Author's Note: Nope I'm really *not* a ghost! Although I do enjoy making woooing noises and jumping out at people for fun. :)

In Between

"...so. How did the little reunion go?" Vlad kept his eyes on the computer screen as he spoke, voice lightly sardonic. Daniel hadn't been forthcoming after his visit to MIT a few days ago. In fact, he had been...moping, for lack of a better word.

Ironically, the resemblance to his younger self was quite striking at the moment.

"About how you'd expect." Daniel's voice came to him from about ten feet away, off to his right. Vlad silently noted the graph monitoring his heart rate tick up slightly.

They were currently down in the lab, running a few tests. Daniel had an assortment of devices attached to his skin busily monitoring every parameter Vlad thought might be useful - primarily fluctuations in his electrical and ecto-energy output. But heart rate was such an easy one to throw in there, after all...and it could be relevant. In a sense.

Daniel's moping aside, however, his primary focus was to study Daniel's innate ability to sense ghostly activity - something Vlad had been curious about for years. If they could artificially emulate it, that could help in the creation of a more sophisticated ghost radar, among other things.

When Daniel failed to elaborate after a few moments, Vlad replied in a distantly amused voice. "Tucker Foley...a bright young man. Not particularly prone to violence - quite the opposite, in fact. If I had to guess, he probably didn't attack you outright, hmm?" He wasn't sure why he was prodding, but...well, it was certainly annoying to see Daniel so dispirited. Perhaps if he got a chance to, as people always said, 'talk about it'...

Daniel cleared his throat, failing to take the bait, for once. "So, ready to 'go ghost' again, old man, or are you still recalibrating over there?"

Vlad pursed his lips, and pressed a button to start recording the next data set. "Ready." He concentrated, the feeling akin to flexing a muscle, of sorts, and Vlad Masters became Vlad Plasmius. He glanced over just in time to catch Daniel's reaction, on schedule, then switched back, leaning forward to pour over the new data. Vlad spoke mostly to himself, as he studied the screen.

"It's strange that I don't have the ability...but obviously being a halfa isn't a factor. I had thought that for years, you know." Hmm. He was starting to pick out a few interesting energetic jumps that were present in every data set. "I think I should be the next test subject. It will be helpful to know what, if anything, changes in my energy signature, under similar conditions. You, of course, can serve as the ghostly trigger - or lack thereof, in my case."

Vlad glanced to the side again, after several seconds, belatedly surprised Daniel didn't have anything to say.

Ah. He was moping again. Daniel's eyes were on the ghost portal, which was closed, of course, unlike Jack's, over in poor, ghost riddled Amity.

Vlad stood, stretching his arms, and wandered over to where Daniel sat, to begin removing the various apparatuses attached to him. Daniel flinched slightly in surprise, as Vlad pulled a node from his right temple.

He glanced up with lost eyes. "Have you ever lost a really close friend?"

Vlad stared at Daniel's forlorn face for a few moments, lost for words. He could see the moment when the younger man re-thought the question. Daniel blinked, and looked away again.

Vlad continued working, carefully stowing the delicate technology as he went. "I...suppose I never talked much about my friendship with Jack in the other timeline." It wasn't quite a statement, although he supposed the answer seemed clear enough.

Daniel sighed, frowning. "It was still a stupid question. My dad talked about you all the time. What best friends you were, until you dropped off the radar all of the sudden..."

"I had no choice, you know. My powers weren't like yours, Daniel." Vlad's movements stiffened just slightly, despite his best effort. He didn't feel like digging up all the bitter history.

At some point, he had given up on it all, anyway. Revenge. Maddie. It had finally been set aside, around the same time he'd given up on having Nathaniel as a son, as he had been slowly growing closer to Daniel's older, more calloused, more...relatable...double.

It was still an open wound, really. The promise of revenge had sustained him for years.

Vlad paused, and sighed.

"Perhaps...he just needs time, Daniel. Your friend."

Daniel nodded, silently acknowledging his quiet words.

Vlad continued his work, falling silent.

Time. That quicksand element; slipping through your fingers when you most needed it, lost to the past. And yet, conversely, all that you craved could remain just out of reach, always in the elusive, changeable future.

In the end, Vlad supposed only time truly knew what was in store. For his own part, he may have given up on his revenge, true...but Jack might never earn his forgiveness.

*knock, knock*

A politely feminine voice filtered through Sam Manson's bedroom door, and Danny whipped out Nathaniel's wristband like a pro, deftly snapping it in place in under a second. Nathan didn't blink an eye, as Danny gently floated to the floor, and returned to his human form.

"Um, yeah!" Danny walked over to the door, opening it to let Sam's mom in. Sam was managing a full course load, but it was split between online courses, and the local college. Right now she was out, attending one of two classes that took her away from home.

Over the last few months, it had become habit for Danny to spend time with Nathaniel - and after the incident with the Box Ghost, Sam had slowly started inviting him over as Danny Fenton, him and Tucker both. Before Tucker left for MIT and Jazz left for Yale, they had all been spending a lot of time with the little tyke.

For the last week, it had been just him and Sam, but her parents didn't seem to mind it. Danny's status had gone up a lot afterNathaniel's kidnapping - all of the Fentons' had. Ghost hunting was almost acceptable to the Mansons, now.

Today was new, though. Sam had always been around, but this afternoon Danny was officially babysitting Nathaniel while Sam was at her first day of class.

"I thought you could use a snack?" Pamela stood in the doorway holding a tray with two glasses of lemonade, and a small plate of sliced fruit.

"Um...sure! Thanks, Mrs. Manson." Danny stepped back, hefting Nathaniel slightly.

Sam's mom was just a tiny bit shorter than Sam, and they actually looked a lot alike, but their taste in just about everything couldn't be more different. She wore a dress straight out of the nineteen fifties; sunny yellow, with a tiny belted waist that flared out gracefully to mid calf, and pointy toed, high heeled shoes that Sam had told him were like little portable torture chambers. Her hair was a little more modern, sporting a few blonde and gold highlights that had to be the work of a local stylist.

She gracefully walked over to the two sitting chairs, setting the tray down on the small table between them, and turned to smile back at Danny, as he followed her over.

"May I...?"

Danny carefully handed over Nathaniel, and Pamela took a seat with Nathaniel in her lap, smiling happily down at him.

Danny dropped into the other sitting chair, and picked up a glass of lemonade, trying to hide his uncertainty as Pamela took a few moments to interact with her grandchild. It was the first time Danny had really been alone with Sam's mom, but he'd kind of been expecting her to drop in at some point...

"So, how is the studying going? What are you working on?" Pamela glanced up from Nathaniel to smile at him politely. Danny had brought his backpack, with the intention of studying if the opportunity arose.

"Ah...well, I'm kind of just playing with Nathaniel right now, actually." Danny grinned lopsidedly. "It's tough to get too much studying done with him around." He blinked, eyes going wide as he turned around what he'd just said. "Not that I mind."

Sam's mom just looked at him for a moment, then smiled at Nathaniel again. "He's an adorable child."

"Yeah." Danny looked to the side awkwardly, a slight blush coming to his cheeks. He took another gulp of lemonade, still looking off to the side, desperate for something to say.

Pamela's hesitant voice broke the silence. "I...have something for you." Her words were crisp and measured, and Danny wondered if she was always so formal. "I don't presume to know what plans you might have already, but I just...thought this might do nicely..."

She set a small box on the table. As she withdrew, her hand nearly bumped the other glass of lemonade, and she gasped slightly, tensing up in that instant, when it seemed like it might tip over. When it didn't, she sat back, sighing quietly.

Huh. She was just as nervous as he was. Danny set down his own lemonade, and picked up the tiny box, turning it over. "What is...?" Then he did a double take, and his heart rate doubled. It's a jewelry box, genius.

He located the tiny hinge, and turned the box right side up, before carefully opening it. Inside was nestled a delicate ring, obviously meant for a woman, with three tiny diamonds set in it.

Danny just stared, mouth slightly open.

"It's...my mother's. Sam's grandmother. She passed when Sam was a little girl. I obviously didn't use it as my own wedding ring, but these things often skip a generation like that." She fussed with Nathaniel for a moment, who was bored and trying to reach for her lemonade. She gave him a slice of apple to distract him, then looked up at Danny, pressing her lips together in a nervous motion. "Do you...think she'll like it?"

Danny stared, his gaze nervously jumping back and forth between Mrs. Manson's eyes. Then he blinked, and looked down at the ring in his hands again. Somehow, they had jumped from dating for only a couple of months to...marriage? His face was slowly blooming into something that had to be tomato colored, as he thought about being Sam's husband. Being with her as a husband.

"I - I...Mrs. Manson, this is beautiful, but I'm...this is way too soon. I..."

Danny stopped, caught by thoughts and emotions he didn't know how to express, while the feeling of Pamela's eyes on him got heavier and heavier. He...loved Sam. But he needed her to know that he respected her. Respected her...boundaries. They'd kissed several times, but things had stayed pretty chaste. He didn't...

He just wasn't ready to go there yet.

"Do you love my daughter?" Pamela's tone was sharp, and Danny reflexively looked up again. Her jaw was tight, and she was obviously restraining her temper.

"Yes. I love her, I promise you..."

"And you love Nathaniel?"

Danny's eyes flew to the little tyke, who was staring up at him with wide eyes, obviously starting to feel the rift between the adults in the room.

"Yes..." Danny softened his tone, and reached out, putting a finger within Nathaniel's reach. "Yes." Nathaniel grabbed on with fingers sticky with juice, and smiled up at him. Danny returned the smile, focusing on him, instead of the woman holding him.

"Then the best way to show your love for them is to put things in the right order. There's a name for children born out of wedlock. Is that what you want Nathaniel to be?"

Danny's brows drew down into a protective frown. "Hey."

He stopped, and gently pulled his hand away from Nathaniel, leaning back again to gain distance from Sam's mom. He needed to reign in his temper. But that was a low blow, and it left him unexpectedly angry. Danny tried to tamp down on the emotion, breathing out slowly as his eyes wandered the room. He found his gaze lingering on the playpen, Vlad's gift to Sam all those months ago...

Danny sighed. Sam's mom had no idea. But given the information she did have to work with...?

No, it was still a low blow. And he was still angry. But the anger was turned inward at himself, as much as at her.

Danny knew Sam was somebody who really didn't care about what other people thought of her. But Danny did care, and always had. And...he wanted everything for Sam. He wanted her to be...happy. And he wanted her family to be happy with him, because that would make things better for her. It upset him a lot that, through no fault of her own, even her family had the wrong idea about her. He wanted everyone in the world to respect Sam. She didn't deserve anything less.

But then, Sam always said that he'd die of old age waiting for everyone to like him, and she was right. Her attitude was definitely healthier.

"Mrs. Manson, I have to do this on Sam's time table." Danny looked back over again, finding the calm center he had been looking for through the entire conversation. "I promise you, I do love your daughter. I would do anything for her and Nathaniel. And that means I...have to give her space. She deserves to decide when, where, how...all of it."

Danny looked down at the box in his hands again. It was beautiful, and Sam would love it, he felt sure. It would mean a lot, that her grandmother had worn it. That her mom had given it to him, to give to her. "But, I'll keep this, if...if that's okay. For when the time is right."

Mrs. Manson's face was tight, her jaw hard with anger, or maybe just...emotion. Danny waited, heart softening as he watched her, as he thought about how it must have been for Sam's parents over the last year. Searching and searching for their only child, having her come back with a kid, then putting up with the boy they figured must be the dad, loafing around...

It was amazing she was being as nice as she was, actually.

Danny found himself talking again, trying to share just a little more.

"I want to do things right. We..." He felt his face go red again, but he wanted her to understand, even if it meant telling a white lie. He couldn't quite meet her eyes, though, as he continued.

"I...I...it's my fault, not Sam's. Okay? Me. So...I'm not gonna rush this. I promise you, I want to be her..." He shook his head, and went with it. "Her knight in shining armor, Mrs. Manson. I want Sam to know I'm here for her forever. And that means I can wait. I will wait a lifetime for her, if she wants."

He dropped off again, his words hanging in the silence. Even Nathaniel had fallen quiet.

Somewhere in the room, Danny could hear a clock ticking away, as he waited...

"Well, I'm telling you right now, you have one year, tops."

Danny glanced up, into Pamela's unflinching gaze. She wasn't angry, exactly, but she meant business.

Danny smiled, surprised, and couldn't stop a tiny laugh. In that moment, she looked just like Sam.

"Sheesh. So you're telling me everything labelled 'VP' stands for Vlad Plasmius?" Danny clicked into another folder. It felt like going down a rabbit hole...

Vlad's distinctly grumpy voice came floating over. Vlad was the guinea pig today...not that it was a new thing for him, obviously. "Just press the space bar, Daniel. Do not go through my files, or I swear to you I will banish you from the lab..."

"Okay, okay...here we go." He brought the program back up that Vlad had made sure to put front and center earlier, and hit the space bar to start the data collection. "Be right back..."

Danny floated up through the ceiling, up, up...three floors. Far enough away that, if it were him, his ghost sense wouldn't go off. Then he started back down again. Simple.

That nest of folders labelled VP wouldn't leave him alone, though.

Danny glanced over as he came down through the ceiling of the lab, noting Vlad's pursed lips and narrowed eyes, then settled in the computer chair, pressing the space bar again to stop the collection. "Okay...only fourty-nine more to go. Science is so fun."

Vlad let out a long suffering sigh, and Danny held back a chuckle.

"Here goes..." Space bar, done. And up three floors...

About a dozen repetitions later, Danny couldn't help ask. "So, why all the folders? I mean, what were you even testing?"

"If you must know, I wanted a cure."

Danny leaned back and glanced over to where Vlad sat, trying to gauge his mood. Vlad rolled his eyes, and glanced away.

"Surely we've had this conversation...?"

Danny crossed his arms, smirking slightly. Over the months, Vlad had gotten more comfortable with referring to his life in the other time line. They both had.

"Nope. But you have to remember, I was still a kid - you never let me on the computer down here." He hadn't been allowed in the lab as a rule, either...not until things got really bad. By then, Vlad was desperate enough to start breaking all kinds of rules, which had gone spectacularly badly.

Danny had learned a few things about the older halfa in that time, though. For one, if he left enough space, Vlad tended to fill it. He wasn't good with long silences.

"Well, I wanted to be normal again. And since I was one of a kind, I experimented on myself quite extensively. Ultimately, I gave it up, and accepted that it was permanent." Vlad hesitated for just an instant. "Every method I devised to reverse the condition was too damaging to be viable."

Danny's thoughts turned to a pair of monstrous metal claws gouging into his chest, ripping him in half...

Something in Vlad's voice told Danny he had been thinking something similar. He felt something in him twist uncomfortably. Were those claws around here some place? Was that why they even existed?

He shook himself out of those thoughts, knowing better than to dwell. "You've got to admit, being a halfa isn't so bad...you got your foot in the door by overshadowing people, right?"

"True. But my goal in building a fortune was to fund my research."

Danny's brow creased. He'd wanted to be normal at first, too, but...not for long. Being a halfa had turned out to be awesome, before the Nasty Burger explosion, anyway. "Do you still want..."

Vlad cut him off, obviously annoyed with the conversation. "Does it matter, Daniel? I'm a halfa, I will always be a halfa. I gave up on changing that reality years ago." He huffed. "I suppose part of me still wishes I could reverse it, but I don't really think about it any more." His voice hardened, taking on an accusatory edge. "Most of the time."

Danny put up his hands. "All right, I'll lay off. Just curious." He turned back to the computer. "Here comes...test number twenty-eight."

Jazz noted the caller ID, then tucked her phone back in her pocket, ignoring it. She couldn't hold back a tiny blush. What bad timing! She'd just let it ring and go to voicemail, so it would look like she missed the call...

Jazz glanced up, suddenly painfully aware that Dan, walking beside her, had stiffened. He stuffed his hands into his pockets. Her jaw tightened in mortification. He'd obviously seen the caller ID, too.

Why did she have to feel so guilty? And now she had to call Danny back, too...

Dan's gruff voice interrupted her thoughts, and she could tell he was trying hard to lighten the moment. "That's...nice he's calls you."

Jazz laughed nervously. "Oh, he doesn't usually, actually- I'm a little surprised! Maybe he was calling to wish me happy birthday early." Danny really wasn't the greatest about keeping in touch. Plus, he was more of a texter, anyway.

"Um, speaking of that...I got you something." Dan patted the black bag slung over his shoulder, and Jazz glanced up. Their eyes caught, and in that instant she saw how hesitant he was, how much he wanted this to work...

The tension between them finally broke, after fifteen minutes of awkward starts and strained glances.

It was weird. Beyond weird. But Jazz could read him. She'd grown up with Danny in her life since her toddler years, and whether they were on good or bad terms, she had always been able to feel him; he had a familiar presence that went beyond habit and behavior and body language...

She just knew him. And despite all the differences, she could feel that connection with Dan, too. It was one reason their first meeting had been so hard. At least this one, their second, was starting to turn around...

"Thanks." Jazz found a tiny smile, and Dan's face immediately lit up like it was Christmas morning. She glanced away, embarrassed. He reacted so strongly to every scrap of affection she threw his way...

But then, that made sense. Given his past, he had to be completely desperate for familial recognition and affection. He probably couldn't help his reactions.

Except, there was no 'probably'. Jazz knew.

"Hi!"

Danny smiled at the chipper tone, about to reply, when Jazz's voice continued speaking.

"This is Jasmine Fenton, and I hope you're having a wonderful day! Be sure to leave me a message, because I'm very interested in what you have to say. Don't forget to hug your inner child!"

As the beep came, Danny was left feeling unaccountably nervous.

"Hey Jazz, I know it's like...two days early, but I wanted to wish you a happy birthday. So... Happy Birthday! Er, Mom and Dad have a box on the way with some good stuff. Me and Sam and Tucker all contributed. Aaand...I guess I'll try back later. Bye!"

Danny hesitated, then ended the call, feeling like a world class dork. But then, he always felt awkward about leaving voicemails. He preferred bantering back and forth over just yacking away into thin air - and putting his foot in his mouth eventually, as likely as not.

But why had he even called her just now, anyway? He'd been planning to call Jazz on her actual birthday, which made sense. He thought back, retracing his actions. First he'd gotten his phone out to text Sam, which was the plan...but then it was like his brain side stepped, and he was pressing the call icon to phone Jazz, instead.

Weird.

A pang of guilt hit Danny, and he grimaced slightly. Maybe what was really weird was the fact that he didn't keep up with his sister better. He hated to admit it, but ever since Jazz started to college, the norm had been 'out of sight, out of mind', and as soon as she'd headed back to Yale this fall, he'd fallen into the same routine.

Underneath that thought, lurking almost like a shark in the waters of his subconscious mind, Danny recalled how furious he'd been at Jazz over the summer when he found out about her phone conversation with...with...

Danny frowned as the discomfort he'd been feeling suddenly bloomed into full fledged worry. He reflexively shoved the feeling away - a habit he'd gotten good at over the last month.

Man! He was a dork for not keeping up with Jazz better. He'd definitely call her again on her birthday.

With that positive resolution in place, Danny started on his text to Sam.

Obviously mom and dad chipped in on this, but some of my meager income as a staple puller over the summer contributed, too - plus I take full credit for the idea. :) Happy Birthday Jazz!

Jazz smiled at Danny's note, setting it aside as she picked up the small box that went with it. A few moments later, she was holding a smart watch - a gadget that would project a holographic image of her daily schedule, record lectures in an unobtrusive way, play music, take phone calls, and do a dozen other useful things. It was exactly how it sounded - a smart phone that you could wear on your wrist.

It was also very new, and a pretty darn expensive brand - she'd seen a few students wearing them around, but hadn't expected such a nice gift. She grinned, excited to play around with it, but set it aside to check out her other gifts first.

Hah...Sam had gifted her with a spa day for two, at a local place back in Amity Park, and had also sent a jar of high quality cocoa mix. In case you're providing any therapy sessions this semester - I have it on good authority that hot cocoa can do wonders. Looking forward to our spa day!

Jazz smiled, touched. She and Sam had never quite gotten around to their girl's day out over the summer. It was really sweet to see that she meant it, and had a plan to make it happen, in a way. Her smile softened. The hot cocoa...spoke for itself.

There was one remaining package, rectangular in shape and making up most of the weight of the box that had been delivered to her dorm room earlier that day. Jazz hefted it up, tearing off the teal colored wrapping paper, not missing that it matched her eyes.

She laughed out loud. It was a jumbo sized pack of her favorite chocolate!

People say that a girl's best friend is diamonds, but I say, why deny yourself what you really want? Enjoy!

Jazz shook her head. Oh, Tucker. Tucker was...she'd discovered how funny he could be, over the summer. And he had excellent judgement, because she'd been secretly hoping for something sweet! Plus, since it was a gift from a friend, she wouldn't have to feel guilty for indulging once in a while. It would be ungrateful not to eat it. She had a feeling he'd thought of that, too.

Jazz sighed, and set the chocolate down, warm feelings still lingering. Her eyes travelled to her desk, where one last box remained. It was small, professionally wrapped.

At Dan's request, she had agreed to wait until her birthday to open it.

Jazz stood and meandered over to the desk, uncomfortable, yet curious at the same time. She picked up the prettily wrapped gift, tearing away the delicate paper...

Her heart did a flip-flop in her chest, as her breath caught. It...was another smart watch. Jazz walked back to her bed with it, glancing back and forth between the two watches.

Same brand...confirmed. Same color scheme, yep. Same size, too. She flipped them over to read the details on the back, checking the memory specifications, the small print.

Everything matched.

Jazz sat, feeling slightly dizzy. It...it...she knew. She knew, but...

She set both watches down, and flopped back on the bed, closing her eyes. She breathed out through her teeth, and fought a sudden urge to cry.

This was going to be so hard.

.

.

AN: Thanks for reading, and I'd love to hear your thoughts! :)