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

Note (9/19/2020): To "Dp-Marvel94" yep, we needed some good news to go around and I got some in this chapter too splashed in with some drama just to show off more of Vlad's unique parenting where Danny's concerned. Also in an earlier chapter, I subtly hinted that Vlad had another 'purpose' in mind for his old mansion when Danny brought it up at some point out of curiosity after they'd already discussed helping Valerie and her dad get out of that crappy apartment. This is what I was planning from that point since I thought it'd be a cool surprise all around since he wasn't using it for anything else and it's not like that many people could afford to live in Ultra Posh Springs let alone in the mayor's old mansion, not to mention if anyone asks why Vlad just straight up gave it to them he could always say it was a gesture of thanks for Damon's role in helping 'save' Amity Park from Dan and more importantly rescuing Danny Fenton.

Chapter 27: A Rude Awakening

"Anxiety is the dizziness of freedom." ~ Soren Kierkegaard

Danny's POV

Bolting upright in bed, I gasped as my ghost sense went off and looked around wildly until I also noticed a slight stinging pain in my arm then blinked in confusion, Wait, I don't remember fighting a ghost last night so did I miss one of my injuries or something?

Looking down at my arm I pulled up the sleeve and saw three thin lines across my skin beaded with a tiny bit of blood. Huh, for such a small injury it sure stung so I sighed and pulled down my sleeve when I noticed the silk PJs I was wearing and my groggy mind started slowly piecing together where I was and what probably happened. Vlad must've changed my clothes again after I nodded off after having another meltdown during my medical exam, how embarrassing; but still, I know he did his best to help me through it and told me to rest so trusting him that's exactly what I did.

Scanning the room I noticed a few things that weren't there before like one of those cat tree things, a few toys, one of those fancy self-cleaning electric litter boxes, a tray with a food and water bowl which was also automated, then, of course, I saw Maddie herself who gave me this almost apologetic look before leaping back onto the bed and rubbing her head against my hand. I still felt confused though because it wasn't Maddie-the-cat that woke me up when she accidentally scratched my arm which would probably be gone in a few minutes since it was nothing compared to some of the other injuries I've woken up with in the morning. I woke up because my ghost sense went off but when I tried to pinpoint it, I couldn't feel anything which made me nervous. Like in my head I rationalized that it was Vlad and he was so busy with something or another and forgot to suppress his ghost signature so I wouldn't freak out, but-

"I really thought I was over this whole fight and flight thing, but guess that's not the only relapse I'm having huh?" I said aloud to no one in particular while mindlessly petting Maddie-the-cat a little before taking a deep breath and pulling back the covers just enough to swing my legs out over the edge of the bed so I could stand up.

And you know that feeling when you're sick and your body feels oddly sensitive and shaky? That's how I felt so honestly I'm surprised my legs didn't feel like jelly and I could walk just fine so I headed to the bathroom to clean the blood off my arm. After that, I really wanted something to eat since I hadn't had anything for dinner last night and I was starving. Speaking of which, I was kinda surprised it wasn't as late in the morning as I thought it would be when I woke up because it was almost eight in the morning.

I kinda had to laugh at myself because if I was going to school again today I would have been rushing to get out the door right about now. Then again, I don't know much about this private school Vlad was signing me up for or how those work in general which makes sense because they're 'private' for a reason. Anyways for some reason, I couldn't stop thinking about that and how different my life is going to be now with Vlad around. I doubt he's going to make me walk to school like my parents did to 'save on gas' and 'give me some exercise' or anything like that.

For one thing, I doubt there's a high school -private or not- within walking distance of his castle and let's face it Vlad's not going to let me go anywhere unattended at least to start off with so he's probably going to hire a driver or something for me which is weird but considering who I'm living with now I just need to get used to the whole rich-people-thing again. That's just it though, I still don't think it's sunk in that I don't have to hide anymore. I'm actually going to be ALLOWED to go back to school and weirdly enough I can't wait to get started because as much as I like all the freedom he's given me to spend my free time however I want it still feels lonely sometimes when he's too busy to hang out with me to watch a movie or go out for a flight.

"Speaking of flying, I should find out who set off my ghost sense," I nodded to myself after taking care of the scratch on my arm and transformed without thinking.

To tell you the truth I was still feeling kinda out of it and really easily distracted so I flew up and phased through the roof to get my bearings. I still didn't sense anything out of the ordinary though but I wanted to make sure so I turned invisible and started phasing through Vlad's castle, looking for the ghost I sensed but I began to feel really frustrated I wasn't finding anything. That's when I started to second-guess myself and wondered if there wasn't any ghost and I was imagining things. It wouldn't be the first time I've done that and maybe I just needed to expel some of my ice core energy.

Making up my mind I flew back outside and floated above the castle, reaching for my core, and when I felt that familiar chill ripple up my spine as I let out a wave of cold air and briefly glowed blue. But what I didn't expect was to suddenly feel dizzy and then I cried out when my transformation rings appeared and I reverted to my human form and started falling! Now wide awake I panicked and tried to change back but all that happened was a wobbly ring would appear and then faded right after. Thankfully I hadn't flown up that high, but I sure felt it when I crashed onto the roof and hit my shoulder.

I didn't have much time to recover since I began sliding off the roof so despite the pain in my shoulder I reached up to try to find something to grab onto and I had to resort to phasing my fingers into the roof to hang on that way. My heart was racing because it had been a while since my powers shorted out on me. I don't think they have since I first got them unless there was an anti-ghost invention or someone's ghost powers that shorted them out against my will. Either way, I was in a bit of a dangerous fix.

I had no idea how I was going to explain this to Vlad and I doubt he knows I'm even awake but I had to do something before he found out I wasn't in my room and panicked, which I knew would only make things worse. And it's not like I could wait here for rescue to come or hang here hoping my energy would come back on its own since I still felt really weak and shaky. That's when I remembered what Vlad told me yesterday-

'Hmm, your blood-sugar still a bit too low for my liking, but I'm sure that's nothing a few days of eating proper meals again won't cure. As suspected your ecto-energy hasn't fully recharged either, but given the power your expended trying to 'flee' the situation in Amity Park I can't say I'm surprised...' Those were his exact words and now that I was stuck here on the roof I quickly realized how dumb it was to use my powers so much when my ecto-energy reserves were low and I was probably feeling shaky because of the low blood sugar. So since I didn't want to risk passing out and sliding off the roof, I did the only thing I could do and called for help, hoping Vlad's ghost hearing was strong enough to hear me even from way up here...

Vlad's POV

I was in the middle of reading a business report when my ghost sense went off and I stiffened. I'd know that ghost signature anywhere, it was Daniel's! But why on earth would he be using his powers again so soon? Was he having another nightmare? After all, there certainly couldn't possibly be another ghost in the castle, I would have sensed it and my security system would have instantly alerted me if there was an intruder whether it was a ghost or a petty burglar.

Taking a deep breath and trying to remain calm in case he was only casually using his powers for something mundane like phasing the water off after taking a shower I was about to teleport to his bedroom just to be sure when I heard a loud thud with my ghost hearing from somewhere nearby and transformed, teleporting outside to see what on earth that could have been. Obviously my castle was still relatively large so it took me a few minutes to spot the source of the noise and almost as soon as I did I was alarmed to see a very human Daniel clinging to the roof for dear life just as he called out my name.

Teleporting directly to his side, I was about to ask what happened when Daniel lost his grip and would have started sliding off the roof had I not caught him in time. Though I recoiled slightly when he yelped as if I had hurt him when I grabbed underneath his armpits and pulled Daniel upright again before phasing us safely back inside on solid ground. As soon as I set him down though, Daniel collapsed to his knees, wincing and clutching his left shoulder which only worried me more because it's entirely possible that instead of sleepwalking Daniel wound up sleep-flying instead while attempting to escape some horrible nightmare.

Now that Daniel was safe I was about to ask what happened when he looked up at me, still grimacing, and smiled sheepishly, "Thanks Vlad...I wasn't sure if you'd hear me in time before I fell off the roof and broke my back or something."

Torn between feeling angry because he'd done something so reckless and concerned because Daniel looked as if he was in a great deal of pain I made a valiant attempt at remaining calm as I asked sternly, "And why pray tell, were you on the roof to begin with young man?"

"Well I-" he began unsurely, withering under the heat of my gaze, "-I think I had a nightmare but I can't remember what it was about so I woke up this morning all freaked out when my ghost sense went off and my arm stung. But it turns out that I just startled Maddie-the-cat when I bolted upright in bed so suddenly and she accidentally scratched me while running away. So I mean we talked about it yesterday, I remember that much, but for her safety maybe it'd be better to keep Maddie wherever she was staying before."

"That said I know my ghost sense DID actually go off for some reason, I wasn't imagining it or hallucinating or anything," Daniel continued, his tone becoming more and more frantic as he hastily explained, "So after that, I transformed and went off to investigate since I wasn't sure if it was just you and I was kinda out of it while looking through several rooms when I thought that maybe it hadn't gone off because of a ghost and it just meant I need to let off some steam. Or in my case a cold wave. But as soon as I did that I-I changed back when my powers shorted out and crashed into the roof. This hasn't happened since I first got my powers or when a ghost has either really worn me out THAT much, or you zapped me with the Plasmius Maximus or whatever. And then I-"

"Daniel!" I interrupted, my eyes flashing a brighter red to signal for him to stop ranting before repeating in an even tone, "That's enough. Now I understand what your intentions were, but that was a very reckless thing you did. Remember what I told you yesterday? Your ecto-energy reserves are still very low and you obviously don't know exactly how low I meant so using your powers again so frivolously was not only dangerous but also irresponsible."

Transforming back to my human form to at least seem somewhat less imposing though I still kept my expression and tone serious I continued with my explanation, "With your energy as low as it is, your powers are still unstable and they won't function properly as usual until it has returned to a normal level. That is to say, by that I mean what YOUR level of normal is in regards to your ghost-half. Now I understand that you are still a bit out of sorts and haven't settled into a normal sleep schedule since you only awoke from a coma yesterday, but as of this moment, I do not want you to use your powers AT ALL until I give you permission. Do I make myself clear Daniel?"

Nodding with a guilty look on his face Daniel awkwardly stood back up while still clutching his shoulder and I sighed heavily, strolled up to him, and without a word I lifted his hand away to assess the damage. Unfortunately, it was already sporting a nasty bruise but as I gently applied pressure to his shoulder joint to make sure he hadn't dislocated it I was relieved to see that he had at least enough extra ghostly endurance to avoid breaking anything or dislocating his shoulder-blade. I also lifted his sleeve to see the scratch he mentioned earlier but it was almost gone too which was also a good sign because at the very least his accelerated healing powers were doing their job even if the rest of them weren't.

Softening my gaze since I didn't like having to scold Daniel so much when he simply made an honest mistake since I hadn't had time yesterday to tell him otherwise, I smoothed out his sleeve again and said, "I'm glad you're safe though and that the damage isn't too severe. This bruise should be gone by tomorrow but since I don't want you using your ice powers again let's fetch a cold compress for your shoulder. I'll put a spare in the miniature fridge in your room. I added that as well so you wouldn't have to make so many trips to the kitchen when you want something cold to drink and don't want to use your powers to accomplish the same thing. And I suppose I should have asked you outright if you actually did want Maddie to stay with you or not so I apologize for that little badger."

Shaking his head Daniel replied, "No it's ok, after all it's the thought that counts. And I do like her company, I just feel bad about scaring her because I had a nightmare and she's so skittish. Besides, if I wasn't so out of it when I woke up I would have stayed in my room instead of following my gut instinct to locate the ghost I thought I sensed when I wouldn't have been able to fight it anyway with the way I feel right now..."

Furrowing my brow in concern I asked, "And how DO you feel Daniel? Aside from your shoulder hurting I mean."

Before he could answer to my surprise and mutual embarrassment both of our stomachs growled and we looked wide-eyed at each other before bursting into a weak fit of laughter. Jokes aside, however, I recovered first and said, "I suppose that answers that question now doesn't it? Truth be told I haven't eaten either since I've been busy making calls all morning. But you'll be happy to know that I've informed your parents, your sister, along with Valerie and her father that you've recovered from your comatose state at the very least. That seemed to lift everyone's spirits and I hoped it would for you as well..."

Trailing off I reached for his good shoulder, giving it a light squeeze before adding meaningfully, "In all seriousness though my boy, please don't scare me like that again. Remember, there are NO ghosts here that you have to fight, no threats you have to 'save' me from because that is MY job from now on. I'm here to protect you and provide you with a calm and safe environment to grow up in where you will never feel threatened again. I know it's not going to be easy since what happened with Skulker, the Fright Knight, and Dan shook your confidence, but I promise you Daniel that you have nothing to be afraid of anymore. Nothing at all so long as I'm here."

Swallowing hard, Daniel muttered dejectedly, "You keep saying that but how can you be so sure? I mean...I thought everything would be ok too until I destroyed Skulker. And I can never take that back."

"Oh, I wouldn't worry about that," I smirked before letting go of his shoulder and finding it mildly amusing when he stared at me like a gutted fish.

Blinking Daniel blurted out with a deep frown, "What the heck is that supposed to mean Vlad? I know you weren't exactly friends but as far as I know you at least tolerated Skulker so I thought you'd actually kinda miss having him around to do your dirty work."

Shrugging I continued off-handedly, "I doubt he'll be ready to look for work again for some time with his Ecto-Skeleton in disrepair and when he is seriously lacking the funds he needs to procure the necessary parts. I meant to tell you this yesterday as well Daniel but as it turns out...you're not a very good assassin. Skulker survived your attack by ejecting himself at the last minute. Therefore, you didn't 'kill' him after all."

The way Daniel's eyes lit up hopefully again as he hesitantly asked if that was true and I nodded and the relief that swept over him was unmistakable. In fact, I saw him tearing up as he choked out a laugh and scoffed, "I seriously can't believe I'm actually relieved that one of my old enemies isn't six feet under for a second time because of me. You'd think it'd be the opposite. But oh man...I really needed that. I really needed to hear some good news for once so thanks, Vlad."

"You're welcome little badger," I smiled, glad that if nothing else we more or less sorted out this unfortunate mishap.

However, after recalling the fact that Daniel inadvertently hurt his shoulder this morning I reminded him that we needed to get that taken care of so I made him follow me back to the infirmary where I gave him a clear set of instructions and told him that under NO circumstances was he to use his ice powers instead of these ice wraps because I would know immediately and would be keeping myself alert for his ghost signature. Thankfully Daniel was taking the news rather well and said that seemed only fair because even he realized how reckless that was. But either way, with this out of the way we clearly had a lot to talk about concerning his current condition and how important it is to get it under control again so he can start living a normal teenage life again going to school and making new friends because I am not about to let his ingrained fear of being attacked by a ghost a last another moment longer, not when he's with me and doesn't have to carry that burden anymore.