Third Person POV

In a massive hall full of chattering people, the sound of a clinking glass broke through the noise. "Attention!" Rachel shouted above all the voices. All eyes in the room were suddenly on her. "Today, we are gathered here to celebrate the union of two truly amazing and wonderful people," she continued as she gestured to her left, "Vlad and Maddie."

Sitting in the center of a long table were the newly wedded Vlad Masters and Maddie Haynes-Masters. Vlad had his long grey hair tied back in a neat ponytail, had a clean shaven face and wore a crisp black suit with a blue bow tie. Maddie's hair was tied up in a braided bun, and had light rouge makeup on. She wore a floor length white dress with lace sleeves and a embroidered chest with a blue rose attached to the left side of her chest. Her veil was decorated with blue flowers and draped gracefully down her back. The couple leaned closer together and Vlad gave Maddie a quick peck on the cheek.

"I've known Vlad since he was a twerp in my old hospital," Rachel continued. "I grew close with Maddie after all her visits with Vlad. It may have taken you two a while but you finally got together. And now Stephanie has to give me back the five bucks I bet all those years ago on you two." 

The hall erupted into laughter as Maddie and Vlad blushed slightly in embarrassment. Rachel smiled one last time down at Maddie and Vlad. "As Vlad's best man, it is my sworn duty to say... Good luck man, you're gonna need it." Vlad laughed in agreement which caused him to receive a light slap on the arm from Maddie.

Jazz sat beside Maddie and gave her mom a hug before getting out of her seat and running over to Rachel and woman with chestnut brown hair cut in a pixie cut sitting beside Rachel. She took them both by the hand and the three headed to the dance floor.

Maddie stared happily at her daughter as she walked her bounce around with Rachel and the chestnut haired woman, Stephanie. She glanced over at Vlad and saw him doing the same thing. The newly-wed woman grinned and stood, tapping her new husband on the shoulder. Vlad looked up to see Maddie holding her hand out to him. "May I have this dance kind sir?" Maddie asked, bowing slightly.

Vlad raised an eyebrow and took her hand, standing up and doing an awkward curtsy, "I would be honored my lady," he replied. The two took to the dance floor and started hopping to the beat alongside Rachel, Stephanie and Jazz. As Vlad twirled Maddie around the floor he couldn't help but wish for time to freeze in this moment. 

No powers, no worries, just him, Maddie and Jazz. The family he had always wanted. He wasn't going to lose them again.

Hey there! Amazing Line Break here! Oh, don't mind me *sniff* I always cry at weddings *wipes away tears* Keep on reading!

11 Years Later

"Cheers!" Rachel shouted, raising her glass of Bordeaux. Vlad, Maddie and Stephanie raised their glasses in return and clinked them together with Rachel's while shouting 'Cheers!' in return.

"I can't believe it's already been ten years," Stephanie said, tucking a stray lock of her chestnut hair behind her ear. Stephanie's hair still remained in the pixie cut she had ten years ago. It framed her thin face nicely and accented her light blue eyes. She had tanned skin and was quite tall, almost taller than Vlad even. Stephanie placed her glass on the coffee table between her and Vlad and Maddie who sat across them on another couch. "Seems like the time just flew by."

"You said it," Maddie agreed, taking a sip from her glass. Vlad leaned closer to Maddie, giving her a peck on the forehead. "So much has happened. What with DALV Co. becoming a worldwide corporation, the recent advancements with ghost research, Vlad Phantom finally getting recognized as a hero instead of a menace, the reduction of ghost attacks and ghost related activity due to the new fighting squads; Masters Blasters, and, more recently I suppose, raising a teenager."

"We're just glad she decided to spend the night at friend's to study," Vlad added.

Rachel laughed, "Jazz was always pretty spunky as a child. I remember thinking that she was like a mini version of me when she was younger."

"You should have told us that sooner," Vlad piped up, a sly smirk on his face, "give us time to prepare a war bunker for our own safety."

Rachel's mouth opened in mock hurt. "I am wounded!" She cried, falling sideways on the couch onto Stephanie's lap. The chestnut-haired woman smiled, leaned over and gave Rachel a kiss on the lips. Rachel's cheeks immediately flushed pink and she sat up. "I am healed!" she shouted happily, snuggling up to Stephanie.

The four friends laughed, but Vlad's laughter was cut short as a warm feeling rose in his chest and a red mist escaped past his lips. The older man stood up, excusing himself from the room. He turned himself invisible and intangible before stepping out of the house and activating his ghost form. While still invisible, Vlad flew into the air, searching the area for any nearby ghosts. He noticed some movement in the shadows behind Rachel and Stephanie's home. He dove in that direction, grabbing the figure and slamming them against the back wall of the house. "Who are you and what do you want?" growled Vlad as he charged his fist with glowing red ecto-energy.

"Phantom! It's me!" a panicked, but familiar, voice said hoarsely. 

Vlad's eyes widened in surprise and he released the figure. "Skulker?" Vlad asked, concerned. Sitting at Vlad's feet was a broken and battered ecto-skeleton, the robot body that was used by Skulker, the Ghost Zone's Greatest Hunter. He had fought this ghost back when he started gaining control over his powers and began using them to fight crime. Skulker had come after him since he was a 'rare species' but after so many battles that it was useless to count them and none of them ending with Skulker's victory, Vlad eventually gained Skulker's respect. Now they were allies.

"What happened to you Skulker? Did you run into Masters Blasters again?" Vlad asked, kneeling down and observing the damage done to Skulker's suit. All the damage looked like it was from an attack, but not with human weapons. They looked like ecto-blasts.

"I had heard word of new prey in a new land, so I decided to investigate," Skulker began. The head of his suit popped off and out came a little green blob holding a tiny toolbox, Skulker's true form. He hopped to and fro on the suit, making minor repairs while continuing to speak to Vlad. "I went to this land, hoping to add a new rare specimen to my collection. But this creature was far too great a challenge."

Vlad felt his core skip a beat. A creature so tough that even Skulker said it was useless to try and beat it? This was not good news.

"Scores of ghosts have been left clinging to the afterlife after getting on this creature's bad side. I do not know if one can even call it a ghost," Skulker finished quietly as he tapped on the suits main control panel. It hummed to life and the suit began to glow softly. Skulker hopped back into the head of the suit and green flames in the form of a mohawk ignited from the top of the head. Skulker shakily got to his feet and stared into Vlad's eyes. "I only came here to tell you to be careful," Skulker said grimly.

The hunter turned to leave and Vlad placed a hand on his shoulder. "Where is this creature? Maybe I can try to do something about it that you could not," Vlad offered, trying not to offend the hunter.

Skulker glanced at Vlad over his shoulder. He sighed and turned to Vlad, shaking off the hybrid's hand.  "This creature seems to be content where it is at the moment, but there is no telling what could happen if it is left unattended. It could very well bring forth untold destruction to your world and mine, so I suppose it may be wise to inform you of it." Skulker tapped on the cracked screen located on his wrist. A holo-map appeared of their current location and gradually zoomed until it stopped on a small town. "The creature is here, a place called Amity Park." Vlad nodded in thanks. After one last warning from Skulker, the hunter flew off into the night. 

Vlad floated to the roof of the house, touching down and taking a seat. He stared up at the stars, worrying about this new development. The ghost problem in Madison, Wisconsin had been finally put under control and now somewhere new was facing ghost related problems? This was very odd. Ghosts were universal, that was a known fact. Portals would appear between the human world and the ghost world and both humans and ghosts could get lost between those portals. Most major spirits and ghosts stayed in the Ghost Zone since that was where they were most powerful. For a powerful ghost such as the one Skulker described to be lingering in the human world there had to be something else at work.

"Vlad?" 

The man in question was snapped out of his thoughts by the voice of his wife. While Skulker's words had shaken him up a little, he couldn't let it ruin this night. It was his anniversary. The crazy ghost lose in some other part of the country could wait. He floated back down to the ground in front of Maddie.

"I was wondering where you went," Maddie said as she watched the white rings wash over Vlad, returning him to his human form.

"Just some ghost business. I'll tell you later, I promise," Vlad answered, wrapping his arm around Maddie's shoulders. The two walked back inside to rejoin Rachel and Stephanie and enjoy their night. Vlad would tell his wife everything tomorrow. For now, they'll just enjoy their anniversary with their friends.

Normal Line Break here... My god this is turning into just a plain old rom com... Where is the action!? The suspense?! Whatever, maybe things will pick up now with the introduction of the new bad guy. Keep on reading and let me know how it goes.

"A ghost attacking other ghosts? That's odd," Maddie said as she sat in front of the main computer in Vlad's secret lab.

"Right?" Vlad added as he tinkered with a new prototype containment device they were dubbing the 'Phantom Thermos' designed to make catching ghosts easier. "And it's so powerful that even Skulker said that it was better off being left alone."

Maddie hummed in thought. "That is very concerning." She typed on the keyboard and started pulling up articles related to the town known as Amity Park. "I've been searching for anything mentioning ghosts related to Amity Park but so far no major hits." She began scrolling through articles, tagging anything that looked helpful. "There have been minor sightings but no human related casualties or injuries." She turned in her chair to face Vlad, who was still tinkering away. "Whatever this thing is it doesn't seem to be interested in humans."

Vlad removed his face mask and set down his tools, placing a hand on his chin. "Maybe I should go there to investigate. This could turn out to be a serious issue." Vlad looked over to Maddie for her opinion and noticed she was zoned out. The hybrid stood and walked over to his wife, tapping her on the shoulder. She jumped slightly, looking around wildly before realizing it was just her and Vlad.

The older man furrowed his brow in concern. "Are you alright, dear? You been a little distracted all day, is something bothering you?" he asked, gently squeezing her shoulder.

Maddie looked up at her husband and smiled, clasping the hand on her shoulder and giving it a squeeze. "I'm fine, dear. Just a little tired. Work at the lab has picked up with Masters Blasters requesting all these different weapon upgrades," she assured him.

Though still a little suspicious Maddie wasn't telling him everything, Vlad let the matter drop. He instead turned his attention to the large monitor in front of him. He placed a hand on his chin. "Amity Park, huh?" he mused, "Maybe I should head down there to do some investigating on this new creature." He looked to Maddie for her opinion.

She titled her head as she thought it over, twirling a lock of her auburn hair. "Ever since Masters Blasters gained stable control over the ghost situation here, Vlad Phantom has been put off to the sidelines a bit, but what about the company?" Maddie asked.

Vlad pulled up a second chair and started typing away at the control panel. He scanned through known establishments in Amity Park and pulled up one called Axion Labs. "This company seems like it could be a useful partnership to DALV Co., that could be my reason for leaving," the billionaire said, spinning around in his chair to face Maddie once again.

The scientist looked hesitant to agree but saw the excitement in Vlad's eyes and sighed. "I suppose I could do for a vacation," she conceded.

"I'm coming too," a voice said from the entrance of the secret lab. The two adults turned to see Jazz leaning in the doorway.

"But what about school, honey? You said you wanted to start looking at colleges. And all your friends are here," Maddie said.

Jazz walked over to her parents, "Summer break is only a month away, and I can still research colleges wherever I am." The brightly haired teen walked closer to her mom and gently grabbed her arm. Vlad noticed the two share a knowing look and felt like they were keeping something from him.

"Well, then let's get packing," Vlad said, standing up and heading to the door, "I want to get to work on this creature before it decides humans look a little more fun to torment than ghosts." This comment caused him to receive odd looks from his wife and step-daughter. He ran a hand through his silver hair and chuckled nervously, "I mean that as coming from a research standpoint." He went up the stairs without another word, already creating a plan for how he's going to deal with the creature that was too powerful for even Skulker to handle.

I AM THE ALL MIGHTY LINE BREAK! GIVE TO ME YOUR LOVE, OFFERINGS AND PRAISE! ONCE YOU HAVE DONE THAT YOU MAY CONTINUE READING THE CHAPTER!

"And as you can see, Axion Labs is one of the most highly advanced tech industries, aside from DALV Co. of course," Mr. Alistair Axion explained as he showed Vlad Masters through the facility.

"Don't sell your company short Mr. Axion," Vlad said with his businessman smile.

Mr. Axion accepted the compliment as the two walked into the R&D Department. "I'll leave you in the hands of our top researcher, Damon Gray," the older man said before disappearing. 

Vlad now found himself in the company of a darker skinned man with cropped black hair and large glasses. The hybrid prepared himself for another long winded lecture of the company and its advances. Truth be told, DALV Co. was eons ahead in development in comparison to Axion Labs, but he had to keep up the act. He hadn't seen any sign of the creature Skulker described and his mission wouldn't be complete until he at least saw the creature.

After a busy day at Axion Labs, Vlad returned to his privately owned estate outside Amity Park. He entered the main foyer and was greeted by one of his ghost maids that kept up the estate when he wasn't using it. "Evening Judith," he greeted as the maid took his coat.

"Evening Master Vlad. Dinner is ready. Lady Madison and Miss Jasmine have already started eating," Judith said before bowing and floating off. 

Vlad smiled and walked to the dining room. As he approached he heard Jazz and Maddie talking about something with hushed voices. With his enhanced hearing Vlad could pick up what they were saying but what he could hear made little to no sense to him so he didn't focus too much on it. Once he entered the room, their whispering stopped. "Good evening ladies," he greeted as he took a seat at the table. A butler floated past, placing a dinner tray in front of Vlad. "How was school Jazz?" the hybrid asked.

Jazz smiled, "Very nice. It's nothing like my old school back in Madison." The conversation seemed to die after that. Maddie asked Vlad about his day at Axion Labs and he relayed his boring day to her before the room filled with silence again. Vlad had never felt so uncomfortable in his own home.

Suddenly, Vlad's ghost sense went off. He excused himself from the table and phased through the floor to his lab, slightly thankful that he could escape the awkward atmosphere surrounding the dinner table. In his first night in Amity Park he had installed micro sensors all around the city that would pick up strong traces of ecto-energy. If one of the sensors picked up something it would send a signal to his lab and cause a release of ghost energy in his lab, enough to trigger his ghost sense. 

Vlad phased into his lab and floated over to the main control panel, transforming into his ghost alter-ego in the process. He opened up the scanner program and found the location of the surge of energy; a local park. He stepped away from the control panel and raised his palm, creating an orb of blue ecto-energy. He let it expand and envelop him as he pictured the park in his mind. He exhaled and felt his body be whisked away from the lab and to the park.

Vlad was immediately greeted by the sounds of crickets and an intense battle. The hero hybrid turned himself invisible and floated closer to the sound of the fight. In an open part of the field he saw two ghosts involved in a fight. The losing ghost was one Vlad knew quite well; a lower ranking ghost obsessed with boxes, also known as the Box Ghost. The other ghost was one Vlad had never seen before, or even anything like it.

The ghost was humanoid in form, with blue-tinted skin and black and white flecked hair. It wore a snow-white suit with black boots, black gloves and a black belt that covered the majority of its torso. A cape was attached to the suit by two red buckles on its shoulders and a black patch in a v-neck shape was on the chest. From where Vlad was he could see some of the ghost's facial features. Such as pointed ears, solid red eyes and fangs.

The unknown ghost was currently beating the Box Ghost into a pile of ectoplasmic goop. Vlad watched in horror as the ghost continued to beat the Box Ghost, even once the box obsessed ghost had given up and began pleading for mercy. The plump ghost's form began to weaken and reduce into a ectoplasmic goop, yet the fanged ghost continued to fire ecto-blasts and beat the Box Ghost.

Vlad had decided this was enough and charged an orb of his own ecto-energy in his hand, firing it at the fanged ghost. The unknown ghost saw it coming out of the corner of it's eye and flew into the air to avoid it. The Box Ghost took this opportunity to turn invisible and escape. Once the fanged ghost had regained its bearings it noticed its prey had escaped and wisps of blue breath poured out from the sides of its mouth. 

Vlad remained invisible, feeling that engaging the unknown ghost now would be a horrible mistake. The angry ghost appeared to lose interest quickly in the escaped prey and grabbed its cape, wrapping it around their body and disappearing in a puff of smoke. 

The hybrid hero waited for a few minutes before stepping out into the open, though he retained his invisibility. He began to look over the area where Box Ghost and the unknown ghost had been fighting. Green blood and stray samples of ectoplasm were all over the ground. This ghost had to have been the creature Skulker had told him about, the description of the carnage matched after all.

"You took away my playmate."

Vlad jumped, flying away from the scene of carnage. He looked around wildly while rubbing his ear. Either Vlad was hearing things or someone else was here with him. He steeled himself and charged his fists with green energy, taking a defensive stance. "Whoever you are, reveal yourself and I won't harm you," he called into the darkness, dropping his invisibility.

A childish laugh began to echo around him as a spiral of red smoke formed over the spot Vlad had just been floating in. With a twirl of their white cape, the fanged ghost from before appeared. The ghost had a smile on their face which seemed almost teasing. "Hello old friend," the ghost cooed.

Vlad tilted his head slightly, squinting his eyes. "I apologize, but I don't think we've met before," Vlad said.

The fanged ghost smiled, "We haven't, I can assure you that." The ghost floated closer to Vlad, completely open and defenseless. "But I know everything about you Vlad Phantom, or," the ghost placed a gloved hand on their chin, "do you prefer Vlad Masters."

Vlad felt his blood run cold. How does this ghost, whom he had never even seen before, know his true identity. Many of his foes and allies knew of his half-ghost status but there was a code of honor among them to not reveal his identity as it ruined the fun of the fight (that's what Skulker had said at least). This ghost hadn't even been around for very long and already he claimed to know everything about Vlad. There was something else nagging at the back of the older male's mind. If the ghost had been there this whole time, why hadn't his ghost sense gone off?

"I can see you have many questions, but I don't think we have time to answer them tonight," the fanged ghost mused as he started to float away.

Vlad narrowed his eyes and rushed at the ghost, only to be stopped dead in his tracks by the ghost whirling around and landing a punch square to his abdomen. Air rushed out of Vlad's lungs and his vision became filled with black spots. He fought to stay conscious as he felt a hand grip his hair. Vlad felt the sharp edge of a blade gently press against his throat as he froze.

"Do not underestimate me Phantom, I may be small, but I pack more than just a punch," the ghost hissed in Vlad's ear, their words like venom dripping off their tongue. The ghost released Vlad's hair and cracked him across the jaw, knocking him to ground. "You would do well to remember the name of your new adversary Phantom."

Just as Vlad was to be swallowed by darkness he heard the ghost whisper with a childish glee in their voice, "My name is Plasmius."

A/N: Hoo boy, this update is so late. I've been wanting to get this out so long but I kept fighting with myself on how to write it. Now that I've got this done, the story's about to pick up in intensity. NO MORE FLUFFY TIMES PEOPLES, WE'RE INTO PHANTOMFALLER'S FAVOURITE TERRITORY! AAAAAANNNNNNGGGGGSSSSSTTTTTT!!!!!

Real talk though I'm super excited for the upcoming chapters and I do hope you all will continue to be patient with me as I take 50 years to update (lol I'm joking....)

Next update will be for the Halfa Prince RE-DO! and then the next chapter of 20 Years should follow. I'll try to create a regular schedule but I make no promises. Thank you all for reading and I'll see you all in the next one!