Disclaimer: I own nothing from Danny Phantom

Note: I didn't expect my break from this story to last as long as it has but I skimmed the previous story and this one so I think I know where to go from here. I kinda need to wrap things up since this story is much longer than I intended it to be so here we go! Also, I've been thinking about making an alternate version of "Haunted" that isn't a romance between Vlad and my genderbent Danny once I'm done with this story because I want to re-explore another story angle but I won't spoil it. Anyways, again, super sorry for the long delay!


Chapter 60: Toxicant


Danielle's POV

When I woke up again a bit later on I felt totally refreshed which is a huge relief if I'm being honest since we've lost enough time as it is to find the final Horsemen of the Apocalypse. Glancing over the area when I realized I was laying alone on the soft moss, the first thing I saw was that Vlad must've gotten my boots back from those stupid molesting plant ghosts. Now normally I don't like the idea of him hurting anyone, but this time I hope he scorched that whole area so those assholes will know better than to mess with us.

I noticed that Vlad had also brought the Ecto-Suit back here with him which he was busy tinkering with again as quietly as possible but to tell you the truth I didn't feel like we needed it anymore. Why do I feel that way you ask? Well, it's because for the first time in ages I truly feel connected to Vlad again, I could feel his power as naturally as I could feel my own and I knew I had already given him the gift Death left for him too. Together we had a power that few others had and now Vlad has the power to permanently destroy a ghost if need be by damaging their core while my power is to connect with them to gain insight into their past or see small glimpses of their future through prophetic dreams if I understood Nocturne correctly.

Taking a moment to get redressed and put my boots back on, I picked up Vlad's cloak which he had given me to use as a blanket, and tapped his shoulder, offering it to him with an uncertain smile, "Here, I brought your cloak back."

"Thank you, my dear," Vlad smiled in return, clasping it back into place before straightening up and turning to face me as he asked, "How are you feeling? Are there any lingering traces of the drugs? Any pain?"

Shaking my head I replied with a light chuckle, "No, I feel much better now and um...well given how intense things got between I actually feel pretty good if a bit sore. Oh and thanks for going to get my boots back. I would have felt stupid fighting the Ghost King barefoot!"

On a more serious note, I added, "Then again, we need to find the Horsemen of Famine first, and getting to him will be a bit tricky seeing as we can't pass through there in ghost form, Death told me it's full of a mist that's poisonous to ghosts but being in human form will at least offer us some protection. We'll have to be quick though and follow War's core flame to where he is."

"Yes...I am aware that we are running out of time. That's why as soon as I awoke I began making what repairs I could to the Ecto-Suit. Even in human form it should offer you some extra protection against this ghostly mist," Vlad explained, reaching towards me to cup his hand on my cheek, his gaze warm but a bit sad, "As much as it pains me to let you go alone, I think it would be best if I left finding the final Horsemen to you while I assist War in gathering his forces against Pariah. It's my fault that all of this has happened but I promise Danielle, I will make this right. And if it's you I know you'll-"

"You dumbass," I teased, pulling his hand away and smirking up at him, "I'm not letting you out of my sight to pull some noble sacrifice shit like I said because that's MY job. But jokes aside I want us to do this together Vlad. No, actually we HAVE to do this together Vlad because we're all that's left..."

Closing my eyes and sighed deeply, I mentally braced myself for his reaction after I finished telling him the truth about Death's final words to me in that dream I had when he brought me to the brink of death just so my soul could reach him in a place where ghost powers don't usually work. As calmly as I could I confessed that Death wanted to end his role as the Horsemen of Death and he found a way to do that by splitting his power between the two of us the moment we became half-ghost. That's how we first became soulmates, it was because Death connected a common thread between us but he was unable to give us the last of his power until I showed up at Death's door.

Needless to say Vlad was totally shocked by this unexpected revelation, to the fact that this has all been in the works since our accidents so it's like Death was hoping for this outcome. He was tired of being hated and feared by the other Horsemen just for having a duty to keep balance and control his fellow ghosts which meant he had more power than all of them combined. But Vlad and I, we're something new, we exist between life and death which is why his power was able to reach us and become a hidden part of who we were. When we die, if we still can, we won't be bound to his role but having that power a part of another being will give Death some of the freedom and rest he longed for.

"So then, what War said before, about you carrying the stench of death is because...we've been given Death's powers?" Vlad asked in awe. "Fascinating, and that does explain a few things. Nevertheless, are you sure about this? If we go together there might not be enough time to-"

"I'm sure, so we don't need the Ecto-Suit anymore. At this point, that's what's going to slow us down more than each other and from what Death was able to tell me...Famine's lair is some kind of ghostly marsh and since we'll have to navigate it on foot being in a robot suit would just make me sink like a stone into the muck," I shuttered, only imagining how awful that place is going to smell, "Remind me when we get home to take at least a two-hour bath with lots of bath bombs otherwise I'm going to smell like a swamp for months!"

"Very well," Vlad nodded, giving the Ecto-Suit one last glance. "It's a shame to leave such a valuable piece of equipment behind but I trust your judgment, Danielle. At any rate, let's get out of this cave and I'll summon the energy that War lent to me and we'll follow it to our destination. Once we get there, no matter what happens don't let go of my hand and tell me immediately if you begin feeling the poisoned air affecting you. Understood?"

"Yeah yeah," I replied, leading him out of the cave by the hand and letting go as soon as we were out, suddenly wondering aloud, "I sure hope everyone else is ok. I don't know how long we've been here or if time is even moving for us anymore. Hopefully, once we beat Pariah we'll blink back into the real world and everything will be the same as it was before, minus you being so paranoid about losing me. The only reason you almost did is because you were being stupid so I'm glad you've finally realized it."

Turning around, I added more softly, "I love you, Vlad, and I really was scared that you were going to make me choose between doing the right thing and giving you another chance. So thank you for seeing reason and trusting me. That's all I ever wanted from you. I just wanted you to love and support me through the good times and the bad and be there for me in ways no one else can. Because I don't want anyone else. Not anymore."

Without a word, Vlad leaned down and kissed me gently. It was a warm kiss that while brief was no less affectionate. I savored that kiss since this next part of our journey was going to be tough since we wouldn't be able to rely on our ghost powers, but at least we had each other again. With Vlad by my side, I knew that we would soon put an end to all of this once and for all.


Vlad's POV

After breaking our kiss, resisting the urge to deepen it, I pulled back, and after asking her to step aside to give me room I summoned the bright red flame from War's core which then shot from my hand like an arrow and both of us immediately sped after it at top speed. Danielle was able to easily keep up with me as well as the flame which thankfully was easy enough to discern from the rest of the Ghost Zone thanks to it's eerie red color. I was concerned by the lack of wandering spirits until I reminded myself that most of them had fled the area to Earth before the town was then pulled into the Ghost Zone again along with them.

This could only mean they were now hiding from Pariah's forces who would likely be sent forth to subdue and dominate the other ghosts before too long. So now we could only hope War really would be able to rally the ghosts who had enough power to resist and together we could restore the Fright Knight to his true role of the Horsemen of Conquest. And if I understood Danielle correctly, since we are now the proxies of the Horsemen of Death that means we should be able to combine our power with the other three and destroy Pariah once and for all.

This would leave the throne of the Ghost King empty, but so long as they still decided on a new King together before too long then balance would be restored. And to think I was willing to sacrifice everything only to be chained to that throne forever, far from my wealth and one true love since I was mistaken and she would not have been able to share the power with me. But this power, the power that I had no idea was inside of me all along, this was something we could share and it let us retain our freedom to traverse between worlds. That's why I am indebted to Danielle for opening my eyes and most importantly for forgiving me for being such a fool.

At any rate, it wasn't nearly as long of a journey as I thought it would be when a large floating isle came into view shrouded in a sickly green mist that cascaded over the edges of the isle much like smoke. Thankfully, the flame we were following had a mind of its own and waited for us to reach a safe enough spot to land where the mist was dense and we could transform back to our human counterparts without the toxic fumes affecting us too badly. However, as Danielle pointed out since we ARE still half-ghost, the poison will begin to weaken us if we linger in there too long. I'm just concerned that she might succumb to it much quicker than I will due to her tender age, but then again, she has proven herself to be surprisingly resilient at times so perhaps I was a fool to underestimate her.

"Oh god, do you smell that?" Danielle asked, scrunching up her nose in disgust and glancing up at me. "It smells like...rotten eggs and mold. This is going to suck."

"We could always turn back and get the Ecto-Suit again," I offered casually, "It is equipped with a filtration system to purify the airflow the pilot is breathing at least."

Shooting me a dirty look Danielle sighed, "Ok point taken smartass. I was the one who insisted on leaving it behind but seriously, even if it could still fly we'd never be able to keep up with that flame and if we tried walking through the mud in something so heavy it'd get stuck before we made it very far. So we'll just have to deal with this awful smell and-"

Blinking, she looked behind me where the flame was waiting for us earlier and pointed, "Um, Vlad? Where did the flame go?"

"It appears to have gone ahead no doubt," I frowned, taking her hand, "We need to catch up with it so remember, don't let go no matter what, and stay close Danielle. It may not just be the toxic fumes we have to contend with if the last Horsemen's lair is any indication. There may be minions lurking in the water that are being controlled by Pariah's dark magic as well."

"As long as there aren't any Kelpie's I think we can take them even in human form, but just to be safe let's just make a run for it if anything does show up. I don't like the idea of fighting something I can't see in this thick fog," she replied, and after giving my hand a light squeeze the two of us took our first steps into the misty marshland...

And while Danielle's only concern was taking a bath after this, I was going to have to burn this suit because there's no way of washing such a vile stench out of this material. But I won't mention that to her for now since we have more important matters to deal with. As she said before, while we are safer from the poisonous air in human form which is strange enough as it is, we're also far more vulnerable to attack because as soon as we reach for anything resembling ecto-energy the toxins will begin to affect us more quickly. So with that in mind, the most I could do was at least attempt to locate the ghost signature of that flame again since we lost sight of it while momentarily distracted.

For her sake, I cannot lose my way again in more ways than one.