Jazz was in Danny's room, trying to help him with his homework, but at this point they weren't accomplishing much beyond annoying each other. Both were wishing for some kind of interruption. They should have been more careful even though Desiree wasn't around.

Then they heard their fathers voice from downstairs.

"Vladdy!" He said, "Come on in!"

Exchanging horrified looks, Jazz and Danny rushed for the door. Danny wished he was still doing his homework, almost anything would be better than seeing his father invite his archenemy into the house. And with all eyes on Vlad, no one noticed the cat skitter in and dart under the couch as the door closed.

"We weren't expecting to see you Vlad." said Maddie sounding surprised.

"I was passing through on business and I felt I should stop and see you. Maddie you look as lovely as ever! And my fat old friend Jack, how have you…"

"Murr?"

Everybody froze for a moment as the cat crept out from under the couch and rubbed against Vlad's leg.

"Where did that come from?" asked Jazz.

"It's been following me around for weeks." said Vlad, pinching the bridge of his nose as though he had a headache. "And I don't know how it got in here."

"Maybe it's a ghost cat!" said Jack as he scooped the cat up to get a closer look. Startled by his sudden action, the cat hissed and slashed at Jack's hand. When he dropped her she ran behind Maddie and hid under the couch. Jack wanted to use the Fenton fisher to drag her out but Jazz stopped him.

"Honestly Dad," she said, "it's just a kitten!" She coaxed it out and soon the cat was purring as Maddie and Jazz petted it. When the cat wrapped its front paws around Maddie's wrist, giving her hand a couple of quick licks Maddie cooed and picked the cat up to cuddle it. Danny glared at both Vlad and the cat, his eyes flickering from blue to green. Jack still wasn't sure that the cat wasn't a ghost.

"What did you name your cat?" asked Jazz.

"I do not have a cat." said Vlad. "I simply let it in out of the rain and it has followed me around ever since." His expression softened slightly as he looked at Maddie. She was smiling as the cat lay in her arms purring blissfully, and loudly. "I heard you have had quite a breakthrough in your research lately." said Vlad.

"It's incredible!" said Jack, grinning, "Jazz came up with a whole new way of looking at the ghost problem!"

"Jazz?" said Vlad; this was not what he was expecting to hear.

"I just approached the problem from a different point of view." Said Jazz.

"Don't be so modest honey." said Maddie, "Without your theories we would have never developed the Fenton Negative Energy Neutralizer."

"Negative Energy Neutralizer? How does that work?"

Maddie started to explain but Jazz interrupted her.

"Why don't we show him? I'm sure Vlad would love to see it."

"Great idea Jazz!" said Jack as he led everybody down to the lab. Danny trailed behind everybody to keep an eye on Vlad, so he was the only one to see Jazz flip a switch and turn on a whole shelf of Neutralizers. The rush of energy he felt from almost two-dozen neutralizers made him feel dizzy for a moment, but it seemed to have a very different effect on Vlad. As Jack enthusiastically explained how they worked, Vlad seemed distracted. Then he began to look pale and ill. Vlad started to rub his head and soon he looked terrible.

"Are you okay?" asked Maddie.

"I just need to sit down." said Vlad. As he turned towards her he stumbled. Jack picked Vlad up bodily before he could fall and carried him upstairs, ignoring his protests. He set Vlad down when they reached the top of the stairs but he stayed close in case Vlad fell. As soon as Vlad was seated, the cat climbed into his lap purring anxiously. Although Vlad was feeling better than before, he still felt nauseous, and his head was pounding.

Jack and Maddie fussed over him, worried about how suddenly he seemed to get ill.

While Maddie went to get some aspirin and a glass of water Vlad rested on the couch with his hand over his eyes. He wasn't even aware of it but he was petting the cat with his other hand. When Maddie came back with the water Jazz said.

"Your cat really needs a name, I think you should call her Penny."

"I don't have a cat, and I do not want a cat!"

"Well she certainly feels she belongs with you. Just look."

The cat was curled in his lap with her face pressed against his stomach and she was purring louder than before. He looked down at her and sighed. He was about to push her off but Maddie interrupted by handing him the water and aspirin and saying, "I don't see why you're so defensive, I think she's adorable."

Vlad looked at the purring lump in his lap getting orange fur all over his suit. But he couldn't bring himself to argue with Maddie, besides; the animal did have a few good points. It liked Maddie and it didn't like Jack, which showed that it had at least some intelligence. He rested for a few moments before he said that he needed to go.

"I don't think you should drive like this." said Maddie.

"I'll be fine, my chauffeur is waiting."

Maddie and Jack looked doubtful.

"I'm sure it is merely stress and that I have been busy and neglected to eat well lately. I'll be fine after I get some sleep."

He pushed the cat out of his lap as he got up to leave. As he got in his car out front, Jazz came running up.

"Don't forget Penny!" She said so sweetly that Danny found it disturbing. Vlad just sighed and took the cat she held out to him. If he had looked back as he left, he would have seen an evil grin on Jazz's face.

I'm sorry I've dissapeared for a while, I've been dealing with a lot of stuff lately. Family stuff, work stuff, computer glitches, and now I'm going to be out of town for a bit. Updates will be slow again, but I am continuing to write new chapters, and I might have a short fic ready to post in about a month.