* * *
Vlad hesitated, looking at the small figure lying on the dark blue sheets. He lowered a gloved hand, paused for a moment, then allowed his
ghostly hands to materialize into human flesh once again before softly lowering his hand to Danny's pale forehead again.
At least the wounds were nothing more then a distant memory, now.
When Clockwork had restructured Danny's body to represent his four year old form.....
Vlad had no idea he was so soft....
...or had such a sweet, innocent little face....completely devoid of the strain stretched across his face that came with being a ghost hunter....
Fury.
Cold, fiery, sharp fury stabbed with a flat, daggered edge at the recesses of Vlad's soul. His eyes flashed from indigo, to emerald, to scarlet so
fast you'd think Masters was nothing more then a tall, tuxedo cloaked Christmas tree, and his fists clenched so tightly that, for a moment, he
didn't notice his long nails digging into his palms.
A scowl stretched on his face, canines becoming more and more apparent as he whipped away from the child, striding across the room to stare
out the window, silhouetted against the fine velvet drapes.
The emerald lawn was glistening from the raindrops so recently fallen.....
Vlad's eyes narrowed.
The grounds looked enchanting at Master's Manor, marble, pool, lawns, minature golf course, much larger golf course, fountain, bronze, silver, and
gold dedication to the Packers-the darn team Green Bay STILL refused to sell to him...
Under the twinkling stars and the soft, glowing orb that was the moon revealed from the parting of thick, heavy grey clouds visible in a chilly,
ocean blue sky....
It truly looked stunning.
But that in no way improved Vlad's mood as he tightened his grip on empty air, a small teardrop of ruby trickling from his raw hands.
He would kill him.
The one who had been a thorn in many a ghost's side....
The one who DARED to hurt Daniel like this....
That conniving, foul, revolting, moronic, pathetic, asinine excuse of a....
Vlad started suddenly, slowly turning around to face the four poster again.
The child was still curled up-the amount of antibiotics, sedatives, and anesthesia he had given Danny over the past few hours...anyone would be
out like a light, particulary a child.
He had hooked Danny up to an IV and a breathing mask just in case the trauma of the past few hours became too much.
Even with his ghost powers....
...what if Vlad went to his own room and something happened? What if he wasn't fast enough?
Vlad slowly crossed the room again, the sound of his footsteps lost in the dark carpet, eyes fixed on Danny again.
The boy's face was serene enough, and, according to his heart rate monitor, in no immediate danger. His breathing was deep and slow, but at a
steady pace as his thin little chest continued to rise and fall.
Vlad watched his progress, eyes softening somewhat.
And he slowly withdrew his red fingernails from his flesh.
********
Well, why take a chance?
Vlad sank into a nearby armchair, still studying the younger boy's face closely.
The philter he had given Daniel had put the steps in progress....and, after using a few ill gotten gained devices in his lab...
...would it work?
Of course it would. It had to.
.....didn't it?
A long night passed, Vlad never tearing his eyes away from Danny's figure, getting up once only to cover Danny with another quilt.
Vlad started.
He had finally drifted off in the early hours of the morning, but this was not what had started him so.
Something had rushed into him at full force, like a streaking bullet. He immediately looked down in surprise, ready to leap out of his chair and
phase....
Before he saw a small, pajamed boy had seized him around the waist and was beaming, eyes squeezed tightly shut.
"DADDY! Daddy, Daddy, Daddy!"
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Vlad just stared.
And stared.
For a moment, the events of yesterday had been completely driven out of his head, and he had to ask himself whether or not this was a dream.
A wonderfully impossible dream.
Danny opened his eyes again. It looked like he'd phased through the IV cord.
"Daddy, did you fall asleep reading to me? I didn't think YOU'D be in here when I woke up!" Danny grinned, pulling back to lean on Vlad's lap wih
his elbows.
But as Vlad continued to stare at him, completely frozen, Danny's smile began to fade bit by bit.
"D....Daddy?"
Suddenly, Vlad very slowly picked up the boy, very slowly placed him on his lap, and very slowly faced him.
Then, he suddenly pulled a very surprised Danny close, with an iron tight grip. Danny blinked.
....?
What was wrong? Did...something happen?
Vlad just closed his eyes as he felt something run down from his eyes. Momentarily distracted, he put a trembling hand to his face.
It had been so long since he, Vlad Plasmius OR Masters cried...years, even.
He had become a brittle, hard soul in the aftermath of all of his years of misery in the hospital....
But the tears had finally come.
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"Daddy? Did.....Didja have a nightmare or somethin'?"
Finally, after a few minutes stretched by, Vlad found his voice again.
"....yes. But, I'm alright now..." he paused.
He was lightheaded to the point of falling over with giddiness. Danny thought he was....truly thought...
"Um, Daddy?"
"Mmm?" Vlad still had his eyes shut, streaks falling freely down his face as a euphoric smile found him.
Danny began to turn blue.
"D-Daddy....I c-can't breathe."
*********
A chandelier glinted in the early morning sunshine. It was beginning to grow darker in the days, due to the fact that Summer's days were dying
and fall was sweeping the world with gold, scarlet, brown, and faintly green leaves in large carpets, but that made little difference to the
occupants of Master Manor.
Danny kicked his heels up and down as he ate his cereal at the immense dining room table, munching contently as Vlad pretended to browse over
his newspaper, but still peered over the sheets of inkstained paper, staring at Danny with growing wonder.
He had to hide a smile as Danny partially slid off the phonebook he had been sitting upon, struggling to get back on.
A ghost boy.....
A very, very small one at that....
Still staring at Danny, Vlad didn't notice that there was his servant, Alfred, standing behind him. Vlad had to hide another smile as he slowly
turned to face his butler.
Poor Alfred....it had truly been a shame to wipe his most devoted servant's memory, but too many people wondering at Danny's sudden
appearance could cause trouble.
So, last night, Alfred had suddenly experienced a surge of memories in his sleep....
...memories he never had, watching the young master grow up from an infant to a cuddly, affectionate little boy.
"Yes, Alfred?" Vlad asked stiffly, trying to hide a giggle as Danny dropped his spoon, went to retrieve it, dropped his napkin, and, after putting the
spoon back, went to reach for his napkin.
But ended up knocking the spoon on the ground again.
And, as he retrieved it yet again, he got milk on his front.
"Master Masters, (say that without giggling.) you have been petitioned to attend the board of director's meeting tod-"
Danny looked up, pale face horrified.
"But.....Dad? You said you were taking me to the park today!"
Vlad blinked.
Ah...he had inserted that memory into Danny's mind!
Meanwhile, Alfred began trying to reason with Danny.
"Young master Daniel...."
"Danny," corrected the boy, looking upset. "Alfrreeeddd, I asked you not to call me that anymore!"
"Forgive me, Young Master. Your father is probably quite busy, and-"
"No."
Alfred looked up, surprised.
"Master....?"
"Cancel all appointments today, Alfred."
The man, being naturally composed, looked only slightly taken aback as Danny's face melted into joy. The butler nodded, bowed, and swiftly left to
make a few phone calls.
Danny turned to face Vlad, eyes bright.
"R-Really?!"
Vlad stood up, adjusting his jacket as he did so.
"Well, then, shall we go?"
*******************************************************************************************************************
"D-Dani-" Vlad had to mentally slap himself. Danny just hated that name.
Some things never changed.
"Slow down!"
But the boy did not. On the contrary, he seemed to move even faster as their feet made crunching sounds from the many fallen leaves.
Danny was pulling Vlad with all the strength a four year old could muster through the park, hurrying as he did so.
"I wanna show you somethin', Daddy!"
Vlad, now quite out of breath, had to mentally ask himself whether this had been quite a good idea...or that Danny's sweater would be sufficient
against the chill in the air as Danny stopped abruptly, causing the billionaire to stumble just a bit.
"I...oh, little badger, did you have to-" Vlad stopped short, blinking, as his mouth dropped.
"....what on...?"
The season of mists and yellow fruitfulness had extended itself to the very bottom of this hillside, leading into the glistening wood. The sky ahead
was a perfect, overflowing hard cerulean, looking almost like sculpted sapphire as sunlight glinted off fallen leaves, the gentle winds sweeping
them around in an elborate dance, skittering slightly before piroutteing to the ground.
As Danny very slowly tugged on Vlad's hand again, Vlad did not resist as the two walked together this time down the hill, off piles and piles of
discarded leaves....
....away into the wood.
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The day had ended all too soon, in both of the hybrids' opinion. It seemed soon enough, the late evening air had encircled them after their lunch
at a small Italian restaurant-for Danny's favorite dish, "Paskgetti and Meatballs", and Vlad was forced to rise into the air and zoom off, a dozing
Danny on his shoulders.
***********
After he had read Danny a bedtime story-was told by Danny himself- "Love you, Daddy," which made Vlad want to melt into the floor, tucked the
little badger in, and settled in his study that night, pressing an old oak leaf between the pages of a diary after writing this passage.
"I strolled today down a woodland path –
A crow cawed loudly and flew away.
The sky was blue and the clouds were gold
And drifted before me fold on fold;
The leaves were yellow and red and brown
And patter, patter the nuts fell down,
On this beautiful, golden autumn day.
I see the wind, dancing in the trees,
I know the release, of the falling leaves,
See the leaves changing, to red and gold,
Feel wind around me, brisk and bold,
What is this change, that surrounds me so,
Why, it's my Shining Son...and Autumn, ready to glow."
Thank you, my reviewers! And, in case you want to know, we will find out the Attacker's identity in the next chapter.
