Disclaimer: I don't own anything from Danny Phantom.

Note: I feel kind of bad shipping Eris off to do a bunch of undercover work, but don't worry, I have a plan! I've already outlined what I'd like to see happen next plot-wise, which is why I'd like to see Eris work her magic first by going undercover again. There are a few other surprises I have planned along the way, too, that hopefully you guys won't see coming. But if not, then congratulations; you're either a mind reader or I'm just that predictable! Lolz! Anyway, I'm glad I finally managed to crank out another chapter. I honestly meant to do it sooner, but life got in the way. It's funny how often that happens.

Chapter 4: Safe Travels

Vlad's POV

Due to the unexpected last-minute change of plans, I ultimately decided to drop everything I had been working on in order to create a new identity for Eris since it was no longer necessary. As for Owen, I know he is doing his best to be a supportive friend, but I also understand why he's so reluctant to let her out of his sight. He's afraid of what might happen if Eris is caught leaking information to us, which I suppose is understandable. Oh, and speaking of unlikely friendships, you could say I've grown moderately attached to Eris as well, so I sincerely meant it when I said her presence here will be sorely missed. Personally, however, I believe this turn of events may actually be a blessing in disguise because Owen is going to have to go back to school before too long anyway, and as things stand now, they wouldn't be able to attend classes together even without all this cult nonsense so they'll have to get used to being apart again regardless.

That brings us to our next big decision. Or rather, mine, to be more precise. I've been putting a lot of thought into what we should do next, and ideally, I would like to bring Owen to Amity Park for a short time just to help acclimate him to his new necromancer form. After all, ghost encounters are more commonplace there than anywhere else in the world, which in theory should provide ample opportunities for Owen to learn how to better handle them in the future...

As for the other reason why I've decided to do this, it's obviously the most logical solution to our current dilemma, beginning Owen's training. And since Daniel has already kept his end of the bargain by watching over Owen during the charity event that means it's my turn to return the favor without the old strings attached that would require Daniel to renounce his father. Furthermore, I think Daniel will agree to these new terms without putting up too much of a fuss once I point out how it would have been rather tedious—not to mention unrealistic—to have him travel all the way to Wisconsin for these regularly scheduled training sessions which is precisely why I extended the offer to train him alongside Owen in the first place.

Of course, that also means Daniel won't be getting any special treatment. He'll have to work just as hard as Owen if he wants to learn how to finally utilize the full extent of his abilities. And I think competing against each other in a safe environment where they won't have to fight for survival going up against some random ghost will do them a world of good. Boosting Owen's confidence is another goal of mine to help him out of the rut he's in because if there's anyone I know who can motivate him to bravely face the challenges ahead, it's Daniel. Then, once I think they've successfully reached the next level by mastering the basics, I don't see anything wrong with giving them the chance to prove it in a real fight or at least a sparring match at any rate.

Owen has a few unique advantages over us he could easily exploit thanks to his Necromancy powers, but unfortunately he doesn't have the luxury of relying on the collective memories of his past selves to show him how to actually use them at will anymore. That means he'll just have to relearn it from scratch like Daniel and I had to when we first gained our ghost powers. However, I was able to pre-program standard ghost fighting techniques directly into Dani's subconscious mind to speed things along so I didn't have to waste my time training her and the other failed clones personally since I had better things to do...

I view Owen's situation in which we saw the perfect example of the day he finally defeated the Wraith who killed his family in a similar fashion. Essentially, what I mean by that is that the power he used to banish that creature is just one of the many hidden abilities Owen still has buried within his own subconscious he once knew by heart a long time ago. Skills that have been carried over from one lifetime to the next, much like what I artificially taught Dani to do with her ghost powers. The main difference between them is Dani had never experienced any real combat until I sent her to Amity Park whereas Owen actually is an experienced fighter, albeit that was 400 years ago when he existed in this world as someone else. As for Dani, I merely replicated everything Daniel already knew how to do beforehand to ensure she was capable of matching his strength in combat.

I'm not sure why, but I've been thinking about that girl a lot lately. Could it be that the memory of her still haunts me whenever I'm reminded of how Daniel once mistook Owen for yet another clone I created in his image? Or am I feeling the full weight of my past mistakes only now that I want to take a real stab at being a good father? Well, whatever the case may be, I suppose it doesn't really matter. I doubt Dani is keen on seeing her 'father' again anytime soon, especially after the way I treated her like nothing but an easily disposable tool. Let's just hope I'll do a better job raising Owen as my adopted son than I did while coddling that ungrateful brat who still should have done what she was told. Dani may not have believed she would survive overshadowing the original, but I believed she could as opposed to the other clones who as you may recall lacked a true sense of self. Too bad I shattered what little trust Dani had left in me when I lost my composure, lashed out at her for daring to question me at such a critical moment, and she turned her back on me just like everyone else.

But I digress.

At any rate, Eris's decision to return to her former comrades to work undercover provided me with the last push I needed to make an important decision of my own. It's of the utmost importance that we make a fresh start somewhere Owen will feel less isolated from the rest of the world, somewhere where there are people who can sympathize with the losses he has suffered at the hands of 'evil spirits.' And I can think of no other place to go than Amity Park where I can also count on Daniel to do his job fighting ghosts while I do what I do best, plotting my next move behind the scenes with no one the wiser to what I'm actually up to. Of course we'll always have a home here to come back to if necessary but for the time being I think it would be smarter for us to move somewhere a little more public with plenty of civilians I can rely on to keep an eye out for any suspicious activity around my son.

Better yet, once I enroll Owen in Casper High, he'll be able to speak freely with Daniel and his friends since his dear old uncle Vlad is an old friend of the Fenton family without attracting too much attention. I may even consider offering Valerie a part-time job as Owen's bodyguard on top of that for an additional layer of protection. Then again, perhaps not since we can't have her discovering he's a human born with supernatural powers. Might give her some very dangerous ideas. I certainly had a few of those myself when I discovered Owen's abilities, unaware of just how much this chance meeting would change both our lives.

As for starting a new chapter of our life as a family it shouldn't be too hard to fabricate the necessary legal documents to prove I have residency in Amity Park too like I already do in Wisconsin and a few other locations. Technically speaking I've visited Daniel's home many times both as Vlad Masters and Plasmius so pretending I've always had some property close to the area shouldn't be a problem at all. Besides, there's something else I've been meaning to do there for a while now I'd rather get out of the way before it causes us any issues in the near future. And that is apologizing to Maddie for my less than courteous behavior when I impulsively decided that the perfect time to confess my feelings to her was while she was in my mountain chalet after I purposefully stranding her and Daniel out in the middle of the wilderness all the way out in the Colorado Rockies.

She may have forgiven me later on after I saved Daniel's life at the end of Pariah Dark's invasion, but I still feel I owe it to Maddie to apologize to her upfront, especially now that I'm finally beginning to understand what being a parent is really like and why she played along with my sad delusions. It was all for her family's sake. Deep down, I know I'll always love her. But I think it's also safe to assume that stage of my life is over and it's time for me to let her go if I am to truly commit to being a single father. Owen has lost almost as much as I have, if not more, through no fault of his own, which is why he needs someone to be there for him. And it's thanks to the strong bond we've formed these past few weeks that I've realize I have to be better or else there's a chance I'll do something so terrible that no one will forgive me.

But that's enough of my rambling. The point is it's time for me to make a serious change so I might as well embrace it. The rest will fall into place on its own, and thankfully, I happen to be very good at playing the long game. It shouldn't fall entirely on Owen to put a stop to plans that were put into motion long before he was born either. Regardless of what secrets still lie buried within Owen's subconscious my primary concern is giving him everything he needs to build a better life in the here and now with me. Even with his closest friend leaving us very soon, he'll always have my support to fall back on no matter what the future has in store for us.

Owen's POV

I let Vlad take care of getting Eris all set up for her 'return trip' since I didn't want to let my feelings get the better of me again. If I could, I'd change places with her in a heartbeat but obviously that'd defeat the whole point of doing this. We know the risks. But this is bigger than just me, bigger than all of us, and one way or another we have to find out what the council's end goal is. Why are they gathering so many people with supernatural powers in one place? Why now? Is it just kids like us or are they after adults too who're showing signs of having latent powers too? And if so, why are they in such a hurry?

There has to be something else going on here we're not seeing. That's what Eris is giving up her chance to start over to find out. I just don't want to see her get hurt or held hostage by these psychopaths that's all. If anything happens to Eris I'm not going to sit around and do nothing! Even if Vlad doesn't want me 'playing hero' as he puts it I swear I'll beat the ever-loving crap out of every last one of those cultists until they tell me exactly where she is. I don't care if it's a trap, I'm not losing anyone else I care about...

Guess Vlad's ruthless attitude is rubbing off on me a little, huh? I thought to myself with a weak smile.

Whatever happens next I'll give it my all while Eris is busy out there doing the whole cloak and dagger thing. That'll be my way of showing Eris my support since she's the one who has to confront the council and put on a brave face, knowing they betrayed her too. In the meantime I want to become stronger so that when the time comes for us to take them down for real I'll be ready. And on the bright side at least now I'm a lot more durable. The only problem now is I have no idea how that works exactly.

"That reminds me, I should make Eris some more purified Blood Blossom petals to take with her. She should be able to make a protection charm or something with those to keep the council's ghost underlings away while looking around the place." With that in mind I made my way to the spare room Vlad lent us to use for our little experiments with these ancient flowers.

We didn't have that many of them left but I only needed one Blood Blossom anyway so I carefully picked one from the cluster and idly twirled it between my fingers. For something that's so dangerous to ghosts, they really are beautiful. Then again since they're basically just a supernatural breed of roses there's no way they'd be ugly. They're edible too, but I'm going to chance making Vlad sick whenever he's around me if I decided to test that theory.

I didn't even think about it until I actually set the flower ablaze with my spirit flames to purify it, but then I realized giving Eris a rose as a goodbye present seemed...oddly romantic in a way. She's my best friend though and I've never thought of her like that. I haven't even known her for all that long either. At least, that's what I keep telling myself...

Maybe someday I'll consider dating someone, but not now. It's going to be hard enough getting used to going to school again without Eris there with me, constantly nagging me to get out more and 'be social' to shake off the lone wolf vibes I apparently give off. It's not like I don't want to make new friends though! But how am I supposed to do that when people either think you're crazy for believing in ghosts or you look as unusual as I do?

There are plenty of others out there with albinism, just none who happen to be that way for paranormal reasons as far as I know. Sometimes I genuinely wonder what I would have looked like if I was a normal kid like everyone else. Would my hair have been pure black like my mom's or would I have hazel eyes like my dad? I have no idea.

Staring at the now stunningly white rose in my hand with its dark blue leaves that where so dark they looked almost black, I suddenly wondered if Eris's fake parents actually care about her or if that was all an act. I never met them personally since Eris always made up an excuse to keep me away from her house, but now I know the real reason why. Thanks to my power to sense the intentions of others I would have figured out right away that something was off about them and kept my guard up. Or maybe I would have realized sooner she's wasn't who she said she is either. Then again, does any of that really matter at this point?

I trust Eris. She had her reasons for lying to me and she wants to find out the truth about the council just as much as I do. And as soon as she does we'll be one step closer to getting our lives back on the right track. That doesn't mean I can't lend Eris a helping hand though, right? I'd feel better knowing it's not just Vlad keeping her safe. I can do this much for her at least. After all, I AM supposedly the last Necromancer left in the Ravenheart family bloodline capable of doing this, creating Blood Blossoms. And if this little flower can protect her from the danger she's about to face then I think I can handle dealing with a little embarrassment while handing it over to her.

Eris's POV

On the surface our plan was simple; drop me off in the ruined house in Salem where Kurst held me prisoner, grab something of his from there to use as proof of my capture, then claim I only escaped from there like maybe a day or two ago. We recovered my bag a long time ago but Vlad surprised me by bringing in a professional makeup artist who happened to be a ghost who worked her movie-makeup magic to make me look like I've been trudging through the woods for days. I hardly recognized myself in the mirror once she finished.

All that was left to do after that was say our goodbyes to each other.

Vlad was with me through most of the process so there wasn't much left to say to him that I hadn't already said before, but I still felt like that wasn't enough so instead I gave that rich dork a big hug at the last minute and thanked him again for supporting my crazy idea. I've always been a good actress of course, however, getting a few tips from an expert definitely helped calm my nerves a little. After all, I was about to go back and lie to the only family I've ever known since I don't count my birth parents. Whatever their reasons for shaping me into the perfect spy, I have a lot of genuinely good memories of my time with them that are going to be hard to let go of. But I know enough of the truth now to see that even though they're not ALL in on this huge kidnapping scheme, some of the council's ancestors are responsible for what happened to Owen and Kurst 400 years ago and I want answers. And most of all, Owen deserves a second chance to be happy with Vlad after everything he's been through in this life thanks to those hypocrites.

I can give him that. Or at least I can help bring that dream a little closer to becoming a reality. It'll never make up for the bad things I let happen when I was trying to be an obedient 'daughter' to the council, but it's a start. I'm just glad I made the right choice going after Owen on my own when I did, otherwise I would have stayed a clueless idiot forever.

Speaking of Owen, I couldn't resist teasing him when he gave me his going-away present of some purified Blood Blossom petals and dried leaves for the road. I joked at how romantic it was to get flowers then it made him all flustered which is something I really adore about him. Who knows, maybe when this is all over we can take this friendship to the next level but we'll see. For now it helps knowing he won't be forgetting about me anytime soon otherwise I might get jealous.

As for Danny, Sam, and Tucker I asked Owen to let them know what's going on and to let Sam know she can have the rest of the herbs Vlad got for me since I'd rather someone put them to good use instead of letting them go to waste while I'm gone. Besides, Sam could use the practice learning how to use them in beginner spell-casting with the helpful tips and tricks I wrote down for her. And more importantly I didn't want to bring anything that could be traced back to the others magically since some of those herbs are hard to come by unless you happen to know a billionaire. I did make a small exception keeping the rose petals Owen gave me since I could easily pass them off as normal ones; I'd just have to make sure to keep stashed away somewhere separate from the rest so no one accidentally discovers they're not normal at all. Oh and I made sure to tell Owen to make a copy of our research notes to give them too to share what we've uncovered so far about the unique properties of his spirit flames on various plants and Blood Blossoms in general.

When it was time to for us to leave I gave Owen another hug, promising I'd be careful while Vlad transformed into his ghost form so he could teleport me to Salem in a few short bursts. From there the rest was up to me so whatever trail I left after shadow-walking would only lead back to that ruined house. This was the safest option for us since we didn't want anyone noticing his private jet landing in Salem's airport for no good reason which he only got away with it last time because that ghost Nocturne put the whole town to sleep and they were too disoriented afterwards to give it much thought. Not that anyone really saw me get on the jet with them, but I think you get the idea.

"I'm really going to miss you two lovable dorks." I smiled, gradually letting go of Owen and teasing. "Try not to get into too much trouble while I'm gone ok? Stay in school, don't do drugs, and play nice with the other kids."

Rolling his eyes at me he added coyly. "First of all, rude. It's trouble that finds me and not the other way around remember? Plus I happen to actually like school so I'm not planning on ditching my classes on purpose if I can help it. Second of all, I don't think the kind of magical herbs we use can even count as 'drugs.' And thirdly, I'm more worried about you getting along with YOUR old classmates since some of them literally know how to bend spoons with their minds."

With a small dismissive shrug I replied. "That's true. Still you're taking this way too seriously as usual, Owen. I'll be fine, promise." Turning to Vlad I continued with a sly grin. "And as soon as I find something juicy you can sink your fangs into I'll be sure to send you guys a coded message. It might take a while for me to get anything that useful though since I'm sure Sister Umbra is bound to have a lot of questions for me."

"Sister who?" Owen asked in confusion until he remembered what I told them earlier. "Oh right, isn't she the one in charge of your coven?"

"Yep. That's the one." I sighed in resignation, not looking forward to having her fuss over me like she always does whenever I returned to report something directly or visit her restock on my spell-casting supplies.

Glancing at the nearest clock Vlad gently reminded me it was time to go. "It's getting late, we should go before it gets too dark since I don't feel comfortable leaving Owen here alone for too long. There's also something important I'd like to confirm while we're there that I forgot to look into last time if its all the same to you, my dear. While I'm sure the new shield I installed should keep any unwelcome visitors out I'd rather not take any chances. I suspect you don't either."

Taking a step back from Owen I took a deep breath, turned, then strolled towards Vlad confidently to get ready for our first teleport burst. Out of the corner of my eye though I noticed Owen start to reflexively reach out to stop me but then he stopped and slowly curled his fingers closed into a fist instead. Then, looking confidently up at Vlad, he smiled warmly and said in perfect Latin as if casting one final protection spell over us. "Invenies viam tuam in pace per omnes tenebras." Which translates to 'You will find your way in peace through all the darkness' and I thought. Well duh, I practically live in the dark silly. But I think Vlad needs all the help he can get dealing with what's left of his inner darkness.