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Chapter Text

Ah, the good old spiral. 

How badly am I injured? Can I fake being sick? How many sick days do I have left at school? Will someone call CPS if they notice I'm sick and my parents still haven't taken me to the hospital despite how often I'm sick? Can I hide this from my parents? Can I hide this from Jazz? Will there be time after school to get some ectoplasm to try and help me heal? Will I be able to pay attention in class? 

Danny was familiar with this spiral and the questions that came with it. He needed to answer them all before he opened his eyes, moving ever so minutely to figure out how injured he actually was. 

What he wasn't familiar with was the hand gently stroking his hair. 

He figured it was probably Jazz. Sometimes she sat with him when he was really injured. This must be one of those times. It would explain why his chest hurt so horribly. 

The hand brushed father down over his forehead, and Danny was struck by how large the fingers were. They felt like an adult man's hand rather than his sister's petite fingers. He huffed softly in his confusion, and a man's voice, a familiar one spoke as the hand left his head. 

"Danny? Are you awake?"

"Fruit loop?" Danny asked, shaken. This wasn't a part of his spiral. He had never had to worry about waking up injured with Vlad Masters around. Sure, Vlad had helped him when he was injured a few times, and the two sometimes patrolled together since Vlad had been taking the time to become a better person and had become something of a mentor to Danny. He'd even helped Danny with his homework most evenings! But this was unexpected. 

Danny cracked an eye open and was glad to find the room very dim. He was sure light would crack his skull open.

He was laying in a huge bed with Vlad sitting on the edge, watching him intently. It was.... weird.

Things continued to get weird as Danny looked at the walls and the ceiling. The walls were a desaturated, comforting blue color, and the ceiling had glow in the dark stars painted on it, all done in accurate constellations for a midsummer night in Amity Park. 

"What happened?" Danny asked, startled by how rough his voice sounded in his own ears. 

Vlad winced, "A lot, and I don't know all of it. I wasn't.... I wasn't there."

"Hey, what's-what's with the tone, V-man?" Danny said, trying to sound bright. 

"A lot has happened, Danny, and if you can't remember it, I would suggest waiting for a while before I tell you. At least until you're a little better."

Vlad carefully rested a hand on Danny's forehead and Danny stared at him, confused but relaxed. There was something so safe about Vlad, at the moment. 

"Did you make this bedroom for me?" Danny asked, his eyes roaming the room again. His eyes stuttered to a halt when he saw boxes piled by the walk in closet. Boxes with his papers and backpack on top. He could see a picture of himself and Jazz peeking out of one box. A picture that had been hung on his bedroom wall. 

"Why.... why did you bring my stuff here?" Danny asked. He could feel something big in his mind now. Something terrible. 

And then it hit, even as Vlad tried to answer. Danny didn't hear him. 

His parents had caught him and trapped him in a cell in the wall. His parents had a funeral for him. His friends and sister gave up on him and admitted they were glad they could rest with him gone. His mother-

NO! That woman had cut him open and taken samples and laughed as she played with his guts!! She had ignored his suffering for the sake of science. She refused to believe that he was Danny anymore. Even if it had been true that something unfeeling had possessed Danny, what if her son had still been in there, aware on some level and unable to ask for help? She didn't even check! 

Then his father came and Danny escaped and he-

His breath caught in his throat, tears streaming down his cheeks as Vlad hovered over him, stroking his hair and telling him it would be alright. 

He had Wailed at his parents and sent them careening to the floor. He'd flown as far as he could and was taken by hunters. 

They were nice, once they checked that he was who he said he was and what he said he was. 

Even strangers could check if he was still Danny! And his mother hadn't! 

He remembered a bed and Vlad coming to check on him, but he couldn't remember much about leaving the hunter's cabin. Just that he had been so relived to see Vlad again and had hurt so much. 

When his memories finished sorting themselves out, he tried to calm down, but found that he couldn't. 

He covered his face with his arms (carefully so as not to disturb his chest) and sobbed as Vlad sat with him. 

"I am here, badger," he said softly. "I'm so, so sorry, Daniel. I will never let them hurt you again."

Danny sobbed louder. This was his life now. The man he had once considered a bitter enemy was comforting him. Vlad had been the only one to keep looking for him. He'd been the only one to find him. 

Danny reached out blindly and grabbed Vlad's wrist, looking for something to ground him. 

Vlad, oh so gently, lifted him off the bed into a sitting position and simply held him for as long as he needed.

Danny needed a very long time. 

................................................

Vlad looked up to see Danny carefully making his way down the stairs, Henry, Vlad's ghost butler, at his side.

Vlad had expected his- the badger to loudly complain about being in bed all day and having to rest, but he hadn't. Danny did as he was told, asking only that Vlad or Henry stay nearby or to have something to watch or listen to when they had to be away. 

This was the first time Vlad had seen Danny out of bed and he was elated. 

"Well done, badger," he cheered. 

Danny looked up and give him half a smile. That was all he had to give recently, but Vlad treasured it like the gift it was. Henry, Vlad's ghost butler, aided Danny across the room where there were no rails to hold on to and sat him in a chair, putting pillows around him to support him before putting a blanket over Danny's lap. 

"Thank you, Henry," Danny and Vlad said at the same time. 

Vlad gave Danny an amused look before Henry bowed and said, "I am, of course, happy to assist in any way I can."

Henry left in the direction of the kitchen and Vlad put his laptop to the side, closing it gently and turning to Danny and Danny opened his mouth to speak. 

"I thought about what you said," Danny said quietly. "About... about taking my parents to court?"

Vlad nodded again. "You don't have to testify if you don't want to, Danny, I promise."

Danny bit his lip. "Are you.... What if I don't want them prosecuted?"

Vlad stared at Danny in shock for a long moment, and Danny curled in on himself. 

"Sweetheart," Vlad said eventually. "That... That is-" Vlad tired to think of what his therapists might say in this situation. 

"That is a valid feeling," he said, silently thanking Ms. Kedrana, his harpy ghost therapist, for the wording. "That really is, however I'm afraid I have to take them to court over this."

"Why?"

"Because they hurt you, and evidence is showing they might have hurt someone else or stolen a body to cover it all up," Vlad said. "I cannot let this stand. I need to get legal custody over you, and the only way to ensure they never take you back is to hash this out in court."

"Can't you, I don't know, just tell them that you won't prosecute them if they turn over their rights of me to you?" Danny asked, almost desperately. 

"Daniel... Danny. Where is this coming from?"

Danny looked down at the blanket in his lap and picked gently at it. 

"They're my parents," he said softly. 

"Yes, Danny, but that does not mean they deserve to have you or to get of scott free for hurting you, though I can understand where the feeling comes from."

"Do you.... Are your parents still alive?"

"I think so," Vlad said with a frown. "I believe they retired to Morocco at some point soon after I got out of the hospital with my own.... Halfa incident."

"You think so?"

"I have not spoken to them in person since five days after I was admitted to the hospital. They cared about me in theory. In the idea of having a bloodline to take over for them, and I happily did. Sometimes I receive emails asking me when I will have an heir, so to speak."

"Oh," Danny said, sounding a little surprised. 

"The grey hair makes me look older than I am, I know," Vlad said with a half smile of his own. "I am your father's age, however. A few months younger than him, to be precise."

Danny nodded distantly. 

They sat in silence for a long time before Vlad asked, "You truly do not want me to go after them?"

"No? Yes? I don't know," Danny sighed, still not meeting Vlad's eyes. "It's like there are several people inside of me, and they all want different things. One wants to go back and make sure my mom knows it's me. To know she didn't mean to hurt me. One wants nothing to do with them and to just forget it all. And then I do want you to take them to court and make them go to jail for three life sentences! And then there are the parts of that person who want to testify and the other who is.... is too scared to. And the other....."

Vlad waited, eventually saying, "I won't judge you for anything you have to say, Danny. I've been where you are before."

"I.... there's a small part of me that wants to go..... to...."

Danny couldn't say it, but Vlad knew what he meant. 

"And that is a valid feeling too, but it doesn't mean you are going to or have to act on it."

"But... doesn't that make me a bad person?"

Vlad shrugged. "I don't think so. I hope not. That would mean I'm a bad person. Though, I was a bad person for a while, so that argument probably isn't very valid."

Danny shrugged. 

Henry came back in with tea and biscuits and cleared his throat. "It does not make you a bad person, Master Daniel. Almost everyone, at some point, has had similar feelings to yours in their lives. Most do not act on those feelings though, and I know you will not."

Danny nodded faintly. 

"I will be taking them to court," Vlad said after a moment. "For you and for whatever person they burned and mutilated to bury as you. You don't have to testify if you don't want to, but this is my choice as your temporary guardian and as a concerned citizen of Amity Park."

Danny snorted gently, but nodded. 

Vlad watched as Danny thought their conversation over a little before Danny spoke again, this time slowly, and very hesitant. It almost sounded like the typically brash and exuberant boy was afraid of stepping over a boundary or a line somewhere. It broke Vlad's heart to hear.

"Vlad..... you said temporary guardian."

"I did," Vlad said, heart pounding. 

"Would that.... would that end after the trial?"

"Do you want it to?"

"No!" Danny said with a gasp, as though the word had been torn from him. 

He looked down, shamefaced, but Vlad's core throbbed in his chest, delighted. 

He told it to be quiet. He did want Danny to be his. His mentee, his ward, maybe even his son, and most certainly his heir. Danny could do things with Vlad's money and businesses that would put the name Masters to shame. 

But this wasn't about what Vlad wanted. It was about what was best for Danny, first and foremost. 

"I would love for you to stay here," Vlad said, practically purring the words. "So long as you are comfortable here. I will try and get more permanent custody of you."

He really hoped Danny wouldn't have any relatives that would try and fight him on this. The courts will almost always send a child with their family rather than to a strange family friend of sorts, no matter how much money he had. Especially now that he didn't bribe judges anymore. 

Danny beamed at him, and Vlad's worries melted away as he smiled in return.

Chapter Text

"Jasmine Fenton coming to see you, sir," Vlad's secretary told him through the phone two days later. 

Vlad didn't know how to reply for a moment. 

"She.... she's-"

"I tried to tell her to make an official meeting with you, but I'm afraid she was quick in getting through the hallway. I could call security if you would prefer, Mr. Masters."

"No, no, that's alright," he said. "I need to speak with her anyway."

He watched his door expectantly as his secretary had hung up, and, sure enough, Danny's older sister slammed open the door. 

She was young, of course. She had graduated high school at 17 and gone to Gotham for college. (Despite the incessant danger and weirdos there, the education was incredible for it's price. Plus, there were enough rich people there that liked to give out scholarships like candy. A 17 year old could into a very handsome degree if a billionaire feels that 17 year old might work for them one day.)

It was one level of discomfort to have a teenage girl alone with you in your office, of course, but it was a whole new level of discomfort to realize she was so angry she was crying. 

She strode up to his desk and slammed her hands down onto it, causing his various knickknacks to rattle and his computer monitor to sway ominously where it stood. 

"You cannot have him," she said, seething. 

Vlad nodded seriously, mentally preparing himself to treat her like an esteemed business partner no matter what she said.

He had to lock his core down tight at her words. She wanted to take Danny away! It screeched at him. He carefully soothed it, asking it to let him handle this. 

"Here, let us go to the other room for this meeting. It is soundproofed."

She gave him a wary look and he held up his hands, "I say that only because I assume you would like to scream at me and not embarrass yourself in front of the security that might come looking. I shall have my secretary join us to ensure your safety and mine."

She stared at him, dazed as he pressed the button to call his secretary. 

"Miss Jackson. Could you come to my office? Miss Fenton and I are hoping to have a discussion in the quieter room."

"Be right up, sir."

"Wha-"

"Just a moment please, Miss Fenton."

Soon, his secretary came in through the door and smiled at Miss Fenton. 

"Right this way, ladies," Vlad said, gesturing to the door on his right. 

The three of them entered the small room, well supplied with comfortable seating and delightfully breakable glassware. Vlad had learned that for his more heated partners and clients, leaving them in a room with nothing to damage often made the situation worse rather than better, 

"Feel free to have a seat," Vlad said to the both of them. "Can I offer you anything to drink, Miss Fenton?"

She screwed up her face and glared at him. 

"Anything for you, Miss Jackson?"

"Some Earl Grey if you have it."

"I have it," he said and she gave him a cheeky smile. Everyone knew he liked to drink Earl Grey. He didn't actually like it more than any other kind of tea. He just liked to say he drank it. Which was also a fairly well known fact. 

He started an electric kettle, prepared the cups and the tea bags and came to sit down while the water boiled and gestured to Jasmine. "Alright. I would like to get started on this discussion. You have the floor, my dear."

Significantly thrown out of her rage, Jasmine took a moment to compose herself, folding her hands in her lap. "You cannot take custody of my brother," she said firmly. "Even if you have made significant changes recently, you have hurt him in the past. 

Vlad gave a nod. "That is very true, Miss, Fenton. I won't deny that. Who do you suggest I take him to live with, then? I do not want to force you to take him-"

"You wouldn't be forcing me!" Jasmine cut in angrily. "That's what older sisters are for!"

"To become a third parent to their younger sibling?" Vlad asked, raising an eyebrow at her. 

She shrugged. "If I have to. I've been doing it long enough."

"But you don't have to," he said. "You have a bright future ahead of you, Miss Fenton. I'm looking forward to seeing how you do in college. I know enough about you to know I will likely be head hunting you in a few years if you go into a field I hire in.

"As for Danny himself, he will require many things. Medical attention that hospitals cannot provide, schooling, food of two natures, and likely vast amounts of therapy."

"I can handle it," Jasmine said, her jaw tensing and worry shining in her eyes. 

"You could. But at what cost? You would lose your chance to go to school in Gotham."

"I can do both," she hissed. 

Vlad sighed, folding his hands and glancing at Miss Jackson. She was in on most of his secrets, she had to be, but he didn't like how her eyes glimmered like that when she sensed he would be getting into the more supernatural parts of his life. 

"Miss Fenton, I cannot allow you to take Danny to Gotham. I have only been there a few times myself, and each time was decidedly... painful. I am a halfa, just as Danny is, as you are aware. Gotham is filled with ectoplasm. It has seeped into every crack and crevice, and yet, Gotham does not have a ghost problem. Do you know why that is?"

She shook her head. 

"It is because the ectoplasm is so tainted with gas, pollution, and chemicals that it harms any ghost that tries to consume any amount of it. And ghosts and halfas are always unknowingly absorbing ectoplasm. Always."

He thought for a moment before he continued, "I went for a business trip when I was younger. I went for two weeks. The first couple of days were fine. I was exhilarated and energized. I almost felt high. And then I got sick. Then I got sicker. I thought it was the flu, but the longer I stayed, the sicker I got. Toward those last few days, I was throwing up every two hours and delirious. I was hallucinating and couldn't get myself to safety. If it weren't for my secretary at the time making the decision to take me to my regular hospital, the hospital that knows about my condition in a small way, I would have only gotten sicker there. I do not want to to think about what might have happened to me."

Jasmine was pale now, and Vlad felt bad about scaring her, but she needed to know. 

"My dear, you would have to give up school, or do it online. And I know you wish to be a medical examiner eventually. Those classes are not ones you can do online. Never mind the fact that Danny is a magnet for trouble. He is constantly being attacked by ghosts and hunters alike. Do you have the skills to handle that?"

Tears were welling up in her eyes and she looked down, shaking her head. The tendons in her neck stood out violently as she fought the urge to cry and he continued in a softer tone.

"Do you know of anyone else outside of Gotham who can manage all of that? I know you have a few relatives that might take him. Could any of them handle this?"

Her shoulders shook, tears spilling across her cheeks as she shook her head. 

"I'm not saying this to scare you or to lord over you my abilities, dear," he said softly. "I want you to know I have also looked for suitable caregivers for Danny, and have found myself to be the only one capable. And I am willing to take him. I swear to you that I have no desire to hurt him, in any form at all. I would like to extend an invitation to you. I would like for you to stay at my manor when you are on breaks from school to see how we are getting on, and so Danny can have his big sister in his life."

She wiped her eyes quickly, taking deep breaths. "I just.... How do I know we can actually trust you now?"

Inwardly, Vlad cursed himself for burning down so many bridges when he let his core control his life. "If you can think of something that I could do to assuage your worry, I would do it."

Jasmine bit her lip and thought for a moment. "I want to see him. Right now."

Vlad nodded and asked, "Did you drive here?"

"I did."

"Good. I will meet you at the manor. Miss Jackson will give you the address and the access code. Anything else you might need before we take off?"

Jasmine shook her head, a look in her eyes like she was ready to catch him in a lie. 

Vlad stood and nodded to Miss Jackson. "Help yourself to tea and any food I have in here after you have given Miss Fenton the information. I will make a couple of calls to cancel a meeting and then I will be on my way."

"You can't call Danny," Jasmine said quickly. "This has to be a surprise visit."

"Very well," Vlad replied. "It will be a surprise."

He hoped that Danny was in a state to see his sister. He hadn't heard the boy mention or ask for her in the week he had been in Vlad's care. 

.....................................

Danny heard the front door open and the soft murmur of Henry's voice as he welcomed Vlad home. 

Danny frowned. Vlad wasn't supposed to be home until 4. That was what he said that morning, and it was 1 in the afternoon. 

Danny carefully got out of bed, arms crossed over his chest. Despite how much he had healed and how strong the stitches had proven to be, he couldn't help but feel like all of his organs were about to fall out at any given moment. 

He shuddered and made his way down the stairs, holding tight to the railing and being careful not to rush any of his movements. He had learned ages and ages ago that rushing injuries was entirely too stupid, even for him. 

"Vlad?" he called out, coming to the last steps. "Is that you?"

Vlad came into view with a strained smile. "It's me, badger. There's someone else here to see you. You're-"

Vlad stumbled as someone shoved him out of the way from behind. 

Danny caught a glimpse of red hair and then found himself in an embrace so tight it awakened every single one of his injuries. 

A pained scream escaped him, and Vlad was on them in a moment, gently prying his attacker off and holding him up. 

"Oh! Danny, I'm sorry, I was just so excited to see you again," Jasmine gasped, eyes watering and a guilty look on her face. "I-"

"What is she doing here!?" Danny snapped at Vlad. He knew that was no way to be talking to him, or about her, but the pain in his chest and sides was terrifying after he had been trying to be careful with himself. Had he popped his stitches? Would the pain reach the levels they had before, even with the pain killers? 

Vlad rubbed a hand down his face and said, "Let's sit down, Danny. She was worried about you and wanted to make sure you were alright."

"I was until she got here," Danny grumbled. "I'm not doing anything until Henry checks my stitches."

Vlad gave him a concerned look and nodded. "Absolutely. You can use the drawing room for that and I will have Miss Fenton wait for us in the conservatory."

Jasmine glared at him, as though the very idea of waiting in a conservatory was offensive. Still, she followed him when he gestured and Danny went with Henry, refusing to look back at his sister, 

"Please take all the time in the world with this," Danny told Henry. He wanted to put off the meeting for as long as possible. 

Henry simply nodded and began to unwind the bandages after helping Danny out of his shirt. 

Chapter Text

Jasmine was furious. She rounded on Vlad as soon as they reached the stupid 'conservatory.'

"What did you do!?" she growled. 

Danny's reaction to her had scared her. She didn't realize he was so wounded, for one. She didn't know that a hug would hurt him so badly, but his reaction afterward to her presence had torn her heart and her lungs right out of her chest. 

"What is she doing here?"

Spat like she was the last person on Earth he wanted to see. Like she was her mother. 

Vlad sighed. "I was afraid of this. If you had given me the opportunity to call him and warn him or even just let him know that you were here before you pushed past me, he would have had time to mentally prepare. I'm afraid you caught him off guard and I should have warned you that he was too injured to hold at the moment."

She glared at him. "And how am I supposed to believe that you didn't have something to do with what he said?"

Vlad gave her a look. "You can just ask him. You would probably know just as well if not better than me how easily Danny's opinions can be persuaded by authority figures."

Jasmine huffed and sat down, ignoring Vlad as he put pillows on another chair, arranging them just so before sitting down in a third chair. 

The silence was heavy and angry and stretched on forever until the door opened and Danny and that weird ghost butler appeared through it. 

"Can I get you three anything?" The butler asked as Jasmine tried and failed to catch Danny's eye. 

"Yes, please, Henry. Some lemonade maybe? And if you could throw together something for lunch, if you haven't already made something for Danny."

"Of course, sir."

The butler disappeared back into the manor and Vlad said, "I'm sorry I didn't call ahead, Danny."

"You should have," Danny grumbled, settling back into the pillows that Vlad had prepared for him. 

"Your sister made it very clear I was not to let you know before hand," Vlad said. "I believe she has concerns that-"

"That's enough. I'm here to talk to my brother, not to have the conversation through you," Jasmine snapped. 

Vlad shrugged and leaned back, watching the trees out beyond the glass and the birds that darted through the branches. 

Jasmine saw Danny give Vlad a nervous look, like he had been hoping the man would continue to be a buffer in the conversation for a while longer. 

It made Jasmine angry, but she bit that down and said, "I didn't know you were still hurt. You usually heal so quickly."

Danny looked down at his lap and nodded. "It's.... It was really bad....."

She waited for him to say more, but when he didn't, she said softly, "I'm glad you're still alive. When I had to go to your funeral, I thought-"

"What?" Danny snapped finally meeting her eyes, and she saw his blue eyes turn green in rage. That awful, unrealistic green color that sometimes haunted her nightmares. "You thought, 'Oh, Good. He's gone. Now I can finally have some peace and go to college without worrying about my stupid baby brother.'"

She stared at him in shock. "No! No Danny, of course not-"

"And now you're here, bothering us! You could be in Gotham right now, hanging out with your friends. You don't have to worry about me."

"Danny," Vlad said, a warning bite in his tone and Danny glowered at Vlad. 

I know what's going on here," he said. "She's trying to take me away from you, and I'm not going to put up with it."

"She's not trying to take you," Vlad said, and Jasmine was suddenly glad for the buffer in the conversation he provided. 

Danny looked between the two of them suspiciously and Jasmine had to swallow down a very strong emotion. 

"I'm not, she murmured. "I.... I can't. But it's not that I don't want to, Danny, I-"

"I don't care," Danny said, glancing away from her. "I really, really don't care."

"Danny, what's going on here?" she asked desperately. "I'm not them! If I had known where you were, I would have done everything I could to get you out of there. If I even suspected that you were alive or that mom-"

"Don't call her that!"

"That she had you, I would have torn the house apart looking for you."

"You wanna know where I was, Jazz?" Danny asked viciously. "I was in the lab the whole time. She had a cell in the wall she kept me in until after the funeral. You stood there, right next to where I was with Sam and Tucker and I had to listen to the three of you give up on me. I heard you guys when you said you were relieved I was dead!"

Vlad's head snapped up at that, and he opened his mouth to try and moderate what was happening, but Danny plucked one of the pillows from the chair he sat in and threw it at him. 

Vlad caught it, surprised, but it gave Danny the distraction he needed to continue. 

"I was trapped there while everyone gave up on me! Everyone except Vlad! Do you know what that feels like!? To know everyone thinks your dead except for a guy who had once been trying to kill you because he had a grudge against your parents!?" 

Vlad winced and looked back out at the birds. 

Danny took a few breaths as Jazz sat in shock, staring at her brother and trying to remember the conversation he was talking about. 

The one in the lab with Sam and Tucker... She remembered. She hadn't participated much in it, didn't really say anything, but she had empathized with the two. She could imagine what that had looked like to her little brother in the moment. 

"Danny," she breathed. "Danny, it's.... I know it's not fair. I-"

"And if they had just told me," Danny said, sounding completely heartbroken. "If they had just told me what they were feeling, I would have let them stop. I thought they wanted to help me. It was the only reason I let them. And then-"

His shoulders shook with a sob, and then with a gasp of pain as he wrapped his arms over his chest. 

"Danny," Vlad said, real concern in his voice as he got up, kneeling by Danny's chair and pushing the hair out of Danny's face so he could see Danny's eyes better. 

Danny hiccuped, swallowed down another sob before it could hurt him and glanced at Jasmine. 

"I don't want to see you, Jazz," Danny said quietly. "I'm not....... maybe later. Go to school."

He forced himself up out of the chair, leaning on Vlad. 

Henry appeared in the doorway, and, after receiving some murmured instructions from Vlad, he stepped over to Jasmine. 

"I will show you out, dear," he said softly. 

Numbly, she nodded and followed the ghost through the silent manor and out the front door. 

She sat in her car, her hands wrapped tight around the steering wheel despite the car still being off. 

She felt tears trickle down her cheeks, and wiped them away impatiently before starting her engine and starting the long, long drive back to Gotham. 

......................................

Vlad helped Danny into bed and tucked him under the covers, running a hand over his head and carding through his hair a couple of times. 

"I shouldn't have yelled at her," Danny sniffled. "She's the only family I have left."

"You can apologize to her later," Vlad assured him. "And you can invite her over when she's on a school break. This isn't the end of everything. I'm sure she can understand that you're having a hard time right now."

"She is too," Danny said, rubbing his face. "Her parents are in prison and I told her I didn't want to see her."

Vlad sighed. "Yeah. But it will be alright, badger. How about you get some sleep. You'll feel better when you wake up and you can call her."

Danny picked at his blankets and sighed. "Please don't go far."

"I won't," Vlad promised. 

Vlad waited until Danny was asleep before he stepped out and called his secretary. "Miss Jackson? Yes, something has come up here and I will not be able to return to the office today. I will be in tomorrow. Thank you."

He hung up after she confirmed and asked him a couple of questions, and then he jumped when he realized Henry was standing at his shoulder. 

"My apologies," Henry said, though there was a smile on his blue face that said he wasn't sorry about it at all. "I merely wanted to know what you and Master Daniel might want to eat."

"Something with a lot of ectoplasm," Vlad sighed. "Maybe.... Maybe we could have lasagna tonight instead of on Thursday."

"I can certainly do that, Master Vlad."

Vlad smiled at Henry, who gave him a reassuring smile back before he went back into Danny's room to assure himself that the boy was still breathing. 

.........................................

Danny stared at the phone in his hand. His sister's number was typed into the keypad, but he hadn't been able to press the call button. 

He knew Vlad was watching from across the sitting room, but there was no impatience or judgment in his eyes. 

"It can wait if you're not ready," Vlad said. 

Danny shook his head and pressed the call button. 

With a shaking hand, he tried to raise it to his ear, but his chest twinged, so he reluctantly put the phone back in his lap and switched it to speaker phone. 

It rang twice before someone answered. 

"Jasmine here, who is this?"

"Hey, Jazz," Danny half croaked. 

"Danny?"

"Yeah.... Um..... I wanted to call and say I'm sorry. For yelling at you, and stuff."

Jasmine was silent on her end for a moment. When she spoke, she sounded a little choked up. "It's alright Danny. I'm sorry that I hurt you, and that I made you feel like I'd ever given up on you."

"It's alright," he said. "You thought I was dead. It wasn't like you could have known different.... There was a body."

Jasmine sniffled. She cleared her throat and said, "I just want you to be okay, Danny. And if that means you stay with the creepy old guy or I drop out of school for you, I'll do whatever you want."

Danny winced. "You should stay in school, Jazz. You deserve to have something else in your life than just taking care of me. And I really like staying with Vlad."

He glanced over at the older halfa, who gave him a reassuring smile. 

"O-okay," Jasmine said. 

There was silence between them before Danny asked, "Are you.... going to the trial?"

"Yes, I am," Jasmine said. 

"Are you going to testify?"

"Yes," she said. "Are you?"

Danny hadn't decided, really, but in that moment, he answered. "Yes, I think so."

Vlad gave Danny a surprised look and Danny glanced away. "If you are, then I can."

Danny gave Vlad a half smile, wondering where his full one went. It might still be in that lab, in all honesty. He wondered if he would ever find it again.

"Okay.... Do you.... I have a couple days break coming up soon. It's a break in memory of a sponsor of the school who died a few years ago. It's just a long weekend, but I could up if you wanted me to. "

"It's a bit of a drive from New Jersey to Ohio," Vlad said, a little concerned. "If you wouldn't be against it, Miss Fenton, I could get you a plane ticket. No need to pay me back."

Jasmine hesitated, very clearly, but eventually she said, "Alright. That's okay."

Danny relaxed a little. "Yeah, you should come."

Jasmine gave half a laugh. "Alright. I will. I can't wait to see you, Danny. I've really missed you."

"I've missed you," Danny admitted. "I'll call you tomorrow. I'm... kind of tired now."

"Alright. Bye, cosmonaut."

"Bye, Jazz."

Vlad, very politely, didn't ask Danny more about testifying, instead calling for Henry to bring them both a snack and some tea.

Chapter Text

Danny had healed slowly, but he had healed. The Y incision was still a deep scar on his chest and stomach, but it was mostly easy to ignore. He did have to keep a shirt on when he went swimming, however, which he did a lot of to get back into shape after his long recovery. 

Vlad was there for him every step of the way, a model caregiver, especially when CPS came to check on him and gather information about how he was doing in preparation for the trial and the case for custody. 

One of Danny's aunts, his father's sister, had offered to take Danny in. After talking it through, she seemed to agree that Vlad had it handled. 

Danny tried not to think and wonder about any money exchanging hands over his head. 

It wasn't difficult to keep his mind off of that, though. The trial was fast approaching, especially since his parents made bail. Danny didn't know where they were living as Vlad had told him that most of the Fenton house had burned down. Vlad wasn't very clear how, but Danny was pretty certain he could guess. 

Danny had promised to testify, and that promise seemed like a rope at the gallows. He knew he could back out of it. Both Vlad and Jazz would understand, but he just.... couldn't. The monster inside of him, the one that wanted his parents dead, needed him to at least do something. Anything. Even if it was to just answer a few questions at a stand. 

So, when the date of trial arrived, he found himself being dressed by Henry in a smart suit and tie. 

"I can dress myself," he had complained, but Henry had just shaken his head at Danny. 

Danny got the sense that Henry had dressed Vlad as well, since Vlad came down in a very similar suit with the same exact tie. A rather studious blue one, marked with a subtle set of constellations. 

"Well," Vlad said, getting over his surprise quickly. "We make a pair, don't we, my boy?"

Danny nodded, trying to hide his smile. 

Vlad shook his head and continued, "I never thought I'd live to see the day when you combed your hair."

"Hey! I comb it!"

"With a cactus, perhaps," Henry said, drifting down through the ceiling. "It is almost time for the two of you to leave. I have packed a lunch and put it in the car. Will you need anything else, Master Vlad?"

"No, I think we will be fine. Thank you, Henry."

"Thanks, Henry," Danny said brightly, trying to focus on the moment rather than where they would be going as soon as they got to the car. 

"Do not be nervous, Master Daniel," Henry said soothingly. "You are not the one on trial and you are just a kid. They will be gentle with you."

Most days, Danny would have resented being called a kid. Today, he was glad for the fact. He wanted to be treated gently, at least for a little while. 

....................................

Vlad steered Danny through the courthouse with a warm hand on his shoulder. 

Danny kept wiping his sweaty hands on his pants, hoping he wasn't wrinkling the fabric. 

The two of them reached a side room with people Danny vaguely recognized. Some were relatives, others had worked with Jack and Maddie Fenton, and others were clients. 

There were other professional looking people in the room, and Danny scanned over them all until he spotted Jasmine, who had been saving seats for the two of them. 

Vlad and Danny approached and she looked up with a strained smile. "I can't believe this is happening," she murmured. 

Vlad nodded. "I can understand that, dear. This has been a very long time coming, and I find myself in awe that the time has finally arrived."

Vlad sounded even more formal than usual, likely to hide his nerves.

"How come you didn't sue them when they caused your accident?" Danny asked, and Vlad shook his head, pointing at the bailiff in the room. 

"I will tell you afterward, badger, but we aren't supposed to talk about the case until after we have testified."

"Okay," Danny said, a little disappointed. 

Jasmine slowly offered her hand, and he took it. 

They sat in silence, struggling to think of anything unrelated to the trial to discuss. 

"Have you... heard from Sam or Tucker?" Jasmine asked haltingly. 

Danny shrugged. "I think they try and reach out to me sometimes. I don't really want to talk to them, though."

She nodded slowly. "Because they don't want to help you?"

"Because they didn't just tell me they didn't want to anymore.... and they gave up on me too."

"You should talk to them, badger," Vlad said and Danny glared at him. Vlad had said that a few times now, but Danny didn't want to know how it might hurt to see them again. 

Jazz suddenly stiffened a little. "They're not coming today, are they?"

"Why would they?" Danny asked. 

"Because they were there for your accident," Vlad said. "I didn't even think about that. They haven't testified yet, but they may have been scheduled to testify tomorrow-"

The door to the room opened and Tucker and Sam with their parents stepped in, as though summoned by Fate. 

They started to make their way over, but Vlad shot up and across the room, herding the new arrivals to another corner of the room and talking to their parents, likely explaining that they couldn't let the kids talk until after. 

He came to sit next to Danny, who leaned against him and avoided looking over at where Tucker and Sam were wiggling impatiently, trying to get his attention. 

The trial was long, and there was no promise for when they would be taken in to testify. A lot of the Fenton colleagues went in first, then a couple of relatives, and then the bailiff called for Jasmine. 

She squeezed Danny's hand, who looked up from where Vlad had been drawing on a pad of paper. 

She smiled, nodded, and left. 

Danny went back to watching Vlad draw. They had both brought books since electronic devices weren't allowed in the waiting room or the courtroom, but they had both grown tired of them. It was hard to read when it felt like there was an anvil hanging over your head, set to drop and end everything you've ever known. 

Vlad reached over running his hand over Danny's back. "It will be alright," he murmured. 

"Are you going to go before or after me?" Danny asked as they called Sam in. 

"After, likely. They will have some interesting questions for me, I imagine."

Danny nodded vaguely. 

Tucker went in, then one more relative, and then they called for Danny. 

Danny took a deep breath and stood up. Vlad stood and walked with him to the door. It meant more than Danny could voice. 

"I will see you in the waiting room after you've testified," Vlad said. "Unless you want to stay for the rest of the trial."

Danny shook his head. "I just want to go home."

Vlad smiled and nodded, and sat in a chair nearest to the door as it opened and Danny was let through. 

Someone directed him to the stand, where he sat down and discreetly rested an arm over his stomach, like that would soothe the nausea he was experiencing. Why in the world had he ever agreed to this?

After he was sworn in, a lawyer got his attention, dragging it away from where his mother and father sat staring at him like he was an alien. 

"Danny Fenton?"

"Yes?"

"It has been indicated by others that you had an accident in your parent's labs about a year and a half ago. Can you tell us what happened."

Danny licked dry lips. Vlad had walked him through how much to say. Nothing about being a Halfa. Halfa's weren't recognized as an existing race, yet, and that was not a fight they wanted to have in court right now. Maybe years and years from now when someone noticed that Vlad had stopped aging past a certain point despite his grey hair. And even that could be put off, considering how much money he had. 

Danny cleared his throat and started to speak. 

"I think it was, um... Maybe October? I had... had just made friends with Sam and Tucker -Sam Mason and Tucker Foley, and I told them about the work my parents did. They wanted to see the lab. I think Sam just wanted to know more about ghosts and Tucker really likes tech so.... so yeah."

"Did your parents let you into the lab often?" the lawyer asked. 

"Yeah. All the time. I help with small tasks sometimes, and clean up when my homework and stuff is done. It's a part of chores."

"Are you allowed in there unsupervised?"

"Yeah."

"Can you remember the first time you were left in the lab unsupervised? How old you were?"

"No," Danny said. "I think I've always been allowed in there."

He ignored how red his- that woman's face was getting and how pale his father looked in contrast. 

The lawyer nodded. "Please continue telling us what happened the day of your accident."

Danny bit his lip nervously, organizing his thoughts for a moment. 

"Well, my parents have been trying to make a portal to the Ghost realms, and it was nearly finished. It was based on a design that they were working on in college, from what I understand. Um... Vlad Masters can probably tell you more about that when it's his turn, cause that's what caused his accident. I wanted to have a look at it, and the other two did as well, so I stepped inside to show them how big it was. I was wearing protection. The suits we use in the lab and goggles and stuff, and I made them wear suits too. And then I tripped on a panel or a wire or something. I don't really remember, and I fell against a button and-"

In his memory, a flash of green snapped across his vision and excruciating pain followed. The certainty that he was dead and the smell of his own flesh cooking and re-hydrating. 

"It turned on," he said in a strangled tone.

"Did you go to the hospital afterward?"

"No. I... After the first wave of pain, I thought I was fine."

"Have there been any lingering effects?"

Boy had there. Not many he could talk about, though. "Chronic pain, some stomach issues, and I get sick more easily." All of those school absences were paying off. 

"And we were informed of a more recent incident involving your mother," he said gently. "Would you be able to tell us more about that."

Danny froze, staring at Maddie who glared at him as though she thought him a parasite and a danger to the human race. 

"Hey, Daniel. Look at me."

Danny turned his attention back to the lawyer who had a very gentle look on his face now. "Just try your best. Don't pay attention to them. Just keep looking at me."

Danny nodded, gathering himself and the story he and Vlad prepared. There had been no hiding how much of his human blood had been in the basement, and Vlad hadn't wanted to lie it, no matter what. 

"She.... She thought I wasn't her son," he whispered, flinching a little as he remembered how coldly she had treated him. "She kept me in a hidden cell in the lab. She thought I was a ghost and she.... started doing things to me."

The lawyer simply waited as Danny cleared his throat. "Um. Cutting me open. And.... and shocking me. And-"

"I CAN'T TAKE IT!" Maddie shrieked, jumping to her feet. Jack tried to drag her back down, but she pointed at Danny, fury on her face. "That isn't my son! It isn't even human! I-"

The judge banged his gavel and said, "Bailiff, get her out of the court!"

A large man moved to do so, and she went screaming all the way. Jack sat staring at his hands, barely breathing. 

Danny swallowed hard a few times, trying to think of what to say. 

"You should see her when I leave the milk out overnight," Danny said with a little laugh, trying to lighten the mood. 

All he got were concerned looks from the people in the courtroom and he sunk into his chair a little. He'd been getting a lot of those looks lately.  

The lawyer hummed. "The prosecution rests."

Chapter Text

"Would the defense like to cross examine the witness?" the judge asked. 

The defense lawyer looked between her notes, Jack, Danny, and where Maddie had been dragged away. She cleared her throat and stood. 

"Yes, Judge. Thank you."

She took the prosecution lawyer's place on the floor and cleared her throat a couple of times, buying time before she asked a question. 

"Would you tell us about your relationship with your mother before this most recent incident?"

"We were fine," Danny said. "I mean, she would get mad about things that moms would get mad about and would take care of me when she wasn't so busy with work. I think that's normal, right?"

"Please just stick to answering the question," the judge said sternly, though gently. 

"Did your mother show up to your events or tell you she was proud of you?"

"Objection, your honor," the prosecution called. "Relevance."

The judge turned to the defense lawyer. "Relevance?"

"I would like to a certain what their relationship was before and what led up to the incident."

"Overruled. Please answer the question, Mr. Fenton."

"Um... Yea, she would," he said. "I think she went to almost every science fair I set up in or the track meets I did when I was younger." Before things got so crazy that he had to drop out. Besides, not being human anymore meant he would beat everyone else without even trying, and he didn't think that was fair. 

"She seemed proud of me," he said in a quiet voice.

The lawyer nodded. "Did this incident come from out of nowhere?"

Danny shrugged. How was he supposed to answer that? She always said what she was going to do to Phantom if she every caught him, but she didn't think Danny and Phantom were the same person. 

"Objection," the prosecution lawyer called. "Vague and Ambiguous question, your honor."

"Sustained. Please be more clear, Mrs. Galvin."

"Did your mother exhibit any behaviors before the incident that indicated she was angry with your or that the incident would be taking place?"

"The, um.... The way she talked about ghosts, I guess? But she's always been like that. She doesn't see ghosts as people, just memories. Less than animals, so-" he trembled, swallowing hard a few times. "So when she thought I was dead and that.... that something had taken my place she didn't...."

Danny shook his head and crossed his arm across his stomach harder, trying to breathe. 

Mrs. Galvin tilted her head. "You mother sees it that way? But you don't? Our leading experts when it comes to ghost all say the same thing that-"

"Objection, Relevance."

"Sustained."

Mrs. Galvin shook her head and said, "My apologies. Can you tell the jury how exactly the incident began?"

"I went to bed one night, and when I woke up I was in the lab," Danny said. That wasn’t entirely true. He had been out and about when he'd been captured, but he had been in his ghost form. 

"Did you notice any changes in your mother's behavior the day before the incident. Anything you thought was weird?"

Danny shook his head. "No, everything was normal. I didn't have school and I actually helped her in the lab for most of the day, and she did everything like she always did it. There was nothing off."

Mrs. Galvin pursed her lips and nodded. "The Defense rests, your honor."

"Prosecutor? Do you have anything more for Daniel Fenton?"

The first lawyer shook his head. "I would like to submit evidence of Mr. Fenton's injuries to be show to the court, but I would prefer that Mr. Fenton not be here for that as he had been through enough as it is."

The judge nodded. "Very well."

A bailiff showed up, escorting Danny to the door that led to the waiting room he could wait in until Vlad came out. 

He was shaking and sweating, but the relief that it was all over made it all worth it. He was ready to curl up in a chair, maybe fall asleep, and next thing he knew he would be home again. 

That was, until he saw Sam and Tucker waiting for him in this room. This time there would be no Vlad to fend them off.

...................

Vlad bounced his knees, folding and unfolding his hands over and over again as he waited. He wondered how Danny was handling all of this. He wondered if Danny would be alright. Vlad hoped the lawyers were being gentle with him. He was just a traumatized kid, despite no longer being fully human anymore. 

The door opened and the bailiff called for Vlad. 

He stood, straightened his tie and stepped in. 

After he was sworn in and settled, the defense lawyer, one Mrs. Galvin, began to question him. He had to admit, he didn't think the defense would be the one to call him up as a witness. He rather thought Mr. Kip would have been the one to start the questioning. 

"Mr. Masters," Mrs. Galvin started. "Is it true that you worked with Maddie and Jack Fenton when the three of you were in college?"

Vlad nodded. "I did."

"And you would call yourselves friends?"

"At the time we were friends, yes."

"If you were to describe your lab conditions, how would you describe them?"

Vlad thought the question over, looking back on memories he had grown tired of thinking about. "Well, it depends on whose section you were looking at. Maddie's section was always clear and organized. She always took meticulous notes and cleaned after herself. My section was a bit more on the untidy side, but not dangerous, and Jack's section was always littered with wires and tools and batteries. Maddie and I always tried to get him to organize or at least clean as he went, but it was a losing battle."

"Tell us about the experiment the three of you were working on during the time of your incident."

"The theory of realms had recently been proven. Other dimensions stacked on top of ours, and we wanted to try and learn more about them, or at least replicate the experiment that proved there were other dimensions and realms layered on top of ours. Jack was in charge of the tech, Maddie the notes, and I was helping to fund the project as well as dealing with most of the chemicals and delicate components of the experiment. I had the patience for the meticulous things they didn't. We were making a small portal device, just big enough you could get your head through."

"Would you walk us through your incident?"

"I was trying to fix something on the device. A screw had not been tightened down all the way. To get a better look at what I was doing, I had to stick my head through the opening partially. 

"The device, I had thought, was not plugged in, and I was not paying attention to the conversation Maddie and Jack were having. I was later told that he forgot he had plugged in the device and was holding the on switch, joking about how badly he wanted to turn it on now that the portal was complete. They said they did not see me partially in the device when he did press the button, otherwise he wouldn't have pressed it even if he thought the device was unplugged. It turned on, and all I saw was blinding green. I felt something pulse through my head and I pulled out quickly. I couldn't see for a few minutes, but felt fine otherwise, until I suddenly threw up a bright green. We assumed I had received some sort of radiation poisoning, so I was rushed to the hospital where I spent a year getting worse, and then a year getting better, experiencing much the same symptoms as radiation sickness."

"Would you say you're an expert in ectoplasm and portals having to do with such?"

"I can prove I am," Vlad said with a nod. "When I got out of the hospital I continued my research to ensure no one would suffer from the same issues as I did."

"Are you aware of Daniel Fenton's incident with the ectoplasmic portal in his parent's basement?"

"I am."

"He felt fine afterward besides chronic pain and a few other issues. How come he did not experience the same symptoms you did."

Because he died in the very instant he was zapped while I took a full year to die, Vlad thought to himself. Instead he answered, "I believe their portal was much better shielded when it came to radiation, but not as well shielded when it came to the wiring. I believe what Daniel experienced was mostly an electric shock. It is a miracle he survived, at any rate."

Mrs. Galvin nodded. "Is it true you have your own lab and portal?"

"I do, and it is locked and I have never allowed Daniel or anyone else inside who did not have the proper training."

"Daniel has been staying with you since the incident, then?"

"Yes."

"How did you find him after the incident?"

"He had, by some miracle, escaped the house and gone on the run. He had managed to borrow someone's phone to call me and I picked him up. I had my private doctors clean up and deal with his injuries, and I believe Mr. Kip should have all of the documentation for that."

"Did Mr. And Mrs. Fenton ask you to take him in?"

"No. I took him in because I saw his parents as a threat to his well being, and I wanted to ensure he would be alright. Especially after learning he had been subject to the same sort of accident as I had."

"After your accident, did you suppose that their lab practices would hurt someone else?"

"Objection," Mr. Kip said. "Speculation."

"Sustained." 

"Two years in the hospital is a lot to put up with. Why didn't you sue the two of them after the incident occurred?"

"First of all, I was dying in the hospital after the incident, and secondly they were my friends at the time. Though, by the time I got out of the hospital I did not consider them friends anymore and wanted to put the whole thing behind me."

"How would you describe your relationship with Madelyn Fenton in college?"

"We were close friends," Vlad said. 

"When the Fenton's testified yesterday, they said they believed you may have had a crush on Mrs. Fenton and tried to sabotage Jack's work in order to make him look bad to her."

Vlad scoffed, turning his gaze to Jack, who shrunk down a little. "It was an accident. Neither I, nor Jack caused it on purpose. And if I had sabotaged it, I would not have been stupid enough to put my head inside of the device."

Mrs. Galvin tipped her head, as though she were agreeing with him but had to ask that question anyway. "Have you had much contact with the Fenton's since getting out of the hospital?"

"Here and there. I was occasionally invited to dinner when they needed a backer for one of their projects or when they needed advice with legal matters. Nothing beyond that, though. We were barely even business partners as I turned down almost all of their offers."

"That is all I have for now, your honor," Mrs. Galvin said. 

She took her seat and Mr. Kip took her place. 

"Mr. Masters, Did Mr. or Mrs. Fenton visit you in the hospital."

"Not even once."

Not much better than his parents, but even his parents had come to see him more than his supposed friends had. He took a deep breath to let go of the bitterness and anger in his core. After that, the questioning got into the specifics of the incident Vlad went through in college. Vlad did his best to answer quickly and precisely as his excellent hearing picked up sounds of an argument in the next waiting room. He had forgotten about Sam and Tucker, and now Danny was in there alone with them. He hoped nothing happened in there before the end of Vlad's testimony. 

Chapter Text

Danny yelped as Sam threw her arms around his neck, gasping with relief and delight. Tucker stood behind her, nearly sobbing as he wiped at his face over and over again. 

"We were told you were alive, but we could barely believe it!" Sam practically shouted in Danny's ear. "We-"

"Get off," Danny growled. 

Sam let go in surprise and backed off, tilting her head at him in confusion. "Danny?"

"What, you're glad I'm alive? I thought you were relieved I was gone."

Tucker's breathing hitched, and he devolved into proper sobs. 

"Wait, you.... How did you-"

"I heard," Danny said. "And you know what, I get it, alright? I get tired of me too! I have to live with me 24/7! I get it." Danny was horrified to feel tears welling up in his own eyes and he swiped at his face angrily. "And I could get over that, I think. You guys not wanting to help me, but what I can't get over is the fact that you guys never said anything. If you were tired of fighting ghosts, why didn't you say anything!?"

"Danny, you would have been mad," Sam said in a reasonable tone, which only made Danny that much more angry. "We just... We were going to tell you, but we didn't know how."

"What, were you scared of me?" Danny asked, angry with himself and the way his voice trembled and cracked. 

"No," Sam said, but there was a hesitation, a moment too long before her response, and Danny bared his teeth, "You're lying to me! If you were scared of me, why are you even here!?"

"Because we're friends," Tucker said through tears, wiping at his face with already wet sleeves. "It's what friends do. We wanna see you again! We haven't seen you since before you went missing and then we find out what your mom was doing-"

"She is not my mom." Danny hissed. "No mom would ever do that! And maybe I didn't want to see you guys because you gave up on me! If everyone had given up on me, that would be fine, but you gave up before Vlad Masters!? Are you kidding me!?"

"Danny, we're just kids," Sam said desperately, but Danny shook his head, wrapping his arms around himself and stepping back. "No. No! I don't care! We are not 'just kids.' We haven't been just kids since I got zapped by that portal in the lab!"

"You haven't," Tucker spat before he covered his mouth, seemingly shocked at himself. 

Danny shook his head, his mouth twisted into a bitter grimace. "I don't want to be friends with you anymore, okay? Consider this the end of it. I can't be friends with people who are scared of me."

Sam's face was twisting from bitter sadness to rage now. Danny knew her temper would get the better of her, and he embraced it as she shouted, "Then you're never going to make friends ever again! Even when everyone thinks you're normal they're scared of you! We can all tell, Danny, deep down! You're a monster!"

Danny flinched away from her shrill voice as Tucker's parents and Sam's parents came to see what was wrong. 

"Sam, what is the meaning of this!?" her mother asked in posh tones. 

Same was too busy crying to reply, and Danny found that he was reaching a similar state. 

Tucker turned to hug his father, burying his face in his father's carhartt jacket and Danny cried harder as he realized he just wanted Vlad to be here so he could do the same thing. 

Danny turned, stumbling to a chair and slumping in it, hugging his aching stomach and just letting himself cry, flinching away when anyone tried to ask if he was alright. 

He struggled for air, his chest aching with each gasp. Sam and Tucker had left with their families, and everyone was looking at Danny with sympathy. He wished they wouldn't look at him, but he didn't know where to go to be alone where Vlad could find him easily afterward. 

A small part of him felt rather embarrassed about breaking down like this in public, but most of him knew this had been a long time coming. 

He heard the courtroom door open again, and felt rather than saw Vlad approached. Danny launched from his chair into Vlad's chest, shaking and sobbing. 

Vlad just held him tightly, kissing his head and stroking a hand up and down Danny's back. 

"I'm so sorry, badger, I should have made sure a bailiff was out here to keep anyone from talking to you. I had hoped Jazz would be here, but I forgot about her plans with her friends. I'm so sorry. You're going to be alright. I'm here, now."

Danny trembled, but it felt like he could breathe again, finally. He nodded into Vlad's chest, sniffling and whimpering quietly. 

"We need to finish signing some things and we need to talk to your social worker and then we can go home, okay?"

Danny sniffled again and nodded. 

Vlad was quick with signing things, pointing things out to Danny and explaining a clause here and there that Danny would actually need to be aware of. Danny hoped Vlad would explain it all again later, because he knew he would not be retaining much at the moment. It wasn't until they were sitting in a small meeting room when the words 'social worker' worked their way into Danny's skull. 

His heart seemed to tremble in his chest. Social worker. Social workers were for kids who were orphans. They were for people who didn't have parents or family to take him in. Social workers put kids in foster homes where you had no idea if you would be taken care of or not. 

Danny pressed further under Vlad's arm, who murmured something soothing at him as the door opened and the social worker came in. 

He was a man, which surprised Danny a little, and he looked a little stressed out, but seemed friendly enough. "Hi, Danny," the man said warmly. "I'm Ian. How are you?"

Danny just stared at him for a moment before he said, "Are you taking me away from Vlad?"

"Oh! Oh, no, not at all," Ian said reassuringly, glancing at Vlad with a smile. "No, Danny. We're just here to clear up some legal things and then send you on your way with Mr. Masters here. Alright?"

Danny nodded. 

Vlad smoothed a hand over Danny's hair before letting go of the boy and leaning forward to accept the forms from Ian. 

"Alright. Based off of the judges notes it sounds like they will at the very least lose all parental rights," Ian said, "He would typically go to a family member, but since he has been staying with you, it's better to leave him there so he can keep some stability in his life. I'll be visiting occasionally to see how the two of you are getting on, but I don't think there will be any problems. Is there any support you need at this time, Vlad?"

"I don't think so. I have doctors keeping an eye on him, and I'll be getting him into therapy shortly here. I know I probably should have gotten him in sooner, but he has only recently recovered from his injuries."

Ian nodded. "Alright. I'll be following up on that. If you could give me his therapist's phone number when he starts going, I would appreciate that."

Vlad nodded. 

There was more paper signing and forms to fill out. Vlad occasionally asked Danny a question here or there to help fill out the forms, but Vlad mostly knew everything necessary already. 

Finally, when they were done, Ian handed Vlad his card and said, "I think I'll be by in a couple of days to check in on you. I'll schedule it with you tomorrow."

"Sounds like a plan," Vlad said brightly. "Anything else we need to do before we head out?"

"You're good to go," Ian said. "See you, Danny."

Danny knew it was bad manners, but he could only muster up the energy to give a faint nod and they were out of there. 

"Do you want to stop somewhere for a treat?" Vlad asked as they got into the car that pulled up to the curb for them with one of Vlad's personal drivers. 

"No," Danny whispered. 

Vlad nodded, and held him close where he nodded off into Vlad's chest and fell asleep until they made it home. 

.............................................

By the time Ian came to the manor to visit a second time, Danny had been to therapy three times, twice with a human therapist, and once with Vlad's harpy ghost therapist. On top of that, his parents had been convicted. 

Jack got off a little lighter than his mother with 40 years and the possibility for parole, but his mother, after a failed insanity plea, had been given a life sentence while the possibility for parole would be reevaluated based on what the prison therapists had to say in about a decade. 

It was surreal. Danny knew his parents were alive, but it was as if they were dead. He would never be seeing or hearing from them again unless he chose to visit, and he preferred to treat the situation as though his parents were dead and he would never have to deal with them again. As far as he was concerned, he was an orphan and he was Vlad's ward. 

He could sometimes tell Vlad wanted it to be more. That he wanted to name Danny as his son, but Danny wasn't very certain about it yet. He didn't know why he hesitated, especially when he slowly started to imagine writing 'Danny Masters' on the top of his homework instead of 'Danny Fenton,' but he just.... couldn't. Not yet.

The fifth time he visited his human therapist, he brought it up. 

"It's weird, you know," Danny said as he idly doodled on the notebook he'd brought with him to therapy. "Like.... I think I would like to be adopted, cause that makes everything more stable, and I know Vlad can do it, but I just.... can't bring myself to say it?"

His human therapist, Mrs. Hewitt, nodded. "That's a pretty normal feeling, Danny. It's a lot to go from having one set of parents, to another. Especially when your parents aren't dead. 

"I feel like them being not dead and in prison should make it easier," Danny said. 

"Do you have any idea as to why you might be hesitating? Sometimes we know but it's hard to admit it."

Danny thought for a minute, doodling a small version of Plasmius. 

"I do know," he whispered. "Vlad was.... was mean when I was younger. He isn't anymore. He's so nice now, and I can tell he loves me, but he was so mean and angry for so long. I keep expecting the other shoe to drop. For him to get bored of me and to kick me out. But he's not mean anymore, and he isn't as angry, and he's never angry at me."

Mrs. Hewitt nodded. "That is perfectly understandable, Danny. I agree with you that he is a balanced person and that he is a good father figure now, but that doesn't change how he could have been scary when you were younger. Do you want me to set up a session with the three of us to discuss it?"

Danny tried not to let the dread overcome him at the thought and simply nodded. "Yeah, I think so."

He thought for a moment and then shook his head. "Actually, we should do it with my- with Vlad's family therapist. She knows more about his anger and stuff, and I think it would be better."

Plus, the therapist in question was a ghost too, so they could discuss everything and not just the human side of this.

Mrs. Hewitt smiled. "Alright. Sounds like a plan. And we can have a session after to help you sort out any remaining feelings you might have after that, alright?"

"Alright," Danny said, relaxing just a little. 

Chapter Text

Vlad had long gotten used to therapy, to the point where he often looked forward to it. It had been a long time since he had been nervous about going, but this time wasn't like every other time he had gone before. This time, he was taking Danny. The boy he wanted so badly to be his son and heir and not just his ward, and they would probably be discussing just that. 

Vlad had done his best to make his intentions clear to Danny so he wouldn't be caught off guard when Vlad brought them up more bluntly in the future, and sometimes it seemed like Danny wanted it too. Like when Danny came out of his room when Vlad came home from meetings or work, or when Danny grinned at him after throwing candy wrappers into Vlad's loose hair, or how Danny whined and begged to get to go to the disgusting burger joint he loved. (Vlad could not wait for Danny's taste buds to outgrow the place. It made Vlad's skin crawl every time he ever had to be on the same street as a Nasty Burger joint.)

Despite all of this, Danny shied away from it. He glowered at Vlad if the man called Danny a badger one too many times. He shrunk away from physical contact if he wasn't emotionally distressed, and he never spoke of future plans whatsoever. Vlad had tried to engage him in a conversation about if he wanted to go to a private school or get tutoring at home, but Danny had shut the conversation down so quickly it nearly gave Vlad whiplash. 

Vlad sighed and just hoped that Ms. Kedrana would be able to sort this out and they could all get on then same page. 

"Danny!" Vlad called, waiting outside the door of his locked lab. 

He heard Danny scramble down the stairs and slide to a halt, his notebook and pencil in hand.

Vlad smiled. "Are you ready?"

"Yeah," Danny said, looking as jittery as Vlad felt. 

Vlad nodded and unlocked the door to the lab, waiting for Danny to step in before he entered himself, locking it behind him. 

He took a moment to turn off the cameras in the lab and said, "Alright. Transform while I get the portal going."

Vlad turned, slowly warming up the portal, keeping an eye on all of the pressure gauges to make sure they had a safe start up. 

He turned around after he got it started to add some ectoplasm to one of the parts to keep it from making any noise, even if the noise was just a soft whir and was surprised to find Danny standing in human form, staring at the portal. 

"Danny? We can go to the Ghost realms another way if you don't want to use the portal."

Danny's panicked eyes flicked to Vlad and he shook his head, putting on a brave smile. "Oh, no, I'm... I'm fine."

The two stood there and Vlad carefully took his ghost form, his silver hair coming free from it's tail and floating about his head in that youthful black color he used to have. 

Danny just stood there. 

"I....."

"It's okay, badger," Vlad said softly. "I can go in and get Ms. Kedrana and we can see about doing it here instead."

"I can't go ghost," Danny whispered. 

"Why not?" Vlad asked. 

"The... the last time....."

Danny hadn't taken his ghost form since he had been captured and tortured by his mother. He hadn't been in ghost form since he had escaped and been taken in by hunters. He hadn't been in ghost form since Vlad had carried him home again and laid him in bed. 

Vlad hadn't even considered that there would be enough trauma attached to Danny's ghost form to keep him from transforming. 

"You can do it," Vlad said warmly. "You can do it. It will be whole and healed and no one is here to trap you or hurt you. And if they try, you know I won''t allow it."

Danny shivered and shook his head. "I don't think I can."

"Do you want to?"

Something ached in Danny's eyes and he nodded. 

"How about I get Ms. Kedrana, we can have our session and then maybe talk about this too if there's time, and tonight, when the stars are out, you can try and we can go for a flight in the stratosphere. How's that sound?"

Danny slowly relaxed and nodded. 

"Alright. How about you step out of the lab while I go get Ms. Kedrana."

"What? I'm not a kid, you don't have to lock me out!"

"Danny, it is a simple safety precaution. One that Ian highly approves of."

Danny deflated. Anything Ian approved of was something Danny would put up with. Vlad didn't think that the boy was under the impression that he would be kicked out if he misbehaved or didn't follow a rule, but maybe there was something there they needed to address. 

Once Danny had stepped out and the portal had finished warming up, Vlad disappeared into the Ghost Realms to get Ms. Kedrana. 

........................................

The therapy session took place in one of the sitting rooms. Vlad had taken his human form again to make Danny more comfortable. He tied his hair back while Henry served ectoplasmic drinks and treats. 

Ms. Kedrana got settled on the couch, her wings folded over the back and draping out toward the corners of the room. She was a very large, very feathered woman, but she looked for all the world like a therapist in every sense of the world. She even had some small glasses on a beaded chain around her neck, though she never wore them as they didn't fit around her beak very well and would simply topple off. 

"Alright, you two," she said warmly. "It sounds like we have quite the session on our hands. Are you quite comfortable, Daniel?"

"I am. And you can call me Danny."

"Danny it is, then," Ms. Kedrana said, getting situated once more before looking between the two of them. "Vlad tells me that you wanted to set this up. What was it that you wanted to talk about?"

Danny didn't look up from his doodle, thinking. He cleared his throat a couple of times before he said, "Well, to start, can we talk about the... Um... going ghost thing?"

"We can," Vlad said warmly. It was off the topic the boy probably had in mind, but Vlad didn't mind it. "We had to meet here because Danny is having a hard time with his ghost form at the moment."

"Ah, yes," Ms. Kedrana said, fiddling with her glasses. "I would assume that the last time you took that form was when the incident occurred?"

Danny nodded. "I.... I was stuck in that form for ages. And I didn't- get to eat and all I wanted was to be human and go find something to eat."

"I see. That is quite stressful. What are you afraid will happen if you take your ghost form? It's alright if it's an irrational fear or something that couldn't happen. What is your brain afraid of?"

"It's..... afraid of..... I'm afraid of my ghost form. I just.... no matter what she did to me, how much I bled out, I couldn't die. And it just hurt so much and I couldn't die and I couldn't pass out, not really. Not like a human can. And people are scared of me, and they can tell I'm not human and they call me a monster."

"Who called you a monster?" Vlad asked, shocked. 

"Sam," Danny whispered. "And I know Jazz thinks it sometimes, too. She used to call me her monster when I was little, but she stopped using that nickname when she found out I'm a halfa. Like she can't... joke about it."

"Now, I think we can all agree, of the three of us, you are most certainly not a monster," Ms. Kedrana said. "I have done my fair bit of terrorizing, and so has Vlad, but you have always been a kind and sweet child. People can become nervous or afraid of what you are, but have you ever actually hurt anyone on purpose?"

"The ghosts," Danny said quietly. 

"Only after they attacked you, yes? And the same goes for any hunters or government agents. Danny, you are not a monster."

"But that doesn't matter! People see me as a monster and there's nothing I can do about it!"

"I'm afraid that's life, Danny. Not everyone is going to like you, and you just have to learn how to be okay with it," Vlad said gently, reaching out to put a hand on Danny's shoulder. 

Danny sniffled again and nodded slightly. 

"It's important to remember that you do have people that care about you," Ms. Kedrana said. "You know that Vlad cares for you, as does Henry. And your sister, of course."

Danny chewed on his lip for a moment. "You do care about me, right Vlad?"

"Of course I do, badger," he said softly. 

"Not just cause I'm.... cause I'm her kid."

"Definitely not because you're her kid," Vlad said, shaking his head. "I love you, specifically, Danny. You are very smart and talented. You fight for what is right and what you want, even when it's hard. You're stronger than me in that way. And I would love to take care of you as my own till the very end."

"What if... what if I'm not strong anymore? What if I get a brain injury and I get dumb or whatever? What if I can't do anything right?"

Danny's wide eyes turned to Vlad, glowing green deep within as fear set him on edge. 

"I would still love you," Vlad whispered. "I would still take care of you and I would still help you with whatever you wanted to do."

"Why?"

"It just is," Vlad replied. 

Danny closed his eyes, shuddering ever so slightly. 

Ms. Kedrana have Vlad a stern look, and he nodded, taking his hand off of Danny's shoulder and giving him some space, being mindful of his own core and trying to release the vice like desire to keep Danny forever. 

"And if.... if I wanted an adoption?"

"Then we would talk to Ian and get that process started."

"Why... why haven't you started it yet? You said you wanted me to be your son?"

"Because," Vlad said softly. "I do want it very badly, but I didn't want to do it if you didn't also want me as your father."

Danny looked like he hadn't even considered the term father and Vlad in the same thought yet and looked completely overwhelmed for a moment. 

"We don't have to do it right away," Vlad assured him. "If you want more time to think about it, that is entirely fine by me."

Danny gave him a tight nod. "I just..... I don't know what to expect, you know?"

"From the adoption?"

"Yeah," he whispered. "What's gonna change? What will stay the same?"

"Most everything will stay the same. You go to therapy still, we'll figure out how you want to complete your schooling, I'll train you in your powers and in the workings of my companies, because I would plan for you to inherit them someday. And, well, I suppose the only thing that would change is that your last name would be Masters."

Danny nodded very slowly. "And.... If I do something wrong?"

Vlad snorted. "I'm not going to do anything deranged. I will still treat you like a normal teenager. You would lose some privileges, but nothing drastic and you could be grounded. And I have actual ways of grounding a halfa."

Danny gave a half groan at that, but seemed to relax a little. 

He glanced at Ms. Kedrana, who simply shrugged her wings. "It is up to you, my dear. This is your life and your choice."

"Then.... just give me a little time to think about it?" Danny asked Vlad. 

"Of course, badger. Take all the time you need. I've learned to become patient in recent times."

Danny simply smiled, most of the nerves melted away.