I know, been a while since I last updated. In my defense, writing ain't easy as I'm most of us are aware. Anyway, onto reviews!

Linkmaster500: Don't jump the gun there, sir. As Albert Einstein once said: Assumptions are made, and most assumptions are wrong. Thank you for following the story, I'm glad you're enjoying it!

InvaderJohnny: Always nice to see your reviews! I appreciate the follow and favorite.

Dalton Wolfe: Of course, little Dani is still cute! I'll be milking the adorableness of this little girl as much as possible! Thank you for following and favoriting.

Enjoy!

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Earth's Moon; a rather small celestial body that orbits our planet, a symbol of the time that passes as day transitions into night, and the phases from New to Full Moon. It is here, on this cratered expanse of rock and dust, that we find a lone man living out his days in exile. This man's name was, at one time, Vladimir Masters; chairman and CEO of the DALV Co. corporation and the latest Wisconsin Dairy King. Through strategic business dealings and underhanded, borderline suspicious, tactics, Vlad Masters rose from a simple college level scientist, hospitalized with ecto-acne, to become one of the richest persons in the world.

What Masters kept secret from his...business associates...were the side-effects of his affliction of ecto-acne. After a horrible lab accident where a prototype ghost portal went haywire and blasted Masters in the face with pure ecto-energy, the man was unknowingly infused with ecto-DNA. As I'm sure you've guessed, Vlad Masters had become the first halfa in history, and upon discovery of his new powers, took to naming his ghost half; Vlad Plasmius.

For decades, Vlad Masters took to the role of a ruthless businessman, using his ghost powers to possess associates and create business deals no one would ever dream of, nor remember, agreeing to. It was through the rather distant association with his colleague, Jack Fenton, that Masters discovered the youngest Fenton, Daniel, had also suffered an accident and had become a halfa as well. Masters saw this as a wonderful opportunity to no longer feel like a lonely outsider and gain an apprentice and heir to his massive fortune. However, his methods in convincing young Daniel to join Masters lacked the proper tact and strategy to sway the young Fenton boy's loyalty to his family.

Vlad Masters took this as an insult and instead took every chance he could to make the Fenton boy's life as difficult as possible; unleashing powerful ghosts on Amity, threatening the lives of his family, and even employing ghosts to kidnap the boy. Then the day came when the Disasteroid threatened to destroy the planet. Masters, believing his powers would be able to destroy the hurtling asteroid, saw this as an opportunity to rule the world. Holding the safety and survival of Earth hostage, the world leaders agreed to Masters terms, and promised him supreme rule if he destroyed the asteroid.

Masters victory however, would be short-lived. The Disasteroid contained large amounts of a very rare and unique mineral, known as 'ecto-ranium', and unknown element with a specific radiation field that negates ghost powers. Realizing his mistake and believing Earth's survival would be a hopeless endeavor, Masters chose to leave Earth behind and enter a long, and shameful exile in space. It was here, on the darkest side of the Moon, Vlad Plasmius has lived in his ghost form, for six long years.

Vlad sighed as he entered the cave he had found hidden deep within one of the Moon's craters many years ago. The man had spent the last few years, exploring a network of tunnels and caves that crisscrossed under the surface of the celestial body, and discovering a secret government bunker that had been installed over the last forty years since the Moon Landing.

Setting his knapsack on a nearby table, the vampiric halfa grabbed a bottle of scotch and a glass tumbler before settling into a worn armchair with a deep sigh. Vlad poured himself a finger of the amber liquid and raised the glass to his lips, relishing the fire that travelled down his throat.

"I see your exile has been kind to you."

Vlad showed no reaction to the voice of the intruder, merely gazing into his glass of scotch with a stoic expression. "Come to finish the job?"

Clockwork faded into sight before taking a seat in an armchair opposite Vlad. "Not at all."

"Then why come?" Vlad shot back the rest of his drink before pouring another. He motioned towards the Time Master with the bottle in offering. Clockwork shook his head in polite refusal.

"I am here, because evil will threaten the life of someone we both care for."

Plasmius cocked an eyebrow, almost challengingly. "The only person I ever cared for was Maddie Fenton, and I am quite sure you do not care for her in the way I did."

The Time Master grimaced slightly, a notion that did not go unnoticed by Vlad. "Quite true. I have little care for people like Jack and Maddie Fenton." Clockwork fixed Vlad with a piercing stare, quite a feat considering the Time Master's eyes were all red with a lack of pupils. "The Fentons are not who I speak of, however. At least...not anymore. He has refused to take their name for three years now."

"He?" Vlad asked with no small amount of confusion. Then, like a switch being thrown, realization dawned on him. "Daniel? My Daniel?"

"The very same."

Vlad sipped on the amber liquid for a moment before speaking, his voice soft and full of regret. "How is he?"

"He is quite well," Clockwork replied, his voice just at quiet. "Admittedly, his first year in his new role was full of hardships and obstacles, but that was to be expected."

"His new role?" Vlad peered at the Time Master in confusion.

"Young Daniel has become our new King. The throne passed to him by right of conquest."

Vlad's brow shot to his hairline. "Daniel? King of the Ghost Zone?" A chuckle of disbelief escaped his lips, sharpened canines glinted in the low-light of the bunker.

Clockwork allowed an amused smirk on his stoic face before continuing. "Myself and the other Masters and the Observants had spent four years, arguing over the validity of Daniel's claim to the throne. It was finally agreed just before he reached the age of adulthood - when young Daniel could take to the throne in accordance to the ancient laws. Therefore, Daniel has been King of the Ghost Zone for the last three years."

The old halfa shot back the rest of his drink in a daze and poured himself another, only to shoot that one back as well. "And here I thought the boy would be nothing more than a small-town hero." Vlad muttered, and he appeared to age a few decades as the weight of his past actions seemed to take their toll on the old halfa. Vlad glanced up at the quiet and patient Time Master. "I never hated the boy, you know. I'll admit my methods could have been more...tactful. But it was never my intention to but the boy in any serious danger, merely to teach him. To train him."

Clockwork, of course, knew what the old halfa's motives for the young man were, but felt it best to hear it straight from the horse's mouth, as the expression goes. "I am curious about your methods. Why did you want to train Daniel?"

Vlad gazed into his glass for a moment to collect his thoughts before replying in a quiet and subdued voice. "When I had my lab accident I was terrified. I had no clue as to what was happening to me, why my arm would become intangible at random or why I would sink into the floor at the most inopportune moments. I had only a few old tomes detailing ectoplasmic entities, and my own will to train and learn to use my powers.

"When I learned that big oaf, Jack Fenton, had a son who had been in a lab accident, I took it upon myself to determine whether the boy had suffered the same fate as I." Vlad paused in his explanation, seemingly lost in thought. "I was shocked and enraged to find my suspicions were true, that Jack Fenton could be so moronic to allow something as dangerous as a Ghost Portal to remain unchecked while his adolescent son was left to his own devices.

"Daniel was wary of me, of course. Months of random ghost attacks would put anyone like he and I on edge. Again, I'll admit my methods were rather tactless, but the boy distrusted me, and I knew he would never abandon his family for me. So, I spent the next year, devising plans and enlisting the assistance of powerful ghosts to attack Daniel. With each encounter, I watched him develop his powers, I watched him grow stronger. When it was I who would conduct encounters with Daniel it was, so I could observe and record his progress...and I could not have been prouder." Clockwork knew Vlad's reasons, but to hear the words, and to see and feel the emotion behind them...it truly washed away any doubts the Master of Time had of the old halfa.

"Daniel never knew?"

Vlad snorted and shook his head. "No. I never told him my reasons. The boy would not have believed me anyway, and that is my fault." The old halfa glanced at Clockwork curiously. "How is Daniel? You mentioned he no longer takes the Fenton name."

Clockwork sighed, his form shifting to that of an old man, his face weary and solemn. "Daniel had a hard final year of school. After the Disasteroid incident, a man known as Freakshow returned once again and wielded the Reality Gauntlet. The controller of ghosts sought to take over the world but failed to realize a number of the Reality Gems had been damaged. The result was the altering of the minds of Amity Park, wiping away the knowledge of Daniel's identity as Phantom.

"In his senior year, Daniel finally decided to reveal his second identity to Jack and Maddie Fenton, believing they would be understanding and set aside their prejudices for the sake of their son. Sadly, they did not. The Fentons chased the boy from his home, essentially threatening Daniel with destruction should her ever return. The boy ventured into the Zone to find me, and to start constructing his own lair within the Ghost Zone." Clockwork smiled as he thought of the beautiful home Danny had built. "It is quite an extraordinary dwelling. However, for the sake of Time, I won't go into too much detail. Anyway, Daniel made his home in the Ghost Zone, learning of his appointment to the throne only a few weeks later. The days leading up to his coronation were quite eventful and wrought with challenges only Daniel would find himself in. Since then, he has discovered a daughter he never knew, and gained himself a girlfriend."

Vlad's jaw was threatening to fall to the floor if it dropped any lower. Clockwork had watched the old halfa as he spoke, identifying the emotions that flit across the pale blue face; anger, guilt, sadness, surprise, and amusement. "The boy finally had the fortitude to court the Manson girl?"

Clockwork smirked, knowing the bombshell he was about to drop on the old exile. "He did...for only a short while. Last I checked on him, he and Miss McLain were enjoying a lovely romantic dinner for two."

"The Rockstar?!" Vlad burst into hearty laughter, tears forming in his eyes. "That boy must be one hell of a man to handle the likes of Ember McLain. Even Skulker had a difficult time with the young woman." Clockwork chuckled quietly as the old halfa calmed down. Vlad regarded the Time Master once the tears of laughter cleared. "Forgive my forwardness, Clockwork, but why are you here?"

"I have come to ask for your help."

"My help?" Vlad furrowed his brow in confusion. "What are you up to that would require the help of a shameful exile, such as myself?"

Clockwork regarded the old halfa seriously. "Despite your misguided actions six years past, your motives for Daniel were paved with good intentions. You care for the boy, just as I do, regardless of how you went about to show it." The Time Master allowed his words to settle in before continuing. "I have seen glimpses of Daniel's future. A formidable foe will threaten the Ghost Zone and its people, but also Daniel's family. I would not be here if I did not think Daniel could take care of this threat on his own. He will require your help, and the help of his family to defeat this enemy."

Vlad quietly gazed out the triple reinforced glass window of the bunker into the starred blackness of space. When he spoke, his voice was quiet and betrayed no emotion. "I take it Daniel did not ask you to come here."

"Correct."

"What's to say he will not turn me away? I'm not sure if you've realized, but the boy isn't exactly my number one fan."

"It's true, Daniel has never fully trusted you," Clockwork mused. "However, I am giving you a chance to make amends, and right the wrongs. This is an opportunity to leave your self-appointed exile and ask forgiveness."

Vlad pondered the Time Master's words for several moments, he was eager to jump at the opportunity to return to Earth...but reluctant to as well. He would not be receiving warm greetings and happy smiles. Daniel would be sure to have him locked up, possibly thrown into The Pit. The old halfa shuddered at the thought. However, if someone was threatening the boy's life, Vlad would not would not stand idle. The old halfa was done playing the bad guy, done with pushing away the boy he had come to view as a son he never had.

Vlad met Clockworks gaze with a determination that pleased the ancient ghost. "I will go with you. From this moment on, I pledge my life to the protection of Daniel and to the service of the King of The Ghosts."

Clockwork nodded respectfully and allowed a small smile. "Then let us depart." The Time Master spun his staff making a large clock hand appear. The hand spun a full three-sixty to become a large, swirling blue portal. Halfa and Master stood simultaneously and ventured through the portal, side by side, to find and protect the young man they cared for dearly.

XXX

If you could see my face, I'd be smirking right now. Bet ya didn't see that one coming.

I've always thought that there was a reason behind Vlad taking such an interest in Danny's life, and I think my theory to be quite sound. If you rewatch the series, you'll find that Danny always seems to try and develop his powers with fervor after seeing Vlad perform them with ease. And really, if you think about it, Danny probably looks up to Vlad in a way. After all, Vlad has had his powers for at least a couple of decades longer than Danny, and therefore has much more control and mastery over them.

Anyway, yeah, a little backstory on our favorite ex-villain. I wonder what Danny's reaction to seeing his old nemesis will be? May your imagination run wild while I write chapter 3, *insert evil laugh here*.

Thank you, my beautiful readers!