Pocket Watch
Shocking, isn't it?

Security cameras revealed Danny merely observed Vlad's work papers and relics of his past, but the incident with the pocket watch that occurred hours ago failed to leave his head. Hell, Danny in general refused to leave his head, especially when he eyed the boy's DNA once again, the results largely the same as before, unfortunately far from good news. His DNA was literally starting to fall apart.

Bingo

"Been there, done that." Danny muttered to himself, hand on cheek as his arm supported his head, the rest of his body lying on his bed casually, his free hand tapping on the keyboard of his laptop. Being painfully lazy, Danny refused to budge from his bed or his computer. Instead, he rolled to the right and rubbed his eyes to ease the sting from staring at the laptop for some three hours straight.

Staring at the blue-violet ceiling caused Danny to be lost in his memories and thoughts. The images of his mother, father, older sister Jazz, and good friends Sam and Tucker appeared one by one like a well rehearsed play. Only then did Danny suddenly sprang up from his bed, dragged his bag from under (for he was too lazy to stuff it in the closet), rummage through it, and whip out his cell phone which he hadn't bothered to use since he moved in with Vlad's. Perhaps one little call wouldn't kill. Maybe they won't even know where he might be; maybe they won't ask so many questions, only to see if he was alright. He wouldn't be returning because he was weak, he would be…oh, who was he kidding? If he even called anyone of them, he'd be bombarded with questions and random bouts of shouts and screams. He might as well be walking the seven layers of Hell. Danny chucked the phone to the far end of his bed and lied back down, placing both hands over his face.

Danny eyed the laptop again. Out of a spontaneous and possibly subconscious decision, Danny typed in a search engine, the web content taking him to a near white website with the word 'GOOGLE' written in colorful, bold letters, usually decorated with some sort of oddities depending on what holiday or special event it might be. Danny stretched his fingers before typing in the words, "Wisconsin – Masters' Farm."

Considering how common of a surname Masters was, Danny obviously got a handful of results. Groaning, the young boy randomly clicked on links he felt were of interest until some hour and a half search, he managed to find a website detailing old newspaper articles of Wisconsin, including some headline that told of the Masters' farmhouse. The source detailed it as mostly as a dairy farm. Danny however was more interested in the address printed below a picture of an elderly man (possibly Vlad's grandfather) going by the name of Abraham.

"Bingo." The boy grinned as he took out a notepad and wrote all this down.

……………………

Goin' Out

"I'm going out." Danny said the next day as he headed for the front doors, dressed in dark shorts, a T-shirt, and a baseball cap.
"Mm-hmm." Vlad nodded as he raised his cup of coffee to his lips before realizing the situation the boy could be getting into, so he slammed the cup down and turned around, "Wait-WHAT?"

"I'm going out." Danny repeated, stopping to address Vlad before moving again. Vlad immediately shoved his way out of his chair, struggling to get out due to not pushing it back. He fell after pulling his last leg out, but he quickly picked himself up so that he could catch up to him and block his path.
"WHERE are you going?" Vlad asked, hands on waist as he stretched his body as high as possible to bring about an intimating air while lowering his face down to Daniel.
"Out." Danny said in such a casual manner.
"Out WHERE?"
"Since I only lived here for like three weeks, I don't know…just out." Danny sternly answered, arms crossed, "Relax Vlad, I won't risk my life and use my powers, I won't get in trouble, I won't do anything stupid in general, you can trust me." And with that, the boy walked pasted Vlad.

Vlad just stood perfectly still, hands still on waist, one eye half closed, one eyebrow raised, the other lowered, lips clenched tight as he stood in silence for some ten seconds, pondering over Danny's words.

"Daniel…"

Danny stopped, let out a frustrated groan, and faced Vlad. He walked over, took Danny's hand, and gave him a set of keys, ones which Danny recognized immediately.

"…Car keys?" Danny gasped, eyeing the holy grail of teenage luxury on his hands, "Y-You're giving me the keys to your convertible?" Vlad's face quickly lowered closer to Danny's.
"Don't scratch it, don't joyride in it, don't lollygag in it, don't crash it, and don't do ANYTHING to it but drive." Vlad said with a hint of venom, "I expect that vehicle back in one piece or so help me, no amount of ghosts powers will save you from a sound grounding." However intimidating his voice sounded, Danny's face lit up like a Christmas light.
"THANK YOU, VLAD!" Danny squealed, "And thank you…for trusting me!" He then bolted out the door leaving a befuddled, yet sincerely happy man. Happiness got cut short when Vlad snapped out and yelled at Danny who was already out the front door.
"BE HOME BY DINNER! I MEAN IT!"

……………………

Words could not express the joy on the boy's face as he zipped past the open road driving a sleek vehicle that Vlad spent thousands on. Being that Vlad's manor lied in a remote part near the woods, yet not that far from the Wisconsin country air, Danny passed by numerous wheat fields, farms, cows and horses, tractors, and general peacefulness the city would never afford for him. What a relaxing change of pace. How could city people complain about the country life? Everything felt so perfect. No material obsession, no busy traffics, no crowded towns, just the good ol' country air. Of course, small sightseeing aside, Danny's goal was one-tracked at the moment. Unfortunately, not being familiar around this part of town, Danny parked his car near a small store (usually the types that sold a variety of things ranging from candy to hardware goods). There were about two boys and a girl chatting, all younger then Danny, mostly in their preteens eyeing the fancy car and the city boy that walked out of it. After eyeing him, they stopped chatting.

"Hey there, can you guys help me?" Danny asked. The three didn't budge, only eyeing Danny like he was an insect that needed to be squashed, "…Umm…do you guys know this address?" He took out his notepad. Again, they were silent.
"Help me out here, will ya? I'm new here." Danny sighed.
"…Where did you come from?" The eldest boy, looking about 12 said, arms crossed, eyebrows down as if to give off a tough appearance to put at ease on the other two kids behind him.
"That giant manor way yonder." Danny answered, pointing to Vlad's manor which could be seen from the distance. And with that, the three children let off small gasps.
"Whoa, you live in that place?" The second youngest child came, a scrappy looking boy who looked like he needed a long overdue bath, "You must be rich! Either way, I still wouldn't want to live there."
"Yeah, it's haunted and full of scary, evil stuff." Came the youngest, a sweet little tomboy-ish girl, wearing pigtails, donning overalls.
"Haunted, you say?" Danny chuckled, knowing full aware the truth was a lot closer then the kids would know.
"Yep, be hearin' rumors about some scary old man who lives there and does crazy crap." The oldest said, "Hard to believe you'd live there on account you look normal…city kid, but normal. Maybe you're just lying to us." All three kids crossed their arms in unison.
"Hey, I don't want any trouble; I just need to find this address." Danny once again lifted up the notepad, "This is really important." But the kids refuse to talk any further.

"What's going on over there? Roger, Dash, Sasha?" Four pairs of eyes turned around to see an average looking man exit the store's front door. He was a skinny individual with dark hair on the side, the top being completely bald. His face had a sense of wisdom and calmness to it and unlike the three children; he didn't eye Danny like a cancer, but greeted him with a warm smile.
"Oh? A customer?" He perked, "Well, usually customers come inside the store. We got candy."
"Sorry, I'm not here to buy anything, I just came for directions, I need to know this address." Danny again waved the notepad.
"Hmmm, that address. Why, I haven't been to that farm in a while."
"Oh, dad, don't tell that strange old guy where the address is, he's from that creepy manor!" The middle child, the one named Dash cried out.
"OLD?" Danny gasped.
"What you want to do is continue to go straight, then take the first right you see, then you'll pass a variety of farms, but you'll be able to spot the one you want if you know what the farm looks like." The man answered to a much relief Danny.
"Thank you." Danny tucked the notepad back inside his backpack and started to set off but not before eyeing the three little munchkins, "I hope we meet again, you little rascals." Although playing around, the kids took offense at Danny's words and shouted profanity and insults at him while their father, the store owner, watched in amusement. Danny again stopped.
"…You said you had candy?"

And So We Meet

After another 15 minutes of driving (Vlad's manor could barely been seen at that point) and a lollipop in his mouth, Danny finally reached his destination, the Masters' farm, looking just like the newspaper clippings he saw, a generally nice, wooden house, a huge farm in the back, and plenty of cows grazing in the long fields. Danny parked his car nearby the house. Immediately two farmers tending to their private garden spotted the young boy, dropped their garden tools and headed for the teenager.

"Can we help you?" The first man spoke. An old middle aged man donning a white cowboy hat, jeans, and tucked in shirt.
"Oh, yeah…is this the Masters' farm?" Danny asked as he hopped out of his car.
"Yes, yes it is. Do you have business here?"
"Business?" Danny repeated.
"I reckon due to that fancy smancy car you must be like the son of a company." The other cowboy said, also donning a white cowboy hat and similar wardrobe, only he was much younger, looking at least a couple of years older then Danny.
"I…I was just wondering if the one known as Abraham Masters lives here." Danny said, "I came to visit him."
"And why do you wish to visit our boss?" The older man asked.
"Geez, it's like a wave of questions in this town, isn't it?" Danny sighed, rolling his eyes, "Look, my reasons are my own. This won't take long…one can hope, so can you please—"

"Hank! Kevin! What the hell is going on over there?" A graveling, yet powerful voice rang from inside the house, "Who the HELL is that kid out there?"
"Some kid, that much we know." The younger one, Kevin spoke, "A real skinny one." Danny groaned, making one of his hands into a fist. Only an hour in and already he's had his fair share of insults.
"All I can see from this window is some city sleeker kid, tell him what he wants!" The loud voice continued.
"We did, but he's not giving us a definite answer, he's stubborn, just like you." Hank, the older one laughed. That prompt the third man to come out. A man aging gray hair that reached down to the tips of his neck, a beard that was rather well kept, neither too long or short, average and not at all shaggy. He, like Vlad, was a lanky man, but his thundering voice and face seem to compensate for that. He stood about the same height as Vlad as well, so in the seconds that he came bursting out the door and into Danny's life, the boy immediately recognized the man as Vlad's father. The old, senile figure immediately walked over to Danny.

"Who the hell are you and why should I care?" His face meant Danny's.
"A-Are you Abraham Masters?" Danny asked, intimated by this old figure. He didn't think it'd be possible to outshine Vlad in the intimation department, but the older Masters got him beat, hook, line, and sinker. Ahh, so that's where Vlad got it.
"Who wants to know?"
"Umm…well, the thing is I heard you're the father of a man I know and I was just curious and…and…"
"Well, out with it!" He cried, each suggestions ending with him stepping forward as Danny backed away, "How do you know my son? Why should I care? Are you selling something? Are you some teen hooligan that I have to beat up? Are you insane?"
"Ummm…uhhh…"
"WELL, ANSWER ME!"
"Uhh…I'm…HIS SON!" Immediately Danny cupped his mouth. Where did THAT come from?

Abe, Kevin, and Hank's amusement/anger turned into shocks and stares. Danny, while paralyzed on the outside was confused and frustrated on the inside, his head repeatedly telling him why he said such a thing.

"You're his…what?" Abe's mouth cringed, one eyebrow raised, the other lowered, his arms still on waist. Again, Danny staggered.
"WELL? OUT WITH IT!"
"…C-Can I have a glass of water?" He answered.

…………………

Three consecutive cups of water managed to somewhat calm Danny down, allowing him to breathe regularly. He tried hard to gaze away from the three pairs of eyes staring at him. Gently placing the cup down on the table he next to him. Danny (sitting on a chair) cleared his throat and then scratched the back of his head, obviously trying to buy time.

"CUT THAT OUT!" Abe slammed his fist on the table, just inches away from Danny, "ANSWER ME…you're my GRANDSON?" Danny's mouth struggled as his brain tried to quickly muster an answer for him, 'No, you're not, don't lie!' 'Yes, you are! Being Vlad's kid can have its benefits for this.' 'Benefits? Why the hell are you even in this farm?' 'Shut up! Hurry up and say something!'

"Y-Yes." He said meekly, lowering his head, trying to over the rest of his face with his cap. Abe didn't yell this time; instead he just continued his traditional of staring at the poor kid's face. Danny's eyes continued to lower until he could make out the wooden floor and his own two feet. Only when the silence prolonged any further then he expected did Danny raise his head to eye Abe. The older male crossed his leg over the other, elbow on table which supported his head, other hand on top of his knee with his index finger tapping it, and his eyes closed as if he was pondering. Then he reached his hand out and grabbed the bottom of Danny's jaws to get a better view of his face.

"Hmmm…you have his eyes." Abe mumbled, "…But, I never heard this on the news or anything. After all, my so-called son is supposed to be a celebrity, a well known public figure, how is it that I'm just NOW informed he has a kid?" Danny raised his hand to provide an answer before Abe spoke again.
"And don't give me that crap that just because I live in the country, we're remote people!" Abe rudely pointed to Danny, "I get that from so many damn city tourists."
"H-He tries to keep me away from the public…well, at least the paparazzi as much as possible…grandpa." Danny lied, a bit mixed with guilt and satisfaction over his fib, "So, I'm not really well known in the public's eyes." Abe and the other two men seemed satisfied with that answer, but the questions were only beginning.

"…How old are you?"
"16."
"…And your full name?"
"D-Daniel…P…Masters." Danny particularly stressed that one, trying hard to focus only on Abe. Oh, if he only studied Vlad's manipulation harder throughout the two years he's known him. Danny however must have been better then he thought or Abe was easily gullible as he murmured, "mmhmm's with ever nod.
"Okay…what school do you go to?"
"Madison Private High." Danny answered automatically, remembering the school Vlad wanted to send him.
"Any siblings?"
"N-No, only child."
"Mother?"
"Dead."
"Social life?"
"Not popular, not complaining much."
"Special lady in your life?"
"Not yet."

The questions piled on, each seemingly easier then the last as Danny breezed through it like a pro since it mainly dealt with his social life. Every question answered had Abe nodding his head while stuck in his 'pondering pose'. After some 15 minutes, Abe filled the room with silence again as he thought again while Danny casually watched, tapping his fingers on his legs. Abe then made a move as he leaned in closer to Danny.

"Alright, hot shot, last question."
"Shoot." Danny crossed his arms and raised his head up, his confidence unshaken.
"Why are you here?"
"…T-To see you…grandpa." Danny muttered.
"Did your father sent you?"
"No." Danny rapidly shook his head. Abe sighed.
"Of course, why would he come and see his own father?" Abe said, half to himself, half to the others, "After all, lack of contact for some 20 years is bound to do something like that." Obviously he had a sarcastic tone.
"20 years?" Danny gasped, "Vla—err…Dad's never spoken to you in twenty years? But he doesn't even live that far from here; it's like an hour or so drive."
"Ha. I bet he did this on purpose just to spite me." Abe stood up, grumbling various nonsensical words.
"I don't get it, how on earth did you two fell apart? What happen?" Danny asked.
"He never told you?" Abe eyed Danny who shook his head once more, "Of course, why would he? He has no respect for me, that rebel." Danny eyed him.
"The fallout is nothing for you to be concerned; frankly I'm surprised you ARE here." Abe raised his arms, "I'd figure if he did mention me, he'd at least badmouth me enough to convince you I'm some sort of demon or at least prevented you from coming."
"Are you?"
"NO! I am my own man, a farmer, nothing more, nothing less." Abe shouted proudly, pointing to himself when he said "farmer".
"So why can't you tell me?"
"It's nothing that concerns you." Abe shook his head, "My grandson has come to visit and that's all I really care for. Now then, shall I give you a tour around this joint?"
"I…I guess so." Danny stood up, slowly nodding. What a disappointment, the old geezer refused to tell anything regarding his past with Vlad. Perhaps slowly playing the "grandson card" will get the old man to lighten up and eventually confess, but for now, he was an honorary guest in the Masters' farm.

…………………

Confession

Danny arrived at around eight, WAY passed dinner. He casually entered the double doors whistling a tune while tossing Vlad's car keys. Apparently, he must've had a good time down at the Masters' farm, but happy time ended when Vlad, who upon hearing the door close, hastily walked over to Danny and blocked his path.

"Oh, hi, Vlad." Danny waved, his bright smile turning into confusion then realization when he saw how angry Vlad looked, "Oh…right, I was suppose to be home by dinner. Sorry 'bout that, I had too much of a great time. You know the country air is really good on me and—"
"WHERE HAVE YOU BEEN?" Vlad asked, his voice stuck between stern, forced volumes to raised level of hell, "It's PAST dinnertime! I specifically said to come home before DINNERTIME. What time is it NOW, Daniel?"
"Vlad, I'm sorry, alright."
"Where the HELL did you go?" Vlad repeated his first question.
"N-No where you care about." Danny shrugged, "Just…places teenagers go to."
"WHERE?"
"No where." Danny grew agitated, "Now can I go?"
"NO, not until you tell me what you've been doing!" Vlad blocked his path again when Danny tried to move, acting like an unbreakable wall that moved whenever someone got near.

"Geez, Vlad, why do you care?"
"Care? I care because a 16 year old teenage who refuse to tell where he went and returned home in late at night WORRIES me, that's why!" Vlad answered.
"Worried about me? Wow, isn't that something?" Danny sarcastically hissed, "You really like to act like you're my father despite all the crap you've been putting me through for the past two years."
"Well, you're the one who came here, smart aleck!" Vlad cried out, "And as long as you live under my roof, I might as well BE your father! Someone needs to look after you."
"I can look after myself fine, it's the rest of the world who needs to look out for themselves!" Danny shouted while frantically waving his arms around, "The world can either continue to screw with me or deal with me!"
"I AM dealing with you! I want to know where you've been!" Vlad cried, "Honestly, I'm swamped with work, I got idiotic business partners, and then I have YOU!"
"HEY! Don't take your work related stress out on me!" Danny pointed to Vlad, "If you don't like it, TOUGH DARTS, but don't take it out on ME!"
"I WOULDN'T IF YOU WOULD JUST TELL ME WHERE YOU WENT!"
"NO!" Danny then pushed his way past Vlad, running until he reached the start of the stair way, eyeing away from Vlad, head lowered, "…I'm packing my stuff and getting the hell out of here. Obviously we can't even exist in the same room without arguing every freakin' day."
"What? And where the hell do you plan to go?"
"…I don't know, just faraway from you."
"DANIEL!"
"LEAVE ME ALONE!" Danny shouted, "I thought you'd be the one to make me feel better, not drive me to hate my life even further!"
"DANIEL!"
"NO! Whatever you have to say, I DON'T CARE! I NEVER CARED ANYTHING FOR YOU! Even when I came here, I didn't care! I just…I DON'T CARE FOR ANYTHING RIGHT! I…I JUST WISH MY LIFE JUST ENDED NOW! RIGHT NO—"

"DANIEL, YOU'RE DYING!"

Like rusty daggers piercing one's heart, Danny raised his head while the rest of his body remained unmoved. Vlad quickly covered his mouth and tried to hold back tears, shocked at himself for his sudden outburst. Neither of them spoke a word to each other for a bit.

"I-I'm what?" Danny finally spoke, breaking the silence.
"Y-You're dying." Vlad uttered, "T-The experiments I performed on you…I checked and rechecked, your DNA is literally…falling apart. The ectoplasm in your body isn't agreeing with your blood cells, the two are basically fighting over each other. The cells are trying hard to fight the ectoplasm in your system which is basically poisoning you right now causing the break out. Slowly, but…surely."
"…How long do I have till I…expire?" Danny asked.
"I…I don't know yet."
"…There's no cure." That wasn't a question, that wasn't a guess, Danny knew. Vlad however refused to accept that.
"Daniel, I WILL find one." He hastily said, his voice starting to break. Again, Danny remained silent.
"Oh, Daniel…I-I'm so sorry, I didn't mean to tell you this way, tell you while we were arguing. I was just so worried, especially when I discovered this. So worried something could happen to you, that you would have used your powers or something to save…someone, or…or faint in the middle of nowhere or…or…" Try as he might, he couldn't continue. Danny still refused to face Vlad, but his ears weren't blocked, so he could hear Vlad's voice breaking into soft sobs.

Dying. He will die. He's body finally started to reject his ghostly blood and after two long years of getting acquainted with it. Alas, the process, all the fun and game would end as his once faithful accident would cost him his very life. It's not fair, it's not fair. He's used these powers for the greater good. When a rogue ghost attacked, Danny stopped him, when someone needed rescuing, Danny rescued, when the world needed saving, Danny saved, but now all his good deeds led to this anticlimactic conclusion.

"That's it…that's how the fate of Danny Fenton plays out." Danny muttered to himself in a surprisingly eerie, calm tone, "I will…perish…I will no longer talk, no longer laugh, cry…or get angry."

Hearing all this made Vlad eye the boy, the boy who's back was turned towards him, the boy who hardly said a thing since he was told of his fate, the boy who didn't even register a tear, a scream, or some sort of normal reaction to one who would face death at such a young age. Instead, he just remained silent and calm.
To Be Continued…

………………………

Author's Notes: Apologies for the lack of update, been playing Paper Mario 2: The Thousand Year Door and suffering AGAIN from some sort of writer's block (which is why I feel the dialogue isn't all that good for me in this chapter). I was also busy with various other craps, notably my other fanfic and a Danny Phantom fancomic, so my time is very busy. That said, I hope the next update will be closer (though I doubt it).

Some things to note about this chapter are the name Abraham for Vlad's dad. Yes, it is the same name as Homer Simpson's dad (which I stated previously in the last chapter as an influence for Vlad's origin), but trust me, I struggled with it. For a loooong time, I've tried to think of a name for Vlad's pop other THEN Abraham, but someone I ended up back with this. Ahaha. That said, I kinda feared introducing him. I mean, what if the TV show ever did and I got his description wrong? That said, I decided to take a risk anyways.

And speaking of fancharacters, I also had some HUGE reluctance to bring in fancharacters. I don't know about you guys, but I absolutely do not enjoy making fancharacters (I generally never cared for fancharacters), but considering Danny's story is going to take place a lot in Wisconsin, I figure I would have to make up characters eventually. Although people who hate fancharacters need not fear since their roles will be minor, secondary characters at best with Abe being the exception.

Other things to note was how tempt I was on wanting Danny to hug Vlad when he was given the car keys and Vlad hugging Danny when he confessed he was dying. I resisted doing this for both cases because I felt they just weren't ready for that level of love yet. Not yet. As for Danny's eerie behavior after finding out he will die, I think people will be pretty confused on that aspect, especially since he's been so emotional before then. I think I just kept it for the creepy factor as well as the fact that Danny found out he is dying, so perhaps all his anger flew out for him to react the way an average person was, or maybe he doesn't know how to react to this just yet. Either way, it'll go like that for a bit before I ultimately put some bigger emotional impact on him.

Oh, and YES, don't worry, I WILL get Sam, Tucker, Jazz, and Danny's parents as well as others involved in a chapter soon.