Chapter 10
"Is that why you hate Dad?"
Phantom's voice drew Vlad's gaze toward the ghost. They were no longer bound together by the handcuffs, but they continued to share the ghost's old bedroom. Right now, Phantom sat on the desk, one knee drawn up to his chest and fingers laced over his knee as his green eyes stared piercingly at Vlad. His expression was unreadable in the still darkness with only a thin stream of moonlight coming in through a break in the curtains.
"You love Mom and that's why you hate Dad," Phantom elaborated when Vlad remained silently staring back at him as he lay on the bed with his arms folded behind his head. "And you made up that bogus story about Aunt Alicia being sick so that Mom would fly out to Spittoon to visit her so that she wouldn't be in the way when you tried to kill Dad."
"Part of it," Vlad answered, keeping the ghost's gaze as mild surprise entered his blue eyes. He was impressed that the ghost could pick up on that fact. "Yes, I knew if I made any attempt on Jack's life with Maddie around, she would try to stop me or put herself in harm's way to save Jack." Frowning, he turned his head, shifting his gaze to stare up at the ceiling as thoughts turned in his head. "Maybe it was just easier to blame him than realize the truth."
"What do you mean?" Phantom's head tilted with curiosity in his eyes.
Vlad sighed out tiredly as he closed his eyes. "I always cared for Maddie. To me, she was like the perfect woman. I wanted a life like this. A life with someone that loves me. Children, though that wouldn't have to be deal breaker. I could live without children if that's what she wanted." Opening his eyes again, he glanced toward Phantom. Children was clearly something Maddie wanted, and it pained him to know that she lost one of them when he was still so young. "But maybe I was only in love with the idea of that life with Maddie. Maybe if I had realized that years ago, I could be in a happy relationship with someone right now. Jack and I could have stayed friends this whole time. I could have known you as you grew up."
"You say that like you have no hope of finding someone," Phantom said, tilting his head as his mouth curved downward.
Vlad lifted an eyebrow at him. "You think anyone is going to love me after learning that I've killed probably hundreds of people at this point?" He shook his head, realizing he ruined his own chance at happiness by clinging to his bitterness over the accident.
"Maybe with the right person, they could at least look past that," Phantom offered. "You're changing. You're not that same person. At least," he glanced away, rubbing at the back of his neck, "I think you're changing. You want to protect Dad now. Or I think you do."
When Phantom glanced his way, Vlad held his gaze. "Yeah," he agreed, "I guess I do. Maybe," the corners of his mouth twitched as he restrained a smile, "I can forgive him someday soon."
"What did he do to you that was so bad? If it's not just about Mom." Phantom shifted uncomfortably on the desk, adjusting his posture like a nervous teenager. Vlad still couldn't get over the strangeness of the ghost. Phantom was far different from the ghosts he dealt with in the past. Vlad once again wondered how the ghost died, but it seemed impolite to pry when Phantom showed no desire to reveal that information to him.
"It's not important. It was a long time ago." It felt like a lifetime ago to him now. Vlad could almost forget that it ever happened, that accident that changed his life. The bed creaked and the mattress dipped, and Vlad turned his head to Phantom, who had moved to join him on the bed. He lifted a curious eyebrow at the uncertainty wavering in the ghost's expression.
Phantom held out a hand before him that glowed softly with a green light, and Vlad still couldn't sense him as a ghost. His gaze slid toward Vlad and half a smile pulled at his mouth. Sparks shot from his hand, and Vlad followed the streams streaking through the air and watched as they exploded like little fireworks, leaving a splattering of green specks glowing upon the ceiling. It reminded him of an eerie night sky.
"What is this?" Vlad asked, marveling the display. He never saw another ghost utilize their powers in this manner, making him wonder all the more about the oddity that was Phantom.
"You see those three dots right there?" Phantom questioned as he pointed them out, an arm stretching over his head as his finger trailed along the line of three dots that shone just a touch brighter than those around them. "That's Orion's Belt. And," he twisted his hand, making the lights rearrange themselves, "that's the Big Dipper."
"Stars," Vlad mumbled, now understanding what the ghost was showing him. Constellations, to be more exact.
"Yeah." Phantom ducked his head, his cheeks turning green, but Vlad wasn't sure if that was from the glow of the starry display overhead or not. "I always had this dream of being an astronaut." His smile fell as his eyes darkened. "I probably studied more about the stars and space than I did for school." He laughed, a breathy noise that almost held a hint of a sob. "Maybe if I had worked harder on my school studies instead, I would have gotten better grades. Not that it really matters anymore."
Vlad sat up and placed a hand on the ghost's shoulder. What could he even say? He couldn't encourage Phantom and tell if he worked hard, he might be able to achieve his goal. The misery on Phantom's face grabbed at Vlad's chest and squeezed until he thought he couldn't breathe anymore. Phantom had dreams and aspirations when he was alive. He had so much to live for but it was all snatched away from in by some cruel twist of fate. Vlad could relate to that, somewhat, when he thought of the accident that gave him his ghost powers as a life ruining event.
He squeezed his hand around the shoulder, trying to offer some measure of comfort to the young ghost. "It's okay not to bring up memories of your life."
Phantom glanced his way, a strange look in his green eyes. "You mentioned wanting to know me as I grew up." He shrugged, though his sorrow remained draped over him. "I thought I could at least tell you a few things about me. Or who I was when I was alive."
Oh. Vlad tried not to openly wince as he felt a pinch in his chest. He didn't want Phantom stirring up memories that would make him sad because of a comment he made. His hand remained on the ghost's shoulder as he pondered some way to steer the conversation away from this depressing talk.
"We should start trying to figure out the identity of the person hiring hit men to target Jack," Vlad suggested in a pathetically obvious change of topics.
Phantom almost showed a hint of gratefulness before his expression turned serious. "You have no idea who hired you?"
Vlad shook his head. "Clients give me the information on the target anonymously and usually pay in cash so there's no paper trail connecting them. It's supposed to ensure that I can't rat them out if I get captured." He frowned grimly. "Though now I'm regretting that policy."
"It's smart," Phantom said dryly with a glower. "I hate you for it." He sighed, running a hand through his white hair. "So no help there." His mouth pursed, and his fingers tapped over the mattress as he thought. "Maybe Sam's mom isn't as clever. If we can catch her, maybe we can pry some answers out of her."
"If she's good," and Vlad suspected that she was if she lasted this long without being captured, "she'll know as little about her client as possible. She'll also be well versed in staying silent under torture. We could hold her for weeks and still never get any answers. And by then, we might have another hit man to deal with."
Phantom released a frustrated growl as he climbed to his feet and paced the length of the bedroom. Vlad watched, one foot then the next. It wouldn't be odd, if Phantom was human. Why didn't he float around like most other ghosts? In fact, everything that Phantom did was almost distinctly human. Perhaps it was merely because he was still a young ghost and he hadn't fully immersed himself into his afterlife as a ghost. Maybe it helped him cling to what humanity remained in him, unlike other ghosts that abandoned themselves to their obsessions. Vlad leaned his chin in his hand as he observed the ghost.
"What we need to do is figure out why anyone would want to kill Dad," Phantom said, his thumb at his mouth as he chewed on the nail. If he wasn't careful, he was going to chew the entire nail right off his thumb. "You hated him." He paused to stare at Vlad.
"Yes, but even though I fantasized about killing him, I never went through with any of those ideas," Vlad answered then frowned as it occurred to him that he was discussing this with Jack's son. Hearing about someone actually planning, even just in his head, about killing his father had to bother Phantom, even if he didn't show it. "I was bitter and angry, but that's no real excuse for the thoughts that went through my head."
"And Sam's mom pretty much hates everything about Dad." Phantom winced then sighed, his shoulders slumping. "This isn't helping. There could be a million reasons for someone to put a hit on Dad." He stepped in front of Vlad and grabbed hold of the man's shoulders, giving him a sharp shake. "What am I supposed to do, Vlad? I have to protect Dad. But how can I do that if I can't even figure out why someone wants to kill him?"
All day around Jack and Maddie, Phantom was the silent bodyguard, his expression neutral but his eyes alert as he watched for any sign that an attack might come. He didn't join them for dinner, like he did when it was only the three of them, and Vlad didn't force him to sit down at the table and eat with them. A ghost didn't need human sustenance, after all. He was strong in front of Jack and Maddie. He had to be so that they wouldn't doubt his capabilities as a bodyguard. But here, alone with it just them, Phantom allowed himself to breakdown and show his real anxieties to the only person that knew the truth about him. Phantom leaned on him, Vlad realized with a jolt of surprise. He was the only one that could hope to understand even a small amount of what the ghost was going through, and Phantom needed that, no matter how tiny Vlad's understanding of his situation was.
"We'll figure this out," Vlad said firmly, holding Phantom's gaze. "No one is going to get another chance to hurt Jack. We're going to stop them. You need to stay calm. We might not have answers right now, but we'll work out the truth if we just get the clues to put all the pieces together. But you're going to start overlooking things if you start panicking and breaking down."
"I know." Phantom nodded as he moved to sit down next to Vlad on the bed. "I know. It's just so much sometimes." He leaned forward, burying his face in his hands. "Sometimes I worry that I can't do this."
Vlad hesitated. He wasn't good with this whole supporting someone thing anymore. Since the accident, he didn't get close to people. His arm wrapped around the ghost, drawing him closer as Phantom leaned his weight against him. "You can do this," he assured the ghost. "And you don't have to do it alone."
"You'll help?"
"I'll help."
jelloshots99: No poisonous fudge. D: They have to make the fudge fresh to make sure it's not poisoned. Then Jack can have all the fudge he wants. =) Sad Jack is so heart breaking! D:
maltese: Jack is a pretty smart guy. XD I'm pretty sure he thinks up a lot of their inventions, but he's just so excitable that sometimes he makes some errors on them. And so the fighting bit isn't entirely for him. When it really counts and he's protecting his family, Jack knows how to kick butt.
midnight: That's probably one of those moments where playing oblivious was easier than accepting the truth. D: Vlad was there to kill him, but Jack was just so happy to see him again. D8 Like after 24 long years, he gets to see his bestest best friend, and it doesn't matter the reason why Vlad is there because Jack just missed him so much.
Sammi: And then, Vlad and Danny made fudge every Sunday night together to give Jack the next day. 8D;;
