Bonjour, mes chers! You'll have to forgive me for the late update. This time our poll was tied! I wanted to update both this and my Gravity Falls fic at the same time but I'm afraid I'm rather stuck on Gravity Falls. I'll try to update the story within the week, but for now please enjoy this chapter of Substitute! You'll have a new one coming soon!

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Chapter Thirty Five

::

"Andrew! I was hoping I could catch you before class began." See, now, there was a lot Danny had gotten used to over the years, especially considering he was a half ghost who fought other ghosts and dated one. He was used to getting used to things.

"Ah, Phillip. What is it I can help you with?" This, though? This was just… Lancer wasn't supposed to be so pleasant during school hours and teachers weren't supposed to have first names.

"Um, his first name is Mister." At the unamused look from both of them, Danny peacefully raised his hands, hiding behind his scarf. "Right, teacher thing, got it."

"Mhm." Lancer took a moment to fix Danny with a stare that had him distinctly remembering how he skipped near two periods the other day before reappearing with no explanation. "I just wanted to congratulate you on permanently becoming the new Creative Writing teacher. It'll be nice to have another competent adult around instead of more overgrown children."

"He was made permanent?" Permanent. As in Andrew was no longer a substitute. As in Andrew was made a member of the staff. As in Andrew was staying. Grin wider than it probably should have been, Danny swiftly turned around to capture Andrew in a hug, not much carrying if they were in the middle of the hallway. The students and rumors could go screw themselves. "That's amazing!" Wait. Letting Andrew go just as suddenly, Danny quickly punched him in the arm. "You jerk! Why didn't you tell me!"

Instead of the confident and amused smirk he had been expecting, Andrew was only blankly staring at Lancer with wide eyes that looked- Oh. Lowering his voice, Danny nudged at Andrew's side. "Andy, you did know that they made you permanent, didn't you?"

"I'm afraid that this is the first I've heard of it." Ah. That explained the absolute shock on the man's face, then. "I- They really made me- How on Earth did you find that out?"

"Kim's been talking about it since yesterday." Kim? Who the hell- Principal Ishiyama? See, this is why teachers shouldn't have first names when all it did was confuse everyone! "Considering Casper High's dwindling reputation, she figured it'd be best to just make you a long-term teacher rather than try to find someone willing to brave daily ghost attacks."

"Hey! They're not daily anymore." Danny crossed his arms, bravely standing up to Lancer's unamused look. "I've worked hard to make sure they aren't daily- Wait, does this mean Andrew gets to stay for as long as he wants?"

"I don't know the specifics, but I would assume so." Lancer glanced to his watch, frowning. "Sorry, Andrew, I have to get to my homeroom. Congratulations again, though! I'm sure you'll do as great a job as you've been doing. Mr. Fenton, don't be late."

"You have my word." Keeping his voice as solemn and serious as possible, Danny just barely stopped himself from making a noise like a squeal until after Lancer was gone. "Andy! You're a teacher! For real!"

"I… I am…" Andrew still seemed shocked, absently brushing Danny's bangs back when he looked down at him. "I'm a teacher."

"It's not just a for a few weeks anymore." Leaning into the the contact, Danny reluctantly pulled himself back. "We're still at school."

"Right! Right, you're quite right." Danny had a feeling that Andrew was going to be very emotional the rest of the day. "I- I need to go talk to your Principal, I think. Ask her if this is true."

"Which it is." Grinning at Andrew's look, Danny muffled a laugh before brushing up against him again, feeling equal parts proud, amused, and wicked. "See you in class, Mr. Riter."

"You utter deviant." Laughing, Danny quickly ran off, digging his phone out and quickly pulling up Randy's contact.

'You'll never guess what just happened!' At the expected slew of question marks, Danny happily typed out a play-by-play, grin never falling. Andrew had been made a teacher - not just a substitute, but a well and proper teacher. He wouldn't be leaving in a few weeks. Danny could keep Andrew close by, and this feeling of safety and warmth that he hadn't wanted to end could keep going.

Things were starting to look up in his life.

"Section 13. My, my, you are digging into the past, aren't you, Danny dear?" Then again… What goes up must come down, right? "I hear you had an interesting holiday. Walker took good care of you, I hope."

"At least Walker puts up an actual fight now and then." Spectra. She never stopped, did she? Other students weren't even noticing her. The bell hadn't rung and yet Spectra was just leaning against a wall and looking so smug. "I thought I told you to keep away from me. I know you're real, now."

"Do you really? As far as I can see it doesn't seem like anyone else can see me." Yeah, because teenagers at eight in the morning saw so much. "Actually, now that I think about it, your cute little mate isn't running over to protect you, either."

"You've hidden yourself from others before." That had been when she had drained near half the school, though. How had she gotten so much power again that not even other ghosts could notice her signature? Even Danny, looking hard as he could, was having a hard time feeling it. "Get the hell out of my school."

"Danny, Danny, Danny… You still have no sense of patience, do you?" Spectra took another step closer, Danny feeling the energy that sparked to his hands without even a thought. "My, my. You are indeed slipping fast, though. Careful, Danny dear. People are watching."

There was a swirl of shadows as the bell rang and the lingering students scrambled to not be late, Danny's breath hitching as he felt fingers trail against the back of his neck. "You know, I'm not sure who I had more fun with. You, or sweet little Vladdie. It's so easy to convince people they've been betrayed when they're not allowed visitors, hm?"

By the time Danny screamed and turned to throw an attack, Spectra was already gone from the halls. Fists shaking, Danny bit his lip as he ran to class. Spectra was real. This Spectra, and not the one in his nightmares, was real. How did she know about Section 13, though? Patience? Why would she say- What game was she playing?

Vladdie… Not allowed visitors… How long had Spectra been playing in other people's lives?

::

Hovering over Vlad's shoulder, Danny absently wondered if he should reveal himself when he saw the man look up and straight at where he was invisible. "Just because you've never seen my 'ghost sense' doesn't mean I don't have one, Daniel." Oh.

"Well, how am I supposed to know these things?" Fading back into view, Danny flew over and sat himself down on Vlad's desk as well as what looked like important legal papers. The unamused look was a gift, true- "What the fuck are you wearing glasses?"

"Language." Oh my god. He was still trying to be the responsible uncle. "For as much as my ghost powers have improved my health, there's only so much they can do to age itself." He was actually wearing glasses and they didn't look half bad. Actually, Vlad looked… He looked messier. His outfit was still formal, but his suit jacket had been tossed aside at some point and bits of hair were falling loose around his face. "You're staring."

"You're happy." Oh, Vlad being caught off guard. That was very new. Danny liked it. "Is it so wrong that I want to check in on my Uncey Vlad." This time, the look on Vlad's face had him near cackling.

"Please be serious." Vlad phased the stack of papers out from under Danny with a reprimanding look, Dann stifling another snort of laughter. He couldn't believe that even just a few months ago the two would have been blasting each other and tearing the office apart instead of sitting and talking. "Are you here for any reason besides adding to my stress?"

"Depends on how you react to what I'm about to tell you." At the cautious look, Danny sighed. Right, better start small. "How long have you known Spectra?" Or he could do that. That- That was fine.

"I- What?" This time, the startled look had traces of fear. Frowning, Danny floated off the desk and wormed his way to sit on the arm of Vlad's chair, trying to make himself seem small. Perhaps that would keep Vlad from kicking him out of his office.

"She's been bugging me a lot lately and today she mentioned you in passing. She…" If Spectra had done what Danny thought she had, then she was the reason behind a decades old grudge and all of Vlad's pain and suffering. "She said something about how it's easy to convince people they've been betrayed when they're not allowed visitors."

"I see." Vlad's expression was indecipherable. Instead of pushing for answers, Danny took a breath and patiently waited. When it came to things like this, at least, he could be patient.

For what seemed like too long there was nothing but the sound of rustling papers and a pen scratching across the surface. Danny could hear wind lightly moving the window panes, he could hear a coffee maker in the corner of the room dripping away, as well as he could make out Vlad's slow heartbeat. He was almost glad the man didn't have any clocks in this room - maybe the ticking annoyed him because of the increased senses? Vlad said he got sensory attacks, after all, so maybe-

"She was my therapist." Attention snapping back, Danny watched as Vlad let his pen drop before he leaned back in his seat, Danny shuffling back to sit on the desk again. "The hospital assigns therapists to patients who are there for longer than a month, as my case was. She introduced herself as Penelope Spectra and told me that together we would find a way out of the depression that was eating me alive."

Vlad gave a bitter smile, looking to Danny. "As you can no doubt imagine, her 'help' never really helped." Taking his glasses off, Vlad rubbed at the bridge of his nose as he continued. "I was banned from visitors for the first month since I was in the ICU. Flowers and cards weren't allowed, either, because they wanted to keep me in a clean room. By the time I was moved to another room, I expected Jack and Maddie-"

Silence ensued for a few moments, Danny carefully flicking his tail at Vlad's leg. "They never showed. No cards, no flowers, no proof that anyone even knew I was gone. It wasn't until much, much later that I found out what that leech had done."

"She made it seem like you were alone." Tensing at the sharp look he was given, Danny half expected to be yelled at. He was surprised when Vlad clasped his wrist and looked at him seriously.

"Whatever she tells you from this moment on, it is nothing. All she is doing is working to get you angry. Anger forces you to make mistakes - especially when you know they're mistakes. I won't say nothing is true, because God knows that woman has information on her side, but she twists it to where it seems like a lie."

"I…" Spectra knew so much about all of them. She knew about Andrew and Randy and their past in the Sect of the Crow, she knew about Vlad and had molded him into a bitter man who wanted nothing more than revenge, and she was even beginning to break Danny. No matter how much Vlad told him it wasn't true… "I'll try."

"That's all that can be asked." Vlad cleared his throat, putting his glasses back on and returning his attention to his work. "Was there anything else you wanted to ask - besides Danielle."

"Wha- How do you even know-!" That was supposed to be a surprise ambush!

"She visited me on Christmas for a brief while. I won't say everything's resolved, but she's much more mature than either of us."

"Yeah, tell me about it." She was still stabilized - thank God - and had aged so she looked a bit more like the age she should. Danny was curious as to when Vlad would convince her to settle down and live with him in his mansion. Danny gave it another few months. "I did have something I wanted to ask about Walker."

"Ah, yes. A shame the Observants got to him before I could." That probably shouldn't be so reassuring. "Jasmine asked me and your parents about Section 13. I would guess that you're about to do the same?"

"Stop with the all knowing shit-"

"Language."

"Anyways. Walker was going on about how the Dicks-in-White used to be called Section 13. Clockwork doesn't know anything about them and that… That never ends up going well when he doesn't know something."

"I can't say I know much myself," Vlad said, quiet tone showing just how much he had been thinking about this. "You remember that foolish 'ghost-free zone' rule that Amity Park was under? Apparently Section 13 were the ones to establish it in 1927. Even back then Amity Park was one of the weakest places between the worlds."

"Yeah, Mom and Dad told us about that one time." Finally changing back into his human form, Danny absently kept his tail as he curled up on the desk. "They said that's why they settled in Amity Park, because of all the ambient ghost energy."

"Yes…" At the distracted tone, Danny looked up to see Vlad was watching him with a frown. "How long have you been able to form a tail when you're not transformed?"

"Oh, uh… I don't know, really. Since last year, maybe?" Danny looked at his flicking tail, giving a shrug. "Is it that big a deal? You can use your powers when you're human."

"If we're being technical, we're always human. Our ghost sides are just an amalgamation of ghostly energy that condenses and gathers to completely change our physical appearance. Why do you think you can't change when you're so exhausted? We're using our stored energy in order to access those powers."

As Vlad continued to ramble on, Danny stifled a yawn and tucked his tail underneath him. He had a feeling he was going to be here a while before he got any more information about Section 13 - not that he had gotten much to begin with. All he really knew now was that they had made laws about places being ghost-free zones all the way back in the twenties.

Maybe Vlad was rambling on like this to avoid talking about any unsavory truths he had found out about Section 13. That sounded like Vlad. Then again, rambling because he was a science nerd was also kind of him. It was so easy to forget that Vlad had majored in science studies and helped start a ghost club.

Or- Or maybe Vlad was going on like this to reassure Danny that he was still human? All three sounded like the man. Actually, doing all three at once definitely sounded like the man. Well, he at least had learned something today.

Spectra was more dangerous than he gave her credit for. She had already reduced Vlad to… Was it- Was it possible that Spectra had a hand to play in the formation of Dan? The Vladimir Masters of that time had been vague on what had happened and Clockwork even more so. Spectra knew about it because of her power to see surface memories and play off of them, but did she suspect that she had a role to play?

Was it possible she was trying to make a possible future where Dan returned even with Danny's family still being alive?

Or was that just her next plan…