So this has been sitting on my computer since… early July, I think? Kas finished with it right before World Building Week and I just didn't post it. Because, you know, I'm good at things. Plus my old laptop would not stop screaming whenever I turned it on.

Anyway, new laptop, new chapter! Even though I got my laptop in early September. We're ignoring that.

Chapter Warnings: aside from the usual stuff, this chapter also caused my lovely beta to have a very… strong emotional reaction. So, uh, you've been warned?

And now… for the finale of Bitter Reunions. Onwards!

Chapter 9:

Jack Fenton had killed his best friend.

He was sure of it; Vlad's heart had stopped when the ambulance reached the hospital, and the doctors had whisked him away.

Jack put his head in his hands, trying to drown out the noise of the hospital waiting room. This wasn't supposed to happen. He just wanted to make their portal look better, just to rub it in that they'd managed to make a working ghost portal. Vlad would have loved it, had it worked.

But it hadn't. Now Vlad was dead. And it was his fault.

"Jack?" Someone shook his shoulder. Jack looked up quickly to see that Vlad's sister, Carmilla, was standing in front of him. She pulled her hand back, adjusting her glasses. "I thought it was you. What happened? Where are the others?" She looked around, obviously trying to spot Maddie or Harry in the crowd.

Jack didn't know. Maddie had said she was going to get help; she must've called Carmilla, and the ambulance.

Carmilla stared at him. "Jack," She said, much more forcefully than before. "What happened? Where is my brother?"

"I killed him," Jack whispered.

Carmilla frowned, "You what?"

"I messed with our portal," He said, "It wasn't supposed to do anything, it wasn't supposed to- to-" It wasn't supposed to kill him.

Carmilla reached forwards, grabbing Jack by his lab coat and pulling him to his feet. "What the hell did you do to my little brother?" When Jack didn't answer she let go of him and stepped back, glaring at him. "This is your last chance. Tell me what happened, now."

Jack tried to, he really did, but he'd only gotten a few sentences out about their portal before Carmilla pulled her fist back and punched him in the jaw.

"Get out!" She screamed as Jack fell to the floor. A pair of nurses rushed over to grab Carmilla by her arms, pulling her away from Jack. Kicking and screaming, she fought them every step of the way. "You killed my brother! You bastard! Get out!"

And Jack did. What else was he supposed to do? He'd killed his best friend.

.-.-.-.-.-.

When Vlad woke up in the hospital, he could barely see. Breathing was a struggle, and every part of his body pulsed with something which was far too warm. Something dug into his wrists, and he felt something rub the back of his right hand. Vlad recognized the stiff fabric of it all quickly enough; whoever this was, they had several layers of protection between him and them.

"Vlad?" Carmilla? Though it was faint, he could make out the blurry outline of his sister in a complete hazmat suit. That was... unexpected. She found even jumpsuits distasteful. "Can you hear me?"

Vlad squeezed her hand, and he heard his sister gasp. He tried to move his jaw, hearing it click as he felt something between his teeth. Attempting to frown, he examined the room- Jack had been wearing that god-awful orange jumpsuit Maddie got him for Christmas, he should be easy to spot. And yet, Vlad couldn't seem to find him. He tried to form a question, but whatever was in his mouth quickly destroyed that plan.

"Oh, here-" Carmilla muttered, and Vlad felt her pull it out. That was certainly one of his more uncomfortable experiences, and he nearly threw up. "We- we had to be sure. You kept- we didn't want you to bite your tongue."

Vlad frowned as he noticed the way his sister was speaking. Carmilla Maria 'fluent in seven languages and professional public speaker' Masters did not trip over her words. "Where's Jack?" Maddie's absence he could understand - she was probably in the waiting room, because she had sense - but Jack? He wouldn't have settled for that. Why was his sister here, but not his best friend? "Where's Jack?" He asked, clearer this time.

Carmilla held his hand tighter. "He's..." Her breath was shaking, "He's not coming."

Vlad tried to sit up, only for Carmilla to quickly say his name and push him back down. "No," He said, "Jack- wouldn't-" That didn't make any sense. Jack had to be there. What could have stopped him? Was he injured? Had the portal ricocheted, and hit him too? "Where is he?"

"Don't worry about him," Carmilla said, "You- you just worry about getting better, okay?"

"Where is he?" Vlad said quietly, "Where is Jack? He needs- I need-" I should've gotten to it sooner, I should've turned it off, none of this would have happened if I'd been faster.

A strange feeling rushed through his arms, and within seconds they were numb yet far too warm. He could feel them straining against whatever it was that held them in place, and heard Carmilla ask quietly if he was okay.

"Get out," Vlad wheezed, trying to regain control of his arms. Faintly, he could feel the pressure of Carmilla's hands on his. "Get out, Carmilla, now-"

"I'm not leaving you," Carmilla said, and Vlad grit his teeth. "I'm not leaving you alone!"

"Leave," Said a voice in the back of Vlad's mind, and he froze. That hadn't been his thought. Now, he could feel something behind the sores and skin on his face, and the feeling snapped back into Vlad's arms. Somehow, the restraint around the wrist his sister wasn't holding had fallen away. "Leave," The voice said again, and the feeling in Vlad's free arm started to drip away.

"You leave," Vlad muttered, and moved his hand towards his face. Like hell he was going to play host to some sort of ectoplasmic parasite.

"Vlad?" Carmilla whispered, then sucked in a loud breath. "Vlad, no!"

She grabbed his wrist the second his nails broke the skin around his left eye, and Vlad screamed as pain shot through him. His entire body felt like it was on fire, and a scream that was not his own rang in his ears. Carmilla held him down, screaming for a nurse and refusing to leave his side when they arrived.

She refused to leave his side for the next two weeks, and spent every minute whispering that he would be okay. Even when the worst of it passed, and Vlad was blessed with more than a few minutes of consciousness, she spent every free moment with him.

Vlad greeted her, every day in that hospital, by asking where Jack was. Every time she replied that he wasn't coming. And for years Vlad laid there, convinced he'd killed his best friend.

But that was twenty years ago.

.-.-.-.-.-.

Three of Positgen's duplicates floated around him and Vlad, who stood back to back. "Watch closely, dear boys."

Danny nodded eagerly from where he sat on the ground. Prince, who sat beside him, pulled out a handful of grass and dropped it on Danny's head.

Positgen and Vlad formed together with the black light, one hand coated in energy which changed from pink to violet. A bit of it separated, growing into what seemed to be a flyswatter. They flicked a wrist, and it took out one of the duplicates.

The second duplicate fired a green blast, which the flyswatter smacked away into the third before both dissolved. The second duplicate attacked again, and this time they absorbed the blast into a hand before shooting it back at the duplicate. As it exploded, Danny jumped to his feet and started clapping.

"That was awesome!" He called, "You've got to teach me how to do that!"

The two separated, and Danny took a step back. "Unless Prince wants to get involved, I suggest for now that we stick to simple exercises." Positgen seemed to roll his eyes when Vlad gave him a look, and explained his statement. "If we can strengthen your connection with simple exercises, it'll be much easier for you to do the difficult techniques such as the duplication you seem so fond of."

"Oh," Danny looked over at Prince, who was tying blades of grass together. "Prince? Want to join in?"

Prince wrinkled his nose, but floated off of the ground. "Fine," He moved towards Danny's side, rubbing his still bruised eye. "What are we doing?"

"Does your eye still hurt?" Danny asked, and Prince nodded. "Why can't I feel it?"

"Hold on a minute," Positgen spoke up, directing the attention back to him and away from the obviously uncomfortable Prince. "You two can feel the other's pain?"

Danny glanced at Prince, "Yes...? Is that not normal?"

"We can also share emotions," Prince added on, "Kind of."

"It's more like I feel yours and you probably feel mine."

"Yeah, true."

Vlad looked over the two curiously, "Positgen and I have never been able to do something like that. However, we can share thoughts."

Danny's face lit up, "Oh my god, that is so cool! Prince, can we do that? Quick, try to guess what I'm thinking!" He focused on the phrase Vlad is a cool dude.

Prince looked thoughtful, "Are you thinking about how dumb this is?"

Danny frowned, "Uh, no?"

"Oh. That must've been me then."

Positgen wheezed, looking like he was trying not to laugh, while Vlad rolled his eyes. Danny just looked uncomfortable, not used to Prince being so sassy. "Okay... so no on the thoughts sharing."

"Try not to feel bad, Little Badger," Vlad said, "It's not nearly as glamorous as it sounds. I am interested in the other aspects of your connection, though. When did you realize that-" He cut himself off with a yawn, lifting a hand to cover his mouth.

Positgen stood a little straighter, crossing his arms and floating up slightly so he appeared taller than Vlad. "Vlad," He said, using a voice that reminded Danny of Jazz. "How much sleep did you get last night? No, better question- how much sleep have you gotten this week?"

Vlad sighed, his hand trailing down his face. "Must you do this now? I'm perfectly capable of-"

"Less than four hours, then." He sighed, turning to Danny and Prince. "Sorry, but we'll have to cut this short. Someone," He said as he looked pointedly at Vlad. "Doesn't like to look after himself. You do realize you can die from a lack of sleep, right?"

Vlad rolled his eyes, lowering the hand from his face. Danny frowned, looking between the older two. "You didn't sleep last night?"

"You did?" Something flickered in his eyes before Vlad continued, "Daniel, it has been just me and Positgen for over twenty years. Why would I spend time sleeping when there's hundreds of more interesting things I could being doing, all involving you?"

Danny's face burned as he looked away, not sure of what to say. He thinks I'm as awesome as I think he is. This is weird. People aren't supposed to automatically like me! This doesn't make any sense! "He checked in on you three times while you were asleep," Prince said, and Danny's face burned more.

"Yeah, no," Positgen shook his head, "That's weird, and you need to sleep now before you do something weirder." He moved towards Vlad, "Are we doing this the easy way or do I have to drag you?"

Vlad looked over at Danny, who was still blushing badly enough that he looked sunburned, and hesitantly reached out his hand towards Positgen. The ghost grabbed it and with a twist of pink ectoplasm the two were gone.

"I'm going to go back inside now," Prince said, floating towards Vlad's house.

"Right," Danny frowned and darted in front of him. "Are you okay?" Prince shrugged and looked away. Danny grabbed onto his sleeve and pulled the ghost closer to the ground, feeling a bit of soreness around his eye for barely a second. When it became apparent that Prince wasn't going to answer his question, he continued. "What's wrong?" Prince shrugged. Helpful. "It's Vlad, isn't it? Him and Positgen still creep you out."

"They were nice to me," Prince muttered, landing on the ground. "And Positgen told me that they have things in place so that-" He lowered his voice, "They won't be able to find me here. So, um, no. I like Vlad and Positgen. They're fine." He crossed his arms and started to play with his sleeves. "They're fine."

That doesn't sound very convincing. "Well, at least... They?" Wow this is confusing. We need something better to call the Observants. "Yeah, They won't come after you! That's good." Prince nodded, and there were several long moment of an awkward silence. Danny clapped his hands together, startling Prince. "So, now that we've eliminated that, what's actually wrong? I'd guess, but I can't feel anything from you and it's weirding me out."

"Oh," Prince shrugged, "Sorry? I can feel everything from you."

"Oh, great, that means I'm the problem. Fun."

Prince frowned, looked like he was about to say something, and instead took a deep breath. "You're not the problem."

"No, I probably am." Prince shook his head again, and Danny's left eye started to feel a bit sore.

"You're not," Prince repeated, and Danny shivered.

He lifted a hand to rub his eye, only to find that his limbs felt too heavy. Prince grabbed his arm and Danny shook his head, offering a small smile. "Oh, there it is. How do you live like this?"

"I don't," Prince licked his lips, "I'm sorry."

"Nah, it's fine, I just might throw up or something. Dude, you feel awful." Danny knelt down before flopping onto his back, "Actually I think I'll just lay here. Forever. I'm dead now."

"Please don't die," Prince said, sitting down beside him and poking Danny in the throat.

Danny pulled away, making a face and rolling onto his side. "Jesus Christ, your hands are cold!"

"Danny!" Danny flinched as he heard Jazz scream his name and hoped that she hadn't seen Prince. He rolled onto his back as his sister rushed into the garden. She fell to her knees at his side, "What happened? Are you okay?"

"I'm fine," Danny lied, "I'm enjoying nature."

"You are?" Jazz didn't sound like she believed him. "Why are you lying on the ground?"

"That just happens sometimes," He replied, and started to sit up. Danny's vision swam the second he lifted his head off the ground, and he fell back with his hands over his eyes. Prince, what did you do? "I regret my life."

"Danny," Jazz said in a much firmer tone, "Why are you lying on the grass?"

"Because standing up is awful? Also I can't, apparently." He narrowed his eyes, "How long have those clouds been there?"

Jazz pulled Danny to his feet, hooked his arm around her shoulders, and half-dragged him back towards Vlad's mansion. "Let's get you inside before it starts to rain."

Danny looked over his shoulder and back at the clearing where he could faintly see Prince's invisible outline. Slowly, he could feel his dizziness lessen and the soreness from his eye pull back. "What are you doing?" He muttered, mostly to himself.

"What was that?" Jazz asked, "I couldn't hear you."

Danny bit down on his bottom lip. "Nothing," He said quickly, pulling away from his sister and standing on his own. "I'm fine though, see? Completely, absolutely..." He trailed off, catching sight of Prince's almost invisible outline once again. "...Fine."

"You're not fine," Jazz replied, grabbing his wrist. "Let's get you back inside."

.-.-.-.-.-.

"Mom? What are you doing?"

Maddie looked to her left, at where her daughter was standing. "We're checking the ambient ectoplasm intake of the RV sweetheart," She said, "Why?"

Jazz frowned, "Well, I think Danny had another seizure."

Maddie pulled her hands back and Jack slid out from under the RV. "He did?" She clenched her fists a little tighter.

"He was lying in Mr. Masters' garden," She said, "And when I asked if he was okay he couldn't even sit up. I brought him back inside and told him to go lie down but..." Jazz shook her head. "Dad, remember what we talked about on the way here? You need to do that. Now."

"I'm working on it, Jazzy-pants," Jack frowned as he pulled himself out from under the RV. "Vladdie's a very difficult guy, y'know? If he doesn't like Danny, then he won't do it."

Maddie sighed, "Jazz is right, Jack."

"Of course I am."

She chose not to comment on her daughter's words. "Danny needs this, and the sooner we know that we can provide it for him, the better. And besides, Vlad... doesn't dislike Danny." He was probably annoyed by him, as he seemed to be by everyone, but Vlad didn't seem to hate their son. That was a promising sign.

Jack stuck out his bottom lip, but as it became apparent that neither of the women would let him get out of it, he stood up. Oil stained part of his jumpsuit and he smeared it when he tried to wipe it away. "Right now?"

Jazz looked him over, then shook her head. "Later, after dinner. I think he's working again."

"Again?" Maddie rolled her eyes. Some things really didn't change.

Jack looked like he was about to say something else, but instead quickly stood a little straighter and threw on a smile. "Danny-boy! What are you doing out here?"

Maddie turned quickly to her left as her youngest slipped out the door. Danny rested a hand on the back of his neck, obviously uncomfortable with the amount of attention on him. "Uh- apples?" He pointed to the RV.

"Oh, you want the apples!" Jack boomed, rushing to the RV's door. "I'll get them for you, buddy!"

Maddie shook her head fondly and moved towards Danny. The back of his shirt was covered with grass and dirt. "How are you feeling, honey?"

"Fine," Danny said, and glared at his sister. "Absolutely fine."

"Don't look at me like that," Jazz crossed her arms, "I was trying to help you."

Danny glanced up at Maddie before crossing his arms and huffing. A second later, Jack rushed back out of the RV and dropped a bag of apples into his son's arms. "Here you go, kiddo! What do you need them for, anyway?"

"Eating?" Danny said awkwardly, "Yes. Eating. I'm eating them."

Maddie frowned, "You're going to eat all those apples by yourself?"

"...Yes," Danny said, shifting the bag. "I'm going to go back inside now." He half-jogged back into Vlad's house and kicked the door closed.

Maddie exchanged a look with her daughter before turning back to her husband, who was frowning too. "I'll talk to Vlad," He said.

In the sky behind them, a bolt of lightning jumped between the clouds.

.-.-.-.-.-.

Danny dropped the bag of apples on his bed beside Prince. "Eat."

Prince nodded, but did not look up from his book.

"Prince, eat an apple or I'm going to start hitting you with them." The ghost made a noise that could have meant anything, and so Danny grabbed an apple and threw it lightly at Prince's head. Prince turned intangible, and the apple passed through him to land awkwardly on the floor. "Oh," Danny said, staring at it. "Okay. Plan B then." He snatched the book from Prince's hands and spun away quickly before the ghost could grab him. From beside the still-open window, he turned back to the ghost who was sitting on his bed.

"Please don't get rid of it!" Prince called, reaching for Danny but not getting off of the bed, "I like that book! Don't hurt it!"

"Wait, why would I-" He glanced over at the window. "Oh. Prince, I'm not going to throw your book away."

"Oh," Prince pulled his hand back, looking embarrassed. "Okay. Can I have it back now?"

"Eat something first," Danny said. "I want to be able to feel you without feeling your death." He frowned, "That's not something I thought I'd ever say but okay."

Prince stuck out his lip and noticed the fruit on the floor. "That's wasteful. The apple didn't deserve that," He said. He turned around to grab another one and took a bite out of it before turning back. "Can I have my book back, now? I'm at my favourite part again."

"How many times have you read this thing?"

Prince shrugged and took another bite, "I don't know, I just really like the parts with the Mirror of Erised."

"Mirror of- wait a minute." Danny lifted up the book and stared at the cover. Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone stared back at him. "You've been reading the same Harry Potter book over and over?"

Prince wrinkled his nose, "I only read it three times. That's not weird!"

"In three days? It's a little weird." Danny moved back to Prince's side, sitting down on the other side of the apples. "Jazz used to read these to me when I was a kid. I'm pretty sure that this was the first novel either of us could, you know, read." He smiled at the book before handing it back to Prince. "What house are you in?"

Prince frowned, "I... Vlad's?"

Danny rolled his eyes. "Again with the sass. That's my thing. No, I meant your Hogwarts house. I'm Hufflepuff and we have like no merch. It's ridiculous."

"Hufflepuff?" Prince wrinkled his nose, "But they don't do anything. Why would you want to be Hufflepuff?"

"How dare you." Danny said, reaching back to grab his laptop. "I'll have you know that Hufflepuffs are particularly good finders."

"Um..." Prince looked to the side, "Okay. That doesn't make sense but okay."

Danny booted up his laptop and waited for it to start working properly. "Seriously though, don't insult Hufflepuffs. We're awesome. We're, kind, accepting, believe in justice, and above all else loyal. Also our common room's near the kitchen so we get snacks."

"...Okay," Prince said, still looking confused.

"Let me put it like this; my family is, uh, quirky right?"

"Your sister doesn't eat and your parents hunt dead people," Prince replied, "That's kinda beyond quirky."

"She totally eats; she'd be dead if she didn't. No offense." Danny typed in his password, "Anyway, when I was a kid people used to talk about how dangerous and awful my family was. Kids would be warned by their parents to stay away from us. Jazz tried to pull away from our parents because of that; I've been trying to defend them all my life. They mean well, and they don't deserve what people say about them. Kindness and loyalty. Key Hufflepuff traits."

Prince nodded, still looking a bit confused, and Danny brought up a web page. "What is that?"

"House test," Danny said, pushing his laptop into Prince's lap. "Let's see what house you're in."

"I want to be in Gryffindor," Prince said, poking the screen. "They're the good guys."

"Yeah, just wait until book three." Danny pushed Prince's hand away from his screen. "And do the test!"

While Prince answered the questions with his tongue poking from the corner of his mouth, Danny flopped back onto his bed and wondered how he was going to go about getting Prince to sleep. That had to be why he'd felt so horrible; Danny was sure of it. He needed to eat, and he needed to sleep. Then they could go back to feeling each other and everything would be okay. Yeah that thought is still weird.

"Done," Prince said, pushing the laptop back towards Danny. "What do I do now?"

"This," Danny clicked the submit button, waiting a second before the house crest loaded. "Slytherin! Nice. You get decent merchandise."

Prince wrinkled his nose, "But that's where the bad guys come from! I don't want to be the villain. I don't want to listen to Snape."

"Then don't listen to Snape," Danny said, "Secret good guy or not, I still hate him. Not as much as Jazz does, but nobody can hate him like she does. She wrote an essay on why he's a horrible person. And besides," He brought up another page, "Look, see? Slytherin house traits; resourcefulness, cunning, self-preservation, and determination. That totally sounds like you!"

"And it sounds like the bad guys."

Danny shut his laptop and dropped it beside him. "No. Being associated with the villain doesn't make you the villain. You become the villain when you make the choice to help them. You're Slytherin but don't want to be the bad guy? Then don't be a jerk to muggleborns and stop your housemates from doing so. If you don't want to be the bad guy then just don't be bad. It's literally that easy."

Prince didn't look convinced. "Okay..." He reached for the book, "I'm going to go back to reading this now."

"How about you eat more apples and sleep instead?"

"Book first, sleep later."

Okay, new Jazz. "I'm going to take that away again." Prince stuck out his tongue, so Danny grabbed a blanket from the floor and threw it over the ghost.

"Cool," Prince said, "Blanket fort. This is the perfect place to keep reading."

"I'm going to fight you," Danny said, standing up.

"I'll turn intangible."

Danny threw his hands in the air and started out of his room. "Fine, be difficult, make us both feel awful!" He stopped at the door and turned around, "I don't care. You want to feel like death, then you feel like death."

Something reached the edges of Danny's mind before Prince managed to pull back. Danny placed a hand on the wall and tried to support himself- because, really, Prince felt awful- but for a second, he knew exactly what emotion Prince was feeling.

Fear.

Danny moved quickly back across his room. I'm an idiot. No wonder he's not sleeping or anything. Of course Prince wouldn't feel safe here. It was too obvious, and Danny couldn't believe he didn't realize it sooner. Between Positgen and the vultures it was a wonder that he didn't feel any worse.

Danny slipped into the blanket fort and locked his arms around Prince, squeezing the now confused ghost. "Safety hug," He said. "I'm a professional human shield. If anyone comes for you they'll have to get through me and the blanket."

"That's not very comforting," Prince said.

"Blankets keep out all monsters," Danny replied. "This is common sense."

Prince frowned in the dim light, "How?"

Danny hesitated. "As long as most of you is covered by a blanket, monsters can't sense you. And if they do, they'll find me first."

"Oh," Prince shifted, pulling his legs closer to himself. "That's the opposite of what I want, though."

Danny squeezed him tighter. "Safety hug," He said again, not sure of what else to go with.

Prince pulled an arm free and wrapped it around Danny. "Safety hug," He repeated.

.-.-.-.-.-.

Prince had fallen asleep, and Danny had pulled out of their fort to wander.

Unfortunately, since the world seemed to hate him, he was halfway across Vlad's house and surrounded by windows when the storm arrived.

Danny's gut twisted as lightning flashed outside, and it was too easy to picture the sparks from the portal moving towards him.

Danny found himself on the floor, curled up in a ball as thunder shook the windows. He squeezed his eyes shut and flattened himself against the wall, arms over his face as if it would actually protect him. I'm not there. I'm not there. I'm not there.

A warm hand grabbed his wrist and Danny went through the floor.

He landed awkwardly on the ground, hitting his elbow and hissing in pain.

"Er, sorry," Danny raised his head to see Positgen kneeling in front of him, looking uncomfortable. "But this was the only way I could think to help you."

Danny pulled back, looking around at the lab he'd been dragged to. This isn't helpful; this is terrifying.

Positgen pulled back, standing up. "I'll let you know once the storm has calmed down, if you'd like. But you're free to go whenever you want; just walk intangibly through a wall. I'll warn you if there's someone on the other side." He brushed himself off, turned around, and started towards a counter. The ghost's arms swung awkwardly at his sides.

Danny pushed himself back until he'd reached a cabinet and pulled his knees close. It took several minutes before his heart stopped pounding and he could breathe normally again. Slowly, he stood, and looked around the lab.

The tank-like thing Prince had been in was gone, and in the middle of the floor there seemed to be stairs heading down. That's new. He took a step towards it, looked over at Positgen, and moved quickly down the rest.

The room was coated with shelves, each of which housed a labeled weapon. At the end of the room was the camera-looking device. Danny raised an eyebrow and moved towards it, footsteps echoing in the empty room.

He was halfway through when another sound- a humming sound- joined them.

And Danny looked around to see that every single weapon had started to charge up.

"Crap," He whispered. One of the weapons fired and Danny dropped to the ground, hands over his head as ectoplasm blasts exploded above him. Danny tried to make himself smaller as he could feel the blasts explode closer and closer to his body.

They stopped abruptly and slowly, Danny raised his head. Positgen stood beside him, and looked awkwardly down at the teen. "I suppose I should have warned you about that."

"No, no," Danny rolled onto his back, "I totally came in here to get shot several bajillion times. Have you ever heard of turning the safety on before you store a gun? I hear it's very effective."

"A bajillion isn't a number," Positgen said, holding out a hand to help Danny up. Hesitantly, he took it, and Positgen pulled him out of the weapon hall.

Danny reached the top of the stairs, heart still pounding. "So... what was that about? How important is that camera thing?"

"Hm? Oh, that." He let go of Danny's hand and pushed part of the wall. The stairs disappeared into the floor. "Fairly important, but it's normally safe out here. I just thought Prince would appreciate the extra security."

Prince? "But what does it do?"

Positgen turned back towards him. "It's the current control panel for our central barrier. I wanted to see how small I could make it while still having it work. Are you impressed?"

Danny raised an eyebrow, "Considering I haven't seen any ghost shields, not really. Does it even work?"

The ghost's proud smile was quickly gone. "Shield? No, that's not what it- Prince never told you what a barrier is, did he? Hm, I shouldn't be surprised, secrecy kept you safe during the war, but that seems like something he'd want you to know." He floated up, looking thoughtful. "Well, kiddo-"

"Danny."

"Right. Let's pretend you're not still mad at me for a moment here, because I'm going to explain some things to you that nobody seems to have done already." Positgen took a moment before he motioned with a hand, bits of violet energy falling off of his finger tips and drawing patterns in the air. "This, in the simplest form, is the barrier. It's not so much a true shield as it's a stretched out device that interrupts ectoplasmic signatures. Ours are contained, their impurities filtered out- and Prince's, of course. Once I realized what the situation was I added him to the system immediately. But I can see this isn't very interesting to you, so back on topic; has Prince mentioned to you about certain ghosts who can find you if you say their name?"

Danny stepped back, "Maybe."

Positgen shrugged, "Just wanted to be sure. That technique is called tracing, and the barrier blocks it. Here, if Prince really wanted to, he could curse the Observants out by individual name. Literally, or just by swearing. I'm sure he could actually curse them if he really wanted to..."

Danny crossed his arms, "Yeah, first of all, don't say their name in front of Prince."

"I wasn't going to, but it is nice to see how much you care." Positgen turned back to the counter as the violet designs faded. "But that's why I set up those weapons like that; they won't go off for Vlad, myself, or Prince of course, but apparently you still need to be added to the system. Well, they will go off for us if we say the panic word, but we really have no need for that. It's just an extra precaution in case there's some impossible betrayal shenanigans going on."

"Panic word?" Danny frowned, "I... okay. Okay. So basically, that thing makes Prince safe from the Observants?" Good thing I didn't break it.

"It keeps everyone safe from the Observants."

"Close enough." Danny moved closer to the ghost, "So, any chance you could tell me exactly what they are?"

There was a moment of hesitation before the ghost looked up from whatever he was doing. "I think that in this case, the less you know, the better."

"That," Danny said, "Is one of the dumbest things I've heard." When Positgen turned towards him, apparently offended, Danny continued. "You're not helping me by not telling me anything about them. They're after Prince, and before we came here we were attacked by ghost birds who were talking about someone named Volana and wanted to use me as bait to get Prince." Positgen appeared rather uncomfortable when Danny mentioned the birds. "Yeah. Keeping me out of this because you want to keep me safe or whatever? It's dumb. It doesn't work. So could you just tell me what's going on and why they hate Prince?"

"You really don't like me, do you?"

"I'll like you once you give me a reason to."

"And to think, a few minutes ago you were having a breakdown in the hallway. You should probably be medicated." Positgen cleared his throat as Danny rolled his eyes. "But fair enough, I understand. Has Prince told you anything about the Time War?"

Danny blinked. "I feel like that might be from a TV show."

Positgen twisted into ectoplasm, leaving Danny for a minute before he returned with a comfortable looking office chair. "In that case, it's time for a history lesson!"

"I think I'm failing that class," Danny replied.

"You should probably do something about that." He slid the chair towards Danny, who sat down in it. "Now, let's see, where to start... the Observants, I suppose, act as the Ghost Zone's government. They are supposed to be benevolent rulers who guide others on their tasks to make our realm a better place." He gave a bitter laugh, "It's amazing how many of us they've fooled. Even with the wisdom provided by King Pariah Dark, we still believed them."

Danny looked to the side, then back at Positgen. "I'm lost."

"At what part?"

All of it. "Let's go with the fact that you guys are a monarchy." Danny shifted in the chair, "Why do you have a king? Wait- what does that mean for Prince? Is he an actual prince?!"

Positgen made a non-descriptive noise and an iffy hand motion. "Unlikely. I doubt Warrior Boy and Dark actually spared the king's children. There's been conspiracy theories about it since the war ended, but the facts state that he crushed the prince and princess' cores." Danny made a face, trying not to picture someone stepping on a ghost's chest. He failed, and he gripped the chair tightly as the ghost in his mind morphed into Prince, and the foot became his. Positgen continued speaking, not acknowledging Danny's struggle to get the images out of his mind. "No, Prince is likely the son of someone on the Royal Army. Not entirely sure who, but they've got to be important. He certainly held up that mark on his wrist like it was important."

Desperate for a distraction, Danny spoke. "You mean the thing on his wrist that looks like a cat? It's a birthmark."

"Birthmark? Hm," He shook his head, "Anyway, this isn't the time for speculation. He has to be the son of someone from the Royal Army. King Pariah named his son Prince Phantom Joseph Dark, his daughter Princess Hafia Samantha Dark, and his wife- well, he didn't really name her- Queen Mary Dark. Those who were particularly loyal to his cause would name their own family after his. There were very many Phantoms, Hafias, and Marys."

Danny nodded, "Well, Prince's last name is Phantom. So I guess his parents were just giant nerds?"

"I... suppose so, yes." Positgen held up his hands, "But as I was saying, the Hafia Effect, as a friend of mine refers to the naming trend by, was especially prominent during the later years of the king's reign. After the war was finished- I lost you again, didn't I?"

"Yep," Danny adjusted himself so that he was sitting cross-legged on the chair. "Why was there a war?"

Positgen made another non-descriptive noise and hand motion. How helpful. "King Pariah was always a bit… impulsive, we'll say. And he really, really didn't like the Master of Time- that's another high-ranking ghost. He can freeze and travel through time, and answers directly to the Observants. I suggest avoiding him completely. Anyway, the two were always looking for a chance to hurt each other and eventually it led to a war. Do you follow?"

Danny nodded, "So Prince's family fought a war and lost."

"Well, they survived the war, but yes. Their side lost. A group of powerful ghosts known as the Ancients defeated King Pariah and disbanded his army. However," he took a moment, pausing for dramatic effect. "While the ghosts who'd put their faith in him tried to put their world back together, something horrible was lurking in-"

"Could you quit being dramatic and just tell me what happened?"

Positgen frowned, "I was trying to make it a bit more interesting for your sake. But if you insist," He straightened up, cracking his knuckles. "Three months after the war had ended, people started disappearing. Rumors began to spread; Warrior Boy and Dark had returned, and were finishing off the remainders of the King's Army. At first, they copied the method used on the King; they'd lure one family member away, poison another, and leave the damaged cores of the remaining members somewhere for the first to find. The loss of their family caused madness, and they would attack others just as the King had before the Observants intervened."

Danny winced, trying not to think of the same happening to his own family.

"When the Ghost Zone begged for the only authority we had anymore, the Master of Time, to step in and protect us, we were ignored. Warrior Boy and Dark grew lazy, and quit following their system. This allowed them to kill so many more. The Observants claimed after ten years to have finally stopped them, but never backed up this claim with proof. Everyone was terrified, and so the Ghost Zone became divided; those who foolishly trusted the Ancients to keep us safe once again, and those of us who were smart enough to realize that they had been working with those monsters. The Rebel Supporters and the Royal Sympathizers, respectively."

"Oh," Danny shifted in his chair, "So... moving on from that slightly terrifying event - and actual information on the guy people think I am for once - what's up with the Observants?"

"They're corrupt," Positgen shrugged, "That's the simplest way to put it. They have been since they formed, but they covered it up and tried to paint themselves as gods. King Pariah was the first being to successfully call them out." He paused, "To be honest, I have my own theories about their involvement with the appearance of Warrior Boy and Dark."

Danny scooted his chair closer. "Really?"

"Yes," He lowered his voice, "There is evidence to suggest that the Observants, who are not supposed to directly intervene in the affairs of the Ghost Zone, have used other beings to do their work for them. The Observants and King Pariah were famously at odds with each other-"

"Is there anyone Pariah didn't try to fight?" Danny asked, and Positgen narrowed his eyes.

"King Pariah. And yes; his army... no, hold on, towards the end he was fighting them too." Positgen frowned, "The current leader of the Royals is out of the question, she'll fight anyone who looks her way... definitely not the Master of Time..." He cleared his throat, "King Pariah has never tried to fight his family, or any children. All our records point to him being an excellent, if embarrassing, father."

"Oh, so like my dad." Danny licked his lips, "Well, minus the going crazy and being assassinated by the government part..." Actually, not like my dad.

"That is a surprisingly accurate description of the war." Positgen turned, examining something on the cupboard. "But as I was saying, King Pariah was extremely powerful, and if he had truly wanted to, he could have overthrown the Observants. They called a truce when he tried, allowing him to become our King. But towards the end, he seemed to have grown angry with them again, and was fighting against the laws. And then Warrior Boy and Dark were sent in. The timing is far too coincidental."

He's got a point. "So what does that mean for Prince?"

"For some reason, Warrior Boy and Dark spared him." Positgen turned back, "They brought him to the Observants, where he has been up until recently. Why would they do something like that?"

Danny's heart skipped a beat, "Oh, jeez." Prince has to follow orders, and he thought that being stuck to me was some sort of test. "What is wrong with those guys?" He threatened to crush Skulker's core with his shoe. Isn't that what happened to the other Royals?

"If I had a solid answer, I would provide you with it." Positgen sighed, "But it also worth mentioning something about obsessions. Do you know what those are?"

This time, Danny made a noise and an iffy hand motion. He grinned for a second when he saw how annoyed it made Positgen. "I know Prince has to follow the orders of whoever says his name."

"But that's the thing," Positgen said, "Ghosts need an obsession to stay stable. Following it gives them energy. If something happens that goes against their obsession, they can break- you remember how I mentioned King Pariah's madness? His obsession was his family. He gained strength from keeping them safe, and even the Rebel Supporters will admit that he was an excellent father." He tucked a strand of loose hair behind his ear, "Obsessions come from what happened to you when you were alive. And you can't function unless you are, to some degree, following it. I've met other ghosts who have an obsession with servitude, and they embrace it. But Prince?"

Danny thought of the times he'd ordered Prince. "He hates it."

"Not only does he hate it," Positgen said, "He actively fights against it. He goes tense, he grips at his core, and he searches for loopholes to get out of it. Those are not the signs of someone who gains strength from following their obsession, those are the signs of someone who is punished for going against it."

The Observants wouldn't want someone who'd fight back. Danny stood up, kicking the chair back. "I need to go make sure Prince is okay."

"He should be," Positgen said, "I would know if any threats had entered the area."

Danny shook his head, "No, you don't understand; I need to go make sure Prince is okay."

"Ah," Positgen nodded. "Fair enough. Your sister might be looking for you. I could distract her if you'd like. Cause things to suspiciously fall over and the like."

"Sure, whatever," Danny said. "I don't care."

Positgen disappeared in a twist of ectoplasm, and Danny ran intangibly through the wall.

.-.-.-.-.-.

Hours later, Positgen sat in Vlad's study, building a house of cards.

It'd become a habit over the years, born out of pure determination to do something the amazing Carmilla Maria Masters could never do. It was petty, of course, but the entire Masters family seemed to run on spite. Positgen's habit fit right in. By this point it had developed into little more than a way to keep his hands busy while he thought.

Prince Phantom was a survivor from a war where everyone like him had been destroyed. He became upset when his family was mentioned, but didn't seem aware that Positgen had yet to learn who exactly they were. He had a birthmark on his right wrist, and was the likely adopted son of someone who'd taken on the surname Phantom. That man had adopted at least one other child and had a wife, and had managed to piss off the Observants enough that they stole his son. Who, somehow, had managed to escape in a way that convinced the Observants he had been killed.

That raised far more questions than it answered.

What had become of his family then? Were they with the Observants? Judging by Prince's actions, he presumed them dead. But the Observants had twisted the truth hundreds of times. They could have been killed, but chances were far more likely that they were being hidden away, used just as Prince had been.

Positgen sighed, running a hand over his face. Why did he have to get caught up in this? He couldn't just hand Prince back over to the Observants, not with what he knew now. He didn't know why he'd ever deluded himself into thinking he could.

"This is a mess," He said, and looked over his house of cards. At least that was in order. He grabbed two more cards from the deck, intending to start a third lair.

The door slammed and Positgen's card house fell, just as he was about to set them down. Vlad had kicked the door open.

"What was that for?!" He jumped to his feet, and watched as Vlad's eyes started to burn red.

"I am going to murder Jack Fenton."

Positgen stared at the human across from him and slowly raised his hands. "I'm sorry, you're going to what?"

.-.-.-.-.-.

An hour ago, Vlad had been dragged downstairs for dinner. It hadn't been too bad; it was an attempt at lasagna, and while he could have easily made something much better, it was nice to eat with Daniel at his side. If he focused on the food and not the others who were present, he could trick himself into believing that Daniel had prepared the meal specifically for him and Maddie. He truly would be the perfect son.

After dinner, however, his fantasy was ruined as Daniel was pulled away by his sister to do the dishes. Maddie and Jack exchanged a look before she joined them, claiming that she was going stop them from making a mess. Jack and Vlad were left alone.

Jack cleared his throat, "Want to take a walk, Vladdie?"

Only if I can strangle you at the end. "In all honesty Jack, no; I still have so much paperwork I need to do. I must be getting back to that." Paperwork. Even Daniel would have called him out on such a flimsy excuse- he always had paperwork to do, and was always looking for an excuse to avoid it.

But Jack merely jumped to his feet, grinning. "I'll come with you!"

Vlad strongly considered punching the man right then and there. Instead he took a breath and started out of the room. Jack kept pace with him unfortunately easily.

"That was a good dinner Jazzypants made, wasn't it?" Jack asked, and Vlad pretended that his decor was the most interesting thing in the world. "She's really shaping up to be good little cook. And she's such a good big sis to Danny too! I'll bet Carmilla would love her."

It took all of Vlad's strength to keep walking when he said that, and his heart skipped a beat when Jack continued.

"How is Carmilla, anyway?"

It's a simple question. Just answer it, and change the subject. "She's fine," He said, "How's your sister... Allison, was it?"

Jack's face fell. "Uh... Allie's been dead for six years."

"Oh." Well, that was awkward. "I'm... sorry to hear that."

"Yeah," Jack shrugged, "These things happen. She died doing what she loved and she knew the risks. She's not a ghost, so it's all fine. What about Carmilla?" Vlad's fists clenched. "What's she been up to?"

"She's," Vlad hesitated, "In the Middle East, on a humanitarian mission. Why do you ask?"

"No reason, Vlad, just trying to make conversation y'know-"

"Enough." Vlad stopped where he stood, Jack walking a few steps ahead of him before stopping as well. "Jack, you actively sought me out and wanted to speak with me. I hate small talk; you should know this. I'm done talking about Carmilla, get to the point. What do you want?"

Jack relented, sighing, and taking on a serious tone that made Vlad very uncomfortable. "Vlad, we need money."

Vlad pushed past him and kept walking.

"It's not for me and Maddie!" Jack said, rushing to catch up with him. "It's for Danny. Just hear me out, Vlad, please!"

Daniel? "Why do you need money for your son?"

He heard Jack sigh, but refused to look back. "Thank you."

"I haven't agreed to anything," He said, "Tell me why you need money for your son."

"He's sick- well, not really sick," Jack spoke quickly, and if it wasn't for his years in business Vlad might've had trouble keeping up. "He has Epilepsy. He has these medications and Maddie and I, we've been trying to get him to take them, but there's a side effect that we didn't know would come with them. He hallucinates. It's always the same thing, too- a man named Prince."

Vlad spun around and stared at Jack. "I'm sorry, what?"

"Danny hallucinates a man named Prince. We don't know much about him, but the thing only shows up when Danny takes his meds. Lately he's started pretending that he isn't seeing Prince when we know he is. The day we came here, they had a conversation in our RV's bathroom. It's terrifying, because whoever Danny thinks his hallucination is seems to be stuck to him. They've talked about stuff like leashes and-"

"Stop," Vlad up a hand, "I've spent time near your son and he has never acted that was around me."

"Danny doesn't usually talk to his hallucination when people are there," Jack said, "Jasmine says she's caught him doing it a couple times, but quietly. And my dad, he had a full conversation with Prince earlier this week. He said it was just Danny, speaking in a slightly different tone. Vlad, there's something really wrong with my son and it all started with this medication."

"Then put him on another one," Vlad said. I'll have to talk to Daniel about keeping Prince a better secret. If they didn't sound so alike, they would have revealed their connection. "Why are you making such a big deal about this?"

Jack hesitated, "This isn't easy for me, Vladdie."

"It shouldn't be. You and Maddie should have been able to provide for him yourselves."

Jack didn't argue. "Danny wants to be an astronaut."

Vlad raised an eyebrow, "And?"

"There's no way he'll be able to do that when there's a chance he'll have a seizure or start hallucinating." Jack said, "I can't tell my son that his dream is impossible. I can't tell Danny that everything he's ever wanted will never happen. I refuse to do that to my son." He took a moment, and Vlad watched him carefully. "When Danny was in the hospital after his accident, the doctors told me that there was an operation they could do to fix this. That's what we need to money for."

Vlad paused for several moments, frowning as he looked Jack over. "Daniel had an accident and now has Epilepsy, you say? What was this accident?"

Jack seemed much more hesitant, and Vlad was certain he knew exactly what the accident had been. "So, V-man, um... turns out you were right about a larger shell for the portal making it more stable."

No. Not even Jack is this stupid. "That doesn't answer my question."

Again, Jack hesitated. "Maddie and I- we did it, Vladdie. We built a successful portal to the Ghost Zone. It just- it didn't work at first, and we think Danny was showing it to his friends when-"

"Enough," Vlad stepped back, "I have heard more than enough about that portal. I would have thought that after twenty years you'd be able to take better safety precautions. It's amazing how wrong I was. You nearly killed your own child, Jack!"

"But I didn't!"

"Oh, and what a miracle that is!" Vlad snapped, "You should consider yourself incredibly lucky that you still have a son, instead of a burnt shell! Why would you let a child near that thing? Did you learn nothing from what happened to me?!"

Jack looked shocked. "Vladdie, I-"

"No, listen here." Vlad stepped toward him, "You are an irresponsible parent, horrible friend, and you should be ashamed of yourself. If you ever expect me to help you with anything then you will destroy that portal."

"I can't do that!" Jack replied, "Maddie and I, we've been working our entire lives towards-"

"When someone asks you to choose between your work and your children, you are supposed to choose your children." Vlad pulled back, "Otherwise you should never have had them. I will not help you continue to hurt your family. This conversation is over." He spun on his heel and walked away as quick as he could, ignoring as Jack called his name.

As soon as his study was in sight the repressed rage bubbled up. How dare that man ask for his help after all he'd done? And with something that had involved a ghost portal, no less! Vlad had nearly died from their last one and there he was, building another, as if nothing had happened! He was putting his family in danger simply by existing. Daniel and Maddie needed to be rescued.

This wasn't about what he wanted anymore, this was about what they needed. And they needed Jack gone. The entire world would be better off if Jack Fenton wasn't in it.

.-.-.-.-.-.

Positgen sat down in a chair as Vlad paced in front of him, screaming and ranting, and wondered how exactly everything had fallen apart so fast.

Vlad wanted revenge- sure, he'd been abandoned by his best friend. It was understandable. But he was just supposed to make a fool of the man, kiss his wife, prove that Danny would be so much better off with him- it would emotionally harmful, of course, but nobody was supposed to be killed! It likely wouldn't even work!

Now Vlad wanted to be involved directly, and be the one to deliver the final blow. He wanted to watch as the light faded from Jack Fenton's eyes.

Positgen couldn't let him do that. He couldn't. But Vlad was refusing to listen to reason. At this rate he was going to get killed.

In life, Positgen had been a soldier, following orders to defend his country. But the one time he tried to turn back from orders he hadn't believed in he'd been shot and killed. He couldn't help but wonder if the same thing was going to happen now. He'd fight for Vlad in a heartbeat, die defending him with no questions asked- but this was wrong. Jack's actions were wrong, yes, but what would killing him solve?

And was going against it worth getting shot?

Vlad stole energy from Positgen's core and used it to burn a hole in the wall. "Everyone who ever refused to believe that he causes only pain must be punished. Those who supported him must suffer. They all need to hurt."

Positgen snapped to attention, "What about Maddie and Danny? Whether you like it or not, they support him. You don't want to hurt them, do you?"

And Vlad froze, his fantasy falling down around him. "I- no, of course not. Of course I won't hurt them!"

Thank god. "Then you need to calm down and rethink this. What if they get caught in the crossfire?"

Vlad lowered his hands, his eyes returning to blue, "They... won't. We'll be making sure that they're safe."

"Vlad, if we're going to be keeping them safe, then who will be overshadowing Jack?"

"Well, we're not the only ones here who can use ghost powers, are we?"

Positgen stared at him blankly as what Vlad was suggesting registered. "No," He jumped to his feet, "No! There has to be another way; we're not doing that! I refuse. If you're doing that then I won't be having any part of it!"

Vlad shrugged and started out of the room. "Then I'll do it myself." He slammed the broken door as he left.

Positgen's core twisted in his chest as he sunk back down into the chair. This was actually happening. Vlad was actually going to kill someone and refused to be talked out of it.

His core twisted further, and Positgen gripped his chest. This was wrong.

He had to stop it.

.-.-.-.-.-.

Sleeping, for ghosts, had always been an optional thing. They'd need to stay still for a few hours a week to regain energy, of course, but actual sleep was something they rarely needed to do. Eating as well had been a choice.

Prince's parents, however, had always been adamant that their children do both. Prince assumed it had something to do with how young he and his sister had been when they died, but it could also be because all the parenting tips anyone could find were meant for humans. Either way, the human limitations had become the family's habit, and Prince had loved the routine.

The Observants had never understood why it was so important to him. They thought of it as a problem that needed to be solved; they never let Prince sleep. It had ended painfully the few times he tried.

It was nighttime, and although Prince was exhausted- his nap that afternoon had not helped nearly enough- he couldn't sleep. He'd checked every corner and every door several times already, looking for danger. There was nothing, but his core still screamed there was danger. So he rested on the edge of Danny's bed, the book beside him in case he needed a quick excuse. It was a good book. Danny would probably believe him if he said he was reading it again.

"Prince?"

Prince rolled to the right, positioning himself beside the sleeping Danny and the speaker. Positgen floated there, looking horrible. Prince frowned, shifting his position. "Are you okay?"

"No," Positgen took a needless breath in, "Can I talk to you? Alone?"

Danny shifted under his blankets, muttering something about peaches. Prince floated off the bed, looking Positgen in the eye. "He's asleep; we are alone. What do you want?"

Positgen hesitated for a second, "I need a favour."

Prince crossed his arms, "No."

"You don't even know what it-"

"I said, no. Since you obviously forgot, I don't like you!"

"Look," Positgen said, "Either you help me willingly, or Vlad orders you to help him and you end up back with the Observants. Take your pick."

Prince froze, core pulsing painfully in his chest as his lip trembled. A hundred thoughts and possibilities ran through his mind before one rang louder than the others- they come for me and Danny dies. He clenched his fists, his form flickering for a few seconds. If they came, he wouldn't be able to fight them off. Danny would die, and if he tried to run others would too. Prince licked his lips, staring at the floor as his hands shook. I'm not going back there. "…What do you need me to do?"

.-.-.-.-.-.

The reunion was to be hosted in Vlad's back garden. The pool seemed to have disappeared and was replaced with a hardwood floor, while the glass doors separating it from the garden had been pulled open.

Danny slipped between the various people who were setting stuff up, trying not to get in the way. He found Vlad easily enough, standing off to the side and trying to talk to several people at once.

"Make sure the buffet table is inside of the building, please, I refuse to have it outside- what? No! I specifically told you no ice sculpture. Why would I ever want an ice sculpture? Get out of my sight."

"You sound like you're having fun," Danny said, sneaking up behind Vlad.

The billionaire jumped before turning around, taking a deep breath in as he noticed the teen behind him. "Daniel," He rested a hand on his chest, "Don't sneak up on me like that!" Vlad snapped his fingers and pointed to the left, causing the people gathered around him to scatter.

"Sorry," Danny said, not remotely apologetic. "Was that important?"

"They were talking about ice sculptures," He pinched the bridge of his nose for a second for motioning wildly with that hand, "Why in the world would I ever want something as ridiculous as an ice sculpture?! How do they intend to make one right before the reunion?! If they're going to be putting that much effort into something that is both pretentious and distasteful then-"

"Wow," Danny cut in, "You really don't like ice sculptures, do you?"

"That would be an understatement, dear boy." Vlad sighed, "Though a large part of my reaction was caused by stress, I apologize. It couldn't have been comfortable for you."

"No worries. Mom, Dad, and Jazz have all been acting really weird this morning so it was nice to see that someone here actually does still have emotions." He gave Vlad a thumbs up, "By the way, have you seen Prince? I haven't seen him since last night and I'm getting kind of worried."

Vlad placed a hand on Danny's back and started to guide him away from the crowd. "Let's take a walk, shall we, Little Badger?"

Danny nodded, and let Vlad lead him away from the crowd.

"I saw them a few hours ago," Vlad said, "They were discussing something in Positgen's room. They refused to tell me exactly what it was, but it doesn't seem to be dangerous. I'm sure he didn't mean to worry you."

Danny relaxed, "Oh, okay. I wish he would've told me."

Vlad shook his head, "Word of advice; erase the word 'wish' from your vocabulary. There are certain ghosts who will take advantage of it."

"Oh," Danny licked his lips, "Any other tips? Because, uh, I feel like we're going to be leaving right after the reunion." Vlad looked down at him, shocked. "Mom and Dad were talking about it before I came down this morning but stopped when they saw me. So uh, I don't really know what's going on."

"You're leaving so soon?"

"Well, yeah, Jazz and I have school next week." Danny frowned, "But if you can think up a way to stop me from going back here so I can stay here and train with you and use your pool, I'm not going to say no…"

Vlad's face lit up as he grabbed Danny's shoulder tightly. "Do you have summer plans, Little Badger?"

"Nope," Danny grinned, looking up at Vlad, "Not yet."

"How would you and Prince feel about spending the summer here?" A huge smile split Danny's face as Vlad continued, "And I know you hate your school, so perhaps we could organize some way for you to receive your education in an environment much more suited to your learning style. That is, of course, if you want to stay-"

"Yes," Danny cut him off, "Yes, I do want to stay here with you."

Vlad knelt down and looked as if he was about to hug Danny. He didn't get a chance to, however, before one of the caterers popped up behind him. "Mr. Masters, where do you want long table?"

Vlad looked as if he was about to kill the man. Danny laughed and pulled back, pointing a pair of finger guns at the billionaire. "I'm going to go bother my sister. Bye, Vlad! Have fun!"

"I will not," Vlad groaned, and turned back to the caterer.

.-.-.-.-.-.

Danny didn't like suits.

They were uncomfortable, the shoes were too tight, and the tie was always choking him. He much preferred his t-shirt and jeans. Unfortunately, not even his dad would be allowed to dress casually. Both his parents had abandoned their jumpsuits for a suit and gown. Jazz had almost cried when she saw them, so excited that they finally had normal parents.

Surprisingly, Jack and Maddie didn't say anything in reply to that.

Vlad had disappeared to go greet the guests, and Danny stood awkwardly off to the side of Vlad's garden with his family. This reunion was going to be boring- he didn't want to spend time with anyone but Vlad or Prince. Vlad would be too busy, and Prince was still hiding. If I can get away I'm going to go look for him. There was no churning feeling in his gut this time, no sign that Prince was in any danger, but Danny was still concerned.

People began to enter, and as they did Danny found himself clinging to his sister's arm. He didn't know any of these people. What was he supposed to do all night?

"Harry!" Jack suddenly screamed, waving his arms in the air as a few more people came in. "Hey, Harry! Harriet! Get over here!"

"Jack!" Maddie said, "She obviously can't see you. Here, lift me up and I'll get her attention."

As his parents continued to make fools of themselves, Danny caught sight of Vlad across the garden, hands on his face as he sighed.

A Chinese woman in a green pantsuit made her way towards the family, looking vaguely amused. "You two are just as embarrassing as ever, I see."

"Harriet!" Maddie said as Jack set her down, "It's been too long!"

Jack grabbed Jazz and Danny with one hand, pulling them towards Harriet. "Jasmine, Danny, this is Harriet Chin. She's a big shot reporter for the Milwaukee Journal now but back in my college days she was just Harry- Harry Chin! Haha, get it?"

Maddie sighed, "I'm really sorry about this, Harriet."

Harriet shrugged as she crossed her arms, "Sweetie, you married him; you should be." She uncrossed her arms and looked around, "So where's Fancypants McCheesehead? Is he still mad at us?"

Danny and Jazz shared a confused look.

"I don't know," Maddie sighed, "I haven't seen him all day."

Jazz grabbed Danny's arm, "Are you guys talking about who I think you're talking about?"

Maddie nodded, and Danny came to the conclusion that he would never understand what was going on.

"Hey, Danny, let's go get something to eat!" Jazz said quickly, pulling him away from the trio of adults.

A buffet of snacks had been set up inside on a long table, and Danny decided not to protest as he was pulled to it and had a plate stuffed into his hands. The food looked decent, and Jazz did not hesitate to point out how good all of it obviously was. She loaded Danny's plate with appetizers as music started to play in the background. "Shouldn't you get your own plate?"

"Why would I do that when I can use yours?" Jazz smiled, grabbing a stick of celery from a platter of vegetables. "What's the point of having a little brother if he can't carry my food for me?"

"You know, if this plate wasn't in my hands, I would fight you right now."

"That's another benefit."

"Jazz." Behind her, Danny caught sight of a faint outline and could feel himself being pulled towards it. Prince? "Hey, uh, Jazz? Actually, could you do me a huge favor?"

Jazz frowned, "Of course, little brother. What do you need?"

"Uh..." Think, Fenton, think! "Could you... get me a drink from the punch bowl? I don't have enough hands to do it myself."

Jazz rolled her eyes, "Of course." She turned her back towards him and started towards the punch bowl. Danny set the plate down, turned invisible, and ran after the outline.

Instead of finding Prince, he found Vlad blocking his way. "Daniel, what are you doing?"

Danny flickered back to visibility. "Uh, following Prince- I think?" He narrowed his eyes, looking past Vlad. "I'm following something."

Vlad shook his head fondly, "Well, if you're going to be going off, could you check in on Positgen for me? I find it unlikely that he's gone off somewhere, yet I haven't seen him all day. I'm starting to get concerned."

"Oh sure- but you'll have to distract Jazz. She's going to come looking for me."

"Not an issue, Little Badger," Vlad stepped aside, "Carry on then."

Danny nodded and rushed past him, still following the faint outline that Vlad had not seen.

A second later, Jasmine Fenton's teal eyes glowed red as the glass slid from her hand.

.-.-.-.-.-.

"Prince, this isn't funny," Danny groaned as he followed the outline up the first set of stairs. "There's nobody around. Just turn visible, come on-"

Down the hall, glass shattered.

The outline disappeared from where it was, reappearing down the hall the crash had come from.

"You're not Prince, are you?" Danny whispered. Looking closely, it couldn't be- the shape was all wrong.

The outline seemed to point down the hall.

Danny stepped back, "I really don't trust you."

More glass shattered. Someone swore, and someone else laughed. Oh god, Vlad's going to get robbed. I have to tell him! Danny turned, about to run down the stairs. The outline appeared in front of him and Danny fell up the stairs in an effort to get away from it.

"Ah," Someone said, "I sure do love committing serious crimes. How long do you think before your uncle stops bailing us out?"

"Liam, honey, I love you to bits but if you don't stop being sassy I'm going to bite you."

"Ew."

Danny took a breath, turned invisible, and started down that hall. I'm just going to see how many there are, then I'll run. It'll be fine. I'll be fine.

He poked his head around the corner to see a tall, brown skinned man in a trench coat leaning against the wall beside the broken window. Standing in front of him was a slightly familiar short, pale woman in a bright yellow jacket. "So," Trenchcoat- Liam?- said, "I think the professional thief stole my wallet again."

"He's only doing it to annoy you."

"It's working."

A hand appeared on the broken window sill, and Danny watched as someone propelled themself over the broken shards of glass, flipping twice in the air. He landed with arms spread wide, and neither of the people already inside turned towards him. Danny felt his eyes widen as he realized exactly who the newcomer was.

Lewis James stuck out his bottom lip in a pout as his hands fell to his side. "Kathrine! You didn't look!"

Liam held out a hand, "Wallet."

Lewis rolled his eyes, but reached into his jacket and pulled out a black wallet. Liam snatched it away, looking through it.

"I didn't take anything from it," Lewis said, "I'm a pickpocket, not an asshole." He turned his head slightly, looking directly at Danny. "Oh." He smiled, and started walking towards him. "Cool decor. I feel classy." He stopped right in front of the still invisible Danny, pressed something into the palm of his hand, and discreetly nudged him back around the corner.

"Really?" Kathrine said, "I think it's kind of tacky. The Packers suck."

Lewis spun around, "Packers?"

"Football team," Liam said, "Remember what that is?"

"Yeah," Lewis nodded, "That's the one with the quarterback, right?"

Danny frowned as he looked down at the very visible note in his invisible hands, and attempted to shove it in his also-invisible suit pocket- only for it to remain visible. Why.

The outline appeared beside him, and Danny yelped. He jumped to the side, landing wrong, and crashing to the ground. The impact of his fall forced him to return to visibility.

Right in plain view of the three who'd broken into Vlad's house.

Lewis raised a hand and smacked it to his face.

"Hello..." Danny trailed off, looking up at Lewis. "Nice to see you again, I think."

"Burn the witness!" Kathrine shrieked, pulling a lighter out of her pocket and holding it towards Danny. Danny yelped, rolling away, as Liam hooked his arms under hers' and lifted Kathrine a foot off the ground.

"You could burn him," Lewis said, lowering his hand, "Or you could not and then we'll actually have someone to stop the seven approaching apocalypses."

Danny's eyes widened as Liam raised an eyebrow. "Seven?"

"Give or take a couple," Lewis said.

"No," Danny muttered, "Not dealing with this- nope-"

Lewis reached down, grabbed Danny by his wrist, and pulled him to his feet. "I'm kidding. There's not that many. Probably. Anyway," He pointed to Liam, who was still holding Kathrine. "That's my sister, Kathrine Archer, and her boyfriend, Liam Rand. This is Danny. Say hi, everyone."

Danny didn't.

"We're not actually related," Kathrine said, "I just hit him with my car six years ago and we haven't been able to get rid of him yet. Also, hi tiny Fenton! Nice to see you again! Sorry for threatening to burn you."

"Are neither of you going to comment on the fact that he appeared out of thin air?" Liam asked, shifting his girlfriend. Danny gut twisted, and he looked over at Lewis. He looked ill.

"Are you okay?" He whispered, trying to pull his wrist away. Lewis' grip tightened, squeezing Danny's hand far too tightly.

"The reasons are right but the actions are wrong," He muttered, "Does that make the reasons wrong as well?"

"Shit," Kathrine said as her boyfriend dropped her. She rushed to Lewis' side, prying his hand off of Danny's. "Liam, grab the kid!"

"Whoa, wait-" Danny's protests were cut off as the much taller man picked him up under his armpits and rushed down the hall. He dropped Danny after being kicked in the knee.

"Why?" He groaned, and Danny flattened himself against the opposite wall.

"Who the heck are you guys and why are you breaking into Vlad's house?" Danny stepped into a fighting stance, "What do you want with him?!"

"Kid, if I actually had a decent reason as to why we were doing this I'd tell you. But I don't." He sighed, rubbing his knee. "They're trying to find a discount ghost man, hell if I know, I just try to make sure we don't get arrested."

"Well then maybe you should have stopped them from breaking into Vlad's house."

"Hey, I tried. They're stubborn. If you want to convince them to stop committing crimes because they're looking for supernatural stuff, be my guest." He frowned, "Then again, you're probably supernatural... what are you, anyway?"

"None of your darn business," Danny said, standing up a little straighter. "You- you guys should get out."

"We might, in a minute." He said, pulling his hands away and slapping them over his ears. "If I was you I would cover my ears."

"Why the heck would I ever want to cover my ears-"

An ear piercing scream ripped through the air, and Danny stumbled back clutching his ears. He squeezed his eyes shut and could feel his skin vibrating.

When Danny opened his eyes, he realized that he had fallen forwards. Liam had caught him before he could hit the ground. The screaming had stopped, and an eerie silence had settled over the hall.

"Are you okay?" Liam asked.

Danny pulled back, moving away from the man. "Fine. What was that?"

"Uh..." He cleared his throat, "Nothing you need to worry about, probably-"

He cut off as Lewis flung himself around the corner, throwing himself at Danny and gripping his shoulders far too tightly. "Where is it?" He spoke quickly, looking Danny over. He sounded horrible. "Where is it?!"

"Where's what?!" Danny said, trying to get free.

"Lewis," Liam said gently. Lewis' grip loosened slightly, and Liam pulled him back. "Come on, it's okay-"

"You don't have it," Lewis whispered, "You got rid of it. No..." He pulled away from Liam. "No no no this is bad."

"What's bad?" Danny asked, "What's going on?"

Lewis glanced between the two of them before darting down the stairs.

"Annnd he's gone." Liam sighed, pulling back the hand he'd held out to grab Lewis. "Alright then child, do you have a cell phone?"

Danny didn't take his eyes off the stairs. "Maybe."

"Good. Call an ambulance." At Danny's terrified look, he continued. "If he's freaking out like that, then someone might be dying." He rushed back the way they'd come, looking around the corner. "Kathrine, I'm going to follow- what are you doing?"

"My EMF meter is going crazy! I think there's a ghost around!"

Danny decided not to mention the faint outline of a person standing behind Liam. He did stick his tongue out at it, though.

"Kathrine, we don't have time for this!"

"I broke into this man's house to see if the Dairy King was real and I'm going to see if he's real."

Oh, so the outline's the Dairy King? That's… I'm not going to deal with that. Danny looked down the hall, where Lewis had run off to. He took a hesitant step towards it, looking around before taking another. Nothing bad could actually be happening; Vlad wouldn't let it. He's overreacting. Nothing's going to happen.

His dad's scream ripped through the mansion and Danny nearly flew down the stairs.

On the ground floor people were running, trying to get out door and trampling each other in the process. Danny turned intangible and ran right through them all.

Glass had been shattered, and tables overturned. Part of Vlad's house was destroyed, crumbling down and getting in the way.

Lewis was out in Vlad's garden, shouting at the air. Danny moved forwards, looking at the people around. A lot of them were injured or frozen with fear. They all seemed to be watching the same thing Lewis was shouting at.

Danny pulled himself over the rubble, and followed their gaze. He lost his balance and fell onto his side, but Danny couldn't take his eyes off of the man in the air. "Dad?"

.-.-.-.-.-.

Honestly, Maddie should have realized something was off the second Jazz returned without her brother.

When Vlad joined their group a few minutes later and willingly made small talk with Harriet, she thought the world was about to fall apart.

"...Got an exclusive with the rebel leader that got raves!" Harriet continued to describe her latest article before noticing Jack. "Am I boring you, Jack?!"

Jack looked as if she was about to fall asleep in the garden. "Frankly, yes."

Vlad tsked, crossing his arms. "How mature."

Harriet scoffed, "How petty."

Vlad uncrossed his arms, tilting his head slightly. "How was my comment petty?"

"You've been standing there, obviously furious, for the past several minutes. We're not forcing you to stay here, Vlad. If you're mad at us you can leave." She ignored Maddie's attempts to shush her, "But don't forget, you're the one who fell off the face of the earth for ten years and refused to talk to us!"

Vlad glared at her. "How dare you-"

"Hold on," Jack interrupted, paying much more attention. "Vladdie, say that again."

Vlad spun to face him, "I was speaking, Jack, so if you don't mind-"

Later, Maddie would realize that her daughter had been copying Vlad's movements for the past several minutes. And she would know how much she could have prevented if she had taken a moment to notice.

"There, again!" Jack stepped back, pointing at Jazz. "You-" He narrowed his eyes, "Ghost."

Vlad's eyebrow raised a bit higher and Harriet groaned. "That is your child," She said.

"Jack," Maddie hissed, "We've talked about this-" Not in front of Vlad. All this work to appear normal for him will be thrown away.

"GHOST!" Jack boomed. He pulled something from his jacket and aimed it at their daughter.

It took Maddie all of four seconds to recognize the Fenton Pistol- a finicky prototype Jack had been working on with the intention of giving to Danny.

It took Vlad and Harriet half that time to recognize the shape of a gun in Jack's hands.

Harriet tackled Vlad to the ground, and a second later Jazz was blinking far too quickly. She raised a hand to her head, and noticed her parents. "Da-"

Maddie knocked the gun from her husband's hand only milliseconds after he fired a blast. Jazz fell to the ground, hit her head on a plastic archway, and brought it down with her.

She didn't get back up.

Maddie threw herself at her daughter, checking to see where she was injured- she wasn't conscious, her head was bleeding, there was a tiny burn on her arm from where the ectoplasm had nearly hit her- while Vlad launched himself at Jack. Vlad pinned him easily as the guests around them scattered, a few freezing in place but most running for their lives.

Maddie turned her head slightly, looking at her husband. She could plainly see his eyes.

She could see that they were green.

"Ghost?" She held her daughter closer, "Ghost!" Of course. Jack would never hurt Jazz.

As Vlad and Harriet looked over at her as if she'd gone crazy, the thing controlling her husband phased through their hands and flew up into the sky.

"He's a ghost?" A grin covered Harriet's face, "The ghost hunter's a ghost. This is the story of the century!"

Vlad was much less articulate, but Maddie saw his horror morph into fury.

The thing inside her husband raised one of his hands and destroyed part of Vlad's house with single blast. It fell into the garden, and Maddie held her daughter closer as someone screamed.

Vlad grabbed her and Harriet, putting them between Maddie and the ghost. "When I tell you to run you run, understand?" Vlad whispered as another part of his house was destroyed. "Harriet, help her. Get to safety. Find Daniel. Run."

"I can't leave him," Maddie whispered, and the ghost possessing her husband focused his attention on them. Jack's hands crackled with ectoplasmic energy, but he didn't fire. Was Jack fighting back?

"Enough!" There was a shout from inside, and the ghost fired its shot. The lithe form of a young man sidestepped the explosion and kept running, sliding to a stop between them and Jack. His pale hands shook and his black hair hung in his face when he looked back at them. He narrowed his eyes at Vlad for only a second before turning quickly, lifting an arm to shield himself from a blast sent their way. It ricocheted off the sleeve of his heavy coat and the young man stood a little taller. "I request an audience with the spirit who takes on the name of Phantom!"

A thick green aura surrounded her husband before part of it split off, twisting into the form of what one might mistake for a human teenager. "What?" The ghost called back, playing with his sleeves.

"This is wrong," The man said, "Leave them alone."

The ghost shook his head. Jack's body hung there limply in the sky, but his mouth moved with the ghost's words. "I can't."

"Yes, you can!" He called back, motioning widely with his hand, "I can remove any orders placed on you, I can stop whoever's forcing you, I-"

"Lewis, right?" The ghost asked. He shook his head again, wrapping his arms around himself. "This doesn't concern you." He disappeared, the aura faded, and Jack's eyes glowed green once again. "Leave."

"So we're doing this then," Lewis shrugged off his coat, dropping it in front of them. "You should've taken your chance, ghost."

The ghost scoffed with Jack's voice. "Leave."

"You first," He cracked his knuckles and stepped forwards, "I thought you wanted to play the hero. But right now you're just proving that you're just as much of a monster as your parents were."

Jack's eyes widened and Phantom shot three blasts towards the young man. "Don't talk about them like that!"

Lewis outran them easily, sliding to a stop a few yards away from the ghost. "Why not? It's true! So many innocent people were hurt and it's all on them! And then there's you," He laughed, darting to his left to avoid another blast. "Oh and then there's you."

Harriet had taken out her phone and was filming the scene in front of them. "My boss is going to scream," She whispered, "I can't believe this! You nerds were actually right!"

Maddie held her still unconscious daughter closer. "We need to go." Get to the RV. Get Jack away from that thing. I should've let him wear the jumpsuit; that would've protected him. If I hadn't been so worried about convincing Vlad we were normal so he'd give us the money none of this would be happening... Her eye caught on the ectogun Jack had brought, sitting a little ways away in the grass. "Vlad," She whispered, "The gun."

Vlad didn't take his eyes off of the fight in front of him.

"And I thought your father had been a monster!" Lewis shouted, having almost run in a complete circle around the ghost. "But he hardly killed as many as you have. You are a disgrace to the ideals you're supposed to stand for, and it's a good thing that anyone dumb enough to care about you is gone, because being in your presence is a torture I would wish upon no one!"

"Shut up!" Phantom shouted, the green aura overtaking Jack once again. "You're wrong! You're wrong! Stop being wrong!" The ghost split off from her husband, hands coated with ectoplasm as he appeared in front of Lewis. "U'n bir rgw vls fyt!" He raised his hands and fired, hitting the young man in his shoulders. Lewis was thrown back, tumbled backwards, and laid still on the ground.

"Someone should make sure he's still breathing," Vlad said.

Harriet raised her eyebrows, looking at him in confusion. "Jack or the kid?"

Maddie stared at her husband as the ghost turned back to him. No!

"Vlad," She said again, "The gun!" I can't leave Jazz. But I can't fight with her in my arms.

Vlad turned his attention towards the Fenton Pistol just as someone raced past them, scooping it off the ground.

Danny slid between the ghost and his father, aiming the weapon with both hands at the center of Phantom's chest.

.-.-.-.-.-.

"Don't you touch him," Danny whispered, staring Prince in his eyes. "I'll fire. I will."

Prince pulled back, "Danny-"

"Don't Danny me! People are hurt, or dead, or- or-" His hands shook, "Get away from my dad!"

Prince nodded and pulled back, playing with his sleeves.

Danny stepped back, weapon still raised, and looked over his shoulder. His dad had a hand on his face and was groaning quietly. He hadn't noticed Danny yet. He's alive.

Liam and Kathrine had appeared again, knelt beside Lewis. He's alive.

And then Danny saw his sister. "Jazz?" He whispered, and snapped his attention back to Prince. "What did you do to my sister?!"

"That wasn't me," Prince muttered, "I came after. That was the deal."

Deal? "Deal with who?"

"Danny!" His mom screamed, and Danny felt a hand wrap around his shoulder.

Positgen- invisibly- pulled him into the air. Danny screamed and flailed, whacking him several times with the gun before Positgen dropped his invisibility.

"You- jerk!" Danny punctuated each word by attempting to hit him in the face. "Did you order this?! You made him overshadow my dad! You jerk!"

"No- no, put that away!" Positgen ripped the gun from Danny's hand and threw it down. "I'm trying to help you!"

"Get your hands off of me!" Danny screamed, resorting to punches and trying to bite his hand. "Get off! Get away!"

Positgen's other hand wrapped around Danny and covered his mouth. Danny tried to kick him. "Listen to me. Vlad wants revenge. Your father caused the accident that joined him and me together, just like he did for you and Prince. He wants to kill your dad." Danny went limp, and Positgen pulled his hand away. "Prince and I were-"

"Release the boy, ghost!" Vlad shouted, cutting him off. He held the fallen weapon in his hands. "Put him down, now!"

Positgen hesitated, looking down at Vlad. Danny turned his head, looking down at Vlad.

I trusted you.

...I still trust you.

"Take the shot!" Danny shouted, "Shoot him, do it! I'll be fine!" Prince was right there. Prince wouldn't let him die, right?

"Rude," Positgen said, and coated Danny in a pink energy. "Stay out of the way and let me deal with this." He flicked his wrist, and Danny felt pins and needles climb up his back. He quit breathing, squeezing his eyes shut to brace himself for the pain his knew was about to come.

The shock ran up his spine and Danny's chest twisted as he screamed. When he opened his eyes, he was lying on his back in the middle of Vlad's football stadium. Prince was kneeling beside him, holding Danny's right hand with both of his own. "I'm sorry, I'm sorry..."

Danny snatched his hand away and rolled to the left, staring at Prince. "What happened?"

"Positgen teleported you," Prince whispered. He looked away and started to play with his sleeves. "I don't think he believed me when I told him we were leashed."

"Oh, so you two are buddies now?" Danny pushed himself to his feet, trying not to fall back down as a wave of dizziness overtook him.

"Danny..." Prince stood up too and grabbed arm. "Danny, please, you shouldn't-"

Danny shoved him away, stumbling back. "Don't touch me. Don't ever touch me again."

His mom's scream rang through the air. "Jack!"

"Dad!" Danny turned, stumbled, and ran.

"Danny, no!" Prince rushed at him, grabbing Danny's sleeve. "You can't go back out there! It's dangerous!"

Danny tried to rip his arm free, "And whose fault is that?!" He jabbed Prince's face with his elbow and the ghost let go. Prince stumbled back, and Danny tried to ignore the pain reflected in his own nose as he ran out of the arena.

Positgen was holding up his dad, but Jack was fighting to get away from the ghost. Vlad had the Fenton Pistol in his hand but couldn't seem to get a clean shot. Harriet was trying to help get a group of guests who were still there to safety. Liam and his mom stood in front of Lewis and Jazz, both looking like they wanted to fight but unwilling to leave their injured family members. Kathrine didn't seem to have the same issue.

As Danny saw Prince reach him again, Kathrine shoved Vlad aside. "Hey, ghost! Put him down or else!"

"Miss," Vlad said, "I must ask that you stay back-"

Kathrine didn't even look at him as she cut him off. "Suck my flaccid dick, Masters. Your place is overrun with ghosts so if my brother dies from this he will be spawning here to kick your ass." She stepped forward, "Did you not just hear me, you gigantic fuck? Release the nice lady's husband and tell her where her kid is or I'm going to kick your ass!"

Positgen gave no sign that he'd heard her.

"You absolute taint! Look at me when I'm talking to you!" Kathrine grabbed something from around her neck, brought it to her mouth, and the sound of a whistle echoed through the garden.

Positgen dropped Jack and threw his hands over his ears, and Danny watched as his dad hit the ground. Maddie tried to run to her husband's side, but Vlad stopped her before she could. Danny looked to his left to see Prince beside him, trying to stop the ectoplasm leaking from his nose and looking rather confused.

"Now that I've got your attention," Kathrine dropped the whistle and raised a hand, "I call upon the vultures three to attack the ghost in front of me."

A screech ripped through the sunset, and Danny looked up as the vultures who'd been after Prince appeared from the sky and attacked Positgen as a hoard.

"Oh," Danny muttered, looking over at Kathrine. "Okay. That's a thing." So they did beat them off with a tree branch. Huh.

Pink fire shot from Positgen's hands, and the birds barely avoided it. "I am an asset of the Observants!" He snapped, forming a flyswatter a knocking two birds from the air. "You will listen to me over some human!"

"Listening to you got us stuck in her trunk for going after the kid!" Sunglasses Vulture shouted, and Positgen barely twisted in time to avoid the bird crashing into his shoulder.

An asset of the Observants? Danny looked to his left when Prince made a quiet noise. Positgen sent those vultures. He works with the Observants. He used Prince. Vlad wouldn't hurt my dad. "I'm still mad," He said as he held out a hand, "But we've got a butt to kick."

Prince didn't grab his hand, and instead pulled Danny into a hug before they joined together.

They floated up, and Danny heard someone scream once they were in view. Prince didn't say anything, but Danny felt him fill their hands with ectoplasm. The blast hit Positgen in his shoulder, and the ghost dropped several feet.

"What are you doing?!" Positgen snapped as ectoplasm stained his shirt. "We had a deal!"

"No we don't," Danny replied, flying close to him. "Not anymore."

Prince pulled them to the left just in time to miss the vulture headed their way. It smashed into Positgen instead, sending him crashing into Vlad's destroyed house.

Danny grabbed control of one arm and allowed Prince to take the other. They made a motion like clapping, which was as close as they could get to a high five. "I think this counts as a victory, don't you?"

And then a vulture smacked into their back.

Danny and Prince crashed on Vlad's ruined second floor, separating as they landed. Danny struggled to sit up, shaking his head. Prince was kicking at the two vultures trying to grab him. Danny threw himself forwards, wrapped his hands around the vulture with an adam's apple, and sent them both crashing intangibly through the floor.

They landed in Vlad's lab, Danny hissing in pain as his ankle twisted the wrong way. At least this guy broke my fall. He sat up and kicked the unmoving vulture to away.

Positgen was at the other end, and Danny flickered into invisibility. Still holding his shoulder, the ghost tried to fight off the vulture near him. His fight ended when another blast shot it from behind. Vlad appeared, the Fenton Pistol still smoking in his hands, and glared at Positgen. "That was not our plan," He hissed.

"Vlad-" Positgen started.

"The plan was to humiliate and then murder Jack Fenton so that Maddie and her son would come running to me! What part of that is so hard to understand?!"

"What?!" Danny's invisibility dropped as he stared at Vlad. "No- no, you- you weren't actually going to-"

"Daniel," Vlad's entire demeanor changed in a second, "How long have you been-"

"You did this?" Danny shuffled back as Vlad moved towards him. "You- it was all a lie?" He didn't care. He never cared about me. God, I'm such an idiot!

Vlad reached for him, "Daniel, I never said that-"

Danny smacked his hand away. "Don't touch me! You lied to me! You lied to Prince! You used him, you threatened him, and- and I- I trusted you!"

Vlad sighed, "Trust a fourteen-year-old to not understand the true facts. Prince agreed to this on his own terms; he understands that my plan was necessary. We were only trying to protect you, Little Badger."

Danny lashed out with his uninjured leg and kicked Vlad in the throat. "Don't you ever call me that again."

Vlad pulled back, rubbing his jaw, and Positgen flinched as Vlad's eyes started to glow red. "How dare you?" Vlad hissed, grabbing Danny by his shirt collar. He lifted him off the floor, glaring at him. "You have no idea what you're messing with, boy. Your father should not be alive. He is a danger to the entire planet. And your sister will turn her back on you just as soon as you show her something she can't understand. I can see it with their every move. Your family is just like mine, son."

Behind them, Positgen flinched. Still holding his shoulder, and with his shirt covered in leaking ectoplasm, he moved forwards.

"We're nothing like you," Danny said, trying to kick Vlad. "I'm nothing like you!"

Vlad scoffed and threw Danny to the ground. "You'll be nothing without me. You honestly think you'll get anywhere in life by putting your faith in your idiot father? Do you truly believe that once he learns of you and Prince he will accept you? Your father ruined my life and left me to die. You choose him and you choose wrong, dear boy. I, on the other hand, could offer you the world." He held out a hand, "I have experience, my child, and the money and power attained from using these powers for personal gain. You join me and I could train you, teach you everything I know. And all you'd have to do is renounce your idiot father."

"Dude," Danny propped his head up on a fist, "You are one seriously crazed up fruit loop. That is never going to happen."

Vlad pulled his hand back. "Very well, then. Positgen," He snapped his fingers, attracting the attention of the ghost who was still bleeding heavily from his shoulder. "It appears that Daniel needs some convincing."

Positgen reached onto the counter with and ectoplasm-covered hand, pressed something, and Danny found himself tumbling down the stairs.

The weapons in the hall didn't turn on when Danny rolled past them. He struggled to his feet and limped further down the hall, hoping that there was somewhere towards the end where he could hide.

There wasn't.

"Nadia Cyril," Vlad said, and the weapons started to hum.

Panic word, Danny remembered, and reached for the whistle around his neck. Prince, I'm sorry, but I need you-

His hand closed around nothing and Danny remembered that he threw the whistle out the window. Crap.

The first ectoblast fired, hitting Danny's arm. He screamed as it burned away at his flesh and dropped to the ground. Hundreds of other blasts exploded around him, some landing dangerously close to Danny and singing his skin. Another hit him directly in the back and Danny screamed.

I have to get out of here. I have to move. He pulled himself into a tighter ball and started to roll away, bumping into the table at the end of the hall. For a few seconds, there were no blasts, and Danny was aware of nothing but the piece of paper from his suit pocket which was now digging into his side.

He pulled it out as the blasts started up again, cowering on the floor as he tried to read it. Carmilla Maria. Carmilla Maria? That's it. Who the heck is- Vlad's sister! "Carmilla Maria," Danny said, and the blasts slowed down. Danny's head snapped up, and he watched as the guns slowly turned off. "...Nadia Cyril," He said, and the guns started up again. "Carmilla Maria!" Danny shouted, cowering until the blasts turned off again.

There was a moment of silence before Danny struggled to his feet, grabbed a gun, and limped numbly out of the hall.

He shot Vlad in the shoulder, knocking the man back and the Fenton Pistol out of his hand. Danny dropped the weapon and struggled up the stairs, where he picked up the one his dad had made for him.

Danny looked over at Vlad, who was burned, and Positgen, whose shirt had been stained green. He gave a bitter laugh as he held the gun close. "The worst part of all this? I actually liked you. I trusted you. I wanted to spend more time with you." He shook his head and started to limp away, "I'm such an idiot."

He phased through the wall and with the gun still in hand, limped out Vlad's front door.

Nobody noticed the camera-like device in the weapons hall that had fallen, broken, off the table.

.-.-.-.-.-.

His mom wasn't in the RV.

Danny honestly didn't know where she was.

He limped through the crowd of people, many of which had minor injuries. There were a few ambulances, but for the most part, everyone seemed to be relatively okay.

And then Danny passed by a section free from people, and saw two paramedics pumping the chest of a woman in a long silver dress. Danny lost track of time as he stood there, watching as they tried to save her.

They didn't manage to, and a police officer appeared to try and disperse the few people watching.

Danny's hands were shaking as he sat down on the grass, staring at the stains on his suit. People died. Vlad had gotten people killed.

But Vlad hadn't been the one fighting.

At some point, Prince sat down next to him. Danny didn't look over at the ghost, and continued to wonder if any of his stains were blood.

"Danny," Prince whispered, "When Positgen asked for my help last night, I didn't want to listen. But then he said that either I agree to his plan or get ordered into Vlad's and I- I thought I'd be helping. I was just supposed to make a mess. I didn't want anyone to get hurt."

"Like Lewis?" Danny said.

"He was talking about my parents like that- he wanted me to attack him. He did, Danny. I promise you he did."

"And I guess Jazz wanted you to attack her too?"

Prince shook his head. "I didn't do anything to your sister. I'd never hurt her."

"But you'll hurt my dad," Danny said. He turned towards Prince, shook his head, and looked back out over the crowd. "You say you were trying to help, and I want to believe you, but people are dead Prince. People are hurt and people are dead. And I just... why wouldn't you tell me? If someone was trying to hurt my family and you knew about it why wouldn't you just tell me? We could've stopped him together. That's what friends do, Prince."

Prince looked down, playing with his sleeves. "I'm sorry."

"You're sorry?" Danny scoffed, "Sorry doesn't bring people back from the dead. It doesn't heal Jazz or my dad or me. If you were sorry you wouldn't have done this."

"He said he'd send me back to them if I didn't-"

"Who, Prince? The Observants? Volana?" Danny didn't miss how Prince flinched, or the wave of the ghost's fear which passed over him. "You still should've told me. I could've done something. Nobody had to get hurt! That's not how friendship works, Prince!"

"Danny, I-"

"Stop," Danny held up his hands, "People are hurt. I don't want to hear any more excuses. It's on you, Prince. This is on you." He shook his head, pulling away from the ghost. "I thought you were better than this."

Danny stood and started to limp away.

He was almost back at the crowd when someone tapped his shoulder. "Ugh, Prince, I don't want to-" He spun around, looking up at the man behind him.

"Not quite," Lewis said, throwing an arm around Danny's shoulder. "Come on, your mom's looking for you."

"You're okay?" Danny asked as Lewis helped him through the crowd.

"Of course I am. This isn't the first time a ghost has shot me and it definitely won't be the last." He smiled, "So, did you beat the bad guys?"

"I thought they were my friends," Danny whispered.

Lewis nodded. "It always hurts when the people you put your faith in have different goals than you."

Danny frowned, "What's that supposed to mean?"

"Trust me, you don't want to hear me try and explain my cryptic quotes." Lewis shrugged, "It gets confusing really quickly. I'm much better at talking when I'm being vague. And on that note," He handed Danny a little present bag from his coat pocket, "This is for you."

Danny took the bag awkwardly, shifting position as he did so. He pulled his arm away from Lewis to reach inside, and the two stopped. There was his whistle, twenty dollars, and a piece of paper.

"I found it in a bush," Lewis said, "You can cancel the orders placed on it if you want- just order Prince not to follow them. Yours take priority. Don't ask. As for the money, you'll probably need it more than I will. That and I was just messing with you the first time we met; I was really surprised when it turned out you actually had a ghost attached to you."

"Oh," Danny put the whistle around his neck, "Thanks, I think?" He put the bill in his pocket, and reached for the piece of paper. "Is this going to be like the last piece of paper you gave me where I forget it exists until I'm getting shot at?"

Lewis raised an eyebrow. "I hope not. I don't want you to get shot at."

"Could you stop being nice?" Danny pulled out the piece of paper, "Vlad kind of ruined that for me."

"Then you aren't going to like what's on that note."

Danny unfolded it, handing the bag back to Lewis. There was a series of numbers on the paper. He stared at it for a second before looking up at Lewis in confusion.

"I'm not a very good psychic," He admitted, "I don't know exactly what's going to happen, just that something will. And I know a lot of it involves you." He turned, looking back at Vlad's house. "The path you walk is dangerous, but you've never been given a chance to take another. And now there's a storm coming," He turned back to Danny. "The world picked you as its champion to face the thunder. You are supposed to save the world, and I'm supposed to sit back and watch. But you're fourteen. I'm not letting you do this alone." He smiled, "I've been dealing with the supernatural since I was six years old. If there's something threatening your town, or you've got powers you don't understand, or even if you just want to talk, give me a call. I'll answer. I won't let you do this alone." He paused, "I also don't want to kill anyone in your family so, hey, that's a plus."

Danny held the piece of paper close. "I don't even know you."

Lewis' smile faltered, "Fair enough." He stepped back, "My name is Lewis James. We don't know if James is my middle or last name. I'll be twenty in June. When I was six years old my mom left me at a playground and said she'd be back in an hour- I waited two days before realizing she wasn't coming. Liam is the overprotective mom friend, and Kathrine's ready to fight everyone for my sake. And six years ago, she really did hit me with her car." He held out a hand, "Long story short, hi. I'm Lewis. I'm a psychic, pickpocket, and if necessary an excellent conman. I want to keep you safe."

Danny raised an eyebrow, "You're nineteen? I thought you were like, thirty."

"How dare you." Lewis rolled his eyes and pulled his hand back. "You don't have to trust me, but if you ever want to, that's Kathrine's number. No matter what, I'll answer. I promise."

Danny didn't know what to say, or how to feel. An unsettling numbness had covered him as he fought between relief and fear. "I... thank you?"

Lewis nodded. "Well, this seems like a good place to end this conversation. Also, Kathrine told me to stay in the car so she's probably freaking out right about now." He cleared his throat, "Try not to die, Danny. I like you. You're a good kid." He started to walk away before abruptly turning back, "One more thing. Your parents know about Prince."

Danny frowned, "Well, yeah, he just overshadowed my dad."

"No, no," Lewis shook his head, "As far as they know, that was Phantom. Prince is your hallucination caused by your Epilepsy medication." He shrugged, "Might be best to keep those two identities separate, yeah?" He turned around again, held up a peace sign, and walked off.

"...Okay," Danny said, awkwardly waving despite the fact that Lewis could no longer see him. "That was..." He held up his hands, "I give up. I don't know. I don't want to know." I don't want to do this anymore.

"Danny?"

Danny turned quickly, dropping his hands and putting the note in his pocket, "Mom?"

"Danny!" Maddie rushed forwards and threw her arms around her son, lifting him off the ground as she held him close. "Oh, my baby boy..." She set him down, pulling back and putting her hands on his shoulders. "Are you hurt? Anywhere at all?"

Danny shook his head, ignoring his throbbing ankle and stinging burns. "I'm okay."

Maddie shook her head and held him tighter, "No, you're not. That ghost-"

"He didn't hurt me, Mom," Danny lied, patting her awkwardly on the back as Harriet came up behind them. "Honest."

"Vlad's called the Guys in White to make sure the ghost is really gone, and Jack and Jazz are at Marysburg," Harriet said, holding up her phone. "Jack's in surgery-"

"What?!" Danny pulled out of the hug, "Why? I thought Dad was okay!"

"Danny," Maddie said, "Your dad hurt his leg when the ghost dropped him, and Jazz was bleeding a lot. They're at the hospital, but they're going to be okay." More quietly, she added on, "They're going to be okay."

"I'll drive you there," Harriet said, holding up some car keys. "Come on. I'll come back and get your stuff later."

Maddie nodded, and Danny let his mother grab his hand. He tried not to limp as she led him to Harriet's car and sat beside him in the backseat.

Out the window to his left, Danny could see Prince, hiding behind someone's car and staring after him. And then the word surgery echoed in his mind, and he could picture Jazz's unmoving form far too easily.

Danny looked away and held his mom's hands tighter. Nobody hurts my family, Maddie squeezed his hands back, nobody. This won't happen again. I won't let it.

.-.-.-.-.-.

"So Vlad," Positgen said, "What did we learn here today?"

Vlad glared at him before continuing to bandage his arm.

"I'll go first, then," He shrugged, "I learned that you're an idiot."

"Positgen-"

"You insulted Danny and his family right to his face and expected everything to go a-okay." Positgen crossed his arms, flinching as it pulled the wound on his shoulder. "You're an idiot. It's worth repeating."

"I don't want to hear another word from you," Vlad said, moving quickly to his feet. "My plan would have worked had you not refused to order that child."

"I will not willingly use a ghost's obsession against them like that," He said, "I will not cross that line."

Vlad scoffed, "Yes, so you've said. I certainly hope you're proud of yourself. Because you disagreed with me, Daniel's going to be back with a neglectful and damaging father where not only he will suffer but Prince will as well. That man shot his own daughter!"

"Yes," Positgen said, "Because you were overshadowing her!"

Vlad stood and started to walk away. Positgen teleported in front of him, arms crossed. Vlad tried to shove him aside, but Positgen refused to move.

"You made a mistake," His core twisted in his chest, "Admit it. You were wrong. Danny and his family love each other. He is not you."

Vlad stared at him, eyes staying blue. "How dare you. Daniel and his mother will take their rightful and safe place at my side. Nothing will stop them."

"Except for every law of logic," Positgen replied. "You screwed up. He hates you. He shot you. This is just like Carmilla-"

"Don't speak of my sister!" Vlad snapped, eyes glowing red. Positgen floated back as his core twisted again, and he saw the images Vlad was trying not to focus on. "You know-"

"Well, it's true!" His core twisted again and he gripped at his chest. "It's... true. He's furious with you."

"He'll join me," Vlad said, "The boy will be at my side where nobody can touch him."

Positgen leaned against the doorframe, "And how... do you intend to do that, when he hates you?"

"The boy thinks of me as his enemy," Vlad said, "Then I suppose I'll just have to fulfil my role until he realizes that the only way he'll ever belong is when he's at my side."

Positgen raised his eyebrows, "That doesn't make any sense."

Vlad pushed past him, "Just wait."

"Still doesn't make any sense!" Positgen called, and slid down the wall. His core twisted and pulled in his chest, and everything felt wrong.

There was his morals, that he knew was right, and his obsession, that he had to follow.

When it came to Vlad, the two rarely ever aligned.

.-.-.-.-.-.

Volana snapped her fingers, getting the attention of her current project. Tozi had covered themself in destabilized ectoplasm earlier that day and was currently stretching it between their fingers.

"Keep your hands still," She hissed, grabbing one of Tozi's smaller ones, "I have told you to cease all movement. Need I remind you of the fate Olia suffered when she refused to obey orders?"

Tozi squeaked and flinched back, holding their hands in front of their core. Volana scoffed and turned away, "Now, you are to stay there, unmoving, until I say otherwise. Is that clear?"

Tozi nodded.

Volana grabbed the child by their wrist and pulled them close. "Use your words, Tozi."

The smaller Observant whimpered and Volana raised a hand. She'd have to punish them, again, as Tozi truly could not grasp how much of a failure they truly were. Volana knew she should have let them be destroyed. Yet, turning problems into advantages was her specialty, so once again she was stuck with a disgrace to the Observant name.

The ectoplasm behind her shifted, and Volana released Tozi. They shrunk back, whimpering and picking at the ectoplasm on their robe. "Sio," She turned around, "This had better be very important."

Sio, one of her previous and much more successful projects, bowed as she addressed them. "I apologize, but you must see this."

"Show it to me then, we haven't got all day."

Sio raised a hand, palm facing upwards, and summoned a sphere of energy. Volana watched as it took form, showing two teenagers sitting side by side. "The Observants? Volana?" One said, and the other flinched. "You still should've told me."

"You were spoken of directly," Sio said, "Thus I thought I should inform you. What do you want to do?"

Volana took the sphere, "Inform the High Council, have them fetch Kulo." She snapped her fingers, duplicating it before returning one to Sio's hands. "I believe it's time my property was returned to me." She crushed the other sphere in her fist.

Half a world away, Prince Phantom jumped to his feet with a poorly muffled scream.

Good job Vlad, you ruined literally everything. Your plans don't make sense and you're a jerk.

Oh well. Fun fact! Exactly what happened between Vlad and his sister was originally included in this chapter, but had to be cut due to length. And then we still ended up with an almost 20k chapter. I'm good at things.

Speaking of that, can we take a moment to appreciate that I managed to make their Hogwarts houses a plot point? I'm so proud of myself for that.

Flame jokes become much less fun when you have to go through the reviews and delete the shitty comments you're been getting from cowardly anons. So, for now I'll stick with love for this story is very much loved!

Next chapter; another bridge chapter, where everyone needs to sit down and have a goddamn conversation. After that, Prisoners of Love!

Until next time, thoughts?