A.N. Originally this was just going to be one really, really long updated chapter together with the last chapter, but I think it worked out better this way. As intended I am now adding a bit of the day to day lives of other people besides Danny and Vlad, they will have some bearing on the story! So let me know what you think.

In case anyone is wondering or hasn't been paying much attention it is now Saturday in the story and the school kids are on vacation or a break or a holiday or whatever it's called in America. Therefore Jazz is home for a while and Danny and his friends still have homework but there is no school for a while, it just makes it easier for the story.

If someone is feeling generous you could tell me the different times of year that American school kids have breaks from school.

But anyway, you know the drill; read and review people…read and review…

What Unusual halflives we lead

Chapter 8: Normality is in the Eye of the Beholder

It was now around 9 in the morning and all was normal in the Fenton household…well y'know as normal as they could be in Fenton Works. Jazz was in the sitting room working on her college studies with several books open for references and a growing essay on her knee. It was work for her latest project; she called it 'How abnormal paternal stimuli can affect your child's cognitive development,' and her professors were extremely impressed with her work so far.

She had tried various methods of distracting herself from worrying about her little brother; despite the fact that she knew he could take care of himself, and he was stronger than most people and yada yada yada…He was still her baby brother and she would always worry about him, whether he liked it or not. But working on her studies helped to alleviate some of her stress.

She had told her parents that Danny was visiting his friends and as always they took little notice and asked few questions…she knew they cared, in their own way. At the present moment Maddie and Jack Fenton were working in their lab on their new invention the Fenton Flute. It was, Jazz had gathered, a traditional shaped flute but it was three times the size of a regular one and made of steel. It was meant to work in a similar way to the German folktale's 'Pied Piper' to attract Ghosts for them to use as target practice. Fortunately though, it was still a work in progress, as it would undoubtedly cause Danny a lot of trouble.

The noises coming from the downstairs lab continued; a chorus of clattering, shouting, hammering and crashing; the never ending symphony of invention that she and her brother had grown up to, listening to it day after day, night after night. She would prefer that they would choose a quieter, less expensive hobby, more so now with their little…well not so little…financial crisis. But it was unlikely to happen.

And it always concerned her that her parents were daily making weapons to harm Danny…but they were still unaware of the fact that their son was their main source of target practice! But it wasn't her place to tell them, and she couldn't betray Danny's trust like that. So she kept quiet; she said nothing when her father and mother showed her a new weapon that would hurt Danny. She was silent when they were discussing ghost dissections - molecule by molecule, or even when they wanted to vaporise a ghost…particularly the Ghost Boy, whom they had dubbed a local menace…that one still hurt. But they didn't listen when she tried to convince them that Danny Phantom was no menace, and it irritated her that they were so closed minded when it came to ghosts.

They were supposed to be Ghost experts but they didn't realise that Ghosts had feelings, they had emotions likes any other human being, Danny had told her that people become Ghosts because they are afraid to die and leave the world behind. So couldn't her parents see that because of that, ghosts could be happy, they could be sad or hurt just as people could? It was a constant source of curiosity to her; what would happen of her parents knew the truth? She hoped that they would still love Danny; she knew they would, but would things change between them? After all, if they learnt that Ghosts did in fact have emotions would they stop hunting them? Jazz highly doubted it. They were good parents and they loved their children dearly, but they also loved ghost hunting, it was their passion, their obsession, if they were ghosts it would be all too clear to see it.

She then heard a loud knock at the door and was jolted away from her thoughts, "Coming," Jazz shouted and stood to answer the door. She opened it and saw Sam and Tucker standing on the top step, they entered and she closed the door quietly. "Something wrong?" she asked then went back to her place on the couch.

The two friends followed and sat opposite her on the vacant chairs "Where's Danny?" Sam asked surprised that he wasn't already running down the stairs, with his enhanced hearing he would have known that they were here.

"He told me he was going to the Ghost Writer's library; you guys are his alibi again, so you better hide if my parents come in and see you here without him." Jazz replied as she glanced over at them.

"Dude's been spending way too much time in that library," Tucker sighed.

"I know, but he's been trying to…" Jazz began but tried a different approach, "Has he told either of you about a wound he got recently. I had him show me last night and it looked like…it was black like stone or something…"

"…no…" they shook their heads simultaneously and their eyes reflected their bewilderment.

"Oh," she sighed, "I'm worried about him,"

"You always worry about him, Jazz…" Sam smiled at Jazz.

"So do you," the college student shot back and Sam blushed.

"Ah, she's got you there, Sam," Tucker laughed and Sam elbowed her friend in the shoulder, "Hey…okay okay…chillax dude!"

"He's hardly been eating and he never gets any sleep anymore and now this…nothing ever goes right for him, does it?" Jazz sighed.

"I know, but it's not like we can force him to eat and sleep Jazz, and it's not like Danny needs as much of it as we do, so he shouldn't be too…" Tuck began, he was as worried for his friend too, but he had talked to Danny about it and the guy had just flown off, literally. He knew the Fenton's were having a hard time financially, but it seemed that only the Fenton children really cared or tried to do something about it. Sometimes he really worried for Danny.

"He's still human though, Tucker, he needs them as much as we do to survive, and he's not getting them, he'll get hurt if he carries on like this…hell…he already has." The valedictorian sighed in frustration. "And I don't know what to do…"

"Well, when he comes back you call us and we'll all attack him together," Sam smiled and Tucker grinned.

"Yea, we can use the Fenton Thermos, and shout at him…err the ghost can hear you when they're stuck inside that thing, right?"

"I think so," Jazz gave a small smile, "You can stay if you want…"

"No, we're his alibi remember, we'd better go and leave you to your…err… psychology crap…I mean interesting study…" Tucker grinned and the two of them let themselves out leaving Jazz alone to her thoughts again.

She sighed at the prospect, picked up one of her favourite books and began to read. What a strange life she led!

Once outside Tucker and Sam shared a worried look, "I'll try his cell," Sam immediately said and they began to slow walk to her house as she dialled the number she knew by heart. An automated voice told her that the mobile phone in question was switched off and told her to leave a message. "Switched off…" she muttered angrily and put her black phone back in her pocket. She was always telling him to leave his cell on for instances like this, but he never listened, he really annoyed her sometimes.

"I'm sure he's fine, Danny's got ghost powers…what could happen?" Tucker asked waving his hands in the air, hoping that he wouldn't get an unfortunate answer to that question in the future.

"He better be," the Goth girl replied angrily, and they made their way over to her parents' house to avoid the clear overcast sky that would no doubt mean a lot of rain was heading their way.

It was now around midday and Vlad had increased the protection on his mansion; he had strengthened the Ghost Shield which theoretically would now repel powerful Spirits too…so it would be needing a new name…maybe a kind of Ethereal Barricade…or…a…never mind, it would have to wait…and his new security systems were up and running as well. He had decided to spend his time doing something useful after it had become all too clear that Daniel wasn't going to wake up anytime soon. Vlad had watched the boy sleeping on his best couch with a concerned expression as he easily inferred that Daniel was extremely tired.

He would have moved the boy into one of the spare bedrooms, but it was easier for him and his staff to keep an eye on the boy if they were always walking into and out of the room he was sleeping in, silently of course, as he knew all too well the effects of sleep deprivation. Plus, he knew that when the boy woke up he would try to leave, but Vlad wanted to talk to him when he woke. He needed to ask some questions, and he couldn't do that if the child ran away from him. Maybe he should call Maddie and let her know that her child was here with him, just in case she got worried. Nah. He would wait to see if they called him, it was not his problem, and no doubt his sister and friends were used to 'covering for him' as the kids say, by now.

He was sat in his chair alternating between 4 very substantial folders; there was one of important paperwork of recent mayoral legislation that he still needed to read and memorise within a week, and it was no small folder either! Under that were 3 other folders one for each of his major companies, one addressed to the President and Founder of VladCo Incorporated, another for the President and Founder of DALV Industries, and the final one for the Owner of Axion Technologies. So it was safe to say that Vladimir Masters had his share of homework too, but such was the price of success. He knew the ins and outs of each company and of his city; it may be a useless backwater dump, but he was the King of this chess set and no-one, Pawn, Knight, Bishop or otherwise was taking him out of the game. And life was a game; all that mattered was winning it.

He had enough to occupy his time, as he could do no more on the 'Spirit Issue' until the child awoke so he took a sip of his favourite and expensive Earl Grey Tea as he continued to send surreptitious glances at the sleeping child. Daniel wouldn't thank him if he opted to rouse him, and Vlad would have a hard enough job trying to explain that it wasn't his fault that Danny had passed out…for once.

So he waited, he read his files; and Vlad liked to think that he was an extremely patient man, so when the child finally awoke around half 4 in the afternoon his persistence was rewarded.

Danny slowly became aware of his surroundings and besides the fact that he was very comfortable he distinctly heard the familiar sound of pouring raindrops hammering against windowpanes…it was a reassuring sound, he quite liked it. He also heard the crackling sound of an open log fire…he could smell it with his heightened senses and he listened to each minute hissing and fizzing sound that emanated from it. Together they provided a calming choir of harmony that contrasted momentously to the uproar and commotion he had grown up with.

But the open fire meant that he couldn't be at home…he was forced to acknowledge that he had done something really rather stupid. Oh, he was such an idiot…he'd never hear the end of this from Jazz, or Sam, or Tuck.

But wait…he could still think, he still could hear…he could feel a soft blanket over him and all of his limbs were…aching but still intact. He could feel, what had become the familiar pang of hunger and the twinge of the curious injury on his torso. That was both good and bad. It was good because the pain let him know that he was still alive, and it was bad because it meant that everything had not been a dream...and of course it hurt. So it was with great effort he opened his tired eyes and his hazy vision was forced into focus.

He saw Vlad, sitting directly opposite him in a chair matching the upholstery, the man was reading from a huge wad of papers on a table and was drinking, what he guessed from the smell was some fancy kind of tea. Danny glanced out of the window to see that his senses had indeed been correct, it was pouring down with rain, they hadn't had a downpour this bad for a while. And he was thankful he was not out flying in it, maybe he could prolong his stay here and not provoke Vlad into kicking him out till it stopped. Which was worse; a Mad Vlad or a squelchy young hybrid? At the moment Danny wasn't sure, so he continued to look around.

An open fire had always been comforting to Danny. He never found out why, especially now that he had a ghostly essence that was ice based. But he wasn't really bothered. They had always calmed him down, and when he was little he had often begged his parents to take him camping just so they could light a fire in the woods. Many a time he had wanted a huge fireplace like this one in their house, they did have a small one originally but it was nowhere near as grand as this. And it had been replaced by an electric fire last Christmas when his mom had convinced his Dad that Santa could just as easily use the door because they were apparently in desperate need of a new one. Was it healthy for a teenager like him to be so preoccupied with a simple aspect of a room's interior design? Sam used to joke that he should take it up as a career; he could be a sitting room designer god by day and Danny Phantom by night. The idea was funny in theory, but it wasn't really that appealing to him.

But it was still more likely to happen than his old dream of joining NASA to be an astronaut! It was still just an old dream, wasn't it? Why would he need to join now, he could go into space with just a space helmet and without a rocket, if he practiced long enough maybe he would be able to hold his breath indefinitely like Plasmius and…oh right…Plasmius…how could he have forgotten…but the guy was like the Fenton Boooo-merang…or a bad smell, he always came back to haunt him. Pun intended!

His attention was returned to the hybrid in question and it seemed Vlad had noticed that he was awake. "Thanks a lot, Plasmius, another headache…and back ache…just what I need…" Danny muttered as best as he could but he found that the single sentence took a lot of him.

"I had to get you to stop attacking me somehow, didn't I?" the man replied stoically.

"Oh, and a throwing me through a wall and electrocution were like the best ideas you had huh?" Danny replied angrily then coughed at the strain.

"Possibly not, but what I did was not enough to cause you such damage," Vlad replied tersely and put down his folder on Axion Industries, he pulled out the paper from his suit jacket and lifted it so that the boy could see it, "Where did you get this?" he asked, and immediately he scrutinized Daniel's shocked expression.

"Hey, that's mine," Danny shouted indignantly and tried to sit up, but he failed and winced as the skin jerked painfully on his chest.

"Yes, yes…moving on, Where. Did. You. Get. It?" Vlad repeated with urgency.

"Err…science project…we were supposed to…" he muttered and refused to meet Vlad's eyes, which he guessed were probably red with anger…literally.

"Stop lying for once and just…" Vlad decided to change tactics, it couldn't hurt, "Would you like to know what it is?" he grinned at the suddenly shocked look that took over the child's features. Ah, sweet success!

"How did you…"

"I have my ways. Now how about a deal; quid pro quo, remember Daniel, you tell me where and how you found it, and I will tell you what it is? Deal?"

"But then I'm telling you two things and you're only giving me one…" Danny replied leaning back onto the soft couch with closed eyes; damn this thing was like, the best couch in the history of couches! And everything felt so much more soothing when he closed his eyes.

"Very clever, Little Badger," Vlad chuckled, the child could learn, it was nice…and comforting to know that Daniel was not a lost cause after all, "But not quite, not only do I know what this is…I know what it came from…so it is 'tittle for tattle' as they say…" he hoped Daniel had enough energy to stay awake, things were just getting interesting.

"…uh…who says that anyway…" Danny said as he tried to keep himself from screaming from his wound. He needed to keep it secret from Vlad; it meant he was weak and vulnerable! "You…you go first…" he said, if he knew where it had come from maybe he could make up a more believable lie, if he was very, very lucky.

"I don't think so, Daniel,"

"Hey…you owe me. You threw me threw through a wall for crying out loud…and you…" he turned and noticed the now solid wall but continued, "…and you knocked me out!"

"I told you, I didn't shock you enough to make you…"

"Sure…you expect me to believe that?"

"YES!" Vlad shouted and slammed down his tea cup with excessive force.

"Well excuse me if I don't believe every word you say, after all you have such a great track record for telling the truth…" Danny was becoming increasingly agitated. He had been incapacitated on his enemy's couch for god only knows how long and now Vlad wanted Danny to believe that he was adamant that it wasn't his fault! But then the older hybrid did seem sincere…maybe he was….no, no. This was Vlad…his enemy Vlad Plasmius did not act sincere…ever. He was evil and manipulative!

Vlad sighed, maybe if he told the child something Danny would believe him, so he decided to take a gamble, "It is called 'Glaciem calidum' and it is a…I suppose you could call it an ethereal disease…or a parasite." He stood and walked over to the couch then handed the paper back to the shell-shocked youth who only took it in stunned silence. "It originates from an Ancient creature called the 'Calidae' and it is designed to burn the victim from the inside…"

"It…er…it sounds nasty then…" Danny said nervously and gazed blankly at the image.

"Certainly," Vlad nodded and went back to the table and finished the dregs of his tea.

"And…er…what happens to whoever…catches it?"

"Death," Vlad answered simply and frowned at the child's sudden intake of shocked breath as he did so. "So where exactly did you find it?" He had a vague notion, but he prayed he was wrong…maybe one of the child's family or friends had contracted it somehow…or perhaps…

"I…er...how long does it take to kill someone?"

"I haven't the faintest idea, Daniel," Vlad replied and narrowed his eyes at the child. He seemed…scared. "Why do you wish to know?"

"No reason…I'm just y'know…I'm a teenager I'm nosy by nature…and I…" Danny stuttered with a shrug.

"Daniel, tell me the truth… I cannot help if you lie to me,"

"Why would you want to help me?" Danny suddenly asked and lowered the paper on his chest. He was still lying down, he wanted to sit up but such a feat seemed impossible at the moment.

"You don't believe me?" Vlad raised a sly eyebrow.

"Nope," Danny answered his voice dripping with uncertainty as he met Vlad's gaze.

"Why not take the chance?"

Danny wanted to shout 'Because I already did and look what happened! Because you never give me a reason to trust you or take the small chance that you would help me!' Or simply, 'Because I don't understand you!' But he was afraid if he did then Vlad would kick him out in the rain…he was afraid that Vlad was telling the truth about the Glac…whatever it was and he was going to die…But would Vlad have lied, the man didn't know that Danny had the wound and it was him who was going to snuff it if it was true. So therefore he had no reason to lie to him, right?

He was used to taking risks, he took several risks every day, but this one was different, at least Danny thought it was different.

"I suggest you don't waste time if it is serious, Daniel," Vlad's surprisingly gentle voice pulled Danny violently from his thoughts and he blinked once…twice…thrice in confusion at the man who now seemed a world away from the angry dude who had fought him so many times before. How quickly could creepy rich dudes have a personality change? Jazz would probably say Vlad had something like Multiple Personality Disorder and give a long speech about what had caused it and how they should treat it.

"How do I know you won't…I don't know… I…I should leave; I don't know why I came here in the first place…" Danny said, his voice muffled by the thick blanket. He hissed quietly and finally was able to push himself into a sitting position; he was extremely mortified at how pathetic he must seem right now.

But he had lied…again. He knew exactly why he had come here. Danny wanted to be able to rely on someone to watch his back, someone to count on when things looked like they were in the shit. He was tired of feeling like he was on his own…His parents couldn't fully do that because he couldn't even bring himself to admit he was half-ghost to them, it would change too much. They would be forced to change their whole outlook on ghosts and it would just create too much havoc for them. He didn't want them to see him as different; they saw him as a normal human teenage boy. Not a half-ghost crossbred with a hero-complex and a habit for talking to himself when he was lonely at night.

His friends couldn't keep up with his stamina so he was often alone at night on his hunts for 'unfriendlies,' so it had left him with a lot of time to think and no one to voice his thoughts to. And besides, if he forced Sam and Tuck to stay up till 3 every morning especially on a school night he doubted that either of them would be very pleased with him. He knew they really helped him sometimes, and he did count on them for a lot of things in life. But it wasn't enough. It wasn't their fault, they were his best friends and they would be for the rest of his life. But something was still missing.

And with Jazz living miles away at College he couldn't…wouldn't bother her with his problems, he refused to be the reason for his sister flunking out of a brilliant career because he wussed out on his powers. She would one day be a proud, successful, accomplished psychologist…and he wasn't going to let anything stand in the way of that, even himself. She deserved success and she deserved recognition for her talents, even if they did annoy the hell out of him sometimes…that was what siblings were for after all.

Then that left Vlad. The two of them had a strange association…and Danny didn't understand it. From the first instant they had met he had believed the two of them would be enemies for ever. Vlad would always create trouble and Danny would have to stop it, and the cycle would repeat again and again. That was how things were meant to work. At least he thought they were. Now he was having second thoughts, with precious little leisure time lately maybe he did need someone to help him after all…although how exactly Vlad would help him, or even if he would help him was a mystery to Danny.

"Well…what if…someone was er…y'know a…victim of that glaci…whatever you called it…" Danny began as he rubbed the back of his neck nervously with his left hand.

"Glaciem calidum" Vlad corrected with a slight smile threatening to emerge.

"Yeah…err let's say that…hypothetically…" Danny glanced at Vlad to see the man's reaction and was not disappointed to see him smile, "…someone had a err…problem with it,"

"What sort of problem are we talking about here…theoretically of course?"

"An injury…a pretty bad one…what would you do?"

"Does this person have a name?" Vlad fought to suppress a smile, but he was curious as to what the child was clearly torn between telling him and keeping it quiet.

"Maybe," Danny answered quietly.

"Maybe…hmm…" Vlad repeated, he sat back down and lifted one leg over the other and crossed his arms in amusement. He was beginning to see the difficulty in being serious when Daniel insisted on this foolishness.

Danny was about to reply when he heard a clock strike 5 o'clock, it was loud and it was enough to remind him that he had been sleeping an awfully long time. "Oh god…how long have I been here…" he muttered and pulled his eyes away from Vlad to search his pockets for his phone. He visibly slouched when, to his dismay he found it switched off…Sam was going to kill him" "…shit…" he said and Vlad smirked at the child's inventive vocabulary.

Danny moaned when he saw that he had over 40 missed calls from Sam, Tuck and Jazz over the last few hours and he checked the 36 new texts. The first were simply asking him where he was and the more recent ones contained several imaginative threats, mainly from Sam, ordering him to answer his phone and come back. He let out a quiet chuckle at them; leave it to Sam to sound like she was worried and threaten him in the same sentence.

He jumped about 10 feet in the air when the cell phone rang as if on cue, and he tossed it back and forth between his hands to stop it from crashing onto the floor.

"Hello…" he said, and didn't have to wait for a reply. He was well aware that Vlad would hear every word of the conversation with his enhanced hearing but he was particularly oblivious when he heard Tucker speak.

"Oh…Danny, dude, you are in serious trouble…you better hang up before…" he heard Tucker shout, then he heard a loud yell and then all hell broke loose.

"Did he answer…is he there…DANIEL JAMES FENTON!" Sam bellowed and he really did drop the phone this time. It landed with a crash, but fortunately it was unbroken, that thing really did deserve a medal for everything it had been through.

"Uh-oh," he muttered and the shouting continued from the phone on the floor. Danny just stared at it incredulously like it was a deadly weapon about to vaporise him, while Vlad was forcing himself not to burst out laughing. After Danny shot him an angry look he shrugged and picked up his folder again.

"WHERE HAVE YOU BEEN? HOW MANY TIMES DO I HAVE TO TELL YOU TO KEEP YOUR CELL PHONE ON?" Sam continued and Danny reached down to pick it up.

"Sam, I…"

"YOU REALLY, REALLY PISS ME OFF, YOU KNOW JAZZ HAS BEEN WORRIED SICK ABOUT YOU…AND WE…

"I really think…" he tried again but he was once more interrupted by loud shouting which echoed in his sensitive ears.

"WE'VE BEEN WORRYING ALL DAY, SINCE YOU DIDN'T TELL US ANYTHING…AND WHAT THE HELL WAS JAZZ TALKING ABOUT WHEN SHE SAID YOU GOT HURT…"

At that Vlad lifted a curious eyebrow as he feared that his suspicions were correct, but maybe he was just jumping to conclusions.

"Sam, I'm not hurt, my phone is on NOW, and I'm talking to you right now…I'm fine…now can we…lower the decibels just a little bit…" Danny sighed.

"Fine…but you are so dead when I see you again. So did you find what you wanted at the library?"

"Yeah…the…err…the library…" a nervous smile overtook the boys features, and Vlad hid his face behind his papers.

"Did you find anything?" Sam repeated and Danny's eyes flickered about the room like a cat caught in the headlights.

Danny shot a look over at Vlad and debated about whether or not he should say anything, "Yeah…I…err…I did…"

"So…tell me…"

"It's…nothing…nothing to worry about really," he lied; he seemed to be doing that an awful lot lately. But he would need to be convincing to fool Sam even on the phone…she was not stupid and she could normally tell when he was lying.

"Are you sure about that, Danny?"

"Mm-hm, totally 100 percent sure," Danny replied with a steady voice, which he had dubbed hatefully his lying voice. He wasn't proud of it. But he didn't want them to worry, especially since he wasn't quite sure what he was up against yet. "Now quit worrying, I'll see you later, okay,"

"Fine, but don't think you're off the hook mister," she sighed reluctantly.

"Okay, sure fine, just cover for me till I can get back, okay…see you," Danny sighed and glanced over at Vlad, "Don't say a word," he warned the man with an accusatory finger.

"And what exactly would I say, Daniel?" Vlad asked innocently.

"I don't know…something stupid about me getting shouted at by my friend…who, by the way happens to be a girl…but for the thousandth time is NOT my girlfriend!" maybe that should be his catchphrase or something, he was so tired of having to explain it to everyone. Sam didn't like him like that, or at least he thought she didn't…he had too much crap to worry about right now he didn't want to add to the list.

"I didn't say that," Vlad smiled.

"'Course you did, everyone does and you…wait…you didn't?" Danny blinked at him.

"I didn't," Vlad repeated.

"Oh man, now I'm hearing things…great…" he muttered and was tempted to fall back onto the couch and go back to sleep. But then he remembered that this was Vlad's house and to do so would be tantamount to signing his own death warrant. So he settled for glaring daggers at said couch like it was somehow its fault that it belonged to Vlad.

This seemed to make Vlad chuckle, "You still haven't held up your end of the deal, Daniel," he reminded the boy, "What was your…friend…saying about you getting hurt?" he refrained only from saying 'girlfriend' because he was more likely to get an answer if he didn't try to piss the child off.

"I get hurt all the time, Vlad, it's nothing new," Danny shrugged and put the phone back in his pocket.

"Then why the sudden interest in that?" he indicated the paper still lying on the couch.

"Just curiosity, I told you…I just found it at home and I wanted to know what it was," the boy answered, and it was clearly a blatant lie.

" I thought it was a science project, you're lying again, you can't fool me so easily as everyone else; better try again,"

Danny sighed in frustration and turned his eyes to the open fire and away from Vlad and his 'know-it-all' attitude. "Daniel, the thing that attacked me was the same thing that this came from; The Calidae, I'm not lying to you, nor am I simply making this up."

Danny was torn between a rock and a hard place, or at least that's how he saw it, and his stomach was really hurting now, it was becoming unbearable, and he heard the faint noises that once again signified his hunger. "Look, Vlad…" he muttered and wrapped his arms round his stomach in pain.

It was safe to say that Vlad noticed the child's strange behaviour and raised an eyebrow in confusion and amusement as he asked; "Hungry, Daniel?" Vlad smiled as the child refused to look him in the eye. Perhaps if he showed the boy he was trying to help, Daniel would see sense.

"No," Danny lied, but his traitorous stomach continued its betrayal.

"Are you sure?"

"Yes," he replied adamantly, but Vlad was having none of it apparently.

The older hybrid walked out of the room and called for Marion to bring him an early supper, he didn't usually eat this early, but it seemed he was going to have to make an exception. She informed him that the cooks had prepared a beef wellington with mushroom gravy, potatoes and asparaguses, and he relished the shocked expression she gave when he informed her that Daniel would be staying for supper.

To say Danny himself was shocked would be an understanding, although the food he heard the maid describing sounded really good. But then, since he hadn't really had a proper meal for a long time, any food sounded better than it probably was.

"There's no way I'm staying here," he said as Vlad re-entered the room.

"And why's that?"

"'Cuz it's just too…" Danny wasn't sure what it was. Oh, it was definitely weird, but it was strange seeing Vlad act like this, the man had to be up to something. He never did anything without expecting something in return or plotting something.

"I take it you're not hungry then," Vlad said, and indicated that Danny should follow him as he walked back through the door and through the foyer. Danny groaned as he realised that he should follow the man. How many times did you get a billionaire offering you food that was probably worth hundreds in a fancy restaurant that he could never afford? And he was really hungry. No-one else needed to know…

He followed Vlad into what he assumed was the dining room and he was not wrong. It was a huge room that looked more like a place of business than a homely sitting room. With one wall dedicated to another huge fireplace and a plasma screen resting on the wall above it, and an outside wall of French doors opening out onto a patio and into the garden. Marion was already waiting with another woman in a similar dress whom Danny didn't recognise, they both held a white square plate full of food. And it smelt really, really good, damn it!

Danny followed Vlad's lead and sat down as the food was placed on the table in front of them, there was silver cutlery and silk napkins already out and Danny rolled his eyes at the unnecessary extravagance of minute detail in this place.

Vlad watched as Danny practically inhaled the food in front of him, the child was clearly starving, and he couldn't help but wonder how long it had been since he's had a decent meal. But then, perhaps it was just the way all teenagers were these days, hungry and lacking in table manners.

Danny finished long before Vlad and was now looking around the room awkwardly. What was he doing here? He shouldn't have stayed; he should just get up and go. Damn his parents for raising him with a conscience, because now something was nagging in the back of his mind. Usually when someone offered you food you thanked them. But this was Vlad! It was just too weird for his tastes. However, he couldn't find it in him to complain, the meal had been too good, and he hadn't been able to turn his nose up at it either, much to his annoyance.

Neither of them had said a word during the meal and now that Vlad had finally put down his cutlery on an empty plate, Danny's sense of discomfort increased. But he was surprised again when his phone rang again and he flipped it open as he noticed the caller ID, "What's up, Sam?" he asked.

"Danny, I don't know where you are, but you better get you butt here fast," Sam sounded frantic and panicked, and she never got frantic and panicked, so now he was slightly concerned.

"Why?"

"There's something wrong with your house, man," Tucker shouted, "Jazz called us a minute ago and she said there was a power cut, but the rest of the city is fine, but we can't get through to her now and…" here Tucker was cut off by Sam.

"…Then there was like…an earthquake, and now there's a huge shadow thing round Fenton Works, you better come look." Sam said, and continued, "We're just round the corner and it's like…only your has had a total black out and there's loads of noise…I don't know if you can hear it or not from the phone but it's really creepy."

"Has the ghost shield gone up?" Danny asked, already fearing the answer.

"No," Sam replied.

"Alright, just don't go in, go back home and I'll come and check it out okay, promise me Sam,"

"What's going on, Danny…"

"Just…go home…please Sam…" he begged and breathed a sigh of relief when she agreed, however reluctantly.

"Okay, but you have to tell us everything later," as she finished speaking Danny quickly snapped the phone shut and glanced at Vlad. He knew that man had heard every word and that he needed to fly over to Fenton Works ASAP.

"I have to go," Danny said to him and stood from the table.

Vlad nodded once in agreement, and was debating what he should do. Should he help the child? Neither of them were at full power and he suspected that both of them would be easily beaten if the Calidae had returned to Amity Park. So all he said was; "Good luck," he was sure Daniel wouldn't accept his help anyway.

"…err…thanks for…supper…" Wow, saying that sounded so weird when the recipient was Vlad! He morphed into Danny Phantom, flew through the roof and into the pouring rain to his home leaving a conflicted Vlad behind.

Three people wandered in the darkness, each one armed with an array of anti-ghost weaponry. They had been separated from each other and now Jazz was meandering through a pitch black room. The last thing she remembered was her parents running into the room shouting something about an incoming attack and her dad tossing something at her to protect herself with…but…after that it was unclear. Had there been a power cut? Yes…she had called…someone…it annoyed her that she couldn't remember what had happened merely a few minutes ago. Or had it been longer?

But the Fenton Works Anti-Creep Mode hadn't been activated, so it couldn't be anything serious, she hoped. None the less she gripped the Fenton Bazooka like it was the most important world and squinted to try to see through the darkness. She had no idea where her parents had gone. She had no idea if she was even in her house anymore. And she had no idea if there was anyone here.

Jazz was freaking out. But she was smart, she would not lose it. Then she heard a low growl, it grew louder and louder until she swore she could feel something breathing down her neck. But when she spun round and fired the weapon there was nothing there.

The dim glow that came from the ecto-goop fired by the bazooka allowed her to catch a small glimpse of her surroundings…then she heard the growl again and she screamed…

A.N. WOW! This by far has got to be my favourite chapter, what about you? They say a good writer always leaves you wanting more, do I? I suppose this is a kind of 'sandwich' chapter, it starts with the Fenton's, then Vlad and Danny, then the Fenton's again, lol.

But anyway, I really liked this scene between Danny and Vlad. I think the two have a real potential for a beautiful teacher-student, or a father-son relationship if given the right circumstances. Sorry to all you people who like a slash relationship, but I am not a fan! I think it is just too OOC to be attempted!

Hopefully next time I will give a flashback from Vlad's fight, but…nous allons voir!