A.N. I'm not sorry. I say this because it annoys me when authors take forever to post something new, and then halfof the update is their apologies and excuses. As a matter of fact, I do have some really good excuses for not updating earlier, but I don't see the point in sharing them. For one, it's private, and for another, I'm back now, so it doesn't matter.
I am sorry, though, about my lack of reply to my reviews; the truth is I never got them. For some reason, fanfiction didn't email me like it usually does. I only found out because I happened to notice that the review count was higher than I remembered. So, I'll reply here-
(Chapter Six)
Sarah Serena Rose-First, beautiful username. And second, thank you. I try. ^.^
(Chapter Ten)
Fluhatraya-Thank you. ^.^ At the time, I was ridiculously proud of coming up with the idea to have her in the chess game.
(Chapter Eleven)
Fluhatraya-I'm glad you liked it. I was ecstatic the way it worked out, because got to use both of the pairings you suggested, which was awesome. I think I like Clockwork/Jazz better than Tucker/Jazz. I don't know who I'd pair with Tucker…probably an O.C.
Seantriana-Actually, I think I did already reply to this one. Just in case…yes. My thoughts exactly.
(Chapter Twelve)
Fluhatraya-YES! That was EXACTLY what I was trying to do! I toyed with the idea of explaining everything, because I wasn't sure it readers would get it, the effect I was going for, but I'm glad I left it the way it was. And you did get it! Oh, I'm so happy now….
Oh, geez. This A.N. takes up an entire page. Well, I'll just have to make sure the update is an appropriate length.
Disclaimer: YES! DANNY'S MINE! AALLLL MINE! I STOLE HIM FROM BUTCH WHILE HE WAS SLEEPING! MWAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!...okay, not really.
Water
The moment Danny came downstairs and saw Vlad in his living room, he knew it was going to be a long day. It was Saturday, and he'd gotten up at ten, after staying up late the previous night catching ghosts (Skulker just wouldn't give him a break). He would have slept in more, but he had promised to spend a few hours with his Dad. After showering and changing into a fresh set of clothes, he'd ambled down, completely unprepared for the sight of his archenemy seated casually on the couch, calmly sipping a cup of tea.
Danny froze with one hand on the banister. Jack, who was situated across from Vlad and next to Maddie, caught sight of him, and his face brightened up into a goofy grin.
"Danny!" Jack called, waving frantically and motioning for him to join them. "Come say hi to V-Man!"
"Yes," Vlad said, catching sight of him as well and angling a malicious smirk his way. "It's been so long since I've seen you, dear boy. Come, sit."
That jerk. They'd seen each other two nights ago, though admittedly they had been in their ghost forms then. Danny glared furiously, but didn't have much choice in the matter. Reluctantly, he came and squeezed in with his parents (the only other option was next to Vlad, and that definitely wasn't an option).
"Don't we have to go soon, Dad?" he asked Jack pointedly. "I thought you and I were going to that new restaurant over the lake. Don't we have reservations?"
"Right you are, Danny-boy!" Jack bellowed, working his arm free to wrap it around Danny's shoulders and squeeze. Danny gasped at the pain (his upper torso and arms were heavily bruised, courtesy of Skulker and his newest invention), but said nothing. Vlad noticed, and his eyes narrowed.
"There's just been a slight change of plans," Jack continued, oblivious.
"What?" Danny asked warily, massaging his upper arms.
"Vladdy's agreed to come with us! Won't it be great? I'll drive the R.V., and on the way there, I can blabber on about ghosts!"
Danny, who was staring at him in horror, chuckled weakly. "Yeah…great."
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Ten minutes later, Danny was in the backseat of the Fenton Family Assault Vehicle (the 'R.V.' for short), pressed as far as possible from the multi-billionaire sitting on the opposite end of the bench. He glared suspiciously at Vlad, who stared back impassively. In the driver's seat, Jack (true to his word), was blabbering on about ghosts-more specifically, what he was going to do that 'ecto-plasmic spook Danny Phantom' when he got ahold of him. Danny struggled unsuccessfully to tune him out.
"…and after I cut him open to see whether or not ghosts have entrails, Mads and I will finally get to run some experiments! Lots and lots of really painful experiments."
Danny cringed and hunched in on himself. Vlad had, thankfully, turned away to look out the window, and didn't see. If he had, Danny had no doubt that he would use it as fuel for his Renounce-Your-Father-And-Join-Me campaign indefinitely.
"Here we are!" Jack swung the van around exuberantly with a screeching of tires, going up on one side and barely missing a lamp post. The wild movement jerked Danny out of his seat and flung him sideways. His seatbelt locked, barely preventing him from slamming into Vlad. Startled, Vlad automatically grabbed Danny's shoulders, holding Danny away from him. The car rocked, falling back onto all ten* wheels, and Danny was flung back into his seat.
The next few seconds were quiet as Danny and Vlad fought to get their breathing under control; both were panting from the sudden adrenaline rush. Jack, unperturbed, turned around to grin brightly at them.
"C'mon! This is gonna be so much fun!" he cried with all the excitement of a small child. Swallowing, Danny forced a smile for his father's sake and unbuckled himself. He climbed out cautiously, waiting for Vlad before closing the door. The walk to the restaurant was completely silent on Danny and Vlad's end; the latter, unused to Jack driving, was still too shocked to speak, and the former merely had nothing to say. Jack happily filled the silence with information about his latest research on ghosts and ghost weapons. When they got to the door, Jack went right on in, but Vlad touched Danny's arm, and when he paused, whispered in his ear;
"Does he do that often?"
"More than you know," Danny told him. "His driving is actually pretty useful when I need to get somewhere faster than I can fly." Ignoring Vlad's incredulous stare**, Danny slipped inside, giving Vlad no choice but to follow.
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The Glass Pearl was, by far, the strangest and most beautiful building Danny had ever been in. The floor was completely transparent, as were the walls and ceiling, which made it seem as if they were floating over the lake. Small blue and white sparkles embedded intermediately in the ceiling further added to the effect. Slender steel supports ran through the inside of the walls, holding everything together. The kitchen, which was the only part of the whole structure that was not suspended over the water, was colored the same silver as the steel, giving the impression that it was its own building, unconnected to the restaurant.
Lunch conversation was surprisingly pleasant. Vlad seemed to be making an effect to restrain his immense dislike for the orange HAZMAT jump-suited man sitting across from him, and for the most part, was successful. Due to the small booths and his father's large girth, Danny was stuck next to Vlad, but it was markedly less torturous than he had been expecting. Actually, the whole thing was rather…fun.
Afterwards, they borrowed a boat and rowed out to the middle of the lake. Well, Jack rowed; there wasn't any room for anyone else next to him, and he was happy to do the job alone anyway. Danny and Vlad sat in the back, twisted around to keep talking to Jack. When they had first got on the boat, Vlad hadn't seemed inclined to continue to include Jack in their conversation, but Danny had instantly turned to talk to him, so Vlad had been reluctantly forced to do the same.
"Hey, Danny! Do you have the snacks Maddie packed?" Jack asked eagerly.
Danny laughed at his father's expression and held up the small cloth bag in response. Putting it down between him and Vlad, he riffled through it and pulled out two water bottles, one of which he handed to the bemused billionaire. He took a swig out of the other, than pulled out a thermos, which he gave to Jack. Inside was a mixture of fruit punch, orange juice, lemonade, and grape juice, all of which combined to make up one of Jack's favorite drinks.
Jack gulped down a fourth of the sugary liquid while Danny rummaged around for the packet of fudge he knew his mother had packed. He found it and tossed it to Jack, who received it gleefully.
"Okay…so depending on how long we're out here…there's enough here for dinner, if we need it," Danny told them, closing the bag and putting it on the bottom of the boat. Vlad raised an eyebrow, amused. He was watching Jack eat.
"Honestly, Jack…you just ate back at the Pearl."
Jack just shrugged his oversized shoulders. "Rowing makes me hungry," he explained briefly, before he resumed gnawing on the chocolate. Danny smiled fondly and turned around, so he was looking in the opposite direction of Jack. The way the boat had been designed, that was how it was supposed to be; two people (or one, really big person) in the front, facing forwards and rowing, and two in the backseats, facing backwards.***
It was early in the afternoon, and the sun was high in the sky. Danny tilted his face up to enjoy the luxurious warmth. The corners of his mouth turned up. After a few minutes, the eerie feeling of being watched crept over him. He turned his head to see Vlad staring at him with a pensive expression.
"What?" Danny asked, unnerved by the strange look on the older halfa's features.
"Oh…nothing, nothing," Vlad said. "Just zoned out for a moment."
Unconvinced, Danny hesitated a moment longer. Finally, he decided it wasn't worth it and went back to enjoying the sunlight.
"Hey, Danny!" Jack said suddenly, ever-present grin evident in his voice. He must have finished his fudge.
"Yes, Dad?" Danny asked, without bothering to move to face him.
"Wanna come up here and row with me for a while?"
"Um…" Danny moved to a half-standing position, one knee on his seat, and holding onto the back of it. He looked doubtfully at what little remaining space there was beside Jack. "I'm not sure I'll fit, Dad."
"Nonsense! Of course you will! It'll be fun!"
Danny yelped when Jack pulled him over the divider between the two halves of the boat. He did fit, just barely, though his left leg was pretty much on Jack's lap, and his right arm was forced over the side, where it dangled above the water.
"See, now what we're going to do…" Danny was barely listened as Jack chattered happily.
"Dad…can't…breathe…." He gasped, trying unsuccessfully to push Jack's arm off of his shoulders.
"Jack." Vlad's tone was an icy current thinly disguised as friendly indifference. "There really isn't room up there for you and Daniel. Why don't you let him come on back here, hmm? Or, if it's that important to you that he learns how to row a boat, perhaps you could take a break and I could show him?" The last suggestion had a hint of malice, or perhaps glee. It went over Jack's head, as usual, but Danny caught it and whipped around to frown at Vlad, eyes flashing dangerously. He turned back hastily, however, when Jack faltered. Danny watched his shoulders slump and his smile fade. But it was back almost instantly.
"Right you are, V-man! Danny, I'll show you later; we'll hire out a decent-sized boat next time, instead of this tiny thing." Jack grabbed the oars to get them out of the way and heaved himself up, presumably so that Danny would have enough room to move back to his original seat, but, due to his enormous girth, accidently rocked the boat. Danny and Vlad both clung to a side until the violent movements ceased. Then Danny eased himself up cautiously and climbed gingerly into the back.
"Ah, Jack," Vlad called, sounding a tad anxious. He gestured toward the oars that Jack had over one shoulder. "Do be careful where you swing those things. Somebody could get hurt."
"What was that, V-man?" Jack turned, still holding the oars. They hit Danny squarely in the back of the head and he toppled, instantly unconscious, into the dark water. Without even pausing to insult Jack or mutter a curse, Vlad vaulted over the side after him.
"DANNY! VLADDIE!" Jack bellowed in alarm when he saw his son and best friend disappear into the depths. He hurried to the side of the small watercraft and stared frantically at the widening ripples. He would have followed, but he trusted Vlad to save Danny and knew that the best thing to do was to wait and call for help. Frantically, he grabbed the bag his son had packed and rifled through it.
Meanwhile, Vlad was struggling to swim towards the motionless teenager drifting slowly away from the surface. He tapped into his ghost form, which lessened his need to breathe, and strengthened his limbs. Pushing through the current, his eyes narrowed to slits, burning crimson in a rare loss of control.
"Phone…phone…" Jack searched feverishly for the desired device. He upended the bag onto a nearby bench, and started sifting through the pile of food. "No phone…!"
Vlad got his arm around Danny, who hung limply at his side. Gritting his teeth, the halfa looked upwards to the pale light he knew to be the surface. His lungs were starting to burn, which worried him. If he was feeling the lack of oxygen, even using his ghost powers (although, granted, he wasn't fully transformed-a lingering fear of the Fenton weaponry ever-present on Jack kept him locked in his human half), how must Daniel be feeling? He was out cold, but that wouldn't stop him from drowning.
"Ah-hah!" Jack pulled out a cellphone triumphantly. "Now…how does this work again?" He flipped it open and bent over the tiny keyboard, muttering to himself.
Almost…there…! His head was throbbing painfully in time with his heartbeats. His lungs felt like they were on fire. His limbs were sluggish and heavy. But Vlad, grimly determined, pressed on. Air and salvation was only five feet away…two feet….
Vlad broke the surface, and gasped greedily. For several long moments, he breathed in and reveled in the rush of clarity. Then he remembered the teen in his arms. He looked down; Daniel's head was above water-it had actually flopped backwards to rest on Vlad's shoulder-but if he was breathing, Vlad couldn't tell. Panic set in, and he whipped around to scan the lake anxiously for Jack ('s boat). It wasn't there. Of all the…! Frantically, he hefted Daniel up higher, treading water feverishly to stay afloat.
Vlad screamed, a very high-pitched screech that he would deny later, when he felt large hands yank him out of the water and set him onto a solid, gently rocking surface-a boat. Jack had been behind them.
"Vladdie! Are you okay? How's Danny?" Jack, a cell phone in hand, hovered over the shivering billionaire. His wide eyes were fixed on his son's motionless body.
Vlad didn't bother to answer, instead laying Daniel down flat on his back and beginning CPR. He pushed Daniel's chest, once, twice, three times. Vlad felt a heartbeat; it was sluggish but it was there. However, the younger halfa still wasn't breathing. Wasting no time, Vlad tilted the teens head back and pressed his lips firmly to Daniels'. Vlad forced air into his lungs five times before he felt a response. Finally, he leaned back, watching intently for movement. Jack came closer, staring just as resolutely. Doing so, he intruded on Vlad's personal space; the latter gritted his teeth and struggled to remain focused on the bigger problem.
After what seemed like a while but was really only a few minutes, Danny coughed, and a thin stream of water tickled from the side of his mouth. Groaning, he stirred and mumbled something.
"Jack, did you call an ambulance? He's going to need to go to the hospital," Vlad's tone was low and urgent. Daniel still hadn't opened his eyes.
Jack nodded, and Vlad glanced at him in barely disguised surprise. "Well," he muttered under his breath, "It seems you aren't completely useless after all." Louder, he said "You'd better row us back to shore, Jack. If we hurry, we can meet the paramedics in the parking lot."
"Right you are, Vladdie! I'll get right on it."
Danny moaned. While Jack moved to the front and began turning the boat towards land, Vlad moved forward to soothe him. "Shh, little Badger," he said softly. "It's alright. I'm here."
Danny's eyelids fluttered, but didn't open. One hand reached out blindly, latching onto Vlad's suit jacket. He frowned when he felt the wet material, and reached higher, brushing across Vlad's collarbone to his ponytail, which was coming loose and hung over one shoulder. Vlad stopped him, then, and took his smaller hand in Vlad's own. Danny sighed, and looked at him blearily. He probably had a concussion. His eyes slid away, then back, and his frown deepened. As far as Vlad could tell, Daniel was struggling to remember who he was. He waited for the inevitable realization and immediate rejection.
"Dad?"
…or not.
*So I looked up a picture of the Fenton R.V., and it seriously does have ten wheels. Well, sort of. Eight of them are encased in…treads? I think that's what it's called.
**Mmkay, so the reason this is a big deal, is 'cause Vlad knows how fast Danny can fly; somewhere around 130 MPH in this one-shot. I know that in canon DP, he can only go 112 MPH, but this isn't canon. I'm exercising my creative license. (Yes, that's my excuse. Yes, I know that it's lame. :P)
***Yeah…this is kind of an awful explanation…I'm sorry. I was trying to describe an actual boat I was on once, but I didn't do a very good job. Hopefully, you get what I was trying to saying anyway.
And the reason why Danny sank so far so fast and ended up a ways from Vlad, even though Vlad followed almost immediately, is because of the currents. In that particular lake, they can be very powerful, unpredictable, and pull in several different directions at once. So when Danny fell he was yanked down, and to the side, while Vlad when he submerged was pulled to another direction, so Vlad actually had to fight against the currents, which, as I've already said, switched around rapidly.
Oh, and this is not slash. It is very much father/son fluff between Danny and Vlad. You may have noticed Vlad acting a little OOC…there's a reason for that. It'll be explained in a later one-shot. Should be fun. ^.^ Also, Danny was really, really out of it at the end there; that's why he called Vlad 'Dad'. It was probably 'cause Danny had been planning to spend the day with his Dad…in a boat…and when he woke up, confused, in a boat, Vlad was the first person he saw…and he was really confused…so he just assumed that Vlad was his Dad.
I don't feel I did a very good job on this, even though I worked really hard. :/ Okay, actually, I think that it's an awful piece of writing that should never see the light of day. Sigh. Constructive criticism is always welcome.