A/N: Anyway, here you go. I considered extending the activities between Vlad and Danny while Danny was recovering, however, mostly everything I considered I decided would be better for later chapters. I apologize if it seemed a little rushed, but I was pulling a bit of a blank and thought trying to go in to details would be more boring than anything.

Again, thank you to everyone who reviewed!

The phone rang obnoxiously on the hook. Both Maddie and Jack looked at each other, silently asking who was going to get it. Finally Maddie sighed and made her way over.

"Hello?" She answered blankly.

"Maddie?" A man responded from the other end.

"Yes, who's this?" She questioned.

"It's Vlad Masters."

Her demeanor quickly changed; shocked by the answer. "Oh, Vlad, what a surprise." She said while Jack glanced up at her.

"Ah yes, I was just personally following up with some of the RSVPs for the reunion. I noticed you and Jack had not responded and I found that a little odd."

Maddie was silent and for a brief moment Vlad wondered if she had hung up.

"Yeah, well, you see I'm not sure we are up to dealing with large social gatherings right now." She finally answered, a weight to her voice.

"My dear, is everything okay?"

Maddie made her way in to the kitchen, out of earshot from Jack. "To be honest? Not really. You see, our son, Danny, he was in an accident."

Vlad could hear her struggling with the words and frowned. "That's terrible. Is he okay?" Probably a bad question based on her tone of voice.

"N-no." She stuttered out. "He's dead."

Vlad felt his heart sink, the pain in her voice all too clear. "Oh Maddie…"

"And I know it was a couple months ago, but we are just not ready to be in a situation where we will be asked about our children or how we are doing, y'know?"

"Yes of course, that makes complete sense! I am very sorry to hear about Danny. Honestly, I cannot imagine the pain of losing a child. I would not expect you to put yourself in a position, which would leave you grieving. I will just have to see you some other time, under a more personal setting."

"Thank you for understanding and hopefully we can see you soon. I know Jack really misses you."

"Ah yes… as do I." He lied. "Take care Maddie."

Vlad dug through one of his study drawers until he found what he was looking for.

"I remembered that I knew others with a portal."

He carefully pulled it out and laid it on his desk before running his hand over the obituary.

"What is your name?"

"Phantom"

"No, your real name."

"Danny…"

Vlad looked down at the obituary for 14-year-old Daniel Fenton. There was no doubt in his mind that this boy, Danny Phantom, was their son. It was surreal, honestly. What were the odds? He never did meet with the Fentons, but instead sent them a condolence package. He still had plans for his revenge, but had to rethink his entire plan. Then again, it all seemed so wrong with Daniel here. If he could convince Daniel to stay with him after he recovered, then everything would be a moot point. Above revenge, above Maddie, above all really, he wanted a son; he wanted someone like him. He sighed as he put the paper back in the drawer. He knew he had a whole life in the ghost zone though, so it was a matter of convincing the boy to start over. However, that was a challenge for another day. The child was still weak, there was time, and Vlad did not want to waste any of it.

"So like, how did you discover you were half ghost?" Danny questioned while playing with his food. It was his first meal since the portal accident. Well, first real meal; ghost food didn't count. Vlad had finally deemed him ready to come off the feeding tube, though he was limited to small portions of soft food and lighter things like soup and smoothies. Danny couldn't really complain though. "I mean if that's not too personal or anything."

"It's fine." Vlad said from across the table. "See, since I remained in the human realm after the accident, I stayed human. Also, I think it may have taken my ghost half longer to form than yours, which I believe was instantaneous. I spent a couple years in the hospital with a spectral disease. I eventually started experiencing ghost-like abilities, which you could imagine was very strange. At random times I would find parts of me invisible or I would suddenly fall through the bed. Thankfully no one was ever directly looking when this occurred." Vlad waved his hand dismissively. "Anyway, I just hit a point where my condition was so bad they were sure I was going to finally die. That evening, I felt a pull inside me, and thinking it was death, I embraced it; I was tired of fighting. Next thing I know rings appeared and I had completely changed forms. At first I thought I had died become a ghost, but it didn't make sense that my body was no longer there. Suddenly, I felt a weight inside me and the rings reappeared and I was human again. After that, I slowly began to recover. The doctors said it was a miracle, but I knew it had to do with this new side of me." Lad looked back at the boy who was staring intently at him.

"Wow." Danny breathed out. "That must have been terrifying."

Vlad chuckled. "No more terrifying than waking up in a completely different dimension surrounded by specters you aren't sure are friendly or not." Vlad commented.

"Yeah I suppose, but I haven't had to deal with this alone." Danny said as he brought a spoonful of soup to his lips.

Vlad frowned. "That's true, but it's okay, I'm not alone anymore. There's another halfa to steal the light from me now." He joked.

Danny gave a playful wink. "You got that right."

There was a moment of silence as they both continued to eat their dinner. The mood in the air seemed to change and Vlad picked up on the fact that Danny was suddenly upset about something.

"Daniel? Something wrong?" He questioned cautiously, afraid he had done something to upset him.

"I just… what if they don't like me anymore?" Danny began.

"Who?"

"My friends in the ghost zone. I'm not like them, I'm human, and what if they resent that? Danny said with worry.

Vlad raised an eyebrow. "Why would that matter? You were friends because they like you, right? I don't see being a halfa would affect that. In my experience, it tends to fascinate ghosts more than repel them." Vlad shrugged. "But you know, there is always a place for you here should things go sour."

Danny gave a light smile. "Thanks." He said, not really considering what Vlad was implying.

There was another long moment of silence as Vlad contemplated if he wanted to bring up Daniel's living situation yet. If he mentioned it now, it would allow the boy to at least think about it for a while. However, he risked freaking the boy out.

"Actually Daniel…" Vlad began.

"Danny. You can call me Danny." He corrected.

"Ah, Danny. There was something I wanted to bring up with you."

Danny glanced up at the man nervously.

"Of course I don't expect an immediate answer, and it's something you have time to think about, but…" Vlad began before hesitating. "I want you to potentially consider staying here. With me."

Danny cocked his head. "I mean, I don't think I have a choice, I'm not better yet."

"No, that's not quite what I meant. I mean, when you're well again. Instead of returning to the ghost zone, you can make residence here."

"Oh…" Danny breathed out, a bit stunned. "I mean that's a pretty drastic change. I have a whole life there, friends, a lair, I would basically have to uproot my whole life."

"Like I said, you don't need to give me an answer right now, but I would like you to maybe consider it." Vlad encouraged.

"Okay." Danny answered timidly. It was actually a pretty amazing offer. He could start over. Living with someone willing to care for him, given he was still a child after all. He would be able to start over, live as a human, and to top it all off, the man was rich. He would never have to worry about money or overspending. He wasn't an overindulgent person, but the security would be reassuring. Except there was the fact that he'd be away from everyone he cared about and established bonds with over the last few months. Friends had always been important to him, and it took him a long time to fill the hole that was left knowing he could no longer see Sam and Tucker. Could he really deprive himself of his new friends and start over all again? He wasn't sure.

"Whatever you do end up deciding, just know, you are always welcome here." Vlad added casually.

Danny nodded. "Thanks, I'll think about it."

"Now… how about we go play a game before bed?" Vlad offered.

Danny smiled. "Alright!"

The next few weeks went by quickly and the time was spent mostly resting and participating in low-key activities. It was nice, for a while, but Danny could feel himself growing restless. He had considered Vlad's offer to live with him, but he remained conflicted. He knew it was a beneficial offer, especially now that his human half was no longer dormant and would need constant attention. However, he couldn't wrap his mind around the idea of starting over and leaving his friends.

Danny gathered his clothes, curtsey of Vlad, and put them in a small bag.

"Are you sure you're ready?" Vlad asked from the doorway of the bedroom.

Danny turned and smiled. "Yeah, you said so yourself, remember?"

"I know, but I mean like personally ready."

Danny nodded. "I just really want to see my friends at this point, and my lair sounds really nice. No offense to-" he gestured around the room. "-All this."

Vlad shrugged. "None taken."

"If anything happens I will come back, I promise." He said while picking up the bag, and putting it on his shoulder.

Vlad was quiet for a moment before sighing. "Very well. I already sent Skulker and a few other ghosts to drop off food and other necessities at your lair. It should last you a month or two, but you will need to make trips in to the human realm to make sure you have the necessary things to maintain your human half. The money I gave you should cover your next few re-stocking trips and while I have full intent on giving you as much as you need for as long as you're alive, please try to be responsible about your spending." Vlad informed, rather quickly. Quite frankly he sounded like a parent sending their child off to their first day off school.

"Okay, okay! I gotcha." He said while walking towards Vlad. "And thank you, I appreciate everything you have done for me."

"You're more than welcome my dear boy."

They both walked out of the room and Vlad slowly closed the door behind them. Neither said a word as they quietly walked through the halls and towards Vlad's secret lab, which contained the portal. They entered his study and descended down the stairs, and Danny began to feel a sense of loss. It was silly; he wasn't even gone yet, so why did he feel like he may be making a mistake? He pushed the feeling aside; if he wanted to, he could always come back. They entered the lab, and immediately whatever thoughts were going through Danny's head were cleared.

"Whoa!" He breathed out, amazed by the size and complexity.

"Ah, I sometimes forget that you didn't actually see the lab, considering you were unconscious when you were brought here. You know, had I remembered, I would have let you see it sooner."

Danny looked around, taking everything in. Some of the equipment and designs were familiar; he had seen them in his parent's lab. However, there was also a lot that was completely new, seeing as the lab was far bigger and more advanced than what his parents could ever dream of. Ah, the perks of being rich.

"Impressive." Danny said, while following Vlad towards the portal.

Vlad punched a code in to the panel on the wall. "Come here." He said, while gesturing Danny over. "Put your finger on the scanner."

Danny did as he was told, and he could feel a slight prickling sensation before the laser died away. "What was that?"

"An ecto-signature reader. Now, any time you need to access my portal, you just have to enter and the entrance will pick up on your signature and automatically unlock. It will also trigger something similar to a doorbell opposed to a warning alarm, so I'll know you're here. I've done the same to Skulker."

"Oh… well, that's neat." Danny stated as the portal began to unlock.

"So, are you all set?" Vlad asked one last time.

"Yeah, I'm set. I promise to stop by in the future."

"I encourage you to still consider my offer, especially if you find yourself struggling to meet your human needs."

"Gotcha." Danny said with a playful salute. "Thanks again, I wouldn't have survived without you."

"You're welcome my child."

Danny turned and entered the portal, entering back in to the other side.