I accidentally finished the chapter with the least angst in time for Angst Day. I don't know how I feel about this.

Welcome to part 3; in which Vlad makes an assumption and Danny eats a lot of bread-things. Or basically, Danny is me. Bread is delicious, and if they didn't take a ridiculously long time to make I'd totally be making breadsticks right now.

Onwards!


Part 3;

Vlad was staying at a lakefront hotel unlike anything Danny had even seen before. Though, considering that he hadn't exactly been to a hotel before, that wasn't too difficult to manage. The lobby had a fountain in it, and it a receptionist that sent Danny a very judging look when he passed by. Danny offered her a smile, hoping she didn't realize he was covered in blood.

Vlad unlocked his hotel room and guided Danny into the bathroom. "Take a shower, please. You're among civilized people now and you cannot be looking like that."

Danny nodded and stepped into the bathroom. It was huge; the bathtub looked more like a hot tub, and the shower was in an entirely different section. Everything smelled kind of like the mountains did. Danny took much longer in the shower than he normally did, keeping his eyes closed so that there was no possibility Elijah would watch.

There was a new outfit waiting for him when Danny got out. Almost all of it fit perfectly, though the sweater was slightly too big. His old clothes were gone, and Danny wondered for several long moments when Vlad had been able to switch them.

The older man was waiting for him when Danny did eventually emerge from the bathroom, sitting calmly in a chair with another across from him. There was a large platter of cheese, bread, and meat sitting beside him. "Are you ready to explain yourself?"

"Where'd my clothes go?" Danny asked instead.

"In the state they were in you should be thankful I replaced them." He motioned to the chair, "Sit, please."

Danny shook his head, taking several steps back. He needed to get out before Elijah took control again.

"Don't try to pretend you aren't hungry," Vlad said, and for a moment his voice softened. "I assure you Daniel, we are both safe here. I can hold my own against anything you do. I only wish to help you."

Danny's stomach grumbled and he wrapped his hands around it. "I can't. I- I'm sorry, I can't."

Vlad stood, crossed the room to Danny's side in a matter of seconds, grabbed onto the teen by his shoulder and forced him into the chair. "Perhaps I wasn't clear," He said. "You will sit there, you will eat something so that you don't pass out on me, and you will explain exactly why I found you covered in blood in that forest!"

"I can't!"

"No, you won't. There is a difference, dear boy." Vlad's grip was starting to hurt, "Give me one reason why I shouldn't turn you over to the authorities."

Danny attempted to pull away, but Vlad was much stronger. "I can't!"

"Again, you won't. This is basic grammar, Daniel."

"No, I- I- if I tell you he's going to kill Jazz!" Danny flinched, waiting for a reaction from Elijah, but instead was treated to Vlad removing his hand from his shoulders.

"Was that so difficult?" He sat down in the other chair, holding some sort of pastry towards Danny. "Please, eat something."

Danny took a bite, chewing slowly. I didn't mention Elijah directly so… so it's all okay, right? Right?

"Who is going to kill your sister?" Vlad asked, and Danny stuffed the rest of the pastry in his mouth. "We're going to sit here until you answer all of my questions, so I suggest you stop avoiding the topic and give me an answer."

"I can't- won't, shut up." Danny ran a hand through his hair, "If I tell you anything about him then Jazz is going to be in danger. He- he told me. In the forest."

"We were alone in the forest," Vlad said. There was something about his tone that Danny couldn't quite grasp. It sounded vaguely like he was hopeful, but that didn't make any sense. Why would Danny having a murderous slime ghost in his head make Vlad hopeful?

"Yeah," Danny said, "You'd think that."

Vlad hesitated, staring at Danny for several long moments. Honestly, he was surprised Elijah had stayed silent for so long. Last time he'd gone oddly quiet, he'd ended up killing Duncan.

"Daniel," Vlad spoke slowly, "You know what a portal to the Ghost Zone is, correct?"

What does that have to do with anything? "Uh, do you mean the thing that ate my house and stole my parents?" It was amazing how much less that entire thing hurt when he said it as a joke. "Then yes."

"How close were you to it?"

Danny shrugged. He honestly didn't know. "I- I wasn't paying much attention."

"I find that difficult to believe. So this being, shall we say, who was with us in the forest, does he have a name?"

Danny sat up a little straighter, "How'd you know it was a he?"

"Answer the question, Daniel."

"I don't want Jazz to be hurt," Danny muttered, "So sorry, no." Does he know Elijah? Is that why he was hopeful? Elijah really doesn't like him, so maybe they're mortal enemies or something. Oh god Vlad's going to kill me to get to Elijah. Is the food poisoned? How much does he know?!

Seeming to have noticed Danny's internal panic, Vlad pointed a remote at the window. The binds parted, revealing that the outside world had taken on a pink tinge. "This is a ghost shield. I created it specifically to render any ghost, unless I've specifically programed it to ignore their ectosignature, in a state similar to hibernation. It also keeps the majority of the ambient ectoplasm away from my room, so none of their powers are able to activate." He closed the curtain, "The being you are afraid of is powerless here. As long as you remain in this room, you are safe."

Safe. Danny was tempted to tell Vlad everything right then and there. But then he thought of the green thing Agents C and W had used. "I don't think it can stop him. He- he can do things, control people. Even when there are shields." Danny shivered. Vlad stood up and grabbed a blanket, draping it over Danny's shoulders. He offered him another pastry, which the teen ate before continuing. "There were these guys- white suits, calling each other Agent Letter instead of a name- and they had something like that. It was green. He took control and it just- it broke." And then he killed them. Danny closed his eyes and took in a deep breath, trying to push away the memory.

"You killed members of the Guys in White?" Vlad said, "Hm. And here I had assumed you'd attacked someone for the enjoyment of it."

"I didn't, he did!" Danny's eyes were open again and he'd fixed Vlad with a pleading look. "It's not my fault!"

"Calm yourself, Daniel," Vlad said. "You had no choice; had they been allowed to examine you, you would have found yourself on the wrong end of a vivisection."

"Viviwhat?" Danny sucked in a breath of air, trying his best not to scream. Vlad scratched his ear, shook his head, and looked as if he was hearing something Danny could not. Danny leaned back and wrapped himself in the blanket, "A-are you okay?" Am I okay?

"Yes, fine, of course." Vlad handed Danny a different remote as he stood, "If you'll excuse me for a moment, there's something I must attend to. Feel free to watch something and think over our conversation so far." He moved back over to something near the curtains- a door that Danny hadn't noticed, apparently- and stepped out onto a balcony.

Danny stared at the remote, attempted to figure out where the 'on' button was before pressing it accidently, and jumped when the TV revealed itself to be built into the wall.

The news was playing. The woman finished up her report on some boating accident before moving on to other things. Danny went back to messing with the remote, only to look up when the TV said his name. "The Amber Alert issued yesterday for Danny Fenton has been extended to Ontario, Canada…"

Danny's attention snapped back to the TV. Yesterday? How long had been with those Guys in White? How long had he been in that forest?!

Danny took a step forward when the news threw his sister's name in, and the screen switched to Jazz. She looked horrible, even worse than she had when their parents had died. "Please," Her voice shook and there were tears in her eyes. "Please bring him back. I'll do anything. I'll give you anything. Just give me my brother back." She had to take a moment, "I can't lose him too. Not after Mom and Dad. I know these never work, but please." He could barely hear her, "Please."

"Jazz…" Danny wiped his eyes on the blanket, I'm sorry.

The news lady said that there was a hundred thousand dollar reward for any information which led to him being returned safe and sound. Danny switched off the TV, dropped the blanket on Vlad's chair, and grabbed the hotel phone. He had to get home. He had to do something!

Danny dialed the number he'd memorized years ago, when his best friend had gotten his first cell phone.

"Hello?"

"Tucker," Danny's voice shook and he had to take a breath in, "Hi."

There was a crash, "Danny?!"

He forced a smile his friend couldn't see, "I hope so."

"Jesus Christ," Tucker whispered, "Hold on, I- Sam! It's Danny!"

There was a second crash, a scream of "WHAT?!" and the sound of Tucker being pushed aside. "Daniel Fenton," Sam burst out, "Where the hell have you been?!"

"Sam," Something seemed to flash out on the balcony. Danny backed away from the window, thankful the phone was cordless, and went to hide in the bathroom. "Oh my god it's so good to hear your voice."

"I'm going to kill you," Sam screamed, "Do you have any idea how worried we were?! We thought you were dead!"

"Then killing me might be a bit counter-productive," Danny pointed out.

Tucker grabbed his phone back and there was the sound of him messing with something. "You're on speaker. Where are you?"

"A hotel bathroom," Danny said, "Somewhere near a forest and a lake. Where's Jazz?"

"Home, trying to sleep I think." Tucker said, "We're at Sam's. Do you know anything about the hotel? One of the towels might have a name or something on it. Dammit, I should have gotten caller ID!"

"Why didn't you?" Sam asked.

"It was five extra dollars! Unlike you, I'm not made of money."

"Excuse me?"

"No, guys, please don't do this now." Danny sighed, "So uh, the guys who grabbed me? They're gone. They've been dealt with." He took a deep breath in, "There… there is another problem, though. His name is Elijah. He- he's the one who dealt with them."

"Someone got kidnapped with you?" Sam asked.

"Not really. It's- it's more so they were going for him and I kind of got dragged along."

"Really?" Tucker asked, "That's not what Jazz said. Did it really take five of them to grab you?"

"Did you really bite a chunk out of one's arm?" Sam asked, "Because that's disgusting."

"Maybe? And if I did, ew." Danny could taste blood. He shook his head and bent down to the sink, taking a long drink to attempt to get rid of the taste. "Let's not talk about them. Tell- tell Jazz I'm sorry, okay?"

"For what?" His friends asked in sync.

"For the stupid thing I'm about to do," Danny said, "And everything that comes after. I have a plan, kind of, but Elijah really scares me. He's got a body count. But he might be my best shot to make everything okay. So yeah, I'm sorry, but if this works I'll see her with Mom and Dad soon, okay?"

"Danny," Sam said slowly, "Your parents are dead."

"Maybe," Danny whispered, "Or maybe they're trapped. It's a risk I'm going to take. People are dead, Sam, and I don't want their deaths to be for nothing. I- I have to go now. I miss you guys. Tucker, make sure your parents know they're awesome, okay? And- and tell Valerie- you know, Valerie from the A-list? If you get a chance please tell her that the thing she did to Duncan- um, the guy who came through the window- was super cool. It really was. And tell Mikey I'm sorry for leaving that group project all on him. And-" There were so many more things he wanted to say. So many more regrets he wanted to clear up. But Danny didn't have the time. "And I miss you all." He took a deep breath in, trying to steady himself. "I'm sorry. Thank you for everything. 'Bye."

He hung up over the sound of his friends calling his name.

Danny moved out of the bathroom, replaced the phone, and looked out the window. Vlad wasn't on the balcony anymore. He probably came back in, saw I wasn't there, and went to check the hallway. Danny filled his pockets with food before he slipped out the door, through the shield, and took a moment to compose himself. "Are you there?"

"What did you tell him?!" The ghost demanded.

"Not much, but enough to make his suspicious." Danny said, doing his best not reveal his fear. He had to get rid of the ghost and he had to get home. It was terrifying, but this was his best shot. "If you want to keep it that way you will hear me out."

"Hm… I'm listening."

That's a good sign. "I'd like to reinstate our deal, but with some conditions." He continued over the start of Elijah's protests, "I'll get you to that green place. It's the Ghost Zone, right? That's all you want, isn't it; to go home." You just have a super scary and violent way of going about it. "I'll get you there- if, and only if- you agree to take me to my parents, show us all a way out, not to follow us out, and to never kill another human from this point onwards. Am I clear?"

"Why should I agree to that, after your disastrous job at getting us away from those ghost hunters?"

"Good question," Danny said, "Here's why; if you don't, I step back into that ghost shield and tell Vlad every single thing about you. You'll never get home, but I will. Either way, I win." Not really. It probably wouldn't work like that. But if he came home empty handed then all this would be for nothing. People would have died all for nothing.

"So either I do as you say or I perish."

"Kind of sucks when you're on that end, doesn't it?" Danny grabbed the railing with his right hand, resisting the urge to hold it out to shake. "Do we have a deal?"

"Do I have a choice?"

"Tick-tock," Danny said, "I need a yes or a no or I go back inside the ghost shield."

"Fine, I accept your deal."

"Great!" Danny pumped his fist in the air, drowning his fear with false enthusiasm. "So point us to the nearest portal, Elijah, and we'll be home in no time." And I'll have my family back together in no time.


Danny, that's really nice and optimistic of you, but it's probably not going to work out like that. You might want to rethink your whole not telling Vlad plan once he comes back from his convenient disappearance. Hm, where could he be…

Y'all know the drill; thoughts?