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

Note: I was a bit confused by the review that was two * symbols but then I realized, duh, they're supposed to be stars! Also to Dp-Marvel94, tehehe yes, you're way too good at figuring out a lot of what I've been hinting at as far as the special bond between Danny and Daniel.

This is going to mark a big change moving forward since these two understand each other on a level no one else can, maybe a bit too much because Danny has his share of pain he wants to bury the memories of just as much which will come into play later. And finally, sorry this chapter is a bit shorter than usual, I didn't have the energy to keep going where I left off which seemed like a good place to end anyway. I'll try to make the next chapter longer to make up for it, but until then, enjoy!

Chapter 14: Deflection

Danny's POV

"This better not be some sort of freaky torture device, Vlad." I frowned when he finished setting things up for us on two examination tables and put some sort of headset over our faces.

"Come now Danny, if I had any intention of torturing you you'd be strapped to that table, not lying down comfortably. Now hold still." Vlad grumbled, clearly not in the mood for jokes, but the truth is I was kind of half-serious about being concerned this thing was going to mess with my brain somehow. These days, I'm a bit paranoid about stuff like that after the whole Freakshow thing happened in Circus Gothica early on in my ghost hunting career.

When I glanced over at Daniel, he seemed really nervous, not that I blame him since he was probably still shaken by Vlad's shouting earlier. It probably brought back a lot of bad memories for him and it didn't help that now he actually could make it clear just how scared he was of it happening again. I'll give Vlad credit though, he got himself back under control pretty quickly after he saw Daniel's reaction. Honestly, I felt bad for both of them because while Vlad was getting things set up for the brain scan thing we were about to do, Daniel kept flinching involuntarily whenever Vlad had to adjust a wire or something to still make sure it was connected despite him being intangible.

I didn't like how quiet Daniel had gotten so I asked. "Are...you ok?"

"No." Daniel admitted, resisting the urge to shake his head since we were supposed to stay as still as possible. "I feel so stupid. I should have told you about those dreams sooner, but we had so many other things to worry about. And once things started to finally get better between Father it just...slipped my mind. I swear I wasn't trying to lie to either of you."

Blinking away tears, he took in a deep shaky breath and continued. "There's still so much on my mind right now, Danny. I'm sure it's the same for you since everything that happened the other day."

"Yeah no kidding." I groaned. "You can't blame yourself though, we didn't expect things to go like this so now we're just trying to make the most of it. We were bound to hit a few hiccups along the way. Still, what I don't get is how you could have known about...you know."

"You mean my brother's deaths?" he asked, his voice cracking slightly. "I don't know either. I don't know how I can miss anyone I've never met before, but at the same time I've always felt this...connection to them. It's like, an echo of them lives inside of me. And when I'm with you, that feeling gets even stronger. But then, why can't I feel her too? Why can't I feel Dani?"

Before I could answer, Vlad turned to us and explained bluntly. "There. We're ready to begin the brain scan, but before we do I have a few questions to ask. As I understand it, you have been having these dreams ever since your birth, correct? And you are aware it is mainly only the prime clone's ectoplasm inside of you as well as a small amount of the tiny clone's ectoplasm I had used to overshadow Danny to get him to comply while trying to obtain a mid-morph sample?"

"T-that's right. From the beginning I had memories stored in my data banks about my brothers and my sister since they were...designed to mimic some of my programming deep in their subconscious minds. You gave all of them the same basic information so they could follow commands, fight, communicate, and to make sure their love and loyalty towards you was immediately imprinted on them the moment they first opened their eyes." I could hear the panic raising in his voice as Daniel kept going. "I...opened my eyes in the prime clone's first and final moments. I saw your pain Father, and I felt it, I remember it..."

Gripping the sides of the examination table, Daniel started freaking out and clenched his eyes shut, tears spilling down his cheeks. I wanted to reassure him everything was going to be ok, but I gasped when I saw it too. Just like earlier, I saw something play out right in front of me as if I was looking through someone else's eyes. It's like I was looking directly into Vlad's horror-stricken face before my body -no, HIS- body dissolved into a large puddle of ectoplasm, the prime clone. It actually made me feel sick and really sad again that his life had to end that way but...it was either him or me back then since Vlad had told me I would have been obsolete once he got his perfect son.

When the vision passed, I felt really nauseous. But more than that I felt...scared but it wasn't because I was the one who was scared, it was because Daniel was scared. He was barely holding himself together, literally, because I could tell he was seconds away from retreating back into the safety of the computer again to escape the stressful situation. So to stop that from happening and help Daniel, I called over to Vlad and warned him. "Vlad, he's freaking out! You've got to try and calm him down."

Irritated, Vlad glared at me and snapped. "In case you haven't noticed that's what I've been TRYING to do, Danny. But he keeps recoiling from my touch so what am I supposed to do?!"

"If that's not working then try something else you dingus! You're the evil genius here, not me!" I growled between my teeth, trying to keep from throwing up on top of keeping myself under control too before I ripped off this head set and gave Vlad a literal piece of my mind.

We both stopped what we were doing when we heard Daniel whimper and blurt out. "Why is this happening? I don't understand! Did I do something wrong?"

"No! No Daniel." Vlad hastily replied, softening his voice again. "Like I said earlier, you didn't do anything wrong. We're all still trying to adjust to the terms of our new...agreement and our new lives by tolerating and working with one another and that can cause a lot of stress. When so much of your life changes in such a short amount of time, it's bound to get overwhelming. And you, my boy, are especially sensitive right now so it's no wonder you've begun re-experiencing these nightmares.

"You feel like you don't deserve any of this because it's a chance that your siblings never got. But what happened to them was not your fault. It was mine. Although Danny does share some responsibility as well. That doesn't mean you have to carry the same guilt on your shoulders. I...created them to be disposable. But I created you because I wanted Danny to be my son, and now that you ARE my son, you are absolutely irreplaceable to me, my dear sweet boy."

"Yes I am! I'm replaceable because...because I'm-?! GAH!" Both of us yelped when sparks started flying from our head sets so we pried them off at the same time.

It didn't stop there though, electrical currents began pulse through out the laboratory, making the lights flicker and that's when it suddenly dawned on all of us exactly what was causing this. It was Daniel. His powers were going out of control so we had to do something and fast. And since I couldn't think of anything else to do, I shouted. "Vlad, hurry and shut everything off! If you don't he's going to cause a power surge!"

Narrowing his gaze, Vlad shook his head and stated. "I have a much better idea."

Transforming into his ghost half, Vlad pulled something off I had no idea was even possible. I mean, to be fair the guy had electrocuted me more than once, but this time, when he grabbed onto Daniel's shoulders he seemed to be channeling that energy into himself to keep his core from becoming hyperactive from the stress or something. Honestly at that point I was only guessing what the heck was happening.

As Daniel's energy discharge was redirected into Vlad's body, the effect was almost immediate when the lights went back to normal along with the computer screens and everything else. Relief seemed to be flooding Daniel's core, or actually all of him really, and he leaned heavily against Vlad's chest once he finally let go and let the last traces of the electrical energy he had forcefully absorbed dissipate. I felt it too, that sudden wave of relief and after stepping down from the examination table I sighed.

"Ok, I have no clue what just happened but I think it's over now. Nice job, Plasmius." I smiled, actually giving the guy some credit.

"I only did what had to be done, however, I think this more than proves my point that while Daniel is more or less physically stable he is clearly not...emotionally. I should have taken this into account already before even considering the idea of doing any sort of training. But how I am I supposed to help him?" Vlad asked honestly, cradling Daniel close who seemed completely wiped out now from that little emotional outburst.

"Well...I happen to know someone who could help actually. Several someone's in fact," I chimed in, deciding to toss the guy a bone since he seemed genuinely at a loss for what to do. "My sister did say she'd be happy to offer some parental advice but, while I don't really need one, I bet Daniel could a good therapist right about now. She's already accepted him as part of our family too after I told her the whole sad story so I think it'll help him and you if he had someone to talk to that isn't directly involved with all our drama and the cloning stuff. He's basically like another brother to her so as long as we have a safe place outside the house where they can meet up then I'm sure Jazz would be happy to help Daniel sort out his personal issues. Sound good?"

"While I appreciate the offer, I would much rather hire a professional." Vlad frowned and I rolled my eyes at him.

"Oh yeah, cause that'll go well. 'Hey doc, would you mind fixing the emotional trauma from months of verbal abuse my digital ghost son has? By the way, I cloned him from Danny Phantom so he has self-identity issues too, don't forget to talk about that.' Seriously Vlad, let me handle this. Jazz is probably the only person he CAN talk to because she KNOWS both of us like the back of her hand. And more importantly, she knows me, you know, the guy Daniel's based on? Obviously he has thoughts, feelings, and memories of his own, but he's also basically my twin brother so if anyone is going to get where he's coming from about inferiority complexes and survivor's guilt or whatever its called, my sister will."