Disclaimer: I do not own Danny Phantom.

Anathema's Abode

Chapter 7

Proposition

"Phantom." Sam called after him.

"Sam," he turned to acknowledge her, mild surprise evident on his features.

"Is this a bad time?" the ghost hunter questioned, surveying with morbid curiosity the multitude of injuries Phantom had received whilst battling the Fright Knight.

The ghost merely shrugged nonchalantly. "I knew you would seek me out," he greeted, cocking a white eyebrow in acknowledgment. "I hope you appreciated that," his tone was wry. "That confrontation could've been prolonged by several decades if not for you."

"Sorry," the ghost hunter winced, knowing that she had played at the very least, a small part in the engagement. "At least you won," Sam offered, unsure what an appropriate response would be to a ghost who had just beaten the Fright Knight in a bloody duel. "I guess congratulations are in order."

"I see no cause to celebrate, having won a duel that I had no wish to take part in. Congratulations are never in order when you've failed to prevent your adversary from destroying half of the inner city," Phantom replied flatly, his expression grim. "My ineptitude has caused several of your kin their lives."

"It was out of your control," Sam maintained, taken aback by Phantom's stance regarding the loss of human life. The ghost hunter wouldn't have thought that the ancient ghost would've cared. "Is that why you took to the air halfway through the battle?" she questioned. "My team mates just thought you were running away from the conflict. Not that we doubted your fighting abilities," the ghost hunter added hastily, wary of offending the midian.

"I doubt my own abilities all the time," Phantom reassured, shrugging. "What can I do for you?" the ghost queried, as their gazes locked. "This encounter must hold some importance for you if you have chosen to reveal yourself to me despite the risks involved."

Sam took a deep breath, steadying herself for what was to come. "I have a proposition," she stated, proud that her voice was devoid of a single waver.

"Did the brotherhood send you?" the white haired ghost questioned, pausing to allow himself a moment to ponder the implications of her statement through barely veiled amusement. "Because no matter how your brethren choose to seek my sympathy, my answer will most probably be no."

"Please," she implored, refusing to falter as her gaze met his own. "I'm not leaving until you hear me out."

"I'm listening," he raised an eyebrow, intrigued. "But first, remove all weapons and surveillance devices currently on you."

"Excuse me?" the ghost hunter managed out, completely thrown.

Phantom shrugged nonchalantly. "The only circumstances in which I will agree to consider your proposal is when you are unarmed and of no threat to me. So kindly do as I ask."

"And if I refuse?" Sam challenged. The ghost hunter had no intention of being separated from her equipment, especially when she was being faced with a ghost of Phantom's strength.

"I strongly recommend you don't," he replied dryly. "I suppose you can keep whatever has been grafted to your skin, but those bracelets are definitely not staying on you. I refuse to subjected to the inconvenience of having my actions tracked by the brotherhood."

"I am not removing my equipment," the ghost hunter maintained fiercely. "Don't you have any other alternatives?"

"We could always do things my way," he raised an eyebrow, as the corners of his lips quirked upwards in a smirk. "Only this time, you won't have the luxury of being unconscious."

The ghost hunter subjected Phantom to a withering glare, despite the heat rising in her cheeks at the memory. "No," Sam refused, as lilac eyes narrowed in mistrust. "What's going to stop you from harming me?" she demanded.

"If you will not remove your equipment, I will." Phantom threatened, ignoring her question, his previous goodwill rapidly evaporating. "Unless you'd rather I left."

"Fine," she glowered, tossing her ecto blasters to the ground. "But after all this, you'd better at least take into account what I have to say."

"Do you think I'd put you through all this trouble if I wasn't the least bit interested in your proposition?" the ghost questioned, amused by Sam's ire as she muttered curses under her breath.

Phantom looked on, silently impressed at the sizable pile of equipment collecting at his feet. It was remarkable how much Sam had managed to pack onto her form, for one so small. "Especially the Fenton thermos," he added, seemingly oblivious to the promise of bodily harm emanating from Sam's gaze. "I'd rather you didn't attempt to capture me. I could break out," he continued, subjecting her to a significant look. "But it'll take too much effort. So why waste time on both our parts?"

"If I was going to try and capture you, I would've done it by now," the ghost hunter growled in annoyance. She roughly tore off her ghost gauntlets, ignoring the pain as the silver bracelets grazed the tender flesh of her wrists. How could she have forgotten how much of an arrogant bastard he was? "Now are you prepared to listen to me?" the ghost hunter demanded, as her tracking devices joined the rest of her equipment on the ground with a soft chink. She placed her fists on her hips, irritably awaiting Phantom's approval.

"I said to remove all of your equipment," he repeated dryly, the corners of his lips quirking upwards in mirth at Sam's frosty glare, as she grudgingly reached between her shoulder blades and withdrew a slim knife as Phantom bit back a laugh.

Having previously undressed her to tend to her wounds, it had been too much to hope that Phantom would have forgotten where she kept her weapons, especially since he had previously proven that he was clearly not lacking in intelligence. Unless he had written down the contents of her stealth suit somewhere when he had saved her, the fact that he seemed to have committed the workings of her stealth suit to memory with no apparent effort was a frightening prospect in itself.

She wasn't worried about the fate of her equipment; she knew that Tucker would have Valerie pick up after her. Right now, her main concern was that of her own safety. Her previous desire to seek out Phantom tonight was looking less and less favourable by the minute. Not for the first time, she wished she had waited for Valerie to catch up with her.

"You still haven't told me where we're going," Sam's eyes narrowed in distrust, massaging her bare wrists as she endeavoured to forget the delicacy of her situation.

"My apartment," he replied, as though it was obvious, as he extended a hand towards the ghost hunter. "I believe that you'd agree that a deserted alleyway in the middle of the night is perhaps not the best place to speak of rebellion."

Sam faltered, wavering between two mindsets before succumbing to possibly the most stupid decision she had ever made in all eighteen years of her life as she placed her hand in his, ignoring the fervent shivers down her spine from the chill of the contact, despite the almost unbearable warmth of the night air.

"Whatever you do, don't let go," the ghost warned, closing his hand around hers.

The ghost hunter started as she felt herself jolted in and out of existence, as the pair rematerialised in Phantom's apartment, finding herself overtaken by a familiar feeling of disorientation by the accompanying flash of light as the floor seemed to lurch upwards to meet her.

"You okay?" he queried in concern, reaching out to place a hand at the small of her back to steady her.

"Yeah," Sam shook her head to clear its reeling. "That wasn't half as bad as the first time you did that."

"You get the hang of it pretty quickly," he shrugged, grinning in reassurance.

The ghost hunter forced her lips to form a thin smile, feeling painfully vulnerable without any of her equipment as she endeavoured to will herself to ignore the fact that her host would be capable of doing practically anything to her, and she wouldn't be able to stop him.

"I don't know about you, but I'm in serious need of caffeine," Phantom groaned as they entered the kitchen, helping himself to a mug of the dark liquid. "Can I get you anything?" he offered, turning to face her as he leaned against the kitchen cabinets.

Sam found it difficult to not stare at the white haired ghost's battered form as he casually brandished his coffee, his body adorned with the vast evidence of his battle against the ghost general, as ectoplasm trickled slowly down his right forearm from a particularly nasty cut on wrist.

"Just water, please," Sam replied meekly, struggling to tear her gaze from the sight of Phantom nonchalantly running a tongue over his injured wrist to subdue the flow of spectral blood.

"Following me out there was stupid," Phantom admonished, turning to fill her glass under the tap. "The brotherhood must be getting pretty desperate if they're sending little girls to spy on high level duels. Just out of curiosity," he paused, running a finger over the rim of the glass as he laced its interior with frost. "What were you hoping to achieve tonight?"

"No one sent me," she retorted, scowling as she accepted the glass. "I followed you because I wanted to."

"Once again, your audacity is commendable," Sam flushed as the ghost favoured her with a look torn between exasperation and amusement.

"What was I supposed to have done?" she glared. "You left me hanging for more than a month."

"I didn't realise that you were expecting me," his brow furrowed. "Have you tried to find me before tonight?"

"Yes," Sam brought the glass to her lips, sipping the chilled water appreciatively despite the unconventional means Phantom had employed to prepare it. "I suppose you want to know why I'm here," she conceded, battling guilt for defying her mentor. Sam was all too aware that she shouldn't be here, consorting with the enemy. Especially since Maddie had specifically forbidden her to make any further move to contact Phantom. The ghost hunter had no desire to prolong this encounter any more than necessary.

"I must admit this proposal of yours has me curious," Phantom arched a white eyebrow. "What would a member of the brotherhood want with me? And what do you hope to offer that I cannot already singlehandedly obtain?"

"Look," Sam began, "I know this is going to sound insane, but I want you to promise to hear me out."

"I already told you," Phantom set his mug down, seating himself at the kitchen table to join Sam. "I'm listening."

The ghost hunter inhaled sharply, her fingers furling tightly around the dark material of her stealth suit as she steeled herself before she lost her nerve. This was it. Once the words were out of her mouth, she would have defied everything that her brethren had ever stood for.

"I want you to fight for us," she stated, looking up to meet his gaze, unflinching. "An alliance between humans and ghosts has never before been proposed, but with sufficient compromise, I'm sure we can come to an arrangement that will benefit both of us."

"You want me to fight for you," Phantom echoed dryly, making no effort to hide his disbelief. "I can't say I saw that one coming. I was under the impression that you were after something slightly more mundane."

"Both you and the brotherhood suffer disputes with the Fright Knight and ultimately, Pariah Dark," Sam continued, desperate to get her point across before she was asked to leave. "I'm open for negotiations as to what the brotherhood can offer, but the ghost king's defeat is in both of our best interests."

"The only reason that Pariah has not left the ghost zone to strike me down is that I have so far kept out of the empire's way," green eyes narrowed. "If the ghost king were to even suspect that my standing in the war was no longer neutral, I'd be dead before sunrise. As much as I disagree with the methods the king has chosen to employ, they do not concern me."

"Even after the Fright Knight chased you halfway across town, determined to slay you?" Sam demanded fiercely. "We both know that he'll be back, and chances are, one of you is going to end up destroying the other. How will you escape Pariah's notice then?"

"If there's one thing I have faith in, it's the Fright Knight's ridiculous sense of pride," Phantom's tone was wry. "There's no way that he will inform Pariah that he challenged me and lost, unless directly questioned by the ghost king himself. It goes against his very nature."

"You can't hide forever," she maintained. "Sooner or later, you're going to have to pick a side."

"Why are you determined to to convince me to fight for you?" he questioned, intrigued. "I was under the impression that a member of the brotherhood would rather die than entrust their life to a ghost."

"Pariah will crush us if the brotherhood refuses to change its ways," Sam admitted. "We've already got nothing to lose."

"But if you already have nothing to lose, for what point and purpose do you fight?" Phantom quirked a white eyebrow, as though unable to comprehend her logic.

"For justice," Sam immediately replied. "To avenge countless innocent lives lost," her eyes narrowed. Surely the reason she opposed the ghosts would be obvious, even to one of them. Even one of the ghost's own kind could not be blind to the spectres' tyranny.

"Justice?" Phantom echoed dryly, raising an eyebrow. "Define justice."

The ghost hunter scowled, opening her mouth to retort when Phantom cut her off. "What is justice, outside the eyes of the beholder, other than an excuse that both sides have been using for centuries to inflict more pain and suffering on the innocent?"

The ghost hunter scowled, raising the glass to her lips as she allowed herself a moment to recover before once again pursuing the subject. "You say you want to be left alone," Sam glared. "But what peace can you hope to achieve under Pariah Dark's rule? The longer it is before you seek to oppose him, the more powerful the empire will become."

"When we met, I made it perfectly clear that I wished to be left in peace," the ghost maintained coldly, as white eyebrows lowered to frame faintly flickering green eyes. "Seeing as to the fact that you owe me your life, kindly respect that decision."

"I didn't ask you to save me," Sam retorted, through barely muted outrage. "What is with you ghosts and your damned god complex?"

"Because we both know how well you would've fared on your own," he replied dryly. "Very well," Phantom conceded, finality evident in his voice. "The next time you are assaulted by the Night Police, I will do you no favours."

Sam paused, suddenly realising how out of control the situation had become. She had come here tonight to attempt to enlist Phantom's services, not test the temper of a ghost at least equal to the Fright Knight in power. No matter the argument, she was still his guest, not to mention that without her equipment, the ghost had her completely under his mercy. "I'm sorry," the ghost hunter apologised. "Your stance in the war really isn't any of my business."

"Apology accepted," Phantom conceded. "I hope in turn that you will forgive me. Fatigue is taking its toll. Can I get you more water?" he queried, gesturing to her empty glass.

"I'm fine, thanks," Sam blushed. "I should probably get going, you need to get cleaned up."

"This is nothing," he snorted, rising to place her empty glassware in the sink. "The Fright Knight is losing his touch. I've gotten myself into far worse scrapes in the past."

"How much worse?" the ghost hunter questioned, endeavouring to hide her surprise that Phantom had decided to divulge information of his previous battles without her prompting.

"He nearly destroyed me five years ago," Phantom's expression was grim. "It was by sheer luck that we managed to draw."

"But if you beat him so easily tonight, how could the general have given you so much trouble the last time you fought?" Sam frowned, perturbed by her own unexpected concern towards the ghost.

"That was hardly easy," Phantom commented dryly, as he took note of the numerous of battle wounds decorating his form. "Circumstances were different tonight," the ghost shrugged. "Fortunately, they were to my advantage."

"What circumstances?" she pressed. "It can't have been the lunar cycle."

"What makes you so certain?" the white haired ghost asked, lips curving upwards into a half smirk as he avoided the question.

Sam's stomach plummeted. Perhaps Phantom wasn't as open for questioning as she had initially thought. "It's unfair of you to tease me with information that you have no intention of disclosing," the ghost hunter protested. "Even if you refuse to tell me anything, I'll find it out eventually."

"And what have you discovered about me?" Phantom cocked a white eyebrow, intrigued.

"Your real name is Aragon," the ghost hunter stated, refusing to falter when challenged. "You're an exiled ghost prince of medieval origins, with age and experience comparable to that of the Fright Knight- why are you laughing at me?" she demanded, flushing as the white haired ghost made no attempt to conceal his amusement.

"You believed me to be Aragon?" Phantom repeated incredulously, obviously floored. "That pathetic excuse for royalty?"

"There were no other brotherhood records of ancient ghosts that matched your age, origins, and corporal form," Sam replied defensively, disgruntled by the white haired ghost's response. "Besides, how do I know that you're not lying in order to throw me off your trail?"

"There is a lot the brotherhood doesn't know," Phantom replied dryly, biting his lower lip as he attempted to fight back his laughter.

"And we're going to remain ignorant until you choose to help us," Sam implored. "Please; we are more alike than you know. The brotherhood means you no harm. All we want is to survive the war."

"It's late," he stated, abruptly changing the subject. "Even with the moon waning, it'll be dangerous for you to try to leave, short of me escorting you to the brotherhood's headquarters, should you by some miracle choose to inform me of its location," Phantom grinned, his previous amiability returning.

"I'm out on the streets past curfew almost every night, what makes tonight any different?" she glared, grudgingly accepting his refusal to answer her question. The ghost hunter already knew she was already on thin ice due to her previous outburst; there was no benefit in further aggravating the midian. "I don't need your protection."

"I wasn't saying you did," Phantom raised his hands in a gesture of surrender, as though he was the one wary of her temper. "I don't suppose I could convince you to stay the night until it's safer for you to leave."

"You guessed right," Sam grinned in reply, barely suppressing the childish desire to blow a raspberry at the ancient ghost.

"I'm sorry that I can be of no use to the brotherhood," he offered, the regret on his features genuine. "But I have no wish to compromise my standing in the king's eyes."

"It's okay," the ghost hunter replied, kicking at the toe of her combat boots. "I just thought that I'd ask. Will I see you again?" she questioned.

"You still have my shirt," he replied, fighting back a grin. "So at the moment, it seems pretty likely. What's wrong?" he queried, brow furrowing in concern as Sam subjected him to a strange look.

"Nothing," Sam replied, shaking her head to clear it. "It's just that you seem so different out of battle. Were the big words reserved just for the general?"

"To a certain extent, yes," Phantom grinned ruefully. "I don't think the Fright Knight quite understands modern English. He's slow like that."

"I'll keep that in mind," the ghost hunter laughed, extending her hand so Phantom could grasp it. She was surprised to notice that this time, their mutual teleportation had hardly fazed her. Perhaps Phantom's suggestion that it got better with practice was true.

"It seems that your friend has already got to your equipment," Phantom commented, gesturing to the now empty alleyway. "You're lucky to have such loyal team mates."

"I know," Sam smiled. "They're closer to me than family."

"Be careful," Phantom cautioned. "The streets aren't safe for a lone human female past curfew, brotherhood member or not."

"What makes you think I don't already know that?" she glowered.

"Maybe the fact that your recklessness is constantly proving otherwise," Phantom replied, his voice light. Sam flushed, still unaccustomed Phantom's teasing. "Don't let me hold you up," Phantom's expression sobered, as he turned to leave. "I am doing you no favours by prolonging your time out in the open."

"Will I see you soon?" the ghost hunter queried.

"Perhaps," he conceded. "But I make no promises. It all depends on circumstances out of my control. Until our next meeting, promise me you'll stay safe."

Taken aback, Sam nodded wordlessly in reply, surprised by Phantom's unexpected concern towards her.

"Good night, Sam," the white haired ghost grinned, dematerialising in a flash of white light as he left a very bewildered ghost hunter in his wake.

Rematerialising in his living room, Phantom allowed himself to sink into a sofa with unconcealed exhaustion as he steeled himself for the second, and possibly more trying ordeal of the night.

"I know you're here, Ember," Phantom chuckled dryly at the seemingly empty room. "Hasn't anyone ever told you that it's rude to eavesdrop on other people's conversations?"

"Good," the slighter ghost retorted, flickering into vision. "Then there's no way that you wouldn't have expected this," she snapped, smacking him roughly upside the head. "What were you thinking?" she demanded. "Compromising our safety like that?"

"Sam means us no harm," Phantom winced, rubbing the back of his head where Ember's blow had aggravated a previous injury by the general. "Besides," he grinned. "She's interesting."

"I didn't risk my existence for you, just to have you throw your life away the moment a pretty brotherhood girl walks by," his friend glared. "What the hell happened? Last time I checked, dipstick, your taste in women hadn't quite extended to the living end of the spectrum."

"Nothing is going to happen with her," Phantom assured, shrugging nonchalantly. "She's just an intriguing subject to pass the time observing."

"And that's why you wound up fighting the general over her," Ember commented wryly, gesturing to his injuries. "I take it you fared better tonight than you did five years ago?"

"Unsurprisingly, yes," Phantom replied. "Old October's losing his touch. I fought the Fright Knight because he sought me out," he continued, his expression sobering. "Surely you didn't expect me to take the coward's way out and flee?"

"No," the blue haired ghost scowled. "I expected you to teleport, turn human, anything that involved a tactical retreat that would have stopped him tracking you."

"Would you have done that in my position?" Phantom challenged, raising a white eyebrow. "You know just as well as I do that confrontation was inevitable. For your information," he added, smirking. "I left him something to remember our encounter by. I slew Nightmare."

"Not bad," Ember raised her blue eyebrows, impressed. "It's a shame you couldn't have destroyed the Soul Shredder while you were at it," she glowered, abruptly recalling her previous exasperation at Phantom. "I'd dress your wounds, but you don't deserve my sympathy," the female ghost snorted. "For god's sake, you even allowed her to entertain the idea of you fighting against the empire."

"I didn't," Phantom insisted. "I thought I made that perfectly clear."

The blue haired woman merely shook her head in annoyance. "I don't think you need me to tell you how stupid you've been. Is my company so dull that you have to resort to humans to keep yourself occupied?"

"Hardly," the white haired ghost replied. "But you know that I've always held some interest in the workings of the brotherhood. How can you not find the transience of humans fascinating?"

"It's your funeral," Ember maintained. "Just don't drag me down with you."

"Wouldn't dream of it," he grinned in reply. "Don't you know by now that I'd never doanything that would result in you getting hurt?"

"I know," she conceded, her expression softening. "Just promise me whatever game you're playing at with that human girl, make sure that it doesn't get out of hand."

"It won't," Phantom asserted. "Because there is no game. And there never will be."

"Glad to hear it," Ember sighed, relief evident. "Now go get yourself cleaned up," she demanded, chucking at him the towel that materialised in her grasp. "You stink. It's amazing that with her low human tolerances, this Sam of yours managed to keep from passing out from the stench."

Author's Notes: I bet none of you saw that coming! -ducks for cover-

I can't believe how positive all of you have been about Anathema's Abode being over forty chapters long. To be perfectly honest, I find the prospect completely daunting. School's also starting soon, so I might start struggling to update once a week. I'll make the most of the time I have left, though! Also, it's amazing how much faster I update when fear of bodily harm is present.

Many thanks to: Ethereal Fae, Alchemistress, Amethyst Ocean, Writer's-BlockDP, Elanor Pam, Tie-dyed Trickster, nightlightwriter, EmeraldCalling, AcousticMaiden, REviwer, Blue Beluga, passionateartist, Sweeteen19, Lord Zahr, Devilchild93, bloodmoon13, CharmedNightSkye, FunkyFish1991, FreakLevel27, MikeyCam33196, Kirimori, Morgaine of the Faeries, Musicallity, Manyara, Marie9, soaring-bright-flame, PhantomsAngelS2, aaran924, Sasia93, yuuki, HikaruOfDreams, Angelic Kittens, Shuricel, danny-fan-101, A. LaRosa, Don and pearl84 for the amazingly encouraging reviews that actually got me to finish a chapter in two days. A record for me, woohoo!:D

Please leave a review if you enjoyed the installment!:D

Hugs and kisses,

Twisted Creampuff