Sorry for the wait! I got wrapped up with secret santa fics and had to put finishing this chapter on hold. It's also a little shorter than usual, and that's because in typical Lexx fashion I did some last-minute scene re-arranging so part of this chapter went to the next one.

That being said, I hope you guys enjoy this update!

"What do you want, Plasmius?"

"Daniel?" came a breathy voice on the other end. "Is that really you?"

Danny nearly dropped his phone.

Was Vlad...concerned? About him?

Just what the hell was going on?

Danny opened his mouth to respond, but his breath caught in his throat. He'd seen Vlad at his worst, but this?

"It is you, isn't it?"

"I, uh…yes?"

"Well." Vlad's tone shifted. "You certainly made a splash in the media, didn't you?"

And there went any bubbling concern for the rich narcissist. Gone, squashed faster than Danny's GPA after his scuffle with the portal. Really, it was silly for him to even consider that Vlad may have a heart under all that tailored clothing and half-dead skin.

Well, it was good to know that this phone call was a massive waste of time.

Danny gave a final resounding "fuck off" before ending the call and all but throwing his phone onto his bed.

It was stupid to think that Vlad cared about him anyway. Vlad, the only other half ghost in existence, the only other person who could even partially relate to what he was going through.

Yeah, Danny was an idiot for thinking that maybe Vlad might listen to him. Might care.

But, like a mosquito who got a taste for fresh blood, Vlad's caller ID flashed on Danny's phone screen again and this time Danny was just pissed off enough to rip the phone off his damn mattress and hiss into the speaker, "Listen, I don't know what your problem is, but—"

"Daniel, please. Stop your yammering for a second and listen to me."

Danny felt his eyes flash green. "You called me, asshole."

"Yes, I—okay, let me start over. I apologize for my tone before. I suppose old habits die hard. I do understand that you are going through a rather difficult time at the moment and certain topics are—"

"What do you want?"

There was a pause on the line before Vlad's somber voice said, "I was calling to see if you were alright."

"The Guys in White don't—"

"Daniel, my boy, I'm calling about you, not the pesky government."

Danny was about to snap back with a "Then what was the point of calling me?" followed by some choice words of how Vlad was a sociopath and maybe a "don't fucking call again," when he hesitated. Maybe it was the tone of Vlad's voice, or the way he so pointedly cut Danny off when Danny knew that deep down Vlad did want to talk about the GiW, but something seemed off.

"Do you...Vlad, I—I can't leave my house."

"Ah, yes, I heard about your injuries. I hope you are on the mend."

"Right…" What the hell was Vlad's game right now? "I don't trust you."

"As I'm well aware, little badger. But we can't always get what we want, hmm? And besides, it's been a while since I've seen your dear old father, now hasn't it? And Maddie, that lovely woman, I don't think I've seen her since the court case. Of course, I was giving them space. Oh, they were so torn up when you were taken—we all were—but I think it's about time we all catch up, especially since you've been doing so well."

Danny's eyes narrowed once again and he had to refrain from throwing his phone at the wall. Even when giving Danny a coded warning, he still had to be such an ass, didn't he? Danny knew he wasn't "doing well," but he was trying.

"Give me one reason I should invite you over."

"There are a few...hmm, call them 'loose ends' I need to tie up with your family about the legal proceedings."

"Thought so," Danny muttered bitterly.

"Oh, don't be so rash, my dear boy. I know teenagers can be impulsive, but don't go jumping to conclusions quite yet. I merely wish to catch up, is all."

Either Vlad was stringing him along to get close to Maddie or he had some news about the GiW. Or, knowing Vlad, maybe it was a bit of both.

Well, there was only one way to find out.

"Fine. I'll tell my mom you're—you're dropping by tomorrow for dinner."

"Splendid! I simply cannot wait to see your mother—"

"Make one creepy move...and…"

And what?

Phantom was incapacitated, and Fenton was in a wheelchair. What the hell was he supposed to do?

Judging by Vlad's dark chuckle on the other end of the line, it was likely he was thinking the same. "I'll see you tomorrow, little badger. Ta ta!"

Danny jabbed the red "end call" button and dropped his phone beside him. He allowed his head to fall into his hands.

Maybe his therapy had been rubbing off on him, because Danny somehow had developed the notion that he was done with Vlad. He wanted nothing to do with the man, and he assumed that Vlad felt the same.

But that was just his naivete talking. There were too many loose ends, too much unfinished business between the halfas for them to just go their separate ways.

This could only end in disaster.

But Danny had to see him. He had to know what Vlad wanted to discuss.

He pushed himself off his bed and made his way downstairs, only to find the kitchen and living room empty.

Great. Just perfect. His mom and dad were probably in the lab, which conveniently didn't have a stairlift attached to it.

Danny tried to ignore the implications of that as he unlocked the lab door and took a deep breath. If they didn't want to let him into the lab, then they were just going to have to deal with the consequences.

"MOM! DAD!"

There was a crash followed by an expletive, and Danny allowed himself a moment to revel in his parents' distress.

"Danny! Are you okay?" His mother yelled back, her voice filled with worry.

"Vlad's coming for dinner tomorrow!"

There was a pause, and then discreet muttering. Finally, Maddie shouted up the stairs, "One second, sweetie!"

Danny folded his arms and leaned back in his chair, listening to the sounds of footsteps on the metal stairs until his mother appeared at the doorway.

"Vlad's coming for dinner," Danny repeated nonchalantly.

"Oh?" Maddie closed the lab door, studying him with a suspicious look.

Danny stretched his arms behind his head in a brilliant moment of method acting as a bored teenager. "Yeah! I, uh, just got off the...phone."

"With Vlad?"

"Yes?"

"And why were you on the phone with Vlad?"

"Uh...he...he said he was checking in. Wanted to see how I was doing," Danny said. Judging by Maddie's confused expression, Danny hadn't sold her on Vlad's innocent act. Time to try another angle.

Danny deflated. "He saw the news and—and wanted to make sure I...was okay."

Even after all this time, it was amazing how easily that lie slipped out.

"Oh, hun…" Maddie bent down to pull him into a hug.

"So, yeah. I invited him over. Figured it was the—uh, least I could do."

She pulled back. "Well, it was sweet of you to do that. I know he can be a bit of a pain, but he was a huge help during the court case."

Knowing Vlad, he was only funding their legal battle so the government wouldn't have enough time to research halfa biology properly. If they found out there were more halfas out there...well, Vlad wasn't exactly subtle. It wouldn't take long before the GiW connected the dots between Vlad and Plasmius.

"But Danny." Maddie's expression turned serious. "Please don't feel like you owe him anything. Vlad or not, your father and I would have done anything to get you home, okay? You and Jazz are the most important part of our lives. Having Vlad extend a hand was nice, but it doesn't change anything, alright?"

Danny nodded, his gaze dropping to his lap. He already knew his parents would fly to the moon and back if it meant bringing him home, and that was why—in another sick sense—he did owe Vlad. It was revolting for even him to admit, but Vlad was probably the reason why his parents didn't have to sell off their livelihood to afford court fees. Vlad was the reason they were able to hire the best of the best lawyers so quickly and why they were able to get Danny home in a matter of weeks rather than months or even years. It was all thanks to Vlad fucking Masters.

Maybe that was why Vlad wanted to come over. Maybe he didn't want to talk about the Guys in White, maybe he just wanted to gloat about how much Danny owed him.

A wave of nausea hit Danny, and he twisted his shirt in his hands.

Vlad really was the worst.

"You're just rusty," Tucker said.

Danny blinked, realizing a second too late that his screen was flashing red. He tried to move his character out of the way from whatever was attacking him, but it was too late. Danny sighed and set the controller down next to him.

"Don't worry, you'll get it back."

The words 'brain damage' flickered in his mind, but he pushed that away. Now wasn't the time to get caught up in self-pity. Not with Tucker spending his free time hanging out with Danny when he surely had more important things he could be doing. Danny Fenton, the once prolific gaming nerd, now unable to get a clean hit on anyone.

"You should be lucky Sam's grounded," Tucker continued. "If she were here, she'd be sweeping the floor with us."

Danny watched Tucker's screen. His movements were far quicker than Danny remembered. Was Danny really that bad at video games now? Was this another thing that the GiW took from him?

"She always...crushes us."

"Ha, well, that's Sam for you. At least now we can actually make some progress on Doomed without being oh so rudely interrupted every two seconds."

Danny had to hold back from pointing out that Tucker would be the only one making progress because Danny was too busy being...what was it? Oh, right, rusty.

He unlocked his phone and grimaced at the time. It was just past five. "You'll need to leave soon."

"What, got a hot date tonight?" Tucker threw Danny a brow waggle and shit-eating grin.

Danny rolled his eyes. "I don't know if—if that's what I'd call Vlad..."

Tucker froze, his mouth gaping open like a fish. Out of the corner of Danny's eye, he saw Tucker's screen flash red until the "game over" sign watermarked the screen.

"Vlad?" Tucker's alarmed expression morphed to a mix between confusion and concern. "Danny, I don't wanna tell you what you should or shouldn't be doing, but—"

"It's fine. It's just Vlad."

"Yeah, but..." Tucker's voice trailed off, and he gestured to Danny as if that were all the reasoning he needed to convey what a terrible idea this was.

"I know, I know...I'm...useless—"

"Bro, that's not what I was gonna say! It's just...don't you think this is a bit too soon? And, I mean, come on! It's Vlad. Why are you bothering with him? After everything he did?"

"I mean…" Danny picked at his carpet, trying to keep his face impassive. Aloof. "He did help in the court case. I owe him…"

Tucker snorted. "Yeah, okay, just skip over the part where he's the reason he had to hire those lawyers in the first place."

Danny closed his eyes, pinching the bridge of his nose. There was a certain truth he was avoiding, he knew he was avoiding, which was the fact that Vlad had played an instrumental role in this mess from the start.

Skulker shot Danny with a gun that messed with his powers.

Danny transformed on TV.

Skulker worked for Vlad in exchange for new technology.

Danny was kidnapped by the Guys in White.

Vlad financed his court case that granted him legal protection.

This was so messed up. There were so many different angles, different conspiracy theories that Danny could gather from this that he had absolutely refused to touch upon thus far. Because he knew if he started diving into this mess, it would just drag him down deeper and deeper, and before he knew it, he would be right back where he started in inpatient.

No. He needed to pull himself together. Don't think about this, don't ask questions. Just accept what happened. Accept that this was an accident, that Danny was terribly unlucky, that this wasn't anyone's fault except the Guys in White.

"Sorry." Tucker's voice drew Danny back to reality. "Listen, I'm sorry. I shouldn't have—it was stupid of me to bring that up."

Danny didn't open his eyes. "Did you...what was the case like?"

"I, uh…" Tucker paused. "Honestly? Most of it was boring. I didn't do much. I only actually went to the stand to do my character witness thing."

"You had to...do that?"

"Yeah. You know, just had to tell people that you're not a savage beast hell-bent on Earth's destruction. The usual."

Danny felt the corners of his mouth twitch up. "Yeah. The usual."

"It was...the whole thing was televised, you know?"

No. Danny had not known that. His parents never thought to tell him, apparently.

Who knew what else they'd been hiding?

The surprise must have shown on his face because Tucker swiveled around to face Danny, his eyes wide behind his glasses. "What? Nobody told you?"

"No. I don't—why?"

Tucker shook his head. "It was high profile, dude. You being taken was all people were talking about. You should have seen it. Not just online too, regular media was covering it. Politicians, celebrities, everyone. It was crazy." His brows creased. "Nobody told you?"

"I...uh…" Danny hesitated. "I knew some things."

"Like what?"

"I knew it was...I was, ah—talked about. I knew...on some level. But I didn't think…"

Tucker looked at him inquisitively. "That people cared that much?"

Danny felt his cheeks heat up. "I guess."

"Phantom is huge. Bigger than I think any of us realized. You're a real-life superhero, you know? And it turns out that under all that ghost power, you're just a regular teen. That means something."

"Well, I know that now," Danny said bitterly. "Can't leave my house, can't get out of my car, can't breathe without cameras pointed at me."

"Yeah, well, better get used to it." Tucker plucked his controller off the ground. "You're famous now. Bad timing, I know, but you can't change that."

"I still don't like it."

"I know." Tucker started a new game. "But the public is...look, I think people are mainly just curious. Even before you were revealed, Phantom was kind of an enigma. He'd appear for ghost fights, then disappear after. He was obviously a new ghost, but he had no problem interacting with humans. And then all of the sudden, Phantom's not actually a full ghost but a human too. But before anyone could get answers, he disappeared."

Danny stared blankly at the screen, watching as he did nothing while his character died.

"People are just confused. And I'm not saying you have to give them answers, but I think someday, you're gonna have to throw them a bone, you know?"

"I'm not a dog," Danny hissed. He froze, his body instantly filling with regret and shame.

If Tucker noticed his reaction, he didn't acknowledge it. "This isn't gonna go away anytime soon, you know. And you're going back to Casper High, right?"

"Yeah. Kinda."

"Kinda?"

"I, uh…" Danny rubbed the back of his neck, wondering how much he wanted to say about his education plan. It wasn't that he was ashamed he wouldn't be in a regular classroom, but…

Why would he be ashamed? It wasn't a big deal. So what if Danny Fenton was too fragile for the average school experience? Nobody would really care.

And this was Tucker he was talking to. His best friend. Tucker wouldn't judge him...right?

"I'll be in the learning center."

"And? That's still in the school, Danny."

"But it's not—it's not the same."

"Okay, so it's not the same. You're still gonna have to deal with everyone in our high school knowing who you are."

Danny fiddled with his controller. "It'll be fine."

"Yeah, just…" Tucker's voice trailed off.

Danny stole a glance at his friend and saw a strange expression of restraint adorning his face. Tucker had been Danny's best friend since they were kids, and rarely did he ever hold back from Danny like this. They were Team Phantom, they did everything together.

The conflicting emotions playing across Tucker's face seemed so out of place that Danny nearly asked him what was wrong. And then the moment passed, his frown replaced by a grin that didn't reach his eyes and a "Yeah, you'll be fine!"

Danny tried to put on a confident face as well, but it was too awkward. Too fake. Danny was sure that Tucker noticed, but he didn't say anything.

"I defeated Pariah Dark, didn't I? High schoolers will...be easy."

Tucker's smile wavered. "Right. A piece of cake."

Danny wasn't sure what seeing Vlad again after so long would feel like. Would he be overcome with rage? Would he break down crying? Would Vlad go on one of his melodramatic tirades for brownie points with Maddie?

But seeing Vlad interact with his parents again felt like someone had hit "play" on an old movie. With one exception.

Vlad was still undeniably Vlad. He still spent the entire time ignoring Jazz, making passive-aggressive comments towards Jack, and flirting incessantly with Maddie. It almost felt like old times.

Except that it wasn't.

Danny couldn't help the budding resentment building every time he looked Vlad's way. Maybe deep down, he did blame Vlad this whole time. Maybe some part of him wouldn't let up on the fact that if it weren't for Vlad's faulty tech, he wouldn't have been outed.

Vlad wasn't helping to diffuse the growing tension either, using every other opportunity to make "poor Daniel" comments and prodding about his recovery. Really, Danny didn't know who Vlad was trying to fool with this act. It was ridiculous before the Guys in White, and it was even more ridiculous now.

Well…

Danny glanced over at Jack, who was enthusiastically blathering on about his latest invention to Vlad who—to his credit—was pretending to be enthralled by the design. It seemed that though this past summer had affected Danny's father, some things would just never change.

Danny leaned back in his chair, watching as everyone bustled around him cleaning up after dinner. He felt more than a little useless doing nothing, but he tried to at least bring his plate to the sink only to have his hand slapped away by Jazz. Logically, he knew he would only get in everyone's way if he tried to help, but sitting off to the side was still mildly humiliating.

"Forgive me for asking, Daniel, but how long will you be confined to that wheelchair?" Vlad said, his voice dripping with faux concern.

Danny wanted to snap back at Vlad that he wasn't confined to anything and that he could still take Vlad down right now if he wanted to, but he bit his tongue. "Not sure."

Maddie took over. "It wasn't a complete break, thankfully, and with Danny's ectoplasmic healing abilities, his spine's projected to regain much of its functionality in the next few months. But even past that, they say he'll probably continue to make progress for a few years so long as he follows his PT exercises."

"Ah, pity, so he won't make a complete recovery? Such a shame."

Danny fought off an instinctive glare.

"We're really not sure yet," Maddie said. "Obviously, his biology throws a wrench in most SCI studies."

"But whatever happens, we're still very proud of the progress he's made, and we know how hard he's been working for it!" Jack said, wrapping his arm around Danny's shoulder.

For once, Danny didn't shrug him off. If only because he knew how much this outwardly display of father-son bonding pissed Vlad off.

And right on queue, Vlad checked his watch. "Oh, look at the time! I really should be heading out now. Daniel, you must be exhausted, I have no doubt you wish to retreat to your bedroom. It was nice to catch up with you, and I have no doubt we'll be meeting again very soon."

Jack and Maddie made a show of scrambling forward and insisting on showing Vlad to his car, but Danny couldn't help but tense.

Vlad hadn't come here just for dinner. He had wanted to talk, hadn't he? Because for whatever reason, they couldn't do so over the phone?

And now he was just leaving?

"Ah, silly me, I nearly forgot! Daniel, Jazz, do be a dear and give us a few moments. I need to discuss a few legal matters with your parents before I take my leave."

Danny raised his eyebrow, surveying the adults. Maddie avoided eye contact, but Jack held his gaze.

"It'll only take a few minutes, son."

"Come on, Danny," Jazz said. She had been strangely quiet the whole dinner, but Danny didn't have the mental energy to care about why.

His gaze shifted over to Vlad, whose eyes flashed red and flickered up towards the ceiling.

Right. Of course.

"Okay." Danny rolled his eyes and, like the well-behaved teenager he was, waved Vlad off with a "see you soon" before making his way over to the stairlift.

The stairlift, as if it didn't have enough flaws already, was painfully slow. Jack admitted that he wanted to make it faster, but Maddie insisted that it had to be slow or else Danny could get hurt.

For once, Danny sided with his dad.

He finally reached the top of the stairs and went to his bedroom, shutting the door behind him. He transferred to his bed and sat there waiting.

Vlad would come to him, there was no doubt. All Danny had to do was sit here like a good little dog and wait.

No, shut up, he wasn't a dog. Remember? The Guys in White were wrong. They didn't know what they were talking about. He wasn't a dog.

Sure enough, after a few more minutes of muffled talking from downstairs, Danny heard a distinct set of footsteps on the stairs followed by "I'll just go bid my adieu! I won't be long, I'm sure he's tired."

He closed his eyes and took a deep breath, counting the steps it took for Vlad to reach his door.

Danny didn't wait for a knock. "Come in."

The door opened, and Danny looked over to see Vlad's signature smug grin.

Vlad shut the door before waltzing across Danny's room and stopping before his bed. He crossed his arms, tilted his head back, and said in a voice that was dripping with ridicule, "Well well, how goes the life of Amity Park's little celebrity?"

Danny gripped the edge of his nightstand and pushed himself to a standing position, internally grabbing the wisps of his core energy and directing it all to his eyes. It was exactly the impulsive, boneheaded move that Danny would have had no problem doing just a few months ago. But now, as soon as he pushed his aura through his irises, all he felt was an instant wave of regret.

Because, although there was much of ghost culture that Danny had to learn once he became a ghost, the culture of hierarchy was innate. And a weak ghost like Danny vying for dominance over a powerful ghost like Plasmius was so stupid it was almost disrespectful.

Vlad responded in kind, stepping forward until he loomed over Danny, allowing not only his eyes to flare red but his entire ghostly aura to shine out around his body. He chuckled darkly, reaching a hand out to Danny's chest.

"Know your place, little badger," he said, shoving Danny back onto his bed.

Despite the cushioned surface below him, Danny's chest cried out in dissent. He grunted, fighting between the unhappy nerve signals and the utter embarrassment of being defeated so easily by Vlad.

The amusement melted off Vlad's face, replaced with pure contempt.

"You idiotic, petulant child. Look at you."

"Shut up," Danny whispered.

"After everything I told you, everything I tried to teach you, you go ahead and get yourself revealed anyway! On television, no less."

Danny let out a bitter laugh, not caring how childish he sounded. "Oh, that's rich coming from you, the—the asshole who pro—probably gave Skulker that stupid gun in the...the..."

Vlad grabbed his arm and pulled Danny back upright. "In case it hasn't occurred to you, Daniel, 'this asshole' is the same asshole who oh so graciously paid for all of your legal fees. If it weren't for me, you would still be rotting in a government cell!"

Danny glared at his wall. Anywhere but Vlad's stupid face. "Like you did—did that because you care."

"No, I did that because you are an impulsive, reckless teenager who has no business having ghost powers in the first place! You're a liability, little badger! And it's up to me to clean up your mess so the government doesn't endanger the rest of us!"

Vlad threw Danny back on his bed. Fire licked his chest, but he ignored it. He struggled back into a seated position, muttering, "You don't have to...worry. They didn't—they didn't learn anything. They just used me as—uh, a battery the whole time."

"Oh, I'm well aware of your adventures inside the facility, I assure you."

Danny's eyes widened, snapping up at Vlad who had now decided his cuticles were more interesting than Danny.

"Thankfully, we live in a militarized government, so they don't much care for ectobiology the way dear Maddie does. But you forgot one thing." He locked eyes with Danny. "They took a piece of your core, child."

"I—"

"Do you even realize how catastrophic that could have been for us? You're lucky they're all morons who wouldn't know a good opportunity if it slapped them across the face."

"What are they—what did you—"

"Oh, don't worry, they're only using it as a weapon's source. Nothing more than a little nebula of energy, at least for now. The government can be so greedy, but you know how they love to escalate all too well."

"Shut up."

Vlad chuckled. "It started with just a little bit of ectoplasm, didn't it? Just a bit here and there until they figured out how powerful your ectoplasm was compared to any of the weak blob ghosts they had lying around before, right? And so they kept taking, and taking, never caring about what it was doing to you, hmm?"

Danny's breath caught in his throat.

"But then it wasn't enough. They were taking too much. You were too weak, you weren't behaving the way they wanted you to, you were too damaged. So they started looking for ways to get more power. The source was you, of course. But what is your battery? What fuels you? That was the question, and you already know the answer. You lived it." Vlad's gaze trailed down to Danny's chest. "Didn't you?"

He felt cold. Ice cold. He tried to swallow, but his mouth was a dessert.

Vlad's eyes flashed red, and he hissed, "Remember that I have something you don't: resources. You reveal me to Maddie, and I'll make sure the entire world knows exactly what the great Danny Phantom truly is."

He gave one last grin before straightening up and allowing his ghostly aura to die. "Well, I must be going now. Do be a good boy and listen to your doctors. As nice as it's been to have you out of my way for the past few months, your recovery has been rather stressful for Maddie, and she's not quite the outgoing woman she used to be. Oh, and please keep in mind it's likely that the government is tapping your phone, so please don't call about anything ghost-related. Ta!"

The door closed, followed by the sound of Vlad's fading footsteps. Danny strained his ear, focusing on the muffled voices downstairs until the front door gave a resounding click and it all went silent.

Vlad was gone. And Danny felt numb.

There was a soft knock on his door. "Danny?" came Jazz's voice. "Are you in there?"

He couldn't answer. He was too weak. He couldn't even hold his own to the Box Ghost, what the hell was he thinking flaring his aura out to Plasmius?

And worst of all, Vlad knew. He knew all about Danny's time in the government facility, which meant there must have been a record of it somewhere because it was impossible for ghosts to get in or out of the facility, even through overshadowing. And even if there somehow were the possibility of a loophole, there was no way in hell Vlad would be stupid enough to risk his skin to observe Danny being tortured up close.

So the GiW had a record. A record that Vlad had access to. Maybe Operative O took notes, maybe the security cameras in his cell were a little more functional than he thought they were, or maybe Vlad just hacked into the facility and watched Danny the whole time, which only served to drum up even more possibilities about security at the facility.

Danny should be freaking out about this. And maybe he would, later. Maybe it would hit him all at once what his future held, how trapped he still was, that there truly was no escape from this constant hell.

But for now, he just felt...so numb.

"Danny?" Jazz tried again. "I know you're in there. I won't come in, but just know that I'm here if you want to talk about anything. Get some sleep, alright? I'll see you in the morning."

Danny glanced out his window. There were no stars tonight, the clouds were blocking the way.

It was almost fitting this way. Danny alone, unable to see the stars. Maybe this was meant to be.

Maybe this was all it would ever be.

And there we have it, Danny and Vlad finally met up and it went just about as well as you'd expect! Danny really can't catch a break, can he?

Thanks so much to my beta imekitty for being a saint as usual!

And thank you all for reading! I'll see you in the next update!