A.N. I read this through like a billion times cuz I wanted to get it right, like I said last time there were several ways this could have gone but I think it works like this. I am quite proud of the way it turned out and I would have uploaded this sooner but the site wouldn't let me login, it kept saying 'web page is not available,' and after the millionth time of trying I got the message : ( I really hate computers sometimes! Anyone else had this problem?

But anyway enough about stupid, annoying, technical difficulties it's working now and that's that! Now, there are some important developments in this chapter which I will talk about, and my reasons for them, at the end so that I don't confuse you. !Enjoy, and please let me know if my pride is misplaced!

What Unusual halflives we lead

Chapter 12: Fight or Flight, Danny?

...A long, awkward silence...

...Tense, thick air...

Both of these things had been irritating Danny immensely for the last…well he didn't even know how long he had been irritated for because he had no watch but it seemed like hours. His last watch had been destroyed, or should he say blown to kingdom come by Ember a few months ago and he didn't want to waste more money that he didn't have on yet another watch that would only last a week if he was lucky.

So now he was watch-less, bored, and stuck in a confined Spectre Speeder with Vlad…the man who had stolen said design from his dad, and who was now acting like they were still on a harmless little outing in the park. Oh yeah, that had been irritating him too. Danny had climbed into the back of the vehicle and sat with the ghost sword on his lap after nothing but silence from Vlad. The young hybrid had tried to initiate conversation several times if only to alleviate the awkwardness, but he had failed miserably. He didn't know what to say, so he was moping in the back seat whilst still admiring the blade that so strangely set of his ghost sense. He couldn't help it. He was like a little kid who'd just been given a new toy…except it wasn't his, it was Vlad's, and he was just the jealous next door neighbour.

Vlad was still keeping a smile off his face as he spared yet another glance in the rear view mirror at Daniel. The boy had scurried out of the front seat about 10 minutes ago and had gone instantly for the sword beside the holdall; clearly Danny was captivated by the ghostly weapon, and it gave Vlad a chance to look down into the Ancient mirror.

His years of painstaking research fuelled by avid curiosity and an unrestricted cash flow, had allowed him to uncover the locations and properties of many objects linked to the Ancients. Many of which had been overlooked and forgotten about, but the Speculi-Charta (*1) was probably one of the strangest he had ever encountered. Its reflecting surface was similar to the Ghost Zone's atmosphere; it swirled and spiralled with white and silver occasionally forming shadowy directions. Each image so far had been a location he had driven past; The Ghost King's Castle, the River of Revulsion, the Carnivorous Canyons, the Perfidious Path and many more strangely alliterated places.

His attention had been focused solely on getting from A to B and so he had almost forgotten the boy who was sitting in the back seat. Vlad did regret not using this time to actually have a conversation with Daniel, when they weren't fighting or shouting they…actually the only 'conversations' they had were when they were fighting and shouting.

But maybe now was the time to change that.

Meanwhile, Danny had been battling internally about how he was supposed to act for a while now; he still couldn't believe that Vlad had saved his life, it defied all logic and everything he had previously thought to be true about the older hybrid was brought into question by it. Vlad had never put himself in danger purely to save him, it just wasn't Vlad! But he had, it was all very strange. Danny couldn't believe that this was some kind of a trick anymore…it was real, they were both in real danger and his family had gotten hurt because of it.

As he turned his head and stared listlessly out of the nearest window Danny couldn't prevent an involuntary shiver from running down his spine, he felt the hairs on the back of his neck stand on end, and cold goose bumps shivered down his arms. The black sweater he was wearing helped him to warm him back up after he quickly tore his gaze from the window and stared down at his matching black shoes. The nice homely feeling from the swirling green atmosphere was long gone and he had to admit, as a ghost…he missed it.

But now that his attention was back on track his internal debate picked up again with gusto and the little voice called his 'conscience' was slapping him in the face for his continuing obstinacy. He had thanked the man before…granted it had only been for feeding him supper 2 days ago - not for saving his life from a shit-scary monster…but it was still difficult. It was impossible to forget all of the shit Vlad had put him through just because of one little good deed. Although saving someone's life was probably the biggest-little good deed a person could do…

Danny also knew that if he said nothing like this he'd regret it, and maybe Vlad could see that he didn't have to be an evil nutcase to get Danny's attention. Saving a person's life tended to alter the way you thought about someone…more so than manipulation, or plotting and scheming to murder said person's father and marry their mother. Not that he was naming names. But it prompted Danny to at least try and voice this to Vlad, maybe he would just laugh at him, but he still had to say it.

"Hey…err…Vlad," he muttered and Vlad turned his head back slightly to show that he was listening.

"Hmm," Vlad replied loquaciously, this was probably just another childish 'are we there yet' questions anyway. Danny had asked that at least 6 times and looking down at his gold Rolex watch Vlad deduced that it was around 5.30 in the morning, they had only been here for just over an hour. But children had little patience it seemed.

Vlad had neglected to inform Danny about the mirror but Danny hadn't asked him about it, he had just tried to get him to talk about why they were looking for the Ancients over and over and over. It was safe to say that after explaining it twice already; Vlad had given up on conversation and his eyes were fixed on the unnaturally empty scenery before him.

"…err…I err…" Danny muttered and rubbed his upper right arms with his left hand, this was gonna be really difficult.

"No, we're not there yet, and if you ask me again I will personally see to it that you…" Vlad answered angrily, he wasn't really listening and so he just gave a similar reply as he had last time although he never got to finish what would have been an impressingly imaginative threat.

"That wasn't what I was going to say," Danny answered quietly, he couldn't keep up this silence forever; it would just make him the jerk in this scenario. Vlad had saved his life and when someone saved your life you said 'thank you,' whether you liked them or not.

Vlad really did turn his head round and stared curiously back at the teen; Daniel's nervousness was almost palpable as their blue eyes met, "Then what, dear boy?" He asked and slowed the vehicle down a little, the last thing he needed was to lose track of where he was and start from scratch. "If it's any more of your backseat driving then I really don't…"

"Thank you," Danny blurted out and he blinked his gaze quickly to the wall of the Speeder, suddenly its smooth metal surface was the most fascinating thing in the world. "I know you didn't have to come after me, and you saved my family even though you didn't have to…you probably didn't want to…I still don't get why, but you still saved my life too…so err, thanks," he unsteadily finished and still refused to look at Vlad.

Clearly this had been eating the boy up for a while and Vlad smiled at his tense manner, "I assure you, Daniel that I have an excellent reason for everything that I do," he replied and turned his attention back to his navigation. Inwardly he was surprised at the boys outburst, he hadn't really expected that, what was he supposed to say; 'You're welcome, it was nothing?' This situation was so messed up and it obviously had both of them a more than a little confused. But it was to be expected; when two people who were otherwise 'hated' rivals were in fatal danger from a common enemy and could only look after each other, a person was somewhat inclined to alter their way of thinking.

"…err right…" Danny nodded and already the air felt less tense, maybe he should have thanked the man sooner than this, but he had done now so the awkwardness was officially over.

"How are your wounds?" Vlad asked and Danny's head snapped up at the question. He hadn't been expecting that, not in a million years coming from Vlad, but he was still surprised at his speedily recovery.

"Fine…actually they healed up really quickly this time," Danny's voice clearly reflected his confusion as Vlad glanced back at him with a smile.

"Yes, I wasn't completely sure if my methods would work for you since I can heal myself fairly easily with electrically charged Saline, but it seems to have done the job just as well," he replied as he circumnavigated his way through the snapping red claws jumping up from the purple ground at the sight of the vehicle, as they passed through the Terrifying Tors of Trepidation.

"Huh?" Danny blinked in further confusion, so had Vlad helped him again…oh boy, he really owed Vlad…like a lot, lot, far more than he could ever repay. "That was you…again?"

"Mmm," Vlad nodded slightly and resisted the urge to laugh at the child's cluelessness; sometimes he had no doubt that Daniel was indeed Jack's 'unfortunate' son, but occasionally he was proud to see that he had inherited Maddie's intelligence…clearly now was not one of those times. "Who else would it have been?" he whispered.

"I dunno…a doctor?" Danny shrugged and pulled the top of the blade free of its scabbard to gaze at the shining gold and silver edge instead of Vlad.

"I'm afraid I meant what I told you about hospitals, Daniel," he replied emotionlessly.

Unfortunately Danny was forced to agree with Vlad on that point as he had avoided hospitals in fear of discovery for the last few years, and on rare occasion when he was sick it was never bad enough to warrant a doctor's help. It was the horror of being found out and then being used as some kind of lab-rat or experiment to be dissected and studied for the rest of his life, which had fuelled this fear. "I know," he muttered and pushed away the images of lab coated torturers and sharp needles awaiting him.

As if to snap himself from his nightmare Danny abruptly slid the blade back into the scabbard with a loud 'click' and placed it on the floor beside him, he had had enough of these nightmares while he was asleep, he didn't want them while he was awake too. "Hey it's Sunday right, I err…I don't suppose all this'll be over by tonight will it?" Danny suddenly asked and Vlad smiled ruefully.

"I highly doubt it, although I should commend you for your positive attitude," Vlad chuckled.

"Wasn't being positive, fruit loop, I was hoping that this stupid crap wasn't as bad as I thought. Then I could go to Paulina's party, and play basketball on Wednesday…or enjoy my vacation at home like nothing ever happened." Danny muttered wistfully, not really aware that he was telling his childish hopes to Vlad, at that point he was just a person to talk to.

"Sadly, I think you have more important things to worry about now than your vacation, or your next childish party," Vlad scoffed.

"Hey, I was half invited y'know…half an invitation's the most I'll ever get to one of those parties!" Danny replied defensively…although it probably wasn't the best defence.

Vlad smiled maliciously at the notable difference he suddenly saw between their childhoods. When he had been Daniel's age he had been invited to every party under the sun; every birthday party, every loud concert, club or just parties for no real reason at all…other than getting so (illegally) drunk that you didn't know your left from your right anymore. Then they'd all have to sneak back into boarding school and pretend that they were hunky-dory, A-Okay and all that. In retrospect it hadn't been an ideal childhood, but at the time it had been fun.

Vlad had borne the bruises from the heated late night fights in back gardens or from his father's 'punishments' for a long time, it was only when he grew up that he realised that people had been after his…or his father's money, not his 'friendship' at all. And he used to care about that, but things had changed; he was not a child anymore and parties only served as a way to prove his influence in the business world…with money…so nothing had changed.

He supposed that a small part of him was jealous of Daniel's childhood. Despite his ghost powers it was a happy way to grow up; not having to worry about impressing the 'master of the house' for attention or rewards or having to avoid him in his bad moods. Danny had parents who, however clueless, loved him and cared for him notwithstanding the unmissable fact of his appalling grades or deteriorating school attendance. Vlad knew that Jack and Maddie would always love their son, and it was not something he had ever really experienced. Vlad remembered that his mother had cared for him…to some extent, but his father…

Vlad pulled himself from that line of thought; it was not a happy one, nor was it one that he wanted to continue so he gazed round at the Ghost Zone. As he expected he had not seen a single Ghost or even a rogue Spectral or two, which was not right…it seemed that things were heating up rather quickly. Maybe they were all in hiding, Spectrals tended to avoid conflict as they were weaker than most other inhabitants in the Zone, but to not come across one was quite worrying. There were thousands of them…so where were they? On Holiday?

"How do you know where we're going anyway?" Danny asked curiously and jumped forwards to drape his arms over the back of the front seats. "You're not just making this up right…cuz if you are I'm gonna…"

"I told you I have a map," Vlad held up the mirror for Danny to see, he had been wondering how long it would take before the boy's curiosity overcame his pride. And now that the tense atmosphere had been broken it hadn't taken long.

"A mirror?" Danny smiled and looked at Vlad like he had just announced he was moving to Mars. "Am I missing something?"

"That is usually the case with you, but in this instance yes you are, it is a map that is designed to lead you to the so-called 'Dark Zone.' I acquired it earlier today and I wasn't planning on going anywhere without it; always plan ahead, Daniel you might find it helps far more than your fists-first-questions-later philosophy." Vlad grinned and put the mirror back on the console where he would be able to see any changes.

Danny frowned at Vlad's little dig at his intelligence, but since he was supposed to be acting grateful to the man he would let that one slide…for now. "Does this 'magic mirror' tell you how close we are?" he asked, his eyes flashing green with repressed frustration.

"No," Vlad replied brusquely.

"Oh…" he sighed and once more they lapsed into uncomfortable silence. Maybe they needed to shout and fight each other because right now it seemed that they had little else to talk about. Trying to get along with Vlad Masters it seemed was harder than he thought.

Danny turned his attention to the empty Zone outside, he ignored the strange instinct that was once more telling him to run and hide, "Why is it so empty?" he had not meant to voice his questions aloud, but he doubted he would get an answer.

"I'm not really sure; they could be hiding…or like I told you originally, they could be trapped somewhere," Vlad responded.

Danny's eyes widened in surprise after Vlad had actually answered him, but he could understand it if everyone was hiding, he felt scared by just looking at the Ghost Zone. He didn't know how Vlad had sat there and stared at it for so long, but having to live here as it was now would definitely drive him mad. It just wasn't the same place. All other thoughts were pushed away and he found himself unable to look away from the swirling green mist, it had always had a hypnotic effect, but now it sent his whole body on alert, he was in danger!

Once more that feeling of fight or flight battled in his mind; he was wounded…no condition to fight…he needed to run, he needed to fly away before it was too late. Those thoughts thundered in his mind and he forced himself to morph into his ghost half ready to fly back home. It didn't matter that he didn't know the way back or how deeply into the Zone they had travelled; Danny needed to fly back to safety. It was the same feeling when he had started at that monster that had attacked him, it didn't deserve any other name; it was merely a monster.

But he couldn't just run! If he went back to Amity Park he would be putting others in danger and he would be giving up the hope that he and Vlad had of stopping it. Vlad would help him…wouldn't he? Danny wrapped his arms tightly around himself and fought against the cold shivers that threatened to overtake him with irrational fear.

Vlad had noticed the flash of light and watched curiously with a furrowed brow as the younger hybrid finally tore his glowing eyes away from the window, he hadn't expected this kind of reaction; they had been deep in the Ghost Zone for over an hour. If Daniel was going to act up like this it should have happened as soon as they had entered, but perhaps the boy's attention had been pre-occupied by what Vlad easily saw as his little inner conflict about why he was still alive.

When Vlad had first been attacked he had felt the same fear that literally was rolling off the trembling child in tangible waves, and he had felt it when he had seen the change in the Ghost Zone, it had happened several weeks ago and it was here now. But he was able to control his fears, he had been taught even as a young boy…younger than Daniel…that 'mind over matter' was a superior mentality that would help a person achieve success. So even as the primate part of his mind was telling him to run and hide, his intellect was enabling him to control it and continue on his journey.

But clearly it was not as simple for Daniel as it was for him.

So he stopped the vehicle and moved over to the petrified ghost boy who was now quivering in the corner of the Speeder. He was sitting with his knees tucked up to his chest and his arms wrapped round himself as if for protection…it was too deplorable. In any other situation Vlad would have probably made a snide remark or at least tried to taunt his young 'rival,' but since he had felt this same fear not long ago he decided it would be best to try and help.

He knelt beside Danny and lifted his right hand to rest on the boy's jump-suit covered shoulder. As his bare hand made contact with Danny he felt himself shudder and ignored the voice that loudly insisted he walk away and leave the boy alone. "Daniel," he said confidently, and tilted his head slightly to try and gage the child's hidden expression.

But Danny failed to respond, he didn't look up to even acknowledge the sound of Vlad's voice or the hand on his shoulder…it wasn't important. He had managed to control the cold shivers and kept his eyes tightly shut and his forehead resting on the top of his knees to shut out the world and its monsters.

Vlad began to grow worried with the lack of response, so he shook Danny's shoulder and gently lifted the boy's face to look at his eyes. But Danny's glowing eyes were clamped shut and he clearly didn't want to open them, "Daniel," he repeated, "open your eyes," Danny only shook his head at the authoritative voice, but at least he had gotten a reaction from the boy. He moved slightly so that he was blocking any view towards the green atmosphere that Danny might have and sighed as he looked down at the frightened child. He wasn't used to dealing with frightened children…it wasn't his forte.

"How can you look at it…when it's like…that?" Danny muttered and slowly began to open his eyes. It was strange but he felt much safer once he saw Vlad in front of him and not the swirling vortexes of fear and death.

"Practice," Vlad replied with surprising gentility but Danny just stared catatonically back at him. "Just try to ignore it…"

"I did…I can't, it doesn't work!" Danny suddenly became animated and loud, "How can I ignore it when it just makes me want to run away?"

Vlad wasn't sure how to answer, he had had some time to get used to this new atmosphere and he had ways of coping, but Daniel didn't, perhaps he was just overwhelmed by the disturbing feelings that the Ghost Zone now induced. It had gotten increasingly worse since his last visit, and Vlad wasn't very keen on it either. He inhaled deeply while he pondered the boy's question and abruptly took his hand off Danny's shoulder.

"I…" Vlad began but hastily stopped when he felt a familiar sensation overtake him and he quickly moved back to look out of the large window. He was now on full alert and his muscles were tense as his now red eyes surveyed the area but he couldn't see anything to warrant this sudden vigilance.

Danny had looked up as well but he couldn't bring himself to stand by the window, it was too soon, "What is it?" he asked quietly as he gazed at Vlad's straight back and leaned forwards to sat on his knees.

Something was wrong, Danny had felt that strange sense of hot and cold at the same time; he felt warm because his heart was beating a mile a minute and he felt cold because he was shaking with fear. It was not a good combination. "…Vlad…what's going on?" he whispered but Vlad didn't answer. Vlad was too preoccupied with the task at hand, which was; find whatever was setting him on edge like this and get rid of it before it could hurt him or Daniel.

But as he stared intently into the spiralling atmosphere Vlad was sure that he saw something move so he took the shield device out of his pocket and pressed the button, at once a green and blue circular shield covered the stationary Spectre Speeder. "Stay here," he told Daniel, then tossed the device onto the dashboard and left the vehicle as Plasmius.

Perhaps leaving Daniel alone in the vehicle had not been the best idea but Vlad believed that his Little Badger was safe from anything that would attack them; he had spared no expense and had lost a lot of sleep on his inventions. With a last glance at the shield he flew down to the shadowed area where he suspected something nasty was waiting for him. With no defence against the vey air around him Vlad felt strangely vulnerable but he soon reached the floating rocks beneath him.

He carefully looked around with strained muscles and clenched fists which were now glowing with ectoplasm, ready to be fired at whatever moved next whether it was an immediate threat or not. Vlad couldn't remember the last time he had felt this stressed and he hated feeling this weak…it meant he couldn't control his situation and that meant that things were unpredictable. And that was a dangerous, unacceptable combination!

Silently he cloned himself and now the two Vlad's watched each other's backs and with parallel glowing hands they surveyed their designated areas. He hadn't expected the Calidae to find them this quickly, Vlad was slightly disappointed with himself; he clearly hadn't planned for every outcome and now he was in danger.

But he was surprised when his ghost sense warned him that there was a ghost approaching not a spirit; he kept his hands raised with energy just in case. The view he was receiving from the eyes of his clone saw the edge of billowing piece of dark fabric from behind a towering culmination of conventional looking rocks. "Found you," Vlad smirked as both he and his clone fired simultaneously at the figure.

The boulders exploded loudly but as the dust cleared Vlad couldn't see any sign that there had been anyone…or anything there at all. He slowly approached the destruction he had just created and his eyes quickly took in the surroundings once more. Had he merely been seeing things? It was unlike him to let his imagination run away with him like this, he had been so sure that he had seen something. There must be something there; his ghost sense was never wrong…no it was not his imagination.

Danny shifted in his seat; he was still avoiding looking out of the windows which was no easy task. That persuasive, primitive little voice that told you to run, jump or in this case – to look, would not go away and it was becoming increasingly difficult to ignore. And he just wasn't happy with the fact that there was possibly something dangerous outside and he was just sitting in the Spectre Speeder like a lost little puppy or a coward.

He couldn't just let Vlad do everything himself; Vlad had saved his life, Vlad had patched him up, Vlad had found out what their attacker was and had come up with a plan to stop it, and Vlad was out there now…not him. It seemed that all he had done was cause more trouble for the older hybrid…was he really that useless?

With a deep breath he gathered his courage and looked directly out of the window, he tried to ignore the sensation that was telling him to run and began looking for Vlad. He found the man and a clone walking on a large rock that was cracked and broken, Plasmius had a determined look on his pale blue face and his cloak was billowing behind him. Where was the danger? What had happened that had made them both so alert and nervous like this?

It all happened so quickly that Danny barely had time to glance repeatedly around for this invisible danger when he was unexpectedly thrown violently across the confined space of the Spectre Speeder. The vehicle quaked and shook violently and he yelled in surprise as he looked up to see something staring back at him from outside the glass. Two horribly familiar coal black eyes in the face of an enormous black bird held his startled gaze. Its wings flapped silently as it hovered in front of the vehicle and its whole body seemed to burn with dark flames.

The bird began to hammer at the shield and the force caused the Spectre Speeder to shake once more but it gave a frustrated screech as the shimmering blue and green shield showed no signs of weakening. Danny sighed in relief as it abruptly stopped its assault and turned from him with one last look of deepest loathing. He knew he should be out there fighting it not cowering in a corner…Danny felt his hands curl into fists and his green eyes burned in anger at the enemy, and at his own cowardice.

Now, as he stood quickly on his feet and with his face palms pressed against the glass he saw Vlad looking around upon hearing the birds yell of anger, and he watched as the bird disappeared instantly. That was not good. Turning himself intangible he flew out of the confines of the vehicle and of the barrier just as Vlad was turning to meet his gaze.

Vlad's red eyes widened in horror as Danny looked down at him, "What the hell are you doing?" The man screamed, "Get back in the…AHHH…" Vlad yelled in shock as both he and his clone were struck by black flames from the fiery avian that had now materialised behind him. Vlad cursed his own stupidity, he had been too preoccupied with worrying for Daniel instead of paying attention to his ghost sense that was now screaming 'DANGER' at him!

Now however it seemed that the bird's eyes were fixed on the boy and not him at all. He stared in fearful curiosity as he was completely ignored by the strange ghost bird; it was not one that he had ever seen before. Instead of glowing green feathers this one was literally burning with black fire and its huge wings created vacuums of spiralling air, it created its own type of terrifying beauty that Vlad couldn't help but marvel at.

His admiration was cut short as the bird stretched its wings and took off towards Daniel, "Daniel, move!" he shouted but it seemed the boy didn't hear him.

Danny was frozen to the spot, he saw the bird coming towards him, but it didn't register in his mind that he should move, fight, anything other than just stand still. His mind was repeatedly screaming only one word; FIGHT! After all of his ghost fights Danny's well-trained instinct to live was louder and far more practiced than most people's, so he quickly shook himself out of his trance and fired at the oncoming enemy. His powerful ecto-blast hit its target and the bird was thrown off course with a loud cry of anger.

Now he had just pissed it off…not good. He flew speedily around the creature and began letting loose dozens of small but powerful discs at it as he continued to circle it. Danny had forgotten all about Vlad and was completely absorbed by the important task at hand; get rid of the enemy.

Vlad cursed as he watched Danny continue to circle the creature, it left him no opening for his own attack. It was too risky for him to attack using any kind of power; he had excellent aim but it looked as though the younger hybrid was flying at least over 200mph…the risk was too great, the stupid child was trying to fight by himself! What was he supposed to do now?

He had not wanted Daniel to fight anything yet, Vlad still didn't know if it would affect his wound; it really did look like the boy had no use for self-preservation after all. So he would need to act fast, the longer he let Daniel fight the worse off he could make himself. He and his clone invisibly flew up to the ensuing fight and formed a small barrier to stop the flying ghost boy.

The moment he saw Daniel come to an abrupt halt as he slammed into the purple energy Vlad took advantage of it and pushed the boy aside out of harm's way. He fired a purple electrical blast at the somewhat disoriented bird, it was by far more powerful than any of Daniel's attacks and it had a greater impact. It had scorched the bird's wings and the black fire had momentarily dimmed, this served to encourage Vlad and he gave Daniel no opportunity to try and mess the situation up.

Vlad forced the ectoplasm to completely encase the boy and Danny was soon hovering indignantly within a purple sphere. Vlad was now free to continue attacking the bird and he absorbed his clone then attacked with increasingly strong electrical bolts. His power was met with a dark attack from the bird's beak and the two collided with cataclysmic consequences. Glowing sparks of purple and black were spewed out from the growing power-struggle and the powerful recoil was pushing them both back.

The heat from his own power began to grow and grow and very quickly Vlad found his whole body crackling with electricity. He couldn't remember the last time he had used this power so much and in such a short space of time. Maybe he really was more on edge than he thought. As the electricity continued to roll of him in waves it hurtled directly towards the bird which had little time to retaliate.

It was soon clear that Vlad was stronger and the accumulating blast sent the bird screaming in agony as it finally lost its ability to keep up its flight. But that didn't stop Vlad Plasmius, he let the feeling of increasing power overtake him and he took advantage of his enemy's weakness by giving him hell.

The dark avian fell further and was sent careering down towards into the atmosphere and Vlad decided, against his better judgement, to leave it be. After all if it was a servant or a worker of the Calidae there could be more of them…it could be trying to lead them into a worse trap than this one. It wasn't worth risking his life for merely to destroy an annoying bird, he would wait…no doubt he would see it again. And then he would show it why no one, ghost, spirit or otherwise, messed with Vlad Plasmius.

Vlad felt Daniel's attacks hit his barrier and sighed in irritation, it was clear that it would take a long time for the boy to break free of this one; he had made sure of it. But if he hadn't been so reckless Vlad could have taken care of it by himself…why was the boy so against thinking things through? Really it was a miracle that Daniel was still alive…half alive.

"Let me out! Plasmius!" he heard said boy shout and turned his attention back towards his still strong barrier.

"Why?" Vlad replied in anger as he flew up towards the trapped ghost boy, "I told you to stay put! Don't you ever listen?"

Danny pretended to ignore Vlad; he crossed his arms and glared at the space beside Vlad rather than at the man himself. He didn't want to give Vlad the satisfaction that he knew he was in the wrong. Danny knew he should have just stayed in the Spectre Speeder, he knew Vlad was stronger than he would ever be, and that Vlad could have dealt with that stupid bird with one hand tied behind his back. He had just been so irritated that he felt so powerless…

"Are you even listening to me?" Vlad asked, his red eyes burning holes in Danny's face. Vlad was seriously pissed off, all he had done was tell Daniel to stay in the Speeder, was it so hard for a teenager to understand that? He hadn't wanted the boy to get himself hurt any more than he already had…how could Daniel not see that?

"We got it though, didn't we?" Danny muttered still not meeting Vlad's furious gaze.

"No, I 'got it,' you could have gotten yourself in a world of trouble!" Vlad retaliated angrily.

"Only 'cuz you got in my way, I was doing fine by myself and if you hadn't…" Danny screamed and tried to break Vlad's barrier again but with no success. This stupid thing was serious annoying him now!

"You are still wounded, and we don't yet know the extent of the damage, are you really stupid enough to risk your own life because you can't sit still for five minutes?" Vlad sighed and narrowed his eyes as the stubborn child before him.

Danny echoed Vlad's sigh, then it struck him once more that Vlad really did care if he got hurt…he just didn't understand why. Vlad had hurt him before a lot of times, both emotionally and physically...and boy Vlad's attacks really did hurt!

He couldn't help but be disheartened at the sudden turn in emotions their relationship had taken…only a few minutes ago he had been grateful to Vlad for saving his life. Now Vlad had possibly saved his life again and he was being a jerk again. But it wasn't all his fault! He couldn't stand sitting and doing nothing, Danny needed to take action, he supposed in that way he and Vlad were very similar.

Vlad was not the type to sit idly by, nor was he lazy…and as much as it pained Danny to admit it he knew that Vlad was not afraid of hard work. He was not a lazy billionaire although he had every excuse to be. Vlad had money, fame…everything he could ever want and yet he still wasn't happy. And it shocked him again that Vlad actually cared about him.

Why should Vlad care anything for him at all? Danny wondered sometimes if their situation was reversed…if he had been the one alone with ghost powers for 20 years, who was in love with someone who didn't return that love…he could understand why Vlad hated his dad so much. But that didn't mean he was okay with it. They had been good friends at one point and it was sad that that friendship had soured into to nothing but hate for Vlad.

More so than a few years ago Danny could...maybe not emphasise, but he could understand the reasons for Vlad's behaviour, Danny had grown up quickly…he supposed it was because of all the responsibilities he had had to get used to. But he too would feel lonely, miserable and depressed if the woman he loved turned away from him and loved another especially if that person was his only friend. Danny felt bad about all of the times he had made fun of Vlad for his love for his mom…but he wouldn't admit this to Vlad, he couldn't. Vlad wouldn't want his sympathy…neither would he.

But Vlad needed to know that him mom was happy with his dad, Danny knew a happy marriage when he saw one…maybe then Vlad could move on with his life and learn that he didn't need to act like such a jerk to get what he wanted all the time. Shouting at Vlad wouldn't get him anywhere so he swallowed his anger and pride and finally decided to meet the man's gaze head on, he stopped attacking the barrier and merely said; "Okay, I get it…I know...will you let me out now…please…"

Vlad stared bewildered at Danny, like he had grown another head or turned into the Box Ghost in the blink of an eye. This he had not expected in a million years! Daniel had listened to him…and he had said 'please.' During the boy's little silence he had been imagining more shouting would follow soon enough, but not this…maybe the boy had begun to grow up...or he was plotting something...Vlad hoped...he doubted that that wasn't the case, Daniel was not the best strategist in the Ghost Zone.

Granted, Vlad had still been paying close attention to the Fenton's and most particularly the youngest child, but he had evidently not been observant enough to notice this kind of change. (*2) In shock he released his hold on the ectoplasm and Danny just glanced back at him with grateful eyes and a sad smile tugging at his lips. "So…err…what d'you think it was…its eyes…they were like…" Danny stopped and watched as Vlad continued to regard him with an unreadable expression on his pale face. "What?" he exclaimed and this seemed sufficient enough to snap Vlad out of his daze.

"I…err…well it's not a very wild stretch of the imagination to suggest that it was…perhaps a servant…of our new friend." Vlad crossed his arms and began stroking his goatee, "Which means that it will soon know we have not, in fact gone to the Rockies, and it's not as stupid as I'd hoped…which means we don't have much time…come on…" Vlad flew back towards the motionless Spectre Speeder and Danny followed silently behind him.

This was going to be a long trip.

Sam and Tucker walked swiftly though the back streets of Amity Park, after going on months and months of late night ghost patrols they had learnt the streets like the palm of their hands. Danny, of course knew them even better than they did and he had a whole map of the city in his head…but Danny was not here now so they had to rely on their own knowledge and the few weapons they had.

After Sam had arrived at Tucker's, bright and early as she had said, the two of them had gone through what little plan they had and began taking stock of their small anti-ghost arsenal. Once more Tucker had tried the Fenton cameras but having no luck they decided to go with their risky plan.

Now at around midday they navigated the alleyways and dark corners to avoid attention. They were armed with Wrist Rays, and Fenton Phones in case they were somehow separated; Tucker carried a battered looking Fenton Foamer that Sam had brought while she had a Fenton Thermos and a Jack o' Nine Tails…it seemed that Sam had kept more weapons under her bed than Tucker did in his closet. Some girls were just violent…or more prepared. He had fixed the Spector Deflector and had let Sam have it, after all if Sam got hurt Danny would kill him, despite the fact that Sam was more likely to protect him from danger then vice versa…it was just the way the dude-code worked.

And Danny was his best friend…but he was really, really clueless sometimes.

As they neared Fenton Works they stopped directly opposite and surveyed the possible danger zone. "It looks normal now," Tucker whispered incredulously. After last night he had expected more creepy shadows and scary monsters…this was getting weird.

"Maybe," Sam muttered sceptically and moved towards the house with Tucker creeping slowly behind her.

"How're we getting' in?" he murmured.

"Round the back, come on, Tuck," Sam replied and they scurried over the fence with their cumbersome weapons. With her friend watching her back Sam began messing with the locks on the back door.

"Y'know I really don't think Danny'll be too impressed that we broke into his house, man" Tucker frowned as he continued to look round the empty garden.

"Danny's not here, he doesn't get an opinion," Sam grinned as the lock 'clicked' and the door creaked open she turned to him with a look of triumph and then peered into the unexpectedly dark room.

A.N. Voilà, another long chapter, I surprised myself with my commitment to this story and the length of the updates!

Now, as I was saying…firstly it was important that Danny actually expressed gratitude towards Vlad, his conscience would demand it; I hinted at this in the last chapter, but it worked out better to elaborate that feeling in this one. It helps them form a bond of trust, I suppose, rather than a mutual certainty that they be knocking ten-bells out of each other when they next meet.

I also think I stressed the importance of Vlad's research into the Ancients enough to explain why he has the 'convenient' artefacts, and the change in the Ghost Zone…it's a shit -scary place now for a shit-scary monster! Ain't I cruel?

Oh and I couldn't pass up the opportunity to come up with a few of the place names in the Zone, some were from the show and some were mine, but there will be more to come! It was just too much alliterated fun to miss!

(*1)Speculi-Charta literally translates as Mirror Map, clever huh? It had to have a Latin name since it was an Ancient artefact.

(*2) It think I showed that Danny has matured a little bit since he is almost 16 and with all his responsibilities he would mature quicker than most people I think. He can't go on acting like a jerk forever to Vlad and I think he would now at least understand Vlad's motives, he wouldn't carry on making fun of them forever. After all when we grow up and realise the effect these things have on others we tend not to act like childish jerks to people in these situations. It's sad! Also with the full on ghost fights and the fear he experienced in this chapter I don't think that he is out-of-character like this, but do you?