A/N: Time for a new story, a fresh start. I liked PP for the romantic closure but the plotline was so cliché. It was funny that Vlad ruined himself for greed and got nothing in the end but to appear as a cliché villain. But what if he could get a second chance by making people forget his revealed identity? Please stay tuned for angst, drama, romance, and possible redemption as we explore Vlad's schemes, their unexpected consequences, and how they affect the lives of Danny and others.

Now onto the show…

Chapter 1: The Curtain Rises

Vlad Masters was one unhappy camper. He was currently out in space, forced to admire the stars for hours on end on a small planet that was not fit for a king. There was no technology, no Maddie hologram, and no Maddie the cat. And who would guess, the Earth was not blown to bits, as far as he could tell. Young Daniel probably figured something out, as he usually did. He was probably living it up right now, he was sure of it, while he sat in the dark recesses of a science fiction writer's idea of time out. One could say that he had a lot of time on his hands, out here in the open. It was like camping, only emptier and much colder. There was no nature of any sort, and his only friends were burning piles of rock miles and miles away. To Vlad, this was pure torture as he was not an astronomy fan. Here he was, stuck in his ghost form since his human form would die instantly in this hostile, no air environment. He had not had food or water for days, and could feel his insides withering. Would he… die out here?

"Where did I go wrong?" he said with a forlorn sigh, pouting on his small throne of a rock.

He was talking to himself a lot lately with nothing to do but think, over and over and over. All that time spent planning and plotting… for what? His goal had changed three times! First, all he wanted was to gain another chance with Maddie, dear Maddie. So what if she was married and had two kids? He was fully willing to accept them. He had much in common with the young Daniel, they were both victims of the cruel, flawed technology that only a certain Jack could do. It was pure sinister if you asked him, but no, Jack was the good one and he was evil. Even though it was Jack that made him half ghost in the first place! And Jasmine was not half bad, from what he heard of her she had a good head on her shoulders and her intellect would only help him in the long run. He and the three of them could have been family.

"I deserve a family… the family that I could have had if not for Jack Fenton!"

After his attempt at humiliating Jack at the reunion failed, once he learned the little badger's true identity he tried to get him to understand and accept him as a father figure. He was willing to teach him all that he knew about his ghost powers, things that he had to find out on his own during countless bleak days. With Daniel at his side, soon Maddie would be his! She would see how much better he was than Jack, and kick him to the curb where he belonged. His inventions were much more interesting and fully tested. He was as fit as a fiddle with a stylish appearance, and he had plenty of money for what it was worth. So what if he stole a few thousand to start his investment fund. How would he know he would become heir to the Wisconsin Dairy King? That uncle of his never told him he'd put him on the will before he conked out…not that he regretted stealing or anything. He paid those banks back, secretly, so no one was the wiser. It was borrowed, not stolen.

"I am not evil. No one just took the time to get to know me. I tried to let them in, I did try…"

The problem was that Daniel only saw the worst in him, so things quickly made a turn for the worse. First, he invented insults, typical for a teen, calling him things like fruitloop that got on his last nerves. Being called 'Uncle Vlad' was heartwarming at first, before he discovered Daniel's more sarcastic intentions. Then one day, he and Maddie, the love of his life, had shown up at his mansion, which was arranged by him of course, but that badger turned poor Maddie against him, he was convinced of it. Hurt, he had to give it up. If he couldn't change that boy's bad will against him… well who can influence a teenager when he sets his mind against it, right? …He would have to…give up on Maddie. So he begrudgingly took up the boy's suggestion: get a cat. He named her Maddie, treated her with kindness and affection. But he was still empty…he still wanted a family.

"It's Jack's fault I am all alone, without the love of my life…"

He had heard how taking care of children could positively affect people…he pored over articles of adoptive parents and those who reconnected with lost children to discover a joy in life they never had. He wanted a taste of that joy…he did not want to suffer forever as only half a person. The problem was once he had gotten to know Daniel, albeit in an antagonistic manner, when he thought of the perfect son all he could think of was him. He could not force him to come, so he thought of the next best option: cloning. At first he tried to get a replacement for Maddie. If he couldn't have the real thing, why not try virtual? He spent countless dollars developing a high tech and state of the art computer system, complete with AI and holographic projection, but it was too perfect. The AI Maddie was still in love with Jack, so much so that she made a Jack program on his system! He had to silence that aspect of her, but it only made her buggy, staticky…incomplete.

The defective Maddie hologram was soothing, in her own way. She said things he could only dream Maddie would say to him: complements, praise, words of affection…but it was still empty. He still talked to Maddie the cat, but it was getting so mundane. He wanted a real person by his side, someone who cared if he lived or died. He wanted a son…and if Daniel couldn't be it, he would make his own Daniel.

"Half human, half ghost, like me. Someone who understands my troubles…the perfect son."

It was not that he did not understand the more touchy and inhumane aspects of cloning, but he was desperate. Valerie's suit was convenient to exploit; she would be unknowingly collecting Daniel's DNA samples while getting her revenge: a win-win situation for the both of them. He would age the clone to around twelve years old… old enough to know right from wrong, yet not quite old enough to rebel. However, even though he thought the collection process was full-proof and had all the research required for clone creation, the project was an absolute failure.

The first clone was a grotesque mass of ectoplasm and bone. To the dumpster. The second, equally tragic. He revised the collection system and went onto the next stage of the trial. The next batch of clones were all wrong… too large, too small, some parts bigger than the other… and then the girl, for Pete's sake. How did he get a girl from cloning a guy? It was impossible...unless he somehow had deleted a Y chromosome and duplicated the X. At least she was proportionate after exiting the aging chamber. He named her Danielle and she quickly called him Daddy with the most adorable voice. It warmed his heart. But he couldn't help but wonder what the issue was with his cloning system, so he set off to confirm his suspicions of a mistake in the gene-splicing process. Once he obtained a sample of her DNA, he tested it against the original for genetic abnormalities only to find a bigger problem: the original sample was contaminated. These were two different helixes from two different people of two different genders!

"How did it happen? Was my sample collector not working correctly?"

No, he checked it. It was designed to get a clothing sample that would be blasted off while she attacked. The…clothing. That was the problem! Danny Phantom must have had contact with some female before Valerie engaged him in combat. Maybe one of his little friends at school…not that he was concerned in the least. He backdated to the previous samples. Those too were contaminated, but with foreign particles. No wonder they resulted in malformed clones! He threw those out. From the sample that created Danielle, he isolated the male DNA to create a pure sample that would create his son.

"I could have stopped with Danielle. She too was a child…but she wasn't pure enough."

Who knew what character traits she'd have from the other DNA's owner. It was not reliable. Plus, he dreamed of a son. But he was satisfied for now. So what if the clones didn't end up as he envisioned? They still called him father. He was a father, with a family. This was his dream realized.

"But it all fell apart, literally."

When the second clone started deteriorating, he knew it was too late. The imperfection was a problem after all. After creating a new clone with the purified sample, he set him up in the aging chamber while he did the research. It was a healthy baby, a boy. But why were the clones deteriorating? It took Maddie the cat to reveal it to him. She had gotten into the lab and was crawling towards the portal. Stopping her and picking her up brought his memories back to when he first had that painful accident. The discovery of his ghost form was frightening, and he had to get used to it all alone, with not a friend in the world. He had isolated himself, learning his abilities, figuring out how to use them for his own needs…the ghost form was the problem. Oh he could create a human clone alright, but a stable halfa needed a stable transition. He needed that sample from young Daniel himself to guarantee a future for his new son Daniel.

That bright future never came to pass. Daniel fought back, converted his daughter Danielle to his side and the one who was to be his son melted away before his very eyes. At that moment, he had nothing but hate for Danielle. Sure, he told her it was all for his son, but he was not a liar. He would have saved her once he could save his son. She was growing on him and the more children the better. Once she left that door he had as much distaste for her as he did for the thorn in his side that was Daniel Fenton.

That dream refused to die, however. As soon as he discovered Danielle was still holding herself together long after the other clones perished, he had to find out why. Was it her determination, or something else? Maybe that mysterious DNA that contributed to her existence? He had to know, and to do that, he didn't mind destroying her for the greater good. She would help him create the perfect son…a worthy sacrifice. He was even planning on trying to put her back together after his son was sorted out. But Daniel had to stomp on his dreams again, and somehow convinced Valerie to follow suit! He couldn't help but admire the young badger, as much as he hated his antics, on his leadership skills.

He had doubled himself to handle the situation while letting Valerie stay in the dark about his ghostly identity, as she was much too useful to manipulate to do his bidding. When he saw the spray Daniel used that saved Danielle, he was shocked. If he knew about that… none of his children would have had to die. His son would not have deteriorated that day, helpless as a newborn lamb. Danielle…was no longer his child. At the end of the day, he was left with no one. Was it Daniel's fault?

"Or was it mine?"

Abandoning his dream of children, he finally turned to wealth and power. His first million in profit had made him very happy back in the day. If he couldn't have a family, he would at least be powerful. A king! That had a nice ring to it. Then the citizens would be like one big family, showering praise and love upon him. But first he had to start small as Amity Park's mayor. That was hard work, as he had to deal with the young boy as well as appease the citizens. Jack was annoying, acting like he was his friend, oblivious to the years of pain and suffering he dealt out. The hypocrite! After researching the mysteries of the ghost zone, interviewing countless unwilling and willing ghosts, he discovered the existence of the Infi-map, which was rumored to lead one to their destiny. For him: his throne, his dream, his true family. It was just his luck that Daniel and his group of friends found it first, but he soon pilfered it from them. However, it just as soon escaped his grasp.

Out of luck and unsure what to do next, he discovered the strange asteroid made entirely out of ecto-ranium. He had hoped to use it to make anti-ghost weapons, but Danny and his friends interfered and he was forced to flee, causing the asteroid to be bumped into approaching Earth. It occurred to him that this could be used to his advantage after all. He would first have to demoralize Danny Phantom and make him obsolete with his own ghost fighting team, then humiliate the Fentons –mainly Jack- into obscurity, then reveal himself to the world as the only one that could save them from the looming 'Disasteroid', as the press called it. The best scenario would be being recognized as hero, becoming the world's ruler and its richest at the same time! Maddie would leave her useless husband for the great Vlad Masters, king of the world. He had even managed to make Daniel give up his powers, so they wouldn't even need to fight anymore! It was a dream…that was not to be.

"Where did I go wrong?" He asked again for the umpteenth time in the past few days. At least on Gilligan's Island there was plenty of food. "Will I die here? Alone?" He felt like he was at his breaking point. "Am I really that bad? Not Jack, but me? Am I that greedy that I just want a family? Someone to love and make me feel whole?"

He couldn't even lie back on this small rock…was it an asteroid, a planet, or a dwarf? Probably just a space rock. "God must be punishing me." He was sure of it. This is why nothing was working out. "Doesn't everybody deserve a second chance? WHY NOT ME?!"

He yelled out angrily into space, but his words were just absorbed by the void. It was empty, just like his heart. He didn't know what to feel anymore. All that he worked for…tried to work for. He couldn't even get the revenge that would turn his life around. He just wanted to return home…lie in his own bed, sit by the fire with Maddie the cat…

"I risked it all…for what? Power? Riches?"

He had plenty of riches, but was greedy for more. The contract those countries signed would give him more than he ever dreamed of. But would money have really filled the void in his heart? He didn't think so anymore.

"If I returned now, what would they think of me?" He wondered aloud. The world would detest him. After all, he appeared every bit the villain, and since he played no part in saving it due to Jack stranding him out in the middle of nowhere, he had no means of defense. As it is, he had no energy to try to fly back home. They would surely be seizing his assets…destroying his home. Someone else would be mayor. Did he have a place anymore on Earth? Should he try to return to the Ghost Zone and just build a domain and camp out there, abandoning his humanity?

"If only I could get another chance…make them all forget."

Yes, if he could find that wish-granting ghost, what was her name, oh yes, Desiree. Apparently, she granted any wish, no matter what it was. He could start over, undoing his public failure. He would no longer be held responsible for not being able to help save them like he had promised. Who cared about being king? He could go home. But alas, home was miles away. He had a feeling he was drifting farther away every day. He no longer felt that was much of a consequence.

"Maybe it's not so bad to spend my final days here…alone…"

Suddenly, he felt sleepy. Yawning helplessly, he stared at the twinkling lights all around him. If he was to die here, at least here no one hated him.

It could have been moments later, or moments more, but he heard the very slight tear of something like fabric by his ear. He sluggishly turned his head, his eyes half open as if in a daze.

It was a natural portal to the Ghost Zone. What luck! Today was not his day to die!

He dove inside, feverishly battling his drowsiness for a plan…any plan.

Desiree swam aimlessly in the green seas before her. It was just another day: going through the ghost portal, granting some wishes, getting kicked in the butt by Danny Phantom and his lackeys…couldn't he have laid up on the punching since she and the rest of the Ghost Zone had cooperated in saving their worlds from being blown to bits by some space rock too big for its own good just three days ago? But no, he had no sense of loyalty. Typical man. 'Speaking of men…'

Before her eyes floated a familiar ghost who called himself Plasmius. He just arrived one day with plots and schemes, forming alliances and gaining enemies. He was growing quite powerful in these parts of the Zone due to his strength. 'But what was he doing here?' He had not been there when Phantom was forcefully recruiting for his big plan. Where had he gone?

She approached, apprehensive.

Plasmius had just run into the very ghost he wanted to see. He was too tired to go looking for her, but to his luck it was meant to be after all.

"Hello Desiree. I have a…proposition for you." He folded his hands in anticipation.

Desiree turned up her nose, probably to appear like she was better than him. "I don't really care for propositions. If it's not a wish, I do not think I'd care to hear it."

"Fine then, a wish."

Desiree raised her eyebrow. "Well then, do tell."

He decided he would get some answers first. "But first, I heard about that asteroid. It's a pity I wasn't there to help."

"Oh yes, I was wondering about that. Hiding out in your lair, were you? That Phantom kid had a bright idea to turn the Earth intangible, but he needed a large number of us to help. You understand. We would not have helped if it weren't for the fact that our worlds are linked."

He knew it. Instead of Vlad, it was Daniel that became the world's hero. And he had somehow gained his ghost powers again too! Just when he thought Daniel would no longer be a threat. He had all the luck, it seemed. He feigned a chipper attitude, maintaining his composure. "Indeed it is. You all are great heroes! It just happened that I unfortunately was predisposed…unable to lift a finger. I'm just glad everything worked out."

"Yes, it was quite funny actually. I was there today and I happened to catch the broadcast. Can you believe they actually put Phantom statues in every country around the world? How embarrassing is that?" She chuckled aloud. "And that geeky friend of the ghost kid, whatever his name is, was installed as mayor? A teenage mayor! How is he going to handle his mayoral duty? Will he just lock and drop it?!" She doubled over, holding her bare belly as she struggled to breathe normally. "It's like he wished for it! I would have loved to grant that wish by the way. It's pure gold."

"Yes, quite." 'Replaced, by that little squirt? With no political experience…and they thought I was unreliable as mayor.' On another note, he had no idea Desiree had some sort of sense of humor, however odd, but that was beside the point.

She calmed down, wiping the sweat from her brow. "But his idea was impressive, to say the least. Even if his leadership skills are…impressive for a halfa, it's not like we're going to stop causing trouble for him. You know what they say: a wish a day is the fuel for Desiree..."

"About. my. wish." He narrowed his eyes. She was oddly talkative today, but he had no time to entertain her. He knew just what to wish for to get his second chance. It was not too late to get his dream family some other way.

"Very well. I am all ears." She smiled, enthusiastic to taste the power that granting a wish would give.

"I wish…

…that everything up to the point before I revealed my secret identity was erased from the memories of the entire world, including all photographic and video evidence. So I can restore my life!"

Desiree raised her eyebrow at the 'secret identity' part, but raised her hands anyway.

"As you've wished it…so shall it BE!"

Vlad didn't know it at the time, but his wish had unintended consequences. Sure, he gained his life back, but at the cost of something Danny had worked for: respect and recognition from his peers and family, and acceptance of his true identity as Danny Phantom. He took away Tucker's mayoral position, although Tucker would have eventually resigned to attend a prestigious college befitting of his intelligence. He took away Sam's fulfilled romance, which she had finally learned was reciprocated after bottling up her feelings for all that time.

And finally, he enabled the eventual unraveling of a bombshell that would affect these three individuals more than they would care for. This would not include the other schemes of Vlad which would affect several people (and ghosts) negatively, causing ill will. The ultimate question is: did Vlad know all along the pain he would cause to others? Was that his true aim all along, to punish the son for the sins of the father? Would Vlad always be the villain, or did he have something in him that was worth saving? Only time would tell...