A.N. So...it's been two years with this one. I really don't get what you people see in this story, but, if you are still following, here is your reward for waiting. A little tease for what may or may not eventually come (if I don't get sidetracked which is a distinct possibility). Depends on the reception, I guess. But I really would like to get it over with to move on with new projects.
Ford was unsure about what to think upon hearing Vlad's story. Looking at Danny, he really would not have been able to infer a twisted and even sorry story behind Danny's nature. Well, he was a ghost, and Vlad was aware about that fact. Still, the idea had somehow failed to leave a proper impression. Danny always appeared too...lively. He wasn't like any ghost Ford had encountered. He had a presence, as the old researcher would have put it, whilst normal ghosts always felt like they were there and simultaneously weren't. It was easy to see why Danny pretended to be alive, because of how simple it was for him to pass as a human. What was surprising to Ford was how Vlad seemed calm despite this whole situation. It was, however, very noble of Jack and Maddie's friend to wish to take care of their children.
Ford also wondered what made the older sibling so hateful towards the man. Vlad explained this as a series of misunderstandings coupled with ghostly tendency to lash out against anything that contradicted their beliefs. Of course, Vlad knew what he was saying and he knew it was a lie. As much as the billionaire respected his teacher's knowledge, it could not be denied that he and Fentons went far beyond in their research and knowledge of those otherworldly beings. They were far from being instinct-driven beasts with mere semblance of human thought. But Vlad knew more than well how to use Ford's limited knowledge in the area. He needed Ford on board with his idea, since the younger halfa and Danielle as well were staying at that house. Masters did not abandon his goal of bringing that boy under his roof, even if it meant convincing the house owner to kick Daniel out. Especially since the cloning project was ruined. And Vlad intended to learn how.
It was fairly simple for Vlad to get permission from Ford to come and visit the two kids. Ford was also curious as to how Vlad intended to defend himself if Danny chose to get violent, but once again the billionaire reassured him that it would not come to that. Thus, the sleazy businessman managed to slither into the house. He was, admittedly, interested about the place his soon-to-be son resided in. It did look like an ordinary house in a forest town, once you passed the obvious tourist trap of a shop/museum of oddities. Vlad also wondered what made Daniel move into this house of all places. For someone like them, privacy was key, and that lively and inhabited house was the opposite, especially with an active paranormal researcher living there.
What was Daniel's plan?
Eventually Vlad was seated in an armchair in a living room, already hearing voices coming from the kitchen. Obviously Daniel was there, alongside his flawed clone. Whatever it was what they were doing, Ford entered the kitchen and called the teen out. Obviously not suspecting a thing, but curious about who it might have been visiting him, Danny entered the room and immediately was called out.
"Well hello there, little badger."
Danny's head snapped in Vlad's direction, and with it a double blast from his eyes flew right at the man who lazily moved his head aside and dodged it. The blast, in the meantime, scorched the wall behind the chair.
"You still need to work on your aim," Vlad commented with a slight smirk.
"What in the world is going on here?" Ford demanded to know.
"What. Are you doing here?" Danny spoke with venom in his voice, not looking away from Vlad and ignoring Ford.
"Honestly, little badger, it's something I should be asking," responded Vlad. "Last time we conversed, you did not answer that question."
"I did. And I said it was none of your business, frootloop," Danny said and looked at Ford. "Are you working with him now?"
"I only let him talk with his supposed ward," Ford crossed his hands. "Listen, kid. You should stop being angry at everyone around."
Danny narrowed his eyes. "You tried to destroy me," he said almost incredulously. "How am I supposed to treat you?"
Ford sighed. "This isn't about me. I won't deny what I did to ensure safety of everyone around."
"Typical," Danny grumbled. "You promptly forgot what I've told you about him, didn't you? But you, Vlad...what are you here for?"
"You see, little badger, I am essentially homeless as of right now thanks to your doing," Vlad pointed an accusatory finger at him. "Of course, it is only a matter of time until I get a new abode, but this still doesn't explain what happened."
"What makes you think I did it?" Phantom raised an eyebrow.
"Danielle runs away, comes to you, and not a moment too soon all my work is destroyed. She obviously could not have done that. So that leaves only you."
Ford recollected the news report talking about Vlad's possessions being destroyed. And the subsequent dialogue he had ignored. Ford had less trust in the boy's words than in Masters's, and, to be frank, he was hoping that that conversation between the two would bear results and five him some clues to what was going on.
"And how exactly was I supposed to have done that?" Danny asked sarcastically. "You are getting real old, frootloop. You start seeing things. Last time I was at your stupid castle, I couldn't make a step without your detection devices pointing at me."
"And your friend has nothing to do with it?" Asked Ford.
"What friend?" Vlad immediately turned to the old man, just as Danny did.
"Great, Ford," the younger halfa sighed. "Bring more people into your mess."
The old man understood what Danny meant. There was no need for more people to be exposed to the diabolical creature that Bill was.
"Are you two going to keep beating around the bush?" Asked Vlad dryly. "If this friend of yours is capable of causing such destruction in such short time, are you really going to let him roam around freely, little badger?"
"He is not 'free'," Danny explained. "I'm the only thing letting him openly project onto this world. And with me giving him a proper anchor, he can travel far and wide, as long as he does what I ask of him."
Something in Vlad's look changed. It was first a moment of concentration, an attempt to guess what Danny was talking about. Then, the expression became that of surprise, and not a pleasant kind. However, it was Ford that looked most stunned. Furthermore, he went as far as to grab the boy by his collar.
"Are you insane?! You let him leave this place?!"
"And look, old man," Danny calmly phased out of Ford's grip. "The world is in one piece. And your nice defence around the house is not compromised. But you managed to keep him out of my head as long as I'm in the shack. Quite welcomed change, actually. He can be nagging at times."
"Daniel. Don't tell me that your petty grudge against me made you conspire with a demon of all things."
Both Danny and Ford looked at the man in shock.
"You...know of him?" Asked Ford, but Vlad's expression became all the more displeased.
"I said 'a' demon. I don't know which one. So it is true. Daniel, I thought better of you. What was it about your self-righteousness?"
"Don't get so full of yourself, frootloop. I dealt with him way before I met you again. I suppose, this whole 'I bet you can't stay for the whole summer in this place' is just a convenient way for him to stick around and bother Ford and his family more."
"Bother?! Try 'kill us'."
Danny shot him an unapologetic look. "You tried to kill me more than I already am. Sorry for not caring about you in particular."
Although, he actually cared for the rest of the people around there. Even Dipper, as gullible as he was, was not someone Danny disliked or wished anything bad.
"This doesn't make it any better, Daniel. Whoever this demon is, they ARE actually irredeemable monsters. Unlike your kind."
"What are you talking about, Vlad? This isn't something I taught you."
"This is something I came to realise during my study. I know Daniel," Vlad smirked. "And I can assume that he went out of his way multiple times to help you people despite it all. Am I wrong?"
Ford would have objected, but the Pines siblings had told him a lot about the teen. He had joined them on several adventures and was always there to rescue them.
"After he threatened us, he revealed his true colours fast," Ford argued.
In response, Vlad laughed. "Daniel, you are certainly improving your acting. I assure you, Ford, that the boy's true nature was shown beforehand."
And as if on cue, the door to the kitchen opened, and Danielle walked out of it, holding the metal gizmo they had been working on together.
"Danny! What's taking you so long," the girl moaned, not looking away from the device she was fumbling in her small arms. "I wanna..."
The second her eyes fell on Vlad, the girl screamed in fright, dropping the gizmo on the floor and immediately hiding behind Danny's back. What an odd reaction, Ford wondered. What a concerning reaction, he then mentally added. Danny wrapped a hand around the girl's neck to comfort her and shot Vlad a hateful look.
"See?" Asked Vlad. "He does have compassion."
"Unlike you," Danny spat. "Dani, please, wait upstairs in our room, okay?" He asked gently. "I'll be there in a moment."
He didn't want to expose the little girl to such arguments. It could cause some terrible damages, she had already experienced neglect. But Dani only looked up at him, mustering what strength she had and shaking her head.
"No. I'll stay."
"Dani..."
"I think you should let her, Daniel," Vlad once again spoke, trying his best to sound amicable. "After all, she is here because of a grave misunderstanding."
"Misunderstanding?" Asked Danny incredulously. "You never hid the fact that she is nothing but a bargaining chip to you."
"Daniel. Think about it for a moment," Vlad argued. "Yes, my endeavour was foolish, spurned only by my own...desperation."
"Desperation?" Phantom raised an eyebrow. "You just can't take no for an answer. Instead of actually getting a life you decide to pester me and throw away the only person that loved your pathetic hide," he spoke with anger.
"I was wrong, are you happy?" Vlad asked back. "Your parents' departure hit both of us hard. Especially Maddie's. I won't lie."
"That will be the first time," Danny grumbled. "In Dad's case it went just as you wanted, did it not?"
"What are you talking about?" Asked Ford.
"Oh, didn't he tell you?"" Danny turned to him. "This guy hated my Dad's guts. He wanted him gone so that he could marry my Mom. Who, by the way, despised Vlad ever since their first reunion."
"It's simply not true, Daniel. It's just that my approach was too blunt and it could come across as pushy, I confess. Any woman would be caught off guard and could interpret my actions wrong. I never was good with the opposite sex."
"Hmm, I wonder why she misinterpreted you stranding us in the forest," Danny responded. "You are a psycho, Vlad. That's why she never loved you."
"Psycho?" Asked Vlad. "You try being stranded for years on a hospital bed, all alone! With even your family wanting nothing to do with you! All because of your father's idiocy!"
"And Mom never visited you because..."
That seemed to have struck a cord within the man and he did not answer immediately. Instead, Ford opted to speak up.
"Vlad...what happened while I was gone?"
"Well, the frootloop keeps babbling about my Dad being the worst thing on Earth since Bob Harlan and Mark Murphy," Danny shrugged.
"I told you what happened to me, Ford," responded Vlad, trying to avoid talking about the forest stranding incident. "The incident left me scarred for years. And Daniel, it is his fault that you are like this!"
"My parents worked on the blueprints together. If you blame someone for that, blame them both. And I have nothing against them. It's their mistake, sure, but I was the dumb one who entered the thing. What even is the point of your speech, frootloop? You said this over and over again, but I always told you no."
"Yes...but you were alone back then. Now, you have someone to take care of."
Danny instinctively pulled Danielle closer, as the girl did not divert her ice blue eyes from the man.
"What are you getting at?"
"I'm not coming!" Dani exclaimed.
"You only want what's best for Danielle, and I can provide you both with lives no other kid ever can hope for. Have you even planned what it would be like if you try to raise a child?"
"I have a plan, frootloop, one that you are not a part of. And I would rather break my neck from several jobs than let myself and her spend any more time with you."
"Harsh," Vlad mumbled. "And just what may be better than what I am offering you, Daniel?"
"I was offered a lot of money for basically nothing."
"If you think that Bill is going to uphold his end of the bargain, you are wrong," Ford said gravely. "Is this your plan, boy? To trust a demon with your future? I understand that whatever it is between you three, but this is no reason to trust that abomination!"
"Hey, Bill was nice," Danielle responded, much to Ford's horror.
"While I wouldn't call him that," Danny added. "As he is a sleazy one. But our bargain is pretty simple and with little strings attached."
"You think you are smarter than a trillion years old creature?" Ford continued talking loudly, full of disbelief. "Your presence here is simply a part of his plan."
"Wow, Bill is old," Dani mumbled.
"It sure is. I am not that smart, this guy can confirm it," Danny pointed at the half-amused Vlad. "But your gripes with him are your problem. If me simply being here is ruinous to whatever you have, it is your problem."
"He wishes for nothing more than empty destruction. Is this the world you want your sister to live in?"
Danny did not respond initially.
"All he wants from me is to stay put. If I wasn't here, he would have gone through with his plan, still. Just...more sophisticated."
"Are those the lies you keep telling yourself, little badger?" Asked Vlad. "You are so adamant about not joining me precisely because you think me a crook, and yet you are fine with helping this creature."
"You stay quiet," Danny pointed a finger at him, his eyes glowing now.
"Always so quick to anger," Vlad sighed. "You know I am right, Daniel. And I'm also not that eldritch beast that is called a demon. You can predict what I do, and world destruction isn't on of those."
"Yes, you merely want to rule it," Danny rolled his eyes, looking at Ford. "Your star student wants to use a powerful ghost to aid him in that."
"Is this true, Vlad?" Asked Ford.
"Any businessman would like to expand their financial empire. It's not political," Vlad sighed and rose from his seat. Then he approached Danny and lowered himself to the boy's eye level. "You know I am right, little badger. Your pride just may not let you admit it. But I'll simply let your mistakes bring you two to my doorstep. And I'll welcome you, still. If the world doesn't end by then," he chuckled and turned to leave.
"Are you not concerned about this at least?" Ford asked Vlad.
"What for? The boy will solve this mess as always," Vlad laughed. "Thank you, Mr. Pines, for letting us talk. We needed this," he smiled and exited the shack.
The atmosphere in the room immediately became less tense. Dani let go of her father and curiously looked up at him, who was submerged in his own thoughts.
Ford as well was only more confused than at the start of their conversation and thus wondering what had just happened. Vlad had shown that he was not the same person the old professor had known all those years before. And there was some merit to what Danny had been telling. Yet, the boy was willingly playing Bill's game, and that was the most concerning thing. The defences had not been sabotaged yet, but it didn't mean that the threat was nonexistent. Ford was, however, could see what vulnerable position the boy was in. Perhaps, it really wasn't malice that made him act. And once again seeing Danny quietly comforting his little sister, he was feeling a pang of shame.
"Come on, Dani," Danny smiled and ruffled the girl's hair. "You know I won't let the frootloop do anything. He is only gonna get his butt kicked."
The girl giggled quietly. "Alright, Daddy," she whispered.
Phantom picked up the detail the girl had dropped and handed it to her. "Let's continue our work. I'll be there in a moment."
Dani nodded and scurried to the kitchen. A smile slipped from Danny's face as he looked at Ford.
"You brought him here," he mumbled. "You really are hardheaded, aren't you?"
"Daniel..."
"If you want us out so bad, then say so," Danny interrupted. "You just keep bothering us day and night."
"Daniel..."
"No, I won't hear any of it. How's it feel when someone ignores everything you say?"
Danny huffed and went to join Danielle in the kitchen. He was pissed at him, at Vlad, perhaps every old man in existence. But it did, perhaps, warrant a discussion with the second oldest person he knew.
"Alright, DP, spit it out, why the long face?" Asked the glowing triangle.
At that very evening, Danny hadn't made it even ten feet away from the barrier when Bill chose to appear before him, in the middle of the woods.
"Vlad chose to visit us," Phantom responded. "Didn't go well, as you can imagine."
"Ha! Did you at least punch him? Tell me you did!"
"Bill," Danny said seriously. "Not. The time."
"So you didn't. Shame, really, that I haven't been able to listen. Stupid barrier. Why does a unicorn hair of all things stop me?"
"No idea," Phantom sighed. "Guess they are repulsive even for a nightmare demon."
"Come on, pal. Spill it. You want to ask your bud something."
"I guess this IS the question. Are you?"
"What do you...oh. Well, in a twisted way that I treat everything, yes, I see you as a bud. Why do you ask?"
"Ford brought up a point, as much as I hate to admit. You want to end the world, don't you?"
"Oh...I see where this is going. Don't tell me that the fate of this world is something that bothers you. You never showed that you do."
"Back then I had nothing here, Bill. My family and friends were dead. Now...I have both once again, and I wouldn't want that to be gone."
Bill's eye squinted in a semblance of a smile. The triangle floated closer and nudged him.
"You can have it all," he said. "My ascendance will mean that I'll be capable of doing anything! You will live alongside your daughter and all those humans you seem to be fond of. I wouldn't dream of separating you. Get it?"
Danny looked at the distance. That sounded nice, but...
"What's the catch? We live in some sort of natural reserve while the world is dead all around us?"
"You won't be needing anything there. No persecution, no physical need. And besides," Bill held up a dramatic pause. "I have a surprise for you. A pleasant one. You'll just have to wait."
Danny narrowed his eyes. "So you are not denying this."
"I didn't see you opposing me at any point," Bill argued. "Or what, you thought I'm too weak to go through with any of my plans?"
The halfa sighed. "I stopped thinking that after you ruined everything Vlad had."
"Well...what are you going to do now, though? Ask me not to destroy the universe?"
He received a pointed look. "Oh, God, you are," he spoke slowly. "Look, DP. You are my friend, and I understand that you may not be interested in this whole world takeover business. But this is not something I came up with yesterday. This scheme has been going for decades. And I ain't gonna stop. But that's what I'm trying to tell you: worry not, for this will never harm you or those you hold dear. And now that you've heard that, are you going to stop me?"
Danny's look turned hard. "I can't let you do that."
"So I thought..." Bill responded. "You may. But there will be a problem. I can't reward your victory in our argument while being locked in that pretty thermos of yours. So, there won't be any monetary help anymore. And a single father will find himself on the streets. Is this what you really want?"
The halfa cursed quietly. He had nothing to respond to it with.
"Look, DP. You are too fun to have around. Even if you disagree now, I'll still give it to ya, in hopes that you will change my mind and join my little team of interdimensional vagabonds. But until then, take your time to think, for the time to decide is coming way sooner than you think. I'll go and rejoin my pawn in the meantime. Where did that oaf Blendin go? Oh, well. Ta!"
And then the interdimensional creature vanished, finally leaving the halfa alone with his thoughts. Truly alone. It's been a while since he was that way. Usually it would be that very same dorito chip that would barge in unannounced and break that solitude. Danny never saw this friendship as anything more than glorified symbiosis, with occasional amusing moments sprinkled throughout. He was no fool, he always knew what Bill was like. The halfa was stuck between an anvil and a hammer, desperate to provide for his daughter by any means necessary. He could take up job, hell, his duplication could cut the corners. But it would take the time. And until then, something still had to be done. Perhaps, he was selfish to an extent, too selfish to let himself be subjected to more hardships. It was selfishness that brought him here. Selfish desire to remain separated from any company.
Ironically, the current split between the two was what he desired from that bet in the first place, was it not? The silence in his head finally came. But it brought no peace to him. For now, he was once again forced to confront what he had been ignoring for so long. That very selfishness. He used to be a hero, a selfless protector of the people. What had changed?
Him.
His family's and friends' death took a toll on him still. To a lesser extent, perhaps, than what his evil counterpart was going through. After all, when we know a death is coming...there is less sorrow, somehow. Because partially you have already grieved beforehand. Still, Danny hid inside a shell, reluctant to ever climb out, to exist with his failure. He became ignorant of the world around him, and Bill was not a demon for nothing, he knew every person like the back of his hand. It really was the time for him to decide. And pick a side.