Jargogle

Danny shut the door of his lair behind him, leaning against it with a sigh. A blank white space without any visible walls or other restraints stretched out before him, and the halfa hovered in the middle of it, eyes closed and hands loose by his sides.

He frowned in concentration, and energy began to drain from his core at a steady rate. The halfa kept his eyes closed, focusing on the mental image of what he wanted. After about a minute, the power flow lessened, and then shut off altogether.

Danny yawned at the sudden wave of lethargy, opening his eyes to gaze about.

He floated in the first room of his lair, a living area with a depression in the middle filled by a black leather couch that was scattered with cushions. On the wall was mounted a huge television, complete with gaming consoles and surround sound. Movie posters covered this feature wall, and Danny smiled, touching his boots to the soft grey carpet.

He moved towards the hallway, smile growing wider as he surveyed each room. They were all exactly as he had imagined them; the kitchen that opened up onto an expansive dining room; the bedrooms with their adjoining bathrooms; the training area containing everything from weights to a swimming pool. Everything was a blend of black, white, and soft greys, with the walls painted a calming light grey.

Sighing, the teen flopped down on one of the loveseats in the library. This was exactly as he had imagined, and the drain on his power was completely worth it. He closed his eyes, relaxing into the cushions with a groan. I made my own lair… A chuckle bubbled in his chest, and Danny tilted his head back, letting loose a hearty laugh. "I made my own lair!" he exclaimed, lurching to his feet and spinning giddily.

The teen turned human, phasing off his shoes to land barefoot. The dark grey carpet was as soft as a blanket, and Danny wriggled his toes at the feeling. He threw himself down, rolling on the unbelievably soft surface and laughing hysterically.

Settling to lie on his back, the halfa wriggled delightedly. He briefly debated exploring the place further, but decided against it for the time being; after all, everything was exactly how he had imagined it.

Danny sighed contentedly, running his fingers over the surface and wriggling his toes again. This just felt so right – now that he had a lair to call his own, the hero could finally admit to himself that he belonged somewhere. This was something that he had not been sure of since the accident, but now, Danny had a place where he knew, without a shadow of a doubt, that he was welcome. He squirmed into a more comfortable position, grinning like a lunatic.

He wasn't a freak. He belonged somewhere. He was fine just the way he was, and Danny felt an almost tangible burden dissolve as he accepted that Spectra had always been wrong.

For the first time since the accident, the teen finally felt comfortable with his hybrid status.

Lurching to his feet, Danny grabbed his shoes and tucked them under his arm. He walked down the carpeted hallway, humming to himself as he entered his bedroom.

The room was everything he could have wanted. Once again decorated in a blend of white, black, and greys, the space was huge. It contained a display case for whatever he chose in one corner, a handful of beanbags in the other, and in between the two were doors leading to a walk-in wardrobe and an elegant bathroom.

Danny ignored this for the time being, heading straight for the massive bed that was pressed lengthwise against the opposite wall. He rubbed at his eyes with a yawn, placing his shoes on the floor and settling into the blankets with a contented sigh.

It just felt so perfect, and the exhausted teen slipped into sleep with a smile still touching his lips.

Danny rolled over, mumbling as something vibrated against his hip. He reached beneath the covers, working his buzzing phone free from his pocket without opening his eyes. Not bothering to check the caller ID, the teen pressed its surface until his finger hit the answer button.

"Mmmm?" the boy slurred into what he hoped was the microphone end of his phone.

"Danny, where are you? Are you hurt?!"

The boy mumbled incoherently, shifting under the heavy blanket before managing to generate a coherent response. "'M fine, Mum. Just sleepin'."

"Where are you?" She sounded different, and Danny belatedly realised that the panic from her initial questions had disappeared.

"I'm…" The boy frowned, shifting again in the unfamiliar bed. Where was he? Cracking his eyes open, Danny felt a smile creep over his face as his memories worked their way through his sleep-hazed mind. "I'm in my lair."

A sigh filtered through the speakers. "Tell me when you go running off like that, okay?"

The teen frowned. "It's gunna take a bit to adjust," he confessed. "I'm used to coming and going while trying to keep everything a secret, remember?"

"So long as you try," the woman insisted.

"Alright, I'll try to let you know more often," Danny groaned, rolling onto his side.

"Anyway, I'm not calling about that."

"Didn't think you would be," Danny interrupted.

"Yes, well, you need to go pick up Sebastian from James."

The boy snapped into full wakefulness. "He's finally better?!"

"Yeah, James called just now and said that you should go soon. He'll wait for you for about half an hour before he has to go pick up his son from training."

"Yeah, I'll go now," the boy promised. "Thanks, Mum! I'll see you at home?"

"See you later," the woman confirmed, hanging up.

Danny shoved his phone back into the pocket of his jeans before sitting up. Interlocking his fingers, the ghost boy reached above his head, twisting from side to side. His spine re-aligned with a series of pops, and Danny groaned at the feeling. Dropping his hands, he slipped out of bed and quickly made it before pulling on his shoes and shifting into ghost form.

Teleporting to the foyer space, Danny left his lair through the front door and flew in the direction of the place where he had first met James. He waved at Neil upon spotting the boy on the way, but didn't stop to converse; at the moment, Sebastian was Danny's priority.

Wilhelmina had concluded that the damage to the baby was too difficult for most healers to fix, due to the fragile nature of Sebastian's wings. The dragon had been taken to James, one of the only qualified veterinary healers in the area. Danny had found over the past week that the absence of his companion had left him in a sour mood, and he often woke in the night to reach for a dragonling that wasn't there.

Reaching the correct door, Danny let himself in. "James?" he called upon noticing that the desk was unattended. The man appeared from the back room a moment later, cradling in his hands a squirming white-and-blue creature.

Danny grinned, forgetting everything else as he reached for his companion. Sebastian leaped out of the vet's hold, clinging to the front of Danny's shirt and fanning his wings with a delighted trill.

"I missed you too, Buddy," Danny chuckled, gently kneading the nubs on Sebastian's skull that would one day become horns.

His smile faltered at the scars that roped across the membranes of the tiny creature's wings. "He's healed, right?" the teen whispered, shooting a glance at his great-uncle.

James inclined his head. "Yes, but you know how injuries work. Those scars'll fade with time, but when bad weather makes yours ache, you can guarantee that his'll be sore as well."

Danny blinked back sudden tears. "Thank you," he choked. "I don't know what I'd do if Sebby was disfigured because of that fight, or if he… if…" the boy broke off, gulping. His hands, which here still resting on the dragon's body, began to tremble.

James clapped his hand against the younger halfa's shoulder. "How're your own wings after that mishap earlier this week?"

Danny dislodged Sebastian from his shirt, lifting the baby to tuck him into his customary perch at the crook of the boy's neck. "They're fine," he admitted, turning the appendages visible and extending them for the man to run expert fingers over. "The bones have healed properly, thank goodness." He flinched inwardly at the memory; with wings being something that most healers had never been trained to deal with, Danny had been forced to rely on James to treat them for him. At the time, however, Sebastian had been asleep thanks to healing medication, and it was decided that it would be unwise to wake the creature. Besides, Danny had been too worked up over dealing with needles and stitches to really care about anything else…

"Hmm," the man grumbled, touching his fingers to Danny's own scarred membrane. "Be more careful when training with your Reaper friend next time."

"Oh, don't worry, I will," Danny promised, reaching up to fondle Sebastian. Now that they had been reunited, the halfa found that he had to keep touching the dragon, if only to reassure the two of them that they were together again and that it wasn't just some sort of dream.

A spike of pain drove itself into his skull, and Danny yelped involuntarily, pressing the heels of his palms against his forehead. His vision turned black, and the next thing the teen knew, he was sitting on the floor as James rubbed his back. "Take it easy," the man advised, moving his hand in slow, gentle circles. "Just let it happen, Danny. Sebastian says that he's been trying to reach you for a while now, but your powers were bound, making telepathy impossible."

"Telepathy?" the teen ground out, gasping at another stab of pain.

"He wouldn't try unless he sensed that you were ready," James insisted. "It's painful when you first use it on your own, but it gets easier."

The teen could barely nod, let alone speak as the spike in his skull drove even deeper. He simply sat there and clutched at his head, breathing in short gasps as James continued to whisper soothingly.

An expression of relief that most certainly wasn't his own registered in Danny's mind, and he sighed as the pain began to ebb. You're rather difficult to contact, you know.

Danny jolted at the unfamiliar voice; it wasn't a sound that seemed to originate from anywhere, but rather buzzed in the atmosphere around him. However, he knew immediately that he was the only one who could hear it. Danny dimly registered that the statement had been in Ghost, and projected a thought outward in the same language. It's not like I was asking to be contacted, he huffed mentally. This unknown presence had caused him to tense, and Danny glanced around the room in confusion. Where are you? Who are you?

Calm down, it's me! the telepathic voice exclaimed in exasperation as Sebastian fanned his wings and let out a squawk.

Danny stilled. Sebastian?

Who else? The dragon settled into place again now that he had his companion's attention, excitement seeping across their mental link. You really can be clueless sometimes.

"Oh, not you, too," the boy groaned out loud, still in Ghost.

James chuckled at this. "Well, it seems like you two have set that up fine," he announced, getting to his feet.

Danny followed suit, flashing his relative a grin and slipping back into English to mirror the man's speech. "Thank you, James. I… We really appreciate it."

James waved a dismissive hand. "Nonsense. Go on, get going, you rascals."

Danny moved towards the door as it was opened for him, surprising his great-uncle by throwing his arms around the man in an unexpected hug. "I know you won't accept payment, but really, thank you," Danny whispered, pulling away and extending his hand palm-up. "Here's the customary payment for a healing."

James stepped backwards as the teen summoned an orb of green energy. "No, Danny, I can't take that."

"Well, I'll just leave it here, than," the young man insisted, placing the now-stable orb on the administration desk. "Then you can use it to take care of the other animals or something."

James smiled. "Well, if it's for the animals, I guess I can't refuse…"

"Damn right you can't!" Danny exclaimed, moving to the door again. "See you later, James!"

"See you," the man called, shaking his head bemusedly as his great-nephew disappeared into the Ghost Zone.

…

Danny slipped through the open Fenton portal, treading lightly across the lab floor. His father, snoozing at one of the benches, simply let out a rattling snore. Grinning, Danny retrieved one of the emergency blankets from within the Speeder, throwing it around Jack's shoulders.

He closed the portal and moved up the stairs, whistling to himself. Sebastian crouched quietly on Danny's shoulder, preening the halfa's hair and sending flashes of thought through their mental link every now and then.

Danny headed for the kitchen, smiling when he caught sight of Danielle at the table. "Hey," he greeted, ruffling her hair.

"Oi!" the girl exclaimed, fixing her ruined ponytail with a few deft movements. Danny chuckled, moving over to the stove.

"Mmm, what's this?" he queried, lifting the pot's lid and inhaling the sweet aroma of lamb stew.

"Dinner," Maddie called from the direction of the living room, "and if you eat any now, all you'll get is plain buttered toast."

The ghost boy chuckled, replacing the lid and stepping away from the stove. "Hey, Ella, what you got there?"

Danielle grinned, moving her hands to reveal the glowing ball of white feathers cradled in her hands. "This is Ajax," she chirped, extending a finger and gently using its tip to nudge at the tiny bundle in the palm of her hand.

Danny smiled, tapping his knuckles against the table. The little ball of feathers jolted before uncurling to reveal a pygmy owl, opening a tiny beak to let loose a faint chirrup. "He can't fly yet," Ella informed her brother.

"I think I gathered that from how small he is," Danny responded, "and he's still got a bit of baby fluff."

The girl smiled in response, eyes shifting to Danny's shoulder. "It's good to see Sebastian back with you. How're yours and his wings?"

"We're both healed fully," the boy responded, automatically reaching up to rub the little, hard nubs on the top of his companion's head. "What're you reading, by the way?"

Danielle flushed. "Well, I wanted to make cookies, but I don't know how to cook, and Mum's recipe book isn't exactly helpful…"

"Of course it isn't," the hero laughed. "For starters, that recipe asks for a 'decent amount' of flour! Here, come and put this apron on and I'll teach you how to make some killer chocolate chip cookies."

"Who'd you learn the recipe from?" she asked, tucking Ajax into a little wool-lined pouch that hung around her neck.

"Surprisingly, it was Tucker. Cookies are the only thing he can cook besides meat."

"Seriously?" Ella quirked an eyebrow as she looped the apron's straps around her back, tying them deftly.

Danny nodded, fetching the ingredients and directing Ella to find the correct bowl and utensils. "Alright," he announced, stepping back from the bench. "I'll tell you what to do for each ingredient, and you do it while I go grease the baking trays.

"What?!"

"You'll be fine!" he reassured her. "And besides, if you somehow manage to mess it up a bit, Dad'll scoff 'em all anyway."

The girl giggled as she washed her hands. "True, true. Anyway, where've you been today, besides fetching Sebastian?"

Danny snagged the butter from the fridge, using a serviette to scoop out a chunk with which to grease one of the trays. "Oh, I went and made my lair this morning after visiting Sam and Tuck – they're a bit bored since their parents are keeping them at home in bed. Making the lair was really exhausting, though, and I collapsed straight away."

Scrunching her forehead in concentration, Danielle sifted the flour into the mixing bowl, taking care not to spill any. Hey, could I have some chocolate chips before she puts them in?

Danny smirked, responding to his dragon easily. Sure. Scoping a handful out of the open packet, he set them down on a clear space of bench. Just be careful that you don't move backwards, or you'll end up sitting in the tray that I've just finished greasing.

Talk to Ella, the dragonling advised. I think something's wrong.

I can't talk to her about that!

You're her brother!

She can talk to Mum about it.

Your Mum didn't know that Valerie girl like you two did. Danny, it has to be you.

The ghost boy huffed. Alright, but only if you teach me your landing technique later.

A strange snorting sound issued from the dragon's snout, and he busied himself with his chocolate.

"Was Sebastian just choking?" Ella gasped.

Danny shook his head. "Nah, he was laughing at me."

"You're speaking in ghost," she remarked off-handedly, stirring the dry ingredients into the mixture of milk, eggs, butter, and vanilla essence.

The boy grimaced. "Yeah, that's Sebby's preferred language when we talk, since speaking in ghost relies as much on sensing emotion as the actual words."

"You two can talk telepathically?!"

"Well, yeah. It took a while to develop, and we're still learning how it works…"

"That's really cool," the girl responded. "By the way, this is a huge amount of cookie dough that we're making."

"Well, Dad'll eat a whole batch to himself, and I'm getting you to make a triple batch so you'll have some to take to school and share with your new friends. I'll also take some to Damon, since I think he could really use a bit of love right now."

Ella stiffened, her fingers halting in their kneading. "I've gone to his place a couple of times," she confessed. "I've done his dishes and laundry, and even cooked him dinner, but he doesn't notice me!"

"We'll go together," Danny promised. "He can't ignore both of us."

"Hmmm," she sighed.

Danny sent her a sidelong glance. "Are you okay?"

Ella shrugged as a tear slipped down her cheek. "She was my best friend," the girl whispered. "Val would meet up with me whenever I was in town, and we'd share ghost hunting stories and hot chocolates."

The young man sighed, swiping the back of his hand over his forehead. "Well, why don't we take some of these cookies to her as well?"

"She's gone," Ella snapped, leaning forwards so that her bangs fell across her face. "It's no use."

"She's not a ghost," the boy confirmed as he leaned against the counter, "but Grim told me that a lot of souls are still given the opportunity to keep an eye on the people they love."

The girl sniffed. "Thanks, Danny. I think I will take some of these to her grave after all."

"Good to know." Moving closer, Danny reached towards the thoroughly-kneaded cookie dough. "Alright, let me show you how to make them the perfect size…"

…

"Oi!" Danny shouted, snapping his fingers in front of the unresponsive man's face. "We've cleaned your house, made you dinner, and even brought you fresh cookies. Aren't you gunna acknowledge our existence?"

"Danny!" Ella gasped, rushing forwards and trying to tug her brother away.

The young man phased out of her grasp, leaning over Damon as he remained slumped on the couch. "Mr Gray, please talk to us."

Damon blinked, tilting his head to stare up at the two intruders. "Daniel and Danielle," he rasped, face draining as he sat up straight.

Danny clapped a hand to the man's shoulder. "Come and eat dinner before it gets cold," he advised, tugging the grieving father to his feet and leading him to the dining room.

Damon sat heavily, picking up his fork and staring at it as though it was the most extraordinary thing in existence. "What are you two doing here?"

"Ella's been coming for the last few days," Danny offered. "We're worried about you, Mr Gray! Besides, Ella made heaps of cookies, so she wanted you to come along and take them to Val's grave after dinner."

"Did she say anything?"

The hero froze, hands curling around the edge of the table. "What?"

"Did Valerie say anything as she…" His cheeks were wet with tears, drops flicking from the man's eyelashes to spot his glasses.

Danny chewed on his lower lip. "Um, not really. It all happened so fast… I-I was fighting Walker, and he was coming in with the hit that would've finished me. Val fought him off while I was dazed, but he… She just…" Danny swallowed thickly, feeling a sob swell in his chest. "I-I tried to heal her, but it was too late."

Damon got shakily to his feet, enfolding the trembling young man in strong arms. "Thank you," he whispered.

Danny tugged out of the embrace. "No, don't thank me!" he screamed as the tears finally broke free. "If I'd just made her stay with the others, she'd be-"

"Then you'd be dead," the man concluded, pulling Danny close again. "Valerie was a good girl, but she was stubborn. I doubt you could have stopped her."

"No, I suppose not," the hero responded with a watery chuckle.

Danielle sat on the edge of the table, idly swinging her legs. "What're you going to do now, Damon?"

Danny frowned at his sister's informal address, but the man in question smiled at the girl with a great degree of affection. The boy shook it off, reasoning that these two would be fairly familiar with each other thanks to Danielle's friendship with Valerie.

"I'm going to keep my job," Damon announced, snagging a cookie from the platter. He visibly steeled himself, sniffing as fresh tears trickled down his cheeks before continuing, "and I'm going to join a martial arts group or something so I can meet new people. She would have wanted that."

Danny clasped the man's shoulder, gut twisting as he recalled his own conversation with Grand Master Farrar. "I think she would have wanted that very much."

…

Danny sat on the edge of the roof of the town hall. Sebastian perched beside him, and the boy and his dragon relaxed, enjoying the evening's gentle breeze and each other's company.

The dragonling was preening, cleaning his one extended wing and admiring how it glittered in the lamplight. Danny watched in amusement before rolling his shoulders with a frown. Extending one of his own wings, the halfa tilted it so that the glossy scales caught the light. He frowned, using a fingernail to gently scrape a little bit of dirt out from underneath one of the scales.

"You two look ridiculous."

Danny jolted, swinging his head around to glare playfully at Sam. "Would you prefer it if I let my wings stay dirty?" he responded as she carefully sat beside him, dangling her legs over the edge of the building.

"Up here, just like a bird?"

He shrugged. "Sebby was teaching me some flying tricks, and I guess that we got a little tired. How'd you get up here, anyway?"

Smirking, the girl kicked her legs idly. "I got Tucker to build hover boards into the soles of our shoes. He's gunna give you yours tomorrow."

Danny whistled, looping his tail loosely around her hips. "He's even better at tech than I thought. Mum and Dad might even want him to work for them!"

The girl stiffened. "Tucker's going to study a Bachelor of Engineering and Information Technology at Wisconsin – he's met all the prerequisites, and his marks are so good that so long as he manages to pass the final exams at school, he'll have a scholarship in the course."

Danny's eyebrows disappeared beneath his fringe. "That's fantastic! When'd you guys find that out?"

"While you were away with your Mum," she sighed.

Danny spread the wing on the side that she was pressed against, folding it around his girlfriend as she shivered in a chilly wind that only felt soothing to him. "So, have you figured out your future?"

"As a matter of fact, I have. That's why I came to find you – enrolment for universities closes tomorrow."

"So, what're you doing?"

Sam stared at the square below them, watching as people hurried in every direction as the offices closed for the night. "I'm going to be studying paranormal science, and I'm gunna be the best person in the entire course. At the end of my first year, I'll have performed so well that I'll definitely qualify for a double degree in law and paranormal science!"

"Whoa, Sam, that's fantastic!" Inside, Danny felt like he was going to scream. "Where are you studying that?"

"Um, I'm going to Harvard, actually." His silence seemed to unnerve her, and the girl began to fiddle with the hem of her skirt. "Have you decided what you want to do? Because… I want you to go to university. I know you'll never leave Amity Park, so I'd never ask you to come with me, but you need to continue your education!"

Blinking back the sudden onslaught of tears, the halfa took several deep breaths. "So, you're leaving me." His voice was dead, and Sam shuddered as tingles slipped down her back.

"We'll make it work," she promised. "What I'm going to be doing takes a lot of work, so even if I was in town, I wouldn't really see you much unless we lived in the same house or something."

"What if we did live in the same house?"

Sam froze at his whisper. "What are you asking me?" she demanded.

"I don't know. It just seems too much… How can we be together if we're so far away?"

Sam sighed. "I don't like it either, but if you're studying as well, we can both work hard and look forwards too seeing each other each summer."

"Sam, I love you. Stay with me, please?"

She stiffened. "We're teenagers," the girl snapped. "We won't get anywhere without an education, and I'd expect you to understand that I'm leaving so we don't distract each other."

"You're being unreasonable," he choked. "Don't you love me, too?"

The young woman pulled away and got to her feet. "Daniel James Fenton, you're the one who's being unreasonable. Why am I the only one who has to be mature around here?! You need to figure out your life, and I need to get on with mine."

Her words stung like he'd been shot with the barnacles again, forcing the breath out of Danny's body and sending a tear trickling down his cheek. "Well, I guess I'm ahead of you already," he countered, keeping his voice as cold as possible, "since I've at least learned not to try to manipulate others into making the life decisions that I want them to make."

Without so much as a goodbye, the teen scooped the dragon into his arms and leaped into the air, teleporting away before he could hit the pavement.

…

That was a little harsh.

Danny sighed at Sebastian's comment. I know, but Tucker and I have really tried to get better at relationships and stuff for a while now, but she's just the same as ever.

Still, you should go and apologise. The dragonling clambered to drape around Danny's neck, holding on tightly as the halfa swooped through the sky.

I will tomorrow, Danny promised as he angled himself to fly higher.

I thought you wanted that conversation to go in a completely different direction. You had the ring ready and everything!

The young man sighed, switching from ghost powers to using his wings to fly. Things with Sam often turn out unexpected. Have I told you about the time she got turned into a vengeful, massive dragon intent on tearing off Paulina's head?

Sebastian snorted in amusement, adjusting his grasp on his companion's clothing. First, where're we going?

There's something that I need to do. We'll be home by dawn.

Fine with me, Sebastian responded. Now, what was this about Sam becoming an evil dragon?

…

Star bit her lower lip in concentration, brows furrowing slightly as she applied a perfect stroke of tangerine polish to her pinkie toenail. Satisfied, she stretched out the completed foot, propping it on top of a cushion to dry as she began to apply a sparkly topcoat to her orange fingernails. Paulina's constant chatter wafted through the half-open bathroom door, detailing the prom dress that the school's most popular girl had seen in some virtually unknown boutique. Star had already heard the description twice, and seen a picture five times, but she didn't mind – the conversation required no effort on her part, leaving her mind free to wander.

"Okay, I am going to get out of the shower now, so don't let anyone in!"

"There's nobody else here," Star reminded her friend before tapping the screen of her iPhone. Music filled the room, and Star sighed in relief as she settled back against the pillows, dipping the brush into the bottle before running it expertly across her thumbnail in one clean stroke.

A knock on the door startled her, and Star jumped, the glittery varnish streaking across her cuticle and over the first joint of her finger. "Come in!" she called, waving her hand through the air so that the mess would dry – it was easier to clean off that way.

The door opened slowly, a familiar head peeking around its edge. "Um, your dad let me in," Sam explained. "Do you have a few minutes?"

Star stared at the unexpected guest. "Sure," she responded, gesturing to the recliner beneath her window. "Um, sit down… Oh, Paulina, don't come out without getting dressed first – we have a guest!" the hostess shouted.

An affirmative noise drifted from the en suite bathroom before Paulina returned to singing along to the music.

"What can I do for you?" Star asked, not unkindly.

Sam fisted her hands in her lap, shoulders creeping towards her ears. "I need girl talk," she confessed in a voice that barely carried over the music. "We were friends before I met Tucker and Danny, so I was hoping…"

"No problem!" Star chirped. "Spill, girl. There's no judging when we girl talk in our bedrooms."

The Goth smiled weakly. "Yeah, I was hoping you still had that rule. Can I trust you to be completely honest with me, though, even if it might hurt me?"

"Oh, you can count on us," Paulina called. She leaned against the doorframe, her well-endowed breasts barely covered by a fluffy white towel. "We might have our differences, but once in one of our bedrooms, all of that goes out the window. No shame, girl."

Sam nodded, fighting back her discomfort and obvious embarrassment. "I had a fight with Danny," she blurted.

Paulina raised a perfect eyebrow, stepping into the walk-in wardrobe only to emerge a moment later in nothing but mini-shorts and a tank top. "Don't you guys fight a lot?"

The Goth shrugged. "Well, we tend to disagree about things every now and then, but that's normal – after all, we've been dating for a couple of years now. Danny always backs off quickly, though, and we compromise about a lot of things."

Star nodded. "Yeah, you guys really seem to have it worked out. What was the fight about?"

"Well, I was telling him about my university applications, and told him that he should hurry up and get into a course as well. He got upset, and told me that I was manipulative, and that I should be working to grow out of it! Then he flew off before we could sort things out!"

Clicking her tongue, Star passed a bottle of teal polish to Paulina as the beauty queen sat on the bed beside her. "Well…"

"Go on," Sam urged the blonde girl. "Tell me honestly, and whatever you say, I'll consider."

"You should listen to him," Star advised, blowing a stray wisp of hair away from her face. Paulina set aside the unopened bottle of varnish, moving to braid her friend's hair as the young woman continued. "Danny's kinda right. I mean, he used to judge people really easily, but now it's obvious that he waits to know as much as possible first, and then he still gives them heaps of chances. Tucker's stopped being such a know-it-all in casual conversation, and he doesn't hit on every girl he sees anymore. But you've always been manipulative, and you haven't grown out of it.

"I know you probably don't want to hear this, but it's the truth – you have a set of ideals, and you try as hard as you can to get people to see things the way that you do. Your ideals aren't a bad thing, but forcing people to either adopt them or condemning them if they don't is."

"Yeah," Paulina agreed. "I mean, we've pretty much stopped teasing people about their style of clothes, but until just now you've still treated us like we're shallow just because we like to follow the main fashion trends. We're not hurting you, and we can still have meaningful conversations about all sorts of things! Besides, you also follow fashion, just a different type."

The Goth took a deep breath as their words pierced her. "He said he loved me, and something about living in the same house…" she realised, the conversation coming back to her in full now that she had her emotions under control.

Star nodded. "See? He was trying to tell you something, but it looks like you wouldn't listen because you were so determined to get him to see things the way that you were seeing them. It'll be hard to change, but you've always been strong – you can use this as an opportunity to grow."

"Yeah," Sam responded, "I think I will. Thanks, guys, I'm gunna go and find Danny!" she leaped to her feet, grinning at the two girls.

"Why don't you come around again sometime?" Star suggested.

"Yeah!" Paulina exclaimed, finally beginning to paint her nails. "It isn't good for a girl to be around guys all the time. We can watch movies or something!"

Sam tilted her head with a slight smirk. "Well, now that you mention it, my place would probably be best for that…"

...

Aren't you going to help me?!

Sebastian perched on a branch of the chandelier, snorting. Nope. This was your idea, now you have to figure it out.

Some help you are, Danny grumbled as he made another dive for the mangy clump of white fur that streaked past him.

Claws unsheathed, the cat let out an indignant yowl and launched herself at Danny. She gouged parallel scratches into his leg through shredded jeans before darting beneath the dresser, glaring from the shadows with yellow eyes and a drawn-out hiss. "C'mon, Maddie," the halfa coaxed, kneeling in front of the drawers. "Why don't I take you home with me?"

The cat in question swiped at his outstretched hand, leaving bloody furrows in the teen's flesh.

Danny pulled back with a yelp, cradling the injured appendage against his chest.

It looks like she's been living off vermin, Sebastian observed. Maybe if you go find some cat food in the pantry she'll warm up to you. Also, I think talking in Ghost scared her just then.

The halfa sighed and straightened up, running a hand through his dishevelled hair. "Okay, okay, okay," he muttered, shifting to ghost form. The cat stilled at this, peering out from her sanctuary beneath the drawers. Danny raised an eyebrow at this new behaviour. Hey, d'you think she's used to seeing me in ghost form?

Probably. Didn't you have a couple of prank wars with Vlad?

How do you know about that? The teen demanded as he knelt again, reaching slowly towards the abandoned cat.

You talk in your sleep, the dragon reminded him, and when we made that connection earlier I was privy to quite a few of your memories.

You mean that was what the pain was.

A bit of it, yeah.

Danny shot his companion a playful glare as Maddie gave a quizzical meow. Sniffing the air tentatively, the cat inched forwards until half of her body was out in the open. Danny kept his hand as still as he could, and after a lengthy inspection of the appendage, Maddie rubbed her head against his palm. Moving completely out from under the dresser, she settled beside Danny's hand, butting her head against it.

The halfa grinned as the cat begged to be petted. She's skin and bones, he observed, scratching beneath her chin when Maddie daintily lifted her head.

Sebastian jumped into the air, snapping open his wings to glide gently onto Danny's shoulder. Maddie started at this, warily observing the dragon as he began to preen Danny's hair. Shall we go feed her?

Yeah, Danny responded. Lifting the cat into his arms, the halfa smiled as she settled against his chest with a purr. "C'mon," he crooned, "let's get you some food."

...

Danny's phone was out of range. Sam huffed, calling Danielle instead. "Hey, Ella," she greeted when the girl picked up.

"Hi, Sam. It's a bit late…"

"Yeah, sorry about that. Do you know where Danny is?"

"Nope. Earlier today he mentioned something about his lair, so why don't you go check that out?"

"Thanks, I'll do that."

"Hey, you got a ring for him yet?"

Sam frowned. "What ring?"

"Well, it's halfa custom – both the guy and the girl wear engagement rings. Danny was up all night last night making one for you. I thought he was proposing to you over dinner a couple of hours ago?"

She stiffened, Danny's behaviour suddenly making a jarring amount of sense. "N-no, my parents insisted that I stay home and have a family dinner with them tonight…"

"Oh, no!" Ella exclaimed. "Well, please at least act surprised when he does pop the question!"

"I will," Sam promised. "Good night, Ella."

"G'night," the halfa yawned before hanging up.

The human took a deep breath, tilting her head back to look at the stars. He was going to propose… I have to find him and apologise!

As official members of the Thalassic Clan, each ectoplasm-infused child had been given a miniature ghost portal that opened into the middle of the Clan's territory. Pocketing her phone, Sam tapped the bracelet she wore, keying in a short code when a section of it slid back to reveal a tiny number pad.

The bracelet beeped in satisfaction, and Sam reached out with both hands. She grasped the empty air in front of her, feeling her fingers close around the edges of something. With a sharp tug, the space tore open like curtains being thrown aside, revealing a swirling green gap.

Kicking her heels together, Sam leaped into the air as a hover board folded out from her boots. With scarcely a wobble, the young woman flew through the portal, tapping her bracelet again so that it closed behind her.

...

Bright Eyes swallowed nervously, blasting the wall before him with the Plasmius Phaser. A section large enough for two people to pass through side-by-side turned translucent, and the agent strolled straight through the now-intangible wall and into Vlad Masters' cell.

The man in question was sitting on the edge of his cot, eyes closed and hands clasped loosely in his lap. A garish orange and yellow suit hung off his frame, and the man's hair was shorn to a military-style crop.

"Um, sir?"

Vlad opened his eyes, somehow managing to look down his nose at the agent despite his current predicament. "Are you here to break me out or to kill me?"

"The former," Bright Eyes insisted, moving to kneel before his master. "Did they implant a tracker in you?"

Vlad tapped the spot lightly. "Yes, but be careful – Spirit broke most of my bones, and they have yet to heal."

"I thought halfas were hospitable," the agent grumbled as he produced a knife, digging its tip into the spot Vlad had indicated just beneath his collarbone. The halfa flinched, biting down on his lip so hard that it split instantly.

"One would think so," he managed to respond in a strained voice. "Now, shall we leave, or are you planning on rescuing your companions?"

"Let's just go," the agent responded, drawing away with a small chip of metal clasped in his fingers. "We can save them when you have your strength back and I'm a halfa. If we rescue them now, we risk being discovered. There, the chip's out."

Vlad stood slowly, pressing the hem of his sleeve against the wound on his collarbone. "Lead the way," he commanded.

Bright Eyes smirked, brandishing the Phaser. "As you wish, Sir."

I apologise for how late this is. Somehow I still seem to be attracting new readers, which has me baffled. Anyway, thanks for your continued support, and especially for those amazing reviews!