Disclaimer: I don't own anything from Danny Phantom.

Note (6/12/2020): Guess I should have done a little more research for Danny's side of this story since there's a lot I need to sort out before putting the focus back mostly on Valerie and eventually Dani when she makes her entrance. I forgot to check how long it actually takes to become a legal guardian of a child or in this case an adolescent. But after double-checking that I found a loophole that basically makes Vlad Danny's temporary legal guardian since that doesn't need court approval as long as both parents agree with it and fill out the paperwork. That's a relief!

This way Vlad can still legally look after Danny even before he finishes the rest of the official paperwork to become his full legal guardian. So my excuse for keeping them in Amity Park a little bit longer is so Vlad can finish setting up everything up at Axion Labs with Danny's parents and more recently Damon Gray as well. Once all that is in order apart from that they'll head back to Wisconsin to begin their new life. Also sorry for the delay, been dealing with a lot the past few days, and this chapter might be all over the place but hey, I can relate! When you're tired and frustrated you tend to find ways to vent in the most random ways...

Chapter 2: Damage Control

(Chapter inspired by Mended by Matthew West)

Vlad's POV

I let out a small sigh of relief when I saw a vast improvement in Daniel's mood almost immediately after the arrangements were made and we began our stay at the Hilton Hotel for the next few days. Ironically, this is the same hotel I helped his sister Jasmine check into several months ago when similar circumstances made her time at home feel just as uncomfortable. Which was, as you may recall, around the same time Daniel first went 'missing.'

To be fair, I suppose my short-tempered and overprotective conduct whenever it comes to matters of Daniel's health and safety and the way I've been coldly regarding his parents has done little to ease the tension in the air at Fenton Works. That combined with the countless sleepless nights we've spent worrying about Daniel since recently he keeps waking up in the middle of the night stifling a scream after escaping the clutches of some nightmare didn't help matters. By now I think it is painfully obvious to everyone that Daniel is clearly showing signs of PTSD as a result of his ordeal with Dan...

Even though I haven't given him a proper diagnosis yet, dealing with it has also been a cause of contention since I've been reduced to fruitlessly arguing with Daniel's parents about how to properly treat his condition. I personally know just how strong and capable Daniel is, so there's no doubt in my mind he'll recover from this in time as long as he's provided with the love, care, and understanding he so desperately needs. But his parents have absolutely no idea how to take care of their son which is the root of the problem so as usual, they overcompensated for their own shortcomings by treating Daniel like he was fragile and broken and needed to be 'fixed' which I will NOT tolerate.

At the same time, however, I realize that even Daniel can only endure so much punishment and psychological torture before he is ultimately overwhelmed again by the mere memory of it. In truth, not many full-grown adults, myself included, could have handled even half of what my little badger has been through at his age. And I highly doubt they would have escaped from it unscathed either...

With that in mind, after proving to them that it wasn't realistic or good for his health for Daniel to stay in his old bedroom anymore because of the traumatic memories attached to it and the house in general, Jack and Maddie finally agreed that staying somewhere else was in his best interests. I know deep down they are just reluctant to part ways with Daniel so soon which I suppose I understand to some degree, but this isn't about what they want, it's about what Daniel NEEDS. Furthermore, I still need to tie up a few other loose ends now that we've finished at least some of Daniel's legal paperwork while we're here, and fighting with them has only delayed the process.

And delaying the inevitable isn't going to help Daniel recover any faster.

While it will take some time for me to become Daniel's full legal guardian as far as the courts are concerned, as of right now they've already made me Daniel's temporary guardian which means I am ultimately the one responsible for his well-being regardless of what Jack and Maddie have to say on the matter. With any luck, the rest of my interactions with them will be limited and just another formality I have to deal with before it finally pays off in the end. But believe me, if I had my way, I would love nothing more than to leave Amity Park this very instant and hopefully never come back here apart from having to go to the occasional business meeting that will require me to make a formal appearance and to supervise a visit with Daniel's parents or his friends.

Technically we can return to Wisconsin at any time since child services agree that Amity Park is quote 'not a safe environment' for Daniel. Especially given the fact that everyone believes he was kidnapped from his own home, held hostage by Dan for the past four months, and he attempted to use Daniel to blackmail the rest of the Fenton Family to get away with destroying almost half the town. But before we leave Amity Park behind knowing the truth behind this whole affair that's hardly any better than the lie I conjured up, I want to make absolutely sure Daniel will be able to begin his new life with me free of any regrets he may still have.

Unfortunately, even though Daniel and his parents have entrusted his future to me entirely, as I said before it will probably take another four to six months for everything to become official. And that is time I do not want to have to waste staying here any longer than we have to. That's precisely why Daniel and I are only planning to stay in Amity Park for the rest of the week at most in order to give me the time I need to personally ensure that his protection as the ghost-fighting hero Danny Phantom will no longer be required...

As long as everything goes according to plan, soon this city will be patrolled by a small elite team of capable ghost-hunting professionals who will be tasked with dealing with any lingering ghost threats from now on. And I'm sure their presence will come as no small relief not only to Daniel but to the rest of the victims of Dan's destructive rampage. I only pray that Jack and Maddie will be able to behave themselves without the need for constant supervision like children, at least Daniel is mature for his age compared tho those two who never quite left the childish phase behind them.

Although, while I am reluctant to openly admit it, for old time's sake I sincerely want to believe their promise to Daniel is genuine. If they truly ARE serious about wanting to change their ways and make up for the sins of the past both to me and to their son, actually doing their job by helping protect the general public from ghosts is a good place to start. Albeit they'll only be assisting in dealing with the threat of ghosts by developing non-lethal anti-ghost technology in the safety of a laboratory as opposed to making weapons they were once all too eager to test out in the field by picking fights with ghosts and shooting them on sight.

And this is precisely why their family was in near-constant danger thanks to their reckless behavior. That's also why I strongly believe that giving them the task of focusing their efforts entirely on raising this town's defenses instead of creating dangerous weapons, such as that wretched ecto-inhibitor gun I stole when this all began and admittedly used to destroy Dan's ghost core, will help Daniel feel much better about passing on the torch as it were when it comes to ghost-hunting. After all, some of their inventions were actually used for the greater good when Daniel used to borrow them for his own ghost-hunting ventures to protect this town.

So who knows, perhaps one day I may eventually allow Jack and Maddie to begin actively hunting ghosts again, but not before they've proven to Daniel and to me that they've changed for the better and aren't hunting them to satisfy their morbid curiosity or for sport anymore. And yes I know how ironic that statement is coming from me of all people since my record is hardly spotless either when it comes to studying ghosts and engaging them in combat to test a new theory or picking a fight with Daniel to test HIS skills. Still, either way, I've already decided to give them one last chance to make themselves useful so we'll have to wait and see if they can pull it off...

Ah, and speaking of making themselves useful, despite the fact that most of Amity Park is still in disarray the hotel staff was all too willing to accommodate us and cater to my every whim as soon as we arrived as VIP guests. It was a welcome change from having to lower my standards to make my stay in Fenton Works while Daniel was weak and bed-ridden bearable. It also pleased me greatly to see that they were treating Daniel with the same level of respect since I knew it was exactly what he deserved from the moment I informed them he would be staying in adjoined room as my personal guest. But then I noticed that they seemed almost a little too starstruck which I found very odd.

That is until I quickly realized why I was getting the 'extra' special treatment.

Its because they believe I am personally responsible for helping Danny Phantom save this town with the help of the Fenton Family, Valerie, and her father from the evil ghost who laid waste to most of this town, also previously known as Dan Phantom to those of us who knew the truth about him. Frankly, I'm just happy to know that I've successfully accused Dan of impersonating their favorite ghost fighting hero to absolve Daniel's ghost persona of any remaining scrutiny. I also lead everyone to believe that I single-handedly rescued Jack and Maddie's long-lost son at the same time which seemed to make me a town hero in their eyes.

When framed that way I suppose in a way I was 'a hero,' but that was hardly my intention. Rescuing Daniel is all I cared about, as such rescuing the rest of them was nothing but a fortunate coincidence as far as I'm concerned. And the only reason I care about Amity Park's continued safety and prosperity at all is because it's still a very precious place to Daniel and making sure its taken care of will help HIM flourish.

Personally I think most of the people in Amity Park still don't deserve even an ounce of his kindness and consideration. Daniel's selflessness knows no bounds, which as I've said many times before still worries me at times because I often feel concerned that Daniel is slipping back into his destructive self-sacrificing habits. Even now he is so anxious about giving his friends and family the closure they need from him too that Daniel isn't paying much attention to his own mental health much like before.

This is why I still have to constantly monitor Daniel which unfortunately has begun to irritate him since I know he hates being treated like a child and as if he is on the verge of breaking down at any time. I don't want to make the same mistake Jack and Maddie did. But that's just it, what Daniel doesn't understand is that he IS still a child; a child who was tormented by a darker version of himself that nearly pushed him to the brink and forced him to attack his loved ones with his own bare hands.

"Hey, Vlad? Mind if I order some room service? I don't know about you but I'm starving," Daniel asked off-handedly, drawing my attention back to the present.

Reaching over to ruffle his hair affectionately I smiled, "Of course little badger, order whatever you want and feel free to relax for a while. I'll be right here if you need me overlooking some business reports and such in the meantime."

Then I gestured with a slight tilt of my head down at the laptop I brought back from a short trip I made to the castle in Wisconsin via the Fenton Ghost Portal just to make sure it was safe and to make the necessary adjustments to the ghost shield after what happened there. I haven't told Daniel about my battle with the Fright Knight in full detail yet but regardless I wanted to make sure he knew why I went back there and left him alone even briefly. Retrieving my laptop as opposed to purchasing a new one simply for convenience was mostly just an excuse to go there when the real reason I risked returning alone ahead of Daniel is because I wanted to make sure the Fright Knight's ghost signature was programmed into the ghost shield now so he couldn't enter the vicinity again and would be locked out of my portal as well. Although, I won't lie that getting some work done was a good distraction from my memories of recent events, especially concerning the Fright Knight's betrayal.

He is as of this moment officially my enemy, a place NO ghost with any sense of self-preservation wanted to be so if I ever saw his hot-headed face again I'd-!

I had to catch myself when I felt my ghost energy making my eyes burn since I didn't want to make Daniel nervous. The dear boy has been very patient with me even though he knows my disdain for Jack and Maddie has been difficult to reign in now that they knew the truth about me. I've always dreamt about what it might be like seeing them suffer the guilt and shame they were rightly due for hurting me, but thankfully for them, I find no pleasure in seeing it anymore.

In fact, part of the problem with staying at Fenton Works so long while Daniel was recovering is because that's all I COULD see. Red. All I could see was red. All of my anger, my frustration, the years of torment I suffered alone, seeing the look on their faces once we told them the truth about not only my accident but Daniel's as well, it was too much for even me to bear. Not only that but while I still believe I'm as powerful as they come, for the first time in twenty years I had faced down a ghost who could have possibly killed me, and that bothers me.

I need to make sure ghosts knew I was still to be feared. I could not allow them to think I've gone soft. That is why I still have a lot of damage control to take care of not only in a business sense but also in regards to my reputation since unlike the rest of Amity Park's simpletons I don't want them believing I'm a hero in any way shape or form. If anything, I am Daniel's ally first and foremost and if anyone dared come after my little badger again they would pay dearly for it.