Okay, so um, I know that it's been awhile since I've updated. I apologize and would like to say I had a very good reason! I was, um, saving the world from aliens! …no, I've already used that…

More or less, I wasn't sure what to write because I had to work out some kinks. Like all the age differences between characters. For this story, we're going to assume Vlad is 40. Is it true? I have no idea.

Thanks to my reviewers:

Phantomphriend: The watch will be explained, I PROMISE! There is no need to inflict bodily harm upon me! …unless I procrastinate again. : D I hope not to.

JesusFreak991: I'm glad you noticed a similarity in the names...I promised I would do something like that to one of you guys, so yeah. And, um, we might actually need you to call me every hour like you threatened so I can get the next chapter up.

…and seeing as I have a lovely totally of 2 reviewers…maybe the other people who read it would like to review? Pretty Please?

Moving onto the story, this chapter is mostly background information that took me awhile to figure out so that the story would make sense and fill in the blanks. So, it focuses on Vlad and his point of view. The next chapter will return to Conflagration and Danny and Sam and Tucker and Alicia and whomever I decide to have warn danny about "the accursed one"

A 20 year old Vlad stared at the ceiling from his room in the hospital. He had been in here with a case of "ecto-acne" for exactly one week, 3 day, 16 hours and around 4 minutes. Groaning, he looked around his room. What a waste of his youth it was. Plain white walls with boring drapery hung surrounded the windows. There was a TV, but the rest of the room was blocked off by all the medical equipment that was needed to keep him alive. Ecto-Acne had never been seen before, so he was treated with the upmost caution.

Vlad Masters officially hated his life.

And it was all Jack Fenton's fault.

Vlad knew that he should be nicer to his old pal, but "pal" didn't seem like the right word anymore. After what Jack had done, Vlad wasn't sure that he would ever even think about using that word anymore.

How had it happened? Jack Fenton and Maddie Sue had decided that they were going to build a ghost portal in collage. Vlad didn't even believe ghosts existed, but had volunteered to help anyway. In all honesty, he was only signed up because Maddie would be there.

The thought of his love put a smile on Vlad's face as he lay on the bed, unmoving. Her perfect brown hair and gleaming blue eyes had immediately entranced him. He loved her and he knew it. The day of the accident, he had told himself firmly that he would tell her of his love, she would return it, and the two would live happily ever after in a world without Jack Fenton's ghost nonsense. But when the time came, she was too busy working on double-checking their research and calculations to even hear him out. As he tried to think of another way to approach her, he pretended to inspect the portal.

"I'm telling you Jack," Vlad rolled his eyes. "It won't work."

"Bogus V-man," Vlad really hated that nick name. He had ordered Jack not to call him that, but it had never worked. "It totally will. This proto-portal's guaranteed to bust open a wall into the ghost dimension!" He said it with such enthusiasm I almost puked. Vlad took a closer look at it as Maddie picked up their papers and reviewed them.

A frown had come upon her face, "Jack, these calculations aren't right." Her voice was music to my ears at that moment, blinding my thoughts from what could happen.

And…eventually, what did happen.

"BONZAI!" Jack yelled at the top of his voice as he pushed the on button on the remote.

The portal he was inspecting began to glow green and he stepped back in surprise. If only he would've tripped instead, Vlad thought, things would've turned out so much better. A sudden burst of energy propelled toward him, and he was unable to move. The energy consumed him, burning him from the inside out. He had screamed and turned as soon as he could. The result?

Laying in his hospital bed, wondering what he had done wrong in his life. If he even would have a life after this. The doctor wouldn't say anything, but Vlad knew he would probably not finish collage for awhile. Speaking of the doctor, Vlad thought as he heard footsteps approach his door.

The door opened, and a man with a friendly face walked in.

"Good morning Mr. Masters, how are we doing today?" Dr. R. greeted him. He had neatly cut brown hair and brown eyes. Vlad thought that the doctor might be around his own age, which meant he was pretty smart if he was already a Doctor.

"Fine, perfectly fine," Vlad yawned sarcastically. Dr. R. began to read all the information from the machines around Vlad's bed and write them down on his clipboard. "How am I looking?"

"Well," the Doctor grimanced. "I'd like to tell you your doing better, but nothing we gave you seems to be working. I'll have to get Nurse Syndey in here to give you a change in meds."

Nurse Sydney, eh? Vlad had been watching that week and had automatically noticed that his Doctor had a crush on his partnering nurse. The two didn't have much time for discussion seeing as they worked in a busy hospital, but Vlad saw the little things they did for each other. Sometimes the nurse would leave a small welcomed plate of spaghetti on Dr. R's desk after he had completed an 18 hour shift. In return, she would find a box of chocolates from an anonymous person when she had skipped breakfast and lunch. Vlad loved watching the two dance around each other, both wearing a mask of secrecy.

"Dr. R?" Vlad asked as he watched the Doctor pause at the door. "Just ask her out already." He blushed, then continued on his way.

Vlad knew the man had taken his advice when a thrilled looking Nurse Syndey practically bounced in with enthusiasm and began to thank him.

Two months later they were married.

Vlad watched the ceremony from a live video feed in his room. He felt glad that the two were happy with each other. The fact that he had pushed them together made him feel happy on those days where he found out yet again that the medicine wasn't working.

To add to all his pain, he received a card sent from a "Mr. and Mrs. Fenton." When he looked at whom Jack had taken as his wife, his heart and any hope he had left broke. The next few weeks he wouldn't talk to anyone. He just stared ceaselessly at their family photograph. His hate for the fat man burst from spark to raging storms during that time. He had no way to channel it outward, so it was taken out on anyone who passed through his door.

Except, one day a channel appeared.

Well, actually, Vlad disappeared.

From sight.

Over the next month, he would discover that not only could he disappear, but he could turn intangible, float, fly and change his form entirely. It took him awhile to realize what had happened. He had become what he didn't believe existed: a half-ghost, half-human hybrid.

Once he had discovered this new secret, he seemed to be oblivious to everything else. During the day when he had to lay in wait for night to come so he could sneak out, he would plot revenge against Jack and think of ways to win back Maddie.

Five years of practice every night soon passed. There was no news to whether or not he would be out soon. The Doctor and his wife were still trying everything they could for him, but nothing worked. Vlad didn't mind, he needed the time to work on "fundraising" for his evil plots. By fundraising, he meant stealing money from banks invisibly. He rather enjoyed reading the articles about the thefts that baffled officials.

During this time, he found that Nurse Syndey had become pregnant, and she would be due the following year. It was around July, so the child would arrive in April or so. Vlad, who had been an only child since day one, was interested in the development of the child, and asked the nurse every chance he received how she was doing. She was as excited as he was, and loved explaining out the process.

Nine months quickly passed, and Vlad noticed that she stopped working two weeks before the due date. After asking the doctor, he learned that the long hours at work was not what she needed when she was in that far of a stage. Three weeks later, a baby girl was born. Vlad knew right before it happened because Dr. R. had come running in to his room with a wheelchair, practically threw Vlad in it (not that the patient declined, he was sick of the long days in the stuffy room) and wheeled him off to the maternity ward. By the time they were there, the doctor in charge had delivered the baby and sent her off to the baby room. Vlad wheeled himself over to the window and looked at the only baby girl wailing in the window. Glancing at her name card, he read her name and smiled.

Alicia Jessica Raiyn