Another update for you, my wonderful readers! Once again I would like to thank you all for your support, especially those of you favouriting/following/reviewing, it means a lot, I'm so happy my story is being enjoyed.

Just a quickie…for those of you wondering about Clockwork, or where the thermos containing Danny's future self went…Have patience! I have plans for those!

Anyways, here's chapter 5 for now!

()()()

Danny woke up with a shiver. His ghost sense had just went off. He sat up on the bed, probably a little quicker than what he should have. He knew that his ghost half enabled him to heal quicker than that of an ordinary human. However, he took advantage of this trait and, much to the annoyance of Vlad Masters, he had not been resting as well as he should have been for the past few days. Nevertheless, the doctor who had reviewed him the previous evening had suggested that Danny may be well enough to be discharged the next day. For unlike Vlad, the medical staff had been quite marvelled by Danny's speedy recovery. Unfortunately this had only worsened Danny's persistence to leave the hospital and because of this, Vlad had been keeping a more firm eye on the sneaky younger half ghost.

Danny looked around the dimly lit room, wondering if Vlad had changed into his ghost half, and it had been him who set off the ghost sense. But when Danny turned his head he saw Vlad still asleep on the lounge chair. Danny scowled at the older halfa, he had had enough of Vlad. He had barely left Danny alone since the day he came out of the coma, and all Danny wanted was peace to grieve for his losses. Vlad didn't seem capable of understanding that Danny wanted nothing to do with him, and the thought of Vlad being his legal guardian made Danny feel sick. He felt a sting of shame when he recalled how Vlad had spent the past few days gaining an upper hand, after witnessing Danny in a more weak and vulnerable state. Danny cringed for a second.

A blur of black and green moving past the window redirected Danny back to the fact a ghost was nearby. He quietly got out of the bed and walked towards the window. He could see the blur moving further up the street, Danny still couldn't make out who it was had escaped the Ghost Zone. He looked over his shoulder towards Vlad, he knew the man would not approve of what he was about to do. Usually Danny hated midnight ghost attacks, but this one was an acceptation. Since he hadn't been chasing ghosts for the past few days he felt that a part of him had died away. Catching ghosts had become a huge part of him, and knew deep down that Sam, Tucker and Jazz would want him to keep ghost fighting. With a small smile forming on his face, for the first time in days, Danny obeyed his instinct and whispered, "I'm going ghost!"

()()()

Not far away, down an old ally, Johnny 13 and his shadow were conjunctively causing reckless damage. Johnny was angrily blasting fire from his motorcycle, causing trash bins to set alight, and his shadow was nearby, smashing windows on the buildings looking into the ally. Danny hovered above them, and then shot an ecto-blast at Johnny's bike to get his attention. Johnny turned around, his face fixed in anger.

"You little brat! You'll pay for that!" Johnny yelled furiously, his shadow mimicking the same emotion.

"I doubt it, I've no money." Danny answered dryly, "What are you doing here Johnny? Finished vandalising the Ghost Zone so you're starting here?"

"Relax little man, this is just a quick stop I'm not staying long. Kitty's been nagging at me again, so I'm just blowing off some steam is all. She's been a real pain lately, I should have taken my chances with your sis when I had a shot. She was a real sweet bird." Johnny answered menacingly.

Danny's eyes glowed with fury, anger flowed through him when he heard the distasteful comment directed at his sister. Without a second thought he fired one of his strongest blasts at Johnny, knocking him off the bike and causing great damage to it. Johnny glared up from his knees at Danny. When he realised that Danny was flying in for a more personalised attack, he turned to his shadow.

"Shadow, attack!" He ordered. The shadow needed no further instruction, and lunged itself at Danny, forcing him to the ground and barring him from Johnny. "You're gonna regret this Phantom!" Johnny shouted, "Shadow, show no mercy!"

The shadow immediately forced all its strength forward and entrapped Danny. It shifted its form in a way which would suggest it was trying to suffocate him, as it was applying most of its strength around Danny's mouth, nose and neck. Danny panicked when he realised his air supply was cut off, he fought against the force of the shadow, and was succeeding. However, when the shadows luminous eyes locked with his, Danny became paralysed. He got a sudden flash of the last ghost who had him by the throat and had locked eyes with him. He could see the face of his future self again, surrounded by the debris of the destruction he had caused. The same feeling of powerlessness overwhelmed him. (*)

As Danny was no longer fighting back, the shadow was quickly weakening him. Danny felt his eyes go blurry, and he involuntarily changed back into his human form. He thought he was going to pass out just as a blinding bright light surrounded them, refocusing Danny's mind. The shadow, who was vulnerable to bright light, shrieked and faded away. Johnny looked up at the ghost who had defeated his shadow and decided that he too, would return to the Ghost Zone, knowing that without his shadow, he would be greatly outmatched in a battle with this ghost.

Danny wearily stood up, disorientated. As he was trying to find his bearings, he was forcefully grabbed by the shoulders and was now facing a furious Vlad Plasmius.

"What do you think you are doing, Daniel?" Plasmius yelled at the boy, shaking him slightly, "Do you have some kind of death wish?"

"Get off!" Danny snapped, not looking at Plasmius, shaking his shoulders free from the harsh grip. Plasmius responded quickly by grabbing hold of the boys left arm.

"What is the matter with you? Do you not understand the seriousness of your condition right now? Or has the fact that you have been in hospital for the past fortnight not registered with you yet?" Plasmius sneered at Danny.

Danny pulled his arm away, ignoring Plasmius's continuous questions. Danny then wondered off, in no particular direction and not exactly in a straight line, trying to comprehend what had just happened. His confusion was currently affecting his ability to think clearly. Plasmius watched the boy in amazement, trying to understand for himself, what on earth Danny was doing.

"Where do you think you are you going?" Plasmius demanded, after a few seconds of monitoring Danny's behaviour.

"Nowhere…somewhere…Uh! Anywhere that's away from you!" Danny yelled at Plasmius, who had only been adding to his disorientation, "Can you just leave me alone for five minutes, please!"

"Leave you alone?" Plasmius scoffed at the teen, "You do realise that just now, in the few minutes that you were alone, you ended up in a potentially fatal position with a biker ghost and some black shadow thing! Honestly Daniel, at this rate I'm considering chaining you to the bed!"

"I had to do something! I had to stop them!" Danny retorted.

"Why? What were they doing that involved your intrusion?" Plasmius demanded, his arm directing Danny's attention to the chaotic ally, "So those ghosts were battering up an old ally, big deal. It's hardly worth risking your life over. Really Daniel, you need to learn to mind your own business."

"It is my business!" Danny snapped.

"How? They weren't doing you any harm. They were nowhere near you as a matter of fact! So why did you make it your business and attack them? Especially when you're not well enough yet for ghost combat." Plasmius debated him.

"Because… Its-its my job." Danny answered weakly, knowing his response would not go down well.

"Your job! Oh for the love of! Daniel, you are fourteen! How many times do you have to be told? Running around after ghosts is hardly a suitable job for you. You want responsibility, get a paper round, or a puppy or something. But if you keep up with this ghost fighting without the correct training you are going to get yourself killed, my boy." Vlad said bluntly. However, he softened when he saw the discouragement on Danny's face. "Oh well, you'll keep me on my toes if nothing else, hm? Come on let's get you back. Maybe if you're good I'll teach you how to use those powers of yours properly someday."

Danny glared at Plasmius, "No! I don't need you to show me how to use my powers Plasmius! I can use them just fine and, unlike you, I actually use them to help people."

Plasmius rolled his eyes at the boy's defiance, "You and your hero complex! Daniel your powers weren't given to you so that you could attempt to save the world. You have them due to the negligence of your idiot father."

"Don't you dare talk about him like that!" Danny yelled, "Don't you dare, you have no right!"

Plasmius knew he had gone too far, "Alright, calm down. Look, I just want you to understand that you are not invincible. I think I could help you, so that what happened just now with those ghosts won't happen again."

Danny cringed, he knew that he could easily take on Johnny 13 and his shadow. He had done before. But he didn't want to talk to Plasmius about what happened, and why he hadn't been able to fight them properly just now. It was too bizarre, too painful. Plasmius watched the boy, he knew there was something Danny wasn't telling him, but now was not the time or place to try and beat the information out of him.

"Daniel, I don't know about you but I am tired. It's time to go back to the hospital, I know you're not fond of the place, but hopefully its only for one more night. I think it's time to get you back to some normality." Plasmius said calmly. Danny looked at him in surprise, he was sure Vlad would try and keep him in the hospital as long as possible, just to annoy him. "Now," Plasmius continued, "Are you going to come willingly, or would you prefer kicking and screaming like last time? I can work with either."

Danny sighed, he knew for a fact that this was a battle he wouldn't win, and even he would admit to himself that he was exhausted after everything that happened, and that some rest would really benefit him right now. So he walked over to Plasmius, and continued to walk past him. Plasmius watched him and sighed inwardly, hoping this would not lead to another row. He began to follow his young charge.

"Daniel? Where are you going now?" Plasmius called after him.

"The hospital." Danny replied dryly.

"The hospital?" Plasmius repeated in surprise, "You're walking there?"

"Yes, Plasmius. I'm walking there." Danny answered irritably. He knew he didn't have the energy to fly just yet, and he wasn't willingly having Plasmius carry him there. Thankfully, the hospital wasn't far.

Plasmius smiled at Danny's stubbornness. He, of course, knew that Danny wasn't able to fly at this moment. "Alright Daniel," He said, changing into his human form, "We'll walk."

The two hybrids walked in silence for the few minutes it took to reach the hospital. When they were a few feet away from the doors a thought crossed Vlad's mind.

"Daniel, I hate to interrupt our lovely stroll, however I feel the need to point out that the nurses may find it a little strange to see us walking back to your room after a walk in the middle of the night. Don't you think?"

Danny stopped in his tracks, that correct assumption had not yet crossed his mind.

"We'll have to fly up." Vlad said, transforming into his ghost half. He watched as Danny stood there. Danny looked at Vlad and could see he was waiting. Danny called on all of his body strength to change him. It did, but was draining the remainder of his energy rapidly. Rather than flying, Danny slowly floated up the few stories necessary to reach his room. Plasmius followed at this slow pace, certain that he would have to catch the boy when his energy levels failed him and he fell. However Danny made it to the room, his human form returning the second his feet touched the floor. He more or less collapsed on the bed, sleep quickly taking him. The last thing he acknowledged before passing out was feeling the covers being pulled over him for warmth. Vlad figured Danny would appreciate this gesture in the morning.

()()()

Vlad woke up early the next morning, the bright light from the sun hitting him straight in the eyes. He yawned and looked at Danny, who was sleeping soundly. "When they said you lose a lot of sleep when a child comes along I didn't think that saying applied to teenagers." Vlad muttered irritably. However, he was pleased to say that he felt some progress had been with Danny during the night. He thought the boy had been much less argumentative and aggressive than usual towards him, during their confrontation. He hoped that was a sign that Danny was slowly beginning to accept the way things were.

Vlad decided to collect his things from the hotel and check out early. He was aware that the doctors were happy with Danny's medical progression and had been hinting at his discharge, Vlad knew that the call would fall to him today and he would be grateful to get the boy out of the hospital and settle him into a more permanent environment. Wherever that may be. Vlad knew that Danny could be averse to leave his home town, which is why Vlad had been keeping his eye on an attractive mansion based in Amity Park's finest area, Ultra Posh Polter Heights. Although Vlad would rather be in Wisconsin, he knew he would still be able to run his businesses and take care of other matters in Amity Park, should he really have to. It would just mean readjusting and moving some things around.

He lifted his coat whilst these thoughts travelled through his mind, as he was about to leave he looked at Danny one more time. It was nice to see the boy at peace for a change, he thought. Vlad had been grateful that there had been no further incidents during the night with regards to sleep terrors and nightmares. Although Vlad didn't like to acknowledge it, the idea of Danny having post-traumatic stress disorder unsettled him greatly. Vlad would contently confess that he did not have a natural way with children and young people. He would admit that initially he had been drawn to Danny because of his ghost powers, and even then their communication had not been good. Vlad knew he was still finding his feet when it came to Danny, and he feared that Danny's post-traumatic stress disorder could delay the boy's ability to move on with life, and potentially accept Vlad in it.

()()()

The doctor who was completing the rounds this morning had become familiar with Danny's case. As he examined him now, he marvelled at the boy's progress.

"This is outstanding!" He exclaimed, "It's hard to believe that this time two weeks ago you were in a coma! And your arm! Why, it's practically healed, the x-ray shows no breakage in the bone!" The doctor turned to Vlad, "Mr Master's, Daniel has made incredible progress." He stated.

Vlad smiled at the doctor's naivety, whilst Danny rolled his eyes from his bed. "Yes, I've gathered he's been doing rather well." Vlad replied simply, "Do you think he is ready to be discharged?"

"Well…I can honestly say that medically he is fine and could be discharged on that basis, with the correct and appropriate check-ups in place of course. However, considering the severity of the reasons for Daniel's admittance, we would understand why you would prefer for him to stay for further monitoring. If it were another patient with the same circumstances this would be the case, but it's your call, Mr Masters." The doctor answered.

Vlad looked down at Danny, who was eyeing the man profoundly. Vlad knew that Danny wanted out of the hospital, but he knew he didn't want to be with him outside of it anymore then he did inside. However, Vlad wanted him discharged also, he didn't think it was healthy to keep Danny cooped up for no good reason. The boy was making this clear through his reckless actions.

"I think it's time to get Daniel home, and back to normality." Vlad said to the doctor with a polite smile.

"Excellent." The doctor replied happily, feeling somewhat responsible for Danny's successful and speedy recovery, "I'll get to work on the discharged papers." He then left the room.

Vlad began to gather some of Danny's things, keen to leave. Danny watched him, feeling both elated and worried to be leaving the hospital, as he did not know what lay ahead for him.

"Vlad, where is 'home' exactly?" Danny asked quietly, not looking at the older hybrid.

Vlad stopped what he was doing and turned his gaze towards Danny, noticing how uncomfortable the boy looked. "What do you mean Daniel?"

"Are you taking me to Wisconsin?" Danny finally asked, a question which had been playing on his mind for so long.

"I would prefer to take you to live in Wisconsin, Daniel." Vlad answered, "However, if you are truly adverse this, I can make arrangements so you can continue to live in Amity Park. The choice is yours really, but just so you know, I will be included in both scenarios. So don't get any ideas."

Danny was surprised by this answer. Vlad had given him a choice. Danny had assumed the man would simply whisk him away from his old life and not care about his wishes. It was quite a selfless thing for the man to offer really, Danny didn't think Vlad was capable of this. However, his offer put Danny in a very difficult position, for although Amity Park was his home, where he grew up and created many happy memories, and had even informally become its defender against malevolent ghosts, Danny was struggling to cope with the pain from those memories, as they included people he would never see again. This was something which agonised him, and he wasn't sure that being a defender to the town was worth the pain he felt when triggers of his memories came back. (*) Danny had honestly hoped that Vlad had just taken him away, so that he could escape and leave his sadness and haunting memories behind. But wouldn't that make him selfish and weak?

Vlad looked at Danny again, concerned with how quiet he'd gone. He thought the boy would have jumped at the chance to stay in Amity Park, why was he delaying an answer?

"Daniel?" Vlad said, prompting him. Danny only turned his head away, not bearing to look at him.

"I don't know." Danny finally whispered.

Vlad raised his eyebrows in surprise. "What do you mean you don't know? I thought it was a fairly straight forward question; would you rather live in Wisconsin or Amity Park?"

"Amity Park needs me…" Danny replied, tears forming in his eyes, unbeknownst to the other halfa.

"Again with the hero complex, Daniel? Honestly, Amity Park is fine. It got by before you had ghost powers and it will get by should you leave. I'm sure young Miss Grey will gladly see to things without your input I may add." Vlad sighed, "However if you want to stay-"

"I don't." Danny choked out.

"You don't?" Vlad repeated in shock.

Danny shook his head, unable to reply verbally. The tears began to run down his face. Naturally, Vlad wanted to know why Danny had said this, he didn't understand what he meant, or what he wanted. However, he knew at this point that Danny was crying, and this was not something which Vlad knew how to deal with well. He stood in silence for a few seconds, trying to think of what he could say to the boy, what would help?

"I understand this is a very difficult decision for you Daniel, and I urge you not to make it hastily. You do not need to tell me the reasons for why you choose the place you choose, but I do ask that you make the decision based on what you feel you truly want and need right now, not what you think people expect of you. You can't hope to feel better if you don't give yourself a chance." Vlad told him gently.

Danny had listened to what the man had said, and he thought for a few minutes about what he wanted. He was so used to thinking about what others needed of him that he wasn't used to narrowing matters down to him. He wiped his eyes thoroughly, angry at himself for allowing Vlad to see him in this state again, but although it was difficult for both of them, Vlad was getting used to it, and was trying hard to understand. Even if Danny was making this difficult.

Danny breathed in, and turned to face Vlad, letting on that he didn't care that his eyes were red and teary. Vlad met his gaze, keeping his expression neutral.

"I…" Danny began, a little shakily, "I…w-want. Vlad, I-I don't know what I want." He whispered, as another tear fell done his cheek. Vlad walked over to him and put an arm around his shoulders.

"It's alright, Daniel. It's going to be okay." He said soothingly.

Danny was shaking slightly from holding in his sobs. He couldn't believe he was accepting comfort from his enemy. He knew now that he had truly hit rock bottom.

()()()

Well you lovely people, I am being cruel and leaving you with a bit of a cliff hanger! Where do you think Danny will choose? I hope you enjoyed this chapter, I hope you're as glad to see Danny getting out of the hospital as I am. That environment is a little restricting for creative writing, I'm sure you've guessed considering Danny left it a couple of times!

(*)Flash backs of the traumatic incident and trying to avoid reminders of it are symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder—just to confirm what's going on with Danny!(*)

Anyway, please tell me your thoughts, I hope to update soon, all being well. Thanks again guys!

xseriouslyx