Disclaimer: I don't own anything from Danny Phantom, I'm a big fan and was feeling nostalgic.

Note (04/24/2018): Wow "Sparkling Hobbit Hoe of M. E" is quite a mouthful! And I noticed you reviewed the previous chapter too! So I just wanted to personally say thank you for both, especially the more recent one because it made me really happy to hear! Also, oh in this chapter you will discover the irony of that comment "Serkeru." I've actually been talking to a close friend of mine who has been helping me with this story and since he works at a hospital he's been helping me make Danny's recovery process believable, meaning we talked a lot about Danny's diet at the moment to decide what he could eat at this point without throwing up. Crazy I know to get hung up on such a small detail but hey, small details are MY specialty! Anyways, you guys are in for a treat yourselves since this chapter is extra long! Enjoy!

Chapter 24: A Not So Fond Farewell

Danny's POV

I was surprised when Vlad told me that to make up for being kind of a jerk last night, but hey what else was new, that he decided to give me a little bit of freedom and helped me walk down to the kitchen. And by 'help' I mean he practically carried me there once we got about halfway since unfortunately I wasn't strong enough to walk that far yet. We had to stop before I even made it to the top of the stairs. My legs just didn't want to support me that long and started shaking like they had when I ran from my house on foot. Man this sucks!

Well, at least I was able to take a shower by myself before that so that was something at least. Vlad was right about one thing though, I did feel a lot better then I expected to after taking a shower because it helped clear my head, even with the fever still present. Speaking of which, after taking my temperature again once I came out Vlad looked pleased to announce that I was slowly getting better. Especially now that I wasn't AS stressed out as before, managed to catch up on some sleep, and more importantly my regenerative ghost powers were working again. Sure they weren't at a hundred percent, but he explained that my body was still weak from having a bad fever not once but twice in a row. He was concerned that I was still a bit anemic so Vlad also told me I might need another blood transfusion soon. Fun...

I didn't tell Vlad about this part but, after I removed the bandages to get ready to take my shower I grimaced when I saw the scar on my left shoulder. He did say there might be one because even with my powers working again, that wound wasn't a normal one even for a half-ghost, meaning that my healing powers weren't able to erase the evidence of the injury completely this time like they normally would have. Which meant that I would have this scar for the rest of my natural life. I had a small scar on my back too from where the lighting bolt struck me, but it wasn't nearly as noticeable. Still, considering how many fights I've been in you'd think I'd have more battle scars but nope! Oddly enough these were the first two I've gotten since getting my powers and in a way they stood as proof that this had been the first fight I almost didn't manage to walk away from. This time...I really almost died for good and that only made the scars look uglier...

Anyways, once we made it downstairs it was so weird seeing Vlad act so...normal in the kitchen as he gathered all of the ingredients he needed to make what I reluctantly requested for breakfast. Sure it was a ridiculously fancy kitchen but still, I guess this was the first time I'd really seen him act like a normal person without some nefarious plot currently underway. Then again, there probably still was one and as usual Vlad was hiding it masterfully from everyone, including me. Or I guess it was ESPECIALLY from me since that's what this was all about. This whole situation, it was about me, what I lost, and getting me away from here. Away from my parents...

I might not want to admit it, but what Vlad told me last night had the desired effect on me when he told me what Jazz has been dealing with. To think that my mom and dad weren't only hunting ghosts for real right now but they were...hurting them while trying to get answers about me; namely my ghost-half. No wonder Jazz was freaking out about this. She had every right to. And sadly this proved to me that as much as I might want to keep denying it, both Jazz and Vlad were right. I couldn't stay here. But leaving everything behind to live with VLAD...? The guy who turned me into Dan the last time my life fell apart? How was I supposed to feel about that...?

How was I supposed to feel any safer with him than with my parents since Vlad basically just told me last night that I didn't have a choice? Either way we were leaving and that Vlad was going to be the same manipulative fruitloop as always to not only my parents, but to everyone else in this town. Even if he was doing it for my own good and Jazz agreed with him, I-

"You're being awfully quiet my boy. Are you feeling alright? Even if that was a short trip you haven't regained your strength yet so it's understandable that even the most mundane tasks can be tiring. At any rate, it'll be ready in just a moment. Then we can talk," Vlad called back to me, smiling that know-it-all smile as he hazarded a guess as to what was on my mind.

I tried to ignore it but I noticed how Vlad didn't bother to hide the concern in his eyes since I had yet to touch the glass of milk he poured me earlier either. I was spacing out again and staring at the glass in front of me, suddenly feeling the urge to tap it. When I did it made a soft clink sound and I grinned, "Geez Vlad, do you have anything normal in your house? What kind of person uses crystal for something like milk?"

With a smirk, Vlad glided over -figuratively not literally I mean- and set down a plate of Swedish pancakes for me, although on the way down here he kept insisting they were crepes. But weren't crepes like...for desert with fruit on top? These only had butter and powdered sugar on them. Sure Vlad SAID he's good at making deserts but isn't that the whole point of breakfast? You can get away with eating a bunch of sugary crap without getting yelled at! Well whatever, Vlad asked me what I wanted and thinking of Jazz I blurted out what she always asked for for her birthday breakfast. And Vlad being Vlad ignored my rambling excuses about that not being what I meant and made them anyway. I guess since they were thinner then standard pancakes they didn't take as long to cook but still, how the heck did Vlad finish making them so fast?!

"To answer your question Daniel the answer is obvious I should think. I do enjoy the finer things in life. And you'd be surprised how much better a drink tastes when in crystal as opposed to normal glass." Straightening up, Vlad went back to the kitchen to make even more food for some reason, explaining, "Now that we know you can keep down solid foods I can start adding more to your diet as long as it's not too rich. Ironic I know seeing as I do so love rich foods-" he winked slyly and I just rolled my eyes, resting my chin in the palm of my hand, "-at any rate it would be a bad idea to give you too much too soon so, would you prefer oatmeal or sausage? Maybe both?"

"Vlad it's weird enough that you're cooking for me so don't make this any weirder than it already is. Just the pancakes are fine," I blushed, still feeling stupid for blurting out the birthday breakfast story about Jazz.

"Trust me, you're going to need more than that to get through the next few hours," Vlad insisted, nodding at my plate and waiting until I took a bite before looking away again. Reaching up to put the flour away, he continued talking with that annoyingly know-it-all tone again, "I do have some apple sauce you might enjoy and it'd be easy on your stomach so we'll go with that."

Rolling my eyes again as I ate Vlad put everything away normally until out of habit he must've decided to use his ghost powers for something because a moment later I stiffened, every muscle in my body going taut, my senses on high alert and my eyes flashed green before they darted over to where he stood. But wait, this presence didn't feel like Vlad's now that I thought about it. I was getting better at telling the difference in ghost signatures although I wasn't very good yet...

Vlad sensed it too, though I guess he has a different type of ghost sense that wasn't as obvious as mine because I can see my breath. No sooner had it appeared then it was gone again and we both heard an irritated screech as whatever it was left. Forcing myself to relax, I released the death-grip on my fork but gasped again for a different reason when it I noticed how it felt all mangled and molded to the shape of my hand and then dropped it with a clatter. Since when was I that strong in human form...?!

"Daniel, just what pray tell do you think you're doing?" Vlad asked in a low voice, his eyes narrowed he glanced at me suspiciously.

Feeling indignation more than freaked out about what just happened I haughtily replied, "Well I WAS eating breakfast when a random ghost decided to fly overhead. Man you'd think they'd know better than to fly over YOUR house unless they've got a double-death wish. Unless it was one of your buddies that just got ghost-zapped."

Dropping any pretenses Vlad crossed his arms and raised his brow as he nodded in my direction, "No, I meant why did you transform?"

"What are you talking about? No I didn't!" I blinked, giving him a dirty look but then, suddenly feeling uneasy when I remembered the whole duplicate thing, I lifted my hand to my face and saw a familiar white glove. With a sigh, I changed back and rubbed the back of my neck, blushing as I laughed nervously, "Huh. Looks like I did change after all. Well that WOULD explain the bent fork. I must've transformed subconsciously. I thought it was just you using ghost powers so I tried not to react too much, but when the energy felt different I just, you know, changed out of habit. Um...anyway, thanks for breakfast but I think I'm going to go ba-"

"Oh no, you're not getting out of this that easily little badger. You're obviously still very much on edge, even if you don't want to admit it..." Unfolding his arms and sitting on the stool beside me, because yeah Vlad had one of those kitchens with bar stools, he put a hand on my shoulder then tried and failed not to sound irritated. "That's what I wanted to talk to you about this morning. I have a lot to do and little time to do it but even so, I worry about leaving you alone even for a few hours. It's not that I don't trust YOU not to get into trouble, but trouble always seems to find you when we least expect it. Still, I'm sure you don't want to feel cooped up in your room. That is why for today I'm willing to keep at least that shield down for you so you can come and go from your room as you see fit. Just be aware that I've sealed off the lab and both my ghost portals and should you go snooping about I have cameras all over the mansion. While you are free to explore the interior you are prohibited from going outside since the other shield is still up and if that random Specter was anything to judge by there are still a few ghosts out and about that your parents haven't...caught yet. Needless to say you still must stay out of sight at all costs. You should have access to almost every channel on the television in your room and it has Netflix so you shouldn't get too bored. Sad to say aside from that I don't have much else for you to do since I would prefer that you keep resting. If you are so out of sorts that your ghost powers are still acting up I may have to...short them out again."

Shrugging out from under his hand I shot him a hard glare, "Cool your jets Plasmius, I told you I didn't do it on purpose. It's sort of an instinct these days to change as soon as I sense a ghost the moment I'm out of sight; either invisibly or in a broom closet or something. It's no big deal. Although I did sort of practice bending spoons on a fork-" reaching over, I picked up what was left of it from the counter and dropped it in Vlad's other hand after pulling it towards me. Giving him a little credit I agreed with the being tense part and shrugged, "-Look, Vlad, you already know I don't like how things have turned out and I'm worried about Jazz and my parents but, you're also just plain weirding me out dude. Having you doting on me 24/7 is freaking me out since it usually only means you're plotting something, that's what my gut tells me is going on when it comes to you. Just like transforming into my other half is my first instinct whenever I sense a ghost. It's true that I didn't mean to this time, and usually never do it in front of someone, but it's only you and...I dunno maybe I dropped my guard a little and transformed instinctively to go fight it? Vlad, seriously, if you could just act normal for two seconds maybe I wouldn't keep thinking you're going to do something bad that I need to stop as per usual. I'm not worried about Jazz since you two seem to have found some common ground but...my dad..." staring down at my lap I clenched my fingers tightly, my whole body tensing up again while I tried to keep myself from shaking in front of Vlad, which I was failing miserably at, I told him how I really felt. "You've always hated him ever since your accident so to hear that you hate him even more because my dad shot me has me worried you might get angrier than usual once you see him face to face and end up lashing out at him. Vlad, I already know you have way more self control than I do, but this is different. For the first time in my life...I'm actually scared of them. I'm scared of them killing me. Every memory of their faces and smiles I see now just keeps getting warped into something terrifying and sinister in my head and I can't help but wonder if maybe to stop myself from feeling scared of my parents I'll do what you did and start blindly hating them. Just like how you chose to stop feeling sad and hurt when they left you behind you by becoming the way you are now. I know how serious you are now about keeping me out of their reach but, can you promise me that this trip of yours to my house will really be a quick one and Plasmius free? Look I don't mind if you see Jazz too I guess while you're there but, to be honest I don't feel safe letting you go see my parents. Not until I'm sure that you're not going to hurt them or do something drastic to keep them off our backs. They're still my parents Vlad. Even if they hate me and want to get rid of my ghost half, I'll always love them, no matter what. I'll always fight for them if they're in danger. Because that's who I am. And I can't forget who I am again...no matter what. No matter what, I have to keep living even with this pain. I have to keep living..." I repeated, feeling the teardrops fall on my hands, "If I really have to leave Amity Park behind to keep them safe, that's enough to convince me to go through with it since I'm...not myself right now. Attacking Sam and Tucker really got to me Vlad, I could have killed them! And I don't want to have to fight you to protect my dad if he sets you off! I can't fight you like this! And I can't face my dad either! Not when I keep seeing the hatred in his eyes when he pulled the trigger. What's worse is that I don't know which feeling is stronger, the relief of having some breathing room at least for a little while while you're gone, or this awful dread I have of being left alone after I saw and somehow part of me became HIM. I might be able to stop myself from going over the edge again and hurting myself but Vlad I'm-!"

Suddenly I felt Vlad pull me into his arms and I blinked away my tears in surprise. Vlad didn't say a word even when I asked him what he was doing, he just held me tighter. I guess Vlad noticed I was on the verge of another meltdown and was trying to comfort me. Well it worked too because this time, I trusted him enough to be sure Vlad was serious about keeping me safe, which I haven't honestly felt in a long time.

So even though I didn't hug him back, I let the tears fall freely down my cheeks and sat there limp in his embrace, letting him hold me this time. My mind was all hazy again anyway, making it hard to want to muster the energy to resist, and for a split second I thought he must've put something funny in my food or my drink or something since he brought up the possibility before when I just turned my head to the side and airily thought about nothing but the comfort of Vlad's warmth. I mean I was the one with the fever still but why did his arms feel so warm and secure? Why didn't they feel too strong and oppressive like my dad's hugs did since the guy was freakin' huge? Vlad was probably stronger than him physically yet, to me, right now his arms felt like they were meant to shield me from this unforgiving world. A world that Vlad was all too used to having the things he cared about in it taken away from him...

Maybe that's why I got the weirdest feeling that Vlad was actually worried about facing my dad too, knowing that if he hurt him I would go back to hating him. Was that it? Did Vlad...actually care what I thought of him instead of the other way around...? The thought actually made me smile a little and think, maybe he was changing a bit after all.

Vlad's POV

Daniel admitting his fears to me aloud might have been a mistake or spilled out of his mouth like his sister's favorite breakfast dish but even so, it moved me that he was expressing that much trust in me while explaining his remaining concerns. And I'll admit it was a valid one. I despised Jack more than ever because of the scars he left on his own son that ran much deeper than my hatred of the man. If things had gone differently 20 years ago Daniel could have been born as MY son and neither of us would be burdened with these powers, though I was still confident enough in my skills and cunning to have still made my millions because while I did 'cheat' to get my companies started, once they were established it was my brilliance that kept them from falling second to anyone.

True, genetically speaking Daniel may not have been born at all but I would like to think we were destined to be together in some form because I loved him more than I cared to admit. I yearned to get to know this boy better at the reunion for reasons I could not rightly explain from the start even before I learned that he was the only other of my kind, a half-ghost. Now I was finally getting that chance even though his situation couldn't have been worse even if I had planned out the destruction of Daniel's life personally...which I'll admit I did feel like doing once or twice out of contempt, not knowing that his life wasn't as simple nor stable as he lead me to believe if there has always been this underlying fear of his parents even before he became half of what they despised...

When I embraced Daniel I expected him to get embarrassed or resist but he either didn't have the energy to or was finally accepting comfort from me in this way. I decided to hope for the latter and simply held him close, expressing without any gilded words how deeply I cared and wanted to show him that I wasn't confronting his parents out of anger, although they were both in for a very barbed verbal lashing from me, my main objectives were to make good on my promise to give him a small part of his life back even if was only in the form of a few personal belongings, and of course to make sure his sister Jasmine was alright and putting herself in a better position to watch their parents but resume normal activities like her little brother would want. I was doing this for him out of love, not hate or my usual need for vengeance. And honestly, remaining true to my vindictive ways, the best form of torture I believe I could subject his father to was his own guilt. That is, if the man was even capable of the emotion, which given how I was abandoned for over 20 years by my so-called 'best friend' I highly doubted it.

Resting a hand on his head and pressing it closer to me, I assured the troubled boy, "Don't worry little badger, if I didn't trust myself to keep my anger in check I would not be going to Fenton Works in person to see your parents. I told you, as much as I hate Jack I care about you more and the last thing I want is to make you upset with me. I promise you I won't lay a finger on your father..." although that doesn't mean I won't be sending someone else to teach him a lesson, I added silently while softly petting Daniel's surprisingly soft hair. "As for leaving you alone, if anything happens you have my spare cell phone and my errands shouldn't take more than 3 to 4 hours. And while some random ghost decided to scope out my territory by mistake, the outer shield will keep any ghosts from bothering you, the same goes for any humans snooping about." I smirked, knowing full well that Samantha and Mr. Foley were strictly forbidden from going anywhere but school at present due to their grounding so even should they manage to sneak out it would only lengthen the punishment duration. "There's also the matter of that...abnormality with your powers. Due to how unstable they are I've taken the liberty of making use of the chip Jasmine gave me with your ghost signature on it from when you were still supposedly 'missing' and programmed my sensors to pick up any unnatural fluctuations in your powers. That way I can return home right away should anything happen and you need my help. I mean that literally too since this town is so minuscule that I could easily teleport twice and reach the mansion in less than five minutes. So there's nothing to worry about little badger, I'll be brief with my discussion with your parents and drop off your things before going to my next appointment. That way I can check up on you. "

Thanks to my soft-spoken tone and reassurance I felt the tension melt from Daniel's shoulders and he silently accepted the comfort I was giving him along with letting himself trust my words. However, Daniel jolted a moment later when out of nowhere, a rather demanding meow reached our ears and we both turned to look down at the white feline. And pulling away from me Daniel stared at her in total disbelief, which granted he didn't recall meeting Maddie several times while he was suffering from his wounds and the first fever.

A knowing smile graced his lips when Daniel finally turned to me and laughed, "No way, I can't believe you ACTUALLY got a cat! No, wait, don't tell me, it's 'your sister's' right? Don't want people thinking you're a crazy person with a lonely-guy cat after all."

I couldn't have planned the timing better myself and smiled in response, picking Maddie up after she eyed Daniel curiously then decidedly began rubbing against my leg wanting some attention. Turning to face Daniel again I explained, "Very funny Daniel, but yes, for reasons unknown I decided to take your advice from that time for a laugh or two but then I was blessed with this lovely lady here. Her name is..." I smiled wickedly, anticipating his reaction to the name, "Maddie."

Unable to muster the energy the laugh as hard as he clearly wanted to Daniel rolled his eyes and gently pet her head, snickering, "No surprise there V-man, you're not exactly very original with your names. After all you gave Dani my name but with different spelling. But seriously, you named your cat after my mom? That's just sad."

Frowning a little at his jab, I retorted, "Well at least I named both after someone I admire rather than detest."

His expression fell a little too and he added sadly, "Yeah? Well using them as substitutes didn't make you very happy did it?"

"No," I relented, reaching up to touch his hair again, "I suppose it didn't. Still the fact that you suggested it even as a joke means that in some way, you actually care about me too little badger and didn't want me to stay lonely. And now, I can return the favor. In fact, you may not remember this since you were delirious at the time but Maddie has already taken a liking to you so I'm sure she'll keep you company while I'm gone." Glancing at my watch I sighed and put Maddie down despite her protests and phased the hairs off before turning to Daniel and nodding at his remaining food. "Speaking of which I'm afraid I have to get ready to go so do try to finish what you can and if it's too cold the microwave is above the stove. Ta ta little badger!" I smiled, ruffling his hair before strolling out of the kitchen, glancing back to find Maddie now rubbing against Daniel's legs instead, to whom he stared at with a mixture of mock disgust and fondness since he was secretly pleased he had done me some good after all in some small way. Honestly, could the boy ever stop playing the hero who has to save even a selfish man like me...?

After making sure the portals and lab were securely locked and the outer shield was still functioning properly, as was anything else Daniel might get into while I was away though I doubted he'd have the energy for any idle exploration, I called my driver and told him to come retrieve me. I had to keep up appearances today after all for two very important tasks. The first one was visiting Daniel's home whilst the second one, well, it was both the more simple and complex of the two since I was making the announcement of my impending retirement. By now most people who knew the Fenton's were aware that Daniel was missing so since the news was already out I could use that to my advantage. By doing this I could put the town's mind at ease and give them a valid reason for my retirement since Daniel was the whole reason I became the mayor in the first place and my primary concern was his safety above all else, which would allow me make my other announcement as well about not leaving the town defenseless against ghosts...

How ironic that I was going to use the same ploy as before to actually release more ghosts into our world to distract Daniel's parents while simultaneously offering my ghost shield technology courtesy of a local company I now own in Amity Park, namely Axion Labs. I did feel slightly guilty about lying to Daniel about not going after his father but this wasn't about doing the man harm, it was about keeping his parents occupied so that I could proceed to move Daniel safely away before they could 'corner' me and demand a report since I had yet to get back to them after our last argument. Besides, if nothing else that oaf was more capable than I gave him credit for when his family was at stake, which was the very same quality that destroyed Daniel's life.

At any rate I would be leaving my office to at least somewhat capable hands until they ran a reelection, not that I really cared who took the job, while doing so in good graces since my reason was an honorable one in their eyes and I was offering them the tools to protect their children much better then the Fenton's had. I hated to tarnish Maddie's image along with Jack's but it couldn't be helped. Besides she was a capable woman regardless of the situation and hopefully her maternal instincts would override her ghost hunting once they realized that Daniel wasn't the only child who needed to be protected from ghosts, especially now that a certain Danny Phantom was missing in action and his presence was already being felt since several ghosts who had either been laying low once they reached our world or ones that came from some natural portal here in this town had attacked some civilians, including a young couple who had been taking a stroll in the park which resulted in the young man suffering from a broken arm and a poisonous rash after protecting his girlfriend from some sort of plant ghost. The Guys in White managed to capture it and save the couple but the damage was done. Surely they could see now that this was an incident that normally would have been stopped long before anyone was put in harms way by Danny Phantom who was always quick to respond to a ghost sighting, and now I understood why.

Daniel he...trained himself to react this way.

I couldn't believe my ears when Daniel admitted that he purposefully conditioned himself to respond to a threat so that he couldn't be caught by surprise with how often ghosts appeared around him mainly due to the ghost portal directly below his room and the simple fact that he was considered by many said ghosts as a worthy challenger these days. Too bad they forgot that he was also a human boy with a life outside of fighting them as well as the actual need to sleep. Depending on the ghost, most didn't need to sleep unless they were recovering from an injury and only ate for their enjoyment. Because what sort of ghost could possibly starve to death? That is unless it was one that fed off some external form of energy not found in the Ghost Zone.

But even then, that would only leave them weaker than normal, not on the verge of dying. That wasn't how ghosts functioned. They didn't need 'energy' to sustain themselves, no, they craved 'power' and followed their most base urges to obtain it or achieve some goal since the other ones no longer existed for them if said ghost was once human. The rest just got by on the ambient ectoenergy that made up the Ghost Zone and simply continued to exist with no sense of purpose other than to wander the realm aimlessly until something caught their interest or they faded away...

In any case that was yet another reason Daniel was better off with me since he wouldn't have to react in such a way anymore. I could give him the chance to relax for once and not be constantly vigilant of possible threats everywhere he went. He was a boy after all, not some soldier in the army. Every day didn't have to be a battle for him. Instead Daniel could choose how to put his powers to better use for every day life like I had and perhaps put his enemies in their place so they knew never to cross him again or threaten his loved ones without consequence. Daniel needed to learn how to choose his battles more wisely without being caught off guard every time and winging it.

I was thinking about all this during the drive over when before I knew it we were already there. I didn't have a briefcase or anything as I would if I was out on business but the driver opened the door for me anyway and I stepped out, nodding at him to dismiss the man and told him to wait there for me while I visited my old college friend. Thankfully the media knew better than to bother the Fentons since they got too much attention as it was already because of their ghost obsession and any reporters who tried to get an inside scoop were often mistaken for government agents or ghosts and covered head to toe in ecto-goo. I even anonymously sent a reporter to their house once under the pretense of a hefty reward should they manage to get some embarrassing footage or pictures of Jack Fenton when in truth I was only testing their home security system against human invaders and the reporter I hired was someone I was aiming to get back at anyway for getting a rather embarrassing photo of me. As expected the man was scarred for life by the encounter and decided to become a chef at some local restaurant instead so I heard after their encounter. I personally didn't dig into the story behind their choice after that because it had the desired effect and frankly I couldn't care less as long as the man never took another photograph in his life.

I perked up however when even from the streets I heard shouting coming from inside the house and my eyes narrowed dangerously. Those idiots, didn't they realize their daughter was probably studying? That and they were disturbing the neighbors. Not that their neighbors weren't used to odd sounds, flashes of light, and likely explosions from their home so perhaps they soundproofed their homes? Whatever the case might be I intended to put a stop to it and hoped that they could even hear me knock with all their useless prattling.

Composing myself, I took a deep breath and dusted off my suit when too my surprise the voices grew even louder and I managed to make out Jasmine's voice above the din. "...this is all your fault! None of this would have happened if it wasn't for your obsession with ghosts! Not the accident, and certainly not this! Did it ever occur to you that maybe Danny was friends with that ghost which is why he was around here all the time? Can't you even stop to consider that some ghosts might be good since some of them were PEOPLE once like Vlad told you? Well I've had enough! I told you it was either me or the ghost hunting too and it's clear which one matters more! I'm leaving and you can't stop me. I don't even know who you are anymore and I can't keep watching you two act like this and come home covered in guts from hurting ghosts that might not even be a threat if you just left the stupid things alone! If you need me I'll be at the Hilton Hotel in Ultra Posh Springs. And don't bother showing up unless you actually want to talk to me about my feelings!"

After that Jasmine's angry footsteps reached the front door which burst open and she looked up at me in surprise, hefting a large duffle bag over her shoulder and once again her cheeks were glossy with a fresh coat of tears. Furious about this, my eyes briefly flashed red even through my narrowed gaze but only she was close enough to see it. Her eyes grew wide and glassy again and for a moment she looked conflicted, unsure to how to respond to my presence at the worst of times...

I of course knew exactly what to do and shot a glare at Jack and Maddie before softening my gaze and taking her shoulders, smiling sadly, "It would seem I should have called ahead of time after all. Are you alright my dear?"

"Vlad? What are you doing here?" Maddie frowned, shooting a glare at me as well. "Did you really buy her a hotel room behind our backs?! What gives you the right to do that? Answer me!"

"She's right, we were handing it!" Jack nodded stupidly, trying to play the role of supportive husband instead of worried father like he should have been which only made me that much angrier but for Daniel's sake and Jasmine's I kept my fury contained.

"Yes, clearly you were since your eldest daughter is in tears!" I snapped venomously, pulling out my red handkerchief and offering it to Jasmine while still staring the two down, moving her aside as if to shield her from their gaze and then proceeded to eloquently take the duffle bag off her shoulder to set it on the floor at our feet. Confused, Jasmine stared at me blankly after accepting the handkerchief, sniffling, and wiped her damp eyes with it. Smiling again though my tone was a mixture of gentle and firm I told her, "Jasmine, sweetheart, please go wait in your room until someone comes to get you and I'll explain to them what's going on since it might come better from me than you while you're this upset. Allow your uncle Vlad to handle this, alright? I came here to tell them something important about your brother anyway which is best done between adults for now. However if you still intend to leave then I'll have my driver take you wherever you need to go. I don't want you driving in your condition and getting in an accident. Besides, lets see if I can help your parents understand where you are coming from since understandably this has been a hard time on all of you. There might still be a way to resolve this. Sound fair?"

Looking between me and her parents, Jasmine finally dropped her shoulders in defeat and nodded tearfully, "Ok..."

"That's a good girl," I smiled, kissing her brow before guiding her to the staircase and watching her ascend them, giving her a knowing look in hopes of Jasmine realizing I would be sending a duplicate up there soon to gather the things I needed from Daniel's room. She seemed to understand and graced me with a sad smile before heading up to her room and shutting the door. And the moment Jasmine was out of sight, those who knew me in the business world would have known to be afraid as I turned with deliberate slowness, both hands behind my back, then in a cold calculating tone I said, "It seems we have much to discuss in regards to BOTH of your children again. And you two have a lot of explaining to do as to why Jasmine once again felt the need to come to me rather than yourselves in her time of need when I specifically told you to take better care of her while her brother is missing, did I not?"

"W-well I-! She-" Jack stammered, feeling ashamed of himself and as usual he looked to Maddie for an answer being too stupid to come up with one himself.

Before Maddie could cover for him I cut them off and with an eerie calmness I strode past them into the living room where I moved a chair in front of the sofa and sat down, legs crossed, back straight as if I were at a business meeting and offered, "Jack, Maddie, please take a seat. I don't have much time and there's something I need to tell you. It's about Daniel..."