Danny just stood there, half way between the kitchen door and the basement door, trying to recover from the one-two punch he'd just received, when a tap on his shoulder caused him jump several feet and flip around, his hands raised in defense and ready to fight.

"Sorry," Nora said, taking several steps back. He blinked and lowered his hands as she continued. "What was that all about?"

"Plasmius..." Danny growled. "This is all his fault. I've gotta find Mom–" Something white tucked just inside the door caught his eye suddenly: a large envelope with his name on it. He'd missed it before because he'd been focused on hiding Nora. Tearing past the ghost woman, he grabbed it and ripped it open. A plane ticket and two pieces of paper fell into his hands.

He almost tore the first letter apart in his haste at trying to open it. It read:

Dear Danny,

Vlad Masters has very generously offered to help us find Jazz. Your father's staying there in case she calls or something like that happens. I will be staying with Mr. Masters at his mansion while we look for Jazz. I'd feel much more comfortable if you were with me, and not there at home, so I'm sending a plane ticket for you when you get back. I'm sure you can find your way here. Just call me before you come so I can have a taxi or someone pick you up at the airport.

I hope your trip was fun, and I hope to hear from you soon.

I love you,

Mom

Danny blinked and reread the letter for clarification, and something just clicked. Vlad's plan came clearly into view inside his mind. The only thing Vlad had wanted the entire time was his mom...and now he had her.

Still in shock, he opened the second piece of paper.

Daniel,

Do not follow your mother. If you do, you will not relish the consequences of your actions. Find an excuse.

You have been warned.

Plasmius

Danny crumpled the second paper in his hand, not realizing he'd disintegrated it with an ectoplasmic blast until he saw the ashes falling from his fist.

"That bad?" Nora asked warily. Danny felt too frustrated and angry to speak, so he simply nodded. "What's wrong?"

"I have to find my dad," he growled, spinning to stalk down the stairs. She didn't follow.

When he reached the bottom, he glanced around, looking for his father's familiar, large figure. He spotted the orange jumpsuit almost immediately, and his look of anger quickly faded to an icy worry.

"DAD!" he yelped, dashing over to where his father lay on the floor. He looked like he'd been there for days, although Danny knew it couldn't have been more than a few hours since his mother left...how long had he been like this? Danny placed a hand on his father's shoulder gently, taking in the other's physical state as best he could, wondering if he had been injured or...killed.

"Danny?" the large man croaked. Despite the fact that it only barely sounded like his father's voice, Danny felt relief wash over him. Vlad hadn't gotten to him after all. Danny started to notice a few details he'd missed in his panic. Jack obviously hadn't shaved that day. A scruffy 5 o-clock shadow made itself known across the strong chin, emphasizing the lack of care that accompanied the utterly depressed expression. Even the material of his suit looked rumpled (Danny didn't know that was even possible with Spandex).

Biting his lip, Danny turned his attention to the phone that been left off the hook next to the older man's head. A busy signal rang clearly from it before he shut it off, wondering how his father could stand the constant, annoying noise.

"Dad, what happened?" he asked. Jack's look of curiosity faded back to depression.

"Your mother and I got in a fight," he sighed. "She left...gone with Vlad Masters...you know, I've never been jealous of anyone, but I'm jealous of him now." Once again, Danny noticed how weak and defeated the once confident voice sounded. Where there had always been certainty, now there remained none. He sounded empty and uncaring, and in a state that Danny knew all too well. "I'm just glad you're home."

Danny couldn't help but smile. "Yeah, Dad. I'm home."

"Your mother wanted–"

"I know, Dad," the teenager interrupted.

Jack only blinked. "She went with–"

"Vlad Masters to his home in Wisconsin to look for Jazz. You told me." His father's unusually sallow face simply bobbed in a nod.

"Danny?" Both pairs of eyes snapped towards the stairwell, but scattered inventions blocked Jack's view from the ground.

"Who's there?" he asked, although his tone clearly stated that he didn't really care.

"Er...a friend." Danny shot a glance at Nora, who looked apologetic, and turned to go upstairs.

Danny sighed. "Nora, wait," he shook his head and looked down at his father. "Dad, I've been doing a lot of thinking lately...and I've come to a conclusion. A lot of choices you and I have made in the past are directly responsible for a lot of what's happening right now...everything from my running away, to Jazz being kidnapped, to Mom leaving."

"How are you responsible for your Mother leaving?" Jack asked sarcastically.

"Because," Danny tried not to choke on his next words. "If...if I would have told you my secret at the beginning, none of this would have
happened." That caught his father's attention. "Your secret?" he asked incredulously. "You mean the one you ran away for?" Danny looked down and nodded. "What kind of secret is it, Danny? What kind of trouble did you get into that you couldn't tell your mother and I?"

Danny looked entirely deflated and defeated, as he sat with his head against the wall, and his arms around his legs.

"Do you really want to know, Dad?" he asked. "Because I can tell you why we're both at least partially responsible for the situation, who's mostly responsible, and why we're the only ones that can fix it...but I want to know first: do you honestly want to know?"

Something in his son's voice caused Jack to sit up, a look resembling his former self touching his now determined eyes.

"Danny, I know I'm not the best father, and I know I'm not the best person...but you're my son. No matter what happened, we'll fix it...but you need to tell us before we can help you."

His little speech brought an almost hopeful smile to Danny's face. Hearing his father talk like he used to, before his parents had started
arguing, brought him hope that things could get back to normal...that things could go back to the way they used to be, before his ghost powers, before arch enemies, and before people had done everything they could to make his life nothing short of miserable.

"Alright, Dad," he stood up. "I'll tell you." Jack watched his son stand there for a second before two bright rings appeared around his waist. He could only stare with an open mouth and shocked eyes as the two rings separated to leave a black and white hazmat suit, and a familiar boy with white hair and green eyes wearing it.

"Dad..." The boy looked down, his voice now echoing eerily around the room. "I'm Danny Phantom."

Okay, I know I promised to have this finished by Saterday, but my friend called threatening suicide when I was going to post all of this, and my friends lives are slightly more important to me...sorry, I hope you understand.

I really hope this one knocks you guys for a loop...no offense. And I'm sorry if the font is weird, or if you're having issues reading it because it was messing up on me. X-P