A/N: Well, how is it so far? Hope you're liking it! Anyhow, here comes Chapter 2 at you! And , IDNOAC; well, except for the two new ghosts here, who are totally MINE! Enjoy!

TrueHeart—Chapter 2—The Two Ghost Couples

Meanwhile, in a far part of the Ghost Zone, a strange-looking pair of young ghosts frolicked, seemingly not having a care for anyone else who might be around. They obviously were enjoying each other's company even though any observer would think them a certainly odd couple. That's because the two ghosts were animals, and one was a female black dove while the other was a male black lynx.

The dove flitted around the wildcat as they traveled onward, sometimes flying close enough to whisper something in his ear. They would then laugh as two young people would before the lynx playfully swatted her away. Afterwards, they would continue on, but eventually, the bird would repeat her same tease, landing on top of the lynx's head, who would laugh in delight as she softly pecked his ear.

But soon, their playful banter slowed to a stop; and the two continued to glide onward in silence—the dove perched on top of the swifter lynx's head. They stayed lost in their own thoughts as they traveled. They were far from caring what anyone else would think about their being together, or what they would think about their both being able to talk—something no other ghost animal in the Ghost Zone was capable of doing. Of course to them, there was nothing strange about it. This unnatural state of being was as natural to them as breathing for a normal person.

Normal…actually, either one of them would give just about anything to be normal again.

Still, they did their best to carry on, even though they were banished to their endless wanderings. All the ghosts in the Ghost Zone would ultimately reject them when they discovered that the two could speak. The other—human-ghosts just knew that something must be terribly wrong with these two ghost animals for that to be possible. So, the odd ghost couple was forced to continue on their endless search for a peace they thought they could never obtain; yet, strangely, and at the same time, they still longed to see if any good could ever come from their sorrow.

Over time, they had learned to keep to themselves and avoid anyone who might happen to ask questions. But secretly, their hearts were growing heavier with despair, aching to end the misery they bore so unjustly.

"Hmmm," the lynx uttered thoughtfully, slowing to a stop for a moment to look around.

"What is it?" the dove cooed in response. Since the dove was still resting on his head, she didn't mind at all that he had halted. Still, she was curious about why.

"We are new to this part of the Ghost Zone," the lynx replied, "Did you notice something odd about it?"

"No. You know that it is all the same to me, as it has been these many centuries," the dove quietly replied, her voice suddenly becoming quite somber.

"In many ways, that is true," the wildcat agreed. "But I notice more dwellings here. There must be many more ghosts that stay in this area. With such a large population, it might be possible for us to pass unnoticed. Perhaps here, we can finally be at peace."

The lynx seemed cautiously optimistic as he spoke, but his feathered companion didn't answer him right away. In fact, she actually found herself fighting back the tears that she had long thought she could not shed anymore.

"Perhaps," she was finally able to utter, thankful that he could not see her eyes. If he did, she just knew he would quickly melt right into the despair within which she suddenly felt blanketed.

The lynx, meanwhile, nodded in response, but upon noting the slight crack in the dove's voice, paused with worry. After so many years of depending only on each other, they had an uncanny sense of understanding each other's moods and nuances. He could feel her despair, as well as the frustration that accompanied it. Feelings he understood all too well. After all, he, too, was weary of this grief that haunted them.

"Take heart, my love," he stated, trying to be the rock she could lean on at this moment. "Our time will come someday. But we must remain strong."

Just then, a quiet laugh could be heard from on top of his head, and his eyes widened slightly in surprise. A moment later, the dove fluttered down and turned towards him, no longer afraid to look him in the eyes. After all, she should have realized by now that he would have known what she was thinking. And hearing his comforting words put her heart somewhat more at ease.

"Forgive me, darling. Everything is fine now," she spoke gently, her emerald eyes capturing his auburn ones.

Nodding in reply, the lynx simply leaned in and gently pressed his forehead to hers. In truth, after all this time, it was her hurt feelings that caused him more pain than his own.

"You know that I would never have been able to endure this condition without you," he stated as they savored their touch for just a moment longer before finally pulling away. Looking into each others' eyes once again, they were reminded that after all they had endured, they only really had two things left: each other…and hope. If either one of those precious things slipped through their grasp, they knew they would truly be lost. And so, all they could do was face each day as it came, have the strength to simply see that day through, and let tomorrow take care of itself.

"So, then, shall we try to find a haven?" the ebony dove asked encouragingly. After all the years of their situation, they had taken turns cheering the other up at any particular time. And now it was her turn to shed her self-pity and become the rock for him to lean on. After all, it was becoming more and more difficult for him to remain hopeful. She didn't like the change in him, but was glad she could still help him with it. She could tell he had smiled by the movement of his ears, and with that, she let out a tiny sigh of relief.

"Yes, I do agree, and thank you. But let us be cautious and not speak to others until we are sure among whom we might dwell. I do not think I can take being rejected again before we can find our haven. Do you not agree?"

"I agree, beloved. And I will not speak until we both think it is the right time. I do want to find a place where we do not have to wander anymore!"

"Well, there do seem to be quite a few locations here from which to choose. I am sure we will find a suitable one," the black lynx replied. He continued onward with the ebony dove on his back; before long, they approached still another lair that was occupied. But they weren't discouraged yet. Seeing how bright that dwelling place was, and feeling more light-hearted after the dove's encouragement, the lynx let out a slight laugh.

"It looks like such a lively place just ahead. There might even be a celebration," he spoke over his shoulder, "Should we see if they would invite us?"

"Oh, we could not possibly," the dove jokingly replied with a soft giggle, "We do not have the proper dress for it!"

"Well, perhaps it is an informal affair," he chuckled back as the pair continued onward, passing the dwelling as the echoes of their laugh died. But little did either of the young lovers know that those ghosts who were now within that nearing lair would change their afterlives forever...

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It had been a long, long time since Penelope Spectra had been able to adequately maintain her youth. The 'ghost mosquito' trick hadn't worked out and neither had her direct approach to 'therapy' for the students at Casper High. Not that she had stopped trying, but she and Bertrand had always been quickly thwarted either by Danny Phantom or the Red Huntress whenever they tried to infiltrate the Real World with their numerous plans to keep Spectra beautiful.

It took what seemed like forever to finally find a method to keep her human form looking young and it turned out to be in the Ghost Zone of all places. Still, she had been searching for so long for the perfect remedy that she had totally lost touch with events in the Real World. She had no way of knowing that Danny and Sam were now a couple or that Tucker and Valerie were also dating.

But even though her new-found method had been successful while it lasted, it was becoming harder and harder for her…well, really, for Bertrand…to sneak into Pandora's Maze. And more importantly, to get out before that ghost could discover that they had been siphoning water from Pandora's Fountain of Youth. In fact, Bertrand was still smarting from his last encounter with that menacing Minotaur, whose hoof print was still quite evident on an unmentionable part of his person. He just knew that the Minotaur would alert Pandora of their happenstance meeting and she would discover the truth. So, he was definitely in no hurry to return, no matter what ruse Spectra threatened to use on him.

Now that the last bit of water from Pandora's fountain was dwindling, and Bertrand's willingness to replenish it was dwindling even more, Spectra was feeling the pressure of venturing back into the Real World getting to her with each passing day. She just needed to find a substitute way of meeting her needs. But if she was going to resort to this tactic again, she would have to be much more careful and find out how Danny Phantom had suddenly become so much more adept at ruining all her plans. So there was really only one thing to do…she sent Bertrand to go spy on him.

No sooner said than done, and Bertrand had gotten some very useful information. In fact, just as the animal ghost couple outside was discussing their latest plans to find some kind of sanctuary, Bertrand had just returned to Spectra's lair with his findings about the Ghost Boy….

"You are never going to believe it, Spectra!" her assistant excitedly said, still huffing and sweating from the exertion from his hurrying to return with this juicy piece of gossip. "The Ghost Kid is actually dating that little goth girl sidekick of his!"

"What, are you kidding?" Spectra said, her eyes widening in disbelief. "How did I miss that?"

"Well, we've been too busy stealing serum from Pandora, haven't we?" Bertrand mentioned sarcastically, still wincing occasionally from the throbbing pain he had gotten from his last encounter with Pandora's Minotaur. "And the Ghost Kid's been very good at kicking us both back here whenever we've tried to invade his turf lately. Although quite honestly, Penelope, you haven't exactly been too stealth-like when we tried all that time or else we would've known sooner!"

"Just keep it up," Spectra muttered through gritted teeth, her hand starting to blaze with its purple ghostly fire.

Bertrand cringed a bit and Spectra extinguished her energy orb. "Anyway," Bertrand continued, changing the subject, "since I finally had the opportunity to pursue the matter myself, I managed to hang around and eavesdrop on the kid and his girl."

Pausing for a moment, Bertrand emphasized his point by turning himself into a little green ghost fly.

"Ewew, Bertrand, you know I hate bugs!" Penelope said, scrunching her face up in disgust and reflexively shooing him away.

"Oh, please," Bertrand uttered in his little fly voice, rolling all of his multiple bug eyes before continuing on, "You certainly didn't have trouble using them before."

She frowned in irritation and uttered, "That's because they're mindless drones that will do my total bidding!"

All of his bug eyes bugged out at the look she gave him. He certainly was no drone! He cleared his throat in indignation and replied, "Anyhow, at first, I had a hard time finding the Ghost Kid being this small, and when I finally did, there was no wall to attach myself to, but I'm quite proud to announce that I was still able to get this hot news. And I was able to follow them for quite some time. And, by the way, there's a bonus to it all, too! The Ghost Kid's geeky friend is also dating some girl as well."

He didn't know that Valerie was the Red Huntress, but that didn't concern him right now. He returned to his human form before giving Spectra all the minute details of bugging the human couples' moments. She was a little creeped out by his exact details, as if he relished spying on both of the human couples' privacy

"OK, you need to get some professional help, Bertrand," she finally managed to say, feeling a little sick about his behavior. But she swallowed it down and added, "So. You got that close, huh? And just how did he not notice you were there?"

"Oh, but that's one of the best parts," Bertrand replied with a smug grin, "On one of my many trips to Pandora's realm, I found this really neat plant whose nectar could actually mask my signature. Of course, it didn't work right away. I had to find the proper dosage to make it effective. Took me quite a few bumps and bruises from the Ghost Kid before I found the right amount to use. But now, there's no problem."

"Is that so, huh?" Spectra replied thoughtfully. She really didn't care about asking about the details of what her assistant had just said. She was just wondering how she could use this to her advantage.

"Oh, it's so," Bertrand added with the same smug smile. "And like I said, it seems that the Ghost Kid is pretty happy right now."

"Oh, he is, is he? Well, I think it's time someone sank his little love boat, don't you?" Spectra suggested. "And we can't have that little detail messing up our plans, now can we?"

Bertrand only replied with a dark chuckle as he and Spectra exchanged wicked grins, and nodded in agreement.