Psycho Iguana: Happy New Year!! Man, I just can't seem to be able to keep this constant! I don't know what to write! I have the ideas, I'm just not sure how to approach them. But I'll try. It's part of my New Year's Resolution to update my stories frequently. Thank you all for waiting so patiently! Hopefully my future chapters won't take so long. Although I do have a lot of schoolwork on my hands...

Chapter Six: The Face in the Window

Ember was lying on her bed, looking out the window at the violent storm that gave no sign of ever letting up. Danny was lying next to her, sound asleep and snoring softly. It was past midnight already, but Ember couldn't sleep. She had too many worries on her mind.

Sam, for one thing. That girl was starting to scare her. She knew Sam was angry and jealous that she had lost Danny to Ember, but was she angry enough to try and kill her? Ember wasn't sure. She had tried to punch her last time. Luckily Danny had been there to protect her, but what if she and Sam are alone, and Sam takes the chance and tries--or worse, succeeds--to kill her? In her pregnant condition, Ember didn't think she could put up that well of a fight. Sam seemed pretty strong.

Danny was another worry. What if he did go back to Sam? He had promised Ember that nothing and no one would ever tear them apart, but don't all men say that and then turn their back on you? Ember sighed. She wished she could have more faith in Danny, but Sam was one cunning girl.

As if she didn't have enough on her plate already, she was also worried about her baby. Ember wasn't as healthy as she was supposed to be; she didn't want to eat, her morning sickness was unbearable, and her body felt weak and heavy. Would it affect the baby's health? And if so, how badly? Ember really wanted her baby to be okay. She tried to eat more, but she would just throw it up later. She turned her head slightly to look at Danny and sighed sympathetically. He worried so much about her. Ember only hoped she was a good enough wife for such an amazing, talented, unselfish man that was Danny.

Her biggest concern was King Karsh. She had seen what that monster could do, and it wasn't pretty. She had seen the destruction and chaos he had committed, the dead bodies lying everywhere in pools of sickeningly green blood. That was the thing with the King. Even though you were a ghost, he could kill you again, except you would never return to any kind of afterlife. You would simply cease to exist. Ember wasn't sure how he did it, but she had distinctly heard that he had some kind of enchanted sword that could slay human, ghost, and any other creature whose blood he chose to shed. She shivered just thinking about it.

She wished the King wasn't coming after them...

"Ember, we have to go, now!" warned Danny, taking his wife by the hand and pulling her along with the screaming crowd.

"What? Why?" she asked, frightened at her husband's darkened expression. He didn't look back at her, but instead shouted back, "Because King Karsh is coming!"

Ember froze as fear clawed at her heart, but Danny dragged her onward.

"THERE HE IS!" screamed one soul in the crowd. "HE'S COMING!" screaming another. "LOOK OUT!" A huge shadow fell upon the crowd, and Danny flew Ember and himself out of the way just as a giant boulder smashed into the ground. Ember heard the sound of bones cracking and blood gushing out and felt sick, but did not dare look back. Several more boulders followed, each growing larger and coming faster. Flying debris scratched at Ember's skin and the dust made her cough. Her eyes watered from dust and fear.

"Where are we going?!" she shouted between coughs.

"To get Johnny and Kitty!" Danny shouted back. Again he flew her out of the way of an incoming boulder. But this boulder was different. It smashed into the ground, crumbled, and then exploded. Rocks shot everywhere. Ember cradled her stomach protectively as the rocks bruised her body. More boulders like that whizzed down upon the fleeing residents of the ghost zone, first a bullet in the sky, and then before you had a chance to even blink, it was a gigantic boulder that hit the ground with incredible force. A dark, devious laugh suddenly filled the air. Ember's blood ran cold and the crowd stopped, even Danny. The laugh was like no other; cold, demonic, and heartless.

"Pitiful fools," came an even colder voice, and King Karsh appeared suddenly in the sky. Several ghosts screamed, and Ember clutched Danny's hand. "It's really quite amusing," the King continued, "And I've been bored lately, so let's have a little FUN!" At the signal, there was a huge explosion in the air, like fireworks, and rain fell from the sky. But it wasn't rain at all. It was molten hot acid. Everyone screamed and started running again, trying to get away from the burning rain. Ember tugged on Danny's arm, but to her surprise, he floated above the crowd and glared at the King.

"You'll pay for this!" Danny screamed at him, the acid raining burning his eyes and causing tears to run down his cheeks. The King raised an eyebrow threateningly at him.

"What are you doing?!" Ember hissed at Danny, tears from the acid running down her face as well, but he ignored her.

"You destroyed our homes!" he continued, "And killed everyone, and ruined the land, and attacked us, and.." Danny shook his head. "You're gonna pay."

"Danny, get down here right now," Ember demanded through clenched teeth.

"Ah, you must be the legendary Daniel Phantom," said King Karsh, once he had figured out who Danny was. "But on the contrary; you will pay, young rebel. And your pathetic little wife, too," he added, eyeing Ember with a look that made her spine crawl. "No one defies the great King Karsh!"

Ember snapped out of her flashback. She shut her eyes as she waited for her rapid breathing to slow. The fear gradually began to leave her and she sighed in exhaustion. Maybe now she could get to sleep. She looked over at the window; rain always used to calm her down. And that's when she saw it. A dark face in the window, and as she strained her eyes, she realized with horror that it was King Karsh! With his back against the window, he turned his head all the way around in a manner very much like in The Exorcist, grinning manically at her. Ember jumped back and screamed.

Danny jolted awake at once.

"Huh? What is it? What happened?" he mumbled, voice thick with sleep. He slowly became alert as his mind registered that Ember had screamed. She was now curled up with her back against the wall, trembling violently and staring at the window, pale as a sheet.

"What's wrong?" he asked worriedly, touching her shoulder. She flinched and muttered something incoherent.

"What?" He carefully wrapped his arms around her and held her to his chest, looking at her gaunt face with a worried expression. "Honey, what's the matter?"

"I...I s-saw him," Ember stammered.

"Who?" Danny pressed, reaching over to turn on the lamp. "Saw who?"

For a moment Ember didn't answer, but on Danny's nudge, answered slowly, "K-king...King Karsh." Danny stared at her, then leapt over to the window and looked out. Nothing was there.

"Are you sure?" he asked, frowning. Ember nodded, and he looked out the window again. Still nothing. Giving up, climbed back in bed, holding his wife's shaking hands. "There's nothing out there," he told her, but Ember shook her head. "No, no! I saw him! In the window! Go look again." Danny obeyed and went back to the window, this time opening it and sticking his head out to check. He closed it again with the same results.

"Nothing," he said, going intangible to get the water off his head.

"I know what I saw," Ember insisted, eyeing the window warily. Danny sat back down on the bed. "I looked over at the window and saw a shadow, and when a squinted at it, it was the King! He looked right at me and I screamed and then he disappeared."

Danny frowned at her. "You were dreaming," he said finally.

"It wasn't a dream!" Ember was growing angry now. "I'm telling you, I saw him!"

"Okay, okay," Danny said, still not believing her. "Tell you what, tomorrow morning, I'll go out there and look for any sign of him. How's that?"

"Alright," Ember agreed, unsure of the arrangement. Danny kissed her forehead and turned out the light, slipping back into peaceful dreams. Ember didn't sleep at all that night.

The next morning, Danny went outside straight after breakfast. Ember watched him worriedly from the window as he bent his body against the wind and rain that shoved him down, searching in vain for last night's supposed "intruder". Sam, thinking Ember must be up to something, went over to the window too. She spotted Danny immediately, nearly invisible in the rain's dark shroud.

"Where is he going?" she demanded angrily, glaring at the blue-haired girl. Ember, her lack of sleep causing her to grow irritated, glared back at Sam.

"What my husband does," she growled, "Is none of your business."

Sam blinked at her in shock but soon resumed her usual glare.

"Listen, you little witch," she began threateningly. "You may have everyone else fooled, but I know you're still evil. My advice to you: stay away from Danny."

"No," said Ember simply. Sam frowned in surprise.

"What?"

"I said no," Ember repeated. She looked right at Sam. "Let me say this once and for all. You do not control me. Danny is my husband. This is not my house, but it isn't yours either, so don't act like you can tell me what to do." She backed Sam up against the kitchen counter, glaring at her with a newfound courage. "And if you dare hurt me or my baby, Danny will...well, you don't want to know. So here's my advice to you: stay away from my husband!"

With a satisfied nod, Ember strided out of the kitchen, leaving Sam angry and bewildered.

"Well, I couldn't find anything," Danny said as he dried himself off. "It was probably just a dream." Ember leaned back against her bed, beginning to have a second doubt, but shook her head.

"No, I'm sure I saw him!" She tried to rub away the headache that was starting to take place. "I'm sure of it."

"Are you really?" Danny pushed. He was drying his hair with a towel since he didn't want to go intangible and get the carpet wet. Ember sighed and threw herself back on the bed, rubbing her eyes. "I don't know," she mumbled. "Part of me wants to believe it really was just a dream, but another part of me knows what I saw."

The creaking of the bed told her that Danny had sat down next to her. She removed her arm from where it was resting over her eyes, and stroked Danny's bare chest absent-mindedly. "Maybe we should leave."

"How did you sleep last night?" asked Danny suddenly.

"Terrible," Ember confessed, "But don't change the subject. I'm serious, Danny." She looked up at him. "I'm scared. I think we should leave. Find a better place to hide."

"Where, Ember?" Danny sighed in exhasperation. "There's nowhere to go! And you're due in two months. I'm not going to risk you or our baby just to run around in circles. As much as I hate it here, we should stay."

Ember looked at him, then sighed, defeated. "Maybe you're right," she admitted, closing her eyes. "Ngh, I can't think clearly. I'm too tired." Danny ran his fingers through her silky hair. Her mouth suddenly twitched into a smile.

"Something happened with Sam while you were out."

"What did she do?" asked Danny, tensing up.

"Not her, me." She smiled. "I told her off." She opened her eyes to see Danny staring down at her with a mixed expression of surprise and pride.

"What did you say?"

"I told her to leave us alone and to stop trying to win you over."

Danny raised his eyebrows. "How did she take it?"

Ember laughed lightly. "She looked like she had been slapped by a fish."

Danny grinned and lied down on the bed. Ember cuddled up against him.

"One of the many reasons I married you," he said, still grinning.

"Oh really?" Ember inquired playfully. "Any other reasons?"

"Yeah."

"Like what?"

Danny folded his arms behind his head and sighed dreamily.

"Your smile," he began. "Your beauty. Your compassion. Your perfection." He yawned, closing his eyes. Ember wrapped an arm around his chest and closed her eyes as well.

"I love you," she whispered.

"I love you, too."

"For crying out loud, Youngblood, hold still!" shouted Kitty as she struggled to get a shirt over her son's head. The shirt he had stained with ketchup at breakfast was laying on the floor, along with dozens of other clothes he had strewn across the room.

"Never!" cried Youngblood as he leapt, half naked, from Kitty's grasp and onto the dresser.

"Get off from there!" ordered Kitty. Youngblood shook his head rapidly. "Don't make me come up there!" she growled. He stuck his tongue out at her. She sighed, rubbing her forehead. "You're gonna make me come up there," she moaned, throwing the clean shirt aside and climbing up the dresser. Youngblood blew a raspberry and jumped onto the bed.

"A perfect landing for the great warrior!" Youngblood praised himself in his imaginary world. He started bouncing up and down on the soft matress.

"Quit jumping on the bed!" Kitty yelled, climbing down from atop the dresser. Youngblood hissed at her like a cat and ran, still half naked, out the door.

"Come back here!" shouted Kitty, grabbing the shirt and running after him. She found him in the kitchen, reaching for the cookie jar. Sneaking up behind him, she tickled him until he was defenseless, and threw the shirt over his head.

"Gotcha!" she shouted triumphantly, holding a squirming Youngblood by his wrist. "Another point for the victorious Miss Kitten!"

"Hey man, when d'you think these things are gonna be done?" Johnny 13 inquired from under the motorcycles. Jack frowned, scratching his balding head with a wrench.

"About a week and a half," he calculated. "I'm telling ya, these aren't ordinary bikes." He changed a screw. "Where did you get them anyways?"

"I made 'em," Johnny admitted with a shrug. Jack looked at him in fascination. "Bikes have been my life. And...my death."

Jack frowned. "How did you die?" he asked. "Not to be intruding, or anything," he added quickly. Johnny shrugged. "What's done is done. Nothing personal about it really, just our death. It happened so fast." He pulled himself out from under the motorcycles and wiped his sweaty brow with the oily rag in his hand. It left a black mark on his forehead, but he took no notice of it. "Me and Kitten were in a motorcycle accident. We were driving on the highway, and all of a sudden the truck in front of us just stopped. We slammed right into him. Died instantly." Jack looked down at the wrench in his hands. "Kitten don't like to talk about it though," Johnny continued. "Doesn't matter to me, but you probably shouldn't tell her I spilled about it." He pointed his screwdriver directly at Jack's chest. "Got it?" Jack nodded respectively and Johnny got back to work.

"One more thing," he said after a while.

"Shoot."

"What's it like to die?"

Johnny stopped working and studied him for a moment.

"It's like being knocked out," he finally answered. "Kinda like sleeping."

Jack didn't ask any more questions.

Jazz put the book she was reading down and sighed desolately at the never-ending rain. She sat up and looked around her pink room for something to do other than study. Her eyes caught her phone, and she smiled. She picked it up and dialed the number sacred to her, hoping she could get a signal in this storm. The phone rang a few times, and her heart jumped as she heard the familiar voice on the other line.

"Hey Tuck," she said, feeling shy all of a sudden.

"Hey Jazz! What's up?"

"Not much. It's so boring over here. I don't think this rain is ever going to stop."

"Tell me about it. How's Danny and his gang?"

"Fine, I suppose. We don't see much of Johnny and Kitty. I bet Danny can't wait until dad and Johnny finish the bikes."

"Is he that miserable?"

"Well, Sam's really been getting on his nerves."

"Don't tell me she's acting all jealous."

"She is."

"Man, that girl is so stubborn! Has she done anything yet?"

"As far as I know, bad-mouth Ember and flirt with Danny. Frankly, I'm getting sick of it."

"I can imagine. Well, you want to get away from all that?"

"How?"

"Why don't you come over to my place?"

"In this weather?"

"Bring an umbrella."

Jazz thought it over, twirling the phone chord in her fingers. She blushed at the thought of spending time with Tucker and nodded, then remembering he couldn't see her, said "Okay. I'll be right over."

She hung up and bounded downstairs, putting on a coat and grabbing an umbrella as she did so.

"Mom, I'm going to Tucker's!" she shouted to her mother, who was in the kitchen.

"In this weather? Well, alright dear, just be home for dinner!" she shouted back.

"Got it!" Jazz agreed, her heart beginning to thump in excitement as she prepared to turn the handle. Sam suddenly came down from the stairs.

"You going to Tucker's?" she asked, noticed how giddy Jazz looked. When she was answered with a nod, she walked over to Jazz and placed her hand on the handle. Jazz looked at her in confusion. Sam sighed.

"Jazz, don't make the same mistake I did," she said. "If you love Tucker, don't let him go. And don't ever betray him."

Jazz's eyes softened and she uttered a quiet "Okay," before opening her torquoise umbrella and walking out into the rain.

It was nighttime again. Ember was back in her bed, staring fearfully at the window. Only rain could be seen, but she still kept her guard up.

"Relax, Ember," said Danny, noticing her anxiety. He slipped a nightshirt over his head and closed the curtains, hiding the window from view. "Better?"

Ember sighed and leaned back against the pillows. "You can cover the window, but you can't hide what I saw," she muttered. Danny rolled his eyes and fluffed up her pillows before lying down next to her.

"Don't worry about it, we'll only be here for about two more weeks," Danny assured her. He switched off the lamp and slid under the covers.

"Danny, I think you should take this more seriously," advised Ember, trying to make out her husband's face in the darkness. "You know what the King is capable of! We can't take any chances."

Danny didn't answer. Ember closed her eyes as if to block out defeat and turned on her side.

"Well, good night."

"Good night."

Psycho Iguana: A crappy way to end the chapter, I know, but I was so determined to get this posted on the first of 2009! So, now we've seen a little bit of what everyone else is doing, as well as Ember's fears, the seriousness of King Karsh, why the King is after them in the first place (man, every time I saw "the King", I think of Elvis!), how Johnny and Kitty died, and more. You'll notice I focused more on Danny and Ember; I've been focusing on Sam a lot these past chapters. But what would you rather read more of, Danny and Ember, Sam, or both? Tell me in your...reviews!! Happy New Year!!