Summary: Everything Shatters. Glass shatters. Trust shatters. Heroes shatter.

Danny Fenton has been missing since his seventeenth birthday. Ever since he escaped his own personal hell, Danny has been living under the name Michael Nielson, working at a restaurant owned by a couple who don't ask him questions about his past. He's made a new life. He thought he had left his past behind him when he disappeared. But when he sees a familiar face from Amity, his new life is threatened when the floodgates are opened. AU PP never happened.

Rated M for Language, Gore, Violence

A/N: I know there are a number of fics out there that have Danny rejected by his parents. But the ones I've seen all have Danny and Vlad bonding or something to do with the two of them. This is not one of those fics. Warning: Here there be OCs.

Disclaimer: Danny Phantom is the property of those who own the rights of distribution, various copyrights, and what not. Me? I'm not one of them.

Everything Shatters

A Fanfic by MidnightResWri

Chapter One

Danny Fenton shifted his weight on his end of the couch. He didn't meet the eyes of his parents. He couldn't meet their eyes. Not with knowing what he would be telling them. And willingly. For all they knew, he could be coming out of the closet. He ran a nervous hand through his black hair. It might have been better had that been the case. He fought back the urge to go invisible.

It's been three years since he started lying to them. Three years since they started using him for target practice. Three years of thinned trust that would completely break after this little talk.

Danny took a breath. He could do this. They were his parents. They accepted him at least once before. They'd do it again.

Jack looked impatient, itching to get back to whatever invention the pair were working on. Danny figured it was something that would be used to hurt his ghost-half again. The boy swallowed back that new ball of anxiety. "Um," he started weakly. "I bet you're wondering why I want to talk to you?"

"Sweetie," his mother, Maddie, leaned over and rested a hand on his. "You don't have to be so nervous."

Danny gave her a small smile and nodded. His throat felt dry when he opened his mouth again. "Promise you'll still love me?"

"You know we love you, son," his father reassured him. "That won't change anytime soon."

The hybrid took a deep breath. "I've been keeping this a secret from you for three years," he began. Another breath. It was difficult to say the rehearsed lines in front of their intended audience. "You can try to ground me, but you can't stop me from doing what I do."

The parents looked at each other and then at their son. "What are you talking about Danny?" asked Maddie, a worried frown set on her face.

"There was an accident three years ago in the lab," began Danny slowly. He winced when his mother threw a hand over her mouth. She was about to ask a question when he interrupted her thoughts. "With the ghost portal."

Suspicion clouded the eyes of his usually jovial father. But the big man in orange didn't say anything, waiting for his son to finish. The boy shifted in his seat, fumbling with his hands. He knew he had to continue. It was imperative that they knew. "After you guys tried to get it to work, and it failed…I decided to look inside. I must have pressed a button, or something. The portal turned on w-while I was s-still inside it."

His mother gasped in horror. "Why didn't you tell us before?" She demanded. "You could have been killed!"

Danny rubbed the back of his neck now, unsure of how to continue. He had practiced this so many times. "I sort of was." He brought out the white rings and changed into the object of their hatred. He morphed into Danny Phantom. "I figured it was time for you to know," his voice took on an eerie echo. He lowered his head so he couldn't see their disappointment. But his glowing green eyes betrayed him and glanced through the fallen bangs of white hair.

Both of the ghost hunters brought out their weapons in alarm, training them on the ghost child. "Get out of our son, you ectoplasmic freak!"

The boy winced at his father calling him a freak. His head shot up and he pleaded, "I'm not in your son. I am your son."

His mother was the first to fire an ecto-gun. The blast hit his chest and he was thrown into the far wall. He gasped from the pain and pulled himself up. "Mom," he began. He never got to finish his thought as his body erupted in pain. He knew he screamed.

The woman shot another blast into his shoulder. "Don't you dare call me that," she snarled. "Get out of my son, ghost boy, or we'll force you out."

Danny heard more shots fired, but he didn't remember if they hit their mark or not. He was still reeling from the first two blasts. He lost consciousness soon after he heard the gun fire its last round and watching his parents stalk over to glare over his body.

He opened his light blue eyes, panting at the dream. The memory, he corrected. It had been something he wanted to forget.

He sat up on his bed, running a hand through short black hair that no longer fell in his eyes. His body had a thin sheen of sweat coating it. His loose shirt clung to his chest and he peeled it off. The cool night air sent goose bumps down down his arms, but he welcomed it. His heart was beating fast enough to keep his body warm enough. He sighed as he pushed the heel of his palm into his eye, rubbing away the last bit of sleep. He wouldn't be getting much more sleep after that dream. His body still felt the echo of those old injuries.

He swung his legs over the edge of the bed and grabbed his cell phone to see the time: 5:02 am. Not too bad, he thought.

One year. That's how long it had been since he escaped that hell. One year since he through away the identity of Danny Fenton. One year since he came to Seattle looking like a wreck with nowhere to go.

One year as Micheal Nielson, "distant relative" of Robert and Lilly Sell, owners of The Looking Glass restaurant where he worked and lived above. He came to enjoy his new life after a few months. He had just gotten used to the idea that he didn't have to look over his shoulder every ten seconds. He had grown into his new identity.

He should have expected those dreams, though. Such an important date wouldn't get unnoticed by his subconscious, to be sure. He would have to make sure to go to the library later to find a way to get rid of those dreams once and for all. They always brought out the worst in him.

Michael swung his legs over the edge of his bed, a growl in his throat. He didn't want to think about that right now. It was hard enough when it happened and it hadn't gotten easier to think about yet. He leaned over, his arms draped over his knees as he worked through blocking off the memories. He refused to acknowledge it happened to him. It wasn't healthy, but he needed to do it to function. He couldn't let a few bad months of his life ruin the rest of it.

He brought out his white rings and changed into his other half. He had been forced to abandon the black and silver jumpsuit immediately after he left. It was too flashy. Too well known. Instead, Michael wore a long sleeved, black button-down shirt with the top three or four buttons undone, white gloves (he found he enjoyed wearing gloves in that form), black jeans, and shoes. He still looked scrawny in that form.

He couldn't hold back the thought that if Vlad saw him now, he'd probably approve of his current appearance. It was a far cry from the hero he pretended to be. No more logo. No more advertisement. Just a quiet existence.

Michael smirked at the darkness around him before he phased through his window. The dark of night wouldn't last much longer, the sun due to rise in another two hours. He rose above the highest building of the area and shot off towards the rising sun. Dissolving his legs into a ghostly tail, the ghost kid increased his speed. He flipped in the air, did a few barrel rolls, and let the exhilaration of the air pushing against his face bring up his mood. He could survive another day. No one knew who he used to be here.

One thing that remained from that time: his love of flying.

After an hour in the air, the sky began to lighten as the sun approached the horizon. Michael took that as his cue to return to his apartment. One hour before his shift started. He ate a small breakfast before showering and changing into his work uniform. A white button down shirt, a black vest, black dress pants and shoes. He tied the apron around his waist and gave himself a look over in the mirror. He looked passable, at least. Lilly would have had a fit if she saw even one hair out of place. He honestly hoped he would have had a better schedule for the day. It was a special day for him. The day he started his new life. But Lilly insisted he work from an hour after open to two before close.

He glanced at the clock. His shift would start soon and he still needed to clock in. Michael left the small one-bedroom apartment, locking the green door behind him. He descended the stairs, opened another green door, and entered the restaurant in its morning setting. The bar beside the door had a few regulars drinking coffee on the stools, reading the paper. Robert wiped at an empty section of the counter, wearing the same uniform as Michael. His brown eyes flicked over at the young man as he walked by the bar. "Morning," the man said, a low tenor of a voice.

Robert was taller than Michael, though that wasn't all uncommon. He wore a thin mustache with his thinning brown hair. His eyes looked sunken into their sockets. Michael guessed the man was in his late fifties.

"Morning, Rob," responded Michael with a wave. He weaved through the mostly empty tables toward the employee's lounge. He would most likely see Ashley stalling to clock in again. When he pushed open the door, he saw that he was right. She sat at the table, sipping her tea as slowly as possible. "Morning, Ashley."

"Hey, Mike," the seventeen year old blond didn't turn to him, continuing to stare at the clock. Michael didn't know why the girl showed up early in the first place. "Saw you had a long day today. Sucks to be you. You getting a dinner?"

"I think so," he responded, rubbing the back of his neck. "Why?"

The girl snorted, "I don't know. Maybe I want to know when you're taking it." She raised her mug to her lips and muttered, "Shit, you can be so clueless."

"How about I text you when I decide my break?" He offered. She nodded her consent. Michael went over to the far wall and punched in his id code. "Well, whenever you decide to get to work, I'll be doing my job." She gave him a flippant wave and grunted.

"Fucking kiss-up," his coworker muttered. At which, he smiled, shook his head and left the lounge.

The mornings were always slow for the restaurant. Lilly usually replaced Rob at the counter at noon, and that day was no exception. The short woman had her red hair up in a messy bun and made sure her staff was the best at their jobs. Her face wore laugh lines, the sign of a life well-lived. Michael made sure he lived up to her expectations. He didn't want a repeat of the previous year in any way, shape or form.

Only a few of the tables in his section had been taken up. Ashley, playing hostess up front, was giving him fewer clients to work with than some other waiters. Sometimes, he wonder wondered about that girl. She could insult him up and down and then give him less work whenever their shifts met up. Michael supposed it was a girl thing, really.

"Mike," said Lilly, stopping the young man on his to the kitchen to check on a lunch order, "grab a clean pot on your way back." She pointed at the coffee machine behind her and he nodded. There were a few customers in front of the woman. Some of them he didn't recognize. One was reading a newspaper.

He entered the kitchen, enjoying the sounds of the cooks making the dishes. He used to freeze up whenever he heard anything to do with knives, but he eventually equated that sound with the knowledge that they weren't meant for him. Micheal asked the crew about the order, one shouted back that it would be another five minutes. He grabbed the coffee pot Lilly wanted and made his way back to the dining area. "Here you go, Lil'," he said, not noticing a person at the counter stiffen at the sound of his voice. The woman thanked him quickly and then shooed him away and back to work.

Michael attended to his table before moving on to his next one, taking the order of a couple who had just sat down. He bussed a third table and took the dirty dishes to the kitchen to be washed. The order was ready now. He picked it up, holding the weight of the tray on his forearm. As he went by the bar, he felt a pair of eyes on him, but he quickly shook the feeling off. It was an aftereffect of the dream, he reasoned. Nothing to be paranoid about.

With the food delivered, he turned around to go toward the register. He needed to put in the order for the second table. When he turned around, Michael ran into a patron. He fell back a few steps, rubbing his nose. "S-sorry," he said, "I didn't see you there."

"No," said a familiar, smug sounding voice, "you never did have the best skills in observation, now did you, Daniel?"

Michael's stomach bottomed out. He could feel the eyes of the couple stare at his back. Probably wondering why their server was suddenly being called 'Daniel.' He glanced at the man he wished he had left behind with the rest of them. Vlad's face must have finally locked into that smirk. His dark blue eyes bored into Michael's and the eighteen year old suddenly felt like he was fourteen again. "I'm sorry, but my name is Michael," he said, finally. "You must be mistaken, sir."

He moved to get around Vlad Masters and back to his job. It took about two seconds for Michael to realize Vlad was following him. He sighed and made his way toward Lilly. "Hey, Lilly?" He said, being as polite as possible. "I'm going on my lunch now."

"Oh no you don't, young man," she narrowed her green eyes at him. "You still have a couple tables." She looked behind him, seeing the billionaire standing casually, looking at his nails as if they were the most interesting thing in the world. Lilly leaned forward over the counter, gesturing for Michael to do the same. "Does this have to do with that guy? Is he bothering you?"

He shook his head, "He's…kind of an old acquaintance." Michael grimaced as he said that. "Will you take care of my tables for a bit? I really need to deal with this."

Lilly took a deep breath and let out an angry sigh. "Just this once," she warned, wagging a finger at him as if he'd done something wrong.

"Thank you." He meant it, too. Michael leaned away and made his way to the employee's lounge, Vlad still trailing behind him. Anger he hadn't felt in so many months resurfaced and he turned around to face the billionaire. In a quiet, stern voice, he said, "Outside. Then we talk."

Vlad raised an eyebrow, amused at the younger hybrid's order. But, he obliged, walking out of the restaurant with the grace of a satisfied cat. Michael entered the lounge and leaned against a wall. His hands felt clammy as he rubbed his face. Vlad was there. He must have found him after continuously searching. But, he'd been careful. He changed his name. Rarely used his powers. Kept a low profile. Michael lowered a shaking hand and stared at the far wall. He had to get rid of the older hybrid. He had to say the right things to make sure he'd never come back around. Jack and Maddie had never been too far behind their old college friend. He realized he was starting to hyperventilate. Michael forced himself to take slower breaths.

After a few minutes, he left the restaurant, taking his supposed lunch. He waved at the pretty blond he planned on having dinner with later. She raised an eyebrow at her coworker as he left. She would probably ask how his lunch was. Ashley usually did during their dinners. Michael planned on giving her an abridged version. A half-truth. Those usually worked better for him than flat-out lies.

Michael was surprised to see Vlad holding a couple of subs in his hands. The billionaire smirked, offering one of them to Michael. He looked at it suspiciously. "What's attached to the sub?" he asked.

"Still paranoid as ever are we?" The man asked. "You are taking your lunch, son. I only want to have a little chat with you, Daniel. What is it you young people say? Catch out?"

Michael took the sandwich. "It's catch up, Vlad," he said, irritably. He took a bite of the food before waving it in the rich man's face and saying, "I know what you're up to." He glared daggers at the man, defiance clear on his face.

Vlad's calm mask never faltered. "I don't know what you're talking about, Daniel."

Michael scowled, "Don't play games with me, Vlad. I'm done with all of that. Don't pretend you just happened upon my workplace. I'm not going back with you. And it's Michael now. Danny died a year ago." The last phrase was a whisper, accompanied by a slight shiver. He knew Vlad would have seen that.

"I'll admit," said the billionaire after a long moment, "that I have been looking for you, little badger. You left as soon as you were able and I should have expected that. I lost your trail somewhere around Cincinnati. I never stopped looking for you. Though, I thought you would have been some street rat, so I had my people looking in shelters. But I didn't think you'd end up here and working as a common waiter. That's the truth."

"Uh huh," Michael took another bite of the sub. "I'm supposed to be believe that?"

"Yes," Vlad sounded offended. "It took me a few days to realize why you'd run, Daniel. Your departure forced me to reevaluate my priorities. My companies needed me and I could no longer play Mayor." He looked at the boy as he ate the lunch provided to him. "In case you're still clueless, I've resigned as Amity Park's Mayor. I'm here on a business trip only, seeing one of the DALV Group's branches. The hotel recommended this little restaurant. Pure coincidence that you worked here, my boy."

Actually hearing the name of that city stirred something in Michael. Most of it was painful. "I don't care what happens to some backwater city," he glowered at the sidewalk. Vlad seemed to understand the younger hybrid's sentiments. He placed a comforting hand on the boy's back. Michael jumped away, out of the man's reach. He didn't like being touched anymore.

"People will find you," Vlad said after a moment. "If I stumbled upon you by chance, others shouldn't be too far behind." He hadn't even touched his own sub yet.

Michael shrugged. "They can't find what they can't see," he replied. He held back the bitterness, but some managed to leak into his voice."I don't believe you're just here for business, Vlad. But, please, don't come here anymore. Leave me in peace. I don't need the past coming to haunt me."

Vlad and Michael ate in silence. It was something for which Michael was grateful. He hated that a reminder of who he used to be stood beside him. The silver-haired man occasionally looked at his watch. Michael assumed he had a meeting to attend soon if Vlad's excuse was genuine. The younger looked at his own watch, noting that his lunch break would be finished soon. "I have to get back to work," he mumbled. "And Vlad? Don't tell anyone you saw me."

Michael disappeared into the restaurant, leaving the billionaire on the sidewalk. He didn't turn to make sure the man had heard him, either.

He let out a breath and saw Lilly looking at him expectantly. He shrugged, making it look like it wasn't that big of a deal. She shook her head and returned to her place at the bar. Michael went back to his job, doing everything he was supposed to. The familiarity of it all helped him push away Vlad from his thoughts. He gave his job the most attention he'd given it since his first few months working.

"So, who was that old guy who followed you around before your lunch?" Ashley asked him.

It was hours after the encounter with Vlad. Michael had decided it would be a good time to take his dinner and texted Ashley. She arrived ten minutes later. They sat in a little corner in the restaurant after having taken their own orders and put them in for the cooks in the kitchen. She sat across from him, sipping at her coke. Michael sipped at his own water. He preferred that over most drinks nowadays.

He unconsciously sat up straighter in his chair and scowled out of reflex. "Friend of the family," he muttered.

She raised her eyebrows at his explanation. "Really? He looked kinda like a snake. Didn't think your family would be chummy with a guy like that."

If only she knew of what his family was capable. He suppressed a shiver. "He's definitely a snake," he agreed and then sighed. "His hotel recommended our restaurant, though." He wanted to divert the conversation away from Vlad. He hated that smug, knowing look the older hybrid had given him.

"A hotel recommended this shitty place?" Ashley looked around her with an incredulous look on her face. "You're kidding."

"It's what he said." He raised his hands for his own defense. "Apparently, we're famous." Michael shot her a little smile and leaned over the table, "But you should really watch what you say about this restaurant. Lilly would have your head if she heard you."

The blond snorted and shook her head. "I'm too good at my job," she laughed. "Besides, I could always find something else. I am planning on getting into college you know."

"This is about the thousandth time you've mentioned it this year alone," Michael teased. "You're going to major in theater education. You're going to teach the next generation of Hollywood Stars." He gestured wildly to get his point across at how ridiculous it sounded to him at that point.

Ashley glared at him, but she couldn't hold it long and instead broke into a huge grin. "Okay, okay. I've obviously drilled my dream into your head. What about you? You've never told me."

He hesitated. Once, he wanted to be an astronaut. Now, he didn't know. He never finished high school. Lilly kept telling him to at least look into the GED classes. Michael had the brochures sitting on his little kitchen table. They were still in mint condition. "I like this little restaurant," he said at last. "It's peaceful. I don't have to worry about much and pay keeps me living."

She wrinkled her cute button nose. "You're fucking kidding me," she deadpanned. "Keep that attitude and you're gonna die working here."

Michael laughed and excused himself to check on their food. It'd been twenty minutes since they ordered. This was going to be a long dinner break. The evening chefs were working fast, though, and the order was ready. He carried the food back to the shared table and resumed their conversation. "So what do you think I should do with my life?"

She placed the end of her fork to her lips in thought. He noticed she had painted her nails blue since her shift ended. "Probably teaching, like me. Maybe some type of science."

"Science was never my best subject," he said. He paused and then added, "Well, most sciences."

"Never said you had to teach 'em all," she laughed. "You like stars, right?"

"…Yeah," he had a feeling where this was going. His grin widened just a fraction.

"You could teach astronomy or something," she cut a new slice from her steak and waved her knife at him. "I bet you'd be great at it."

He shook his head. "Don't think so. I'm not the teaching type."

The girl pouted and then sighed. "You sure you don't want to teach? We'd probably make a great team teaching the stars of every variety."

The eighteen year old laughed and ate his meal. He noticed Lilly stealing a few glances at them as they continued talking. There was a smile tugging on her lips. He knew she had reason to. It had taken him a number of months to even talk to someone other than her or the practiced lines for a patron. Now he was laughing and joking about the future.

Michael liked the feeling of normalcy that he had reached. And if he kept Vlad out of his thoughts, he could pretend that nothing had changed to upset it.

A/N: I wrote Danny as his assumed name as a way to show to how far he wants to be away from his past. Hope that wasn't too confusing. Bet you can all guess most of what Danny went through before he fled to Seattle. Wholes of that past will be filled, so don't fret. How were Lilly and Ashley? They weren't too bad, were they?

This is the last new story I'm posting I swear. The next thing I put up here will be the next chapter for "Patient Revelations."