Chapter 32

Vlad refused to visit the Fenton's despite the repeated requests from Maddie and Jack. Seeing Daniel again would only tear at his heart, and he didn't think he could handle that pain. Even thinking about him made Vlad's chest ache. He needed to put Daniel out of his mind, but even three years later, he couldn't completely erase all the memories.

With a sigh, Vlad rubbed at his forehead as his gaze drifted toward the calendar on his desk. September was almost here, and some part of his mind pointed out that Daniel would be entering his senior year of high school. Vlad cursed himself for that thought. Why should he care about that?

Vlad lifted his head suddenly. Daniel would be eighteen by now, the same age as when they first met in college. Why didn't he think of that point before? No, Vlad thought as he left the office, ignoring his secretary asking where he was going. I won't allow him to go into the past and ruin my life.

The moment he returned to his castle, Vlad headed straight for the Portal. There was one ghost that could help him stop that terrible turn of fate. Clockwork's Tower floated before him, and Vlad flew down to land before the tall doors of the Tower. He didn't bother with knocking, instead blasting the doors open and storming into the Tower.

"Clockwork!" he called out when he reached the room where the Time Ghost viewed the passing of time through his many portals.

Clockwork kept his back to the half ghost. "Do you think you'll gain my favor by barging in like that?"

"Send me back to my college days," Vlad demanded. He stomped over to Clockwork and saw that Time Ghost was already viewing the moment when Vlad met Danny in his calculus class. Already, he was leaning over and explain how to do the problems while Danny scribbled down the equations, trying to work out the answers. "I want that moment to never happen."

"I'm afraid I can't allow that." Clockwork waved an arm, and the viewing portal changed to another scene, one completely unrelated the Vlad or Daniel.

"Can't allow?" Vlad resisted the urge to fire upon the ghost. He knew of Clockwork's power and knew it would be virtually impossible to win against him in a fight. How could anyone beat someone that could control time? "Why can't you allow it?" If he never met Danny in college, Vlad could be happy now in the present.

"I don't mess with time unless there is a reason." Clockwork turned to him, switching his form from young man to child. He frowned at Vlad. "Time is progressing as it should. I will not mess with the proper course of time because you feel lonely."

Vlad fumed at that response. Perhaps it was selfish of him to mess with time. But why should he be left bitterly alone until death finally took him completely? He wanted to rid himself of this terrible hole inside him.

Clockwork suddenly appeared old and a look passed in his eyes that Vlad missed. "You can scowl at me all you like, rant if you so desire. But I can't comply to your wishes. I won't interfere with what time has planned."

"Perhaps you might not help me," Vlad growled, shoving a finger into the ghost's face, "but I'll find a way to change time. I'll make things go the way I want them." His eye twitched when Clockwork merely sighed and shook his head. He turned away, his cape flapping behind him as he marched out of the Tower.

A plan was already percolating in his mind. He would need help to pull it off, but he had contacts among the ghosts, those that he employed who could aid him. Skulker came immediately to mind. The hunter would be able to procure the various bits and pieces that he would need.

Months of research and work, designing and redesigning, but things were finally coming together. The prototype still had some work left before Vlad could consider it ready for testing. He could almost sigh with relief, knowing he would soon be free of all his misery and memories of Danny that continued to haunt him.

"Hello," Vlad answered when the phone rang.

"Ah, Vlad!" Maddie said, and he could practically hear the smile in her voice. "I'm so glad I caught you."

Vlad sighed as he slumped into his chair. "To what do I owe the pleasure of this call?" He felt too tired to deal with this right now.

"Well, I was just thinking, it's been ages since we last saw you."

"Yes, yes." Vlad nodded. "Well, I am a busy man."

"Too busy lately," Maddie complained with a huff. "Anyway, we were thinking you could by for a visit. Maybe we'll have a nice family barbeque. Oh, but Jazz is at college. Hm."

Vlad pinched the bridge of his nose. Maddie might think it a nice idea, but to Vlad, it sounded miserable. "I'm afraid I can't. I have a project going on that needs my supervision. Can't trust some of the employees to get it right, and it's rather time sensitive, so I simply can't get away at the moment."

"All right." Maddie sounded disappointment with that answer. "Well, maybe another time."

"Another time, indeed," Vlad agreed, and after a quick goodbye, he hung up the phone.

He spent the rest of the day tweaking the prototype here and there. If he spent the next few days working on it, he was certain it would be ready for testing. He rubbed at his tired eyes when the night grew late. With a sigh, he gave up for the night and left his secret laboratory. After a good night's rest, he would start again.

Before he could leave his private study, he heard a noise from within the laboratory. "What is going on?" he muttered as he turned right around and stomped down to his laboratory. He was in no mood to deal with some random ghost invading his home at this late hour. When he reached the laboratory, he froze, his eyes growing wide with fear as Daniel picked up the prototype for his time machine.

"Don't touch that!"

But his warning came too late. After a flash of light, the device smoked, destroyed from the single use, and Daniel was nowhere to be seen. Months of work wasted in a single instant! It would take many more months to make another, and by then it would be too late. He dismissed Skulker after many angry words, and when the hunter was gone, Vlad leaned against the wall and slid down to the floor. He pressed his head into his hands as he stared at the broken time machine.

"Damn it, Clockwork!" Vlad closed his eyes.

Everything made sense now. Clockwork refused to help him, knowing that Vlad would immediately look for his own way into the past. Vlad needed to create the prototype time machine to allow Daniel to stumble upon it; thus, sending him back in time to when his parents and Vlad were in college. Clockwork knew this would happen all along.

"Idiot!" Vlad growled, wanting to kick something for not seeing it until now.

How could he not have put those pieces together? When the device went off the moment he touched the sensing rod, Danny panicked and ran away. Vlad could understand that reaction now. How could Danny tell him that he was half ghost? Despite everything that happened between them, there was still the timeline to maintain. Danny didn't belong in the eighties, and his continued presence could have serious repercussions, maybe even threaten to unravel the whole of time as they knew it. As much as it hurt him, Vlad couldn't blame Danny for running anymore. His disappearance now made perfect sense: Clockwork pulled Danny back to the present once his existence in the past became a threat.

"But why did I have to suffer through all this pain and misery?" Vlad drew up his knees, burying his face in his arms. He could do nothing more at this point but wait for Clockwork to return Danny to this point in time. But what would happen when Danny returned?