Disclaimer: I own nothing from Danny Phantom

Note: This chapter is a lot shorter than I planned but considering I was up late working on it I'm just happy I didn't butcher it lolz. It's harder than I thought it would be not to repeat the same events as last time just to save time. I didn't want to write Danielle being all depressed the whole time which is why I snuck in a nod to an earlier chapter when she actually didn't trust Vlad entirely but was proven wrong. She's still trying to be careful of course, just not so caught up in being angry with Vlad to the point where she sees him as the enemy again. That's not what she wants or how Danielle actually feels. Not sure if I addressed this in the previous version of the story either, but I wanted to highlight Vallen's role in the future they're trying to prevent because his presence in her life does matter a lot more than they realize yet...

Chapter 32: Uno-Reverse

Danielle's POV

"Dani, are you sure you're okay?" Sam leaned over and whispered in my ear as we made our way back to the dining room for an early lunch, as per Trish's request.

I glanced at Vlad, who was walking ahead of us, deep in conversation with Vallen, and replied, "Not really but I'll tell you guys the whole story later, promise. For now let's just say it turns out my ghost problems aren't quite over yet. Neither are my trust issues with Vlad."

Trish, looking puzzled, chimed in and quietly asked. "Is that why you've been glaring at him like you want to burn a hole through the back of his head?"

"I'm not glaring…" I muttered, irritation creeping into my voice as I corrected her. "I'm just making sure he behaves, that's all. If only you knew what Vlad almost did last night—"

"Girl, you are definitely glaring at him." Trish chuckled softly, clearly trying to lighten the mood. "But knowing you, there's a good reason for it, right?"

Pinching the bridge of my nose—a habit I must've picked up from Vlad at some point—I let out a heavy sigh. "Well, yeah. There is. I can't go into detail right now though, it's just..."

Trailing off, I looked over at Vlad and Vallen again, and for a brief moment, I thought I saw two older versions of them overlapping the real ones. I rubbed my eyes and blinked, taken aback by the strange phenomenon, and everything went back to normal again. I thought, God, as if the nightmares weren't enough, now I'm starting to hallucinate. Maybe I really am losing it.

"Dani?" Vallen suddenly called out, his voice distorted too. "Everything ok back there?"

Noticing that something was amiss, Sam and Trish stepped in to help, just like they used to in the past by saying I was just feeling a little dizzy. I played along, forcing a weak smile and assured him I'd be fine once we ate something. Vlad, however, remained skeptical and shot me a pointed look, which I resisted the urge to return. Not wanting to let things escalate any further he insisted I sit down then called for Cedric to bring me something to drink.

I expected him to hand me a glass of water, but instead it was filled with what I instantly recognized as fresh mango lemonade. Despite feeling a bit shaken by whatever I saw a few minutes ago, my expression softened when I remembered being similarly suspicious of Vlad's motives the last time I had this...

"...if it's not too much trouble could I have a refill of that mango lemonade? It's really good." I asked Cedric and he smiled at me, addressing me as 'Lady Phantom.'

Feeling on edge, I watched him like a hawk then saw him add some kind of powder to the drink too. It set off warning bells in my head so before I could think better of it I asked Cedric point blank. "By the way, what was that powder I just saw you add to the lemonade? Was that the mango flavoring or something?"

Cedric seemed surprised I noticed what I'd done then bowed as he quickly explained himself while also defending his employer's integrity. "A thousand pardons Lady Phantom. I meant no offense. Lord Plasmius instructed me to add some extra vitamins to it since you've been feeling unwell as of late. He only wishes for you to recover quickly."

I'm not sure if Vlad intended for this to be served to us with the rest of our meal on purpose, but in the end I kind of appreciated the gentle reminder of what he's been trying to tell me all along. Vlad is on my side, even if I don't always agree with his choices. Problem is, that's exactly what I'm afraid of...

The rest of lunch unfolded as expected—initially awkward, but once we started discussing the cruise activities on our itinerary, the conversation flowed a lot more easily. And I actually did feel a lot better already after eating too, which is funny since we only used that as an excuse to explain why I was acting so skittish. Still, I couldn't get what I saw in the hallway out of my head. It brought up more questions about what else I don't know about our possible future...

How on earth could Vallen be involved in any of it? Is it because of what's happening right now, with Vlad getting all buddy buddy with him out of the blue? Like, I know why he first ended up becoming Vallen's sponsor so to speak and gave him his ghost hunting equipment. It was to indirectly help me by adding another ghost hunter into the mix to deal with some of the unique pest problems plaguing Amity Park that I couldn't handle alone anymore. Once I left though, I kinda assumed Vallen would give it up so he could go back to focusing on school or Vlad would put a stop to it himself since he has plenty of other ways of 'culling the herd,' whatever that's supposed to mean.

It might all be in my head; I'm not sure. Nothing makes sense about any of this. And to be honest, even though I know I should be questioning everything right now, I'm not sure how much longer I can keep putting on a brave face when inside my nerves are totally shot. It feels like I'm being torn in two directions. On one hand, I do trust Vlad and want to give myself the chance to decompress, but on the other hand, if I don't take action to stop this end-of-the-world nonsense, I'm afraid something awful might happen to him. Besides, after what happened with Nocturne, I know better than to think there's not another ghost out there who could possibly outsmart and overpower Vlad...

After all, unlike them, he's only half-ghost—not immortal.

For the next few hours, Vlad personally guided my friends through various rooms in the mansion until he finally suggested we call it a night once we circled back around. As for our sleeping arrangements, Trish and I were going to be sharing my room, while Vallen and Sam were staying in the guest room just down the hall. It was sure to be an interesting sleepover to be sure, especially since they had never been left alone in a room alone together before. As for telling Sam and Trish about my kidnapping, since Vlad's fully aware I still can't duplicate myself, I couldn't help but feel like he was daring me to make a choice: either sneak away to reveal the truth to Sam and Trish or be an obedient daughter and stay put to avoid provoking him into secretly inviting Vallen to his office around the same time where he might plant more unsettling ideas about how to deal with my current 'ghost problem.'

Even if I didn't have the chance to speak with them tonight, there would be plenty of opportunities on the ship. I just needed to be patient and wait for the right moment. Vlad is bound to get distracted eventually, whether it's by celebrities trying to impress him with their talents or a cunning businesswoman eager to charm the world-famous billionaire with their dangerously sweet smile. Sure, I know Vlad is usually ten steps ahead of me, but that doesn't mean I don't have a few tricks up my sleeve too.

I've always had a knack for thinking quickly in tough situations. One of the few advantages of growing up at Fenton Works was that I learned to adapt quickly. And I've dealt with dozens of ghost ambushes throughout Amity Park and I have even-I kid you not- fought my ectoplasm-contaminated dinner once that had accidentally got reanimated and seemed intent on eating ME instead. Well, ok, I lied. Jace was technically the one who got rid of that demented turkey since I was still too young but still, even before I became half-ghost, I've seen things you wouldn't believe!

The point I'm trying to make here is I've decided to suck it up and follow Vlad's example by waiting for the ideal moment to make my next move. As much as it kills me to admit that he's right, I don't have to rush things. I can take my time and carefully consider my options. Besides, it'll be a lot easier to let Vlad believe he's already won so he won't see it coming when I hit him with a Uno-Reverse.

What do I mean by that?

Well, you'll just have to wait and see...