"Introduce?"

"Well, I know who that young man is, of course, but I have the feeling there is far more going on than I've had a glimpse of so far. So please, Samantha: explanations."

"Well, Vlad was a sorcerer." Sam fruitlessly wracked her brain for a good way to explain the complicated situation.

"An evil one. Got that much. Your suitor here's also a spirit, and Tuckenkahmen was able to use a spell to ensnare evil, power-crazed Vlad. Tell me something I don't know."

Danerik suddenly stepped forward to stand beside Sam. "Sultan Masoniar, I'm not a spirit. I'm a half…human, half something mix. It's what Vlad wanted to become. I'm…well, I'm an accident, really. That other 'spirit' is Desiree. Don't worry, she's okay. In that she's working to help us. She's on our side."

"Go on."

"I'm not really a prince. I'm a street boy-an orphan. This girl is Valerie, one of my friends."

"So how did you acquire your pedigree? Not just anyone is allowed to see the princess."

"That would be Desiree's wonderful work. She's a genie. A djinni. She had enough power to grant me three wishes; one to become a prince, two to save me from Vlad's minion Skulker, and three to save her own life."

"And he's not getting any more, I can tell you!" Desiree approached the trio petulantly. "As soon as I can, I'm getting back to the Ghost Zone, maybe sort out Skulker a bit more."

"So there you have it, Sultan Masoniar. I'm not a prince, just a half-ghost street boy. But…I do love your daughter, and would still like to stand by my request for her hand in marriage."

The Sultan moved ponderously, helping himself into a meditative position as Sam stood to take her place beside Danerik. He looked at the young couple, from the ersatz prince to the distraught princess, and put his hands in a thoughtful pyramid under his chin.

"You're a street boy."

"Yes, sir."

"Samantha, you believe yourself in love with him?"

"I do."

"Young man, you are of great noble character, of that I am assured. And for once, my daughter is considering someone besides herself when making a decision. Despite all this….I cannot allow you to marry her."

"What? Father!" Sam's voice took on a note of pleading and she stepped toward him. "You can't!"

"Exactly. I cannot allow you to marry him. I will not have it."

"Why? You said he was of good character-he saved your life! That's not enough for you?"

"Uh oh." Tuck muttered under his breath, and Danerik backed away from the pair. "What?"

"They do this a lot, go at it like jackals. Best to leave them alone."

"Good character, yes. Good breeding…not so much. I'm sorry Samantha, but I cannot make a biased decision on this. I cannot contradict the foundational rules of our society. I can help him and his friend, give them a new lease on life perhaps, but you are my daughter, and you cannot marry a commoner."

"But Father-"

"Samantha, I can't! Yes, it's because he's not a prince. But I cannot just reverse centuries of my ancestors'-your ancestors'-lawmaking. Anarchy would reign. I realize how hard this is for you, but I cannot-"

Suddenly, a loud booming sound rang through the palace, and a cheerful "HEY, MASON!" echoed from the main throne room. Danerik helped his Sultan to a standing position, but remained by his side as the tall man's face blanched.

"Oh, dear, Samantha."

"What is it this time, Father?"

"We have a diplomatic meeting with our neighboring Sultan."

"Which one?"

"Fenton."

As he spoke, a large, awkwardly dressed man burst into the small courtyard, overwhelming it with his presence.

"Hey, Maddie, come out here! We're having a garden party!"

"Coming!"

Danerik, Sam, and the Sultan all glanced at each other, and Sam whispered, "Now? A meeting now?"

"Yes! Sorry I didn't tell the two of you, but we were a tad occupied!"

The couple opposite them seemed to quiet some, turning to the two royals and the halfa. "Well, Mason, Sammie, good to see the both of you, as always-oh, Maddie, look! It's our boy!"

"Oh, come here, Danny! You've been away so long-Mummy's missed you!"

Sam glanced at the confused ghost boy with wide eyes. "These are your parents?"

"Well, Samantha, I did say he had a good pedigree-" Sultan Masoniar tried to explain.

"Danny, did you know about…this?"

"Yes, well…I hadn't met them! And-Desiree! Aren't I not a prince anymore? What's happened with these two?"

Rubbing her temples, Desiree faced the Fentons. "Ugh, they must have missed the mind games earlier. They used to think you were their son. If that makes any sense. When we both got drained of our powers, technically that façade should have dropped out of their heads. There must have been some background procedure in my magic, an idea fixe running in the back of my mind. I'll have to blot them out again."

Danerik didn't reply, as he was soon enveloped in a hug by both Madeline and Jack Fenton. Desiree focused on the pair, and as Sultan Masoniar watched in amazement, a green glow appeared around the other royal pair, disappearing after a few seconds. However, instead of releasing Danny, the two adults continued to cling to him. Finally, he was able to extract himself from Jack's grip, but Madeline kept a hand on his shoulder, tears forming in her eyes.

"Oh, Danny…it's really you."

"Desiree, why isn't it working! What's going on!"

Jack Fenton came to stand beside his wife, glancing at the exotic ghost. "Don't panic, now, Danny, but we are your parents."

"No! You were supposed to ignore that! I AM NOT YOUR SON!"

"Maddie, let the boy go. We'll have to explain."

Sniffling slightly, Madeline Fenton released Danerik's shoulder and let him back up a few paces. "It really is him, isn't it, Jack? We can't be sure-"

"Think about it, Maddie. It wouldn't work any other way."

"What are you two talking about?"

"Let me explain, Danny boy. Y'see, we really did have a son named Danerik. Cute kid, black hair like his old man, second child of a royal couple-abducted at birth."

Simultaneously, Samantha, Desiree, and Valerie buried their faces in their hands. "You cannot be serious."

"Well, our entire kingdom mourned, searched for the little snugglebottom, but eventually the search was called off. We resigned ourselves to only having our daughter, Jasmine, but then we got the news flash that we had a son again."

"No wonder that little suggestion worked so well." Desiree mused quietly.

Madeline soon picked up the story. "Well, I said to myself, 'Sultana Fenton, do you notice anything different today?'. And then Jack walked up and said much the same thing, so we decided to do a little scan. We've got psychics, mediums, you know the stuff, so they did a bit of poking around in our heads and found a fabricated timeline-with you, Danny. We were surprised, but the mediums confirmed it-by some outstanding coincidence, our fabricated son was our real son. Brain wave similarities, apparently."

"So, we knew we were popping over to Mason's province-"

"Kingdom!"

"Yeah, and decided to check up on you. It-it really is a shocker, seeing you. We've got, what, fourteen years of catching up to do?" Jack ended with his hand on Madeline's shoulder. "You have to believe us, Danny. We are really your parents."

"But…How did I end up here? Where did I go?"

"We…have our suspicions. Of kidnapping, mostly. A certain trusted consultant of ours disappeared soon after you did."

Tucker, still holding the cooking pot, jumped suddenly as the lid rattled. "Whoa!"

The attention of the two Fentons was suddenly focused on the cooking utensil. "Hey, Tucker, isn't it? What exactly is in there?" Jack approached cautiously, extending a hand to open the lid, when Sam tried to pull him away.

"It's a half-crazy ghost guy who used to be my father's vizer and now he's trapped in the pot because of Tucker and if you let him out he could destroy the entire palace!" Sam finished breathlessly. She glanced at the two Fentons, waiting for a response.

"Well, Mason, I think we could help you out there, whaddya say, Maddie? You did pretty good, Tuck, getting him in here, but you'll need something stronger than a pot to hold him down. Let him out and we'll have a small chat, then shoot him down if things get out of hand."

"Are you sure?" Tuck's hand hovered uncertainly above the lid handle.

"Sure. Maddie, got the wand ready?"

"Got it here, Jack." From within her robes, Madeline pulled out a short wooden stick, laced with pulsing green veins. "With the proper verbal command, any specific ghost should be pulled right in here."

"Father, are you sure-"

"Quiet, Samantha. They actually know what they're doing, for once."

Slowly, with a flourish, Jack pulled the lid from the pot and everyone watched as a deep red smoke oozed from over the brim of the copper. A moment of pure silence crystallized, then Desiree spoke.

"Oh, come off it, Vlad. You're good, but you're not going anywhere. Shape up."

The smoke paused, then quickly drew together into a hazy replica of Vladimir, retaining its crimson color and slightly see-though consistency. He glared indignantly at Desiree, but she only glared back and he turned to face the rest of the company.

"Ah. Sultan. Princess. Fe-Fenton."

Samantha and her father simply gazed at the specter, but the Fentons looked curiously at the new member of their meeting. "V-Vladdy?"

"Fenton? You know this man-ghost?" Sultan Masoniar looked incredulously to his associate, but Fenton only looked at the ghost.

"It is you! Vladdy, how'd you end up here?"

"Shut up, Jack Fenton, if you know what's good for you." A crackling sound behind him made him turn to see both Danerik and Desiree with glowing energy fizzing around their fists, and he waved them off. "Your associates are impressive, but I'll take what liberties I want now. And-ah. The lovely Madeline. What a delight to lay eyes upon you once again, after so long."

"Wait, Fentons-this is the associate you were talking about? The one who disappeared after-"

"After I did?" Danerik's eyes flickered from his new parents to the shadowy ghost. "What…What does this mean?"

"Oh, the group of you all is just entertaining, really." Vladimir chuckled. "Your parents alone were humorous, but with you, boy…you should take it on the road."

"Vladdy, how could you? How could you betray us so cruelly?"

"Don't get sentimental now, Jack, your mind might overload. Why did I take him? So you would have no heir. I vowed that the land would have no heir but mine-and that Madeline would be no one's bride but my own."

"But-Vlad, I married Jack! Why did you stay with us?"

"Because I vowed, Madeline! He had tainted you with his unhealthy obsession, and you were pulled into his maelstrom! I took your son, secreted him away, in hopes of raising him under my proper tutelage, in the proper ways of managing ghosts. But-"

With a sound like falling sand, the smoke whirled to show a lone horse galloping across a desert, its rider clutching a tightly wrapped burden under his cloak. Suddenly, two other horses appeared behind the lone rider, and, frantically, the rider spurred his horse onward. However, his attempts were unsuccessful, as the bandits caught up with him and pulled the cloak from his shoulders. The bundle was caught up in the arms of one of the bandits, and they turned away. The lone rider whirled desperately to challenge the bandits, but they had already galloped away towards the gates of the nearby city, and he slowly followed them.

The smoke reformed into the tall form of Vladimir, and he gazed evenly at Danerik. "You've led a charmed life, Danny Fenton. I imagine you managed to stay afloat in the insidious underbelly of this city, while I worked my way into Masoniar's court. When I found you and your friends that day, I had my suspicions, but dismissed them. That has been my downfall, I see now. Well, hindsight is always crystal clear, they say. And now, assembled patrons-" He swept up his ethereal cloak around him. "It is time for my exit!"

"Not so fast!" As the smoke of Vladimir's ghostly presence began rising into the air, Madeline pulled out the wand and held it in front of her. Chanting quickly, Madeline clutched at her wand with both hands as an invisible force drew the red smoke ever closer, pulling it into the hollow wood.

"CURSES!" Vlad's cry rang out on multiple planes. "Pulled down, by all people, by you, Madeline! Don't you ever imagine what we could have achieved together, our minds working together-AAH!"

Suddenly, appearing from nowhere, a small streak of white flew through the air to knock the wooden capsule from Madeline's hands. The cat Madeline stood above her prize, hissing at the Fentons, when her eyes began flickering and she began yowling. The red smoke, only half absorbed by the wand, dove into the form of the cat and turned her emerald eyes into ones of crimson red. Hissing and spitting, the cat began rubbing her head against the ground, batting at her ears, before finally she slowed. Carefully, she opened her eyes to show the company that they were still quite red, but now she tentatively approached Madeline Fenton and began purring. The wand forgotten, the cat curled up at Madeline's feet and fell asleep, leaving the rest of the humans rather astounded.

Masoniar was the first to speak. "Ah, Fentons…would you have any explanation? For all that?"

Madeline considered the scene before her. "I'd have to say this was Vlad's cat, based on how it defended him…but as for what happened to Vlad, I think…I think he's in the cat."

"So he's still free?" Sam glanced from the wand to the cat.

"No. He's trapped in her body, but I don't think he minds. He's divided, I think. The cunning part of him, the angry, plotting part, is stuck in the wand. The rest of him, the most basic memories and emotions, are in her. The cat, I mean. Even if he wanted to hurt us, his ghostly presence is counteracted by that of the cat. She's become rather resilient after months in his laboratory."

"I think she's right." Desiree confirmed. "Any spectral energy in the wand is safely contained-rather neatly, too, nice shot-and despite the cat's rather ghostly appearance, his consciousness is the equivalent of basic emotions. No real tangible thoughts at all. He's…neutralized."

"Well." Sultan Masoniar clapped his hands together. "Now that that is settled, what do you propose we do with him-or it?"

"Jack and I can take both the wand and…the cat back to our home. She can stay with us."

"If you can assure me Vlad will not be able to harm anyone any longer, I will agree."

"Mason, I can guarantee that Vlad is never never ever getting free again. We have safeguards for this sort of thing."

"Very well. Can you also assure me that this boy, Danerik, is indeed your son?"

"Our son and heir. We give all our assurances."

"Again, very well. Samantha-" Masoniar turned to face his daughter. "I give my consent to a marriage between yourself and Prince Fenton."

"Fath-"

"Shh. Now." He turned again to face Danerik. "Prince Fenton, I give you my daughter's hand in marriage, and my blessings on your future. May you provide me with many worthy grandchildren."

"Father…you're actually letting us get married? You mean it?"

"Of course. He is a prince, is he not? And you love him, so you say, and he is quite honorable. I give my hearty consent."

Madeline, while gathering up the wand and the cat, looked at the Sultan. "You mean…our little boy's getting married? But we only just met him, we have so much to do-"

"Let me propose a solution. You, Sultana Fenton, will remain here in my palace to watch over Danerik and spend time with him. Simultaneously, you will also be able to make wedding arrangement with my interaction. As Samantha lacks a mother, I am sure your assistance would be invaluable." The Sultan turned yet again to face his associate. "You, Sultan Fenton, will return to your kingdom and leave this capsule and this cat under lock and key. You can then return, and we will discuss future plans here, in my palace. Does this sound agreeable?"

Slowly, all three Fentons nodded, and Samantha hugged her father quickly before coming to stand by Danerik.

"We can do it, Danny. We're going to be married."

"And I have parents-and maybe even a sister…"

"And I can head back to the Ghost Zone." The young couple looked at Desiree. "The kid's fine, everyone. He might have flashy powers, but he's just as human as the rest of you. I'll head back to the Fentons' palace with Sultan Fenton. With all the ghost items around there, I should be able to knock up a makeshift gateway into the Ghost Zone."

"Perfect! Perhaps you can even tell me more about this Ghost Zone during our travels!" Sultan Fenton beamed at the rest of the crew and nodded. "I'll be off to prepare our caravan, and all our things. See you soon, Mason! And Maddie! And Sammie and Danny! I'll be back soon!"

Everyone glanced at each other and smiled, relieved. The moment of silence extended for quite a while, then Madeline looked to Danerik again.

"Oh, Danny, how we've missed you-The probability that we would ever see you again-The odds are quite amazing-I can't express-"

"And so," Danny mumbled. "Here we go again." Sam simply smiled at him, and left Madeline to fuss and worry over him.

Exactly 20 chapters! Finally! Thank you to everyone who bothered to put up with my sporadic updates. Really, a big thank you to you all!

Telepathapprentice