WoM- 'Face vault' Man, the response for this story was phenomenal! And only one chapter, too… I guess everybody's interested in seeing how ol Vladdy fairs as a Daddy! I've upped the rating, due to the character death last chapter (And yes; Jack is in fact dead. Please don't yell at me for it! I love his character, believe me, but it had to be done for this story's sake!) Unfortunately lost the ability to send e-mail to anyone, so this chapter wasn't beta-ed. Thanks for being so patent with waiting for me to get back to this one!
…And do I want to know why half of my reviewers were feeding me cookies? O.o;
"Families with babies and families without babies are sorry for each other."
-Edgar Watson Howe
Adjusting
He's so… tiny.
Vlad couldn't help but stare at the infant asleep in his arms as he flew towards his mansion. Night was starting to settle around them, since Vlad was hesitant to fly too fast with the new load he was bringing back home with him. Still, there was enough light to see easily, even without the way his night vision was vastly improved since his accident. No doubt owing to the fact that ghosts often did most of their haunting in the cover of darkness.
Will the same happen with him? Vlad wondered, glancing back down at the baby as he cooed softly in his sleep, going intangible for a moment. Luckily Vlad was prepared for such since it'd happened four or five time before, and was able to keep a firm hold on little Daniel in spite of it.
Smiling down at Daniel, a million different questions ran through Vlad's head as he began plotting out a story for his staff. What kind of powers would the baby he held grow up to have? How would the age factor make his life different then the one Vlad had lived? When should the billionaire start teaching the boy to control the power they shared…?
One thing at a time. Vlad reminded himself, focusing on the task at hand as he landed on the ground. First, he had to deal with getting Daniel settled in, not to mention his staff…
"Boss!"
Speak of the devil… sighing slightly to himself, Vlad dismissed his ghost form as he walked into the house, wincing when Skulker's cry had Daniel shifting slightly in his sleep. Thankfully, though, the infant only gathered a loose fistful of Vlad's suit in his hands before snuggling into his arm and drifting back to his peaceful slumbers. Shooting the hunter an agitated frown, Vlad started up the stairs that would lead him to the master bedroom.
"Not so loud, Skulker!" he said, agitation clear in his tone as the ghostly hunter followed him, looking both frantic and overwhelmed at the same time.
"You've been missing all day!" he accused the billionaire in an annoyed sort of way, matching Vlad's pace as he continued up the stairs. "Did you forget Walker was coming today to meet with you about the upgraded ghost-proof jail cells that Technus' is supposed to complete in a month? He left three hours ago, since you were nowhere to be found! And I've been looking for you, too! I wanted to ask about that new chemical compound that's supposed to… to…" the ghost trailed off when his attention fell on the sleeping bundle in his employer's arms, his eyes widening to the size of saucers and his mechanical jaw going slack. "What on Earth is THAT?"
"A baby, Skulker." Vlad answered, rolling his eyes. "I believe you've encountered such creatures before?" Skulker started a little at that, looking even more flustered then before, and far more confused.
Out of all his ghost employees, Vlad tended to put the most faith in Skulker, who was easily his right hand man. When Vlad needed something done, he could usually count on the ghost hunter to get it done right.
…Usually.
At the same time, though, Skulker had a nasty habit of allowing personal vendettas to cloud his judgment, something that often resulted in more headaches then the billionaire cared to handle. Still, Skulker was a loyal, and admittedly good at his job.
"Of course I know what an infant is!" Skulker said, looking slightly insulted. "What I don't understand is why you have one!"
"Because," the half ghost answered in a frank tone. "he is my son." Skulker stopped at that, gaping at Vlad like a of fish out of water.
"Your… son?" he repeated after a long silence, blinking a few times in a dazed sort of way. It had never occurred to him that Vlad had a personal life, much less a family. "You have a— but when did you—?"
"He's four months old now." Vlad told the hunter, pointedly ignoring his questions. "His mother recently died after a bout with cancer, and as she had no family or close relations upon her death, I am the boy's sole guardian." Skulker blinked a few times, obviously trying to come to terms with this.
"And you believed her?" He asked incredulously after a while "Uh, boss? Did it ever occur to you that this woman might just be trying to stick her son with the richest man she'd ever been with? How do you know—?" the rest of Skulker's sentence died on his tongue when Daniel went invisible for a moment before flickering back into sight. "…Oh."
"Indeed." Vlad couldn't contain his amusement at his employee's reaction. "Apparently, my powers are quite genetic, the reason Daniel's poor mother was forced to break contact with everyone she knew after he was born." The story was flawless. There was nothing for anyone to question about it, since the boy's powers spoke for themselves and left others with a mistaken impression Vlad was in no hurry to correct.
"I see…" Skulker murmured, nodding thoughtfully. "So, what are you going to do with him?"
"What do you think?" Vlad asked scornfully. "He is my son. Do you honestly expect me to abandon my own flesh and blood?"
"No! Of course not!" Skulker answered immediately, not wanting to upset his employer any more then he already had "I merely wondered since you do not seem to have any of his possessions." Vlad blinked at him blankly at that.
"What?" he responded, bewilderment clear in his tone. Skulker shifted awkwardly from one foot to another.
"His… erm… possessions." he repeated uncertainly. "I was under the impression that it was necessary for human infants to have certain possessions to aid in their care, until they were old enough to fend for themselves." Vlad flinched, finally getting the message. Diapers, bottles, baby food… He'd forgot about those things entirely when he had brought Daniel in…
No matter. He reassured himself, passing the baby to Skulker who stared at him with a stupefied expression. This is a situation that is easily remedied…
"Yes, well we're going to have to fix that now, I supposed." He said out loud, heading to the door. "Watch Daniel for me while I'm away. Hopefully, I'll be back soon with all the necessary items."
"M-me?" Skulker said, staring at the baby he was now holding at an arms length with wide eyes. "I don't know anything about children!"
"Then learn!" Vlad snapped, obviously close to losing his patience. "I'm going to have to take the car to carry everything, and I can't bring Daniel with me since I don't have a baby seat! If you need to, get the vultures or Technus to help you. I'm sure that between the five of you, at least one will know how to keep Daniel alive in the time it will take me to shop for baby supplies!"
I hope. Vlad added dryly to himself as he turned yet again to leave.
"B-but I—!" Skulker's panicked protest when unheeded as Vlad left, slamming the door behind them. Wincing, Skulker looked at Daniel again and groaned slightly. "This is going to end badly…"
"His son?"
Skulker grunted in confirmation, his eyes narrowed in concentration on the cards in his hands as the three vultures all gaped at the infant asleep in a large pile of blankets on the floor next to them.
After Vlad had left him in charge of watching the baby, Skulker decided to take advantage of the fact that the child was still asleep, building him a makeshift bed in the break room before challenging the Vultures to a card game.
Needless to say, though, the vultures found the infant's presence to be very peculiar considering the usual lack of children in the Master's household, so they eventually got around to questioning Skulker about it.
"Hard to believe, isn't it? Got any threes?"
"You're telling me…" the vulture said, shaking his head in wonder. "Vat happened to the redhead he was so obsessed vith? And go fish."
"Got me. Last I heard, he was trying to find out where she got to after they parted ways in college." Skulker griped as he drew a card.
"Yeah, vell it all sounds nuts to me!" the bird accused dramatically, almost losing his fez in his excitement. "Vat if he just make the kid in one of his experiment, huh? You got and eights?" Grumbling slightly, the vulture to his left handed over two cards.
"I doubt that…" Skulker insisted, frowning thoughtfully. "Something like that is far too advance for the current scientific enhancements, both in the Ghost Zone and here in the Human World."
"Then vat do you think, huh? Got any Kings?"
"Go fish." The vulture to his right squawked.
"He could be telling the truth, you know…" Skulker pointed out dryly as the bird drew his card.
"Does it matter?" The other vulture griped. "The only think I need to know is vat the heck ve're supposed to do vith the lil upstart, huh?"
"As long as he stays asleep, we shouldn't have to do anything." The hunter sighed. "So if we avoid making loud noises, there shouldn't be any difficulties and Plasmius can take over when he gets back."
"So ve just let the kid snooze?" The vulture clarified. "That doesn't sound so hard…"
"Indeed." Skulker nodded his agreement. "Though I still think it's ridiculous that I have to watch him in the first place. I'm the greatest hunter in the Ghost Zone, not a child's nanny!"
"Hey, at least the outfit suits ya." One of the vultures snickered, earning loud guffaws from the other two ghost birds as Skulker glared daggers at him.
"Keep it down!" he snapped, glancing attentively at the baby as he cooed and shifted in his sleep. "If any of you wake that child up, so help me…"
"AH-HA!" Technus said loudly as he flew into the room. "At last! I, Technus, Master of All Things Scientific, have increased the output of the castle's ghost shield!" Skulker had just enough time to groan and bury his head in his hands before Danny woke up and immediately began wailing his lungs out. "Eh? Who's he?"
Why me? Skulker wondered miserably. What did I do to deserve this torment…?
"Whaaaaa! Whaaaaa! Whaaaaa! Whaaaaa!"
"Is somebody gonna shut him up?" Glowering at the baby as he and his comrades held their wings over their ears to block the noise, the vulture waited impatiently for a response from someone.
"What do you think we're trying to do, huh?" Technus snapped back, trying desperately to silence the baby.
"Perhaps if we tried a different method?" Skulker offered desperately. "I still have those ectoplasmic tranquilizers. If we shoot him with one of those…"
"I don't think the boss vould like that very much…" the vulture said dryly.
"Well then what do you think we should do?" Skulker countered.
"Maybe he's just hungry?" One of the other birds piped up.
"An excellent suggestion!" Technus exclaimed loudly. "I, Technus, propose that we fetch the half ghost child one of my special home cooked meals!"
"I think my tranquilizers are the more humane option…" Skulker responded dryly.
"What do you mean by that?" Technus demanded, glaring I Skulker. "I'm an excellent chef! Remember my bread rolls for the big Ghost Zone bake sale last year?"
"I remember chipping three teeth on one of them." Skulker countered with a smirk, crossing his arms as Technus scowled in annoyance.
"Vat do babies eat, anyvays?" One of the vultures asked his companion as Skulker and Technus continued to bicker over the master of technologies' culinary skills, toning them out to concentrate on the problem at hand.
"You think I know?" The other bird snorted disdainfully, rubbing his temples. The yelling combined with Danny's crying was giving him a headache, not helped by the fact that both were getting louder. "Baby stuff!"
"I think they need milk…" The third vulture said, rubbing his beak thoughtfully with his wing.
"Good enough for me!" Taking flight, one of the vultures took hold of Danny and the three fazed through the floor as one, leaving behind Skulker and Technus, too deep in their argument to even notice their absence.
"Here kid, drink up!" Danny stopped crying long enough to blink in surprise as one of the vultures slammed a glass of milk in front of him before her started up yet again.
"Nincompoop!" another vulture yelled, twapping him soundly over the head. "Babies need those veird bottle thingies, remember?" before the first vulture could defend himself, all three birds were silence by a giggle from the baby.
"Vat's he laughing at?" One of the vulture's asked his companions.
"Search me." A second vulture mumbled. "Anyvay, let's find something to make the brat a bottle vith…"
"Vat about this?" one of the vultures suggested, holding up a latex glove. When his companions started giving him strange looks, he went on the defensive. "I found it in the lab and forgot about it, okay?"
"looks clean enough…" Another vultures said thoughtfully as he inspected it. "Don't think anybody's vorn it, so it should be good."
"Vorks for me!" Grabbing the glove from his companion, the vulture poured the milk out of the glass and into the glove, trying it at the top and then using a pair of scissors to cut a small hole in the thumb. "Here kid, enjoy!"
Gurgling happily, Danny accepted the makeshift bottle and started sucking away, much to the relief of all three vultures.
"That oughta keep him happy until the boss gets back…" yawning slightly, the vulture slumped against the counter. "I feel like I haven't slept in a month…"
"No kidding." His companion griped sourly, joining him. "This babysitting thing's no joke!" the third vulture flopped over on the other side of him without a word, and the three of them were out cold before Danny finished his bottle…
"I'm telling you, even the Lunch Lady thinks I'm a master chef!"
"I'll believe that when I see it…"
"Aw, what do you know, anyways? The only thing you're good for is shooting people! And that only because of your dumb armor!"
"Yeah, well this 'dumb armor,' can destroy your simpering hide in two minutes!"
"Time and place, buddy!" Skulker was about to respond when something finally can to his attention…
"Where's the baby?"
"Oh yeah? Well I— eh?" Technus blinked a few times in confusion. "Baby? What baby?"
"The boss's baby you fool!" Skulker hissed, digging through the blankets, "He was just here a second ago!"
"Oh, that baby…" Technus frowned thoughtfully for a moment. "Wait a second, those birds are gone, too!" Stopping, Skulker growled in annoyance as he straightened up, storming out of the room at a brisk pace.
"Annoying pests…" he said irritably. "I turn my back for one second and they take off with the baby!"
"So?" Technus asked, not sounding all that concerned. "Let them handle the brat, then!"
"And get him killed?" Skulker asked incredulously. "Do you know what the boss would do to us?" Technus flinched at that.
"Good point…" Rolling his eyes, Skulker entered the kitchen and scowled at the sight of the sleeping vultures and the baby in the middle of the floor by himself, unattended.
"Get up you fools!" He yelled, making all three vultures scream and fly straight up into the air and smash into each other. Danny giggled at the sight as Skulker sighed and awkwardly picked him up.
"Vat?" one of the vultures asked in annoyance "Can't a bird get a little shut eye around here?"
"Not when he's supposed to be watching a child!" Skulker pointed out irritably. "If you're going to try and take care of him on your own, can't you at least do it right?"
"Hey, ve're doing a heck of a lot better then you knuckleheads!" the vulture defended himself. "See? Ve even fed the stinkin' kid!"
"And then you fell asleep." Skulker scowled as Danny disappeared for a moment before flashing back into view. "Do you have any idea what— Wait… what's that smell?" As one, five sets of eyes widened on Danny, who blinked back innocently.
"Not it!" One of the vultures yelled, the three birds making tracks as quickly as possible. Technus was on their heels before Skulker could raise a protest, and the hunter was left scowling after all of them before growling and giving Danny a glare, his irritation growing when the baby only laughed.
"This was not in my contract…"
WoM- Sorry about the lack of Vlad here. I'm having family issues right now, so writing this is a little harder for me then it should be. He makes a reappearance next chapter, don't worry. Thanks again for all the positive reviews!
Thanks to;
Phantom of a Rose, ..., Esme Kali PhantomHYPERLINK "/u/1027738/", LKILLERGRIM23, Shimegami-chan, Invader Johnny, conan98002, KatrinaKaiba, Celestial Moonshine, Crazy Billie Joe Loving Freak, Gamma Jack Plasmius, TJ, Bongdaba, Firehedgehog, Sparky the Wonder Weasel, Anomaly25, Firefury, epobbp, sanseui-kitty, KatanaSisters, Queen S of Randomness 016, Anne Camp aka Obi-quiet, dArkliTe-sPirit, Cold-heart-Angel23, animegurl088, Ohka Breynekai, ying yang, Kikyo's killer, kdm13, Jimmy the Gothic Egg, Neo Yi, Gmasangel, Inumaru12, Treska SilverFlame, Crossover Fiend, SevenStar, definenormalAB, digidestened7, Madame Band Geek, dfd, SL83, goggle head girl, Baka Hanyou Rahvin, Tetsukon, Lumias, fish n chips n vinegar, Balkoth, satsu, Linkmaste, Samantha-Girl Scout, KelseyAlicia, Following Padfoot's Pawprints, Vera, Nolay, Tamiara, dPhantoMfreak, Soultail Omega-Light, BJA Fan, halfachic, Serena the Hikari of Love, ichigogirl2, Miss Selarne, Kazzy103, BarnOwl93, katiesparks, Kute Anime Kitty, Sakurako Minase, Eto, KHFREAK14, Terra89, gabriella phantom, yuuki, Myst4drgn, DPRRluvJ13, Shewhodanceswithdragons