Balshumet: So tired, dizzy. This is the second of three chapters I am going to get out this week. The last one isn't for this story though, so no more updates till next Saturday. This chapter is long, and it still doesn't cover everything I want it to. I had to cut it off, because it would have been 16-18 thousand words if I ended it where I thought I was going to, and I promised no expanding chapters. In any case, the real announcement is going to be for the bottom of the page, but there's one last thing I wanted to say first.
Hey you lurkers, I can see you. Sneaky and reading like a master ninja. Don't be afraid to drop your ninja act though, and send me feedback, I promise I don't bite. Also, that 'R&R' I end my chapters with means, 'Read and Review' if you silent lurkers didn't know.
Plus, it's officially Saturday where I live eastern standard time, nevermind what says, so I'm posting this now, instead of mid-day tomorrow because I'm going to be busy, so I'm still on my schedule. :D
Now for the disclaimer: I do not own Danny Phantom, it is a wonderful creation by a man much more talented than I, Butch Hartman. As a author, I get no monies for this fic, it's all for the love and the internet cookies, so don't think you can sue my poor college butt for cash.
Now without further ado, the chapter. Cya at the bottom!
If the Devil Knows Your Secret…
If the tension was any thicker in here, it would be visible. Geez, what am I supposed to do? Apologize for being honest? Danny worried. The last two days since the fight on Wednesday had been bearable. Vlad had, blessedly, gone back to work. With him spending nearly the entire day on the job, and Danny doing his damndest to avoid him, they hadn't said more than a sentence or two to each other since then. Unfortunately, today was Saturday, and for some reason Vlad had the day off, when he said he worked Saturdays. So, now he was sitting across from him on the second piece of furniture around the living room coffee table. Reading a newspaper, and practically glaring a hole into it. Danny glanced nervously across the table once more, wondering what Vlad was thinking about.
Vlad resisted the urge to hiss out loud. The newspaper he was currently half reading, half glaring at, was turned to the current events page. There were two fatal, but baffling, attacks on humans in the Amity park area over the last two days. Three more attacks had resulted in hospitalization, but they all had the same odd symptoms in common, extreme fatigue resulting in cardiac and respiratory arrest, and incredibly slow metabolisms. Their bodies seemed to be producing little to no energy, resulting in massive cell death. The poor victims currently in the hospital were fighting increasingly necrotized areas of flesh and gangrene. If the wave of cell death didn't kill them, the resulting infections would. Vlad growled at the newspaper when it quoted one of the confused doctors, worried it was some kind of highly infectious agent. He knew exactly what the causes of the deaths were and bacteria and viruses weren't it. Damn that vampire.
It wasn't as if Dracul even needed the energy at this point. He just enjoyed causing suffering and pain in others. More importantly, he liked, and was nearly addicted to, the sensation of draining others of their energy. So even if he didn't need the strength, he would continue the attacks just the same.
Vlad closed his eyes as another pang of anger sliced through his self imposed cool. This was all his fault, indirectly as it was. If he had been more careful about his relationship with the ghost, maybe more deferential and punctual at the very least, this wouldn't be happening now. He felt Danny look up for the second time in the last minute. Vlad sighed. He was no longer angry at the boy; it had faded nearly immediately after the argument. But his enforced silence and heavy looks at the morning surely weren't reassuring him. He set the paper down, carefully folding it into his lap. "Daniel?" He tried to make his voice sound light and calm. The exact opposite of what he was feeling at the moment. He didn't need the boy blaming himself for the sour mood he was in.
Danny started as Vlad addressed him for the first time that morning. For the first time by name since the argument actually. Danny noted with surprise. "Yeah?" He was tentative. He could have sworn just a second ago Vlad was acting like he could burn a hole in him with only his eyes. Danny suppressed a shudder when he remembered Vlad could make ecto-blasts with his eyes. Ok, maybe Vlad could do that at some point in the future, but he was sure he would have done so by now if he could.
"I…" What had he wanted actually? To apologize? Not really, Daniel was the one who needed to be apologizing, even if he was no longer angry and had forgiven him. Though I suppose I owe him an apology for calling him a coward. Vlad crossed his legs and reached for the now cold tea on the table. He grimaced when he realized he couldn't just re-heat it as usual with Danny still there, and was stuck with cold tea. A took a sip to center himself, and decided to just plunge forward with the apology; he did deserve it after all. "I wanted to apologize for calling you a coward. It really wasn't my place. I have…certain training in dealing with ghosts, and I'm sure that was the first time you saw one, let alone had one attack you. I shouldn't have expected you to act any differently. And it's not like you just ran off, even if I didn't believe you before, I really do think you went to go get Jack." Well that last part is stretching the truth some, but still.
Danny could only blink in response. He had been expecting everything from more anger to the vague parental disappointment Vlad seemed able to guilt him with, but not an apology. "Oh well," he floundered, "t-thanks. I mean I hadn't really expected you to apologize because you were basically right, but thank you." Danny fidgeted in his seat; he really needed to apologize back. For…well a lot of things, but first and foremost for calling him crazy. Why does this Vlad have to be so nice? Why can't he just be old and bitter and evil? It would make my life so much easier. Danny thought ruefully. "I wanted to, um, apologize too."
Vlad raised an eyebrow at Danny from across the table. He hadn't really expected the boy to come out of his self-absorbed teenaged shell and apologize to him, much as he deserved one.
"What I mean is," Danny started having seen the look Vlad was giving him, "I really should understand what it's like to want a family. I wasn't joking about my parents being dead." Danny adopted a pensive look as he remembered the lie he had told, one way too close to his own fears for comfort. "My foster father isn't much of a dad, so I don't really have anyone anymore. I guess what I'm saying is, I'm sorry I called you crazy. You didn't deserve that." But you still need to get a life, one that doesn't involve my mother.Danny added internally.
"Thank you Daniel. I know you didn't really mean it; you never acted like it. Everyone says things they don't mean in anger, and I'm not immune. How about this? We forget all about that argument and chalk it up to the stress of the day?"
Here Vlad was basically offering Danny a get out of jail free card for saying everything he had been meaning to tell his Vlad in the future. He did actually mean most of that argument, especially the part about his mom and dad, but Vlad was obviously willing to bury the hatchet. More importantly, Danny thought, I need to get back on his good side to make him listen later. Wow. When did I get so manipulative? Danny contemplated. "Deal." Danny said with only a second of hesitation. This is for the good of everyone, not like Vlad's manipulative crap. Danny justified.
"Good, because I really don't like living in a house with all this tension. I have enough stress at my job without more at my home." Vlad grabbed his cup and a plate from the table and headed for the kitchen.
"Where do you work anyway? I mean I know you said you worked in Sparrowslock, but what do you do there?" Danny watched Vlad start on washing the couple of dishes they had just used. "And why in the world do you wash the dishes right after using them?"
"To answer your first question, I'm making some use out of my college education. I'm working as a researcher in a small company there. They needed more chemists, and I got a job." Vlad paused to dry off the two dishes. "As for your second, I like things to be tidy and in place. Cleaning up as I go makes that easier, especially since I work such, interesting hours." Vlad placed the dishes back up into the sparse cupboards and headed back towards the living room.
Danny scrunched up his nose at the thought of cleaning. He really wasn't fond of the stuff, and frankly couldn't imagine wanting stuff clean enough to do it several times a day. His room back home was practically a mine field of old pizza boxes, dirty clothes, misplaced items, and his parents ghost hunting supplies. And it wasn't like he didn't come by the clutter honestly; his parents' basement/lab was just as bad, if not worse, than anything his room could come up with. Cluttered with weapons, designs for weapons, dust, dirt, and wiring, Danny had been convinced all labs looked that bad until he snuck into Vlad's.
"So little badger, how about we go shopping? Since you seem to be staying here for the foreseeable future, and eat like there's a small singularity replacing your stomach as an organ, I'm out of food."
Danny blinked at the vaguely familiar word. "Singularity?" He asked still a little asleep. It wasn't even 8am yet in fact. God knows why Vlad likes to be up this early, I can barely think.
Vlad chuckled at the question. "A black hole Daniel. Another name for them, though I'm surprised you haven't heard of it, as technical as the name is. You do actually like space don't you?"
"Yes!" Danny exclaimed, defensive about his knowledge being called into question. He wasn't good at a lot of things in school, but space knowledge was one of them. "It's just so damn early. I don't understand how you work before 10am." Danny griped.
Vlad hummed before responding, "I'm just a morning person, though it does help to not be a growing teenage boy anymore." He stood from the couch to fulfill what was becoming a routine. Toss clothes out of the bedroom, listen to Daniel complain about his fashion choices, get dressed and wait by the door while the boy primped. Though this time, he may have a good reason to primp. We should actually make it to the local mall, well what passes for a mall around here.
A few minutes of morning routine later found the two of them descending the stairs out of Vlad's apartment.
"All I'm saying is, you could let me wear something other than jeans and polos."
"Daniel, did you even take up my offer of looking through the closet?"
"Wait," Danny passed a surprised glance Vlad's way, "you were serious about that? What happened to, 'and don't you dare touch my things with my permission again, or there won't be a body to find!'?"
Vlad rolled his eyes as he reached into his pants pocket for the car keys. He was about to respond, when a warm tingling distracted him. He warily scanned the area. He was sure he had just sensed a ghost. More importantly, he was almost certain about which one it was. He looked back in time to catch Daniel scanning the area like he had just been. Interesting. Vlad thought, filing it away in the ever-growing list of "weird things Daniel did without cause." It, incidentally, included having near precognitive knowledge of the Fenton's and his life, having nearly no back-story but intense emotions about it nonetheless, and random bouts of lying. He still wasn't sure what it all meant, but he wasn't one to give up so easily. He'd figure it out; he was a patient man. "Of course I didn't mean that about the closet Daniel. You are more than welcome to try on anything in there, but knowing you, you'd say it was all 'lame' or something." Vlad slammed the door to the driver's side as another tingle slid up his spine. You had better not try anything here bastard.
"Well whatever's in there, it has to be better than this." Danny said while gesturing to his current getup.
"I mean really, I look like I belong on a golf course as a caddy, or in some fancy club with other snooty brats." When Vlad didn't respond, Danny shot a look his way. "You're supposed to disagree." Danny complained dryly.
"You said it Daniel, not me." Vlad smiled through the half hearted glare Danny was sending his way, and focused back on the road. The grocery store wasn't very far from his house, but they were going to the mall first. As a surprise of sorts for Danny, he complained enough about the clothes he was wearing, and Vlad supposed he couldn't keep wearing his own, ill-fitting as they were.
Danny crossed his arms, and hid his ghost sense behind a cough. He wasn't sure who it was, but some ghost was following them. It had been since they left the apartment. He was getting a sinking feeling this ghost was the same one who had attacked them at the Fenton household. Dra-Dracul or something. Whatever, he had better not ruin my day today. Danny turned towards the window to hide his ghost sense going off again, even as he mentally resigned himself to another fight in the past.
Vlad took a turn down a country road leading farther from town. There really was no mistaking it now. Dracul had been following them for the last few minutes, and he was getting closer. He didn't know when the psychotic monster was going to make his move, but he didn't want to be in town when he did. They had just made it to the half way point on the impromptu escape from town, when someone appeared suddenly in the middle of the road. Luckily, there was no one else around on the road, so Vlad was able to swerve successfully.
Danny's hands braced the dash board as the car dipped and dived around the obstacle, the person, Danny's mind helpfully supplied. He hadn't been wearing his seatbelt, and he was beginning to regret it. Danny turned around in his seat, trying to get a view of the person they had so narrowly avoided. It was nowhere to be seen. Cold icy dread slithered down his spine when he realized the person had basically just disappeared. He whipped his head back around towards Vlad when he heard the engine rev as Vlad sped up.
Vlad narrowed his eyes. He hadn't missed the disappearing act the person shaped obstacle had pulled. "Daniel, we have a bit of a problem. I think that ghost from a few days back is following us." He pressed the accelerator harder when he felt Dracul set off his ghost sense again. He made a sharp turn down another small dirt road. "And put on your fucking seat belt." He hissed over at a stunned Danny practically landing in his lap from the turn.
Danny scrambled back into his seat, recovering from the turn. He reached back and fumbled with the seat belt as they zipped down another road, and he was forced against the glass. "Slow down!" Danny complained, sure Vlad had to be going at least 90 by now.
Vlad gripped the steering wheel harder. They had to get out of town. They just had to. If not, more people were going to get hurt. And while he could probably scare Danny into keeping his secret if push came to shove, the more deserted the area was when the fight started the better. So he pressed the accelerator into the floor, and pushed the little car he owned as fast as it would go. He wasn't a Nascar driver by any means, but there was no one else around, and he knew a few tricks he'd learned to impress girls back in high school. He put the car back into third, and used the transmission to slow down, so the wheels wouldn't lock, before putting it back in fourth as he whipped onto the last road he needed to use to get out of town.
"Damn it! Slow down, we are going to die!" Danny had a death grip on the dash and his seat, legs spread as he pressed down against the front of the inside of the car, eyes wide with terror. He wasn't sure where in the world Vlad had learned that, but he was sure they had taken the last turn still over 100 miles an hour. If he thought his own father was a bad crazy driver, Vlad was certainly convincing him otherwise. He passed a terror stricken glance at Vlad, chest heaving as he panted while his heart thumped. The car only got faster. Has the Fruitloop completely lost his mind?
Suddenly, the road in front of them disappeared into a cloud of dust and dark smoke.
Vlad narrowed his eyes, and expertly dodged the now gaping hole in the road. They were almost home free. A few more popped up in front of the car, and he was forced to slow down to have enough to time maneuver around them. Finally, they passed the town's limits, and left the last of the buildings behind. Still, they needed a few more miles of road to make sure none of the ensuing chaos would spill over into the town.
The next several miles were passed in hair raising tension. Vlad would swerve around the sudden holes in the road, and Danny would resist the urge to scream from the constant lurching of the car.
Danny wasn't the most easily shaken up, he never really got car sick, but the last several miles had him questioning if he really did want to be an astronaut. Vlad had executed some moves that would make stunt drivers impressed, and Danny was sure he could feel breakfast about to make a sudden reappearance. Just when he was about to ask Vlad for mercy-getting blasted by that crazy ghost can't be any worse than Vlad's driving-Danny reasoned, Vlad spun the car completely around on the road. Basically parallel parking it into place on the side of the road in a single motion. Somewhere beyond the stomach lurching nausea Danny noted that he had actually used the brakes this time.
"Stay. in. the. car." Vlad gritted out firmly. Danny had to stay out of this; there was nothing else he could do to keep him safe. He could keep watch on the car, but if Danny got out and tried to…to…anything he'd be living target practice for Dracul. He opened the driver's side door, and got out to face Dracul. He could explain everything that was about to happen later. Assuming there is a later. Vlad worried. Truthfully, he wasn't fully recovered from his last fight with Dracul. The sudden increase in energy production he had placed on his core during the fight had made it harder for him to recover later. He was about at 80% power, but it really would have to do.
Dracul was standing off about 20 feet away. He had been feeding on the humans around the area to regain his power. While at first, it was because humans were much safer targets than ghosts, lately it was because he enjoyed the taste of human energy. It was warm and filled with vibrancy, something spectral energy distinctly lacked. He watched with cool disinterest as Vlad exited the car. At one time, he had wanted the interesting ghostling as his apprentice. He was beginning to question what he had been thinking. Dracul wasn't a stupid ghost. It was obvious from Vlad's behavior earlier; he had been trying to get the fight out of the city. He must have been so blinded by Vlad's usefulness that he ignored the ghost's inordinate attachment to the human race. He was really useless because of it, and Dracul didn't have the patience after their last fight to free him of the weakness. It's a shame. He could have been so powerful. Dracul uncrossed his arms and waited for the other ghost to drop his human disguise. "Here we are. And I thought you would come challenge me, instead of making me seek you out."
Vlad walked to the front of the car and walked a few paces towards Dracul. He wasn't looking forward to this fight. He was really a close combat fighter at this point, instead of using energy, but he couldn't get too close to Dracul without losing. If Dracul got a hold of him, he was, well, boned. Vlad took up Dracul's former stance and opted to respond before transforming. "You make me sound like a coward. Like I told you before, plenty of times, I have more important things to do than spend all of my time worrying about you."
Dracul's mouth melded into a cruel smile. "Yes I can see that." He said while making a vague gesture to the car behind Vlad. "You care for these human creatures for some reason. But I thought the attacks of the humans you are so irrational fond of would get your attention."
Vlad hissed as his eyes glowed red in response to Dracul. "You should have never attacked those people. They have nothing to do with your grievances with me." Vlad stated coldly.
"Quite the contrary," Dracul bared his fangs and licked his lips, "they are entirely the reason for my grievances with you. While they taste delicious," Dracul stopped when he heard Vlad growl low in his throat in response. "You for some reason like these human creatures, even more than our kind." Dracul chuckled when Vlad sent a nasty glare in his direction. "No matter." He said while turning intangible and beginning to slip through the earth. "It is a weakness I plan on exploiting fully." Dracul stated just as his head disappeared through the concrete beneath him.
Vlad felt his senses go on high alert. He wasn't sure what Dracul's plan of attack was, but he needed to assume Danny was in serious danger. Just like Maddie had been last time. He has an annoying habit of using humans as shield and distractions. Vlad carefully scanned the horizon for signs of Dracul reappearing. He still hadn't transformed, wanting to put off what was basically the inevitable for as long as possible. Suddenly, Vlad sensed Dracul reappear directly behind him.
Dracul turned intangible directly behind the car. He smirked as he lobbed a medium sized ecto-blast towards the vehicle.
Vlad gasped and jumped back towards the car, transforming mid-jump. He arrived just in time to turn the whole automobile, Danny and all, intangible. He glared back at where Dracul had just been standing. The ghost had disappeared again. Vlad set up a large pink tinted shield when several more ecto-blast rained down towards the vehicle. He was basically pinned against the hood of the car, stuck holding the shield up physically instead of mentally because of the constant attacks. Worse he could practically imagine Danny hyperventilating and freaking out over all of this. Oh what did you do today Daniel? Nothing Mr. Fenton, I just had some crazy ghost try to blast me into pieces. Oh well, an ordinary day for you then. Vlad stopped his mental ramblings, and dived back into the car during a break in the attacks. To his surprise, Danny was calmly staring back at him across the car cabin. In fact, Vlad was nearly sure Danny had been more freaked out by the drive there than what was going on at the moment. "Daniel," another loud blast slammed into his already cracking shield without him reinforcing it. "I know this must be difficult, but I need you to trust me little badger." He held out his hand, and prepared to turn them both intangible and fly them out of the car when the shield broke.
Danny stared back at the offered hand. Vlad just can't be serious. There was no way he was going out there. It wasn't like he was actually defenseless; he just couldn't use his powers, which made him defenseless for all practical purposes. He would be putting his safety and life in Vlad's hands, literally, if he took his hand at the moment. Personally, being stuck in a car burning from an ecto-blast sounds more pleasant. Danny noted. But he didn't really have a choice, if the shield surrounding the car was any indication, and Clockwork's 'words of wisdom' were coming back to haunt him again. Danny sighed and reached over towards Vlad. I had better be working up the good quality karma for this shit.He bit his lip as he felt the distinct tingle of intangibility travel through his body.
Vlad wrapped an arm around Danny's waist and dove through the side of the car, just as the shield protecting it broke. No sooner had it dropped, than another ecto-blast had slammed into the hood of the car. The sedan burst into flames, as the engine caught fire, and the inferno licked back towards the gas tank. Vlad barely had time to land on his feet with them both, before the car exploded; sending large chunks of burning metal their direction. He turned them both intangible as debris rained around them.
High above the both of them, Dracul floated impassively. Alit with the combined glow of his own ghostly energy and the dark smoke churning fire, he was an imposing sight. He was bored with this fight already; the distraction of the human in the car detracting significantly from his opponent's fighting ability. Dracul crossed his arms and waited. My little pet should be done playing 'nice' soon enough.
Vlad set Danny down behind him and narrowed his eyes up at Dracul. The monster had nearly blown Danny into chunks with that last attack, and he had only had five more payments on that car. As irrational as it was at the moment, he was actually pretty pissed that car had gotten blown up. He made an internal note to give Dracul an extra good beating for it, before flying from behind the sky choking smoke to meet his adversary in the air. "That was a bad decision Dracul." Vlad stated as he flew through the dark oil burning smoke from below. He was greeted to the sight of a very bored looking Dracul, examining his claws.
"You've been saying that a lot lately, but you've yet to demonstrate it"
"Allow me to rectify that oversight." Vlad hissed while sending a large pink ecto-blast towards Dracul.
Dracul barely had time to intake breath, before the attack was upon him. A last second teleportation saved him from the scalding pain. The blast sailed uninhibited into the earth below, scotching it a charred black. He spared a glance to the sizzling ground below from his new position just to the left of Vlad. That had been way too close for comfort.
Vlad sent a blast in a sweeping arc across the sky and towards Dracul's new position.
Dracul placed a quick green shield up to block the attack, and sent a green blast back in response. He watched as Vlad flew directly through the blast and quickly closed the distance. The attack caught him off guard, and a well executed kick found itself planting in his jaw.
Vlad watched as his opponent flipped back through the air out of control, before sending a green blast into his chest. He winced when Dracul hit the ground. It had caused a resonating tremble to shake the surrounding area. He took a deep breath to calm his frayed nerves. He was letting his frustration get the better of him. It was the same basic reason his attacks were green now instead of pink. He needed more control; the wilder attacks weren't going to do him any good in a fight where he needed to conserve energy. Vlad noticed Dracul struggling to get out of the crater he had sent him into with the last attack with a note of triumph. It serves the arrogant prick right for underestimating me. Vlad thought smugly.
Dracul shook his head to clear the ringing still resounding in his ears. That last ecto-blast had been more powerful than he thought; the raw power of the green spectral energy Vlad used wasn't unknown to him. He had just never seen Vlad attack with it before. Better steer clear of those. Dracul concluded with holding his aching head. He shook off the remainder of dirt on his clothes before flying right back at Vlad. The more physical the fight the better for him. It gave me more opportunity to drain energy from his enemy.
Vlad dodged Dracul's wild swipes, making sure to stay well out of grabbing distance. He was carefully leading Dracul farther away from Danny as the fight went on. The farther the better in his opinion, less chance of a stray blast, or sudden change in tactics getting Danny caught in the cross-fire. He charged and sent out three pink ecto-blasts, pushing Dracul further away from the area where Danny was standing.
Dracul dodged the first two, but the last one slammed into his chest. He groaned as the blast bit into him. That was the second time the area around his core had taken a direct hit. Worse, he couldn't get close enough to grab Vlad. His body was healing the assorted burns and wounds from the spectral energy attacks Vlad was giving off. The problem was, this sapped a lot of his strength, and concurrently, left him weaker and weaker as time passed. His opponent need not even land a solid death blow. All of the small attacks added up to a serious problem combined with his healing abilities and low stamina.
Vlad was well aware of Dracul's poor stamina. He had seen him hunt often enough to recognize the vampire liked to end fights quickly, and as physically as possible. He wasn't going to let him get that close. All he had to drag this out and the fight was as good as his. Vlad sent another small ecto-blast at Dracul. This time it hit his left arm, stopping another poorly controlled attempt at a grab in its tracks.
Dracul hissed and pressed his right arm into the wound on the upper part of his left. It wasn't healing, that was the worst possible sign at the moment. He only stopped healing immediately from attacks when he was low on energy. If the growing dizziness he was feeling was any indication, he was fading fast. He had severely underestimated his adversary's abilities, and was paying for it dearly. Dracul had been sure the last battle had fallen out of his favor because he was out-numbered, but it seemed the ghost he was fighting was smarter than he let on. He needed a new plan, quick. He needed…Dracul caught sight of something appearing through the finally thinning smoke of the wreckage.
Danny had been warily watching the fight for the last five minutes or so. He had no idea the smoke had been blocking him from view of the fight from the air, but he was still nervous as a rabbit in a fox den. Even if Vlad was handling the fight now, there was no telling when the ruthless ghost would decide to attack him instead to get to Vlad. He shifted his feet as Dracul took another superficial wound. Darn it, this would go much faster if Vlad would just attack him straight on. Danny was tempted to transform and do just that. As silly as it sounded, it was hot as Hades because of the fire raging not ten feet away from him, and he wanted to get away from the middle of nowhere on the side of a dirt road. That vampire isn't much of a threat; this fight should have been over like 5 minutes ago. He was basically just impatient with standing in the hot sun, while Vlad dicked around with the fight going on above him.
Dracul suppressed the urge to grin at the defenseless child standing only a few feet away from the car he had destroyed. So he was able to get the boy out safely. Dracul silently congratulated his former ally's ingenuity. He had hidden him in the path of the smoke, obviously thinking the fight would be over before it cleared enough for it to be a problem. He snapped his eyes back towards Vlad. With a self-assured smirk, he held out a still semi-bloody right palm towards Vlad. At the last possible second, he sent his projectile down directly towards Danny. Let's see you stop that one pet.
Danny jumped as a bright nearly forest green blast headed directly for him. He had been sure that attack was for Vlad, now he was left staring wide eyed as the crackling energy headed directly for him. He winced, threw his hands out and…
Vlad watched in stunned horror as the blast that was meant for him, should have been, oh why isn't it, meant for him rushed down towards Danny. He was way too far away to stop the blast, having moved the battle farther down the road to avoid this exact scenario. If only he had realized the smoke was clearing, if only he was faster, if only I was -
Vlad blinked when he realized he was directly in front of Danny. He barely had time to contemplate the miracle when the same dark green blast he had seen sailing towards Danny slammed into his chest, knocking him several yards away into a long trench of disturbed dirt. How did I? Vlad thought dazed.
Dracul felt his eyebrows jump nearly into his hair line. The ghostling teleported? When did he learn to do that? Dracul wondered with concern as he watched Vlad plow into the earth from his attack. No matter, it seems my attack fulfilled its purpose well enough. Dracul teleported on top of Vlad before he could react. He reached down sunk his hand directly into Vlad's core. He had had enough of Vlad's interference, and planned on fixing it permanently. Dracul placed a knee in Vlad's gut to keep him in place as he began stealing energy from the still dazed Vlad.
Danny watched in horrified silence as Dracul's hand disappeared into Vlad's chest. He wasn't sure what the vampire's game was but if the sharp reduction in Vlad's ghostly aura was any indication; it wasn't going to be good. Danny didn't have many options left. He either transformed and stepped into the fight, or watched a dazed Vlad get sucked dry by the sadistic ghost perched on top of him. Danny's vague worries about disrupting the time line were thrown to the wind when he heard Vlad's pained scream. He didn't have time for hesitation. Besides, I'm better at leaping before looking anyway.
Dracul let out of sound of pure delight as the powerful energy coming off of Vlad settled into his body. The power that circulated inside the ghost was always interesting, but now that he had his hand around Vlad's core, Dracul could feel just how unique it was. It was nothing like anything he had ever tasted. It was blazing hot, concentrated and intense, but mostly it was strangely pure and vibrant. That last part reminded him of human energy, and for the first time since meeting Vlad, Dracul wondered if the human disguise was an act after all. He was so engrossed by the energy pouring into his body from the being beneath him; Dracul missed the battle cry sounding from behind him.
Danny rushed forward and charged into Dracul, placing his shoulder squarely into the monster's unprotected side. He watched Dracul skid to a stop on the rough dirt road, before turning to look down at Vlad.
Vlad was reeling with pain. His chest felt like it was on fire, and his head as pounding. Somewhere in the back of his mind he realized he was still in a fight, but the majority of his thoughts were centered on not passing out. A wave of pain and nausea slammed through his body, and it was all he could do to just curl up in a ball and breathe through the pain. He felt a distant echo of a new ghost signature, oddly familiar, pang through his abused body, and prayed that whoever it was could hold the vampire ghost off for a minute or two.
Danny was having a hell of a time keeping out of Dracul's reach. After he had thrown the vampiric ghost from a hold a few seconds back, he realized why Vlad had been so determined to keep his distance from the ghost.
Dracul could feed on energy just by touching someone.
And here I thought he had to bite people like he had done to Vlad that one time. Danny turned intangible to avoid another hold, and used his speed to whip around for an attack on Dracul's blind side.
This would have been so much easier with his superior speed if Dracul wasn't an expert teleporter. Dracul could combine the energy draining with his teleportation powers to appear practically right on top of Danny. The combination made movement difficult, and avoiding him even harder.
Danny fired several quick small blasts into Dracul's midsection and backed away. Danny noticed with growing concern that none of his attacks seemed to be doing any damage. It's like those stupid end game bosses in arcade games with like 10,000 health points. Danny grimaced and fired an especially large blast concentrated to lime green in color.
The blast caught Dracul off guard, and he went sailing uncontrollably through the air. Dracul hissed as that last attack took a few moments longer to heal than before. He didn't have time for another ghost to wear him down at the moment. What surprised him most was that not only was this the same ghost from the last fight, but he was sure it was the same being as the supposedly defenseless child a handful of seconds ago. He wasn't sure how the child had managed it, but in an instant he had transformed from a nearly defenseless human being, to a very powerful and damnably fast ghost. Dracul hissed as another small attack stung his back. It healed immediately, but he didn't need the draw on his energy reserves at the moment. If only the ghost wasn't so fast…He teleported and tried another hold on the boy.
Danny went intangible again, and Dracul's hands slipped through him harmlessly. He flew out of range, and fired another medium sized blast at the ghost's body. This one missed, but landed only a few feet from where Vlad was slowly recovering on the ground. Danny made a note to keep Vlad's position in mind, as he dodged another swipe. The battle just kept changing directions, and even though it had barely been two minutes, Danny was getting dizzy.
Dracul just kept teleporting and reappearing behind Danny. It made it practically impossible to keep him in sight, and only his distinct speed advantage was keeping him safe far.
Still, I can't keep this up forever. Danny realized. He'd never admit it out loud, but he was missing Vlad's back-up at the moment. When he had faced Dracul the first time, the creature had been distracted by his anger and Vlad's and his mom's interference. Now, he was completely focused on getting a hold of him, and worse, super charged with even more of Vlad's energy than before. Danny twisted out of a hold on his arm, and shrugged off the abrupt dip in his energy he knew came with Dracul's touch. Danny put up a solid ecto-shield, needing time to think.
Vlad had finally gotten his wits about him, and began taking stock of the situation. He had a good hold on the amount of injures and energy loss he had just suffered. The physical injuries were mostly superficial, with the exception of his shocked core. It was sputtering from the sudden assault from Dracul, and the high level of output he'd been requesting of it as of late. It wasn't anywhere near recovered from that last attack, but he didn't really have much of a choice but jump back into the fray. I don't know how long that other ghost could hold Dracul off, and Daniel was-Vlad started when he realized Danny was nowhere to be seen. His head swiveled left and right, looking for where the supposedly nearly defenseless Danny had gotten. Vlad didn't blame him if he had run off, but this was really no time for it. Vlad's eyes were drawn inexplicably upwards, as the sounds of battle took on a more desperate note.
Dracul was losing patience and strength too. The constant teleporting needed to keep up with the ghostling was sapping his powers, and he had yet to get a solid hold on the new ghost.
Vlad stared in growing awe as a new thought slowly crawled its way from his subconscious to the front of his mind. That's…That's Daniel. Even as the thought had completed itself, he dismissed it almost immediately. There was just no way. There was really no way at all. Daniel was human, he knew that instinctively. The energy he gave off was solidly in the realm of the living. He breathed, he ate, he slept, and yet here he was above him fighting Dracul off with spectral energy and flying. The two pictures of Danny coalesced in his mind into a single conclusion, Danny was half-ghost. Another impossibility. He thought numbly. The power needed to make a half ghost wasn't available everywhere, and certainly the only working, even half way, portal had been confiscated by the university after his own accident. A scream drew Vlad's attention out of his own mind and back to the battle above.
Danny had been holding out admirably against his much more experienced opponent, when he had made a fatal error. He got distracted. He glanced back towards Vlad, for only a moment, to check on him.
Dracul had exploited the distraction mercilessly. He quickly got the hold he had been seeking for the entirety of the short fight, and tossed Danny into the ground.
With a cry of shock, Danny had slammed into the earth, which quickly brought a cry of pain to his lips. He held his spinning head as he began lifting himself out of the crater his fall had created. He let out a strangled cry, half pain half surprise, when Dracul landed roughly on his back from above. The cry he let out next made the last two seem like keening yelps as he felt something icy cold settle into his chest.
Dracul almost moaned in delight. The younger ghost had almost the same type of energy as Vlad, only it was nearly burningly cold. It had the same pure vibrant feeling that was so addictive though, and that's what mattered at the moment. In fact, the younger ghost's energy was even purer if possible. It was so overwhelming he barely noticed Vlad appearing right in front of him.
Vlad had looked up in time to watch Danny plummet from the sky and land in the ground across the dirt road from him.
Dracul had teleported down, and was reaching inside Danny before either Vlad or Danny could react.
Now, Vlad wasn't sure how, he was in front of Dracul hands fisted in rage. He was so angry, he was literally seeing red. His hands snapped out, almost on their own, and centered themselves around Dracul's throat. He watched, nearly detached from the intensity of his own emotions, as Dracul writhed in his grasp. Here, in his possession now, he felt Dracul trying to draw more of his energy away. The action only added fuel to the brightly raging fire in the pit of his stomach. That he would dare to attack Daniel, to use him like that. Somewhere behind all of his rage he knew it wasn't just from his usual protectiveness of others. Danny wasn't just the average citizen he wanted to keep safe anymore, the ghostly glow around his form attested to that fact. He growled low and threatening as he roughly shoved his intangible hand into Dracul and yanked. He'd done this dozens of times already to the poor weak mindless ghosts that he fed to Dracul regularly.
Dracul protested weakly, will greatly cowed under the strength of the determined mindset currently tugging at his core. Only the natural instinct of self-preservation keeping him from being killed right there and then.
Vlad could feel Dracul's will faltering under his attack. He'd just about ripped the core clean out of the psychotic creature, when he heard Danny cry out in protest. Before he could really respond, Danny was on his arm, pleading with him to stop. To what? Spare this despicable cretin. Hardly. Vlad felt his grip tighten around Dracul's core nearly instinctively at this point, before another insistent tag snapped him out of his killing rage. He could hear Danny's voice more clearly now. Terrified, pleading, and sounding much younger than he remembered it. He felt himself falling away from his previous bloodlust, and released slightly his hold on Dracul.
Dracul knew an opportunity when it presented itself. Something about the younger ghost had stopped Vlad from killing him. He knew not to look the gift horse of good luck in the mouth, and sent a weak blue with green tinge ecto-blast into Vlad. It wasn't much, but it got him away from the suddenly vicious other ghost, and it was the reprieve he needed.
Vlad was thrown back foot or so from Dracul's attack but quickly recovered. He was about to send a serious barrage of attacks Dracul's way when a sickening wave of dizziness attacked him. He had momentarily forgotten about his own tiredness because of his anger, but now it was back in full force.
Danny, looking for the world the best out of the three of them, stepped in between a currently swooning Vlad and the panting Dracul on his hands and knees on the ground. He hadn't wanted Vlad to kill the other ghost a few moments ago, though now he was rethinking that position slightly. He still didn't want him dead, certainly, but he would really give anything for a way to incapacitate it at the moment. What I wouldn't give for a Fenton thermos right now. Danny glanced back over at Vlad as he recovered from his dizzy spell.
For a few tense seconds the trio just stared at one another and panted. Finally, Dracul stood up straight and crossed his arms. "It seems we are at a stand-still. Plasmius, this is not over. I'll be back, much sooner than you think." With that, Dracul faded into the wispy smoke of teleportation.
Vlad and Danny shared a look of relief before collapsing onto the dirt. They were exhausted.
Vlad didn't want to break the comfortable silence they were sitting in just yet, but he had so many questions. Each one bubbled up from his center, begging to be voiced, but still he resisted. He had to ask something though, so he settled for, "Daniel are you alright?" It wasn't exactly what he wanted to ask first, something like how long have you been a half ghost tickling his mind the most, but it would have to do.
Danny shifted in his spot next to Vlad in the dirt. He turned to answer when something startling finally caught his attention. Vlad didn't look the same. That wasn't exactly right, though, that's what he was thinking. Danny took a moment to actually take in his appearance with growing malaise. The outfit was nearly the same, but it lacked the cape. Where had he picked that up anyway? Danny wondered as he absorbed the other differences. His hair didn't point straight up for one, and he lacked the conspicuous fangs and blue skin for another. For all intents, other than eyes that shone a bright red, they still have pupils he noted; he looked a lot more like him. At least in the 'only a color reversed version of himself' kind of way. It left him wondering when Vlad's changes had happened, and more importantly if his own appearance were subject to sudden changes in the future. Danny shivered. That idea wasn't at all pleasant, he was just getting used to being half-ghost after all.
Vlad frowned when he noticed Danny didn't look like he was going to respond. So he repeated, "Daniel are you hurt?" This time he struggled his way onto his feet, tired as a bear right before winter, and began looking him over much closer.
"Oh! No. I mean not badly." Danny shrugged off Vlad's worried hands, and made his way to his feet as well.
"Well that makes one of us." Vlad winced as he felt his tired core pulse in protest. He really needed to transform, but they were nowhere close to the city limits, and if he was this tired in ghost form, his human half was probably practically hibernating from exhaustion. He looked tiredly towards the sky, and wished he could really just tel-The next thought hit him like thunder. I teleported just a few minutes ago.His sudden appearances near Danny made a lot more sense in light of the new realization. He filed away his new power for examination, and squashed the sense of accomplishment. He really didn't have energy to waste on getting excited. "Daniel, I'm afraid we are going to have to fly home. We don't have to worry about being seen now, but inside the city limits, I suggest staying invisible." Vlad floated off the ground, and started off wobbly into the sky, with not even a glance behind.
Danny grumbled and started after him. He might not have been as tired as Vlad, but flying at the moment, especially with the weird way his…ghost heart thingy, was pulsing didn't make him comfortable. He squashed down the complaint trying to come to his lips. If he was feeling this crappy, there was no telling how bad Vlad felt. "How far out are we?" Danny hoped the answer was close, but at this point it didn't really matter how close.
"Far enough to make the next 10 minutes miserable." Vlad supplied before focusing on staying in the air. His weariness had nearly tripled from being in the air, and despite the questions buzzing inside his mind like a bee hive, why why why do you exist?; he didn't voice any of them. It was taking all he had to stay airborne. Besides, it can wait. He reasoned.
Vlad floated, invisible, as a wave of some combination of anger and awe vibrated through his being. Below him was the smoldering wreckage of his apartment building, just now being put out by the local fire department. He and Danny had arrived a few minutes back to the horrible sight of the charred remains of his building, still smoking and on fire in some places. They had watched in muted emotional and physical exhaustion fueled numbness as the fire department put the last of the blaze out. It had only taken them about 15 minutes to fly back, as slowly as they were going, but it was obvious what the source of the blaze had been.
His energy was all over the place, layered over the rubble like a taint.
Vlad closed his eyes, as he felt another burning wave of anger mixed with frustration roll through him. Even if most of the people had gotten out alright there was still a good chance people had died. The blaze had surely started abruptly, leaving them little time to escape.
What was even more enraging, Dracul had no reason to waste energy like this. He had done it for the sole purpose of hurting something he thought Vlad cared about in retaliation.
For the first time in his life, Vlad regretted not killing something. Dracul was more than a nuisance; he was dangerous and volatile. He looked over at Danny, and watched as the boy took in the scene below him with growing horror. Vlad shook his head; they really did need to get out of here. He motioned for Danny to follow him, and flew off towards a nice diner they could talk in discretely for the time being.
Danny followed Vlad in stunned silence. He had expected the little building they shared to be in one piece when they got there. Now he was left with a vague sense of dismay as he followed Vlad away from the view of his smoldering building. He felt slightly queasy as he chased down the thoughts that had left him a moment ago. What if everyone didn't get out? What if some of the nice neighbors he had run into occasionally were dead now? Vlad doesn't even have a possession in his name now, between the car and the apartment...God this is my fault. Why didn't I just let him kill that stupid ghost? Why do I always have to be so caring? Why do I assume the best in everyone? Why, why, WHY? Danny berated himself as he landed behind Vlad. He quickly followed Vlad's example by transforming.
Vlad came to a stop outside of a cozy and dingy diner in the main street of the town. He nodded to the waitress he knew on staff and took a seat at the booth in the back corner. It was secluded and dark, just what he wanted. He wasn't sure how this conversation was going to go, but he knew it wouldn't be all that subtle since it involved Danny. Still he needed answers.
Danny sat on the opposite side of the booth, and laid his head against the table. He was more than physically tired now, he was practically expecting Clockwork to come and smite him at any minute. If he thought the interactions with Vlad and his parents were bad, he was sure being indirectly responsible for the deaths of other people basically made him dead meat.
The waitress brought them two cups of coffee, and started prattling off about their specials for the day.
Luckily, Vlad was more coherent than Danny at the moment, and waved her off with some modicum of manners, feigning needing time to decide.
Vlad calmly interlaced his fingers on the table, before looking back up at Danny. "So Daniel, is there anything you'd like to share with me?" He knew this conversation wasn't likely to end polite, but he could at least start it off that way.
"Not really." Danny mumbled around the rim to the teacup holding the too strong diner coffee.
"Then allow me to re-phrase, is there anything I deserve to know?" When Danny looked about ready to ignore that request, Vlad decided to be more direct. "I'm sick of beating around the bush Daniel. You owe me damn it. If not for sheltering you from everything with the Fentons and real life, then for just a few minutes ago. You might not really appreciate it at the moment, but I saved your ass a few minutes ago, so pony up some answers kid."
Danny noticed Vlad only called him "kid" when he was really angry or feeling distant from him. It really wasn't a good sign. But I really do owe him something after all this. Danny shifted in his seat under Vlad's strong expectant gaze. "What do you want to know?" Hopefully this little Q&A would be over soon.
"The first thing I'd like to know is where you got ghost powers."
"Yeah, not answering that." Danny wasn't sure about much at this point, but he knew revealing his powers origins was a definite no go at the moment.
Vlad suppressed the urge the reach over and shake the answers out of the boy sitting across from him. It would get him nowhere. But his nerves were so shot from how badly this day had been going, just the thought made him feel better. "Alright Daniel, then who are your parents?"
"I'm not answering that one either."
"Well you are going to answer something you little rat, or I'm going to-"
"More coffee?" The waitress from before reappeared at the last second, cutting off Vlad's threat. She paused as she took in the angry tension rolling off the two of them in furious waves. She hesitated, looking back and forth between the two of them in silence, before Vlad addressed her.
"No thank you. Perhaps you could get us an order of fries though." Vlad finished his sentenced with a raised eyebrow in Danny's direction.
Danny nodded in agreement, before sucking down more of the bitter over percolated coffee. "And a coke please, this stuff is awful." He stuck out his tongue, and suddenly looked all of eight years old.
The gesture struck Vlad, and he was reminded again that he was dealing with a teenager and not an adult. Maybe I can bribe him with junk food, and the promise of getting snuck into an R rated movie? Vlad nearly laughed at the absurdity of the idea. Danny was obviously no ordinary teen, even if he looked it. Still ghost powers or not, he was only "nearly 15" as he had told them so proudly last week, so maybe it could be used to his advantage.
The waitress brought the coke and a heaping plate of still sizzling fries over to the table. She waited until Vlad waved her off with the promise of more orders later, and disappeared off to go attend to other tables.
Vlad smiled over at Danny as he wolfed down the fries and coke, obviously starving after the battle from earlier. "Like it? Their portions here are humongous, and on my shoestring budget, it's a real godsend of sorts."
Danny paused to gulp down some more coke before replying. "Yeah they're great." He paused before shoveling some more into his mouth. "Don't you want some?" He winced and wondered if Vlad had the money to handle his nearly bottomless appetite of late, especially after his apartment exploding.
Vlad hummed before munching, much more controlled, on a few fries. "They are fine, but I'm hungry for something different. Rhymes with 'sensation' ever heard of it?" Vlad pinned Danny with a hard stare as he waited for his response.
Danny gulped loudly. There really wasn't much he could tell Vlad without giving up his, basically, secret identity. Even his real name was off-limits when it came to information prying. But with everything he'd put Vlad through indirectly and directly at this point, he couldn't wiggle his way out of the conversation. Not like the last few times, when Vlad had let him get off with unimportant life details and peripheral information. No, he needed to give Vlad something; maybe he could get Vlad to prompt the information? "Listen, I can't tell you everything, or really much, but if you ask, I'll tell you anything I can." Danny looked up from the now half empty plate of fries and back at Vlad. He hoped he could implore Vlad with just his eyes to let this be for a little while longer.
Vlad pursed his lips in thought. Danny was obviously trying to be helpful, he could see the need to be truthful stirring underneath his skin, but for some reason he really couldn't tell him much. That only made him more curious though. What in the world did a 15 year old kid have to hide? Other than ghost powers apparently. Vlad thought sardonically. And that thought only brought up others. Where had he gotten ghost powers? How had he gotten ghost powers? How long had he had ghost powers? Why was his family dead? Why was he hiding and running from his foster father? Did he even exist? Why, just why did he exist at all? That and more buzzed through his head, and none of those questions seemed likely to get answered here and now. Vlad munched through a few more fries, and settled on the safest sounding question he could manage at the moment. "How long have you had powers?"
Danny felt himself relax minutely. Vlad couldn't use this info to backtrack to anything else in his life. At least, he didn't think he could. "Almost a year now."
"So you got them when you were 14, and weren't born with them?"
Danny scrunched his eyebrows in confusion. What a weird question. "Yeah that's right. Of course I wasn't born with them that would be weird." And it really would be. He couldn't think of any way that was possible. At least not without some seriously messed up nonsense.
"I was just wondering. I know some ghosts can maintain a human form, and it would make as much sense for you to be a ghost who thought it was human than for you to be half ghost at this point." Vlad waved away Danny's vague worry replacing it with his nearly impersonal clinical calm. He was really in a more scientist mode than personable one at the moment, and Danny was presenting one big enigma.
"Why would it?" Danny wondered, getting more confused by the moment.
"Well your lack of past, while still being extremely emotional about it, for one thing. Most ghosts can only dimly recall their life before death, even if their cause of death is crystal clear to them. Secondly, it would completely explain your ghost powers, with your human form only being an extension of them. However, that's obviously not what's going on, if you are telling the truth, which you are. By the way," Vlad added as he finished off the last of the fries with Danny, "I completely take back all my thoughts about your cowardice. You were more than brave to help me fight Dracul twice."
"Oh well good to know you just thought I was a coward. I thought you apologized for that?"
Vlad adopted a look of mock offense. "I did no such thing. I apologized for calling you a coward, I never claimed to stop thinking you were one."
"You are such a jerk." Danny swallowed down the last of his coke as the waitress came with a replacement.
"Alright then next question, how did you get your powers?"
"An accident." Danny supplied.
"I see. An accident where?" Vlad filed away the fact Danny had called getting his powers an accident instead of something else. It implied certain things, such as the fact he was now sure he hadn't been experimented on, or that it wasn't the government for another.
"A lab."
"Whose?" Vlad noticed Danny getting more tight-lipped. So this is more on the list of things you won't answer is it? Vlad thought with annoyance.
Danny fiddled in his seat; he couldn't really say. "I…um…it belonged to my parents." He hoped Vlad wouldn't ask who they were, because he definitely couldn't answer that.
Vlad narrowed his eyes in thought, and decided to peruse another line of questioning. "So where are you from? Your hometown, where is it?"
"Somewhere in this state." Danny decided to go with evasive here. It wasn't a lie, but it didn't really answer Vlad's question either.
"Any way you could be more specific Daniel?" Vlad fought the urge to get demanding again. He was still talking, so there were still ways to get the information he wanted out of him.
"I…not really? I can't say a lot."
"And why is that? No wait!" Vlad interrupted Danny, "you can't really say." He mocked angrily. "You know, one would think you were a Russian spy or something Daniel. Why in the world are you hiding so much information?"
"Listen, I just…" Danny scrubbed his hands over his face in frustration, trying to work some of his restless energy out of his system. "I just can't ok? I know this sounds crazy, but I really can't tell a lot of anything, about much of anything."
"Or you'll have to kill me Mr. Bond?" Vlad couldn't help but feel stuck in a spy movie. Something like Goldfigger, or the spy who loved me or something. He took a deep breath, and started in on another thread surround the mystery that was Danny. "Why do you know so much about my life?"
"What do you mean? I just met you."
"Yes, and in a matter of days, barely a week, you've managed to expertly weasel your way into my life, easily preying on my sensibilities and weaknesses like you know me, working neatly with my personality, and all while endearing yourself to me. If I didn't know I just met you, I'd think we were family, brothers or something. It's like you know me, like I said earlier, so why is that?"
"But I don't know you."
Vlad chuckled humorlessly. "Yes I know Daniel, that's the point. You claim to not know me but you so obviously do. You aren't an expert con-artist by any means, so it's not like you are playing me and letting me fill in the details. You are far too sloppy and haphazard for that."
Danny managed to look mildly insulted and crossed his arms.
"Oh stop looking like that, it's actually a compliment, it makes you another step above sociopathic status. In any case," Vlad said quickly moving past the point, "you obviously know me, and not just me either. You know the Fentons as well. Don't deny it, it is true. You walked through their house like you knew it, and despite not knowing how to really get to Amity, which is surprising if you came into the town, you know plenty about how to navigate inside of it."
"No I don't."
Vlad rolled his eyes at Danny's poor attempt at denial. "Sure Daniel." He said in the kind of voice someone uses to placate a child. "That still doesn't explain how you knew where to find the Fentons, or even to ask them to enter using my name."
"I told you-"
"Yes I know phone book, but you do realize that even if you learned my name in a phone book, it wouldn't tell you that I knew the Fentons. So again-" Vlad sighed when he noticed Danny set his head down into the table. This was obviously hard for him, to hold back so much when he felt obligated to speak. It only made his reticence that much more confusing. Danny is an upstanding person. He doesn't like to hurt others, if his behavior towards Dracul is any indication. He is honest, if he could help it at all, and despite this unknown barrier separating us, he obviously trusts me. So why? Vlad was left with the same question he had been pondering for the last quarter of an hour at least. Just why. There wasn't anything else to be said, all of it boiled down to why.
Danny swallowed around the lump in his throat. He was tired, he was sure smiting was coming any second now, and he still hadn't actually answered anything. He just had to get Vlad to understand, he couldn't answer his questions like he wanted.
Vlad reached over and swept the long part of Danny's hair cut off the table. He gently gripped Danny's wrist and stroked the inside of it to get Danny's attention. "Daniel…" He waited for Danny to look away from the table top. He would try to a different tactic.
Danny looked up, almost too tired to argue since Vlad had suddenly gotten so nice. The look in his eyes said a lot more than could be spoken, but mostly just patience and understanding. He wanted to take him up on that offer, truly. If he had learned anything so far, it was this Vlad was deceptively easy to talk to, and he had plenty to talk about at the moment. Danny opened his mouth to speak, and gasped when a cool blue wisp escaped his lips instead of words. He looked across the table at Vlad, now having more than memorized the energy he felt just outside the diner.
Vlad stared back, taken by surprise by the ghost's sudden appearance. Some part of him thought it couldn't be happening, as he scanned his favorite diner for the patrons within. Not a single other person looked worried; not a single person realized what was about to happen. He had just enough time to grasp Danny's wrist tighter before he saw the green blast heading for the window.
And then there's was a loud resonating boom, and hot searing fire, pain, pain, pain, and darkness.
…then better hope he can keep it.
Balshumet: Well how you like that for a cliff-hanger? Don't you worry folks, I'm sure our little halfas will get out, mostly, maybe...Now for the announcement for the Bottom of the Page. "Beloved" my tragedy story for Danny Phantom, should be out tomorrow, if all goes well. My sister is coming home from college, and so will be able to speed beta it for me. If you like tear jerkers, and heart melting comfort and family, "Beloved" is the story for you. Though I warn you, it's likely not going to be the family you think it is. I hope you enjoyed this Chapter, and as always my lovelies R&R.