As the Hulk in Danny Phantom/DC/Young Justice

"So," Paulina begins, perfectly manicured nails tapping against her notebook, "let's start with the castle incident. My sources say there was an explosion, but you walked away without a scratch."

"Your sources exaggerate," Samael responds carefully. "I was knocked back, but Dad's experiments have always been unpredictable. You get used to it growing up in our house."

"And the temperature readings from that day? The castle staff recorded unusual heat spikes right where you were standing."

"Old castles have weird heating systems."

"Stop deflecting," she narrows her eyes. "I've been gathering data for weeks. The way you changed after that first lab accident last month - and don't try to deny there was one. The school's power grid recorded a massive surge that day."

Samael maintains his neutral expression. "Dad's experiments tend to do that."

"But this was different. Everything about you changed after that. Your strength, your behavior, those moments when your eyes..." She flips through her notes. "Did you know I have witness statements from six different students who've seen your eyes glow green when you're angry?"

"Fluorescent lights can play tricks-"

"The cafeteria incident with the meat monster? Security cameras caught you lifting weights that would be impossible for anyone, even with your father's genetics."

"The cameras were damaged in the attack-"

"The temperature changes," she continues, frustration building. "Every time you get angry, the ambient temperature rises by several degrees. I have thermal readings to prove it."

"Paulina-"

"And Danny! The way both of you vanish during ghost attacks, but somehow always end up exactly where the action was? The ghost boy showing up minutes after you two disappear?"

"You're making connections that aren't there."

"Am I?" She slams her notebook down. "Because I've tracked every incident, every disappearance, every strange occurrence back to that day in your parents' lab. The day everything changed. I just..." her voice rises in frustration, "I wish I could see what really happened that day!"

Pink mist suddenly fills the air as a sultry voice echoes: "So you have wished it, so shall it be!"

Samael's eyes widen in alarm. "Paulina, no-"

But the classroom dissolves around them, replacing itself with a familiar scene: the Fenton lab, one month ago.

The vision unfolds like a movie, but they're more than just watching - Paulina can feel the cool lab air, smell the metallic scent of ecto-technology. She finds herself experiencing the memory through Sam Manson's perspective, watching as Danny zips up the hazmat suit.

"Come on, Danny," Vision-Sam encourages, holding up a camera. "A quick photo in the portal! Think how cool it'll look!"

"I don't know guys," Danny hesitates, looking at the dark portal entrance. "My parents said it doesn't work..."

"Just one picture!" Tucker adds, checking readings on his PDA. "For posterity!"

Paulina tries to speak, to move, but she's locked in Sam's role in this memory. She feels the excitement, the teenage recklessness of the moment - not realizing the danger until it's too late.

Danny steps into the portal, running his hand along the wall for balance. Then, footsteps thundering down the stairs...

"GET OUT OF THERE!" Samael's voice booms as he bursts into the lab, moving faster than should be possible.

But it's already happening - Danny's hand finds the ON button, and green light explodes through the lab. Paulina feels Sam's horror as Samael lunges forward, reaching for his brother just as the portal activates.

The screams - both Danny's and Samael's - make her want to cover her ears, but she can't move. She can only watch as ecto-energy engulfs them both, transforming them in different but equally impossible ways.

Through Sam's eyes, Paulina watches in horror as the energy courses through both brothers. Danny's hair turns white, his hazmat suit inverting colors, while Samael...

Samael's transformation is different, more violent. His frame expands impossibly, muscles swelling as his skin takes on a ghostly green hue. The lab equipment rattles from his roar of pain and rage.

When the light finally fades, two transformed beings lay unconscious on the lab floor. Danny, now white-haired and ghostly, and beside him, a massive green figure that barely resembles the Samael she knows.

"Oh my god," Vision-Tucker whispers, his PDA sparking from the energy overload. "What did we..."

The vision starts to blur, pink mist swirling again, but Paulina fights to hold onto it, to see more-

"ENOUGH!" A new voice cuts through the memory. "THIS WISH HAS SERVED ITS PURPOSE!"

The lab dissolves, reality snapping back to the classroom. Desiree hovers before them, her ghostly form radiating satisfaction.

"The truth you sought," she purrs, "though perhaps more than you bargained for..."

Paulina turns to Samael, who stands rigid with barely contained fury, his eyes definitely glowing green now.

"It... it was real," she whispers. "All of it. You and Danny, you're..."

But before she can finish, Samael moves with that impossible speed she just witnessed in the vision, placing himself between her and the ghost.

"You had no right," he growls at Desiree, his voice deepening dangerously.

"I wish," Samael's voice carries deadly certainty as he snapped, enraged. He wanted her to hurt, to have her choices taken from her as she took from him. "that you become my literal slave! From this very moment! Follow my every command exactly as I intend!"

"No!" Desiree's eyes widen in horror as her own power activates. "You can't- I won't-"

But her magic forces compliance, pink energy swirling around her as the wish takes effect. Her form wavers, fighting against the compulsion, but ultimately bends to the wish's power.

"So... you have wished it," she manages through gritted teeth, "so... shall it be."

A ghostly band appears around her wrist, marking the binding. She glares at Samael with a mixture of fury and reluctant respect.

"Clever boy," she hisses. "Though you should know - my power has limits. Too many wishes, too great a demand..."

"I reckon," Samael responds, and something in his tone makes Paulina shiver. He speaks like he understands exactly how Desiree's powers work, despite this being their first encounter. "But this wish? This one you can fulfill."

"Command me then, master," Desiree spits the word like poison.

Samael turns slightly, meeting Paulina's wide-eyed stare. "We need to talk about what you saw. But first..."

"First," Samael addresses Desiree, "you're going to explain exactly how your wish-granting works. What are the limits? The consequences? Truthfully."

"Truthfully... I must answer truthfully," Desiree responds bitterly, the band on her wrist glowing. "My power grows with each wish I grant, but large wishes drain me. And some wishes..." she glances meaningfully at Paulina, "create ripples that even I cannot control."

"The vision she saw..."

"Was truth, pulled from the memories of those present that day. I cannot fabricate visions - only reveal what already exists."

Paulina finds her voice, though it shakes slightly. "So everything I saw... Danny in the portal, you transforming..."

"Is probably exactly what happened," Samael confirms, keeping his eyes on Desiree. "Which brings us to our current problem."

"What are you going to do?" Paulina asks, and for the first time, there's fear mixed with her curiosity. "Make her wipe my memory?"

"I'm thinking about it."

He turns to Desiree. "You said some wishes create ripples. Explain."

"Each wish affects the fabric of reality," the ghost explains reluctantly. "Small wishes cause small ripples. But knowledge? Truth? Those ripples cannot be simply undone without... consequences."

"So erasing her memory would cause more problems than it solves," Samael concludes, his stance relaxing slightly. "Which means we do this the hard way."

"The hard way?" Paulina asks, her reporter's instinct warring with self-preservation.

"We talk. Honestly." He turns to Desiree. "But first - I wish you couldn't grant anyone else's wishes without my permission."

The ghost's form flares with pink energy as the command takes hold. "Cruel," she hisses, "but clever. You understand my powers better than you should, child."

"I understand a lot of things," Samael replies cryptically. "Now, stay quiet and visible, like a good little ghost, unless you have something constructive to add."

He finally faces Paulina fully. "You wanted answers? Fine. But understand something - what you saw didn't just happen to me and Danny. It effects our whole family. And if anything you learn puts them at risk..."

The temperature spike makes his point clear.

"I won't tell anyone," Paulina says quickly, then adds with more conviction, "I couldn't even if I wanted to. Who would believe me?"

"The same people who've been reading your 'research'?" he counters. "The staff at Vlad's castle? Your father's business connections?"

Paulina sinks into a chair, her perfectly maintained composure finally cracking. "I... I thought I was uncovering some big conspiracy. Secret government experiments or... I don't know. Not this."

"Still stupid to try, if that even was the truth, but nomatter. What will you do now that you know?"

"Now I understand why you've been so protective. Why you keep pushing people away." She glances at Desiree, who watches with barely concealed interest. "But you're not just victims of an accident, are you? You and Danny... you're actually protecting people."

"Like I said at the formal - some secrets aren't yours to demand. But they are yours to protect, if you choose to."

"Is that a threat or an offer?"

"Both," Samael states simply. "You wanted to know why I changed? Now you know. The question again is: what are you going to do with that knowledge?"

Paulina looks down at her notebook, filled with observations and theories that now seem both completely right and entirely wrong at the same time.

"I could help," she says finally. "Cover for you both when things happen at school. Direct attention away when needed. I'm good at controlling narratives."

"And in return?"

"Just... don't shut me out completely? I don't need all the details, but..." she manages a small smile, "maybe consider me an ally instead of a threat?"

Samael studies her for a long moment, while Desiree watches the exchange with growing intrigue.

"How fascinating," the ghost muses. "The popular girl offering to become a secret keeper. Though I sense your interest isn't entirely altruistic..."

"Be quiet," Samael commands, the band on her wrist glowing briefly. To Paulina, he says, "If - and this is a big if - we agree to this, there are rules."

"Of course," she nods quickly.

"One: you destroy all your current research. Every note, every recording, every 'theory' you've documented."

"Already deleting them," she pulls out her phone.

"Two: what you saw in that vision - especially about Danny - never leaves this room. His secret isn't mine to share."

"Understood."

"And three," his eyes flash green momentarily, "if you ever use this information to hurt my family or expose us..."

"The consequences would be... significant," Desiree adds helpfully, earning another glare from Samael.

"I won't," Paulina promises, and for once, her usual calculating expression is replaced by genuine sincerity. "I've seen what you did for him, how you protect people you love. I wouldn't ruin that."

"How touching," Desiree's voice drips with false sweetness. "Such concern for preserving secrets. Tell me, master, is it truly about protecting others? Or are you afraid of what would happen if your dear parents discovered the truth?"

Samael tenses, but she continues, testing the limits of her binding.

"After all, what would ghost hunters think of their own children being part ectoplasm? Would they still see you as their sons? Or just more specimens to study - soulless echoes of the children they lost?"

The temperature in the room spikes dangerously. Paulina backs away as Samael's frame seems to ripple with barely contained fury.

"Another word," he growls, his voice dropping to that dangerous register, "and you'll learn exactly why your new master has such a reputation for anger."

"Truth hurts, doesn't it?" Desiree presses, even as the band on her wrist glows warningly. "The fear that they'll see you as nothing more than ectoplasmic scum, twisted versions of their-"

"I wish you'd be silent!" Samael snaps, his control slipping.

The command takes hold immediately, cutting off Desiree's words, but the damage is done. The look on Paulina's face shows she understands a new layer of their situation - one that makes her previous investigation seem childishly simple in comparison.

"I..." Paulina starts, then pauses, choosing her words carefully. "I never thought about it that way. Your parents, they're ghost hunters. They're always talking about how ghosts aren't really..."

"Stop," Samael's voice is tight with controlled emotion. "Just... stop."

Desiree, though silenced, watches with obvious satisfaction at the chaos her words have caused. Her eyes gleam with the knowledge that even bound, she can still create ripples of her own.

"That's why you work so hard to protect Danny," Paulina realizes. "It's not just about keeping secrets from the world. It's about..."

"About making sure we never have to find out," Samael finishes, his temperature finally starting to normalize. "About making sure he never has to see that look in their eyes. The one they get when they talk about ghost dissection and experiments."

The silence that follows is heavy with understanding. Even Desiree's smug expression falters slightly at the raw emotion in his voice.

"So now you know," Samael continues, regaining his composure. "Not just what happened, but what's really at stake. Still want to be involved?"

Paulina stands, smoothing her designer skirt in a gesture that seems almost absurd given the gravity of the conversation. But when she speaks, her voice carries none of her usual superficial charm.

"I delete everything I've collected. I help create diversions when needed. And in return..." she takes a deep breath, "I get to help protect something that actually matters, not just high school popularity rankings."

"And Desiree? My wish was more spontaneous out of anger..." Samael turns to the silenced ghost, whose eyes still burn with defiance.

"Keep her," Paulina suggests. "Having a wish-granting ghost bound to follow your commands? That could be useful for damage control."

Samael considers this, then addresses Desiree directly. "I wish you could speak again, but only truth, again."

The band glows as the command takes effect. "How diplomatic," Desiree sneers. "Though I wonder if your brother will appreciate you making these decisions without him."

"Danny will understand," Samael replies firmly. "Because unlike you, he knows the difference between using power and abusing it."

The lunch bell rings, startling them all. The normal sounds of high school life seem surreal after everything that's happened.

"We should get back," Paulina says, gathering her now-useless notes. "People will wonder..."

"Let them wonder," Samael responds. "That's better than them knowing." He turns to Desiree.

"First I want to check something, Desiree, I wish you tell me, is Paulina, truly from the bottom of her heart stating the truth."

Paulina hearing him ask that hurts, but she understands that he is being pragmatic, as someone in his situation should.

"Yes," Desiree bites out.

Samael nods to himself, "Very well. Now, I wish you'd return to the Ghost Zone until I call for you, and you will always hear me, when I call for you, wherever you are."

"As you command, master," she replies bitterly before vanishing in a swirl of pink mist.

As they head for the door, Paulina pauses. "For what it's worth... I think your parents would still love you. Both of you. But I understand why you can't risk finding out."

Samael doesn't respond, and they rejoin the flood of students in the hallway.

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(Author note: Hello everyone! I hope you all enjoyed the chapter! So how did you all find Desiree becoming Samael's slave?

Before anyone asks why this has never happened to her before, its simple, to fulfill such a wish, she needs to be bound to the master, by the literal soul, and not everyone has such a soul.

She stayed away from those who could do this to her, but this time, she was flying around when she heard Paulina's wish as she then reacted to granting it, causing her then too late to realise, Samael was capable of that, and had the understanding to do it.

So yeah, to see you all later,

Bye!)