Danny Phantom Fan Fiction ❯ Bittersweet Future ❯ If You Make Friends with the Devil… ( Chapter 4 )

If You Make Friends with the Devil…

The next two days passed with few events and even less fanfare. Vlad disappeared well before sunrise every day, a note and some breakfast fit for reheating sitting in the dingy kitchen microwave, its grime the product of years of use more than lack of clean. Danny ate through breakfast then paced through the house bored out of his mind. Vlad had left some money for bus fare and a urging to go out and apply for jobs with it inside those notes of his.

Danny sternly ignored them both, entirely disinterested in getting a job in a place-a time- he wouldn't be staying in long. He assuaged his boredom by attempting to rifle through Vlad's old things the first afternoon. The resounding angry tirade about respect and privacy Vlad had given him afterwards wholly deterred him from further attempts the second afternoon.

Though he wasn't sure how Vlad knew he had touched anything. By the time Vlad had arrived home from work that second evening, Danny was practically begging for some form of entertainment. He found it by endeavoring to keep Vlad up till 3am the next morning, pestered with questions and suckered into children's board and card games. The greatest shame of it all was Danny didn't know he was leaving with Vlad on Wednesday morning. A little after the sun had risen to greet the day, Vlad shook Danny awake to meet his. “Good morning Daniel. I hope you slept well.” Vlad chirped bright as the morning sky.

Danny grumbled something beneath the warmth of the bed sheets, and turned away from the sound intruding into his rest. He half snuggled, half burrowed, into the covers, content to sleep at least till midmorning. Vlad crossed over to his still sleeping form, and tugged the bed spread clean off of him.

With a gasp and a shiver, Danny sat bolt straight in bed, and blindingly groped for where the covers had disappeared to.

Vlad rolled his eyes before saying, “Come on little badger. You may be nocturnal, but we have somewhere to be today.” He crossed his arms and stalked over to the bed when Danny pressed the pillow over his head and attempted to wrap what remained of the sheets around his form. Vlad began to reach out for the remaining sheets before opting to just take the pillow being co-opted into eye cover.

“Come on damn! It's got to be like 6am or something.” Danny protested while pulling on the pillow still in Vlad's hand with a fierce tug.

“No,” Vlad started holding firm against Danny's pulling, “it is about 7:15. I told you to go to sleep last night, but you steadfastly ignored the suggestion.” When it looked like Danny was heading towards a large tug, Vlad let go and watched him flop back into the bed. “We have somewhere to be soon.” Vlad reiterated.

Danny scowled and hugged the pillow to his chest. “But I'm exhausted, and I swore you said you weren't working today.”

Vlad intoned something in response before walking to the door, satisfied Danny was more than awake enough to avoid falling back asleep. “That's right, I'm not working today, but that doesn't mean I'm staying in.”

“So why do I have to go with you?” Danny asked while sulking after Vlad, exhaustion reading in every line of his body.

“You were the one complaining about staying in the house all day, despite my other more urgent suggestions that you go look for work. I thought you'd be excited about going out.” Vlad quirked an eyebrow when Danny flopped over onto the couch. Truly? He acts like I'm leading him to the gallows.

“I would be if I wasn't so tired.” Danny sighed and leaned wearily onto his hands currently resting on his knees. “When did we get to sleep last night anyway?”

“Sometime after 2:30 this morning. At the very least, you nodded off then.” Vlad supplied walking back into the bedroom. He tossed some clothes Danny's way before continuing, “Now get dressed. We have a bit of a drive to get to it.”

Danny scrunched up his face as he caught the clean clothes. “We had better be going to the mall. If you are waking me up before 10am, I had better be getting something out of it. More importantly, I'm sick of wearing your clothes.” Danny huffed.

“Well if you hate them that much, I'm sure you can do without them.” Vlad teased.

Danny grunted something back from inside the bathroom, stumbling around in the small space in his tired state. “And what else am I going to wear?” Danny asked as he strode out back into the living room.

“I don't know, perhaps your birthday suit since my clothes are so inadequate.” Vlad supplied.

Danny crossed his arms as he crossed to the door. “You could at least tell me where we're going. And why aren't you tired?” Danny asked jealous spite at Vlad's apparently energy filled steps dripping off every word.

“I'm used to it. I can't say I get much sleep these days. Not to mention I'm not a sleep loving teenager anymore.” Vlad slid the key into the door and locked it before continuing, “And I'll tell you in the car.”

He brushed past Danny as they descended the stairs, more than a little pep in his step.

“Whatever, we still only slept like four hours last night; you should be dragging your feet without coffee or Monster or something.” Danny retorted as he drug his tired legs through the open lobby door.

Vlad only started humming a happy tune in reply as they made it to the car. After he had strapped into the driver seat, he turned to find Danny glaring angrily in his direction. “What,” he started incredulously,

“I'm not allowed to be in a good mood?” He quickly backed the car out of the parking space and turned towards the highway.

Danny wasn't buying it. Caffeine free, four hours of sleep, humming peppiness isn't normal. Even for the Fruitloop. Danny thought sardonically. He shifted in his seat as Vlad hummed louder, bobbing his head to the song stuck in it. It's too early for this shit. Danny determined to either find a way to block out Vlad's cheer, or make him just as miserable as he was. “So where are we going?” Danny's question broke through the happy tune Vlad had going.

“It's a surprise.”

“No. You said you'd tell me in the car. So get to talking instead of that racket you're currently making.” Danny narrowed his eyes at Vlad in annoyance. He wasn't being dragged out of the house this early to be driven around without knowing where. It just wasn't happening.

“Oh alright, honestly. You would think I was driving you to your execution the way you are acting.”  Vlad noted before changing lanes.

Danny only scrunched his face into a frown and waited. “Yeah well I feel like I'm dying, so you might as well be.”

“Since you are so interested,” Vlad began without addressing Danny's complaints, “we are heading over to the Fenton's.”

“What the hell for? It couldn't wait until this afternoon or something? I didn't want to get out of the apartment to go over to their house.” Danny ranted, more than a little put off at the thought at being in the home that wasn't currently his.

“Firstly, because I said I would, and you need to do something other than pace around my apartment.”
Danny's frown melded into a scowl. “I did something other than that.”

“Yes, like rifle through my things.”

“I already apologized for that you paranoid-”

“Regardless,” Vlad interrupted, “You need to get out of the house. I was already heading over there, I have the only car, and you seem adverse to public transportation for some reason-”

“I am not!” Danny protested immediately. He didn't like the way Vlad was making him sound like a spoiled brat.

Vlad rolled his eyes skyward before continuing, “Then what other reason do you have for not seeking employment like we discussed was a requirement for you staying?”

Danny declined to answer, and just stared pointedly out his window.

Vlad sighed and pulled onto the off-ramp. “In any case, I figured you'd like to come.”

“You said `firstly', what were the other reasons?” Danny wondered.

Vlad smiled absently before responding. “They are my own, you nosey little badger.”

“Well I think I'm owed them if I'm getting dragged along.” Danny fixed a pointed stare in Vlad's direction. When Vlad didn't respond, he tried increasing the angry and nasty factors behind it for greater effect.

Vlad only chuckled. “If you keep looking like that, your face will get stuck, and how will you ever get a date with a face stuck like this?” Vlad question while demonstrating the look Danny was sending his way.

Danny stuck out his tongue before saying, “I'm sure I'd still be doing better than you.”

“Is that so? So that nice friend of yours, Samantha, is dating you then?”

“What-n-no!” Danny stuttered. “Why would you even say something like that? I don't like her!” Danny immediately denied into Vlad's Cheshire-like smile.

“Oh you have to be kidding. It's so obvious; there might as well be a neon sign above your head. The way you talk about her, honestly, one would think you thought the sun and moon rose with her.”

“Oh yeah? Well what about you?” Danny challenged. When Vlad only raised an eyebrow in response he drove forward, “You're one to be talking about acting like the sun and moon rise with someone. You act like M-Maddie invented everything good in the universe, in between being the goddess of beauty or something.” He stumbled over his mother's name; it was still weird calling her by her first name.

Vlad's eyebrows flew towards his hairline. “I do no such thing.” He denied calmly.

“Oh, you're such an awful liar Cheese Head.” Danny threw Vlad's words back at him from earlier that week. He had learned that Vlad already loved the Packers when he snuck through his stuff yesterday.

Vlad huffed in amusement. “Is it really that obvious?” He gave Danny a sidelong glance before turning his attention back to the road.

“Well I don't know. You spent all last night talking about her, in between kicking my butt at card games. You play a mean game of poker by the way.” Danny relaxed further into his seat, and fiddled with the radio. There was nothing he considered good on, reminding him that he was still stuck in the past.

“Oh, you're not half bad. A little practice and you'll be fine.” Vlad didn't reply to the comment about him talking about Maddie all night, so Danny decided to be more forward.

“You like her don't you?” He asked with a grin. It really wasn't playing fair; he already knew the answer from the future. Still, if he had any hope of getting out of here, plan enacted, he needed to cozy up to Vlad some more.

“Perhaps I do.” Vlad hazarded with a small distracted smile. “But maybe I'm like you, and don't like her the way you don't like Samantha.”

“I don't like her.” Danny said flatly.

“I know you don't.” Vlad suppressed a laugh when Danny pouted in his direction. He shrugged when Danny's pouting turned up a few notches. “I can't really say. I mean if you don't like Samantha, then who's to say I like Maddie?”

“You, whenever you tell me about how smart, and pretty, and focused, and talented, and-”

“Alright I get it. I'll make you a deal.” Vlad looked over at Danny to see if he was interested. When it looked like he had Danny's interested peaked, Vlad started again. “I'll tell you the truth, if you do too.”

Danny looked about ready to protest, when Vlad interrupted. “Later tonight, on the ride back. How about it little badger?”

Danny thought it through. He wasn't about to have some kind of “sharing is caring” with Vlad later tonight; bonding with the Fruitloop wasn't part of the plan. On the other hand, he was sure Vlad could redirect and deny his way out of the conversation much better than he could. And bonding, as much as he hated to admit it, worked to his advantage. Danny nodded in agreement, his mind made up. I can always weasel my way out of it later. Danny thought, entirely sure he'd think of some way to avoid admitting he had feelings for anyone.

“I love Maddie more than I can say or explain. I'll avoid poetry, but I can promise you sometimes I feel like I could live on her smiles and laughter by itself.”

“Is that why you are in such a good mood today?” Danny pried.

Vlad nodded. “Yeah, Jack's off selling their inventions to whoever will listen. He's a pretty good pitchman about their stuff. It's how they make most of their money. In any case, I'll have her and Jasmine to myself this afternoon.”

“So,” Danny said at length, “you do know she's married right?”

“What! It's not possible. It can't be true!” Vlad said in a mock impression of Luke Skywalker hearing Vader claim to be his father. He rolled his eyes at Danny's question. “Of course I do Daniel. I got the wedding invitation and everything.”

“And what, you just don't care?”

Vlad sighed and scrubbed a hand through his hair at a stop light. “I do care believe me.” Vlad pressed down on the accelerator as the light changed colors. “I care more than you could imagine, but…” Vlad trailed off, searching for the right words. “I just can't seem to stay away.” He shook his head. Whether at his own stubbornness or the absurdity of the situation, Danny didn't know.

“Well why not? I mean she's married to someone else, so she obviously isn't interested. Hell, she had his kid.” Danny bit his tongue. Oops he thought absently. He was trying to be nice to Vlad, not piss him off. Last thing he needed was Vlad on a tirade about this, it wouldn't earn him any brownie points. And I'll need all of those so I can get to cash in later for the `You need to forgive Jack' speech. Yeah, note to self, don't antagonize so much.

Vlad gave Danny a disconcertingly calm smile. “If you say so Daniel.” Vlad turned back towards the road. “I rather like Jasmine, she's a joy.”

“She's like a baby. The only thing those things do is cry, and poop, and eat, and cry some more.” Danny complained. He shuddered and crossed his arms. He remembered that flour sack project, and couldn't imagine kids being fun. That had to have been the worst project of his school career. Worse than even that time they made us dress like vegetables for that mandatory school play. Danny noted with old frustration.

Vlad chuckled at Danny's antics. “Well I'm happy you're not interested in children at your age, but for your information, they can be quite fun.”

“Which part? The pooping or the crying?” Danny asked sarcasm laced through the sentence.

“Neither.” Vlad said with some finality. “The smiles and the watching them learn things part is rather nice though.”

“Why do you even like this kid anyway?” Danny asked momentarily forgetting the `not antagonizing Vlad thing.' “I mean she's not even yours.”

Vlad made a considering noise as they pulled onto the street with Fentonworks. “Maybe so, but when you fall in love, you'll find even the smallest extensions for them almost as irresistible as the person themselves.” Vlad pulled the key out the ignition, and stepped out of the car.

Danny followed his lead, and pressed the line of thought a little further before they got to the door. “So you like Jasmine because you love Maddie? That's crazy…”

“Yes.” Vlad agreed immediately, looking through the key ring for the right key. “But then again, I'm crazy about her.” Vlad slipped the key into the lock and pushed the door open. They were happily greeted by Maddie and her daughter.

He was going crazy, he was sure of it. They had spent the last two hours inside of Fentonworks, and in that time span, Danny was sure he had lost his mind. It was the only reasonable explanation for what he was witnessing. Vlad had settled into the house, his home, nearly instantaneously. Helping clean, or cook lunch, or playing with Jasmine like he belonged here. And if Danny stopped to think about it, he felt more out of place than Vlad acted. He was sure that all of that had driven him nuts, because right now that would explain what he was seeing, Vlad wrist deep in the efforts of diaper changing, while his mother made easy banter with him. She had retreated into the kitchen to finish off the rest of lunch. Fearlessly leaving someone, Danny considered the least qualified man in the world for the job, to the task of fixing her defenseless writhing daughter a new pamper. I've definitely lost it. Maybe Fruitloop's craziness is contagious? Danny wondered with dismay.

Vlad finished with the diaper, and hoisted the happy infant into his arms. “All clean. That's better isn't it peanut?” Vlad cooed.

Danny suppressed a gag, and turned back to the TV. He had given up really watching it. Just like with the radio, there was nothing on he wanted to see. Everything on was `old school' by his standards, and that unfortunately only left Vlad's nauseating behavior and his own unease with his mom agreeing to it. In Danny's estimation, Vlad spent nearly 30% of his time cooing at his eventual older sister, and the other 70% flirting with his mom. And to make matters worse, she didn't seem creeped out by it. Maybe she just likes the attention? Danny attempted for the fifth time that hour to figure it out.

In truth, Maddie was like any woman. Married or not, she liked compliments, and Vlad was more than happy to heap them on, in between cleaning her house and doing all the dirty work of parenting. For at least one day a week, she didn't have to worry about it. She wasn't about to turn that down. Besides, she reasoned, it's harmless. And I'm sure he doesn't actually mean any of it. Maddie finished the stir-fry and poured it out of the skillet and into a plastic container for later. She had made enough to last three day at least. Left-overs were becoming a staple in the household, now that their new daughter was draining the finances. “If you are all finished in there, I'm all done with lunch. Why don't you boys wash up, and I'll fix you both plates?” Maddie offered.

Danny rose and was up the stairs to the bathroom before Maddie had even finished the sentence. He had wanted to leave the room for the last hour, but didn't have an excuse to wander the house. Vlad raised an eyebrow when he caught up to Danny in the bathroom.

“How did you know where this was?” Vlad inquired with suspicion.

“I uh-” Danny mentally groped for a good lie. “I'm good with house layouts. My…adoptive father is in construction, so I know where they usually stick stuff like bathrooms.” Danny finished off with a shrug. He hoped that was good enough, mundane enough, to satisfy Vlad. When he didn't respond, Danny took it as a good sign. He slunk out of the bathroom and back down the stairs, eager to both get away from Vlad's keen eyes and to get to the delicious smelling food in the kitchen.

Vlad tapped his foot in thought. That wasn't the first time Danny had displayed a nearly uncanny knowledge of either the Fenton's and their life, or his own. He wasn't sure where the boy was getting his knowledge, but it was beginning to nag at his thoughts. He was sure he wasn't lying, about a lot of things, but it didn't add up. And then there's the tension and constant sour mood he's been in since we got here. Vlad pondered as he scrubbed his hands. Just like when we came over the last time, he's moody, tense, and jumpy. Vlad wasn't sure what it all meant yet, but he was determined to find out. He shut off the water and headed back downstairs himself.

Maddie smiled at him when he entered the room, and Vlad felt his heart flutter. He was sure that would never get old or stop. Nearly five years of knowing her hadn't dimmed that reaction yet, and he wasn't in a rush to help it along. He settled into his seat opposite her at the table, and right next to Danny. The pile of pork and beef stir-fry on the table looked amazing, and it should taste just as good. Hell I bought half of the ingredients. Vlad mused as he took a bite.

Danny sat silently next to him, working through his food practically imitating a vacuum cleaner.

Maddie giggled at Danny's inhaling antics. “My goodness Vlad do you even feed this child?” She pointed a fork in Vlad's direction. “He's acting like he hasn't eaten in days.”

“He ate a whole pizza singlehandedly last night. I think despite his size, he just eats a lot. Maybe he's hiding another person in his stomach.”

“Now Vlad,” Maddie started with a wry smile, “I didn't eat that much when I was pregnant.”

“Who said I was talking about you? If I recall, most teenagers eat like this. Sounds like you are being paranoid. Don't tell me you are worried about that fantastic figure of yours?”

Danny gagged quietly on his food. The sudden bouts of flirtation were throwing him off. It was bad enough when his parents did it, at least then it was normal and he was used to it. Here, it was Vlad, and it was all wrong.

Maddie, to Danny's discomfort, only batted her eyelashes in encouragement. She hid a pleased smile behind a bite of food at Vlad's blush. “My figure is just fine thank you. I just thought you were misremembering.” She enjoyed teasing him and getting him worked up. It was all too easy, and for someone who was normally so calm and cool, it was a treat to see him flustered. “Besides, Jasmine was well worth the extra food. No buyer's remorse here.” She set down her fork to spoon another mouthful of baby food into Jasmine's mouth.

Jasmine wiggled in her high seat, half avoiding the insistent spoon at her mouth. She swiveled her head towards Danny and reached out for him.

Danny quirked his mouth into a thin line upon seeing Jasmine reach for him, and scooted away.

“Oh don't be like that. I'm sure she's not going to get to your food before you can.” Vlad teased as Danny slid closer in his direction.

“That's not it.” Danny said while avoid another more determined swipe from the infant. “Babies just always have sticky fingers. All the time. I don't want them on my clothes.”

“My clothes.” Vlad corrected absently while eating another forkful.

“Yeah you're right, that explains why they are so lame.”

Vlad gave Danny a look of mock hurt. “Lame? I'll have you know Daniel; I'm one of the coolest people around.”

“Yeah polo shirts and blue jeans are the height of fashion forward and cool.” Danny retorted dryly.

“And I'm sure you would know, what with only apparently owning one outfit.”

Danny sputtered indignantly. Sure his clothes were pretty similar to one another, but it's not like Vlad's were any better. Then Danny remembered he only had what he'd been wearing the Sunday he had appeared in this time. He settled his features into a small frown at the bad jab, before finishing off his plate, and reaching for the serving spoon for another helping. “I have more than one outfit, but it's not like different colored polos make you look all that different.”

“Daniel if you actually looked into my closet, you'd find yourself greatly surprised.” Vlad walked his empty plate to the sink; Maddie's placed on top of his own.

Danny picked up his fork, only to have a puff of blue mist eek out of his mouth before he could shove more food into it. He shivered and looked around. It wasn't uncommon for there to be a lot of passing spirits in Amity, and he wasn't really sure of maximum range of his ghost sense anymore. While he usually only felt ghosts when they were practically on top of him, recently, he had been feeling them farther out. Adding to that, the fact Amity seemed to be less haunted over all in this time, and he was left wondering if there was something to worry about after all. Not like I could do anything about it at the moment. He mused as he set another forkful of food into his mouth.

Maddie finished feeding Jasmine and set about cleaning the remains of lunch off of her face. She was so distracted; she didn't notice the second time Danny's ghost sense went off. Now more concerned than ever, Danny resisted the urge to find an excuse to leave so he could go ghost. He really didn't need to show up all the way in the past, who knows what kind of problems that could cause to the time line. It was the same basic reason he didn't go looking for a job. He wanted to minimize his interactions in this time as much as possible.

Danny focused on his plate, as another shiver racked his system. Wherever, or whoever this ghost was, it was beginning to get on his nerves. He was nearly 16 years in the past, and he still couldn't catch a break on being the hero. What rotten luck. Danny mentally groused. He finished off his second plate, now entirely disinterested in eating. He walked over to where Vlad was cleaning the rest of the dishes and handed his over. His ghost sense went off a fourth time, but Vlad was too distracted to notice.

His own had been running almost constantly for the last ten minutes. He knew whose energy it was too, and it was making him nervous. The ghost had never left the town where his apartment was before, and he was nearly sure it was looking for him. He had expressly demanded that it leave Amity, and especially the young Fenton's trying to make a name in the ghost hunting community, alone. So far, the ghost had complied, but now Vlad was worried it was going to ignore his demand.

He scrubbed inattentively at the dishes; his mind entirely consumed with dread as the presence drew closer and hovered right above the Fenton roof. He was about to make an excuse to leave the house for a moment, when a loud boom resonated throughout the home. He would not dare! Vlad screamed mentally, thoughts dark with fury. He raced out of the room and headed down into the basement. They had weapons down there.

Maddie grabbed her daughter, eyes drawn upwards to the new hole in her house ceiling.

“Plasmius, I know you are in here.” The being's eyes traveled the length of the room exposed to his vision. Its dark gaze locked onto Maddie's form nearly immediately, and broke out into a predatory smile. “Is that little human woman the reason you can not manage to show up on time for any of our meetings?” It wondered aloud, floating lower into the hole it had made with its ecto-blast.

Vlad suddenly appeared in the room, face darkened with rage. He had a large ecto-gun in his hands, courtesy of the growing cache of sorts the Fenton's were building up in their basement. He lifted it up towards the specter currently floating in the middle of the Fenton's broken roof. It was one thing to intrude in his life, or even threaten it, but threatening to do harm to anyone currently in this house was way over the line, at least in his book.

When the ghost only floated lower, he flicked a switch to charge the weapon. It let out a menacing whine that would have given him pause if he was on the other side of its muzzle. As it so happened, the ghost he was aiming at wasn't impressed in the slightest. Arrogant ignorant ass. Vlad hissed mentally while switching the weapon to its highest setting. “Stop right there.”

“I thought I made it clear, I was the one who made the demands Plasmius.”

Vlad narrowed his eyes at the ghost when it called him by his other half's name. “I'm not going to say it again ghost. Leave, or I'll blast you into ecto-goo.” By this time, Maddie had found a weapon she could wield with one arm, and was aiming with it at the ghost from the kitchen.

The ghost flared its energy, furious at Vlad for the threat. “You like these pathetic inferior beings that much?” It ground out. “Then you can die with them. Forget my offer of apprenticeship you little worm.” The ghost punctuated the statement by firing a bright green blast in Vlad's direction.

It hit dead on its target, and Vlad was thrown across the room. He slammed into the other side hard enough for several large chunks of plaster to fall off of the wall.

The ghost fired another blast directly above him, burying Vlad in a raining storm of wooden 2x4s, metal pipes, and particle board. They hid the light from Vlad's transformation just as planned. He turned intangible and slipped back outside the house, so he could approach it from another angle.

Maddie, having seen Vlad get blasted across the room, began firing several well-aimed shots at the hovering ghost. She frowned when her usual aerobatics were thrown off by shifting Jasmine around in her arms. She back flipped, using only her legs to perform the trick, and fired another shot from on top of her kitchen table. She jumped when a blast came her way, destroying her table into an explosion of wooden splinters.

She landed and fired shot immediately upon settling. It struck true, and she had a second to breathe and strategize. She looked around for Danny, to tell him to get behind her, only see he was nowhere to be found. Slightly distracted by her worry for Danny's safety, she didn't notice the creature firing a blast in her direction. It neared her body, hot and crackling with angry energy, before a bright pink dome jumped in between it and her. She swiveled as the owner of the pink dome appeared suddenly in her kitchen.

Vlad glared fiercely at the ghost currently holding a smoking hand towards the kitchen. The blast would have killed Maddie, and maybe even Jasmine cradled in her mother's arms, easily. This fight needed to be moved, somewhere much safer. He flew around Maddie, ignoring her now nervously shaking arm, and set himself in front of the ghost's line of sight of the kitchen.

Maddie was feeling more panicked by the second. First one powerful ghost shows up out of the blue, and then Daniel disappeared. Now, there was another powerful specter in her house, and this one was basically within spitting distance of her and her child. To make matters worse, the only other competent adult in the house was buried under a pile of rubble, likely injured, possible even dead.

She didn't know what she would do if these two creatures ganged up on her. If she didn't have Jasmine to worry about, or if Vlad or her husband were standing with her, she'd be fine. As it was now, she would be in serious trouble if that happened. The spook moved to the other side of her, and she quickly pivoted to keep it in her line of sight. To her shock it placed itself in between her and other ghost.

“What are you doing here Dracul?” The second ghost practically snarled in the first's direction. “I made it perfectly clear, I'd do whatever you wanted, but you had to leave Amity Park alone.”

The first ghost, Dracul, Maddie noted somewhere in the back of her mind, crossed its arms and set its face into a dark scowl. “I honored your request because it suited me, and for no other reason. It no longer suits my fancy to have you thinking you can defy me for any reason. These beings,” it paused and pointed in Maddie's direction. “Obviously are keeping you from my service.”

The second ghost fixed a heated glare in Dracul's direction, before replying. “What I do with my time is my own business. You, however, have no business being here. What I do protecting the lives of humans is none of your concern.” The second ghost floated slightly away from her, and up closer to the first ghost.

If she didn't know any better, she'd think that second ghost was defending her. Then again, all ghosts are evil, so that's ridiculous. Maddie justified before slinking back towards the backdoor to her house. She needed to get out of here, for her daughter's sake.

“I've had enough of your defiance and arrogance Plasmius. This ends today. If I have to break your little toys to accomplish it, then so be it.” The two ghosts stared off, floating on the same level. Abruptly, the duo flew at each other, and Maddie took that as the cue it was.

She ran out of the backdoor as the second ghost kicked the first clear through the roof. Couldn't have just thrown him out of the hole that Dracul character made could it? Maddie thought exasperated. She ran to the neighbor's house, wanting to hand her daughter over before running back to face the two ghosts. With her hands free, she reasoned, she'd be more than a match for the two of them. Despite the large ruckus the ghosts were kicking up, it wasn't until Maddie gave her daughter to the neighbors that she began crying. Now more determined than ever to get this battle ended, Maddie ran back outside.

High above the town of Amity, Vlad was letting a few months worth of aggravation out on the vampiric ghost. He let a particularly large blast snake across the distance between him and the other specter.

To Dracul's astonishment, the blast changed directions on Vlad's command. It morphed into a large blanket like shape, before wrapping around his body, pinning his arms.

Vlad let the ghost plummet towards the earth, unable to fly with his energy wrapped around his form. He was sure it would hit the ground, when it suddenly turned into dark smoke, slipping from the bindings and back into the sky. Vlad growled in frustration. That teleportation trick is more annoying than really ought to be possible.

Instead of rematerializing back in front of him, it made a sharp turn back towards the earth…Back towards Maddie Fenton.

Vlad gasped as the smoke solidified into the figure of his opponent, scant feet in front of the woman he loved. Struck with a sudden need for inspiration, he threw his arms out and concentrated. He hadn't tried making a shield he wasn't inside of before, but now wasn't the time to worry about that.

Maddie skidded to a halt, as the nearly black smoke turned into the solid form of one of the ghosts from earlier. She hadn't seen a ghost teleport before, but she already hated the ability. She barely had time to heft her gun up to fire, before the figure raised an emerald colored hand and did so itself. She waited and waited for the searing pain, only to find it non-existent. Maddie opened her eyes, just as the pink glow was fading from around her.

The second ghost lowered the hastily made shield accidently, a break in concentration at the shock of it actually working the cause.

Dracul flew back up at Vlad, resolute in his thoughts of bending the stubborn free-spirited ghost to his will. He needed to tire him out more, before he could conceivably attack the humans he protected so ferociously. Dracul fired several shots in ever growing strength towards his less experienced opponent.

Vlad dodged the first few before two of the last shots slammed into his body. He dropped head over heel through the air, directly towards the concrete laden ground below. With a loud thud, he crashed into the earth, leaving a small crater from his impromptu landing.

Dracul calmly floated over to Vlad's prone body, softly setting down a few feet away. He reached down and wrenched Vlad up to his eye level, taking demented pleasure in the way his head lolled about in Vlad's dazed state. With achingly slow menace, Dracul began draining the spectral energy from Vlad's ghost form. He watched with nearly manic glee as his ghostly glow disappeared from his body. He never got over the maddening rush of energy he felt when he drained another being, human or ghost.

Vlad struggled weakly in Dracul's hold, curling his hands around the wrists leveling him up nearly off his feet. He watched as Dracul siphoned more of his energy off with seemingly exhausted interest. He took a deep breath and gripped Dracul's wrists with surprising strength. A second later, Vlad was sending his spectral energy directly into Dracul's body. He knew that except for when he directed the absorption, Dracul was just as vulnerable to energy attacks as any other ghost.

Dracul let out a monstrous cry, and threw Vlad from his grasp. The energy currently leaving an aching pain through his wrists was exceptionally hot. He flew back up to a safer distance and leveled a furious glare in Vlad's direction. Dracul rubbed his wrist to massage the pain way before saying, “Clever little ghost, but you'll have to do better than that to defeat me.” He noted with concern that Vlad's glow had completely recovered. He'd never seen a ghost rebound in energy so fast after he drained it. It left him nervous, while he was an experienced fighter, his reserves were low.

His stamina had always been poor, but with his vampiric powers, he had little need to develop them. If he needed more energy, he just sucked it clean out of his opponent. It served the dual purpose of strengthening him, and sending his opponent/victim closer to defeat. Now, however, he was faced with the very real possibility Vlad was either immune or barely effected by large losses of power.

Dracul narrowed his eyes and clenched his teeth. From the determined set of the insubordinate boy's shoulders and stiff jaw, he was planning on nothing less than a complete victory, and that wouldn't do. He flew back towards Vlad, mind made up to use a more effective technique. Though it's going to be difficult to get the hold needed to drain him like that. Dracul thought with slight worry.

Vlad for his part was more interested in the woman steadfastly aiming an ecto-gun in between him and Dracul. He knew Maddie wasn't one to be easily daunted, but he thought having her defenseless child around would send her running for safety. Unfortunately, he forgot to account for her determination properly, seeing as she had only hidden Jasmine somewhere safe before returning. Likely with the neighbors Vlad thought ruefully.

At the moment, Maddie was holding the weapon in his direction, a look of stubborn aggression affixed on her face. He needed some way to convince her to leave the area, but if she wasn't scared of being hurt in the ensuing battle, and Maddie likely wasn't, that option wasn't really viable. Maddie wasn't ever easily scared. Still he had to think of something. It was hard enough to fight this creature without worrying about her safety, and there was no way the ghost wouldn't take advantage of her presence.

Maddie's eyes bounced back and forth between her two targets. The ghost known as Dracul was the physically weaker of the two of them, quickly expending energy much faster than the second. But something about it had her on edge, so despite the fact she would usually discount the ghost as the minor threat, she was left with no option but to equally prioritize the two spectral beings.

The second problem was her emotional distraction nudging at the back of her brain. She hadn't been in too many actual fights with ghosts before, and in spite of the fact she was well trained, she was still nervous. On top of all of that, Daniel was still missing, Vlad was probably injured, and even with her daughter in the relative safety of the neighbor's house, it still nagged at her battle inexperienced mind. She fidgeted nervously with her gun, and swung it back around towards the second ghost. She was really beginning to miss Jack. At least if he was here, she'd feel safer.

Noticing Vlad's inattention at the last moment, Dracul's focus shifted to where Vlad was glancing. A disquieting smile settled over his features, knowing how to get close enough to his opponent for this next attack to work. He changed the direction of his dive, and shot down straight for Maddie.

Vlad gasped, broken out of his worried musings by the sudden change in the purpose of Dracul's flight. He twisted into a dive, single-minded in his intention to cut off Dracul in the air, or intersperse himself in between the blood thirsty ghost and Maddie on the ground. When he noticed Dracul picking up speed, he poured on the afterburners to cut off his descent.

Maddie saw Vlad dive-bomb her location and let off a few shots meant to ward him off. She turned, too late, to notice the second ghost heading for her position.

Dracul took advantage of the inadvertent cover fire to pull out of his dive. He snapped to a stop in front of the firing woman, just as Vlad beat him to her. Mere inches separating them, just as he supposed would happen.

Vlad dodged the wild shots with growing irritation. Figures she would shot at the person trying to save her. He complained mentally, urging himself to even faster speeds. He appeared in front of
Maddie, just before Dracul got there. He suppressed a wince when Dracul's clawed hand sunk into the tender flesh above his collarbone. He felt Dracul hook his claws behind the bone and yank.

The ghost used his bloody purchase to force Vlad closer. With a nearly animalistic growl of triumph, Dracul sunk his pointed fangs directly into Vlad. He could siphon off energy much faster and more effectively this way. The only way more effective, was to grasp the core of the ghost, but not only did he have to contend with the consolidated will of the ghost in question, he was sure Vlad's core would be too hot to attempt that on. He revealed in the feeling of his drained body refilling with powerful and unique energy.

Vlad barely had time to balk at the intrusion into his energy, before he felt it rapidly disappear from his body. He knew he could replenish the energy, being half-ghost, but even after all the practice he'd been having regenerating energy quickly since meeting this ghost, he shocked by the speed that his strength left him.

Vlad was dizzy before he could really react to the attack, and worse he was growing nearly exponentially weaker by the moment. He could feel his core straining under the burden of keeping his ghost form in the face of Dracul's onslaught. Vlad grit his teeth. He couldn't transform here, not out of the open and right in front of Maddie. He began to panic when the strength to hold his form disappeared with the rapid draw of power into Dracul.

Maddie took those few seconds to stare dumbfounded at the battling pair. There was really no denying now that the other ghost, Plasmius her harried mind supplied, was defending her. The real question was why. She watched with detached interest as the first ghost roughly grasped and pulled the second much closer. Her nearly scientific interest turned into shock as she saw Plasmius' ghostly aura dip precipitously. She was certain it was Dracul's doing. Somehow it was draining the second ghost of its energy.

Maddie didn't really trust the second ghost that had been defending her, she didn't, frankly, trust any ghost farther than she could blast it. But she needed an ally at the moment, and that ghost was the only option. She hefted her weapon and took aim. A worried frown marred her features; they were way too close to one another for her to get a clean shot.

She wasn't scared about killing either of them eventually, but at the moment she needed that Plasmius ghost in one piece. She startled when its aura grew even dimmer, and moved around to get a better shot. She was about to take it, when someone else beat her to it. Neon green energy streaked from behind her and slammed into the vampire ghost, aim straight and true.

Dracul dropped a panting, bleeding Vlad onto the asphalt below when he was thrown into a nearby light pole by an unknown ghost's blast. He hissed as ectoplasm leaked from the shallow burn wound in his shoulder, where he had been struck.

“Hey Dracula, why don't you pick on someone your own size?” A strong youthful voice rang through the air. Danny hovered, arms crossed in confidence, as he stared down his nose at the fallen ghost. It had taken him nearly 10 minutes to find somewhere to transform. It seemed like everyone in this whole town was congregating to the battle between Vlad and Dracul, and it made it maddeningly difficult to find cover. Still, now he was floating over the battle, smug smile firmly in place as he watched the injured ghost lift himself from the bent streetlamp he had sent him into.

Dracul glared deadly and heavy with promise of pain, at Danny floating nearly innocently above him. He had never seen the ghost before, but if it had the audacity to fire upon him, it was about to have its afterlife ended. Dracul extracted himself from the barely standing lamp post and flew up to meet the youthful ghost on its level. “And that person would be you little ghost?” Dracul noted with amusement the size of his much younger opponent.

The ghost was much smaller than him and from the set of his body, an inexperienced fighter too. However, the ghost possessed a significant amount spectral energy, and even if he didn't know how to use it, that would be a problem. Dracul decided to divest him of all of that extra energy immediately.

On the ground below, Vlad was having trouble recovering from the extreme removal of his spectral energy. He glanced up to where Danny and Dracul were hovering with a small note of concern. He hadn't seen that ghost before, but Dracul was a dangerous being. If it got too close to that other ghost, it would suck the large amount of spectral energy it possessed out of him, and he didn't need the vampire ghost any stronger. Rising on shaking limbs, Vlad eyed the two ghosts cautiously, before flying directly next to Danny to face Dracul with him.

“It sure would be big fella. Don't be discouraged by my size, I'm sure if you tried really hard, you might be able to land a hit.” Danny retorted as Vlad appeared by his side. He had time to register something vaguely reminiscent of shock, before they were both dodging a series of nearly forest green colored blasts.

He tried to separate them, firing strong shots in between where they floated. Separate targets would be much easier to handle after all. Dracul kept a near constant rain of attacks, forcing the two half ghosts to either hide behind each other's shields or dodge away from the searing heat of his green energy.

“Where,” Danny stopped to grunt when another blast slammed into the shield his was making for them both, “is he getting all this energy?”

Vlad narrowed his eyes before switching places with Danny on who was holding the shield. “From me unfortunately.” Vlad dropped the shield opting to dodge instead, and hopefully get in a shot or two.

Danny startled before dodging an ecto-blast meant for his chest. “Yours?” Danny asked skeptically. “How did he get it?”

Vlad growled low in his throat as he deflected another blast with a hastily made shield. “The obvious way, he stole it.”

“Really? I was just joking about that Dracula thing. I mean he looks the part, pale skin, scary fangs and all but-” Danny was cut off when a lucky shot smacked into his stomach.

“If you want to waste time talking, how about we use it to work up a strategy?” Vlad offered when Danny had recovered and was floating by his side under another shield.

“What did you have in mind?” Danny asked, a knowing smile already curling across his face. While it sucked to be on the receiving end of one of Vlad's plans, even Danny had to agree he came up with some good ones.

Vlad made a shield outside of Danny's own, to give them more time to talk. “We need a distraction. You're much faster than I am, and frankly more annoying.”

“Hey!”

Vlad shook his head before continuing, “You don't bother me kid, but this ghost lives on power and the display of it. If he sees a younger, less experienced ghost flying circles around him, it'll drive him nuts. Which is what I need to happen. If you could buy me 5 minutes, I could get enough power to actually double team him with you.”

“What do you call what we are doing now?” Danny made a half-hearted gesture to the general area they were floating in. A loud crack filled the air as Vlad's outer shield shattered.

“Floating and dodging for our lives. That's not fighting, I'm sure we can do much better.” Vlad moved fluidly into a defensive stance, before nodding at Danny. A second later, the shield was dropped and the two flew off in opposite directions.

Dracul smirked sadistically at the two currently separated fighters. He had been trying to break them up, but it seems they had foolishly done it for him. He instantly flew after Danny. It is always easier to bring little lambs to the slaughter instead of rams. He followed Danny doggedly, drawing closer, closer, closer…and then the young ghost shot ahead again just out of reach. This happened a few more times, before it became obvious that Danny was playing with him. Dracul narrowed his eyes, and poured on the speed, but no matter how fast he flew, the younger ghost was still faster. To his shock, the smaller ghost began flying literal circles around him, always keeping himself just out of reach.

“What's the matter Dracula?” Danny taunted. “Can't seem to keep up?” Danny pivoted in mid-air to avoid Dracul's angry swipe. He missed Danny by feet. He heard Dracul growl and try to make another pass, which was quickly and deftly avoided. This is easier than I thought it would be. He's slow as a slug, what's- Danny's thoughts stopped with his body as Dracul appeared directly in front of him.

Using his greater agility, Danny barely dodged the green glowing fist headed for his skull. Whoa! That was close. Better watch out for that teleportation trick. Danny managed to avoid several more teleport aided attacks by Dracul, with ever closing margins. Just what the hell is Vlad doing? Danny wondered.

Vlad had completely blocked out everything but the feeling of the charged ectoplasm flowing through his system. He had learned, through recent practice, that the amount of energy his core produced could be changed. Temporarily, in the same vein that those with mediation practice, he could increase or decrease the energy production like a human could with their own heart beat or respiration. The technique had draw backs, like hampering energy production for a short period afterward or needing a few minutes for it to take effect, but in a pinch, it was the best way to get more energy. He only needed another 30 seconds or so, and he'd be back to full power. Unfortunately, the fierce yell from Danny reminded him, he didn't have the time.

Dracul had finally managed to get a hold of Danny. He had his greedy claws wrapped around the teen hero's black jump suit. He took a moment to savor the look of shock sprinkled with fear on Danny's face, before trying to pull the ecto-energy from Danny's body. Just when he had gotten started, a large green blast threw him into a parked car below.

Danny grasped his head in pain. That last punch had taken it out of him; luckily, Dracul hadn't had a chance to drain him of any energy. He turned to where he saw Vlad hovering, and gave him a thumbs-up in gratitude. Danny frowned when he saw Vlad shake his head and point down. Curious, he followed the direction of his hand to…his mother holding a smoking ecto-weapon.

Maddie had been waiting for a good shot on that vampire ghost for nearly 5 minutes. With the younger ghost flying all over the place, she hadn't been able to pick it off. But since he had been forced to be still, she had been able to do something she'd wanted to do since the battle started blast something. Serves that creature right, blasting a hole in my house, threatening my family, being an evil bastard. Maddie took a second to re-aim her weapon, before letting off another shot at the vampire ghost currently trying to recover on the ground. She sent it deeper into the crater it had made when it fell, and earned a wince from both half-ghosts currently floating above the scene.

Dracul had been blindsided. He had completely forgotten about the female human holding the odd looking weapon. He was now intimately familiar with the sting of an ecto-weapon, and had no interested in repeating the experience. When he saw another vibrant green attack head his way, he teleported several feet away, into the air. When he had rematerialized, Dracul took stock of the situation with dismay. He was now facing two ghosts and a human with a powerful and painful weapon. More importantly, that last attack had drained his power when his body had healed from the attack. He needed to make himself scarce. Dracul threw up a shield when the younger ghost shot towards his position. “It seems I have been severely outnumbered.” He drawled, calm as ever. “Little Plasmius, when you want to finish this battle one on one like a real ghost; you know where to find me.” His voice grew into a whisper as his form dispersed into dark vapor like smoke.

Vlad shook his head. This fight had been much longer and more complicated than he had wanted it. Worse, he had completely broken the fragile alliance with that psychotic sadistic ghost. Now he was free to attack anything he pleased, and with how drained he appeared before he disappeared, humans may be on the menu. He turned towards where the mysterious younger ghost had been floating, only to find he was already gone. He was about to look for him, when the distinctive whine of an ecto-gun being charged reached his ears.

Maddie was pointing it directly at him, a look of grim determination plastered on her face.
I guess her good graces have run out. Vlad thought ruefully. He tossed her a small smile before saying, “Oh, don't worry about me. I'm as good as gone.” Vlad started off in a random direction, only to be cut off by a shot by Maddie. He turned back towards her, not at all prepared to fight.

Maddie only fixed her aim directly over his core before flicking the setting down a few notches. She didn't trust it, but she still owed it a debt of sorts. So the next blast would only stun instead of kill if it hit. Plus she had a few questions. “Why?” She put forward tone stern.

Vlad raised an eyebrow. Just what is she referring to? He pondered before replying, “Why what?”

Maddie huffed in exasperation. What she was asking was obvious, or at least should have been. Still, she humored it. “Why did you tell that other ghost that you protecting humans was none of his business? Why do you protect humans? Why did you protect me? Why?” She repeated emphatically. She hefted the gun a little higher, further away from its core. Don't want it unconscious either. She rationalized.

Vlad shook his head while crossing his arms. There really wasn't a way to answer that. Well, one that won't result in more insistent questions. Besides, I need to sneak my way back under that debris before someone moves it to get after me.

Maddie pursed her lips, not at all satisfied with his response. “Answer me ghost!” She demanded in her best authoritative tone. The ghost looked about ready to talk when a voice from the crowed distracted her.

“Mrs. Fenton! What in the world is going on in my town?” The crowd partially parted so that a well-dressed figure could make it over to her. The current mayor of the town stood a few feet off, brows creased in some combination of worry, shock, and anger.

By the time Maddie had looked away from the scowling mayor, the ghost had disappeared. She growled and ground her molars. She had had that thing in her sights. Now more peeved than was safe for the random rubbernecking residents and passersby, she stomped over to the mayor. “What's going on is what my husband and I have been trying to tell you about for the last year and a half. This town is infested with ghosts, and like I already told you, it's incredibly dangerous.” Maddie slung the gun behind her to hang on a hook on her belt. She crossed her arms and waited for the mayor's new justification for not investing in ghost defense weapons.

“Mrs. Fenton,” He started in a outraged voice, “as I told you before, I didn't think such precautions were necessary.”

“Well obviously you were wrong.” Maddie firmly interrupted.

“We've never had a single attack until now.” The mayor defended. “Maybe it was something you and your husband have been doing to bring these specters into our town.”

Maddie scrunched her face into a frown. “My husband and I are the reason why no one was hurt today.”

“Well if you two are so competent, then why is your house in shambles?” The mayor pointed behind Maddie to the profile of her home. Two holes in the roof, smoke rising from the center; it wasn't the most convincing picture.

“Because that's where the fight started. That ghost blasted through the roof with no warning. In fa-”
Maddie cut herself off with a gasp, hand flying to her mouth in stomach dropping fear. “Oh God! My friend's still buried in there. I need some strong men to come with me to help dig him out.”

“And you call yourself a competent ghost hunter. You let one of your friends get hurt.” The mayor snidely remarked.

“With any due respect mister mayor, if I wasn't a good ghost hunter, my friend would be the first on the large list on its way to the morgue. Now,” she interrupted the mayor's rebuttal, “someone come over to my house and help me-”

“Maddie!” An imposing bright orange clad figure cut through the crowd. “Maddie where are ya' baby?” He pushed his way to the small clearing in the crowd where Maddie was standing.

“Jack! Thank god. Listen, I you have to help me get Vlad-”

“Don't worry, Daniel already told me.”

“Daniel?” Maddie peered around her husband's impressive figure to spy Danny nervously waving back.

“When did he-”

“No time for that! We need to get Vladdie out from under all that stuff in the house.” Jack bounded off towards the direction of their home, several unwilling volunteers hooked along for the ride.

Maddie grabbed Danny by the wrist and drug him after her. She didn't want him getting lost in the crowd or disappearing again. She crossed the threshold to her house to find Jack and the three “volunteers” wrested into joining him already moving pieces of plywood out of the way. He had only been under there for a few minutes, but he had been hurtled into a wall, and blasted with ecto-energy before that. She wasn't sure if he was alright, but even if he was hurt, she'd feel better when they got him from under all of that debris. She let go of Danny and moved over to give Jack a hand.

A few determined moments of digging more, and they uncovered Vlad. He was still clutching the weapon he'd been tossed with, very much awake and alive. “Jack! What's going on? Did you get that ghost?” He unsteadily got to his feet, ignoring Jack's hand when offered.

“It wasn't here when I arrived. I think Maddie scared it off.”

Vlad lifted the gun up and rested it on his shoulder. “That true Mads?”

She nodded an affirmative, before giving him a visual once over. He didn't look like he had been thrown into a wall. He didn't even look like he had been hit with an ecto-blast. She was about to ask about it, when Vlad started talking.

“I'm fine Maddie, don't worry about me.” He said wavering off the concerned look on her face.

“Where's Jasmine?” He asked when he noticed neither parent had her.

“With the Brown's next door. Speaking of disappearances, where did you go Daniel?” Maddie turned back around towards him with her question.

“I didn't tell ya'?” Jack answered her with a question. “If I hadn't run in Daniel, I would never have gotten here in time. I ran into him on the way back from that new lab Axio-something. In any case, he was all out of breath when he told me about what was going on at home. We came right back. Isn't that right Daniel?”

“Yeah.” Danny agreed immediately. It had really been coincidence that they had run into each other. Danny was just coming back from transforming, after he was sure the situation was under control, when he saw Jack coming out of Axiom labs. It made the perfect cover story, at the very least it meant he had one.

Vlad pushed aside the shock he felt upon hearing about Danny appearing at Axiom. Never mind how he knew where Jack was, “Why did you run off?” Vlad voiced the end of his thought out loud.
Danny scuffled his feet sheepishly. “I got scared after I saw you get trashed by that ghost. I remembered Mrs. Fenton saying Mr. Fenton was at Axiom labs today, so I figured I go get him. Since, I can't aim worth bunk, and can't fight either. I'd just be a problem staying here.”

Maddie smiled at him. “Danny, running off was more dangerous than staying next to me. But I appreciate your forethought.” She ran a hand through Danny's hair before walking off to go get Jasmine from the neighbors.

Danny heaved a sigh of relief. While Vlad had his cover story basically in the bag from the beginning, he had to make his up on the fly. As far as his poor lying skills were concerned, that had gone perfectly.

Vlad wasn't buying it. For one, Maddie had never mentioned where Jack was going today. For another, Axiom was clear on the other side of town. Finally, even if it was true, Vlad was just a little sore about the thought of Danny abandoning Maddie and Jasmine to a hostile ghost, poor fighter or not.
He frowned in thought as he gave Jack back the borrowed gun.

Maddie returned with Jasmine, and Vlad bid the Fenton's farewell quicker than planned. He needed to get home, the drain of battle and lack of sleep was catching up to him. Besides, I have a few questions for Daniel.
     

Vlad had started in on Danny instantly after they were both seated inside the car. They had been talking for half an hour now and it wasn't going well. At all. The conversation had started on Danny's disappearance during the fight, and quickly veered into another subject, morality of all things.

“I can't believe you.” Danny repeated for the third time in the last ten minutes. He was livid. Vlad had the nerve to call him a dishonorable coward for “deserting” his mom and Jasmine earlier today. Vlad doesn't know the meaning of honor. Danny seethed.

“What's there to doubt?” Vlad spat back. “You're the one who left a woman and a defenseless baby alone with a monster.”

“I already told you-”

“Oh yes I know,” Vlad sarcastically interrupted, “you don't know how to fight. Even if I was to believe that tripe, and I certainly don't, it doesn't excuse running off like a coward and lying about it afterwards.”

“I wasn't lying.”

“Bullshit. I know a lie when I hear one.”

“You would.” Danny muttered back.

“Excuse me? What's that supposed to mean?” Vlad turned to send Danny a particularly heated glare.

“I mean, you're an even bigger liar than I am.” Danny happily matched Vlad's glare with one of his own, waiting for his response.

“When have I lied to you?” Vlad swerved around a slower car on the highway. If they knew what was good for them, they'd stay out of his way today.

“Your whole life is a lie. You're pretending to be Jack Fenton's friend while you try to sleep with his wife. How much lower can you get?”

Vlad hissed and gripped the steering wheel harder. “You have no idea what you're talking about.”

“Yeah right. You may know a lie when you hear it, but I wouldn't be a teenager if I didn't know flirting when I hear it. You spent the whole two hours before the ghost showed up flirting with her.” When Vlad looked like he was going to interrupt, Danny amended his statement. “Oh I'm sorry, you only spent three-fourths of the time flirting, the rest of the time you were taking care of a kid who's not yours.”

“So what if I was? Unlike your little indiscretion, flirting is harmless. Not like someone could get hurt or killed because of it. Which, by the way, was likely a result of you deserting Maddie in the middle of a ghost fight.”

“Yeah like my anti-talented ass could actually be of help.”

“Even if you weren't, just having you suddenly disappear would distract her.” Vlad retorted.

“Being distracted in the middle of a fight is a dangerous thing.”

“Well that sounds like a personal problem with her doesn't it? Maybe she should work on that.” Danny shrugged off the nasty look Vlad gave him. He was always more defensive of Maddie than himself. It's like he thinks she's God or something.

“Regardless,” Vlad said changing pace, “it was not only dangerous for you to run off like that, but dangerous for her and even Jasmine as well. And I'm damn sure no one has died from flirting in the history of man.”

“Maybe not,” Danny offered, “but they have been killed by jealous husbands.”

“I'd love to see him try.” Vlad closed his eyes for a second when they flashed red, before refocusing on the road.

“You know what your problem is?” Danny posed, willing to get into an even bigger fight.

“Oh no, but I'm sure you'll enlighten me in any case.”

“You think you have the moral high ground, but you're completely full of shit. Chastising me about running from battle, when you're giving it the good ole' college try to break up a happy family. You've got a lot of balls to call my morality lacking mister kettle. I mean damn, should we ask a priest? What's worse, being a coward, or trying to commit adultery?”

“If you know what's good for you Daniel,” Vlad started all too calmly, “you'll drop this conversation right now.”

“Or you'll do what?” Danny challenged. “Throw me out of your house? Kick me out in the middle of nowhere on the side of this highway?” When Vlad didn't respond to the questions, Danny pressed forward. “I didn't think so. So why should your little `indiscretion' get a pass lower on the morality totem pole than mine? Because I'm pretty sure-”

“You don't know Jack kid.” Vlad paused as their exit came into view. That made it a new record for how long it took to get home. He hadn't glanced at the speedometer the whole trip. “I'm not doing anything wrong.”

“Oh-”

“Shut up and listen.” Vlad heaved a shaky sigh to gather his frayed nerves together. “I'm not going to say that I don't want to be with Maddie, that would be a blatant lie, but I'm not going to make on a move on her while she's married. And no witty banter doesn't count Daniel.”

“Witty-”

Vlad shook his head to interrupt. “She was just joking Daniel. I promise; she wasn't serious. I'm not stupid; I can tell real interest from teasing.”

Danny creased his face in thought. “So you're telling me all of that was just fun and games?” Danny passed a skeptical look in Vlad's direction.

Vlad nodded before saying, “it's just the pretense of interest. She's mostly joking, even if some of the banter is based in honest compliments.”

“So let me get this straight. You spent the last couple hours, in between cleaning like the Molly Maid, pretending to flirt with Maddie Fenton?”

Vlad made a considering noise before saying, “Maddie was the only one pretending, but yes, the majority of that was feigned.”

Danny frowned. “You told me before there was more than one reason to going over there. You only told me two, is there another one?”

Vlad sighed wearily as they pulled into the parking lot in front of his apartment. “Leave this alone Daniel.” Vlad slid out of the car, before noticing Danny hadn't moved.

Danny gave Vlad a stubborn look, before refusing to leave the car by turning to face the front again.

“You aren't going to get out unless I answer that question are you?” Vlad said while peering back through the driver's side window.

Danny answered by remaining completely still in his seat.

“Why does it matter so much Daniel?”

Danny didn't answer.

Finally, Vlad opened the door to the car and sunk back into the seat again. “Okay little badger, I'll tell you. The last reason I come over every Wednesday like clockwork is because for a few hours, I can pretend.”

Danny looked back over towards Vlad, face softened and contemplative. Willing to listen. “Pretend what?”

Vlad squirmed a little in his seat. He'd never said this out loud before, but he didn't have to, to know it was pretty crazy, or desperate, depending on who heard it. “Pretend that they're my family and not Jack's.”

Danny sat stock still as he processed what he'd just heard. “You know,” Danny ventured, “when I said you were crazy earlier, I didn't mean it. Now that I think about it, you really are crazy. You are one crazed up Fruitloop.” Danny finished by hopping out of the car.

Vlad followed with a huff. “It's not that crazy Daniel.”

“Oh yeah, pretending someone else's family is yours is like totally normal. Right up there with breathing and shit.” Danny sent Vlad an eye roll as they bounded up the stairs to his apartment.

“I suppose it's better than not having a family at all.” Vlad paused at his front door, and turned back around to face Danny. “You know what it's like to have no one? To watch someone else live out something that should be yours? To watch your family disappear right before your eyes?”

Danny's eyes widened as he took in the new questions. Rhetorical or not, they'd stuck a scary close chord with him. He knew, at the very least for a few terrifying seconds, what it was like to feel that. He was silent as the two of them walked into the apartment. Quiet, as he prepared for bed, his mind doing all the talking for him. Maybe, just maybe, he could understand where Vlad was coming from.

Maybe he knew what it was like to have no one, and he couldn't honestly say he'd done much better. Maybe the Fruitloop isn't as crazy as I thought. Or maybe I'm just as crazy as he is. Clockwork telling him that they were more alike than he thought came back in vivid replay. Danny went to sleep that night with the distinct worry that Vlad's morals were beginning to rub off on him.   

…then make sure you don't lose sight of the light.