I apologize for the wait...writer's block and other projects had me totally backed up...but here's a long chapter to make up for it. Enjoy!

Preemptive Plans

Pariah Dark barely caught his passed-out fiance before he hit the ground, it was then that he saw the deplorable shape Danny was in. He had heavy bruising on his neck, and a large cauterized cut on his cheek. Danny was also looking much paler than normal, and he looked like he had just been in a violent brawl, from the state of disarray of his clothes and hair. It took less than a second for Pariah Dark to put 2 and 2 together, and while he growled out unintellegable vows against Plasmius's life, he picked his fiance up and ran to the castle, barking orders for Dora to prepare medicines and Fright to bring him the head of Plasmius.

It didnt take a genius to discover that Danny, aside from the obvious wounds, was suffering from both physical and ghost-core exhaustion. His speed healing was trying to work overtime to close the cut on his cheek and aid in making the bruises and internal damage vanish; those obvious handprint-shaped bruises on his neck were what made Pariah Dark the most furious. The bruises told him that Plasmius had attempted to strangle Danny during the fray to retrieve the Crown.

And while on that subject, how had the boy found out?

While mulling over these problems and aiding Dora with healing Danny, Fright finally came back with news.

"My Liege," Fright said, kneeling down. "I was unable to find the portal to Plasmius's lair."

Pariah Dark growled, making both Fright and Dora tense with fear. "So he has escaped, then?" he asked, his voice tight. Fright paused for a moment.

"Not...exactly," the page replied. "While searching for the portal, I ran into the ghost called Skulker. He told me that he was keeping a vigilant eye on the portal, when it suddenly flickered out of existance. A few moments later, another portal was created briefly, and both Plasmius and our Prince-to-be dove through it, and Plasmius managed to get the upper hand when Phantom transformed into human again.

"Skulker intervened, protected our Prince, and incapacitated Plasmius before escorting Phantom back to the Dark Realm."

"And of Plasmius?" Pariah Dark asked.

"The guards found a natural portal not far away, and threw Plasmius into it. I doubt he will continue to be a problem."

"Why do you say that?"

Fright raised his head a little, a sly smirk on his face. "Skulker told me that every single one of the ghosts that were once Phantom's enemy have pledged their alegience to the Ghost World's new monarchy, and have shunned Plasmius forevermore. Should Plasmius even TRY, he's going to have a very nasty surprise waiting for him on the other side."

Pariah Dark nodded sharply and turned back to Phantom, phasing the clothing off to avoid jostling his fiance, and felt his rage rise with every bruise he saw. Plasmius had BETTER be grateful he was following the Second Term, or he'd be in that human world tearing the exile limb from limb. Pushing those thoughts to the back of his mind, he continued to care for his fiance until Danny was properly taken care of, and then merely sat back to watch over him.

A few hours of motionless watching later, Dora walked up to her King and bowed her head slightly before addressing him. "My King," she said softly, "he is alright now. You should get some rest as well."

"I am fine, Dorathea," Pariah Dark replied tiredly, not taking his eye off of his fiance. Dora sighed.

"Forgive me for contradicting, but you are not," she said sadly, but firmly, her 'mother hen' mode coming out. "You have barely had any rest the past month, worrying over the fate of your Crown." She gave him a weak smile. "Your Crown is back, and Sir Daniel has returned, worse for wear, but safe. He wont be going anywhere if I have anything to say about it."

Pariah Dark turned to glance at Dora, observing her solid stance on the issue, before sighing and standing up. "You will alert me the MOMENT he wakes," he commanded, but it came out as more of a question. Dora smiled and nodded.

"Of course, My King," she replied. Pariah Dark nodded back before turning and heading out of the room, glancing back once to his fiance before leaving. He was almost to his door when Fright came running up to him.

"My Liege," he said, making his King turn around. Fright held up the Crown of Fire in tentative hands. "...I had just remembered...you left this out in the courtyard."

Pariah Dark blinked before reaching out and taking the Crown from his page. Once more in his hands, the Crown flared to life, green flames wisping around the wrout-iron spikes. Pariah Dark stared at his beloved treasure for a moment before handing it back to his astonished page. "The construction of the chapel is complete," the Ghost King said. "Put my Crown in the casing up close to the alter to keep it safe." Upon seeing Fright's frozen expression of confused shock, he elaborated, "I have not worn it in years. I can wait five months when Phantom and I will BOTH be crowned at our wedding."

Fright blinked, then nodded, smiling at his King. "As you wish, My Liege," he replied. "Rest well." With that, he turned to leave Pariah Dark to his rest, his mind reeling over the changes his King had gone through, and finding that he liked every single one of them. A lot.

Pariah Dark wasnt aware of how long he'd slept, but he woke up feeling much better than he had in weeks. Seeing as how he'd woken up on his own, he surmised that Phantom was still asleep and healing and took his time washing up and heading down the hallways toward Phantom's wing.

Dora opened the door for him and gave him a sad smile and a respectful not. "He has yet to awaken, My King," she said softly. "But all of his wounds are healed, and his ghost core is showing signs of rapid replenishing." Pariah Dark nodded, happy for such news, and sat next to Danny's bed, indeed seeing the remarkable recovery results. There wasnt a mark or mar at all on Danny.

Dora quietly left Pariah Dark to watch Danny, and the Ghost King sat with his fiance for barely ten minutes before the halfa began to shift around. Pariah Dark watched with bated breath as Danny slowly came out of his sleep and opened his eyes. The halfa took a moment to register where he was before sitting up and looking around, his eyes settling on Pariah Dark. "...Did I pass out?" was the first thing he asked.

Pariah Dark nodded. "You did," he replied. "Out of physical and ghost core exhaustion." His hands twitched slightly, something Danny didnt fail to notice. "Now, excuse me for this uncouth display, but..." He suddenly reached out and pulled Danny into a strong hug, eliciting a humorous 'meep' from the boy. Danny froze for only a moment before leaning into the hug and even hugging back.

"You stupid boy," Pariah Dark bit out, though his voice was void of anger and instead thick with an air of relief. "You incredibly stupid, stupid...what were you THINKING, going after my Crown like that?"

Danny shifted a little ('Man, Pariah Dark hugs tight...' he thought) and replied, "I was THINKING that your Crown had no place in Vlad's filthy hands. I was THINKING about how...ANGRY it made me that he hurt you so badly. I was THINKING that as your consort-to-be, it was my responsibility to get it back, when you couldnt." He trailed off, shifting again. "...I'm not sorry for going after it...but I'm sorry for...worrying you?"

Pariah Dark sighed and pulled away, holding Danny's shoulders firmly but gently. "Yes," he said. "I was worried. For that split second after hearing that you were gone...I admit to panicking. When I saw the shape you were in, I was worried about your health. Yes, Phantom, you worried several cenuries off of my afterlife with that stunt you pulled."

Danny ducked his head, at least having the decency to be ashamed, but Pariah Dark slipped his fingers under Danny's chin and raised the halfa's head so they had eye contact again. "...Thank you." Pariah Dark leaned forward and kissed Danny's forehead, noting the dark pink hue his fiance's face went.

"...Like I said," Danny said after a moment, "...anytime." He glanced down absently. "...Where are my clothes?"

"I will have Dorathea prepare more for you," Pariah Dark replied. "You completely ruined the others beyond repair."

"Right." Awkward silence. Danny fumbled the sheets in his hands as he fought to find something to say. "...Where IS your Crown, anyway?" he suddenly asked, just noticing that Pariah Dark was not wearing the Crown of Fire. The Ghost King blinked and replied,

"I have my Crown in a safe location until the wedding. On that day, we will both be officially instated as the King and Prince of our world."

"Oh." Danny stretched a little and shifted his legs over the edge of the bed and stood up. "...I need a bath," he muttered, mostly to himself. He winced slightly when he walked toward the bathroom, and was surprised when he felt Pariah Dark gently help him stay upright and aid him in walking into the bathroom. "...Um...thanks..." he muttered, hoping like hell the Ghost King wouldnt insist on helping him bathe.

Sensing the boy's embarrassment, Pariah Dark only helped Danny into the large tub, then kindly left him alone to bathe and instead went to find Dora.

Danny didnt know how long he stayed in the tub; he just laid in the large basin and soaked, staring up at the stone ceiling in contemplation. He was honestly amazed that Pariah Dark hadnt yelled at him or even gotten angry at him for going after the Crown. Instead, Pariah Dark expressed releif that Danny, above all, was safe.

Danny blushed a little when he thought back to - yesterday, maybe? - when Pariah Dark had kissed him. It had been a surprise, yeah, but...he didnt find himself freaking out about it. He'd actually found it humorous that Pariah Dark had kissed him out of HAPPINESS of his Crown's return. And then, just a few minutes ago, the Ghost King had hugged him and told him how worried he was, kissed him again, and thanked him.

Sinking down a little further to submerge half of his red face in the water, Danny couldnt help but think back to his fight with Vlad. Those...incredibly aweful, insensitive, UNTRUE things the older halfa had said had really hurt Danny. They cut him to the core, really, and at the time he was trying to escape with his life, he didnt really know WHY. But now that he actually had time to think about it...he knew why, and for several reasons.

The smallest reason was, Vlad had always kept things between THEM. Their fights, which had gotten a little more brutal, were never THAT violent. They were never deadly, or meant to cause permanent harm. And Danny had seen it himself when he returned home; Vlad had been genuinely worried about him. But as soon as he figured out Danny was going to be the Prince of the Ghost Zone, everything went to shit, and Vlad destroyed any kind of positive relationship that could have been...out of petty JEALOUSY.

To make things worse, he'd gone completely insane from being marked as an exile, and mercilessly taunted Danny, using his weakness against him full force, instead of mild teasing.

The biggest reason why he was so cut to the core was what Vlad said about Pariah Dark. Things that were completely untrue. Things he had to fight with all his might to convince himself otherwise to.

And today, he learned that his rebuttals to those things were true.

Pariah Dark really did care for him. Danny could hear it in Pariah Dark's tone and feel it in his hug. He even dared to think Pariah Dark thought him more valuable than the Crown of Fire. It was...oddly comforting. It made his heart flutter slightly, and sent a gentle warmth through his body. A comforting warmth, that made him think that while he was with Pariah Dark...everything would be okay.

Danny blinked and submerged his head into the water, his face red. Great...now he was sounding like a girl... Still, it didnt deter his feelings in the least.

It wasnt until his water was literally ice-cold (his ice powers kept him from being affected by freezing temperatures, so it wasnt until he actually saw a light frost from his unconscious ice powers floating in the water) that he got out of the bathtub. He wrapped himself in a large towel and walked to his dressing room, where Dora was setting out his clothes.

"It's about time you got out," she said jokingly. "It does no good to stagnate until it's frozen over." Danny snickered and dried off before pulling his clothes on. "Our King wishes to dine with you for dinner, when you're dressed."

"Thanks," he said, smoothing his hair out. He made a move to transform, but Dora stopped him with a hand on his arm.

"Let your core replenish more before tapping into any of your powers," she said seriously. "That includes transforming. We dont want you wearing yourself out."

Danny gave her a grateful smile and walked down to the dining hall, where Pariah Dark was already seated and waiting for him. Danny gave him a smile and sat down at his end of the table, letting the servants pile his plate with food before digging in.

It was a relatively quiet meal, much like the past mealtimes had been, but Danny saw that Pariah Dark had taken to his old habit of staring at him without saying anything. But instead of feeling anxious or embarrassed by it, Danny felt a tinge of bashfulness and even happiness. Pariah Dark's contemplative silence only meant he was thinking of how to do best by Danny, not that he was thinking about anything nefarious.

Still, Danny preferred it when Pariah Dark actually spoke, instead of stared.

"...You're staring again," he said, though his voice was more teasing than accusing. Pariah Dark blinked then averted his gaze to his own plate of food.

"You just look different when you're human," the Ghost King replied. "I just hadnt noticed before...the difference."

"What kind of difference?" Danny asked, poking at a red potato wedge with his fork. "I mean, besides EVERYTHING..."

"You look older in human form," Pariah Dark replied. "You're not...ageless anymore, I suppose." He paused, taking a deliberately long sip of wine from his goblet. "...It's an...uncomfortable reminder...that you are not yet one of us."

"Is that really a bad thing?" Danny asked. Pariah Dark paused before nodding.

"...It is. It only reminds me of what must be done before you become Prince."

Ah. Right. When he had to die... Danny suddenly didnt feel so hungry anymore. He put his fork down and leaned back in his chair, brushing his long hair out of his face. He hadnt really given the dying part much thought, to be honest. But now that he WAS thinking about it...it made him think of what he was giving up. He was giving up going to school, hanging out with his friends, and living with his family, the latter of whom he was not on the best terms with at the moment.

It brought back the hurtful memory of their reaction to his predicament, the way they looked at him when he transformed; like he was some kind of freak...

And he had never gotten the chance to really say goodbye to them before becoming the Prince. It had ended on a bitter note, and Danny was scared that he couldnt repair what had been broken. He pinched the bridge of his nose in an effort to quell the unprecidented tears that threatened to burst from his dam of self-control.

He jumped when he felt an arm on his shoulder, and looked up to see that during his time of self-pity, Pariah Dark had obviously seen his distress and had gotten up to walk over to Danny. "I am sorry to have upset you," Pariah Dark said, and Danny could practically hear the Ghost King's angry shouts to himself for bringing it up. Danny sighed and shook his head.

"It's not that," he replied, slumping down in the chair. "...I was...thinking about my family. About...how badly it ended...the last time I saw them." At Pariah Dark's blank look, he elaborated further, and told his fiance - finally - the whole story of what had transpired during that short hour he'd been home for the holiday. Pariah Dark's expressed ranged from sympathy when Danny told of how he'd explained how he had become a halfa, to surprise at Danny blowing up the portal to prevent his father from barging into the Ghost Zone, to anger at them keeping Danny from leaving and causing another panic attack.

When Danny finished his story, Pariah Dark found himself completely empathizing with the horrors of never reconsiling with family after horrifying outbursts; hell, the last conversation he'd had with his own father ended in profanities, bloodshed, and wishes that the other would burn in Tartarus. Pariah Dark was still feeling regret for not taking it back, even at his coronation.

But he knew Danny had been close with his family, and loved them very much. It had to hurt even more for him, because of that fact. Pariah Dark came from a time when family ties meant everything, even if he personally had none (both family nor ties), and he really didnt want his fiance to feel the same regret he experienced.

"Would you like to reconcile with your family?" he asked. Danny looked up, his blue eyes widening with surprise before narrowing in confusion.

"Well, yeah," Danny replied. "But, you know...what can I do about it?"

"You can visit them," Pariah Dark said, then paused, appeared to consider something, then added, "...or rather, they can visit you."

Danny stared at his fiance increduously. "You mean...have THEM come HERE?" he asked. "Seriously?"

Pariah Dark nodded sharply. "I will not have you put in a situation like that again, Phantom," he said. "If you are to see them again, it will be in a controlled environment where I can make sure you will not be harmed, and if you become upset, I can escort them out."

"Dont hurt them, Pariah," Danny said, his voice laced with acidic warning. "No matter what."

Pariah Dark paused only for a moment before nodding. "Fine. I will not hurt them. But I will not hesitate to throw them out if they upset you."

"Fine." Danny stood up, his appitite completely gone. "...I'm not very hungry," he said. Pariah Dark nodded, understanding.

"Do you wish to return to bed?" he asked. Danny shook his head.

"No...I just need to take a walk..." He trailed off.

"...Alone?" Danny nodded. Pariah Dark sighed and pulled Danny's chair out for him. "Please dont exert yourself." Danny nodded again and stepped out of the dining hall to stroll about in thought. After gesturing for the servants to clear the table, Pariah Dark retired to his rooms to do some thinking of his own.

Late that night, long after Danny went to bed, Pariah Dark summoned Fright into his rooms.

"Fright, I need you to deliver something for me..."

Like I said, so sorry for the wait. I hope the ambiance is enough to leave you shooting me in the head.