Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

It was taking everything in Danny not to cry in happiness at the sight of his children playing together in the courtyard of his castle.

Damn, how long had it taken to be his castle?

He knew the answer, as he looked down from the window to the courtyard. Dani was showing her younger siblings how to fly in the ghost zone. The newer children were struggling a bit, but it wasn’t anything that their older sister couldn’t handle. It was so weird to refer to them as younger and older siblings. Technically, the baby of the family, Vidar, was the oldest at 23 years old while the big sister, Dani, was physically only 17 years old.

It was such a strange situation that they had, the children decided that the first adopted child would be considered the oldest while the most recently adopted child would be considered the youngest.

Children. He has 13 beautiful children. Sam, Tucker, and Danny have 13 amazingly strange children. They’re married with 13 children.

Jazz is an aunt.

His parents are grandparents.

That should freak him out, but it sincerely doesn’t.

It did in the beginning when he adopted his second “oldest” his 13-year-old son Ramiro. He could still remember that summoning like it was yesterday, he even had his memories of those first few years encased in a looking glass just to remember the chaos of his first living contract.

---

It was a dark day in Metropolis, it was cold and raining. Normal for those unaware of what was happening under their feet. Deep underground, in the sewers of Metropolis, was a group of people who believed that while under everyone’s feet, they were as close to god as people could get. Every single member thought of themselves as gifts to humanity, when they were nothing more than trash among people, and sadly, in the middle of their circle was a small child of only 3 years of age crying out to his family.

Ramiro was a normal child before all of this.

He could’ve sworn that he was a good kid before all of this happened. He didn’t understand why his father was doing this. He didn’t understand why his mother was just looking at him as these strange people tied him to this strange circle stage.

Earlier he was just playing in his living room watching a dinosaur documentary, throwing around his soft plush dinosaurs to allow them to fly. They didn’t even get the chance to hit the ground as he turned to the sounds of cheering from the door.

His father was cheering as he was going through a stack of green paper, the smile on his face was unnerving. If Ramiro didn’t know any better he’d believe his father had traded places with the Joker. His mother wasn’t sharing in his father’s happiness tears ran down her face as she looked at Ramiro.

The boy waddled over to her and was able to get out the words, “What’s wrong momma?” before another man came into the living room from the hallway of their complex. He was in a suit and tie and was eyeing Ramiro up and down as if he were a new toy that had just been announced. He kneeled to his height before grabbing his cheeks and forcing his head side to side.

Ramiro could feel the tears start to flow as he tried to push away the stranger's hands but that only made him hold on tighter.

“So you weren’t lying when you said you had a child as white as milk" The stranger grinned as he snapped his fingers which seemed to summon more men like him. People started to pick him up and carry him as Ramiro tried to scream and call for help. He called out to his mother and father, but both were silent as he was dragged away from his dinosaurs.
Ramiro tried to think back to what the men were saying but all he could focus on now was the pain in his wrists and how his blood was flowing out of him. He was trying to strain his eyes to look around but it was too bright for them, his momma always said it was because he was albino. His eyes were sensitive she said, it hurt to be in this circle.

He wanted to go home. He was tuning out the men’s chanting and singing as he pleaded for someone, “Please. Please someone help me! It…it hurts!” He tried thinking about the prayer his grandma taught him, he tried praying to god to help him, for any god to help him!

That was when the bright red flames began to turn bright green, the chanting got louder as Ramiro began to cry harder, pulling with all he could to get out of his restraints, and that’s when it appeared above him.

His momma would always tell him stories about the angels up in heaven, and how beautiful they were, and now he was pretty sure he was looking up at one. The angel’s skin was dotted with stars and he glowed with a crown atop his head that looked like the fire all around him. His hands were sharp and so were his teeth but the most interesting this was that he had the same hair as Ramiro. He looked a lot like Ramiro, he was just older.

Was that why the men wanted him?

The angel looked down at Ramiro as the stranger from before called out to him, “Oh Ghost King of the Infinite Realms! We offer you this vestige of youth! May you drink from this child and grant us the power that is rightfully owed! We beg of you!” The angel didn’t seem to be listening to him as he floated down to Ramiro. He delicately reached out and wiped the toddler’s tears from his cheeks, he was so nice to him.

“Do you want to get out of here?” The angel asked as the chains around Ramiro’s wrists and ankles disappeared in the green flames of the circle. He didn’t have to ask twice as the child brought his arms up to him.

“Yes, please”, his voice echoed through the room as he was picked up.

---

Danny was beyond pissed, this child was injured, they used this child in their summoning, who did they think they were?!

His face was blank as he brought the child into his chest, he already went through so much, that he didn’t need to see what Danny was about to do. The king kissed the top of the child’s head as he whispered, “Cover your ears okay? I’ll let you know when you can listen, okay?” With the child’s ears covered, there was no need to hold back. Danny’s scream echoed through the sewers as one by one the cultists dropped to the floor as they attempted to cover their ears.

He raised his volume, how dare they do this to a child, how dare they involve this child in their stupid crusade!

Heads went rolling as bodies dropped to the floor, these people didn’t have enough substance to stay but his ring glowed as he assigned each to a worse hell than the last.

May they suffer for what they did.

Danny let out a sigh as he looked down at the child in his arms, still dutifully covering his ears with all he had. It was cute watching the boy’s face screw into a face of concentration. Danny nudged the child with his chin with a chuckle, “It’s over champ, you can uncover your ears now.” His hands slowly went to Danny’s chest as he whispered, “Is it over now?”

“It’s over now, why don’t we get you home-?”

“NO!” The child screamed as he hugged Danny so tightly that if Danny was human, he’d wonder if his ribs were cracked. It was confusing until memories of the boy’s night flooded into his head via their soul contract.

His parents did this?

His parents abandoned him for money. Money of all things?!

The more he watched, the angrier the king became. Oh, he was not giving this child back to the living, could he even give him back? He’s never cut off a soul contract with someone so young.

“This is something I gotta ask Clockwork.”

“Who’s work?”

Danny looked down at the curious child as he gave a nervous laugh. “He’s someone you’ll meet soon. What’s your name?” The king began to open a portal, shifting the child to his left hand as he did.

“I’m Ramiro! I’m…I’m this many!” The child exclaimed as he held up three fingers to Danny, he chuckled and nuzzled the child in his arms, who could endanger such a sweet little boy?

“Well Ramiro, we’re gonna go to a new place where you can stay with me okay?” The ghost and child began to float through the portal as Ramiro giggled, he loosened his grip on Danny as he looked towards the glowing green circle.

He was nodding as he answered, “Okay Mr. Angel!”

“Oh my name’s Danny, I’m not an angel, I’m a ghost!” The boy then proceeded to pinch the king’s cheek as if to test his claims.

“Ow!” Are most 3-year-olds this strong?

A thought then passed through the King's mind.

Oh. Oh, Sam was going to love this little boy.

They flew through the portal, dead bodies in the sewers as they went towards their new life together.

Chapter Text

Trying to fly with a small child may not have been the best idea now that Danny was thinking about it. It was difficult to have a good grasp on a child whose head kept swiveling around trying to take in all that was the ghost zone. He did have to admit that it was adorable hearing Ramiro ask every question that popped into his head, “Why is it so green?” “Because of the ectoplasm here.” “Is that a libr..libr.. bookstore?” Ramiro had tried asking, struggling with the word Library. Danny hugged him tighter only asking the ancients how such a cute kid ended up with such terrible parents.

Danny did his best to answer the toddler's questions as they neared what once was the Tyrant King’s castle, he could’ve sworn that the toddler’s eyes were going to pop out of his head when he looked at the castle.

It had mellowed out when he turned 20, according to Clockwork the Castle was reflecting its future king. Now that he was king, he started to add things that his loved ones would enjoy. It was now a dark purple with stars in the cracks of the cobblestone. It seemed to be on a cloud made up of stars and planets with a waterfall falling into eternity.

The castle had grown to have three more islands attached to it with bridges to the main castle. One that became Sam’s Garden overflowed with fruits, vegetables, and other plants that could grow in the Ghost Zone. The second was Tucker’s personal lab, where he was inventing new technology, programs, and the like every day. The third was where his parents lived, it was simply a replica of their house with a detached laboratory where they were researching ghosts with Jazz coming back and forth from the Ghost Zone to help develop research into Ghost psychology. She was calling it Phantom Psych if Danny remembered correctly.

“Do you live here?!” The boy’s mouth would’ve been on the floor had there been a floor under them. “Yes, and you’ll be staying here too!” They got to a window of the castle and flew into the throne room.

Poor Ramiro had no idea where to look.

Danny gently set down the toddler, who began to float, in his alarm he grabbed the King’s arm wrapping his body around it. “Oh! Sorry kiddo, I forgot to warn you about that! Here, let’s practice floating a bit before I show you around.”

It did take a few minutes for Ramiro to get the hang of floating only a few inches from the ground, there was a second where he also floated up into the ceiling but Danny was able to catch him before the chandelier could touch his little head.

The child was giggling as he kicked his little feet like he was swimming through the air, Danny clenched his heart with a smile, “Yeah, you’re doing great Ramiro! Just keep your head up and you’ll be flying like a pro in no time.” It was such a surreal moment that Danny could see this child growing up in his castle with his family, which reminded Danny he still had to tell his partners what he’d done.

“Hey! I’m home!” Danielle’s voice sounded through the castle as she flew towards her father, Danny was going to meet her when he felt a weight on his legs. Looking down he was met with the small albino child grabbing onto him, trying to hide behind him. Danny placed a comforting hand on his head as his daughter entered the throne room, Dani’s smile was a comfort as she flew over to hug Danny.

“Hey Dani, how was visiting Jazz?” “It was great! She has a new-wait who’s that?” Dani backed away from her father and flew around him to try to see the small child hiding behind him, that would’ve been simple had Ramiro not moved to avoid her gaze. A small tornado was created around him as the children chased each other around him, it was honestly making Danny dizzy.

He quickly scoped up Ramiro and got Danielle by the collar of her jumpsuit which caused her to struggle against him before pouting, “Well who is he? Is he another clone? I feel like I should’ve been told!” Danny felt a sigh coming on, was he really getting so old or was it the summoning adrenaline finally wearing off? Either way he set down Dani and started to introduce the children to one another, “Dani this is Ramiro, he’s going to be staying with us. Ramiro this is Danielle or Dani, she’s my daughter and lives here with me and my partners.” Ramiro gave a little wave from his spot in Danny’s arms as Dani waved back.

A thought seemed to go through Dani’s head as she spoke up, “Do Tucker and Sam know about him?” Ramiro looked up to Danny, seemingly asking the same question, even if he didn’t know who Tucker and Sam were. “No, I’m going to go talk with them. If you can, could you take Ramiro to his room?” Dani gave him a playful salute as she gently took Ramiro from Danny’s arms, the young boy snuggling into her arms liking the attention. “Come on little dude! Let’s pick out your room!” With that, Dani and Ramiro flew out of the throne room into the hall, leaving the elder ghost alone with his thoughts.

How was he going to tell them?!

They’d understood that he and Danielle were a package deal but introducing a new child may be a deal breaker for them. Had they ever even talked about having more kids? In his panic, he really couldn’t remember.

Danny took a deep breath and started to fly towards Tucker’s Island, his husband would always be there working on his computers, it’d be easier to collect him and talk in Sam’s Garden.

Tucker had started to take on the image of a truly modernized pharaoh, wearing a lab coat-like jacket made of Egyptian silk with golden embroidery that matched the inner workings of a computer. He wore a normal t-shirt underneath that changed puns depending on his mood, he had black jeans with golden lining and similar combat boots that he got from Sam.

He was currently working on something far beyond what Danny could comprehend and he got as many degrees as he could! He was seated in front of multiple monitors with lines of codes and programs that the King was unfamiliar with. Danny flew behind his partner and wrapped his arms around his shoulders which spooked Tucker, “Jesus! Danny! Don’t do that I was in the zone!” “You’re always in the zone tuck!” “Don’t you dare-" “The Ghost Zone.” Tucker pushed away his laughing husband as he turned around in his chair.

Tucker had been married to his partners for some time now, how much time? He couldn’t remember, time in the zone was extremely fluid to the point that it was escaping him but he’d been with Danny for a while and knew his nervous ticks. The way he floated higher from the ground than needed, his scratching at his neck, and the fact that he mostly made puns when he was that way.

“Danny? What’s wrong Casper?” The Prince Consort of the Realms asked as he reached out to take his partners' hands, Danny nearly crumbled under his eyes but knew he had to be strong. “I need to talk to you and Sam, mind coming with me to her sector?” He didn’t need to ask twice as Tucker got up from his chair and allowed his husband to lead the way.

Sam’s Garden had grown a lot, no pun intended. Where she was simply experimenting with potatoes and onions, it had grown into a complete jungle. It had flowers as tall as trees, vines that were busy organizing things for the smaller plants, and mushrooms that waddled from one place to the other. A lot of plant bases blobs had found forms in the garden, which they affectionately named Fairies as they looked similar to Navi from the Legend of Zelda game Dani had become so fond of.

The two floated through the garden until they got to the main gazebo which was made of solidified souls, a punishment for those who wronged the planets they were from. It was beautifully tangled up in vines with a beautiful woman having tea in the middle of it.

Sam had a black sun hat on her head which was lined with lace made by Princess Dorathea as a wedding gift. She was wearing a matching black lace crop top with black army pants with boots that matched her husband's. She was wearing a belt made of the skulls of people who were violent against the LGBTQAI community, those same people’s bones having been made into her tea set. Apparently, Fright Knight had a hobby of making traditional bone pottery.

The Queen Consort of the Infinite Realms looked up from her tea and smiled at her partners waving them over to her gazebo, “Well, well, well I was wondering where you knuckleheads were. How’re my boys today?”  

Tucker and Danny both sat with Sam, their cups being filled with tea by the little fairies that flew in to serve them. Tucker leaned against Sam dramatically as he bellowed, “Oh it’s been horrible! Danny needs to talk to us! I knew this was too good to be true!” Sam nudged him off of her which sent him to the floor making them all laugh at his antics. It did calm Danny’s nerves, which he assumed was the goal, he looked at his partners as he began to retell the story of his most recent summoning.

“I was going to meet with Clockwork for something that we discussed during the Council meeting when I felt that pull from a summoning but this time it felt different. It was like I could feel it pulling at my core! So, I followed it to make sure it wasn’t anything dangerous. I was met with a crazy cult, I can’t remember what the guy started to say because..” Danny stopped, trying to steady himself. Sam and Tucker reached out, with each moving to have Danny in between them.

“They used a kid. In the middle of my summoning circle was a kid! They cut his wrists and the poor thing was bleeding out and I….I couldn’t just let them live after that. I took care of them and picked up the boy. He’s only 3 years old! He’s still stumbling over his words! I….I know we didn’t talk about having more kids but I can’t…I’m not giving him back to the living.” Sam rubbed Danny’s back as Tucker hugged him from the side. It seemed that the situation finally caught up with the king as he began to cry, letting tears run for the child he’d taken.

It was a while as the trio sat in the gazebo, listening to Danny express his sadness for this child. He explained the soul bond that he and the boy now shared and how he couldn’t cut it as he did with previous sacrifices, “He’s too little guys…He’s too young... I can’t. He’d be hurt I can’t!”

Sam and Tucker looked at each other and nodded, their minds having been made up, “What’s his name?” The Queen asked softly, Danny looking up surprised his gaze going from his husband to his wife. “Ramiro, his name’s Ramiro. He’s with Dani right now. He’s such a cute boy. He called me Angel when I got him,” Danny said with a smile, Tucker got up startling them as he hurried the two up. “Well! Come on! I want to meet our little guy!”

They flew towards the main castle looking through the halls until they ended up at the tallest tower, the room had completely changed which surprised them all. It was a storage room if memory served them correctly, but now it was as if it had always been a child’s room.

The ceiling was completely covered with vines, leaves, and branches coming down towards the floor with what looked like a t-rex fossil being used as a lamp, its mouth opened to reveal a small sun in the middle. The walls were painted to match the ceiling, yet the most impressive thing was that the mural had moving dinosaurs in it. They were peacefully going through what seemed like a typical day for a dinosaur. None were fighting with each other, instead, they were acting unnaturally friendly.

The floor stayed as stone but it now had plush replica rocks and giant plants strewn about with an image of a Gladiolus flower in the middle of the room. Sam would later remark on how fitting the flower was for the boy. The bed was made up of a regular bed with four trees acting as a canopy, their leaves pulled back to make a curtain, with bedsheets that had similar images of the flower making it look as if it was covered completely by the flower.

There was a wardrobe that didn’t exist before that had an image of Danny floating over Ramiro as he did when they first met. It had the look of stained glass artwork but what interested Danny was that Ramiro seemed to be depicted with a little crown made out of bones, which would’ve been a concern had he not noticed the rest of the room.

Ramiro and Dani were on the floor playing with the toys the room had provided, little plush dinosaurs that seemed to be exploring the nation. The trio looked at each other before looking at their children fondly. It took a second for Ramiro to register that there were new people in the doorway but when he did he was quick to hide behind Dani, bringing her attention to the situation.

“Oh hey! It’s okay Rami! These are the people I was telling you about!” The older princess floated up allowing the child to take her hand, presenting him to the ruling party.

Sam and Tucker took in his appearance, the ectoplasm seemed to be healing his wounds but there were still fresh scars over his legs and wrists where his chains must’ve been. Tucker almost gasped when he noticed that while their new baby was albino, he had a head full of beautiful white curls. He already was coming up with ideas to do his child’s hair. Sam took notice of his eyes, they were a light purple and he seemed to be struggling with how bright it was in the room.

Sam smiled as she summoned her own bat wing sunglasses, walking towards the boy she offered them, “It can get pretty bright here lil’ guy. You can borrow these k?” Ramiro was in awe of the woman in front of him, Sam if Dani was to be believed, he took the glasses gently and put them on his eyes finally adjusting to the light of the realm.

“Better?” Sam’s question was met by a shy thank you as Ramiro adjusted the glasses to fit his face. Tucker slowly approached from behind his wife, kneeling down to the boy’s height, “Hey little dude, heard you’re gonna stay in this big castle with us! Did Dani give you the tour yet?” Ramiro nodded in a hurry and he began to rattle off all the rooms they had found in the castle before his stomach began to make as much noise as he was.

The adults in the room tried not to laugh as the boy hugged his stomach, his face becoming a bright pink in embarrassment. Danny kneeled down to the boy, picked him up, and gently tossed him up into the air, “Well! That sounds like it’s dinner time! Come on champ! Let’s go see what we can whip up for your tummy.” Dani caught Ramiro in the air with the boy giggling at their antics, “We’ll race ya to the kitchens!” They left a cloud in their place as Dani raced down the halls. Danny looked to his partners to be met with smirks and a wave from each, Tucker allowed himself to split into numerous bits of code that disappeared into the air just as Sam stepped into one of her flowers that sunk back into the floor. Danny took off after his children with a grin and a yell “Hey! Be careful with your little brother Dani!”

Chapter Text

This would be the first bump in the road for the family as they all got to the kitchens.

The kitchen was pretty typical, if not huge compared to the kitchen back at his parent's house. It had cobblestone walls adorned with Victorian-inspired cabinets, something that Sam influenced. Greens were hanging down from the ceiling as a makeshift chandelier, all lit up with bioluminescent light. There was a stove, oven, and for some reason, a fully furnished indoor grill. That was Tucker’s idea.

Danny had allowed the children to beat him to the kitchen and he’d stand by that no matter how much his husband teased him for getting old.

They all realized at once that Ramiro was human, he was completely human.

Would it be smart to let him eat ectoplasm? Yes, it had healed him and yes the castle seemed to take him in in stride but would Ramiro be able to eat the food?

There was silence in the kitchen, but not completely as Ramiro was exploring the kitchen’s opening cabinets and refrigerators. Why he had 4 fridges, Danny never understood but that thought process wasn’t helping their dilemma.

How would they feed a human child?

Danny and Jazz had survived with ectoplasmic food sure but Ramiro was only 3 years old!

Wait.

Couldn’t he ask his parents? Surely, they took notes on how the food affected them.

Danny nodded to himself as he waved over his partners, “I’m going to go get Mom and Dad, they might know if we can feed him ectoplasm.” He whispered watching as his two children were floating around the kitchen trying to find a snack that the 3-year-old could eat.

“You do that, I’ll call Jazz and see if she can bring over some snacks just in case.” Sam declared as she brought out her phone to start calling her sister-in-law.

Tucker smiled and nodded towards his partners, “I’ll keep the kids busy, I’ll probably see where Ramiro was in school. If food is this difficult, we should worry about who’s going to teach him.”

The three broke off their huddle as Danny flew off to his parents’ island.

---

His parent’s island wasn’t too different from what it was on Earth. It was their house except the basement lab was now a detached lab to the left of the house that kind of looked like a 2-story version of their Fenton Works sign.

Danny was honestly so happy that they had agreed to spend their golden years with him in the ghost zone. He could still remember how they reacted when they found out about his double life/death.

 His dad looked horrified and immediately hugged him, whispering that he was so sorry for what he’d done and tried to do. His mom had started crying, joining the hug saying that she loved him and she was so sorry about everything they’d done. Jazz had been brought into the hug as their parents promised that they would do better.

They’d gone to family therapy and even found out that the obsessive behavior was actually a side effect of the ectoplasm they were exposed to before the portal was made. It had been toxic and was only feeding on the ectoplasm the portal gave them. Frostbite had put them on an ecto-cleanse and that had sorted out a lot of their obsessions.

Those memories made Danny smile as he looked for his parents, finding them in the lab working on some machines. They were making Jazz an upgraded version of the Specter Speeder since they now understood how the zones moved.

“Hey Mom! Hi Dad!”

“Dannio!” His dad exclaimed, quickly turning off the tool he had in hand to walk over and hug his son with his wife following him after.

“Oh, Danny you seem so tired! Are you resting sweetie?” His mom asked as she took his face in her hands, turning left to right and back until he stopped her.

“Yeah, about that. I have a question. When we were growing up, when did Jazz and I start eating ecto-contaminated food?” Both his parents looked at each other before his mother broke away from them and went through a filing cabinet.

“Why are you asking kiddo? Can’t Dani eat ecto-food? I thought Frosty said she needed more of it?” His dad asked, looking concerned for his granddaughter’s health. He’d been a very dotting grandfather, happy to join Dani in her adventures when asked, excitedly answering her questions if he knew the answer, and just as excited to research with her if he didn’t.

“It’s not for Dani, dad. It’s..It’s a story but the ending is basically I took a kid from the living and I have no idea if a 3-year-old should be eating ecto-contaminated food.” He shrugged his shoulders, he’d still been processing what was happening. He still was reeling from the fact that a child had been used in a ritual. Who would even think that? Was there another rumor floating around the occult community?

His mom rejoined them with a book about how to raise children, “We didn’t put you guys onto ecto-food until you were both 10. We thought that it would be better to build up immunity but it would probably be a good idea to just start with a little cup for now. Like when we’d give you guys your medicine. Now, what’s this about a 3-year-old?”

Danny took the book from his mom, looked it over, and took mental notes on what Ramiro should be learning. He’d probably reach out to Box ghost and Lunch Lady too for notes on ghost children.

He led his parents back to the castle to find that Tucker had moved the two to the library to help Ramiro practice his ghost speech. Danny was honestly surprised with how quickly Ramiro seemed to be picking up the language. He took a glimpse into their soul contract, a memory of hearing multiple languages at once flooding into his mind to help him understand. Ramiro must’ve grown up in a multilingual community.

“Hey Ramiro, I’ve got some people I want you to meet.” The boy turned away from Tucker to look at Danny, with Sam’s glasses still covering his eyes. Maddie and Jack smiled at the boy who was staring at them in awe.

“This is Maddie, she’s your grandma and this is Jack, he’s your grandpa.” The introduction had barely left Danny’s lips as his mother ran over to the boy to pick him up gushing about how cute he was. It was similar to how she’d reacted to Dani so the Ghost King really should’ve expected that. Ramiro didn’t seem to mind as he allowed her to hold him.

“Oh, look at you! You’re so sweet! And small! No wonder Danny was asking about food, look at how small he is honey!” Maddie held out Ramiro to her husband who had made himself smaller by kneeling on the floor.

“Hi there Ramiro! You’re quite the trooper aren’t you!” Danny wasn’t surprised that they had caught onto what the boy had been through. It seems that ectoplasm could only heal so much. If Danny hadn’t already killed those responsible, he was sure his dad would’ve stepped in to take care of it. The man had a silent rage, especially when it came to his family.

Ramiro was happy to climb into Jack’s arms, liking the affection, almost as if he hadn’t got enough back on Earth. “Hi! I’m Ramiro and I’m this many.” Just like before, he held up three fingers to Jack causing the scientist to chuckle.

“Such a smart boy!” Jack had encouraged looking at his newest grandchild.

“Oh, I see! A big boy then! Well, why don’t we get the big boy to the kitchen so he can eat?” A voice from behind the King called out. Danny spun around to meet Jazz’s eyes as she smiled and held up her phone.
“I was summoned, and I have delivered! Sam’s in the kitchen making him some soup.” Ramiro did a little dance at the thought of food causing Jack to do the same.

“Let’s get these dance moves to the kitchen!” Jack led his grandchildren to the kitchens in a conga line as he sang out a song about getting some soup, Dani and Ramiro giggling as they flew behind him dancing with one another.

Maddie and Tucker chuckled at their antics as they followed, both starting to talk about a software that they were collaborating on, supposably it’ll allow for better signal in the ghost zone.

This left Jazz and Danny in the library, the elder hugging her little brother closely as he cried again for the second time that day. There was so much they needed to talk about. 

---

Putting a 3-year-old to bed was the most interesting experience Danny had ever gone through and he’d been through a lot.

Jazz had gone on a shopping trip back to Earth, with the funds Danny had been giving her to put through the system since he had so much that he was pretty sure it was infinite. She’d brought Ramiro dinosaur-themed everything, from sleeping clothes to outerwear, to dresses and tuxes. Although she had included things that had to do with archeology specifically too, toy shovels, books, and the learning sets.

She was upholding her title of favorite Aunt, that’s for sure.

Ramiro had fun putting on a fashion show for the family. He’d fallen in love with a dinosaur-themed onesie that his now “Tia Jazz” bought for him. It was a bright green with teal spikes on the hood and attached tail. Ramiro had loved it, but it was a little bright for him, which Sam was happy to fix, using one of her dye flowers to turn it a darker green with the red spikes that Ramiro requested.

Danny was smug as he watched Sam dot on this child, saying that they would get matching outfits if he wanted or get him his own dinosaur-themed sunglasses. Tucker had stolen Ramiro away from their queen as he had to, in his words, “I have to teach him to take care of his curls! Gotta start them young!”

Ramiro had run back to get a paper and crayon so he could take notes about what Tucker was saying and damn if that didn’t warm Danny’s core.

Dani had demanded to stay up so that she could help put Ramiro to bed, though they both would learn never to underestimate the energy of a hyped-up toddler. Apparently, at some point, don’t know who (It was Jack), someone gave their newest baby a piece of chocolate.

Between Dani and Danny, it took 2 hours to actually grab Ramiro as he was flying as a toddler would run, and he was a slippery little thing. If they had thought to ask him to come to bed, it would’ve been 10 seconds but they didn’t.

Ramiro, now in a matching red bonnet, was tucked into his bed with a giant dinosaur plush in his little arms. Dani was exhausted from flying after her little brother and had changed into a nightgown that looked like a map of the world. She was on the other side of Ramiro, having requested that they have a sleepover to welcome the younger to the castle.

Danny was tired of course but he tried not to let it show as he made sure that both kids were comfortable.

“All good? Comfortable?” Danny asked as both his children looked at him and nodded, both swaddled in between the comforters and rock pillows. A smile came onto his face as he nodded, getting up to get out of the room before he heard a soft voice call out to him.

“Could I have a story please?” Ramiro was holding a book called Goodnight Moon out to Danny, which surprised him. He would’ve been sure that the book would be about dinosaurs but he didn’t question the boy as he floated back to the bed, gently taking the book from the boy and sitting on the bed.

“Of course kiddo, now let’s see what we have here.” The room was filled with Danny’s voice as he read out to his children, Dani and Ramiro’s yawns being the only things to interrupt him as he went through the book. The fluttering of green and purple eyes as they allowed sleep to overcome them.

He softly closed the book with a quiet chuckle. Danny put down the book, kissing his children on their foreheads before leaving the room with a quiet, “Goodnight you two. I’ll see you tomorrow.”

Chapter Text

Time was a concept of Clockwork that existed outside of the Ghost Zone. The only reason Danny even knew that time had passed was that Jazz would have to move every few years. 

People start to question if the local therapist doesn’t age for a long time, especially when there’s such a small community of immortals. It’s only so long that the phrase, ‘I have an excellent skin routine’, can keep off the actual authorities. 

That was now one of the only ways he was keeping track of the years that passed because he now had Ramiro to watch grow and shift with time. Watching how his little three-year-old grew into a healthy and bouncing six-year-old was a great way to keep up with how much time has passed on Earth. 

It had been three years since he had brought the toddler to the castle, and it had felt as if he had been theirs from the beginning. Ramiro could now be found with his beautiful curls in multiple different styles, with Tucker having so much fun showing their little man how to style his hair. His favorite style was to have his hair up in a little afro puff mohawk, making him look like his beloved dinosaurs. 

Dani and Ramiro had gotten on like a house on fire. Both were so close together, bonding over the fact that they had scary childhoods. Ramiro was a bit too young still to start to fight bond with his older sister so the two found a shared love of dancing. They’re still exploring styles together, but they are currently learning ballet from Anna Pavlova, a woman who loved ballet in her life and teaches in her death.

It's adorable watching the two dance around the garden together, flying above the ground as they laugh. 

His parents did their best to spoil their new little boy, even making him little wrist rockets to protect him from people. It helped hide the scars left over from the sacrifice and reassured Danny that his little boy would have a way to defend himself. Ramiro was such a curious boy, and it didn’t help that Jack and Maddie Fenton were always looking for answers. As King, he has ordered them to be careful with the children when in the lab. It hasn’t stopped them from trying to teach Dani and Ramiro how to make gadgets. 

Dani and Ramiro have made an ectoplasm-powered child-sized car so far and he can only worry about what else they may make in the future. 

Jazz has defended her title of ‘favorite Tia’ with passion. She visited as often as possible with human-safe groceries with a story to tell the children about her life. It was incredible how she could captivate them with a simple story about her trip to the store, which made her the perfect babysitter for when the trio needed a date night. Jazz has taken them to the human world a few times before for a sleepover and every time they come back Danny swears that the kids have more clothes than they went with. 

Ramiro could always be seen in Sam’s garden helping her take care of her beloved plants while talking about the history of the world. He loved his Queen! There were times when he could see her influencing Ramiro to a more gothic lifestyle. His clothes have always had a dinosaur theme to them, but they were now slowly turning from living dinosaurs to fossils. To match the change, he’d recently been given sunglasses made of bones. A gift only the adults knew was made with the bones of people who tried to kill him. The children didn’t know, and they wouldn’t for a while. 

Speaking of his love of dinosaurs, Danny loved hearing Ramiro talk about his friends. If Ramiro learned something new about his interest, Danny could always hear the giggles before he saw the boy pop his head through the door ready to talk to him about it. The kid was on a mission to learn as much as he could about every species of dinosaur, he just hoped it would help him in this new predicament. 

Currently, Danny, Sam, and Tucker were having to act like the rulers that they were and deal with a sort of crisis that had been going on for a billion years. 

Ramiro was now six years old enough to travel the zone and find his obsession.

This was a tradition for the children of the Infinite Realms, to go out into the realms when they came of age to find their place in the Realms. It was usually reserved for those who were born in the Realms, but Clockwork and their council pushed for the three to allow Ramiro to join in just like Dani had.

Hers was an experience only known to her. It wasn’t something that needed to be shared because it was a trip as close as someone could get to see their soul reflected on them. All Danny needed to know was that his daughter had come back safe with an adventurous obsession, a core of frost, and a new ghost form.

He’d been so scared when she had flown out of the castle that day. He’d never been so proud as he was when he saw how she’d changed when she came back.

Danny could feel that fear coming back to him as he watched everyone fuss over Ramiro. His parents had prepared a bag of snacks and weapons specially made for him. Jazz had put in a storybook and sketchbook for him, she was worried he’d get sidetracked. Tucker had made Ramiro a PDA so their baby boy could contact them whenever he wanted. Dani had given him a copy of the infinity map and family compass, a compass that would always point him home if he needed it. Sam had prepared his outfit for the occasion: a pair of jean overalls with little dinosaur footprints embroidered in white with a black shirt, patchwork cardigan, and her lace sunhat.

He'd been able to talk his Queen and Fright Knight into not having him wear the traditional armor, but his anxiety was having him second guess that.  

Of course, Ramiro had received training. Tucker had been the one to focus on their children’s education surprisingly. He had them taught Politics by Princess Dorathea, History by Lady Pandora, weapons by Skulker, Fighting by Fright Knight, English with Ghost Writer, and Mechanics by Johnny and Kitty. Tucker himself covered Technology and Mathematics, Sam covered Laws and how to get away with murder, and Danny taught Astronomy and Navigation.

Dani and Ramiro were both prepared, both excelled in their way, and he trusted their skills. Truly he does!

It hurt to watch his baby boy prepare to fly out into the Realms.

“Are you ready ‘Miro? Got everything?” Danny asked as he flew over to the boy, patting his head as he kneeled next to his boy. Ramiro smiled up at him as he nodded, adjusting his hat so he could look at Danny properly. His purple eyes were hidden behind his glasses but shining with anticipation.

Gods, if you’re listening to this king, please look after his boy should he fly by your territory.

---

Ramiro was so excited to take off on his adventure.

Princess Dorathea had been telling him about the tradition for a bit. Since he was one of the first not born of the Realm to go onto it, it would not only help him find his obsession but solidify his ‘core’. Since he was a child adopted by sacrifice, he had formed a baby core, which wasn’t very fun because he didn’t have any powers yet.

It wasn’t very fun being the baby of the family, but with this journey, he wouldn’t be a baby anymore! He’d be a big boy!

He was fully prepared with his map, weapons, snacks, and his PDA.

He was ready!

Why did he feel so nervous?

He felt his Papa kneel next to him and he turned to look at him, his comforting smile helping ease the tension.

“I have everything. I’m as ready as I’ll be.” Ramiro said with a smile as he leaned into his Papa’s arms. His hugs were always so cold, a reminder that the fire that haunts him in his dreams can never touch him again.

“I know it can be scary, just know that no matter what you can come back home. I will be proud of you, obsession or not.” He could feel the tears on his cheeks before he gave his Papa another big hug.

After saying his goodbyes to his family, Ramiro got into the car that he and Dani made before driving off into the zone.  

He’d flown deeper into the zone before; it was the only way to get to his Tia’s house, but it was a new experience to do it all by himself. The swirling greens going into darker red, purples, and blacks made for a good background as he drove trying to feel for his destination. Ramiro had been told that something would be calling out to him, that his soul would lead him to his obsession.

He'd been going around for a while, so he decided to land on a nearby jungle-filled island to take a break and get a snack. The boy had barely opened his backpack when he heard it, a small groan of pain coming from the jungle behind him. The alarm bells in his mind were going off, telling him to get back into the car and drive back home but they were drowned out by the noise of his feet hitting the ground.

Ramiro pushed away the plants in his way as he went deeper into the jungle, trying to listen for the groans of pain.

“Hello? Hello! If you can hear me, please keep making noise! I want to help!” Ramiro shouted as he continued to make his way deeper into the jungle. Another groan followed his shout, and he was able to follow it to a bigger tree, a creature leaning onto it.

Ramiro could feel his own eyes widen as he understood what the creature was, it was a triceratops! A real triceratops! It was a bit smaller than usual, so Ramiro assumed that it was the runt of its litter. As he walked closer, he noticed how the creature’s scales glistened in the light of the Realm, making it seem like they were made of a solid sunrise. That brought his attention to the injury the poor thing had; a stab wound that looked too precise to be an accident.

“You poor thing. It’s okay! I know first aid!” Ramiro said softly as he slowly approached the creature, the triceratops still trying to struggle away from the pain.

“Shh, hush. It’s okay. I’ll patch you up.” He slowly brought up a hand to allow the triceratops to get used to his scent before he got a closer look at the wound. He opened his bag and quickly pulled out everything he needed to help him. It was a tedious process, but Ramiro continued to comfort the creature, urging it to use the ectoplasm around them to heal up.

“There you go! All better now.” He secured the wound with some bandages before placing a small kiss on the wound. It always felt better when someone kissed your pain away after all. The triceratops struggled a bit to get to his feet but once he did, he looked so happy to trot around again. It came back to Ramiro and nudged the boy’s cheeks, almost thanking him for the care.

“I’m glad you’re feeling better! What happened to you though?” Ramiro asked the triceratops, trying to wrap his head around the situation. It took a second to understand how the other responded to him, visions of an attack invading his mind and disappearing just as quickly. Scenes of dinosaurs running away from a man dressed in white, his harpoons and guns firing into the herds as they came back into the Realms. He could almost feel the hurt of those souls that they had to leave behind, their cries for help echoing in his ears.

“You barely escaped…. your family is still back there, aren’t they?” The triceratops whined as Ramiro tried his best to wrap his arms around the other’s neck. He knew the agony was crippling, it felt as if he couldn’t move from his spot. It was like someone had taken away his ability to move completely like he’d become a statue in a museum.

More scenes flooded his mind as they hugged. He saw the dinosaurs behind experimented on by a man who looked like a cartoon scientist, some of the fossils in the room that weren’t put together right, and a nest filled with the shells of dinosaur eggs, the babies being nowhere to be seen. He saw dinosaur ghosts in cages who were cowering away from needles being brought towards them.

He watched as the man ripped mercilessly into the dinosaurs that couldn’t escape, hearing their cries beginning to mix with his own from years ago. He could feel the blood running down his arms as the scientist stabbed him with syringes. The fire licked his heels as the eggs were broken, their hatchlings taken and put into tubes. The chanting got louder as the machines whirred to live, the electricity coursing through his veins as the chains rattled on his limbs.

“He’s still hurting your family,” Ramiro mumbled as he looked at the triceratops, their sunrise-colored scales almost dimming as they looked toward the portal they must’ve escaped from.

He could feel his chest almost burn as he looked toward the portal, tears sliding down his cheeks as he let go of his new friend. He picked up his things, his friend seeming to understand as they picked him up with their horns, helping him onto their back. Ramiro pulled out his PDA and quickly sent a message to his sister before they both moved into the portal.

‘Dani! There’s a jerk hurting the Dinosaurs, I’m going to help them. Backup Please! From, Miro’

---

Dani had never flown so fast in her life. She wasn’t expecting to get a text from her little brother so soon, she especially wasn’t expecting to get a backup request so soon!

She was following the coordinates that the infinity map was giving her, telling her that not only was Ramiro in the living world but was in the city where he was sacrificed. He was in Metropolis, the city that abandoned him, the city that killed him! She may not have prepared to deal with the situation, but she’d be damned if she wasn’t there for her little brother. It was her responsibility as Crown Princess after all.

If only she had remembered to tell their parents about the new situation.

Dani landed on living soil and went over to where her map said that her brother was. She found him sharing some of his snacks with warm red and yellow triceratops with a map in front of both of them.

“Do I even want to know?” Dani asked as she got closer, her brother looking up at her with a smile. He quickly got up and hugged her, leaving a slightly confused dinosaur in his wake.

“Dani, this is Quetzal! Quetzal, this is Dani, my big sister.” Ramiro said as the dinosaur stood up from his spot on the grass, he bowed to her before trotting over so she could pet him.

A summary of the situation was given to her by Ramiro, who kept stopping as he looked at Quetzal before continuing to explain. There was a scientist who was obsessed with the idea of bringing the dinosaurs back to life and experimenting on ghost dinosaurs to get the most accurate DNA. The dinosaurs were being abused, the bastard was taking their babies and hurt the ones that could escape.

“So, we’re making him pay right?” She was so proud as she watched her brother’s mischievous little smile creep onto his face. He brought her back to their sitting area and showed her his infinity map, now showing a layout of the scientist’s lab. She could see where he was holding their fellow ghosts as well as where his living specimens were incubating.

“I need your help getting everyone out. I don’t want to leave anyone behind. We don’t want to.” Ramiro explained as he patted Quetzal’s head, an understanding between the two is so clear to Dani. As they interacted, Dani could see how Ramiro’s eyes glowed a brighter purple as he looked at Quetzal. She didn’t understand what Quetzal could’ve been saying, she was only able to hear the animalistic noises someone would expect from a dinosaur. Ramiro seemed to be able to understand what the dinosaur was saying, acting as a translator between the two.

The building had a lackluster security system, it was perfect for keeping mortals out but not ghosts, an oversight on the scientist's part. There was only an electrical field going around the prison area of the lab which made it easy to get into the rooms using Quetzal's intangibility. She noticed how a lot of the rooms made for DNA testing seemed to be using lead-lined walls, which would keep Superman from noticing. Too bad that tactic didn't work on ghosts. 

From her position, she could see the souls of the building walking around, a perk of being a crown princess. The ghosts were on the lower levels which meant that she’d have to draw out the living to the top.

It almost reminded her of Vlad’s lab. It was just as cruel, having no remorse for the pain that they were inflicting on the ghosts they had captured. She could almost feel the shocks they were receiving, the memories dancing on her skin as she forced herself back into the present.

Dad wouldn’t like it if they killed civilians who were already going to join them soon. The top floors seemed important enough that the scientists probably didn’t want anyone messing with them.  

They had a plan now! It wasn’t as solid as it could be, but she was known to think quickly on her feet.

The first step of the plan was to have Dani start up a ruckus so the scientist would have to come out to deal with her. That part was easy enough, it’s kind of hard to do anything nefarious when the lab is slowly being engulfed in ice. It was kind of funny watching this man lose his boot in a block of ice, he kind of struggled with taking his foot out. He had guards but they weren’t all that hard to fight. They were mortal after all. You would think that after the first bullet didn't work, they'd use something else but you'd be wrong.

The second part of the plan was to have Ramiro and Quetzal sneak into the lab in the confusion and create a portal using the family compass to allow the dinosaurs to run back into the zone. She was alerted to this next part working as the alarms in the lab started to blare out. The guards tried to get back to their positions but a few blasts from her and they were out of commission. That was when she noticed that the scientist had run back into the facility, where her brother was.

“Shit.” She flew into the building, phasing through the walls until she found Ramiro, Quetzal, and the scientist in a stand-off. Ramiro had his wrist rockets pointed at the scientist as the scientist had a taser pointed at Quetzal. The poor thing was caught in a bear trap that he must’ve set up as a backup to his security system.

“Back away from the Triceratops.” Dani heard her voice echo as she trained her hand on the man, a blast aimed at his chest ready to go off should he make a wrong move.

The man sneered as he prepped himself to go off on a villainous rant, she had half the mind to interrupt him, but some questions had to be answered.

“How dare you brats interrupt the great work of Doctor Theodore Hatcher! I am trying to bring about a new dawn for the dinosaurs! Can’t you see that?!” He shouted at them as he shook in anger. The room lowered in temperature as Dani brought her ice to the lower levels.

“So what? You bring back the dinosaurs and do what? Just let them loose?” Dani questioned as she stared at the man. He was common compared to the other bad guys she’d fought before. He was almost the stereotype of a white man with an ego too big for him, black hair, black eyes, eye bags the size of Texas, and a lab coat with a name tag on it. He wasn’t even conventionally attractive, if anything he looked like a skeleton that put on some poor dude’s skin.

“Of course not! I would use them as my army! A god among men! I could rewrite history in my image!” He continued, but Dani was more distracted by what was happening to her little brother. She watched tears of what she could only describe as tar run down his face as he stared at the still-boasting man. The bars of the cages began to rattle and shatter as she felt his anger rise. The fossils in the room disassembled and spun around her little brother, placing themselves on his body like a suit. The dinosaurs in the room seemed just as frozen as she was, watching as the tar joined the patchwork of bones into an outfit fit for a prince.

“With these creatures and my intellect, I will forge a new era where I will stand above all that looked down on me! I will go down in history!” He cheered before circles of flames wrapped themselves around him burning him until his screams were all he could get out.

Quetzal had returned to Ramiro’s side as the flames had melted the bear trap. The dinosaurs seemed to finally snap out of their trance as they ran towards the portal, the sound of the stampede behind them silenced as her little brother spoke.

“You are nothing.” He said calmly, the flames crawling up his own body as they dragged the last floating bones into a crown. “You have always been nothing.” The room became silent, the ticking clock stopping, the doctor’s breathing pausing as the world stilled at Ramiro’s words.

Dani had felt time stop before; Clockwork had stopped time to talk to her sometimes, but this didn’t feel the same. When CW stopped time, it was smooth and precise because of the practice he’d had. This stop was abrupt like they’d hit the brakes on a car. Dani could only look at her little brother as she couldn’t move, she usually wasn’t affected by CW, so this was a first.

“You will continue to be nothing. Theodore Hatcher, for your crimes against my friends, the dead, and history, you will cease to be. You have never existed, you will never exist, you will never be thought of again.” His eyes glowed a bright purple as the flames began to engulf her ice, both working their way through the labs, to the people, and lastly to the doctor.

Dani felt time start again as the flames died down, the ashes of what used to be there being the only evidence there was something in the first place. She reached out to Ramiro who took her hand, both leading Quetzal into the portal and out of the mortal Realm.

Dani took out the infinity map and watched as the lab burst into flames, burning itself until it was nothing but a rumor. She looked at her brother with a smile as she watched him hug every dinosaur that was stuck in that horrible lab.

“Think you found your obsession?” She asked the newly crowned boy, his white hair bouncing as he turned to her with a smile, his tears having been wiped away as he nodded.

“I think I like history?” Ramiro questioned as he flew over to her, his outfit now on full display. It looked like he had a shoulder cape made of the tar he had cried, the bones of the fossils hanging onto him like a suit, the outfit underneath barely visible.

“I think your core might be time.” Dani smiled as she poked him in the forehead, their giggles almost echoing in the Realm as they held onto each other. Quetzal interrupted them as they barreled into them, nudging their head into Ramiro’s arms.

“You should go home Quetzal! They’re waiting for you!” Ramiro said as he pointed out the family of triceratops waiting on what would’ve been the horizon. Dani watched as the two seemed to communicate, only understanding Ramiro’s side.

“Are you sure? That man can’t hurt you anymore.” The young prince said softly as he patted the dinosaur’s head, but it shook his hand off resolutely. It seemed that whatever they were talking about Quetzal had made up their mind.

“Do you think Papa would mind if I brought home Quetzal?” Ramiro questioned with a smile as he climbed onto the dinosaur’s back, motioning for Dani to join him.

“I don’t see why we couldn’t, I mean Mom had a killer plant collection. A dinosaur shouldn’t be surprising.” Dani giggled as the dinosaur roared in agreement, the three sped off towards the castle going so fast that Dani wondered if Ramiro and Quetzal’s friendship had given the dinosaur a boost in power.

That was a problem for tomorrow, however.

It was time to introduce the Royal Three to her little brother, Ramiro Nightingale, the Heir to History and Prince of Bones.

Chapter Text

Danny wasn't even made aware that his Queen was visiting the Mortal Realm. They were a match in impulsivity it seemed because he didn't know he was supposed to be expecting a new child until he noticed the new room in the castle. 

There was a door that had never been there before, a Hydrangea engraved into it. He opened the door, revealing a room decorated with bookshelves reaching towards the ceiling, all the books on them blank. There was a closet that opened out to an almost endless room with hangers and mannequin heads at the ready. Right opposite it was a room that he couldn’t get into as the door was locked, for a moment he wondered if he should be concerned but something told him that it wasn’t ready to be opened.

There was a queen-sized bed at the back of the room. This was decorated with a soft pink duvet that had the flower embroidered into the fabric making it almost look like chainmail. The pillows were similarly so, only one standing out as it looked like a plush sword. It was just that, a pillow in the shape of a sword which pointed his attention to the window above it.

There was a stained glass window that pictured Sam floating over a young woman, reaching her arms out to her with the girl reaching back. The girl wore a scarf around her head, covering her hair, with pins in it to look like she had a crown of spikes coming out of it. She was wearing what looked like a wedding dress, but it wasn’t quite right. The bodice and arms were covered in armor with vines of metal taking over the dress.

It was reminiscent of Ramiro’s window, save for the fact that the girl was depicted with wings made of metal. Where glass would usually be, there were intricate wings molded out of metal, the light of the realm creating a shadow of them over the bed.

The sword plush was beautifully positioned to make it look like it was a flying sword.

“Better make sure that the kids meet their new sibling,” Danny muttered with a smile as he flew out of the room, shutting the room and dashing to find the kids. Dani and Ramiro were with their new pet Quetzal in the garden. It was easy to find them since the triceratops was a glowing beacon.

“Kids! Good news, Bad news! Which do we want to hear first?” Danny asked as he landed on the soft grass, Ramiro immediately held up the hand sign to stop before motioning him to join them on the blanket they were using. It seemed his kids were having a bit of teatime if the tea tower was anything to go by. Dani was trying to finish her tiny sandwich in a hurry as he approached his new spot on the blanket.

“Wait! Is this a family thing or an ‘us’ thing?” Dani questioned as her hands flared out to keep up with her words. She made a circle gesture before motioning to her and Ramiro, who was pouring him a cup of tea. He didn’t like tea all that much, but he knew the teatime rules and he wouldn’t be a good king if he didn’t follow them. He took the cup from his son and dutifully gave a dramatic sip before setting it down.

“Family thing. ‘Miro, can Quetzal drag your Daddy over here? This is something for all of us.” Danny watched as his Prince and his friend made eye contact with each other before the triceratops got up from his comfortable position on his blanket and bolted toward Tucker’s lab.

The screams for help getting louder as Quetzal came back with his husband’s coat in his beak broke the tension as the three started to laugh at the scene.

“Oh ha-ha! How could you do this to your father? You guys could’ve texted me!” Tucker shouted as Quetzal let go of him, gently pushing him toward the blanket, adding him to their circle before he ran off to chase the fairies in Sam’s Garden.

“The triceratops was faster.” Dani supplied with a smirk as she drank from her teacup, a glance telling Danny that it was more milk than tea. Ramiro, the good host he was, poured his Daddy a cup of tea and offered him a snack as an apology.

“Okay, Okay, but only because I know it wasn’t either of you who thought of it.” His husband said with a glare toward Danny, making the King smile all the wider.

“Papa has something to tell us. I pick good news first!” Ramiro shared as he raised his hand like you would in school. Tucker looked at Danny surprised as Dani seemed to remember why he’d joined them in the first place.

“You’re getting a new sibling!” Danny said with a smile, Dani and Ramiro looked shocked before cheering happily. Tucker looked around confused before it must’ve dawned on him who was missing.

“Oh god, they got sacrificed to Sam didn’t they?” Tucker asked as he realized that their Queen wasn’t with them in the family meeting. The kids stopped celebrating as they looked at him as shocked as he was.

Sam’s summoning circle was difficult to find as it was. There were mentions of her with her multiple titles, Mother of Nature, Queen of the Endless, the Forever Fighter, the Avenger, and many others but not many knew her true title. She’d earned it when they ascended the throne together, so only those who were there or had contracts with those people would know it.

The Immortal of Life.

Sam was a lot of things, but she loved life with all her heart. She was one of the few people he knew who truly loved the Earth, her inhabitants, and everything about them. She was the first to stand up against anyone who wanted to hurt the Earth for their own gain and was the last to fall if she ever did.

This title was the only one that could summon her, all the other titles were scattered about and were much easier to ignore. They were a lot less powerful in that sense, so to have Sam gone meant that someone found that title and used it to sacrifice a child for her.

Danny didn't want to know why they thought their Queen would be happy with that. All he needed to know right now was that the girl would have a loving environment to thrive in.

 “Yes. The only reason I know is because I passed by their new room. I think it might be a girl, but we never assume because why?” Danny could see his children smile as they repeated the lesson in unison.

“It makes an ass out of you and me!” They giggled out, Danny reaching out and patting both of their heads.

“Exactly. Now we’re going to welcome this new person with kindness and caution. We don’t want to scare them, okay?” The three looked at each other before nodding, a promise between them all to be on their best behavior.

“Good. Now we wait for them to get back.” Danny mumbled before Ramiro caught his attention by bringing the teapot up, signaling they should finish teatime before their newest guest arrived.

They spent the rest of their teatime in relative silence, Tucker leaning against Danny with anxious waves coming off him. It was understandable.

Whoever thought sacrificing a child to a woman who cared for life was a good idea was an idiot.  

---

Ramiro was the first to realize that his Momma had returned home, the feeling of the garden alerting him to her arrival. He was so excited that he popped up from the blanket and flew over with Quetzal running right behind him before he skidded to a stop.

The older girl in his mother’s arms was asleep, looking at how she was holding onto his mother told him all he needed to know.

This girl had gone through a similar ritual to what he did.

He floated up to his mother slowly, her smile comforting him as she tilted her arms a bit to allow Ramiro to look at his new sister.

She looked to be a very kind person; she had a small smile on her face as she was embraced by his Mama’s vines. Her skin was just as dark as his birth momma which made him yearn for a time he barely remembered. She had dried tears on her face which he wiped off gently with his sleeve before looking up at his mother.

She smiled at him; the tears of her face painted by the makeup she had on in this immortal form.

“ ’Miro, this is your new sister. Her name is Inaya. Why don’t we put her in a comfy bed?” Her voice was soft not to wake up Inaya as she shifted in her arms and vines. Quetzal began to give off a soft warm glow to simulate a warm fire which soothed the girl.

They flew silently together up to the new room that hadn’t existed before.

Ramiro pulled back the blankets, helping tuck his new sister into her bed with his Momma. He remembered how comforting it was to not wake up alone on his first night at the castle. No matter how it had become his home now, it was scary back then.

“Can I stay with her until she wakes up?” Ramiro asked softly as he looked towards his sister, Quetzal already settling himself down as he lay on the floor next to the bed. His mother flew behind him and hugged him gently as she nodded.

“Of course. Watch over her for a bit ‘Miro, I need to talk to your fathers.” She whispered before a flower appeared under them; he sat on the edge of the bed as their mother disappeared into the floor to look for his fathers.

Ramiro and Quetzal looked at each other briefly, both sharing the memories of their first nights in the castle. The castle reflected their family and was healing from the years of neglect from the previous king, but it was a process. There were still terrifying statues, cold hallways, and scary weapons on the walls that threatened those who entered uninvited.

The older girl on the bed began to shift a bit, struggling against the nightmares in her head. Ramiro allowed his form to switch to his more ghostly form, waving his hand over the girl allowing her most cherished memories to take the place of those terrors.

“It’s okay Inaya, they can’t hurt you here,” Ramiro promised as he focused on allowing his powers to protect his new sister. Quetzal carefully jumped onto the bed and nuzzled into the girl’s side, her whimpering quieting down as her breathing steadied. 

"We won't let them." 

--- 

Sam found her husbands in their room; both having readied the room with her favorite candles, a warm bath with lavender flowers, and her favorite vegan gummies. She loved them so much.

Sam allowed them to lead her to their large bath, letting herself settle into the warm water before she allowed the tears to flow from her eyes. She knew she wasn’t the type to cry often, but she needed to let it out before she could get into the experience she had just had.

She could understand why Danny cried so much the day they got Ramiro.

It pained her to look into the link of the person forcibly sacrificed to her, especially when that person was a child. Inaya was 14 years old; she was just 14 and had so much to live for. She was interested in sculpting, she had finally passed that math class that gave her so much grief, and she was happy.

Memories that weren’t hers flooded into her mind as she watched how Inaya was taught by her mother how to cook, how her father taught her how to work with metal, and how her aunt showed her how to live in the moment. They loved Inaya so much. There were faint whispers of advice, encouragement, and acceptance that Sam knew didn’t belong to her own family. The smiles on the faces she’d seen of people that she knew had passed on stung as she began to sob.

She could feel Tucker get into the bath with her, moving her to lean onto his shoulder as Danny got behind her and rubbed her back.

The voices of lives that were destroyed by Inaya’s Uncle rang in her ears as she began to recount what she had seen when she’d gotten Inaya.

Sam had been summoned to a city called Blüdhaven, a city near the living haunt of Lady Gotham. 

The warm spring night was almost ironic to her now that she thought back on it.

It had been a similar group of cultists to Ramiro’s sacrifice, so she assumed they were an off-branch of the group. Inaya was in the middle of her summoning circle dressed in soft silks with flowers and thorns tying her to the wooden pole she was on. Sam could immediately see that the young girl was bleeding from her wounds.

Sam honestly didn’t even listen to the head cultist as he made her demands to her, having floated down to Inaya and whispering apologies to the girl.

“Would you like to come with me?” She asked carefully as she allowed the girl’s teary eyes to focus on her. Inaya looked shocked but she nodded, her throat having been dried up from her cries and screams.

Sam brought the girl into her arms and held her close as she looked at the crowd of cowards that did this to a 14-year-old.

“Who did this to you? Who hurt you?” It took a second before Inaya turned in her arms, pointing directly to the man next to their head speaker. He was a short man and looked terrified as the girl identified him.

“He did. They killed my family, but he offered them to you first.” Inaya spoke, her voice never wavering as she glared at the man who destroyed her family. He began to blubber on about how he did this for them, how she would get the life she deserved, and he would get the life he deserved. He spoke of endless wealth thanks to her dowry and that’s when it clicked to Sam what Inaya was originally supposed to be.

A wife.

They offered a 14-year-old to be her child bride.

Sam didn’t blink as she took control of the thorns and flowers that once adorned Inaya. They multiplied in an instant as she reached out towards the crowd, her speech meaning almost nothing to the living as their limbs became tree branches. She’d covered Inaya’s eyes as the screams and pleas for forgiveness were met with nothing but anger.

Every monstrous person in the room painfully became a part of a beautiful forest that would become a haven in the cursed city. She forced them all to pay for the pain they caused the girl tenfold as she made their new lives as painful as possible. 

“Inaya, you won’t be a bride to me. I have two husbands who will be more than happy to be your fathers. Two children will be excited to have a new sister. Inaya, you will be family but only if you want to be.” She offered softly as she brought them down to the ground, kneeling to the young girl’s height.

As they looked into each other’s eyes, she could tell that the gravity of the situation had finally hit the girl. Her tears began over again as she nodded her head, throwing herself back into Sam’s arms as she silently sobbed. Sam allowed her tears to flow as she picked Inaya up, cradling her in her arms as they cried together.

Inaya had fallen asleep on the flight back to the castle and it led them to where they were now.

The three of them hugged each other as they promised to keep Inaya loved and safe.

---

It had taken the rest of the year for Inaya to find her place in the Ghost Zone.

It filled Sam’s heart with a sort of unadulterated joy as she watched her little girl get along with her siblings almost instantaneously.

Inaya, Ramiro, and Dani had some fights of course, one of which had to do with who was older. Dani had the most developed core, but she was still physically 10, Ramiro had the most control over his element but was only 6, and Inaya was physically 14 but had the core of a baby. It led to the system of the one with the oldest core being seen as the oldest sibling while the youngest was the one with the weakest core.

Danny and Inaya had found a shared interest in pastel goth fashion. It was a great development when the whole Ghost Zone saw that their king was rocking some soft pinks with their newest princess wearing soft blues but both had bats somewhere in the design. She had seen them borrow some of her accessories to wear in their matching outfits and she wasn’t against it. Especially because it caused Dani and Tucker to dive into the techno-goth scene to combat them.

Speaking of Tucker, he and Inaya were both K-drama obsessed so it saved Danny and Sam from watching the dramas with them. It was a bit alarming to hear them cursing out the Infinite TV when the protagonist did something they deemed dumb but the house got used to it. They also got into dating sims together, it wasn’t a strange scene to see the two gawking at the attractive characters or throwing the controllers when their hated character came on screen. It was endearing, at least to Sam.

Her new grandparents were happy to get another granddaughter, spoiling her just as they did the rest of the children. Jack was so happy to be in the kitchen with the children, teaching them how to make his famous fudge and even exposing the children to different sweet recipes. It was amazing to watch Maddie train the children on how to properly use their weaponry. Inaya was a good shot, but the sound did scare her, so the two grandparents made it their mission to make a silent weapon for her specifically.

Aunt Jazz was still the reigning champion of the title of “Favorite Aunt” as she was happy to help Inaya to fill her closet with as much clothing as she could want. It also helped that Jazz was open to being her tutor in all things psychological, although her interest in fears was a bit concerning. The books in her room were filled with studies of fears, weaponry, and the knightly code of conduct.

This led to Inaya getting extra lessons from Fright Knight, explaining the power of fear, how the Soul Shredder worked, and how to use it.

To make sure she could keep up with the training, her diet of infinite realms fruits and vegetables helped with developing her core a bit faster. This led to the Observants bringing up the fact that Inaya was technically old enough to find her obsession.

That was not a great day for the Observants because Sam was ready to rip them all apart. The only reason that they still exist is because Tucker was quick enough to grab her and Danny by the arm.

They left it up to Inaya who decided to go through with the journey.

Just like they did for Ramiro, they equipped her with everything she may need on her journey. She trusted that Inaya would come back safely but she was wrecked with anxiety as she watched her fly out into the Realms.

It had felt like hours until Inaya came back with what looked like a sword made from pure solidified lava. Her clothes had changed into armor made from molten rock that seemed to shift around her form. She had an iron crown floating over her head that only accented her soft pink scarf as it protected her head. She had metal bird-like wings sprouted from her back that let her float better than her human form.

She didn’t share what exactly she’d gone through, just like how her other children didn’t tell them. Inaya was still proud of what she’d gone through.

Sam later heard from some visiting ghosts that they had seen her daughter go up against some of the stronger ghosts in the realm. From what they told her, Inaya had protected a collective of girls who were making their way to their final resting place and were accosted by a group of demons. From the accounts, her girl showed those demons no mercy waging a war on the entire dimension after safely escorting the girls to their destination.

Based on the complaints that Danny received the next day, she didn’t hold back on any of the demons. She mocked the demons and said to them, “For the crimes of those cowards, you will all suffer!” She even got to their king and beat him into submission with an anger that Sam was so proud of.  She even called him out for being a deadbeat towards his daughter and for that, “You should feel the wrath of a daughter scorned!”

Inaya was christened by the Demons, The Smith of Fear, and the Princess of War.

Sam was so proud of her little warrior.

Chapter Text

This was getting ridiculous. 

He's never received so many sacrifices before and suddenly he's getting so many he has 2 children out of them. The only other sacrifices he'd been given were things like the blood of virgins or someone's soul, which he always rejected or gave back. 

Was it because they were taking the children and murdering the captors? Did they think it was some kind of sign they were on the right track? 

It was starting to get on his nerves so his solution was to have Tucker and himself go to the living world and see what the rumors in the occult world were saying and hopefully end them. 

Danny would've brought Sam along but it was safer to have her in the Realms to keep Dani, Ramiro, and Inaya safe. They were still babies in their eyes and needed supervision should their powers decide to act up. He had to admit that it was also because he didn't trust the living realm with his children. 

Tucker could've stayed at home to hack into the more obscure occult websites but the chance to have a good date with Danny was enough to bribe him into coming with. 

His husband was a simple man when it came down to it. 

 They were in National City which sincerely looked like the golden age of skyscrapers because they had a stupid number of skyscrapers in this city. He had so many questions, but he didn’t have the time to find the answers.

Tucker and he flew over the city trying to find a good place to set up shop. It was easy enough to find the tallest building and to aim towards the empty floor so Tucker could set down his laptop and get to work. It should’ve been easy, and it would’ve been if Tucker didn’t start laughing hysterically mid-flight.

It kind of scared him with how out of nowhere it was.

Danny watched confused as Tucker grabbed his arm and pulled him towards the edge of the city, barely understanding as he asked him to turn invisible.

The scene was straight out of a bad teen movie. They both flew over to what looked like a high school football field and that was where he saw them.

There was a young girl about 14 years old tied up in the middle of a burning circle, Tucker’s summoning circle was scribbled under her. There were older teenagers around her, one that vaguely looked similar to her but Danny honestly couldn't care less. What did get him laughing along with his husband was what the girl in the circle was saying.

“You bunch of bastards think you’re all that and a bag of bolts, but you don’t even know how stupid you lot are!” She screamed at the top of her lungs as the circle burned brightly at her words.

“Stacy, your mother is sleeping with the whole school! She doesn’t even know who your father is! I wouldn’t be laughing Mike! You’re dating your sister! Not even your stepsister!” With every word that left her mouth, Danny was struggling to be quiet as he watched the horror cross the faces of her captors.

“Milly you’ve been sleeping with Alex’s Mom! Alex, you wrecked Mike’s car after you found out that you were sleeping with his sister-girlfriend! Tabitha, you’ve been sleeping with your brother and his best friend!” Her voice echoed throughout the football field as the fights began to escalate. The girl who looked similar to the girl was staring at her in true terror as they locked their eyes. He could sense no fear in the younger girl, almost as if she wasn’t the one trapped by them, but they were the ones trapped by her.

“Heather. Of all the horrible friends you’ve ever made, you are by far the worst out of all of them. You killed your real sister; she never ran away. You have her buried in the backyard of the house, and now you want to do the same to me. All because you were jealous that we were smarter than you.” The fighting was silenced as they all turned to look at Heather. She tried to explain her actions, but Danny could see as her friends pulled away from her.  

“You all want me dead?! Want me to go away!? Then how’s this?” She screamed as she began to recite Tucker’s summoning ritual from memory. Danny watched astonished as the circle’s previous red fire changed to a bright green, showing him it was working.

“Oh, Pharaoh of Knowledge, Prince Consort of the Infinity Realms, and Immortal of Morality! Hear my pleas and take this humble soul away from these idiots! I give you these sacrifices to do with as you please!” The appearance of his husband was dramatic and frightening, as lighting struck the circle letting Tucker appear to the teens in his eldritch form.

Danny always loved seeing Tucker’s eldritch form. He looked like a living beast of code, a black blob of living numbers, switching between the image of a pharaoh, a prince, and an amalgamation of technology. The lightning and thunder rolled in instantly in roaring clouds that covered the city in an instant.

The band of teenagers backed away from Tucker, but the lights of the football field sprung to life, wrapping around their victims with a series of disturbing crunches. “I’m not one to take a summoner’s words lightly.” Tucker’s voice echoed with the company of thousands of voices.

Danny floated down to the two, watching as the girl turned to Tucker in astonishment. She was crying but Danny didn’t think it was in fear as she rushed to Tucker, hugging him as best as she could. Tucker’s form reverted to his more human appearance as he embraced the girl.

“Now what’s with these tears? I was having fun hearing you air out their dirty laundry.” His husband laughed as he kneeled to the girl’s height. “Now can I know my summoner’s name?”

“Alexa…My name’s Alexa.” She said in between sobs as she tried to take a breath. He watched as the girl looked into Tucker’s eyes with a bright smile on her face. It was the first time she’d smiled during the encounter, and a little part of him said that this was the first smile she’d had in a while.

“I just…I meant It when I asked you to take me away. I just…I can’t take this anymore.” Tucker seemed to pause; it was clear there was a contract being formed between the two. Whatever Tucker saw caused the man to angrily revert to his more destructive form.

“Danny, take Alexa away for a bit. I need to handle this.” Tucker’s order ripped through the air as Danny revealed himself, the screams of the group increasing as he flew down and picked up Alexa. He turned her head away from the scene, covering it as he hummed, drowning out the carnage.

“It’s nice to meet you, Alexa. I’m Danny!” He introduced himself as they flew away from the football field, floating above the city to give Tucker privacy to deal with his new enemies.

“What happens now? What am I now?” Alexa asked him as she looked up to him. He could only give a gentle smile as he landed them in a safe nearby park.

“That’s all up to you. If you want, you can come with Tucker and me and join our family. We have a wife that’ll love to meet a little firecracker like you and a trio of children who are itching to meet you.” Danny explained softly as he looked up to the sky as it cleared up. When he looked back at Alexa, she had new tears falling down her cheeks as she held onto his arms.

“That’s what I wanted….That’s all I’ve ever wanted..” He heard her mumble as she threw herself into his arms, Danny only able to hold her as she cried.

Sometimes, he wondered if waging a war against the living was worth it. This was the fourth child that they had failed. The fourth child wanted nothing but to be loved and cared for and they couldn’t give that to her.

Tucker soon joined them in his human form, scoping up their new daughter into his arms as he cradled her still crying form to his chest.

“They will never hurt anyone like they did you ever again. Heather will pay for her crimes, your friend will find peace now.” Tucker reassured her as she wrapped her arms around his shoulders, sobbing as she thanked him.

Danny didn’t know his new daughter’s past but the anger behind Tucker’s eyes hadn’t subsided yet, he still had a list of people he needed to put into their place.

Danny was more than happy to help his husband with their new project.

---

Bringing Alexa home was the easy part, she had taken to the castle like a fish to water.

Her room was right next to Dani’s room, and it extended out into a stage. On her door Alexa had the Anemone flower engraved into it. There was a closet that was now full of costumes, cosplays, and eccentric outfits that she would switch through. Her bed was dark blue and had a canopy of stars protecting her from the harsh lights of her stage. At the back of the stage, there was a giant stained glass panel that showed Alexa in the middle of her pyre with Tucker’s eldritch form hanging over her protectively. The beautiful thing about the stage, at least to Tucker, was that it highlighted Alexa’s smile and happiness at that moment, her features lined with gold rather than metal.

She was happy to get the family she deserved, and Tucker couldn’t be happier. He watched as she was spoiled as the youngest child by her siblings.

Ramiro loved putting flowers into Alexa’s hair, the anemone flower to be exact, which was also engraved into her bedroom door. Alexa could always be found in her brother’s room, playing with his toy dinosaurs and she spun a story of comedy and tragedy. There were a few times that he checked on them and Ramiro was either crying laughing or crying because it was an emotional moment between the two.

Dani had the most fun trading puns with her new sister, which got Tucker and the rest of the castle sighing when Danny joined in the antics. There was a time that Ghost Writer had come to visit and complain about the three making puns and Alexa had over his complaints and proudly shouted, “Just because you are uncultured, it doesn’t mean you get to ruin my fun!” If Tucker heard Dani laughing on the other side of the wall of the throne room, no he didn’t. Especially because he was too busy trying not to laugh at the interaction himself.

Inaya was happy to help her sister pick out a weapon to learn, Tucker had watched over them as they trained together. Inaya was convinced that she could get Alexa on par with the rest of the siblings in a matter of weeks, and truth be told, she did. Alexa had chosen the only two handguns they had in the treasure vault, saying she wanted to mimic ‘Death The Kid’. Tucker and Inaya were forced to watch the anime he was from to understand her reference and they admitted that they enjoyed it till the end.

It took a few weeks, but Inaya kept her word and Alexa became a better gunslinger than even the Warden. He’d heard that Walker was impressed with his daughter and asked her if she was interested in becoming a junior warden. He heard her yell, “All Cops Are Bastards!” before hearing gunshots in the distance. Sam had been so proud of her that she commissioned Hephaestus and Brokkr to work together to create Alexa her pair of handguns.

Of course, his in-laws complained saying they wanted to create guns but instead, Tucker enlisted them to help him bring down everyone that had wronged their little sharpshooter. Watching as the two grandparents made their way into the human world and wrecked the lives of those who failed their little girl reminded him why he married into such a crazy family in the first place.

Alexa had lost her parents at an early age; they were too young and taken too quickly. Tucker made sure that they were at peace before he continued his warpath. She had been taken in by her mother’s sister and brother-in-law who had just lost their daughter, murdered by her younger sister they would soon find out.

Heather was abusive, vindictive, and overall, a horrible person but that didn’t excuse the fact that they had done nothing to protect Alexa. They were next, he outed every lie that had ever left their mouth. They’ll rot behind bars for the rest of their lives and their afterlives.

Heather was easy enough to take care of, her sister left a request for Tucker. Her ghost was allowed to torture her sister for the rest of her life, then it would be his turn.

The other teens had their crimes outed and lives ruined by a few anonymous reports to the police and posts tagging them in every social media that Earth currently had. It was such a shame that Tucker couldn’t stop their souls from getting claimed by demons, ghouls, and the like. It wasn’t his fault that his father-in-law had cried to all his ghostly friends about the pain he felt for his granddaughter.

He loved his family dearly; he didn’t earn the title of Immortal of Love by just being a great husband after all.

---

6 months had passed when Alexa begged her parents to allow her to find her obsession. Tucker and his partners had been in their throne room when Alexa and her siblings came into the room with looks of determination across their faces.

“I want to find my obsession.” She’d started, looking into his eyes with the same look she’d had when they first met. It had honestly broken Tucker’s heart as he watched his little girl try to explain her case. She had come prepared, having evidence that she was ready to defend herself and testimonies from her teachers that said she was ready.

He had looked into their contract, seeing how she’d had to fight for every privilege in her adoptive family’s house. With a glance towards his partners, and getting their approval, he floated down the stairs that led up to their thrones.

“And I know I’m young but-!” He didn’t let her finish as he brought Alexa into his arms, holding her as gently as he did when he first flew her to the castle. She was surprised but he could feel it as she melted into his arms, wrapping hers around him as he spoke.

“You have our permission. If you want to find your obsession, you can go do that honey.” Tucker reassured her as he felt her sigh, he looked up to the rest of his children and watched as they all lifted the items they were going to give her for her journey. “But if you think you won’t be leaving with everything, we gave your siblings, you have another thing coming missy.”

With that, they prepared everything that she would need. Sam picked out her outfit, Danny helped his children fit everything into a backpack, Tucker made her a special PDA that resembled the skull guy she liked so much, Jasmine packed her snacks and a lunch, while Maddie and Jack helped prepare the ghost cycle. Ramiro gave her a pack of smoke bombs, Dani gave her a book of puns, and Inaya gave her some armor made to hide under her beloved hoodie.

The next day, his little girl was dressed up and on her way into the green skies of the ghost zone.

He cried, just like he did for the rest of his children. Ramiro and Quetzal did their best to distract him, letting him play tea party with them as they waited for news of Alexa’s journey.

Tucker had to admit that he was doing everything he could to not check in on Alexa. He didn’t know how Danny or Sam resisted the urge to check and see if their babies were okay.

It felt like years before he saw his sharpshooter again! Truthfully it was about 3 days but still!

When Alexa came back to the family, she was practically glowing. She had painted on her face stars and skulls on her cheeks. The hood of her hoodie had grown to look like a long jester’s hat, cascading down her back like hair. Her hoodie still had its original patches but it did now flare out like a tutu. On her legs, she had star and skull tights that ended in ballet slippers that had little bells on the end.

She was flashing a big smile as she screamed in happiness, “I have a light core! I have a light core!” He brought his arms up and she flew into them as fast as possible. Ramiro and Quetzal cheered as they joined in the hug, happy to see her back.

Tucker didn’t ask his little jester any questions just as he didn’t with the other children, but he was surprised when they got a personal thank you note from Pandora. In it, she described how she had fallen into a bout of depression as some of her Amazons had been in a horrible battle, leaving them hurt and recovering in her maze. Alexa had stumbled into her home and had seen how dejected they all were. Alexa put on a show for the Amazons, causing them to smile and cheer as she performed for them. Their daughter had brought a smile to Pandora’s face when she finished her show, but she made the ancient laugh hysterically when she returned to their domain with the bodies of those who’d wronged them and their living sisters.

In all my years of living, I have never seen such a spark of hope and kindness be born of the void. If you permit me, I would like to bequeath her two titles befitting our young princess.

I, Pandora, the ancient of Hope, title Alexa Nightingale the Jester of Joy and the Princess of Vengeance.  

May her justice be swift and her happiness plentiful.

Chapter Text

Danny used to hate dinners with his family. It was a hassle to watch as his parents ranted about ghosts and their future experiments while Jazz glared at them. Almost like clockwork, they would devolve into a battle of wits leaving a sour taste to any food he was trying to eat.  

He doesn’t hate family dinners anymore. How could he?

By his sides were his husband and wife, and beside them were his beloved children. Next to them, Jazz and his parents sat talking about what they did with their day. The therapist they’d gone to was given some blessings on her upon her death as thanks for what she’d been able to do with their fractured family.

Sam and Tucker were gossiping over what their classmates had been up to, although Danny had to admit that he wasn’t listening to their words, just their voices.

Dani was planning with Alexa to set up a family movie night, trying to figure out what movie they should watch that was appropriate for all the family. If he had heard correctly, they were arguing over if Coraline was too scary for their little brother Ramiro.

Ramiro and Inaya were discussing what weapons interested them, with his little scholar telling his sister the history of the weapons and his favorite Firestarter giving him suggestions on ways to better fit their needs. He may have to ask about what those needs were, after all, he was a responsible parent! He had to supervise their shenanigans! He wouldn’t join them, of course not! He’s the Ghost King, Champion of the Infinite Realms!

If they caused trouble under his supervision, then it would just be sanctioned by the Crown.

His train of thought was broken as he felt something coming up his throat. He hadn’t eaten anything bad! Tucker and the children worked hard to make dinner tonight, they weren’t disasters in the kitchen like his parents were, so it wasn’t food poisoning.

He tried to cover his mouth to stop it from coming up but his attempts were for nothing as he felt himself throw up. His family turned their heads to him immediately, Sam’s hand on his back as Tucker panicked over what to do. It took them all a second before he heard Ramiro shout, “Is that blood?!”

The tugging on his soul was prominent now, feeling as though someone was screaming for him to notice that they were speaking to him. He tried to stand up from his chair as it hit him. The blood was from a far older ritual, one that wasn’t meant to be for him.

Whoever was trying to summon him, was trying to reach out to that old tyrant.

The tugging turned to a vice as he looked at his family, his children seemed confused and concerned, all except Ramiro who had a look of realization as he looked down at his arms, the scars of his adoption day still prominent.

“I’ll be back. Ramiro comes with; it looks like whoever’s a part of this might need help.” Danny spoke hurriedly, wiping the blood from his mouth as his other hand was grabbed by his son.

Sam and Tucker looked at each other and nodded, giving commands to the family so they could prepare for their new guest.

A flash of light engulfed Ramiro and him as they teleported to the summoning circle, a match in anger as they wondered who dared to try to stop the clock.

-----

Ramiro could feel the aura of death before they materialized into the circle. It was damp and heavy, like a fog that made it near impossible to see an inch in front of your nose.

Nanda Parbat was whispered into his ear as they laid eyes on the bodies that circled the area. They were all dressed in black, laying on the floor with different stab wounds, all having bled to death which explained his Papa’s vomit.

In the middle of them was a kid, not much older than he was. The boy was also dressed in black but unlike the others, he was alive, even if barely, and stared at them with black eyes filled with terror and something Ramiro couldn’t place. He floated over to the boy, watching as he struggled to lift his sword again.

“Did you do all this?” Ramiro asked softly as he sat before the boy, trying to show that he meant no harm. The boy didn’t seem to have enough energy to talk but nodded as he dropped the sword, the clanking of the metal echoing through the cave system they seemed to be in.  

He’d been so focused on the boy that he didn’t realize that his Papa was investigating the green pool near them. His anger was coming from him in waves, but Ramiro blocked them from reaching the boy by giving off his friendly aura.

“Were they trying to hurt you? Like this?” Ramiro lifted his arms, letting the other kid see his scars. The boy responded in kind by lifting his arms slowly, runes being carved into them that the Prince of Bones would recognize anywhere. He tried to calm himself, this boy didn’t need anger. He needed comfort.

The boy was covered in wounds, gashes, and injuries that were most likely the reason he was barely alive. A little part of Ramiro wondered just how the other survived, but the rest was grateful that his will kept him here so they could help him.

Ramiro brought his hands over the wounds and paused the bleeding, rewinding time on the body until the boy was healed. His powers gave way to light tan skin that was only scarred by the ritualistic symbols on his wrists. He smiled as the boy started to flex, testing out his limbs before trying to stand up from the ground.

Now that he wasn’t covered in blood, Ramiro was able to see the boy underneath it all. He could see the boy’s light brown hair now where it had previously been caked with blood.

The boy was shaky, but quickly got his balance as he looked around the room.

Relief.

That was the other emotion.

Relief that his captors were dead? Relief that he’d survived? Maybe it was a relief he wasn’t alone anymore. Either way, it was enough to block the fog of death from them both.

Ramiro wondered if looking and seeing what had happened would be rude. He looked to his father who seemed to notice the child as well and took over talking to him. Ramiro was curious, and Mama always said that curiosity killed the cat, but satisfaction brought it back,

With that, the Prince of Bones decided that one little peak wouldn’t hurt.

As his eyes shined a bright purple, time morphed to his whims. He watched as the bodies stood back in their original positions, and the weapons on the ground flew back to their owners with the room reset to show him what happened.

The boy was being held between two other assailants as an old man dressed in deep green and gold walked into the room, with the same self-importance as the man who took him from his family. This was a man far past his prime, at least that’s what his powers told him as he looked at the man.

“Long Live the Demon Head!” Shouted the devoted as the man made his way towards the boy, still unharmed at this point, grabbing his chin and forcing him to look into his eyes.

Defiance was clear on the boy’s face as he stared directly into the eyes of the immortal, something that surprised the old man, although his stoic face didn’t show it. He watched as the so-called Demon Head took a knife from a servant and began the ritual, but the boy wasn’t one to take it without a fight.

In quick succession, the boy kicked the Demon Head away from him, using the force to knock his keepers off their feet to the floor. He watched the ensuing struggle, watching as the boy matched the old man hit for hit, killing any who got too close.

“What are you doing boy? Don’t you know it’s an honor to die for my cause?” The man called out in a monotone voice as they fought, assassins jumping in now and again to try to overwhelm the boy. He was young and small, using that to his advantage as he maneuvered through and around the crowd.

“What honor?! When has it ever been an honor to die for a coward?” The boy shouted as he was finally caught, his screams following closely after as the rest of the runes were carved into his arms. Ramiro could feel his scars burn as he watched, biting back his lip to silence his cries.

“Coward?”

“You, Ra’s Al Ghul, are nothing but an old fool too scared to die. You act like a god when all you are is an ant avoiding the boot.” The boy continued through gritted teeth, keeping eye contact with Ra’s as he was dragged into the circle again. His legs were bound but he didn’t look defeated.

The man seemed flustered, quickly turning away from the boy and giving orders in what Ramiro thought was Arabic. He was in a rush to leave the room, although his subordinates probably didn’t notice the shift as he glided towards the door, with only a promise following him.

“When Death comes for you, and he will. Rest assured that I will be by his side ready to drag you down to hell.” The boy called out as the man hurried out of the room, anger flickering in his eyes as he refocused on his captors. What followed was nothing short of a bloodbath.

The ropes were cut and suddenly bodies were dropping around Ramiro, a swiftness he thought was only possible in the Infinite Realms. Blow for blow the boy was fighting for his life, a desperate fight for his life which culminated in him being hurt beyond belief. Ramiro watched as the boy placed a timid hand on the circle, reciting the tyrant king’s chant in Arabic which explained how they had gotten here.

The scene ended and Ramiro was filled with a fury, an anger he hadn’t felt since his Obsession ceremony. He could feel the clocks stop turning as his teacher made his presence known to the prince.

“Why can’t I erase him? He’s past his prime, he’s hurt my new family, and millions of people have died by his hands.” Ramiro pleaded as he turned to Clockwork, watching as the man went from child to man to ancient and back again. Time had stopped, not even his papa, the King of Infinity itself was aware that they were talking. Time couldn’t touch Ramiro as it did others, a side effect of his core.

“He will fall by the pillar he creates; we cannot intervene with what destiny has decided,” Clockwork said in that voice that told Ramiro that he had already looked into the future and was pleased by it. The young prince glared at the ancient, his cheeks starting to stain with his tar-like tears falling from his eyes.

“Why can’t we? Why can’t I? It’s not fair! This man, this monster gets to get away with crimes against the living and dead and I’m supposed to do nothing?! I am the Prince of Bones and your heir! I should be able to do something!” He shouted as he collapsed in front of the Ancient of Time, sobbing as his ghostly grandfather comforted him.

He mourned the people who would be affected by the monster. He mourned the childhoods that had been stolen away by a man running away from his end. He cried for those who couldn’t afford to cry. He screamed for those who wouldn’t.

History was his love, it was his obsession and his life, but it hurt to know that while it was beautiful, there were dark times that Ramiro or CW couldn’t prevent. It was what made those great times so precious.

“Time in.” Ramiro felt as time resumed all around him, wiping his tears away and floating up as everything became the present. He flew over to his Papa and new brother, both of whom looked at him with curiosity.

Ramiro smiled and looked at his new brother, there was a new sense of respect and fondness in him for the boy. He’d gone through hell and yet, there was still hope in his heart. “What’s your name?” He asked as softly as he could, landing on the floor so he could be face-to-face with the warrior.

“Ryder. My name’s Ryder.”

Papa smiled at them both and offered his hand out to Ryder, the 10-year-old taking his hand and grabbing onto Ramiro’s. They floated up with him and cheerfully talked his ear off as they soared through the ghost zone to introduce him to the family.

They didn’t mention the tears that were falling down Ryder’s cheeks as he received a weighted blanket from Dani, a cup of hot calming tea from Inaya and a pair of headphones with relaxing music from Alexa.

Ramiro didn’t speak a word while he sat next to his new brother, watching as he was given Fenton Fudge from their grandparents, a phone from Dad, and a pair of comfortable pajamas from Momma and Tia Jazz.

He just sent a wave of comfort to his brother as he curled up and cried in happiness, relief flooding the room as he was finally home.

----

Danny looked at the door in front of him with a proud smile.

The oak wood had a spray-painted Freesia flower in the middle of it, leaves carved throughout the design with an ornate doorknob. He knocked and once he got permission, went into the heavily painted room.

The walls were nearly all covered by graffiti-style art depicting different aspects of the family. The floor was ornate, a tile piece that depicted Ryder being freed of chains of glowing green with Danny and Ramiro’s silhouettes taking his hands. His newest prince was given a spiked gas mask that covered half his face with a floating halo of Lazarus waters atop his head. The rest had been painted over by Ryder, a soft portrait of their first family picnic together.

“Running out of room yet Ryder?” Danny laughed as he looked up to his floating son, watching as he finished his newest piece in his almost infinite room. It seemed that the room grew to give him more room to decorate as he saw fit.

His son laughed as he flew down to him, opening his arms to accept a hug from his father. It had taken so long for Ryder to be comfortable with initiating affection that the League of Assassins didn’t teach how to accept love, only how to incite violence.

Danny had to admit that he was ready to freeze the entire place into a new ice age, but Ramiro had told him what Clockwork told him. Ryder also asked that he didn’t take down the Demon Head just yet, saying that he wanted to be there when the old fruit loop finally bit the dust.

In his words, “I want to see his face when he finally takes his last breath. I want him to know that his last breath was a gift from me.” Alexa had screamed in joy for her brother, shouting that she’d call the Amazons to give him backup should he need it.

“Are you okay Baba?” Ryder asked him as he looked up at him with those black eyes that finally had a shine of happiness in them. Danny couldn’t help but chuckle, holding his son close, and answering him by nodding his head.

“Just so proud of you Sweetness. You ready?” Danny could see the excitement rush through the young boy as he nodded, running out of his arms and grabbing his scythe from its place on the wall. He watched Ryder’s transformation wash over him, colors flooding his eyes as his son’s form morphed into his more ghostly form.

His ghostly form had taken inspiration from his assassins’ garb, a hooded black garb that had splashes of green, white, and purple throughout. He had a belt of spray cans that housed paint, allowing him to create something quickly to fight with or protect with. His mask on his face, hood over his head, and his halo glowing brightly as it floated above him. He had knives on his person, but Danny honestly didn’t know where he had them, just knew he seemed to have an endless amount of them.

Ryder had gone through his obsession journey just as the rest of the children had and had come back with an army of assassins, citizens, and mercenaries that were unjustly killed by the Demon Head. That man had years upon years to wrong centuries of people and seemingly, Ryder had taken it upon himself to right those wrongs.

Danny took the hand of his son and led him to the ballroom, a crowd of their newest subjects there ready to pledge themselves to the Crown. His family sat at the top of the room, looking down at the crowd from their thrones with smiles on their faces. They noticed their arrival and bowed to him, a custom from the traditions that even predate the tyrant king.

Once they were at the thrones, Ryder stood in front of the crowd to address them. Danny could feel his partners grab his hands as they listened to the room quiet down, allowing their newest to speak.

“You all, sadly, know me and my story. You know it because you’ve been in my place. You’ve been taken from yourself, beaten, and tortured until you could kill a man with nothing more than a swift strike. You’ve been killed by the Demon Head Ra’s Al Ghul and know that he claims to be a force for good.” Ryder’s voice echoed through the hall, the ghosts of the crowd holding their injuries as they flashed through their last moments.

“We all know that’s a lie. He’s nothing but a coward whose ego has been filled by the years he’s taken from the youth. In old times, he was a friend to the Crown, the Tyrant King. Today, he is our enemy. He will always be our enemy.” Danny could see from the corner of his eye his children all looking at their brother with pride. They sat straight and tall, watching as their brother spoke out, sending waves of encouragement and support his way.

“I am Ryder Nightingale, the Traitor to the Demon Head. I will use this name to honor your lives and bring justice to the man who has wronged us all. We have cut off his waters, and soon he will know what it’s like to fear death, for we will become it.” Ryder promised as the crowd looked at each other, some even crying in happiness as they all bowed to him. Then the cheering happened, Dani went and stood by her brother who leaned on his older sister with a smile.

“Long may he exist, the Rebel Prince!” Was called out by the masses, the smiles on their faces making it apparent that RA’s Al Ghul may be in their realm before long.

Danny had to admit, he was looking forward to seeing the fruit loop.

May he rue the day he found the Lazarus Pit.

Chapter Text

Bruce could feel a massive headache as he stared at the computer, his research blaring back at him from the massive screen.

He’d just recently become a father again when it was revealed to him that Talia had made herself a son, whom she named Damian. With the introduction of Damian to the family came a new issue entirely.

The League of Assassins had been cut off from the Lazarus pits, which is a good thing, but there was no explanation as to why the pits weren’t working anymore. The League had been attacked by Deathstroke, an attempted coup if Talia’s story was to be believed. Ra’s had been brutally injured in the battle and was rushed into the Lazarus pit but never resurfaced.

Bruce leaned back in his chair as he looked over the locations of the Lazarus Pits. His family and Talia had looked into the other pits and found that they had all lost the ability to bring back the dead.

From the description given by Damian, it had looked like his grandfather was dragged into the depths by multitudes of hands, Pit Demons he said. There was a video feed, but it was heavily distorted, and trying to listen to the audio was useless because it was just as corrupted. That was strange within itself, but it got even weirder from there.

In researching the Lazarus pits, he’d found that cults around the world were attempting to summon what they called, “The Great One”, but each had either failed or disappeared completely as if they never existed. Others had tried to call upon his supposed spouses, “The Enlightened One” and the “Queen of the Endless” respectively. Those had failed just the same.

Along with the cult disappearing, the child that they sacrificed also disappeared, 4 have been identified; Ramiro Hernandez, Inaya Abadi, Alexa Xavier, and Monique Jones.

He’d asked Zatanna and Constantine who they were and how big of a threat should they be expecting, both gave him the explanation that the trio were worshipped but the cults seemed to have their texts wrong.

“The Great One is worshipped as the King of the Infinite Realms but he isn’t dangerous. He’s powerful, infinitely so but he’s also just and kind.” Zatanna had explained, looking at the rituals the cults had used with a disgusted face. “He would only ever attack if he was given a reason to.”

“The Enlightened One is a cheeky fellow. He’s more into compassion than violence from what I’ve heard. All the same, I wouldn’t mess with him, he’s got you and every detective beat in terms of knowledge.” Constantine had explained as he looked at the crime scene photos, all just as distorted as the video feed.

“Their Queen is very fond of nature, she’s been called Mother Earth in some circles. She’s just as powerful as her partners, if not more so, but she’s also the driving force for protecting their realm.” Zatanna had continued, both her and Constantine agreeing that the cults had been either misinformed or thought themselves powerful enough to control the three.

“They have their daughter, Crown Princess of the High Realms! They would never harm a child!” Had been Zatanna’s final verdict which left the questions of what did they with the children then.

Which brought Bruce back to what he was looking at on his computer. He’d asked Oracle and Red Robin to look into anything that may be attributed to the missing children or the Lazarus Pits losing their power and they’d found what looked like a contract between the Ghost King and Ra’s Al Ghul.

He knew Ra’s was a terrible man, but this was a new low for the man. He’d been sacrificing children and young adults to the Ghost King in exchange for the Lazarus Waters bringing back the dead. It seems that he didn’t tell Talia about this ritual, as Talia looked surprised when they found it.

“So much for ‘never harm a child’,” Red Hood had growled as he looked at the contract, and Batman couldn’t help but feel the same when they collected the ledger that contained the names of sacrifices and dates of the rituals, specially picked each time by Ra’s himself if the notes were anything to go on. Ryder, at the age of 10, had been the latest sacrifice to the Lazarus pits.

Damian, now Robin, had looked like he was going to throw up when he’d seen the list. Bruce assumed it was because the children sacrificed were usually around his age, but it felt like it was more than that.

He could feel his brain going back to that memory to analyze his son’s reaction.

“Master Bruce, it’s time for Dinner,” Alfred called out, bringing him back to the present. He turned to his old friend and nodded, getting up from the chair after shutting down the Bat-Computer.

A break would do him good.

---

A break was just what Danny needed!

He had been buried under a mountain of paperwork because some guy named John Constantine had been selling his soul to other beings, but those Collectors never filed the paperwork correctly. So, Danny, as King of Souls, had been looking into the soul contracts and trying to find all of them. How this guy is still functioning, he didn’t know but he’d only found about half of the contracts before he felt like he was going to faint.

He didn’t know halfas could feel like death again, but he’d found a new limit.

Sam ordered him to take a break with Tucker backing her up. Both of them called their children to drag Danny to the nearest portal with the order to relax away from the throne and to only come back when he’d felt ready to tackle the problem again.

The kids had a bit too much fun dragging him to the portal and Dani, specifically, did too much by throwing him the rest of the way through the portal.

He’d landed in Gotham and quickly changed to his human form to avoid suspicion. From what his parents found, the cults that were following them may be a danger to the dead and the living so keeping a low profile was probably a good idea.

Danny decided to go find Lady Gotham and update her on his family matters, just to give her a heads up about the cult and check in on her knights. She always did gush about them like they were her children, maybe she had tips on how to raise death-touched children.

He found Lady Gotham in her clock tower having a bit of tea time. The ghostly woman gave him a toothy grin before beckoning him to join her. Lady Gotham appeared as a middle-aged upper-class socialite, despite being hundreds of years old and unseen by mortal eyes. Sam guessed that she modeled herself after her beloved Martha Wayne, a woman who did a lot for the betterment of Gotham. She was a city spirit, created by the love and devotion of those who lived in her domain, and she reflected those who were fiercely loyal to her.

She was made of solidified smog and smoke, leaving her skin a light gray color. She wore a black dress with batwing sleeves that were cinched at the waist with a corset, and lace detailing dedicated to her knights' symbols. Around her neck was a string of pearls and on her wrists were chains that disappeared into the ether. Her eyes were a bright yellow, similar to the Bat Signal she’d shown him before. Her hair was curled and pinned perfectly although split in the middle, a bright red on one side with black on the other, similar to one of her rogues.

“You changed your hair!” Danny pointed out with a smile as he walked over to the table, sitting in the iron chair as a tea cup appeared before him.

“Yes, Harley has been trying to do good for our community. I thought I should recognize her efforts.” The Lady explained as she fluffed up her hair, the teacup on the table turning into a coffee mug, the older spirit knowing his love of tea only extended to his children’s blends.

“Care to talk about it? I’ve been formally ordered to take a break and would love to gossip.” Danny chuckled as he watched Lady Gotham sit up in her seat, happy to talk about her newest jester. They talked for what felt like ages, and soon night fell for the mortal world and Lady Gotham offered to show him her newest Robin.

“Where did your Bat get this one?” Danny asked as he transformed, turning intangible as he followed Gotham as she rushed through the shadows to her knights. She always kept a close eye on them, the curses placed on her ages ago stole her energy so she appreciated their protection and helped where she could.

“This one’s his! His mother brought him here to meet his father and train under him.” She explained as they came upon the docks, where Danny saw that the Bats were all in attendance, apparently a big drug bust or something like that.

They watched the fight and for a second Danny thought he was watching his children sparring. The newest Robin fought almost exactly like Ryder, the only difference being that Ryder was aware of his allies. Robin seemed like he was trained to fight alone, not in a group as he was right now. He just watched Red Robin and Robin bump into each other, causing them both to begin to fight as they attempted to take down their enemies.

“How’s he been settling in? Doesn’t seem like he’s been here too long.”

“Sadly, I believe his mother may have trained him on more than just fighting. He acts like he needs to prove that he has earned the right to breathe.” The Lady explained as she sat on the ledge of the building they were floating over, watching over her newest charge, sadness, and concern coming off of her like the water in her rivers.

“I get what you mean. Ryder was the same during his first months in the castle. Try to nudge Batman to remember that this kid was never taught how to be a kid. It took our little artist a bit to realize that he deserves a second chance at life.” Danny watched as the Lady smiled, waving her hand toward her knights to give them a bit more energy to keep going.

“Thank you, your majesty. Should you find yourself needing housing in the living realm, please consider staying in my domain. I would love to meet your children.” Her tone was sweet as she disappeared into the shadows, going to her newest bird’s side to ensure his safety no doubt.

The Ghost King flew up into the sky as he headed toward the portal he’d used to get to the mortal world. It was time to get home and give that soul-collecting problem another shot.

 ---

Danny was beyond surprised when he found his children helping a new child dance around the courtyard, Quetzal using his horns to help steady the 7-year-old as they spun around laughing.

"Tucker! Sam! Is this one ours?" He shouted into the castle, never taking his eyes off of his children and what he could only assume to be their new sibling. His Queen appeared next to him with a smile, one that he knew all too well.

“Tucker may or may not have taken her from the living.” Sam chuckled as she looked out to the courtyard with an all too proud look on her face. They watched as Dani and Inaya were trying to teach their sibling how to dance while Ramiro, Ryder, and Quetzal were trying to keep the child on the ground. The kid couldn’t have been there too long based on the fact they kept floating up when they didn’t mean to.

“What’s their name? How’s she here? Where’s Tucker?” Danny questioned as he looked at the child closely, trying to find the same scars most of their children had.

“Her name’s Monique, she’s 7 years old and she loves learning,” Sam explained as she took his hand, leading him into the castle, the sound of armor reassuring him that their children were being watched over by Fright Knight.

The two made their way to their room, finding Tucker sitting in their reading nook watching the children from the window. It was clear that he’d been crying thanks to the leftover tear trail left on his cheeks.

“Oh Tuck,” was all Danny could say before rushing to his long-time friend, hugging the man tightly as he heard Tucker start crying again. He looked to Sam as she sat next to them, continuing to talk when Tucker nodded his head.

Sam explained that Monique was autistic, and instead of listening to their doctor, her original parents sent her to a camp that promised to ‘cure her of her autism in less than a week’. The camp never existed and was instead a front for a group of sorcerers who wanted to summon him, not Tucker.

“But I didn’t feel anything?”

“I know, give me a second.”

According to Monique, she’d seen Tucker’s ritual in their library the first day she was at their ‘camp’. Their little genius figured out the scheme on the second day and set out to learn Tucker’s ritual, keeping offerings and charms associated with it on her person at all times. On the last day, the campers were offered a special tea that would ‘give them restful dreams’ and while everyone was asleep, the sorcerers stole Monique out of her bed and took her to the ritual site.

Monique didn’t drink the tea, it smelt disgusting, and she didn’t trust it, so she was awake the entire time. While the sorcerers started the Ghost King ritual, Monique started to chant Tucker’s ritual, changing the circle from Danny to Tucker with her sheer will and commitment to live.

Tucker had calmed down, moving around in Danny’s arms to be able to take Sam’s hand with a smile.

“She was smart enough to correctly translate the ritual to fit her needs. Instead of sacrificing the sorcerers to me, she asked me to save her and the others. I got there and went eldritch, before sending the children to save people with little notes to explain the situation.” Tucker took a deep breath, taking a second to compose himself. Danny knew how difficult it was when first creating a soul contract, hell he had two crying breakdowns when they first got Ramiro, so he understood completely.

“She had no one. No one in her family was safe for her!” Tucker yelled as he started to cry again, Danny’s heart aching as he realized the situation. “They’re all so obsessed with this idea of perfection that none of them were safe for her. I couldn’t just leave her there.” His husband whispered as his crying came back in full force. Danny and Sam wrapped their tech nerd in their arms, letting him get it all out.

Danny looked out of their window, looking down at their children wondering how such good kids could come out of such difficult circumstances with smiles on their faces.

They’d do their best to make sure that those smiles were protected.

---

Monique was such a great addition to their family.

They found out that her obsession might relate to learning early on in her time at the castle as she could always be found in the library, sitting on the far left couch with her face buried in whatever she found interesting.

They started to have family class time where the children would teach their family about a topic that had their attention for the month. Monique had gone into the importance of flower language and why their flowers were representations of each sibling. It was sort of her way of telling them that she loved them, at least that’s what Danny thought.

Their little bookworm had been given a buttercup flower on her door, and according to her, it meant radiant with charm which the High King thought fit her perfectly.

Monique’s short dirty blonde hair was beautiful to the fairies in Sam’s Garden, if she wasn’t in the library, she was in the garden having tea and having her hair done. Her pale skin made her look so much like her mother that if Danny squinted, he could say that Monique looked like Sam’s mother.

They’d found out that she had sensory issues regarding clothing fabric but that pajama fabrics like satin and incredibly soft cotton were safe for her. She could be found sporting a sweatshirt and matching sweatpants, a plain t-shirt and shorts, or an old man nightgown with a matching nightcap, just like her sister Alexa, there was no in-between.

 Her bedroom was in a new tower which they titled the Book Tower because that was what it was filled to the brim with. Her bed was at the top of the tower and acted like an elevator, moving up and down depending on where the book she wanted to read was. Her comfort items had shelves between the books depending on the genre, like how history had a plush dinosaur Ramiro had given her or travel logs had little knickknacks that Dani had brought back from her adventures.

Monique had the funniest Obsession journey, at least to Danny and Tucker, because she had just disappeared after hearing Ghost Writer complaining about how younger ghosts ‘knew nothing of the Ghost Zone’ and how they struggled with Esperanto. She came back with a ghostly form, a whole school of new ghosts, and a bloody Ghost Writer limping behind her.

Monique’s ghostly form fit her perfectly. The tips of her hair were on fire, with a boater hat made of various kinds of metal floating over her head. She was carrying an umbrella made out of Damascus steel, although Monique made it look like it weighed nothing. She was dressed in a dress that had book spines for the coat and skirt, layering next to one other until they made a princess dress silhouette, with the top of the dress looking like a collared shirt made of book pages.

“Papa, Daddy, I have a metal core and I want to help others learn. Help me make a school for new ghosts.” Were her only words as she stared at their feet with a soft smile, obviously proud of what she did. She got high-fives from both of her fathers before they got started on creating the school for newbies, The Zone’s School of the Dead.

Thanks to her strides to protect and guarantee everyone’s right to learn, Monique was given two titles by her peers and the overseers.

“Monique Nightingale, Knight of Knowledge, and Heir to Curiosity.”