Phantom: hey everyone. First things first… don't kill me. I didn't mean to not update until now, I just had a lot of problems with my teachers and studying for tests and exams. If you haven't seen my profile update yet, there are some things you need to know.

I have a DA account now. The link is on my profile. It will almost always have something related to my stories so you may have sneak-peaks to some of my ideas. (No spoiling it for anyone though! I'll find you if you do!)

As soon as my winter break starts, I plan to do more updating. I want to update at least once a month, but that isn't always possible. If I don't do a regular update, don't get mad… I'm looking at you trainer. *glares*

Trainer: what did I do?! O_O?

Phantom: Oh, I don't know. Maybe because you started to "subtlety" tell me to write this next chapter.

Trainer: well, you would too if you had to wait.

Phantom: whatever. Anyways, this is the chapter that some of you have been waiting for. DANNY WAKES UP! That's all I'm saying though. You have to read to find out what happens. FWI, this isn't the last chapter, not even close! I'm just getting warmed up!

Trainer: *claps sarcastically* yes, yes, you get to continue this story some more. Can we get on with this already? I want to read.

Phantom: *smiles to everyone* yeah, yeah, we can. Please enjoy everybody!

Disclaimer: I don't own Danny Phantom and some ideas are owned by Pearl84 and Truephan, but the plot is mine!

Chapter 11: Awake and Half - Alive

Jazz was getting ready to leave. She had packed everything that she thought her brother would need. Clothes, computer, phone (idiot forgot it, as usual), and even some of TJ's things for if she convinced Vlad to let the dog stay. She was exhausted from the past three days. She not only had to explain the situation to the school and Danny's teachers, but also convince them that this was for the best.

It wasn't easy. She had walked in that Monday and right into Danny's first period class; which happened to be Mr. Lancer's. At least the man could relay the message to the rest of the faculty. He was surprised to see her, especially since it was in the middle of his class.

He asked why her brother was late and she told him that Danny's wasn't late; he was just not coming to school for a while. The over-weight teacher looked like he was about to scream out several book titles when Jazz had quickly stopped him and explained.

She told him that Danny had gotten hurt and that he wouldn't be around for a while so he could heal. When Mr. Lancer apologized for his reaction, he started asking questions. He asked about Danny's condition, why she wasn't at home taking care of him, and worst of all, how did he get hurt.

She had answered as truthfully as possible, but it wasn't easy. She tried to make it sound believable, but from the man's sceptical look, she knew she wasn't doing too well. She told him that she didn't get a good look at her brother's condition so she didn't know how he was fairing. To answer his next question, she had to pause and consider how to say her answer. Finally, she said what she and Vlad had agreed on; that Vlad stepped in and said it was so she could continue her studies and not worry about her brother while the billionaire took care of him. With the single mention of the pompous jerk, Mr. Lancer brightened and ate every single word. Jazz mentally rolled her eyes when the teacher said, "it's wonderful to know that Mr. Masters cares about you two so much". Jazz wanted to gag, like, seriously gag at that comment.

When she got to the last question, she mentally froze. How did Danny get hurt? She hadn't thought about what to say if she was asked that. 'Damn' was a pretty good word to use right now, but she held back. She smiled and laughed nervously, Mr. Lancer and the rest of the class waiting for an answer. Apparently the class became interested in her little story. Sam and Tucker were staring wide-eyed at the red-head with silent pleads for her to think of something. Jazz swallowed the lump in her throat and told the man that she didn't really know. All she knew was her brother got hurt and needed help.

Mr. Lancer accepted the answer and wished Danny to get better. Jazz was about to leave when she remembered that she had to get Danny's homework or get the teachers to send it to him. Also that she and sometimes Tucker and Sam would need to go and visit him while he healed. The teacher agreed and told her that they could go as long as they warned him of when they would leave and that he would tell the rest of the faculty.

She was just happy that she was able to convince the man. That conversation had been about three days ago. She had warned him that she and the others would be gone for today, so he gave them their homework early. He also gave Sam and Tucker Danny's homework. She just hoped that Danny would actually be well enough to do any work in the first place.

Jazz zipped up the last bag and sighed. She looked up and asked, "Why did it have to be my little brother? What did he do to be him? He didn't deserve to suffer through all this." Jazz continued to look at the ceiling as if looking for the answer to all her questions, all her problems for both her and her brother.

She was brought out of her trance by a knock on the door and a small whimper. She turned around and saw Sam, Tucker and TJ standing in the doorway to Danny's room. She then wondered how long they were standing there.

Sam looked at the distraught sister and gave her a comforting smile. "Don't worry, Jazz. We'll get to see him today, and hopefully it won't be long until he can come home," the Goth girl said.

Jazz nodded, but was still worried as to what they'll see. Was her brother just hurt a little or to the point that he could of died? She both wanted to know and not; it was an internal debate where neither side seemed to be winning.

Tucker looked away from his PDA and said, "Let's go girls…um, and dog. If we don't leave soon, then we'll get there really late and probably have to stay overnight. Not that I don't want to see Danny or anything, but… I really, really don't want to be anywhere near Vlad for too long if I can help it."

Sam rolled her eyes and added her own input. "Well I'd rather stay the night and see what I could do to help Danny get better. I've been practicing some magic with my raven. Nothing big, just a few healing spells here and there," she said while pulling out a black diary with a skull lock.

Tucker snickered to which Sam glared and asked, "What's so funny?"

Tucker couldn't help it anymore; he burst with laughter. "You… you just… ha ha, just wanted… to… to see if-f-f-ha ha ha… you could… h-h-help Danny? S-s-sure you… ha ha… were," Tucker gasped between laughs.

Sam gritted her teeth and punched the Techno geek. "Of course. Why wouldn't I try and help him when he's hurt?" the Goth girl asked. Under her breath, she mumbled, "I can't stand to see him hurt."

Tucker rubbed his arm but was still smirking. "You could just tell Danny how you feel you know. You're just worried because you-"

"TUCKER!" Jazz yelled before he could continue with that sentence and possibly end up dead by Sam's hands.

Tucker blinked and turned to the red-head and was about to ask why she yelled at him until he saw his other female friend's face. Her eyes were a fierce violet, her raven perched on a nearby chair (also glaring at the teen), and her fists clutched and ready to strike if he even breathed.

Tucker gulped and said, "So, how about we go? Can't be late." With that said, the frightened boy ran out of the room to the basement lab. On the way, the two teens left in the room heard a small yelp as Tucker fell down some of the stairs.

Sam giggled slightly and Jazz put a hand on her shoulder. The two smiled before they followed the boy down to the lab. TJ barked happily as they went.

"So," Jazz said. "You didn't totally kill Tucker. Something wrong?"

Sam sighed. "No, well, I don't know. I guess I'm just worried about Danny."

"Also, you haven't named your raven yet? I thought you would have come up with something by now," Jazz continued.

Sam chuckled. She looked up at the raven and said, "I can't think of a name for her. Every time I think of one, it just doesn't seem to fit."

"Maybe Danny can help you come up with something. He can't do much worse than you, Tucker or me," Jazz said encouragingly.

"I guess. Come on. I want to get to Vlad's place before it gets too late. I don't care if we have to stay the night. I just want to make sure with my own eyes that Danny's ok," Sam said as she entered the lab.

Jazz nodded and opened the Specter Speeder. TJ came running across the lab and jumped in. Tucker and Sam shared a look before Tucker voiced their thoughts. "Uh, Jazz."

"Yeah?" was her short reply since she was moving the bags she packed into the back of the speeder. The other two teens noticed that it was some of Danny's things as well as TJ's.

"Is it wise to bring TJ along? I mean, he's a great ghost detector and all, but I don't think Vlad will let him stay there," Sam continued for the Techno geek.

"I agree with Sam. And what if Vlad actually did get a cat. I'm pretty sure that dogs and cats don't get along," Tucker added.

It was safe to say that none of them knew about the white fur-ball known as Maddie. Danny didn't talk a lot about his time with Vlad the first time around and he sure as hell wasn't going to spill any time soon. So, of course none of them knew about the cat.

Jazz levelled her gaze and said, "I don't care if I have to shove the fruitloop into the Fenton Thermos and leave him in there for a few hours; TJ is going to stay by Danny and protect him. He'll be my eyes and ears when I'm not around."

Sam gave a questioning look. "What do you mean? You can't see or understand what TJ does," the Goth stated.

"True, but dad had been working on another gadget and this one is made especially for TJ. A little while back, TJ barked at Danny from the window when Danny was Phantom. Mom went and researched that animals, like dog and cats, could sense when a ghost or spirit was around. This device is like a video camera with sound as well as other things," the red-head explained.

"Oh! So that's how you'll know how Danny's doing without being there," Tucker concluded, a goofy smile on his face.

"Yeah, now come on. I already told Vlad that we were coming and were bringing a few things for Danny. Did you guys get his homework?" Jazz asked.

Sam lifted a duffle-bag, which was filled with what Jazz assumed to be several days' worth of homework, maybe even a month. "Does this answer your question?" Sam asked. "Lancer gave us days' of homework for Danny with notes on the lessons and instructions on what he needs to do. We'll help him when we can of course," Sam added.

Jazz smiled and said, "Then let's stop wasting time and go see how my little brother is doing."

Jazz climbed into the speeder and took her place at the wheel while Tucker became navigator. Sam got into a passenger's seat and made sure TJ didn't move around too much while they travelled. With one final look at the lab, Jazz hit a button and the speeder travelled along a tunnel until they were flying over the town they called home. Their destination: Wisconsin, Vlad's castle. Objective: Danny.

"Where… where am I? What happened? Who… am I?" he thought to himself as he sat up, ocean blue eyes still somewhat clouded from… whatever had happened.

Danny looked around the area he was in; it was completely dark. He couldn't see anything. Wait! Was that another person? Maybe they could tell him where he was.

Danny ran towards the person and saw that there were more people than he thought. His hopes began to rise with every step. When he reached the first person, he grabbed their shoulder and turned them around to see… him. No, not himself, but him… in his ghost form; as Phantom.

Phantom seemed just as shocked to see Danny and they both said, "What are you doing here?"

The two blinked before Phantom said, "I… sort of… live here. Or I guess the better word is reside."

"O-K… so, where is here?" Danny asked, still trying to get over the fact that he was speaking to literally half of himself. It was like the Fenton Ghost Catcher all over again, except that it had actually worked the way Danny had wanted it originally.

Phantom thought about the question and replied, "Um… I would have to say that we're in your mind… or I guess our mind… oh, you know what I mean. Point is that we're in your subconscious thoughts."

Danny stared at his alter-ego and sighed. Man did Danny wish he had paid more attention to Jazz and all her psychological mumbo-jumbo. "So, is it just us here or are there others? And why am I here anyways?" Danny asked.

"I…," Phantom started, but then paused. He started to rub the back of his neck nervously. Danny began to wonder if he did that a lot. "I really don't know. I usually keep to myself and away from anything else, but I suppose there are other parts of you around here too. As for why you're here… I've got nothing," Phantom finished.

"Great," Danny thought out loud. Sighing, Danny said, "Well, might as well see what other 'me-s' there are in my head."

"Subconscious," Phantom corrected while following the other hybrid.

"WHATEVER!" Danny exasperated.

The two continued to move further into the darkness until they came to a brighter region. Danny and Phantom looked around to see that it was the living room to the Fenton house. There were several beings there; all of them being a version of Danny.

Danny saw a four-year-old Danny playing with a rocket. There was Fun Danny lounging on the couch. A six-year-old Danny with… was that his bed sheet tied around his neck? Well, six-year-old Danny was jumping all over the place saying that he was going to be a super hero one day, and then there was the actual Super Danny floating near the six-year-old encouraging the younger boy and 'showing him the ropes'. Finally, there was the '80's' version of Danny in his white rolled up shirt and purple tie.

Danny and Phantom entered the area and looked at the different 'Danny-s'. They all paused in what they were doing and looked at the new-comers. After a few awkward seconds of silence, the other 'Danny-s' returned to what they were doing.

In all reality, neither Danny nor Phantom could complain. They didn't want to deal with these other versions of Danny; especially Fan Danny and Super Danny. Those two where a memory that the hybrid didn't want to repeat.

However, Danny had no clue where to go and had to talk to them. "Um… does anyone know where I'm supposed to go or who I need to talk to… to oh, I don't know… get out of here?!" Danny asked.

All the 'Danny-s' looked up, but it was Fun Danny who answered. "Dude, normally I would say 'just chill-out', but right now, we've got a problem."

Phantom moved forward and asked, "what sort of problem?"

"Danny-bro got seriously hurt by those Guys in White and has been slowly healing, but he needs to get his mind straight, ya know?" Fun Danny replied.

"Um… no, I don't," Danny answered while rubbing his neck.

Super Danny flew forward and said, "When you were injured, your mind went into a state of shock and now, in order to wake-up, you need to get out of this shock."

"Ok, so… how do I do that?" Danny asked.

The other 'Danny-s' looked at him and all said, "You need to find the other 'you-s' to straighten your thoughts and then you'll find a way out of here and back to the real world."

Danny and Phantom gave them a blank stare. "You know that that makes no sense right?" Danny asked. Phantom nodded his agreement.

The other 'Danny-s' thought about it and then the four-year-old Danny got up with his rocket and grabbed Danny's hand. He smiled and said, "I know where to go."

Everyone stared at the child before Phantom spoke-up, "how? How do you know where to go?"

The four-year-old looked at everyone with big blue eyes and said, "I've been here the longest." He said it like it was obvious, and it kind of was.

"Well than, lead the way 'little man'," Danny said smiling down at the past him.

The little boy smiled and led the way. They left the living room and entered the darkness again. A little while later, they came across an area that looked like an armoury. Not just any armoury, but an armoury filled with weapons of all kinds.

There were swords, scythes, guns, ecto-weapons and more. There were also different costumes from different time periods. In the middle of the room where even more 'Danny-s'. There was Danny in medieval gear and Danny in a ninja outfit battling with swords. There was a video game version of Danny as both Fenton and Phantom from DOOM and they were shooting at a firing range.

They noticed the group entering and joined them. They showed the way to the next area. Leaving the armoury, they found an area that was totally destroyed. They moved in slowly, afraid of who they might find here.

"Well, well, well. Look who it is. Never thought I'd see you here other than at Clockwork's or in your nightmares. You being here make my job so much easier," a voice said from the top of a building.

Danny and Phantom froze in fear. They knew that voice all too well. They looked up into not just one pair of red eyes, but three. One belonged to Dan Phantom, another was to what looked like a teen version of Dan and finally there was a Circus Gothica Danny wearing a grim reaper's costume and holding a scythe.

Danny stared on in horror. He knew now that they were in the part of his mind made for the evil parts of him. Dan dove off the building and grabbed Danny by the front of his shirt; Young Dan and CG Danny following him down.

"You can't kill him you know? He's your only link to anywhere other than that Thermos. He's important to all of us. He's no good dead or comatose," Phantom spoke up.

Dan glared, but in the end he released the teen. Danny coughed and glared back at the evil ghost. When he got his voice back he said, "What are you doing here?" Danny blinked. Man, he was having serious déjà vu.

Dan looked down at the young hybrid and said, "Technically, I'm still a part of who you are. Sure, I'm stuck in a Thermos at the moment, but through this connection, I can bother you whenever I want." He said everything with his demon smile. Danny shuddered at the very thing.

"And before you ask, that is the younger me from when I first formed. The three of us are here because, well, we're not exactly good now are we?" Dan added.

Danny looked at the three beings. "Why do you keep them around? I thought you liked being alone and destruction, but judging by this place, I think you have one of those covered already," Danny replied cheekily.

Not smart. Young Dan made a move to vaporize Danny, but Phantom moved forward too. It was like watching a real life chess match except all the pieces where really on one side and attacking each other. Dan smiled while Danny scowled. He didn't like this one bit. It was one thing to have to see all the past 'him-s', but having to get Dan and the rest of his evil selves to cooperate was close to impossible.

Danny was brought out of his musings by Dan, who said, "Well, technically I am by myself; just me, myself and I." Dan pointed to himself, young Dan and CG Danny as he spoke. "I keep my younger self around because he's basically me. Plus, I happen to enjoy my own company. Like you said, I like being alone by myself." The only things running through Danny's mind were, "Dan is either a bigger fruitloop than Vlad or he's incredibly egotistical, and… ewww."

Danny cringed. That was a god awful thought. Then again, Dan didn't realise that he said that he would like spending time with not just himself, but with any of these 'Danny-s' including 'his weaker twerp self'.

Dan took no notice to Danny's sudden uncomfortable-ness and continued, "As for this guy," Dan grabbed the CG Danny, who didn't seem to notice. He kept a blank red stare on nothing in particular. "He does whatever I say. He doesn't argue and most importantly, he's evil like me if not as much."

Dan turned back to the only hybrid, and original, Danny and asked; "now why couldn't you have been like him back when I tried to kill your family and assure my future?" he smiled at the enraged teen.

"Maybe because I didn't want to lose my family and turn into you?" Danny said.

Dan frowned and retorted, "Do you really believe that I had wanted my family to die when it happened to me? No, I didn't. But you can't change your past, Danny. I was inevitable in my timeline."

Danny turned his gaze to the floor. He didn't know why, but he suddenly felt like a jerk to Dan. Dan had sounded, well, sad. He had sounded sad and angered by the fact he had to lose his family. That was an odd thought. Danny knew Dan to be the evil future him. He came back to Danny's time to ensure his future. So than, why didn't he just let Danny not cheat on the CAT?

Danny knew the answer. It was because of that timeline that Dan even came into being. If it didn't happen, then Dan would have never formed. But because Danny had taken him out of the timeline in the past, Dan was able stay within the timeline without having to cause the death of his family.

Dan grabbed Danny unexpectedly and flew them out of the destroyed area and into a place that looked like… well it looked like a room that Danny might find in Clockwork's abode. Dan dropped him unceremoniously on the floor; the rest of the 'Danny-s' walking/floating into the room.

Danny turned to face Dan and asked through his surprise, "You're helping me? Why? I thought you hated me to the point of wanting to kill me?"

Dan grunted and said, "Phantom's right. You're no good to me at the moment if you're dead or comatose. Hmm, what's that?" Dan pointed to something in the middle of the room.

At the center of the room was a pedestal and on the pedestal was a certain book.

It was just like what Danny had seen from the viewing orb. The book had a big green gem in the centre and was surrounded by twelve smaller gems of the same colour. It had four white pearls in each of the corners and was decorated with gold trim. But this time, Danny could see the writing on the binding.

Danny picked up the book and stared at the beautiful letters on the binding and read, "Duono libro: Frostigi. Fantomo. What the? Why is this book in Esperanto?"

Dan came up behind him and said, "Esperanto huh? Haven't seen that since I was on good terms with Wulf. Or was it when Tucker had been around? Oh well, doesn't matter. What does it say, twerp?"

Danny glared silently. "One, you realise that you technically just called yourself a twerp," Dan grunted in response. "And two, it says, 'Half Book: Freeze. Phantom'… I think it's an indirect translation. I think it's meant to say Halfa Book, you know? Like the species; Halfa."

"Makes sense," Dan said.

"Glad that you finally made it here. And without having one of your evil selves kill you no less," a young and somewhat childish voice said from the shadows.

Danny jumped and nearly dropped the book. A boy, no older than twelve, emerged from a corner of the room. He had glowing green eyes that matched the colour of the gems on the book. His skin was slightly tan and his hair was… unusual. It was black at the front but became more and more white as it got to the back of his head and if Danny had to describe what the boy's hair looked like, he would have to say that it looked like a hedgehog's since it was so spiky.

He wore something similar to a ninja's outfit. His pants went to his knees and were quite baggy. He wore white socks from the knees down and a pair of shoes that were practically made for any ninja. His top was black and looked like a turtle-neck with the sleeves cut off. He wore white gloves that went to his elbows and on his right arm was a small arm pocket. Finally around his waist was a white belt with several green pockets and devices in it.

The most surprising thing about the boy though was the fact that he had a big, fluffy, white/silvery tail. Danny had no idea why, but he actually wasn't afraid of the boy; just surprised by his arrival. The boy smiled and said, "Guess I have some explaining to do huh? Let's start with an introduction. My name is Frostigi. Or, as you've seen on my cover, it also means Freeze."

"Wait, wait, wait, wait, wait! What do you mean by 'my cover'? Don't tell me you're," Danny said while pointing at the book in his hands.

Frostigi nodded and said, "Yep! I'm that book there. Your name is on there too. This is your book!"

Danny blinked a few times before he sat down on the floor. Dan raised an eyebrow and said, "Wow. I've been trying to think of a way to shut him up for a very long time and you did it for me. Thanks Frostigi."

Frostigi glared at the full ghost then turned back to Danny. "I know that this is a lot to take in, but you gotta trust me on this. Tell me; have you ever heard of something called a Familiar?"

Danny nodded so Frostigi continued, "Did you know that if a ghost was powerful enough, they could have a Familiar?" Danny shook his head 'no' this time.

"Well," the boy started, "you won't hear it from anyone other than us Familiars or Clockwork, but all halfas have one; they're just not usually supposed to know about us until it's the right time. However, because of recent events, I've had to reveal myself to you. FYI, Vlad is close to figuring out what I am so, do not tell him anything I'm telling you." Danny nodded in agreement. If Vlad knew more than he already did, it could be disastrous.

Suddenly, something clicked for Danny. "So, since my name is also on that book, that means you're my Familiar! Wait, I thought Familiars were animals?"

Frostigi laughed and said, "Well, we can be animals or humanoids. I, as well as the others, can be a book, an animal or a humanoid. Didn't you pay attention when your sister was talking about this?"

Danny blushed. He hadn't really been listening all that much. "Ok, but then why are you… you know… a book?"

"Safety precaution," Frostigi stated like it was obvious. "In case someone who isn't meant to have the book, a.k.a. not a halfa, suddenly has one of us in their hands. We only work for the halfas. Our centre gems are the locks to the books and won't open unless used by one of you. But there's a difference when the owner and other halfas try to open us."

Danny gave a questioning glance and Frostigi continued, "When any other halfa opens the book before the owner gets a chance to open it, we'll just say what we want as writing on the page. When the owner of the book does finally open their book with their own energy, we gain the ability to turn into our true forms; an animal and/or humanoid. We can choose to switch between the two forms. We can also revert to a book if we have to."

Danny's eyes brightened and he said, "Besides the fact that I'm a little overwhelmed at the moment, I have to say that this is pretty cool. Um… if you don't mind me asking, what animal are you? Also, how do I leave here?"

Frostigi brightened as well and replied, "I can help you return to the real world after you answer a question or two. As for my animal… I'm a badger; a Little Badger to be precise."

Danny wanted to face-palm right there and then. Dan couldn't stop laughing and Danny didn't blame him. Vlad had been calling him 'little badger' for almost a year now and Danny thought he was just being a fruitloop. He wasn't expecting this.

Danny turned back to Frotigi, whose tail was moving back and forth in anticipation. Danny sighed and said, "Alright, Frostigi. What do I need to do in order to leave?"

Frostigi's tail stopped moving and he seemed to sadden a bit. "Like I said, you need to answer some questions."

"So, what are they?" Danny asked.

Frostigi's expression grew serious as he said, "First, how many 'you-s' have you encountered while here?"

Danny thought about it; he had seen Phantom first, then he met five others in the living room, four in the armoury, and then finally the three evil 'him-s'. That made a grand total of thirteen 'Danny-s'. Danny was about to answer when he thought things through again. Maybe he counted as one of the 'Danny-s'. And what about Frostigi? Wasn't a Familiar another form of the owner? If that was the case and he added this to his total, then he actually had met fifteen 'him-s'.

Danny looked at Frostigi and then the other 'Danny-s'. He took a deep breath and said in a firm voice, "Fifteen. I have met fifteen versions of myself while here."

Frostigi smiled and said, "You got it right. You've seen the same number of 'you-s' as your age! Next question: which version of you do I most represent?"

Danny smiled and said, "The ninja me. Your outfit says it all, especially since I was a ghost when I was in the ninja form."

Frostigi clapped and said, "Two for two! Last question: why do you think you've met all these different versions of yourself?"

Danny gulped; he was hoping for another easy question. The hybrid closed his eyes and started to think. Why did he meet all these versions of himself? What was the perpose? He had seen human versions and ghost versions of himself. He had seen past present and future. He had even seen hybrid, full ghost, Familiar, good and evil.

They were all him. They were. All him. They. Were. All. HIM! That was it! Danny opened his eyes and smiled. He stared at the Familiar and said, "I met all these different versions of myself to remind me that they are all me and that I'm not me without any of them."

Frostigi looked at Danny and smiled. "Congratulations!" the boy was bouncing off the walls as he spoke.

Danny chuckled and stood up. Frostigi landed in front of him and said, "I can take you back now if you want?"

Danny nodded and in a flash of green the two were gone from the space, leaving all the other versions of Danny behind.

Danny woke up with a gasp as the events that just happened in his head came back to him. He looked around for a minute before dozing off again into a dreamless sleep.

The soft white glow that had surrounded him and the book, Frostigi, was gone but the book looked different now. It had a healthy and strong glow; its gems were all as vibrant as they could be, and if someone was to look very carefully into the centre gem, they would see a small form of a badger sleeping happily in the green energy.

Danny sighed and turned onto his side, not even noticing the man that just walked in.

Vlad was tired and annoyed. Jasmine had called that morning to tell him that she and Daniel's friends were going to be arriving today. He didn't want to be the one to tell them that Daniel had yet to wake-up. Really, he didn't want to speak to any of them; except maybe Jasmine. He could at least stand her long enough to explain the situation.

Vlad had spent the morning prepping himself for their arrival. He had three guest rooms made up for them in case they stayed for a while. He told his staff that they were well acquainted with ghosts and knew how to capture any if they decided to attack. Then again, his staff managed to chase them away when they had tried to find Daniel all those months ago.

Needless to say though, Vlad was not in the best of moods. He hadn't even gone to check on the younger hybrid because he was trying to prepare his home for his, honestly unwanted, guests.

Vlad rubbed his temples as he made his way up to the boy's room. He swore he could make this journey with his eyes closed by the number of times alone that he made his way up here. As he walked, Maddie watched him. When she lost sight of him, she followed with soft steps.

When he came to the door, he stopped himself. The billionaire leaned his head on the door and closed his eyes. He really just wanted the boy to wake-up. He had so much to ask him. He wanted to know what had happened the night he was captured since Skulker was too afraid to show his face to the older hybrid without Daniel being able to protect him from the man's wrath. He wanted to know what those idiot government agents had done to the boy.

He also thought that the younger hybrid might know the answer to mystery of the books. What were they? Where did they come from? What did that message on the ice cave wall mean? So many question and yet he had no answers. He was hoping Daniel could somehow show the way; light up the path like he had with the Order's Crystal.

Vlad opened his eyes and looked down at Maddie. He smiled a small smile and said, "how about we take a look at our ward, hmm?"

Maddie meowed in response and Vlad opened the door. When he opened it, he saw and heard something that he hadn't in what felt like a long time. He heard the young hybrid sigh and then watched him turn onto his side before falling asleep again.

Vlad blinked before he raced towards the slumbering boy and looked him over. Somehow, Danny looked better than he had in days. His skin tone had life back in it again; his raven locks of hair had a lush sheen back in it.

Vlad took his temperature and heartbeat. They came up as the usual for his hybrid state; both being slightly lower and slower than the average human.

Vlad was stunned. "How did this happen; and overnight no less," Vlad thought. He looked over the boy again and found that even some of his more life threatening wounds was beginning to heal and leave pinkish scars. As he was checking the younger hybrid, his gaze landed on the books, but more specifically, Danny's book. It looked like a million bucks, and Vlad should know since he's seen that.

It was beautiful, just beautiful. Vlad thought that if Ghostwriter saw this book, he would try and keep it for himself. Vlad picked up the book and looked it over again before he paused on the centre gem. There was something different about it. Well, that was obvious since the whole book looked like a completely new item.

No, but the centre gem was definitely different. He looked closer and saw something more within the green energy. He watched it for a few more seconds until a figure formed inside the gem and gazed at him with glowing green eyes.

Vlad nearly dropped the book. He wasn't expecting that. Vlad looked at it with a more critical eye and saw something that he could have sworn he'd seen before. Then it clicked for him; the figure looked like a badger, no, it was a badger! The figure was a badger! "Why is there a badger in Daniel's book?" Vlad wondered.

The sudden movement of the younger hybrid made Vlad jump. Danny had turned back towards the man, his arm falling off the bed. Maddie moved forward and began brushing against the boy's hand. Vlad smiled, but not because of Maddie. Ok, partially because of Maddie. Her actions caused Danny's hand to twitch and made him mumble something that Vlad couldn't make out.

Danny was healing and it looked like the book, no, Frostigi had also healed. It was only a matter of time before Daniel woke up. Vlad decided to just change the bandages and let the boy rest instead of giving the boy a needle like the last couple of times. He doubted that he needed to do that anymore.

He changed and discarded the old bandages and stood up to admire his work. What he didn't count on was being met with a pair of blue eyes watching him. Vlad and Danny stared at each other, neither one knowing what to say to break the ice.

Danny opened his mouth to say something when Maddie jumped up onto the bed and meowed happily to the boy. Danny closed his mouth and stared at the cat before he smiled and started to pet the animal. "How long has it been since I've seen you?" Danny thought.

Vlad let out his breath. He hadn't even known he'd been holding it. "Daniel," Vlad said. Danny looked up at him with a curious gaze. "I know you just woke up and probably have a million questions about what's going on, but I need you to tell me a few things."

Danny nodded, so Vlad continued, "Tell me, what do you remember? And how do you feel?"

Danny opened his mouth again and tried to speak, but found that he couldn't. He clutched his throat as a burning/choking pain became apparent in his throat. When it settled down to a dull throb, Danny frowned and thought, "Well, this is new; and totally not wanted!"

Vlad notice the gesture and left the room. When he came back he held a cup of ice water. He gave it to Danny who took it graciously and savoured every drop. The cool water travelled down his abused throat alleviating the pain, if only slightly.

When he finished, he tried again, but came up with the same results. Vlad frowned. Daniel couldn't speak for some reason, which meant that Vlad's questions would go unanswered.

Vlad took a seat by the bed again and Danny gave him an apologetic smile. Vlad ruffled the boy's hair and said, "Oh, don't worry my boy. It's not your fault that you can't speak."

Vlad paused and said, "Actually, it might."

Danny looked at him curiously. "What does he mean it might be my fault?!" Danny thought. The book in Vlad's hand suddenly shook and Vlad lifted it up. Danny saw it and realised that it was his book. He immediately hid his surprise. He could let Vlad know he knew something.

Vlad let his energy enter his hand and flow into the centre gem. Danny watched as the book reacted and opened for Vlad. Vlad looked at the book and said, "Hello, Frostigi. What do you want since it's obvious that you wanted my attention?"

Hello Vlad. I just want to say that I could help Danny speak. Just give him me for a second so I can speak with him.

Vlad reluctantly complied and said, "Daniel, this book's name is Frostigi. And before you ask, this is one of the missing books that I know you've heard about. Frostigi thinks it can help you tell me what happened if you're willing to give it a try?"

Danny nodded and Vlad handed him the open book. Danny looked down at the book and mentally asked, "Is… is it really you, Frostigi?"

The book seemed to smile as it spoke. Of course it's me. Who else looks as good as me when a book?

Danny smiled down at the book. "So, Frostigi can also read my thoughts. This could be handy." Danny thought.

Yeah it will be! You think it and I'll write it down in my pages.

Danny nodded and thought/said, "Let's do this." Danny motioned for Vlad to come over to him and look at the book. Being the curious man that he was, Vlad complied and moved from his seat to the edge of the bed. Danny pointed at the book and Vlad saw what he wanted him to see. The book was telling Vlad the aspects of Danny and Frostigi's plan.

Danny is going to think out what he remembers and I'm going to make his thoughts appear on the page. Does this work for you?

Vlad smiled. He knew that Frostigi and Daniel had some sort of connection but he never thought that they would be connected like this. Vlad nodded and Danny smiled at Vlad and then Frostigi. As he stared at the page and thaught out what he wanted to say, his words began to appear before him.

What I remember is waking up in my living room after having my ghost sense go off. Turns out it was Skulker and he was also looking for these books since he was given the job of retrieving them for Frostbite and… another friend of mine. He and I made a temporary truce so that we could work together to find them.

As soon as we made the truce though, the Guys in White attacked. We were doing pretty well until they separated us. I saw one of them fire into Skulker's blind spot so I tried to save him. Stupid 'hero complex'… argh FROSTIGI! You weren't supposed to write that. Great, a book with attitude.

Danny huffed in the bed and Vlad just continued to smile. He was trying real hard not to laugh at the younger's predicament.

Anyways, Danny continued, his face turning bright red, I did manage to save Skulker, but I got hit instead. Because of that I got captured. Skulker flew away and I don't know where he went. To get help I suspected. If it was between me and him getting captured by the GiW, I was the better choice. I would have lasted longer than any of the other ghosts.

Vlad nodded. "Yes, Daniel. Skulker did indeed get help. He came to me and told me what happened as soon as he could."

Danny's eye's widened in surprise. He hadn't thought that Vlad was the one to save him. Then again, it would explain why he was in the guy's mansion/castle.

Ok. After that, I woke up in one of the facility's rooms and they started doing tests on me. It started as simple things like temperature and DNA, but then it moved onto things like my powers and abilities. The final time they came to bother me about in my cell was… not fun. They strapped me to a table and this guy… Agent… something… Agent se… Agent C! That was it. A guy named Agent C brought out this weird machine with a black liquid in it. He took this gun-like thing and shot the liquid into my core… after that, everything is a blank.

Vlad frowned. This Agent C said a similar thing to him when he first came upon the room. Danny looked up at the billionaire with worried and innocent eyes. Then, more words appeared on the page.

Vlad… what happened? What happened to me after that?

Vlad pinched the bridge of his nose and closed his eyes. He tried to think of a way to explain without the teen freaking out. Finally, the older hybrid said, "When I arrived at the facility, I went to look for you, but instead I found one of the main offices. I deleted any and all information I could find concerning you." Vlad left out the fact that he kept some of the information for himself. "Shortly after that the building shook and I didn't know why. I made it to where you were being kept and saw something unusual."

Vlad paused and looked Danny in the eye. "Daniel," he started, "Do you, by chance, have the power to make things explode?"

Danny raised an eyebrow and then shook his head 'no'. Vlad scratched his beard and said, "Well, when I got there, balls of green energy was destroying everything in sight. I believe it was your energy since when I calmed you down, the energy balls stopped appearing."

Danny's eyes widened and the words 'I have a new power?!' was written in the book before the words disappeared.

Vlad nodded and said, "It would seem so. Whatever that black liquid was, it seems to have brought forth this new ability in you. Anyways, when I got into the room, I told the GiW to turn off the machine, but it exploded because of the energy everywhere. When he was blown back, I destroyed the machine and removed any lingering electricity coursing through your system. After that, I got you out of there along with all three books. It's been three days since I brought you here and Frostigi only first spoke to me recently."

When Vlad had finished, he watched the younger hybrids reaction carefully. Danny was in deep thought over everything he just heard. Vlad had saved him, destroyed all information on him, rescued the books which meant he had saved Frostigi and the other Familiars, and now, he was helping Danny recover. The main question now was: Why?

Danny turned his attention to Vlad and had Frostigi ask for him. Vlad smiled and said, "Why? I think the better question, dear boy, is why not? Didn't I tell you back at that clock tower in Amity that I would push everything aside if I needed to help you?"

Danny blushed. He had remembered; he just didn't know if Vlad was actually going to uphold what he said. Vlad ruffled the boy's hair again and stood. He started to walk towards the door when Danny grabbed the corner of the man's suit. Vlad turned and gave a questioning look. Danny pointed to Frostigi.

Vlad looked at the book and read. Vlad, were you expecting company?

"Yes, why do you ask?" Vlad asked.

'Cause I think they're here.

Vlad raised an eyebrow when he heard a knocking on the door. Danny let go of Vlad and watched the man leave asking himself how the boy knew. Danny sighed and looked at the constellations on the ceiling. "I guess Sam, Tucker and Jazz are here. Otherwise I would have never felt them," Danny thought.

Frostigi glowed brighter and Danny looked at the page that was open.

Hey, Danny. I don't know when will be a good time, but when are you going to unlock my ability to not be a book? Not that I'm not comfortable and all, but I would like to be able to be my animal or humanoid self.

Danny sighed. "I don't know, Frostigi. If Vlad is as close to finding out what you are as you say he is, then why don't I just do it at any time?"

He may be close, but I don't want him knowing how to unlock our abilities. If that happened, then he would do it for his own book/Familiar before he's meant to. Clockwork would have my head if that happened. Do it when he's not around. If he sees me in my true form, tell him that I just decided to change forms. Don't tell him that you helped me do it.

Danny nodded. "How about tonight then? I'm pretty sure Vlad will go to sleep and then I can do it without him knowing that I somehow helped."

Frostigi shook with joy. Danny smiled. He had a feeling that the badger would like that. Danny face-palmed. "God, I just thought something that Vlad would say. I need to spend less time near him," Danny thought.

Just then, he heard his door open and in piled his friends, sister, Vlad and… TJ? What was his dog doing here? The new arrivals took one look at the bedridden boy and said, "DANNY!" with all the joy they could muster; and that was a lot. TJ was so happy that he ran past everyone before they could grab him and he jumped onto the bed. He lay down next to Danny and barked happily. Maddie hissed at the Dalmatian for disturbing her before she lay down next to him and fell asleep again.

Everyone stared for a moment at the two animals lying next to Danny. They didn't expect them to get along, but here they were, sleeping side by side with one another. Danny smiled and pets both of them before he turned to everyone else and smiled at them.

Jazz smiled and moved to sit on the edge of the bed. Danny knew what was about to happen; Jazz, Sam and Tucker were going to bombard him with questions. Honestly, he really wasn't in the mood to do so; he was still recovering and that meant he was really tired.

Danny stared at Jazz and the pointed to the book in his hands. Jazz didn't know why he wasn't speaking, but moved closer so she could see the pages. At first they were blank and she couldn't understand why her brother was showing it to her, but then words began to appear on the page and her eyes widened.

Hi Jazz. Um… sorry, but I can't speak for some reason. Vlad hasn't told me why, but it sounded like I did a lot of screaming at one point and it must have done some damage. So, since I can't speak, can we leave the questions for later? I'm kind of tired.

Jazz looked from the page to her brother and sighed. She really wanted to know what was going on and what had happened to him, but she guessed it would have to wait. "Ok, Danny. We'll talk later," Jazz said.

Sam and Tucker gave a look. Sam asked, "Why not now? What happened?"

"Danny can't speak at the moment and he wants to go to sleep. Though I'm not really all that surprised; it is getting late," Jazz stated.

Danny looked at the clock and found that it was almost 8:00 pm. "When had I woken up?" he asked himself. Danny watched as Vlad left the room saying something about rooms being prepared for them if they planned on staying a while, while Sam and Tucker followed, but not before giving him one last look that said 'we'll talk later and you're not getting out of it so easily next time'.

Jazz stood to go too, but Danny stopped her like he had Vlad. Jazz looked down at her brother before she returned to her seat next to him. Danny looked at the blank page and mentally asked, "Hey, Frostigi. Could Jazz be here when I release you from this form?"

Frostigi thought about it before he said, Sure. I don't see why not. Just as long as she keeps the same promise you have.

Danny nodded and held the book up to Jazz so she could see what he wanted to say.

Jazz, come back to my room when everyone else is asleep; I need to tell and show you something and I don't want everyone else to know about it. Ok?

Jazz smiled and whispered, "Sure. I'll come around when I can. Also, make sure TJ doesn't hurt the cat. I'm going to try and convince Vlad to let TJ stay with you while you're here. You know he's the family's secret eyes and ears."

Danny made a soundless chuckle and watched as his sister left the room. All he had to do now was to wait for her to return.

Phantom: Hey, glad that you got to the bottom. Was that great or what? Danny has a weird dream, meets himself multiple times, wakes up, has a nice little chat with Frostigi and Vlad and then has Sam, Tucker and Jazz arrive.

Trainer: you left it at a cliffie again. Why? Now Danny has to wait till the next chapter.

Phantom: yeah, about that. This was a really long chapter so I split it in two. They have two different titles, but they were originally one chapter. But don't worry because I'm posting the next chapter really soon after it.

Trainer: oh well that's ok then. So I guess that means we'll see you all at the next chapter.

Phantom: yes they will. See you all next time and tell us what you thought of the chapter!

Trainer: yeah, tell us what you think!

Phantom: and stay tuned for chapter 12!