Hey people. I got the idea for this story a few weeks ago, but I've been to busy to write it. read and review!

Disclaimer: I don't own Danny Phantom

Chapter 1: Tears, Memories, and Bubble Bath

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Danny flew down out of the night sky, heading towards the welcoming lights of the mansion beneath him. His eyes were red and puffy from crying, and his throat was rubbed raw from his continuous screams. The Accident had happened only a couple hours prior, but it might as well have been only moments before. He stared ahead, still in shock of what had happened. It had all occurred so fast. One second he was... the next... Fresh tears ran down his face as he remembered their screams, the pounding of blood in his ears when he had gotten so angry... He swallowed to keep his sobs from pouring out of his mouth. He kept on crying silently as he descended. When it had first happened, after he had pulled himself out of his paralyzed state, his first thought had been to go to Vlad's. He knew that Vlad would accept him, he wouldn't throw him out when he learned what Danny had done... If he found out, he thought, if.

The enormous mansion was completely covered with green and gold, Packers colors. He gave a soft smile. That fruitloop was such a, well, fruitloop. He remembered when he had first met Vlad, before he knew what he was. He had been polite, even if he had called him a Packers fanatic. That was how Danny would have to act around him now, if he wanted to stay here without Vlad finding out his secret and getting mad. He hoped that Vlad's wanting Danny as his son would prevent him from asking too many questions that he was not willing to answer at the moment. Sighing, he calmed himself as he landed on the front step of Vlad's front porch. He walked up all twelve (twelve? Who needs that many front steps?) stairs until he got to the door. He was amused to find that the knocker was a gold football shape. He took a deep breath and knocked. He heard footsteps of someone coming to the door, and he held his breath as it creaked open. He saw Vlad in his human form standing in the entrance hall in front of him. He looked away as Vlad frowned and asked,

"Daniel? What are you doing here at this time of night? In fact, what are you doing here at all? Come on inside and sit down." I nodded and did as he said, looking down at my ash-covered shoes so he couldn't see how bloodshot my eyes were. I followed him into the living room and sat down on the sofa. As soon as he saw that I was seated, he went into the other room, asking me, "Do you want something to drink? Some tea, perhaps?" I nodded and croaked out a rough 'Yes'. he came back a moment later with a tea in each hand, one for him and one for me. I took mine with a muttered "thanks' and sipped it. He sat down across from me and asked, "Are you okay, Little Badger? You don't look so good..." I cracked a weak grin and replied,

"You're not really a model of beauty either, old man." Seeing that he still looked worried, I sighed. "I'm fine, really. Can't I come visit you every now and then without it having to be the end of the world?" Vlad raised an eyebrow and replied,

"Yes, you could, if it wasn't for the fact that you consider me your archenemy. Most people don't plan a friendly visit to their archenemy's at five o'clock in the morning." With a sheepish grin, I responded,

"I... um... Well, to be honest, I've been thinking about that offer you gave me when we first met." Vlad looked shocked, and I don't blame him. I've been calling him a fruitloop for trying to get me to join him for years, and then, out of the blue, I decide to take him up on it. I took a deep breath and continued. "I'm willing to become your apprentice and... son." His face went from bewildered to overjoyed, to accusing.

"And are you also willing to denounce Jack?"

"Not going to be a problem." I muttered under my breath. Vlad looked confused at my sentence, and I smiled at him and said louder, in a normal voice, " Of course, Dad!" I smiled weakly. Even though it was true, he really was my official guardian since Mom and Dad were... I closed my eyes and hoped that Vlad didn't notice the lone tear that slid down my cheek. It was just that I was worried about becoming Dan, my evil future self that had come into being when a tank of Nasty Sauce exploded and killed my family and friends... and Mr. Lancer. I had gone to live with Vlad, and after much begging and pleading, I managed to convince him to rip out my humanity, and once he had, I had torn out his ghost half and merged with it. I had become evil and killed my human self.

Once Clockwork had stopped them from blowing up in this timeline, I had hoped that I would avoid becoming him. Now that this had happened, though, I wasn't sure. Things were playing out quite similarly to what had happened in the other timeline. The only difference was that this time it was worse. I was snapped out of my thoughts when I felt a hand on my shoulder. I realized that Vlad had indeed seen my tear, and had asked me a question that I hadn't heard. I blinked, surprised, but instead of shrugging him off, I leaned into him.

"I'm sorry, what? I'm afraid I didn't hear the question." Vlad looked surprised, though whether it was from my reaction or my courtesy I do not know. He calmly repeated his question.

"I asked you, are you okay? Why are you here?" I turned away and bitterly replied,

"Watch the news tonight for Amity. I think that will answer all of your questions and more. Oh yeah, and, um... Vlad? Is there any where that I can spend the night? I'm kinda exhausted from flying all night long." Vlad nodded in understanding.

"Of course. Let me show you to your room... but to the bathrooms first. You smell terrible." I nodded and blushed as I rubbed the back of my neck nervously. Of course I smelled bad, considering that I had been flying nonstop for the past six hours. And before that I had been digging through rubble, so ash and burned ectoplasm was now coating his body. So, yes, he probably smelled bad. He followed Vlad up a flight of marble stairs, down the hallway on the right, and to a tall door at the end of the hall. He looked up at Vlad to ensure that this was the right door. Vlad looked down at him, smiling warmly, and confirmed it.

"Yes, Daniel, this is the bathroom. When you get out, the guest bedroom is the first door on the left. My room is just two doors down if you need anything. Goodnight, little badger." After a muttered response, I pulled open the large door and slid inside. I froze. Even though he was a billionaire, I had not been expecting this.

The room was about a third the size of Casper High's gymnasium, with a round hole in the center of it that was probably the tub that would almost rival one of the pools at the water park. Light came from a large chandelier hanging from the ceiling that was made of a dark green glass, which reflected off of the floor that was tiled with a dark green marble with golden flecks. Gold-plated sinks lined the side of the room. Danny snorted. Of course the fruitloop has to show off his immense wealth in his bathroom, of all places. He walked forward, towards the hole, and saw that it was indeed the tub. He turned the red crystal knob to get the hot water flowing, and slowly turned the blue knob to balance out the temperature.

While he waited for the water to fill up, he searched for the towels and soap. He couldn't see any cabinets anywhere, though, so he was about to go ask Vlad when he tripped and fell face-first over something. As he fell, he reached out with his hand to catch himself. His hand came into contact with the wall, and he heard a small click as his hand sank a little bit. While he pulled himself up from the floor, he saw that a section of the wall had slid open, revealing a hidden shelf. He reasoned that the cabinet was pressure sensitive, and when he had reached out his hand, he had activated it. On the shelf was a small pile of neatly-foled towels and washcloths, next to six bottles and a bar of soap. Curious, he picked up the bottles. They were labeled conditionneur, nettoyant pour le corps, bain moussant, shampooing, parfum pour le corps, and non-frisottis solution. After opening and smelling all of them, he decided that they were conditioner, body wash, bubble bath, shampoo, some kind of cologne, and something else. Judging from the spelling, it was probably an anti-frizz serum of some sort. He grabbed a big, fluffy towel and placed the bottles, a washcloth, and some soap inside it, wrapped it up, and walked over to the tub. Even after he had wasted a good twenty minutes, it was only half full. He poured in some of the bubble bath and climbed in, anyways.

The warm water relaxed his tense muscles almost immediately. It was all he could do to keep his tired, heavy eyelids from closing, but he knew that he couldn't fall asleep. If he did, the memories from earlier tonight would haunt him. He suddenly felt wide awake as a tear dripped down the side of his face. He sighed and shook his head, banishing the unhappy thoughts as he submerged into the tub. He came back up a minute later, gasping for air as he pushed his long, black hair back out of his eyes. His hand reached out for one of the bottles, groping around until he grabbed one at random. He unscrewed the top and brought it up to his nose, confirming that it was shampoo. He got a glob on his hand and massaged it into his unruly hair. He did the same with the conditioner, only after he did so with the conditioner, he dove under again and rinsed out the bubbles. When he came back up, he put a bit of anti-frizz solution into his hair and let it sit there for about five minutes. As he waited, he realized that the pool, which had been at his waist before, was now almost at his chin. With a jolt, he remembered that he had left the faucet on. He swam over to the edge, which was almost overflowing, and spun off the faucet. Laughing at his own stupidity, he dove under to rinse out the serum. He scrubbed himself with the soap, making his entire body foamy. Before he got out, her covered himself in the cologne. He screwed up his eyes at how strong it was, which was probably so that the scent lingered.

He climbed out, and wrapped the blanket around him, trying to dry off. Then he smacked his fore head. Half-ghost, duh! He phased the water off of him, wincing as it splattered to the bent down and mopped it up, mentally noting to put a towel under him next time. He turned back towards the sink, and strode over. He saw that there was a fresh pair of pajamas sitting there, along with a short note.

Daniel, I thought you may need these. There is another secret panel on the left side of this sink, just so you know.

At least, he was pretty sure that that was what it said. For a billionaire, Vlad had some messy handwriting. Well, he did go to college with Dad... Danny cast his gaze over to the wall as he began sliding his hand down it in search for a ridge of some type to signify that he had found the hidden panel. After a few moments, he felt one. There! He thought triumphantly. Pressing down on it, the compartment slid open effortlessly, revealing another shelf.

Unlike the other shelf, this one held a comb, toothbrush, and toothpaste along with other toiletries for him to use. There were two items that he wasn't sure about, as their labels were written in a language he did not recognize. They were a bottle full of a teal liquid that was labeled rince-bouche, and a flat, circular container filled with a creamy white gel that was labeled gel capillaire. After testing both, they turned out to be mouthwash and hair gel. The latter of which he had discovered by smearing a bit on his hands, and having all his fingers stuck together when it had dried. He grabbed the comb and dragged it through his hair, only snagging once or twice on tangles, which was a record for him. After doing so, he hastily smeared some toothpaste on his brush, which he did not fail to notice was black with a white DP symbol on it. Not funny, fruitloop. After he vigorously scrubbed his slightly pointed canines, he placed everything neatly back into the cabinet, which he slid closed as he left the room.

He reached the door to his room, and was about to turn the knob when he had a thought. He removed his hand from the knob and walked down two more doors until he got to the one that Vlad had said he would be in. He hesitantly pushed the door open and turned to face Vlad, who was sitting in an armchair in the corner and reading a novel. As he drew nearer, he saw that the book happened to be Dracula. Chuckling at the pure irony, he looked up to see that Vlad had just noticed him.

"May I ask what you find so funny?" Vlad asked him curiously. Danny looked up, grinning, and said,

"Oh, nothing. Just the face that you're reading Dracula." Vlad scowled at him as he said this, and responded,

"Just because my ghost form has fangs... Besides, your teeth aren't quite flat either, little badger." At this, Danny narrowed his eyes and smirked.

"Yes, but I don't have glowing red eyes and a cape..." His voice faded along with his smirk as he remembered the image he had seen in Clockwork's citadel. Shaking off the image, he turned back to Vlad and said, "Anyways, I just came in here to say thanks. For everything... Letting me stay here. I appreciate it. Thanks, fruitloop." He turned around and walked to the door. He had pulled open the door and was almost out when he heard,

"No problem, little badger." He froze, turning around to look at Vlad, but it was as if he hadn't even spoken. He continued slowly to his own room. When he opened the door, he gasped. Whatever he had been expecting, this was not it.

The walls were black, with silver swirls of paint scattered around it. There was the occasional white, yellow, or blue spot splattered on the darkness. The ceiling was done the same way. It looked like deep space would. Danny inhaled sharply as he glanced around at the rest of the room. The black-sheeted queen-size bed was in the back corner of the room, directly under a skylight. There was a tinted glass door on the right of it, which most likely led to a closet of some sort. He would have to check that out in the morning. Set on one of the walls was a silver mini-fridge, which Danny found had a wide variety of sodas and snack foods. Deciding that he could explore some more when he wasn't semi-conscious, he walked over to the bed and climbed in. Once he had settled, he relaxed and sank into the pillow. As he was about to slip into dreams, his mental barriers slipped, and his mind was flooded with unwanted images of earlier. He saw Jazz's scowl and cold, angry eyes. Mom and Dad's disapproving eyes glared at him from among the rubble of Fenton Works. He saw the roaring green flames, leaping high into the air as Danny stood there, shocked.

"Danny, how could you?" His Dad's voice rang out, closely followed by Jazz.

"You're not Danny!"

"You're not our son! Our son isn't a filthy ghost!"

"Get out of our house!"

"Where's Danny!"

"Kill it!"

Danny shuddered as tears began streaming down his face. The memories replayed in his mind, tormenting him with accusations and threats. They all betrayed his trust... Vlad had been right all along. They had all betrayed his trust, and now they were dead. Danny felt a fresh wave of guilt and self-loathing wash over him. Why didn't I just leave? I could have just flown out of there and waited for things to cool down... Maybe they were right. Maybe everyone else had been right. Maybe I'm not a hero... Maybe I'm just another filthy ghost. With this final thought, he drifted into a nightmare-filled slumber, where he saw images of his family's ghosts, of himself transforming into Dan. These images, mixed with his memories, haunted him throughout the entire night.

Vlad leaned back in his armchair and frowned. Why was the boy acting so strange? What was he hiding? He transformed into Plasmius and drifted through the walls into his living room (ironic, huh?) and sat on the couch. He reached for the remote, and flipped on the television. Right now it was on the History channel, so he flipped down a few channels. The Mexican Dessert channel... TNT... BBCA... Packers vs. Cavaliers (he would have time to look at that later)... Nickelodeon... Porn (I thought I cancelled that?)... There! APN. He turned it on and stared, confused at the screen. It appeared to be a burning building, but the flames were green... He glanced down at the headline and froze. Inviso-Bill Viciously Attacks Family of Ghost Hunters... No Survivors Have Been Found As of Yet. What? But wasn't Inviso-Bill the stupid nickname that Amity gave Daniel? He focused back on the screen as a reporter said,

"...And there you have it. Here is some previous footage of Inviso-Bill's merciless attack." They showed an image of Daniel floating in front of the burning Fenton Works, not moving to help. His hand was still glowing with ectoplasmic energy, and a cold scowl was on his face. All of a sudden, the scowl faded into a frown as his eyes widened and he dove at the building. He tried to get in, but the flames repelled him. Daniel's heart-wrenching cries of 'NO!' could barely be heard over the crackle of the flames. After a few minutes of attempting fruitlessly to get in, he backed up and murmured something that Vlad barely caught even with his ghostly hearing.

"What have I become?" Vlad heard the hatred and hopelessness in the boy's tone as he uttered that sentence. He watched as Daniel backed up and flew off into the sky. Plasmius widened his eyes in shock and stumbled backwards. Daniel murdered his own family? How is he able to smile, let alone laugh, after that? I would be sobbing my head off right now if that was me. He looked up and floated through the ceiling into Daniel's room. he was about to walk over and shake him awake until he noticed the glittering tear-stains running down his face. as he drew nearer, he heard the boy's terrified whispers.

"No. I won't turn into you. I won't!" Then the boy's face twisted into a smirk as his voice grew deeper.

"Danny boy, you already have." His face faded back into a terrified expression and fell silent. Vlad stepped back, confused. What just happened? it was as if the boy was two different people... Shrugging, he turned around and walked to his own room.

Does anybody know what language the stuff was in? You probably don't. Was the last part confusing? I will probably bring it back up in a couple chapters.

read and review, thanks!