Undisclosed Summer

by phantasmal-wanderer

Danny was having a great summer in Amity Park, at least the five minutes of it before Vlad convinces his entire family to go to a cabin that his company owns in Gravity Falls, Oregon. Danny is suspicious since he feels paranoid that he's being watched; especially in the forest. When he sees gnomes chasing two kids in a golf cart? Now he knows this place is absolutely abnormal.

4. Chapter 4

A/N: It's been a good few days, huh? Or weeks. Or like, a month, but I'm not really counting. You guys, this is the longest chapter so far, and it's only the next two episodes. It's pretty sick. I didn't really know what to do with the whole 'Dipper Vs. Manliness' thing, so I put it kind of sorta short. I don't know if you guys even knew that was Bill in the last chapter when Danny was looking through the seeing stone thing, but no one mentioned it. That must mean I'm doing something right/wrong, I don't know which.

You guys wanted it, and so here it is! I mean what's in the chapter, not the update itself. But hey, I guess the update too if you want to see it like that. This is a no spoiler section, and so no spoils will be given.

I can just say that I really like picking on Danny.

That's the only hint you'll get.

Seriously.

Disclaimer: I don't own Danny Phantom or Gravity Falls.

---

That morning seemed to be brighter than usual. The teen stretched as he woke up and opened his eyes slowly. He looked to the right of his bed and looked to see if his sister was there. To his surprise, she was. He blinked slowly and sat up, "Jazz?" He asked groggily from his sleepy stupor. "You're here?" He asked again, drawing the teen girl from her book. He wanted to know if he was still dreaming. After all, the last time he had encountered his sister, she wasn't too keen on staying around him.

She glanced over at her brother and smiled, "Danny," she addressed as she stared into his confused eyes and her smile fell, "About yesterday…" She trailed as she placed the book down, "I didn't mean those things I said," she admitted as she let out a sigh, "I was just…" She mumbled as she shook her head, "Jumbled up with my emotions."

"Well, it's happened before," Danny stated with a shrug as he pulled his comforter off of him. Jazz looked at him and narrowed her eyes at the younger half ghost. She knew that Danny didn't understand that what she had done wasn't okay.

"It shouldn't!" Jazz yelled, clutching the book in her hands tightly, making her knuckles white, "I was being weak…" She whispered, looking down at her book. She stared at the letters, but didn't take it in. She was too caught up in her thoughts to read at the moment. She decided that the book would be easier to look at than her own brother. How easily he had accepted her when she knew she wasn't worth it. The guilt was practically eating her alive, and she couldn't keep it in anymore. She needed to tell her brother what had happened, no matter what happened. "I let Vlad…" She mouthed, but didn't say.

Danny let out a sigh, "You didn't mean what you said, I know you didn't," he mused as he stood up and walked over to her bedside, "I know you have your reasons for doing things, Jazz, you aren't stupid," he complimented with a sincere smile.

Jazz looked up at him with wide eyes, "Vlad is planning something, and I don't know what it exactly is," she stated, making the teen nod in understanding, "He wanted you to be completely alone," she admitted in a soft tone.

"And he threatened you," Danny added with a stern tone, trying to figure out her actions. He had an idea, but it was never confirmed. He thought that the older halfa had threatened his sister, and she complied with his demands to protect the family.

"Yeah," Jazz nodded as she clutched her upper arm for comfort, "I couldn't stand it, Danny…" She mumbled, "The hurt in your eyes when I tried to keep you away from me," she said, looking up at her brother once again, "I couldn't keep hurting you like that. I'm your sister, I'm supposed to protect you," she stated in a broken-like tone.

Danny placed a hand on her shoulder, "I'm the hero here, Jazz, I thought that was my job?" He asked sarcastically with a teasing grin.

Jazz placed her hand on her brother's and smiled sadly, "He really did threaten me, Danny…" She whispered, clutching his hand tightly for protection, "I've never seen him look so…" She trailed as she let a few tears roll down her cheeks in fear, "Evil," she hissed out, as if it was caught in her throat. "He was in my face, his hands digging into my arms…" She shook her head, "He said if I tried to tell you what happened, he would know. He said to stay away from you or I'd be putting my dad's life at risk…" She vented out, on the verge of having an outburst.

"Whoa, wait…" Danny trailed as he kneeled down so he would be on her eyelevel, "What happened? The threat?" He questioned. Jazz shook her head and Danny's eyebrows furrowed in confusion, "What happened, Jazz?" He pressured.

"He overshadowed you," She whispered into his ear so softly that Danny barely caught it. His eyes grew wide as he pulled away, as if the girl's words were weapons. He stared into her eyes and then blinked.

Rage suddenly overcame the teen as he stood up with a glare, "I didn't even know you could do that!" He yelled, about to storm out of the room to knock some sense into the older half ghost, "That – That's just-!" He began to yell, but was pulled back by his sister's hand. He looked back at his sister in confusion at why she had stopped him.

"He can't know that I told you," Jazz pleaded, "Please, you have to keep it a secret," she said, her voice almost cracking, "I know you're the hero, and you'll do what you can," she nodded, letting go of her hand and settled it in front of her. She stared blankly at the book once again; lost in her thoughts. Danny looked at her and started to walk over to her.

"Do you want me to stay with you?" Danny asked, unsure if he should leave his emotionally unstable sister by herself. She shook her head firmly, not wanting to push her voice. She thought that she would crack under the pressure she was currently in. "Okay, I'll pretend this talk never happened," he said sternly, turning around and closing his eyes.

Jazz gasped, "No!" She yelled, tears rolling down her face, "I can't go back to ignoring you, I just can't, Danny!" She yelled, "That's hurting you! That's rejecting you!" She yelled, about to run up to her brother.

Danny's eyes opened up, widening in recognition, "So, that's his game," he said with scorn as he shook his head, "Jazz, I'm the hero, remember?" He asked. Jazz stopped trying to get to her brother as she only stared up at him, "Trust me," he said, not trusting his own strong façade to turn and look his sister in the eyes. He opened the door and took a step out, closing it behind him. He leaned against it and let out a sigh, he heard Jazz's sobs from beyond the door.

"I trust you," Jazz whispered. Danny felt his heart tighten at her response and felt like he wanted to break down himself. He let out a breath and stood up from the door and started to walk down the hallway.

"What am I going to do by myself? I've always had Jazz, Sam, or Tuck help me out!" Danny hissed out as he scratched his head in frustration. "I'm completely alone here!" He yelled in a hushed whisper, making his way to the steps, "But that's exactly how Vlad wants me," he realized in a low tone, piecing the pieces the older halfa left behind.

As he made his way down the steps, he began to think on his next course of action. How was he going to protect his family from this madman? He glanced at the time and noticed it was one thirty. "I have to go see Dipper…" He trailed, remembering his appointment set up from the previous night, "Dipper!" He yelled with a grin, "He's an unaccounted variable in the equation that Vlad didn't account for!" He thought out loud. He frowned, "Well, Lancer would be proud of my extensive vocabulary," he mumbled, turning himself intangible, happy that his ghost powers were back, and made his way to the Mystery Shack.

---

"So you were turned into a hybrid when you walked into the portal?" Dipper questioned, making small notes into his notepad. He grinned as he looked over at his friend, expecting the answer. Finding information about the supernatural and/or paranormal was a real treat to the boy. He liked to peel things apart and finding out how they worked. Danny was an excellent example of this. That, and he really found it cool how he was practically a super hero. He was a little envious about that, but pushed the thought to the back of his head.

"Yeah," Danny answered sheepishly, rubbing the back of his neck. He thought he would get used to talking about his experience, but every time he remembered it, he would still feel the intense shock of lightning. The sudden color of purple and green flooding his vision. The ecto-plasm merging with his DNA forcefully. "My dad installed the 'on' switch on the inside."

Dipper rose an eyebrow, "Really?" He asked as he started to write down the testimony in the notepad, "Okay, we have the origins of 'Phantom'," he said with a grin. Danny let out a sigh of relief, "Now onto the ghost powers section!" He mused in excitement, turning a page in his notepad as well as clicking his pen excessively. He couldn't contain his excitement and clicking his pen was the best way to relieve so of the energy that had built inside of him.

Danny leaned back in his seat and crossed his arms, "Flying, intangibility, becoming invisible, ecto-blasts, ecto-shields-

"Whoa, wait!" Dipper yelled out as he stuck his tongue out in concentration, writing what Danny was saying to the best of his capabilities and as quickly as possible, "Ecto-blasts, and what else?" He asked as he looked up at him.

"Ecto-shields, overshadowing, ghostly wail, ice powers, and enhanced physical capabilities," Danny finished as he rolled his eyes, "Are we done now?" He asked, a little impatient that they were still talking about him.

Dipper nodded as he finished his notes, "I just have a little question," he asked, making Danny look up, "How do you stop a ghost?" He asked, Danny bit his lower lip, and Dipper could read what the teen was thinking, "I wouldn't try to stop you, Danny!" He yelled in a defensive manner, "I just…That ghost in the forest seemed strong."

Danny glanced at the boy in front of him with a smile, "You won't need to handle him, I have it completely under control," he stated in a calm manner, trying to put the boy to ease. His response had the opposite effect.

"Did you have it under control when you were in the forest?" Dipper asked suddenly, making Danny's smile immediately fade from his face. "You got an ecto-blast through the shoulder and the leg…" Dipper stated in a lighter tone, remembering the incident. Remembering the exact look that was on his friend's face; how pained he was, both mentally and physically. Danny looked down, knowing that he didn't have what it took to defeat Plasmius on his own. How could he when the older half ghost used dirty tricks and blackmail to render his powerless?

"You bring up a good point, Dipper," Danny said as he stood up from his chair, "But my powers weren't working then," he said as he held out his hand, "Something about an obsession…" Danny mumbled as he shook his head, "But my powers are working now!" He mused with a grin as he tried to form an ecto-blast, but found that he couldn't.

Dipper looked at the teen's empty hand and rose his eyebrows, "Is – Is that supposed to be a joke?" He asked, unsure whether to laugh or be slightly concerned for his super powered friend.

Danny's smile faded, "What? It's supposed to work!" He yelled as he shook out his hand and tried to concentrate on making an ecto-blast again. He held it out in the air for a few more seconds, still trying to form his power. Dipper looked on at how hard his friend was concentrating and shook his head.

"So, it isn't a joke…" Dipper trailed as he stood up from his chair, "Didn't you fly over here?" He asked, trying to help his friend decipher the mystery on why his powers were malfunctioning.

"Yeah, so why isn't it working?" He asked himself angrily, "I just used my powers a half hour ago!" He complained as he placed his hand back down. "Okay, Dipper, you have a point," he said in defeat. Dipper let out a smile at being right about something, "We need a contingency plan for if I fail," he stated, eyeing the boy in front of him, "Do you think you can help me out?" He asked in a small grin.

Dipper nodded his head and let out a small squeak, "O-OF course I'll help out a super hero!" He yelled as he couldn't contain his excitement. He started jumping up and down subconsciously, and Danny rose his eyebrows. Dipper cleared his throat and shook out his feet, "Stay cool!" He coughed under his breath, containing his emotions in a few seconds, "So, what should our plan be?" He asked, getting straight to the point.

Danny ran a hand through his hair, "My parents have ghost hunting equipment blueprints, but they didn't bring them with…" He trailed as Dipper was looking at him in confusion, "They battle ghosts and one of their equipment can contain a ghost. It's called the Fenton Thermos."

"Because they fight alongside you, right?" Dipper asked, not noticing how Danny grew tense at the question, "Because you're a super hero?" He asked, nodding.

"Er, something like that," Danny struggled to get out, "Anyway, the thermos traps a ghost, and if we can get that, we can trap Plasmius in there," he strategized, "That way he won't hurt anyone," he concluded with his battle plan.

Dipper nodded in agreement with the plan, "Out of curiosity, where is this thermos?" He asked, making Danny let out a sigh, "Back at your town, isn't it?" He asked dryly. Danny nodded in response as his form slumped, "What do we do now?" He asked.

Danny shrugged, "I don't know…" He trailed as he shook his head, "But if things keep going this way, then I might not…" He choked on the words, trying to calm down himself, "Plasmius wants me to join him, and he wants me to submit to him by hurting my family," he stated in a low tone.

"What?" Dipper asked, "That's crazy! How are we going to stop him?!" He practically screamed.

"We can't," Danny responded in a grave manner, "But if I do 'go dark-side'," Danny said as he shook his head, "You have to promise to stop me, Dipper," he stated, looking directly into Dipper's eyes.

The boy took a step back and placed his hands in front of him, "I-I can't do that, Danny, you're my friend!" He argued.

Danny let out a frustrated groan, "If I start attacking you because Plasmius orders me to, what will you do then?" He asked, making Dipper freeze up, "You need to take me out, Dipper, and I know just how you can do that," he said as he placed his hand out towards the teen, "Let me see your notebook," he ordered lightly.

"Okay…" Dipper said in an unsure manner, but did as the younger half ghost asked of him, "What are you-?" He began to ask as Danny had started to write down a few things. He gave the boy the notebook not saying a word. Dipper glanced at the notebook and let out a gasp, "Danny! I'm not going to do that!" He yelled, "There's no way that I could do this…" He trailed darkly, his head down.

"You have to promise me, Dipper," Danny repeated, making the boy look up at him, "I can't stop Plasmius on my own, but I need to know that I'm not alone," he said as he looked in his eyes once again. "I don't have my friends to back me up, and I don't have my sister either."

Dipper simply nodded, "I promise that I'll be your failsafe," he stated with slight regret, "You can depend on me."

Danny smiled at him, "Thanks, Dipper, I knew I could count on you," he stated.

"Hey, Dipper!" A girl's voice called as she ran outside on the front porch, "I've decided that I'm going on break, you want to come mess up the town with us?"

"Wendy!" Dipper yelled, immediately brought out of the dire situation he was suddenly put into. He looked up and quickly put his notebook away. A red haired teenager appeared as she walked from the gift shop to the main house entrance. She had a smile on her face, "Us?" Dipper asked as Wendy pointed to the vehicle making its way through the trees.

"Also, Mabel wanted to come with," she said as Mabel appeared behind her with a grin. She wagged her arms in the air, letting the ends of her sweater dangle as she held her hand up.

Mabel noticed Danny and waved excitedly over at him, "Danny!" She yelled with a slight blush, running over to him and embracing him in a hug, "I didn't know you were here!" She yelled with a grin, looking up at him.

Danny chuckled nervously, "Just got here, Mabel," he stated as Mabel pulled away from him, "I'll let you guys have fun on your way to town," he said as he started to walk away.

"Danny! You have to come with us!" Mabel yelled in protest, flinging her arms up and down, "I like it when you're around us!" She argued with a pout, she looked over at Wendy, "Can Danny come with us? Please! Pretty please!" She pleaded.

"Uhh," Wendy said as she darted her eyes at the teen boy and then over at the car filled with teens, "Sure, get over here, man!" She yelled as Danny glanced over at them.

He looked over at Dipper, who ushered him to come back over to the shack which was unnoticeable to the group, "Okay, but only for a little bit," he answered, walking back over to the shack with a small grin. Mabel cheered and started muttering things about a summer romance blossoming. "I'm Danny," he introduced to Wendy.

The red headed teen nodded, "Wendy," she responded back, "Now, let's get going you losers! We're wasting daylight!" She yelled as she started to run to the car.

---

"When I said little bit…" Danny trailed as they approached a chain link fence, "I did not mean all day," he muttered under his breath. He eyed the 'all trespassers will be dead' sign and rose an eyebrow. He found that it was odd that a sign would be there, but decided that it must have been the local teenagers messing with the public.

"Thanks for coming, man," Dipper said from beside him, "I feel more comfortable with you around. Helps me fit in, you know?" He asked with a sheepish grin.

Danny rolled his eyes at the boy's logic, "Do you guys really have nothing else to do than go to an abandoned convenience store at night?" He asked rhetorically.

Wendy placed a sturdy hand on his shoulder with a grin, "Pretty much," she answered with a smile, "I take it you're not from around Gravity Falls?" She asked, making slight conversation.

"No, Amity Park," Danny answered, "But if it's one thing both places have in common, it's weird names," he teased, making Wendy start to chuckle.

"You're a riot, Danny!" Wendy stated as she placed her hand off of him, "Why haven't I met you before?" She asked before diverting her attention to the fence in front of her.

Dipper started to growl from beside Danny, and he glanced over, "I'm not into her, you know," Danny stated, knowing that the boy was getting jealous.

The boy crossed his arms, "What – I didn't – You can do what you want!" He yelled as he looked away from the teen. Danny rolled his eyes in response and walked over to the fence, grabbing onto it with a sturdy hand.

"I kind of like someone already, Dipper," Danny said with a small smile. Dipper looked over at his friend with a small smile as well, "She has these beautiful eyes and…" He started to describe her but then shook his head, "You know what? Let's just go," he concluded.

"Right behind you, Danny!" Dipper said as he started to climb. Danny had reached the top of the fence and placed his legs over so they were dangling. Dipper was beside him and just sat at the top, "I can do this," he mumbled under his breath.

Danny rose an eyebrow, "If you need help-

Dipper glared at him, "I'm not a kid, I don't need help!" He snapped at his friend. Danny frowned before jumping off of the fence and landing on his feet. "Show off," Dipper mumbled as he tried to place his footing back into the fence. He knew he couldn't jump like Danny could, he didn't have any powers.

"Come on! Your sister did it!" Came one teen from below.

"Just – Just a second!" Dipper yelled, trying to overcome his fear. He was scared of jumping from high places, sue him. "Um…The wire is just a little slippery!" He came up with a reasonable excuse.

Robbie, one of the teenagers, rolled his eyes, "Let's just leave the kid, already," he mumbled, placing his hands in his pockets. He started to walk to the store, the teenagers following him. Mabel and Danny looked up at Dipper.

Dipper was really struggling and Danny knew it was a bad idea to leave him up there, "I'll go up there," Danny told to Mabel, who nodded in response.

"I'm fine! Look, I got my foot in the hole!" Dipper yelled as Danny started to climb back up the fence. Dipper felt confident enough to place his other foot in the hold. When he was about to climb down, he noticed that there was a silhouette of a red eyed man staring back at him. Dipper's eyes widened and then felt himself being pushed back. He didn't have time to be shocked or scared, he just felt frozen.

"Dipper!" Danny yelled as he watched his friend's falling form. He couldn't jump off the fence in time to catch him, and looked down below in hopes that he would land on his feet.

Mabel grinned, "I got you, bro bro!" She yelled, outstretching her arms. Dipper fell into her open arms, bringing the both of them colliding to the ground. Danny jumped off the fence immediately and ran over to where they were.

"Are you guys okay?" He asked in a concerned tone.

"Great," Dipper groaned out in a pained breath from the fall, bringing himself up to his feet. Mabel stood up with a grin, patting off the excess dirt and dust from her outfit, "I think something pushed me."

Mabel chuckled, "Or you just fell," she reasoned with a shrug, "Because you're so lame!" She yelled in a teasing manner. Dipper, however, didn't find the predicament in the least bit funny.

Dipper growled, "I'm serious, Mabel!" He argued and then he shook his head, putting the matter behind him, "Let's just go catch up to the rest of them," he said, hurrying his pace so he wouldn't be running, but not be normally walking. Mabel glanced at Danny, who was staring up at the fence.

"You coming?" Mabel asked with a small smile. She then let out a chuckle, "Trying to find Dip's coolness up there?" She joked again, liking that she was more athletic than her brother.

"Yeah," Danny answered, ignoring second part to the girl's question and drew his attention away from the fence, "I guess Dipper did just slip," he reasoned as they started to walk over to the group. After all, the younger half ghost didn't see or feel anything.

Robbie started to pull on the closed doors and narrowed his eyes at them, "Yeah, this thing isn't budging," he reasoned with a huff. He noticed Wendy's frown, along with the bored expressions of the teenagers before him. He stepped out of the way and was about to recommend they bust into something else, when Dipper walked forward.

The boy rotated his arm with a smile, "Hey, let me try to get it open," he suggested, making Robbie glared at the boy as he crossed his arms.

"Sure, I can't do it, but I'm sure a boy half the size of me can get it open," Robbie scoffed, rolling his eyes at the absurd notion that a twelve year old boy could open it up. "Be my guest," he offered in an uninterested tone, moving out of the way so the boy could try to open it.

"Maybe it's just the tactic you were using," Danny said, making the attention go to him. Dipper was looking unsure of himself and started to lose confidence in himself, "He's smarter than you give him credit for," he said with a shrug.

Robbie glared at him and took a step towards him in a challenging manner, "Yeah, a twelve year old being smarter than me!" He snorted as he fisted his hands in rage at the accusation, "Like that'll happen…" He trailed, eyeing the young half ghost in front of him.

Danny chuckled, "Seems to be like it already has…" Danny mumbled under his breath, yet loud enough for the teen in front of him to deliberately hear it, "Did I voice that out loud?" Danny asked rhetorically with a smirk, making Robbie growl in frustration and taking a step over to the young halfa.

"Robbie, lay off!" Wendy accosted as she pushed him back, away from Danny, "Seriously, you're acting like a jerk!" She yelled, glaring at the teen in front of her. Robbie scowled and looked away.

"Whatever…" He mumbled, trying to act like it didn't bother him to be beaten by another teen, "Where is the kid, anyway?" He asked, making the rest of the teenagers look around the area for Dipper.

Wendy furrowed her eyebrows in confusion, "Dipper?!" She yelled, cupping her hands around her mouth, "Where you at, little dude?" She called out again. A glass door creaked open, alerting everyone to the front entrance of the door. An old bell at the top of the store rang out, "No way, man, how did you get it open?" Wendy asked in excitement.

Dipper let out a genuine smile, holding the door proudly open, "I used my brain," he said, the teenagers passing by him, each eager to explore the store in front of them that seemed to be lost to history. "After you," he said to Robbie when he started to go through it.

"Whatever, man!" Robbie complained under his breath before entering the store with his held down in defeat. Dipper watched him enter and couldn't help but feel some pride at outwitting him and finding a solution to the problem. Mabel knew that she couldn't have gotten that door open the same way that her brother had, but she pushed it to the side.

"See?" Danny asked as he walked into the store with Mabel beside him, "I spoke nothing but the truth," he stated with a grin.

Dipper nodded proudly before he slowly closed the door, "Thanks for sticking up for me back there," he whispered with a small smile, "And for winning over Robbie."

Danny waved off the thanks, "You're the one that proved yourself, Dipper," he said.

"You're the coolest brother!" Mabel complimented, decided that she should give credit where credit was do. She then grabbed Danny's hand and led him into the store, "I wonder if they still have that candy…" She mumbled as she looked over at Danny with a grin, "You gotta try some of this candy if we can find it!"

"Wouldn't it be a little over expired?" Danny asked in a weak voice, trying not to think about potentially eating expired candy. As soon as the glass door closed, Danny's ghost sense went off. He perked his head up and looked around the area, it was as if they had entered another dimension of sorts. "I don't think we should be here," he said, trying to find the rest of the teenagers. After all, how could he protect them all if they were scattered about the store? He started to pull away from Mabel, but the young girl pulled him back a little possessively.

The young half ghost looked over at the girl with a confused expression, and Mabel let out a laugh, "It's not as if the store said it was closed!" She reasoned, "The sign still said 'open'!" She argued with a grin. "We can so totally be here!" She added, not wanting the teen to leave her. The lights had turned on, making Danny become fully alert now as he quickly scanned the area. There wasn't a sign of ghost activity yet, but he had to be on the lookout. He also need to protect the people in the store, should anything happen out of the ordinary. Danny knew, at this point of his stay in Gravity Falls, that the unordinary was usually the ordinary. Good thing for him that his ordinary was ghosts, and that's why he was prepared to deal with it.

Danny nodded, deciding to agree with the girl so she would drop the matter. After all, they were already inside, and he knew he would be able to convince his company that they should leave, especially when they had all just arrived at the location. He tightened his hold on Mabel's hand, "Just stay close to me, alright?" He asked, completely oblivious to the blush that was the girl's face. He was unaware of her blossoming feelings towards him and instead was more concerned about the potential ghost attack.

"I will never let go," Mabel whispered with large eyes and in a dreamy-like tone.

---

"You should really watch how many of those you eat, Mabel," Danny advised in a passive manner, watching the intake of the expired candy that the girl was eating.

"I've only had five!" Mabel responded in a drunken slur, "You can't tell me when I've had enough!" She yelled, spit flying out of her mouth making Danny rose an eyebrow in response, "What are you? A ninny?" She asked as she started to chuckle at her own joke.

Danny slowly glanced away to assess where the other teenagers were, "Dipper!" He yelled when he spotted the kid dropping a bag of ice, "Are you okay?" He asked, standing up from his spot next to Mabel and walking over to his friend.

Dipper looked shaken up as he calmed his shaking hands, "What? I didn't see a ghost!" He yelled, making Danny's eyes narrow in response.

"I didn't ask if you've seen a ghost…" Danny trailed and paused for a moment, "Did you see a ghost?"

"I miiight have seen a ghost," Dipper stated slowly, "We should probably get out of here," he advised, running to where the rest of the teenagers were. Danny nodded and started to walk over to where Mabel was.

As he approached the girl, she was in a coma-like state with candy surging out of her mouth, "Mabel!" He yelled, leaning down and shaking her shoulders, "Mabel, are you okay?" He asked in a quiet tone.

She twitched her body and chuckled, "Ynnad, er'uoy ytterp htiw eithw riah!" She mused before she started to stare into space with her tongue hanging out. Danny didn't understand what she had said to him, and peered into her overly-dilated eyes in attempt to understand.

"What…?" Danny started to ask, but was then alerted to a maniacal laughing at the front of the store. He examined Mabel and found that she now had a smile on her face, as if she were day-dreaming. The young halfa had concerns about leaving her there, but knew that he was needed for the inescapable ghost attack that was about to happen. He quickly stood up and ran to where the commotion was coming from. He noticed that Dipper had decided to lay in the outline of where somebody had died. The young halfa wanted to face palm at that moment, this kid would be the death of him. "Everyone, scatter!" He ordered, making every teenager run to a different corner of the abandoned convenience store.

"Danny!" Dipper yelled as he ran into an aisle, narrowly being blasted by a rage filled ghost. He skidded next to Danny, who was trying to focus on an ecto-blast. "Your powers still aren't working?" He asked in alarm, his heartbeat slowing down steadily in fear.

Danny let out a growl before shaking out his hand in rage, "No," he hissed out, "Got any plans?" He asked, Dipper pulling out his journal in the process. The convenience store items were being tossed about, and Danny edged closer to the aisle he was hiding against to avoid getting hit in the face with a bag of chips.

"There's a section on ghosts, but I don't know what it means!" He yelled, trying to rearrange the lettering on the page for it to form sentences. "It's written in some kind of code or something!" He yelled, feeling the pressure that was on him.

"Can you decipher it?" Danny asked, shielding the boy next to him from a wild cereal box being thrown with his own body. It had hurt since it was being thrown at a fast velocity, but he knew that it was better that he had taken the hit than the boy sitting next to him.

Dipper pushed a hand through his hair, the stress taking a small toll on him, "I-It's going to take some time, can you stall them?" He asked, taking out a pen and making his way through the inner puzzle that was in the journal, "They're ghosts, they'll know you, right?"

Danny let out a nervous chuckle, "I'm not really that well-liked by most ghosts…" He admitted, making Dipper's eyes grow wide in disbelief and hopelessness, "Calm down!" Danny said as he slowly stood up, "I'll see what I can do," he said in a strong resolve.

"You'll all die here!" Yelled the husband ghost as he summoned a torrent of wind around himself, "All of you blasted teenagers!" He promised with a booming chuckle. The wife didn't say anything, but proceeded to throw objects around the store.

"Hey!" Danny yelled, running over to the front of the store.

Robbie looked at Wendy with wide eyes, "What the hell is he doing?!" He yelled, making Wendy shrug her shoulders in response, "He's your friend!" He yelled over the wind, and Wendy stopped looking at the teen next to her and looked at the young halfa that was approaching imminent death. She rose an eyebrow at this and thought that the teen was brave.

Danny now had the two ghosts attention, the wife and the husband both staring at him, "Uh, hey there!" He greeted awkwardly. He was trying to come off as peaceful, but he knew his reputation in the ghost zone was either hit or miss with the natives. "You two look great tonight!" He complimented, running out of ways to stall. He inwardly cringed at that statement, even to him it sounded lame.

"You!" The husband yelled, getting into the face of the young half ghost, "I know you," he stated, the wind dying down significantly. The teens all started to edge closer to the front of the store, trying to get a peek at what was going down. "The ghost that defeated Pariah Dark!"

"I don't know, he's still a teenager…" The wife remarked, making the husband looked over at her, "But he did save the entire afterlife from that accursed man!" She lectured, shaking her head.

Danny looked uneasily at the husband and then the wife. He knew he was an open target out in the open, and with no ghost powers, he couldn't defend himself, "Right! Uh, well, I have a small favor to ask!" He yelled, gaining the duo's attention. "Do you think you could open those doors for me?" He asked, gesturing towards the entrance with his thumb, "It would really help me out," he admitted with a small smile.

The husband chuckled, reverting to his human form, "You seem like a nice lad," he remarked, snapping his fingers, making the door open. Danny felt relief flow through him, "How could I say no to the Ghost Zone's savior?" He asked as he shook his head.

"Let's get out of here!" Yelled Robbie as he started to run towards the exit, only for the husband to turn into his ghostly form once more, the wind picking up immediately.

"You will not leave, human!" The husband yelled, his hand glowing a vibrant blue and targeted the teen that was running towards the exit.

Danny let out a growl, "Seriously!" He yelled sarcastically under his breath, "Dipper, you better figure this out!" He yelled over the wind so that the boy would hear him. With a strong resolve, he jumped into the line of fire of the ghost and got transported into another place.

---

"Okay…That didn't feel like any ghost attack I've ever felt," Danny mused, looking over at the vast empty darkness that he was trapped in, "Hello?" He asked as he stood up slowly. He felt a poke on his shoulder and he looked over to where he thought it was coming from.

Nothing.

"Hello?" He asked again, frustration coming to him. He felt another poke on his other shoulder, making him turn around again to see who was touching him.

Nothing.

A chuckling echoed around the area. Danny was immediately put on edge from the laugh and narrowed his eyes through the darkness, "Where are you?" He demanded, placing his hand out and an ecto-blast came to him. "Sure, now you work," the teen grumbled under his breath. The ecto-blast was enough to light up the area, but it was still shrouded in a thick, heavy darkness.

"Well, well, well, look who got sent to the dreamscape!" Yelled a male's voice that seemed to have a slight echo to it. The teen tried to pinpoint to where it was coming from, but found that the vast darkness was limitless. "A one way ticket?!" He asked, more to himself than Danny.

"Why don't you show yourself!" Danny yelled in a teasing manner, "Talking to the darkness isn't as fun to me as it is to you," he retorted.

The voice simply chuckled, "Maybe I'll wait a year before showing myself to you!" He yelled, "Keep you in the dark!" He yelled, making a pun before he cackled from his own joke. The young halfa knew that the thing that was talking to him wasn't going to make things easy. He growled and lifted his hand to where he thought the voice was coming from.

Danny fired a few ecto-blasts, trying to attack the being around him, "You're about as funny as a toaster!" He insulted with a roll of his eyes. "What is the dreamscape, anyways?" Danny asked with a glare. "A place where you go when you dream?"

"For a kid, I've got to hand it to you," He said, a golden hand appeared in the vast emptiness. Strange enough, it had a brilliant golden light to it, and Danny thought that it was a little odd that it could give off such a light when his ecto-blast could barely light up the area around him. Yet, the hand was a few feet away, and lit up a small area. Danny couldn't help but think that the thing that was talking to him was in control of wherever he had ended up in. "You're catching on quick!" He mused. "What should I call you, Phantom or Fenton?! Hah!" He asked as he started to chuckle again.

"Who are you?" Danny demanded, wondering who knew that much about him aside from the obvious choices, "How do you know me?"

The hand disappeared, and with it, the light, "I know lots of things, kid!" He yelled as the darkness started to recede, making Danny look underneath him. A space started to appear below him, along with stars and various objects of knowledge; such as books and images of snakes. As soon as this area appeared, his ecto-blast immediately died out, making the teen suddenly on edge about the being. An hourglass appeared a split second later, along with a chess board. "Care for a game?!"

Danny eyed the chess set and immediately thought of Vlad, "Chess isn't my thing," he hissed out, glaring at the strategy game.

"That's too bad! Hey! You like 'go fish'!?" He yelled as the chess set shifted to a simple pile of cards. Danny immediately froze up at the sight of it. It was the exact cards that he had used to win back his freedom from Vlad. He knew it wasn't a coincidence, "Let's go a few rounds, huh, Casper?!"

"You've been spying on me…" Danny mumbled, "How? Who are you?" He asked, not piecing the pieces together. He'd imagine that if Dipper were here, he would be able to solve it. Or Jazz.

There was a white full moon that appeared in front of Danny, blinding him with the sudden light. He shielded his eyes with a hand over his eyes. A black line started to appear over the moon and slid into the middle, along with a sudden cackle of laughter, "Me?! I'm-!"

---

"Danny!" Dipper yelled as he rushed over to where his friend had materialized out of thin air, "Are you okay? Where did you go?" He asked, shaking his body slightly. The teen opened his eyes and found that he had a pounding pain in his head.

The young half ghost groaned as he sat up, clutching his head, "Dipper…?" He asked slowly, looking around the area to find the teenagers gathered around him, "Is everyone okay?" He asked, a throbbing headache forming in his brain.

Robbie walked over to him with a small smile, "I don't know what to say, man, but you saved my life," he said as he looked away, "So…Thanks…" He mumbled, "You're pretty cool," he stated before he started to walk out of the convenience store. Danny watched him leave, and the rest of the teenagers followed suit. Wendy glanced back at him and gave him a small gentle smile before leaving. The young halfa found that he was completely out of it, and he couldn't think in coherent thoughts. He opened his mouth to speak, but words wouldn't form. It was as if he had been completely drained.

"Danny, seriously, are you okay?" Dipper asked, drawing the young halfa's attention back to him, "You disappeared, man!"

"I…" Danny said as he placed a hand on his head, "I don't remember…" He mumbled as a pulsing pain went through him. Dipper helped him up, though Danny weight was mostly on him. The teenager was out of it, "How did you…Beat them?" He asked, placing his hand on his head with a hiss, "Where's…Mabel?" He asked, taking a long pause before each word.

Dipper glanced to the ground, "Uhh, that's not important!" He yelled quickly, "Mabel's alright, just taking a small nap outside the store. I have to help you get out of here, hand on," he ordered, helping his friend though the front entrance, "You should probably spend the night at the shack tonight," he suggested. "You seem seriously out of it," he said in concern. As soon as they were outside, they heard a scoff.

"That will not be necessary," Vlad said as he walked over to where the two of them were. "And before you ask, Daniel is my responsibility. When he didn't return home, I was simply devastated and went out to look for my dear nephew," the older halfa said with a chilling smile. Dipper looked over at the man and knew he was spouting out lies. He knew there was something off about the man, and he was so close to solving it.

Danny looked up at him and narrowed his eyes, trying to see the man clearly, only for him to see triple vision of everything, "I don't want to go with you," he said suddenly, making Dipper look over at him in worry.

Vlad glanced at the teen with an indescribable expression and rolled his eyes, "Give Daniel to me, he is not in his right mind," he stated, walking over to where the drowsy teen was with his arms opened slightly.

"I don't…" Danny struggled to say, but a pulsing pain erupted through his head and he let out a hiss, "At least I didn't wet the bed until I was five!" He yelled suddenly in a coherent sentence and in a high pitched voice.

The trio was quiet as Danny suddenly let out another hiss, "Stop hurting!" He yelled, placing a hand to his head and shut his eyes. Dipper lost his hold on his friend and he began to fall. The boy let out a gasp and scrambled to gain his friend's body, only for Vlad to catch him swiftly by the teen's elbows and slung him over his shoulder carelessly, "In the seventh grade you cheated on a math test, and you cheated off of Mary Young!" He yelled suddenly before letting out another hiss.

Dipper moved to go to his friend, but Vlad held a hand up to stop him, "Let me care for Daniel. I'll give you and your…" He trailed at the sleeping form against the store, "Dear sister, a ride back to your residence," he stated, walking to where his car was. Danny saw Dipper since he was slung over the man's shoulder.

"Your freshman year of college you stole pure Boron and tossed it into the school's fountain!" Danny yelled suddenly before another hiss of pain escaped him. The teen glanced at Dipper and mouthed the words 'Help me'.

"Maybe Danny should spend the night at my place?" Dipper asked again, he scooped his twin sister in his arms and walked over to where the man had stopped walking, "I mean, we're pretty close, and he was supposed to spend the night anyways."

Vlad glanced back at the boy with a deathly gaze, "Daniel must have bumped his head having too much fun. This is what is known as a concussion, boy," Vlad lectured in a demeaning tone, Dipper narrowed his eyes at the man before him.

"If he does have one," Dipper started, "And I know what that is, for your information," he added haughtily, not liking when someone thinks lowly of him, "Why are you holding him like that?" He asked.

"You're trying my nerves, Pines," Vlad threatened slightly, "I must get Daniel to bed, he needs to rest, as should you," Vlad stated, opening up his car door, almost throwing Danny into it, "Get in, it is quite late."

Dipper sighed dejectedly, "Sorry, Danny, I tried," he mumbled before setting his own sister in the car gently and getting in.

---

"Daniel, these nightly adventures will be stopped immediately," Vlad lectured him from the front seat of the car. Danny was in the back, and had an ice-cube that he had materialized for his head to help soothe the pain. He had gotten better with time, yet he still didn't know where those spurts of information had come from.

"You're not my dad, Vlad," Danny groaned as he rolled his eyes, "You can't tell me what to do."

Vlad merely chuckled, "Soon enough I'll be your father, little badger, don't you worry about that," he said as he shook his head at the childish teen.

Danny felt another surge of pain, though it wasn't as powerful as the first few, "I wish I could remember what happened…" He trailed under his breath, letting the ice fall from his head and onto the car floor. The teen watched the ice hit the carpeted floor in a small daze.

"You and I both, Daniel," Vlad mused, "Jack must have told you those idiotic stories of me. He always did have a mouth on him, the bumbling oaf…" Vlad sneered.

"He didn't tell me any of those stories…" Danny argued as he began to shut his eyes, "You had to toss me in the car, didn't you?" He asked, shaking his head in disbelief, "How long were you out there?" He asked.

Vlad rose an eyebrow, "I beg your pardon?" He asked, feigning confusion.

Danny narrowed his eyebrows, "The convenience store," Danny clarified, "You never leave me unsupervised in this town for long."

"Long enough to know that you disappeared from this realm of existence," Vlad said in a soft tone. Danny almost believed him, but he quickly pushed that thought away. He couldn't imagine the older halfa caring for anyone else besides his own self.

"I'm surprised you didn't try to come and save me, you know, considering you want me to be your apprentice and son," Danny mumbled with disbelief.

Vlad was silent for a few moments that the teen thought he had been ignoring him, "I did try, believe it or not," he stated, "Yet, that damn store wouldn't open for me, and any attempt made against thos doors ended unsatisfactory," he explained, letting a small silence follow afterwards, "It wouldn't do me any good with one of my pawns being captured or ended."

Danny opened his eyes and stared at the roof of the car since he was laying down, "I'm touched."

---

The cabin was dead quiet when the two arrived to it. The lights were turned off, and they could hear Jack's loud snoring in the distance. Danny stumbled his way into the living room, grabbing the doorway before he completely tripped onto the carpet. He grumbled as his vision started to twist once again, but he did admit to himself that he was feeling a lot better.

"Take these," Vlad ordered, placing his hand beside the teen. Danny groggily looked at the hand and noticed two green glowing pills and scoffed out loud, shaking his head in disbelief.

"Yeah, like I'm going to take anything that glows," Danny mumbled.

Vlad narrowed his eyes, "Daniel, if you know what's good for you, you'll take these," he threatened, and the teen narrowed his eyes at the statement, taking it as a challenge, "Or don't," Vlad said off-handedly with a different tone, placing them on the table to the right of the front door and then started to walk away from him.

Danny couldn't believe how quick the older halfa was to change his mind, "What?" He questioned, making Vlad stop his movement and turn his head back at the teen slightly, "That's it?" He asked in suspicion, "No threat against my father or me?"

"Honestly, Daniel, it's up to you whether you want to keep living with that head pain," Vlad stated before walking again, "We can't take normal medication. It does nothing for us, as I'm sure you've noticed in the past," Vlad said in such a high tone, that the teen was sure that the man had a smirk on his face as he said it.

As Vlad disappeared from sight, the teen watched him leave before glancing back at the table. The pills seemed to glow in the darkness and he started to leave for his own room. He didn't get two steps before a throbbing pain attacked his head. He flinched, placing his hand on his head tenderly. "Okay, fine!" He hissed under his breath, grabbing the pills from the table in frustration and annoyment. He hated listening to Vlad, but if this was the only way to deal with this sudden pain, then he was down for anything; despite how pity he sounded. He quickly opened his mouth and shoved the pills in them before he changed his mind with his proud ego, and swallowed forcefully.

Walking through the darkness to his room, he managed to find the steps with his enhanced vision, but then it started to double in vision. He thought he was grabbing the handrail, but he missed by a few inches and started to fall. He started to feel drowsy and closed his eyes for a small fraction of a second. That was all the time the drug needed to invade his system, and he immediately fell asleep.

"Well, what do you know…?" Vlad mused with a smirk on his face, catching the teen in his arms before he completely fell on the steps, "He actually did listen to me," Vlad stated, lifting the teen into his arms as he started to ascend the steps, each with a calculative step, "And they say that teenagers are rebellious," he started with his monologue, shaking his head, "All one really needs to know is how to manipulate them into listening to you," he finished, opening the door to the young halfa's room.

"What did you do?" Jazz asked with a glare on her face, immediately standing up from her bed, ready to get her brother, "It's not even eleven yet, and I know for a fact that my brother doesn't sleep until the odd hours in the morning," she accused with a dark tone.

Vlad ignored her and placed the sleeping teen in his bed, "You have the gall to address me in such way, Jasmine?" He asked, covering up the young halfa before turning his attention to the girl in front of him, "And before you argue," Vlad stated, placing his hand up, "I know that you told Daniel about our little encounter and our talk."

"That wasn't talking," Jazz pipped up, watching Vlad intently as he took a step towards her. She was ready to use some of her ghost hunting training on Vlad. Sure, she hadn't done it before, but there was a first for everything. Vlad moved away from Danny, making Jazz run towards him with a concerned expression.

She tucked his long raven locks back, "Danny? Danny!" She yelled as she shook his body, "Danny!" She yelled at a higher volume at him not responding to her. "You did something," she growled out, not bothering to turn around to the older halfa.

Vlad examined the teen girl in front of him before he looked at Danny, "Something to help him sleep, perhaps," he admitted. This made the girl fist her hands in anger and stand up.

"You drugged him!" Jazz yelled as the realization came to her, and she found herself more alarmed than she was before, "Oh my god, you drugged him…" She trailed, her eyes wide, "What does it do?" She asked, taking a step towards the silent older halfa, "What does the drug do?"

Vlad rolled his eyes, "No need to get so flustered, Jasmine," he stated dryly, "His head was in pain, and I alleviated it."

Jazz snorted at his short explanation, "What do you get out of it?" She asked, crossing her arms. He rose an eyebrow in response, and she shook her head, "You never do anything without gaining something in return," she stated, narrowing her eyes in accusation.

"Bed rest for a day," Vlad said with a shrug, "His movements will become stiff, and his powers will be given a chance to rejuvenate themselves," he explained, "You act as if I have condemned the boy to utter hell."

"An entire day without doing anything?" Jazz asked, "You really don't know Danny at all, do you?" She asked, shaking her head in disbelief, "He hates being still, Vlad, he needs to go out and do things!" She yelled, growing angered at how the older man thought he knew everything about her brother, "Or maybe you do know, and you just don't care?" She hissed out, now glaring at the man.

Vlad rolled his eyes, "See you in the morning, Jasmine," he bided farewell, making his way to the door.

Jazz watched as he opened the door, her tone darkening significantly, "Do you care about him?" She asked, "Answer me honestly, do you care about how I broke his obsession?" She asked again, this time at a higher volume, "Do you even care about how you drained his powers so that he couldn't fight enemies?"

"I will not have him die on me, if that is the answer you seek," Vlad responded, not bothering to turn around to address the girl, "I have far too many plans to make him join on me for him to suddenly fall out of them."

"You're heartless," Jazz countered his reasoning without any hesitation, "Do you even feel guilty about all the things you're putting him through?" She asked.

"Guilty about making his life a better one?" He asked before he chuckled in honest humor at such a question, "I'm afraid not," he stated, closing the door behind him.

Jazz let out a growl before looking at her brother protectively, "I know how you're always saying you're the hero, Danny…" She trailed, kneeling beside her brother's bed, "But this time I'll save you," she whispered placing her hand on her brother's sleeping chest.

---

Usually when the teen woke up, he felt refreshed and ready to take on the day. This time, however, he felt tired for absolutely no reason. He tried to move his legs upon his awakening, but found that they were about as useful as a paperclip. As an alternative, he tried to move his arms, but found that the blanket that was on top of them seemed to weigh a ton.

"Good morning, Daniel," Vlad greeted to the teen's bedside. Startled, the teen jumped and immediately looked to the side with wide eyes, "I'm sure you are a little confused with your situation."

"A little?!" Danny yelled, not finding his predicament to be taken lightly, "Why can't I move my body?!" He yelled again, fearing not able to move. He thought back to the night before, the pain in his head, the pills that he took. "You did this to me!" He yelled, piecing the pieces together.

Vlad gave a small clap to mock the boy. The teen growled in anger, his eyes flashing a neon green as he did so, "I didn't do anything to you, my boy," he stated, folding his arms across his chest, "As I recall, you took those pills voluntarily, did you not?" He asked with a demeaning smirk. Danny wasn't mad at the older halfa anymore, he was angrier at himself, "You did this to yourself, little badger."

Danny struggled to move his body, but found that the more he tried to use his limbs, the heavier they seemed to feel, "No, no, no!" He yelled, not bothering how pitiful he sounded in front of Vlad, "I knew there was something weird about those things!"

"A sedative," Vlad provided the answer for the teen, "A highly strong sedative at that," he explained, looking down at the helpless state that the young halfa was in, "It attacks the body from the head and lower."

"You can't do this to me," Danny semi-begged, drawing the older halfa's attention, "You can't make me defenseless just so that you can go after my dad," he said in a weak tone. His fear then turned into raw anger, making his eyes glow green once again, "I won't let you," he stated, gaining confidence.

Vlad chuckled at the teen's resolve to protect his father, "Calm down, Daniel," he ordered, shaking his head, "I won't go after Jack," he stated, noticing how the young halfa visibly relaxed in front of him, "Think of today as a relaxation day," he suggested with a slight shrug.

"I'm not going to stay in bed all day, Vlad," Danny hissed out, trying to move his muscles once again. As a result, he was met with the same conclusion; his body would not move no matter how badly he wanted it to.

"It seems like you're going to have to," Vlad said with a smirk before he snapped his fingers, "Now, I must go out into town, I must look for something that will progress my plans," he stated. A duplicated of Vlad Masters appeared next to the real one.

Danny growled and narrowed his eyes, "You're only telling me this because I won't be able to stop you!" He yelled as Vlad shrugged his shoulders.

The real Vlad started to head out the door, "Ah, well, that's unfortunate for you, isn't it?" He taunted with a grin on his face before he disappeared out of the room, closing the door behind him.

"You better leave me alone," Danny threatened, looking over at the duplicate Vlad with a glare, "Because I'm not talking to you."

"Isn't that precisely what you're doing right now?" Duplicate Vlad asked with a smug grin. Danny narrowed his eyes at the man, not finding it funny in the least. "It is far too easy to get under your skin, Daniel," the clone mocked.

Danny turned his head away from the clone and decided to glare at the wall, "What he's doing must be important if he sent a guard to watch over me," he stated, "Something that I could easily stop if I could get out of here," Danny mumbled.

The clone sat on the teen's bed, making the young halfa tense, "Which you can't, because I've made sure you couldn't," he stated, crossing his arms.

"Yay for you," Danny snapped as he rolled his eyes, "I bet you want to know where I went when that ghost zapped me, don't you?" He asked with a grin on his face. He looked over at the older halfa, and watched as interest flicked across his face before it disappeared.

"I thought you said you didn't remember?" The duplicate questioned.

Danny shrugged his shoulders stiffly, "I remember a few things now that my head doesn't hurt anymore, you want to know, Vladdie?" He taunted, knowing how duplicates worked. Maybe Vlad knew how to manipulate Danny, but on the other hand, Danny knew how to manipulate Vlad. To an extent. "Do you?
Do you?" Danny taunted again.

Vlad frowned at that, he didn't like to be treated as inferior, "If you know something, I will force it out of you if I have to," he threatened.

"Whoa, now I don't feel like sharing!" Danny pouted with a frown of his own, "You shouldn't threaten somebody to get information, that's not nice."

"Getting life lessons from a fourteen year old…" Vlad drawled out as he rolled his eyes, "You don't really know anything, do you?" He asked, getting straight to the point.

Danny grinned, "Do I?" He asked, staring right into the duplicate's eyes. Vlad narrowed his eyes and tried to see if the boy was lying. Usually, the older halfa could tell when he was, and didn't know if he was in this instance.

Vlad stood up from the bed, "What are you playing at, Daniel?" He asked with a raised eyebrow. Danny was bluffing about remembering where he was transported to, he still didn't remember anything. It was a little hazy, but he remembered a high pitched voice and a golden hand for some reason. But, that little information that he remembered wouldn't be able to appease Vlad, and the teen knew that.

"I'm a little tired," Danny stated with a yawn, knowing how to wear on the older halfa's nerves, "How about I tell you in about…" He trailed as he closed his eyes, "An hour or two?"

"Daniel…" Vlad warned in a dark tone.

Danny closed his eyes and enjoyed his relaxation, he started to think this wouldn't be too bad. A day without anything to do but lay in bed.

---

When the teen woke up, he immediately felt better, which was odd to him because he went to sleep with Vlad in the room. He stretched a little, his movements feeling stiff, but he was able to move them. This was a huge relief to the teen, and he let out a sigh of relief as he placed his arms on top of the comforter.

"Danny?" Dipper's voice asked as he knocked on the door, "I – Uh – Have to ask you something," he mumbled, unsure of himself from the tone he was using. The teen rose an eyebrow as he looked around the room. No Vlad, or duplicate Vlad in sight, though it wasn't as if he could tell the difference between the two.

"Yeah?" Danny asked, struggling to sit up, but managed to do it as his door opened up, "What's up?" Danny asked upon seeing the concerned look on his friend's face.

Dipper walked into the room, rubbing his arm nervously, "Do you think I, uh…" He trailed, not making a sentence. Danny nodded his head and waved his hand as quickly as he could given his predicament, "Do you think I'm manly?" He asked in a pressured tone.

Danny blinked, not expecting such a question out of the boy, "Do I think that you're…Manly?" He asked slowly, making sure that he had heard his friend correctly. Dipper nodded, looking straight into the teen's eyes, "What's this about, Dipper?" He asked, raising his eyebrows in slight concern.

"The way I look, and talk…Sing," Dipper stated as he looked down at the wooden floorboards, "Sneeze," he mumbled before looking back at the younger halfa, "Everyone thinks that I'm cute or adorable!" He yelled out, walking to the teen's bedside as he let out a frustrated growl, "And maybe I tried to get manlier by a talking multi-headed bear," he admitted, making Danny slightly lost at the statement, yet he still tried to follow the boy, "And maybe that didn't exactly make me manly," he concluded, shaking his head.

"Dipper, what seems to be the problem?" Danny asked, not understanding where the boy was coming from. Dipper looked over at him with narrowed eyes and opened his mouth to argue against the teen, "You're one of the manliest guys I know," he stated with a small grin.

Dipper shook his head, "No, I'm not that manly," he mumbled out.

Danny chuckled, "Taking on gnomes, crazy wax figures, standing up to that Gideon psycho child," he explained, making Dipper blush at the compliments he was getting, "And no one can take on Plasmius in the forest like you did to save me," he admitted, "I still don't know about the convenience store ghosts, but you managed to overcome that too," he stated in a soft tone, making Dipper rub his arm in thought, "You don't need to change yourself to be manly, Dipper, because you're already manly."

"Thanks, Danny, I don't know what I'd do without you," Dipper said with a grin, "But – Uh – Why are you in bed all day anyways?" He asked, knowing how active his friend was, either he was out on walks or battling some kind of supernatural creature. It seemed wrong that he was in the house.

"My dad's best friend drugged me," Danny stated bluntly, making Dipper's eyes widen.

"Drugged you?!" Dipper yelled, his mind blown that the white haired man would do such a thing to his friend, "How? Why!" He suddenly yelled, walking over to the bed, "Do I need to get you out of here? Where are you parents through all this? Why are they just sitting downstairs? Is this abuse?!"

Danny waved his hand down, "Calm down, Dipper," he ordered, "I kind of took the drug myself, so it was kind of my own fault," he mumbled with a sheepish grin, "I didn't really know what the drug would do…" He trailed as Dipper only looked at his friend.

Dipper nodded slowly, "We should still get you out of here, Danny, why don't you come to the shack?" He asked, placing his hand on the teen's bed in uncertainty.

"I would love to, if you know," Danny stated, rolling his eyes slightly, "I could move any of my body parts…" He trailed with a small amount of scorn in his tone.

"Daniel will just have to stay here for the rest of the evening," Vlad stated, walking into the room with a small grin on his face, his hands behind his back as he stopped a few feet away from the duo.

Dipper glared at the man and fisted his hands at his sides, "You are completely sick, man! Drugging someone!" He yelled up at the man.

Vlad ignored the boy and instead looked at Danny with interest, "Do you feel up to telling me now, little badger?" He asked, placing his arms behind his back. Danny glared at the man, not wanting to even respond to the man at all, "Or do you need a small amount of persuasion?" He asked, glancing at Dipper.

"You expose yourself and you'll have one more enemy on the list," Danny growled out, not wanting Dipper to become a target in Vlad's schemes. Vlad waved his hand in the air and shook his head, chuckling as he did the action.

"Why, Daniel, I won't have to expose myself," Vlad mused, a Vlad Plasmius clone appearing right next to him. At the sudden entrance, Dipper took a step back, his form shaking in fear.

Dipper let out a gasp, "You work together?!" He yelled out loud in confusion. He stared at the ghost's red menacing eyes and knew that they were the ones that he was staring at right before he got pushed off the fence yesterday.

Danny hissed, trying to move his body parts, and found that his arm was being raised in the air with all his might, "Leave. Him. Alone," he ordered out, his eyes turning a bright neon green color in anger, "I mean it, Vlad!" He yelled out.

"Empty threats," Vlad remarked, eyeing the teen in front of him with amusement, "Kill the boy," he addressed to Plasmius clone. Plasmius smirked, his fangs showing to intimidate the boy in front of him. It worked as Dipper screeched before diving underneath the bed, and pulled out his journal.

"I swear, you hurt him, and I'll make you pay," Danny stated, his arm being lowered some from being unable to keep it in the air. Sweat appeared on his face from using all his energy and his arm was visibly shaking.

Vlad walked over and placed the arm down to the bedside, much to the teen's anger and frustration, "You aren't going to do anything, Daniel," he stated in a low whisper, "You don't have enough energy to keep a limb in the air, nevertheless use your ghost powers," he hissed out. He had a smirk on his face at watching the teen in mental conflict with himself.

"There was darkness all around me," Danny started to explain, and immediately the Plasmius clone stopped pursuing Dipper and paused at the side of the bed, "And a high pitched voice," he stated, shaking his head, "Like a geeky kind of voice, and kind of sadistic tone to it," he explained before looking up at Vlad's eyes. "I'm sure you can relate."

"You are wearing my patience, boy," Vlad sneered, not finding amusement to the teen's words, "Get to the point before your friend suffers the consequences."

Danny placed his hands up in defense, "Okay, okay!" He yelled out, "And then there was a golden hand out of nowhere," he finished, "That's it."

Vlad rose an eyebrow, walking a few steps to the teen, "That's it?" He questioned, examining the teen's face.

"That's it," he repeated, placing his hands down on the bed, "What were you looking for you in town?" He asked with a raised eyebrow, trying to get information for information. He knew it was a useless tactic against Vlad, since the only way he'd find out something about the older halfa is if he'd let him find out.

"It wasn't an object, Daniel, it was a person," Vlad stated, letting his Plasmius clone disappear, and Dipper let out a sigh of relief from underneath the bed, "And before you even begin to ask, no, I will not tell you who I was looking for," he said with a smirk as he began to walk away, but stopped before he reached the door, "Pines, I suggest you don't tell anyone about what transpired here, for if you do…" He trailed, looking Dipper in the eyes, "You will not live to see tomorrow," he threatened before walking out of the room, and closing the door behind him.

Dipper calmed his heartbeat as he climbed out from under the bed, "He's just a joy to be around," he mused out dryly before standing up and dusting himself off.

Danny let out a relieved sigh, "That was close…" He trailed out, fully relaxing as his body slumped against the bed. Dipper watched his friend's tenseness leave him and brought his journal on top of the bed. The teen eyed it curiously and watched as the boy began to shift through the pages.

"That was the thing that pushed me off the fence," Dipper stated, not looking into his friend's eyes. Danny looked at the boy and clenched his teeth and closed his eyes at that. He couldn't protect Dipper from Vlad's schemes. Vlad had very well told him that a few nights ago. "Anyway," he said, drawing the teen back to reality as Danny opened back up his eyes, "According to this journal, we can actually see where he went to today," he informed, finding the correct page.

"I can't read that…It's all in code or something," Danny said, taking one look at the journal page and finding it encrypted.

Dipper let out a knowing smile, "Yeah, but once you get the code, it's practically second nature," he stated, "I think the author, whoever that is, did this as a sort of precaution," Dipper explained. Danny looked at him with a raised eyebrow, "We just recite this message, and we'll figure out who he met with," Dipper instructed, pointing to a paragraph composed only of numbers.

Danny shook his head, "It's still amazing how you can read this," Danny commented, and Dipper gave him a smile in return before diverting his attention back to the journal.

"Wohs em taht s'nam yad yrotsih!" Dipper yelled, his palm touching the journal. He grabbed Danny's hand and soon a bright blue light overcame the two of them, making them both fall asleep right where they were sitting. Dipper fell onto the floor in a fast sleep, and Danny banged his head against his pillow as he fell asleep.

"How are you two-?" Maddie began to ask, walking into the room and finding the two of them asleep, "Aw! They must have been tuckered out!" She exclaimed, noticing the journal and shrugging it off. She closed the door behind her and walked down the steps to rejoin her husband and best friend down in the living room. Jazz was eyeing everyone around her when she thought Vlad wasn't looking to make sure they were all alright. Vlad, who saw the teen's glance out of the corner of his eye found it amusing and flashed her a smirk. She let out a growl and focused more on her book.

---

"Okay…" Dipper called out, noticing how they were floating just a few inches from the ground, "This must be what it feels like to be you?" He questioned, his tone holding a joking manner to it. Danny glanced over at his friend and let out a chuckle.

"A little," Danny admitted as he noticed Vlad exiting his room, "Come on, he's making his move!" He informed, hovering closer to the man he hated. Vlad walked around the wooden cabin before he walked into the kitchen and made himself some coffee.

Dipper watched and crossed his arms, "Did he even go anywhere today?" He asked, and Danny let out a groan and shook his head, "He might have done this just to psyche you…" He trailed, looking back to where the kitchen was and found a pink mist, "Where did he go?" He asked, looking around the kitchen, floating to where he had been.

Danny grabbed Dipper's arm and went to the spot where Vlad had transported away from, "Follow me," he ordered sternly, and soon they were transported to a used car dealer ship. Dipper looked around, not used to the sudden scene change. He took his arm away from the teen and started to float over to where some trees were. He suddenly felt the need to puke, and didn't know what would happen if he suddenly let it out. "Why would he go here?" He asked, noticing the man that owned the business, "Gleeful…" He trailed, alerting Dipper to what was going on.

"You mean…Gideon?" Dipper asked, a small amount of fear and recognition was in his voice, "Why would he go to Gideon?" He asked, shaking his head, "He was a fraud with only his medallion to fuel his powers!"

"Or so we think…" Danny added, walking over to the backyard of the house.

Vlad had his arms behind his back as he looked at the white haired child in front of him, "I understand that you want certain people out of the way," Vlad began his business proposal, "It seems we have common interests."

Gideon looked at the man in disbelief, "I don't believe I know what you mean," he stated, "Surely you aren't talking about Fenton and Pines?" He asked, getting right down to the matter, "Isn't Fenton your son?"

"Not yet, I'm afraid," Vlad said in a dark tone. Danny couldn't help but feel shivers run down his spine by the tone. It held such possessiveness, that he felt the need to run away from the man at that instant. Dipper noticed the teen float a few feet away from the scene. "However, the Pines children are a hindrance to me. One in particular, the boy."

"Dipper…" Gideon seethed, "Oh, I have a few plans on how to get revenge on him," he mused, rubbing his pudgy hands together diabolically, "I'm just waiting 'till the right moment."

Vlad nodded his head, "Perhaps you could help me find something else," he mentioned, gaining the child's attention, "The society of the blind eye," he introduced, "Have you heard of them?" He asked, Gideon rose an eyebrow.

The white haired child chuckled, "Of course I have, why, you could say it runs in the family," he stated cryptically, "What do you need them for?" He asked, a little suspicious on why he would want to see such a secret organization within Gravity Falls.

"I have plans…" Vlad trailed, but he was stopped when his head suddenly looked to the right, "We will have to speak with this another day," he stated, placing his hands to the side, "Urgent matters have come up."

"The Fenton child?" Gideon asked rhetorically, "As long as you keep him away from my targets, we have a deal," he informed with a grin.

Vlad glanced at the boy with a smirk on his face, "Excellent."

Danny and Dipper suddenly woke up from their induced sleep and looked around groggily, "Great…" Danny stated, rubbing his head. He noticed that he was in full control of his body and he let out a small smile. He placed a hand out, and an ecto-blast immediately came to him. He closed his hand over it, letting it go out.

"This is bad!" Dipper yelled and stood up from the floor, "Those two working together?" He asked, shaking his head, "What are we going to do, Danny?" He asked, looking to his friend for advice.

"I…" Danny mumbled, "I really don't know," he answered honestly, watching Dipper's reaction as he spoke. The boy's jaw dropped and his eyes widened, "Let me think of a plan for a few days."

Dipper closed his journal with a glare, "We might not have a few days!" He yelled, "They could act today! Or tomorrow!" He exclaimed, grabbing his journal, "How are you not concerned about this?!"

Danny let out a hiss, his eyes turning green from his anger, "I am!" He yelled, losing control of his emotions. Dipper took a step back in fear at the teen's power, and Danny's eyes softened, his eyes turning back to normal. He felt horrible at snapping at his friend like that.

"Dipper-!"

"I'll figure this out myself…" Dipper mumbled, interrupting Danny, and without the teen's enhanced hearing, he might not have been able to hear it. The boy suddenly ran out of the room, and the teen ran after him.

Danny watched as the boy ran down the stairs, "Dipper!" He yelled over the railing. Dipper didn't even glance up and instead ran out the door and slammed it shut behind him. The teen felt a tug at his heart and he placed a hand over it as he crouched down to the ground.

Footsteps walked up to the teen, and a figure leaned against the railing, "Oh my…" He exclaimed in an amused tone. Danny didn't have to look up to know that it was Vlad, and he chose to ignore him, "Did you two have a falling out?" He asked, a smirk forming on his face.

"He didn't reject me, if that's what you're thinking," Danny mumbled out, his hair falling over his face, blocking out any view of Vlad. His tone seemed fake even to him. He knew that Dipper had rejected his help, and in turn it had affected his obsession.

"Daniel, you don't even sound believable," Vlad stated, shaking his head as he bent down to the teen. Danny tensed up from the action, and Vlad noticed it, "Do you wish to talk about it?" He asked, placing his hand on the teen's back.

Danny's eyes widened at the fatherly action and quickly pushed himself away from Vlad, "Don't touch me," he said in a shaky voice. He meant to voice it with anger, but instead fear attached itself to his voice.

Vlad stood up and crossed his arms as he walked over to the teen, "What happened to all that confidence?" He asked, his smirk growing on his face, "Don't tell me that without something to protect it…Vanished?"

"You know that's exactly how it works," Danny stated, trying to calm his shaking limbs, "Why don't you lose your obsession?" He asked rhetorically, "Why don't you see how it feels?"

"Oh, dear boy," Vlad mused, standing over the teen, "My obsession will never be lost, do you wish to know why?" He asked, bending down next to the teen. Danny looked over at him, trying to contain his fear. He looked at the focused gaze that Vlad seemed to have, "Because you are one of them," he added dramatically.

Danny's eyes widened at the statement, "N-No…" He stated, "I-I c-can't be," he added. He tried to scramble away from Vlad, but the older halfa latched onto the teen's upper arm, making his stay where he was, "You didn't even meet me until a few months ago!" He yelled in denial.

Vlad chuckled, "You are quite dense, aren't you, little badger?" He questioned. Danny didn't even bother to send a glare the man's way. He was completely shaken up by that statement, "I said that you were 'one' of my obsessions," he said, shaking his head, "You can fight against me every second of every day, but you'll never win."

"You can't do this to me," Danny whispered. Vlad had to strain to hear it, but he did. "You can't make me be your son," Danny added, his entire body shaking. His resolve was quickly breaking, and the older halfa knew that. Vlad let out a chilling smile, yet, Danny didn't notice it because he was staring off into space.

"I can make you do anything I want you to do," Vlad stated, letting go of the teen's arm. He stood up and observed the teen in front of him. The older halfa knew that this was the weakest point that the teen was at, and he liked seeing his arch enemy so broken in front of him. "I knew this day of bed rest would benefit you, Daniel," he said on a much lighter tone, "I'll bet you don't feel like leaving the house anymore, do you?" He asked with a grin on his face.

Danny looked away from the man and closed his eyes, a few tears started to roll down his face. Vlad let out a sigh and shook his head, "Leave me alone…" Danny whispered, not wanting to look at the man in front of him anymore.

Vlad placed his hand in his pockets and held a smirk on his face, "As you wish, son," he stated, walking away with each calculative step. Danny opened his eyes and looked down at the living room from the inside balcony.

"Sam…Tuck…" Danny whispered as he placed his arms on his knees and placed his head on his arms, "Please, help me," he mumbled.

To be continued

---

A/N: So, a few things to say that you might be wondering about...

1.) I hated that 'lamby-dance' thing in the actual show, and so I have chosen to leave it out. Because I really didn't think it was needed, and Dipper doesn't need to be humiliated in the story like that. He was already embarrassed on the show.

2.) The 'Dipper Vs. Manliness' thing was a little short. I actually really didn't like that episode except when he started to sing in front of the mirror. That shit was funny as hell, yo.

3.) Mabel has an extreme crush on Danny, but Danny is completely clueless to it.

4.) The only reason why Vlad allowed Dipper to enter the cabin was so that he could use him against Danny. Why? Because Vlad is a high functioning sociopath who sees everybody as pawns. It just so happened to work in his favor because of Dipper rejecting Danny's help. Did he know it would happen like that? No, but that's dumb luck.

5.) I was too lazy to put in an actual cipher into this chapter, so enjoy the backwards messages. I don't got the time to put that in, and you guys probably don't have the time to decipher it. It works both way, you see.

6.) I've watched the Nightmare Before Christmas seven times this year. Four of them around Halloween time, and I'm musically dead inside. Making Christmas, guys. Making freaking Christmas.

7.) Jazz might seem to be mopping but she becomes a straight up G in the next chapter. Speaking of the next chapter, I'm probably going to much four episodes together because nothing really eventful happens in them. (Relating to my plotline). And so I need to make it interesting for you guys to read.

8.) Is Danielle going to appear? I don't know, I don't really like her that much, but we'll see.

8.2) Why have an encounter with Bill? Because he's freaking awesome. That's why.

9.) OMG, Gideon/Vlad team up! Yeah, that wasn't really a surprise. At the very beginning, I had planned on making them collaborate. Though, Vlad wants the Blind Eye, and Gideon just wants Mabel (like a freeaak) but we'll push that aside for now. Also, that's what I meant at the beginning with the whole 'you guys wanted it' thing. AND NOW YOU HAVE IT.

That's it for me, if there's anything you guys want to know and/or have any questions about the story, feel free to leave a review. See you guys next time, and have a great new year! Let's all make those new year resolutions about eating healthier and exercising that'll probably last two weeks.