Hello person of the internet, this is an update to my story, enjoy, and be merry.

Sparkles

The Life We Fight For

Chapter 23: At Midnight

Leaves crunched underneath the boots of three young ghost hunters, pace steady and unbending. Cautiousness had influenced their speed, but they continued on with determination. Their last encounter had become a warning to the group that stealth was an advantage that they couldn't afford to throw away.

Their enemy knew they were here, but if they moved fast enough it was possible they could still take him by surprise.

Sam watched from behind her ghostly friend as he walked through the thorny growths of unknown plants, dragging his feet every once in a while in as subtle a way as possible. Sam sighed inaudibly.

She knew what had happened earlier was still affecting him. It was written all over his face, hence the reason he'd taken the lead. It wouldn't have been obvious to anyone without a sharp eye, but to Sam his body language all but screamed 'I'm upset'.

So as they advanced toward the peaks in the distance Sam took a few extra strides and fell into step beside Danny.

"We're gonna get this guy, okay?"

Danny blinked suddenly, not having been paying attention. He registered what his friend had said and swiped a hand through his sweaty hair.

"Yeah, like we have a choice," he replied in a sarcastic tone. Sam crossed her arms. So much for the hero's bravado!

"You've got to trust us, Danny!" she told him. "Good always triumphs over evil, and we're the force of good here. Everything will work out."

"Yeah dude, we're Team Phantom!" said Tucker from behind. Danny finally chuckled. But his face dropped again after a few moments.

"I know we're trying to do what's right," Danny said, "but lately, it seems like the world has become so much less black and white than I thought it was..."

The group reached the final rows of thinning trees that gave way to rocky ground in comfortable silence. The area continued to seem undisturbed and quiet, eerily still and with no signs of ghost clones.

The cave wasn't as big as it appeared to be from afar now that they had made it to its opening. The size of the mouth was about the height of an average city's apartment building, but the depth of it couldn't be determined from outside for the dismal amount of light that trickled inside, shining solely on a few pointed stalagmites.

"Is it just me, or do those spikes look like teeth?" Tucker said as they approached. Neither of the others could answer. Danny suddenly tensed and whipped around, facing towards the treeline.

"Whoa, where's the fire?" Sam tried to joke.

Danny glared as shadowy figures began to materialize and advance from the trees and shrubs, their numbers in the hundreds.

"They've found us," the ghost boy stated. His friends turned and gasped together, backing away. "Get ready."

Danny's hands lit up with green energy, and Sam rolled her shoulders back before aiming her armed wrist towards her side of the trees. Tucker did the same, and they held their positions as tightly together as they could. To be separated now would be disastrous.

The first shadow attacked with ferocious cries, flying fast from its position behind a dying bush. Tucker shot it down, and then they were being swarmed.

Left and right the clones came, and Danny was able to establish a quick rhythm to get rid of them as fast as possible. Just shooting them with an ectoblast wasn't good enough, they were too fast. Instead, Danny used the encounter from earlier as a guide and used his ice powers to freeze the dark gray clones into place, allowing his friends to hit them multiple times.

Freeze and shoot became their tactic, and soon the area became a flurry of gray, green and blue that zipped across the hard stone ground. Dozens of shadowy figures dissolved out of existence, only to be replaced just as quickly as they were shot down.

"We can't keep this up!" Tucker shouted to Danny, who pulled him back just before a clone could swipe at him. "Our ammo will run out soon, and then we'll be in real trouble."

"There's gotta be some way to get them to stop multiplying. Ivix can't possibly be able to maintain this many clones without getting drained!" Danny replied, shoving a clone into the ground and freezing it there.

"Well, when you figure that out, let us know!" Tucker said, dodging another attempted blow to his side.

Danny pulled away from the fight to scour the area in a quick, sweeping glance. There was nothing in the thinning area of trees that looked off. With a quick turnaround Danny once again noticed nothing peculiar- wait, there!

Just inside the cave's entrance stood a dark figure, completely still and overlooking the scene below. That had to be him! Danny let out a whistle to get the clones' attention and lured the fight away from Ivix.

Having used clones and fought with them before, Danny knew how much concentration it took to keep them stable. The further away the clone was from the real ghost, the weaker they would get.

They were now right in front of the first rows of trees, and Sam and Tucker soon found it much easier to take down their enemies. Danny no longer needed to freeze them still and was able to leave his friends to hold them off while he watched as Ivix himself took the bait and stepped out of his hiding place. Now able to see him in the open, Danny flew at top speed to the ghost's location.

"Danny, wait!" he heard, but didn't heed the loud, feminine voice and charged forward. He had to finish what he started, he had to be the hero.

Finally being able to fight the figure in his nightmares ironically felt like a dream. Ivix was fast. His long cloak, old and tattered, was one of the only things Danny could focus on to keep track of the ghost's movements. That, along with his bright, glowing eyes.

Danny couldn't land a single punch, but to his credit, he was able to keep up just enough so that he didn't get knocked down, either. Their flurry of attacks flew violently around the mouth of the cave until Ivix was able to knock Danny's feet out from under him and fly inside.

Enraged, Danny followed after Ivix and lit up the darkness with ectoenergy. There were spiked stalagmites and stalactites all around, creating a dangerous terrain of huge thorns. Keeping himself in the air, Danny tensed and focused all his senses into finding his enemy, not unlike earlier in the clearing.

Danny felt the air shift near his left and he twisted just in time to avoid a purple blast of energy aimed at his head. He pushed off the wall towards the origin of the attack and was able to tackle the ghost to the ground, freezing Ivix in place.

"Let my mom go!" Danny demanded, his arms tense with adrenaline. He wasn't even the least bit tired, but he didn't want to question it.

"She made her choice," came the ghost's raspy, thick voice. "No matter how she feels now, that cannot be changed!"

Danny cried out as Ivix broke through his ice and punched Danny in the gut, knocking him backwards and forcing the air from his lungs.

Danny coughed, trying to remember he didn't need to breathe and shoved himself upwards to narrowly avoid another strike to his abdomen. Danny swung around with his right leg and managed to land a kick to Ivix's back, pushing him sideways into the wall. With a grunt Danny hopped into the air, his knee aching from the force of the kick but quickly healing.

"I will save her from you!" Danny promised, charging towards his enemy.

Ivix caught his fist before he could land a punch and Danny dug his heels into the ground to avoid being shoved around.

"How naïve you are." Ivix laughed. "An utter waste of ectoplasm."

Ivix pushed away Danny's fist and shot an ectoblast at him point-blank. Danny was able to turn intangible and the blast went right through him.

The purple shot slammed into the wall and shook the cave, creating a rumbling noise. Danny flew upwards and shot at a few stalactites, hoping to bring down a part of the cave on Ivix.

He heard a scream and jolted, his eyes scanning the ground. Sure enough, Tucker and Sam had come into the cave, and were now in danger of being crushed!

Danny rushed towards them and grabbed them both in a tight grip. Before he could even think a green shield appeared around them.

Confused, Danny looked around to see a small beam connecting the shield to Tucker. Specifically, his green and white pin.

"H-how are you doing that?!" Sam cried. Tucker blinked in shock. He put a shaky hand up to his beret.

"No idea!"

The stalactites came down around them, none being able to penetrate the shield. Danny could see Ivix turn intangible, and knew the fight was far from over.

"Get out of the cave," Danny told his friends. "I'm bringing this thing to the ground!"

Sam and Tucker gave each other a concerned look but could not think of any other solution. They nodded and as soon as the danger passed and Tucker's shield gave way, they ran towards the mouth of the cave.

A blur of black flew past Danny and he gasped as Ivix blasted at the entrance. The cave trembled and Danny tackled Ivix to stop the onslaught. Tucker pulled Sam out of the way of the falling spikes and raced to the light.

Up ahead Sam could see a stalactite dangerously close to cracking from the ceiling. With a shout, she pushed Tucker out of the cave just in time for the first spiked mineral to fall between them. The entire entrance to the cave followed suit and hundreds of hanging rock formations and spikes split and fell one by one, blocking off the exit.

"Sam!" she could hear Tucker shout from outside the cave.

Sam ducked out of the way and back into the darkness, her way out now closed off. She felt the ground shake as a flash of green light exploded onto the floor a short distance away.

She could see the combatants going at it as their auras and energy glowed in the dim light. Danny tried to punch Ivix, and missed as the ghost turned intangible. His fist landed squarely into the wall with all of his force.

Sam flinched, expecting Danny to have at least sprained something, but he didn't even tense with pain. Sam's eyes widened as she noticed Danny's aura was still as bright as ever, while Ivix's was starting to dim slightly from the exertion.

"His earring!" Sam realized. She jumped up from her crouched position and kept to the sides of the cave, trying to avoid getting impaled by falling debris.

"Danny!" she yelled over the sound of crumbling rock and blasting energy. "You've gotta stop!"

Danny didn't even seem to acknowledge her and kicked Ivix dead in the chest, which sent him into the ceiling, narrowly missing a spike. If he didn't control himself, Danny would do something he'd surely regret.

Sam tried to get closer to her friend but every time she tried to come out of her hiding place Ivix shot down a spike that sent her running for her safety. She groaned in frustration and glared at the ghosts before her.

Soon after, she felt a tingling sensation come over her and she gasped, knowing the feeling from being with Danny. She looked down and sure enough, she was invisible. She smirked and kissed one of her bracelets.

"Thank you, dragon lady!" she whispered, hurrying from the side to the back of the large cavern. She only hoped she could now talk sense into her friend.

Danny and Ivix we're almost indistinguishable, their movements were so quick and powerful it was all but a swirl of green and purple. Sam saw Danny get shot into the wall and gasped, running over to him just as he made to get up and rejoin the fight.

"Hey!" Sam snapped, grabbing Danny's arm. Her invisibility was dropped and she stared at Danny seriously. "You're not thinking straight, and we've got to get out of here, right now!"

Ivix chuckled from across the closed-in space. He grinned evilly, his teeth both sharp and menacing.

"You should listen to her," he mocked. "You cannot hope to win this fight."

Danny growled and pushed away from both the wall as well as out of Sam's hold.

"I have to finish this!" he told her. "I don't have a choice!"

He flew off faster than she could blink, and Sam gasped desperately.

"You always have a choice, Danny." she said softly. She continued to follow them, running as fast as she could to keep up. The cave was deeper than it looked, and she soon couldn't even see the entrance anymore.

"Danny, stop!" Sam shouted as the ground shook and she was forced to her knees as the floor took another blow, this time from Danny's ice blasts.

Danny couldn't listen to her, his head was too full of hate and determination. His fists hurt like crazy but his adrenaline was running wild. It took everything in his power to keep up and not let Ivix get any strikes in.

"Look at you," Ivix taunted as Danny managed to accidentally blast down a spike close to Sam's position on the ground. "You're just an accident waiting to happen! Let me do you a favor and put this girl out of her misery!"

Danny gasped as Ivix duplicated and shot at the ceiling above Sam, the two ghosts pummeling the ceiling with blasts of purple until the whole room shook and and began to collapse above Sam.

"No!"

The world seemed to slow down, every stalactite, pebble and drop of water moving in slow motion. Sam's eyes widened slowly, the only visible indication that she was frightened.

Danny flew down, faster than he ever thought possible, pushing himself harder than he ever had before to save his friend. He only prayed he could make it time...

Finding a group of teenagers was a lot easier than most would think. Or perhaps these particular teenagers were much less sneaky than they had thought.

Either way, Vlad only had to spend a few short moments wondering where the group could have gone before coming to a quick conclusion. It took mere seconds to steer himself in the direction of the dragon ghosts' realm and push speeds he rarely used. With all the research he'd done in his home, carelessly compiling information on their common enemy, he should have guessed one of the brats would see something. That, or maybe he was giving them less credit than they deserved. Tucker Foley was able to hack his systems for a while, researching outdated files would have been child's play.

He couldn't waste time on assumptions, so he planned to stop at Skulker's island on the way. He knew Daniel must have gotten his hands on the book Skulker had gotten him, but he had to know for sure that's where he was. If anyone was good at tracking Daniel, it was the hunting ghost himself.

It took barely five minutes to get to the booby trap-infested island, something Vlad knew was no small feat, but refused to dwell on. Skulker met him outside, where he was skinning some odd looking ghost creature. He seemed to be sulking, and Vlad had a feeling that he could guess exactly why.

"If you're looking for the whelp, I don't have him," Skulker muttered without turning around. Vlad scoffed.

"I know you don't have him, you can barely manage to sneak up on him." he said plainly. "Where has he gone?"

Skulker shrugged. "Somewhere..."

Vlad grit his teeth and grabbed the metal ghost's arm, turning him and pinning him against a tree. Skulker yelped and struggled to free himself without any success.

"I don't care how bruised your ego is," Vlad said in a deadly whisper. "I like answers, and believe me, I know how to get them."

Skulker huffed, relaxing in the harsh grip. "Alright, I get it."

Vlad released him and Skulker massaged his arm (though he didn't really feel it) before his tongue loosened.

"He's in the dragon's kingdom. Or at least, he was." said Skulker.

Vlad didn't hesitate and simply turned away to leave. Skulker scowled and called after him.

"I hope the brat isn't making you soft, Plasmius!"

Vlad turned in the air and fired a blast at the pelt Skulker had been working on, burning a hole straight through it. After Skulker gave a satisfying shriek Vlad sped away, temporarily content.

It was a fair concern, what with all the time he'd been spending with Daniel, but he couldn't let his allies think the boy had an effect on him. He was still as ruthless as ever, and anyone foolish enough to think otherwise would face his wrath.

The first thing he needed to do was find the newly crowned queen of the dragon kingdom. She was an ally of Daniel's, according to a report of Skulker's, and would no doubt have seen him if he had indeed come this way.

Out of the known areas of the Ghost Zone the Far Frozen and Dragon Kingdom were two of Vlad's biggest threats. The inhabitants were ancient and had numbers on their side. Keeping them both as allies would be the best course of action, but Daniel's influence with the icy beasts had already branded him an enemy.

Luckily for Vlad, he hadn't had many encounters with Dora or her people. There was a very good chance that if he explained his situation Dora would tell him what she knew about Daniel.

Getting to the kingdom was no problem, but as Vlad neared he kept his eyes on the neon sky until he spotted the dragon he was looking for. Circling the floating kingdom high in the air above was the scout dragon. Thankfully, the usual guard didn't seem to be on duty, so Vlad had high hopes of not being attacked before he could say 'hello'.

It was easy to get the dragon's attention, and when it came swerving towards him it took more strength than Vlad expected to not be knocked over by the forceful wind that blew from its mighty wings.

The dusty brown dragon lowered its head and Vlad smiled as easily as he could, keeping his posture loose. He wasn't here for a fight, and the sooner got to see Dora, the better.

"My name is Vlad Plasmius," he began, "I have a very urgent matter to discuss with your ruler."

The dragon's slitted eyes narrowed suspiciously.

"You are familiar with the half ghost Phantom, are you not?" Vlad tried. The ghost nodded, seeming to relax a little. "I'm here to find him."

The ghost straightened and ducked towards the castle.

"Follow." it ordered.

Vlad and the brown dragon were able to enter the castle with no issues. As they entered, Vlad noticed a great number of people leaving, all dressed up nicely and laughing.

'Have I missed something?' the halfa wondered.

The dragon led him to the castle's door and allowed him to enter alone. It didn't take long to find the woman he'd been looking for, as she was busy saying farewell to her guests at the inner door, leading to what he guessed was a ballroom. She had a guard on either side of her and an air of dignity about her Vlad had never noticed before.

Vlad waited as the last of the ghosts left the castle, appearing on the outside as if he were being the most respectful, patient and courteous man in the room.

On the inside, he was ready to start ripping off heads if he didn't get answers soon. The clock was ticking, and every second he wasted was another second that Daniel could be in danger without Vlad there to help him.

Dora saw him as the last couple was ushered out. She gestured for her guards to leave her and then beckoned Vlad to follow her.

Once they were in an unoccupied room, an ordinary study no less, Dora spoke.

"Although I so wish this was a social visit, I have a feeling you're here on business, Sir Plasmius." said the royal.

Vlad straightened, trying his best to ignore his need to release his frustrations out on Dora. Surely she knew why he was here!

"I'm afraid so," Vlad confirmed. "I was told Daniel came through here not too long ago, and it is of great importance that I locate him immediately."

Dora smiled easily and seated herself on a plush chair beside a small bookcase. Her posture was relaxed, but inside she was conflicted. She was loyal to Danny as an ally, but she and Vlad both knew he could be reckless at times. She decided to go the difficult route and avoid giving too much away just yet.

"Danny is very important to me, Plasmius." said Dora. "I'll need to know the context of this situation before I divulge anything."

Vlad wanted to yell at her. Or perhaps snap a few bones, maybe that would get her talking. He squashed down the homicidal thoughts and huffed.

"Of course, but I must remind you that time is of the essence," Vlad responded. "The short explanation as to why I'm here is that Daniel is, at the moment, my responsibility. I'm sure he explained to you his circumstances..."

"Not in detail," Dora answered. "But enough to know he most likely has a reason to go behind your back. Tell me, Plasmius, why should I help you?"

Vlad all but snarled. The woman was playing smart, but two could very much play this game. And he happened to play it quite well.

"Right now Daniel is consumed by his hero complex and determined to save the day." Vlad began. "Normally this would not be an issue, but the person he's going up against is very much willing to kill given the chance. His life is at stake, I implore you, tell me where to find Ivix's island."

Dora contemplated her options for a moment. On the surface her opinions were the same as Vlad's. She didn't want to escort Danny to the isle in the first place, but had been obligated to keep her word as a friend. Dora didn't doubt the powerful force Danny and his friends made when they fought together, but the threat was still very real.

"What will you do after you rescue him?" she asked, softer than before. Vlad relaxed a bit, noticing her beginning to relent.

"I...haven't given it much thought, honestly," he admitted. "I could very easily consider this betrayal, and I'd have every right to drop the boy as my ally..."

"Yes, you would," Dora agreed. "From what I gather, he went against your wishes, and plotted behind your back. So again, what do you plan to do about that?"

Vlad gave Dora a curious look, but decided to simply continue playing along for the sake of time.

"If only I were his parent, I could figure exactly what I should do..." Vlad sighed. "But with the little authority I hold over him I can barely keep him alive, let alone enforce obeying my rules."

Dora nodded. "Then don't start with that."

Vlad raised an eyebrow. "Pardon?"

"What does a familial relationship begin with?" Dora asked, before proceeding to answer her own question. "Love. It's the best place to start."

"I can see your point," Vlad told her, "but I'm afraid Daniel cannot even see me as someone capable of being so close to him. No matter what I do, his answer will always be to remain allies, nothing more."

"Then perhaps it is time to stop asking for his opinion, Sir Plasmius," said Dora, rising to her feet. "He is not an adult, after all."

Vlad watched as Dora opened and peered out of the door for a moment before calling a servant over. She instructed him to bring her an escort and returned to Vlad. His eyebrows creased in contemplation.

"Why would you give me advice on parenting Daniel?" he asked her. "What do you have to gain?"

Dora laughed. "Ever the optimist, are you not?"

When Vlad did not relent, she sighed and moved from the doorway.

"Perhaps I simply care for Danny, and want him to live a long and happy life. It might also be that I do not approve of his recent reckless move, and believe some comeuppance is in order." she replied. "Of course, I could also simply be bored. I am a ghost, after all."

Vlad allowed himself a small smile, and was relieved when a knock sounded on the door and the servant from earlier arrived to inform them that a dragon was stationed outside. Vlad quickly followed the servant into the hallway with Dora not too far behind.

"Be sure to get Danny home safely." Dora told him. In a softer voice, she added, "Don't forget what we spoke about."

Vlad nodded quickly, assuring her he'd heard, before turning on his heel and following the servant out of the castle into the company of the same dragon he'd spoken to before.

Luckily, this time the dragon was much more willing to help him and was very quick to take the lead towards their destination.

Vlad was thankful that the creature was fast, and as the number of ghostly lairs began to shrink, he couldn't help the nervous pit in his stomach. Daniel had been on the island for at least a good couple of hours now, if not more. So much could happen in such a timeline, and it caused Vlad to worry much more than he was used to.

When the island was finally in full view Vlad didn't hesitate and barely managed to give the dragon a heads up before teleporting away to the tree-covered land that made up the outer rim of the isle. He let out an unnecessary breath. Finally, he could accomplish his goal.

Not ten seconds passed since he landed on the island that Vlad felt a tremor shake the ground. He quickly hopped into the air lest he lose his balance. He felt a heavy weight settle in his chest.

'Daniel!'

Vlad flew high above the treeline, his eyes settling on the clearing that gave way to a cavernous mount. He sped towards it, hoping with all of his being that he wasn't too late.

As he neared he could sense both Daniel and another ghost's signature from inside the largest, closed off cave. Outside, he saw Daniel's friend Tucker, who waved frantically at Vlad once he was in view.

"Danny and Sam are inside!" Tucker yelled once Vlad was close enough. "The cave is collapsing, it can't handle the fight!"

Vlad teleported inside without a word, adrenaline racing through his veins. His eyes glowed brightly as they adjusted to the darkness. The ground shook, causing a few stalactites to fall from above.

The halfa dodged them expertly and pushed forward, following the sound of fighting and flashes of light from deep within the cavern.

When he caught sight of Daniel in ghost form, fighting a blur of black and purple he did not have time to feel relief. He did not even have a chance to say a word before the enemy duplicated and flew to the spikes of mineral formed above them.

He heard Daniel shout in fear as spikes were shot down one after the other, and Vlad soon realized why. Daniel dove towards the ground just below the area of danger, and Vlad finally saw Sam.

Without a second thought Vlad teleported. He'd needed to time it just right, and he prayed desperately that he'd done it in time.

Appearing beside the girl, Vlad grabbed her in one arm and snatched Daniel's arm just before he could smash into them. Pulling both the teens close, Vlad finally made a shield all around them and watched in relief as the rocks pounded against the barrier but could not penetrate it.

Danny appeared to be in shock but Sam was quick to recover, regaining her breath and shouting over the noise of the collapsing cave.

"We need to get out of here!" she told Vlad. "Before we're buried alive!"

He didn't bother answering and simply hugged the two of them close once more before daring to teleport for a third time, something he hadn't done in quite a while.

Teleporting just once took a great amount of concentration, and even then the energy it required was enough to power an entire week's worth of weapons for FentonWorks.

Vlad appeared outside the cave slightly disoriented, but otherwise unharmed. He quickly checked to make sure that the two teenagers had made it as well before finally letting out a breath. However, his relief was short lived, as Daniel began to pull out of his hold and shout.

"No! I have to finish this, what are you doing?!" he cried, nearly hysterical. Vlad almost released him as he was caught by surprise, but had enough sense to keep an arm around the boy's waist and release Sam.

"What has gotten into you?!" Vlad cried, his eyes fixed on the cave that was steadily crumbling before them. "Calm down, Daniel!"

"I have to know for sure! I need to know he didn't make it out!"

Tucker had rejoined them then, and could only look at his friend helplessly. Sam meanwhile, seemed to be contemplating something.

"It's not worth it!" Vlad told Danny. When the boy didn't cease to struggle, he tried a different approach. "If Ivix doesn't have the energy to teleport, there's a good chance he'll be crushed underneath the debris. Please, Daniel, just calm down."

Danny finally let out a desperate sob. "I can't. You don't understand!"

Vlad opened his mouth to speak but was interrupted by Sam coming over to them and putting her hand to Danny's head. Vlad watched curiously as she quickly examined his ear for a moment before she carefully and skillfully pulled out the earring that was stuck there.

Danny had stilled, unsure of what exactly Sam was playing at, before he began to panic. His strength and vigor was quickly leaving him, and he suddenly felt dizzy. Vlad was forced to support him fully as his knees then buckled under his weight and he fell.

"Sorry, but I'm not about to let you get crushed by a ghost rock." Sam muttered softly. Danny barely understood her; his head was too foggy and he had to close his eyes to keep the vertigo at bay.

Finally, Danny's head dropped to his chest and he was officially out cold. Rings appeared around his waist and he quickly transformed from ghost to human. Sam fixed the earring to its backing before stowing it away for later.

"Let's go," she said, her eyes fixed ahead. "The sooner we're out of here, the better."

No one argued, and sooner than seemingly possible, Vlad was carrying the unconscious Danny in his arms and leading the others back to his portal.

Tucker and Sam were silent the entire way. Their plan had utterly failed, and their egos were badly bruised. Not to mention their friend was now just barely recovering from a difficult battle, one they had needed to be rescued from. And by a fruitloop no less...

When Vlad closed the portal behind them in his lab the teens weren't surprised when he ordered Godfrey to escort them to a driver that would take them home. They only hoped they wouldn't be grounded for too long after their parents were informed that they had helped their friend sneak out. Though they did deserve it.

Vlad continued on to carry Danny to his room, where he found Jazz waiting for them on his bed. When she saw the two halfas she jumped up in shock.

"What happened?!" she demanded, unable to question further as Vlad pushed a finger to his lips.

"Don't wake him." he ordered, placing Danny onto the bed Jazz had previously occupied.

Jazz forced herself to wait patiently while Vlad situated her brother comfortably before hurrying her out into the hall. It was all she could take to force herself not to shout.

"The scales were not tipped in your brother's favor, I'm afraid." Vlad sighed, changing to his human form. "I believe I was able to prevent the worst possible damage but he could be injured internally, I will not know until he's awake."

Jazz was relieved that her brother wasn't in any immediate danger, but now she had a whole other set of worries.

"What are you going to do now?" hhe asked him, running her hands through her long, red hair. The action helped her remain calm.

"Well I must see Godfrey about postponing dinner, and then reschedule all the work I've missed today-"

"No, I mean," Jazz interrupted. "When Danny wakes up..."

Catching her hint, Vlad frowned. Yet again he was forced to think through his plans for Daniel and he.

"Where we go from here will be Daniel's prerogative." he finally decided. "My only request from you is that you abstain from influencing his choice. This must be his own decision."

Jazz nodded. "I can do that."

Vlad gave an approving nod of his own and stepped back.

"Will you be staying with him?" the billionaire asked, gesturing to Danny's bedroom door.

"Most likely. He'll be confused when he wakes up." she said softly.

Vlad didn't reply, simply giving her a thankful look and turning away to see to his list of ever growingly responsibilities.

Daniel would be the death of him, Vlad was sure of it. There was no foreseeable way he could continue to endure this daily heart failure without being near to death's door. It was utterly impossible.

At times like these, he thought it best to drown himself in his work. He'd missed many days of meetings, trips and important events due to Daniel's visit and he would be the first to say he would do it again if given the chance. A man like Vlad could afford to take time off, what with the plethora of top-notch staff running his companies and the big decisions being left for whenever his signature was available. It was almost a vacation.

Almost. Instead of a physical grind such as visiting his offices or entertaining guests in a posh venue abroad, he now stood before the challenge that was rebuilding his family life.

He'd dreamt of this moment, fantasized and imagined exactly how it would be to have Daniel by his side. But he could have never foreseen the hardship. The arguing, the mood swings, the teenage angst! It was almost too much at times.

Vlad entered his study and sunk into his desk chair with a sigh. Inside himself he knew that every moment he spent with Daniel was worth missing all the work, worth pushing to ensure that their alliance remained strong, worth the sleepless night trapped as a teddy bear.

Even if given the chance to, he would not have missed any of that. It was like a new challenge every day with Daniel and he was getting oddly used to it.

There was a singular knock on his door and his butler entered the room soon after. Vlad snapped out of his thoughts.

"Miss Manson and Mr. Foley have been taken care of, sir," said Godfrey.

"Good, the less I have to worry about right now the better." Vlad sighed. Godfrey hesitated at the door.

"Has the young sir woken up yet?" he asked in concern.

"No." Vlad answered. "And with any luck, he won't for a while. I haven't decided what to do with him yet."

Godfrey nodded before turning to leave. He halted for a moment before speaking on a whim.

"I know I don't normally ask..." Godfrey began, "but if you are having trouble with making a decision, perhaps you would like to hear my advice?"

Vlad only had to think for a moment before he gestured for his butler to enter the room once again. Godfrey had a knack for reading and understanding people, so Vlad valued his opinion when it came to situations concerning others.

"I just don't understand why he feels the need to fight me tooth and nail," Vlad finally admitted. He was beyond exasperated at this point. "I've done practically everything I can to make him comfortable here for the time being but he seems hellbent on pushing my buttons whenever he gets the chance!

Vlad got a hold of himself then and forced himself to breathe deeply. He could still feel some of that panicked adrenaline from racing through the Ghost Zone. The thought that Daniel had knowingly made him worry that much made him furious, and if Vlad were still the plotting archenemy that he had been only months ago he would have left the brat on that island.

"Your frustration is understandable." Godfrey responded after a moment of contemplation. "But maybe you should try putting yourself in his shoes."

"Pardon?"

"How did young Daniel's parents treat him whilst he was under their roof?" Godfrey prompted.

Vlad thought for a moment. "They either ignored him, or were extremely overbearing. They were lazy with their rules and whenever Daniel did manage to get into trouble, it was rare that he actually thought twice about doing the action again in the future."

"Exactly," Godfrey nodded, smiling. "Now, fast forward to present day. He has a schedule, you put off work to be with him, he has a sense of what is expected of him while he's here..."

"It is a completely different atmosphere." Vlad finished. He had a feeling he knew where this was going.

Though he didn't want to brush off the situation at hand, he could see why Daniel would be uncomfortable acting as the poster boy for good behavior with a man he'd only previously known as a villain. Putting himself in Daniel's shoes was easy in theory, but trying to understand his binary view of life and hero complex sometimes nearly made Vlad go mad.

"Right again, sir," the butler praised. "So, if you had suddenly changed lifestyles from very easy going, lazy parenting to a more focused, stricter version-"

"I'd be doing exactly what he's been doing." Vlad said in a defeated tone. "But I can't excuse him this time. I cannot simply let this go so easily."

This time, Daniel hadn't just lied by omission, or committed some other easily fixable error. He'd willfully put his own life at risk. For both Daniel's sake and his own, it was something he just couldn't let slide.

Godfrey nodded his head in understanding. He had to give his employer credit, for it seemed that he really did care to do things right by Danny. At the very least, he was going to try his absolute best to keep their newfound trust from being destroyed.

"Of course you can't," agreed the servant. "But to take a more parental role than you ever have before- especially when the boy hardly sees you as a parental figure at all- could damage your alliance rather than improve it."

Vlad remembered his conversation with Dora and what she had suggested concerning the very same problem. Vlad's eyebrows creased together in concentration. Daniel would never simply grow used to Vlad like another child might, it's one of the things that made him different, even special. Daniel was a hero, and a hero always had issues with trust. Even as the so called 'villain' Vlad could understand why.

"I have to stop asking questions," he said, more to himself than to Godfrey. "Godfrey my friend, I think it's time for a nice, old fashioned ultimatum."

Godfrey didn't respond, more confused than anything else. What could his employer possibly mean? And what would this mean for Danny?

Vlad's eyes narrowed in a way that told Godfrey he was definitely planning something. It had been a while since Godfrey had been privy to one of Vlad's schemes but he could tell that this one seemed different. Most likely, the cause was that there was so much more on the line this time. This was Vlad's dream of having a son they were talking about.

"Get my lawyer down here, we have some matters to discuss." Vlad ordered, standing from his seat. "In the meantime, I need to cash in on some favors."

Godfrey didn't have time to respond. Vlad stepped past him and out the door quicker than the elder could process. Godfrey worried at the devious glint in his employer's eyes as he walked away. It was a look he hadn't seen since Danny came to live with them.

Whatever came next, Godfrey was certain it would be a true test for both of the halfas. With a smirk Godfrey walked to the telephone on the desk to call Vlad's lawyer.

This was going to be very interesting indeed.

Next Chapter: Vlad turns the tables in an unexpected twist that leaves Danny between a rock and a hard place.

Special thanks to the betas of this chapter.

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Thanks for reading- SPARKLES

-P