Disclaimer: I own nothing from Danny Phantom

Note: Warning, mentions of suicidal thoughts ahead! Also before you ask, no, one of the side characters I'm about to introduce is not Prince Dorian in disguise or something, it just sounds like him and I wanted to give a small nod to him since he turned out to be such a good genderbent version of Princess Dorathea in the other two partially genderbent stories. I mostly made this guy as a joke since you know, Vlad DOES live in a castle so why not have medical ghost servants as employees? Also, happy-belated Christmas everyone! Sorry I'm celebrating it with more angst, sort of, but I was in the mood to write some more so here you go.

Chapter 12: A Table For Two Please

Danielle's POV

I didn't realize I had nodded off again until I heard the soft click of someone opening the door and made myself open my eyes. My stomach hurt a little from hunger too since I haven't really eaten anything for days which made it almost impossible to go back to sleep again even if I wanted to. But the real reason I made myself wake up is because I knew I was going to have to explain to Vlad why I'm here in the first place. There's no point trying to avoid the subject so I'd rather just get it over with so he'll understand what's going on, but that doesn't mean I'm not nervous about it all the same.

And even though I'm sure Vlad's overjoyed that I'm here there's no telling what he might do next to either keep me from leaving, or to get revenge against both of my parents this time once he finds out they kicked me out of the house after finding out my secret. It still physically hurts to think about it, so I pulled the blanket even more tightly around my shoulders, unconsciously inhaling sharply through my nose when I felt the bed dip a little as Vlad sat down beside me and attempted to brace myself for what was going to happen next. He didn't say anything until I actually peered up to look at him, but I was confused when I noticed how tired Vlad seemed as if he hadn't slept all night.

Has he...been awake this entire time taking care of me? I wondered but it was useless because I honestly don't remember...

As if reading my mind Vlad rested a hand on my hip and asked in a low whisper, "Hello Danielle, how are you feeling?"

Awkwardly turning around and pulling myself up so I was in a sitting position I answered hoarsely, "I'm a little hungry, but apart from that...I don't know. But um, actually, how long have I been asleep?"

"You arrived here just past midnight and have been asleep almost the entire day. It is now roughly five-o-clock in the evening," Vlad explained, reaching up to check my forehead with the back of his hand, ignoring how I reflexively retreated from his touch, but once he confirmed something he sighed in relief and smiled. "Good, you don't seem to have a fever so the medication I gave you did its job. I was getting worried about you little badger when I heard you've been exposed to Blood Blossoms, so I took the liberty of giving you a few shots to help counteract the effects. I apologize for doing that without your consent, but frankly, you were in no state to-"

"It's fine," I blurted out, cutting Vlad off before he could remind me all over again how awful I must have looked when he saw me. "I know you won't do anything to hurt me. Because you-"

Swallowing hard when I started thinking about all the promises my parents have broken rather than how afraid I was when Vlad beat me so easily in his ghost form that I thought I was going to be killed, I looked at Vlad cautiously when he lowered his hand to cup my cheek and nodded, "That's right. While you are here under my roof I won't let anything happen to you, I promise you that, so don't be afraid Danielle."

Closing his eyes and choosing his next words carefully, Vlad continued somberly, "Before you say anything else, I already know what happened at Fenton Works so you don't need to repeat it unless you feel you are able to. And believe me when I say that I am truly sorry my dear; for as happy as I am to see you again I never wanted to see you suffer like this and only come to me out of desperation. Moreover, you didn't deserve to be treated like that and I'm sorry you had to witness such an ugly side of your parents firsthand. But that said, now the question remains...what do you want to do now?

"Because while I realize it is cruel to ask you this question so abruptly, I need to know so I can make the necessary arrangements because Danielle, what Jack and Maddie did to you goes beyond simply throwing you out because from what I've gathered they were also about to aim their weapons at you which puts me in a difficult position since I am torn between seeking revenge against them and taking legal action for your sake so those two can never come so close to hurting you ever again. Because if anything had happened to you I don't know what I would have done to them. So before I make any rash decisions that will upset you I want to know, what do YOU want me to do? What is it that you expect of me?"

My heart hammering painfully in my chest as I thought about how horror-struck I was by the idea of my parents finding me but how at the same time I didn't want Vlad or anyone else to hurt them, I pulled his hand away from my cheek, although I didn't mind letting him hold it for now to comfort me and answered shakily, "Vlad just...can this wait? Please? The truth is all I want right now is to know I'm somewhere they'll never think to look for me. That's the only reason I- or well it's the MAIN reason I left Amity Park."

Sniffling as more tears started rolling down my cheeks, I continued, "Please, I don't have anywhere else to go! And to tell you the truth I was worried about coming here because I was afraid that you'd try to manipulate me again or stop me from leaving if I decided to try and go back and changed my mind at the last minute. In fact, I'm still not entirely sure if I can trust you. But you...you've been helping me from the sidelines ever since the reunion, haven't you? It was you that gave Vallen ghost hunting equipment so I wasn't fighting ghosts all by myself anymore since my friends have only been able to help me so much, wasn't it?"

Curling in on myself slightly, I covered my mouth with the other hand and sobbed, "Sam...Trish...I didn't even get to say goodbye to my best friends! And my brother, he stood up for me but, I don't want my parents to lose him too! I don't want anyone else to lose the things they care about! That's why I've been trying so damn hard!

"But it was all for nothing! God, what have I even been doing with my life, Vlad!? I gave up EVERYTHING for them but you were right...the world just took away more than I had to give in the first place and now I have nothing left. I just...I need a reason to keep going, otherwise what's the point? Why am I even still alive!?"

Pulling me into his arms again just like last night and cradling my head, my eyes flew open in shock when I felt warm tears fall onto my shoulder as Vlad begged me, "Don't! Please don't do this to yourself, Danielle. You didn't do anything wrong!"

Hugging me so tightly that it actually started to hurt he continued, "Haven't I already told you? You don't have to live for the sake of others. What you do with your life is your decision and no one else's so don't place all of your value in what others think or how they treat you. I learned a long time ago that the only person I can trust is myself but just because I do things for myself that bring me happiness doesn't make me selfish. It is not selfish to care for and love yourself! Because if you love yourself, then others can find the reasons to love you in return with all their hearts like they should and see you for who you truly are! And I do! I love you so much Danielle so please don't degrade yourself like that..."

Pulling back and putting both hands on my cheeks after my hand fell limply into my lap, Vlad brushed away my tears with his thumbs, and with a serious look in his eyes, he told me, "Danielle, listen to me. Do you want to know how I found out what happened to you at Fenton Works?"

"Um...well you've been spying on me, right...?" I replied shakily, confused about why this was suddenly so important.

With a soft chuckle, Vlad nodded, "You've got me there little badger. But no, that's not how I found out about the Blood Blossom incident. The truth is-" looking at me straight in the eyes so I'd know he meant every word and wasn't lying to me he continued, "-your brother told me everything, Danielle. And even without knowing that he's spot on about my secret as well concerning our similar portal accidents, Jason revealed yours to me of being Dani Phantom in the hopes that unlike your parents I would accept what you are which frankly is the most trust anyone has shown me in years besides having you show up on my doorstep. I wasn't sure how you felt about seeing him however so I told Jason to wait somewhere at least near Amity Park where your parents can't bother him to wait for you in case you went looking for him because Danielle...I'm afraid it's already too late."

"W-what? Too late? I don't understand..." I asked fearfully, but then Vlad smiled at me sadly and explained-

"Your parents made their choice, but so did Jason," Vlad began, his voice adopting a harsh edge to it. "I know this isn't what you wanted, but from the moment your parents made their choice and almost attacked you Jason decided that YOU are far more important to him than they are so he has already disowned them the same way they've disowned you. For once in their wretched lives, Jack and Maddie are going to regret what they've done and face the consequences by losing not only their daughter but also their son as well.

"However, as I said that was Jason's decision to make so don't try to take responsibility for it. More importantly, I told him that I would do everything in my power to help him find you and keep you safe from your parents so now I must ask again. Danielle, what do you want to do now? And even if it's only by your brother do you actually WANT to be found?"

As heartbroken as I was to hear that Jason had to choose between me and our parents, I can't tell you how happy it made me to hear that my brother has been doing everything he can to protect me too. So there is someone who still loves me after all. And if he's already rejected mom and dad then...that means I'm not as alone as I thought. I don't have to deal with all of this with only Vlad's help when part of me is still afraid to trust him. Or anyone ever again for that matter. I'm sure my friends are still on my side, but they have lives of their own and parents who still love them, but Jason and I, all we have left is each other...

And Vlad.

"Yes," I finally choked out with a small nod. "I miss my brother so much Vlad...and if he's really been forced to choose between us then I don't want him to be alone. I don't want to feel alone anymore!"

Kissing my forehead Vlad whispered in a warm fatherly tone, "Oh little badger, you were never alone to begin with. I'll always be here for you, no matter what. I know that may be hard to believe right now, but in time you will. I promise that everything will be alright so don't lose hope."

After that I returned Vlad's hug, wrapping my arms around him, and while resting my head on his shoulder I whispered breathlessly, "Thank you."

"No Danielle," Vlad whispered back, resting his cheek on the top of my head, "Thank you for coming to me like I told you to if you were ever in trouble. I'm so happy you're here and that you're safe. That's all I ever wanted. And to be honest, before you showed up last night I've been longing to see you again so I was planning a special trip just for the two of us in secret to my mountain chalet in the Colorado Rockies. I was waiting for the ghost pilot to arrive when you did instead so needless to say I was pleasantly surprised. I just wish we could have had our reunion under happier circumstances."

Touched by Vlad's unexpectedly kind gesture, especially because I would have actually really liked that since I needed a break from everything going on at home until all of this happened, I mustered a weak smile and replied, "Yeah, I think I would have liked that too, fruitloop."

Vlad's POV

I am pleased to report that telling Danielle about her brother's call last night turned out to be just what I needed to smooth things over and show her she can trust me. I immediately felt the tension leave her shoulders as we embraced and to be honest I wanted to stay like that for a little longer but sadly, there were a few other important matters we needed to take care of post-haste. For one thing, Danielle still needed to eat something so I offered to bring her something from the kitchen or to bring her down there myself. As expected Danielle said she wanted to stretch her legs so after wiping away her tears with my trademark red handkerchief, I escorted her down there and introduced her to my ghost chef.

While waiting for our meal I explained that it was much easier to have ghosts in my employ at home so that unless I happen to have guests, which in and of itself is quite rare since I value my privacy for obvious reasons, I can be myself and do as I like without worrying about keeping up appearances. And Danielle's boundless curiosity was infectious when she began listing off all the questions that kept popping into her head on the subject, although part of me knew she was only looking for a distraction since she didn't want to dwell on all of her other dark thoughts. I find that very admirable although it concerned me because I didn't want Danielle to force herself to suffer in silence like she has at home for all these years.

I want her to know that she can tell me anything and I'll listen, but most importantly she can be true to herself and doesn't have to keep up appearances with me. That's why I told Danielle that while she is here the only rule she has to follow is the most obvious one which is to keep her ghost half a secret should I invite someone into the castle who isn't already aware of it. Such as my lawyer, for example...

Oh? Did you really think I've forgotten about getting my revenge? Certainly not! In fact, the irony of all of this is almost poetic given how I had planned to steal Jack's family away from him only to have both of his own children renounce him to become a part of mine. Only now, Maddie is being included in that equation because I will never forgive her for putting her precious daughter through so much emotional and physical pain when she refused to listen to reason! Because not only did she not get rid of the Blood Blossoms when Jason hinted that they were making his sister ill, but when Danielle tried to defend herself Maddie rejected everything she had to say and had the audacity to tell Danielle she's nothing but a ghost and that her daughter is dead to them.

Even if Maddie doesn't actually mean that, I'm afraid the damage is done so for Danielle's sake I'm going to make absolutely sure that Jack and Maddie will never so much as see their children again if I have any say in the matter unless that is what THEY want. As for Jason, he has more than earned my trust, respect, and adoration after going to such lengths to be there for his sister. I'm an only child so I've never had an older or younger sibling but I've seen the sort of special bond it can create. And if I'm going to help Danielle recover from this ordeal, having someone there to help me that she already trusts will make things much easier. In fact, they already have...

Of course, Danielle is still a little unsure about me and guarded even now, but we're already making significant progress and once I've made sure to bring Jason here to be with his sister we can decide where to go from there- as a family. I'll also need to make sure their parents won't show up on my doorstep the same way she did and ruin this for me. Therefore, with Danielle's permission, I'm going to tell them I know everything and let them know that any chance of them redeeming themselves in my eyes is completely gone and they are no longer welcome here.

It may take some time and overshadowing a few judges and other officials to suit my needs, but eventually, I will make sure that Jack and Maddie lose the right and privilege to call themselves parents anymore or claim Danielle and Jason as their children. Jason may be too old to formally adopt, however, I will extend the offer to him regardless of being adopted into the Masters' family like I'm hoping Danielle will soon be. That means that regardless of whether his sister and I turn out to be immortal due to our hybrid status as I explained once before, he will want for nothing from this moment on. Everything they've left behind at Fenton Works will be replaced, not to mention improved upon, and I will happily pay for their college expenses. And one day, perhaps I'll even hire their wedding planners and walk Danielle down the isle like the proud father I've always wanted to-

"Sir? Pardon me my lord but your meal is ready," my ghost chef began nervously when I shot him an annoyed glance for interrupting my thoughts.

"Very well, thank you and that will be all. That is, unless you need anything else, Danielle?" I asked her with a small smile since she was sitting directly across from me.

Blushing a little she sheepishly asked, "If it's not too much trouble could I have a refill of that mango lemonade? It's really good."

Bowing slightly the chef smiled and answered, "At once Lady Phantom."

Floating off back to the kitchen and returning with the crystal pitcher from earlier, Danielle watched his progress carefully and unexpectedly asked him with a hint of suspicion, "By the way, what was that powder I just saw you add to the lemonade? Was that the mango flavoring or something?"

Looking startled and glancing between Danielle and myself, the chef bowed more deeply and sputtered, "A thousand pardons Lady Phantom, Lord Plasmius asked me to add some extra vitamins to the lemonade once you decided what you wished to drink since you've been unwell as of late and he only wishes for you to recover as soon as possible. I was not meant to be seen doing so..."

Sighing heavily, after shooting me an annoyed look of her own, she pulled her drink closer and said, "Ok, that explains it. And I'm sorry for snapping at you like that since you're just doing your job. I just had to make sure because these days I don't know how many random ghosts hold a petty grudge against me just because I tossed one of their friends back into the Ghost Zone for causing trouble."

Bowing apologetically to Danielle once more for good measure, the chef turned to me and asked nervously, "Will that be all then, my lord?"

I nodded with a coy smile and replied, "Yes. But I'll be sure to summon you later should we need your services again. Oh and don't concern yourself over getting caught adding the vitamins, in retrospect, I should have told Danielle in advance that I asked you to do that to avoid any misunderstandings. So no harm no foul."

"Thank you, my lord. You are as honorable and magnanimous as always. Then by your leave, enjoy your meal," he smiled in return, relaxing his posture before floating back towards the kitchen, and after that Danielle shot me another skeptical look and blurted out.

"Ok, seriously, what was THAT all about? Why does he keep calling you 'my lord?'" and while waiting for my response, Danielle took a sip of her drink now that she knew it was safe and groaned softly, gently rubbing her temple with the other hand. "I'm sorry, I wasn't trying to seem ungrateful and I know I shouldn't be acting this way when you're just trying to take care of me but...I've been through a lot recently ok? Besides, right now my head is killing me from all that crying and it feels like someone is using the inside of my skull as a drum set so I still feel a little on edge. I wonder if this is what it's like to have a hangover. Vlad, do you drink anything like that? You know like wine and stuff?"

Mildly amused by her small quips and the question in and of itself I answered, "On occasion, however, a rather amusing aspect of becoming a hybrid I discovered is that I no longer get drunk. But being able to hold my alcohol so well has made me quite popular at dinner parties on the rare occasion that I attend one. It has also prevented me from being kidnapped a few times back when I made my first millions and someone tried to slip a sedative into my meal to drug me much like you noticed just now with the vitamins. Speaking of which, I apologize for being so inconsiderate. I had no intention of alarming you, my dear."

"Yeah, whatever fruitloop," Danielle sighed again, still rubbing her temple, until it suddenly dawned on her what I said and she looked up at me in shock, "Whoa whoa, back up, are you telling me that people legitimately tried to kidnap you? For real? I thought that was something that only happens in the movies!"

"Is that really so surprising Danielle?" I asked with a raised eyebrow, taking a sip of my iced tea, "The rich and famous are often targeted by such lowlifes which is why they hire bodyguards and other security, but I have no need for such personal apart from keeping up appearances in public for obvious reasons. And since I have no heirs or friends to speak of for them to threaten and use against me, such fools often came after me directly until I built a reputation of being a very formidable man with powerful allies that made me practically untouchable. Besides, it was rather amusing to watch them blubber to the police some nonsense about being attacked by a ghost that haunts Vlad Masters who calls himself Plasmius."

"Ah, yeah that would do it..." Danielle began off-handedly, sounding a bit distracted and swaying a little in her seat.

In response to my growing concern, I asked in all seriousness, "Are you alright Danielle? Does your head still hurt?"

"Yeah," Danielle grimaced, now pressing her entire hand to her forehead, "Sorry, it just hit me very hard all of a sudden and I'm starting to get really dizzy."

"Try eating something if you can," I urged, reaching across the table to rest my hand on her arm worriedly since we were sitting at the small table I usually sit at when I'm dining alone, "It should help. I know your headache suggests otherwise, but the fact is you haven't eaten in days, my dear. Not to mention those Blood Blossoms were draining your strength little by little when their anti-ghost properties became at least somewhat active simply by having even a half-ghost in the general vicinity. Because while you're not a true ghost, you're not entirely human anymore either so they were always going to affect you negatively in some way. That said, even though I've given you some medicine to fix the problem you're still fairly weak right now. You don't have to eat much, just eat what you can and I'll give you something to help with the pain before you return to your room. Sound fair?"

"Ok," Danielle replied weakly, resisting the urge to nod too and we finally began to eat our respective meals in silence.

I could barely taste mine since I was too busy worriedly watching Danielle painstakingly put each morsel in her mouth even though she was struggling to do so and seemed to be sad about being unable to fully enjoy it. And to be fair I suppose it was too soon to hope that we could enjoy our first meal together in private without Jack and Maddie both vying for my attention when Danielle is still recovering her strength and I should have had her meal brought up to her room instead. To prevent me from repeating the same mistake, I made a mental note to make sure that Danielle gets plenty of food and rest tomorrow before we call her brother and decide where to go from there.

All in good time Vladimir, I told myself, focusing on finishing my meal to avoid making Danielle feel self-conscious if she happened to glance up and catch me staring. Danielle has only been here for a day and she needs time to recuperate and collect her thoughts. Don't be a fool and rush into things too quickly. You know what happened the last time you did such a thing and it nearly ended in disaster. She's not going anywhere so don't panic.

Danielle came here by choice, you know this and that's ultimately all that matters in the grand scheme of things. All that's left to do now is ensure that my little badger will stay here where she belongs and have no reason to ever want to leave my side again. Her, or her brother. And together, we will become a family just as I intended all along.