Tonight we yeet ourselves into the sun because I'm a massive sucker for these situations and love maniacal Vlad too much. I'm absolutely in love with the idea. Yes I know he can be redeemable, but my friends and I have discussed the fruit loop at length and... yeah, in my stuff? Irredeemable piece of crap.

I really appreciate you guys reviewing this and taking the time to read it. Honestly. It's my daily dose of "YAY PEOPLE LIKE MY STUFF."

9. Gambit

"Do be careful, Daniel," Vlad spoke calmly. "I wouldn't want something to happen to the others while you're in such a… precarious situation."

Danny gritted his teeth, shutting the door slowly behind him and locking it. He walked over to Sam first, feeling the side of her neck for a pulse before walking to Tucker next and doing the same. Thank god he found them, but he knew they were not his target. That was sitting in the dining room; all three of them were, to be precise. Unfortunately, he was not sure what the old man was up to, besides clearly a hostage situation with his family.

It made his blood boil, and yet- he was also afraid. Oh sure, he had been scared before of the older man standing at the head of the table. This time was different.

Something was off about it all, just like it had been for the last week.

Danny walked slowly into the kitchen and stared at the three people at the table. Maddie's gaze was at the table, Jack's was on the boy, and Jazz's was on Danny as well. He swallowed hard, struggling to keep his voice steady. "Let them go, Vlad."

"I don't think you're in any position to make demands, dear boy." Vlad lowered the two fingers and clasped his hands behind his back with that little smile. "Now. Have a seat."

The teenager did not move. "And if I don't?"

From behind his back, Vlad subtly moved one finger; Maddie's skin began to glow once again, the scarred markings creeping up her arms and glowing red. Her eyes widened, hissing as they began to snake up to the elbows this time. Jazz's eyes widened as well, and she gripped her chair as the jumpsuit began to burn through. "Mom!"

Vlad's small smile never disappeared, watching Maddie squirm in her chair. Danny gritted his teeth, closing his eyes before he walked over to the table and pulled over the empty chair. He sat down at the opposite end of Vlad. "…happy?"

The scars ceased to be once again, but the damage had been done. The ghost hunter's face was wet with tears, and Jack's own face had his brow furrowed and gritting his teeth like his son. His best friend was here, and he knew he was now tied up at the table because of him. What was he supposed to say, to think? He did not open his mouth, but the expression said everything.

'What the hell is going on?'

"Why are you doing this?" Danny tried to growl. "What's the point?"

"Why? Well that's simple," Vlad stated casually. "It allows me to show how much of a grip I have on you, your life, and your family. You do owe me, after all."

Danny clenched his fists under the table. He should have gone ghost right then, but- his parents. Jazz. Vlad had him eating out of his hand with a shock collar around his neck, and the bastard knew it with that sick little smile on his face. "Yeah? I don't think I owe you a dime, Masters."

Vlad raised a brow, the smile growing even wider. Maddie closed her eyes at the sight. "You really are a naïve child; it's almost amusing at this point."

"Would you just cut the crap and get on with it?" Danny snapped. "Leave them out of this. This has nothing to do with them!"

"And that's where you're wrong."

Danny's anger was beginning to outweigh his fear, and it was showing. "Then stop showboating and get to the fucking point!" He stood up, hands on the table with eyes flashing emerald green for a second before closing his eyes. He needed to get it back under control; did they all know? "You always do this. Every goddamn time, it's some big game of chess with you and—"

"Every time?" Maddie interrupted, opening her eyes again and looking at her son.

Jack finally swallowed and inhaled. "…what do you mean 'every time'?"

Vlad's smile faded. Leave it to the boy to ruin a perfectly good game, much less in front of his parents and sister. He unclasped his hands from behind his back and brought them in front of himself, folding them over his chest. What did it matter? The boy had made his move, one pawn working to take out the king with, so few pieces left on the board. "Let me ask you something then. How far will you go when you have nothing to lose?"

The table was silent; Danny opened his eyes again and clenched his jaw. The hands curled into fists, ducking his head with a soft growl. "You keep saying that like it's supposed to mean something."

"I would have thought it did now, but. It seems my effect on you recently has been rather- weak." Vlad inspected his nails before looking straight at the boy. "It seems I need to play the trump card already, even with it being so early into the game."

Danny's muscles tensed. Jack and Maddie exchanged glances with one another before Jack tried to move the restraints once again. The hiss of clothing meeting ectoplasmic rope was heard, and he growled in pain once more. "Vee-man… you don't. Need to do this…!"

"Oh, but see, Jack… I do need to."

Vlad snapped his fingers at this cold comment, and the scars began to slowly appears and snake up Jack's arms now. Jazz tried to break free, only to receive sizzling burns on her ankles and wrists with a cry of pain. "No! Dad!"

The man was gritting his teeth, working to try and suppress the pain he felt in his arms. Maddie watched with horror, seeing the jumpsuit now burning with the indentations of the scars as well. "Jack!"

"I'm… f-fine…!" Jack managed through gritted teeth, squeezing his eyes shut. "I can… h-handle it…!"

Danny was not so sure about this proclamation. His family was not built for this; they were not ready for torture like this. But he- he had been tortured. He had fought, he had been through so much at the hand of this madman, and now he was… he had to stop him. He needed to stop Vlad; even with his anger, his fear, even with his identity in danger, what was he supposed to do?

The scars continued up the arm and to the elbow. Jack hissed again, growling now in pain. Maddie tried to break out herself, to no avail, turning to Vlad with a heated glare. "You absolute… piece of… of shit."

"Now Maddie," Vlad mused. "Surely you must know that anger is ill-befitting of a woman of your status here. Quite a slippery slope to go down, it is."

Maddie gritted her teeth now, anger dripping from each word. "I'll show you anger. Get me out of these bonds, and I'll prove to everyone how much of a scumbag you really are. All your secrets you keep, lying about who you care about… you don't care. You never have!"

Vlad raised a brow at this. "Now now. I don't think that will be necessary; I do believe Daniel will be able to assist with such angry accusations, though. As he always has."

Jack's arm was still burning with scars now reaching his shoulder. He squeezed his eyes shut, barely gasping out the words. "…what… do you want…?"

"Oh, that's simple."

The billionaire chuckled softly before turning to Danny now, narrowing his eyes.

"I want you to show the others… who you really are. Remember when I told you… you have no idea what it means? What it's like to lose such things and you don't know how far someone will go when you have nothing left to lose? Dare I say this is one of those opportunities-"

Danny growled louder now, eyes flashing emerald again. He did not try to hide it. "We're not here for a fucking lesson, Vlad; what do you want?"

"It's simple; I will make you a deal, Daniel."

The scars disappeared again from Jack's body. He was panting softly, dropping his head and closing his eyes. His entire body ached now, and he struggled to stay awake. Jack lifted his head slowly, muscles still clenched. Maddie grit her teeth again, watching their captor as he kept that cruel smile on his face.

"You can come with me and your family will be spared, and I will be able to get your DNA, not to mention I will actually treat you with the proper respect you deserve. Or not- and I could have every single one of these people die in front of your eyes." His eyes flickered briefly, a sick satisfaction appearing as his voice dropped. "And you can go searching for them in the Ghost Zone and apologize for how terrible a son you really are."

It was a lose-lose situation. Danny knew it.

He had lost the moment he had come home. He should not have left them alone.

He was an idiot.

Jazz swallowed, shakily taking a deep breath. "What are you talking about?"

Vlad clicked his tongue at the question. "Oh, I think he knows. I think he knows all too well what's going to happen. He understands. He's been through this a few times, but nothing as dire as this."

It was a cruel situation to be thrust into. Danny knew this was his fault. This was all his fucking fault. His voice cracked finally, eyes softening. "What's gotten into you? The hell is this? Why are you so-"

"Why am I so what, Daniel? Angry? Petty? Furious?" Vlad ticked off the emotions on one finger before lowering both his arms finally, placing his hands on the table. "Why am I putting it all on the line? Because as I said, how far will someone go when they have nothing left to lose?"

Slipping.

Slipping farther and farther down an already steep slope.

Vlad just smiled viciously. Danny swore again he saw fangs. His mind was spinning, all eyes now on him as he swallowed hard. His blood boiled, but fear gripped him in a vice as well; what was he supposed to do? How could he even win this?

"I'd call you a seriously crazed up fruit loop, but you already know that I said that's completely fucking wrong," he managed hoarsely.

Vlad licked his lips. "Mm; and as I said before, I'll call it an upgrade. So, what will it be, Daniel? What means the most to you? Is it your family? …or is it your precious identity you've sworn and worked so hard to protect over the last year and a half?"

One could have heard a pin drop. Danny's fists were trembling on the table, his head dropped again. Maddie's eyes glistened with tears, both in pain and in agony at her son's situation. If she would have been let out, she would have gone over and hugged him. Jack bit the inside of his mouth, inhaling softly. "Danny."

The boy raised his head, his own eyes now glistening with angry tears. "I never. Never meant for this to happen. I swear to God, I…"

"Danny. Listen to me."

Vlad raised a brow again; Danny did not wipe his eyes, looking over at Jack with hair falling in front of his face. The man spoke painfully, trying to find the words- the right words to give his son. "This- isn't your fault."

Danny shook his head. "You don't-"

"I don't get it. I know I don't. I don't… I don't know what you've been through. I know your mother and I, though- are sorry." Jack took a deep breath. "We're so sorry for what we've done. What we- thought about doing to you. And if you… if you want to go with him?" There was a soft sniffle, followed up with a tearful smile. It hurt. "We. We get it."

Maddie shook her head. "Jack…"

"It's okay, Maddie. It's okay. He's got every right to be mad at us."

Danny's mind was spinning. Vlad was still smiling viciously, practically basking in his victory. Jack looked down at the table now, Jazz's face wet with tears as well. They were pawns; they were all pawns in a sick game of chess, and Danny hated it.

But he was thinking. He was trying to think.

Maybe… maybe there was a way out of this with both. Maybe it would work.

A plan was forming. To be fair, it was not much of a plan and more of a gambit. Danny was not sure if it would work even- it probably would not. Both his parents seemed to know, though. Everyone seemed to know now. Jack's words rang in his ears as he looked down at the table with a swallow again. 'He's got every right to be mad at us.'

Did he really?

One thing he did know, however, was he was tired of this. He was tired of being afraid, tired of Vlad's little games- now that his family was involved… he was tired of being scared.

He was angry. At himself, at Vlad- at everything.

Danny took a deep breath. "I'd be asking you the same thing, Vlad." He gritted his teeth now. "Except you don't have a family. Plus, your identity's been- been in secret and hidden for the last twenty plus years."

Vlad's smile faded.

"So… what if I made it simple for you? What say I do come with you, but I give it a twist. I show them who I am- and you show them who you are."

He had to admit; it was a sneaky move. He almost smiled again. "Oh my… you really are turning into someone like me."

Danny pushed himself away from the table now, pushing back the chair in the process. "No. Not someone like you. Better than you." He lowered his fists to his side, two white rings of light splitting down his body in the process. The teenager's battered frame was replaced with one with snow-white hair and emerald eyes, lips curled back into a snarl now.

Maddie's eyes widened at the sight. Jack inhaled sharply.

Phantom jabbed a finger at the billionaire across the table. "I am sick and tired of this entire charade with you, Vlad. There are some things you don't get to touch." His fists glowed with the same color as his eyes. "And my family is one of them."

For a moment, Jazz might have sworn she saw it; his hair flickered, embers coming from the strands.

The moment was gone, and Vlad chuckled. It was a low noise at first before it turned louder and louder, unhinged. Maniacal. "Oh, you are simple to play. You are so-"

Phantom took this moment to jump the table and grab Vlad by the collar and throw him across the kitchen with that ghostly super-strength. The man crashed through the wall, small pieces of rubble falling from the wall on top of Tucker and Sam, as well as in the kitchen. Vlad pushed himself up in the living room, dusting himself off before looking up.

With a roar, Phantom grabbed the man once again by the collar and flung him through the front door.

The impact seemed to loosen Vlad's grip on the ectoplasmic restraints that held the family in place in their chairs. Maddie gasped softly, almost sliding off and collapsing to the floor in the process. Jack took hold of her torso, wincing and dropping to his own knees. He cast a look outside and pushed himself- and his wife- to their feet, grimacing. "Shit…"

"Danny!"

Jazz hissed as well, trying to take a step before promptly falling to the tile with a moan. She pushed herself to her feet as well, limping through the hole in the wall. Jack lumbered behind his daughter with Maddie keeping herself propped up with support. She saw the ectopistol on the table- had she forgotten to put it away? - and grabbed it, nodding. "O-outside."

Jack nodded, using the wall as his own support as they stumbled to the busted door.

Phantom stood in front of the apartment, hands clenched and glowing. Vlad was three feet away, collapsed on the concrete and panting heavily. His ponytail was undone, hair falling in front of his face as he looked up at the teenager. His eyes were flickering red, furious. Murderous.

"You…"

"Degeneration happening, sweetness," Maddie's voice echoed calmly, the clone slowly reaching up for its creator.

It was a horrific sight to behold; Plasmius knelt next to the clone, watching it melt away into ectoplasmic goo in the test tube. The creature was almost sentinel, begging for help. It could not be said if the ghost creation were feeling any sort of pain in the process; who knew if they could feel such a thing? Danielle had- so maybe…

Maybe it hurt. It begged not to die, the hand disappearing with the rest of its body. Its eyes were last, fixated on Plasmius as it took its last gasp.

"No! NO!" Plasmius screamed. "NO!"

It was an echo that could be heard across the valley, a scream of agony. Phantom and Danielle watched with a sort of horror themselves, seeing the man slumped over his creation. The last several months of his life were reduced to nothing but a puddle of ectoplasm; not that Phantom was proud of destroying something like that, but it had to be done in the end. Right?

Right?

Plasmius stayed over the remains for what seemed like several minutes before he turned his gaze towards the two 'cousins.'

It was murderous. A guttural snarl erupted from his chest; eyes fixated on both half-ghosts before he stood up. He flung his cape backwards, stalking towards Danielle with one thing in mind.

Kill.