Author's Note: Are you ready for vampires, puns, underground cities, Danny-isms, shadows, classic villainy, some sweet Danny-Sam moments, and more vampires? Then you've come to the right place. And now it's time for the show! *The author taps her foot anxiously as the orchestra starts up and the giant velvet curtain begins to part…*
Author's Note Part Deux: Mandatory Disclaimer Edition: Wait! I don't own anything – not the name "Lestat" or any other well-known vampire references I'm sure to include, and definitely not Danny Phantom, sadly. I'm just doing this for fun, because I'm a nerd who loves both vampires and Danny.
(Cover Note: Cover is 1000% credited to "sharkie19" on DeviantArt, with only the slightest vampiric tweaks.)
Prologue: In Which Danny Jinxes Himself
Danny seriously couldn't believe he'd been roped into yet another Fenton Family Vacation – especially one that was so close to the end of his summer break. Honestly, he started school at Helsing High in exactly two weeks. He should be focusing on that, not on another wild goose chase throughout the wilderness of New Hampshire looking for They-Which-Should-Not-Be-Named.
Jazz, he could tell, was also annoyed by the seemingly sudden change in plans, complaining loudly as she brought her suitcase up to the Fenton Family Vampire Eradication Vehicle, or 'V.E.V.' for short.
Yup, you read that right: "Vampire Eradication Vehicle." His parents took being nutjobs to an entirely different level. They actually, seriously believed in the existence of vampires.
"I still don't understand why I need to come along on this poor excuse for interpersonal bonding," Jazz huffed, still holding a thick psychology textbook to her chest even after unloading the rest of her luggage into the trunk of the V.E.V.
"Jazz, how do you think I feel?" Danny scowled as his mind jumped to the Dash-based bullying he was sure to endure in two weeks' time. This little excursion would surely give Dash even more ammo for his 'Freaky Fenton' crusade.
Jazz's gaze softened infinitesimally. "I know, little brother." She frowned slightly before marching up to their parents.
"Have either of you even considered the repercussions of this trip on Danny's development? On his psyche?! You're treating him like an abused, unwanted wretch!" Jazz exhaled loudly, glaring at Maddie and Jack Fenton with a fiery look in her eyes, matched only by her flaming orange hair.
"Jasmine, that's quite an exaggeration," Maddie Fenton chuckled, looking down at her daughter in amusement.
"Totally bogus, Jazzypants! Plus, this is a great chance for me to blather on about vamps!" Jack exclaimed with unmasked enthusiasm. Danny and Jazz both rolled their eyes, silently admitting defeat.
-xxx-
As the V.E.V. prepared to leave FentonWorks, Danny's parents explained that they had received a "promising potential distress call" originating from deep in the woods, hours outside Lestat Park. According to them, if everything went well, they'd find the evil revenants who were "certainly responsibly" handily, and then this "vacation" would be over in just a few days. Danny sighed. Only his parents could spin this as an enjoyable, recreational family trip. The teen chose to tune them out as he rested his forehead against the cool glass of one of the V.E.V.'s rear windows. Jazz, for her part, made small noises of annoyance and dissatisfaction every so often, looking up from her textbook as she did so to glare at their parents.
Danny tried to imagine what he would have been doing if he was home: likely playing Doomed with Tucker or chatting about everything and nothing with Sam. Sam had just moved to Lestat Park last year, and Danny had yet to convince Tucker that he should be friends with Sam, and vice versa. One epic eighth grade lunchroom fight – involving Tucker's meatloaf obsession and Sam's refusal to "even try a small bite" – had basically squashed any sort of friendly interaction between the two. So, Danny was strategic about when he hung out with each, still making sure that he did see both of them often.
His parents, as they frequently did, snapped him out of his musings.
"We need to have the element of surprise, of course," Maddie spoke loudly.
"And we should all change into our Undead Repellant Armor," Jack Fenton bellowed, with authority.
"Really?" Danny whispered, gritting his teeth, and Jazz stifled a snicker as she again looked up from her reading.
"Yes, really," Maddie chastised, and Danny wondered if his mom had suddenly developed the heightened senses vampires were known for, because he was sure that there was no way in heck she could have heard him.
-xxx-
Standing in the cramped V.E.V. bathroom, Danny grimaced as he held up the suit that he was forced to wear during these types of excursions.
Gray with hints of red stitching, the Undead Repellant Armor – or 'U.R.A.' for short – was stretchy yet protective. Interlocking, reflective triangles covered the garment, functioning as a sort of barrier against vampire fangs, at least hypothetically. Each suit covered the neck and the entire body. The material stopped just at the wrists before ending in crimson fingerless gloves, which only exposed the fingertips. (The fingertips were bare in order to operate DNA-based Fenton weaponry. Obviously.)
According to his parents, the suit responded automatically to temperature. While normally gray, it would apparently darken to black when exposed to extreme cold.
The suit extended downward, ending at the ankles. Stylized red boots, which were supposed to provide traction while running through "hazardous" terrain, completed the ensemble.
Danny hesitated before donning the suit, instead scrutinizing himself in the small bathroom mirror. Wide, icy blue eyes stared back at him from a pale face. Jet-black hair hung into his forehead, and freckles were scattered across his nose. He bit his lip as he stared, wishing, not for the first time, that he was taller, more muscular. Groaning in resignation, he looked away as he reluctantly changed into the U.R.A. his parents had designed for him.
-xxx-
According to his parents' theories, a new vampire was created one of two ways.
(1) Being bitten by a 'bloodsucker,' and then dying. Death would trigger the transformation.
(2) Being forced to drink a vampire's blood, after being bitten by said vampire.
Apparently both things needed to occur, or else the creature in question would be driven mad by its in-between status. Based on his parents' research, no such creature had ever survived – having either been granted a "merciful murder" (his dad's words) by hunters or having descending into insanity and ending its own existence. (Which, as his parents explained, was pretty hard to do. But that was a whole other lecture.)
His parents had another, untested theory regarding the injection – somehow – of pure vampire blood into a human's system. This method avoided the actual bite itself, instead focusing on the repercussions that the vampiric blood would have on normal human anatomy. But Maddie and Jack Fenton had no way to prove or disprove what would happen in that instance, of course. No vampire would just hand over its blood for testing… even if it did exist. Which it didn't. Danny was sure.
His parents had explained this to him countless times, and yet, they still deemed it necessary to review ahead of parking the V.E.V.
"You kids are here to observe," Maddie smiled with almost-forced cheerfulness.
"And we're here to hunt some vamps," Jack practically growled with an almost unnatural intensity.
"Right, honey," Maddie looked over at Jack with a mixture of warmth and mild exasperation. "But I want you two to remember what births a vampire. You need to be vigilant. No matter what, do not allow yourself to be bitten." Maddie looked at both Jazz and Danny sternly, concern evident in her violet eyes.
Danny resisted the urge to smack his head repeatedly against their family vehicle. He didn't understand how his clearly intelligent parents – who invented countless things that both confounded and impressed him, especially when the inventions had nothing to do with undead creatures – continued to insist that vampires were real. Even more than that: his parents continued to worry about the threat of vampires against the Fenton family. As if a vampire could ever worm its way into Fentons' existence. Danny laughed to himself, quietly.
"Danny, this is not funny, young man," His mom looked at him, truly aghast.
"Uh, sorry, mom. I didn't mean to—" Danny started apologizing before his dad cut him off.
"This is serious, kids. But don't you worry. If we ever find a vampire, we'll rip it apart, fang by fang, blood cell by blood cell," Jack Fenton promised menacingly.
Unsure why, Danny gulped nervously at the fierceness in his father's voice.
-xxx-
Author's Note: Fin: So that's the prologue! And I completely refrained from editing it at all since I first posted it, mm-hmm, yup! *Author wrings her hands nervously…*
Honestly, I just wanted to come back here and add a few additional notes about Danny and vampires. Mainly, just know that I haven't actually read a full-fledged DP vampire AU before. SO, anything that may or may not be similar to any of the other stories floating around out there in the FanFiction universe is purely coincidental.
That being said, if you know of a good vampire AU, feel free to send it my way! I just probably won't read it until after I'm done with this, since I don't want to be unconsciously influenced by anything one way or the other. Phew, okay, thanks for reading! Like so many authors, reviews are my lifeblood (hehe), so please send them my way if/when you can.