(I'm gonna take a bit of a break in writing, so as it was ready, I thought I upload it before that...)

slight little deleted scene from WTPH/15, because it appeared in my mind, but couldn't fit in that due to the length (the chapter was enough long without this to add) and either the atmosphere here is fitting, but I didn't want to delete it, I like very much this short, so here it is now

kind of summary: I had an idea about Dan dealing with something 'human' that he got un-used to, due to the ghost-state and even if he could deal with things, those are just more annoying when he is tired or already frustrated. Then, as I started to write that, it got merged with my other concept, that in fact, Vlad could have an idea why Dan seems familiar – and I am not talking about the real reason…

it has some little recalls from some previous WTPH chapters (1 & 11 & 13), but could be read completely without giving those another read

that might be new: it is connected to CMOT/5 - Certain Moment of Time -, and has a strong recall to that - you don't have to read the rest within CMOT to understand it, overall everything within that could be read independently, but altogether drawing out a whole concept...

Seriously, how could he bring up that many nonsenses? – Dan wondered, drained out even by hearing those assumption-like trains of thoughts… died like this? Jesus… not even talking about 'unstable', he wasn't unstable. He could get this version of Vlad certainly had no idea about the dual signature, but this…

Dan rubbed his brows hard, somehow trying to ward off the headache this all caused, and ran his hand slowly across his face, putting every hope that the longer it would take, the more it would turn out, it was nothing but a joke. Unfortunately, he was aware it wasn't… It was seriously put together as that. And the worse was, that it was believed to be grounded. How on hell was it standing as a fitting conception?!

Dan took in a tired breath, blowing it out and stepping over this- this whatever was, that just had escaped the man's mouth. "Okay…" he let out then, collecting every strength to calculate it as a side note, and on the other hand, it wasn't important at all, it just- it didn't count, not even in the slightest level. He had asked for it, he should have expected another ridiculous brainchild just as when he had been imagined as Danny's human half… yeah, at least that was fun, but this… this just wasn't funny anymore.

As he moved in fine his hand away to somehow relieve this endless annoyance it produced, Dan had to realise something still blocked his vision. In frustration he just pushed away the bunch of dark hair, like shooing away an annoying fly, getting in his field of view, hoping it would make it. But much to his luck, as it fell back with no effect to his movement and visibly refusing to join to the rest at the top of his head, he had to recognise it wouldn't work just simply like that.

"It's not gonna behave as your original one." came a very helpful lecturing to his motion.

"Oh, shut it," Dan exclaimed, trying again, frustrated enough by this intermezzo, not even adding, according to the note his fight was registered. But after the fifth futile attempt, he defeatedly sighed, instead twisting it around his finger and tucking it behind his ear. At which Dan stalled for a moment, frowning at the palpated rounded edge, instead of the used to pointy one, realising by that, actually he hadn't had any time examining from tip to toe his current copied outlook. But as it seemed enough for the current purpose, he rather didn't think about it, only relieving as the misbehaving hair was managed to get captured at the end. Then, it just returned, not even a second later, like it would have been doing it intentionally, only to piss him off, not that he wouldn't have enough things to deal with already… "You gotta be kidding me!"

"I believe, this is the first time you shifted into a human form, unfamiliar with how human hair works."

"This doesn't help at all…" Dan described, facing again with the unbridled opponent "and no, I'm in this form for a few days now, it just wasn't in my damn face until now," he grunted, deciding then to completely redo it. At least, as he ran attentively his fingers through it, collecting it from everywhere then tie it back again, this time a bit upper, keeping the slightly shorter ones too in place, it was willing to cooperate in fine and stay where it was supposed to stay. "What is it now?" Dan snapped at the gazing sight as he finished, meeting with measuring narrowed bright eyes. Undoubtedly, his entire struggling was following eagerly with a constant monitoring, like an animal would have been marked in the zoo, waited by watchers to do something interesting, for a paid show. "It was irritating, I can't concentrate if it's fucking everywhere I look. You know as well as I do." Dan pointed to the look.

"You have some very serious anger issues." was it concluded a second later. That was just fantastic, at first claiming he was a narcissist, now this… another great note and he would really incline to tell from how exactly he got these nice attributes, even before the running program would spill everything.

"Great. Anything else regarding me?" Dan asked instead, not even caring to hide the fretted tone "or are you finished with the unfounded assessing?"

"It's not unfounded."

Dan instantly rolled his eyes, feeling a start of a building up debating and cut in. "Then it's not unfounded either: you're an idiot." to that, the tired blinking was almost expected as the man was staring at him, finger rested on his temple. "I am just saying…" Dan explained to the waiting gaze, as if a parent would have been opened to hear a greatly built up lie from a child after a bad mark (much to say, he didn't like at all that suddenly appeared comparison to the situation) "your idea was based on something blatantly stupid, not even considering the obvious details I cleared before."

"M-hm." came the disagreeing voice. "Just because you are aware of a whole, but don't enlighten others about some significant details to understand a picture, it doesn't lead them, who are not informed about everything you know, consequently an imbecile."

As a second passed, and really it was needed, taking a moment to process the words, Dan let out a wear out groan. As much it sounded entertaining, it was not the best time for the bickering – unfortunately... – even if it had needed a pointing out that the man still wasn't paying any attention to what he had been saying at all. Technically, he had told almost everything, still, he had managed to come up with a total nonsense explanation, he, in Dan put so much faith… it was still a mess to figure out how that concept (or any part of that whole idea) could have been formed in anyone's mind, but right now he didn't want to think about that.

"Okay, I'm not gonna start a theoretical debate with you… how is the running?" Dan asked then, peeking towards the computer screen over the other's shoulder. And indeed, there were many other things that had more importance.

"A few minutes…" was it reported too, as the man got a better sight at the changing percentage.

"Wonderful," Dan commented bitterly, letting unvoiced the addition that it seemed it was even slower than the other's brain. And much to his luck, he knew too, it was rather a lower bound that equalled in truth near to ten minutes… even if it felt like an exaggeration but he really was beyond his endurance now. At least, this was the final part before going back, but damn, he never had thought it would be this hard and challenging, forcing himself to stay somewhat calm and patient with him...

"Actually…"

Dan tilted back his head, counting to five, then turned back to the man. "Spill it."

"I might have another conception. I believe it's less an off-the-scale deduction, more like a theory, and probably not fitting at all, but-"

"Just say it in fine." Dan cut into the presumably pointless rambling about how much ridiculous it could be. After getting he might have been a human half, and after that… he had to re-structurise what he counted as 'ridiculous'. Really, now, nothing could have surprised him even more.

"All right…" the man moved a bit, leaning against the table again and facing him sternly. "You're not Daniel, or at least not entirely."

"What aren't you sa-"

"Let me finish it." a hand got raised up, strictly, to which Dan did his best not to scoff at the interruption, what otherwise would have been very much deserved, but then he just waved, telling the speaker to continue. "Thank you." the man nodded gratefully, clearly neglecting the grimace his note caused. "I heard you at my doorstep… you said Daniel, I would recognise you. I just came to see, you weren't speaking about him, were you?"

Dan opened his mouth, considering to admit he really hadn't meant Danny, but then closed it, remaining in silent. Waiting for the program implemented with his molecular structure would be capable to explain the whole easier than he could be able to phrase it or give out properly, but…

"So I am right." came the deduction from the quietness. "Being away from your younger version… it gives more foundation to that. It confused me. I mean as… you have resemblances to Daniel, much, that's beyond doubt, but there is something else about you, I couldn't understand. Not until now at least. I was misled by the first impression from his attendance as an undeniable comparison. But the longer you are away from Daniel… actually, the less I see from him in you. That's why I asked you too, how long you were at my place in your time. A few months, you say… it's much time, it could lead to adopt some behavioural pattern or to learn some things, to find yourself easily in my lab for example, but-"

"That wouldn't explain the physical similarities." Dan ended the sentence, continuing to the odd expression, "yeah, I know… indeed what a mystery." it more sounded as a mocking, than an actual addition, but-

"You are enjoying this, aren't you?"

Dan arched his eyebrow to the questioning, but smirked at the tone, after all, in a way, it could have been counted as a teasing. "A bit, maybe… okay, actually, yes, I am enjoying it." he admitted, and in real, he was right. It was childish, but- "It's rather because I don't want to freak you out more than necessary." Dan described. "And you'll get it anyway within," for a brief second, he tilted his head towards the computer screen, trying to read the moving ahead progress bar from the distance "within a few minutes… The best I could do until that, to little by little preparing you for it. So, excuse me if I am not throwing the whole right away in your head. Besides, I don't want to tell you everything either. Some details I really want to keep myself if you don't mind." he recalled the many times cleared part about it.

"Like how you ended up at my place."

"Like that, yes." Dan agreeingly nodded. "Or how exactly Danny died," he added then, to the frown on the man's face, elaborated. "That's the last thing I want to tell you, so if you expect that clarification…"

"No, I don't." was suddenly a head shaken heavily. "I think I don't want to know that at all. I think… I think I can't imagine ag-" to the unexpectedly shut off sentence, Dan jerked his head up, confused at the abruptly paled down face. "It's… it's because of that, isn't it?" the murmuring was vaguely understandable only. "I…"

"Because of what?" Dan asked, but it didn't seem like the question reached him. "Masters, because of-" Dan started to ask again, not liking at all how much he seemed crippled at a thought, he knew the broken sight of him and- and he just didn't like it.

"Daniel's ghost side… it must be yet developing, both his teenager body, both his ghostly part, making not yet registerable the changes, the similarities, but you- you are an adult, and- and your outlook… you meant me. You look like me. Not your ghost outlook, because it's more like a final form of Phantom, but your made-up human one, that's- that's unmistakable completely and- oh my god…" got the face buried in the hands, making the rest mumbled and indecipherable.

Dan for a moment halted, floored. He couldn't know about it, right? No, he couldn't put it together. And- and indeed how his creation could have crossed anyone's mind, but then- "Oh." it assembled. 'Because of that…' Dan wasn't sure if he had liked to bring to the light, he knew about that, but- "It's-" he pressed his lips together, regathering the thoughts before he tried again. "Masters… I don't think-" it was now harder than telling Jazz why he had come here… and that was really just admitting and saying aloud 'I need help', not something like that…

For a long, dead second, everything was still and motionless. It was weird and uncomfortable to see what was thought why he must have looked like- looked like (mostly as) him. Because of that… Voicing he was conscious of some highly regretted things due to the 'inherited' memories undeniable would have been painful too, and- it wasn't about that at all either. That was just a slight little contamination, nothing harmful. Yeah, maybe a little bit it was. Just as Danny had been always a sick type until turning a half-ghost, because that part of him hadn't known how to get attached to his human cells, and it was affecting his immune system, but overall… And technically, it had made him survive the electrocution by the Portal, not die instantly from the great flow of ecto-energy that got released by the opening of the gate between the two realms and- there were just so many things to discuss, to once say thank you for, but- but not right now…

"Whatever you think why I look as you, it's… I don't think it's because of the same reason, it really is," Dan said then, swallowing how broken the man seemed as the hand was slowly put down, gasping on a question. "I don't know what you have in mind about the reason, but I am quite sure we are not thinking the same," he repeated, trying to sound convincing like he wouldn't have been aware of the old fear at all… Sadly, Dan knew, once the progress was done, it would become clear he lied now, but until then, it was better to keep everything unwanted information in the shadows (not that the truth wouldn't have been worse than imagining that as the reason…).

and that's how I turn out some 'funny' human things into angst... I'm unchangeable