Summary: Danny has just about had it with his life in Amity Park, so when he gets accepted to a college in Pennsylvania he decides to go for it. Unfortunately through the appearance of someone from his past, Danny finds out that no matter how far away he gets from home, he can't totally escape. Slash Danny/ Dash in later chapters. If you don't like slash just don't read it! This is my first try at this so see what you think!

Disclaimer: I don't own Danny Phantom or its characters... wish I did though! Oh well!

Chapter 2

"Crap! Not now…" Danny moaned under his breath, as he was awakened by his ghost sense.

Before transforming, Danny scanned the room to make sure his roommate was still MIA. Satisfied he was alone, Danny let the rings of light envelop his body signaling his transformation to ghost mode.

"All right, I'm ready! Now where are you?" Danny questioned the empty dorm room.

" Right behind you Daniel!" The familiar voice of the condescending male whispered.

"Vlad" Danny exclaimed, trying his best not to sound shaken. "What in the hell are you doing here?"

"Language Daniel!" Vlad chided, "I'm just here to make sure you get the most out of your first-rate education… That I'm paying for!"

"Come on Vlad! "Hell" isn't a vulgar word!" Danny laughed.

"I am quite aware of that! I had just hoped as a college student you could have come up with a much more eloquent way to express yourself!" Vlad replied with a smirk. "By the way, I could have defeated you quite easily just now had we not called that little truce."

"In your dreams old man! You're like 50!" Danny said still laughing as he switched back to human form. "Plus, I still have a few tricks up my sleeve that you haven't!"

"As do I son." Vlad said coldly.

"How many times have I told you not to call me that!" Danny scolded.

"Very well, would you prefer then that I go back to calling you Little Badger?" Vlad retorted.

"God no!" exclaimed Danny. "Anything is better than that!"… Well almost anything… Danny thought as more painful memories came rushing back to him, making his knees buckle and forcing him to take a seat on the edge of his bed. He had been called worse things then "Little Badger" throughout the course of the last year… much worse!

Seeing the sudden change of expression on his young Godson's face, Vlad couldn't help but let the feeling of pity knot his stomach. He knew exactly what was going through Danny's mind. He had seen that look before, although Danny had been doing his best to suppress his emotions for the better part of a year. It was amazing how quickly this conversation turned from an exchange of sarcastic quips to Danny being seemingly on the verge of tears.

"Daniel." Vlad said with a much more gentle tone of voice as he sat down next to Danny. "You must not let these memories continue to haunt you like this! You are away from that life, and those people. I know they said and did some very hurtful things, but you just have to let go and move on!"

"I can't! Those people… they were right I am a…f…" Danny drifted of not able to finish that particular sentence. "I'm a freak!"

"Nonsense son! I'm sorry… Danny…" replied Vlad as he tried to choose his words carefully as not to upset Danny further. "Although, I can't deny that your abilities do make you quite different, they do not make you freak. After all I would never call myself that; I prefer to think of myself as quite extraordinary!"

"That's not what I was talking about Vlad!" Danny said with a small, but still depressed chuckle.

"I'm quite aware of that I was just attempting to cheer you up!" responded Vlad with an awkward smile. "Cut me some slack, I don't have any moody children of my own to practice this cheering up business with! Seriously Daniel, being like you… being gay I mean, does not make you a freak! You can't change whom you fall in love with! Take me for example. I am still desperately in love with a woman who will never love me in return. It also doesn't change who you are. You are still extraordinary young man who the people that truly matter still care deeply about, no matter what."

The pair sat silently for what seemed like ages on the edge of the bed before Vlad finally broke the silence. "Well Daniel, I should really leave you so you can get to class and take advantage of that fully paid for education."

With that Vlad got up from Danny's side and moved towards the window switching to ghost mode as he walked.

"Hey Vlad…" Danny said softly. "Thanks… for you know… everything"

"Any time son… now quit your sulking and get to class!" Vlad replied with a smirk. "Bet you haven't figured this one out yet!" he added and then quickly teleported away leaving behind only a swirl of green smoke.

I so need to learn how to do that! Danny thought to himself. That… and the duplicating thing… "But you still can't do the Wail grandpa!" Danny commented mainly to reassure himself, he knew Vlad was gone. As hard as Vlad had tried he couldn't manage to pull off anything nearly as destructive as his godson's "Ghostly wail." He soon realized he never would. It was this realization that had caused him to call the truce with Danny and promise that he would only try to conquer the Ghost Zone, not the world.

Looking down at is watch Danny realized he only had a little over an hour before his first class of the day was to begin.

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"Damn am I good!" Dash complemented himself as he pulled into his residence hall's parking lot at Carnegie Mellon University noting the time… 7:25am. He had always had a good sense of timing. After removing from the trunk what he could easily maneuver up the stairs to his fourth floor room, he took off towards the dorm; he could always make another trip.

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Roughly thirty minutes later a more cheerful Danny emerged from his dorm room singing along to the song blaring in his ears courtesy of his iPod. Somehow music always had a tendency to lift his spirits. Not paying too much attention to his surroundings Danny made his way down the hall. He had just managed to get his steps in sync with the music when he inadvertently ran headfirst into a much taller and more muscular blonde teen.

Looking at his feet and feeling incredibly embarrassed about is incessant clumsiness Danny muttered a quick apology. But the blonde had already continued down the hall with out even wavering.

"Nice to meet you too!" Danny called after him as he hurried out the front door and on to the lawn. He was proud of himself for being so forward, but he really didn't want to stick around to see how the other teen would react to it!

"Whatever looser!" replied Dash over his shoulder to the raven-haired teen that had just run into him in the hallway.

It was then that a realization smacked Dash in the head. I know that voice… But as hard as he tried he couldn't quite place it. Oh well I'm sure I'll run into him again… or he'll run into me! Dash chuckled to himself as he continued on to find his room.

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Ok so there's chapter 2! Hope you still like it! Thank you SO much to Knight Move for being my beta! You are greatly appreciated!

MoonMango9: Thank you hun! Ok I updated! Please don't hex me! 

Authoraisarete: Thanks! That means a lot! I totally agree, the more Danny/ Dash love the better! 