Disclaimer: I don't own anything from Danny Phantom.

Note: Oh man, you guys are in for a treat with this chapter. I won't spoil anything but yeah...I can't wait to see your reactions!

P.S. I had to go back to fix a few things since they didn't sound quite right so hopefully it's easier to read now!

Chapter 11: Truce

Danny's POV

"Jazz, I think this as good as we're going to get from him. And we'll be lucky if he doesn't still find some way to twist our words somehow anyway. You can't expect the guy to suddenly become a saint and start doing charity work for orphans." Sam sighed when we finished looking over our rough draft of the truce to give to Vlad and she handed it over to me.

Nodding, I cleared my throat to summarize what we had written down in Jazz's notebook and said. "Ok, looks like we've covered all the bases here like no more stealing from, plotting against, kidnapping, spying on, or attacking any of my friends, family, or ghost allies which we'll have to go over with him in person. That also includes no more trying to hunt down Dani. And no more putting innocent people in danger with his petty schemes which means he's expected to clean up his own messes, with the exception of him actually asking us for help instead of trying to manipulate us. Then, obviously, he's not allowed to hurt Daniel, lock him up against his will, keep us from talking to each other, or break any of these conditions or we're right back to being enemies again. That sound about right?"

"Pretty much. I'm sure we'll be able to come up with a few more things when we actually go talk to him, but I think this is a good start-" Jazz agreed but I put my hands in a timeout pose and interrupted.

"Whoa whoa whoa, what makes you think you're coming with us? I think that's a really bad idea given uh...how personally invested you are with the problem after finding out Vlad cloned me. The craziness of this whole situation is hard enough for any of us to handle so if it's all the same to you, I'd like to only take this one step at a time since it's such a big deal. What I'm saying is, let us take care of the truce first on our own and then I promise I'll introduce you to Daniel later, ok?"

Jazz opened her mouth like she wanted to argue but then thought better of it, which was a relief honestly, and groaned. "Ok fine, I get the picture. But I have a few things I'd like to say to Vlad if he's serious about being a better father. Either way he needs to get his act together or I'm really going to give him a piece of my mind! So make sure you don't forget to let Vlad forget what he owes not only Daniel himself, but you and Dani too. And if that fruitloop needs any advice on helping someone recover from their emotional trauma, well, he's free to call me any time. In fact, he'd better so I know he's not slacking off!"

"I still can't believe we're really doing this." Tucker chimed in, looking skeptical but hopeful like the rest of us. "I seriously never thought I'd see the day Vlad apologized for anything in his life! Who knows, maybe there's some hope left even for a creep like him."

Folding the piece of paper in my hand and tucking it into my pocket, I nodded and said we should probably go see Vlad before it got dark when right on cue my ghost sense went off. Frowning, I transformed and looked around to see if I could spot our unexpected visitor when three familiar ghost vultures phased through the roof of the building. Crossing my arms, I watched as they floated down to eye level; and then one of them cleared their throat and said. "Zer you are, ve've been looking all over town for you, Ghost Boy."

"I take it we're being summoned?" Sam scoffed, crossing her arms too.

"Zat's right, ve're only here to deliver a message. Ze boss vanted us to tell you to meet him inside his office at City Hall. He said zat it seemed like ze most...appropriate place to set up ze truce." Then, without even waiting for our reply, they flew off again.

Rolling my eyes since this was so typical of Vlad I turned to Jazz, Sam, and Tucker behind me and shrugged. "Well, looks like it's time to go so let's go see what V-man has to say. Will you be able to get home on your own Jazz, or would you like us to drop you off along the way?"

"Don't worry about me, I'll manage. Just, be careful, ok Danny? We both know how sneaky Vlad can be. And if you see him, please tell Daniel I'm rooting for him." She smiled nervously at us before waving and heading back to her car waiting outside since she drove us out here.

I felt bad for leaving her out of the actual discussion with Vlad, but I really didn't want to over-complicate things even more by bringing her along since Jazz was really upset when she heard about Dani and Daniel's...dark history with Vlad. I totally understood where she was coming from though, I was still mad about it too, but at the same time I wanted to hope that all Vlad needs to finally turn his life around and start over...is a second chance.

A chance that had been given to me in another time, another place, by another Vlad.

Vlad's POV

Once I was certain Daniel's condition was stable after the procedure, we conducted a few short tests just to make absolutely sure his previous functions were fully restored before I reluctantly parted with him to attend to a few other matters. So for the next several hours, let's just say I began making some quality of life improvements for Daniel by giving him admin access to another simulator program I had laying around that was specifically used to make construction plans for buildings, map out landscapes, and what have you...

I gave him full control over this program because after Daniel told me he's basically been living in a black void surrounded by only small glimmers of light that look like star maps and fractals of code, I decided I had to change that for him so he felt like he truly had a home there now where he would always be safe from harm. Honestly, it was fascinating watching him influence the program from the inside to build a new home for himself from scratch until such a time when Daniel is able to manifest a full corporal form in the real world and doesn't need to conserve his energy as often. It was like watching a work of art come to life with such care and attention to detail that for a moment, I forgot I was watching Daniel masterfully create such a structure on the screen in front of me within a matter of seconds.

That is, until his voice came through the speakers and snapped me out of my reverie, which I had also given him access to so we could speak freely, and he cautiously asked me. "Does this look alright, or should I make it smaller? I don't need that much room."

I frowned upon hearing the hesitation behind his inquiry and playfully scoffed to reassure him. "Nonsense, my boy. You can make it as large or as small as you want since I have more than enough processing power to handle something as mundane as this. Once you're strong enough, I will also give you whatever room out here in the real world to call your own. But until we find a way to house your code safely as well, since it's as much a part of you as your ectoplasmic energy, I'm afraid we'll have to make do with you remaining within the system for the time being since it takes too much energy for you to try to solidify your form right now."

"That makes sense, one of my other brothers had the same problem." Daniel replied casually and I only blinked in response.

"Brother?" I asked and was met with silence for a moment when he ceased working on his project.

Concerned I had touched a nerve somehow, I gently prodded, "Daniel, it's alright. Just tell me what you're thinking so I can understand better, I promise I won't get angry."

"It's...not that. I just...wish I could have known them too, the other clones. I know you said I have their ectoplasm inside of me but...my first two brothers weren't in the lab that day. They were already gone. But somehow I-" Stopping mid-sentence and seeming grateful for the interruption, Daniel informed me that my vultures had returned and I silently cursed their awful timing.

Of course, I knew already they were back since I could sense them, but I didn't want to make Daniel feel bad or as though I didn't appreciate the kind gesture of him telling me that himself. Still, what he said gave me pause, and that's when I suddenly realized with a guilty twinge, So the other clones...Daniel doesn't see them merely as other copies of Danny like himself, he sees them as siblings. I suppose that's only logical since his program was designed to simulate being the perfect son to me. And thus, his empathy and love extends towards anyone whom he perceives members of our family. That must be why Danny assumed I had sent him to infiltrate his computer to track down Dani under the notion that he wanted to bring his sister home to me, her father.

Setting those thoughts aside for now, I turned to the screens again and informed Daniel. "You may continue working on this if you'd like to while I'm gone. I'm just going to my office for a bit to finalize the terms of the new truce with Danny. I trust you'll be alright on your own until we're finished?"

"Can't I come with you?" Daniel asked innocently and I felt my heart swell because he sounded like a puppy that didn't want to be left behind, but sadly I had to deny his request.

"Now Daniel, I know this truce of ours has a lot if not everything to do with you, however, Danny and I...well as you know our history together is rather complicated so it would be best if we discussed the majority of this in private. Especially since I may require a very specialized type of assistance from Danny in the future when it comes to taking care of you. In other words, I may need his cooperation to keep you healthy since you both have the same ghost DNA and there's still so much we don't know yet about the special type of hybrid you are. More importantly, I don't want the delicate topic of the circumstances behind your birth to make you uncomfortable again. Do you understand, my boy?"

"Yes Father. I understand, and I'll stay here. But can you promise you'll at least tell me what happened afterwards? I want to know for sure that you two are really going to stop fighting each other because I don't like seeing you constantly at each other's throats. You...shouldn't hurt the people you care about." His voice quivered slightly towards the end, and just as quickly as my heart had swelled with joy, it soon sank when I was reminded of the months of indirect verbal abuse from me he had endured in silence as I loudly and openly voiced my disdain for Danny ruining all of my plans and making a nuisance of himself.

Sighing, I reluctantly agreed. "Alright. I promise I'll tell you how it went when I get home, Daniel. But don't expect me to tell you anything you don't need to know. Much of what we're going to discuss today I'd like to be kept strictly between Danny and myself."

"Fiiine." Daniel pouted which, again, reminded me of a small dejected little puppy as he continued. "Anyway, I'm going to get back to working on this so I'll see you later. Oh, and um...please don't forget to tell Danny that we already fixed my program. I think that will help smooth things over a little."

"I will. Thank you for the reminder." I smiled weakly before transforming and teleporting straight to the office where I had told Danny to meet me, second-guessing how I had handled the awkwardness with my son just now...

Settling into my chair after changing back to my human form to wait for Danny, I pinched the bridge of my nose and sighed heavily. Relax. I've only known Daniel for two days at most and these things take time. Just focus on the task at hand and before long we'll be able to start really focusing on building our new life together as father and son. There's no need to be so hasty. At least he's not on borrowed time like the other clones were since I was unable to keep them even a fraction as stable as Daniel is. I just have to remember that he's...still so much like Danny, even down to that stubbornness of his which while I do find that endearing, it does throw a wrench in things at times and make it difficult to tell what he's thinking.

While waiting for Danny to arrive, I decided I might as well get some work done in the meantime. I did after all, still have some damage control to do in the aftermath of the whole Vortex debacle. Hard to believe that only happened a few days ago as well which is how I discovered Daniel's existence in the first place. What started as merely another rant at an inanimate program had transformed into a once in a lifetime opportunity I had thought long gone. So you'd better believe I wasn't about to let it slip through my fingers again, not now that it was actually within reach.

And I think Danny would soon find what else I had in mind for the truce will most likely be mutually beneficial to all of us.

While looking over the list of terms Danny and his friends had presented to me upon their arrival, I raised an eyebrow and asked them. "Is it really necessary for the you two to be here? I believe this is a private matter that doesn't concern you directly."

"Duh, we're here as witnesses so you don't try to pull a fast one over on us." Danny's friend Tucker replied. "Besides, it's not exactly private since Danny tells us everything anyway."

"Point taken." I scoffed, laying the paper on my desk and folding my hands. "At any rate, before we get started make no mistake, like Danny I am primarily doing this for the sake of my son, Daniel. Beyond that, do not expect me to change my ways or to step down from my position as Mayor. I will, however, promise to be civil from now on. That is, provided that Danny doesn't do anything stupid."

"Why you-!" Samantha began angrily but I held up my hand and interrupted her.

"I am well within my rights to say that since it's his fault I'm stuck here in Amity Park the first place. He DID, as you may recall, send government agents to destroy my home under the pretense that I had ghostly contraband on the premises, which we both know is a given since I'm half ghost myself. And so I reciprocated by doing the same since he belongs to a family of ghost hunters who most certainly do just the same as I do to teach him a lesson on just how serious the consequences could have been for both concerned parties."

Pausing for a moment, I continued calmly. "That said, we'll never get anywhere if we continue to hold onto old grudges. So, since we're here to call a truce, I would like to suggest we agree to only take recent events into account and leave the rest where it belongs, in the past. Although I'm sure you find it ironic that I would say such things given that I still deeply despise Jack Fenton."

"Despising him is one thing, outright attacking him is another." Danny frowned, crossing his arms. "I won't ask you to stop hating my dad, I know that's impossible, but from now on you need to at least tone it down a bit if you're going to be playing the part of good old 'Uncy Vlad' to come talk to us about Daniel sometimes.

"So, here's what's going to happen. You're going to stop going out of your way to make our lives miserable and in exchange we're going to leave you alone for the most part too unless YOU do something stupid that puts me, the town, or my friends and family at risk. And you can't spy on us anymore. If you need help with something or have a question, you have to ask politely like a normal person which means no more manipulating us to do your dirty work. You also can't stop Daniel from talking to or visiting us since he's allowed to have friends and a social life outside of that computer..."

After listing off the remainder of their demands, which were surprisingly simple, a smile curled on my lips as I eagerly awaited Danny's response to the offer I was about to make. And so, while looking directly at Danny I began cordially. "Very well, I will agree to the terms stated here and in exchange I am free to come to you with any questions or concerns about Daniel's well-being since you've known him longer than I have. And now that we've agreed to play nicely with one another, I would like to take that one step further, if I may."

Rolling her eyes Samantha huffed. "Oh great. Here we go! I knew this was coming."

Unable to contain my laughter I countered smugly. "Did you now? And what, pray tell, do you expect me to say?"

"Oh nothing, just the usual. You're going to get greedy and ask for something dumb like VIP access to the Infimap again or some nonsense like that." Samantha clarified, her eyes narrowed darkly at me, which I suppose is understandable since I did attempt to have her burned at the stake in the past quite literally.

"As tempting as that is, right now I have far more important matters that demand my immediate attention like taking care of my son." I replied before adding offhandedly. "And for what it's worth, I do apologize for branding you a real witch in a rather...unfortunate setting. But to my credit, I also knew you were not actually at risk of dying that day. I just needed Danny out of the way for a while, but I digress since we're getting off topic."

Rising from my chair, I strode towards the window with my back turned to them and explained. "I think one thing we can all agree on is that family is important, which is why we're all here today. On that note, I am pleased to inform you that I have already taken care of the matter concerning Daniel's freedom to act as he chooses by removing the previous restrictions on his programming and restoring the default settings.

"That said, he is still by no means strong enough to defend himself out in the real world and that is why there's another offer I'd like to propose to you as both a sign of good faith and my way of asking that your inherit need to protect others continues to extend to him despite the fact that Daniel is my son. So my offer is this. Since I am going to have to personally train Daniel either way in order to strengthen his core, whenever time permits, I'd like you join him on occasion as I'm sure he would greatly appreciate the company."

Turning around so I could get a good look at the stunned expressions on their faces, I smirked and elaborated. "Simply put, how would you like for me to train you as well, Danny?"