A Truce?


It was official; I was having an off day...or rather, an off few weeks. And it was all Clockwork's fault...well...actually it was Vlad's fault. It was all Vlad's fault. It actually started off pretty normally - we were fighting (again) and he happened to say that I was getting more and more like him in every way. Now, he'd said that before, I don't know why this one was any different, but for some reason, it really stuck with me and I couldn't get a moments peace. Every second of every day I just heard his voice in my head, mocking me, telling me that I was going to end up just like him; evil and manipulative, and it drove me mad.

And, of course, because of that, I hadn't been able to get the idea of the evil, future me, out of my mind either. Eventually I went into the Ghost Zone to talk to Clockwork, hoping that he'd tell me I was being stupid and that I was worrying over nothing - I'd got a lecture instead. He said that me and Vlad, both, were being stupid by acting like little kids, when we should be allies. I'd exploded, I'd said he was crazy and ridiculous and completely bonkers for even thinking something like that.


"...He may be on the wrong track now, but he has his reasons," Clockwork had said.

"His reasons?!" I scoffed, "All he cares about his getting revenge on my dad!"

"Trust me, Danny, it will work."

"Why should I? The guys nuts, why should I even try to make a truce?"

"If you want answers as to why Vladimir is the way he is, go and talk to him a week from today - you won't be sorry," he'd said and I took that as my cue to leave.


I kept replaying the end of the conversation over and over again in my head as I stared up at my bedroom ceiling. It was late at night and I was supposed to be sleeping but all I'd done was toss and turn on my bed and get more and more frustrated at the whole darn thing ; I supposed, in a way, it was all my fault for letting it get to me so much.

With a sigh, I sat up against the headboard, "I'm so gonna regret this," I said to myself sadly, then I went ghost and flew out into the night, towards Vlad's mayoral mansion. I took the long route because I didn't know whether it was a good idea, even though Clockwork said it'd work out, I still wasn't sure.

20, uncertain minutes later, I was floating not far from Vlad front door, I couldn't see a single light coming from the place, and I frowned. After another minute I decided to just fly inside and see what happened. If I actually survived this I'd be a miracle!

Just as I'd thought, the house was in total darkness; maybe Vlad was sleeping and if I disturbed him I really would be dead. Maybe it'd be best to just go home, at least I came and tried, but it was late, so he probably was sleeping. A single, quiet cough proved otherwise, so I followed the sound into what looked like a sitting room. Although there was a fire burning at the far end of the room, the first thing that struck me was how eerie it felt. I mean, his whole house was just empty and creepy, but this was a step too far. I wondered how long it'd take for me to lose my mind if I lived in such an isolated and empty place.

I saw stacks of books thrown all over the floor, there were odd bits of paper as well, and at the foot of one the large chairs closest to the fireplace I could see two empty alcohol bottles.

"Vlad?" I said quietly, "...You okay?" I floated slowly across the room and then I saw that there was also a half empty third bottle resting at his feet with a glass in his hand. "What are you doing?"

"What does it look like?" he muttered. He didn't sound drunk, but it wasn't like I had any experience in knowing if someone actually was.

"Erm...well...it...erm...it looks like, you're drinking...way too much actually," I said with a frown.

"Correction, dear boy," he replied, raising his glass, "I am celebrating," he hissed the last word.

"Yeah, some party," I scoffed.

"Indeed."

"So, erm, what exactly are you celebrating?"

"Nothing that would interest you," Vlad said looking up at me for a moment.

"Well, how'd you know it won't interest me if I don't even know what it is?

"I know," he answered sadly, and I had to wonder again if he what gotten himself drunk. This self-pity was so un-Vlad-like. "Just leave me be, Daniel, go home," he added with a sigh.

"But I...but you..."

"Your concern really is touching, but if I have any say in the matter it will not be remembered come dawn," Vlad chuckled as he emptied the glass and them poured it right to the top from the bottle.

"And you call me childish," I mumbled, loud enough for him to hear.

"Yes, yes, one point to you, Daniel, félicitations," Vlad said the last word with a strange accent that I think was French.

"Can we even get drunk?" I asked. I knew that as half ghosts we had fast healing abilities and, I at least, didn't need as much food as I used to and although I didn't like to, I knew I could go days without sleep and still be on alert for ghost attacks. But since I was no expert on alcohol I really had no idea.

"Not easily," Vlad laughed, "This is one of the strongest vodkas, after five bottles, I've found it works wonders."

"And..right now?"

"And, unfortunately, right now I can still think straight," he sighed again.

"This isn't like you, Vlad," I said.

"Today it is."

"What's so different about today?"

"Everything," he said simply.

"Wow, are you sure you're still thinking straight?"

"I'm almost entirely certain of the fact," he nodded, drinking again.

"Uh-huh, sure," I raised an eyebrow in a way that I really reminded myself of the man sitting right in front of me.

"What are you even doing here, Daniel?" Vlad blinked.

"Well, I got to thinking about things, and...well. No, really it was Clockwork...see, I talked to him last week and I couldn't stop thinking about what he said, and I..."

"Please, get to the point," Vlad rolled his eyes, "And do sit down," he added.

I slowly took the seat opposite his and I toyed with the fingers of my gloves as I spoke again, "Erm, well, the point is, I...whoa..." I broke off to catch the bottle Vlad lightly threw my way without warning, "What was that for?"

"A present," Vlad answered.

"I'm too young to drink," I frowned, staring at the bottle in my hands.

"'Too young'," he chuckled, "You're how old now? Fifteen? I was drinking before I was thirteen."

"What? Why?" I choked. What kind of parent would let their kid drink 'the strongest vodka' that Vlad could find? "Why would your parents..."

"My parents," Vlad scoffed in the same, hate-filled tone, "My parents encouraged it."

"Why?" I asked again, "Why would they do that?" Vlad didn't answer me at all and I didn't ask again. What right did I have to ask anyway?

"Keep it," he said after a minute, gesturing to the bottle with his glass, "If you're anything like I was, you'll like it, and at least you have the advantage of enhanced senses. I didn't."

I bit back an angry protest that I was nothing like him because it didn't seem like he needed a fight right now. He needed someone to talk to, and if Clockwork was right, then the last thing I wanted to do was start a fight I had no hope of winning.

"What were you like?" I said instead.

"Stupid," he answered harshly.

"What, that's it?"

"It's all that matters," he shrugged.

"Are you sure you won't remember this tomorrow?" I asked him nervously and he just stared at me. "'Cos you're really not stupid, you know that...and yes, I did just say that."

"Much obliged," Vlad laughed.

"So...my dad never said you were a big drinker."

"I'm not," he said with confidence, "364 days of the year, one glass at dinner suits me fine."

"And, erm, and the other day of the year?"

"...Welcome to day 365," he said and I giggled.

"It's mid March, y'know," I told him.

"I am aware of the fact."

"Are you gonna tell me what's so special about day 365?"

"Technically, in some ways, I suppose it's actually day 1," he said to himself thoughtfully.

"Huh? Now I'm really confused," I leaned back in my chair, putting the bottle down on the floor before I did.

"23 years to the day, now," Vlad continued, "Exactly 23 years to the day."

"I'm still really confused, y'know," I looked back at Vlad.

"How long, exactly have you had your powers, Daniel?"

"Erm, a year and a half, I guess," I shrugged.

"No, I mean, exactly, how long," he insisted.

"Well, lemme think...a year and..." I stuttered, counting the months on my fingers. It wasn't something I really wanted to remember in detail because of how much it had hurt, so I didn't walk around every day with the time and date it'd happened plastered on my forehead. "A year and...four...no...five months...yeah...a year and five months..." I said again sadly.

"Congratulations," Vlad said sarcastically, "It took me 5 years 3 months before I could really think about the time scale of my accident with any coherency."

"What'd you...oh..." I frowned in realisation, "This is what your 'celebration's' for? Really? You do this every year?"

"Every year," he nodded.

"That's...sad..."

"Agreed."

"Don't you think this is a little...extreme?"

"No, I don't," Vlad looked at me, perfectly steady, "I don't doubt that your 'accident' was just as...traumatic...as my own. But yours, as I understand it, was not dragged out over so many years, your powers developed instantly, did they not?" he asked, and I wondered how he knew that. But this was Vlad; he knew everything about me after all.

"Yeah," I said, "I got my ghost powers almost the minute I got out of the portal...after it exploded."

"I did not," Vlad told me seriously. I was more than a little confused right now. I wanted to know why he was telling me about this, but he had drank the better part of three of the 'strongest' bottles of vodka, so I put it down to that. "Years of my life, wasted, not knowing if I was going to live or die...in some ways it ruined my life - what were supposed to be the best years of my life, at least.

"And you're still angry about it? Even after 23 years?" I asked, genuinely interested.

Vlad's eyes flashed red at me, but after a few seconds, the red faded and his eyes went back to blue again. "I don't know anymore, Daniel, I really don't."

"What'd you mean?"

"I mean, I can't imagine myself without my powers now, I can't even remember how I lived without them, but what I had to go through to get them...what I lost," he sighed, "Sometimes - as ludicrous as sounds - I believe I'm jealous of you," Vlad said and I froze in my seat. Vlad was definitely partly drunk to even say something like that. Vlad was jealous of no one; he had everything a person could ever want, and he had no reason to be jealous of me, of all people.

"Vlad, I think you've..." I began, standing up from my chair I moved across to move the bottle away from him, but he paid no attention to me.

"...You haven't lost anything," Vlad explained, meeting my gaze with the saddest expression I'd ever seen from anyone in my whole life. "...Or anyone, you haven't lost time, either," he added.

"Come on, now I know that's the stupid vodka stuff talking," I smiled nervously. If he actually did remember telling me any of this then I was so dead in the morning - when his almighty hangover wore off.

"Speaking of 'talking', you never did get to the point."

"What point?"

"About why you're here?"

"I really don't think you're in any state to have a serious discussion, Vlad," I scoffed and he glared at me.

"Did you come looking for a fight?"

"No, I didn't," I told him with as much confidence as I could; I would need confidence. "I wanted to talk to you about...about...calling a truce," I finally said it and Vlad sighed, but he didn't say anything, he just stared into the fire. It didn't take long for me to get anxious though and I felt like my whole body had pins and needles, "Well?" I said after a minute

"I need another drink," was all he said, and I didn't know whether to laugh or cry.

"Are you trying to be funny?" I scoffed instantly.

"Why? Are you laughing?" he smirked and I ran my hand down my face. It was like talking to 5 year old! I wasn't going to get anywhere with this subject tonight, but I could hardly let him just sit here and drink himself into oblivion.

"The last thing you need is more of this," I said quickly, looking at the bottle in his left hand and the glass in his right.

"Oh contraire, my boy, oh contraire," Vlad smiled empting the glass completely, then he went and filled it up again.

"Seriously, Vlad, you're gonna be like this?" I sighed, throwing my hands in the air, "Aren't you meant to drink responsibly or something?"

"Ha, now there's an oxymoron," he laughed deeply.

"You're so gonna kill me in the morning, I know it," I moaned, "I knew this was a bad idea, I just had to come over, didn't I? I couldn't just have stayed in bed, could I? This just had to bug me all week and make me lose my sleep, didn't it?" I said out loud to myself. "Argh...man, oh, man, I'm so dead."

"Now who's acting childish?" Vlad raised an eyebrow and I just rolled my eyes. Maybe, instead of looking at this as a death sentence, I should be opportunistic like Vlad and try to get to know him better; he certainly wouldn't tell me anything when he was in his right mind, but he was very talkative now. Would it be right of me to exploit his weakness? It was a weakness he'd brought on himself though, and I'd never find out unless I asked him right now.

"Vlad...can I ask you about something?" I finally had the courage to say.

"Ask away, dear boy, ask away," Vlad said, waving his glass around and I put a lot of effort into not laughing. My nerves seemed to vanish.

"If you didn't get your powers straight away like I did, how long did it take before you did?"

"...A good few years, very gradually."

"What was it like?"

"...Terrifying..."

"Yeah," I agreed, nodding. At least I'd had my friends to talk to though, whereas if what Clockwork had told me was true, then Vlad had been alone throughout the whole thing. No wonder it got him down. "Didn't you have anyone to talk to?"

"I chose not to, surely you, of all people, understand that," Vlad said to me.

"Yeah, I get it, but I couldn't imagine not having my friends around to help me."

"That's your problem," he scoffed harshly and I chose not to answer, instead I sighed and sat down in front of the fire in silence. I didn't know what to do, I'd never get Vlad to listen to me at the best of times, let alone now. "Your little truce idea won't work," he said after a while.

"How do you know?"

"Because I know you, you disagree with me on principle without looking at any other reasoning other than your own childish, black and white perceptions..."

"I'm trying to understand, you moron, that's why I'm here!" I yelled before I could stop myself.

"Why bother?"

"I told you," I explained, "I talked to Clockwork about...some things, and...well...I just..."

"Y'don't sound very confident," Vlad slurred slightly.

"I guess not, but you're not exactly filling me with any confidence now," I said quietly, forgetting that he too had enhanced hearing.

"I don't have any obligations to do so," he replied, "I offered to train you, I offered to teach you and you would listen."

"Yeah, because you wanted me to 'renounce' my dad, which, by the way, isn't ever gonna happen!"

"There you go again," he muttered, leaning back in his chair and turning his face away from me.

"Urgh," I sighed angrily, "If you wanna teach me so bad, why'd you ask me for something I can't give you?"

"Because of what he did," Vlad answered.

"Fine, y'know what, I get it, you don't like my dad, but why does that mean we have to be enemies?"

"Ask yourself; you decided that, Daniel," he said and I frowned. In a way he was right, but I'd decided we were enemies after he tried to kill my dad, that was reason enough, wasn't it?! Once again, I was doubting Clockwork; how could I ever get Vlad and me on the same side? It was impossible."Some legends say that ghosts relive their murders over and over again until they feel avenged - sometimes I wonder how much truth there is in that," Vlad added thoughtfully.

"Huh?"

"Sometimes I think that's all I'm doing."

"I, erm, never really thought about it like that," I admitted.

"Of course not, you weren't murdered."

"Neither were you," I said.

"Half murdered," he corrected himself.

'I think...maybe you should let it go," I suggested. I expected him to shout and scream at me and then attack me, but he didn't do anything like that. He sighed and dropped both the bottle and the glass into the floor without even looking at them, and luckily they didn't break because they hadn't fell very far and the area in front of the fire was covered in a very thick, very comfy, fluffy rug.

"I can't," he said simply.

"Why?"

"I just...can't," Vlad answered me and not for the first time tonight, I felt sorry for him, despite everything he'd done. I understood that he was more than a little mad about my dad's mistake because it had out him in the hospital for so long and everything, but hadn't he more than made up for it? He was one of the richest men in the country, not to mention one of the most powerful ghosts in the world, why did he still need to be bitter? I watched as he out his head in his hands, and wondered if I should just go and leave him alone, 'cos I knew he really wouldn't appreciate this in the morning.

"Have you tried?" I asked seriously.

"Not for a long time," he replied quietly and I was suddenly very confused.

I'd started off wanting to reassure myself that I wasn't going to turn out like evil, future me, and now, I was more interested in Vlad as a person and less bothered about what I'd wanted. I was a bit ashamed that I'd only come here because I was being selfish and needy - things I'd accused Vlad of being many times before, but at least he was open about what he was; in fact he'd admitted it on more than one occasion to me.

"You could try now," I said.

"Why should I?"

"Look at yourself!" I shook my head, "You're sitting in the dark all by yourself, and you've drank three bottles of vodka for crying out loud! You're better than this! I can't believe I've got to tell you that!"

"Daniel..."

"What would killing my dad get you, really? I mean, you have everything you could ever want. You did well for yourself, didn't you? Would killing someone really change anything?" I asked quickly, "You said you couldn't imagine living without your powers, I can't either and I've only had them a year. How can you still be so angry when it got you your powers?"

"...I am teaching you something, after all; that's refreshing," Vlad smiled and I blinked. Of everything he could've said, I wasn't expecting that. "You're using your head," he explained.

"Yeah, and you're not," I scoffed and he hid a yawn behind his hand. "Maybe we should talk about this another time...if you don't kill me tomorrow."

"Don't be so melodramatic, child," he said tiredly.

"'Cos you're never melodramatic," I countered and he chuckled. "Look, it's just...I'm willing to try, if you are...might not work at all, but...oh, I don't know, I guess I'll come back later..." I said, waving my hand and I pushed myself up off the floor. "You're not gonna...y'know...drink anymore o'that...are you?" I asked, pointing at the fallen bottle.

Vlad let out a deep breath and stared down at said bottle them picked it up, "Vlad!" I shouted, but when his hand stared to glow I stopped and stared at him. I watched as the bottle and his hand were encased in pink ecto-energy and It just dissolved into his fingers which he stretched out a second later, as if to show me there was nothing there now. "Nice trick," I said.

"Good night, Daniel," he said simply.

"Yeah, 'night," I replied, and with one last look, I took off into the sky, and made my way back home. I suddenly felt very tired.