For all of you who have been so patent with me and my erratic updating schedule, I have a little treat. We have another guest dropping in for this chapter, but to find out who it is you'll have to read on won't you? Do you think you'll be able to figure it out before I reveal it, and don't spoil it for yourself by reading down first; sometimes life is more fun when you leave the wrapping paper on.

MaryTwain: Thanks for reviewing.

Okay, I warn you now they may both get a little OOC and the things that happen may seem a little ridiculous, bit you know what, artistic license, I employ it often and I love it.

Chapter 16 – An Unexpected Visitor in the Night

It had been a week since Ember had visited, and he still sat up at night thinking about that day. She had given him a lot to think about, inadvertently, but still. Tonight was no exception, it was gone 2 am and he was still staring up at the ceiling, counting the various holes and bumps and things, trying in vain to get to sleep. Finally, he gave up and sat himself up in bed, preparing to get up and do anything other than lie in bed for God only knew how long and think.

For no apparent reason, the temperature in his room suddenly plummeted and he found himself hugging himself and shivering, wondering what was going on. The answer revealed itself to him in the form of a whip of blue mist that escaped from his mouth.

"Who's there?" Danny demanded of the empty air as he turned on his bedside light, he stood up on his bed and transformed and a voice spoke from somewhere relatively close, and defiantly in his room.

"Please, don't get angry, I'm not here to harm you…this time. I just want a chance to explain myself" the voice was a familiar one; it was female, and, even to Danny's ears, sounded adolescent. But he couldn't quite place it.

"If you told me who you are then I might be more inclined to let you talk" Danny once again said into the air, in the general direction the voice had come from, refusing to relax until he was sure he wasn't in immediate danger.

"Just promise me you won't get angry okay" the voice had moved again and It became apparent to Danny that unless he either agreed or kept this specter talking, he wasn't going to find out who it was sharing his room with him at this ungodly time of the morning.

"Alright fine, just show yourself" Danny said exasperated

"Transform"

"Excuse me"

"Transform back and I will"

"Why" Danny was begging to get agitated and the voice was becoming more and more familiar the more he listened to it.

"'Cause then I'll have time to leave if you get angry, you'll have to transform again if you want to hurt me"

"Who are you to come into my room at this time in the morning and give me orders" The agitation had blossomed into full blown anger by this point, he thought he heard a pleading note when the voice next spoke

"I'm someone who wants the chance to explain herself and she wouldn't mind it if you were a little more hospitable"

"But why come now"

"Because neither of us can sleep and if I came to you at any other time you'd probably try to fight me, though even at this time at night you're still trying"

"Well what would you do if someone came, unannounced into your room at 2 in the morning and demanded that you let your guard down and listen to them?"

"Probably try to fight them" the female voice admitted. Danny felt a superior smirk cross his features as he forced the voice to submit a fraction"

"And what if you were the one wanting to talk and the person you wanted to talk to wouldn't settle down and let you"

Danny felt a tiny pang of guilt and decided that if this voice was concerned about him transforming and fighting, then he could probably kick her ass if the need arose, so he transformed back into his shorts and vest he wore for bed. "Okay, but don't keep me up too late"

"Promise you won't get mad and try to attack me on site?"

"Stop making demands"

"It wasn't a demand" the voice sounded exasperated "it was a request"

"Okay, I promise not to attack"

"Thank you" slowly, from the furthest corner of the room, a figure appeared. She was indeed female wearing a pair of black pants with a grey belt, a black one sleeved top with a black glove, grey skull capped boots and outrageous makeup. Her trademark blue hair was still as short as it was in the last few seconds they had interacted with each other but she was still unmistakable

"Ember!" Danny jumped off the bed and back onto the floor, preparing himself to transform again, but the ghost simply held up her hand as if for silence.

"You promised me you wouldn't attack, if I wanted to attack you, I would have simply done it. I wouldn't have asked you for an audience." Slowly, almost hesitantly she moved over to the bed and sat down at the foot of it, leaving Danny the rest of the bed so they could sit a comfortable distance apart. Danny sat down near his pillows, not quite all the way to the other side of the bed, but close.

"Okay, so what did you want to talk about" he broached, wishing to get the ghost woman out of his room as fast as possible, not just because he was slightly embarrassed over his state of dress, but also because he was afraid of the reaction it would provoke if either of his parents found him in here with a girl, never mind one who is a ghost.

"I wanted to explain myself and my actions a week ago, I really don't know what happened to me, I'm not usually like that. I got power hungry; it went to my head and sent me a bit mad. That's all I can think of. That's why I let you catch me…"

"LET me catch you…" Danny interjected, but Ember cut across him

"Yes, let you catch me, I only did it because I had come to the conclusion that I really didn't want to live in your world anymore…"

"You're not alive, so technically, you can't live anywhere" Danny felt he needed to get his own back, even if it was in a juvenile way,

"And you're not funny Babypop, now just shut up and let me speak" suitably chastised, Danny pouted, crossed his arms over his chest and sulked. "Anyway, I didn't want to remain…" she grinned at Danny who threw a sarcastic grin back at her "…in a world where no one truly loved me, that's why I…"she trailed off, appalled at herself for what she had been about to revel, unfortunately for her, even through his sulk, Danny caught it.

"That's why you what" he asked as he un-curled himself, sat up straighter, and turned a little in order to face her better.

Embarrassed, Ember turned her face away to stop the younger boy from seeing the slight blush that had crept across her cheeks "Nothing, never mind" but, having only met him a handful of times, Ember didn't know how persistent Danny could be if he set his mind to it.

"No, come on it must have been important, that's why you what?"

Having been in the room with him for less than 10 minutes, she was already sick to the back teeth of his backchat, so, in an attempt to shut him up, she exploded "That's why I committed suicide, happy!"

For a few seconds, her plan seemed to work, all the teen whose bed she was sharing did was staring at her and blink while the stunned silence stretched on between them. Finally, Danny seamed to remember that he had vocal chords.

"You…committed suicide?"

"Yea, how do you think I ended up in the ghost zone?"

"No, it's just that I never really thought about the fact that at some point, you guys were alive and…now your not, I just…never thought about how you might have ended up there" He had lowered his eyes to the bed now, unwilling to meet her eyes through embarrassment

"Well, now you know. I died the first time because I felt rejected and unloved, despite my fame. And it happened again when I came back, only faster, I couldn't remain where I wasn't loved"

"I'm sorry"

"Don't be, you may have ruined my comeback tour, but I'm glad you did in a way. I didn't like the person I was turning into"

The blue eyes of the young man rose from his bedspread to her neon green ones as he considered how to phrase the question he had been thinking about since that day "Ember, why did you make me fall in love with Sam?"

"Who?"

"Sam, the girl who was on the roof with me"

"The Goth?"

"Yea"

She took a moment to think of a suitable answer before she spoke again "Partially to get you out of the way so I could take over"

"I'd figured that out"

"Do you want to know" she asked, a dangerous edge creeping into her voice.

"Of coarse, or I wouldn't have asked would I?

"Well, shut up then and let me speak…the other reason was tat I wanted you to experience love. I guess I thought that once you're discovered, you might end up being shunned, while you're still young, innocent and optimistic, I wanted you two to experience love, before you became too cynical…If you think I was out of line I apologize…"

She was cut off when what would have been her breath was knocked from her as Danny threw his arms around her and enveloped her in a fierce hug; tentatively she patted his back and tried to get out of his arms as she was feeling uncomfortable. Eventually he released her and sat back again on the bed looking at her slightly embarrassed himself over the fact that he hadn't released what he was doing until he was doing it.

"Don't worry Ember; I don't think you were out of line, those were the best few hours of my life so far, I actually waned to thank you for it."

"Thank me?" she was stunned

"Yea, you've given me the confidence I needed"

"For what?"

"Never mind" it was his turn to dodge the issue now and she didn't push it, and it was just then that he noticed her hair. "Ember"

"What?"

"Have you noticed your hair has grown a little?"

Immediately her hand shot up to her hair to inspect it, and sure enough, it was a couple of inches longer.

"How do you think that happened" he inquired

"I think it might have had something to do with that hug you gave me, I felt loved so it must have grown."

"See I'm good for something" as he turned his head to give her a cheeky grin his eyes fell on the alarm clock next to his bed, the glowing red digits told him it was nearing three in the morning, and if he knew his dad, he was about to get up and go to the toilet, and check on his kids on the way back.

"Ember"

"What?"

"Not that I haven't enjoyed this heart to heart, but I think it's time you went back, I wouldn't want you to get caught by my dad, he can go a bit mad sometimes"

"Yea okay, do you know how I can get back?"

"Follow me" Danny rose to his feet and transformed before sinking through the floor and down into the lab in the basement, when she joined him he swept his arm, in rather a proud manner in the direction of the portal.

"That's the Fenton portal, it's our portal into your world" as he spoke he walked over to the control panel and opened the huge metal door to revel the swirling green and black vortex beyond "all you have to do is fly through"

"Okay, I guess I'll be seeing you kid" she stepped up to the portal and prepared to fly back into her world when she was stopped by a hand on her shoulder. A slight pressure turned her around and she once again found herself in the embrace of the ghost child.

"Just remember, somewhere out there, someone does love you" he spoke softly into her ear before releasing her and inspecting her hair again. He smiled when he saw another inch or two had been added on "cool, you're like some kind of noise activated flower, give you a hug and your hair grows"

She glared at him and turned back to the portal "Whatever see ya later" and with that she disappeared back into the Ghost Zone.

End of Chapter

Right, it looks like this might really work, I could really finish this up in about a chapter, two at most.

Not sure what people think about it anymore, (but I'm only really only doing this for me now) so if you feel like enlightening me, you know what to do.

See you all soon

May the Angels bless you and keep you safe

Anawiel