AN/: Okay you guys are just lucky so don't expect updates this quickly all the time! In fact this is the end of what I have written out already so don't expect anything for a couple of weeks. I like this chapter. I know Vlad is out of Character, but I like him this way and if you don't then you don't have to read it! I've seen him way more out of character than this so yeah, okay whatever just thought I'd warn you a little bit. Because my Vlad is basically like the real Vlad only he's well... you'll find out. gezze.

Running to the Enemy's Arms

Chapter 4: No, I'm the Other Black Haired Boy That Shows Up on Your Doorstep Mysteriously Asleep.

by: deadlydaisy8o8

Originally Uploaded: Tuesday June, 1, 2010, 5:58PM

Edited: Tuesday, November 6, 2012, 8:14 PM

Vlad's POV

I whistled on my way to the front door. Today was going to be a good day. I rarely had them, but I knew when I was having a good one. The sun was shining and the deal I had been working on for some time now finally went through last night. I had my favorite breakfast this morning and my favorite suit just got back from the cleaners. Yes, today was going rather nicely.

I picked up my briefcase from the small table by the door; glancing at my watch to see how much time I had before I had to be to work. I watched as the numbers changed from 7:59 to 8:00. Right on time. I confidently put my hand on the door knob and opened the door on a rare, perfect day,

and stopped dead.

There splayed out on my front porch was a certain black haired teenage boy.

At first I really could not get my brain to do anything. I just stared at the sleeping form lying on the cold white marble. His small chest moved up and down in a predictable rhythm. His arms and legs were arranged around him as if someone had casually thrown him there and he was still in the position he had landed in. His white and red t-shirt looked threadbare thin; the fabric was actually sporting a few holes. Not to be outdone his jeans were tailored to match. The bottom hem was long gone, and a frayed worn edge replaced it. A long rip went along the front of his lower leg; it too was frayed and worn. If one looked hard enough they might have been able to tell that the jean was once a vibrant ocean blue, but it now was barely blue at all; clearly having been used and abused, as no clothing article should. His shoes seemed to have never been remotely clean in their existence; if you really wanted to even call the things attached to his feet 'shoes'. The rubber soles were starting to fall off and the converse logo was barely discernable from the dirt and grit that covered it. To complete the image of homeless abandon teenager, his hair was sticking out in all different directions. So that if one was trying to judge from his hair alone you would not have been able to tell which direction gravity was pulling at the moment.

I assessed the teen on the ground and could not deny this was indeed Daniel. This truly was Daniel James Fenton that had decided my front porch would make a lovely bed, and for a long minute I tried to get my head to move past the fact. As soon as I was capable of higher thought my brain went into overdrive; a million and one questions were running through my head. Was he hurt? How long had he been here? Why didn't he knock earlier? Did he knock earlier? How did he get here? Did his parents know he was here? How did he know where to go? Why was he here in the first place? What did he want? How long would he have stayed out here? When was the last time he ate? Was he ill? What could he possibly be here for?

My head spun with all of the unanswered questions. I tried to think of one logical reason to why Daniel would be asleep on my front step, but was unsuccessful. I cautiously ventured towards the sleeping form on the ground; still not quite able to believe my eyes.

"Daniel?" I whispered and the boy's leg twitched. He rolled over onto his stomach, his limbs still spread out at odd angles.

"Don't shoot, please don't hurt…" Daniel looked distraught, and muttered in his sleep. The wrinkles of his shirt were imprinted onto his face from having rested on them so long. I raised an eyebrow at his odd sentence. Daniel went back to lightly snoring having settled into a new position. I took a step backward towards the front door.

Why on earth was he here, asleep, on my front porch? I quietly moved back into the house and shut the door with a soft click. I deliberately set my briefcase back down on the small table I had removed it from and wondered what the cheese doodles to do next? It's not like I had planned for this sort of thing. I mostly imagined that if Daniel came to me he would be fighting me tooth and nail the entire way or he at least would have called first! Did the boy ever think ahead? What exactly is a responsible adult supposed to do when a half ghost teenager, or rather any teenager, suddenly appears on their doorstep? I moved to a window and looked out; he was still there, fast asleep, innocent as ever.

"What are you doing here Daniel?" I wondered aloud to myself. Though surely nothing short of a catastrophe could have caused him to come willingly within twenty feet of me. If something had happened to his family, wouldn't he have gone to his little friends' houses? Perhaps something had happened to his friends as well. Though if something had happened to that many people it was sure to have been on the news, and I had seen nor read anything that bespoke of a tragedy great enough to have explained anything.

More importantly what should I do with the boy now that he's here? I very well couldn't just leave him there. I looked out the window again to watch him shift himself around. Perhaps… I should wake him up?

The thought quickly vanished from my head. No, that would never do. He would probably become angry with me for some inane reason and fly off before I got the chance to get more than two civil words out of him. The boy had such a short temper. Whatever happened I couldn't just leave him there on the front porch. I wasn't just going to walk around something like this and continue on my way to work!

I suppose I would have to carry him inside. I had several spare rooms ready; it would simply be a matter of getting him into a bed without waking him up. Yes that could work; Daniel would wake up in my house and not on the front porch where he might decide to leave without letting me know. If I knew Daniel he had not intended to be found in quite such a compromising position, and it was likely he would run off if he was woken in such a state by his 'arch nemesis'.

He clearly intended to knock on my front door to ask me for something, though I had not a clue what that might be. It was hard enough to swallow the fact that he was at my house, let alone that he was going to willingly ask for something. I sighed. I was getting nowhere with my speculating I would simply have to wait for when the boy woke up to receive some answers.

He would need to be fed too when he woke up, and he'd surely need a shower and a change of clothes. There was no way I was letting him stay in any clothing after sleeping on the ground for who knows how long. Heaven knows why he insists on wearing those atrocities in the first place.

However, I would need to wait until he woke up to do anything like that, and I couldn't very well leave him in my house unattended while I left for work. Especially if I wanted him to stay put and my house to continue to stand. Oh no no no, he could not be left here to his own devices. The teen was unpredictable; I hadn't even figured out why he was here in the first place. I couldn't call in the maids to watch him either, he could easily slip by them. I sighed as I realized I would be taking my first sick day in over fifteen years. I reached into my pocket and pulled out my cell phone.

I briefly stared at the little device in my hand as another thought hit me. Should I call Jack and Maddie? There was no way they knew he was here if he was currently sleeping on my front porch, but what had caused the teen to run in the first place? If he was here he clearly did not want to be found. This was certainly the last place anyone would look for Daniel.

Why in the blazes had Daniel chosen my front porch with all the places he had to go? I sighed and shook my head. However confusing Daniel chose to be at times I was not going to look a gift horse in the mouth. If I called Maddie and Jack they would surely be over in mere hours; no doubt breaking several traffic laws along the way. Really the last thing I wanted was for Daniel to leave. The longer he stayed here the better. However, as soon as the boy woke up he would have some serious explaining to do. Flipping open the phone, I dialed my secretary and waited until she picked up.

"Hello this is DALV Co. Mr. Masters is not in at the moment would you like to leave a message?" I raised my eyebrows at how genuinely cheery and ready to help she sounded.

"Yes, Helena, This is Vlad. I'm not going to be able to make it into the office today, some unexpected personal matters have come up and I would like to be able to deal with them properly." There was some rustling on the other end of the phone and when she spoke next she seemed flustered.

"M-Mr. Masters! Yes of course I'll take care of everything right away! I didn't know it was you, you've just never called in a sick day before and I was-"

"Helena it's quite alright. I don't like to take days off very often it's true but even I need an extra day occasionally. I'm sorry I took you by surprise." I cut her off and didn't hide an amused smile at how startled she seemed to be. She was hasty in her response, egger to please and make sure she had done nothing wrong.

"No of course there is nothing wrong with a day off! Please it's no trouble at all, I'll get right on letting the board know you will be absent this afternoon, and I'll field all of your messages until you get back. I've got everything covered there is nothing to worry about while you are away."

"Thank you Helena you don't know how much that means to me. Well I'm afraid I must be going now. Do have a lovely day."

"Yes of course, I'm sorry to keep you. Have a good day Mr. Masters!" I hung up the phone after we exchanged goodbyes. Slipping my phone into my pocket, I looked out the window once again. In the short time I had called my secretary Daniel had maneuvered so that half of him was on the stairs and half of him was on the landing; the half on the stairs happening to be his upper body. I shook my head. How the boy even managed to fall asleep on a solid rock slab, I will never know.

I took off my suit jacket so I could move more freely. So I didn't make any noise, I phased through the front door as opposed to opening it. Daniel scooted around a bit as I moved closer. I had to keep down an amused laugh as his arm twitched and flopped across his body as if he were trying to swipe at something. I silently reached between the peaks of two steps to get a hold on his lower back. I then took my other arm and wiggled it beneath his knees and in one motion stood up so that he rested bridal style in my arms.

I thought he had woken up when his arms reached up and wrapped around my neck. I held my breath and waited for the screaming to start. Instead Daniel shifted in my arms and snuggled his head into my chest. He pulled himself up and tightened his hold around my neck before seeming to decide he was comfortable. I had to do a double take when he spoke once again in his sleep. His voice was so clear and desperate I was positive he was awake.

"Help me."

The odd command startled me; I wondered what on earth was going on inside that head of his. It could be nothing good that much was for sure. Though it was most likely a nightmare, I could not deny that I was secretly elated to have the teenager clinging to me in such a way. Even if he wasn't conscious of his decision. He thought of me as a villain but I honestly worried about the boy. He lived in a house of ghost hunters. His own parents hunted him every day, and to add to the problem he was dealing with his ever increasing ghost powers. Which I knew still had a long way to go before they were both fully developed and under control. He could not have imagined a more delicate environment to live in.

I partly wanted him as a son because he was half ghost, but another side of me, really the larger side, felt an obligation to keep him safe. He was still a mere teenager and he had to deal with his ghost powers. I had received mine in college, where I lived alone, and it was easy to miss a few classes. At least I could support myself and not have to hide within my own home. He really had things much harder than I had, and things for me were no walk in the park. I knew what he was going through and I knew he was going to need help. He was the only other like me in existence, of course I felt some sort of protective nature for the boy.

I waited for his snoring to start back up before I made any more moves. While I was very amused at the sleeping child's antics, I was all too aware that things would head south very quickly if he woke up. He would not be pleased with his current predicament. I slowly and smoothly walked up the few steps I had descended to get a decent hold on him, and phased us through the door. I walked with the sleeping teen in my arms to the main staircase. His feet dangled over my arms, and his head rested lightly against my chest. I didn't try to repress a warm smile at the sight before me. He looked so peaceful and he was finally where he belonged, if only until he woke up, in my tender care.

We ascended the stairs and I brought him to a spare room not far from the top of the staircase. I phased us through the bedroom door. It wasn't all together one of my best rooms but it would do for now; at least until he woke up and I could figure a few things out. Like what on earth had prompted him to come to my doorstep after two and a half years of being unambiguous rivals.

As I approached the king sized bed I made a duplicate and had it go ahead of me to pull back the covers. When Daniel's leg twitched, drawing my attention to it, I realized he could not be allowed to go to bed with his shoes on. My duplicate, really being just and extension of myself, heard my thoughts and acted accordingly. Quickly phasing Daniel's worn converse off of his feet and setting them at the end of the bed. Daniel all the while clung tightly to my neck like a small child might to its mother.

When my duplicates job was done it was quickly reabsorbed and I moved to the side of the bed. Gently, I set the sleeping teen onto the expensive mattress; or rather I tried. Daniel desperately clung to my neck refusing to let go. I rolled my eyes; the teen was insufferably stubborn even in his sleep. I lightly tried to pry the teen's hands from my neck but was met with a good deal of resistance. I was about to simply phase out of his grip when he spoke once again in that clear tone of voice that made me sure he was awake.

"Don't leave me here." I glanced at the boy, making sure for the second time that he was indeed asleep. His eyes were undeniably closed, but his rest in no way appeared peaceful. Indeed shear panic was played out on the teens face. I sighed and came to decision. He clearly was not aware of his actions, but he was responding to his surroundings.

"I'm not leaving Daniel, I'll be back." I quietly whispered as not to startle him. At first there was no response, which made me feel rather idiotic for talking to a sleeping person. Not to mention my embarrassment had gotten me nowhere. As I was about to come up with another plan he responded.

"Promise?" His voice was muffled into my chest so that I barley caught it.

"Yes I promise." I made my voice as reassuring as I could. Apparently that was all he needed because he abruptly let go and fell the last few inches onto the bed. I shook my head at the strange teen and rubbed the back of my neck. If one thing was certain he had gotten a lot stronger since our last encounter. I watched him roll around under the covers and utter a few incoherent mutterings before he settled once again into even snores.