nodded, "Yes, Skulker. I cannot risk wasting any more time. The quicker I can make a move on…"

"Your majesty," a random ghost came by and offered him a polite bow.

"Greetings, Erickson," Vlad politely replied. But as soon as the ghost continued on his way, Plasmius resumed his conversation.

"The sooner I can make a move on Amity, the better the chances of surprising the hunters that defend it."

"I understand, but… you've only returned after so many months… What about your son?" Skulker asked with a frown.

Yes, the Hunter was concerned for the Prince; but he was also concerned that Vlad would discover the dragon ghost in Amity before Skulker could deal with it.

"Daniel will have to understand," Vlad said with a small sigh.

Right then, Spectra appeared and bowed low before looking back at Vlad with an almost seductive grin. "King Plasmius… you look… more handsome than usual."

"Thank you, Spectra. I see you are also wearing your best," Vlad replied politely.

"What? This old thing?" She waved a hand in disregard.

But the truth was that she was very dressed-up. She wore a two-piece, deep red ensemble. The skimpy top was shaped like two backwards 'C' connected to each other which barely covered her bosom before tying in the back. And though she rarely formed legs, this time she made sure that the high-slit of her long skirt brandished them. An all-jewel belt, which looked suspiciously like one of Desiree's accessories, adorned her waist; while a transparent red cape shimmered and fell mid-waist on her back.

"Where is Bertrand?" Vlad suddenly asked with a small frown. He was never fond of the male ghost, but he still expected everyone to be here.

"Oh, he was helping out some sick patient. He said he'd meet up with me later." Spectra then smirked, "And that leaves me bored… Care for a dance, King Plasmius?"

Vlad hesitated before smiling and standing, "Why not." He glanced at Skulker who was staring at him with a strange look. "We'll continue our conversation at another time, my friend. If you'll excuse me…"

Spectra's grin widened as Vlad offered her a hand and led her towards the dance floor. Placing their hands on each other, the two began to quietly dance for a few minutes.

But then, Vlad broke the silence as he said, "I wanted to thank you… for intervening yesterday with Daniel. I pride myself at self-control… but whenever there is the slimmest possibility of my son being hurt, well… You are aware of my reaction."

Spectra smiled. "Can't really blame you, Vlad. We both know your enemies would do just about anything to get their hands on Danny. You have a good reason to be fearful and worried about him… But you're welcome. I just don't like seeing you two fight, especially when you and Danny were so close when he was younger..."

"Much has changed since then," Vlad replied soberly as he glanced in the direction of his son.

"It doesn't mean you cannot rekindle your bond with him," Spectra retorted. "All you two need is some alone time. You should go somewhere with Danny. The Crystal Sea, maybe? Remember how he used to love going there?"

Plasmius smiled a bit. "Yes, I remember. Desiree and I would take him there just to get away for a few days…." But then he sighed. "Unfortunately, I don't have time to go on an outing with Daniel. I have a new conquest planned for the Human World, and I need to take care of that as quickly as possible…"

"Have you told him yet?" she asked with creased eyebrows; but inside she was grinning.

"Not yet," Plasmius muttered.

"Hmm… You should still consider delaying whatever it is you have to do for at least another day. Take Danny somewhere. Trust me on this," she insisted. "He will take better to the news of your departure, and it will be good for you both."

"I don't know…," Vlad replied, unsure.

Spectra sighed and lowered her gaze. "You know, sometimes we don't make the most of our time with the ones we care about. And when you try to make things better, you find out it's too late…"

She smiled weakly before she suddenly rested her cheek against Vlad's collar bone. And before he could say anything, she whispered, "I miss her, you know… Desiree. I was so busy staying angry with her for things of the past, that I lost so much time… I guess I just don't want that to happen between you and Danny. All I think about is my sister, and how she would want you both to be happy. Don't you agree?"

But Vlad didn't answer. The mention of his deceased wife brought back so many memories; and for some reason, Spectra's proximity made him miss her all the more. He knew no one could ever feel like Desiree; but the fact that Spectra was her fraternal twin meant their energies did have some similarity… and Vlad couldn't help but feel it—and long all the more for his wife's touch again. He had always enjoyed being close to her…

As they flew through the atmosphere on top of Falco, Vlad wrapped his arms around Desiree and lightly rested his chin on one of her shoulders. Instantly, he felt his being relax and he softly smiled.

He loved holding her, but right now, his wife called to his being even more. And it was at that moment that he realized that Desiree felt different. It was hard to explain. She still felt like herself; she still felt as alluring and wonderful as she had always felt. But there was something more now. And although he did not know what it was, it made him feel even more connected to her…

"And I'm acting odd?" Desiree suddenly teased, having noticed her husband's… intensity.

Plasmius suddenly snapped out of his overwhelming thoughts, though he still kept his secure hold on his wife. "Desiree…You…," But he did not finish. He did not know how to explain what he felt, how wonderful she felt and how it made him feel… Overwhelmed again with his unknown emotion, he didn't bother trying to figure it out; and instead he just silently buried his face against her neck and held her tighter.

The Queen gave him a curious look; but it quickly melded into a smile as she finally relaxed against her husband.

"I love you," she whispered to him…

"Vlad? Vlad!"

Plasmius snapped out of his thoughts and returned to reality with a frown.

Spectra was now looking at him with slight annoyance, though he still held her as they danced. "What's with you?"

Plasmius sighed quietly. "Nothing. Did you say something?"

Spectra shook her head and shrugged lightly. "It's nothing important." She then placed a hand against his face, and added, "And don't worry… I understand."

Vlad honestly had no idea what she meant, but Spectra just smiled. She knew how her proximity affected him, and she had no problem taking advantage of it.

Meanwhile, Danny was still with Ember and Amorpho. They were talking about school until Danny's eyes had wandered over to his father.

His eyes instantly narrowed.

As he had gotten older, the Prince had quickly come to recognize a female's advances. He saw it all the time, not just towards himself, but his father's as well. He had never liked females that made themselves so available; but he absolutely hated it when the advances were towards his father.

Yes, his father was widowed; and it was why Danny would never say anything. Although he wouldn't like it, ultimately, if his father decided to remarry, he was in his right to do so. But though he contained himself, Danny didn't like seeing females all over his father.

However, when the female trying to seduce his father was his aunt, Danny could not keep himself from getting furious. It was just wrong on so many levels. Not to mention, he knew first hand that his aunt was not to be trusted.

"Danny, are you okay?" Ember suddenly asked as she noticed her friend's glare.

"No… I'll be back," he quickly said through gritted teeth before making his way towards his father. But just when he was a few feet away, the teen paused.

His father would be furious with him if he caused a scene in front of the entire Kingdom.

The Prince growled in his throat when he saw his aunt caress the King's face. Danny then quickly looked around, and at the sight of another female, a daring smirk curled his lip.

Causally, the Prince walked over to Anĝela instead. The female doctor was talking with Skulker. She looked very nice in a long aqua-colored dress.

"Excuse me," Danny said calmly.

"Whelp," Skulker greeted him. "Happy formation day."

"Yes, happy formation day!" Anĝela said, too, as she kissed the teen on the cheek. "And may I say, you look handsome, my Prince."

"Thank you," Danny replied politely before saying, "Could you help me with something, Anĝela? Uncle? Do you mind?"

Skulker shook his head. "No, we were just talking."

Danny smiled in appreciation before gesturing for Anĝela to come with him.

"Is everything alright, Prince?" Anĝela asked curiously; but then added in worry, "Are you unwell?"

The teen chuckled. "No, I feel great. It's nothing like that. Just… follow me."

Anĝela raised an eyebrow but still followed the teenager. However, when she was led to the dance floor and over to where the King was dancing with his sister-in-law, she blinked in confusion.

"Father, excuse me," Danny said causally.

Vlad and Spectra stopped dancing and looked at Danny.

"Yes, Daniel?" Plasmius asked curiously.

"Are you two almost finished? I really need to speak with my aunt," he said.

Vlad raised an eyebrow, but then nodded. "Of course. And, yes, I believe we were just finishing up." But then noticing Anĝela, the King smiled warmly at her, and said, "Anĝela…. You look beautiful, good doctor."

Anĝela lightly blushed. "You are kind, King Plasmius."

"Would you care to dance?" Vlad then asked.

"Certainly, but…," Anĝela looked at Danny. "What did you need help with, Prince?"

Danny smiled. "You have already helped me, Anĝela. Thank you. Excuse me."

Danny bowed slightly before grabbing his shocked aunt by the wrist and dragging her away with him.

As Plasmius grabbed Anĝela for a dance, he looked after his son with a curious frown.

"Your son… He is confusing at times," Anĝela suddenly commented as she too watched him go.

Vlad instantly laughed. "Finally! Someone who understands!"

The two laughed some more as they began to dance.

Meanwhile, Spectra had finally snapped out of her disbelief, and protested, "Danny! Where are you taking me? Stop!"

The Prince did so, and as he let go of his aunt's wrist, he whirled around to glare at her. "I will only tell you this once. Stay away from my father, Aunt Spectra!"

Spectra frowned with a mixture of emotions. "Danny, my intentions with your father…"

"I don't care," he cut her off. "I mean it. Stay away from him."

And before Spectra could say anything else, Danny walked away.

Spectra stared in disbelief after her nephew; but then she looked back over at Vlad and scowled at seeing him dancing with Anĝela.

"That little brat! He did that on purpose!" she hissed furiously.

However, Spectra was not the only one who noticed Danny's actions.

Skulker had been watching the teenager, and smirked at seeing what he had done.

"Very clever, ghost child," the hunter said smugly. He was glad the Prince got Spectra away from the King. Skulker also didn't like her proximity with Vlad. Her intentions were more than clear, and he had spoken about it with his friend…

"Plasmius, I know you are entitled to be do as you want, especially in regards to your more… personal preferences…"

The King raised an eyebrow. "What are you talking about, Skulker?"

Skulker frowned. "I'm talking about Spectra, Vlad. Be careful with her… You know the type of female she is, and her… intentions with you. She will not rest until she either gets you to bed her or gets you to put your symbol on her."

Vlad was quiet for a moment before shaking his head. "Skulker, I know who Spectra is. I would never disrespect Desiree like that."

"…Desiree passed away years ago, Plasmius. There would be nothing wrong with you deciding to remarry. In fact, the council would more than approve," the Hunter replied seriously. "But… I personally do not believe Spectra is… a wise choice. If you really believe involving yourself with Spectra would be disrespectful towards Desiree, then perhaps you should put a stop to her advances."

"I am more than use to dealing with females like Spectra," Vlad said with disregard. "Besides, I know her well, and she also knows me well enough to know I am not interested in her."

"Are you sure?" Skulker asked. "She was Desiree's sister. She must feel similar to her. It's a dangerous position to put yourself in, Plasmius. You are playing with fire."

"She's not Desiree," Vlad answered without hesitation. "And I'm not interested in anyone that is not my wife."

Skulker sighed. Sometimes he wondered if Vlad's refusal to drive Spectra away was from guilt… or, because it meant having part of Desiree close in some way. Either reason was troubling; but in this regards, there was only so much the hunter could do. Ultimately, it was Plasmius' decision.

Right then, Skulker's thoughts left him when he noticed someone else. He quickly went towards her.

"Dora," he called.

The dragon female tensed as she turned to the hunter. She was wearing a light pink laced long dress with a high neckline that covered her neck in silvery jewels. She was as lovely as always.

"Hello… Sir Skulker," Dora greeted him calmly; yet her body posture was still tense.

The hunter hesitated before saying, "You look beautiful."

"Hmm…," she replied with indifference before asking, "Can I be of service in some way, Sir Skulker?"

The male ghost shook his head. "No, and call me 'Skulker'. I just wanted to come greet you. I wanted to ask how you are…"

"I am extremely busy," she replied. "I am in charge of making sure this celebration goes as planned. So, if that is all, do excuse me. But enjoy your evening, Sir Skulker," she said almost coldly before curtseying and walking away.

The hunter just watched her go with a sad look.


After dinner, Danny decided to take a breather and headed out into the back garden outside the castle. It was nestled in a small valley surrounded by small hills. He liked coming here because of the privacy and it was far enough away from the castle to mute the commotion of so many ghosts going in and out of the palace.

Amorpho had returned home; so Ember and Danny were by themselves. But Danny had fallen quiet as the more peaceful atmosphere brought back into his mind something Dora had told him just this morning…

"You're spacing out on me again, dipstick," Ember said with slight teasing.

The Prince smiled sheepishly. "Sorry, I was just thinking of something Dora told me this morning. She's traveling to the dragon realm for a few days..."

"Oh, yeah?" Ember asked, though she really didn't care. Not because she had anything against Dora, but talk about dragon ghosts always clenched her core with resentment.

"When is she leaving?" she asked just to be polite.

"Tomorrow morning. First thing. Falco will be taking her," Danny answered with an odd sigh.

"Oh… Well, that's good news for her, right?" Ember replied, a bit confused but also curious now. "But I don't get it. She travels to see her family all the time, Danny. So why are you thinking so much on it?"

Danny smiled wistfully. "It's not exactly that that I'm thinking about, Ember…. I'm thinking about the reason she's going to visit her family this time… Elliot is getting married."

Ember blinked. "Are you serious?"

Danny lowered his eyes and muttered, "Yes… She wouldn't tell me the exact date of when his wedding is because she's afraid I'll try to go. She's probably right…"

Ember frowned. "Danny, you know you can't go over there."

"I know… But I still wish I could be there," Danny said with a sad sigh. But then he lightly scoffed. "I can't believe he's getting married. He's only eighteen."

"Uh, eighteen is actually pretty normal age for dragon ghosts. Actually, eighteen is also the preferred age of marriage for… Ghost Kings."

Danny rolled his eyes when he caught sight of Ember's smirk.

"I guess I'll be disappointing those with that tradition," Danny muttered dryly.

Ember laughed, and teased, "Don't be so sure, dipstick. Your parents got married young. Like nineteen or twenty, right? So, who's to say you won't follow in their footsteps, eh?"

"Me, that's who," Danny replied with slight annoyance. "Maybe my parents married young, but that's because they were in love and they had known each other all their lives. I'm not marrying anyone just because the council thinks it's good tradition or whatever."

Ember raised an eyebrow. She had not expected her friend to be so touchy about this subject. She was quite surprised actually.

"You really haven't thought about it at all?" Ember asked, now serious.

"More like I rather not think about it," Danny replied, looking away with a frown.

"Why?" Ember asked with curiosity.

The Prince sighed. There were plenty of reasons why he avoided thinking about that. And a lot of those reasons came down to the fact that he was part human.

Rubbing his neck, he hesitantly looked back at his friend, and replied awkwardly, "I don't know… I guess I would first have to think about someone 'like that'…?"

Ember smirked again. She could always tell when her friend got uncomfortable with a topic because he would rub at his neck and begin to talk less 'like his father'.

"I meant," Danny corrected himself as he rolled his eyes at his amused friend. "I would have to be in love with someone, and I'm not. So it's not a topic I'm interested in thinking about anytime soon. Besides, I have other things to worry about right now."

"Like your core?" Ember asked, but she already knew that was one of her friend's issues. "Yeah, I know, but having things on your mind is a lot different than having 'things on your core'. What I mean is that you're not going to 'be in love' with someone if you don't open your core and eyes to the possibility, you know? You're fifteen, baby pop. In three years, you'll be eighteen. And though I'm not big on tradition myself, you are the future king of this place, and you kinda do need to think about this stuff…"

Danny raised an eyebrow. "Why the sudden interest in my 'love life', Ember? What about you?"

Ember blushed. "What about me…?"

The Prince crossed his arms expectantly. "Have you thought about it? Or… maybe you like someone already?"

Ember's white aura around her face brightened, and Danny's eyes widened in surprise.

"Wait… You do like someone!" The Prince grinned as he uncrossed his arms, and leaned closer towards his friend, adding, "Tell me who he is?"

But Ember shook her head. "You don't want to know."

Danny chuckled. "Of course I do! Actually, I feel a bit hurt you've been keeping this from me. Is it someone I know? Come on. Tell me."

Averting her gaze, she played nervously with her loose hair as she muttered, "It's kinda pointless to tell you, Danny… I don't think he likes me back…"

But the girl mentally cursed herself for even talking about this. She had just set herself up for embarrassment! She couldn't tell him, and risk… rejection, too.

"How do you know? Have you said anything?" the Prince asked with a small frown.

"Well, I think I've made it obvious; but he's not the most observant ghost when it comes to that kind of thing," Ember replied, rolling her eyes.

Danny grinned again. "Is it Amorpho?"

Ember stuck out her tongue. "Eww. No! He's like my wacky brother!"

Danny thought about it for another moment before asking, "Saytar? Or, one of his brothers? You spend a lot of time at music rehearsals with them..."

Ember scoffed.

"Well, then, who?" Danny pressed, his eyebrows creasing with his friend's reluctance to tell him. But when Ember looked away again, he asked with disappointment in his voice, "You're really not going to tell me?"

He didn't understand why Ember wouldn't share with him something so important. Then again, he couldn't judge her. He had his own secrets…

Danny was about to just drop the subject when Ember finally looked at him, and whispered, "Do you really want to know?"

"Of course…," Danny began, yet for some reason he suddenly felt nervous.

Ember chuckled weakly before sighing in defeat. "Dipstick, you are clueless."

And throwing caution to the wind, Ember suddenly grabbed Danny from behind the neck and pressed their lips together.

The Ghost Prince's eyes widened, and for a moment, he was too shocked to react. But though it felt nice to be this close to someone, something felt… wrong.

"Ember… Wait…" Danny said as he gently broke the kiss.

He looked at his friend with confused eyes, while she gazed back at him with nervous and fearful ones.

"I… I don't know if we should…," he began.

"Why not?" she asked quietly as she moved her hand from his neck and placed it on his symbol. "I know you said you haven't thought about anyone… like this; but what about me?"

She had liked Danny for so long, and her worst fear was his rejection. She suddenly regretted kissing him; but she just couldn't keep her feelings to herself anymore. She wanted to be close to him…

"You don't like me, Danny?" she asked sadly.

"Of course I do," he instantly answered. "You're… beautiful, Ember; and not just physically. But you're my friend; and I…" Danny couldn't bring himself to finish his thoughts. He couldn't begin to tell her how he was not what she thought.

"I don't want to hurt you, Ember," he said instead as he placed his own hand on her symbol.

And feeling how sincere he was, Ember smiled warmly. "That's not possible. We'll be friends no matter what. But maybe we're meant to be more than that. I want that… I've wanted that for a while now, Danny… You know, the best relationships come from friendships. Like your parents? You and me… It's natural."

Danny knew what Ember meant. Although the Kingdom's culture wasn't as strict as the dragon culture in terms of arranged marriages, he knew that everyone, even his father, 'hoped' he would one day choose Ember as his Queen.

And if he was honest with himself and if he absolutely had to get married, he couldn't think of anyone he would choose but Ember.

"Can we at least try?" Ember asked as she pulled closer again. "Who knows? Maybe if you give 'us' a chance, you'll feel what I feel between us…"

Danny didn't reply; but when Ember saw he didn't pull away from her, she leaned in and kissed him again.

This time, Danny responded as he attempted to ignore the confused thoughts running around in his head. Maybe she was right. He cared deeply for Ember. Outside of his father, he cared for her more than anyone else. Maybe all he needed was to give himself the chance to see her as more than just his friend… He could always tell her the truth about him later. And if it was really meant to be, she would accept him as he was…

When they pulled apart, Ember smiled before resting her head against Danny's chest. "No matter what, we'll always be friends; but… I like this a lot better."

The Prince just quietly wrapped his arms around her.

Meanwhile, the two teens didn't know that in the distance there was someone watching them.

Skulker frowned slightly as he continued to watch his niece with the Prince. He had always been respectful of Ember's choices now that she was getting older. And although he was probably as protective of her as the King was with his son, the hunter believed it was important to allow a child at this age to start making decisions and even accepting the consequences of their mistakes.

Skulker had long since noticed that Ember had feelings for Plasmius' son, and it seemed she had finally decided to act on them. But it did worry him. Not because he didn't think the Prince wasn't a good fit for her, but because there was still so much about the Prince she did not know…

The sight of the two teenagers, however, also brought a feeling of nostalgia. He wondered what Lydia and Ghostwriter would think of their little girl if they could see how she had grown into a beautiful and confident teenager. He wondered if they would be happy with how he was raising her… Would they have allowed this between their daughter and the Prince if they had known what he did? Would they think she was too young, or would they be angry at him for giving her so much liberty at this delicate time in her life?

Skulker felt he could never compare to the girls' parents. He knew they would have done a much better job of raising her than he had; but he was doing the best he could.

"Are they…?"

Skulker was pushed out his thoughts by the sudden sound of Vlad's shocked voice. The hunter glanced at the King, who obviously had just gotten there and was staring at his son and Ember in disbelief.

The hunter looked back at the two teenagers, who were kissing again.

"That's what it seems…," Skulker answered calmly.

Vlad just stared at the two teenagers with an unreadable expression on his face for another moment before he slowly turned his gaze back to his friend, and said, "I am surprised you are so calm about this."

"You mean you are surprised I am not going down there and skinning your son?" Skulker rephrased with a raised eyebrow. He glanced at the two teens and added, "I was weighing the pros and cons of doing just that before you arrived… I'm still considering it."

Vlad smirked. "Just remember that if you skin my son I will be very unhappy with you."

"I think could live with that," Skulker retorted.

The two looked at each other before they laughed. However, as they turned their attention back to Danny and Ember, the smiles melded off their face.

"Should we say something to them?" Vlad asked, unsure.

"Well, this is what you and Ghostwriter wanted since the two were tiny whelps…"

Vlad sighed wistfully. "Ah, yes… I remember that conversation. And as you can see, we were right. Ember and Daniel have a strong bond. And if anyone is worthy of being at his side one day, it is your niece, Skulker."

"I suppose your son is… 'acceptable' for my niece, too," Skulker replied.

Plasmius rolled his eyes, but he knew his friend was teasing him.

"Nevertheless…," Vlad continued more seriously, "I know my son well, and lately his mind has been on 'other' things. I will have a talk with him about Ember. As much as it would please me to see them together, I want my son to be ready to commit to a relationship. And I feel that all he has been thinking about lately is the war with the humans and his damaged core…"

Skulker frowned. "Can you blame him, Plasmius? The war with the humans has changed his entire life, and his damaged core is something he has to live with every day."

"I know, Skulker," Vlad said with another sigh. "It has changed all our lives, and it is the reason why I cannot allow him to get further involved in all this. The human war might have changed his life, but that doesn't mean he cannot live a 'normal' life. I want him to focus on the things that really matter. Instead, he insists on helping me in the war. Then there's that obsession he has for repairing his core… He has this unhealthy idea that he needs to prove he is strong and worthy in my eyes and maybe even in the eyes of the Kingdom."

The King shook his head. "We went to see Anĝela today, and though he didn't tell me, I know he was asking her of way to repair his core. He's become obsessed with it, Skulker. So much in fact that even when I am talking with him and looking into his eyes, I feel his mind is elsewhere! He's always thinking about his core and the humans."

Skulker remained quiet. He was hesitant to say anything because he knew he was actually 'encouraging' the Prince to do the very things Vlad was against. And, unfortunately, when it came to his son, there was no reasoning with Plasmius. But the Hunter also understood his friend's position. After all, the Prince wasn't the only one who was affected by all that the humans did to the child and by Desiree's murder….

Vlad had been mentally and emotionally scarred in ways that Skulker was sure even he could not begin to fathom. And as a result, Plasmius had an obvious paranoia of something happening to his son again.

But the King didn't seem to realize he was going to suffocate his son if he continued like this. Not to mention, Vlad was still not seeing the big picture. The Ghost Prince really was the key to winning this war against the humans…

"Plasmius," Skulker finally spoke up, though cautiously. "You know we both have different approaches on raising the whelps… Nevertheless, I understand your worry. But you should understand your son. He worries about you and this Kingdom. He's the Ghost Prince; and it in his core to protect others. Vlad…. We both know he should be out there with you, especially when it is possible he can destroy those anti-radium shields."

"We do not know that for sure, Skulker," Vlad answered with a frown. "The Guys-in-White are aware of our regenerative cores. They want their hands on him not just for being my son, but for his core. Even if my son could be 'the key' to winning this war, you cannot ignore that he is also the key to my and this Kingdom's destruction—the destruction of this entire world. By protecting him, I am also protecting the ghost race, Skulker; because if my son were ever captured or killed by those beasts, it's over. It will be the end of all of us."

Skulker didn't reply. He knew his friend was right. Bringing the Prince into this war was also a great risk.

"Besides," Vlad continued more calmly. "Allowing Daniel to step foot in the Human World again would be useless. Daniel would weaken before he could even hope to destroy one of those shields with his Ghost Wail. No, Skulker. You might not agree. Daniel might not agree, but I am keeping him and this Kingdom safe by keeping him away from the humans. As for his core… You know Anĝela and even I have searched for every possible way to heal it; but the truth is that it's been irreversibly damaged. I have accepted that. And for his own wellbeing, he needs to accept it, too…"

"Or, maybe not accepting it is what keeps him going, Plasmius," Skulker retorted. "Just… If he is meant to resign himself, then let him do it on his own. Don't push him. Don't break your own son's spirit."

"I don't want to, Skulker," Plasmius answered sadly. "But I hate seeing that inner turmoil in his eyes. And I feel it comes from this obsession he has—this unrealistic hope that he can change what has happened to him. I don't want him to live at war with himself, Skulker. I want him to be happy."

"Well, my friend, he's a lot happier now that you are home. Believe me," Skulker said with an encouraging smile. "Come on. Let us return before Ember and your son notice us…"

Vlad seemed hesitant to leave, but he knew he had raised his son to be respectful and the two were in the open; so maybe it was alright to leave them alone. Still, he would be talking to his son.

"Alright… You can help me entertain the guests. Come," Vlad said as he placed a hand on his friend's shoulder.


Sunset was on the horizon as Gregor flew through the skies of Amity in his ghost hunting suit and jet-board. However, he wasn't currently on any mission, and yet, he had one destination in mind.

He soon got there.

Hovering in front of Valerie's home, he knocked on her bedroom window on the second floor.

Valerie opened it a minute later with a glare on her face, and snapped at Gregor, "What?"

Turning upside down on his board, Gregor playfully replied, "Aww… Still mad at me, Red?"

"What do you think?" Valerie answered angrily. "You promised me you would hang out with me to meet my boyfriend, and at the last minute you bailed! You're supposed to be my best friend, but obviously, I'm not your friend enough for you to care about something that's important to me! And another thing, I don't appreciate you coming here like this! You could blow both our covers; so just leave, Gregor!"

Valerie slammed her window close and left.

But Gregor didn't relent, and since the window was left unlocked, he easily flew into the girl's room.

"Gregor! I just said—!" Valerie began in alarm.

But Gregor suddenly pressed a button on his suit, and it retracted away—board and all—into a high-tech device on his wrist. The teen was left in his usual white slacks and black shirt.

Valerie stared in shock. "How did you do that?"

Gregor grinned. "Upgrade."

Valerie startled when Gregor suddenly pulled something out of his pocket and tossed it at her.

The girl caught it instinctively, and frowned down at the second high-tech device now in her own hand.

"Put it on," Gregor said smugly.

Valerie scowled, but still put on the device on her wrist. Instantly, she felt the nanobots within her body react, and send a tingle through her entire body.

Valerie hesitated, but then dared to press the button that said 'on'.

She gasped this time when her body was instantly raised slightly off the ground and her high-tech ghost suit appeared out of nowhere and covered her completely, helmet and all. But when she saw her board below her and the damage the heat from it was causing to her room, she squeaked, and quickly pressed the off switch.

Her suit retracted again, and she was left breathing a bit hard from the rush of adrenaline that was coursing through her body. It was almost like the suit made her stronger or charged her up or something.

"What do you think? It freaked me out when I first tried it, too," Gregor said with a small smile. "But I kinda like it. It's convenient."

Valerie's eyes lit up with excitement; but then quickly remembering she was supposed to be mad at her friend, she quickly pushed away the urge to gush about the upgrade and glared at him again.

"What? You think just because you bring me a present from Tom that the fact that you ditched me was okay?"

Gregor sighed. "Look, Val. I'm sorry. I just… I couldn't stay."

"Why not? And I didn't appreciate you acting like such a jerk to Tucker. Don't think I didn't notice!"

"Valerie, it was nothing to do with your boyfriend, and I'm a jerk to everyone—well, except you; or, I try not to be! Look, the point is I couldn't stay, but not because I didn't want to."

"Then what, Gregor?" she demanded.

The boy looked away. "I can't tell you."

But when Valerie's glare remained on her face, Gregor frowned. He hesitated before saying, "Alright. But, if I tell you, you can't say anything to anyone, especially Tom, alright?"

"Yeah, okay. What is it?"

"The girl… Tucker's friend. Sam… She's uh… Tom's niece."

"So?" Valerie replied, confused.

"He… he doesn't want me near her…"

Valerie blinked. "Why?"

"I don't know!" Gregor snapped angrily. "He's a crazy bastard! Does he really need a reason?"

Gregor didn't really understand, but he could imagine Tom's reasons.

"Maybe because you're a ghost hunter, and his niece is… Wait a minute! We both saw Sam hunting that night the Sleepwalkers last attacked Amity! Does Tom know?"

Gregor shrugged. "I think he knows about Sam being a hunter, but I don't think he likes it, either… Point is he told me not to go anywhere near her."

Valerie was really confused about that. She didn't understand why Tom would order Gregor not to go near his niece. All she could think of was because Tom didn't want hunters near his niece, but it was still strange, especially if Tom was aware of Sam's ghost hunting.

"Why didn't you just tell me?" Valerie asked, her voice now more sober than angry.

Gregor shrugged before he took a few steps forward and sat on the girl's bed. "I… I guess it was just never a problem until now." The boy then looked up at her with troubled green eyes, "Don't be mad at me, Valerie. You're all I got."

The dark-skinned girl's eyebrows creased in worry. She always hated hearing her friend talk like that. It was rare when he showed emotions outside of smugness, anger or sarcasm; so when he did get upset, it really troubled her.

Valerie sighed before she walked over to him and sat beside him on the bed. She then wrapped her arms around him as she often did when they had been little kids.

"I could never stay mad at you, Gregor… I just wish you wouldn't keep things to yourself all the time. You can trust me, you know. There's nothing you could ever tell me that would make me stop being your friend or caring about you."

Gregor wrapped one of his own arms around the girl, but didn't reply. If only she knew, he was sure she wouldn't say such words to him.

But as if she seemed to sense his darkening mood, Valerie pulled away and frowned. "Tell me the truth, Gregor. What's really going on between you and Tom? Why do you seem to prefer to stay with that jerk Freakshow over Tom? Why do you hate him so much?"

Gregor chuckled bitterly. "I don't hate Tom, Valerie. I think that's my problem…"

"That makes no sense," Valerie answered, even more troubled.

"When do I make sense?" Gregor asked with a grin. But when Valerie stayed serious, his smile fell, and said, "I just don't want to be near Tom any more than I need to… That's all."

"Gregor, he's your dad," Valerie replied soberly.

"He's not my dad!" Gregor quickly and angrily answered.

"Maybe not biologically, but what else do you call someone who cares about you and provides for you? What's wrong with that, Gregor?"

"What's wrong with that?" Gregor growled as he stood up from the bed. "Everything, Valerie! Everything is wrong with that when he does it for the wrong reasons!"

"Gregor, I have grown up around you and Tom, and I have never seen him do anything but take care of you," Valerie replied worriedly.

"Yeah, because people are actually stupid enough to fall for all his lies!" Gregor sneered. But the boy then froze when he realized what he had just said, and he quickly turned his nervous gaze to the girl.

Valerie just stared at him with a sober expression; but she couldn't mask the hurt and fear in her eyes completely.

"I didn't mean that," Gregor muttered, shaking his head.

"Gregor… Why would you say that? Does Tom… you know, hurt you?" Valerie whispered warily. "Is that why you… don't like him? Is that why you're saying that he's not who he appears to be?"

"Damn it, Val," Gregor said tiredly as he closed his eyes briefly. "Can we just stop talking about Tom? Don't worry, alright? It's nothing like that. I just… I've never seen eye-to-eye with him. And I really didn't mean that 'stupid' comment, and I didn't mean it towards you, either. You're not like everyone else. You're the smartest and maybe hottest girl I know."

He grinned, and Valerie couldn't help but smile a little.

"What do you mean 'maybe the hottest girl'?" Valerie retorted with slightly narrowed eyes.

Gregor's smile melded into a mischievous one as he returned to Valerie's side and sat down beside her. But then, he leaned closer and whispered in her ear, "I think I actually like a girl…"

Valerie pulled away slightly and raised a skeptical eyebrow. "Gregor you practically like all the girls…"

"I don't like them, I just like to sleep with them," Gregor answered bluntly, only to be smacked in the head by Valerie.

"Don't talk like that!" she scolded him.

"What? I'm just being honest. Oww! Okay, stop hitting me!" Gregor protested.

Valerie glared briefly before asking, "Who is it?"

Gregor smiled again before replying, "Sam Manson."

Valerie froze before she exclaimed, "WHAT? Are you crazy? Didn't you just say Tom doesn't want you near her? AND she's a complete nutcase!"

Gregor just grinned all the more. "So am I."

But Valerie frowned. "Gregor, seriously, she's Tom's niece. I don't know why he's told you to keep away from her, but maybe you better listen. Dad or not, you still have to listen to him… and I'm kinda with him on this one… Sam… Something's off about her. I don't trust her, Gregor."

"You said you wanted me to stop messing around with other girls, and just find one," Gregor said slightly annoyed. "Well, that's what I'm doing. I… I really like her, Val."

"You just met her," Valerie argued. "You don't know her."

Gregor frowned and shrugged. "I know enough… And…" He pulled out a certain piece of paper, and added smugly, "I got her number."

Valerie blinked; but then seeing how excited her friend was, she smiled slightly. "You're really serious about this, aren't you?"

"I can't stop thinking about her, Val," Gregor admitted; yet he kept to himself that he had always thought about her since he was a kid. Just… not in the sense he was now.

Valerie sighed. "I think it's a bad idea, but… it's your call. Promise me you'll be careful, though, okay?"

"Pfft!" Gregor replied with his signature hand gesture. "There's nothing to worry about. I got this all under control."

Valerie rolled her eyes before she looked down at the device around her wrist. "Hey, think it's late enough to go test out a certain upgrade?"

"You know, Red. I thought you'd never ask. Come on!" Gregor said as he pulled the girl off the bed and towards the window.

"What? I'm not going through the window!" she protested. "And I have to tell my foster parents I'm going out."

"Stop being such a little girl!" Gregor replied teasingly as he opened her window. "Sneaking out through bedroom windows is like a must for teenagers! And you only live once, Red!"

"Well, we can't exactly fly out in our ghost suits. We could blow our cover. That is, if you didn't already by coming here as the White Hunter!" she said, annoyed.

"Relax, hot stuff," Gregor answered with a smirk. "We are going to sneak out the old fashion way. Drain pipe, tree branch, and a jump down. Super easy!"

"Uh…" Valerie cringed as she stared out her window and at the distance down."

"Come on. You got this," Gregor encouraged before he climbed out and grabbed the drain pipe.

Valerie nervously followed him.

Luckily, once Gregor got on the tree branch, he was able to help Valerie get to the tree by grabbing her arm and lifting her up.

"Thank God you're a gymnast!" Valerie said with a relieved sigh.

Gregor grinned before he suddenly dove off the branch and grabbed a lower one.

Valerie watched the boy fling himself into different branches until he was on the ground.

"Your turn," the boy said as he looked up at her with a smirk.

"Yeah, right!" Valerie replied with a shake of her head. She might have a black belt; but she was no acrobat like her friend.

"Then, jump," Gregor said daringly.

"Are you kidding? I'm not about to break my legs!" Valerie replied with a brief glare.

"That's not gonna happen 'cause I'm gonna catch you," Gregor answered as he raised and readied his arms, indicating that he had caught people before.

But Valerie still looked at him unsure.

"Come on, Red. It's the best thing in the world. It feels like your flying. Don't be scared. I'll catch you. I promise."

Valerie hesitated before she sighed deeply. Standing up on the branch, she looked down at Gregor before looking up at the sky.

"Fly, Valerie," Gregor said with a grin.

With another breath, Valerie jumped off with her hands extended outwards.

Gregor quickly bent his knees slightly just before he caught the girl with one hand under her left arm and the other on her right thigh.

Gasping, Valerie snapped her eyes open and found herself held over the boy's head.

"Let's see Mucker do that," Gregor said smugly.

Valerie laughed loudly as Gregor grabbed her waist and lowered to her feet. "Okay, I'll give you that one."

The two friends grinned at each other before they ran off towards a hidden alleyway. Then in seconds, the Red Huntress and the White Hunter were zooming through the skies of Amity Park.


Danny walked into his room with a sigh. Although he enjoyed talking with the ghosts of the Kingdom, he had gotten to the point where he needed to get away. Ember had gone home because she needed to feed Safear. So, after dodging a few more of the teenage girls his age, he flew to the safety and quiet of his room.

He pulled off his pleated cape and threw it on his bed. He had been dying to take it off.

His crown and jewelry were next, and he placed it right on top of the cape. He then went over to his mirror as he took off his hair tie and began to undo the two decorative braids and remove the green jewels.

"I think Dora enjoys playing dress-up with me a little too much," Danny muttered to himself with slight annoyance. "Maybe my father should have had a girl."

He soon grabbed a comb off his dresser and brush out the knots in his hair before tying it into a ponytail again, making sure that his hair kept out of his royal necklace. He lowered his hands to his sides just as he gazed at his reflection in the mirror this time. But then he bit his lower lip as he thought back to his kiss with Ember.

He loved his friend, but… he wasn't sure if it was right to get romantically involved with her. He didn't want to hurt her, and he didn't want to ruin their close bond for silly teenage 'love'—if that's what it was. Besides, she didn't know the truth about him. She didn't know he was half of what she hated and that he would never be able to form offspring with anyone.

It didn't feel right for him to even attempt a romance with her or anyone without them knowing that he… he wasn't normal. And he would never be normal. It was probably for that reason that he had never allowed himself to think of Ember or anyone else with any romantic interest. He would never be able to offer them a normal future.

Danny sighed as he brushed his fingertips against the star-shape symbol on his chest. If he looked at it closely, he could see that the ends of his symbol were stained with black. It was a remnant of that black venom that had almost killed him.

That had… killed his mother.

Danny's eyebrows creased as he raised his hand to his mirror and pressed his fingertips against it. The mirror began to swirl with greenish smoke before a blurry image formed on it. Warm red eyes and a soft smile on a blurry face stared back at him.

The young hybrid's throat clench as he was forced to acknowledge that no matter how much he did not want to, he was still forgetting about his mother. At least, her physical aspect. He knew he would never forget the feel of her energy and soul. It had been engrained in him, a part of him, since he was a young child. But he still wished he remembered her face, her laugh, her voice… Her… advice. He was sure she would know what to tell him in regards to Ember… He remembered how she could always make him feel better… and take away his confusion and uncertainty.

A sudden knock sounded against his door, and the Prince startled.

"Daniel?"

Danny lowered his hand from the mirror and turned slightly to his bedroom door. "I'm here, Father."

The older hybrid walked in, and seeing his son was already half undressed, he asked with a frown, "Are you alright?"

Danny nodded. "Yes, I just think I've had enough celebrating for today."

Vlad chuckled. "Well, I am sorry to say that we still have guests, Son. I think you should at least thank them for their gifts and for joining us before you retire, hmm?"

The Prince moaned as he went to his bed and plopped down on it in a very 'un-prince-like' fashion.

"Do you mean I have to put all this stuff back on?" he asked mournfully.

"You are the Ghost Prince. You must look the part at all times," Plasmius answered calmly.

"Yeah, well, you try having a ninety-pound cape on you for several hours, and see if you'd be happy about it," Danny muttered.

"Tsk. Stop pouting, little Phantom. It's unbecoming," Vlad answered with a smirk before adding, "Besides, I have something that I think will cheer you up…"

Danny raised an eyebrow.

Vlad revealed a hand-sized green box he had been holding behind his back, and said, "I want to give you my gift now that we are alone."

The young hybrid smiled as his father sat beside him on the bed. "You realize that you being home is enough of a gift for me, right?"

"What can I say? I like to spoil you," Vlad answered with a smile before giving his son his gift and saying, "Happy fifteenth birthday, Daniel."

"Thanks, Dad," Danny replied, and hugged his father. When they parted, the teen inspected the box before unlacing the ribbon and pulling off the top.

His eyebrows creased curiously as he pulled out a pair of onyx armbands that were lined in silver. In the center of both armbands there was a 'D' also etched in silver; but it cleverly had a 'P' within it. It was a peculiar sight, but in a good way.

"These are beautiful, Father," Danny said in awe. He didn't recall his father ever giving him jewelry as a gift. It was something that they just had as royalty. But clearly, his father had these armbands made especially for him—and that's what made them so significant in the young hybrid's eyes.

"Put them on, Daniel," Vlad encouraged. "I think you'll also find them… fascinating if you do."

Danny did just that and easily clasped the armbands on each of his arms. But the instant he did, the silver outlines on the bands turned ectoplasmic green. The teen gasped in surprise as he also felt a rush of energy rush up his hands and to his core.

The Prince slowly looked at his father. "These are not normal armlets, are they?"

Vlad chuckled. "Little Phantom. Do you really think I would get you something so common?" But then he stood and said, "Stand up. I want to show you what they do…"

Danny quickly stood, and his father grabbed him by his wrists.

"Lift your hands just slightly and curl your fingers as if you were holding a sword with both hands… Yes, like that." Vlad took a step back before saying, "Now, bring energy into your hands, but just enough to make them glow."

Danny raised an eyebrow at his father, but still did as he was told. He let a bit of his energy shoot down his arms and to his slightly fisted hands. In a flash of light, a scepter the size of a scythe formed in his hands, which were already positioned to grip the slender staff.

The Prince's jaw fell open.

"Like it?" Vlad asked with a smug smile.

But Danny couldn't answer as he continued to stare at the staff. It was also made of silver and at the top had a design like an opened flower; yet the 'petals' were clearly sharp. And in the middle of the petal-like design was a green gem, which was currently burning with green energy as it were on fire.

"Clearly the staff can be used as a weapon," Vlad said. "But that is not its true purpose. I am sure you can feel it already? The increase in energy?"

Danny finally tore his gaze from the staff and nodded at his father.

"Excellent! Then, it is working as I hoped," the older hybrid beamed. "You see, my son, I designed the armlets to give you an external power source—the staff is an energy rod. It pulls in and stores ambient energy. The bands circulate energy from the staff to your core; so if you find yourself low on energy reserves and your core is not regenerating it fast enough, the bands will transfer the stored energy in the staff to your core to keep you from weakening. In the same way, you can also circulate energy into the staff and it will regulate the amount of energy you waste to a minimum without it compromising your energy's effectiveness. In other words, because the staff absorbs its own energy supply, you can use it to release strong amounts of energy, and it will take less effort from your core to do it."

Though he was still in slight shock, Danny couldn't help but smile and say, "You designed this?"

"Well… Skulker helped me with it. The bands themselves have a human component that are called bloodstream nanobots. It's what allows that biological connection to the staff and your core. Oh, yes. There is one other feature. Let it go."

Danny hesitated before releasing the staff. Naturally, it fell to the floor; but the instant it touched the ground, the staff vanished.

"Good. Now, curl your hands again."

Danny did so, and smiled as the staff reappeared in his hands again.

"The energy staff will only appear in your hands; so the moment it leaves your touch, it will dissolve back into energy and return to the armlets."

Danny suddenly thought of something and attempted to circulate his energy into the staff; but instead of his normal energy, he pushed his ice energy through it.

The teen grinned as he watched the staff turn an icy blue color, and gem at the top turned blue as well before it began to burn with cold blue energy instead.

Vlad smiled, too. "It should keep your core from weakening; but remember, you still need to be careful…"

Danny lowered his hands and the staff vanished. He touched the armlets before saying to his father, "This is perfect. Thank you." But remembering something, he grinned even more and flew off into another part of his room, saying, "I have a gift for you, too!"

Vlad watched him go in amusement. But when Danny soon returned with a single rose, his smile fell into a frown.

"Do you remember these?" the teen asked excitedly. "I remember you and my mother use to have a whole area of them in the greenhouse… But they died out, and I hadn't seen them again… But on a trip with Wulf just a couple months back, I found a natural growth of Rozoj near the Crystal Sea…"

"You're right…," Vlad muttered as he continued to stare at the transparent glowing rose with a closed expression. "We did have a garden of these when you were younger. I did not think you remembered…"

What his son didn't know was that Vlad himself had destroyed that entire garden. It had just been too painful to look at anymore.

"I know how much you liked them, too… So, with the help of Undergrowth, I had a new garden of them made for you, and they are flourishing again," Danny finished, handing him the rose.

Vlad accepted it; though he felt like he had just grabbed burning brass.

"This is… very thoughtful of you, Daniel."

Danny finally noticed his father's expression. "You… don't like it?" he asked, troubled.

Vlad forced a smile on his face. "Of course I do…" He brought up the rose to his lips and watched it turn red with his energy. He lowered it and gently touched it before saying more quietly, "It just brings back memories."

"Of… my mother?" Danny asked, though he already knew the answer.

Vlad nodded. "Yes, of your mother."

Danny nodded before he rubbed his neck and hesitantly said, "There is also another gift I want to give you…"

"Daniel, you do not need—," Vlad began, thinking he had offended his son.

"I know," Danny cut him off before he reached around his neck and unclasped his mother's royal necklace.

Plasmius' eyes widened as he finally realized what the teen was thinking. "No, Daniel…"

"It was my mother's. I remember you got us all one; and we would always wear them for special occasions…," Danny said with a weak chuckle, but his eyes shrouded in sadness as he added, "I'm glad you let me hold onto it, because it's helped me remember her in some ways… But…" He looked up at the older hybrid and added soberly, "I'm worried that you're forgetting her, Father. So, I want you to have her royal amulet now."

Plasmius shook his head. "Daniel, I will never forget your mother."

Danny lowered his gaze to the necklace. "Then, why will you not speak about her to me anymore? Why do you often pretend as if she never existed? You do not even visit her grave."

"Daniel, there is nothing there," Vlad answered soberly.

"That is not the point…," Danny replied a bit angrily. But then he sighed deeply before daring to ask, "… Do you having feelings for Aunt Spectra, Father?"

Plasmius' eyes widened. "Daniel… Is this what this is about? Your aunt?"

"I can see the way she looks at you, Father. I'm not blind. And I do not think you are, either." Danny answered with a frown. "I know that you have every right to…"

"Stop, Daniel," Vlad said seriously. "I feel nothing for your aunt but the respect I have for her for being your mother's sister. I tolerate a lot of her antics simply for that reason. I do notice her… behavior towards me, but she also knows I will never return her feelings. I loved your mother. I still love your mother. And not your aunt or anyone else will ever change that. Believe me, Daniel. I could never forget your mother. But… it is easier for me to not think about her all the time. Forgive me if my avoidance of talking about her has given you the wrong impression. Little Phantom, I do not wish to forget your mother, and I would never want you to, either."

Danny was quiet for a moment as he looked at the necklace's gem, and how it still had a pinkish aura from his mother's lingering energy. "I don't want to forget her, either, but it's been so long…," he then said quietly. "I have this memory of that ice-crystal necklace she made for me; or, I made it and she used her powers to transform it to something more… I don't remember completely and I don't know what it was supposed to do exactly, but I'm sure it was meant for me to always have her close—so that I would never forget her…"

Echoes of his cry for his mother passed through his mind, and Danny's hands tightened around the gem in his hands.

"But I lost it…and it's something I'll never forgive myself for…" the teen said with a heavy core. "She made it just for me, and… I lost it."

Vlad sighed. This was why he didn't talk about Desiree, and especially not to his son. It just made them both sad. Vlad knew why his wife had made that crystal necklace for his son, and how special it had been… But telling Daniel about it was pointless and it would only make his son feel worse for losing it.

"Do not live in the past, my son," Vlad said seriously as he placed a hand above the boy's own curled around his mother's royal necklace. "I appreciate the gesture, Daniel; but it's better if you keep your mother's royal necklace."

But much to his confusion, Danny shook his head before looking up at his father. "No, I want you to have it… Please? If you want, you can say I'm letting you borrow it for a little while…"

Vlad rolled his eyes, but helplessly replied, "Alright…"

Danny smiled as his father took the necklace and clipped it on. The chain instantly adjusted to fit the King, and as the stone touched his core, the older hybrid realized, "It still feels like your mother… Thank you, Daniel."

Danny just nodded. But then he glanced at his memory mirror before looking back at his father, and asking, "Could I ask you for one more birthday present?"

"Of course, Daniel," Vlad answered with a smile.

The Prince grabbed the King by the wrist and led him over to the memory mirror. As he let go of his father, he asked with in a hopeful voice, "Will you show me my mother?"

Plasmius' eyebrows creased in a mixture of sadness and uncertainty. "Daniel, I do not want to dampen this day for you with sad memories…"

"I just want to see her… I can't remember what she looks like, Father, and that scares me.… Please?"

Vlad sighed before moving closer to the mirror. He hesitated before placing his hand on the mirror. As its green energy began to swirl into an image, Danny quickly moved behind his father and levitated just enough to see past him as an image of his mother formed in the mirror.

But it wasn't just of his mother, but also of himself. They were both sitting on the bed, and she appeared to be singing to him. But she was also using her energy for something…

"The ice-crystal necklace…," Danny realized quietly. But briefly closing his eyes in regret, he unknowingly said out loud, "Why did I ever go out there?"

Vlad instantly lowered his hand from the mirror, and Danny startled when his father turned to face him.

"Why did you…?" he began with slight desperation in his voice upon seeing the image of his mother vanish from the mirror.

"Daniel, this is why I do not like to bring up your mother," the older hybrid said, almost sounding angry. "I have told you before nothing that happened was your fault."

But when the young hybrid just stared sadly at him before glancing back towards the mirror, Vlad sighed.

"Please, Son. Let's change the subject. I do not want to see you upset."

Danny just quietly nodded.

Vlad's thoughts went to the memory of his son with Ember, but he decided to talk about that at a later time with him—when his son's core wasn't so heavy.

"We have been gone from your celebration for some time. It's best we head back," the older hybrid said instead.

"Alright… Can you give me a few minutes? I have to 'dress-up' again," Danny said with a tired sigh.

Vlad nodded. "Of course. But don't be too long, hmm?" He kissed his son on top of his head before he turn and left.

Danny watched him go; but now alone, he turned his eyes back to the memory mirror. He stepped closer and touched it as he tried to imagine the memory his father had just shown him. It was less than perfect when he had only seen it for a few seconds, but it was better than nothing.

"I wish you were here…," the Prince whispered sadly at the image of his mother.


More to come shortly. I'll probably post the next chapter of DoaS before EG and just do a double update on EG too. Heheh!

Ta for now!