I still have writer's block quite desperately, but I'm struggling through, trying to get my thoughts out. This is a Vlad/Maddie piece, no romance don't worry. It's just really weird and Vlad tried really hard to make me write it first person too, he says I've been giving him a bad name lately –cough- Disclosures –cough- Heh! Imagine that!

I still own nothing!

Genre: Drama

Rating: K+

With Vlad's Help

She was sleeping as he crept into her room, he could have floated, but somewhere in his heart, he was hoping she would wake up and catch him. He feathered the hair off her face and sighed at the tear stained pillow.

It had been a year since Jack's death, purely accidental, and yet she still cried herself to sleep every night. It broke his heart. He tucked the blankets up over her shoulders and sighed heavily.

Daniel was waiting outside in the hall, looking stern as always. His midnight visits were part of an agreement. He was to stay away from Maddie in her waking life, and Daniel would let Vlad visit her dreams, it was a small thing really, but better than nothing. Vlad was grateful for the chance to see her as he feathered his intangible hand through Maddie's body. She took a deep breath and sighed, almost contentedly as she whispered Jack's name, as she did every night Vlad visited her, and as always, a little part of him died. He wondered vaguely if that wasn't Daniel's intention, to kill him slowly and painful with the bittersweet agony of his love for Maddie.

"Maddie," Vlad whispered gently as he used his ghostly powers to fade into her dreams. "My love." He closed his eyes and found himself standing in a candle lit room, soft music playing in distance.

"Vlad," she said as she turned to him and smiled. She was wearing a white flowing gown, which lovingly hugged her curves, her bright eyes were smiling, her skin rosy, her hair vibrant, quiet unlike herself in her waking life, where she never spoke or reacted to anything or anyone.

She had grown quite thin and pale, her hair, eyes and skin, dull. No, Vlad didn't exactly stay completely away from her, Daniel may have surpassed his powers again and again, but he couldn't control everything, and he certainly couldn't keep Vlad from the woman he loved more than life itself.

"Maddie," Vlad replied happily as he reached his hand toward her. "You look stunning this evening."

"Thank you," she laughed as she took his offered hand and let him pull her into a chaste hug.

"I haven't seen you in ages," she said as her eyes searched Vlad's face. He smiled weakly. He'd seen her last night, but maybe in terms of dreams, it was forever.

"I'm sorry," Vlad apologized. "I've been extremely busy."

She nodded her head in understanding. "Jack was just saying," she began. "That he misses you. You should stop by for a visit." Vlad nodded his head in agreement. If Jack were alive, Maddie would never have invited Vlad for a visit and he knew it, she held him at a certain level of contempt, that while veiled, it was apparent she loathed him.

"Would you care to dance?" he asked as he gestured to the dance floor. Maddie smiled happily, and it looked like she was about to agree when she frowned and looked around the room like she was searching for someone.

"Jack should he here," she told him looking around in confusion. "I promised him I wouldn't dance with anyone before he had a chance…" She began to look distressed and Vlad held her hand tighter, doing his best to keep her from fleeing as the room darkened and shifted into the off kilter edges of a familiar nightmare.

He put his hand on her face and forced her fear filled, fevered eyes to look into his as he expended a mighty amount of effort and energy to keep the room dark and candle lit, instead of the sickly yellow and green hospital room where Jack had died, where Maddie punished herself over and over and over, pushing herself deeper and deeper into despair. She blamed herself, but it wasn't her fault, it was simply Jack's error.

"Darling," Vlad whispered gently. "Let's dance and catch up with Jack later. You don't have to do this." Her eyes closed and she shook her head. Vlad fought against the nightmare. He didn't want to see it again, he didn't want to go through Jack's death with her as they did every night.

Jack's death wasn't Vlad's fault, which was fortunate considering how often he'd plotted to kill Maddie's beloved husband, but it didn't matter, she was hurting and no matter the means of Jack's death, Vlad felt the sting of guilt, that even though he had great powers, he was unable to keep the oaf alive for her, he had tried.

Tears filled Maddie's eyes as she looked over Vlad's shoulder. He didn't want to turn around and greet what she was looking at. He knew it was Jack, laying in a hospital bed, skin blackened from plasma burns. She moved away, then passed Vlad, and he was forced to turn and look at Jack Fenton.

"Oh Jack," Maddie cried as she put her hand over her mouth. "Jack!" She ran to his bedside and Vlad moved quickly to stop her.

"You don't have to do this Maddie," he said sternly, trying to get her to look at him. She met his steel blue gaze with wide confused eyes. It was the first time he'd ever been able to take Maddie's attention away from Jack during the nightmare, his heart would have swelled with joy, if all his energy hadn't been expended trying to keep her focus on him.

"You can let go," he told her gently. "You don't have to keep doing this. Jack wouldn't want you to…" Her eyes suddenly filled with tears and he stepped back, feeling a strange tingling sensation which told him she was about to wake up, this was very unusual.

"I can't let go, Vlad," she said frantically. "I need him…I…love him."

"I know," Vlad told her soothingly then nearly choked on the following statement. "And he loved you. But there are a lot of people who love you and need you. Daniel and Jasmine, they've been trying so hard to carry on, but it's difficult, they're frightened. They lost their father and now they're losing their mother…"

"Danny?" Maddie asked her eyes filling with confusion. "Jazz?"

"Your children," Vlad said. Suddenly, he was thrown back away from Maddie's bed and she was fully conscious, sitting up, looking at Vlad in shock as he lay on the floor.

"Vlad?" she asked as she drew her blanket up to her chin, her voice was rusty from disuse. Vlad took several deep breaths, trying hard to recover from shock as he looked over his shoulder at the door. Was Daniel standing outside? Would he be angry if he knew his mother was awake, and Vlad was still here? Wait, she was awake and saying his name! His heart felt like it was going to burst from his chest.

He stood and straightened his suit then sat down on the edge of her bed. She continued to look at Vlad in shock, then looked around the room, the realization of where she was and what her life was like hitting her suddenly. She put her hand to her mouth and Vlad moved forward and put his arms around her.

"Jack," she cried as she put her arms around Vlad and began to shake. "He's gone."

"I'm sorry," Vlad told her as he stroked her hair. He closed his eyes and let his own tears fall. Maddie hadn't spoken since Jack died. She had slipped into a state of catatonia, reacting very little to the world around her, not living in reality.

Vlad was aware of the bedroom door opening and he wanted to yell at whomever it was to go away. He wanted to keep this moment to himself, and not have it taken away from. He felt he deserved it after helping Maddie come to terms with her husband's death, or at the very least with consciousness. No one was able to reach her but him. Vlad had developed a power which escaped Danny, no matter how hard he tried, he couldn't mimic Vlad's ability to slip into people's dreams.

"Danny," Maddie said weakly as her son walked forward slowly. He looked at Vlad a moment then at his mother. She held out her arms to him and Vlad stood, stepping away from the bed, realizing that his presence was no longer necessary or wanted.

Jazz was suddenly beside him. She looked at him questioningly and he shrugged his shoulders. She blinked a few times then moved forward into her mother's welcoming arm as she cradled Danny, who seemed to be sobbing on her shoulder, in the other. Vlad looked at the family with an ache in his heart. Something was missing, there was an empty spot in the scene that he longed to fill but knew he never could, but he wanted desperately to try.

After making sure Maddie was fully conscious again, alive, awake and responsive, Danny and Jazz thanked him, telling him to come visit, that maybe it would be okay. Vlad smiled and said that he would always call first to make sure he was welcome. Maddie's children hugged him gratefully then sent him on his way.

Vlad said nothing more. He made his way home, into his lab, into a ghost protected vault, into another room inside the vault, to a table. On the table stood a Fenton Thermos, protected by a ghost shield.

He had scoured the Ghost Zone to find him. It had been a frantic and difficult task, but he had found Jack Fenton's ghost and captured him. Vlad had figured that Maddie would turn to him in grief, but only if she wasn't tormented by the specter of Jack. He'd promised himself when he left, that if he was unable to wake Maddie, he'd let Jack go to Maddie and see if he could heal her.

Vlad couldn't bear to see Maddie dying as she was, but he was successful and a sense of peace washed over him. He realized that Maddie would never love him, but he was still able to be a part of her life. Daniel and Jasmine had accepted him as a sort of friend, and slowly but surly he'd fill as best he could, the void Jack had left.

"She's okay Jack," Vlad told the thermos. "She's going to be all right. She doesn't need you anymore. It's all going to be all right." He smiled bitterly then walked out of the room, closing the door behind him, never wanting to look back again.

THE END

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HA! And you thought I was turning Vlad into a nice guy! Uh, no! XP