Written a long time ago, but I decided to wait and post it around Thanksgiving. Because. Well. Hmm.

Warning: this is not my best writing. and it's very dark. and out of character. and just... take it for what it is.

"I'm thankful that..." these characters would never actually act like this.

Deathwish

November 23, 2012

Danny paused at the front door to his parent's house, fumbling for the keys in his pocket.

He would have just phased in if he had known for a certainty that there was no one watching from the street. Seriously, what good was having ghost powers if you couldn't use them when you really needed to? Like getting in the house when one can't get the keys out of one's pockets because of the bulky luggage strapped over one's shoulder…

He would have been more cautious and less impulsive in his wishful thinking if he knew that people would be on the other side of the door to watch him phase through— his parents still didn't know his secret after all this time— but he wouldn't have to worry about them seeing him materialize through the door because they wouldn't be home yet. Jazz had assured him that he would come home to an empty house.

Mom was out shopping for groceries in preparation for the cooking marathon about to invade their kitchen for the holidays. He could only hope that Dad wouldn't use a new culinary invention to recreate the attack of the turkeys. He groaned just thinking about it. Thanksgiving was hectic enough as it was without your food rising up to eat you instead of submissively waiting to be eaten slavered in gravy, stuffing, and cranberry sauce.

And speaking of, Dad was supposed to be out meeting with someone from some paranormal society. Danny grinned when he thought of the representative's face as soon as they realized that they were getting much more than they bargained for. The interview would last hours if it lasted a minute.

But even without his parents home, he still had to worry about any other people who might see him use his powers. So fumbling for the keys it was.

Once he unlocked the door and dumped his bags off in the foyer, he could hear voices in the next room over. His Dad was booming away. Why was his Dad home? Maybe his interview had ended early? But he was in the kitchen, and he was talking with someone. Even he didn't normally talk to himself. Well, maybe clarifying a few instructions while pouring over blueprints in the lab, but never carrying on a full blown conversation as if there was someone listening like he was now. Maybe he had invited his interviewer home? Wonderful.

Now in order to keep his secret safe from a supernatural expert, he would have to make sure he avoided their house guest even though that would mean leaving some poor soul alone with his Dad. And he couldn't do that; it was like cutting the lifeline of a man tossed overboard at sea. It was just cruel.

On a lighter note, at least he hadn't used any powers coming in. That definitely would have set off some alarm bells. And there would probably be enough alarms going off soon enough. Hopefully Dad hadn't brought up any of the inventions that actually worked from the lab. His parents may have overlooked the fact that the ghost gabber and other various and sundry pieces of equipment only malfunctioned around him, but he was pretty sure that paranormal society representatives would notice and become a little too curious.

So he walked into the kitchen, ready to do his good deed for the day when Jack turned to him with a huge smile.

"Danneh!" He leapt out of his seat, bounded over to his son and enveloped him in a bone-crushing hug. "I didn't think you were going to be able to make it! You sounded so busy…"

Danny smiled and returned the hug as he was enveloped in orange. "Well, how could I miss Thanksgiving, Dad?"

"That's what I kept on telling V-man!"

V-man. Vlad. His arch-enemy. The person he hated more than anyone else on the planet. And his Dad's best friend. His parents kept inviting Vlad over each year for Thanksgiving and Christmas and what-not, but he and Danny had reached an understanding and Vlad had systematically refused all of them.

Or so he had thought.

"But he finally came round too!"

Danny pulled out of his father's arms, his eyes wide. After a second of shocked silence, he peered around his father's hulking form to see a suave, slim, silver-haired man sitting at the table. The man's blue eyes were as wide as his own, but instead of the surprise and anger he felt, Vlad's showed surprise and, perhaps, a tinge of something else.

"Daniel, believe me, I had no idea you were coming; they told me you couldn't make it…" Vlad had stumbled up and out of his chair, backing up in hopes of escaping the boy.

"Get out," Danny hissed.

Meanwhile, Jack was oblivious to everything, and put his arm around his friend's shoulders just as Vlad was trying to slip away.

"Just like old times, huh, Vladdie? You, me, and Danny. We'll have an all-guy afternoon; it'll be great!"

Danny stood silent for a moment, until he was nearly shaking with emotion. Vlad was uncharacteristically insignificant and still as he tried to bow out. "Actually, Jack, I don't think that…"

"Nonsense! I'll break out the fudge." Jack turned to the fridge, but still kept his giant grip on his friend's arm, preventing him from going anywhere except with him to the kitchen.

Vlad's light eyes started to flick back and forth between father and son, as he began weighing his options. Danny could hardly contain himself, but at the same time, Jack was always too enthusiastic to let things go. His skull was too thick to let out any idea that had managed to sneak in. But the boy did happen to be the half-ghost with the ability to blast him where he stood, and God knew that he had pushed him to the point where he might even overlook his moral qualms about doing it.

He would take his chances with offending Jack. The man never could stay mad at him for long, even when he tried to offend him on purpose just so that he could have a moment's peace back in their college days.

Danny didn't think Vlad was moving quickly enough, however. He knew very well that Vlad could disappear instantaneously and could not understand why he hadn't yet done so. He could feel his eyes beginning to take on a slight glow. He couldn't control himself much longer, and it frightened him when he realized that he didn't want to.

"Do you have a death wish or something?" he hissed. "I said get out."

That made Vlad squirm out of Jack's hold. "I'll say goodnight."

"You can't leave yet; you just got here! And Maddie hasn't come back yet. I know she'll want to say something to you before you go."

"No, Jack, I told you this wasn't a good idea…"

"Oh, Danny was just kidding, weren't you, Danny-O?"

Danny didn't answer but was glaring at Vlad with all the menace he could muster in human form and Vlad knew that his time to leave unscathed was quickly running out. He practically ran for the front door, only to stop when it opened before he could reach it and his beloved Maddie walked in.

He had avoided the Fentons for so long that he had forgotten how beautiful she really was, with her deep purple eyes and red-tinted hair. The photographs he kept in his house never did her justice…

He stood frozen, completely unaware of anyone or anything else until she spoke.

"Vlad! How wonderful to see you. We didn't think you were coming!"

But that brought him back to reality. He knew what he had to do, much as it pained him. "Actually, I was just on my way out."

"So soon? Surely you'll stay for dinner? It's Thanksgiving; you can't just leave before the Thanksgiving dinner! I already have the turkey brining. Please, we've really been hoping you would make it."

He was torn then. He knew that he wanted to stay. He would sit through any amount of hours of Jack's blathering if he could be in the same room with a Maddie that wasn't about to blast him. And she had told him that she looked forward to his visit. Not out of politeness. No, she was giving him another chance. Oh, how he longed to take it, to make up for the whole Dalv fiasco, for everything he had done to her even when she had not known it was him. But it was just not possible. Danny would kill him if he tried to get close to Maddie. He was actually surprised that the boy hadn't killed him yet.

He tried to make his apologies and slip out, but Maddie was firm in her insistence: he had to stay for the turkey. Jack had so many things to tell him, too; it was far too early to think of him leaving yet.

But Danny's outburst behind them silenced his parents and made it very clear to Vlad that he needed to go. He had already pushed his luck too far.

"Leave, Vlad, or so help me I will blast you where you stand and I won't bother going down to the lab to get a gun!" His fists were clenched and the temperature dropped several degrees as his ghost half was slowly taking dominance, although Vlad was the only one to notice.

"Daniel James Fenton!" Maddie gasped. She hadn't used his full name in years.

"Danny! He didn't mean it, V-man!"

"Apologize at once!" his mother snapped.

"No need, Maddie. It's perfectly fine, but I will be going now."

"Not because of this, Vlad. Danny will apologize and we can start this over."

"Maddie, please, it's alright."

"No it isn't. I will not have my son treat anyone this way, especially old friends. We've taught him better than that." She turned to her son, not understanding his animosity. "Apologize, Danny."

"No."

"Danny…" his mother warned.

"I will never apologize to him." Each word was pronounced slowly and clearly, low and very forcefully.

Vlad knew for a fact that his parents had never heard him say anything in that tone. He also knew that they had never seen their human son's hands glowing green. But he could see the tell-tale traces of a glow beginning in clenched fists and knew that he had to get out of there.

"And I will never ever forgive him."

Vlad looked up sharply and he spoke softly. "I never meant for you to see that, Daniel."

Danny's face was an odd mixture of disgust and disbelief.

Did Vlad really think he was going to explain it away by telling him it didn't matter because he wasn't supposed to have seen it? Was he serious? What kind of a person did he think he was? He scoffed and shook his head.

"Oh, so what I don't know won't hurt me? Is that it? Well what about hurting her? She's dead! Because of you! Did you not mean for that to happen either?"

Vlad didn't want to have this conversation here, in front of Jack and Maddie, but Danny had started and he wasn't going to let go. He was stubborn and angry. He had been angry at Vlad almost from the first time he had met him, but it was the last escapade that had pushed him over some limit. Neither he nor Vlad wanted to see what that would mean for this, their first confrontation after… it had happened… if this did indeed turn into a full-blown confrontation.

Jack and Maddie didn't know Vlad's secret. They didn't know Danny's. Any sort of confrontation between the two halfas would certainly lead to discovery and neither one of them wanted to be on the receiving end of an attack from the ghost-hunters.

Vlad hoped he could move this away from them, but Danny's emotions had already carried him too far away for it to be put off discreetly. He never had been one to stay calm when he needed to. One of his weak points. One that Vlad had often manipulated in their earlier battles. But one that would hurt both of them now.

Sure, he admitted, he had given the boy reason to act like this, but it wasn't like he had planned for Daniel to walk into his lab that day… He didn't regret anything he had done, but it was really poor timing to have Daniel walk in just then. He had given up any hope of turning him willingly into his son after that day. Possibly, something about the threat to kill him should Danny ever set eyes on him again deterred him from trying.

"Daniel," he tried to warn him, looking off to each of his parents—maybe he would listen to reason—"remember who is here."

The boy's eyes blazed. "Oh, I remember exactly who is here. You are." Or, then again, maybe he wouldn't listen. "And I distinctly remember promising to kill you if I ever saw you again." He paused and gave the man a twisted grin. "And you know that the hero always keeps his word."

Vlad blanched.

Danny's parents looked on unbelieving.

The older half ghost's jaw went slack as he registered everything the boy had said. He really hadn't given up on this had he? No, he was going to kill him. But… "You wouldn't… it isn't like you…"

"Did it ever occur to you that when I said that it wasn't because I wanted to kill you but because I actually never ever wanted to lay eyes on your pathetic, warped, sick, and twisted excuse for a man again?"

"Daniel, you don't have to do this…"

"Did it ever occur to you that I never wanted to have to do this? No, it never did. You never thought about it. But, you know what? Now that I see you again, I've decided that I do. I do want to do this." Danny stared at him, his chest heaving as he struggled to remain in control of his emotions. "Are you happy now?" he seethed. "I've finally become like you."

"I never meant…"

"What? You never meant for things to go this far? Don't you dare try to peddle that to me, you hypocrite; this is what you wanted all along."

"Not like this," Vlad managed to whisper.

"I see. You never meant to compromise your perfect son slash evil apprentice scenario. It only took you a few years of attacking me to realize you could never get me by force. Is that why you dragged her into this whole mess? And when it didn't work out the way you expected, that was why you…?" His voice was broken as he began yelling. "Did it ever occur to you what you did to her? To me? To everyone you've ever come in contact with? No, you heartless…"

"Fruitloop?" Vlad hesitantly supplied when Danny had begun silently fuming.

"Fruitloop? Fruitloop?" The young man exploded. "You really think that is the word I would describe you with, Vlad? You're pathetic," he spat out. "You think that I would really continue thinking of you as some creep that didn't really matter after what you did? You thought we could go back to being archenemies that never actually hurt each other? You thought I would forgive and forget?"

"You always had before…"

"You had never done anything like this before!" He yelled, tears welling up in his eyes. "You thought that I would walk away from this? No, not this time; you've pushed me too far."

"Daniel…" Vlad started, but he was cut off before he could continue. Danny had pent up this speech for too long to have the man interrupt him once he had started.

"Oh, you thought that I was just some toy and some experiment that would always be here for you to mess with? You thought that no matter what you did I would always rally again and do the right thing? I can deal with you trying to make me your evil apprentice. I can deal with you going after my Mom and even your pathetic attempts to kill my Dad, because you could never win. I can always stop you. But you went too far. You killed her, Vlad!"

"It wasn't like that…"

"You murdered her and you were smiling, damn it!"

"It wasn't like she was actually a person! Get a hold of yourself, Daniel."

Danny's eyes widened until they couldn't open further. "Wasn't a person…?" he gasped. "She was just as human as you are! You gave her life and when she didn't live up to your perfect expectations you took it away."

"She was a mistake, that's all. It shouldn't have meant anything to you!"

"Shouldn't have meant anything to me? She saved my life and I saved hers; I was responsible for her! She was part of me! I held her as she slipped through my fingers, Vlad, and her eyes were my eyes. You killed part of me that day! I don't even know what percentage of me is dead now, but it's enough," he ended darkly.

Vlad hesitated at the tone Danny's voice had taken. "What do you mean, enough?"

"There's only so far you can push a person, Vlad, and you've pushed me past that point. I've given you your second chance, and your third, and fourth. But I'm sick and tired of doing the right thing."

Danny transformed.

Right in front of his parents, he transformed. Vlad was just as shocked at the turn of events as Danny's parents were.

Jack and Maddie stared at their son, now somehow turned into the evil ghost they had been hunting for so many years. They were trying to piece it together—make sense of it all. They weren't even able to pull out their ever-present ecto-weapons to take him down, but just stood, at a loss for words and gaping.

Vlad had never thought that Danny would be so careless as to reveal himself. He had kept that secret for so many years, suffered so much pain because of it. And to reveal himself in order to come after him, no less. Danny must be extremely unbalanced…

He moved backwards a step or two, but couldn't continue once he backed up into the wall. He seemed to forget for the moment that he too was a half-ghost with the ability to phase through solid objects.

Yes, it was clear to Vlad as he looked into the boy's face just how unbalanced he was. As his hands began to glow a menacing green, his face was twisted with a grin. Danny was enjoying this.

Flying closer to Vlad, he looked him straight in the eyes. They burned with an intensity that the man had never seen there before. Vlad, for the first time in his life, felt scared of the boy.

"It's time to pay for everything." Danny lifted his blazing hands above his head and called forth all of his power to his extremities. It built up until it crackled with power and Vlad cowered against the wall.

If he had had a moment to think this all through, he would have gone ghost himself, or turned this revelation to his advantage, but he couldn't understand any of it. His mind wasn't even able to process what was happening. Surely, this wasn't Daniel. This couldn't be the boy he had fought time and time again. This wasn't the same boy who always stood by his principles and would sacrifice himself for a stranger without a moment's hesitation.

Yes, he had made a mistake when he melted Danielle, but Daniel wouldn't—couldn't—kill him over it. He had always gone out of his way to not do any mortal harm to anyone, especially him. It made no sense. It couldn't be… it simply couldn't be.

He had never foreseen this outcome in all of his wildest imaginings. But all of his senses were telling him otherwise. The boy was serious. He was fully intent on letting out his anger and pent-up emotions from every single encounter they had ever had. He was going to carry out his threat.

"Daniel, this isn't you," he managed to choke out.

The boy began to chuckle softly as he prepared to fulfill his promise to the man. "Yes it is. This is what you've done to me, Vlad. Are you finally happy?"

Vlad had no answer.