Disclaimer: I own nothing from Danny Phantom

Note: Things get a bit emotional in this chapter but everyone has limits, even Vlad, and sometimes your true feels can burst out at the most unexpected times when you're trying to keep it together or do something positive. And I really think Vlad needs the chance to be honest about that too to show Danielle that in the end, he's only human. When it comes to her he wants to become Danielle's new father so badly that Vlad's clearly obsessed with the idea. But at the same time, Vlad's also trying really hard to restrain himself so he won't scare her off since Danielle has plenty of other things to worry about as it is. Everyone makes mistakes though, even out of love, so things will get better soon once they can relax again once Jason is safe there living with the two of them and frankly helping these two work through unpacking some of their emotional baggage.

(Updated 2/26/2024)

Chapter 16: Old Wounds

"Whatever it is that you want to do, do it today because you can handle the pain of trying hard now but you won't be able to handle the pain of regret later."

~ Dhaval Gajera

Danielle's POV

Turns out I'm nothing but a big fat liar. As soon as we actually got to where Vlad's tailor works, I got caught up in the moment after seeing how nice I looked in the mirror when I tried on the first outfit and agreed to let him buy it for me. Plus, as Vlad must have predicted all along, I felt much more relaxed about our shopping trip once I realized that we really were only visiting a privately owned business and didn't have to deal with as many strangers gawking at me like I would have if we had gone to a public shopping mall. Don't get me wrong, I still felt self-conscious as hell with everyone's eyes on me, but at least Vlad's compliments were genuine while the tailor and his assistants only seemed to be interested in laying on the charm and trying to convince me to buy as many matching sets as possible to cash in on Vlad's charitable mood.

I could tell none of them gave a rat's ass who I was because in their minds, having the rich and famous Vlad Masters himself try to spoil me meant I might as well be a walking-talking piggy bank. I'll give the tailor some credit though; he was definitely good at his job. Because once we gave him my measurements and he picked out the outfits in the appropriate sizes for me to try on, I'll admit I did look pretty cool in them. The outfits that I felt especially comfortable in made it really hard to politely turn down Vlad's offer to get them for me too. Especially after he proudly complimented on how stunning I looked, making me a lot happier about trying them on after all. And so I ended up giving in and letting him get more than just the three outfits I originally planned on...

Seriously, am I that predictable?

Needless to say, it was pretty obvious by then that Vlad's plan to distract me worked better than either of us expected. Once I warmed up to the idea of accepting the special attention he was giving me, the rest just fell into place naturally. So basically, I ended up trying on everything from blouses to leggings, skinny jeans, sweaters, jackets, shoes, and more. I even tried on a few swimsuits believe it or not. But I did put my foot down about trying on only 'a few' dresses because as great as it is to have some nicer clothes to wear for once, I had no intention of being dolled up in a fancy designer gown anytime soon. Not to mention the sheer number of dress styles they had was too much to wrap my head around and we would have been stuck here for hours if I let them show me the full collection.

Thankfully the tailor had a few female assistants there to help me pick out the more feminine parts of my wardrobe, such as pajamas, undershirts, bras, and things like that. So yeah, in the end I definitely ended up getting a lot more clothes than I meant to once I realized how many of the basics I still needed. And it's almost like Vlad knew it would turn out this way because once we finally finished up and he paid for everything, he gave me a knowing smile, and I awkwardly averted my gaze.

Feeling a bit less guilty about letting Vlad spoil me since it seemed to genuinely make him happy, when he asked me where I wanted to go next, I told him how much I missed being able to listen to my favorite music playlists since I had to leave all my stuff behind when I left Amity Park. That's how we got to talking about what genres I like. For the most part I enjoy listening to a bit of everything, but my favorite band has always been Dumpty Humpty. And Vlad was really surprised when I told him I even wanted to become a professional singer once upon a time when I was little as my backup plan if I couldn't become an astronaut. In fact, whenever I had some spare time to record a song, I'd go over to Trish's house because she's great at synthesizing music and we'd spend an hour or two recording a few songs. I even showed Vlad a couple of our music videos on his phone with my cover songs in them that Trish had uploaded on her YouTube channel.

Seeing my friends' faces again at the beginning of the first video made me feel a sharp pang of loneliness in my chest as we listened to it and when Vlad picked up on it, he asked. "I recall you telling me the first time we met that these two are your best friends, but if you don't mind my asking exactly how well do they know you? Can they be trusted?"

Startled by the harsh edge that suddenly crept into his voice when Vlad asked me these questions, I thought about it for a second, nodded, and while limply holding his phone in my hands, I smiled weakly and answered. "If it wasn't for Sam and Trish, I wouldn't have made it this far so of course I trust them. We've had our ups and downs, sure, but for the most part they've always had my back. They were there when I first became half-ghost and helped me come up with a convincing excuse for my uh 'condition' after I suddenly collapsed from the shock. Literally. After that we had no choice but to tell my parents that the reason the ghost portal randomly started working was because I had accidentally flipped a switch on inside the damn thing. My friends have been secretly helping me fight ghosts ever since."

Before I could be swept away by the crushing guilt of not being there to protect my friends and everyone in Amity Park from those ghosts, Vlad hastily changed the subject and nodded. "I'm glad to hear that you had your friend's support at least before this all happened. I just wasn't sure. At any rate, once things settle down again, perhaps we can find a safe way to contact your friends as well. How does that sound, little badger?"

My eyes lit up and I looked up at him, blurting out. "Really? You'd do that for me?"

Winking and giving me an awkward side hug just like he saw my brother give me after the reunion, Vlad gave my shoulder an affectionate squeeze and chuckled, "Honestly Danielle, isn't it obvious by now that there's nothing I wouldn't do for you? I gave up my revenge campaign against your father after twenty long years of careful planning to prove my sincerity to a teenage girl I had barely known for 24 hours. Then I began following your every move as much as possible so I could step in to help you at any time because I was absolutely terrified of losing you.

"And yet, despite all of the careful preparations I made for this very moment when we were reunited, you're the one who came to me for help first. Originally I had planned a special outing for us at least a month in advance so in reality this isn't too far removed from what I intended to do all along; treating you like a princess with my immense wealth. Then I was going to take you with me on a trip to the Kennedy Space Center for the next week or so. Either way I'm glad I'm finally getting to know the real you. And I hope you feel the same about me, my dear."

"Damn it, why didn't you tell me about that part sooner?" I pouted, giving him a pointed look. "I mean, going to the Rockies is cool and all, but I definitely would have preferred a visit to the space center. Just FYI for next time."

Resting his head on top of mine, Vlad smiled and said. "Well, in that case, I promise I'll take you there for real someday, little badger."

We were about to settle into a comfortable silence when I suddenly felt the urge to ask out of the blue. "Hey Vlad? Speaking of getting to know the 'real you,' out of curiosity, how'd you come up with the name Plasmius for your ghost half...?"

I still couldn't believe I let Vlad coax me into getting way more stuff after that using the lame excuse of making sure I wouldn't be bored out of my mind while he's busy for the next couple of days. But at least he promised that as long as I knocked first I could come to see him in his office at any time during the day if I had a question. Unless, of course, he was on an important call in which case I'd have to ask him later during our meals together to make up for lost time. Thankfully his kitchen was already well stocked with all sorts of fresh ingredients so we didn't need to get much while we were in town apart from some snacks. But since Vlad has his own ghost chef who can pretty much make anything else I might want to eat I felt a bit guilty for asking to buy cheap junk food since it tastes more familiar to me. On the bright side at least this was a step up from dealing with fighting the ghost of a cranky Lunch Lady, who by the way, I honestly have no idea if whatever she cooks is actually any good.

It's so weird to think that fifty years ago the same Lunch Lady used to work at Casper High whereas the ghost chef working for Vlad literally used to cook for royalty back in the middle ages which totally explains why he kept calling me 'Lady Phantom' and Vlad 'Lord Plasmius.' Oh and I did get a good laugh out of Vlad explaining why he chose that name for his ghost form since he looks so much like a vampire and he said he appreciated the irony of putting plasma in the name both because it relates to blood and sometimes even a sort of energy or electric gas. However when Vlad started getting more into the chemistry part of the name he totally lost me. The most I could understand was the blood part since I know you can donate plasma during blood drives.

Sam has donated his blood plenty of times before for charity, but Trish absolutely hates needles and everything else that has anything to do with hospitals. However, once I became half-ghost, I quickly realized I couldn't donate blood anymore even if I wanted to. Not that I really ever had the stomach for it either, given how many times I've walked down into my parents' lab and have seen them using one for their anti-ghost experiments. I shuttered at the memory of seeing them with a glowing needle in their hands for the first time when I was like seven or something. And as a result I freaked out when my mom told me we were going to the doctor's office to get my flu shot because in the back of my mind I genuinely thought their syringes would be just as big and scary.

Not wanting to think about it anymore, I tried to take my mind off that particular memory by asking Vlad what he's actually going to be doing for the next few days that's so important. Apart from telling me he's still building a legal case against my parents, though, Vlad only briefly mentioned some other complicated mumbo-jumbo about managing his businesses or something like that. He was being awfully evasive when I brought up the subject and refused to tell me what I really wanted to know, which made me feel like he didn't trust me. I mean, so far Vlad's been honest with me about everything, even brutally so in some cases, but the idea of him keeping secrets and doing something behind my back put me on edge even though I was reasonably sure Vlad wasn't plotting anything nefarious...

Not this time anyway.

As our shopping trip dragged on longer and longer, I suddenly realized that Vlad had to be distracting me for more than one reason now. And the idea of being tricked again really didn't sit well with me so I tried to make up excuses to go back several times. But Vlad either brushed me off or came up with another idea for something else I might need during my stay with him. While I knew he was genuinely excited to be out shopping with me, after a while, I started getting agitated when I caught onto the fact that Vlad was actively trying to keep me away from the castle for as long as humanly possible.

"That does it! Vlad, what the hell is going on?" I blurted out angrily when he had the nerve to try to drag me to yet another store nearby after we got into the limo again and I finally got fed up with his stupid mind games. "Why are you trying so hard to keep us from going back to the castle? Are my parents there? Or maybe Jason? Well if that's the case then just tell me the truth already and stop lying! I can take it."

My voice cracked a little towards the end but my patience had long since hit its limit and I just wanted him to give me a straightforward answer. A long tense silence followed after that and Vlad's expression went blank which was honestly even more unsettling.

In fact, I was about THIS close to transforming and phasing out of the moving vehicle to go find out for myself what it was when Vlad sighed heavily, pinched the bridge of his nose before confessing. "Nothing is 'going on', Danielle. At least, nothing you need to be concerned about. Obviously I wanted to keep it a surprise until we returned home, but I suppose that I should have known better than to push my luck. If you must know I've already picked out the perfect room for you and secretly hired an interior designer to set everything up, which is the only reason why I've been trying to bide my time as it has taken much longer than I expected for them to finish their work."

With a heavy sigh Vlad continued while giving me a meaningful look. "I just want you to be happy, little badger. That's all I've ever wanted from the moment I realized you had become a hybrid at such a young age. And in order for me to protect you and give you the better life I promised I have to legally take you from your parents, which means taking care of you is soon going to be entirely MY responsibility. But once I do have their parental rights revoked there is no going back, my dear. Admittedly I know I've made my fair share of mistakes with you as well, but regardless of that I want start to make up for those by first ensuring that my castle feels like what it is now, your home. Not a prison or only a temporary place for you to stay. That's why I've been trying to keep you occupied. It's as simple as that."

Feeling guilty for expecting a worse case scenario right off the bat, I sunk further into my seat and mumbled. "I'm sorry. I didn't know. I guess I'm still not used to being treated with such consideration, and I was already more than happy to be given something nice to wear besides this." I said, tugging at my usual red and white T-shirt, which in comparison to those other outfits, was totally threadbare. "So while I really appreciate the thought, would you mind slowing down a bit? It's kinda overwhelming if I'm being honest. Besides, I'm not even sure if I deserve any of-?!"

Losing his temper all of a sudden, I felt Vlad's ghost energy spike as his eyes flashed red, then he unexpectedly snapped. "Don't you dare say you don't deserve this, Danielle, because I won't stand for it! In fact, I'll tell you right now exactly what you deserve! You deserve your parents' love, but they are incapable of loving anyone outside of themselves! You deserve respect, but that god-forsaken town took your protection for granted! You deserve happiness after silently suffering all this time, but even that simple of a gift was always deemed 'too much' to ask for!

"And most of all, you deserve to be taken care of by the ONLY person capable of providing everything you need to survive in this cruel world! You deserve to be given the chance to regain something you've lost; the chance to live out your dream of reaching for the stars. If I had the power to do so I would gladly pluck every star from the heavens to deprive everyone but you of enjoying their glow just to see you smile again. Because that's the only thing that makes me feel like the years I've wasted pining for your mother weren't all for nothing since I was able to meet someone like you who made me realize I don't have to be alone anymore! I am still capable of love and it's not too late for me to become a father after all even if the thought of that woman makes me sick now because I can't help but wonder. How could I have ever loved such a monster willing to abandon not only me, but also her own child?"

Trailing off when he noticed how I had gone rigid in my seat when he abruptly lost control of his emotions, Vlad froze and slowly slid his hand down from the bridge of his nose to cover his mouth in horror, his chest heaving slightly until he forced himself to turn away when the guilt became too unbearable. Then, to my surprise, I saw a single stubborn tear roll down his cheek and that's when I realized for the first time that I'm not the only person here grieving. When my mom rejected me, it only proved to Vlad beyond the shadow of a doubt that she would never be able to accept the truth about him being half-ghost either. And choosing to take care of me over pursuing her anymore must have felt like losing my mom all over again like he did twenty years ago when my dad stole the heart of his college sweetheart.

Up until now, Vlad has been acting so over-the-top and completely wrapped up in trying to show me how much he cares about me that I was overwhelmed by it I didn't see how much Vlad has sacrificed for my sake. Vlad gave up his original plans to destroy my dad and his plans to steal back my mom for me. He said that I'm the only thing that makes him happy now but I can't even begin to understand what the hell that means because from where I stand Vlad already has everything a person could ever want. Money, power, fame—so my question is: Does Vlad really consider me more important than all of those things or is he just exaggerating...?

Not knowing how else to respond to Vlad's outburst, I timidly reached for his other hand, which was clenched in a tight fist. When he felt my touch, he slowly relaxed his grip and then gently held my hand in return. Of course, Vlad still refused to look at me, as he was too busy trying to regain control of himself again. It was so strange seeing Vlad so vulnerable and clearly upset; however, I realized that maybe he's been hiding his true feelings for almost as long as I have. No, much longer even.

I really didn't mean to hurt Vlad or reopen his old wounds along with mine, so despite being super embarrassed about it, I awkwardly scooted closer to him in my seat like a little kid and wrapped my arm around his, resting my head on his shoulder to silently give him my support because I just couldn't muster the energy to do anything else. I already felt like such a heartless bitch for questioning Vlad's motives again, especially after everything he's done for me, but like I said, after what my parents did to me, I'm still having a hard time trusting people again.

But it isn't his fault I feel this way. It isn't his fault my parents kicked me out. And in my head I keep trying to tell myself it's no one's fault, but in my heart, I can't help but blame myself for not being smart enough, careful enough, or strong enough to keep my life from completely falling apart. The least I can do now moving forward is try to believe in Vlad when he says everything is going to be alright. I have to believe that someday I will learn how to accept help and moments of kindness from the people who are still on my side. Especially Vlad because he wants to become a special part my life more than anything else in the world...

I just need a little more time to adjust.