YEEEEAAAAH! Finally another update! I hope you all like it!

... That's all I have to say. Weird...

Chapter 4: Self Defense

Danny trudged beside Vlad as they walked silently through the trees making their way towards some location only Vlad knew about. The teen was still angry at the older halfa for several reasons: Kidnapping him, cheating in the race, changing him in the middle of the night, and most recently- trying to make him eat soap.

It was that recent incident however that forced the ghost boy to keep his mouth shut despite the fact that they had been walking for at least a half an hour.

"You're very quiet this morning." Vlad said casually, breaking the silence. "Something wrong?"

Oh nothing, I'm just walking around the forest aimlessly with a fruitloop, that's all. Danny thought, resisting the urge to roll his eyes. "No I'm alright." He replied not looking at the man.

"Hmm." Vlad hummed thoughtfully. "I just assumed you would've asked where we're going by now."

Danny shrugged his shoulders not offering a reply. Truthfully he was a bit curious about where the man was taking him but not enough to voice it. When Vlad didn't press the issue Danny glanced up at him afraid that his silence might have upset the man. But instead of seeing a scowl of disapproval Danny found Vlad smirking at him.

"What?" Danny snapped a bit more irritably than he would've liked.

Vlad's smirk only widened. "Oh nothing." He replied offhandedly. "I only wanted to compliment you on your choice of attire this morning. It looks quite handsome on you."

"Oh." Danny muttered glancing down at his dark shirt and fitted jeans, blush quickly rising to his face. "Thanks." Out of the corner of his eye Danny could see Vlad smiling but the man said nothing else. After a few moments Danny sighed giving in. "So where are we going?"

"Just to a secluded place where we can train without any interruptions." Vlad explained. "I'm sure there aren't too many people camping out this far but we'll stay away from the trails just to be sure we don't attract any attention. Better safe than sorry, right?" Vlad smiled pushing back a low tree branch out of Danny's way.

"Right." Danny mumbled not really appreciating the gesture. You just don't want us to run into anyone because I could tell them you kidnapped me, jerk. The teen thought heatedly. Suddenly a light bulb went on over Danny's head. Wait a minute! "Ummm, Vlad?" Danny started carefully, not wanting to seem to hopeful.

"Yes Daniel?" The older hybrid turned giving the boy his full attention.

"Um, I know our deal was that if I lost the race I had to stay here for a week, but..." Danny paused rubbing the back of his neck nervously. I have to choose my words carefully...

"But what little badger?" Vlad asked curiously trying to hold back the amusement in his voice as he already knew where this was going.

"Well, I kinda just left in the middle of the night and so my parents have probably already realized I'm gone. They're probably worried sick." The teen put on his best puppy-dog face, his light blue eyes wide with fear, his voice filled with worry. He really laid it on thick. "If I stay here a whole week my family will be terrified! Especially my mom! She's probably crying her eyes out as we speak!" Danny added, hoping the mention of his mom would appeal to the man if nothing else.

Vlad nodded his head in mock concern trying his hardest not to chuckle. Danny certainly knew how to be dramatic when he wanted to, and all in all he wasn't a bad actor. Especially that face. The look on Daniel's face was as precious as it was priceless. Vlad almost wished he had brought a camera. "Well Daniel as touching as your concern is," Vlad said at length. "You needn't worry about your family wondering where you are. I've already taken care of that."

"You have?" Danny asked, hope sinking.

"Mm-hm." Vlad hummed with nod, wrapping an arm around Danny's shoulders and pulling the teen to his side. "I called your parents last night right after I tucked you into bed and explained everything to them." The man smirked looking quite pleased with himself.

"Really?" Danny scowled, not liking the man's choice of words much less his arm around him. "How'd you pull that off?"

"Simple. I merely told them that you showed up at my doorstep in the middle of the night in an attempt to run away from home."

"YOU WHAT? !" The little halfa shouted so loudly that birds flew out of the trees around them. "Why would you tell them that?! !" The teen demanded shoving the billionaire away.

"Well I certainly couldn't have told them the truth. I would've exposed both of us, you didn't want that did you?" Vlad grinned.

"Y-You, you-" Danny clenched his fists in anger.

"Ah, but you didn't let me finish Daniel." Vlad chided mockingly. "Naturally I invited you in and attempted to console you, but you refused to go back home. The stress of home life and peer pressure had obviously gotten to you and you fell on me bursting into tears."

"WHAT?! ! Y-You actually told them that?! !" Danny shouted in horror.

Vlad nodded. "And after witnessing such a moving display I decided it was best to let you spend the night." The older halfa continued as if reading lines from a book. "It was after telling your parents all this that I suggested taking you to my cabin here in the Rockies to help you clear your head. As a sort of, mini-vacation. I'm sure you can guess what their answer was."

"You monster!" Unable to hold back his anger any longer Danny lunged at the man trying to punch him in the face. But Vlad saw it coming and easily dodged the attack even as Danny kept swinging. "You liar! You planned all this from the beginning! Kidnapping me, cheating in the race, all of it!" Danny swung again but this time Vlad stopped him, swiftly catching the boy's smaller fist in his hand.

"Calm yourself boy." Vlad said icily. "I can understand if you're upset but I won't stand by and allow you to accuse me of things I haven't done."

"What're you talking about?! !" Danny yelled in frustration. "Everything I said was the truth! You're the lair here, not me!" The teen used all his strength to try and pull away from the man but Vlad held his hand in a vice grip refusing to let him go.

"Yes Daniel I lied." Vlad stated calmly, his gaze pinning the teen to the spot. "But beings that it's just the two of us I wouldn't act so noble dear boy. As I recall you lie quite often to your parents as well, on a daily basis even."

"T-That's different!" Danny stuttered turning away from the man's piercing gaze. "Besides I don't kidnap people!"

Vlad rolled his eyes but still kept his hold on the boy. "I wasn't referring to that accusation Daniel."

"What are you 'referring to' then?" Danny spat sarcastically.

"To your accusing me of cheating in our race of course."

"You did cheat Plasmius." Danny glared.

"Did I?" Vlad quirked an eyebrow.

"You said so yourself!" Danny insisted, finally jerking his hand free from Vlad's grasp. "You said that you knew I couldn't win the race. That was the whole reason you had me agree to it! You just wanted to watch me make a fool out of myself trying to beat you when you knew I couldn't!" Danny's voice carried through the trees, his last few words echoing around them until they faded into silence.

Vlad stared at the teen with wide eyes having not expected that last part. Pinching the bridge of his nose he sighed deeply. "Daniel," the man started, his voice a great deal softer than before. "You heard what I said last night, but you misunderstood me completely. You have so much confused." Vlad shook his head. "Will you at least allow me to explain?"

"Fine." Danny replied in a low voice, unsure what to make of the man's sudden change in behavior.

"There are two things I want to make very clear to you Daniel," Vlad's voice was still gentle but very much serious. "First, I did not cheat in the race last night. I believe I made it very clear when I explained the rules to you that both of us would be allowed to use all our powers in order to win. Since my abilities greatly exceed yours it was obvious to me who would win from the start. But I never cheated. I only made sure to stay one step ahead of you. That was what I was trying to tell you last night. Right before you passed out in my arms." Vlad teased lightly giving a small smirk.

A small blush rose to Danny's cheeks but before he could say anything Vlad continued-

"And if you really are still angry about how our little game turned out then you have only yourself to blame. If you hadn't agreed to it so quickly I might've had a chance to explain the terms of the race more fully and you could've figured out my plan from the beginning. Secondly," Vlad paused lightly, his voice growing gentle once more. "I didn't plan the race as an attempt to try and embarrass you." Vlad stepped closer to the teen placing a hand on Danny's shoulder, his dark eyes softening. "Dear boy, do you really believe I would go to so much trouble in bringing you here with me only to humiliate you?"

Feeling the tiniest peg of guilt Danny looked down at his feet. "Why else would you do it?"

Vlad gently put a finger under the boy's chin slowly lifting Danny's gaze to meet his. "To help you little badger. To teach you how to hone in on your powers so you can better use them in battle. To improve your skills and show you what all you're really capable of. You've showed great potential time and time again Daniel, yet you've only just scratched the surface of what you can do." Letting out a soft sigh Vlad moved his hand from Danny's chin to his forehead brushing the boy's long bangs aside with his finger tips, gaze pouring into baby blue ones. "That's why I did it."

"Oh..." Danny muttered shifting uncomfortably under the man's intense gaze.

Vlad smiled gently. "So now that that's sorted out," The older halfa stated already sounding like his old self. "Shall we get going?"

"Sure." Danny gave a small but honest smile. "How much farther do we have to go anyway?"

Vlad's smile widened. "Only a few more steps."

Danny looked up at the man questioningly but followed all the same when Vlad started walking again. And, true to his word (much to Danny's surprise), the two hybrids soon found themselves out of the trees and along the edge of a large open meadow.

The teen could hardly believe his eyes. The ground was carpeted in long string like grass that would bend and sway effortlessly with each passing breeze. Long stemmed wild flowers of every shade of purple and blue grew together in patches scattered here and there. All in all it was beautiful. So picture perfect that it reminded Danny of a screensaver he once saw on a computer.

"So," Vlad turned to the boy with a smirk, hand gesturing to all that was around them. "What do you think?"

"Ummm, it's..." Danny paused looking around the field. "It's big."

Vlad burst out in laughter causing Danny's face to turn ten shades of red. "Yes, I suppose it is rather spacious." Vlad chuckled walking out to the middle of the field. "I thought it best to use an area with lots of open space. I think it'll work especially well for us today as I want to focus on your defense."

Danny watched as two black rings appeared at Vlad's waist morphing him into Plasmius. Danny's eyes narrowed, instinctively going on the defense as he changed into Phantom as well.

"I'm going to attack you." Plasmius stated bluntly, his red eyes and fanged grin making the words seem all the more threatening. "I want you to defend against my attacks any way you know how without fighting back. Understand?"

Danny could already see the energy forming at Plasmius' hands even as the older halfa spoke. Floating up a few feet into the air the ghost boy nodded, green eyes glowing in determination. "Ready when you are."

The first few minutes of training were relatively easy as Plasmius used the basic powers he normally did to attack Danny. All the teen really had to do was create an ecto-shield or dodge Plasmius' ecto-blasts altogether. Vlad had praised him lightly for this but naturally right after the figurative "pat on the head" Vlad stepped things up a notch.

His attacks became stronger and his movements much swifter. The older halfa's ecto-blasts now broke through Danny's shields like baseballs through a window, pelting the young phantom repeatedly. Simply dodging the attacks quickly became impossible to as one Plasmius turned into three.

After nearly an hour of this (possibly longer) Danny was panting.

Man! How am I suppose to do this?! ! It's not like defending myself is going to stop his attacks anytime soon! And I can't fight back! What do I do?! !

"Tired already little badger?" The real Plasmius taunted.

"But we've only just gotten started." One of the duplicates joined in.

"You're not ready to give up are you?" The third asked mockingly.

"You wish." Phantom forced himself to stand tall. "I could do this all day." He said confidently though his lungs were screaming otherwise.

"Glad to hear it my boy." Plasmius grinned. "Because I think it's time we took it up a level."

"Huh?" Danny's eyes widened in horror as all three Plasmius' drew closer, their hands sparking with electricity. Oh no...

Without thinking the ghost boy flew out of the field and behind the trees that surrounded it. He knew this was more running away than defending himself but he really, REALLY didn't feel like getting zapped with 30,000 volts of electricity.

Danny winced sharply as he heard the unmistakable sound of lightning striking a tree, wood splintering and breaking from the force.

"Quick thinking Daniel." Plasmius' surprisingly approving voice come out from the field. "Wood doesn't conduct electricity, using the trees as a shield was a good way to improvise."

"Really?" Phantom poked his head out from behind a tree cautiously. "So? This counts?"

"Well, I did tell you to defend yourself any way you knew how so yes, it counts." Plasmius smiled fondly.

"Cool." Danny smiled innocently, happy to catch a break.

"You know Daniel, there is more to defending yourself than just avoiding attacks." Plasmius pointed out suddenly.

"Oh? And what's that?" Phantom asked flying back into the meadow due to the temporary ceasefire.

"To use your defenses in order to win a battle without fighting back." Plasmius answered seriously, calling his duplicates back into place.

Danny let out a scoff. "And how would I do that?"

"By using your enemy's own power against him." Plasmius grinned evilly as if he were already well accustom to using this method.

Danny frowned staring hard at the more experienced ghost. "Let me guess, this is going to be like the "lesson" you taught me last night. The whole, 'I didn't have to win, I just had to make you lose' thing. Am I right?" The ghost boy asked sounding less than impressed.

"In some respects yes, it is a little like that." Plasmius smirked at the boy's attitude.

"Great." Danny grumbled.

"Just give it a chance my boy." Vlad said coaxingly, smirk never faltering. "I'm sure if you look back on previous battles with other ghosts you'll find you've already used this technique several times. You simply didn't realize it." Seeing the little phantom's eyes flash defensively Plasmius quickly continued. "And the sooner you try it the sooner this lesson will be over."

"Fine." Danny agreed stubbornly. "What do I have to do?"

Plasmius flew straight up to the teen his face inches away from the boy's, blood red eyes burning into Danny's. "Think about your powers Daniel." Vlad instructed with some unknown intensity. "Think about all you can do with them. Your ecto-blasts, your shields, even your ice core. Now compare them to mine. How can you use your powers to stop my attacks? How can you use your powers to redirect mine back to me?"

Danny's eyes widened to the size of saucers quickly catching on. "You mean, throw your attacks back at you?"

Plasmius smiled from ear to ear. "Exactly. Here," The more experienced hybrid grabbed Danny's wrists firmly. "Create an ecto-shield."

Phantom looked at the man questioningly but after a moment did as he was told and began creating a shield allowing Vlad's hands to guide him.

"Stop." Danny did so and was left with a rectangular shaped shield curved up slightly at one end.

"Now what?" Danny asked curiously actually feeling a bit excited at whatever Vlad had planned.

Plasmius smiled at the boy's eagerness. "First things first. This, is no longer a form of shield."

Danny blinked. "It's not?"

"No. You're going to use it for a much different purpose." Without warning Plasmius flew a good fifteen feet away from the ghost boy. "I'm going to shoot an ecto-plasmic energy blast at you and I want you to use that energy" Vlad pointed to the curved sheet of green energy Danny held out in from of him. "To redirect the blast back at me." Plasmius held up his right hand. "Ready?"

Danny glanced nervously at his shield then back at Vlad. "R-Ready."

Plasmius fired and Danny, not knowing what else to do or how to react, swung his shield around like a baseball bat the moment the blast hit him. Spinning his body completely around the ecto-energy clung to Danny's shield until he came to a stop where the energy rolled off the curve of the shield and flew off in the direction it came.

Too bad it didn't hit its target.

The ecto-blast missed Plasmius by what seemed like miles and Danny couldn't help but let out a groan of disappointment.

"Very good Daniel." Vlad praised honestly. "That was quite impressive."

"What're you talking about?" Danny asked angrily, assuming the man was only mocking him. "That wasn't even close."

"Of course it wasn't. That was only your first try." Plasmius replied soothingly, unchanged by the boy's anger. "You only needed to redirect the energy back the way it came. I didn't ask you to aim. That will come later with practice. What matters is that you're learning new ways to use your powers. You're already improving."

"Oh." Danny glanced down at his shield and smiled a little. "I guess I am."

Vlad smirked. "And how do you feel?"

"Honestly? Pretty good." It appeared whatever fatigue Danny had felt earlier was now gone, replaced with a new and exciting high. The teen couldn't explain it, but the feel of Vlad's energy against his own, being able to manipulate it, control it to an extent, was a thrill he had never felt before. He wanted more. "Could you do that again?" Phantom asked straightening his shoulders. "I think I've got the hang of this now."

Plasmius smiled. "If you wish."

And so Vlad fired again. And again. And again. And again. And each time Danny got closer and closer to his mark until-

*WACK* Plasmius caught the ecto-energy in his hand as if it were nothing more than a harmless tennis ball. "Perfect." Vlad whispered in quiet satisfaction.

"ALL-RIGHT!" Danny threw his hands up in the air finally allowing his shield to fade into nothing. "That was awesome!" The ghost boy shouted ecstatically as if he had just hit a winning home run. "And now I can try doing the real thing!"

"The real thing?" Plasmius echoed, dissolving the energy in his hand.

"Yeah, now that I know how to redirect energy I can use it in battle right?" Danny said happily. "Come on," the ghost boy formed another shield as he got into a fighting stance. "Let's fight."

Plasmius chuckled. "While it is nice to see you so eager to train Daniel," the man paused floating back down to the ground before changing back into Masters. "I think that's enough for one day."

"What?" Danny asked feeling more than a little disappointed. "But we just got started!"

"Actually little badger," Vlad paused checking the watch on his wrist. "We've been here for a good three hours."

"S-Seriously?" Danny gaped.

"Seriously." Vlad echoed with a smirk. "Besides, I don't know about you but I'm famished. I think it's about time we got something to eat, don't you agree?"

At the very mention of food Danny's stomach growled loudly. He blushed. "Yeah," the ghost boy agreed floating to the ground and morphing back into Danny Fenton. "Lunch sounds pretty good right now."

"In that case why don't we fly back to the cabin?" Vlad suggested. "It'll be much faster than walking."

"Really? But what about if someone sees us?"

"The chances of anyone even hiking up this way is slim." The billionaire assured. "And we can always turn intangible if we need to."

"Alright." Danny smiled 'going ghost' once more, grateful he wouldn't have to walk the whole way back. "We'll still be able to find our way back flying right?"

"Of course." Vlad replied changing back to his vampiric alter-ego. "Once we're above the forest we'll be able to see the cabin itself."

"Great."

"Oh, and Daniel?"

"Hm?"

"Would you care to have a race back to the cabin?"

Danny started slightly. He stared at the older halfa with wide neon eyes for a moment, clearly unprepared for the question.

Vlad smiled wickedly at the little halfa's expression, fangs flashing unintentionally. "Well?"

After a few moments Danny smirked, eyes glowing brighter. "You're on fruitloop." He challenged confidently. Shooting straight up above the trees the ghost boy shouted quickly, "1, 2, 3, GO!" Then took off like a shot.

"Hey!" Plasmius yelled before flying after the boy. "That little rat." The man mumbled half heartedly and couldn't help but smile. "And he calls me a cheater."

XXXX (Yes this is only a line break, this chappie ain't over yet!)

In the end Vlad did win the race back to the cabin by teleporting just before the ghost boy reached the finish line. Danny had shoved the man playfully afterwards calling him a cheater again and saying that teleporting in a race was unfair as it defeated the whole purpose. The billionaire only laughed in good humor saying it was indeed fair as the younger halfa had given himself a head start.

Within minutes the two hybrids were sitting down at the same table they had for breakfast eating their lunch, (turkey sandwiches), in contented silence much unlike early that day. Truthfully Danny was fairly happy at how things were going so far (not that he would ever admit it) though the fact that he was in reality being held against his will still lingered in the back of his mind. And with all the hype of training slowly wearing off a few annoying thoughts kept coming back up to the surface.

Well, now seemed like as good a time as any to ask them. Swallowing another bite of his sandwich Danny finally voiced his thoughts, although, not very well. "Sooo, I did pretty well today right? You know, with training and everything?" Real subtle Fenton. Danny thought silently, mentally face-palming at his own lame choice of words.

Vlad gave him a curious look and smiled. "Yes. I think you made great progress for only one training session Daniel." The man commended, a sense of pride in his voice. And by the time this week is over you'll have made so much progress you won't want to stop. The older halfa thought evilly. Once you've gotten a glimpse of what you can do with your powers you'll only want to know more. You'll crave it, the knowledge, the power. And in turn I'll be the one you'll look to in order to fulfill that longing. By the time I'm finished with you Daniel, you won't want to leave my side.

"And none of that was a bluff right? The training? The confession about the race?" Danny hinted suggestively, still suspicious about the man's true motives.

Vlad sighed rolling his eyes. Were they really back to that again? "No Daniel, none of that was a bluff, I assure you."

"So all that really was to help me?" Danny asked not fully believing it.

"Is that really so hard to believe?" Vlad asked pretending to sound hurt.

"Just a little." Danny lifted his cup sipping at his apple juice. "Especially when I think about what you told my parents." The teen glared.

Ah, so that's what this is about. Vlad realized now seeing what the teen was truly displeased about. "That really did make you angry, didn't it?" The billionaire sighed but couldn't stop his smile when he thought back on the boy's reaction.

"Well duh!" Danny snapped slamming his cup down with unnecessary force, bits of apple juice falling on his half eaten sandwich. "You made it sound like I was the one who came running to you! Last time I checked it was the other way around!"

Vlad glared across the table, something about the teen's choice of words and attitude setting him off inside but he managed to stay composed. "Does it matter either way?" The billionaire asked, a slight edge to his tone. "It was only an excuse after all."

A lie is more like it. Danny thought in annoyance but decided not to voice it remembering how Vlad accused him of often doing the same thing.

"Besides," The man went on. "You already know full well that that's not how it happened. So why should it upset you?" Vlad asked reaching for his iced tea.

"Because my parents don't know that that isn't how it happened." Danny slouched down in his chair with a sigh. "I mean, why did you have to tell them I cried? That's so embarrassing and, HEY! Why are you laughing?! !" The ghost boy shouted angrily as he noticed the man chuckling under his breath.

"I'm sorry my boy, truly I am." Laughter came out of Vlad as natural as breath, no longer trying to hold it in as he'd already been caught. "If I had known that was going to be the only thing that upset you I would've changed the story a bit." Vlad chuckled a little more wishing he was close enough to ruffle the boy's hair as a blush rose to Danny's face.

"Ugh, whatever. I guess it doesn't matter now anyway." The little halfa mumbled taking a few large bites out of his sandwich until it was all gone. After taking a gulp of his apple juice Danny quickly asked, "Could I go for a walk?"

"A walk?" Vlad repeated a little shocked at the sudden question.

"Yeah, just to explore a little. You know, take in the scenery?" Danny smiled innocently. He wasn't entirely sure where the impulse came from to go outside or if he would really try to escape should Vlad, hopefully, not decide to join him. Either way the teen did want to explore the outside of the cabin as well as the inside and if it would give him some time away from Vlad in order to plan his next move, (maybe figure out a way back home) then so much the better.

Vlad remained silent for a few moments staring at the teen skeptically as if looking for some clue to whatever mischievous plan the teen had in mind. "I suppose that would be fine." Vlad replied evenly although he still looked suspicious. "There will be some conditions mind you, if you wish to go out alone."

Great, more rules. Danny thought begrudgingly but managed to keep his smile in place. "Ok, and they are...?" The teen asked politely.

"First, you are not to go more than three miles from the cabin. If you wish to walk or even fly through the surrounding woods that's fine, but no farther than three miles in any direction. Understood?" Vlad's eyes narrowed, gaze growing stricter. Danny's smile only grew.

"Right. No more than five miles." Danny replied in a cheery voice.

"Daniel." Vlad growled warningly, eyes flashing red, clearly not amused.

"Relax! I'm only joking!" The teen said quickly throwing his hands up in retreat but his smile didn't falter. "Well, mostly anyway." He added causing Vlad to sigh and pinch the bridge of his nose as he shook his head. "Oh come on, what if I run into a ghost or something?" Vlad looked at him questioningly, quirking an eyebrow. "It could happen."

"Which brings me to rule 2." Vlad stated seriously. "If anything should happen during your walk within the three mile radius you are to come straight back to the cabin. No exceptions."

"Ok, ok." Danny replied softly, giving in a little. "So stay near the cabin and run away if any ghosts or bears show up. Got it." The teen stood up from his chair. "Anything else?"

"Don't be out any longer than an hour. We may not do any more training for today but I'd still like to spend more than a few hours with you a day. We only have one week of 'quality time' together after all." Vlad smirked in that evil, "you have no idea what you've gotten yourself into" kind of way that made shivers run up Danny's spine. "I wouldn't want any of it to go to waste."

Terrific, so I get one hour of freedom before I'm dragged back inside to snuggle up with Uncy Vlad in front of the fire for the rest of the day. The thought made Danny's stomach turn. Maybe if I'm lucky I will be eaten by a bear.

"Guess I'll be going then." The teen stated over his shoulder, practically sprinting to the door.

"One more thing Daniel." Vlad called after him, making the teen inwardly cringe.

"Yeah," Danny said unsurely turning around.

"I trust that even though I won't be with you you'll still keep your word on our agreement and that you won't try running off, or flying off in your case." Vlad's piercing gaze pinned Danny to the spot.

"Of course." Danny forced a smile. "We do have a deal after all." The teen's words sounded strained even to his own ears.

"Good." Vlad smiled picking up the dishes, turning his back on the teen to walk them over to the sink.

Seeing his chance to make a quick escape Danny slipped out of the kitchen and then out of the cabin entirely. Taking a deep breath of the crisp mountain air Danny tried to calm himself. There was no way he could try to leave now. Not after all that. Vlad would no doubt be keeping an eye on him somehow, and with the billionaire expecting him back in an hour it's not as if he would get very far before he was caught and forcibly brought back.

Not to mention how Vlad might punish him for going back on their deal. Danny shuddered.

No. He would just go for a walk like he said. He could try leaving tomorrow. Vlad would trust him more than anyway and in turn would give him more time to himself.

Yeah, tomorrow. Danny sighed contently. Right after I kick Vlad's butt in training. The teen smiled brightly, walking off the porch, starting his 'three mile radius' walk.

YAY! Not bad for a first day right! I loved the scene with Danny and Vlad in the field! It was like a father and son playing catch together, but with a twist! But I'm sure you caught on to that.

And as usual Vlad still has his own ulterior motives for all this. Sneaky, sneaky fruitloop. And as you can see Danny is already getting a taste of the power Vlad is giving to him. And he's liking it... DUN, DUN, DUN! What will happen next!

Stay tuned to find out! Oh and... Please drop me a review. I need them to see what I'm doing right and how to improve. And I like reading that my readers enjoyed what I wrote. :-)

THA NK YOU~!