Hello all!

Another drabble series. Also taking place after Endgame.

This is Part one and is about two months after Vlad leaves Amity Park.

They will all be Vlad's POV

Enjoy!

The Path of a Guardian Half-Ghost—Step 1: Instincts

I have spent over two decades working on my self-image only for it to come all but crumbling down in a matter of months. The irony of it all is that no one really saw what was happening to me. Perhaps glimpses. Changes, most would call it.

Only I could see it. Feel it. The cracks… The splintering of the person I was. Or… perhaps of the person I allowed others to see?

There was of course, Vlad Masters. A powerful, intelligent, and successful businessman. And while it had been quite the endeavor cultivating such a desirable and prestigious image, the truth was it had come easy for me. Naturally, using my powers for my own gain had helped make the climb all but effortless; but really, it was my mind that was behind my success.

I had always been bright, even as a child. My father would always say I was too curious for my own good. He, of course, meant it fondly. Most of the time anyways… That is, when I was not getting myself into trouble or trying to talk my way out of something I did.

But my ability to learn quickly and my desire for knowledge has truly been my best weapon in this cruel and unforgiving world.

As I said, creating Vlad Masters had come easy for me. I was proud of my image. But just because something was easy, it did not mean that I didn't work for it. I have spent years—decades—creating my human persona.

But behind the success, the fame, and the glamour was something else… Someone else…

If only, Vlad Plasmius was as effortless…

No one really understood what it was like to be half-human, half ghost. Well, at least, until I met Daniel, of course. But my protégé is still… young. He has much to learn… much to see and understand.

In fact, when I first met him and had the desire to make him my apprentice, there had been so many reasons why I desired him at my side. Most, I will admit now were selfish reasons. Self-serving, quite honestly.

But a part of me—the stronger part of me now—had simply wanted to spare him from some of the difficulties I went through.

As I said, no one knows what it is like to be what I am.

But the worst of it is that, lately, I feel that the more my human-self cracks, the more expose Plasmius becomes…

Is this how it's supposed to feel? To be a guardian? To be asked to step into the light for the sake of someone else?

But just how much of myself must I lose to accomplish this task? How much can I afford to lose before who I am is so shattered that there is nothing else left to mask the… truth? To hide… him?

Him…

No one can ever know him. Not entirely. They would be horrified.

I do not want them to fear me.

Not them.

And not Daniel. At least not anymore. Not this kind of fear.

But how long will it be before he knows? How long can I keep him safe from the truth of what we are?

This… uniqueness we share. Both human and ghost. A blessing… And a curse.

And the curse part of it is what worries me now. If I am honest, it always has. The difference is that before I did not keep anyone close enough to concern myself over it affecting anyone else but me…

They don't know. No one does.

I often think to myself if I had to explain what I am to someone… how would I do it? Could I do it? Is there a way to humanly comprehend it?

I suppose if I were to try to explain what it is like to be a hybrid, I would have to start with the human side of things.

The human mind and body are quite extraordinary. I would know. I have studied it. Experimented with it. Experienced it.

Yet ultimately, the human body and mind makes sense on a biological level. If you study a cell long enough you will see and understand its process. Even most human behavior can be explained through biological functions. Unlock genetics and you have yourself a map of what we call 'humanity'. So, as fascinating as it all is to me, understanding humanity I find to be a very linear concept.

I don't need to teach anyone what it's like to be human. Because they are human. You just… know.

But when it comes to ghosts… How do you explain to a person what it is like to be a ghost when plainly put being a ghost is the complete opposite to being human?

There is no linear concept with ghosts… No single thread to follow or to explain their function and makeup, let alone with trying to understand their existence and realm.

Even people, like Maddie and Jack…So called spectral scientists… Sure, they can study ghosts, like one can study humans. But unlike with humans, no matter how many theories or pathways you think you can create or understand, there is always something else that comes along and proves your findings wrong, or at best, partially right. And this is because when it comes to ghosts there is no true rhyme or reason. There are always exceptions to every rule.

You can observe a ghost, but you will never understand what it's truly like to be a ghost.

They do not know.

I did not know…until I became what I am.

And even now, I continue to learn. Adapt. Survive.

As human, I can pretend. I have control. I can fool those around me to see me as I want. To believe what I want them to believe.

It is easy.

But as a ghost, there is no pretending. You cannot feign control. You cannot fool those around you when they can see right through you… Ghosts communicate and live outside of tangible perception. When a ghost is angry, you know it's angry not by how it looks at you or what it says, but because you feel its wrath inside your very bones down to your core.

There is this…. natural darkness that all ghosts are formed or created with.

It is why most ghosts relish in the fear they invoke in humans. And those that do not, well… Just try to get in the way of their obsession and you will see how… unwilling they are to hurt others.

So, then, how do I explain to a human what it's like to be a ghost, let alone half ghost?

I suppose, the closest comparison I could give within human understanding is a predator. Yes, a ghost can be like a wild beast because like such they are instinctual and belong nowhere near humans.

Like a predator, they sense the weak, the fearful. They are opportunistic creatures. Respect and power are earned… through fear.

They are as dangerous to humans as a contained wild animal.

Yet, some humans insist on taming such beasts or using them for entertainment. Some even keep wild creatures like these as pets, of all foolish things.

But it does not matter how 'tame' you make a beast. It does not matter how many times you can get close to it, feed it, touch it, 'control it'.

Eventually, a beast always returns to its instincts. It is dangerous. Deadly.

Ghosts are dangerous and deadly, too.

Humans have a different word for that, though.

Evil.

Ghosts are instinctively evil.

But I am not referring to Daniel's innocent concept of evil. I am not talking about heroes and villains. Right and wrong. Or good vs evil.

When I say ghosts are 'evil', I mean there is no middle ground with ghosts. There is no room for shame or mercy. Emotions and logic take a back seat to need. You are either a threat or an ally. You are powerful or you are weak.

You either survive… or get destroyed.

Evil.

Now take these two different beings: a human and a ghost. Two completely different concepts and merge them into one. Half human and Half ghost.

What a conundrum to even consider! And it's unfortunate to say this is as far as I can get.

As much as it pains my pride, I cannot explain what it's like to be a hybrid.

As human… I can adapt… Change, I suppose is the right term for it. Yes, humans can change. Change their ideals, their desires… their course in life.

Vlad Masters in the past months has changed—continues to try at least. I have reconsidered my purpose and my path… I am trying to be better…

But ghosts? Ghost do not change. Plasmius cannot change.

My ghost side… There is no changing it. Not in that human concept, at least.

There is this… instinctual desire and need to… grow stronger. More dangerous. More deadly. Not because of some need to harm others, but out of the simple need to survive.

I am well aware that if I sway even a bit or show any sign of weakness… I am done for. And now… now that I am risking keeping others close, they would also suffer the consequences.

Plasmius must remain evil. Must maintain control and power… Or… another ghost will come along and destroy everything I now love.

I sometimes wonder if this is why Daniel and I were given regenerative cores… We might hold supernatural powers; but compared to ghosts, we are weaker in the sense that we still hold onto mortality.

For example, a ghost might survive being dismembered as long as their core stays intact… Daniel and I… Not so much.

It is why our regenerative cores are so essential to our survival. Fate or evolution, whichever you believe in, has given us these cores to allow us to recover quicker; to make up for our weakness called humanity.

Because when it comes to survival in a place like the Ghost Zone, mortality is indeed a weakness.

Believe me, the fact that humans can phase through things in the Ghost Zone is not enough of a benefit to outweigh all the horrible ways humans can die in a place like that.

The point is there is a reason why Vlad Plasmius is who he is.

Vlad Plasmius was born out of necessity.

Of course, It's not to say that I don't sometimes enjoy the benefits of being such a powerful creature. I think it is well-earned after all the suffering and near-death experiences I had to go through to get to where I am today.

And yet… there are days I wonder if the benefits really do outweigh the suffering…

Today is one of those days.

It has been exactly two months since I last saw Daniel. The whole affair with our alternate-abomination was quite the eye-opener… And learning of my guardianship of the boy was, well, life altering.

… Of course, I am thankful and honored for this second chance at life, for… having this guardianship. But it has been difficult. These past months since I physically separated from my younger counterpart has plagued me with more questions than I have found answers. I can see the cracks in my person… I can see them growing larger and more troubling by the day.

I have realized a very alarming truth in these past months:

I have become that human… the one who tries to keep a beast as a pet and is simply delaying the inevitable…I feel that any day now that beast will turn on me and devour me.

That's what it feels like… the more I watch my human persona crack and the more expose Plasmius becomes…

It had been easier when I was 'the villain'. My human side's selfish desires were easier to align with my ghost half's instinctual needs.

Now, I feel like I am slowly losing control over my ghost half. A control I never really had. But simply, I have learned to cater to Plasmius' needs.

My heated core is the perfect reflection of this. I don't really control it. I never truly have. I cannot stabilize it like Daniel can his own cold core by using his powers and expelling energy… The truth is my core is constantly unstable. Chaotic. I merely have a grasp of it. Dare I say, I can even use it for my purposes because I have learned to live with it. I have learned to keep my core tamed enough to keep it from killing me.

But like taming a beast… It's a mere illusion.

My…I sound insane.

Plasmius is me. I am both Masters and Plasmius. I do not have some bipolar personality—even though I do enjoy talking to myself at times. Habit of living alone for so long, I suppose. And I certainly am not a human being overshadowed by a ghost—as I am sure idiot hunters like the Guys-in-White would believe if they knew hybrids existed.

Thank goodness for the small miracle of time and reality alternations…

But I am certainly in a bit of a crisis. Perhaps more than a bit.

Blast. I think I might be in trouble, in fact.

Being half-ghost… having to be both mentally human and ghost can get confusing at times to put it mildly. But lately… I feel like I am truly losing my mind.

I told Daniel I needed to leave his side to find balance within myself. But I doubt he truly understood what I meant by that.

Sometimes I envy the boy. His innocence.

But you can be certain that even if it takes my last breath, I will make sure he does not have to endure the burdens I did—and still am. I will protect him from this truth for as long as I can.

Unfortunately, for now, I need to keep him at a distance. I need to protect him from the beast within me… from the beast inside him.

But I cannot help him reign in Phantom some day in the future if I cannot reign in my own ghost half now.

Again, I am not talking about turning evil in the concept that is human. The boy will never turn evil. He has made sure of it. We both have.

This is something else. Something we both need to deal with as hybrids.

This balancing act between our human side and ghost side. This fine line between humanity and the need to survive…. It gets harder and harder to walk and keep steady the longer you do it.

I have always known of the… danger of being what we are. Yet, somehow… I sense it has been… exacerbated now that we have taken this guardianship over Existence….

And I have not been able to figure out why!

With a heavy sigh, I open my eyes and finally acknowledge my external surroundings. I do not know how long I have been musing over my current crisis. But I do realize with slight detachment that it has gotten dark.

I hear my horse softly snorting and sniffing around the tree I have tied her to. I hear the emerging nocturnal creatures. I even see a few of them fluttering about or shifting through the forest floor…

But none of it… none of these human senses are enough to cover my ghost one… This feeling that led me out here…

My ghostly instincts are grating on my mind as of late… My ghost sense which I had thought I had mastered after all these years… It now burns inside my chest like indigestion. The feeling of the ghosts in my castle which I could practically ignore by now are currently suffocating me…

The ghostly creatures past this forest… surrounding me are like sharp claws on a chalk board. It is maddening.

Worse: it is setting every one of my instincts on overdrive… I feel threatened by it all. I want it all… gone.

And it's only my human logic that is keeping me from attacking these… threats like my ghost instincts are telling me to.

It is only my humanity that holds Plasmius back from… burning down this forest and consuming every last ghost signature for miles out.

My eyes flash red with the thought before I press my head back against the tree I am sitting against and close my eyes.

If only I could say I was imagining all this. But, no. This past week my ghost staff has been acting skittish around me. I did not understand it at first. Yet now it makes sense. As I said, ghosts are instinctual creatures. They communicate through energy and intangible senses.

They might not have a ghost sense like Daniel and I; but they can feel other ghost's energy near them. They can sense when another ghostly entity is a threat to their wellbeing.

And right now, I am that threat.

In fact, as I take in the feeling of my staff… and other ghosts somewhere past my property… I can feel their nervous energy. Their fear.

Plasmius grins in satisfaction inside of me. And once again, I have a fleeting desire to hunt them down and destroy them all…

Blast. Maybe I should send my ghost staff away until I figure this out….

Why is this happening? I keep trying to pinpoint when this began… Perhaps it only got to this point a week ago; but this has been building for a while now. I have just been too distracted and busy to notice it. After all, spikes in power and strange ghost… 'feels' are pretty normal for a half-ghost.

I hate to even think it, but I fear this started since the time alternation. It would be just wonderful, wouldn't it? Just add another level of madness to everything that's happened since then.

As if having a supernatural bond with Daniel is not overwhelming enough!

A pang in my heart reminds me I am very much human right now… And of… how much I miss him.

It's only been four months and I already miss Daniel.

And yet… I must wonder… Perhaps all this is related. My missing Daniel. These strange urges. My flatulating energy and ghost sense….

Could I be going through some emotional or even mental crisis after what happened some months ago?

After all, it would not be the first time my ghostly… urges conflict with my human emotions or logic.

Even now… While I can admit to myself I miss my little badger and it is a perfectly normal human emotion to feel... I also know… if I dare dig deeper, that there is also something stronger, more abnormal than mere melancholy. A part of me misses him so much… that I want to do something about it…

There is this… desire to pull him away from his life and others who love him pulsing within my core.

That is not normal or human.

But, ultimately, my care for him and common sense stops me… Much like those same inhibitions are currently stopping me from terrorizing the ghosts around me.

I worry about Daniel. I want to protect him. Again, natural. The boy has grown in my heart like a son.

But there is that instinctual part of me who wants to reach out and destroy anything and anyone who is a threat to him. I want him near, within my grasp and territory, to assure nothing can get close.

My human love for him reminds me of why I must allow him to flourish and grow on his own.

But it's this constant tug-a-war as of late. Not just with my connection to Daniel… But perhaps with everything.

Stephanie, Annabelle, and Danielle are now a permanent presence in my life. I rather not think about my feelings for each one and how unique they are… or I might not escape that rabbit hole.

But… I also feel certain conflicts with them, too.

My human desire wants nothing more than to pull Stephanie close…. To tell her everything and how much I love her… more than a friend.

Yet my ghost half is terrified of her. And each time I look at her and desire to step closer, it pulls me back.

I want to share more with Annabelle. I have kept so much from her… and I still remember how fascinated she had been when she first asked me about my ghost half…

But I struggle with the knowledge that Plasmius is dangerous. That ghosts are dangerous.

Then, there's Danielle… I am trying to draw closer. To earn her trust.

Yet, some part of me does not trust her. I have to remind myself at times she is not a threat or an enemy. She is my daughter.

My halves seem at war with each other, more so than usual as of late. And as much as I wish to deny it, it is affecting me.

Just yesterday, an argument with Danielle had my core so elevated I could not bring my temperature down to a normal level. I had to stay in my ghost form for several hours in fear of harming my human body.

During those hours, I had this strong desire to… destroy something. Everything and everyone felt too close… too constricting. It was as if I had taken some hallucinogen.

I barely resisted the urge to go into the Ghost Zone just to… give Plasmius an outlet.

I thought I was better today. My inner beast 'tamed' once again.

But it seems like it did not last. I am plagued.

Could it be possible? For my ghost side to overtake my human side?

I remember I once told Daniel not to let anything or anyone control him. That we are masters of our own lives… But how do you fight against a force that is part of you?

I know I cannot lose control. I cannot give in. But on the other hand, maybe I should let go. Maybe I should give in. Plasmius has kept me alive thus far. My ghost half ensures my survival, and it can now ensure my love ones, too.

Maybe… all I have been experiencing these past months stems from this growing need to protect. It is no longer just my survival… but Daniel's survival. Stephanie's. Danielle and Annabelle's.

Plasmius may not be able to change, but he can evolve… He can grow stronger. And I need to grow stronger if I am going to protect my loved ones. If I am going to successfully undertake these guardianships.

But even if my raging instincts could be explained and excused by this desire to protect, it does not make it any better. It does not make me feel any better.

I feel alone, I realize. It is a feeling I thought I would not experience now that I have so many people near me. But it's there in this fleeting moment.

After all, even I at times want someone to understand. The issue is no one really can. And the only other like me who I could hope to understand or help me is the one person I need to protect the most.

I need to be his guardian. I am meant to help him… Not the other way around.

So, ultimately, how I feel does not matter. If I must endure watching myself crumble then so be it. Better I than Daniel.

I will find a way to work through this. I have to figure this out. Or, at the least find a way to contain this… like my core…

For my own sake. For Daniel's. And for those around us.

"Vlad?"

I tense with the sudden voice, and I open my eyes only to find Stephanie approaching me on horseback. Odd. How did not I hear her before?

She stops a couple feet from me and climbs off one of my horses, which she obviously got from my stable.

"What in the world are you doing out here?" she asks, confused.

Oh, that's right. I was in the forest.

I consider standing up from my seat on the ground. But then, I lose the motivation to do so. Not that she can see that.

Instead, I smile at her.

"I thought it was a nice night for horseback," I answer.

She raises an eyebrow at me. "It's freezing out here. It's supposed to snow any day now… And horseback riding at night? In a forest?"

As if to back up her claim, she wraps her arms around herself and glances around as she hears the sound of a howling coyote.

It's far, I can tell. She cannot.

"Come here," I respond, patting the ground beside me and continue to smile.

She gives me a look. It's that look she gives me to remind me she does not understand me at all, but still plays along. It's both endearing and disheartening.

With a sigh, she sits beside me and wraps her hands around herself.

She makes this too easy.

I smirk as I raise an arm and pull her closer. We might be friends at the moment but I have never been good at hiding my emotions when it comes to romantic interests.

Besides, she is cold. I would not be a good friend if I did not alleviate that.

I let my core flare just a bit to affect her. My smirk grows as I feel her press closer and her cheeks flush.

Her reaction is quite lovely. I almost forget why I came out here in the first place.

"I know what you are doing," she suddenly says, trying to sound unimpressed.

"Oh?" I question back innocently.

Could it be? Has she finally noticed my advances with her? Well, of course she has. Stephanie is a smart and preceptive woman. I suppose the correct question is, is today the day she will finally call me out on it?

I could only be so lucky.

"Is this why you are not cold? You can do that… with your powers?"

Hmm… Shame. Maybe another day… perhaps.

I nod. "Hard to be cold when your ghost half can affect your internal temperature…" I reply offhandedly.

She stared curiously at me, clearly wanting me to continue. But the last thing I want to think about anymore is... Plasmius.

Something scurries within a nearby bush, and Stephanie tenses beside me.

Rabbit.

She suddenly huffs and mutters. "I can see it now… The headline: 'Wisconsin's most famous billionaire and his ex-secretary eaten by wolves in the man's own backyard'."

I laugh at that before answering, "You do realize how unlikely that is."

"Why? Because you are a supernatural being who is all but invincible?" she asks sarcastically though she smiles at me.

"No," I reply with a growing smirk. "Because now that you are here, I can easily escape while you distract them."

Her eyes widened just a fraction before she shoves me playfully.

I laugh again. "Isn't that why you are out here? To save me from the wild beasts that might devour me in these dark woods?"

"You're awful," she answers, pretending to be annoyed. "Maybe I should leave now for the wolves to feast on you."

I grab her around the waist and pull her back against me. "Now, Now, if you want to play the hero, you must see this through. Sacrifice and all. Just ask Daniel. He can give you some pointers."

Stephanie rolled her eyes before she leaned closer, surprising me. She smiled almost wickedly at my reaction before she answered, "I much rather take pointers from… Plasmius. After all, I find him much more interesting nowadays…"

My smile falls and I pull away just slightly. The mention of my ghost half makes me tense for reasons I cannot explain at the moment.

But she notices my negative reaction. And her own smile melds away into a frown.

"I'm joking," she answers quietly, thinking she has offended me somehow.

I try to smile to reassure her but even I know it's strained on my face.

"I know…. I just…" But I trail off when I suddenly sense a ghost. It's a couple miles away but it has drawn close enough and its energy level strong enough to make my ghost half tense.

The feeling is back. And for a moment, I consider turning into Plasmius and going after this ghost. It's higher than a level four. And it bothers me greatly.

This is my territory.

"Hey…"

There is a hand suddenly on my cheek and my eyes and head turn to meet its owner.

"Are you alright? … Your eyes are red."

I quickly push back Plasmius and I feel my ghost energy rein back in.

She frowns even more, clearly worried.

"I'm fine…," I breathe. Because I am fine. I need to be. This cannot happen right now. I have too many other things to worry about. I need to help Skulker and Fright Knight. I need to find answers about this guardianship Daniel and I agreed to. I… I need to return to him. And I need to find a way to win this woman's heart.

I do not need something as unpredictable as Plasmius' ghost instincts waging war inside my head.

And yet, as I say the words, I know I am not fine. I want these blasted ghosts to get away. They are so threatening to my ghost half I can barely stand it!

I only realize red energy is seeping into my eyes again because I see it reflected on Stephanie's troubled gaze.

"Vlad, do you know why I am here?" she suddenly asked.

The question offers my mind some reprieve… And as I focus on Stephanie again, I find Plasmius settles a bit more inside me.

"Because you were worried I got eaten by wolves," I joke, trying to ease her troubles.

"I worry because I care," she replies. "Danielle, Annabelle, your ghost staff… We all care about you. And when you care about someone, you want to help them. Even if maybe there are times we might not understand… We're still here for you… I will always be here. You know that… right?"

"I know," I reassure her. Because I did know. They cared. It did not mean I deserve it, but I was thankful for it.

I tense again when I feel another ghost draw closer. Still not close to enough to be a threat, but my ghost half feels otherwise.

I close my eyes and focus on the hand against my face. In fact, I bring my own hand up to press it closer. To somehow let it ground me.

"Now, tell me, why are you out here?"

A silence passes between us as I focus on the feel of her soft hand against my skin… and think of how to respond to her question…

"There's something out here," I suddenly admit. "It's dangerous. It wants to devour… unless I destroy it first."

Stephanie is quiet. And someday I will realize as I look back at this night that I sometimes do not give this woman enough credit…

"Is that what it truly wants to do? How can you be sure?" she whispers.

I focus on the burning feeling inside me as I all but growl out, "What else could it want?"

"Maybe what it wants and needs are two different things, Vlad… Maybe you should ask. Maybe it's just afraid…?"

She grabs my hand against hers with her other one and pulls it down before she also grabs my second hand to cradle them.

"It's alright," she reassures me.

I look down at our hands and I finally realize, my hands are shaking.

I stare up at her, unsure and guarded. My instincts protest against showing any kind of weakness… If Stephanie can see it… it's possible those other ghosts somewhere can sense it.

They would be drawn closer, then. Drawn in by the opportunity to feast of my weakness. It would put Stephanie and the girls in danger.

"We should head inside," I reply quietly.

Stephanie stares at me for a moment longer. She clearly wants to say more, but then she just nods and slowly let's go of my hands.

I miss the contact instantly. But I say nothing, and finally stand up. I then offer a hand to help her up.

"Is Danielle and Annabelle back at the castle?" I ask.

Stephanie frowns slightly with my change of topic, but she still nods. "It's Friday. Game night, remember?"

I smile at that. I had not forgotten; but, rather, time had slipped by. I had been so focused on these overwhelming ghostly feelings that… well, it was now dark out.

"Ah, yes… I forgot," I lie. "Well, then, since it is 'game night', I say we head back to the stables, drop off the horse, and then, you and I go to the living room to have a friendly chess match…"

Stephanie rolled her eyes. "There is no such thing as I friendly match with you…"

I grin wider. "Chess is a game that holds no mercy, my dear."

"Right, because you…"

I suddenly feel it. A threatening presence is unexpectedly a yard from me, and I cannot control my instincts anymore. With a snarl, I abruptly turn from Stephanie and fire a blast in the direction of the ghost that just flew by.

I only realize soon after that my actions not only startle the horses, but I accidently blast a hole through a large tree and it begins to fall towards us.

"VLAD!" Stephanie exclaims in horror.

I instantly turn into Plasmius and create a force field to keep the tree from falling on us. I use the same energy to instead push it to fall slowly towards the opposite side. As it slams down I then hold the energy field around it to suffocate the flames before they can grow any larger.

I stare at it for what feels like forever as I attempt to calm my breathing. Did I just…? That had been a level one ghost that had flown by! And I reacted by firing a blast of gold energy at it!

"Hey, hey, no, calm down! Shhhh, easy!"

I finally turn around and stare at Stephanie who is desperately trying to calm the horses which are panicking.

Not wanting her to get hurt, I use blue energy to momentarily cover their eyes. They almost instantly settle enough for her to move closer and grab the reins. Luckily, the knots had not come undone from the tree.

"I'm sorry," I suddenly say, because I do not know what else I could say.

I could have killed us. There was no excuse for such a lapse of judgement and control!

I feel even worse with the look of even more concern on her face.

I suddenly turn human, because I don't want her to see me as Plasmius a moment longer.

"Could you… ?" I begin before I take a breath because I am so overwhelmed by what I have done I can barely talk.

"… Will you take the horses back to the stable? And… Can you take Danielle tonight…? It's Friday. She will like a sleep over at your place…."

Stephanie continues to look at me before she finally takes a step to move closer. But when I visibly flinch, she decides against it.

She finally sighs and replies, "Of course… We'll return in the morning. We can all have breakfast together…"

I quickly nod.

She glances at the destruction I caused before asking, "Do you need anything else…?"

I know what she is really asking is if I will be alright.

I smile weakly at her. "I will be fine. I'll see you in the morning."

Stephanie's eyebrows furrow but she finally nods and turns away. I watch her tie the horses' reins together before she gets on the one she had been riding. Then, she slowly guides the two back the way she came.

I sigh in relief when she is gone, and I move over and sit back down where I had been before.

I suddenly remember why I came out here.

There really is a beast out here looking to devour… And unfortunately my foe is not the simple ghosts that are around me.

I need to keep Plasmius away… under control.

But… as I look at the destruction I caused I cannot help but wonder…

Am I just fooling myself?

Ghosts sense weakness. It is their instinct to go after it and devour it…

So, what happens to someone who is both human and ghost, and their ghost half realizes that their other half has lost control?

How long will it take then for Plasmius to turn against me?

I hope these drabbles are not too confusing. They are not really supposed to be in order because they are, well, drabbles. But if they are related drabbles I'll mention it's a series and have parts. Let me know if you rather me post these differently.

Also, if there's a drabble you would like to see relating to my current stories or DP cannon feel free to suggest. I like writing these little 'shots'.