(Don't) Say My Name - Chapter 2


Danny sits up abruptly, the traces of his ghost breath causing him to groan and crawl out of bed. Looking out the window he nearly yelps as he sees Plasmius floating there, smirking.

A transformed Danny Phantom flies over to his visitor, lazily tossing a partially charged ecto-blast at his head.

Vlad easily dodges and clucks his tongue, "Dear boy, is that any way to greet someone? Surely your parents taught you better than that?"

"Sorry Vlad, you're right." He pauses for a beat for dramatic effect, causing the older hybrid to raise an eyebrow. "They told me if I ever caught a creep looking in the windows that I should call the police. But if it's a ghost creep, then I should kick their ass within an inch of their life and then capture it, for research purposes of course."

Vlad rolls his eyes, "Of course, no surprises there." He dodges another more accurately thrown ecto-blast from the teen and retaliates with a few of his own. He doesn't push too hard, he just keeps him dancing around and distracted while Ember sets up her bass. This takes much more concentration now that the teen is older, but he still has much to learn before equaling Vlad in prowess.

A few testing strums brings the surprised attention of the two hybrids, Danny's being genuine and Vlad's being a bit put on.

"Hello Baby-pop! Old-timer! I'm here to ROCK YOUR WORLDS!" Ember hollered into the microphone, strumming a few more deep chords, and starting up a quick, fast-paced song.

Vlad notices more than a few bedroom windows suddenly light up and discreetly gestured for her to speed things up.

Danny laughs before he can help himself, "'Old timer?' Ha! That's hilarious! Even the ghosts that have been dead for who knows how long are calling you old!"

Vlad growls and his fists begin to radiate pink power, glowing brighter and brighter, like he was charging up a particularly powerful attack. Danny, seeing this, follows suit, eyes darting between the ghost on the pavement and the ghost in the air.

Ember adjusts a few knobs on her guitar, pauses to wink at the boys before slamming her hand down into an even deeper chorus. The guitar bursts a pink, red and black beam of pure power that bounces between the two halfas, causing them to get thrown back, the musician laughing wickedly before launching into a wild solo.

Vlad recovers first (being subtly prepared will do that) and tackles her to the ground, grappling back and forth before wrapping pink energy ropes around her to subdue her. He looks over his shoulder at Danny, who can't make up his mind whether or not to help his enemy capture another enemy. "Do not worry, Little Badger, I will return to continue this conversation with you at a later date. Tata!" And with that, Vlad and a struggling Ember disappear in a cloud of pink mist.

"I have GOT to learn to teleport." Danny muses, checking himself for any injuries and finding none. He shrugs and heads back to bed.

Freakshow watches from the bushes, pleased with the outcome of the show, sure that Danny doesn't suspect a thing.


"And then he just teleported her out of there! It was the weirdest thing, but I wasn't gonna complain. I just went right back to bed."

"Danny!" Sam reproaches him, "What if Vlad came back for you after? You let your guard down."

Danny just waves the reprimand off, "What am I supposed to do, wait up for him all night? Come on Sam, he said he'd 'continue the conversation at a later date'. That means not now. That means I get to go back to bed." Danny closes his locker and leads his friends to class.

"Yeah dude, but what if he was lying?" Tucker chimes in.

"Well he didn't, so I would've been up worrying for nothing. Come on guys, Vlad wouldn't lie about something like that. It's too insignificant. He would want me to know if he's coming back, He might've even told me to stay put." He pauses and considers the situation and snorts, "He definitely would've said it like that too."

Tucker shook his head, "You trusting a man who lies for a living is crazy Danny. He's a politician! He's supposed to sound convincing."

Danny decides to allow it just to drop the subject, they were at the classroom doorway now and couldn't discuss ghost matters in such a confined space. He never doubted Vlad was lying, it was not the older halfa's style to lie about petty little things like that. He has a twisted sense of honour, but he does have one.

The bell rang and the teens settled in to another torturous math lecture.


Vlad sips his cappuccino and looks through the morning paper at a café patio. He has an excellent view of the street, and in the distance, the local public high school. He pretends to read but his excitement keeps his thoughts looping back to the spell. Freakshow believes the kid doesn't suspect a thing.

'Finally! The boy will be disarmed and I can remove his ghost powers, leaving me alone to do as I please at last! I shouldn't need to go through such lengths to deal with a mere child, this is getting ridiculous. If this spell works the way I want it to then Daniel will feel no desire to fight with me anymore and I will be able to manipulate him with ease.'

Danny, Sam and Tucker finally come into view, arguing loudly about the latest test Mr. Lancer threw at them. Vlad waits for them to pass the cafe before he steps behind them, "Daniel Fenton." He says clearly and confidently.

Danny freezes, shoulders straight. He slowly turns and looks at who is behind him. The other two leap back and scream.

Vlad laughs and watches with curiosity as Danny's eyes narrow suspiciously. Danny shakes his head and greets the man, "Mr. Mayor! What is it now?" He says in an overly-pleasant voice, subtly shifting his weight forward in case he needs to move fast. He eyes the hyrbid wearily, painfully aware that they are in a very public space.

Vlad chuckles and says, "Oh nothing in particular Daniel, I just happen to be in the area for a cup of coffee. I thought to myself 'Well now, Daniel goes to school in this area, maybe I'll see him on his walk home. Do you want a ride with me today instead, Daniel?" He grinned, he had to use the boy's name as much as possible to make the spell really pack a punch.

Danny seemed very hesitant, each use of his name was causing weird pinpricks in the back of his skull and a tug in his stomach. He eyed the man before him, unsure if he should be engaging in possible conflict in the open when he doesn't feel 100% himself. He tilted his head and stepped back, "I don't want to fight you today Plasmius." He hisses quietly, not feeling the usual adrenaline rush that helps sharpen his tongue and reflexes both.

His friends take his cue and loosen their defensive stances as well. Tucker speaks first, "Yeah beat it, Buster. Don't you have a life of your own?"

"Why do you want to drive him today anyway? We're almost there now. Moron."

Vlad sighs, "Aren't you brats a little old to be using childish name-calling? Or am I to understand you were held back in school for your sheer lack of intelligence? Forgive me, I'm not looking at seniors ready to graduate, I must be looking at children." He grins as his words cause the 3 to bristle and nearly growl at him. "Well Daniel, I'll take my leave then. Perhaps we can chat another time when you are not… babysitting." He turns and throws one last comment over his shoulder, "Ta-ta Daniel."

As he walks away, neither of the 3 confused teens see his wicked smirk and just look to each other in confusion.

Sam and Tucker start chattering immediately.

"What the hell was that? What just happened?"

"Why did he use your name so much? Wasn't that just creepy?"

"What do you think he really wanted?"

"Yeah what's with the invite to 'drive home?' Since when is Vlad nice? It must be a trap."

Danny just frowns and looks at his friends, his head feels very stuffy and prickly and he keeps glancing around himself, paranoid. There is a sense of wrongness in his gut which he usually likes to trust but now he feels very compromised. He opts to wait it out and see if it will settle down on its own. 'It's probably just upset because Vlad is such a fruitloop.'

"Danny?"

"Earth to Danny! Come iiiiin Danny!"

Sam gave him a punch in the shoulder, causing the teen to flinch and look up to two very concerned friends. He sheepishly explains he zoned out trying to figure out what Vlad wanted and the other two start in on conspiracy theories, Danny doing his best to contribute, feeling his headache trickle away very slowly.

Ember and Freakshow (who happen to be disguised and watching from a few tables away) look to each other and face palm. "How could we forget the nicknames?!" Screeches Freakshow.

Ember sighs, "I guess I thought they were more civil than that. Should we fix the spell?"

Freakshow growls, "I'm still a little tired to be honest. It was so complicated making two spells that had such specific targets in such a short burst."

"Yeah it would be way easier if they could freak out just hearing anyone say their names... could you just imagine!" Ember snorts, "But maybe this is better, when the kid finally says his name it'll be such a surprise for the poor old timer he won't know what to do with himself!"

Freakshow nods, thinking about it, "They'll probably be in public when it happens. He can't very well call him by his ghost name when surrounded by their peers." His smile turns downright lecherous, "And Mr. Masters will figure it out right away but not be able to say a thing, he'll just have to take it!" He crows with glee, high fiving the ghost at his side. Ember grabs his shoulder and turns them invisible. "Lets go see how long it takes for the ball to get rolling."


It does not take long.

Vlad can't help himself, he's so very excited to put his plan into action as quickly as possible. As soon as Danny puts his guard down, Vlad is prepared to capture him and remove his ghost half. But that is only Plan B. First there is a potential to take the teenager in as an apprentice with his sudden newfound affection. He will definitely explore that a little bit. He imagines how formidable the pair would be working together. Why the other ghosts would never dare to touch them! They could have the world!

Vlad meets Danny just outside the school the very next afternoon, grinning as the 3 students groan when they see him. "What do you want today, Masters?" Danny tries to shoulder by the man, knowing he can't attack him with so many students milling around, pointing and whispering about the Mayor of Amity Park.

Vlad plasters on a pleasant smile that looks anything but, puts an iron grip on Danny's shoulder just as he is about to pass him, and roughly brings the teen near enough to speak lowly in his ear, "I mean you no harm today, Little Badger. Perhaps we could enjoy a friendly conversation on the way back to your home? I chose to meet you right at the school, so no excuses today Daniel." He gestures to the limo parked shrugs off the hand and the goosebumps, trying to think through the prickling sensations in his skull. "Just leave me alone Plasmius." Danny hisses, rubbing his temples.

Vlad smiles broadly at the action, knowing exactly what is going on inside Danny's head. "Oh Daniel, Daniel, Daniel. Do you have a headache dear boy?" He asks sickeningly sweetly, stepping close and putting a wrist to the teenagers flushed forehead.

The action sends Danny into a panic. His eyes bulge as he tries to hide the tumultuous thoughts and feelings suddenly forcing their way in his skull. His brain is tingling so hard it almost hurts, his stomach is tugging very uncomfortably, his heart is hammering wildly and he can feel himself overheating. The problem?

Vlad. Is. Too. Close.

He is suddenly and painfully aware of the warmth coming off of the man, the smell of his expensive cologne and hear the gentle rustle of his clothes slide as he moves. But the worst of it all is Danny doesn't want to move away, in fact, he wants to lean in, close his eyes and inhale the scent, maybe even feel the fabric of Vlad's suit-

'WHAT THE HELL!'

He rears back from Vlad, shuts his mind off violently and blurts out "I have homework!" before bolting down the sidewalk, his two best friends yelling and peeling after him.

Vlad is a little surprised by the reaction but pleased the spell is obviously somehow affecting the teen. It's not as instantaneous as he wants but figures some constant pressure should do the trick. He smiles and makes his way back to his limo. He has a phone-call to make…