*Note: Re-edited version is up!*

Woot, chapter four!

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Gaping openly at the unexpected car, the last thing the boy expected to hear fell from the elderly man's lips.

"Daniel? What are you doing all the way out here?" He stumbled back a few paces, not quite sure where this man fit into his missing life. Meaningless sounds tumbled from his mouth as he vaguely tried to throw his thoughts into order. He knows me? Who is he? My name really is Danny? So –wait, why…who...I think I know him, but I can't figure out anything! Something about him is vaguely familiar, but I'm not sure…

Snapping his mouth shut, he looked closer at the man peering expectantly at him from the car, confusion occasionally flickering through his carefully placed expression. Deciding the man seemed to pose no threat to him at the moment, Danny asked the only question that he could manage to spit out.

"You know me?" The man seemed taken aback by his answer, a strong wave of shock racing across his face until it was replaced by a calmer, calculating expression.

"Well of course I know you, Daniel. How could I not know my own son?" A small, amused chuckle followed his statement, and Danny could only stare at him in shock. Son? Then he's my…my dad. Wow, that was conveniently lucky. It doesn't seem right somehow, but he did know my name and he seems to know me. And what reason would he have to lie to me anyway? Maybe he'll be able to help me remember how I got like this.

"So…so I'm your son?" The man opened the door and ushered the young boy in beside him, slipping over to the adjoining seat and opening a small compartment. He pulled out a can of soda and handed it over to him, smiling warmly at him.

"Of course; you're Daniel Masters, of that I'm quite sure. Why would I pick up some random boy on the side of the road? It's not like I have some evil plot to make you my son, kill your real father and marry your mother." He laughed heartily at his own statement, but the humor of it was lost on Danny. Wiping his eyes and holding his side, Danny's father straightened up and peered carefully at the young boy.

"You've been missing for days now, and I was starting to get quite worried about you." A heavy frown creased the man's face at this, and he stroked his chin thoughtfully. "I'm guessing you have no idea what happened to you, but maybe if you tell me everything you can remember I might be able to piece something together." So Danny told him everything he could remember, from waking up in a strangely deserted and destroyed swamp to the wounds he'd found on his body. But for some reason he didn't feel it was right to tell his dad about the note he'd found in his pocket, instead skipping over that part completely. Fortunately, his dad didn't seem to realize he'd left anything out, instead silently trying to piece together the puzzle Danny had laid before him.

"Hmm, quite interesting." He murmured after a few minutes. "I wonder how you ended up in that swamp in the first place. My guess would be a ghost fight, but what ghost would cause that much damage?" At the mention of ghosts, something stirred inside of Danny.

"Ghosts?" he asked skeptically. "What would ghosts have to do with anything? Why would I end up in a swamp because of a ghost? They don't even exist…do they?" His father studied him more closely, a worried look placing itself on his face.

"You really don't remember anything at all, do you little badger?" Danny shook his head dejectedly, still wondering what ghosts would have to do with him losing his memory. He looked up at his father expectantly, carefully watching the man's face. His gut feeling told him that the man was not to be messed with or interrupted. After a few minutes of silence his father finally seemed to remember he was not alone in the car and pulled himself from his musings.

"Ah, well don't worry too much; I'm sure everything will turn out all right in the end. I'm going to call home and tell the staff to ready your room for your arrival." And with one last overly-affectionate smile, the man turned away from his son and buried himself in his conversation.

Now that his father was immersed in his plan-making, Danny had the chance to look at the car he was in. It was fairly well furnished, with a mini fridge, microwave and personal air conditioning for each seat. The leather black seats were shining brightly, not a scratch to be seen on one of them, and the deep red carpet was free of any debris. Idly scanning the controls on the panel next to him, he was surprised to see that the car was also equipped with complete massage vibrations in each seat and a huge stereo system. Wow, this is a really nice car! What kind of job does he have that could even let him afford something this nice; it must have cost a fortune!

Resisting the strong urge to play with the newfound buttons, Danny shifted in his seat and stared out at the rapidly changing landscape as his mind wandered back to his present problem. Despite the fact that he'd now found his dad and was on his way home, he still couldn't remember anything about his past life. I just wish I could remember who I really am; I don't even know what my favorite color is, much less who my favorite band was, or my favorite food, or my friends, or even who I had a crush on. His last thought brought back the memory of the note that was sitting in his pocket, written to him by an unknown admirer. Who is she? I think I knew her, or I wouldn't have felt so shocked when I read it. But was it a good shock or a bad shock? Did I like her back, or was she just some random girl I barely even knew? He glanced over at his father, who was still making plans for their return, and a slight feeling of dread washed over him. Why don't I trust him enough to tell him about the note; if he told me who she is I might remember something about my past. Anything would be better than not knowing anything. I just want to remember.

Heaving one last heavy sigh, he closed his eyes and drifted into a fitful sleep, filled with dreams of a black haired, violet eyed girl.

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The elder halfa scowled impatiently as the phone rang, waiting for his butler to pick it up. After what seemed like hours, a deep, rough voice answered the phone.

"Master's residence, how may I help you?" As the bored voice registered in his head, Vlad almost completely lost his temper at the lazy ghost.

"How many times have I told you to never answer the phone? Where's Johnson, you should know better than to be trying to do his job, you bumbling idiot! And what if someone had recognized the echo in your voice!" He quickly softened his grip on the car phone as he heard it crack ominously, trying to get his temper under control. There was a slight shuffling on the other end, followed by a rather loud crash and bad-tempered muttering.

"I'm quite sorry about that, sir, but I will not tolerate him taking over my job like that. I still don't trust that mechanical menace, sir, as you well know, and a well-placed blast seems the only way to get his attention." A surge of annoyance ran through the billionaire at his butler's words, but he bit back the rush of anger knowing that he could not afford to re-hire a new butler if he had to eliminate Johnson.

"Never mind that, Johnson, I have a job for you to do. I've finally…acquired my son, and I expect his rooms to be ready for his arrival tomorrow afternoon." His sudden announcement was met with a surprised silence on the other end of the phone.

"Johnson, are you deaf man? I said I want Daniel's room ready by the time we get home tomorrow. You know what to do, and I expect it to be completed by tomorrow afternoon." The stunned butler finally found his words again, spluttering his consent.

"Y-yy-yes, Mr. Masters sir, yes sir, the room will be furnished just as you required by the time you both arrive tomorrow, sir, I'll personally oversee it Mr. Masters sir." Vlad bit his lower lip as he tried not to completely blow up at his butler.

"Good. I shall see you then." He abruptly hung up the phone, not wanting to hear any more groveling from the unpleasant old man.

Settling back into the overstuffed seat, Vlad reveled in his luck at having Danny fall right into his hands, completely ignorant and malleable. After all this time, he's fallen right into my plans without even knowing it. I can't believe my luck; to have found him out in the middle of a corn field with no knowledge of who or what he is, it's just too good to be true! Now I'll finally be able to kill Jack Fenton and win Maddie's heart; she'll finally see that she was a fool to choose that bumbling idiot, and together we can rule the Ghost Zone, and eventually the world! Danny will be my heir, the unquestioning, loyal, devoted son I've always dreamed of.

Glancing over at the sleeping form of his newly-found son, he frowned slightly at the dried blood on the back of the boy's head. Now if only I could find the ghost that did this to him…what ghost would be powerful enough to leave that kind of mark on his head? It must have been huge; no ghost I am aware of could have enough force behind his blow to completely knock the boy's memory out. Well, there are a couple, but as far as I know they're both locked up in Walker's prison and aren't likely to get out any time soon. The thought was quickly brushed away as a smug feeling settled in around the elder halfa.

I finally did it; Danny is my loyal minion now, and there is nothing standing between me and complete revenge except Maddie, but she won't be too much of a threat once she realizes I have her precious son in my grasp. She'll have no choice but to join me, and I will be unstoppable!

Vlad leaned over and rummaged through the mini-fridge, pulling out a celebratory bottle of champagne. Smiling evilly at the sleeping figure across from him, he lifted the glass in a one-sided toast.

"Here's to a perfectly executed plan."

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Hah, tres bien! I absolutely love it. :D Tell me what you guys think of it in a wonderfully lovely review!