A/N: Welcome back - we've missed you.

Disclaimer: I don't own Danny Phantom.

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...

The flight was silent for the most part, with Valerie biting her tongue from the most pressing question that she wanted to ask him. Even when she thought that she understood Daniel, she was that much farther away from actually understanding him. "Why didn't you want Danielle to come with us?" Valerie asked, looking over at the halfa.

"I really just needed a blood transfusion," Daniel admitted quietly.

Valerie rose an eyebrow at his response. "It was never your intention to include her in your war?" She asked while the halfa let out a deep sigh. "I think it was…I think you wanted her to join you but realized that she was just a kid."

"We're all kids, aren't we?" Daniel responded rhetorically, giving Valerie a side glance.

She bit her bottom lip and nodded, not having the heart to disagree with the truth that was coming from his lips. She wished that she could refute his words but found that the truth was usually far more unsettling than a beautiful lie – sometimes, she hoped that she didn't have to fight in a war that was life and death.

Whatever happened to the usual high school drama – the bad grades, weird dances, and fighting the tardy bell to first period?

"Besides…" Daniel continued on, bringing Valerie's attention back over to him. "She's too scared to even be in the same room as me. I don't think I could trust her to have my back in a fight," he tilted his head to the side in thought. "That, and she doesn't have as much experience as the rest of us."

"You did a lot of thinking about this, huh?" Valerie asked with a small smile on her face.

Daniel nodded his head. "Yeah…" He turned his head to see Valerie smiling at him.

He didn't know why he was beginning to get flustered, or embarrassed by what he had said earlier. She shouldn't be reacting this way to what he was saying-!

"Don't look at me like that," he ordered coldly, darting his head away from her.

He didn't understand females – he barely understood his mother. It was better to keep females away from him so that he could better concentrate on the mission at hand. He was a soldier above all else, and fighting was programmed at the forefront of his mind.

"Oh, lighten up, would ya?" Valerie teased, slapping him roughly on his back shoulder. He wobbled in the air from the strength of it before he quickly corrected himself in mid-flight.

He breathed out of his nose shakily, not wanting to admit that she had nearly taken him off of his flight path. Any more force and he would have plummeted into one of the rocks that were below the two of them.

"Valerie-! Don't hit someone when they're flying!" He lectured, his face turning red from what he hoped was irritation.

There was no way I would ever get embarrassed-!

Valerie responded to him with a roll of her eyes before facing forward again.

Daniel didn't know why, but he enjoyed Valerie's presence. Much like Jazz, his sister, he found that he was safe by her side. He didn't know why he didn't get the same feeling with Tucker or Sam – they felt oddly like strangers to him.

…

…

"The Great One has arrived…" one of the Far Frozen announced, looking at the two teenagers that had landed onto the snow mountain. Daniel looked around, seeing that it was just the three of them, before he turned and raised a finger over to Valerie with a raised eyebrow.

Valerie crossed her arms in amusement. "They're talking about you…"

He slowly flipped his finger and pointed at himself before lowering his arm to his side. "Okay…" He responded, unsure of how to address the yeti ghost. "Thanks," he responded dryly. Valerie let out a snort, not having laughed like that in months. He narrowed his eyes over at Valerie for a second before looking over at the Far Frozen.

"We have been looking over your father. Frostbite is most excited about your visit," they continued. "Follow me to the village," they performed a small bow before heading deeper into the snow mountain. Daniel shrugged and trusted the stranger with every bone in his body, as he blindly followed him as the yeti ghost had instructed.

…

…

Valerie couldn't stop her shivering, holding herself tightly together by crossing her arms. "Are you cold?" Daniel asked, seeing that his friend was suffering in the frigid temperatures. He held a hand out, palm up, and caught a snowflake. "It isn't bothering me…"

"We're on top of an i-i-ice m-mountain, D-Daniel…" Valerie scathingly spat out. "I think it's going to be a little c-c-cold."

Daniel blinked his eyes once before an ecto-blast lit up in his hand. He held it over to Valerie, and instantly her shivering stopped. "Hold it," he ordered her, waving his alit hand over to her.

"Your…h-hand?" She questioned, her face heating up.

Daniel rose an eyebrow. "The ecto-blast?" He questioned, unsure of what she was referring to. "You don't have to hold my hand to do it." She looked at him, unsure of what he was getting at. "It won't burn you, trust me."

She held both of her hands out, and he deposited the ecto-blast into her palms as though he were transferring a handful of sand. Valerie tensed up and waited for the pain and burning to happen, but much to her surprise, nothing did. She blinked her eyes, looking intently at the ghostly energy that she was currently holding – she didn't think it was possible to hold it if she wasn't a halfa or a ghost.

"How can I-?"

"I can control my powers very well…" Daniel replied vaguely, not wanting to elaborate any more on it.

Valerie closed her mouth and didn't ask him any questions. She had a feeling that it was linked to the intense training regimen that Skulker had informed her about, but once again she didn't want to pry him for information…she wanted him to come to her on his own terms.

They kept traveling up the mountain until they reached a large area where it suddenly became flat and leveled. It looked like a village had been built there – composed out of wooden buildings. Nearby caves also looked as though they were being lived out of. A large stadium was just over the residential area, where bleachers were constructed around the large open field area.

This looks vaguely familiar somehow…

"This way," the Far Frozen spoke, gesturing the two teenagers to follow behind them. Valerie nodded her head and gestured Daniel in front of her with a slight tilted of her head. Daniel nodded once, taking the lead.

…

…

A man donned in an orange fur coat turned around, donning heavy winter ware.

"D…" The name was lost on his tongue as he continued to look at the teenager that was his son. Daniel stared blankly at him, glancing off to the side in disinterest before he was promptly elbowed in the side by Valerie. It caused the halfa to furrow his eyebrows in mild confusion for a few seconds. Then, he looked back at the man who seemed lost in his own train of thoughts.

Jack…Fenton -

My biological father.

"It's good to see you," Daniel spoke out without any emotion in his tone, insinuating the opposite. "I am requesting your aid in the upcoming war."

Jack frowned at the words that were coming from his mouth – to Jack they seemed so…impersonal. The words that were coming from his son's lips were cold.

"D-Danny, I…" Jack began to say but couldn't continue. It seemed that the older man's words were shrouded in guilt and remorse – as though everything that had happened up to this point was his fault.

Valerie took a moment to truly take Jack in.

The man had lost a great deal of weight and his hair had turned grayer than it had ever been. It also looked like he was growing a beard – she doubted that the man kept up his appearance. He didn't have a reason to look tidy since civilization was a great distance away from him.

"I am…" Jack began once again, walking closer to the two teens. Daniel eyed him from where he was standing, not taking a step towards him. "I am so sorry, my son…"

Daniel placed a hand up, effectively silencing him.

"I don't care about your apology and I don't want it," he explained sharply. Valerie pursed her lips in obvious disapproval for what he was saying, but didn't comment on it. "It's too late to be remorseful about actions that were out of your control, anyway…" Daniel trailed until he finished what he had to say with a nonchalant, uncaring shrug.

Jack looked like the guilt was eating him alive, and his shoulders tensed at his sides. "This is…!" He clenched his eyes shut. Daniel tilted his head to the side and looked up at the cave walls with disinterest. "This is all my fault-!"

"Okay," Daniel said with another shrug.

"Daniel…" Valerie muttered next to him. "At least hear him out-?"

Daniel rolled his eyes lightly. "I told him that it's a waste of his breath. Apologies are worthless to me," he reasoned lowly back to her, finding that a discussion with Jack wasn't worth his time. He took a few steps forward, placing his still raised hand on the older man's shoulder. "Listen," he stressed out, narrowing his eyes.

Jack opened them up, and Daniel paused for a moment at seeing the way that Jack's eyes were teary.

This man is weak – how can I be related to him-?

"I don't care," Daniel repeated, this time more sternly to cement it. "I will never want your apology. We need to prepare for a war with Vlad. He has mom. We need to get her away from him."

"M-Maddie is-?"

Daniel released a loud exhale.

This is hopeless.

I don't have the patience for this.

"Either you're going to help or I came all this way for nothing…" Daniel told Jack, glaring over at him.

Jack stopped what he was doing and stared at his son. There was a split second where he couldn't believe what the teenager in front of him was spouting – to Jack, it seemed like Daniel was completely different on an entirely new level.

"I will help you," Jack told Daniel.

Daniel eyed him with a certain level of scrutiny before turning on his heels and walking out of the cave. Valerie was shocked at his sudden and abrupt exit, barely being able to understand what exactly had happened.

"D-Daniel-!" She huffed, running after him. "Aren't we all going back to Amity together-?"

"No, not just yet," he paused in his step in order for her to catch up. Valerie nearly collided into his back, and just had enough time to collect herself as she quickly latched her feet into the snow below her. "I want to rest."

Valerie took a few seconds to process what he had said. Then, she let out a slow smile, leaning forward to look at her friend. "You haven't fully recovered yet, have you?"

Daniel rose an eyebrow. "It's a little sadistic you're taking such amusement in my pain…" He quickly looked away from the girl, a slight blush covering his face. "You know that…?" He muttered, stomping over towards one of the nearby village houses.

"I don't take amusement in your suffering, Daniel…" Valerie mumbled back, knowing that he would be able to hear it with his enhanced hearing. Then, she turned to look at Mr. Fenton, who was standing at the opening of the cave, watching the retreating back of his son. "Sorry about that, Mr. Fenton," she apologized on Daniel's behalf.

Jack shook his head.

"I wasn't able to protect my family. This isn't Danny's fault…" He let out a low sigh. "When Frostbite had taken me from that island, I fought back at first. I thought it was a bad ghost but…" Jack slowly smiled. "He went on about how Danny was such a hero here in the Ghost Zone and I-!" He clenched his hands tightly together. "I hadn't known anything about it."

"Danny, he…" Valerie began. She knew that she wasn't about to be speaking about Daniel. It was the old Danny, the one that Plasmius had ruined and tortured out of existence. "He didn't want anyone to know," she walked over towards the older man with a frown. "In his own way…he didn't want any of us to worry."

"I could have helped him, Valerie…" Jack stressed. His eyes were pleading towards her, showing the girl all of his regret that had been building up over these past couple of months after he found out Danny's secret. "Madds and I…we could have helped him."

Valerie gave him a sympathetic smile. "He wouldn't have wanted you to – that wasn't the person that Danny was."

"And…" Jack looked off into the distance, towards the snow village. Valerie could hear the hopelessness in his tone. "Who is he now?"

"He's someone different," Valerie responded. "You just have to get to know him."

Jack let out a small exhale. "It looks like I will," he looked over at Valerie and gave her a beaming smile. Valerie could tell that it was only for pleasantries. "How about we get some hot food in your belly and get you a nice cabin to rest in for the night?" Valerie blinked at the man. "It must have been a long trip that the two of you took!"

Valerie nodded as Jack led the way.

…

…

Daniel was sitting out on the makeshift deck, looking up at the swirling hues of the green and purple above him. He was holding a hot cup of coffee that had since become freezing cold. "Shouldn't you be sleeping?" Daniel commented lowly, sensing someone behind him.

Jack let out a small breath at being caught. "I…noticed you out here."

"And…?" Daniel commented, slightly turning his head to look at the man.

Jack didn't have an answer that wouldn't annoy the teenager. Instead, he kept quiet and walked over to him as his feet crunched lightly on the snow, compacting it into the ground. Daniel watched as he did so, not making another comment before turning his head back to look at the sky.

"She hates me," Daniel confessed, turning to look at Jack with a small frown. Jack continued to look at his son before the teen ultimately let out a shrug. "Maddie," he clarified, glancing at the cold liquid in the cup. He set it down on the porch before he turned completely to look at his biological father. "She thinks that I'm a monster."

Jack frowned at that reason. "No, she's your mom. She would never say that-!"

Daniel let out a low chuckle that sent shivers down Jack's spine. "She does. She really does think that I'm a monster. I've killed ghosts and was even going to level Amity Park to the ground at Vlad's orders." Daniel added without any emotion in his voice.

"You…!" Jack breathlessly exclaimed, shocked at what he was hearing coming out of his son's mouth.

"Yes," Daniel nodded. "I'm a monster," he reaffirmed his earlier words. "Once I met Jazz, everything had changed – I…" He stuttered, lightly clearing his throat. "I had changed. I had turned into this halfway person of Vlad's soldier and Danny Fenton…" He thought about if for a couple of seconds before laughing dryly. "Even more of a freak than what I used to be, I guess…"

"Jazz is safe…?" Jack picked up on his daughter's name coming from the teen's mouth.

Daniel didn't seem bothered at that fact. After all, he wasn't Jack's son anymore – not after all that he had went through at the hands of Vlad. He had murdered ghosts and wasn't above murdering humans, either. He would do whatever he needed to do to get the job done and accomplish his mission. In his eyes, it didn't matter who stood against him.

He thinks you're a monster, too.

I would expect him to think nothing less.

"Yes. She's part of the resistance. She's safe," Daniel explained, looking back up at the sky. "I'm going to kill Vlad, you know…" He picked up the cup filled with liquid and placed it on his open palm. Jack watched as he did so, keeping a close eye on the teen in front of him. "I'm going to squeeze the life out of him with my own bare hands."

Jack let out a flinch as the cup was suddenly encased in a wall of ice.

Let him think of me as a monster.

I deserve to be hated for what I have become.

"Do you have any objections to that?" Daniel asked the man, dropping the frozen cup onto the ground as he stood up. The cold didn't affect him at all – he was thankful that he had an ice core. It would be one of the only things that would help aid him in his future battle with Vlad. "Well…" he commented light heartedly. "It's not like I need your permission, anyways," he turned to look at him, seeing Jack's eyes locked onto the frozen cup. "If you're to help aid me in the war then there shouldn't be any lingering attachments left to the man."

Jack swallowed thickly – he didn't know if he would be able to kill Vlad if it came down to it. The man was evil but he didn't think he needed to die for what he had done-!

"Everyone back in Amity is ready to fight and is ready to kill…" Daniel took a step towards him, now standing at nearly his exact height. He had a major growth spurt over the past couple of months, it seemed. "Are you?" He muttered into Jack's ear before walking away from the man, putting his hands in his pockets.

He entered into the cabin that Frostbite had set them up in, seeing Valerie laying on the couch with her arm supporting her head on the armrest.

"Was that necessary?" She drawled out, having witnessed the entire conversation. "Jack needs time to process what's going on."

Daniel closed the door and walked into the cabin, phasing the snow off his shoes as he did so. "He doesn't have time…" He muttered out.

"Do you want him to stay here and be out of Vlad's line of fire?" Valerie questioned. Daniel remained silent, but stayed in the living room. The fireplace was going and the soft crackling of logs was all that he was hearing. "No. No, that's not it…" Valerie stood up from the couch. "You want him to do something else…" She took a couple of steps to look into Daniel's eyes.

He remained where he was, not at all threatened by her. Daniel stoically met her stare, refusing to move and give into her intimidation tactics.

"If I were you…" Valerie tilted her head to the side. "I'd want Jack to save Maddie."

Daniel rose an eyebrow.

"I'm right, aren't I?" Valerie taunted, raising an index finger and poking Daniel in the chest. "I knew it." She slowly began to smile. "You want to get Jack ready enough to save Maddie…" She admitted out loud, and then her smile fell off her face. "We're…We're going to save Maddie, next? Aren't we?"

Daniel let out a slow breath. "Even though she hates me…" he crossed his arms. "I don't need Vlad to use her as leverage against me. Once she's saved…" He began to walk away, leaving Valerie feeling oddly cold. "I'm going to kill him and put an end to all of this…"

As Daniel walked down the hallway towards the rooms, Jack had closed the door that he had slowly opened. "He really is going to kill him…" Jack looked at Valerie for answers. "Isn't he?"

"In his eyes…there's only one way that this is going to end…" Valerie muttered, watching as Daniel phased through the door and into one of the rooms without even bothering to open it. "We should head to bed, too. It seems like we have a big day ahead of us tomorrow."

To be continued…

A/N: Thanks for the reviews. I truly feel so honored that I have so many readers, aha. If possible, I wish that I could go back and edit previous chapters because they are so very CrInGe. Oh well, though, that's part of growing as a writer.

Next chapter: Operation Save Maddie.

Can't wait to see ya'll then!