Warning: Triggering scenes, cursive language, and maybe a violent scene or two.
Disclaimer: I don't own any rights to Danny Phantom (if I did, it... woulnd't have been canceled...), or any of it's characters. They all belong to Butch Hartman and the rest of the production crew. I'm just borrowing them to amuse my own delusions.

Prologue

He had to hurry. He had to save them. His lungs hurt from the breathlessness, his legs and body screamed for him to stop, but he couldn't. Not until he saved them. Seconds felt like hours as he raced against the quickly destabilizing chemical reaction of the Nasty Sauce; he could literally feel time slowing down. Maybe Clockwork had something to do with it? He had tried to go ghost again, but with no success; the battle with his older self had left him unable to do so. If only he could get to them-

Danny felt something catch on his shoe, and tripped over it. No, no! This couldn't be it. He still had to have time to save them, all he had to do was push himself up and keep running. But by the time he did just that, the barrel of the sauce had exploded, and along with that, taking the lives of not only his family, but his two best friends, and teacher. Danny didn't have the time to lament his loss, as the waves of the explosion had blown him halfway across the block (luckily, there was a tipped over car to stop him from skidding further away from the scene, but still, it had hurt quite a bit, not to mention, aggravate his bruises and wounds from his fight with Dan). It was when he landed in a heap, with no energy to move, did he realise in that instant, he had lost everything. He stared at the fiery scene through half open eyes, before looking at the Fenton Thermos in his outstretched hand. He silently cursed his older self for this, only to realise that, no, it wasn't Dan's fault, but his own; for bad choices he had made. He even had a second chance, to set things right, but in the end, he had failed.

In the distance, he could hear sirens of police cars, ambulance vehicles and fire trucks race their way to where the explosion was. But he didn't care. All he did was stare at the Thermos, in both sadness and anger, before letting his eyes slip closed.

'I'm sorry...'

Danny was still under the care of the hospital when his parents', friends' and teacher's funeral had been set for. He wasn't sure who arranged the funeral (though, he did have an idea), but it took the load off his shoulders. He was glad for that anonymous person, as he knew he wouldn't have been able to do it himself. Even the doctor who was assigned had driven him to where it had taken place.

It had been a beautiful service. Distant relatives Danny barely even knew came to the funeral to pay their respects. All of them had said nearly the same thing; they said a quick apology, before giving him a hug. He supposed their intentions were good, but saying and doing the same thing, no matter how many times they did it, wouldn't bring his family and friends back from the dead. All he answered back with was a blank stare and a nod of thanks. He never spoke to anyone during the brunch, nor did he even shoot any malicious glares at one Vlad Masters, who just stared back sympathetically. He didn't try to talk to him, but just kept staring, as if he was watching him. Danny didn't care. He couldn't be bothered. Everything he cared about was gone.

And there was no way he could ever get them back.

Chapter One

Danny could hear hushed whispers outside of his room; whispers that sounded oddly like Vlad and his doctor. What could they have been talking about that was so secretive? He just stared at the door blankly, half listening to the conversation. He caught a few words, something along of the lines of "home" and "not possibe". If it had something to do with him, he was sure they would come in to talk to him about it. And by talk, he meant that they do all of he talking, and he just sit there, silent.

And, as if on cue, both adults walked in, his doctor greeting him with a smile. Vlad just... Looked at him. What was he up to? Little did he know, that was exactly why they had come in to talk about.

Despite his calm demeanor, Vlad tried his hardest not to look away at Danny's... almost pathetic state (for lack of better term). He just looked so weak; he had never seen him like this. His skin clung to his bones; he was way too thin. He had dark circles under his eyes, and Vlad had to wonder, how much sleep did the boy get in the past several weeks? It looked like Danny was struggling to keep himself seated upright, Vlad couldn't imagine him doing anything else. But what terrified him the most about Danny's almost ghost like appearance (Vlad had to take a moment to find the irony in this), was how Danny's eyes no longer had any spark of life left.

"Danny, we know it's been hard for you to cope with all that you've been through, and finding a home for you would have been even harder once we would have felt that you were well enouh to leave. But Mr. Masters here had explained everything to me, and with a little bit of compromisation, we have agreed to let you stay with him in Wisconsin. Now, this is your decision, if you don't want to go with him, that's completely understandable." The doctor looked at Vlad, before continuing. "If you want to talk it over with him, I'll give you two some privacy." And with that, he turned to leave, leaving both Danny and Vlad, in the same room, alone.

Great. Exactly what he needed. He wasn't in any sort of mood to deal with Vlad's snide remarks, or to make small talk with him. But when he looked up at him, all he saw was the same look he gave him at the funeral, and it confused him. It was... a look of sincere regret and sympathy. Not a look Danny has ever seen on his face.

Danny still hadn't said a word to him (then again, he wasn't really talking to anyone), and neither did Vlad. It was like he was trying to find the right thing to say to him. Danny didn't mind the silence, though, it was quite comforting.

Of course, that silence didn't last very long.

"Daniel... I know you've heard this enough, but I am truly sorry for everything that's happened." His voice was quiet, a near whisper. Danny looked away. Sorry his butt. He probably was sorry only because his mother was one o the people who had died. He didn't care about his friends or his father (especially his father).

Vlad, who had sensed Danny's animosity toward him, fell silent, and watched him again. It wasn't like he could blame him for said animosity; they were rivals! But he felt like it was his obligation to take care of Danny. He owed that much to the Fentons, at least. Sure, he had hated Jack with a passion, and in more than one ocassion, had tried to kill him and steal Maddie away from him (or, at least, threatened to), but he didn't think he would actually be killed. Vlad had always believed Jack to be as tenatious as a cockroach. And not only Jack, but Maddie, as well. While the pain of them gone had his heart in a vice grip, he couldn't imagine what it felt like to Danny.

Which would, in so many ways, exapin why he hasn't heard the boy say anything in weeks.

"Daniel, please. It would do better if you talk about it. It's not healthy to keep things bottled up inside." Danny looked back at him, slowly.

"Don't... act like you're a shrink..." His voice cracked from the lack of use over the weeks. He couldn't figure out Vlad's angle, and it irked him. Actually, everything about Vlad irked him. Who did Vlad think he was, coming in here and acting like he cared all of a sudden? Who was he trying to impress? The only person who he would even try to is... gone...

The corner of Vlad's mouth twitched upward for a moment. There was that spark... But he didn't have the time to relish it, as it had disappeared as quickly as it had appeared. But it was still there. He might still have a chance. "My dear boy, as much as I love your fighting spirit, you know I'm right. Have you not talked about it at all? That cannot be good for your mental health. The loss of loved ones can be extremely taxing on the mind." Vlad sat on the far corner of Danny's bed, deciding it would be safe at the moment for both himself and the younger boy. "You cannot possibly be fine; no one can come out of that traumatic experience and say that they are okay. You're not Superman."

Danny scoffed, and looked down at his folded hands. True, he may not be Superman, but he was still a superhero... Or, at least, he liked to think he was. He would go out, save the day, come back home, and live his life as a normal teenager. A fourteen year old freshman by day, a half ghost hero by night. When that thought dawned on him, he smiled grimly; what kind of hero couldn't have saved his own friends and family? What kind of hero failed the people he cared about the most? No... calling himself a hero was a lie. He wasn't a hero anymore. What was he, then? Many words popped up in his mind, and all of them, he thought, was synonymous with his name. And not just Danny Fenton, but Danny Phantom, as well.

Vlad had realised he said something wrong when Danny had withdrawn back into his own mind, and he knew that's a place where Danny shouldn't let his thoughts wander. He shifted a little closer to him, until he was at arm's length, and gently touched his shoulder. Danny didn't make a move to acknowledge that he even touched him. This worried Vlad. But he wondered exactly why the boy was worrying him so much; it wasn't as if he was his own son. Was it the same reason as to why he wanted to take Danny home, take care of him? Or was it something completely different? He pulled himself out of those thoughts; he had plenty of time to think of answers for that, but now was not the time for it. Danny was a bigger priority.

Vlad let out a long sigh, before shaking Danny's shoulder lightly. "Daniel, look at me." He waited for a moment to let his words register in Danny's brain. It took a bit, and he had to exercise patience with him, but when Danny lifted his gaze to Vlad, he continued. "I want to take you home. I want to keep an eye out for you. You may not agree with this, but hear me out. There's no one else in the world that understands you like I do. There's no one else who knows about your abilities, about Danny Phantom. You don't have any other friends who would be able to take you in-"

"-Valerie..." Danny had said suddenly. Vlad sighed again and shook his head.

"And if she finds out that you're Danny Phantom, then what? You will be back at square one. And your other family... I am sorry to say, but I have seen them at the funeral, and to me, the did not seem like family to you at all." He let go of Danny's shoulder, but kept his gaze fixed on him. "Whether you like it or not, I am the only one you can rely on. We're both alike, you and I, in more ways than you and even I both know."

Vlad did have a point, and Danny hated him for being right. There really was no one in the entire planet he could rely on anymore, except for the older man, and he detested Vlad for it. It was as though all of this fell in place for him. He hated it! Vlad was quick to offer to take Danny in as his adopted son, and there was no one to stop him from doing so.

But... he couldn't blame Vlad for this. It was his own fault that he landed himself in this position. It was his fault that he had no existing family; he didn't want to admit it, but Vlad was right. His actual family... didn't really feel like family at all. Vlad felt more like an uncle than his actual uncles. What was he to do, than to accept that fact? It killed him (or, what was left of him) on the inside to surrender to that final thought, as all turmoil had reached that dead end. Vlad had made his case and point, and won, fair and square, much to his demise.

The older man watched Danny. It seemed like the boy was further off than he had thought. The slight spark of Danny's fighting spirit he had seen earlier had diminished rather quickly, and what was left was the vulnerable child, mentally stripped, bare and raw. He found himself missing the Danny that always fought him with everything he had, fought him to the very end (and, in more than one occasion, had won). He would never admit to missing that Danny, of course, but the feeling was still there. For the third time in the past quarter of an hour, he found himself sighing. It seemed like he would be doing this a lot around the boy. "Please, Daniel. Let me help you. That is all I want to do, no strings attached. I can promise you I am not playing any games; this is not the time for me to do that. Even I know my own limits, and what boundaries not to cross."

"You... only want to do this because of... Mom, isn't it...?" Danny winced when he said 'Mom'; it still hurt to say it.

"Quite possibly. That may be one of the reasons, but it's not the only reason, Daniel. Contrary to what you may believe in, I do care about you. I may not have shown it in the best of ways," Vlad paused for a moment, thinking, before continuing, "Or, at all, but I still do care for you. Making sure you're still alive to see the next day is the least I could do for your family and friends. I am sure as sure can be that they don't want to see you be alone like this. So, please, Daniel. Please let me help you through this. Let me be your rock." Vlad begged. He couldn't even believe he was begging; he never begged for anything! He realised the extent of the situation at hand, and how much he wanted to save Danny. He wanted to save this boy so badly, it hurt. He was done with trying to look at this in a logical perspective.

Minutes had passed since his plea, and Vlad had given up all hope of ever saving Danny as he stood, now making his way to the door. His shoulders slouched over in defeat, he felt a ballooning emptiness swell in his chest. He had tried everything in his power to convince Danny to come with him, but it wasn't like he could force the boy to go home with him. It was, after all, his choice, although, Vlad didn't think that Danny was in the right state of mind to be doing any choosing. He had just reached the door before Danny spoke up; his voice feeble, and croaking, but as steady as he could make it.

"I'll... go with you, then. I'll go home with you."

Vlad looked over his shoulder to see a pair of empty blue eyes staring back. He would have to fix that. He would have to bring life back into those eyes, and back into the boy. He made a silent promise to Maddie that he would. And he wasn't about to break it. Vlad nodded, opening the door. "Then I will sign the paperwork for your discharge. We can drop by your house to pick up your things, before we go back to Wisconsin. Is that alright, Daniel?" All he got from that was a nod.

Vlad stepped out of the room, and headed to the receptionist's desk. He wasn't about to let that boy slip away. Not now, not ever.

'I promise, Maddie, Jack. I will keep him alive. For both your sakes.'