"Of all the people to be stuck here with," Vlad muttered as he crossed his arms and sank to the floor. He led out an exasperated sigh. He eyed the cuff on his ankle, radiating with ectoplasmic energy. If it hadn't been for that stupid contraption Jack had put on him earlier, he could transform and get them both… or at least himself out of here. But of course, it was locked. And neither of them had the key.

"Don't worry V-man!" said the ever-optimistic Jack, swinging his arm up. "I'm sure Maddie and the kids will get us out of here in no time!"

Vlad scoffed. "I'd sooner believe them than you."

Jack swallowed, "Aww come on, Vladdy. I'd be able to get us out if the door wasn't metal."

Vlad leveled a glare with him. "You know what? That may be true, but I actually meant that you wouldn't have the brains either way."

Jack blinked down at him. "That uh… oh. I… I get it." His shoulders slumped a little.

"In fact, while we're here," Vlad said, smirking and standing up. "I might as well finally tell you how I really feel. No one can hear us or would believe you anyway."

Jack's mouth twisted a bit. "I suppose that makes sense."

"You know why I hate you the most, Jack?" he rolled on immediately. "It's not that you're stronger than me or that you're smarter than me or any of that because honestly, you have no idea, but I am." He took a step closer to him as Jack's eyes widened. "It's because you can do the one thing I never could: you make Maddie… happy."

"I… Maddie?" he said slowly, his eyebrows scrunched in confusion.

"Yes, you buffoon! The one thing I always wanted but could never have because of your stupid fucking portal that went wrong in college! If I hadn't gotten infected because of your stupid mistake, I would have had her! But no! You swept in and claimed her!" He lifted a hand and poked Jack in the chest.

"But Vladdy," he said, quietly, "I thought you didn't care about the accident…. And Maddie… you loved her?"

"Of course I did! If it weren't for you, I would have married her!" he said, shoving Jack now, but the larger man didn't budge.

"All this time… I had no idea…. I came to the hospital when you were in a coma."

"I wish you hadn't!" he shouted before sauntering away, keeping his eyes on the floor as he rambled on. "Every day of the last twenty years that I could have been with her, I instead spent loathing you. And you know what else you did to me that day? You took away my ability to make her happy!"

"I… I don't understand." he said, aghast. "I thought it was just the ecto-acne…."

Suddenly, Vlad turned back to Jack, his expression turning darker… and yet a little sadder. "Let me ask you a question that even you can probably answer. What's the one thing in this world that Maddie loves more than anything?"

Jack blinked. "Jazz and Danny, of course!"

Vlad stared at Jack.

Jack stared back.

Finally, Jack breathed out a small, "Oh."

"That's all you have to say? Twenty… years… and you say… 'Oh.'?"

"Vlad, I… what am I supposed to say?" Jack said, his hands spread out in front of him. Grief poured into his expression. "I had no idea…. I'm… I'm so sorry…."

"Sorry isn't good enough, Jack! It's too late for that!" he snapped at him.

"Are you… are you saying that you think Maddie would have loved you if-?"

"Of course, you fool! Why else would she have chosen you? I was hospitalized for months! And if that wasn't bad enough, I couldn't have given her children! Of course I ran in shame!"

Jack watched Vlad for a moment through the rant before… he started to laugh.

"What is wrong with you? You have no idea what my life has been like! You have no idea how badly I'd wanted to kill you, had it not been for upsetting Maddie!"

"I… I'm sorry!" he said, wiping tears from his eyes as he clutched his stomach. He gave a last chuckle as he straightened himself. "You really thought that was why she didn't love you?"

Vlad stared at him, then slowly narrowed his eyes. "What else could it have been?"

Jack smirked as the air in the room grew thicker. "Vlad… she loved me. Sickness or not… kids or not… she wouldn't have loved you instead."

Vlad sucked in a breath like he'd been punched. "What?"

"You heard me," he said plainly. "You could have adopted… you could have done… whatever that other thing is where they put in-!"

"Artificial insemination?" Vlad deadpanned.

"Yeah, that!" Jack continued. "But the point is… you're just full of hate and jealousy. She would never have wanted a man like you."

Of all of the ways the conversation could have gone, Vlad never could have prepared for… being stunned to silence.

But Jack was right. Maddie had plenty of options besides himself or Jack. She loved Jack's humor… his affection… his warmth.

Vlad on the other hand… had none of those qualities.

But he wasn't finished. His expression turned darker as he lowered his voice. "I could have given her Daniel."

Then it was Jack's turn to be stunned to silence. "What?"

"Black hair, blue eyes, devilish good looks," he added with his own smirk. "Your son has qualities you can never imagine. And I could have trained him, harnessed his abilities… and yet he runs in fear from you… and Maddie."

"What are you talking about?" Jack said, squinting. "Danny loves us, and we love him."

"Do you? Then he would have already told you what I'm talking about. What he has more in common with me than you."

Jack narrowed his eyes. Before he could retort though, a high-energy laser started to cut through the handle on the door.

The two were found by the rest of the Fentons staring each other down.

"Dad? Are you alright?" Danny asked over his mom's shoulder as they hugged him.

Jack turned to Danny after peeling his gaze away from Vlad, his expression softening again at the sight of his youngest son. "Yeah… yeah, of course! You know I love you, right Danny?" He smiled warmly.

Danny smiled back. "Love you too, Dad."