Chapter Thirty-Eight: Rules
Vlad glanced at his ringing phone, sighing. How many times would they try to call him? He got up and looked out at the halls to make sure Dan wasn't anywhere nearby and then picked up the phone. "What?" He hissed.
"Geez, why so pissy? Did Phantom do something?" Tucker asked on the other end.
"No, your incessant ringing is driving me up the wall. I am busy, what do you want?" He demanded.
"Relax, fruit-loop." Tucker replied. "First of all, are you doing something about that cloak?"
"'Doing something'?" Vlad questioned.
"Yeah. It's way too in-the-way, and if it comes off during some romantic moment his cover is blown." Tucker replied. "So, are you doing something about it?"
"As a matter of fact, yes. Dan had the same concerns you do." Vlad replied.
"What're you gonna do if he decides to fight a ghost?" Tucker asked. "He can't have the red hair then. Can he shift forms, maybe?"
"I was considering that." Vlad commented. "Dan was adamant he wasn't going to help out Amity Park again."
"Well, that doesn't mean he can't help out other places." Tucker commented. "You know he will, it was a thing of Danny's and he's surely got it, too. He can't leave the weak unprotected. He's like a less crazy Super Phantom.
"A what?" Vlad asked blankly.
"Uh, nevermind. Anyways, if you need help disguising him and getting him some new clothes, just call us. We'll take a plane and visit, or you can send yours to pick us up once we have stuff for him. I'm pretty smart with the tech, and Sam is good at picking out clothes." Tucker suggested.
"Don't you have to protect your city in his place?" Vlad asked. "I will consider your offer, but for now don't call me and wait for my call." He glanced towards the door. "I have to go." He hung up and went to the door, opening it. "Can't sleep?" He smiled softly.
Dan nodded, moving into his arms. "Plasmius said that…that phrase."
"Phrase?" Vlad frowned.
Dan nodded. "'Are you awake', right after a name. They used to say that to Danny, and he would get so scared…and I would get so angry…"
"That explains your hostility the first time I did it." Vlad said, remembering the first morning he'd gone to wake Dan up. "I'm sorry to bring back such bitter memories."
Dan nodded. "Vlad was really brutal, too…it hurt…"
"They didn't…do THAT to you, did they?" Vlad asked, frowning. "Or Daniel?"
"NO! No. God, no." Dan shook his head. "That would be ince—indescribably despicable!"
Vlad raised an eyebrow, but chose to drop the matter. "I'll have words with him about it at the next possible moment. Do you need me to tuck you in?"
"…Can I sleep in your room?" Dan glanced away. "Just for tonight?"
Vlad sighed softly, stroking his snowy locks. Despite all his powers, all his bravado and cocky nature, Dan Phantom was just a child just as Danny Fenton was. He would never know what exactly they faced in that place at the hands of the Guys in White, not until Dan told him the truth and only the truth without omitting anything.
"Alright." He gently lifted him into his arms. "I'm not getting any work done tonight, am I?"
Dan wrapped his arms around Vlad's shoulders and buried his face in his neck, his green eyes closing.
Vlad sighed softly and carried him to his bedroom. Thankfully, Plasmius had taken Dan to the closest bedroom to the training room, and that was Dan's his own bedroom or Vlad's room. He opened the door and carried the boy to the bed, pulling back to the covers and carefully laying the softly glowing boy down on the mattress.
He let out a soft murmur as he shifted in his sleep. Vlad pulled the covers up to the teen's chin and then brushed his bangs from his forehead before he went to his lab. He picked up the phone in the lab and dialed a number, waiting.
"Hello?" Tucker answered, and it sounded like he had been expecting a call.
"You knew Daniel and Phantom best. That's the only reason I'm giving you this opportunity. Your private plane will arrive at 10am tomorrow, breakfast will be served onboard. Only yourself, Samantha, and Jazmine are allowed. I trust you all to keep Phantom's hiding place from Daniel's father and mother, we all know how they feel about him."
"I'll tell the other two." Tucker promised.
"Don't be late to the plane; it will leave ten minutes after arriving." Vlad said firmly.
"Thank you. Mr. Masters."
"Don't do that. That just sounded odd. Call me what you usually do, or by my first name." Vlad replied.
"Okay, fruit-loop." Tucker laughed. "We'll see you tomorrow."
Water…water everywhere. And on the other end was Danny, his hands placed on the glass. Behind him was Jack Fenton, a stopwatch in one hand and a notepad in the other. He reached out his hands and placed them flat against the glass, moving them with Danny's. Danny smiled and Dan smiled back and then gasped, seeing the creature that had defeated Danny coming into the room. "Danny, run!" He cried.
He tried to go through the tank, but the ghost shield was on. He couldn't escape! Danny! No, Danny!
His eyes snapped open and he saw only a cloth ceiling. The room was dimly lit by some kind of light and turned his head to see Vlad reading a book in a chair next to the bed, a small lamp his only light. He groaned and slowly sat up.
"Dan?" Vlad looked up from his book and put in the bookmark, moving closer to him. "Are you alright?"
"Nightmare…again." He murmured. "That creature…it was in the movie…"
"Movie?" Vlad blinked.
"…Nothing." He turned away, green blush on his cheek. "It was…a cheesy film, but one of the monsters in it looked like one of the creatures Danny had to fight. The one that…I interfered against…that left him with all those…those wounds…" He curled up tighter, trembling.
Vlad frowned and set his book to the side, getting up and climbing into bed behind him. He pulled the trembling teen into his arms, one hand resting over his green eyes. "It's the past, Phantom. You have to put it behind you."
"I can't." Dan said softly. "Can't you understand? I can't. Ghosts don't put things behind them – they CAN'T put things behind them. Danny could, but I CAN'T." He brought his hands to his face. "All I'm filled with are memories and the want for revenge."
Vlad was silent and then he stroked the boy's cheek gently, moving his hands away from his face with his own. "Daniel would want you to live on."
Dan was silent, staring ahead at the memories that he would never share with Vlad. The memories of Danny being tricked, lied to, and horribly abused by his own father…and despite it all, Danny never stopped loving him. 'I'm sorry, Danny.' He thought. 'I can't…love him. I hate him. I want him to pay. No matter how long it takes, I will grow strong enough I can tower over him and throw him around like he did to me, and I'll make him beg for a death that I won't give to him, because I promised you I wouldn't.' He closed his eyes. 'My own cross to bear…my own secret to never share…No one will ever know what really happened to us.'
"Dan?" Vlad looked at him. He'd gone quiet a little while ago. "Dan, are you sleeping?"
Dan didn't reply, giving the illusion of sleep even as he remained awake. He was afraid to sleep…afraid…
Vlad pulled away from him and got out of bed. A moment later, Dan heard a soft "snap" sound and sat up, looking around. "You weren't asleep. I knew it." Vlad sighed. "Shall I make up something to help you sleep? Or have you had enough?"
"What time is it?" Dan asked.
"About 3 in the morning." Vlad smiled sympathetically. "You really should sleep more."
"No, don't need it." He got up and went intangible, going through the floor and no doubt to his bedroom to change.
Vlad sighed. "I better set some ground rules about how to move around my house. He's living here; he's going to move around in it like a normal person." He changed into Plasmius and followed him through the floor, intending to catch him before he left the room.
"Phantom." Plasmius went through his door as he was changing.
"Hey!" Dan turned to him quickly, frowning. "You could knock! Or use the door properly! Or something!" He tried to cover up his bruised chest with his shirt.
"Are there holes in the floor?" Plasmius pointed to the ceiling.
"Uhm…no?" Dan frowned.
"Are there doors?" Plasmius moved closer to him.
"Er…no?" Dan glanced up at the ceiling.
"Then why, pray tell, did you go through the FLOOR to get here?" Plasmius demanded.
"…Quicker." Dan glanced away.
"Are you in a hurry?" Plasmius moved even closer.
"No." Dan shook his head, stepping back.
"Then, why did you need to take a quicker route?" Plasmius questioned with a quirked brow, moving closer to the teenager.
Dan stopped against the dresser and cringed. "Because—" He flinched when Plasmius smacked a hand next to his head.
"I don't want to hear your flimsy excuses. This is your home and not a secret evil lair to explore all the nooks and crannies while avoiding the 'bad guy' anymore. You will use the floor as a floor, open and close doors properly, and stop phasing through objects when people are talking to you!" He roughly grabbed Dan's arm, pulling him out of the dresser he was trying to phase through.
"Ow! I'm sorry, Plasmius!" Dan whimpered, cringing back against the wood, becoming tangible again.
Plasmius stared him down with cold, ruby eyes and then released his hold. "Good. Lesson learned, then. I'll be in the lab." He walked over and opened the door, walking through and closing it behind him.
Dan watched him go, rubbing his arm before turning to finish getting dressed.
"What're you working on?" Dan asked as he walked into the lab. He was dressed in the black and white outfit again, the maids having put it through the wash already. Actually, he hadn't ever seen the maids, but he'd heard they were there. Where did they live? Sleep? Whatever? Were they ghosts?
"A new ecto-dampener for you." Vlad replied, putting together a bracelet carefully. "Did I say you could come in, Phantom?"
Dan cringed. He only really called him just "Phantom" with such a stern tone when he was in trouble. "You said you'd be in the lab—"
"And did I say you could just waltz in? No, I said I would be in the lab. That meant you were free to wander the house out of my way while I worked." He hadn't looked away from the bracelet he was making.
"Sorry, I guess I missed reading between those lines." He put his hands in his pockets and pouted. "I'll just…wander."
"There is a piano, if you fancy actually taking up the arts." Vlad replied. "I'm sure you've explored this place plenty enough times without permission to know where everything is."
"…Right." Dan nodded and started to lift into the air, but hesitated. "Vlad?"
"You may fly around as you please, but you must land to open doors and go through them." Vlad replied. He didn't seem to look over, but apparently Dan was wrong about that one. "Honestly, Phantom, I am working. Don't make me summon a babysitter for you, you're 15 years old."
"I just didn't want Plasmius breathing down my neck for breaking a rule I didn't know you had!" Dan yelled, slamming the lab door and taking off.
He flew through the hall, spooking the maid when she finally came out from whatever shadows they usually hid in. Actually, thinking about, they might be hiding for that exact reason. Looking over his shoulder he saw her averting her eyes and trembling. Dear God, had Plasmius deliberately terrified his maids?!
Smooth one, Phantom. Fly through the hall muttering obscenities and scare the maid. Yep, nice one. He landed and walked over to her. "Uh…hi."
She stared at him, and he noticed she'd dropped some towels. He knelt down to pick them up and handed them to her. As soon as they were in her hands, she quickly scurried on to her task. He shrugged and sighed, walking on down the hall. "Right…wake up at 3am and the place is spooky as all hell even when it's not an 'evil lair'." He paused. Wasn't it still? Just because he wasn't fighting Plasmius, it didn't mean that Plasmius had stopped all the horrible, immoral things he was always doing to bring in money.
Then again, could he really judge him now? After he resolved to become so immoral and cruel he was willing to do the things that his captor and torturer, Jack Fenton, had done? He sighed, stopping in front of a doorway and turning to lean against it, slumping to the floor. 'Can I really do that, though? Can I really give up everything I ever stood for just to get back at one person?' He looked at his hand and recalled the feeling of Danny's hand in it. When Valerie's hand was in his, he still didn't feel complete. Jack Fenton had caused for the other half of him to die, to make it so he would never be complete.
Yes, it was worth it. So worth it. He kept telling himself this, but every time he got close to doing something immoral, aside from the first time, he kept drawing back.
He really needed to figure this whole thing out.