should I have to work on the next chapter in wtph? yes, I should

did I come out with an idea instead in the side-line? yes, I did

is this relevant at all? no, it isn't

did I regret writing it in one sitting? no, not at all

(and I don't even dare to take the question how I managed to write this in one flow, such greatly (without needing the beta-ing process, which is wow...), when I should have spent time putting together what belongs under the mainline...)

Dan immediately dropped the pen as he heard the screaming. The night was quiet – beyond the used to traffic noises from the streets – and the high desperate voice cut into the silence as a knife, making him freeze. For a moment, he waited to catch from where it was coming, from outside or from somewhere inside the building. (Not that he wouldn't have cared if that was someone 'not important' making this sound, but still, there was a difference.) Even if he wasn't Danny, or more like Phantom, the town hero, but trouble meant trouble, no matter what. And on the other hand, nights were long to not going after these kinds of screams to catch the source that made it.

Maybe it was about filling out time, maybe it was about some remained heroic behaviour, but whatever it was, he listened. Hands stopped over the notes on which he was collecting his ideas about references to the aimed applying for the job. Not that, he wouldn't have experience in many fields, but technically he was just existing for a few weeks in the systems. It wasn't his time, and well, how he could prove he had the needed knowledge including computer science, engineering and an unarguable practice including ghosts? Not that, he would have doubted to get straight into the aimed job in the Axion Lab, but he tried to do it the right way as much he could. And damn, it really caused him a hard time in the past nights to figure out the proper references that could be traced too. Especially that now, as far as Dan could look after it, now the GiW worked together with the security profiled company. So, his plan wouldn't be easy. But one step at a time, right?

He almost forgot why he had stopped, in the self-brainstorming, but then it again hit his ears, making him pale immediately as he realised what – or more like who – it was. "Shit, Dani." he jumped up in the next millisecond, phasing through everything and not even considering her personal space or the sort-of together agreed rule that no one was allowed to enter the other's room without permission. But this was different. He could recognise an unescapable unconscious nightmare when he heard one. And this was it. Surely, he didn't know much about the young clone's past, but by this screaming that couldn't be anything nice. And unfortunately, Dan knew well, she wasn't dreaming about her so-called 'folks' that had tried to kill her a few months ago. No, this was about something more previous and more deeply embedded in her.

The girl seemed normal from the distance, but as he took a step closer, the sweating on her face, frowning and clenched-in fists, holding on the blanket, just as the forcefully squeezed shut eyes, told she was struggling, unable to leave the dreamworld. Dan slowly neared her, afraid if he took a move hastily, she might have stuck in an, even more, scarier sleep-paralysed state. She muttered something about melting under her nose, the words were a blur, not coherent, but he was aware that was something shocking for her. He had learned that on their first meeting. For a minute, Dan halted, biting her lips, unsure what could have been the right thing to do. He didn't want to wake her up abruptly, either, freak her out, but- Suddenly an idea appeared in his mind, gazing at his hand. So then, he took a deep breath, trying his best to calm down – or at least as much as he momentary could – and assembled as many sane and peaceful thoughts as he was able to, making his palm lit up then with those energy green.

"Please, let this work." he muttered under his nose, and swearing himself that next time, at least try it on something before using his powers for something he had never done before. Dan stepped closer to the shivering and whimpering teen, placing then his hand on her shoulder. He held back a breath as she flinched under the touch, though unaware of the world outside her mind. The sight twisted his not-existing heart as he spotted the tears on her cheek, hardly shed earlier, but then he swallowed and focused on the calmest thoughts to give out to her.

If once someone had told him, he would have given the highest hopes to pass through to someone 'positive' feelings, he undoubtedly would have wasted, accompanied by a harsh laugh the person. Him, transmitting energy to someone? Yeah, surely. And willing? Pff, who was him, charity? But right now, Dan cursed himself even for those recalls. At least – even if, not entirely, but partly due to the merged double existence – being fused with the Ghost Zone (more like his version of the realm, that technically wasn't existing anymore, but nuances…), he had a sort-of endless possibility to alter the ectoplasmic energy. If, the Ghostly Wail, was a manifestation of every deceased spirit's pain, then he could form into something the ones that had moved on in a peaceful state, right? Or in theory at least. And right now, it was really hard, to concentrate on that calm state, if the deliverer was panicked too.

"Please." Dan whispered, making himself the promise to know his hidden abilities along as he was teaching the young halfa too. Now, he could just hope it would work, but next time – putting faith there wouldn't be ever any next time – he couldn't allow himself to test any of his powers, hazarding with it, in practice. But then, an endless moment later, he felt under the touch as her disturbed body calmed down, turning her uneven breathes to normal ones. Then the clenched-in fist, gripping on the edge of the blanket, got loose too. Almost an entire minute had elapsed whereof then she returned to consciousness.

"It's okay, it was just a nightmare." Dan informed her, feeling the weight over his made-up human body. Sometimes he wished to tell her everything, but sometimes he could see in a clear mind that not telling her anything technically protected her, and it wasn't a selfish state over keeping her beside him. And there were days, and moments, occasions – just like this was – when Dan hated more what he was, than the girl hated and feared her creator. Maybe once he would be capable to tell her the truth, but those hard days just made him deferring that in the long run unavoidable confession.

The teen's eyes opened up, and Dan slowly took off his hand from her, ceasing the slight glowing. The girl sat up, scarily, looking around in the dark room, and petrified as she spotted a huge darker shadow beside her. "It's okay, it's just me." Dan described, raising up his arms, telling her he didn't mean a threat. "I heard you screaming. It was a nightmare, right? About him?" he asked, not naming the person, knowing that Dani abhorred the man as much that she even hated hearing his name.

The young ghost slowly nodded, pulling up her legs, wrapping her arms around it, but not saying anything, just in silence buried her head into her knees. Even if he managed to grab her out of the horrible picture her mind had created, but surely, she couldn't leave yet the haunting visions behind. For a second Dan was hesitating about what could have been the right way to do. Leave her alone? No, certainly not, not after this. But- For a thought, he even played with the idea to change to his other form, in what she had got to know him, and that was having less resemblance to him – not that Dani had ever noticed it (luckily), but still…

Dan bit his lips, lost again in the self-hatred, but then a soft sniffling got his attention. Damn… then, without any second thought, he sat down beside her on the bed, petrifying the next moment, as not a blink later, two smaller hands hanged around his torso, pressing her head against his chest, over the pulsating vibration she liked so much, especially when she was seeking for comfort. Each of those times filled him with guilt. For her, he was nothing else, just someone who once – a few months earlier – had saved her life. And even if Dan might have mentioned her vaguely he wasn't exactly like his younger self, but she never could have imagined how much he wasn't. Either that, there were times when he looked to her as a possession, never letting her out of his hands…

"Dani…" Dan started, a second later, completely forgetting what he wanted to say, but then the arms around him, squeezed him a bit.

"Please, don't let him find me ever." she asked, begging. Dan shut his eyes closed, swallowing hard on the things the teenager wasn't knowing about him, but then breathed out, putting a hand on her back.

"I won't, ever." he promised, shoving away everything at that moment about Vlad Masters, or about that, he knew very well the man was not anymore in the space – whatever this version of Vlad was doing there thus far… And that, the subject of her nightmares, or lived-through-again past involving that person, was currently kept in a paralysed state in a place perfected by the AxionLab, in cooperation with the Fentons and the Guys in White, and where he just wanted to get in as a ghost expert, watching over him, as soon as Dan had learned that the man was in an available distance.

A/N:

remember the first chapter, when Dan mentioned he later wanted to get a job? well, I already had the idea that time where he would work

also, even if PP was horrible, in many aspects, but if you don't count - or alter - on the details, it might be used, so then, PP happened, Danny didn't reveal himself for the whole world (just his parents later at home), and he either didn't get rid of his ghost part (that was a total bullshit step on that episode...), he just gave up ghost hunting for a while

uh- and tada, I gave the essence of this side-line now I guess

still, it will be only a collection of shorts, not at a straight continuity in chapters as wtph is

oh, and I think I mentioned, many times, but if it wouldn't be clear, Dan doesn't know why Dani doesn't like Vlad much, or why she was living in a warehouse, and technically Dani doesn't know anything about Dan, he just told her he is Danny but older

in case of any question, feel free to take those questions, I'll be glad clearing those :)