Belated Phic Phight entry for:
Ghostanimal / Prompt 01: Vlad and Harriet reconnect at the reunion and begin to date.
217 / Prompt 08: After finding out that Harriet Chin and Vlad used to date briefly in college, Danny decides to push the two together in hopes that Vlad would finally leave his mom alone.
Brie / Prompt 39: Bitter Reunions AU: Vlad doesn't know Danny is Phantom, but Danny is very aware Vlad is Plasmius. Hijinks ensue as Danny has to work extra-hard at damage control without revealing his hand.
Sweeter Reunions
"Pleeeease? I promise I won't break the timeline again," the teen insists, clasping two white-gloved hands in a pleading gesture in front of his face, a pathetic image for someone perceived in his future as powerful and regal as Phantom.
The Master of Time only responds with silence, the expression on his now elderly appearance still stoic but bordering on mildly annoyed. For some reason, his ward has the tendency of treating time as something malleable and at his constant disposition. But he still couldn't understand how even between parallel timelines there was something intricate but perfect, playing in harmony. Thousands of possible pasts, presents, and futures were at the reach of his fingertips, like chords he could play by memory in a cosmic harp, each string dancing without getting tangled with the other in perfect balance. He has navigated so many times through these melodies, he no longer discerns the past from the future since it's there all at once mingled with the present. He knows he will (or already did) allow the boy to meddle with the flow of time. He's aware of the outcome and the valuable lessons that would later be forgotten (or already were).
The purple-clad ghost, now donning a younger appearance, has tried to make it easier for Danny to understand, using every kind of analogy possible: from musical instruments, video games, rivers, constellations, and whatever resource he had at hand to explain the fragility of time to a mere mortal (even if said mortal had ghost powers). He has already explained in several points of Danny's lifespan, past and future, but none have worked as efficiently to drive the point home as allowing the half-ghost to experience first-hand his own failures and the loss that followed. To paraphrase Confucius, experience is one of the three methods to acquire wisdom, but also the bitterest. And Danny had many masochistic traits.
The request seems very innocuous for the teenager: he wants to go back to his parents' college reunion in Wisconsin so he can learn more about Vlad Masters' earlier days in college. Somehow, the boy is trying to find other ways to save the older hybrid from falling further into his current downward spiral. This was motivated after another cloning experiment gone awry and the subsequent battle with Plasmius, from what Clockwork could recall. He also cited meeting Vlad in the future as his main motivation, though he believed there had to be another way to trigger his redemption before it was too late for everyone. His reasoning for choosing the reunion is meant to be some kind of bargain on his part, where he thinks he can learn more from the past without having to travel so far into the '70s or '80s, therefore keeping the timeline intact.
Of course, that's not how it would work, not to mention the paradox it would create having two Dannys in the same place and time. But as everything goes with his young visitor, there's no amount of explaining that would deter him from trying, which could potentially unleash even more chaos into the timestream. So he allows the visit, a controlled experiment, a valuable lesson to be forgotten. He already knows how it will go. After all, he has played this melody on countless occasions. The crescendo gets him every time.
Danny woke up with a start inside the Fenton GAV, seated in the back row next to his sister. For a moment, he felt like those times he dozed off when they traveled on the road for hours to visit some relative far away. Wait, they were doing just that, right? The visit to Wisconsin, the college reunion, his pleading with Clockwork…
The trip through time immediately brought vertigo and he felt disoriented in as many ways as the concept allowed. He tried breathing slowly while closing his eyes, droning out whatever conversation his parents were having. He was in his slightly younger body, then. Or in his place at least. Where had the Danny from this period gone?
"If you need to throw up, please use the bag," Jazz spoke closer to him as she set something almost weightless on his lap, most likely the aforementioned bag.
The boy ventured to open his eyes to see the object now in his hands, but he refused to barf what little he had been able to eat at their last stop on their way to Wisconsin. No need to recall that much information from his trip to the past. Instead, he rolled his eyes, figuring it wouldn't be uncharacteristic of his two-year-younger self. At least he didn't try to open the window this time. Who said he couldn't learn from old mistakes?
He noticed neither parent paid any attention to the small exchange between siblings, and they continued talking about… whatever it was.
"Oh, you're right, how could I have forgotten about the time you both dyed your hair as skunks," his mom's amused voice interrupted whatever his dad was trying to say.
The man's hearty laugh was almost contagious. "We sure had a lot of fun together back in the day."
Danny couldn't remember this part of the conversation in his original experience. He tried to focus on his current mission, putting his uneasiness aside. There were bigger things to worry about and he didn't know how long he would be allowed to stay. He was here to get information, to gain valuable knowledge. But he had to be very careful with how in-depth he went, unless he wanted the reunion to go differently due to some random memory his dad tried to relive with Vlad. Knowing how enthusiastic his old man was, they were likely to be kicked out before Vlad's attack could even happen.
Clockwork would no doubt chew him out for skewing the original events with something as dumb as that.
Thinking of subtle ways to get his parents talking without going overboard, he timidly cleared his throat. "So, uh… you've known this Vlad Masters guy for a long time?"
Jazz perked up at the mention of the name, her turquoise eyes wide with surprise. "Wait, wait, wait. Masters? As in TheVladMasters? Who was namedAffluence Magazine'sBillionaire of the Year? That's the Vlad you've been talking about all this time?"
Jack Fenton beamed and looked at his kids through the rearview mirror, the almost empty road ahead forgotten for what felt like a very long and dangerous moment. "That's the guy! How did you know, Danno?"
Crap. "Oh… uh, you mentioned it one time when I was actually paying attention?" Danny nervously tried to recover. "But I don't remember how long you've known each other. Pretty sure you mentioned it before."
Jack shrugged his previous questions away in favor of replying to his son. "Ah, yes, we first met in our last year of high school."
"Your dad and Vlad, that is," Maddie corrected.
"Oh, right, we met you later in college," Jack amended as the memory came back to him.
"But, yes, son. We go way back. We became roommates, lab partners, and best friends in college. We did everything together. We probably have a lot of embarrassing stories to share, too. He wasn't always this ultra-rich and handsome bachelor in magazine covers, y'know?"
This piqued Danny's interest, sensing there could also be some heartwarming stories there that could help him break Vlad's evil mastermind mode. Even Jazz had become very interested at the mention of the older billionaire's past, no doubt trying to find something to analyze about his upbringing. Before either of the Fenton siblings could ask anything on that note, Maddie snorted.
"Right, because he was such a charmer," she said with no veiled tinge of sarcasm, surprising both teens.
Thankfully, Jazz intervened first. "What do you mean? He wasn't good looking back then?" Danny would never let future-Jazz live down just how much she was fawning over his arch-nemesis.
Maddie turned around to face her children. The smug smile and mischievous glint in her violet eyes seemed to come from some memory capable of destroying Vlad's entire reputation if she dared to share it. Danny wasn't sure that's what he needed for his mission but it probably wouldn't hurt either. "Oh, that wasn't the real issue," she replied. "He wasn't completely unattractive. He just lacked… people skills."
Or maybe Danny could work with this after all. "So he didn't socialize well?" he ventured to ask.
Jack released a heavy sigh. "Vladdie didn't have many friends," he revealed. "That's how we met. No one liked him enough to sit with him at lunch. So I joined him one day and we started hanging out. He's… oh, I dunno… too uptight? Grouchy? We always told him to take a chill pill when he was stressed. It's not that he doesn't like people. It's just that he didn't know how to start a conversation and always wound up ranting about whatever the topic was."
Huh… so he had always been a lonely and bitter dude. Was that why he was so cocky now? Because he gained power in many ways despite not playing well with others? Yeah, maybe getting Jazz to psychoanalyze him would be more helpful.
"You know…" Maddie mused out loud, "come to think about it, maybe that's why he clicked with Harriet, then."
Wait… what? Vlad had clicked with someone? If his mom knew about it, could it have been in college? He needed to find out more. Maybe reigniting the fire with this old flame was the answer to all his problems. But, how would he get the full scoop without getting his parents hyper-fixated on the topic?
Once again, Jazz came to the rescue. "Ooh, so he had a college sweetheart? Do you think she'll be there?"
Maddie shook her head. "Even if she was, I'm not sure she would want to talk about it."
"What do you mean?" Danny asked.
"Well…" the mother of two turned around once again to meet their eyes. Who knew she would spill the tea on Vlad in more than one way? "We all met Harriet in college, while she was majoring in Journalism. Despite the completely different career interests and calling us crackpots, she was fascinated with paranormal things, so she would usually come to the lab where we worked on our ghost research and try to ask millions of things."
"Oh, I get it," Jazz interrupted. "Vlad would go on and on talking about your research and Harriet would always ask for more information. It makes so much sense." Danny couldn't agree more.
Maddie visibly cringed. "Not exactly," she replied. "She usually got on his nerves because she wouldn't let him concentrate. We didn't mind the company-"
"And I loved blathering on and on about ghosts," Jack interjected.
"Right, there was also that," Maddie conceded with a fond smile. "But Vlad preferred his privacy. Something Harriet disregarded on every opportunity. But when you think about it, that's where they were similar. Neither knew how to socialize well, despite Harriet's perky attitude."
The young half-ghost wasn't sure if this would help at all. Getting Vlad to recover some humanity by using his lack of socialization and bad temper? Yeah, no, that wasn't it.
"Okay, but then… how did they end up together? And was there a nasty break-up? Will there be any tense issues to resolve while we're at the reunion?" Jazz asked each question in rapid succession. There was a bright spark in her eye and Danny was sure her psychologist brain was working in overdrive.
Jack chuckled. "Hold your horses, Jazzerincess. They only dated briefly. We don't even know how exactly they got together, but we sure know how the downfall went."
Okay, so maybe using an old college girlfriend was definitely not the way to go, Danny noted. Back to square 1.
Before either teen could ask about it, Maddie spoke again. "They got together in secret, so we don't know for sure how brief their relationship was. We believe his family didn't want him to date someone unfit for their son, so that's why they didn't say anything. The Masters family had their wealth and reputation, though not as impressive as Vlad's current status, that's for sure. And one day someone caught them making out in a… compromising setting. His parents found out and they decided to call it quits after a nasty fight about the difference between being discreet and being ashamed to share their relationship."
Ouch…
"Hold on," Danny couldn't help voicing his disbelief this time. "So you're saying they did like each other?"
Maddie shrugged. "Well… yes, I suppose. But the way they treated each other afterward wasn't so friendly."
"Oh, I remember now!" Jack interjected proudly. "That's why we invented the Harry Chin nickname! To show Vlad some support after the breakup."
His wife sighed. "You came up with that name on your own, honey. Probably brought her some bad childhood memories, after all the bullying she told us she went through."
Danny had to give his dad some credit for actually showing some remorse. "Oh, hadn't thought about it that way, Mads."
The woman smiled warmly as she patted his shoulder. "Anyway," she continued. "I don't know if Vlad's aware, but she even went to visit him at the hospital after his accident. His parents were also there, so I'm guessing they didn't say anything."
The mere thought of Vlad having parents somehow hadn't crossed Danny's mind. Learning how they had messed up his overly entitled son so badly, he guessed the family route was a no-go on his journey to redeem Vlad's humanity. But maybe Harriet was. And he knew for sure she would be at the reunion, going after the scoop of the strange haunting while sitting inside the Fenton GAV. Who knew? Maybe that way Vlad would also stop going after his mom.
The Fentons then continued talking about Vlad's accident and how Jack had made the wrong calculations that time, but not aware of what the cause had been. Danny wouldn't get into this risky topic, opting instead of thinking up a plan that could work without breaking the future.
He wondered if Clockwork would be too mad if he just pushed some small things in the right direction…
So far his visit had gone just as he remembered with Vlad: barely concealed hatred towards his dad, nauseating advances on his mom, and an indifferent Jazz trying to not get involved at all. So what if he piqued his sister's interest enough this time to want to interact with Harriet or Vlad during the reunion? To get them to consider talking to each other enough to start rethinking their relationship. Maybe confess the hospital visits or something like that.
Dropping an innocent "it's too bad Mr. Masters probably never found out about Harriet's visits when he was sick," did all the trick to get Jazz inadvertently on board with his plan. Which, he had to remember constantly, he couldn't tell her about because she didn't know his secret yet.
So that left him wondering during their first night at Vlad's castle about what to do about his ghost sense going off in a few minutes. He couldn't let the ghosts go attack his dad and he didn't know if he'd be able to beat the fruit loop. Even if he had a vague memory of what the older half-ghost would do, he couldn't risk letting the fight get out of hand and having his parents involved.
Figuring he couldn't make such a drastic change in the timeline, he followed the vultures when they triggered his ghost sense and caught them swiftly in his thermos before they reached his dad (that had gone like that, right?). He braced himself for Vlad's taunting on his heroics while he floated back in the same hallway. Now that he thought about it, he was surprised that Skulker hadn't revealed his identity before or given any clues about the existence of another half-ghost.
"My vultures were supposed to bring the big idiot to me, but you'll do!" The venomous voice sneered. The teen turned around to face his older foe, who was going for smug and intimidating just like the first time. "Danny Phantom, right?"
Danny rolled his eyes. He only had two options and he hated both equally: leave before the fight even started (like a coward) or make the same pathetic attempts to attack Vlad before passing out (like an idiot). The worst part was he didn't even remember the full battle; only the gist of it. Like, what had been the right sequence here? What had they said? He knew he wouldn't be able to keep things faithful to the original fight. He only remembered the taunting and the way Vlad showed off his powers before blasting him through the wall. It was boring, he now realized, without their more direct jabs to one another, like taunting Plasmius about his need to get a cat, or about his loneliness—
Oh. Now he understood why it stung Vlad so much.
"Aren't you going to try to shove me into your ridiculous thermos?"
Danny had been distracted enough to miss the banter and the moment Vlad made three duplicates of himself to surround him. After a triumphant smirk, the older hybrid landed an effective blow against the boy, sending him crashing through the wall. Rinse and repeat?
Or maybe not, because at the last minute Danny's instincts had kicked in and he covered himself in a ghost shield, reducing the damage he had originally received… and thus, not fainting and changing back in the hallway like he did the first time. Crap…
Before Vlad could phase through the wall after him, just like before, the boy sprinted invisibly to his room and changed back under his covers, hoping he hadn't been seen or followed by Vlad. If he had stayed, there was a good chance his parents could wake up, making things much more complicated than they already were.
After a few minutes of waiting and no signs of his ghost sense, he figured the older ghost had gone back to whatever scheming he had in mind. Hopefully, none that involved attacking his dad, now that his vultures were locked inside the thermos.
Had he really avoided revealing his secret to Vlad?
Yep, he had screwed up big time.
Danny had half hoped the Master of Time would pull him back to his own timeline any moment now. Yet, when he woke up he was still stuck in Wisconsin two years in the past. That probably meant he hadn't changed the timeline as much as he thought (meaning Vlad could still learn his secret before the trip was over). Or, he had messed up enough that it was beyond repair and there was no way to get back.
Nah, that wasn't like Clockwork.
The morning was filled with movement from caterers, decorators, florists, and such. He didn't remember this morning being as busy. Then again, the first time he overslept after trying to recover from the beating he got from Vlad. Speaking of which…
He noticed the man almost cornered by Jazz in the main hallway, staring at the girl as if he were two seconds away from sending his ghost animals to attack her. Danny took it as his cue to intervene and save his sister from a murderous half-ghost. He could hear only fragments of her one-sided conversation and it looked like she was talking about the importance of building strong relationships based on trust. Yeah, that was definitely his cue.
"Hey, uh, Jazz?" Danny interrupted, earning an annoyed scowl from the older man and his sister as well (both for very different reasons, he was sure). "Do you think it'll be safe for dad to carry his Fenton Xtractor around during the party?" At the first mention of the ghost hunting device that almost ruined her hair a couple of months back, the girl's eye twitched. "I'm not so sure the other guests would mind looking at their inventions, but—"
"Ugh, why can't they try being normal for once?" she muttered as she left the room almost stomping her feet.
Danny chuckled but soon noticed Vlad's attention on him. His future arch-rival had something close to a sinister smile on his face. With all the history between them back in the present, he had learned it never meant anything good. "Well played, little badger," the old man spoke without the usual malice reserved for the younger thorn on his side. "I believe I'm indebted to you, hmm?"
The teen gaped, waiting for the other shoe to drop at any moment. "Uh, no, no prob, Vlad. I mean… Mr. Masters. My sister has wanted to be a psychologist since she learned what the word meant, so I know how overbearing she can get when she's targeting someone new."
Vlad hummed to himself. "Do you know perhaps what your imprudent father said to make her think I need to 'open up' more?" he asked with a look of utter annoyance as he air-quoted the term.
This was uncharted territory for Danny. He couldn't remember the last normal conversation he had with Vlad, if any. "Uh, well, you see… She just… wants you to be happy."
The billionaire quirked his eyebrow. "Oh? Now, why would she think I'm not?"
The teen shrugged. Winging it was really not the brightest idea, but he had no other option now. Besides, if Clockwork hadn't taken him back over Vlad not knowing his secret, why would he do it now? For all he knew, he was stuck until he had learned a valuable lesson or whatever. Might as well make it a worthy (and fun) one while at it. "We heard you were in love with someone back in college, and how hard it was for her when you were at the hospital all those years ago."
If he hadn't seen it with his own eyes, he wouldn't have believed it: Vlad was at a loss of words, his mouth resembling a fish. Following his expressions closely, his face told Danny half the story. Vlad thought this could be about his beloved Maddie Fenton, for sure, but there was a part of him that knew she wouldn't confess something like that to her children. So it had to be someone else. And now the confused man had no idea who would have cared that much about him. He seemed completely out of the loop.
"You might have the wrong story, son," Vlad replied instead. He was trying to get more information, so at least he took the bait.
"No, no… I'm pretty sure it was like that. We heard the names 'Harriet' and 'Vlad' enough to remember how the story went," the teenager answered.
Vlad's eyes widened in an almost comic manner. This sole interaction was well worth the trip to the past. "You mean… Harry? She… went to see me?"
Did he call her Harry? Wasn't that supposed to be a bad nickname associated with childhood trauma or something?
Dispelling those thoughts, he realized he was now doing his sister's role as a matchmaker in the plan. And considering he already screwed up the timeline from what he could tell, maybe he could keep changing some things a little? If only to see how much of an impact it could have later on when taking this route with the future Vlad.
"Yeah, she went to visit so many times, your folks apparently threatened with a restraining order." Okay so maybe this was not true, but he was already altering past events before this small lie. "Or something like that. Mom wasn't very clear on the details."
It was such a delight to see the all-powerful Vlad Masters deep in concentration as millions of scenes played in his head. He looked troubled, probably trying to decide what to do with this information. After all, it had been 20 years since he last saw anyone from college.
"I…see," the older half-ghost replied softly before he composed himself, tugging at his cufflinks. "I appreciate your help, my boy. Now, if you don't mind, I have a gathering to prepare."
With that, Vlad left his previous spot to scold someone for setting the wrong flower arrangement by the entrance. From that distance, anyone could think he was back to his usual self. Danny knew better after two years of getting into each other's heads. If anything, the older hybrid was distracted by the innocent revelation.
For someone as reserved and bitter as Vlad, knowing someone cared enough about him despite how bad things had been, probably meant more than he would dare to admit out loud.
Now, to see if the fireworks would happen.
That night the reunion had been flowing well and there were still no signs of the time-keeping ghost. Folks in their forties were talking to each other about their numerous achievements, growing families, as well as other life events; taking their old-fashioned moves to the dance floor, drinking, and overall having a blast. Danny only hoped the last part didn't become literal. He still wasn't sure if Vlad had a change of heart after their conversation or if he would go through with overshadowing his dad to try to get his mom back. Either way, he had to stay alert in case there was anything suspicious going on.
How was the fruit loop's original plan supposed to work, anyway? As if his mom wouldn't figure out his dad was overshadowed or that there was some ghost involved. And even if she didn't, then what? Would Vlad have to keep his ghostly nature hidden from her all the time to avoid suspicion? That didn't seem remotely healthy for either of them. Even without Danny's intervention, the plan didn't seem that good, now that he thought about it. "Retrospective clairvoyance", Clockwork would mockingly call it.
There were also so many differences to take into account this time around. Aside from still having his ghost powers hidden from Vlad, Jazz had decided to grace them with her presence during the party, if only to meet the now-famous Harriet Chin out of sheer curiosity. His dad, on the other hand, tried to avoid mentioning the journalist's nickname to keep the bad memories it caused her out of the way.
Harriet, still as sharp as Danny recalled from the first version of the reunion, noticed the effort and didn't cringe with his dad's greetings as obviously as then. "Maddie, Jack, so glad to see you after all these years."
"Danny, Jazz, meet Harriet Chin. She's a big-shot reporter for theMilwaukee Journalnow." Once again, his dad avoided the old nickname completely. Danny was very proud of him.
"Oh, please, call me Har, no need to be so formal about it," the woman replied, waving at the two teens in front of her.
"Nice to meet you!" Jazz said enthusiastically. "We've heard so many stories, you probably had a great time back in college." Danny was sure his sister was baiting her into showing some hint of emotion to latch on. That side of her had always been a bit scary. And he was supposed to be the spooky kid…
Contrary to their beliefs, Har only laughed. "Oh, do I have any? Did you know your parents tried to make a ghost portal back in college?"
Jack's face switched to a triumphant grin as he opened his mouth to respond, probably about how they had managed to complete the portal after all these years. However, Jazz beat him to the answer. "Ah, that's right, with Vlad, wasn't it?"
Har seemed taken aback, as if she hadn't expected a direct mention of her ex-boyfriend's name. "Right…" she replied with a pensive look followed by a quick shrug, the indifference not reaching her eyes. "I'm so glad he turned out all right after his accident. I mean, billionaire? What are the odds, right?"
Jazz had apparently found what she was looking for as she gave her best fangirl performance (not that she needed that much practice). "Wouldn't it be neat to have an exclusive interview?"
At this, Harriet deflated a bit, a mixture of bitterness and hurt evident in her furrowed brow. "Yeah… I'm not so sure he'd like to see me. I'm surprised he even invited me in the first place."
This took everyone by surprise, but this time Maddie was the first to voice her concern and confusion. "Oh, sweetie, why would you think that?"
Harriet turned around to grab something from the table, the punch being her closest distraction to avoid their eyes. "His parents were very clear the last time I went to visit him at the hospital," she replied in the most casual tone she could muster, which didn't convince anyone. "He woke up and refused to see me, saying he didn't want any kind of stress while he was recovering."
Danny, who was now committed to giving Vlad a healthier relationship to avoid his evil shenanigans, took a step in front of Harriet to meet her eyes. "Sorry to say this, but they lied," he said. He was glad he wasn't facing his parents as he spoke or their surprised looks would've been too distracting. "He didn't even know you went to visit!"
The reporter's eyes widened in surprise. "What?"
Yeah, he was going to die on this hill until Clockwork took his corpse back to his timeline. "And I know for a fact he still has a crush from his days in college," he added. Of course, he didn't mention that said crush was Maddie Fenton…
This time three other voices from the Fenton family joined Harriet in unison. "What?"
"How do you know that?" he heard his mom ask incredulously.
Harriet was at a loss after Maddie's intervention, realizing there was no way this kid knew more than his parents about what was going on. So she eyed him skeptically. But before she could argue with him, Danny crossed his arms with a smug expression. "Trust me," he continued. "I know for a fact that's why he went out of his way to host the college reunion." Technically, not a lie.
"He… did?" Har asked confused.
"Besides," Danny added for his grand finale, "haven't you noticed he barely interacts with anyone?"
The way Harriet immediately went from being indifferent to searching for the billionaire frantically was almost worth the half-lies he said. There was now a tiny bit of chance they would both at least talk, which would distract Vlad enough to get him to forget his attack during the reunion. Which, to be honest, didn't mean it would make him stop from trying to murder his dad and marry his mom in the future. Besides, there was like a 99 percent chance the timeline would be reset again before the night was over. So, yeah, he was going to see how far his attempt went if only to see if it would hold when he went back to the future.
And there, after a few seconds, Vlad and Harriet stared at each other from opposite sides of the large room. Their wide eyes and slightly open mouth revealed something Danny hadn't seen in his ego-centric rival in a long time: hope.
He guessed it wouldn't hurt to have an invisible ear nearby. He wasn't about to let this ship sink now that he was made aware of its existence.
After excusing themselves from their respective companions, Vlad and Harriet met in the middle of the room, where people continued pogo-dancing obliviously around them to a cover of "Take on Me". It took them a moment to recover their composure, going from awestruck teens to casual adults once they were standing face to face.
"Harry," Vlad greeted with no hint of emotion, something he had to get used to after years of mastering his unique abilities.
"Vladdy," she replied with a playful grin, earning a cringe from the host of the reunion. The teasing woman knew he hated that nickname more than she hated hers.
"Fair enough," the man replied as he adjusted the lapels of his black jacket. "It's… nice to see you here."
Harriet, feeling with the upper hand after her initial win, changed into an unimpressed expression. "You say that as if you hadn't expected me here."
Vlad huffed. "You know that's not what I meant," he replied.
"C'mon, Vlad..." she continued in the same tone as she folded her arms in front of her. "You and I both know it ended ugly between us. We haven't even talked in twenty years. But, hey, no need to hold any hard feelings over something that happened so long ago, right? So why don't we catch up?"
"I…" the half-ghost, mastermind of complex strategies and evil schemes, was caught off guard. How did she manage to make it sound so nonchalant? He knew he had to go straight to the point before they got carried away in their usual banter. "I know you went to visit."
Harry shrugged as if it wasn't remotely relevant now. It certainly wasn't news that he knew, but she wasn't willing to admit it made a difference to learn when he found out. "Yeah, well, that was a long time ago, too."
Vlad seemed exasperated as he grabbed her hand and led her away from the dance floor. Once they stood away from the large crowd, he sighed and collected his thoughts again. "You don't understand… all these years, I thought… I was told Maddie had been the only one to visit. I never saw anyone, but that alone changed everything."
The reporter snorted. "What, you thought Maddie was there to be your Florence Nightingale?"
She wouldn't admit it out loud, but that confession alone hurt. She knew Vlad had a thing for Maddie before they started dating. She even teased him about it countless times until they ended up dating one day just to prove he would be a lousy boyfriend. He wasn't. Despite all the playful fights, the awful nicknames, and constant bickering, they had a lot of fun together. He was smart, well-spoken, knew about many different topics despite his odd choice of paranormal studies, and always had some witty comeback when you least expected it. He was a man full of surprises.
Vlad, knowing well he shouldn't focus the conversation on Maddie, ignored the question and shifted gears to voice his main conundrum. "Why did you do it?" he asked. "I can't, for the life of me, think of a good reason you would have to care about me, after everything that happened. You had made it quite clear you never wanted to see me again."
If something was eating him up after his conversation with the young Fenton boy, was the fact that there was someone else who had felt concerned enough about him to visit the hospital. He asked a ghost who owed him a favor and was well-acquainted with books, libraries, and records to search for the hospital archives from those exact dates. The documents revealed there were dozens of visits at the hospital's entrance from one Harriet J. Chin. There were also some from Maddie and Jack, who had gone together. None of which ended in an actual visit to his room. His parents, who had already passed away several years ago, wouldn't be able to answer why they only told him about Maddie. Or why they never let him have any visitors, despite how many times he expressed feeling lost and alone. He tried to keep out of his head the long nights in the solitude of his hospital bed dealing with the aftermath of the accident, of the ecto-acne, of his newly-acquired powers. But most of all, he wanted to avoid addressing the drastic change in his life as it all collapsed in front of his eyes. His health, his career, his friends, his dreams… everything.
He came back to reality when Harry punched him in the arm, the hit surprising him more than it hurt. "Because I cared about you, lamebrain. You were the only person I could annoy with questions who actually tried to answer politely instead of telling me to buzz off. You even inspired me to go to Rumakistan, did you know that? There was so much ambition in your eyes, a hunger to conquer the world in a way that would change it for the better, even if it was by creating renewable energy through ghostly dimensions or whatever. It made me feel like I could do anything, too. So I knew you needed company when you were bedridden. You needed someone to banter with until you had no choice but to recover just to spite them. To fight back. To thrive. So, yeah… that's why."
Vlad stared at her, the fiery passion still burning in her eyes as she spoke. There was that lack of formalities he adored. The challenge of trying to not be outsmarted by her. When he remembered his time with Harry, he had felt so… free. Like he could be no one but himself, even with his flaws, his short temper, and his awkwardness. None of that ever mattered when he was with her. And he had forgotten all about that just because of a lie he fed himself from misleading information during twenty long years.
He made a silent vow to make things right. Suddenly, he felt like he had a second chance. A chance to reassess his priorities, his… obsession. It was never about being with Maddie. It was always about not being alone. That's why he always hired others to do things he could handle on his own. Or why he allowed that annoying Dairy King to roam within his newly-bought castle. He craved for company, one way or the other.
But now… now he was able to willingly share that company, instead of crafting overly complicated plans to get back at Jack and win Maddie over.
Now he could be free again.
Vlad smiled, a genuine smile this time. Something Harry had found rare and precious back in the day. "I guess we'll have to see how that appetite to devour the world holds over dinner."
Harry smiled as well, a smug and playful smile. Something Vlad understood was meant to keep the game going, just like nothing had happened in those twenty lost years. "I hope you know I don't impress as easily after all I've traveled. You better have something out of this world planned."
There was an eerie, red glint in his eyes. Probably a lighting trick, she thought. "Oh, I can think of a few surprises you would find fascinating," he replied in a mischievous tone she had never heard from him.
The two reunited lovers felt a rush of excitement, eager to see what the future would hold for them now.
"Hey, what gives?" Danny exclaimed as he blinked and suddenly appeared in Clockwork's tower. The dizziness that followed his time travels came again at full force. His ghost form was now visible after being a silent eavesdropper during the exchange between Vlad and Harriet. And just when he was getting to the good part…
So, this probably meant he had learned all he needed to get back and help Vlad become a more decent half-human being. That was likely why the Master of Time finally restored the timeline. Oh, well… at least he had very valuable information now. Way more insight than he had first expected and something made him feel bad about the old man. All those lies he was fed, all those years lost…
"So I guess that's it, huh?" the half-ghost asked without expecting a real answer, his disappointed tone betraying the gratitude expressed afterward. "Thanks for the ride back in time. I'm glad there's a way to help Vlad now."
An adult-shaped Clockwork stared at something beyond Danny, remembering the wonderful sound of this particular melody. A round-shaped screen played the events following Danny's departure. After getting the boy back to the Ghost Zone, though not exactly back to when he expected.
The half-ghost's brow furrowed and he turned around to look at what had caught his guardian's attention. He was still nauseous, and now added a new layer of dread as he grew confused, disoriented, and overwhelmed all at once. "Is that…?"
"Some people need a second chance to keep the world from being destroyed. Some might get it when the time is just right," Clockwork cryptically replied as he shifted to his older self. "Care to see what you missed in your new timeline?"
The implications behind his words punched Danny in the gut. He felt terrified of what had changed and how much he would have to learn from scratch. Would he have to re-learn to use his powers? Did that mean he never met Frostbite or befriended Valerie? Had Pariah even returned? New memories began to emerge and Danny understood where his vertigo was finally coming from. His old timeline began to fade until it remained like a very weird dream. The two-year backlog was going to be exhausting to sort through. Wasn't he supposed to forget it all? Wait, no, that's why he remembered the Nasty Burger incident even when the future changed, right? Ugh, he was only fueling his headache further.
Clockwork shifted to an older man, his grey beard giving him something to focus on other than the swirling screens in front of him. "Take your time, Danny. You already did your part."
The teen got a flash of a new memory: Uncle Vlad was very excited, sharing some important news with his newly reacquainted friends. That's when he confirmed he had fulfilled his original mission. But at what cost? That was still a mystery. Wait… " Uncle Vlad?" he groaned and tried with all his might not to barf into the clock tower's floor. "Are you kidding me?"
The time guardian smirked. The bastard actually dared to smirk as if the experience had been too amusing for him. "As I said, take your time."