Hi everyone! Welcome to chapter 6 of No Second Chances. I hope you are all enjoying the story so far, I must say I am enjoying writing it and I am pleasantly surprised at the positive responses my little fanfic is getting! Thank you.

But enough of that! On with the story!

()()()

Vlad had been having a tough morning, but he tried to put his thoughts on this aside every time he looked at Danny. It was clear that the broken expression on the boy's face indicated that he was having a much tougher time than Vlad, and after seeing the state of the boy, Vlad would agree with this.

It had taken over an hour for Vlad to calm Danny down, and talk him round into leaving the hospital. Danny's confliction had been driving his resistance. Vlad's patience did wear thin with the boy at one point, when he physically tried to pull the boy out of the room. Danny's response had been less than cooperative, and he retaliated by holding on to the bed railing and yelled out in protest. Vlad had to give up in this approach, for fear that Danny's screams would attract negative and unwanted attention from the nurses. All of Vlad's attempts to reason with the boy had failed. Due to Danny's fragile emotional state, he was lacking the ability to think clearly. Therefore, rather than have Danny continue to distress himself over the decision offered to him, Vlad made the call. He explained to Danny that he was going to take him to Wisconsin, as he felt that it would do him good to be taken away from the situation and any reminders which remained in Amity Park. Initially, Danny nodded, appearing to accept this proposal. However, after a few seconds had passed his crying continued, and almost louder than before. Vlad knew he was at an impasse.

"Daniel I'm not doing this to be cruel, you know." Vlad sighed, feeling a great deal of both sympathy and frustration towards the boy. "I simply think it's the wiser option. If you disagree then please tell me so as I can make the proper arrangements, but regardless of what you choose can you please hurry and make your mind up. The staff were expecting us to be gone nearly an hour ago."

Danny sucked in a large gulp of air before speaking, "Y-you didn't let me say goodbye." He mumbled shakily.

Vlad frowned in confusion, feeling his irritation levels rise again. "What are talking about?"

"In the cemetery, ages ago. You took me away…You didn't even let me say goodbye…and-and now you want to take me away for good!" Danny accused through his tears.

"Is that what this is about?" Vlad asked, almost laughing at the simplicity of the situation. "Daniel, I'm not taking you away to Wisconsin, forever banishing you from Amity Park! Let's just handle this one step at a time. Now I'm aware that you'll want to tie things up before you leave, and we can see to that. The reason why I took you away from the cemetery that day was because you were in need of medical care and had just begun recovery from a critical condition."

Danny looked up at Vlad, confused at what the man had just said. Were these his true motives? "Huh?" He slurred.

"Honestly Daniel, I'm evil, not heartless!" The man told him with a small smirk. He walked over to him and handed to him what must have been the third hankie. "Now, pull yourself together so we can get out of this blasted hospital. I can imagine you have a few things you wish to take care of before we leave to Wisconsin."

()()()

Danny was still sniffing when he was sat in Vlad's limousine. The billionaire watched him faintly out of the corner of his eye, pretending that he was focusing on his newspaper. He had become very concerned about the boy's emotional wellbeing recently. He knew that Danny would be understandably upset and needed to grieve for his family and friends. However Vlad couldn't help but feel that Danny was getting worse. He questioned if the post-traumatic stress disorder had anything to do with it. Vlad couldn't help but wonder how much of the accident Danny had seen, or been involved with to have had evoked such a severe reaction.

The limo came to a stop, Danny realised that they were parked outside of a cemetery. The one connected to the church which Tucker and his family attended. Danny had asked to pay his respects to his friends first today. As he unfastened his seatbelt, he couldn't help but notice that Vlad was doing the same.

"Umm, Vlad?" Vlad looked at the boy in response. "I kinda want to…be on my own. You know?"

Vlad paused for a second. Truthfully, he knew this, and he understood way Danny would want to be on his own, he had every right to be really. However, there was a pestering thought at the back of Vlad's mind telling him that if he let Danny go on his own, he would try to run. So as to avoid going with Vlad to Wisconsin.

"Alright, Daniel." Vlad said quietly, knowing that if he disagreed they would end up in a heated argument. "I'll wait here for you."

Danny got out of the limo and walked through the gates of the cemetery. It was only a matter of seconds that he was out of Vlad's sight completely. The man sighed, this was going against his better judgement. He was certain that the boy would try to make a run for it. Then Vlad smiled with his usual sneaky grin. He wasn't going to let Danny get the better him now. Vlad merged a duplicate of himself inside the limo and made it intangible. He flew off in the direction Danny had went, hoping that the boy hadn't got far. He caught a glimpse of Danny very quickly, the boy was standing over a grave, presumably Tucker's. Vlad kept his distance, knowing that if he went too close there was a possibility of triggering Danny's ghost sense.

Vlad could see Danny's lips moving, as though he were talking to Tucker the person. This was normal enough, Danny did say that he wanted to say goodbye, and at least he hadn't tried to run off yet or…what was it he had been doing that day to his family's grave? Vlad suddenly recalled this event back into his mind. Yes, that had been very strange indeed. Vlad drew his attention back to Danny, one hand was on the gravestone and the other was wiping his eyes. Vlad suddenly felt a pang of guilt for intruding on Danny's grieving. Clearly he had no ulterior motive here. Vlad called back his duplicate, and waited in limo for Danny.

As predicted, Danny did return several minutes later. His eyes were another shade redder, and he was holding a dark purple rose. Which, Vlad had presumed Danny had picked from one of the hedges. He hoped the boy hadn't taken it off some other poor soul's grave, but he was certain Danny wasn't the type. Vlad didn't ask what Danny was doing with the rose, he had a fair idea. Danny had requested to visit Sam Mansion's resting place next. Danny got out of the limo once again, taking the rose with him. Vlad didn't bother sending a duplicate after him this time.

Danny seemed to take a little longer visiting Sam's grave than Tucker's. Although, Vlad believed he knew why. He was sure that Danny held a fondness for Sam which he would never admit to, and Vlad knew the sting of young love all too well. He hoped that Danny wouldn't hold on to his loss for Sam like he had for Maddie for so many years. Vlad could see now that he give up the better part of his youth panging for someone he couldn't have. He hoped that Danny would have the sense not to do the same, and would live a life after all of this. Whilst Vlad had been pondering about life, and his own past, Danny climbed into the limo again, finishing wiping his eyes. The rose was gone, Danny obviously had picked it for Sam. The next stop, the cemetery were Danny's family laid to rest.

Vlad watched Danny walk up through the third cemetery. He could just about make out the Fenton's' graves from where the limo was parked. He couldn't help but watch Danny this time. He wanted to know if he would move the flowers around again. Danny appeared to speak to the graves again. Vlad was surprised by how much the boy had to get of his chest. After a few minutes, Danny got down on his knees. Vlad watched out of curiosity as Danny began to rearrange the centrepieces again. He couldn't grasp why Danny was doing this, and for quite some time too. However, when Danny returned to the limo this time, he seemed slightly more contented then what he had been before. He sat silently as they drove towards what had previously been Fenton Works.

()()()

It was on the tip of Vlad's tongue to ask Danny what he had been doing to his family's graves. Though he wanted to word it in a way in which he didn't sound like he had been prying into the boy's business. However, it was Danny who broke the silence first.

"Vlad? What's going to happen to my house?" He asked quietly, "Is it going to be sold?"

Vlad looked at the boy for a second, wondering who in the world would want to purchase that unusual residence. "No Daniel. Didn't that idiot solicitor tell you anything? Your parent's paid off the mortgage on the house, meaning they owned it. Meaning you now have inherited it. Therefore when you become of an appropriate age you can do with it as you please." Danny nodded to the man's answer. He was deeply relieved as he had been reassured that the home would always be there for him, and that no strangers would take it away whilst he was in Wisconsin.

When they pulled up outside the Fenton residence, Vlad handed Danny the keys. He had been given them, as he had been deemed the legal guardian of the only individual left who lived in the house. Danny took them, irritated by the thought of Vlad having them in the first place. Vlad sighed as Danny closed the front door behind him. He was getting very bored of all of this running around, no matter how necessary it may be. At this point, Vlad himself couldn't wait to get back to Wisconsin He was well aware that having Danny in his life fulltime now would not allow for any normality. But at least in Wisconsin, he would have his comfort and familiarity back again.

Danny wondered through the eerily empty house. The furniture had already collected a thin coat of dust. Danny felt a lump catch on this throat when he saw a framed family picture which was sat on a self in the living area. Sam and Tucker had manged to jump in this one too. It made him smile at how happy everyone looked, but tears formed at the same time as he recalled that it would never be like that again. Danny found his duffel bag and put the picture inside. He had been tempted to raid the house of all the photographs to take with him, but he knew this wouldn't work and it was ultimately a bad idea. As he knew he would become fixated with the memories the photographs held for him, and he would dwell on them, rather than move on. Still, Danny made sure that he had one good photo of all his family members. He lifted his mom and dad's wedding photo and Jazz's school photo, as they were at their happiest in these places where the photos had been taken.

Danny also gathered a few of his things to take to Wisconsin, but not much clothing. Clothes weren't important and he knew that Vlad wouldn't mind purchasing new items. He took his model rocket and space posters, as they gave him a goal to achieve for. He knew his family and friends wouldn't want him to give up on his dreams. Danny also lifted a Fenton Thermos. He knew they wouldn't want him to give up on this either. He was aware that there weren't that many ghosts in Wisconsin, but he took it anyway, just in case.

Danny wondered into his parent's room one last time. He lay down on the bed, remembering how safe he'd felt as a small child when he used sneak in in the middle of the night. With this thought fresh in his memory, he lifted one of the pillows and jammed it inside his duffel bag. Danny then walked into Jazz's room. He felt a little guilty, as he knew how much Jazz hated him going into her room without her permission. He sighed sadly as he looked at all of her trophies and prize ribbons. He knew she would've done great things with her life. Out of the corner of his eye, he caught a glimpse of a brown fuzzy thing. He looked properly, and saw Bearbert Einstein. Jazz's beloved childhood stuffed animal. Danny picked him up and smiled when he remembered how he used to tease Jazz and hide him from her when they were little. Danny knew he couldn't leave the bear behind, he knew that Jazz still loved it even now they were older, and in her own strange way, she wouldn't want him 'to be left on his own.' There was no more room in his bag, so Danny carried Bearbert.

Before Danny left his home, he thought he'd secure the ghost portal and check the lab. He feared that Vlad might have been through it, and had perhaps stolen some of his parent's more deadly equipment. However, when Danny walked down, he saw that the lab had been the way it was when he was last in it; an absolute mess. He'd previously ignored his father's request to clean it. In a way, Danny was glad he had. Vlad was such a finicky man that the state of the lab was probably highly off-putting to him. Although, Danny was surprised to find that the ghost portal had been secured already. Danny gasped, only Vlad could have done it, he was the only other person who could get into the house. But how did he know how to secure it?

As Danny walked out of the lab, thinking about the portal. He didn't like the fact that Vlad had been capable of tampering with his parent's works. However, the important thing was that the portal and lab were secure. It would mean that Amity Park was that little bit safer. As Daniel climbed the final steps, he heard someone.

"Daniel?" A voice called.

Danny sighed. He guessed this meant it was time to leave. Vlad walked into the kitchen as Danny closed the basement door behind him.

"There you are." Vlad said, "Are you alright? You've been a while."

"I'm fine." Danny retorted, irritated that the man had interrupted his 'farewell' to his home. "I'm ready." He stated, as he lifted the heavy duffel bag.

Vlad frowned at the bag. "That's all you're bringing?" He asked.

"It's all I need." Danny replied with a sniff, trying to hold back the tears again. The thought of leaving his home was starting to hurt again. He picked up Bearbert and walked towards the doorway. Vlad couldn't help but raise an eyebrow when he saw the beat up old bear. Danny looked at him, and suddenly felt self-conscious about taking the bear.

"It was Jazz's bear." He told Vlad, "She…she really loved this thing."

"I see." Vlad responded, following the boy to the door. He was quite surprised that either of the Fenton children would go for cuddly toys given they came from a tough, ghost fighting background. However, if the sentiment of the bear helped Danny to feel better, Vlad knew it would be wiser not to comment.

As they left the house Danny locked the door, but held on to the key. Vlad smirked at Danny's resistance to give it back to him. Vlad had no wish to have the key, he had no business with the Fenton's house, and if he did, he would simply turn intangible and walk through the wall. He felt that Danny should keep the key anyway, it was his right.

()()()

Vlad noticed that Danny looked extremely tired as he sat down in the limo, duffel bag and Bearbert at his feet. There was no denying that it had been a long, hard day for the young hybrid. In a way Vlad hoped that Danny would sleep on the way to Wisconsin, but at the same time he didn't. He feared that Danny's sleep pattern would be poor due to all of the changes he was experiencing, and the post-traumatic stress disorder probably wasn't helping. Vlad frowned when he thought about this, he wasn't sure how he would tackle this 'illness.' Was he responsible for getting Danny a particular medication? Or a shrink? But then he recalled his discussion with the psychologist over a week ago. There was no medication, and Danny would most certainly refuse psychiatric intervention. Vlad was concerned that he was the one who was supposed to help Danny, and how was he supposed to do that when he didn't know how, and if the boy would not let him?

"Vlad?" Danny mumbled, interrupting Vlad's train of thought. "How long does it take to fly from Wisconsin to Amity Park?"

Vlad frowned, not liking the potential context behind this question. "It's a long and tiring journey. I've only done it once or twice myself. I would be more inclined to use the Ghost Zone as a shortcut. Oh, and that reminds me, in my castle you are forbidden from using my ghost portal." Vlad told the boy bitterly. "Why do you ask anyway?"

"…I'll need to go back to tend their graves." Danny answered quietly.

"Tend their graves?" Vlad repeated in shock, "You mean your family's? Daniel, there's people at the churchyard who deal with those matters. You don't have to worry about that."

"But they do it wrong." Danny answered. "I have to fix it."

Vlad was quiet for a few seconds, trying to comprehend what the boy was talking about. And then he remembered how Danny had been rearranging the flowers on the graves. Vlad then smiled at Danny.

"That's what you were doing that day I was with you in the cemetery." Vlad clarified.

Danny nodded. "I was doing it again today. It's just that…if they're going to be there forever I-I want it to be nice for them."

Vlad continued to smile at Danny. In a way, what the boy was saying made sense, he could see why it was important to him. Vlad had never realised how complex the teenage mind was before. But then again, it could just be because it was Danny. He always saw things in a different light.

"I think I understand where you're coming from Daniel." Vlad said to the teen, "I'm sure there's a way to work around your concern so as you do not have to travel back and forth from Wisconsin to Amity Park every week, don't you?"

Danny met Vlad's eye contact. "What do you mean?"

"Well someone could be hired to tend to the graves to your pleasing." Vlad told him.

Danny scowled at Vlad, "That's not the same Plasmius." He growled bitterly, using the man's alternative name, something he did mostly when he was angry or addressing Vlad's ghost half. "You can't just throw money at everything."

"Ah. So it's not really about you wanting to 'make it nice' for them then, is it?" Vlad queried.

"What do you mean?" Danny snapped.

"What I mean is it's not just about keeping their graves well-tended. It's about you attempting to rid some of your guilt through dedicating your time and energy to them. Isn't it?" Vlad pressed, knowing he had finally scratched the surface of what was going on in Danny's mind. But then this led Vlad to wonder, why did Danny feel guilty?

Danny became silent. He didn't like what Vlad had said to him, but he realised that there was a hint of truth in it. He turned himself away from Vlad, hoping that the older hybrid would not press the issue. Danny began to feel very trapped inside the confined space of the limo. Vlad could see that Danny had become very uncomfortable, he even looked slightly ill. Vlad reached him a cold bottle of water.

"Here, drink this. You look a bit pale, are you too hot?" He asked Danny. The younger hybrid nodded, taking the water. Vlad pressed a few buttons on his arm rest, turning up the air-conditioning. He hoped the boy wasn't taking unwell.

"That should help." He told Danny.

The boy nodded, feeling the effects of the cool air around him. He felt the need to sleep, but didn't want to in the limo. He laid his head in his hand. "Is it much longer?" He asked.

"About an hour." Vlad replied. "You should sleep Daniel, you might feel better."

"Don't want to." Danny answered, thinking about the possibility of having a bad dream, and his had been horrific lately. He glanced over at Vlad. He noticed the billionaire was not looking his finest today either; he had dark circles under his eyes, his hair had lost some of its shine, and it looked like he'd missed a few spots when he'd been shaving.

"Maybe you would feel better if you slept." Danny challenged the man.

Vlad narrowed his eyes at the boy. "That would defeat the purpose of keeping my eye on you, wouldn't it, Little Badger? And besides, I'd prefer to get to Wisconsin without a biro moustache or glasses inked all over my face!"

"Would I do that?" Danny smiled. Vlad chuckled at him, it was nice to see the boy smile again, for a change. Vlad rubbed his temples.

"Headache?" Danny asked.

"Hm."

"Why don't you drink some water?" The boy suggested.

Vlad laughed at recommendation. "Oh Daniel, I think I'm going to need something stronger than water if I'm going to continue putting up with you."

"Really?" Danny asked, "Huh. I was thinking the same thing."

()()()

It was nice to end this chapter on a slightly lighter note for a change! I hope it didn't move too slowly, I felt Danny had to do all that stuff before he left. I hope for things to be more lively in upcoming chapters, it will be interesting to finally have our two favourite halfa's living together!

Hope you liked it guys. Let me know what you think!

xseriouslyx.