Chapter 4: Quickening time

Danny's eyes slowly opened into the bright sunlight. He hissed for a moment and turned away, trying to block away the rays. His face dug into the large fluffy material below him, which was his blanket he had bought from the mall the day before.

"Danny?" Sam's head raised up from her pillow as she saw small movement from across the table. She adjusted her body so that her body was upright on the sofa, being able to see him more clearly. He moaned in response, not moving his head from his blanket. She smiled and went up to him, tapping his head softly, "Danny? I know you're awake. No hiding it."

He sighed and turned around again, looking up at her. He yawned loudly, "What is it?"

"Just wanted to see if you were awake," She whispered, knowing that Tucker was snoring loudly beside them.

Danny rubbed his eye, "You succeeded. Can I go back to sleep now?" She smiled and pushed his hair back.

"Sure thing," Sam replied back. She returned back to her 'bed' and closed her eyes softly. Failing to remember what she was dreaming about before she daydreamed about, she decided to try and go back to sleep. Guessing the sun's brightness, she guessed it was probably around 8 a.m.

Minutes passed until Tucker stretched in place and got up, looking at his friends. He noticed Danny's small figure in the large blanket and Sam lying there in a position as she had woken up already.

"Sam?" He barely whispered. She raised her head in annoyance and shook her head. She lied it back down, trying to hide the little whispers of his voice.

"SAM!" Tucker whispered louder.

"What?" Sam's voice sounded high, trying not to alert their sleeping friend. He gave a smirk towards her and stood up, moving towards his best friend's sleeping form. He looked over his body and peered at his peaceful face, which was rubbed into his blanket.

"Aww. Look at Danny," Tucker said over his shoulder. Sam's face wrinkled in annoyance and leaned her head back onto the pillow. "He looks all peaceful and cute." Sam jumped up and frowned at the leaning geek.

"So you're calling him a girl?" Tucker shook his head.

"I meant that he looks...you know what never mind. You won't understand," He replied.

Sam's eyes narrowed, "Understand what?"

"Geez, can't a guy get some sleep? Plus I'm already in pain," A tired voice interrupted. Both teens looked upon their friend who was staring up at them. "You're so loud. Go fight in another room."

For a moment, no one moved until they all burst out laughing. After all the laughter, Danny smiled, "Seriously though. I'm in pain. So if you guys can please stop acting like kids, I would like to have a nap."

"FINISHED!" A scream was heard around the mansion. Each of them looked at each other and smiled, saying one word, "Vlad."

After connecting the final wire to the machine, it's lights blinked to life, alerting the man that he had succeeded. He grinned and screamed 'Finished' in excitement, probably alerting his temporary residents. He pushed himself up with his knees and sat down on his black rolling chair, giving a sigh of relief. After working on this contraption for 2 days it was finally complete and ready for testing. But of course he would have to have a safety test, to make sure everything was working properly before giving it a go on Daniel.

Soft footsteps were heard near the stairs and 2 teens carefully dragged Daniel in, who was limping and had his arms around their necks. He stumbled a few times before finally feeling the bottom floor of the lab. They walked him carefully to a dark green chair in the corner and set him down so that he wasn't standing if he fell. His body rolled back into the chair and he gave a weak smile to the billionaire.

"How is it?" Danny rasped, not able to speak correctly to the man.

He nodded, noticing the boy's deep voice, "Perfect. I've completed it and soon it will be ready for testing."

"Really?" Danny's eyes widened, making him feel excited yet scared. He was afraid of using that machine, since it had a chance of killing him immediately.

Vlad patted his forehead a handkerchief from his jacket, "Don't worry Daniel. I promise for nothing to hurt you. I will do a pretest before testing it on you. Nothing will kill you. That I swear."

Tears slipped down Danny's face as he realized this was true. The tone of the man's voice was so promising he knew it couldn't be a lie. He jumped up from his chair and hugged Vlad's lower torso tightly, giving the surprised man no warning. He yelped out at first from this touch but relaxed as what it meant.

A wave of warmth fell down the man's heart as he understood what was happening. He had finally gained something that he was working for so long...Daniel's trust and love. He knew he couldn't use it for personal gain...he had to use Daniel's trust for good, since there was something terrible on the line. Daniel's life. Vlad knew it wasn't his ordinary chess game, where he could manipulate everything as he pleased...but a game where the pieces could change every little variable he took hold of. This wasn't a game anymore. It was real.

The man wrapped his hands around the little boy giving him reassurance, "Don't worry. I'll protect you, little badger."

Suddenly a cry was heard from in front of him and he could only feel the boy put his head deeper into his chest. Dark green goo puddled around the halfa's feet, making his body liquidity. He felt the boy melt slightly in his hands, making him worry.

"Daniel?" He whispered, afraid to look down.

Another cry was heard and then a scream. Vlad looked down at him and saw his little features melt away slowly.

"Vlad! I...Help me! I need help!" Danny screamed, his fingers digging into the man's suit. Vlad's eyes widened as he pointed to a large metal freezer, "Go inside and retrieve me a vile labeled 483-DB. Go now!" The teens rushed to the direction of where he pointed, yanking open the door and entering inside.

He looked down to the teens in his hands and dropped him slowly, leaning him on the floor in his ectoplasm, "Daniel. Hold on. We're getting you help. Just hold on." Danny tried to nod but couldn't as his body jerked unevenly in all directions on the floor. His teeth were bit together hard and his knuckled white as paper. His lungs couldn't suck up air, since it felt like there was something blocking his throat from receiving the fresh oxygen.

"Hurry!" Vlad hollered to the teens. After a few moments, they rushed out holding the liquid vile. Vlad immediately grabbed it and pierced the screaming boy in front of him with it.

Soon Danny's screams settled down to little cries and sobs of pain. He wrapped his hands around his knees, desperate for the pain to end. The goo returned back to its place, making his body full and firm again. His hands though, never left his side. The cold floor of the lab gave his some comfort, since he was attached to cold. His core relaxed, finally able to make Danny's lungs fill with air. He took a couple gasps of breath before collapsing all together.

The group of people around the unconscious boy had their eyes widened at the sight, making them clueless on what to do. Tucker glanced at Vlad and Sam, "What do we do now?"

"We must let him rest," Vlad replied solemnly, "He's been in to much pain. I'm not sure when he'll wake up. Could be minutes or days. But I must test the machine to make sure it is correct. From there we can procede...until Daniel wakes up."

They nodded but watched their friend, who's chest rose unevenly and quickly. Vlad approached him and hoisted him up, carrying him like a child. Danny's head leaned back on the man's arm from gravity, but it didn't cause him to jerk. His arms hung limp by his sides and legs swaying with the billionaire's footsteps.

Vlad slowly walked up the stairs into his 'private' study and into the hallway, towards his living room. Danny was still motionless, as if he was already dead. His face was pale white, not showing any signs of returning back to their usual tan hue.

Finally they arrived at the large room. Vlad quickly set down Danny, wrapping him up in his large blanket and sitting beside him on the couch. He couldn't help but want to suffer with the boy. He was suffering from this pain by himself. He wanted with all his heart for the boy to live. It wasn't his fault that he had gotten ghost powers, was it?

Danny's breathing settled into even slow breaths. His hands gripped the blanket tightly before letting go. His scrunched up face soon relaxed and became peaceful in front of all of them.

Sam put a hand to his cheek and felt tears fall down her cheeks. Any day he could die...and she could lose him. Her eyes were stung with tiredness and stress. She didn't want to sleep at all, incase there was a risk or sign of him dying. She wanted to watch him to make sure he was always okay.

"I must go. If anything happens, and I mean anything, call me immediately. Theres always a chance I'm wrong and that he could die. He's getting closer to permanently melting," Vlad interrupted. Both teens looked up at the man, their eyes full of dullness, "I don't want to see him dying...it would hurt me."

Sam nodded and fingered the young hybrid's hair. She desperately wanted to take Danny place from dying. He saved so many people...and this is what he got? He was slowly dying in front of everyone. The people he saved, the people he loved, the people he cared about, the people that looked up to him. It's just a dream, She kept thinking to herself. She wanted to believe that...but knew it wasn't going to happen.

Vlad's soft footsteps slowly walked away from the trio and back down the hall.

The only sounds left where the sounds of the grandfather clock ticking back and forth, reminding everyone that time was slowly coming to a end for a life.

"Mom?" Jazz called into the kitchen. Her mother mumbled 'Mmmhh?' telling her, her location. She walked into the kitchen with a worried expression. "Where's Danny?"

"Tucker's house. Why?" Maddie asked her daughter, taking her attention off the bowl of cookie dough in her hands.

"The Foley's called asking about Tucker. They thought he was here. The Manson's did the same too. So where's Danny?" Jazz explained quickly. The older woman froze, her eyes widening.

"I...I don't know," She whispered back. She set down her cooking material and darted to the closest phone, which was the living room phone. She picked it up and dialed the Foley's number, hoping it wasn't a lie.

"Hello, Foley residence," A muffled voice said.

"Is Danny there?" She said, wishing it wasn't a lie.

"No. He never came here. Tucker said he was over there," Maddie's heart fell as she gave a thanks and hung up the phone. She looked back at her worried daughter and felt her eyes water.

She looked away slowly and looked at the picture of Danny when he was 5, hugging her. More tears fell until she felt arms wrap around her.

"Don't worry. We'll find him," Maddie nodded and felt her fingers clutch the fabric on her jumpsuit. She couldn't handle the pressure of losing him...not her baby boy.

Danny's eyes slowly opened, giving him slight shivers. He scanned the room, noticing he was in the living room and on his 'bed'. His body was completely sore, from head to toe, making him unable to move. He didn't have the energy to rotate his head, since his head was throbbing in pain.

His eyes glanced at the the two teens lying on on the loveseat across from him, their heads staring at the ceiling. He gave a small smile before feeling a sick feeling in his stomach. Before he could guess, he jumped up from the couch and vomited in the bowl beside him.

A large cough caught both teens off guard, making them jump up in surprise and glance over at the sick boy.

Danny's eyes were shut tight and his mouth was breathing in air. His hand clutched his chest, where she guessed was where his heart was. His dull lifeless eyes opened and looked at the teens. His smile tried to reassure them he was fine but they knew he was just trying to make them feel better.

His eyes looked down at the blood and ectoplasm and felt more empty inside him. He felt light-headed since he was losing a lot of blood from vomiting a lot but he still kept strong for them.

Danny soon felt something tug at his heart...his parents. They must be worried sick because of him. His mind slowed thinking what his parents would think of someone telling him that he had died. He had to tell them his secret. His life depended on it. This could be the last time he saw them...

"Sam," Danny croaked out.

She was immediately beside him, ready to tend to whatever he desired. His blank eyes looked through her violet eyes, as if looking through her soul. He put a hand to hers and smiled, "I need to tell them."

Sam already knew what he meant. She too had been thinking about telling his parents what was happening to him. But it wasn't hers to tell. It was his.

"Are you sure about this?" Sam asked looking at him. He nodded and looked down back at the bloody bowl. He put his head back into the pillow and closed his eyes.

"I need to see them. Tell Vlad to call them. I have to see them...all off them. I don't care if they do or don't accept me. I need to see them one last time," Danny whispered. He truly did have to see them. He didn't want to see them in pain because of him. They didn't deserve that.

She nodded, "I'll tell Vlad that. I'm sure he'll do it."

A single tear slipped down his face as he turned around to face the cushions instead of his girlfriend. He threw the blanket around his head, wishing it for everything to be normal again. He hated this pain. This unimaginable pain to disappear from his life and body.

"Be right back," She whispered, getting up and turning away from him.

He didn't respond back.

Sam walked away from the couch, which held her best friend, boyfriend and soul mate.

Tucker watched as Danny slipped back into a pained sleep. His breathing was ragged but normal for him...or the now him. No hacks, or screams told him that he was fine.

His eyes darted to the bucket and for the first time felt sorry for ever coming into Danny's life. If he or Sam weren't in his life, he could never be like this; sick and dying. It was his and Sam's foolishment that made him like this. Why would he have to pay the price for their mistakes?

A small whimper alerted Tucker and made him jump up and look at him. False alarm, Tucker thought.

His eyes roamed his friend's skin, noticing his thinness. He had been eating every meal, Sam and Tucker had given him but he kept showing how thin he was. He was losing more weight than gaining it. You could see his pale skin and bones showing through his skin. His face was thinner, able to see his cheekbones.

Could Danny not eat? Or was he not getting enough? Those questions kept popping into his mind giving him a headache. He wanted this to be resolved already.

His eyes closed but his mind didn't, incase Danny ever needed help.

"Vlad?" Sam called into the lab. The smells of alcohol and cleaning supplies tainted the room, making it slightly odor. She walked in further into the lab until she had found the working body of the billionaire

Vlad looked up from his work to the teen up the stairs. He jumped up and stretched, walking over to the teen, "What is it? What happened to Daniel?"

Sam smiled, "Nothing's wrong with him now. But there is a problem. Danny wants to see his parents."

He frowned for a second but allowed the teen to continue, "He wants to see them one last time, incase he doesn't make it. And he wants to tell them. I'm sure they'll accept him."

Vlad's eyes looked at her for a second before nodding, "Very well. They may come. I won't reject Daniel's decision...since it's probably his last one. But I will not hesitate to kick them out if they cause a disturbance to him or try and attack."

She eagerly nodded before adding, "He also wants you to call them. Would you do that?"

He sighed and nodded, "Very well. I shall call them. You may scurry back to Daniel. Come back if anything happens," She gave a nod and rushed up the stairs, back to the living room.

Vlad shook his head and picked up his cell phone from the work table. He dialed the Fenton's number and put it to his ear. A few rings later he heard a familiar sweet voice.

"Hello?" The voice sounded like it was crying moments ago but wiped it away, able to talk correctly.

"Maddie? This is urgent. Daniel's with me and-"

"He's with you?" Maddie interrupted. She felt releaved to hear that her baby boy was fine in a college friend's house. She held the phone tightly, her fingers not daring to release the phone.

"Yes. He's with me," Vlad continued, not caring about the interruption, "But he needs you to come over here. It's urgent."

"Urgent? Is he injured? He was already injured but is he hurt worse now?" She asked quickly. Her temple began to sweat as her face paled.

He shook his head, "He's not necessarily injured. But he hurt. I need you to come here immediately. Bring your whole family if you would. It's important."

Silence was heard for a few seconds before a firm voice spoke back, "I'll be there in 15 min."

The connection was soon ended, making Vlad set the phone down on the counter. He put a hand to his forehead and shook his head, "Here goes."

He marched up the stairs into his study and then into the hallway, to see the teens. Soon he arrived in the room seeing that the trio of teens were where he expected. He sat down on the loveseat beside Sam and she looked over at him, "He threw up again while before we were talking."

Vlad glanced over at the bowl of colored contents, making him sick. He looked away and nodded, "It's going to happen. He can't hold much nutrients inside of him."

Sam looked over at the skinny version of her best friend, finding another question push up to the surface, "Why is he so thin?"

"He's losing a lot of blood and ectoplasm. Not only that but he's not trying to eat. Sure he eats but his body isn't allowing it. So he vomits," Vlad replied softly. He looked down at his hands and sighed, "Why did this have to happen to him? He's an innocent boy."

"He sure is," Tucker agreed quietly.

A groan was heard from where they were looking at and as if not a surprise, Danny leaned to the bowl and once again threw up. This time blood and ectoplasm mixed with food contents, making him paler. He coughed and leaned back in pain, opening an eye and looking over at the 3 people staring at him.

"Hi guys," He managed a smile and placed a hand on his stomach.

"Daniel, you're family is coming soon. I need you to stay awake and not try and show how weak you are. I don't want them to worry to much. Okay?" He nodded back at the billionaire.

"Okay. Thanks," Danny replied. His head leaned back on the couch, making him feel a bit better in his stomach. While he was doing that, Tucker had taken the bucket away and threw away its contents and Sam and Vlad had adjusted the blanket so that it covered his body wholly and made him comfortable. They all returned back to their seats, ready to see the Fenton Family arrive.

"Guys?" Maddie called to her daughter and husband, who were beside her in an instant. Looking outside, she sighed, "Come on. We're heading to Mayor Masters's mansion. He has Danny...and its not good news."

Both had a look of worry on their faces and they quickly dashed into the RV. Jack turned the engine on and reversed the car backwards into the street. He drove as fast as possible to his college buddie's house wanting to know what had happen to his son. On the way, he had caused some traffic problems and broke some house and street property but he didn't give any concern. He needed to see his son.

Everyone had their eyes on the street, looking for the familiar large mansion in the distance. Finally spotting it, Jazz pointed and yelled out, "There's the mansion!"

Jack stepped on the brakes so fast that the trio of people almost where smashed forward. They all caught themselves in time, taking a breath of relief.

Jumping out of the RV, they rushed up to the steps of the mansion and ringed the door bell. The repeated bell sound echoed around them and the door swiftly opened, showing a messy working Vlad. His hair was out of place and frizzing all over the place and his eyes were red from tiredness.

"Vladdie! Are you okay?" Jack asked, worry spreading over his face.

Vlad looked down and closed his eyes, "I have a major problem that I cannot solve by myself. I need you and Maddie's help."

"What is it? Why does it concern our boy?" Maddie asked, her eyes narrowed.

"Come inside, if you would. I'll explain," Vlad motioned them in his home, guiding them towards the room that was being occupied. The family gasped as they saw their boy, pale and lifeless and wrapped up in blankets, sitting on a large couch. His friends were sitting beside him, looking at them with worry.

"Danny!" Maddie screamed, running over to his side. She placed a hand up to his forehead to feel little heat return back to her hand. She turned to Vlad, an angered expression replacing her concerned one, "What did you do to him?"

Vlad's eyes glanced over at Danny then at her, "I didn't do anything, my dear. But it's what one of your inventions have caused him to suffer."

Her eyes widened, "Invention?"

He nodded, "Invention. Your ghost portal. But how about I let Daniel explain that?"

Danny's eyes opened a little and he smiled as he saw his family, "Hi guys. I missed you."

"Explain now," Maddie ordered to her son. Her family sat down in their seats watching the trio of teens carefully.

Sam looked over at her boyfriend and sighed, "I'll explain since I think Danny can't. He was electrocuted one day in your lab. He showed us the portal, which didn't work at that time, so me and Tucker encouraged him to go inside and check it out. When he did, he accidentally clicked a button and was...electrocuted."

"Do you know Danny Phantom? The ghost you keep talking about destroying? Well...that's your son," Tucker continued, looking over at Danny, "Dude..can you do us a little favor? Change to ghost form?"

His eyes looked over at them for a second before nodding. He used as must energy as he could muster, summoning the white rings and changing him into Phantom. His eyes were a dull green, looking over at his Mom and Dad's expressions.

Their eyes teared for a second before yelling out brief apologies. But before Danny could reply his stomach churned and he moved forward ready to vomit again.

Sam moved the bucket beside him, glancing as he hacked and coughed inside the bucket. Blood poured out of his mouth for a couple of seconds before he fell back on the seat, his forehead wrinkled up from exhaustion.

Maddie looked over at Vlad, "What's wrong with him? I need to know. I'll help in any way I can. Just tell me what's wrong."

Vlad looked ahead at the sick version of the boy he cared about, "He's suffering from Melticeis."

She froze and looked at her son, who was breathing heavily and quietly beside his friends. Her eyes didn't leave Danny's pale thin face and she could help but scream to herself inside. She looked over to Vlad, the man she used to go to college with, the man she always thought was a deep but true friend. Even though he was slightly creepy through out a few months, he still had a heart. A heart to save her only son from this fatal disease.

"What have you done to help him?" Maddie asked.

Vlad had to name all of the things he had done, one because she wanted to help him too and she needed the facts and two because there was a life on the line. He thought of all the things he had done for Daniel naming them quickly, "He's attracted to ice and I've been running low on ice bags, the temperature here is lower for Daniel's core," She soon felt the cold sensation enter her jumpsuit and prick her skin from the full blast A/C, "I've been recently creating a machine to stabilize Daniel's natural energy levels. There we can elimate some extra unneeded energy so that he's back into normal range again."

"Really?" Jack exclaimed, his face lightening up, "When is it ready for him?"

He shook his head, "Not yet. I need to run a pretest so that I know if there are any mistakes in the machine. I had to work in a 2 day period. I could have forgotten something."

"Vlad?" Sam called to him. The billionaire walked over to the teens and put a hand to Danny's cheek. The warmth was disappearing slowly. His time was ending earlier than he had anticipated.

"Oh...my," He turned to her with wide eyes, "He doesn't have much time. My predicted time, Wednesday, has been wrong. His life essence is ending quicker than I can work. It's probably been moved to Monday. Tuesday the latest."

"But...but thats tomorrow. We can't work that fast!" Maddie exclaimed.

Vlad nodded and sighed, "To fast for us. But we must try," He turned to the teens, "Order some ice. They'll bring it to you immediately," He turned back to the Fenton's, "Come. We need to work quickly. Don't worry about your son. If anything happens, Samantha and Tucker will come to us."

They nodded and rushed after the white haired man, walking back into the hallway and into his private study.

"Guys..," Danny whispered. He caught the attention of everyone, Sam, Tucker and Jazz, who were gazing over at him, "I don't feel so good. I...feel...like I'm...f-flying. Is that...bad?" They remained silent, "If...I die today...I j-just want to...say...I love...you...guys alot."

Everyone had tears coming from their eyes slowly, not wanting this moment to end but if as on cue, Danny fell unconscious in the large space blanket.

Their eyes dropped to the floor, wishing, just wishing to know why he deserved this. They soon separated, their eyes never leaving Danny's form.

R&R please ;)