Disclaimer: I own nothing from Danny Phantom

Note: Ok, this is going to be the last fluff chapter before I start working my way to the main climax of this story which will probably still take a while but I hope you enjoy the journey!

Chapter 38: Starlight

(Chapter Inspired by "A Million Dreams" from The Greatest Showman)

Vlad's POV

As expected Danielle looked a bit exasperated by the fact that I bought a car as one of her birthday gifts, but truthfully it was an investment because in my eyes having it was another way I could give Danielle a renewed sense of freedom as well as a way to escape any troubles at home if for whatever reason she couldn't come here to the mansion. Of course, she would still need to get a driver's license which shouldn't be too hard given how much experience behind the wheel Danielle already had from driving her parents Spector Speeder in secret. And I could easily translate those hours into the time required for her to get a license or pull a few strings to cut a few corners since I for one knew she was perfectly capable of driving it already.

Of course, until Danielle was ready for it one way or another I would keep it here in my garage until then. I would also have to appease her parents too since I kept this a secret from them as well. My argument was very convincing if I do say so myself because even though giving a car to someone was perhaps an overly extravagant gift for any teenager and a lot of responsibility, at her age having one was an important right of passage. What's more, I explained that having her own car would also keep Danielle much safer. A young lady shouldn't be riding a motor scooter home by herself after dark to begin with and it couldn't offer protection from the elements either, let alone any ghosts.

To meet them halfway I did tell them that until she could afford her own it I would be paying for the car insurance and such. I had billions to spare after all. And since she was spending so much time here studying with me it seemed only fair that I took responsibility and taught her how to drive responsibly too. Maddie especially couldn't argue with me there since Jack wasn't the best role model and she rarely had time to spend away from the lab either. Personally I didn't think it was THAT important since they hardly made anything useful anyway...

"Ah, before I forget the rest of your presents are in the trunk of the car. Why don't you take a look my dear?" I smiled mischievously as I handed her the keys and before she could protest, fortunately Danielle's friend Trish practically dragged her over there so they could get a better look at it.

Even though she tried not to show it I could tell Danielle was happier about this gift then she let on. If I had to hazard a guess as to how Danielle really felt, she was probably just overwhelmed by the generous gift. Especially because of how top of the line it was upon closer inspection...

I spared no expense since Danielle deserved only the finest things in life from her lover. The seats were made of a strong but comfortable and breathable fabric, there was full air-conditioning throughout the interior from front to back, a built-in phone and GPS, sunroof, and tinted windows. Of course, it did have some extra features that obviously weren't installed in your average car, such as the ghost shield, but like the other shields I've used thus far it was set up to ignore our signatures even when active.

"Don't you think this is a bit much Vlad? I understand your reasons behind but...a car?" Maddie asked skeptically while Danielle and her friends were busy examining the contents of the trunk which contained several new outfits and small trinkets, looking as though she was torn between feeling upset about this, happy to see her daughter so happy, and concerned about this as a parent. "Wouldn't it have been better to save that sort of thing for her 18th birthday instead? She's still in high school and this is a small town so-"

"Honey I don't see the harm in letting her keep it, because I for one think it's a very thoughtful gift," Mrs. Foley interjected as she smiled at me and continued, "Truth be told we wanted to get Trish a used car when she turned sixteen but we couldn't afford it back then and that's why we're saving up for one so that when she turns 18 Trish can focus more on preparing for college and living on her own. Besides, we all have to come to terms with that eventually, that our children are growing up..."

"I suppose that's true, but still. I wish he would have at least told us about it," Maddie sighed and Jack just nodded, not really paying much attention to the conversation.

With a chuckle, I was about to respond when Samson's father interjected, "Well my son flat out refused to accept the car we bought for him last year. I swear, kids these days can be so ungrateful and it wasn't as though we gave him that many rules to follow..."

"That's right, we offered to pay for everything as well and Samson said he didn't want it! I can't even get him to wear anything aside from those dreadful goth clothes. Honestly, I do wish Sammy would-" Samson's mother was in the middle of lamenting her son's fashion choices when the person in question strolled over and frowned at us.

"You know I can hear you right? And maybe I wouldn't have minded the car if you didn't hire a driver to take me everywhere which defeats the purpose! Besides, do you have any idea how much pollution a single car puts into the atmosphere? That's why I asked for the scooter. And if I ever DO break down an get a car it'll be an ecofriendly one, not some fancy gas guzzler like that..." as he said this Samson briefly glanced at me before getting into a heated argument with his parents but I simply shrugged it off and excused myself.

It was about time for everyone to head home so I wanted to let Danielle know in secret when I would come to retrieve her for the rest of the festivities reserved for just the two of us. I still had a few more gifts to give Danielle in private, one of which she could use tonight, and I for one was eager to drop the formalities so we could focus on the most important thing. And that, of course, was Danielle's happiness.

I think this dinner went surprisingly well and in the end, I didn't have to overshadow anyone, though to be fair I suppose that's only because the others were trying to be considerate of Danielle after the horrors she's been through this year. Even without knowing the full story, being kidnapped by a ghost then losing her voice to one had to have been traumatic for someone her age so I'm glad they put their feelings about her parents aside to attend this party at my behest. As for Jack and Maddie themselves, well, it didn't take a genius to tell how guilty all this made them feel. And in a small petty way that was sort of the whole point...

In the end, this proved that they still didn't understand their daughter at all. And now that their son was about to leave for college it has suddenly become painfully obvious just how much of Danielle's life they've been missing out on. Before long she too will be leaving the nest, hopefully, to be with me in some form and then they really would have nothing but their ghost hunting gear and experiments. And who's to say if that's what they still want anymore?

To given them at least a little credit, since I knew deep down that they did care about her, for her sake I wanted them to treasure Danielle more and not take her presence for granted. Sadly I don't know Jason quite as well, but since he wants his sister to be happy and provided for too he's been trying to help them understand how she feels as well. That's why before heading home, Jason pulled me aside and asked me to promise that I would continue looking out for his little sister in his place while their parents were busy loading the other presents into the car. It was an easy promise to make since I had no intention of leaving her side any time soon.

That seemed to put his mind at ease so after hastily thanking me, Jason gave me a pat on the shoulder and then it was time for everyone to go their separate ways. Each of them thanked me for the wonderful party and I cordially accepted their thanks. But in truth, I knew that the festivities for the night were far from finished. And now that Danielle knew when I would be paying her a visit, it was time to make sure the after party so to speak went off without a hitch...

Sadly I couldn't keep Danielle up too long since she still had school in the morning but I looked forward to giving her the rest of the special gifts I've been saving that would be kept a secret just between us, such as the star. Either way, I smiled at Danielle fondly as she waved goodbye because we both knew there was still more to come.

And frankly, she wasn't the only one looking forward to it...

Danielle's POV

I'm glad Vlad gave me some time to recover after that amazing meal and the shock of getting a car as one of the 'surprises' because I was pretty tired when it was all over. I did take a short nap but if I'm being honest I still felt a bit tired. Still, I wasn't about to miss out on whatever else Vlad planned since he put so much love and effort into arranging all of it. Just thinking about it made me smile as I sat on the roof, waiting for him.

It's been so long since my birthday felt like a celebration at all so this was a welcome change of pace. Vlad was still totally spoiling me a bit more than planned but I tried to let it slide after seeing how overjoyed he looked seeing my reaction. I wanted him to be happy just as much as I wanted to be happy and that's what relationships are about right...?

So much has changed since I first met him more than half a year ago. Since then Vlad has become much more gentle, soft-spoken, and playful around me then he was in the beginning when his feelings for me were more like a new obsession to replace what he felt for my mother. Those feelings were intense, dark, and neither of us really understood them and as a result, Vlad made some very bad decisions. We couldn't change the past but I've long since forgiven him for a lot of it since Vlad was only trying to protect me.

It's not like Freakshow was innocent, but even now I believe he didn't deserve to die like that. Then there was the Banshee who will never be able to steal voices again after he damaged her ghost core beyond repair. They say the end justifies the means but I have to disagree. There were a million different ways Vlad could have handled both situations, and he just chose to do what he thought was necessary which ended up being much more sinister when his anger got the better of him.

That's why I'm so proud of Vlad for thinking of other ways to help me that don't involve much violence. And someday, maybe I could stop fighting ghosts myself once I knew everyone was safe. When that happened, maybe we could- "Ready to go my dear?" Vlad suddenly asked as he teleported in front of me while offering his hand and I jerked in surprise, losing my train of thought.

"Whoa! You almost gave me a heart attack," I laughed because by now I knew his ghost signature by heart so even though Vlad appeared too quickly for my ghost sense to go off I knew it was him.

Taking his hand and transforming without hesitation I nodded, told him I was ready, and paused to pick up the present he left a note on asking me to wait until later to open it so I assumed that meant it was meant for tonight, which means this must be a new dress. Smiling and pulling me close, Vlad teleported us back to his manor and led me to the usual room I stayed in when I spent the night here if I wasn't with him in his room. Once there he asked me to change and said he would be waiting right outside the door if I needed anything.

Kissing him on the cheek I immediately went inside to get dressed as soon as possible and opened the box to find a beautiful wine-colored dress nestled away inside with roses next to the sleeves which cut off at the shoulder. The skirt had a surprising amount of volume too for such a light fabric which was richly colored and slightly darker near the top and bottom of the dress. It came with a choker too. I'm surprised he didn't get me another blue dress but then again Vlad probably knew I wanted something a little different from the other dress that I wore to a school dance once as well as the reunion where we met. I wasn't especially girly and even liked dresses, but it was always good to have more than one just like for guys with their suits...

At any rate, thankfully the dress was easy to get into and very comfortable to move in so I didn't feel as nervous about dancing in as I thought I would be. If I was wearing this to a real party or something I would have worn makeup and maybe did something with my hair, but since it wasn't and I was just eager to spend some quality time alone with Vlad I did what I could to look presentable then reached for the doorknob. Vlad must have sensed me coming because he swept it open for me and I blinked a few times when I saw him wearing a purple suite and vest with a black tie and undershirt as opposed to his usual black suit and red neck tie.

Smiling, I stepped outside and teased, "Well, don't you look fancy this evening? Decided to add a little color into your life?"

"Oh, you mean this old thing? I just threw it on," Vlad teased back, closing the door behind me before lifting my hand and kissing it like I was some kind of princess, his eyes sparkling, "By the way, you look ravishing in that dress, my dear. I'm very pleased that I get to be the first person to see you in this. Originally I planned to give it to you later until I decided to give it do you along with the other gifts so that it wouldn't have to be kept a secret. That way you may wear it whenever you wish to for special occasions and the like. And since today is one such occasion, I was eager to see how it looked on you and I must say I am not disappointed."

"Thanks, Vlad, it's really beautiful. And honestly, I'm kinda surprised I look good in this color actually. You must have really put a lot of thought into this," I replied, wrapping my arm around his as Vlad began leading me to what was basically going to be our private ballroom for the next few hours.

Patting my hand with his free one, Vlad gazed at me softly and continued, "But of course, you are my one true love after all so you expected me to do anything less from me? Even though it took awhile to plan I wanted tonight to be perfect since I know how often things tend to go array at the worst of times in your life. And most importantly, when I was having these designed for you I wanted to make sure they compliment your natural beauty. No matter what anyone else tells you, you are a beautiful young woman and I truly am a lucky man to have you in my life, Danielle. I couldn't have asked for a better soulmate."

"I'm lucky to have you too," I sighed contently, leaning on his arm then snickering, "Who knew we would end up like this huh? When we first met you were quite the creeper but now look at you being a such gentleman? Guess I had a good influence on you after all."

"On the contrary my dear girl, I've always been a romantic at heart. To be fair I suppose some things have changed, however, let's just say I'm only on my best behavior around you. When I'm alone though..." trailing off Vlad gave me an evil smirk so I just rolled my eyes at him. I suppose I walked right into that one but since we were only teasing each other anyway it didn't really matter.

Speaking of walking in, when we made it to the ballroom it was decorated just like the dining room with blue velvet curtains and glass lanterns, even the piano was moved in here with a ghost pianist playing music without paying us any mind at all. The person playing it at dinner must have been human since this guy looked totally different. Even the music itself was calmer, almost tranquil and very romantic. Leading me inside by the hand Vlad practically glided over to them and whispered something in their ear and the pianist nodded and began an entirely different song.

I was so caught up in how beautiful the piece was when Vlad swept me off my feet into a twirl, asking joyfully, "Danielle, may I have this dance?"

"Seriously? Do you even have to ask?" I laughed, resting my left arm on his and tightening my grip in the other as Vlad effortlessly guided me into the waltz as if he already did know the answer I was going to give him about dancing.

As the song played we were so in sync with each other's movements it was almost dreamlike the way we moved. Vlad's warmth was so comforting and I knew he would never let me fall or stumble when a slightly faster song played. I was having so much fun it was like the world and my worries melted away until it was just us twirling around a sea of stars and gliding across the dance floor. At one point we actually did start gliding and I just let it happen, closing my eyes and swaying as Vlad held me close during a slow song...

I was so unbelievably happy that when we landed I almost didn't want it to end. I wanted to stay like this forever but unfortunately, time was rapidly getting away from us and I still had school the next day, not to mention I still needed to go out on patrol before bed. So with that in mind, Vlad graced me with one final dance before we slowed to a stop and almost automatically, he leaned down as I tilted my head up and we kissed. And just like the dance I wished it could last forever and sighed sadly when Vlad broke the kiss and pulled away, his expression still warm and loving as he reached into his vest pocket and handed me a small but intricate card and told me this was his final surprise for the evening.

Curious, I opened it up and saw a photograph of a star and read what he wrote on the other side, tearing up as I did, "To my dear Danielle, few things can compare to the radiance of your smile but to show you how brightly you shine in my life I decided to give you something from the very heavens that you can carry with you. This is your star, one that shines just for you the same way that you do in my life. And I wouldn't trade what we have for every star in the night sky because the only stars that truly matter, are the stars I see dancing in your eyes. Yours truly, Vlad Masters."

Holding the card limply in my hand I flung my arms around his neck and thanked Vlad with all my heart. As if the party and gifts weren't enough, Vlad did the most romantic thing ever and bought me a star! I've only heard of people doing that for anniversary gifts and stuff like that! I was just so grateful for all of this that it was a good thing I wasn't wearing any makeup because I started crying when his final gift just floored me...

Today had to be one of the best days of my life. I couldn't possibly ask for anything more than this, just having someone like Vlad giving me so much love and attention when it's like I've been denied it for so long for one reason or another just like he was. But now we had each other, and I could only hope that this year I could make his birthday just as memorable as Vlad made mine because I loved him just as much.