A Time in the Heart

By: Wilona Riva

Disclaimer: I do not own Danny Phantom.

Grape jelly does not melt in hot tea.

Dreamer of Ice

"The boy did what?" Vlad shouted, when Skulker told him about the latest attempt to capture the boy.

"You heard me correctly the first time, Plasmius," the robotic ghost replied.

"We may have to try another approach," Masters said, pacing the length of the room.

Vlad Masters aka Vlad Plasmius looked down at the key in his hand. Clockwork had warned him not to do it unless all attempts to retrieve the boy failed.

"I have no recourse, but one," he sighed.

Danny closed his eyes and snuggled down under the covers. After he explained about his feelings regarding ectoplasm, Maddie and Jack understood him better. Maddie went out to the grocery store around the corner and bought some dishwashing liquid, some powerful off brand they sell in one of those dollar stores you see everywhere.

Jazz showed him how to wash dishes by hand. It was tiring and hard work, but he thought it was grand fun until he cut himself on a piece of glass. Maddie patched him up right as rain.

Jazz volunteered to finish the dishes, so Maddie sat Danny down and explained why children did chores in the house, again. It seemed she had this conversation with him frequently.

The Dream Master entered the room and groaned. The boy was not yet asleep, so how was he to siphon off his dream energy? Well, no use wasting time. Placing his hands on the boy's forehead, he sent him off to dreamland.

Danny stood in the middle of a village in the ice fields. He was in the Far Frozen, the land of the yetis, whose leader was Frostbite, the cryokinetics Master.

A black-and-white mountain goat was tethered nearby trying to eat some tundra grass peeking through the snow, when it sensed the newcomer. Turning its head as far as it could, it saw the boy.

"A goat in the icelands?" Danny muttered to himself.

"Most unusual, isn't it?" a deep voice resounded from behind him.

Danny turned around to find himself face to face with Clanleader Frostbite.

"You seem a bit misty, boy," the yeti observed.

"I'm in the human world, dreaming, I think," Danny answered, a bit confused.

"Well then, can't have you stare all day at a goat's behind, can we?" Frostbite replied, chuckling at his joke.

The goat in question transformed into a rabbit, slipped its tether and followed them indoors. The rabbit hopped over to Danny and bit his leg. His blood was green!

Danny sat up in bed, screaming in pain. The sudden flare of the lights blinded him as Maddie rushed into the room, holding a glowing staff. Jack, not far behind, bellowed: "WHERE'S THE GHOST?"

"Honey, what's wrong?" Maddie asked, after sending Jack back to bed.

"I had a weird dream," Danny said, pulling the covers tighter around him. "I was in the lands of the Far Frozen, and a mountain goat turned into a rabbit and bit me."

"An odd nightmare," Maddie said, relieved it was something worse. Danny had begun watching horror movies with his friends, Sam and Tucker. That was something she would have to keep an eye on.

"A rabbit bit you and you screamed?" Jazz asked sleepily from the doorway. "And I got up for that? I'm going back to bed."

Danny rolled his eyes at her. "My blood was green," he whispered, before falling asleep again.

Maddie was alarmed.

Danny was dreaming about the Ghost Zone again.

She was going to have to talk to Jack about this first thing in the morning after the kids left for school.