Disclaimer: I own nothing from Danny Phantom.

Note: Good news! I'm almost done with the revival of this story! And the best part is, this isn't the end! There's an unfinished sequel to this too. That said, I won't be keeping as many of the same events as this one since I want to take the story in a new direction but I do plan to keep the best parts in. Either way, thanks for sticking with me to the very end and I hope to see you when I bring back the sequel I'm renaming "Final Epitaph."

Chapter 29: Wish

Danielle's POV

The next time I opened my eyes, I realized I was back in my bedroom and Vlad was sitting next to me reading a book. It seemed so bizarre seeing him here and yet-! Blushing suddenly it hit me like a ton of bricks that Vlad was HERE, in MY room, in HUMAN form. That told me only one thing, that Vlad must have contacted my parents and then came up with a clever story to tell them and the police about where I've been the past few days. Honestly I expected to either wake up in Vlad's soon-to-be home here in Amity or in the hospital, so why was I...?

"Good morning, little badger," Vlad smiled softly, closing his book and setting it aside. "How're you feeling?"

Blinking slowly I waited for brain to start working long enough to form actual words before replying."Ok, I REALLY need to stop randomly passing out like that you you might have to change my nickname to sleeping beauty."

Sitting up to face him properly, I asked worriedly. "Where's Sam and Trish? Are they alright? What happened to Freakshow and Lydia? How long have I been-"

Pressing a finger to my lips to shush me, Vlad replied calmly. "Danielle, relax. Your friends are just fine. They're not exactly happy with me but it's to be expected since. their parents have grounded them after they recklessly snuck out to 'look for you' after finding out that you had been kidnapped by Freakshow's ghost which is, ironically, true to some extent.

"As for Freakshow himself I did what I had to to protect you since you would have never been safe if he was still at large. Lydia on the other hand is still 'alive' so to speak and most likely licking her wounds in the Ghost Zone after your friends released her from the thermos. But unless Lydia has suicidal tendencies she won't be a threat to you now that her ex-boyfriend is gone forever. As for your last question, I'm afraid you've been asleep for three days which is understandable considering what you've been through. We thought it best to have a private doctor take a look at you to avoid the press trying to ask you needless questions about what happened. Does that answer all of your questions?"

"Not even close," I groaned, trying to wrap my mind around all of this new information. "So ok, if you, Sam, and Trish blamed Freakshow for kidnapping me as a ghost to explain where I've been, then why the hell are you here in person? What exactly did you tell my parents?"

Unable to keep the smile from his face, Vlad explained. "It's simple really, when you didn't call me as usual the other night I had a feeling something was wrong. Unable to shake that terrible feeling, I took the first flight here and planned to stop by your house but as luck would have it I ran into your friends who explained the situation to me. As a responsible adult I tried to convince them to leave the rest to me, however, being the reckless children they were they didn't listen. Thankfully I was able to track the three of you down using my boundless connections and resources and bravely fought against Freakshow's ghost and disposed of the fiend that kidnapped you."

His eyes softening, Vlad gently took my hand in his and admitted with a heavy sigh. "No matter what story I've given your parents or the police, it doesn't change the fact that this happened because of me. I was careless, and you almost paid the price for my mistake. Normally I never apologize for my actions, especially if they were justified, but this time I wasn't thinking as clearly as I should have been.

"I'm so sorry Danielle, I truly am. I shouldn't have let my anger get the better of me because ultimately it put you in more danger than I originally found you in. But I promise that I will protect you better from now on. Soon the preparations finally will be complete and from now on I'll be within reach whenever you need me. My home will always be a safe haven for you, and if need be I'll make enough of a public nuisance of myself just enough to scare most other ghosts away if that is what it takes to make your life even the least bit easier."

With a sigh, I shrugged and stared blankly at the glow-in-the-dark star stickers on the roof of my bedroom and replied. "What happened wasn't entirely your fault, you just made a bad call. Believe me, I make them all the time. And yeah its true that things escalated fast because of how you chose to handle that whole mess but Freakshow was...he was something I wasn't prepared to face and that asshole nearly got away with abducting me the first time too.

"Like you said before, when I chose to protect people with my ghost powers we both knew it would come with a lot of risks. But the thing is that those risks were already there from the moment I became half-ghost so I thought, hey, I might as well do something about it since ghosts seemed to be appearing all around me and causing trouble anyway. Still, do you remember that offer you made to me when we first met? And how you revised it so I wouldn't have to give up my life here or my family?"

Vlad nodded, his expression mostly blank though his eyes were glittering hopefully, so I continued. "Well, if you're moving here anyway maybe the best way you can keep me safe is by helping me not be so...easily incapacitated. I'm sick of feeling like such a damsel in distress all the-"

"Say no more, my dear." Vlad smiled warmly. "I couldn't agree more. But just to be clear, regardless of what happened with Freakshow, you are by NO means helpless. Don't believe that for one second. From what I've heard of your ghostly endeavors, your skills have improved considerably since the last time we saw one another and you have survived far more grueling battles than this. At any rate, your brother would like to speak with you and your parents will want to know you're awake as well. Which reminds me, now that the spell is broken have your memories returned yet...?"

I blinked, not expecting that question but then I when I really thought about it I muttered thoughtfully. "Huh, you're right...it is a lot easier to remember things now. Guess that means I'm no longer brainwashed."

Finally letting go of my hand after giving it one last affectionate squeeze he said. "Speaking of memories, I've already taken care of the media so they won't bother you about what happened since it was rather traumatic, at least from an outsiders perspective. Since I wasn't sure how much you would remember once you woke up I explained to your parents and other concerned parties that you might try blocking out the whole experience so it's best not to dwell on it. At any rate once the good news is you've been given a clean bill of health life and I'll be staying in town for awhile to take care of a couple more loose ends so should you need somewhere quiet to escape to, no one should question you coming to see me."

I nodded, relieved to have one less thing to lie to everyone about so I closed my eyes and asked. "Hey Vlad, would you mind telling Jason to come back later? All this serious talk kinda wore me out so I'd like to get a bit more sleep. If things really are about to go back to normal...I'm going to be super busy again and need all the rest I can get."

"Not if I can help it," Vlad muttered under his breath before tucking me in again and petting my hair back before kissing my forehead. "At any rate I'll let them know you're alright and not to disturb you. I'll try to make sure your parents don't make too much noise either. Sleep well, little badger."

"Thanks Vlad and...um..." I answered before adding with a tired smile. "...don't be a stranger ok? I'd like to be able to spend more time with you without it involving a kidnapping, a surprise visit gone horribly wrong, or a power crazy ghost. Just saying."

Looking mildly surprised by response, Vlad smiled fondly at me as he ruffled my hair a little and laughed. "Oh Danielle, haven't you learned by now it's not so easy to get rid of me? I'm afraid you're stuck with me whether you like it or not because I have no intention of letting you out of my sight again."

Vlad's POV

It was rather tiresome spending so much time around Jack, but I grit my teeth and endured it for Danielle's sake. After what nearly happened to their daughter I told Jack and Maddie how I was becoming increasingly worried about Danielle and Jason's safety due to all the ghosts sightings. During our discussion I also revealed my plans to move to Amity Park since I've been hard at work the past several months with 'negotiations' in order to take over the research facility Axion Labs to develop new ways help them deal with the ghost problem. Especially since some of them were becoming bold enough to kidnap children.

Obviously Jack and Maddie were still reeling about the fact that Freakshow once WAS human and had became a ghost almost right after his murder. Sadly those two were under the absurd notion that ghosts are merely otherworldly beings from another dimension. If only they knew they're so much more than that since many have documented existences in our world from when they were still alive. Though I will admit there are spirits who were never human too, but I digress.

As for Danielle she seemed...much more at ease then I've seen her in a long time since word must have gotten around that Vlad Plasmius had slain a new ghost that targeted Dani Phantom. Destroying another ghost outright is no easy task either so if they wanted to avoid the same fate, hopefully this meant at least most of the weaker ghost will go out of their way to stay clear of her. Only the most delusional ghost would dare attack Danielle directly while she is under my protection, which is exactly the way it should be.

I knew this moment of reprieve wouldn't last forever since they love to push their luck like any territorial creature, but at least for now, not having to worry about patrolling for ghosts every single day did wonders for Danielle's mood. Despite the harrowing experiences she's been through over the course of the past few days, once she got enough rest Danielle was smiling and laughing with her friends again which is what I like to see. It was truly delightful to be able to see that first hand...

Sadly I haven't been able with Danielle as a result to discuss other matters such as beginning her formal ghost training with me. And of course there was the matter of her settling back into a normal routine attending school and avoiding tactless questions about her kidnapping by her classmates. Still, for the most part she seemed happy.

That's why I was overjoyed when the weekend came and Danielle told me she needed a break from her overprotective friends and her brother which was understandable and asked to come visit me. I was confused however when Danielle adamantly refused to let me pick her up in the limo and asked me to wait for her. As you can imagine I was terribly confused about her sudden secretive and standoffish attitude and wondered, was she upset with me for some reason?

Did I do something wrong without realizing it...?

I resisted the urge to send my vultures to find out one way or another because I wanted Danielle to continue trusting me and she wouldn't be happy about me spying on her more than necessary. But that didn't stop me from worrying that she was hiding something from me. I was in the middle of running scenario's in my head when suddenly my ghost sense went off and there was a knock on the door. I immediately knew it was Danielle and calmly went to open the door. But when I did, there was 'no one' there.

Smiling mirthfully, I looked around in all directions and sighed dramatically. "Such a pity, and here I thought I heard my dear little badger knocking on the door. Oh well, I suppose I'll simply have to suffer this loneliness awhile longer..."

Trailing off as I shut the door behind me it wasn't until it was fully closed and I tried to turn around that to my surprise Danielle hastily reached up to cover my eyes before I could see her. "Wait a second! Don't turn around yet because I have a surprise for you. Close your eyes and no peaking!"

Her tone was playful and insistent which made it clear to me that this was why she's been avoiding me lately. Danielle must have known I'd spoil whatever surprise she had in store since I'm a bit too observant for my own good. Regardless, it was sweet that Danielle, who I know dislikes surprises herself went through all this trouble just for me.

"I half expected you to say boo or make me guess who you were," I chuckled, lowering her hands from my eyes but keeping them closed as requested.

"Tempting but no," Danielle groaned. "I already have to deal with the Box Ghost bursting in on me yelling 'BEWARE' almost all the time so I don't do that anymore even as a joke. Besides, you'd know who it was even if I didn't say anything. You always do..."

Then, taking my hands in hers she whispered softly, "Hey Vlad, do you trust me?"

Puzzled by her question, I nodded. "Of course I do, but what does that have to do with-"

Squeezing my hands Danielle explained earnestly. "Just so you know, it took me forever to set this up between being stuck catching up on my homework, fighting some straggler ghosts hanging around who still want to pick a fight with me, and convincing my parents that I'm staying over at Trish's house for the weekend. She's covering for me. Anyways just...take my hand and let me lead you there ok?"

"Alright Danielle, if you insist." I smiled, about to transform when she started walking before I could.

I opened my mouth to ask what was going on and she answered. "I know what you're thinking but you don't need to transform yet. Just follow me and phase when I tell you to alright? I parked the Spector Speeder out back since it was easier to put everything in there all at once instead of worrying about making several trips. As luck would have it my parents are off visiting another old friend of theirs so they won't miss it for a few hours. I just need to bring it back as soon as we're done."

My curiosity piqued, I nodded and didn't question her further as Danielle led me to this...Spector Speeder which I assume is one of her parents inventions meant to traverse the Ghost Zone. We traveled for awhile in a comfortable silence until Danielle landed and told me it was alright to transform now. I did so and she led me further on by the hand and I could only tell so much from our surroundings from the different sounds and smells.

I could smell water and hear waves or rapids down below so were we flying over a lake, perhaps a river? The sound grew distant as we flew further though so that was clearly not our destination and the air became noticeably cooler which meant it probably be getting dark now. Either way once we finally began to descend Danielle led me to what seemed like the incline of a hilltop. I was just about to ask if I could open my eyes when I felt something light and brush against my cheek and heard Danielle gasp in awe.

Wondering what was going on I opened my eyes without permission and saw that our hands were still intertwined but they were glowing a soft blue. The energy we were giving off felt so familiar, like that power I witnessed her use when she dispelled Freakshow's dark magic. When I glanced up to look at Danielle directly I notices right away that her hair had been cut short into an adorable pixie cut and seeing the way her eyes sparkled with delight as small particles of light floated all around us only made me smile more because I was lucky to see such a rare sight. The sight of Danielle's unburdened smile.

"Vlad...what is this? It's just like what happened the other night but now...it's so pretty." Suddenly noticing me staring at her, Danielle blurted out. "What's that look for? This wasn't part of the surprise! And what did I say about peeking?"

"I know. But I couldn't help myself." I chuckled. "As for what this is...I'm not entirely sure what it is since I've never seen anything like this before, but I suspect it's a brand new power you've awakened all on your own, my dear. Truth be told, I have seen you use it once before, back when you freed yourself from Freakshow's spell. But I must say, its quite beautiful."

Her eyes softening as the tension evaporated from her shoulders, Danielle sighed in relief. "That's a relief. I was worried there for a second it was something bad. But you're right...this feels right somehow. When I fell into the river and thought it was all over, I remember seeing some kind of...apparition of you that pulled me out of the water. It comforted me and asked me what I really wanted and what would make me happy. That's when I realized that being with you, despite the bad start we had, does make me happy and I feel safe with you. And most of all I can be myself."

My gaze drifting to the small orbs of light, I said. "Thank you Danielle. I know this isn't quite what you had in mind, but simply hearing you tell me you trust me now means a great deal."

Scoffing at me Danielle teased. "Geez, talk about cheesy one-liners. Anyways, I didn't bring you all the way out here just to tell you that, Vlad. Look up."

Doing so I saw stars slowly begin to streak across the night sky and Danielle rested her head on my shoulder as we sat down on the grass and watched them. That's when it struck me why she was always rushing off in such a hurry when I tried to talk to her. Danielle must have gone to great lengths to catch up on ghost fighting and school work so she could spend this quality time with me, sharing something that also meant a great deal to her personally. And the fact that she was sharing this special moment with me and not her friends warmed my heart too.

Danielle may not have the riches I do, but this moment was worth more to me than a thousand diamonds. I couldn't have been happier, or so I thought, until Danielle sighed contently and said. "You know, I'm glad I met you. We've had our ups and downs sure but...it turns out you were right. I did need someone to watch my back. That's why I'm happy I can genuinely say that...you're really important to me, Vlad. We're family now where it matters and you're not just some crazed fruitloop anymore. At least, not the bad kind."

Resting my head on top of hers, I pulled her into a gentle side hug and smiled. "So am I, little badger. I'm grateful that you came into my life even though it was so unexpected. Because of you, I don't feel so alone anymore and I have someone else to care about besides your mother.

"She will always be dear to me, of course, however I can see now that what I truly wanted was to be part of a family again. I think of you as a daughter and from this moment on, I will stay by your side so that you will never have to feel alone in this world either because I will always be here when you need me. Always."