Disclaimer: I own nothing from Danny Phantom

Note: Warning, brief mentions of suicidal thoughts!

(Updated 12/17/2024)

Chapter 19: The Secret Garden

Vlad's POV

Why that little—! I seethed internally, scolding myself for carelessly taking the word of an insufferable teenage boy like Samson at face value. I should have known better than to blindly trust him simply because he's Danielle's friend. On the other hand, it seems Jason had already had his suspicions about me, so perhaps it's for the best that he knows I'm half-ghost too.

He's already accepted Danielle's secret, so knowing mine will actually make things easier since I won't have to maintain any facades with him. Danielle, on the other hand, looked completely taken aback when Jason mentioned he figured out I'm half-ghost. He explained that it wasn't too hard to deduce, given her reaction to my accident story and how readily I accepted the truth about her. I suspect he was covering for Danielle's friends after getting them to confirm this, as I'm sure she confided in them about me after our first awkward encounter. Still, as I mentioned, this could actually work to my advantage since I won't have to pretend I know less about Danielle's hybrid status than I really do.

After I reassured Danielle that it was fine for her brother to know the truth about us, she relaxed, and we said goodbye to Jason for now so he could concentrate on reaching us as quickly as possible. As I anticipated, Danielle insisted on knowing exactly what had been happening, so I shared everything I knew about Freakshow. However, I made sure to remind her, "Danielle, I understand this might be hard to accept, but Amity Park is no longer your responsibility. In fact, it never should have been, but that's beside the point. The only reason I'm taking it upon myself to deal with this situation is that I can't let Freakshow start searching for you in other towns once he realizes you're gone. Vallen is a surprisingly skilled hunter, so I'm confident he can manage this with a little nudge in the right direction, which is why I gave him that equipment to begin with so that he could help you shoulder the burden."

Her eyes flashing green, Danielle snapped irritably, "Then what you're saying is they really don't need Dani Phantom anymore, is that it...?"

Meeting her gaze I corrected darkly, "It's not that they don't need you, my dear; it's that they don't DESERVE you. There's a significant distinction between the two."

As Danielle's eyes shifted back to blue, she turned away from me and let out a frustrated sigh. "Fine, I should have expected you to keep things from me. Still, I'm relieved to hear that Sam and Trish are okay, even if you found out by chance. I'm sure Jace will let them know I'm safe, and hopefully, I can chat with them later. But for now, I need to go blow off some steam so do you mind if I go out for a quick flight?"

Placing a hand on her shoulder, I replied, "Alright, but make sure you don't wander too far from the castle. We need to stay alert for that Specter Speeder or whatever it's called. Given its top speed, it should reach us in just a few hours, even with the considerable distance from Amity Park."

"Sure, whatever," Danielle answered dismissively, shrugging off my hand and quickly phasing through the nearest wall, clearly upset with me. I knew she'd calm down eventually, so I didn't let her sharp words get to me this time. Instead, I decided to use this opportunity to have a room prepared for Jason.

I thought about giving one of the other guest rooms the same treatment as Danielle's, but honestly, I don't know much about Jason beyond the fact that he's an honors student aspiring to be a psychologist. Since he's only 18 and preparing to start college, I'm uncertain how long he plans to stay with us before enrolling, assuming he has the necessary funds or savings and feels confident that his sister's future is secure. However, if he lacks the financial means, I'm more than willing to cover his tuition and housing, just as I would for Danielle if that's what she decides to do in the future.

For now, my main focus is securing my new role in their lives and stopping Freakshow from targeting Danielle again. Once everyone has had a chance to calm down, we'll have a thorough discussion about the next steps, including the process of revoking Jack and Maddie's legal rights to control Danielle's life. I can't wait to see the expressions on their faces when I take away everything they cherish, just as they took two years of my life that I could have spent finishing my college education before I lost my scholarship. While I did eventually return to complete my degree along with several others, that's beside the point...

The point is, even though Danielle is less than pleased with me at present, everything else is gradually coming together. Once I handle Freakshow, I can fully focus my efforts against Jack and Maddie Fenton, backed by the two children they were fortunate to have but took for granted—now it's too late for them. When this is all over, Danielle will be mine; she will be my cherished daughter, and Jason will be my proud son. Together, we will form the best family I could have ever imagined. It's unfortunate that I never found a wife I felt deserved my time and affection, aside from Maddie, but ultimately, my greatest desire has always been to be a father.

Now, I finally have the opportunity to fulfill that dream.

Danielle's POV

Even though I'm only doing this to clear my head, I've forgotten how nice it feels to fly without a destination, without chasing or running from something, and enjoying the freedom and weightlessness of flight. And I know this is a weird thing to point out, but the air smells so clean up here. And when I looked down I noticed there was a lot more to Vlad's castle than I originally thought. Then again, to be fair I haven't really explored much beyond the castle's interior since I've spent most of my time here sleeping.

Curious, I descended a bit lower and immediately noticed is Vlad apparently has his own private football field which makes sense. Off to the side, there was an outdoor pool and what appeared to be a greenhouse. Now I understood why Vlad was so eager to get me a few swimsuits—I had no idea he had a pool. Knowing him, he probably has an indoor and an outdoor pool, which is good to know. There was even a jacuzzi adorned with a stylish artificial stone waterfall along its side. The entire area was beautifully lit, and honestly, if I had been in a better mood, I might have enjoyed going for a swim. So instead I landed next to the pool, sat down on the edge, rolled up the legs of my hazmat suit, and slipped off my boots to dip my feet in the water. It felt absolutely amazing too.

Letting my mind wander while watching the ripples created by my slow, back-and-forth kicks, I thought about what Jason told me and felt an uncomfortable tightness in my heart. All this time I've been protecting everyone else from ghosts and things like that -and sure at first I was relieved when Vlad helped me after I first got here- but now I can't shake this feeling of powerlessness and inadequacy. I'm supposed to be the one protecting Amity Park, protecting my friends, family, and everyone else. But if I can't do that then what's the point of having these ghost powers at all...?

I don't know, it's just that for nearly half a year I've been building up this whole secret identity as Dani Phantom and must've completely let go of my dreams as Dani Fenton somewhere along the way. Now that I've lost both identities, I feel more lost and confused than ever. Sure, I can control my powers better and might even stand a chance against Vlad if we ever faced off again, but what's the point? I guess that's the whole reason why I asked Vlad if we could start training together; I want to understand my ghost powers better, and I'm hoping that just maybe it will help me rediscover who I am. That's probably why I was so disappointed when he said it wasn't the right time for us to do that.

I understand it in my head, but it still hurts because it brings back memories of all the times I asked Mom and Dad for something, only to have them brush me off completely. Tears welling up in my eyes, I let them fall because I needed to get this out of my system. And when it comes down to it, I know I'm not really all that upset about Vlad keeping the whole Freakshow situation a secret for my own good. What actually bothers me is this feeling of helplessness, the frustration of not being able to do anything to help. I despise feeling this way. I don't want to feel this way because I know I'm stronger than this. I have to be, or else I might just give up entirely and throw away what's left of my life...

Vlad saved me from that horrible fate just as much as Jace, which is why it's so important for us to stay together. I can't expect my friends to abandon their families and lives for my sake, but like I said before I need something to anchor me before I dive into the deep end to escape from my pain only to become trapped by it forever as a full ghost. The thought of returning as a ghost and being pursued by my parents or destroyed by one of my enemies terrifies me. If the dead can experience a second death, what happens to them then? Are their souls completely erased? Do they lose their sense of self and become mere wandering specters after nearly being obliterated? Honestly, I have no idea.

Feeling much better after a good cry without an audience, I wiped my tears and splashed some pool water on my face before lifting my feet to shake off the excess and put my boots back on. While doing that, I caught a glimpse of the greenhouse out of the corner of my eye and did a double-take; I could have sworn I saw something glowing inside. Deciding to walk over since it wasn't too far, I opened the glass door, and sure enough, in the back, there was a faint glow. Something about this presence felt oddly familiar so I couldn't help but take a closer look.

"No way..." I murmured, my face draining of color as I leaned down to gingerly glide my gloved fingers over the luminous white petals of the plant I spotted earlier from outside. "Could these be... Blood Blossoms? No, that can't be right. They look completely different, and I don't feel any pain being so close to them."

Summoning some ecto-energy into my hand for better visibility, I discovered that the entire planter was filled with what definitely appeared to be inverted Blood Blossoms, their petals a brilliant white and their leaves a deep blue instead of their usual bright red and dark shades of purple that almost look black. In response to my ghostly energy, they radiated an even brighter bluish-white light, and being near them brought me an even stronger sense of calm and relaxation. That's when it suddenly hit me where I recognized this strange feeling from. It was the same oddly comforting feeling I experienced when Vlad applied that ointment to my cheek after Skulker had sliced it open with his concealed anti-ghost blade, like the huge wave of relief sweeping over you that you'd probably experience from drinking some fresh cold water or first stepping into an air-conditioned room on a hot summer's day.

Vlad told me that Blood Blossoms attack and block ghost powers at least in terms of regeneration. So in a weird way it makes sense that the opposite would help you regain more energy and boost those powers instead. Given the abundance of these flowers that Vlad was cultivating, it was clear he had been growing them long before we met at my parents' college reunion. The irony is almost poetic since Vlad used an ointment made from these flowers to heal me while later on my parents only ended hurting me. Strangely, seeing these flowers again didn't trigger any traumatic memories for me; instead, I found their presence oddly reassuring. Soon after I settled down on the ground beneath the flowerbed, closed my eyes, and relished the tranquility, broken only by the sound of crickets and the gentle rustle of grass in the wind.

Before I realized it though, I had already drifted off to sleep.

Vlad's POV

Feeling increasingly worried as Danielle's 'quick' flight stretched on longer than it should have, I decided to search for her myself and shifted into my ghost form. I instructed Danielle to remain on the property, hoping to avoid checking my security cameras for any signs of her, as I wanted to trust her judgment. Surely, she wouldn't be reckless enough to sneak away to meet her brother on his way from Amity Park—at least, I hoped not. Because if Jason was being followed, it could lead to disaster for all of us...

Fortunately, just as Danielle has become familiar with my ghost signature, I've been learning to recognize hers as well. This made it easy for me to find her in the greenhouse located just behind the castle. Instead of opening the glass door, I phased through it and floated over to where I spotted Danielle's familiar ethereal white hair draped across the edge of one of my flowerbeds of hybrid Blood Blossoms. I had spent years perfecting this creation, which serves as one of my most effective healing agents for my ghost half. Changing back to my human form just to be on the safe side seeing as these rose-like blossoms can act as a potent sedative when exposed to raw ecto-energy. I landed softly in front of her, unable to suppress a smile at the sight.

Resting her head resting gently on the flowerbed and her hands relaxed in her lap, Danielle resembled a fairy-tale princess slumbering among the radiant blooms. Therefore I simply couldn't resist stepping back a few paces and pulling out my phone to take a picture of her to capture this rare moment of serenity. She looked so innocent and carefree that the sight warmed my heart and I didn't want to disturb my little badger. The poor girl needed some peace and quiet for once in her life, and I wasn't about to take that rare opportunity away from her.

Despite how adorable she looked, I knew better than to leave Danielle there. I couldn't risk her being lulled into a deeper sleep by the flowers' potent healing properties, especially since she hadn't thought to change back into her human form. With a resigned sigh, I picked her up and teleported us back inside, ignoring it when she involuntarily shivered as she sensed the sudden shift in the air. Once we were back in her room I debated on whether or not to wake her. Danielle still needed plenty of rest, so while the duplicate I created busied himself with placing her laptop back on the desk and pulling back the covers for me so I could tuck her into bed, I ultimately decided to let her keep sleeping.

After that, I phased off her shoes to save time and carefully laid her down on the bed. Sighing, I sat on the edge of it, fondly brushing back some of Danielle's dark hair from her forehead. "What am I going to do with you, little badger? You can be quite a handful at times, but I wouldn't change a thing about you. Not one thing."

Dismissing my duplicate, I started to rise when Danielle grasped the hem of my shirt and murmured in her sleep, "Don't go..."

Freeing my shirt from her grasp while still maintaining a hold of Danielle's hand, I pressed a soft kiss to her knuckles, smiled, and replied quietly. "I would never dream of it, my dear. From this moment on I will always be here to protect you, no matter the cost, for nothing is beyond my reach. I'll destroy your enemies in whatever form they appear without hesitation, even if this time they are your parents. But I promise you, Danielle, I will never be like them. Your pain, suffering, and loneliness will no longer go unaddressed, as I will replace them with a life filled with luxury and love, erasing your doubts forever. You have my word."

Satisfied with my response, felt Danielle's hand slacken so I carefully laid her arm underneath the blanket and kissed her forehead next for good measure. Then I whispered, "Sleep well, little badger. I'll wake you when your brother gets here, but until then, I hope you have sweet dreams."

Believing she was truly asleep, I straightened up and started to leave when I caught Danielle's soft, sleepy reply: "Thank... you..."

A warm smile crossed my face as I quietly slipped out of her room, wanting to let her rest. But as I stepped away, my expression turned serious; I had something important to address. Freakshow would soon regret unknowingly making an enemy of Vlad Plasmius by targeting Danielle. I had vowed to protect her, and I would do so, be it from her parents or her other enemies. They will all have to face my unbridled wrath with equal measure sooner or later.