GLE – This little one shot spawned from a scene I had been planning on including in a different story. But, that story ended up with some massive changes and the whole situation here is so different they won't fit together anymore.

I'm posting this today, 'cause I felt like posting something on my birthday. Enjoy!

-(x)-

Ectoplasm

It was late afternoon and Vlad was toiling away down in his secret lab on a project that just wasn't getting anywhere. Frustrated, he started swearing his odd food-related curses under his breath.

"Making someone ghost was always Jack's doing," he muttered to himself.

The front doors to the mansion banged open in the distance, followed by a female voice yelling, "Dad? I'm home!"

"Except you," Vlad stated quietly, as if in response to the shout. "But you were just a clone." Raising his voice as he sprinted up the stairs back to his study, Vlad replied, "In here, Danielle!"

The fireplace closed behind him as he entered the library-like room. He grabbed the book he'd been reading off a table and sat down in his favourite chair, flipping quickly to the page he was on, just in time for Dani to make her appearance at the door.

"Hey, Dad!" she exclaimed in her chipper voice.

Vlad looked up and pasted on a smile. "Welcome home, Danielle. How was school?"

"Same old, same old," she answered lazily. "I, uh, think I passed my math test today... I did all that studying you wanted me to do, so my marks should improve."

She shrugged a little, hoping her father would let it slide. Of course, she did spend the required amount of time studying that she was supposed to... but playing video games was just too much fun sometimes... and could keep one up late into the night if they got too absorbed by it...

"Good, good," Vlad commented, his mind already drifting back down the secret set of stairs behind him to the project that was failing, while he gazed at the girl he now called his "daughter". The sample of blood he'd taken from Danielle (covertly, without her knowledge) had gotten him nowhere. He'd thought for sure there'd be some ectoplasm left in her, since that had been her basis – her starting point – in the first place. But no. Not even the tiniest speck. She was completely, utterly human. And so was he.

Relieved that her dad wasn't pressing the "maybe passed the test" thing, Dani crossed the room to sit in the chair opposite Vlad, dropping her backpack to the floor. She continued, "And hey! On the bright side I got an A on my last English assignment! Who knew I could write such a convincing essay about the great poets? My teacher even told me what a good job I did when he handed it back to me! Isn't that awesome?"

Nodding and allowing his smile to grow wider, Vlad agreed, "Yes, that is wonderful to hear."

Even though it had been obvious he was quite lacking in ghost powers, he'd pricked his own finger for a sample too, analyzed it, and discovered, unsurprisingly, that still only blood remained – all traces of ectoplasm were gone. Oh how he sorely missed his ghost half. Why did he ever consider it a curse? And now, with absolutely no ectoplasm in the world, and no portals anywhere to the Ghost Zone (if the Ghost Zone was even still the same ectoplasm-rich environment it used to be), there was no way for him to get the substance back into his body.

"So... I was wondering..." started Dani, a bit hesitantly, remembering how last time she'd made this request, she'd been grounded instead for failing a fitness test.

"Yes?" prompted Vlad, while thinking to himself, There must be a way. There has to be ectoplasm somewhere. Or some way to create it.

"Well, would it be ok if I spent the weekend at my friend's place?" she asked. Her dad could be quite introverted, keeping most of his feelings to himself, but she knew he cared about her – he's her dad! He'd want her to be happy. "We-were-planning-to-go-to-the-mall-maybe-catch-a- movie-and/or-do-some-bowling, and of course, spend time working on our history project together!" she added.

Vlad closed his book and set it aside. Humming in approval, he responded, "That sounds like a nice idea. It is alright with me. But, be sure to get your homework done, and I see nothing wrong with having some fun with your friends." Internally, Vlad declared, I will find a way to make both of us half ghost again, Danielle, even if you don't remember a thing. I know how much you enjoyed flying. I will put things back to normal. I will–

Dani hopped up and hurried over to Vlad, jumping into his arms and hugging him tightly around his neck, completely taking the man by surprise.

"Thank you! Thank you! Thank you!" she exclaimed excitedly.

All of Vlad's inner dialogue came to a crashing halt as he awkwardly reached his arms around the small girl to return the hug. Once his hands settled on her back, he unconsciously relaxed, enjoying in the delight of having daughterly affection thrown his way. He didn't even realize he was beaming as Dani released her hold on him and stood up again, grinning back.

"I'll go get started on my homework now!" she said animatedly. "See you at dinner!"

The girl grabbed her bag as she scampered out of the study and headed towards her own room, cheering inwardly at the victory of getting her dad to smile like that for her.

Vlad sat in a blissful, stupefied silence for several moments before his earlier thoughts revisited him, and he considered, quite unenthusiastically now, the idea of returning to his project of finding or creating ectoplasm once more.

-(x)-

GLE – And, 'cause I'm sure I'm going to get questions, yes, that's all, this is the end. It's a one-shot, nothing more. What happened to all the ectoplasm? Where are all the ghosts? What about Danny? And the Fentons? Why does Dani not remember anything, and believe that she is and always has been Vlad's daughter? Why does Vlad remember the truth? Well, that's all up to your own imagination, dear reader!

I will admit, I posted a few lines from this once before in a not-so-very-fic-like fic that outlined (and included scenes from) five stories I had been planning but hadn't completed. I've since removed that story, 'cause two of the five ended up amalgamated with an idea of Fey's to create a different story together, and nothing is set in stone, so perhaps one day I might even do the other three.

If you are inspired to create a situation of your own for why Vlad and Dani would be living as a family, with ectoplasm apparently gone from the world, and Dani's memories lost/altered while Vlad is searching for a way to change things back to how they were, then feel free to write your own! Let me know about it too; I'd be interested in reading it!