Chapter 10: Middle-aged Melancholia

Set after - 'Crossroads Betwixt Life and Death.'

It was a grim day indeed when the duty to cheer up Vlad Masters fell on ones shoulders and it was quite possibly the world's most difficult task. Danny had left only a week ago but already I could see melancholia setting in on Vlad's mood. Whilst taking Danny in had done Vlad the world of good, it had also brought his notions of caring back full force and unrelenting. He simply couldn't function without Danny there - he'd never admit it of course, but the boy was his whole world, his raison d'être and quite possibly the only thing keeping him 'good.'

Danny was nineteen and before he took a full time job in Vlad's company, he'd said he wanted to travel across Europe. Naturally, Vlad had been ecstatic, until Danny told him he was planning on going alone, then of course the problems had started; it only served to fuel Vlad's sense of 'empty nest syndrome'. I suppose, because Vlad hadn't actually raised Danny, he knew to only expect a few years before the boy became truly independent, and over the last year especially, I'd seen it weigh heavily on his mind.

I knew he kept his fears from Danny himself, and I knew that Vlad was very accomplished at lying, so if Vlad said that Danny knew little to nothing about it, then I believed him. Although, Danny had changed his last name to 'Fenton-Masters' on his last birthday so perhaps he did have a slight inclination. But it wouldn't have worried him overly much since it hadn't stopped him from going on his trip - a trip he'd estimated to last about three months. Vlad was already having problems one week in so I dreaded to think about what would happen by the end of the first month milestone. He'd already had depression once and it'd made him unbearable as a teenager, heavens knows what he'd be like as a clinically depressed adult.

As I drove to the mansion through the quiet, late dusk streets I let out a sigh at the mere thought of a depressed Vlad alone in charge of a city and his multi million dollar business empire. At best he'd end up throwing himself into his work and at worst...I didn't want to think about it.

I let myself in with the key that Danny had personally given to me several years ago, in case of, as he'd simply said, 'emergencies,' and I walked through into the foyer. The house was in total darkness and I fumbled around carefully with my hands skimming along the walls for the light switch. It was eerily silent as I walked across the tiled flooring, my footsteps echoing in the grand room as I marched through the house.

I found Vlad in his study working by candlelight - an inadequate number of candles, I might add, although with his eye sight, it probably didn't matter. He could probably read and write in total darkness so I suppose I should at least be thankful for the candles, however inadequate the number was.

Out of all the rooms in Vlad's mansion, I found that this one was my favourite. The old oak shelves lined with books on topics ranging from thermodynamics and astrophysics to art and literature, represented the same mismatching characteristics in Vlad himself. Those books, some, slightly battered and worn with their old leather bindings and stuffy pages, others brand new and spotless had entertained me for many hours since I'd become a regular visitor to this house. They were my old friends just as they were Vlad's.

The man himself was sat at his desk with his right hand moving furiously with a pen across a piece of paper. He looked tired and worn and knowing him he'd probably been foregoing sleep.

"All alone then, are you?" I asked, rather unnecessarily. I didn't know what to say exactly, it was one of those statements that people use when nothing else comes to mind.

"I really am quite busy at the moment, Doctor," he replied, shifting a pile of papers across his desk without looking up at me.

"It's gone six," I remarked, glancing at my watch.

"Yes, I had noticed," he said.

"Most people use this time for, oh, I don't know...say...relaxing...or eating their dinner...have you even had dinner?"

"Today?" Vlad asked, signing something with a flourish.

"Yes, today," I frowned.

"No."

"What about lunch, or breakfast?"

"No and no," he answered.

"Danny's only been gone for a week and you're already forgetting how to eat!" I declared, throwing up my arms in annoyance. How this man had functioned properly for two decades was beyond my comprehension.

"I can survive without food for several weeks you know, in fact, my metabolism has long since adjusted to my ghost powers which more than compensate for that. Just because Daniel requires more food to sustain his own powers doesn't mean I do."

"He said you both do," I frowned. I could've sworn that Danny had once mentioned that they both needed more food than most people.

"I never saw fit to correct him," Vlad shrugged, "How else was I to get him to eat properly?" he added, almost without thought.

"And he still doesn't know?"

"No," he answered.

This was one of those little details that Vlad never seemed to dismiss when it came to Danny. He was meticulous in looking after the boy and he wasn't above lying to do what he thought was best. I for one, found it extraordinarily endearing, though I knew that Danny didn't appreciate lying no matter what the reason.

"So...you've been in here all day?" I asked, walking over and sitting on the edge of the desk. I lifted up the first paper I saw and squinted to read the words written on it. "...Working on policies and state diplomacy...how thrilling," I scoffed, tossing the page back onto the desk.

"It's not something I can avoid as mayor."

"I always meant to ask; why did you run for reelection?"

"You did ask me, several times, in fact," he remarked, moving aside another paper.

"And you never answered me," I sighed, "Or Danny."

"I had my reasons."

"...He told me how you won the first time," I said, "And I can't say I approve."

"Really?" he muttered sarcastically.

"And he says you didn't do that the second time," I continued.

"That he knows of."

"I don't think you did," I said, confidently.

"Really?" Vlad repeated, uninterested.

"No, you won fair and square."

"You make it sound so unseemly," he grimaced with a shudder.

"You are actually good at this job...when you want to be," I told him genuinely. "I mean...when I first moved here, it was probably one of the cheapest places to live in the whole country, now you've got awards saying its one of the best...regardless of the ghosts, which, by the way, don't seem to attack so much, or so seriously, anymore. And you've done wonders for the economy, whether it was intentional or not."

When I finished, Vlad put down his pen and looked up, fixing me with his piercing stare and an unreadable expression. "Does something about me give you the impression that I require a...'pep talk'?" he asked.

For some reason, whenever he tried to use causal slang it never seem to fit. Danny had said it often enough and tried to make Vlad sound less uptight when speaking, but he'd failed miserably. Vlad was as formal as ever in his speech patterns which was the reason why he shouldn't use slang. But I suppose, living with a teenager meant that it was unavoidable. Danny had begun to adopt a more formal way of speaking himself, but not as much as Vlad.

"Honestly...yes," I said, getting back on track.

"Beg your pardon?" Vlad choked, shocked at my answer no doubt.

"Have you looked at yourself lately? You're sitting in the dark doing paperwork - which you've said, on more than once occasion that you hate doing. You've not eaten, probably since Danny left, no, don't give me that look, I know you, and you've probably been awake the entire time too...And...are you trying to grow a mountain man beard?" I asked, staring at him.

"What?!" he exclaimed at my last comment.

I hadn't been able to resist asking about it. Usually, Vlad was cat-like in his hygienic routine as far as I, or Danny could tell - yes, sometimes Danny and I got very bored and we had some very unusual conversations. But at any rate, it was strange for Vlad to have a five o'clock shadow, which looked to be to be about, oh, say about a week old at a guess.

"I'm talking about this," I emphasised, lightly tapping his cheek, "Although, knowing you, you'd find a way to pull it off somehow."

"Oh," he blinked, raising his own hand to his face.

"Yes, 'oh'," I said with a kind smile, "You miss him already, don't you?"

"...If you recall, I didn't want him to leave," Vlad admitted, looking away as though admitting a great weakness.

"You didn't try and stop him...you could've."

"No doubt," he said, "But it's what he wanted, he's not a child, I know he's fully able to take care of himself."

"He's probably doing a better job of it than you are right now," I remarked, "...He knows you care..y'know...he's not going anywhere," I said, and he raised his eyebrows at me. "...Maybe that was a bad choice of words, but you know what I mean. This isn't an unusual thing for a young adult to do before they start their working lives; most people would do what Danny is if they had the money."

"You think I don't know that?" he snapped at me.

"I'm reminding you," I said sternly, "...Somewhere between these polices and papers and whatever else there is here, I think you forgot."

"Much obliged, now if you don't mind," Vlad replied, gesturing with a wave of his hand at the door.

"Not going to happen, not until I see you eat a proper meal," I frowned, ignoring his abrupt dismissal. I was used to them by now.

He sighed after I'd spoke and he met my gaze with a look that clearly said he was neither interested nor appreciative of my concern, either for his emotional well being or for his health, but again, I was very good at ignoring these expressions now. They didn't terrify me me anymore.

"...On one condition," he said finally.

"What's that?" I asked, relieved he'd actually spoken.

"I do the cooking," Vlad answered with a slight smile.

"Fine," I shook my head, sighing, "If you can stay awake, that is," I muttered, to which he only grinned.