A/N: The final part of the trilogy! Note to some:

IF YOU HAVE NOT READ "JOURNEY OF SECRETS" OR "ADRIFT", THEN DO SO BEFORE READING "CROWN OF FIRE". THANK YOU.

*Cough* Well, now that I've gotten that out of the way…

Welcome to Crown of Fire, my beloved readers! Honestly. I spoil you. How are you not all rotten to the core? I'm going to try and do longer, better-quality chapters for this one, so I plan on updating once a week. Maybe more…we'll see what happens once I get going. After all, I had a lot of time for this chapter. :D

Without further ado…read/review/fav/follow and ENJOY!

Chapter #1: Ripperton University

"I thought we went over this! You can't dye your hair in the shower!"

"Where am I supposed to dye it, then, huh?!"

"Somewhere where it won't turn our tub blue, preferably!"

"I think we all need to calm down," Jazz sighs, massaging her temples, "Jamie, you have to clean it up as best as you can. Angela, you need to just…go chill on the couch and watch something. Eat Jamie's ice cream as revenge."

"Hey!" Jamie protests, blowing her sky-blue locks from her eyes, "Why can she have my ice cream?!"

"To pay her back for using the cleaner she bought," Jazz replies, "Unless you have bleach?"

"No," she pouts.

"Good. Open the window, pour it on the stains, close the door as you leave and let it sit for thirty minutes. Use a face-mask and gloves when you go back in and scrub it off."

"Yes, Mom," she snorts sullenly, elbowing Angela as she passes.

Jazz chuckles and shakes her head, "It's all part of having roommates, Angie."

"I still think murder is justified," she growls.

"Why, were you having someone over tonight?"

"No."

"See? There's a bright side," she smiles. Her phone rumbles in her pocket before beginning to play a ditty a fan wrote for Danny Phantom. She whips it out with a smile, turning her back to the ruined tub, "Hey, Danny!"

"Is it still that stupid theme song?" he groans.

"Yep!" She grins, "So, how've you been? Are you almost to Amity?"

"Good. Actually, I'm a few hours away from where you are. There was…an interruption. Anyway, it's getting dark, and there are deer on the way to Amity. I don't want to hit one. I need some sleep anyway. Do you know if your couch is open tonight? If it isn't, don't worry, I can pay for a hotel room–"

"Let me just ask my roommates," she interrupts, "But I don't mind. Hold on a moment," she lowers her cell, covering the mouthpiece, "Hey! Angela, Jamie!"

"Yeah?" Jamie pokes her head from the bathroom.

"Mmm?" Angela looks around the corner from the kitchen.

"My little brother, Danny, is on his way back to Amity and was wondering if he could crash on our couch tonight. That okay with you guys?"

"Yeah," Angie nods, "I've never met him. I'm kind of curious what he's like."

"Jamie?"

"I don't have a problem either," she shrugs, "As long as he doesn't snore."

"Thanks," she smiles, lifting the phone again, "Hey, Danny, you still there?"

"Yeah."

"They're okay with it. When should I expect you?"

"Well…let's see…it's about six right now…see you at eight or so? I'll call you when I get to your parking lot."

"Yeah. See you then," she smiles, snapping her phone shut.

She's about to start her fourth year at Ripperton University. It's a state-of-the-art college with the best ecto-related programs, and only a two hour drive from Amity Park. While she'd originally planned on Havard or Yale, she'd found Ripperton to be closest to home and the best fit for her major.

"So, what is he like?" Angela asks, taking a bite of Jamie's triple-Belgian-chocolate ice cream, "Your brother."

"Danny?" she allows herself to fall to the couch, "He's pretty cool, as little brothers go. He's a bit of a dork, and really nice. He's super protective of people though. Like…when I started dating this guy, he spied on me and kept interrupting…"

"That is cool?" she snorts.

"That guy, unbeknownst to me, was actually a ghost who was trying to give me his girlfriend's stuff so she could steal my body," Jazz smiles insincerely.

"Oh," she swallows, "Right…you're from Amity Park."

"Yeah, Amity Park," she laughs, "Danny knew the entire time, but he didn't want to risk sounding more like my parents than he already was. We – everyone in town – were all still pretending that ghosts didn't exist at that point in time. We just…didn't want to believe it."

"Was it a ghost I've heard of?" she asks, leaning forward.

"Yeah, maybe," she grimaces, "It was Johnny Thirteen."

"The motorcycle ghost?!"

"Yeah. He saved me from getting crushed by a roller coaster – a disaster he caused, by the way – and I was caught up in the heroic bad-boy deal," her cheeks are pink, "It was pretty embarrassing when I realized I'd totally let my mind go like that."

"Wow," she laughs.

"And thus ends the full extent of my teenage rebellion," she jokes back.

"I almost wish I'd grown up in Amity Park," Jamie shouts, "It would've made my childhood so much more interesting!"

"Yeah," Jazz snorts, "Tell me that after you've been dragged into the ghost zone to be ruled by an evil ghost king, or after your computer comes alive and attacks you…or when you can't drive to school because there's a ghost fight going on in the middle of town – or because a fight destroyed the road!"

"Okay, so everything has its plusses and minuses!"

"Yeah," she laughs, "I always had good research materials, that's for sure. But back to Danny…he's the type of guy who will run into a burning or crumbling building without a second thought. I would know, because he's done that."

"Really?" Angie asks through a mouth of ice cream.

"Yeah. I thought I was going to have a heart attack. All of these people are rushing out of this building that's about to collapse, and Danny runs inside. The building collapses before I see him come back out, and I'm scared out of my wits…and then he jogs from the dust, carrying an older woman in his arms. They'd been close to the entrance, but he still received a nasty bruise on his back shielding her from the rubble."

"Oh my gosh," she swallows, "So your brother's like…a hero…"

"Yeah," Jazz replies nervously, "That's Danny."

If only you knew the whole story.

-BREAK-

It's eight-fifteen when she gets the call. She skips down the steps to the parking lot, grinning when she rounds the corner of the building.

Danny sits astride a large, black motorcycle – his pride and joy – in his riding leathers. He grins back, his blue eyes bright in the streetlamps, and opens his arms, "Jazz!"

She leaps into his hug, shocked once again at how much taller he's gotten. He towers several inches over her now.

"How've you been, little brother?" she smiles, "Looking forward to being back in Amity?"

He grimaces, "Yeah. I get to listen to Danielle complain in person about us forcing her to attend high school. Then I get to deal with my furious and frazzled fiancée who is fed up with my frustrating future mother-in-law."

She laughs, "Are they arguing about something again?"

"Yeah," he growls, "How hard can it be to plan a wedding!? Especially one we already know the details for?! It's ridiculous, Jazz. I mean, I know I agreed to a year-long engagement in order to satisfy Mr. and Mrs. Manson – mostly Pamela, I assure you. Jeremy and I are getting along pretty well, if I do say so myself – but it's been four months of the most rigorous planning I've ever seen!"

"Weddings take a long time to plan. I know it seems ridiculous, but it's one of the most important days in a girl's life–"

"Sam and I knew what we wanted!" he groans, "We wanted a small group, only the closest friends and family, in a small chapel. We wanted it during winter, but I'm sure that if we decided not to wait, I could work with Frostbite to manufacture a winter wonderland…maybe we should just elope to the Far Frozen. Frostbite's a king…"

"Danny," she elbows him, "Just be patient. Tell Sam I told her to hang in there," she turns the lock to her apartment.

"Will do," he rubs at the back of his neck.

Her door swings open, and Angela's head pokes around the corner. Jamie exits the bathroom, removing her face mask.

"Angie, Jamie, this is my little brother, Danny," Jazz smiles, "Danny, this is Angela–"

"Hi," she tucks a honey-brown swath of hair behind her ear.

"And Jamie," she finishes.

"Hey," she grins widely.

"Nice to meet you," he grins, "I hope she doesn't drive you crazy."

"I was just saying good things about you!" Jazz pouts teasingly.

"She mother you guys too?"

Jamie giggles – in the girliest fashion Jazz has ever heard – "Yeah. That's Jazz."

"Yeah, it is," he laughs, "Thanks for letting me crash on your couch tonight, by the way. I really didn't want to pay for a hotel."

"No problem," Angie interjects quickly, "I'll go get a spare pillow and some blankets for you."

"I'm fine," he assures, "I don't want to inconvenience you–"

"Danny, we have some spares for when Jamie throws parties and we have people who can't have their keys back. It's okay," Jazz explains, and he relaxes.

"Alright. Thank you," he smiles.

"Let me go get those with you," Jamie turns, tapping her hand on her thigh after making eye contact with Jazz.

"Just put your stuff down there," Jazz explains quickly, "I'm going to make sure they don't destroy the linen closet."

"Mom," he snorts.

She walks briskly to where Angie and Jamie wait, in front of the closet.

"What?" Jazz hisses quietly.

"That is your little brother?" Angie asks.

"Yeah…"

"How old is he?" Jamie spills quickly.

"…nineteen," she looks between the two of them.

"When I asked you about him, you forgot to mention that he's hot!" Angie whispers.

"Yeah, what's the deal?!" Jamie adds.

"Firstly, because he's my brother."

"You can brag about your siblings."

"Secondly, you don't have a chance with him anyway."

"Right," Angie shifts, "He has a girlfriend already, I'm sure."

"Girlfriends aren't permanent. I'll bet he's had tons," Jamie defends.

"No, he's only had one, and she's now his fiancée. Trust me, Sam isn't going anywhere," Jazz reaches past them, "Now let's get some pillows and blankets for him, hm?"

"He's engaged. At nineteen."

"He's known Sam since middle school. Everyone in Amity Park knew they'd end up together from the moment their eyes met. I mean, it took them until the beginning of Junior year to start dating – heck, to even admit that they liked each other – but if love at first sight exists, Sam and Danny experienced it," she piles two blankets and pillows into their arms before leading them into the living room again. Danny reclines on the couch, his boots kicked off.

"Sorry it took so long," Jazz frowns, "They didn't put them away properly last time we washed them."

"No problem," he shrugs, his blue eyes flicking open. A knowing smile emerges on his face, "Thanks," he takes them from her hand, "I plan on leaving early tomorrow. No later than nine. I'm just going to call Sam before I sleep."

"Yeah," Jazz smiles, "I have some studying to do. See you in the morning. Make sure I see you before you leave."

"Yeah."

She pulls her roommates away, "Let's go check the bathtub."

Danny watches her drag the two young women away and chuckles, pressing the 'one' on his speed dial. She picks up on the first ring.

"Hey, Danny. When are you getting here?"

"I ran into some trouble on my way there, so I'm crashing on Jazz's couch tonight. I'm leaving by nine A.M. tomorrow, though, so I should be in Amity Park before noon."

"Yeah, I wouldn't want you hitting any deer on your bike," she mutters on the other side, "I can't wait until you get here. She's driving me crazy, Danny. I might actually commit matricide."

"Jazz told me to tell you to hang on," he laughs, "It's driving me insane too."

"I just want to get married," she groans, "Why is she turning my wedding into a circus?"

"Sorry," he winces, "I'm just trying to stay even vaguely in her good graces."

"Her hatred of you is unjustified," she snorts, "…did you see the news today?"

"Yeah," he clenches his jaw, "They're trying to push some major anti-ecto laws."

"Danny, if they pass it, Amity Park…"

"It'll become a war zone," he finishes, "Yeah…"

"What if…" he can hear her swallow thickly on the other side, "What if they find out about you?"

"Worrying about it now won't do anything," he answers gently, "We'll take the challenges as they come. We have too much on our plate as it is. We'll stress ourselves to death if we worry about every possibility. They haven't found out so far."

"The amount of people who know your secret is a bit more than just Tuck, Jazz, and I now," she argues, "The chances someone will slip…"

"Sam," he cuts, perhaps more sharply than intended, "don't worry about that right now. We can't erase their memories, so there's no point in worrying about it at this point."

"…I know," she sighs, "…you should've kept the Reality Gauntlet."

"The ability to be master of all reality in the hands of a teenage boy?" he snorts, "Yeah, that would've been brilliant. I know a potential train wreck when I see one."

She laughs, finally, "…I love you, Danny Fenton. You better not die on me."

"I'll try my best…" he whispers.

"…but you won't promise…even just until our wedding, will you?"

"I can't promise that," his voice is barely audible.

"On the bright side, you'll be 'back in range' for our telepathy," she grins, "It's been weird not to get more than vague impressions from you."

"Same here," he laughs, "Anyway, I need to sleep. See you tomorrow," he smiles, "I love you, Sam. I hope you finish killing me for years to come."

"That's the plan."

-BREAK-

The first thing he notices besides the sunshine is Jamie's sky-blue hair as she wanders around in her pajamas, peeking around corners with a confused expression.

"Angie, have you seen Jazz?" she yawns, scratching at the collar of her tank-top.

Angie emerges from the kitchen, perfectly groomed and munching on a bowl of cereal, "There was a note about heading to the library. Weird, though…her wallet is still on the counter."

"You don't think she walked all the way to the campus library, do you?" Jamie snorts, shifting her hands to her hips.

"She probably didn't go to the campus library," Danny answers, fighting a smirk when she jumps. His eyes lock to an empty spot beside the television, where he'd seen a more refined version of the Fenton Porta-Portal the night before.

"Oh, so which library did she go to?" Jamie asks, her voice an octave higher than before, "I really need to ask her something," she pulls at the hem of her booty shorts.

"Just a guess, but I think she's probably doing some ghost research," he sits up, running a hand through his hair, "So she's probably at Ghost Writer's place."

"…Ghost…Writer?"

"He's a pretty powerful spook," he explains, "he can drag you into a story where anything he writes comes true. He was in prison for a while after breaking the Christmas truce, but he's not exactly…evil. He just…really, the only reason he ended up in trouble was because he did it during Christmas. It's a long story," he adds hurriedly, seeing their curious faces, "and totally my fault for being a jerk. Anyway, it's really urgent?"

"Y-y-yeah," she nods, "I couldn't get her on her cell…"

"No cell reception in the Infinite Realms," he laughs, rummaging through his backpack until he finds a Fenton Phone. "There's usually this odd device by the TV here, right?"

"Yeah, Jazz told us not to touch it," Angie nods.

"As though we could," Jamie adds, "It has a fingerprint scanner on it."

"Oh, of course you tried it!"

"What is it, anyway?"

"A portable ghost portal," Danny replies, zipping his bag, "Where better to get information on ghosts than a ghost library?"

"So she's…" Angie's spoon clatters into her bowl, "in the Ghost Zone?!"

He nods.

"So, wait…she can just…open a portal to the land of the dead?" Jamie whispers, "That is so cool!"

"Well, she has to have to coordinates for it if she doesn't want to end up in Skulker's Lair or Walker's Prison," he sighs, "…is it urgent enough that I need to go get her for you? She's probably been in that library all night anyway…"

"Yeah, it's really important," she smiles sheepishly, batting her eyelashes, "I suppose that you have one of those porta-portals too?"

"Sort of," he answers, "I'll go get her then. Stand back a little, will you?"

They oblige, and he focuses his thoughts on Ghost Writer's mansion. A soft green glow encompasses his hand, which he slowly lifts into the air. The glow solidifies into claws at his fingertips. He rakes his fingers through the air, tearing a hole into the ghost zone. It stabilizes a second later, and he allows the glow to fade.

He places the Fenton Phone into his ear, "Jazz. Jazz…calling Jazz! Your roommate says she has something urgent to talk with you about!" he waits, knowing the most likely response.

Silence.

He mutters a curse under his breath, "She's not wearing one. I'll have to go get her."

"Wait, you're going in?" Angie squeaks.

"Yeah…" he hesitates, halfway through the portal.

"Can I come?" Jamie asks quickly, pulling on a pair of pants she'd fetched from her room, "I've never been in the Ghost Zone!"

"I'd like to see it too," Angie whispers quietly, "If it's safe."

He stares at them for a moment, before relenting with a sigh, "Do whatever I tell you, and you'll be fine. It's not much farther."

"Can't you open a portal right in front of his door?" Jamie frowns.

"No," he snorts, "First of all, lairs in the Infinite Realms float around a bit – but they stay in a general area. Secondly…it's rude to open a portal into someone's lawn. Are you coming or not?"

"Totally!" Jamie grins.

"Yeah," Angie nods, placing her empty bowl on the coffee table.

He sticks a hand out, beckoning them, still halfway through the portal, "Let's go, then. Remember; everything I say."

Jamie follows behind him as he vanishes completely from sight, pulling the more hesitant Angie behind her.

They wobble in the lack of gravity, a small yelp falling from Angie's lips. Danny laughs, pulling her upright, "keep your feet together. Just let yourself settle for a moment. You'll get your bearings soon enough."

They follow his advice, doing their best to copy his stance.

"See that shadow over there?" he points behind them, beyond the portal, where a large shape looms, "That's the mansion. Follow me."

"S-slow down," Angie whimpers, wobbling beside Jamie. Her eyes are wide, locked on the infinite space beneath them.

"Are you afraid of heights?" Jamie asks, allowing her terrified roommate to cling to her arm.

"Maybe," she replies.

"…do you want to go back home, to terra firma?" Danny questions, floating in a lazy circle around them.

"No, I want to see this…library."

He stares at her for a moment, contemplating, before he holds out a hand with a smile, "I'll help you. Jamie's going to lose circulation in her arm at this rate."

She takes his hand, surprised at the calluses she feels on his palm, and he leads the small group slowly towards the mansion.

Jamie gapes at the swirling green nebula, noticing the other oddities. More shadows float above, below, and around them, leaving her wondering what else is out here.

They're almost to the steps when she hears the motorcycle, and Danny screeches to a halt, his blue eyes snapping to the sky.

"Hey!" Johnny Thirteen rumbles to a stop at the bottom step, "That was some nice driving the other day. We'll have to race again – on my turf, this time."

"Why, can't win anywhere else?" Danny retorts, "Just leave the shadow at home, huh?"

The ghost snorts.

"I would've made it home to Amity Park last night if you hadn't shown up!"

"Sorry, man," he raises his hands, "I had some jitters to work off, you know?"

"For what?!" Danny frowns.

"…Kitty and I…well, we're…going to do it, you know?" he scratches nervously at the stubble on his jaw, "We're tying the knot."

"About time," Danny breaks into a grin, "You've only been dating since…when, the Eighties?"

"What about you and your little Goth girlfriend?! You've been engaged for over a year now, haven't you?"

A small blush rises in the halfa's cheeks, "It was the condition to get her parents'…well, her mother's…blessing. It's currently in the planning stage."

"Dude, it was totally the news of the Ghost Zone," Johnny laughs, "Frostbite was beside himself when he realized that you hadn't told him you were planning that proposal. Even more distraught that you didn't commission his people for the ring."

"Johnny, you know as well as I do that if Frostbite had learned about it, it wouldn't have been much of a surprise. Is he still sulking after more than a year?"

"He worships you," the ghost shrugs, "So…weren't you banned from Ghost Writer's library?"

Danny cringes, "We've reached an understanding. I'm just here to get Jazz."

"Got it. Tell her the news? Let me know if she wants an invite. We haven't set a date yet or anything…"

"Yeah, I'll let her know. See you, Johnny."

He takes off in a cloud of exhaust, and Danny turns to the steps.

"That's the first time I've been so close to a ghost," Jamie whispers, "that was so cool!"

"You seemed pretty friendly with him, Danny," Angie questions.

"Johnny doesn't typically cause any big problems. His shadow, maybe, and his jealous girlfriend, definitely. We like to compete with each other, but I wouldn't call him an enemy, you know? Come on, let's find Jazz."

They stride into the mansion, every wall covered in books. Stepping softly, they work through the corridors, glancing for a shock of orange hair.

"So this is the original copy of The Legend of Pariah Dark?"

"Yes. It's in Latin, though…"

"I've been learning Latin," Jazz smiles, "Danny practices with me. He's actually really good at it, you know?"

"Clockwork's tutelage of the halfa is the only reason he's allowed in my library," the Ghost Writer snorts, his green eyes glowing softly behind his spectacles. His goatee has been trimmed, now close to his chin. His black hair, however, is as unruly as ever, sticking up in odd places, as though he's just rolled out of bed. A cup of coffee steams beside him, and another in a matching cup beside Jazz.

"He apologized about the Christmas poem incident," she smiles and shakes her head.

"Indeed. I'd like to think that my lesson helped him improve as a person. It makes the time I spent at Walker's seem worth it," he types absently on a keyboard in front of him.

Danny swears quietly, "that reminds me," he grimaces, "I have a meeting with the Observants' council this week."

"What?" Angie hisses.

"…don't worry about it," he strides from the column of books, "Jazz!" he shouts as loud as he dares – normal speaking volume, but in the hush of the mansion, it feels like he's shouting.

"Speak of the devil and he shall appear," Ghost Writer drolls.

"Jamie? Angie? What are you doing here?" Jazz stands, her blue eyes filled with worry.

"Jamie said she had something urgent to talk to you about. You weren't wearing your Fenton-Phone, so I had to come get you. They wanted to come along, and I figured it couldn't hurt. There's no one in these parts that'll attack me, after all."

"True," Jazz nods, "Wait, you opened a portal in front of them?!"

"Yeah, remember?" he lies through his teeth, "Mom and Dad are working on that new porta-portal deal? The one I'm testing for them? The top-secret one that no one is to mention?" he turns his gaze on the roommates, who nod.

"Understood," they chorus.

"Yes, that one," Ghost Writer smirks, knowing otherwise, "So, Ph-enton, did you enjoy Christmas away from your parents?"

"The weeks leading up to it," he smiles tightly, "Of course, I have to listen to the argument on Christmas day, but it was nice to be rid of it for the weeks leading up to it. I celebrated Hanukkah with Sam, just the two of us. Then we drove up to Amity Park for Christmas dinner with our families. Overall, it was nice."

"Good. No more destroyed Christmas poems then."

"Are you ever going to let that go?"

"No."

"Thanks."

"Anyway, Jamie, what did you need to ask me about?" Jazz inquires.

"Well…"

Danny glances at his watch, "Jazz, can I leave them with you? I need to get ready and head out. I told Sam I'd leave at nine and be in Amity Park before noon."

"Yeah. Good to see you, little brother. I'll be there on Saturday," she gives him a hug, "I'm sure Sam could use some therapy, huh?"

"That's my job," he grins widely, his blue eyes sparking mischievously, "But then again, girls need to talk to one another every once in a while, huh?"

"Yeah," she smiles, "Have a safe trip, Danny."

"Will do. See you, Jazz!" he vanishes around a bookshelf, and Jazz sees a small flash of light, where he's gone ghost and phased invisibly away.

"So what is he studying in the Mortal Realms?" Ghost Writer questions, taking a sip of coffee.

"Well, he originally wanted to be an astronaut. While he hasn't lost his enthusiasm for space, he's turned to Criminal Justice instead."

"That would be his hero complex talking. What about his friend? The smart one."

"Tucker? He's getting an Engineering degree, but he's also taking Political Science and Business classes."

"And his girlfr—fiancee?"

"Marine Biology and Environmental Science," she smiles, "They're all growing up. It's weird."

"You're only a few years older," his eyebrows furrow.

"Yeah, but I still remember when Danny was learning to talk. It's just…weird to think that he's in college with an impending marriage."

He hums, his typing pausing while he scrutinizes a sentence, fixing it with an irritated scowl, "I suppose I can sympathize. It felt odd when my younger half-brother, Randy, spiraled into the Ghost Zone. He died an old man, so he looks older than me, but…" he frowns, unsure what to say, "…I imagine the emotion I felt when I saw him here is similar to the one you're experiencing right now."

"So…how did you die?" Jamie asks, plopping heavily into a chair.

Ghost Writer fumbles at his keyboard.

Jazz rockets to her feet and whirls on her roommate, "Jamie!" she hisses viciously, "You don't ask that!"

Jamie holds her hands up, her grey-green eyes wide, "Jeez, Jazz, sorry."

"I'm not the one you need to apologize to!"

She leans around to look past Jazz, "Sorry, Mr. Ghost Writer."

"It's quite alright," he answers curtly, a hand fisting, "You didn't know better. A side-effect of our…tenuous relations with our mortal neighbors."

"I would think it was common sense," Angie comments, "But then again, Jamie tends to lack that."

"Tact, certainly," he agrees, his eyes locking to his screen.

"I'm sorry about this," Jazz apologizes, "I need to take them home anyway. Can I come back later to go over some of my paper with you?"

"Yes. I'll keep these books here on this table for you. I'll add anything I remember might have relevance in the meantime. Have a good day, Jasmine."

"Have a good day…Cecil," she whispers the last part, quietly enough that she knows only he, with his enhanced hearing, will hear.

He smiles softly at the sound of his name, and she leads her roommates away.

They emerge into the open air, Angie clinging to Jazz's arm. Jamie is dragged behind by a firm grip on her wrist.

"Jazz, I said I was sorry," she groans, "This hurts. Can you let up on the death-grip a little?"

"You need to think before you open your mouth!" she scolds, whipping out the silver portal gun, "he was pretty calm about it. If you'd asked Skulker, he'd threaten to put your pelt on his wall. Ember would probably kill you too. If her song is any indication, it wasn't pretty. You don't ask how they died. You should be glad he took it so well. He's known for being a bit impulsive – he could've written you into your worst nightmare if he wanted to!"

They stride into the living room, the pillow and blanket used by Danny folded neatly on the couch with a small thank-you note resting on top.

"…it's sacred to them, in a way," Jazz continues softly, picking up the note, "the memory of their last breath. Whether the air was hot, cold…if there was air at all. The way it tasted. We don't remember being born, but ghosts…in a way, they do. They remember the moment they were separated from their mortal bodies, the moment when ideas, thoughts…their obsession…surrounded them."

"So do you know how he died?" Angie whispers.

"No," she shakes her head, "He told me about how ghosts view the memories of their death, of their mortal life…I don't even remember how we got onto the topic. We got into a bit of a discussion from there, actually. It was about human rituals versus ghost rituals and then we moved on to the differences in culture. It was a really great discussion. For instance, the Christmas truce, or the way lairs are created. I mean, why do some of them have doors and some of them on islands? What dictates a ghosts lair? What creates the difference between ghosts like Skulker, Ember, and Ghost Writer from the more formless beings like ectopi? Do ghosts actually 'move on', or is every ghost since the beginning of time somewhere in the Infinite Realms? …listen to me ramble. It probably doesn't even make sense to you," she sighs, rubbing her forehead, "anyway, Jamie…"

"…yeah?"

"…what's wrong with the tub now?!"