The Crossroads Betwixt Life and Death

Chapter 7: Que Sera, Sera (Danny's P.Ø.V)


It seemed that no matter how hard I tried I was still a mess, and so I still didn't understand why Vlad was being so patient with me. He was never nice or patient with me. It was really strange. I mean the only time we met was when we were throwing witty banter at each other in-between fights…lots of fights.

After I had managed to stop crying Vlad had suggested a while ago, I wasn't exactly sure how long, that we move into the sitting room and he'd handed me the TV remote. And when I say TV I mean it was freaking huge! Not quite cinema size 'cos that would be too big and you'd get a stiff neck, but it was bigger and shinier than my family sitting room TV was.

But I hadn't been bothered about what was on; I just flicked it to a movie channel and left it. I hadn't been paying much attention to the film; it could have been in a foreign language for all I knew.

Then he had gone out of the room to…and I'd had to stare at him in confusion at this…warm up some dinner. It hadn't taken long and he'd returned with two steaming bowls of soup…as if we ate like this all the time.

It obviously hadn't been the shop bought kind of soup I was used to; he said it'd had tomatoes, peppers, and onions and lots of other things I couldn't remember in it. It had been nice and I had eaten it, after 3 days of starvation it was really hard to turn down food when it was put in front of you…especially when it smelt so good.

We had both been silent…but what was there to say? I wanted to at least thank him for doing this…but I just felt so uncomfortable. I just didn't know how to act. I settled with avoiding eye contact and conversation, I stared round the room without actually paying attention.

The chattering voices on the TV continued and now the programme, again I still wasn't paying much attention to be sure what it was, was interrupted by the local news report, and I looked up to listen to the reporters.

"…and now here's Tiffany Snow with your 10'o clock update," The anchor man said, and made way for the every cheery reporter.

"Well, Amity has been experiencing a major decrease in ghost attacks, and some have suggested that self-employed ghost hunters; the Fenton's could have been to blame for the initial attacks…"

How dare they? They were blaming my parents for the ghost attacks!

I knew I should change the channel right now, but I couldn't, I hadn't seen what people had been saying for 3 days so I felt like I had to carry on watching.

"…meanwhile, there's still no word on the only survivor from the explosion. 16 year old Danny Fenton's, condition is still unknown, and it has been suggested that a close friend of the family, local billionaire and Mayor; Vlad Masters is…"

We never did hear what she was about to say next, although it didn't take a genius to figure it out, because I instantly flicked over the station. I didn't care what it was, just as long as it wasn't talking about that.

And what did she mean by my 'condition?' They hadn't even got the facts right. I hadn't been in the explosion, I had been close to it and I had been thrown back from the force of it but I hadn't been in it. I sighed…now I was a celebrity in both forms…oh goody! And Vlad was a 'close friend of the family'…huh…yeah right and Paulina had been my girlfriend for the past 2 years…really!

I couldn't imagine Vlad being a close friend to anybody…he just wasn't the 'friend' type…I suppose now, though, neither was I.

I looked over at Vlad when he sighed at the same time as me to see a strange look in his eyes…I recognised it…I had seen it enough times from him. He was angry…like, really, really angry.

I guess he didn't like being on the news either. But he had to be used to it by now right? He didn't exactly have the right jobs to stay out of the spotlight, and my dad used to tell me that he threw parties all the time for rich business-y type people like him. So what was his problem? I was the one being hounded…apparently…by the press, not him…unless I was just causing more trouble or him…bad press or something. Yeah; that was probably it.

I didn't know how I was supposed to leave now. As soon as I did both Fenton and Phantom would be like press-magnets…this was what I had wanted to avoid…'cuz now I had no backup plan. Sometimes I was really jealous of Amorpho. I couldn't live a quiet life ever again…unless I moved to another country or something…maybe a hut in the Sahara desert would be far enough.

I curled up again on the sofa and brought the blanket closer to me, I think it was the same one I had used before, but I closed my eyes. I had long since abandoned the idea that this was all a dream, but maybe if I closed my eyes I could just sleep and never wake up.

Maybe if I closed my eyes things would make more sense…maybe.

I don't know what was wrong with me, I had slept all morning, I mean I knew I had been a little more tired than usual lately, but what was going on? It was like something was forcing me to sleep…something was telling me to sleep and was leaving no room for argument…

Stupid, annoying Vlad…it was probably him…he could never keep his nose out of my business…

I yawned…I'd get him in the morning…

…As soon as I woke up…

…Hopefully…

..

.


(Vlad's P.Ø.V)


I let out a sigh of relief as I watched Daniel finally give in to sleep. Perhaps it was wrong of me to 'drug' him as I had, but I saw no other option. I knew he had been sleeping all day, but he still needed more rest, and he was not going to get it by staying up all night pretending to watch television. He hadn't paid attention to anything for the past few hours…except that blasted news report.

Evidently I had not made myself clear enough this morning, and that would have to be rectified.

No doubt he would be extremely annoyed with me when he woke up if he put two and two together, but that was of little importance when his health was in question. His physical health I could help with, but when it came down to his psychological well-being I was at a loss. I was no psychologist. I would just have to take things as they came.

I walked the few steps over to the sofa I had left him on and flicked the television off, I would not be using it later; I rarely did. I didn't want to make a habit of this; waiting for him to fall asleep and carrying him up to his room every night. But if that's what it took to get him to rest then so be it, otherwise we'd have been up till 3 in the morning. As entertaining as Daniel's stubbornness was it could be just as exasperating at times, it always had been.

I sat down beside him for a moment and thought it would be best to check his hand first, if it had, for some reason, not healed properly he would not tell me. So I would have to see for myself.

I moved the quilt carefully and gently brought his arm closer so that I could see; he had refused to let me bandage it so my handkerchief was still wrapped round his palm. Not that I cared but those things weren't exactly cheap, they were expensive silk and as such, they were not designed to be used as make-shift bandages. But it was of little matter, he didn't know that…and I doubted he would care, either.

Not for the first time in my life I found myself grateful that being half ghost gave us both accelerated healing abilities. At first the idea had come as a shock to me all those years ago; I had thought that by being…essentially half dead that my healing processes would decrease rather than increase. But now I understood the science behind it I would never go back, I had forgotten just how slow typical human abilities were.

I examined the wound and tossed aside the ruined piece of cloth, it was beyond salvaging now, and took out a clean, white bandage I had located earlier as the soup had been simmering. Perhaps one day, Daniel would learn to think ahead like that, but it would take time. His hand wouldn't need anything else other than a few hours to heal, not even disinfectant, it took a lot to give either of us an infection from a wound, I would know.

I sighed, I had only intended the wine to be a distraction, I hadn't meant for him to attempt to impale his hand like that! But nothing ever went according to plan when the 'ghost boy' was involved, no matter how many variables I allowed for, nothing went as I intended.

Maybe that was why I cared about him. He was an unpredictable child, and I had not had anything unpredictable in my life for 20 years. It could not just be because he was the child of the only woman I had ever loved, because he was equally Jack's son as he was Maddie's. Was it purely because of his ghost powers that I had spent so much time trying to persuade the boy to join me? I wasn't quite sure now.

Once I was finished with the bandage I lifted him once more into my arms and flew through the ceiling, into his room and again I left him in the bed. He didn't stir once, I suppose that was a good thing, the last thing I would need would be for him to wake up, despite the sleeping pills I wouldn't put it past him. I closed the curtains and left the room.

I suppose I should clean up the broken glass and spilled wine in my study now, I had nothing else to do yet. So I teleported into said room and began gathering up the pieces of glass in my hands. After a minute I incinerated them using my ecto-energy and then I felt my internal ghost sense alert me.

"What are you doing here?" I turned around to face the ghost vultures; I sighed and dragged my hand down my face, on top of everything else I didn't want to have to deal with these idiots.

"Vell, boss, it's like zis, see, you told us to check ze boy's house and zat food place zat vent all kablooe, for ze past few nights, and zen to tell you vhat happens, but remembering zat ve're not exactly young vipersnappers anymore…but ve vent and…" their 'leader' explained and I found myself sighing again.

"Yes, yes, I know that, but what are you reporting?" I shouted, I couldn't help it; these creatures were just so irritating.

"Vell…err…ve didn't exactly see any…"

"…You've come here to tell me that you saw nothing, again, correct?" I had been hoping that, incompetent as they were, they would at least see something. Unless there was nothing actually going on, unless it really was an unfortunate accident, and there really was nothing deeper underlying the accident; which would make it all the harder for me to help Daniel. If it had all been nothing more than an unfortunate accident then there would be nothing for Daniel to focus on, nothing to focus his anger and hate onto, and nothing to revenge himself on.

"Ya, boss; nothing," the bird replied and I had to stop myself from taking my own anger out on them.

"Go, then," I replied.

"You vant us to go back tomorrow?" the ghost asked.

"No, no don't bother," I sighed and they left me alone in the dark again.

Oh, butter nuts! There went my plan B. I had tried everything in my power to uncover the truth, aside from asking Daniel himself I was now out of options. I couldn't put it off anymore; I would have to ask Daniel again, I would have to make him tell me. Whether he trusted me or not, I needed to know what happened and I couldn't leave it too long. Unlike a fine wine the longer this was left the worse it would get, and it wouldn't help either of us.

I was adamant; in the morning I would confront Daniel again and no matter what resistance or front he put up I would need to convince him otherwise. I would not take no for an answer. I was hardly an expert when it came to child care but this I knew would not be an easy task. Daniel seemed keen to keep this information from me and he would not want to tell me anything concerning it, I was his 'arch-enemy' and to him that meant I could not possibly want to help him.

I would need to convince him otherwise, I would need to show him otherwise…but I didn't for the life of me know how to do that. Daniel was too set in his ways, he was too blinded by his labels for heroes and villains, and lost his grief to think clearly. Again this was no help for me, I considered myself a patient man, I was prepared to wait for things that I wanted, but in this case I couldn't sit back and wait.

I would just have to wait and see what tomorrow brought…