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Kindred Spirits	By : RedelliaValentinos Category: +1 through F > Danny Phantom Views: 206 -:- Recommendations : 0 -:- Currently Reading : 0
Disclaimer: I don't own Danny Phantom, I don't own any of the characters from it. I do not make any money from writing this story, I write this purely for the enjoyment of writing. It's just me and a keyboard and my wild brain.

Chapter List
- 11
- 12
- 13
Vlad is very careful with getting Danny back up to his feet. He's pleased that each passing second upright returns just a little more strength. They make their way out of the room slowly, with Vlad as an ever present net to catch if the boy wobbles a little too much. Quietly, in the back of his mind, the elder halfa wonders if Danny appreciates any of the assistance. As he watches him slowly walk, calculating each step and how far apart he can place them, a part of him also wonders what the human Daniel Fenton was like.
In his bitterness, by his decision to wallow in his hatred for Jack Fenton, the oppurtunity to know the boy pre-halfa is long gone. Danny starts to put more distance between them, experimenting with his legs, but never strays too far from a wall to lean on. Vlad wants to know the human. And he can't. He never will. He could have, he could have been better and moved on from the accident. But what's done is done. The halfa Daniel Fenton is what he has to work with.
They turn down the hall and slowly wander into the foyer, where Vlad looks up and sees Jasmine.
"Danny!" She runs over to him and immediately pulls him into a tight bear hug. Vlad watches him freeze for a brief moment, nearly afraid of welcoming the embrace. He's hesitant to do it, clearly he wants to. His whole body trembles as he returns the hug. Like he's vibrating.
Vlad gives him a knowing look. It's her heart. Beating in her chest, loud and alive. Excitedly. Even though their hearts still beat, it's a softer, fainter sound. Barely tapping against their sternums. It's one thing to know you're half dead, it's quite another to feel it. And Danny feels it. He can feel her heart beating a hummingbird into his own chest, and he chokes back the startled yelp that threatans to escape his throat.
"You're shaking!" she pulls back to look at him, "Are you col-oh. I guess I really shouldn't ask that, should I?" the nervousness of her tone matches his full body tremor. He stares at her, surprised, and then can't help but burst out laughing.
Vlad smirks. He wants to believe he's taking it in good stride. But he knows better. "His body temperature is much lower now. I'm sorry to say that it's permanent, but on the upside, he won't get cold easily." Jasmine gives Danny another squeeze, this one tighter, and where he might normally be struggling for air, she's stronger than she looks, he's suddenly aware he doesn't need the air. He doesn't need the air. He contemplates that realization for about half a second before he opts to ignore it. Vlad sees the dismissal on his face and grinds his teeth together to stay quiet. Denial. Already. Though, really, his first cue should have been the boy's refusal of aid climbing out of bed and standing up.
He manages to corral them to the kitchen, forcing the redhead to let go. He knows that with the promise of food, it'll be easy getting them seated. Danny does need a little help getting on the stool; his legs are still weak from his extended sleep. But with a little support from his sister, he manages.
"Now then, while Daniel's consciousness is cause for joy, I feel we need to discuss some of the uglier truths of this situation before we celebrate." He places a pot on the stove and poors in broth before setting it to simmer.
Vlad feels two pairs of eyes set on him for his declaration. He opens a cabinet and takes out two cans of beets, and a can opener from a nearby drawer. He sets everything on the island. But instead of opening anything, he braces against the edge. "I'm going to be blunt. Jasmine, you may think me cruel for it, but this is necessary."
The girl looks at him nervously before exchanging a similar expression with her brother.
"Daniel, you're half dead. I know you don't want to accept it. But you must. Don't dig your heels in, you'll only make the process harder." He takes carrots out of the fridge and a knife from a block.
"I wasn't-"
"-You've already started. You may not be aware of it, yet, but, yes, you were,'' he starts chopping the carrots down, ''Not fifteen minutes awake and you were already insisting you were fine. You're not. And may I point out the screaming fit this morning? Jasmine," he sees pure horror on her face, "don't give me that look. My own death was slow and miserable. I suffered slowly. For years. I'd rather hit him upside the head now."
"I am fine, though. Right?" the boy asks softly, "I came out of it okay. I mean, I'm al-"
"-No, Daniel. You're only half alive. Do try to keep up."
Frustration crawls to the surface. "Better half alive than completely dead!" he snaps.
Vlad ceases chopping, sets his eyes on the child and leans forward. "You know damn well you're looking at someone who is in your position, and has been for far longer. Trust me when I say this; in about ten years, you're going to see things very differently."
Danny's sudden bravado shrivels up and dies as he looks the older man in the eye. He's never actually seen darkness before. He's heard it described in a book, always metaphorical, always splashed across the page with pretty words he barely understood. But here and now, he sees it. Really sees it. Vlad's blue eyes dull with a shadow he didn't think could be real. He starts to see movement. Little flicks of fire, red and pink. It startles him a little and he looks away.
The man straightens and begins opening the cans. "I'm trying to prepare you for the inevitable epiphany that's coming your way. Because once it crosses your path, you'll be begging for an end that will never come. And the sooner you accept the hand you've been dealt, the easier it will be for you to just move on."
He starts combining everything into the pot. "Call me insensitive, call me a bastard, call me whatever you wish, but I'm not your enemy. This is called tough love. And I'm giving it to you because I didn't have any support whatsoever. You have a sister who was beginning to throw her future out for you. You have a friend that's been triggering my firewall for the better part of a month looking for my contact information. You have another friend that sent your sister nearly one hundred messages, demanding to know where you are."
Danny hangs his head low in silence.
"You have a safety net that's ready and willing to protect you and comfort you. I didn't."
The younger halfa looks at his sister, who says nothing.
"This brings me to the other ugly truth of the matter," he takes a seat at the table while the pot starts to boil.
Danny looks up at him. Vlad props his elbows on the table and folds his hands. He takes a breath. "You cannot tell your parents any of this."
If the boy is hurt at all by the statement, he imagines it isn't by much. But...
"Why not?" Quizzical, trying to understand.
"Think, Daniel," the man says softly, "Think good and hard. Don't make me spell it out for you."
Danny focuses. His parents aren't the easiest to converse with. They spout scientific garbles regularly, making him feel like an idiot. He started by pulling a dictionary out to better understand them, but ultimately gave up. He gets picked on at school regularly. They've never been very good at comforting him. In fact, he can remember a day he came home with a black eye, and for four hours, they didn't notice. When they sat down to dinner, they did. And he was grounded for getting into a fight. He didn't even get to defend himself. Their shenanigans pull him out of bed at all hours, even on a school night. He's never had a weekend to himself. They've never gone anywhere that he's wanted to go. Every trip is a working trip. He's crammed into the R.V. with their junk. He's forced to help build and maintain their equipment regularly. They even interrupt him while he's doing his homewo-their equipment.
Danny's eyes widen and he jerks his eyes up at Vlad. He looks ready to panic.
Vlad, for his part, has already figured this out. As a result, he doesn't want to send the boy home. He knows he'll have to. He could file the paperwork for custody. The thought has crossed his mind several times. Quietly, giggling away and running in circles in a distant corner where his subconscious barely registered it. But the idea was there.
"First, you need to eat. We start your training tonight."
They don't say anything more. They instead sit in silence and wait for their late dinner to be ready. Vlad lets them sit quietly while he gets up and starts seasoning the contents of the pot. Having been unconscious for two months, Danny has thinned down dramatically, nearly skin and bones. He'd already dropped a fair amount of weight in the hospital, had lost more here. So the meal was light. Vlad had gone into a recipe box and dug out his grandmother's recipe for borscht. He left the meat out but still used beef broth. He didn't want to shock the boy's body with the sudden influx of food. And the young halfa seems aware of his condition as Vlad serves them, taking care to eat as slowly and as calmly as he can.
Jasmine nibbles quietly, chewing on the carrots longer than necessary and staring off into space.
- 11
- 12
- 13
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Kindred Spirits