A/N at bottom.

Ugh… oh, man.

What happened?

Danny tilted his head sideways, hearing a series of satisfying small pops. Breathing in through his nose- he paused.

Ugh. Starchy.

… Is that… Antiseptic?

Smells like a doctor's office.

Oh… wait. Oh, crud.

Heart giving an uncomfortable jolt, Danny's eyes fluttered open. The ceiling above him was flour-white. Bleached of color. It hurt his eyes to look at, and he winced. Those white tiles above him were somehow less sinister than he'd pictured; he was afraid to continue to let his eyes roam, however, lest any other aspect of his dread come true.

He knew what was going on. He knew. He could feel the scratchy cotton-polyester sheets beneath his fingertips and underneath his bare arms.

He was in a hospital bed.

Stomach twisting as he acknowledged the truth, he forced himself to turn his gaze away from the ceiling and down to reality.

Oh. Oh, crud, crud, crud.

His parents were there. Jazz was, too, but he was suddenly assaulted with another stream of panic.

What did they know? They're here. I'm not being dissected, or being interrogated, or in a government facility- I think?

He looked to his right; a window revealed an afternoon view of Downtown Amity. He definitely wasn't locked up. But maybe he was being observed?

Danny eyes the ceiling and walls warily; how long had he been there?

He turned his gaze away and let it settle on the hospital sheets. He vaguely recalled what happened. He thought it might be a good sign he wasn't doped up anymore, but dreaded what the doctors had seen. What they'd done.

He peeled away the blanket and was met with the sight of a bandage the size of his fist beside his belly-button.

Danny's brows furrowed as his lips curved down.

"Wait…?" He muttered. "Isn't this where…?"

Feeling dizzy at the realization, he had a funny feeling he was missing an organ.

Everything overwhelmed him then. Okay. The doctors had gone in and dug his appendix out. And okay, alright, but all that pain was his appendix? Then, why hadn't he realized it sooner? Why had it hurt so much? Surely it wasn't the worst pain he'd been through, but it hadn't been a walk in the park by any means. But the doctors…

Questions ran through his mind like ghosts swarming out of the portal.

What did the doctors know?

What did they do? What did they find?

What did it look like?

He felt more faint as he thought about it.

Was the blood green, or red? Did they run tests?

Could they tell just from looking?

Before he could think better of it, he was peeling away the bandage. Subsequently, it hurt like hell.

"Ow!"

"Danny?"

Blanching, Danny's hand froze as he looked up. His mother was halfway out of her chair, a look of fear on her face. His father grunted.

For a moment, Danny couldn't identify where the fear was coming from. Couldn't comprehend the intent behind it. His own reflected anxiety in response made him want to puke.

Then his mother stalked forward briskly, "Oh, sweetie, you just paled two shades! Are you alright?" She sat on the edge of his bed, combing his hair back shakily. "Oh, sweetheart, we were so worried."

Danny felt his shoulders slowly falling. She didn't hate him. She didn't know.

"Wha- is he awake?" His father asked gruffly, before the chair squeaked as he departed, coming to a stop beside his wife.

Jazz followed speedily, heels clicking against the bleached floor. "Danny!" She smiled tiredly, coming around the other side of the bed.

"... Hi, guys," Danny croaked, unable to think of anything else to say.

His father laughed, bringing a hand down onto Danny's own and giving it a squeeze. "You had us all worried sick, Danny-boy."

"That's an understatement, Dad," Jazz muttered, looking like she'd aged a good few years.

His mother suddenly gasped. "Daniel James Fenton! Have you been picking at your bandage?"

"Danny! You know better than that!" Jazz scolded, before hastily adding an unneeded, "Um, obviously!"

"Should we get the doctor?" His father directed at his mother.

It was all so casual, so normal, so thankfully, relievingly normal, that Danny felt his chin start to tremble.

"Oh no, Baby, are you hurting?" His mother fretted, hand cupping his cheek. "You're fever is supposed to go down soon, your body is fighting the infection…"

Jazz was holding his hand, crying happily.

He felt himself smiling. "I'm okay."

...

It wasn't long before his parents had been replaced with his friends.

They'd swapped places an hour or so later, content for the moment that their son was alive and as well as he could be.

Sam and Tucker rushed to his side the moment they were able, throwing their arms around him at once.

"Oh my god!" Danny shouted in response, "Surgery!"

"Sorry!" They chanted in unison, releasing their death grips immediately.

"We're just really happy you're okay," Sam sighed contently, taking a seat on his bed.

Danny breathed out easier, hand tracing over his sore side. "That makes two of us."

Tucker leaned forward on the bed, clasping his hands together. "You don't know the half of it."

Jazz, who hadn't left, shook her head. "I can't imagine either. I only heard about this a day ago."

Danny squirmed. "Guys, listen. I really am sorry about all of this. I didn't mean to make you guys worry- especially over something so stupid. I mean- appendicitis? To me? I mean- I had no idea-"

"Dude- don't worry. None of us had a clue either." Tucker cut him off.

"I mean- with everything you've faced, it didn't even cross our minds." Sam added. "Don't get me wrong, we're still mad you didn't get help. But… we also understand why."

Tucker grinned weakly. "Still- it's funny that you didn't go to your parents the one time you actually should have. You know? They probably would've figured it out, right? It's pretty normal for humans."

Jazz covered her mouth for a second. "You know, Mom had her appendix taken out when she was seven, Danny?"

Danny didn't think he could feel any dumber. "Anyways," he said, "I'm sorry. I don't want to worry you guys. But that brings me to why I tried to ignore it…"

His friends' faces turned solemn.

"And there's something I really, really don't get. I came in here- got my guts ripped open. There's no way the doctors didn't see anything. So… why didn't they say anything? Mom and Dad are still clueless. What the heck is going on?"

There was a tense silence.

Jazz was the first to break it. "... We figured it might have to do with who's outside."

Danny blanked. "What? Who?"

His friends matching grimaces told him.

Danny's mouth dropped. "Wait, Vlad? What the heck is he doing here?"

"We have no idea. But if he is here, then it makes sense that he would interfere with the doctors, right? I mean- he's gotta protect himself, you know." Sam supplied.

Tucker nodded seriously. "If there's one thing Vlad knows how to do, it's get people to stay quiet."

"You got that right," Danny muttered, absentmindedly rubbing his cheek. Then, "You think he blackmailed the staff?"

Jazz shrugged. "That, or something worse."

Danny felt an odd mix off guilty and thankful. "I mean… I don't know what to say. I mean- threatening anyone, not cool. But… I hate to say it, but… he protected me too if that's the case."

It unnerved him.

"Look- don't worry about that right now." Sam said, taking Danny's hand and pulling him from his thoughts. "All that matters is you getting better. You really had us worried there, Danny."

Danny looked at his friends then; really looked at them. Saw past the bags under their eyes and their nervous energy. There was more to it.

They'd been scared sick.

Danny's stomach dropped. "Oh, man, guys. I'm- I'm really sorry."

Tucker was chewing his lip raw, but stopped to shake his head at his friend. "Stop apologizing, dude. We just thought- well- you know, we always worry about each other with all the ghost fighting and everything, and- well…"

Sam cut in; Danny could feel her palm clamming up. "This was… almost worse, somehow. We had no idea what was wrong with you. And you… you hid a lot of it. Then we were here, and… And then we couldn't do anything about it."

Danny looked over as Jazz crossed her arms, looking away; She and Danny hadn't talked privately yet, with their parents being there, but he could see she had her own share of anxiety to bear.

The guilt was crushing. What could he say?

He felt jittery. "Guys… I'm okay. Really. And… I can't make any promises, but… you know, I don't want to worry you guys… but, next time, if something like this ever happens again- I'll, um, try to be more honest. I won't… try to hide it."

His friends looked slightly consoled. Jazz lightly brought down her hand onto his leg, covered by the bedsheet.

"You don't need to hide this kind of stuff from us, Danny. We're here for you."

Danny smiled again, then, grateful and sad. "I know. It's just a hard habit to break. Hero-complex and everything."

His friends laughed then. "Yeah, we figured that one out on day three." Tucker supplied.

"Sorry, man. Thanks for everything." Danny told him once more, then, "Except those brownies. What were in those things?"

More laughter, and things felt like they were headed to be alright.

...

He'd been expecting the man's visit; he hadn't been expecting it so late, when his family had gone back to the house for a change of clothes, and when his friends had been forced back to home by their own concerned parents.

Still, he shouldn't have been so startled when he awoke, abruptly, to find the dark shape by the door.

"Oh my go-", his voice cut off to a squeak, two seconds from a heart attack.

Then, he recognized the silvery sheen of hair. He couldn't quite slump in relief, but his heart nearly crippled in it's chest in thankfulness that a demon hadn't appeared. Yeah, he had ghost powers, but waking up in an unfamiliar room with a dark shape was generally alarming.

"Vlad," Danny wheezed, not caring that he sounded petulant, "You can't do that. I wanna get out of this hospital, but not because you sent me to the morgue."

"Good to see you're awake, Daniel," Vlad said dryly, stepping forward.

Danny took a breath, pushing himself up into a sitting position with a subtle wince. Vlad pretended not to see it as he adjusted one of the roses in the vase by Danny's bed.

"So… I guess we're not gonna pretend you don't have something to do with the fact that we're not being hunted by the government right now."

"I suppose not." Vlad quipped back, turning around to face him.

Vlad was very close. Barely two feet away. Danny remembered the last time they'd been together. Discomfort turned to annoyance. "Okay, sly-guy. How'd you do it? Bribe the staff? Possess them?"

Vlad raised a brow, as though he hadn't an idea in the world why Danny might be upset. "Well, Daniel, I couldn't very well let one of these humans discover us, could I?"

Danny waited impatiently.

Vlad turned back to the flowers nonchalantly. "I had my private staff come in and take care of the surgery."

Danny's mind short circuited for a moment.

What? That's… Private staff?

"I've sustained injuries over the years. I needed a discreet team. They'll stay discreet." Vlad finished, adjusting the vase.

Danny touched his bandage again. And once more, ashamed, warily, he felt oddly indebted to the man; it made him just as uncomfortable as before. He coughed.

"Um." This was hard to get out. "I, uh. Th-thanks...?"

Vlad's hand stalled for a second. Danny felt lame and stupid.

Hurriedly, he added, "I mean, you may have done it just to protect yourself, but I mean, you saved my butt too- so- thanks."

Vlad chuckled then; Danny didn't like the way it sounded.

"It was for myself, idiot boy. Once again, you foolishly endangered out secret. Don't read into it too much; I have to protect my own assets, after all."

Danny felt hot anger rise in his belly; then he stopped, realizing the obvious, and it died.

Nope. Not this time. Vlad had been waiting outside for who knew how long, waiting to speak to him in private.

For some reason, today, Vlad was trying to fool himself. Play the completely resentful villain.

Which he wasn't.

Because, as much as it creeped Danny out, Vlad cared, in his own weird, frootloopy way. Danny felt a funny expression creep up on his face, and he tried to wipe it away and remain blank.

"Yeah," he said instead, "Alright. That really explains the whole 'kidnapping me to help me' thing. But you go ahead and keep saying whatever you need to sleep at night."

Vlad looked over, then, annoyance clear on his face.

Danny glared right back. "Come on, Vlad. Why are you acting so…" Danny floundered for a second. "Just… weird? Make up your mind. Saying you're worried one second, then despising me the next, then saving me then hating me again-"

"Because trying to help you went so well last time-"

"Newsflash, Vlad, kidnapping helps no one-"

Vlad slammed a fist on the table, eyes flaring red. "Blast it,, Daniel! I thought you were going to die!"

Danny shrank back into the pillow. "Huh?"

Vlad looked up to the ceiling, visibly counting to ten. "I thought you were going to die, Daniel. Halfas don't get sick easily. I thought you'd been affected by some ghoul or, mercy forbid, had core failure-"

"Core what? That's- that's a thing?"

"The point being, Daniel, that despite you not being by my side- yet- I don't want you dead. I've never wanted you dead."

There was a beat of silence; the words settled into the air uneasily. Danny stared up at the man, that same uncomfortable feeling amplifying by ten.

Vlad huffed, looking down at him. "But," he continued, "For some reason, you insist on scaring the devil out of me."

Danny swallowed. "Uhm, I'm… sorry?"

Vlad rolled his eyes again. "Alright, Daniel, I'll make this simple for you. As of now, I vow: if you ever get hurt- really, well, and truly injured- we'll establish a state of truce." Then Vlad's voice seemed oddly strained. "And since you obviously don't trust your parents- not that I don't understand and agree to a point- you can, should you need to… come to me."

Danny's head was reeling, especially at the lack of gloat in the man's voice. Him? Go to Vlad? That made almost as much sense as him going to his parents for help.

"How can I trust you?" He heard himself ask faintly.

"I swear on your mother."

"Oh, great," He said automatically.

"And… as one one halfa to another. There aren't many of us, Daniel. We… we need to watch out for one another."

Oh, man. Is that what he calls years of plots? Watching out for one another?

But there was something different this time. Vlad's eyes looked clearer than they'd ever been. Less obsessed. Just… focused.

For the first time with Vlad, Danny didn't feel suspicious. It made him weary, because he was unused to sincerity coming from the man.

"...I'm… not sure if I'll ever need to take you up on it, but…" Danny frowned, heavily. "Okay."

Vlad's lips moved in a tight smile for a millisecond, so quickly Danny was sure he imagined it. It made his insides squirm, but distrust wasn't the reason.

"Consider the truce in effect until you're well enough to continue your hunting activities." Vlad supplied.

He inclined his head and turned, beginning to walk out. Danny felt compelled.

"Hey, Vlad," Danny called out as he reached the door, surprising even himself.

The man turned around, eyebrow raised in question.

"Um… Look, if you, uh, ever… need anything, you don't need to threaten my friends. I mean… the truce… you… you just reminded of the whole ecto-acne thing." He cleared his throat, feeling stupider by the second. "I mean… if we're doing this, um, I'll help you too, if you're, you know, hurt and ever need it. You don't need to… to do that."

As he finished, he really, honestly expected a cruel remark or laughter. With how dumb he felt, he believed it was warranted.

Me? Need your help?

Not twice in a lifetime.

Pathetic.

He certainly didn't expect a civil, almost daresay grateful, nod.

Once again, as the door closed softly, Danny was sure he was imagining things.

In some ways, he was hopeful he wasn't.

May 2018

Hi.

It's been almost seven years since I published the first chapter of this.

A lot has happened since then. Some really sad years, some really low points. Some really creative progress, some really high accomplishments. Almost every day is still a struggle in some shape or form, but I've developed so much as a person because of my experience, as all people do.

Every few years, I'd think about all the people I left hanging by incompleting stories and evaporating from the online writing community. I reached my goal of 100 reviews and gave nothing in response. I still read the odd fic, and love when I find such talented writers. I think in a lot of ways I because critical of what I was reading, however, and in turn, saw more and more flaws in my own writing.

There's so many ways my writing has changed for the better. I write with so much more purpose now. However, I always believed I wasn't good enough to return. I always wanted to improve my work to near perfection and as such was afraid to share it.

That's why I'm so bad at completing things. I see all the flaws and think it's a waste of time. It's useless.

But it touched people. It touched all of you reading this.

Regardless of how hilariously bad my works were, there is a power in words. And I forgot that power. I used writing for myself when I forgot that sharing it was what gave me so much inspiration.

I do apologize for the long note. But I wanted to thank all of you and explain myself.

I believe there's one more chapter around the corner and a potential epilogue. But if you've made it this far; thank you. You'll definitely see a big difference in the writing an quality and I'm debating going back and fixing all the things that bother me or just moving forward. The tone change might be jarring, so I apologize for that as well. But I wanted to FINISH something.

Thank you if you've read this, too. I felt the urge to pour out a tablespoon of my soul.

Guys, reviews would make my day. The parts that you liked, bothered you, made you smile, made you sad. Anything.

Taking the effort to do something so kind for someone else is such a gift.

I'm going to try to complete this for you guys and myself. I think we can do it.

Thank you.

hope

Small update (June 13 2018):

This and all chapters before are edited.

Working on 9 now.

Thanks readers.