Chapter 26

Vlad frowned as he watched the various screens playing back the data he collected so far. The cameras from his castle in Wisconsin didn't catch enough of the boy to give him a better understanding of Daniel. The surveillance equipment on Valerie's suit mostly captured the boy while he was Danny Phantom.

"I have information on Daniel's developing skills," Vlad muttered, noting the boy was still seriously lacking in skill. "But still nothing on Daniel himself, except his grades." He sneered down at the file he held. Not even Jack had such bad grades.

Vlad tossed the file onto his desk, and it landed on top of an invitation from The Dalv Group. He sent the original copy of the invitation to Maddie and Daniel for them to attend a mother-son science symposium supposedly being held in Florida. However, that wasn't where the plane would be taking them.

Smirking, Vlad strolled out of the secret room in his chalet. The bookcase slid back into place, hiding the entrance to the room. He walked out of the study, heading for the front door. A short drive around the woods surrounding his cottage would help relieve some of his frustration, he decided as he climbed into the golf cart parked outside.

Half an hour later, Vlad received a call from one of his ghostly henchmen. The plan worked, and Maddie and Daniel were currently parachuting to the ground somewhere close to his chalet. He snapped the phone shut with a satisfying feeling. After putting away the phone, he turned the cart around and started driving back the way he had come.

Perfect timing, Vlad thought when he reached the front of his chalet right as Maddie cut her way through the dense flora of the forest. Driving toward Maddie and her son, Vlad beeped the horn. "Why Maddie and Danny Fenton," he greeted the two as he pulled to a stop in front of them. Vlad mentally cringed at calling the boy that. He wanted to forget the man he once loved, but just saying the name brought up the memories he so desperately tried to block from his mind.

"Vlad Masters!" mother and son shouted in surprise.

"What a surprise to find the two of you here!" Vlad pretended to be shocked at their presences, like it wasn't some well planned coincidence that brought the tree of them together. "Would you like to join me?"

"You're up to something," Daniel mumbled flatly, narrowing his eyes.

"Oh, you think," Vlad returned with a smirk. Once Maddie took a seat in the back of the cart, Vlad lifted his wrist enough to speak into the communications unit on his watch. He sent the order to kill Jack to his minions. Finally, a plan that–

"What was that?" Maddie asked, cutting off Vlad's thought.

"I said flapjacks," Vlad replied quickly. "Mmhmm, pancakes. I have pancakes." I have to be careful around her, he thought as he started the golf cart again. He forgot how sharp her mind – and her hearing – was. But in a moment, he heard Daniel's shout of protest and stopped the cart. For a moment, he forgot the boy completely while covering up his error with Maddie. He frowned at the muddy mess now coating the boy's clothes. "Oh, I'm sorry, dear boy." Vlad shut off the engine. "I didn't see you back there." He climbed out of the cart and approached the boy.

"Right," Daniel muttered, wiping mud off his face before turning to glare at Vlad. "You planned that."

"Hardly, my dear boy," Vlad replied smoothly. He put a hand to Daniel's back, careful not to touch any of the mud coating the boy. "Now let's get you cleaned up. Shall we?"

Vlad led the two of them into his chalet. While Daniel glowered at him, Maddie appeared blissfully unaware of any tension between the two men. Vlad showed Daniel to a bathroom where he could clean away the mud. Then he brought Maddie to the study.

"Please make yourself at home." Vlad gestured for Maddie to enter the study. His heart swelled when she smiled as she passed him. Oh, Maddie, if only you could know how much I love you. Vlad walked farther into the study as he watched her look around the room. "You-"

"Did you ever hear from him again?" Maddie asked, cutting off what he was about to say. She strolled over to the bookcase lining the wall. Then she ran her fingers over the spines of the books as she read their titles.

Vlad's throat constricted, and it felt difficult to breathe. Even she was trying to force him to keep that man in his memories! He swallowed thickly as he tried to reign in the anger. "No," he answered when he could give nothing away in his voice.

Maddie glanced at him with sadness in her eyes. "I'm sure he'll find you one day."

Vlad closed his eyes. This was not the conversation he was supposed to be having. "Perhaps, I don't want him to." He frowned at her. "He ran away from me. Why would he ever come back?"

"He must have a reason for leaving. You never did tell us exactly what happened when he left."

"Maddie, that's not-"

Vlad stopped when Daniel entered the room muttering to himself. He turned to look at him and frowned at the mud stains still on the boy's shirt. Daniel's face was mostly cleaned of the stuff, but mud clumps still clung to his hair. Never taking his eyes off Vlad, the boy walked into the room and dropped into one of the chairs, making Vlad cringe at the thought of the mud staining his furniture.

There was still more that he wanted to speak to Maddie about alone, but he was partly relieved to end the conversation about that man. Vlad put on a smile for the boy before he turned his attention back to Maddie. He needed to steer the conversation back on topic. At Daniel's comment about their arrival being a part of some villainous plot, Vlad chuckled in forced good humor. It seemed ever since their first meeting in Wisconsin at the reunion, they were doomed to be antagonistic toward each other. It wasn't what he wanted, but nothing he did was going to change the boy's opinion of him. At least, not yet. After making Daniel tumble out of his seat, Vlad turned back to Maddie, and a smile broke onto his face.

After some blundering, Vlad finally managed to turn the conversation in the direction he wanted. "Oh, the stealing you part?" Vlad walked closer to the woman. "Ah, you always could see through me. Oh, Maddie, I'm just going to come out and say it." He dropped onto one knee before her. "Please dump Jack and stay here. You and Daniel both. What do you say?" Vlad smiled, waiting for an answer he was almost certain he would receive.

Maddie's face burned red, strong emotions flashing in her eyes. Vlad waited with bated breath. What came next wasn't what he expected. A hand lashed out, and a loud smack echoed through the room as a stinging handprint reddened Vlad's cheek. But that pain wasn't nearly as bad as the stabbing in his heart.

"How dare you suggest such a thing!" shouted Maddie. Vlad now identified the emotion dancing through her eyes to be anger. She stomped past him. "Come on, Danny. We're leaving." She grabbed her son's hand and pulled him from the room.

Vlad quickly leapt to his feet and rushed after the pair. How could this have gone wrong? How could another of his plans failed? By the time he reached the open front door, the two of them were headed back toward the woods.

"Bye, Vlad," Daniel shouted smugly over his shoulder. "And as a lonely, single man in your forties, might I suggest internet dating or a cat?"

"Mark my words, Maddie," Vlad shouted after them. "Nobody says no to Vlad Masters. You will rue the day you spurned my affections. And. I. Will. Not. Get. A. Cat!" He slammed the door shut, chest heaving as he panted. How dare they reject him like that!

With rage filling him, Vlad stormed through his cottage, changing into Plasmius as he went. If they would not come to him by choice, then he would make them stay with him by force. He entered a secret laboratory beneath the chalet. Snarling ghosts, beasts that he mutated through experiments, waited in cages, reaching out toward him with sharp claws.

"I have a task for you," Vlad told the beasts. "Bring me Daniel Fenton." He slammed a fist onto the release button. The cage doors flew open, and the beasts shot out, phasing through the ceiling as they went to hunt for the boy. Vlad picked up a device that he recently invented from a table in the laboratory. He didn't think he would get to use it just yet, but it would work well for the plan forming in his mind. He left the laboratory to wait in his study for the boy's arrival.

A few hours later, his beast minions returned dragging Daniel in tow. They dumped the boy into a chair, circling around it to block all escape routes that Daniel might try to take. When Vlad floated forward, the beasts parted to make way for him.

"Nice petting zoo, Plasmius." Daniel sneered as he met gazes with Vlad. As he jumped out of the chair, he transformed into his ghost half. "Where's your lonely guy cat?"

Why does he have to keep bringing up stupid cats? Vlad thought angrily. He could hear it clearly in his mind, a deeper voice asking, "Why do you hate cats?" He cursed to himself, pushing down another memory. He would give Daniel no hint of the turmoil that question brought to his mind.

Vlad whipped his arm out from behind his back. Electric sparks danced between the two prongs of the device he held. He gave Daniel no time to react before jabbing the prongs into the boy's chest. Daniel screamed as the shock ran through his body – a shock that Vlad knew too well from testing to make sure the device worked properly. He knew the exact pain that Daniel was in as his skeletal structure flashed into sight before rings of light formed around the boy. Vlad smirked as he watched the boy revert to his human form.

"What was that?" Daniel asked, obviously confused by what had just happened.

"Oh, I call it the Plasmius Maximus." His lips twitched, trying not to grin too widely as he floated over to the boy. "It has just short circuited your powers for the next three hours. That's midnight. I tell you this because I've seen your grades, and I know your bad at math." He smirked at that fact, though the mention of math made another memory try to work its way out of the shadows of his mind. "I'll give you five minutes before I send my minions to destroy you. The clock's ticking, Daniel, on you and your father." A smirk slid over his face. "Run."

Daniel didn't wait for him to say anymore before he raced out of the room.

After his minions left to give chase to Daniel, Vlad changed back into his human form. He frowned as he began pacing around the study. This wasn't how he wanted things to go. What kept going wrong with his plans? Maddie was supposed to be his right now. Daniel was supposed to see him as a father. What was he missing? Why wouldn't things go as he had planned? All he wanted was to fill the void left inside him by loving Maddie. Why was the world trying to stop him from having his love?

His feet came to a stop before one of the bookcases. His eyes ran over the titles of the books without really seeing them until they landed on his college yearbook. Its existence nagged at him after he conversation with Maddie. Vlad reached out and pulled the book from the shelf. "I thought I got rid of this one," he mumbled, running a hand over the cover with a trembling hand. He knew what he would find inside the yearbook when he turned it to the right page. He quickly shoved the yearbook back into its place on the shelf and turned his back on it before he stomped out of the study.

Vlad checked the clock on the wall as he walked through the cabin. It was getting close to midnight. Daniel should return soon, he thought. Either the boy would finally agree to join him or his minions would return with a body. Vlad hoped for the former. The last thing he wanted was to kill the boy. Scare him, perhaps, but never kill him. Vlad did many acts that others would view as evil, but he was not so cruel as to take the life of a young boy.

Vlad walked through the entry way when he heard a knock on the front door. He strolled toward it at a leisurely pace. After all, he didn't want to seem too eager, like he was waiting for their arrival. Opening the door, he smiled at the mother and son standing on his doorstep. After greeting them, he leaned down toward Daniel and smirked. "You've returned to me." I knew they would come back, he thought as he pulled back the sleeve of his suit jacket to show the time on his watch. "Oh, and not a moment too soon."

Hardly noticing Danny, Vlad was surprised by Maddie's words and sweet smile. Did she really mean what he thought she meant? A smile spread over his face, hope bursting inside him. He wrapped an arm around Maddie, his hand fitting nicely into the small of her back as he guided her inside. Daniel followed them into the cabin.

Vlad helped the woman to sit on the couch in his study. The plan didn't fail after all, Vlad thought briefly before he caught the seductive look on Maddie's face. Pulling out some breath freshener, he opened his mouth and sprayed a few puffs into his mouth. He couldn't kiss Maddie with bad breath! Then he leaned in as he thought, at last, Maddie has finally realized she should have chosen me all those years ago.

Maddie placed a finger to Vlad's lips. "I couldn't possibly. I've been out in the woods all night. I have to freshen up." She stood and walked out of the study.

Vlad watched her leave, and when she left, he almost smacked himself in the forehead. I should have given Maddie the chance to freshen up before trying anything, he thought, hoping she didn't see his actions as too eager. He picked up a book and opened it to the last page he was reading. Ah, it even says right here, that a woman always wants to freshen up before engaging in intimate contact. Maddie, you really do want me.

"Uncle Vlad," Daniel said, tearing Vlad from his happy thoughts.

Uncle! Vlad thought, his eye twitching with frustration. I don't want to be your uncle. I want you to think of me as your father. He was certain he would make that happen one day.

Vlad glanced at the grandfather clock by the door to the study. Still fifteen more minutes until Daniel regained the use of his powers. But what trick did the boy think he had up his sleeve? " Without your powers," he laughed at the idea of Daniel trying to fight him, "well, I wouldn't need fifteen seconds, would I?" He made his eyes glow red as he smirked at the boy.

"How can you say that?" Daniel looked surprised that Vlad would suggest such a thing. "I want to stay here with you, too."

"Really?" Vlad's eyes welled with tears. His heart squeezed as he replayed the words in his mind: I want to stay here with you. Has Daniel finally decided to see me as a father? His plan finally worked! Everything was finally coming together after so many years of planning. He would finally have the family he deserved, and Jack would be the one left alone and miserable. He stood up, setting aside the book he was reading. "You don't mean-"

Daniel grinned as he held his arms out. "Give me a big hug, new dad."

He called me dad! Happiness filled him as he moved to hug the boy. Daniel's arms wrapped around his waist, and Vlad was dimly aware of hearing something snap into place. Electricity coursed through his veins. Vlad shouted out in pain as he stumbled back from Daniel.

"You little rat! You tricked me!" Vlad snapped, glowering at that boy as betrayal fueled his anger. He would make Daniel pay for this betrayal! "You know what this will mean for you, don't you?"

Daniel looked at the watch on his wrist. Rings of light passed over the boy, turning him into the Phantom. "A much fairer fight."

Vlad sneered at the boy as he transformed into his ghost mode. The belt around his waist intensified its shocks. Vlad growled in pain and dropped onto the floor, holding his head. He looked up only having enough time to see Daniel flying at him before the boy slammed into him and sent him flying into the wall above the fireplace.

Vlad spotted Daniel flying at him again and drew his cape around him as he turned intangible. Daniel passed through him and the wall behind him. With Daniel gone for the moment, Vlad struggled to free himself of the blasted belt that continued to shock him. What was this stupid belt anyway? With this belt on, he wouldn't be able to fight the boy. He felt Daniel's presence behind him and spun around . He fired an energy blast at Daniel, sending him crashing into the wall. Daniel dropped onto his back with a loud thud.

"Foolish boy," Vlad growled, smirking to hide the pain the shocks gave him. "Even with diminished strength, I'm still more powerful than you." He concentrated on creating duplicates. Resistance. The duplicates strained to separate itself from the original. He hadn't struggled this much to make duplicates since he first tried the trick nearly eighteen years ago. The duplicates snapped back into him in a jarring effect that felt wrong: he hadn't recombined properly. The belt was disrupting his powers!

"At a hundred and twelve miles per hour, I bet this hurts." Daniel's announcement alerted Vlad to the attack, but he had no time to react before Daniel's fists slammed into both his heads.

Blast, kick, punch. Daniel reigned down his attacks upon Vlad, giving the older hybrid no time to defend himself. Vlad wavered on his feet with his powers exhausted and his strength fading fast. Daniel stood a few feet before him. He only had to blow, and the force of the breath knocked Vlad over onto his back.

"Fine, Daniel," Vlad said, pushing himself up as much as he could. "You've defeated me." Though it was only because of the blasted belt that Daniel got the upper hand in this fight. He stuck two fingers into his mouth and whistled. His minions rose from the floor, snarling and growling. "Finish him!"

The beasts advanced on him but stopped when Daniel began to speak. Vlad gritted his teeth as his minions slowly processed Daniel's words. They wouldn't dare, Vlad thought furiously, but of course, things refused to go his way. The beasts turned around and snarled at him, changing their target from Phantom to Plasmius. Fools! All of them! Vlad growled in his mind as his hands curled into fists.

"Don't even think about it, you spectral freaks," Vlad snapped at his minions. He stood, glaring at them. "I'm still more powerful than you."

Two prongs stabbed into him, and he shouted as more shocks ran through him. His skeleton flashed through his skin as electric sparks danced around him. Black rings appeared and transformed him back into his human form.

"And now you're not," Daniel said before leaning toward him. "I'll give you a five minute head start, Plasmius."

"Really?" Vlad asked, a shred of hope flickering in him.

"Minutes, seconds. You know how bad I can be at math," said Daniel before he stepped back and pointed at Vlad. "Get him!"

Vlad didn't need any other warning. He ran out of the cottage with his former minions chasing after him. Stupid little punk brat, he thought furiously as he tried to outrun the beasts. He didn't even consider heading back to his chalet and taking the helicopter to escape. Instead he ran in the direction where his plane waited.

"Get us out of here," Vlad ordered the pilot as he ran up the steps and into the plane.

The beasts were right on his tail. When the plane door snapped shut, it sliced off one beast's arm. The beast's howl of pain followed them as the plane took off. Vlad breathed in relief, thankful to have a ghost plane that could take off from anywhere at any time. He ignored the flopping arm as he went to search the small supply kit he kept in the plane for emergency situations.

I had to let myself trust him, he thought angrily as he tossed different items from the kit. He had to have something in here that would free him of the cursed belt. Since it was no longer shocking him, Vlad believed the belt reacted to his ghost powers, which meant he had three hours to get it off before it started shocking him again.

You trusted Jack, a voice pointed out to him. And look what happened. You got ecto acne and ghost powers, and because of that, you lost Maddie.

Another voice spoke up, if you hadn't trusted Jack, you never would have-

Silence! Vlad snapped at his inner voices. He snatched up a key and jabbed it into the keyhole, trying to pry open the belt's lock. I can't trust in anyone, he decided.