Disclaimer: I don't own anything from Danny Phantom.
Note (7/30/2020): I hope this next part isn't too out of the blue but I really wanted to add a cameo from the previous story "Nowhere To Run" in this chapter. There are more to come too if all goes well and I get the chance to add some of my own oc's to the story from my Deviantart! Also sorry for the delay, this chapter ended up longer than I meant it to but I enjoyed it. I hope you do too so have fun readers!
Chapter 10: Everyone's A Critic...
"The truth may be puzzling. It may take some work to grapple with. It may be counterintuitive. It may contradict deeply held prejudices. It may not be consonant with what we desperately want to be true. But our preferences do not determine what's true." ~ Carl Sagan
Vlad's POV
While part of me was still very reluctant to send Daniel away, I knew this was for the best since he needed the opportunity to step back and get away from all this for a while so he could unwind too. And enjoying some comfort food usually does the trick in my experience. I can only hope that while they're at the Nasty Burger Daniel will be able to talk to Valerie and Damon a bit more openly while Valerie isn't wasting her energy pointlessly glaring at me in the hopes I'll spontaneously combust...
It's not as if I didn't see this coming since it seems as though Valerie's thirst for vengeance is stronger than ever before now that she has redirected it towards me. Now that she knows the role I previously played not only in Daniel's life, but also in hers and how I used her against him without the slightest hint of remorse, its almost as if she still needs a 'villain' in her life now that Daniel no longer fits that narrative. I can't say I blame her and the ghostly side effect of her battle suit isn't helping matters, but once I'm no longer the only ghost in the area I'm sure she'll get over it and find a healthier alternative to focus her aggression on much like Daniel has in the past while facing his real enemy's.
Speaking of which, I knew staying in Amity Park longer than necessary would eventually have this adverse effect on Daniel regardless of the growing tension between us so frankly, the sooner we finish this nonsense the better. Not only that, but addressing this particular issue was inevitably going to bring up more unpleasant memories of the mistakes I've made with him in the past and Daniel still felt guilty because of the way I shamelessly used and manipulated those around him back then. But worst of all I hated seeing Daniel regress to the point where he's almost constantly on edge again just like when this all started, how he feels responsible for everything that's gone wrong in this town due to our battle with Dan, and so forth.
Even so, there is an up side to all this. One thing that hasn't changed is that Daniel has learned a lot from me since then such as how to recognize whenever I'm 'up to something.' It astounds me that in the short time that I've been a part of his life Daniel has grown so much and advanced so quickly as the only other halfa in the world. I'm also happy to know that skeptical though Daniel is about my motives sometimes, he has also learned to trust my judgment where it counts.
And that means more to me than he will ever know...
Daniel means so much to me that I hope he knows without a doubt that I would do almost anything for him now, and I already have. The fact that I revealed my greatest secret to anyone else besides him is something I would never have seen my former self doing, not even in a moment of utter madness, and sadly now I have to deal with the consequences of that decision. I may have formally been Jack and Maddie's best friend in college and my efforts to protect their son have made them a bit more forgiving along with the fact that they regret what they put me through after infecting me with ecto-acne but to Valerie and by extension her father Damon I might as well be a total stranger since they've only ever known me as Vlad Masters.
In many ways I still am a stranger since my only connection to either of them is through Daniel. Without him, I would never have become aware of or cared about anyone else in his life or have a reason to manipulate them. That's also part of the reason why he feels so responsible for them, as I mentioned earlier Daniel still blames himself for even putting them on my radar.
Regardless of how I became aware of Valerie or her father's talents, after this, I don't really plan to have anything more to do with the Gray family directly apart from receiving the occasional status report from Damon on Axion's progress with the ghost shields and seeing how well Daniel's parents are going to adapt to their new workspace. I have more pressing matters to deal with such as helping Daniel start living a normal life again. Or as normal a life as one can have as the godson of the richest man in the world. Personally I'm just as eager to get this over within a timely manner as they are so once the battle suit was carefully laid out before me I decided to consult an expert to help me salvage as much of it as possible without damaging the wiring.
Besides, if Valerie really wants to continue her legacy as a ghost hunter, she may as well look the part. I'm not a total barbarian after all...
"Oh? So you've found yet another young protege to take under your wing, my dear Vladimir? I can't say I'm surprised. You have always had an excellent eye for talent," Evelina commented with a hint of amusement as her hands expertly glided over the mesh fabric of Valerie's damaged battle suit.
"You're quite fortunate I had the time to make a house call," she continued mirthfully, "I was commissioned to design a wedding dress for the princess of a small country who asked me to try to 'capture the beauty and danger of the sea and crashing waves.' A shame she didn't give me a theme with more of a challenge but I digress. I actually finished the gown just this morning and I must say it may be some of my finest work."
"I don't doubt it," I smiled before leaving her to her work and falling silent.
To tell you the truth I'm not sure why I decided to go out of my way to teleport all the way to Evelina's office to bring her back here just for this. Under normal circumstances I would have given her access to my ghost portal to facilitate such a visit, but frankly, I didn't want to test my luck since the only two portals in Amity Park aside from the natural ones was the Fenton Portal and the previously destroyed one I left at the bottom of a lake. But the more I thought about it the more I realized that the real reason I wanted to invite her here to assist me is so I would have someone to talk to while Daniel was away and since she is one of the few people I trust anymore since she has nothing to do with my schemes, previous or otherwise.
Our relationship has always been strictly professional and yet there is this underlying motherly air to her that reminded me of my own before she passed which also put me at ease as well, so I'll admit that's part of why I've always enjoyed her company. And due to the fact that she's a ghost who has existed alongside humans for centuries, Evelina has learned how to read people almost as well as I have which made it easy for her to keep up with me. That's also why I made the decision to introduce her to Daniel when we were getting him fitted for a new suit so that he could accompany me to a party in London in secret without raising suspicion since he was still considered a missing person until only a few weeks ago.
"You seem troubled," Evelina suddenly commented seemingly offhandedly, but I knew better and chuckled-
"Is it that obvious? I must be losing my touch," I sighed and held my hands behind my back to marvel at her work for a moment since she deigned to use her ghost powers instead of worrying about traditional needle and thread to redesign Valerie's battle suit with ease.
Taking another look at my notes from earlier on the other adjustments I'd have to take care of myself once the manual repairs were done and she helped with as much as she could with her power alone, I continued thoughtfully, "To be perfectly honest, at times I wonder if Daniel has changed me a little too much because it's so unlike me to care so much what anyone else thinks of me, let alone a child. Before now, if anyone so much as looked at me wrong I would not hesitate to put them in their place and make them regret it. However, I've been showing a lot more restraint lately which may be my downfall one day-"
Giving me a knowing smile she chided mildly with that powerful Russian accent of hers, "Come now Vladimir, I know you don't believe that for one second. Besides, haven't you told me many times before how you've always wanted to settle down to raise a family and become a father rather than just a businessman for the rest of your life? Therefore, isn't it a good thing you've been given the chance to become at least a father figure to Daniel? Well if I may be so bold I would have to say that I strongly believe the changes you've made in your life because of him and for him are precisely what made this all possible in the first place, my dear.
"I for one would not view these changes you're making as a weakness, but rather a way to open new doors and opportunities. Look at it this way, if you look too closely at something the definition of it is lost and you can no longer see clearly what's right in front of you. But as soon as you take a step back and truly open your eyes to see what you have made possible it all becomes clear. If I never allowed myself to change and adapt to the world and people around me, do you honestly believe I would be such a redound fashion designer today? I think not."
With a soft chortle, I replied, "Ah, so you believe I am overthinking this then? Duly noted, my lady. Still, to tell you the truth Daniel's not really the problem here-"
Frowning at the battle suit in her hands, I elaborated, "-it's Valerie Gray. You would not believe just how many parallels I keep seeing between her and Daniel from when we were still at odds. It's a painful reminder of how much I've wronged him in the past. But the worst part is that I encouraged it, I encouraged Valerie to despise him and ghosts so she'd have enough reason to hunt them and attack Daniel as Danny Phantom to suit my needs. So now that she knows the truth her hatred of ghosts is as strong as ever and it's being redirected entirely onto me which puts Daniel in a difficult position because he's torn between supporting his friend and defending me. I'm not sure how to help him without revealing more than I have to."
"You're not doing any of this for her though," Evelina pointed out, raising an eyebrow at me. "The only reason you feel that you do is because of Daniel. But Vladimir, this is precisely what it means to be a father. Every parent worries about how their actions, past or present, affect your loved ones and that is perfectly natural. So my advice to you is to continue supporting this young man in what ways you can and don't dwell on the past because it will only make it more difficult to press forward."
Smiling, she handed me the newly altered battle suit and told me warmly, "When I was alive, my father always told me that the past is not something to be ashamed of, but rather a lesson to be learned from and nothing more. Because shutting our eyes or willing it away won't change it. We only have the power to control what we do in the moment and to decide where we wish to go from there so now you must decide to be there for the young hybrid from now on no matter what trials and tribulations await you..."
Danny's POV
"Oh my god, I forgot how much I missed this..." I sighed happily after taking a huge bite of my double cheeseburger. "It's so good, yet so bad for you, and I love it!"
"Seriously Danny, you should probably slow down a little. You're gonna start choking on something any second now if you keep scarfing it down like that. Just what sort of rich crap has Vlad been feeding you anyway? Snails and frog legs?" Valerie joked but she also sounded kinda serious about the question too.
"Close but no, he's definitely been feeding me fancier food than I'm used to. It's more like what you'd order at a normal restaurant or something and not a piece of steak with only enough meat on the plate for maybe two mouthfuls. But at least none of it ever came alive because of some invention like more than half the meals at my house!
"For example this one Christmas when I was five my parents turned our turkey into a monster by accident while they were too busy arguing whether or not Santa is real like they do every year after they uh...'fixed' the microwave and Jazz had to beat it up with a broom and it burst into flame. I can't really remember what we ate for dinner that night instead, but I guess she must've figured something out no thanks to mom and dad who were probably still off fighting somewhere," talking about Christmas soured my mood a little so I took another huge bite of my burger to distract myself and chewed it really slowly.
We still have a few months to go before Christmas, but I still kinda hate the holiday with a fiery passion. Especially after the most recent catastrophe when I was trapped in a Christmas poem after I accidentally destroyed the only copy of a poem written by Ghost Writer. But come on, he should have made a ghostly backup copy anyway! I mean, he had that computer thing he wrote it on in the first place anyway right?
And ok, to be fair I probably shouldn't have been such a jerk acting all happy and gloated about it when I found out it was a Christmas book since I was taking out my annual holiday frustration by blowing up a bunch of holiday stuff with my ghost powers. It's still going to take a lot more than this thing called the Christmas Truce where even ghosts stop fighting each other for one day of the year to make me like the holiday again, even if I spend it with-
"Danny? You ok son?" Damon asked.
"Huh? Oh, sorry. I was just thinking about some annoying stuff that happened last year and zoned out I guess," I shrugged, "Anyways the point is it's been pretty nice not to have to fend for myself as much anymore and there are way more options to choose from. Vlad pretty much lets me eat whatever I want within reason since he wants to help me bulk up. He still thinks I'm underweight but whatever."
"Geez...I know I used to make fun of you for having ghost hunters for parents like everyone else but I never realized things were THAT crazy at home for you growing up," Valerie commented and her dad nodded.
"I agree. That doesn't really sound like a safe environment to raise a child so I'm glad you had your sister at least. That does bring up a fair point though," resting his elbow on the table, Damon asked me seriously, "I know that your family has a complicated history with Vlad and that he saved our lives, but do you really feel safer living with Vlad Masters than your own parents? I know they've made mistakes too but I'm just worried you're rushing into things a bit. At least your parents attacked you without realizing it was you, but as I understand it Vlad attacked you knowing full well exactly who you are and that you're still just a kid. In the end, it's your decision and the courts since Jack and Maddie have given him custody of you but I'd like to know your feelings on the-"
"Yeah, it is complicated so do I really have to explain it again?" I interrupted with a frown then sighed. "Look, I know it's hard for the rest of you to understand, but when I left things were the worst they've ever been at home. I was under a lot of pressure and then I almost died...for real. Vlad saved more than just my life, he kept me sane when it felt like it was all over for me and only a matter of time before I turned into Dan and ruined the world's future again. He gave me a reason to keep fighting for what I believe in, taught me so much more about my ghost half than I ever could have figured out on my own, and most importantly for maybe the first time in my life he made me feel safe again and like there's someone in it that finally understands what I'm going through when not even my best friends Sam and Tucker could wrap their heads around what it means to be...well, me.
"I've spent my most of my life wondering if I'll wake up the next morning to find the house half blown up or on the verge of collapsing on top of my head after an explosion from another ghost experiment and dreading being bullied at school just for being a Fenton even by the nerdiest people in the building. And after the accident a year ago I had was dealing with more than just puberty and an annoyingly overprotective older sister because I had to constantly make sure my parents never figured out how much it actually changed me because I was afraid of what might happen if they found out I have ghost DNA now. And I mean, come on, let's be honest. Would any of you have accepted the truth about me if it hadn't been for Dan almost killing all of us?"
"Maybe not at first, but I would have tried to understand and help you just like you're doing now," Valerie muttered mostly to herself, clenching her fist and shifting in her seat uncomfortably. "But dad's right, is living with Vlad really any better? Once he gets what he wants how can you be sure Vlad keep up the facade of helping the rest of us? And are you sure it's even safe to go back there after what happened to you?"
"Vlad's still working on it but I don't expect him to change overnight. I'm just happy he's changed this much and is on my side instead of plotting against me or my dad and trying to hit on my mom," I explained, wrapping up the rest of my burger after suddenly losing my appetite and leaning back in my seat with another heavy sigh.
"I know it might not seem like it but this wasn't an easy decision for me. Amity Park is my home and the only reason I left it at all was to protect all of you from Dan, which pretty much blew up in my face. Not to mention I was in no shape to even protect myself from him once he got into my head so I needed help from someone smarter than Dan whether I liked it or not. But now that you and my parents finally know my secret and Vlad's on my side, I don't feel like I'm alone anymore.
"So yeah, not gonna lie but Vlad told me he was actually hoping Valerie would agree to keep ghost hunting, but it's not for the same reason as before. He knows how strong and smart she is and so do I which is why I can't think of anyone better suited for the job. I just...I'm not anymore. What happened with Dan was my fault and I can't put you guys through something like that again."
I looked back down when Valerie's dad surprised me when he smiled sympathetically and said, "No Danny, you're not weak at all because sometimes it actually takes more strength to walk away to do what's best for everyone, including yourself. Believe me, I've been in the exact same position you're in so I understand why you need to focus on yourself right now. Regardless I wanted to make sure you're gonna be ok and to thank you again for everything you've done for my family and for looking out for my daughter even though we've caused a lot of problems for you too. You're a good kid, Danny, and you've probably been through a lot more that we don't even know about. I'd like to give you one word of advice though-"
Standing up and looking down at me with his hands on his hips, Damon told me with a warm fatherly smile, "-there's a difference between being selfish and doing what's best for yourself so try not to confuse the two. Besides, after everything you've been through I don't blame you for wanting to retire. I still wish Valerie would have too but what's done is done and I'll support her. So you can leave the rest to us, we'll take good care of this town, won't we Valerie?"
Rolling her eyes after Damon winked playfully at her, Valerie snickered, "Sure, whatever you say dad. Anyways, we should probably head back soon before Vlad's strawberry malt melts."
Nodding I stood up too but added, "Yeah, you're probably right about getting back to Axion Labs but don't worry about it melting, I'll make sure to keep it cold with my ice powers during the drive back."
"Oh yeah! You used the same power to freeze my hoverboard when Dan was controlling you, didn't you? Since when have you been able to do that though?" Valerie asked curiously while we were walking out the door with the leftovers and Vlad's strawberry malt.
After that, I kinda got wrapped up in sharing more about my ghost powers since Valerie seemed really interested in them and told me she wanted to learn more about the real me. We talked about plenty of normal stuff too and it's nice that she was still so easy to talk to, but I think it was a good distraction either way for both of us and her dad only chimed in a few times. When I asked why he was being so quiet now he told me he only wanted to ask how I felt about living with Vlad before we headed back there which makes sense. My parents did the same thing since they're all really unsure about him, but I'm not.
For once in my life, I know I'm making the right decision and I have no regrets.