Hello Snugglemuffins~! It's me again, back with another chapter of TLWFF! As always thank you to the people who review/favorite/follow this story or myself, it makes my day!

Shout-Out to the fabulous Invader Johnny for answering the question from the last chapter correctly~! The answer was Alicia.

The Life We Fight For

Chapter 5: Politics

Ice blue eyes snapped open, frantic and confused. There was a feeling of dread settling in the pit of his stomach, a feeling of despair that wouldn't go away. He felt cold, hard metal underneath him, but he didn't look down. Somehow, he knew he couldn't bear to do so.

'Where am I?' Danny thought in a bewildered tone. He couldn't bring himself to break the silence that reigned in the fuzziness that was his vision of the room he occupied. 'Where is everyone?'

His eyes changed to a vibrant green and his hair to snow white. He didn't feel himself change, yet somehow it felt out of his control. He slowly began to look around and his vision started to clear. He blinked a few times and when he opened his eyes with crystal clear clarity, he wanted to disappear on the spot.

It was all just as he'd left it. Blood and ectoplasm stained the floor, a generator hummed somewhere behind him, the cuffs attached to the table lay useless beside him. Danny bolted into the air, breathing hard. His mind was failing to process the scene, the reality that was striking at him full force and pulling his heart down into its depths. He shouldn't be here, he couldn't be here.

Danny flew intangibly through the ceiling at top speed, his heart hammering in his chest, and his core almost burning him with sharp, freezing energy. He landed in the kitchen, and there in the chair seated calmly at the table, was his sister.

Her eyes were cast downward and her hair was a tangled mess. There were countless empty cups of coffee and pages of God-knows-what scattered about the table while she sat lifeless in the midst of it all.

'Jazz?' Danny still couldn't speak, his throat felt tight and numb all at once. He had no problem hearing Jazz speak however.

"Leave." She said, her voice monotone. "If you had only died the first time, they would have been happy. I'll never forgive you."

Danny took a step toward her and she glared at him through her dirty and unwashed hair. He froze and suddenly it felt as if he was paralyzed.

"If you were dead, we'd be a happy family again!" Jazz exclaimed. Danny's adrenaline levels skyrocketed and he flew through the kitchen away from her, her words piercing into his chest like a thousand sharp knives.

Danny stopped in the living room, the light from the TV and his own ghostly aura the only thing preventing the darkness from swallowing him up.

"There you are, sweetie."

Danny looked up and saw his mother and father, as normal as ever. Unlike Jazz, they seemed perfectly fine, they even smiled at him. Jack was holding a large plate of fudge, and Maddie held a scrapbook of their family's memories.

"Mom...Dad..." Danny choked out. He felt nauseated looking at their wide smiles and loving stares. It wasn't right, he was in his ghost form!

"You know, son," Jack's voice boomed. "We could eat all the fudge we want together if you were only human." Jack stepped toward him and Danny jumped into the air, arms up in defense. He was human, but he was ghost too. He was a halfa, there was no way he could be anything else. Danny loved his human friends, but his powers and his ghost allies were part of his life too, there was no way he could give either half of himself away.

"I-I can't..."

"If you weren't such a horrible mistake, you could have stayed my precious baby boy," Maddie cut in, her purple colored eyes staring directly at him. "If you were dead, we wouldn't have to worry about that would we?"

"I don't want to die, and I don't want to become human." Danny whispered. "This isn't right, this isn't you..."

"Right you are, my little mistake."

Danny blinked and suddenly he was no longer in his home, but floating in a void. Half of him was in his ghost form, the other half of his body was in his human form. He stared into the endless waves of black and shuddered. Feeling the darkness sweep over him in a stabbing feeling of helplessness and doom.

"What...?" Danny's voice was getting quieter by the second, he could barely hear himself over the ringing in his ears, and the voice that penetrated his mind like a parasitic virus,

"We were so close, so very close to bringing you to perfection." The voice said, in a mockingly sorrowful voice. "It's no matter though, because you've led me to another imperfect creature haven't you?"

Danny's eyes began to close and he felt himself start to go numb, his vision blurring with the voice's parting words.

"You both will reach the perfection that is the void of death." It said smugly. "One way, or another."

Danny closed his eyes and went rigid as a piercing scream of his name called out from the darkness.

"Danny!"

His mother's frantic voice, calling his name before he gasped out a final breath and let out a loud scream.

"Mom!"

Danny bolted upright in the luxurious bed in a panicked jerk. He twisted around, looking for any signs of life, but found the room empty. He gripped the blankets tightly and forced himself to calm down. When was the last time he had been so on edge because of a single bad dream? Danny took one glance at his mountain of scattered pillows and twisted sheets and sighed. He definitely wasn't going back to sleep anytime soon.

He tossed the feather soft blankets away from him and stood up from the bed in one swift motion. He changed into his ghost form and walked to the large window on the other side of his room. He looked out into the night sky and for once, he was glad Vlad lived in a remote area of Wisconsin, the view of the constellations was downright breathtaking. Danny floated outside and inhaled the fresh breeze that blew by with a calming breath. He was still freaked out by the dream he'd had, but he was determined to ignore it. He had experienced dreams about his ghost enemies numerous times, somehow though, this time felt different.

Danny decided he wouldn't dwell on the dream any longer and flew high into the clouds, admiring the warm, cloudy night and allowing the light of the moon to wash over him. Flying was always the best feeling in the world, it helped him to both literally and metaphorically get away from the problems the ground held and he envied the ghosts that had no human responsibilities, even if they were a tad bit obsessive.

The young half ghost flew behind the castle and followed along the timberline of a thick wood that flourished a small ways away from the medieval structure. There were no sounds beside the night insects and owls. Danny flew at a leisurely pace and dove into the trees as they began to disperse a bit, able to fly through them easily. He came across a small creek and landed beside it.

"Cool." He commented, watching a few small fish swimming upstream. He followed them and found that the creek grew into a small scale river, right in the middle of the large wood. Danny floated up a bit and sat down on a fallen tree to think.

There were so many unanswered questions and things the teenager didn't understand. The very thought of having to do something against his parents when he couldn't even come to terms with what their motive was, or why it happened in the first place, was unimaginable. His parents were special to him. Sam had once said jokingly that his family and friends could be his ghostly obsession, which manifested in his ever heroic Phantom side, and Danny could remember silently thinking that she could be entirely right. He loved his family, he couldn't simply believe that something so devastatingly cruel could happen to him at the hands of the woman who cared for him, raised him, taught him all he knew.

The only thought on the halfa's mind was the desperate need for answers. If his parents were in jail, he couldn't do that. He couldn't help the temporary sanctuary necessary at Plasmius' castle, but he couldn't hide here forever. He couldn't possibly think of living the rest of his life alone, there had to be some kind of explanation, a sign that something just wasn't right with this whole ordeal.

"Rough night, little badger?"

Danny definitely wasn't very surprised to hear the billionaire half-ghost's voice from behind him. Honestly he was surprised he got away with going ghost undetected in the first place. Danny simply turned and shot the man a half-hearted glare over his shoulder and dropped his chin into his hand. So much for a relaxing night...

Vlad frowned at the boy's behavior. He had sensed Daniel's signature activate and instantly was suspicious of the teen snooping around where he shouldn't be. What he didn't expect, was Phantom flying about with a troubled look on his face and a paler-than-usual appearance. Vlad internally sighed and flew forward, leaning on a tree close to where Daniel was still seated.

"I believe I might be having the same problem as you right now," Vlad said, losing the teasing tone in his voice. "You may find it disgusting, but as you know I care about your mother dearly. I daresay I know more about her than your pitiful buffoon of a father does, and what I saw...was definitely not the Maddie I know."

"You went to my house?" Danny questioned suspiciously, but only shook his head instead of questioning further. "Tch, why am I even surprised."

Vlad's frown only deepened and he pushed away from the tree, standing over the boy and crossing his arms. There were serious things happening that the billionaire could not unravel unless the stubborn halfa would simply submit to him! He had stable suspicions that a factor he cannot see is playing a hand in the twists and turns of the matter, a fact which had been eating at him the entirety of the night.

"Aren't you the least bit concerned that your parents could be under some kind of pressure? Perhaps they were paid by someone to hunt you down?" Vlad said, losing his patience.

"I'm more concerned with the fact that they'll be going to jail for something that could have been some kind of mistake!" Danny exclaimed, jumping to his feet in anger. His eyes were blazing green, and his aura glowed brightly. Before Vlad could even open his mouth Danny had blasted three large holes into a tree in frustration. Vlad could see behind the fire and spirit, there was something else. Something that shouldn't be there, residing just behind the anger in the child's eyes.

"Daniel," He said evenly, ignoring the boy's outburst. "What are trying to say?"

"I can't prosecute against them." Danny admitted, his shoulders flattening. "I'm too confused, and I don't want to lose them. They're my parents."

Vlad was most definitely surprised at the confession, especially from someone like Daniel, to someone he considered his archenemy. He could relate, of course, after all he had faced many hardships in his own life. He remembered the words of his butler earlier and let a soft sigh escape his lips. Getting Jack in jail and somehow freeing Maddie had been his initial plan, however if Daniel could not see them for the criminals they were, he couldn't go through with it and it would be a bust. He might as well not even bring the matter to a judge.

"There might be another way, one I hadn't wanted to disclose just yet." Vlad admitted, and Danny ceased his barrage on the trees to look at him curiously. "If I were to become a powerful figure in Amity Park, for example, the mayor, I might be able to pass a law to have your parents weapons confiscated. In other words, I can take away all of their equipment and remove them as a physical threat. However, it could take weeks for my campaign to gain much recognition..."

"I sense a catch coming on." Danny groaned. "Let me guess, you keep my parents out of jail, and I help you become overlord of Amity Park?"

"Oh it's much more complicated than just that, dear boy." Vlad smirked, seeing bits and pieces of the old Daniel rising up again. "I'll need Danny Phantom as a number one supporter. I will use your image to rally up the citizens to follow their 'hero' and the result will most likely tip the scales in my favor."

"Sounds easy enough I guess..." Danny wrapped his arms around himself, feeling suddenly chilly in the windy night air. "But what if your law doesn't get passed?"

"That is where I use those idiots that call themselves the 'Guys in White'." Vlad began to explain. "You see, I plan to become the CEO of their pathetic organization and reform it to suit my needs. Should my plan go wrong, I will always have a backup. They can enforce whatever means necessary to detain anyone using ghost equipment unauthorized by them."

Danny chuckled, shaking his head. Of course the fruitloop was prepared for everything, why was he even worried? He rolled his eyes at the smug look on the billionaires face, but was surprised when he saw Vlad's smirk drop. He raised an eyebrow at the stare Vlad was setting on him.

"Daniel, that is not the only conditions to our agreement." Vlad said. "There is no way you can continue acting as if you have not realized there must be something, or someone acting on behalf of your mother. There is only one explanation I can think of that fits with the events you have told me of and what I have seen. Someone is gunning for you, and your parents are the marksmen. Which is why in exchange for my help in keeping your parents and your own condition stable, the best course of action would be for you to remain with me until I find the ghost responsible."

"What?!" Danny shouted. The woods went silent, the aura around Danny grew bright blue. No way was he staying with Vlad! "Are you nuts?!"

"I do believe that I saved your half-dead existence, so you now owe me." Vlad said, and the smirk was back. Inside he was growing apprehensive at the uncontrolled energy radiating from Daniel. The evidence of something being wrong with the boy physical was almost tangible.

"You can't do that!" Danny protested. "Besides, how do I know this isn't some plot to make me your creepy assistant or something? How do I know this plan will even work? You know you can't win this honestly, and I won't let you overshadow anyone or use your ghost powers to win!"

"I make a deal with you then," Vlad compromised. "If I do manage to win the election, with only you as my spokesman, you'll complete the other half of the deal and remain hidden with me until I can find the ghost behind this. If I do not win, you may go back to your daily life as a forgotten teenager."

"Fine." Danny agreed. "But there is no way I'm letting you do it alone. It's my fight, so I'm helping you find the ghost."

Vlad scowled but nodded in agreement. He held out his hand and watched concerned as Danny forced his hand to stop shaking long enough to shake it in a silent agreement for a truce between them. Just as he let go however, Danny crashed to the ground on his knees. A sudden feeling of vertigo and light headedness overcame him and he saw stars for few moments, long enough to realize that he was on the ground.

Danny groaned as his core flared painfully and ice creeped out onto the trees and grass around him. Vlad grabbed him and lifted him easily into his arms, sighing but still amused all the same. The stubbornness the younger halfa showed was astronomically brutal.

"Your little temper tantrum has led to even more work for me it seems." Vlad complained teasingly. "If you would kindly refrain from using your powers unnecessarily for the next few weeks I believe it would benefit you greatly."

"Sh-shut up." Danny said, his vision continuing to spin. "Don't tell me what to do, fruitloop."

"And it seems we're back to pathetic name-calling once again." Vlad frowned. "Wonderful."

Within the early hours of the following morning the residents of the castle had begun to prepare to move their base of operations to Amity Park. Vlad had managed to have a manor built specifically for him close to City Hall in less than 72 hours, ah the things money could do.

Danny had explained the situation to his friends and had received mixed reactions from both sides. Sam wanted nothing less than the danger to be eliminated, via the Fentons taking a permanent residence in the Amity Park correctional facility, but seeing how badly it affected her friend, she had relented to the new plan fairly easily. Tucker on the other hand, was glad he didn't have to appear in front of a court just as much as Danny.

It was in the early afternoon, nearly 10 o'clock when Vlad was getting ready to disassemble his portal when Skulker came through, looking bored.

"The whelp's abode has been silent for hours now." He reported. "The woman appears to have returned to normal, I'm not even quite sure she remembers anything from the past few days at all."

Vlad's eyebrows creased at the new information, the gears in his head turning frantically. The effects of whatever had been messing with Maddie's head could not have simply vanished, but Vlad had expected a sort of reprieve approaching since Daniel was no longer in her vicinity, and she was not able to search for him. It was like a lit flame inside a glass jar, completely unable to keep burning for long without the proper oxygen.

"And the girl? How has she reacted?"

"She has set them free of their confines, however she seems just as baffled as you." Skulker said.

Vlad nodded and waved his hand dismissively. Skulker shrugged and flew back into the ghost zone, eager to begin a hunting spree now that his employer had released him from duty.

Vlad stared into the portal's swirling green colors with his arms folded tightly over his chest. There were so many possibilities running through his head he almost couldn't keep up. With the amount of enemies Daniel had there were countless suspects ready and willing to mess with the boy's life without need for a rhyme nor reason. He would have to go through with his plan quickly, or else Daniel could be targeted once again in the near future.

(With Danny)

Danny, Sam and Tucker had spent their morning helping out the servants of the castle, whom had much to do since they'd been told they would be moving. Tucker of course had taken to assisting the chef in the kitchen with anything in regards to food, while Danny and Sam were outside, helping load Vlad's vast amount of ghostly plants into a truck.

"Wow, these look so amazing!" Sam exclaimed, staring at a violet, glowing plant she held in a black pot in her arms.

"Any plant looks amazing to you, Sam." Danny teased, while cringing away from a large silver flower that actually moved toward him and hiss when he got too close. The castle gardener then came over took the nasty plant away from him and chuckled.

"All flowers are amazing indeed, in their own way." Said Gomez, the ghost who served as the landscaper and ghostly plant expert. He looked to be in his mid thirties with mint colored short hair and an deadly grey skin tone. Sam smirked at Danny who rolled his eyes with a smile on his face.

Danny had woken up without any nightmares that morning and was in an exceptionally good mood. He had only been gone a couple of days yet he missed his town, even his school, fiercely. Vlad had insisted that his friends go back to their own homes, going so far as to intervene on their behalf and act as if he were a ghost kidnapping them and return them to their families, which the two teens instantly agreed to, seeing as the alternative was most likely eternal groundment. Danny was a bit unhappy about his friends being absent from the mansion while he was going along with their plan, but he knew it wouldn't do for him to suddenly return home after Vlad told him his mother was in a correct state of mind once again. He couldn't yet come up with an explanation and was simply content to lay low for a few more days (or weeks) in order for everything to turn out smoothly just as they had planned.

"So what is this plant used for?" Danny asked curiously. "And why does it hate me?"

"Ah, this is a very special plant. It's used to create a sort of natural, portable ghost shield." Gomez explained. "Once it blooms fully, it will turn white and the petals can be made into a poison that a ghost can sense from miles away."

Danny took a step back and frowned. Great, another plant that wanted to kill him.

"Sounds like a lot of fun..." He replied.

"I assure you it's harmless at the moment." Vlad's voice came from the doorway, making Danny jump.

"Will you quit doing that?!" Danny demanded, whilst Sam cocked an eyebrow at him curiously.

"We will be leaving soon, I'm having the servants transport the Specter Speeder back to FentonWorks while we attend to the plan regarding Mr. Foley and miss Manson's parents."

"The sooner I'm back in Amity, the better." Danny muttered, following Vlad out towards a waiting helicopter.

Tucker was already waiting for them inside and within minutes they were flying further and further away from Wisconsin. Danny felt a slight feeling of nervousness grow inside him at the thought of being close to his parents again. While he didn't want anything bad to happen to them necessarily, he didn't want to relive the traumatizing experience of having his guts boiled at the hands of freaky medieval plants. Until the situation was solved, he'd just have to deal with being away from home.

No matter how much Danny thought about it, Vlad's disposition in their issue was still confusing to him. The man did nothing without receiving some sort of benefit, but other than Danny being cooped up in his creepy house, he couldn't see any other ulterior motive. He refused to believe that Plasmius could do something out of the kindness of his blackened heart.

Danny pondered this for most of the ride, only jumping in conversation when directly addressed. All the while Vlad had been watching him for any sign that his powers might go haywire. A repeat of the night before while flying high in the sky aboard a helicopter was not on the half-ghost's agenda.

When the helicopter finally landed in the large area of Vlad's newly built billion dollar mansion in Amity Park, the teens were instantly overjoyed. Everyone was still slightly exhausted after the whole ordeal but being back home was always the world's best energy refill. As Danny stood at the door of the manor and had to say goodbye to his friends though, the feeling dampened significantly.

"Call us as soon as you get your phone back from Jazz." Sam told him as she stepped away after a brief hug. "No matter what, we're here for you."

"Totally dude," Tucker agreed. "We've got your back, one hundred percent!"

Danny forced a smile on his face. He wasn't so selfish that he'd prompt his friends into suffering through being stuck with his archenemy alongside him, but he was sad to settle for hanging out with them on limited time, having to remain hidden at all times.

"Thanks guys. I'll see you soon."

With that the teens were flown by Plasmius to their homes to start their little performance, and Danny was left to his own devices. Danny entered the house and sighed.

"Home sweet home."

Thanks for reading! Sorry I took a little longer than usual to update, hope you liked it! Don't forget to review please!

-P