Title: Danny Phantom one-shot

Author: JH24

Disclaimer: I don't own Danny Phantom. This awesome show and all of its characters are property of Butch Hartman.

Genre: Action/Adventure

Spoilers: The story takes place after D-Stabilized, but before Phantom Planet.

Pairings: No Pairings

Outside characters: None

Warnings: There is some violence in this story. Blood (green ectoplasm) and wounds are mentioned.

My sincere thanks to Bluemoonalto for beta-reading. I'm really grateful for all your help and support. Thank you so much for all your detailed comments, advice and suggestions!

Danny Phantom slowly walked out of a column of thick, rising smoke. Clutching his shoulder, he wobbled forward a few more paces, until he fell to his knees. The boy was panting heavily, drops of sweat dripping down his face, mixing with bits of ectoplasm that had leaked out of his nose and mouth.

Danny groaned, his gaze focused on someone in front of him, only standing a few yards away. He still couldn't believe what had just happened; yet, he knew that this battle had been long overdue. Looking around him, he saw the devastation their confrontation had caused. Luckily, their fight had taken place at night in a forest outside of Amity Park. There were no people around to get hurt, so he had gone all out— but so had his opponent. The consequences bore clear testimony to that: broken trees, smoking craters, burning grass and vegetation, traces of green ectoplasm smeared on the ground, remnants of melting and shattered ice, not to mention the dozens of uprooted trees after he had released his Ghostly Wail, but even that had not been enough.

The young half-ghost clenched his teeth as he tried to stand up, but his battered body protested painfully with every move he made. His chest and limbs were covered with small cuts and bruises, his suit was torn and burned in several places and there was a glowing wound on his left shoulder, green ectoplasm still oozing out of it. Finally able to stand, Danny stared defiantly at his adversary; his body may have been defeated, but his spirit was not.

He smirked weakly, despite the grim circumstances, he couldn't suppress a light feeling of satisfaction. Against all odds, he had managed to hold his own, to keep his ground and fight back. But it was over now, and in the end his opponent had proven to be too powerful.

Danny let out a faint cry as he stumbled backwards before falling to his knees again. "Aren't you gonna... finish me off now... Fruitloop?" he said weakly, coughing up bits of ectoplasm between words.

Vlad Plasmius didn't reply, he just stared at the young half-ghost with an indifferent expression. Danny felt sure the man was concealing his emotions, after all that had just happened, not even someone as Vlad could remain unaffected. The ghost teen observed his arch-enemy carefully. He was also panting heavily, covered with numerous cuts and wounds, his clothing ragged, damaged and stained with ectoplasm, his cape completely torn off. Danny grinned slightly at the sight, not because he enjoyed seeing Plasmius wounded, but because he had been the one who had inflicted those injuries. His arch-enemy had always underestimated him, believing that a stumbling teenager, son of Jack Fenton, would never be able to become a real threat. But that time was over. Tonight, he had proven him wrong.

His grin faded. However, that didn't change the fact he had lost. Plasmius was still standing, he was not. Danny knew he was at the mercy of someone who had caused him, his family and his friends so much pain and suffering in the past. Knowing what the man was capable of, and knowing what he had done to him in the last few minutes, the young half-ghost felt sure he was going to die.

Suddenly, Plasmius clenched his fists, a pink aura forming as he charged them with his energy. He then leaped forward, screaming in rage. Danny launched himself into the air, but winced as a painful jolt shot through his battered body, sending a harsh reminder he had reached his physical limits. The young half-ghost flew higher in a spiralling motion, trying to confuse his pursuer. He slowed down when he realized his opponent was no longer following him, and had seemingly vanished. However, Plasmius suddenly appeared behind his back in a cloud of smoke. Danny's eyes widened in shock. He teleported! The man put both fists together and mercilessly slammed them into his back. The teen cried out in agony as he plunged into the ground, sending a heartbreaking, eerie sound throughout the forest.

Plasmius landed a short distance away from his young rival, who had thrust his hands deeply into the wet earth, desperately fighting against the pain ravaging within. The older half-ghost cautiously walked towards him, not letting his opponent out of his sight for a moment. Although the right half of Danny's face was pressed into the mud, the teen managed to smile weakly as he watched his arch-enemy coming closer. The sight of an injured, battered and limping Plasmius filled the young halfa with a sense of pride.

He would never forget his enemy's shocked expression, his enemy's disbelief when he landed one blow after the other, when he surrounded him with his duplicates, when he pelted him with a volley of ectoblasts, when he froze him with his ice powers, or when he overwhelmed him when he unleashed his strongest Ghostly Wail yet. And the best thing was that Plasmius had fought at full strength during the entire battle, no handicaps, no interference, no favorable cirumstances. He had done this all by himself. He had forced Plasmius to go all out, he had forced him to use his full powers.

But even when Plasmius gained the upper hand in the final stage of the battle, the man showed none of his usual smug superiority. He had been forced to face reality, a reality which he clearly didn't want to accept. The boy chuckled silently. How things had changed since their first encounter.

The older half-ghost suddenly halted, and Danny noticed the hesitant and wary expression on his face. He wasn't coming any closer. The boy smiled, feeling somewhat revitalized at the thoughts of their confrontation. He really had become stronger.

One more time.

Using all the remaining energy he could gather, Danny pushed himself up, and immediately launched himself at Plasmius. The young half-ghost grinned upon noticing his opponent's surprise just before slamming his right fist into his face. Plasmius stumbled backwards and cried in pain as Danny flew past him.

Turning around, Danny fired an ectoblast directly at his arch-enemy. The older half-ghost quickly formed a barrier in front of him and deflected the blast into the air. He then leaped forward and grabbed Danny's extended hand, which made the teen yelp in surprise. He flipped the boy over his shoulder, slamming him into the ground with a sickening thud.

Danny groaned as a painful jolt shot up through his spine. The agony was almost unbearable, but he would not give his arch-enemy the satisfaction of hearing him scream.

The older half-ghost chuckled in response. "You're pathetic, Daniel."

Despite his predicament, Danny was still able to let out a grin; he just couldn't pass up the chance to rub this in. "Yeah? At least I was able to give you the beating of your life, and that made this fight all worth it."

Plasmius clenched his fists, giving an angry glare towards his younger rival. "Foolish little badger. What arrogance to think that you even had a chance of winning."

Danny rolled his eyes. "I'm not saying that, Plasmius," he replied irritably. The ghost teen paused, frowning thoughtfully, earning him a surprised look from his enemy.

"Then what are you saying?"

The young half-ghost sighed. He wasn't really sure if he should say this, but then again, he really wanted to. He had looked forward fighting on equal terms with his nemesis for a long time. Danny swallowed. Grimacing, he managed to lift himself up enough to sit on the ground, leaving one leg stretched and the other bent, on which he rested his right arm. "I wanted to prove something." The teen waited, curious to see if he would evoke a response.

The man didn't reply, except to raise an eyebrow.

Danny gratefully used the moment of silence to gather his thoughts. "Since the first day we met, almost two and a half years ago, you've tried to hurt me, my family, my friends." He gazed defiantly at his rival, focusing on the man's empty and soulless eyes. "And not just once. No, time and time again." The teen halted, searching for the right words. "I attacked you because I wanted to show you with this fight... that I'm getting stronger each day and that I'm no longer a stumbling kid who doesn't know how to use his ghost powers."

Danny managed, with difficulty, to stand up again and glare angrily at the older half-ghost. He could see Plasmius' eyes begin to glow brighter, which sent an involuntary shiver through his body. But he was not going to back down now. "I'm sick and tired about you interfering in the lives of my family. I want you to leave them alone. I want you to stay away from them." He clenched his fists, which were now burning violently. "I'm getting stronger, Plasmius. I'm warning you."

The man closed his eyes for a second, taking in a deep breath.

Danny waited nervously for a reaction. In a way, he would have almost preferred to see Plasmius getting angry and beating him into a pulp for his 'insolent' words. But now... he had no idea what to expect. One thing was for sure, his arch-enemy was clearly thinking about something.

After an eternity, Plasmius opened his eyes. The ghost teen could see the burning rage within them had disappeared. He crossed his arms, fixing him down with an annoyed stare. "Bold words, Daniel. But don't think I'm intimidated for even one moment." The older half-ghost smiled evilly. "You may be getting stronger, but I'm still more powerful than you. You don't even know half of what I'm capable of. And no, I'm not going to leave your family alone." The last words were lined with a tone of mockery, one that didn't escape Danny's attention.

Feeling his anger rising, Danny's eyes glowed intensely. "Why? Why are you so obsessed with my family?" The young half-ghost pointed at his chest. "Why are you so obsessed with me?" In reality, he already knew the answers to these questions, but he also knew he had to ask them this time. I need to.

Plasmius clenched his fist, a burning glare returning to his eyes. "Because they and you are part of Jack Fenton's life!" He held a shaking fist in front of him. "He has what I always wanted. And as long as he does I'm never going to give up. I want to get back the life that should have belonged to me!"

Danny smiled inwardly at Vlad's confession; it was just what he had hoped to hear. He spread out his arms in front of him, pretending to have difficulty controlling himself. "Do you even listen to yourself? You sound like a little, jealous kid who can't have what he wants. My dad is a great man and I won't let you talk him down. He's a kind person who cares about his family and deserves the life he has now." The ghost teen narrowed his eyes. "Unlike someone else I know."

The glow of Plasmius' aura intensified as he gasped, "Why you..."

"Ooh, struck a nerve there, didn't I?" The teen smirked teasingly. Inside, he wondered if he had a death wish by taunting and daring his arch-enemy. Truth be told, there was another reason why he had engaged Vlad in battle this night. A reason that made him wonder if he had truly lost his mind, yet had been a gnawing question that had never left him since that one encounter. Danny sighed. Did he really want to do this? Didn't he just want to take revenge to make his enemy feel miserable? Or did he truly wanted to achieve something else? He grimaced. There was only one way to find out.

Danny took another deep breath, knowing very well the next part could be brutal. He could feel Vlad's remaining energy flaring up, an invisible force pressing against his chest and pushing him backwards. The young half-ghost grinned slightly as he awaited his reaction. Vlad was now shaking violently, obviously trying to suppress his emotions.

"Daniel, you don't understand." Plasmius took a step forward, both his hands overflowing with pink ecto-energy, little sparks falling to the ground, but he did not seem to notice. "He has ruined my life, he took everything away from me." The man's voice became almost like a whisper. "A wife, a family..." Danny blinked in surprise as Plasmius' expression softened, now gazing at him directly. "A son."

"Yeah, give me a break," Danny scoffed incredulously, although it came out harsher than he intended. "Excuse me if I don't believe someone who has wasted so many years of his life just for revenge."

Plasmius finally lost control. "I have every right to take revenge!" Danny gasped as he could feel his arch-enemy's energy swell even more, the air around him beginning to distort. "I was in love with Maddie! She should have married me, she belonged to me! And not to that fool of a Jack Fenton! We would have had children, we would have had a son! I would have everything I could possibly want!"

An image flashed before Danny's eyes, of a sour, domineering man who was married to his mother in an alternate timeline. He quickly pushed the thought away, wanting to believe that the Vlad he saw there was not real. No, he was aiming for a different Vlad. A sad and lonely old man, one he had once met in a violent and devastated future.

"I seriously doubt that. You're not that kind of person." The ghost teen made a step towards Plasmius. "You always want more and more, you're never satisfied with the things you have. You know, now I think about it, I believe you don't even want a family!"

Plasmius' eyes narrowed. "How dare you?" he hissed.

Danny cringed, but he kept going. "You only say so because you're obsessed with revenge against my dad!" Danny expected his rival to explode at this point, but was surprised to see he managed to stay calm. The teen then pointed at himself. "And I bet that you only want me because if I abandoned my dad it would make him unhappy. You don't care about me at all! I'm just a tool to hurt the person you hate so much! Am I right?"

Small bolts of lightning began to form around Plasmius' body. He clenched his fists and pressed them against his chest. "You don't understand, Daniel. The only thing I ever wanted was love!"

The young half-ghost crossed his arms and snorted. "Love? Don't make me laugh. You have an odd way of showing that, Fruitloop."

Plasmius clenched his teeth, his fangs glinting in the moonlight.

Danny became increasingly nervous, but managed to hide it under a glare.

Do I really want to do this?

He swallowed.

Yes.

"You tried to kill my father, break up my family, hurt Jazz—." He ticked the growing list off on his fingers. "—clone me, kill Danielle and who knows what else! You're not getting love because you aren't capable of giving any. You make everyone around you feel miserable and you know what?" Danny's eyes glowed intensely. Any doubts he had were gone. He wanted to do this, he needed to do this. "I'm glad you never had a family," he spoke in a deep, solemn voice. "I would feel so sorry for your wife and children. You would make a terrible husband and an even worse fath— Aah!"

Danny was hit full force by two hot energy beams and blasted backwards. Plasmius immediately dashed forward and delivered a merciless uppercut, sending the dazed teen spinning uncontrolled through the air. The older half-ghost immediately set off in pursuit, screaming in rage. Danny managed to recover his balance and gazed at his approaching arch-enemy. He couldn't help but smile faintly. "It hurts, doesn't it?" he whispered. Plasmius shot forward with incredible velocity and slammed his right knee directly into the boy's stomach. Danny gasped for air. Feeling all his energy leaving him, the trembling young half-ghost clutched his abdomen as he desperately tried to regain control of his breathing. Plasmius appeared above the teen, dived down and plowed an elbow into the middle of his back. The boy screamed in agony, and plunged into the ground below.

When the dust settled, the young half-ghost was lying on his stomach in a newly formed crater. His face was buried in the dirt, his hands were thrust deep into the earth, and parts of his jumpsuit were burned and giving off small wisps of smoke. Plasmius landed beside him, grabbed him by the neck and lifted him into the air. Danny's vision had become blurry, but he could still make out two intensely burning red eyes. They sent a shiver down his spine.

"Say that one more time, Daniel," Plasmius snarled threateningly. "Say those words one more time and I swear I'll break that scrawny neck of yours with my own bare hands!" He then threw the teen back to the ground.

Danny groaned and panted heavily while using both his hands to lift himself up a bit. "I guess I deserved that," the teen muttered. He looked up, his vision slowly returning. Plasmius was standing in front of him, but strangely enough, every hint of anger had vanished— as if he had spent all his rage in his last attack. The man had crossed his arms, watching him with curiosity. Danny sighed quietly from relief.

"Daniel," Plasmius began. "What exactly did you hope to accomplish with those foolish actions of yours, hmm?" He tilted his head slightly. "Do you have a death wish, my dear boy?"

Knowing that he had gained his enemy's full attention, Danny ignored the question. The fact that he hadn't been beaten to a pulp yet made him a bit more hopeful about the outcome, though he was only beginning to realize the extent of his injuries. He could feel sharp twinges in his arms, heavy cramps in his legs and feet, a dull and throbbing pain in his back and intense burns all over his body. But his wounds had to wait. It was time to take their conversation into a new direction.

"Listen, Vlad. I know what happened between you and my dad at the university," he said solemnly. Plasmius frowned before averting his gaze. Danny lowered his head and stared briefly at the ground, carefully trying to pick his next words. "But he didn't do it on purpose. He still feels horrible about what happened back then. He had been trying to contact you for years but you always shunned him." The young half-ghost looked up again, and saw that the man had turned his back to him. "My dad... my dad still cares about you, Vlad. He often tells us that you were always his best friend and, well..." Danny chuckled weakly. "He still sees you that way. And you know that, you've seen it yourself."

"Yes, I know. And that makes him an even bigger fool than I thought." Plasmius replied coldly.

The teen grumbled and punched a fist into the ground. "Would you just listen to me!?" he yelled. "I understand how much you have suffered and how much you had to go through after the accident." Danny looked away. "And I'm really sorry for that."

At that moment, Plasmius briefly glanced over his shoulder, his eyes widened upon seeing the teen's sympathetic expression. Turning his head away again, the man sneered, "I don't need your pity."

Danny continued as if he hadn't even heard him. "I realize how hard and difficult your life must have been." He raised his head, and scowled briefly. "Until you decided to use your power for evil and become a complete fruitloop, that is."

Plasmius turned around, crossing his arms. "Don't try to judge me, Daniel. You have no idea what you're talking about."

"Oh no? I think I do understand. We're both half-ghosts. Even though we don't have to like the idea, we understand more about each other than any other person would ever be able to." He placed a hand on his chest. "Listen, I don't hate you, even though it's fair to say you've given me plenty of reasons to do so." Danny then leaned his right arm on his right knee, his gaze locked at the older half-ghost, who remained motionless and silent. The boy sighed. He had hoped to evoke some kind of reaction, but Vlad was just too stubborn. But there had to be some way to get through that thick skull of his.

"You know, I...liked you when we first met during the reunion. Before you revealed yourself as Plasmius, I mean. And..." The teen paused a second, feeling a little uncertain as he combed a hand through his white hair. "What I just want to say is that I...wouldn't have minded if we met in different circumstances. If things had gone differently."

The older half-ghost looked genuinely surprised. "What are you saying?"

Letting out a painful groan, Danny finally managed to get on his feet. Letting his arms hang loosely at his sides, the ghost teen stared at the ground for several seconds. "I don't know, I guess..." He raised his head, staring sadly at his rival. "You know, I've learned that everyone deserves a second chance. And..."

"And...?"

"If one day you would change, I...I would be willing to give you a second chance, to start over again."

Plasmius gasped; his mouth fell open and his eyes widened. He was at a loss for words. Danny smiled: it was obvious that the man hadn't been expecting this.

Danny felt himself tense as he waited for a reaction. In all honesty, he didn't expect Vlad to change his ways at this moment, and perhaps he would never change at all. But deep down inside, the teen silently hoped that at least it would make him think about his life. After all, he had met with a very different Vlad in the future; a person who had changed that much couldn't be inherently evil.

Images of his one meeting with the lonely man flashed before his eyes. He was a man who felt deep regret and sorrow for what he had done in the past. A man who could have killed him with the Ghost Gauntlets, but instead chose to help him getting back to his own time. Danny did sometimes wonder if the removal of Vlad's ghost half had caused the change in his personality, but he preferred to think that it was Vlad himself, the human Vlad who had changed. Even with Plasmius still being a part of him, he would have offered me a place to stay after my family and friends died in that timeline, and he would have tried to help me get rid of the pain I was feeling. He wanted to make me feel better. Danny winced. It was ironic that the one time Vlad's intentions were truly sincere, everything had to go so horribly wrong. That day, in the future, I saw a different Vlad, a Vlad who realized the mistakes he had made, a Vlad who would do everything to receive a second chance, to start over again.

"So, Daniel."

The young half-ghost was awakened from his thoughts, but frowned when he saw Plasmius grinning. The man had folded his hands in front of him, and had narrowed his eyes. "You're saying that if I abandon my evil ways you would join me? Is that it?" His expression was filled with anticipation.

Danny gasped and staggered backwards, holding his hands out in front of him. "What? No!" he replied quickly, his eyes wide open. "That's not what I meant. I can't give you that, Vlad. And you know that."

Plasmius chuckled bitterly. "Then I have no idea why you're telling me this."

The teen rubbed the back of his neck, suddenly feeling uncomfortable looking at the older half-ghost. He glanced to his left and sighed sadly. "Because I believe people can change, and that means you can change as well." Another jolt of pain pierced his wounded left shoulder, making him flinch before clenching it with his right hand.

"Daniel?"

"I'm a-alright," Danny replied with some difficulty. For a moment he thought he could hear a hint of concern in the man's voice. Looking up, he gazed straight into his enemy's cold eyes. He sighed weakly— it had probably just been his imagination.

As the pain subsided, Danny let go of his shoulder and stared at his glove, which was stained with a mixture of fresh and dried green ectoplasm. "A friend once taught me a very valuable lesson," he extended his hand, "that the future isn't set in stone." Danny looked up, locking his eyes with the other half-ghost.

They stared at each other. Danny had slightly arched his eyebrows, a small grin growing as he began to feel a glimmer of hope. Plasmius gazed back with wide open eyes, and slowly extended his right hand towards the young half-ghost. Danny felt relief and happiness growing within him. As their hands drew closer, Danny could see the man smiling weakly. But at the last moment, Plasmius hesitated. Not able to control himself any longer, Danny stepped forward, intending to grab the man's hand. The older half-ghost stepped back.

He missed.

"Why?" The disappointed teen spoke softly as he watched Plasmius slowly turn his back to him.

"It's already too late for me, my dear boy," he replied, his voice sounding solemn. "I chose this path many years ago and I have walked it for too long. There is no way back."

"But..."

The older half-ghost looked over his shoulder and smiled; a hint of sadness visible in his eyes. "The offer I once made to you still stands. Join me and I'll make sure that you'll never regret it. My door will always be open for you."

The ghost teen tilted his head slightly and flashed his eyes as a warning. His next words came out harsher than he intended. "You know that's never going to happen."

"We'll see, my little badger." Plasmius chuckled in amusement, but for once there seemed to be no evil intent behind it. "You said it yourself, the future isn't set in stone." And with these words the man disappeared in a cloud of smoke.

Danny stared at the spot where his enemy had stood, slowly rubbing the back of his head. Where did his plan go wrong? This was not what he had in mind. I was supposed to make the offer. How did he twist it around so easily...? He chuckled humorlessly as he considered how easily he had been played.

At least I tried.

Danny winced as he took to the air. Clutching his aching shoulder, he turned around and took one last look at the damage below through his tired, half-open eyes. This was definitely going to make the headlines tomorrow.

The young half-ghost rose higher into the air and found himself unable to suppress a teasing warm smile.

"Fruit loop."