#FISP

[sunnys567]

(Post reveal)

Jack: "So, when did you two find out the other was a half ghost?"

Danny: " Well, when I first encountered Vlad in ghost form, he beat me unconscious, and-"

Maddie: "He WHAT!?!"

*Vlad smiles nervously*

Danny: "No it's fine! In hindsight I deserved it."

[oblivious-aro]

Friends in strange Places Ch. 6 Pt 2

What if Vlad was good instead of evil? Link to chapter 1:

Friends in Strange Places Chapter 1, a danny phantom fanfic | FanFiction

FANFICTION.NET

Summary: With a little encouragement from Vlad, Danny works up the nerve to tell his parents. Sam and Tucker realize they have some things to discuss.

Word Count: 8600

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By the time Danny managed to get the thespian ghost into The Thermos and fly back home, Vlad had already left. Danny was disappointed to have missed him, but he did get a play-by-play of the entire visit from his parents over dinner.

"...and it turns out Vladdie hasn't had any luck designing an ecto-based adhesive either! But thanks to his input, we should be able to increase the efficiency of The Spectre Speeder tenfold!"

"That's fascinating Dad." Jazz deadpanned "So you and Vlad have been breaking the ice okay then?"

"Yup!" Maddie smiled "Oh, I'm so glad Vlad decided to open up to us. It's been so nice working with him again."

"Wow," Jazz said "Vlad sharing his secret with you two really seems to have made a difference in your relationship. Even if he was scared to do it, it certainly seems to have been worth the risk."

Danny glared at Jazz.

"You said it Jazzy!" Jack beamed, oblivious to the secret conversation between his children "Now that we know what's been going on with Vladdie all this time, we're closer than ever before!"

"You don't say." Jazz stared directly at Danny as she spoke.

"I'm done eating, I'm going to my room now." Danny pushed his chair back and began to walk towards the stairs.

"Sorry Danny," Maddie grabbed his shoulder as he passed her "You and your father are on dishes tonight."

"What? But I did them last night!"

"Yeah?" Jazz put the stack of plates in the sink "And who did them the last two nights in before that?"

"That was only because-" he'd had to leave halfway through dinner to deal with Skulker's newest (not to mention very destructive) 'toy'.

"Because what, Danny?" Maddie cocked an eyebrow.

"Nothing." Danny grumbled.

"See you in the lab, Hun." Maddie gave Jack a peck on the cheek "I want to get started on archiving today's data."

With that, she disappeared down the basement stairs.

"Come on, Danno," Jack gave the pouting Danny a pat on the back "The sooner we get this done, the sooner it'll be over. You washing or drying tonight?"

"I'll dry." Danny said. His father had an unfortunate tendency to put dishes away in the wrong places, and Danny did not feel like dealing with Jazz's complaining tomorrow morning.

"So," Danny asked as his dad handed him a plate "How are things going with Vlad? It's really not awkward with his whole, you know...'ghostly' situation?"

"Nonsense Danny!" Jack waved his hand "We barely even talked about it."

Danny wasn't sure if that was a good thing or not.

"I mean," Jack continued "We did sit down and discuss the situation when he first got here, but it didn't take long for us to get back into the swing of researching together just like old times. In fact, the data we collected today has given me a great idea for a new weapon! I call it The Fenton Ghost Gooer!"

"You're not like, married to that name, are you?" Danny scrunched his nose.

"It's gonna be great!" See, your mother and I haven't had much success with ectoplasmic based adhesive in the past, but after studying its behaviour at high velocity under varying degrees of impact force..."

Danny rolled his eyes. It could be so difficult to get his father to stay on a topic that wasn't whatever his latest ghost invention was.

"Dad, would it bother you if you saw Vlad using his ghost powers?" Danny interrupted his rambling.

"What do you mean, Son?" Jack frowned.

"I know you and Mom don't hate Vlad or anything for being half-gho-"

"Of course we don't hate Vladdie!" Jack made an offended expression "He's our best friend!"

"Yeah I know, but I mean like, wouldn't it wig you out to see him flying around or sticking his arm through something? Like, how'd you feel when you first saw him transform?"

"Well I suppose it was a little startling." Jack said "But Vladdie had only really told us about his powers less than a minute ago, so you can't really blame me for being shocked. Your mother and you kids were pretty shaken too, if I recall correctly. Heck, you and your friends barely said a word the whole drive home!"

"Uh...yup! That's right! Totally shocked!" Danny laughed nervously.

"But once your mother and I talked things out, and I got a good night's sleep to think it over, I was able to...what's the word Jazz uses? 'Process' the situation. Sure, it's a little strange that Vlad's got ghostly abilities, but the fact is he does and he's our friend, so we're just going to have to get used to it. Simple as that. The lesson here Danny is that when your problems seem too strange and impossible to figure out, get a good night's sleep. That's something my father taught me. Your brain does amazing things while you're sleeping. Can't tell you how many times I've gone to bed thinking I'd have to scrap some glitchy invention, only to wake up knowing exactly how to fix it!"

Danny wasn't sure he believed his dad. How could Vlad turning out to be half-ghost be so simple for him? Seeing your best friend using the same abilities as the creatures you've hated and hunted obsessively for years had to be a weird, right? Like, at least a little?

"What's got you asking about Vladdie so much anyway, Son?"

"Oh uh, no reason. Just curious."

Jack smiled softly at Danny and put a hand on his shoulder.

"Danny, if Vlad's ghost powers freak you out, you should know you have nothing to worry about. I know he might have looked a little intimidating when he fought that lake monster, but looks are just looks, and despite how Vlad might have looked, he's isn't actually a ghost, so-"

"Ew Dad, you're soaking through my shirt!" Danny pushed Jack's soapy hand off of his shoulder "And I'm not scared of Vlad. I haven't even been scared of ghosts since I was seven."

"Well that's good to hear then." Jack gave Danny's back a strong pat before resuming his scrubbing. "Because there's absolutely no reason to be afraid of Vladdie. And there's gonna be absolutely no reason to be afraid of ghosts anymore once I finish The Fenton Ghost Gooer!"

Danny smiled as his dad started to explain his latest invention.

If nothing else, Jack Fenton was genuine. If he said he didn't have a problem with Vlad's ghost powers, then he meant it.

So why was some small part of Danny still so hesitate?

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"Aim left! Left!" Tucker cried.

Their entire view was obscured by an explosion before a metallic skull appeared on the computer screen with the words Game Over overlaying it.

"Okay, that might have been a little too left."

"Y'know," Valerie said "I just don't think this game is for me."

"Aw come on, you were way better that time."

"Was I?"

"I mean, you almost made it past level one. That's an improvement!"

Valerie did not look impressed.

"You know, I really thought your ghost hunting skills would translate directly to DOOMED. It's basically the same mechanics."

"What're you talking about? Aiming a real blaster is waay smoother then trying to line up your sight with that thing." Valerie pointed at the computer mouse like it was something offensive.

"Aw well," Tucker shrugged "Can't say you didn't try."

"Indeed." Valerie checked her watch "I'd better get going. Sorry DOOMED didn't work out."

"S'all good." Tucker waved his hand "I still got Danny and Sam to play with. We've got loads of other stuff we can try doing together."

"Alright, but I'm choosing the next date activity." Valerie smiled.

"Sounds good." Tucker frowned "Wait, this was a date?"

"I'm pretty sure this counts?"

"Oh, if that's the case, I feel kind of bad making you spend a date playing a video game you didn't enjoy."

"I mean, I did enjoy watching you freak out every time one of those robot bat things showed up."

"They suck up your health! It's imperative to get rid of them as fast as possible before they become too beefy! Sure, they're pretty harmless if you kill them right away, but it's insane that the developers put an enemy that's capable of getting so powerful at level one!"

"See that," Valerie smiled as she swung her backpack over her shoulder "That's weirdly charming. Now I really got to go. See you tomorrow."

"See you!" Tucker called back. Valerie had officially been over enough times that he didn't need to show her out anymore.

And now that she was gone, it was time for DOOMED with Danny.

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Pow! Pow!

"Oh my gosh it's satisfying watching an enemy actually get hit." Tucker said over the voice chat. His parents had gotten him a mic set for his birthday.

"I take it DOOMED with Valerie didn't go well?" Danny's asked.

"Dude, she is so bad! Uh, don't tell her I said that."

"Ha ha, I won't. It's weird, though. Considering her ghost hunting skills, I figured she'd be great at this game."

"I thought so too, but nope! It was like that time we watched my little cousin play Mario at my eleventh birthday party."

"Ugh, why'd you bring that up? That was a genuinely painful experience."

"So was watching Valerie play!"

They continued to play in near silence for a while, only talking to warn each other of an approaching enemy.

Just as Tucker was getting ready to call it, Danny spoke:

"Thanks for hanging out tonight, Tuck. I think I needed this."

"Hey, no problem man. Is something going on?" Tucker asked casually. He very much knew that there was a lot going on with Danny, but he figured between Sam and Jazz, Danny didn't need another person smothering him.

That being said, Tucker was still worried about his best friend. He could hardly help it.

"I'm just stressed about telling my parents." Danny paused to blast an approaching spider "I know they're gonna accept me, but the idea of actually telling them is still pretty terrifying. I know it's not a big thing, just two sentences or whatever, but it still feels like the most monumental thing I've ever done."

"Honestly, I think that's pretty reasonable. I know you know they'll be cool, but this is still the biggest secret you've ever kept. Makes sense you're wigged out about finally letting go."

"Yeah, ha ha. I'll figure it out eventually, though. Hopefully. Anyway, one more round?"

"Sure thing Dude."

They were interrupted by the notification sound effect of another player joining.

"Hey, poetry slam ended earlier than I thought it would. You two still playing?" Sam asked.

"Yeah, but we're just doing one last round." Danny replied.

"That's fine. Still gives me enough time for me to hand you both your own butts."

Tucker was pretty sure he could hear Sam's smug grin through his headset.

"Don't think your victory's so assured, Sam." Tucker said "I've been working on a new strategy that'll knock your socks clean off!"

"Ooh! I'm shaking in my rank three crusher boots with bonus spike damage."

Despite Tucker's trash talk, he'd gotten used to losing a while ago. It was just fun to pretend he might one day outrank Sam.

Mostly he was just happy that Danny was getting a break.

...and also the opportunity to test out his new poison upgrade.

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Danny sighed with relief as he dropped the last of the rags into The Fenton Washing Machine. Not all of the ectoplasm from his parents catapult experiment had made it into the The Containment Tank, and Danny still wasn't having any luck convincing Jazz to swap chores with him.

Danny had just turned the washer on when his ghost sense went off. With a loud groan, Danny turned and glared at the portal. He felt every muscle in his body relax when Vlad floated out.

"Do you somehow just know when I've just finished cleaning the lab?" Danny was too exhausted to muster up a polite greeting "If you're looking for my parents, they're actually out right now. My dad realized we were out of fudge after dinner, and he almost died when he saw we weren't stocked up on baking ingredients."

"I can practically hear Jack's panicked voice." Vlad grinned "But it's actually you I'm after." Vlad said.

"Oh. Really?"

"Yes. Although Jack and Maddie seem relatively comfortable with my ghostly side, I don't think it'd be a good idea to just fly into their lab through the portal as a ghost. I don't think I'm ready for that yet."

"Fair. How'd it go with them yesterday anyway?"

"Rather well, all things considered. Being so open about my abilities with them has certainly been a...mental adjustment after decades of secrecy and hiding, but as I said they really do seem to have taken it rather well."

"That's good to hear." Danny smiled. Hearing Vlad say that made him feel lighter inside. "So what'd you want to talk to me about?"

"I wanted to inquire about your plans to tell your parents about your accident." Vlad said. The lightness in Danny vanished "I assume you haven't already?"

"Uh...no, I...have not done that yet." Danny hoped Vlad couldn't tell how dry his mouth was.

Vlad frowned.

"You seem rather perturbed Daniel. Do you...not want to tell them?"

"I do!" Danny said quickly "Really! It just...never seems like the right time, I guess."

"You guess?"

Danny sighed.

"You know, things aren't terrible right now." Danny rubbed the back of his neck "I guess it's just...I don't really know what will happen when I tell them. I mean, I know they won't banish me to The Ghost Zone or dissect me or whatever, but things are going to..be different, you know? And honestly, that kind of scares me. I guess I was too busy worrying about what could go wrong to think about what would happen if things went right, so I really don't know what to expect."

Vlad's eyes softened with sympathy.

"As they say, misery is comfortable."

"What? No, that's stupid. I hate being miserable, everyone does."

"Daniel you just told me that a part of you would rather live in a house with two people who are trying to hunt you, surrounded by hazardous devices, than tell your parents about your ghost part."

"No, that's- I mean...huh."

"I do understand how you're feeling." Vlad said. "Now that your parents know about my powers, I was more than a tad nervous to come down here yesterday, and there is a reason I stalled telling them until the end of the trip. But, as someone who's been where you are, I can confidently say things are better now that they know. Even with all the unknown elements."

"I know things'll be better," Danny said "It's just so weird to think how much one little conversation can change."

"Things are going to change. It might be a bit awkward with your parents at first, I won't lie. The idea of being in my ghost form around Jack and Maddie still makes me...apprehensive, and I'm not sure I'll feel comfortable with it any time soon. For all I know, I may never."

"Well that's comforting."

"But I'm not scared of my best friends shooting me anymore, so that's a plus." Vlad grinned "Kind of outweighs having to deal with the awkwardness, if you ask me."

"Yeah," Danny laughed half-heartedly "I suppose it would."

"You want my advice? Tell them tonight."

"Tonight!?" Danny almost had a heart attack

"Yes tonight. Not telling Jack and Maddie sooner has been my biggest regret. You know you want to do this. Save yourself the unnecessary worry and just get it done."

Danny thought about it. He supposed Vlad's logic was sound, and if there was anyone he should listen to for tips on telling his parents they were half-ghost it was him, but the thought of doing it so soon made him dizzy. He knew he'd been stalling, but he needed a little more time to prepare than that.

"I'll do it tomorrow night." he said, sounding much firmer than he felt.

"Well I say never put off till tomorrow what can be done today," Vlad shrugged "But the decision is yours. Good luck Little Badger!"

With that, Vlad flew backwards through the portal, leaving Danny alone with his thoughts.

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Tucker had to stop himself from cheering as the lunch lady finished scooping the casserole of the day onto his tray. In his opinion, it was insanely cruel of the faculty to schedule his biweekly PE period right before lunch. As if gym class wasn't long enough!

He quickly found Sam in their usual spot and took a seat across from her.

"Where's Danny?" Tucker asked before shoving a large spoonful of casserole into his mouth. It was tomato and ground beef with macaroni noodle today.

"Give you three guesses and two of them don't count." Sam replied.

"Ah." Tucker swallowed "Was it The Box Ghost again?"

"Nah, I'm pretty sure it was Klemper. Danny said something about frozen toilets."

"Ooh, maybe Danny should let him keep going for a bit! I think they have to cancel school if the toilets don't work."

"Tucker, broken plumbing facilities in a building with over five hundred people could pose a serious problem. Do you know how many students here have bladder issues?"

"Okay jeez, I was only joking."

There was a brief silence as the two of them started to eat their lunches.

"I really could've used you with Danny the other day, you know." Sam said "It's like you don't even care that your best friend's about to tell his parents the biggest secret of his life."

"What? Sam, of course I care. I'm worried about Danny too, but there's no point in pushing him if he's not ready yet."

Sam was about to angrily retort, but she stopped herself, the conversation with Danny replaying in her head.

Why was she so angry at Tucker? Sure, it was kind of annoying he hadn't backed her up, but she had to admit his logic wasn't totally unreasonable.

"I guess." she relented. It felt weird admitting Tucker was right so easily.

Wait, why did that feel so weird? They were friends, best friends. It shouldn't take so much restraint just to agree with each other about something so minor.

Danny was right. Something was wrong.

Not that it was all Sam's doing, Tucker could be annoying and insensitive. A lot of the time, in fact.

But was Sam maybe...not always interpreting his intentions in the best light? Just maybe?

A lot of mixed thoughts were going through Sam's head, but one thing she knew for sure was that if they wanted to fix what was going on, someone had to start somewhere.

"Hey, um, I just wanted to say I'm...sorry I teased you about Valerie so much. You told me to stop and I didn't, even though I should have."

Tucker blinked, completely taken aback by her sudden apology. It probably didn't help that she'd been giving him the gears less than a minute ago.

Admittedly, that might have been a weird place to start, but it was the first thing Sam thought of, and Sam was the kind of person who liked to start fixing a problem as soon as possible.

She just hoped Tucker wouldn't make fun of her apology for revenge.

"Uh...no hard feelings." Tucker said, his shocked expression morphing into a grin "In fact, since you apologized, and I'm such a gracious friend, I promise I won't make as much fun of you when you get your embarrassing first crush." Tucker winked and did finger guns.

Sam felt a flash of annoyance. Of course, Tucker didn't know she was aromantic, chances were he didn't even know what 'aromantic' meant, so Sam knew it wasn't fair for her to be mad at him.

Well, she had just decided she wanted to fix the kink in their friendship, and an important part of friendship was being able to trust your friends with your secrets...

"Actually...I don't think I'll ever get a crush." Sam said.

"Aww, come on. I know being gloomy's your thing, but I'm sure someday you'll-"

"No Tucker, I'm aromantic."

"Oh. Um, what's that?"

"It means I don't get crushes, and I'm never going to fall in love. Ever." Sam crossed her arms "And before you try to give me another pitying platitude, I'm actually quite happy with this development."

"Okay, but how do you know you'll never fall in love?" Tucker asked.

Anger burned in Sam.

"Ugh!" she threw up her hands "This is exactly why I didn't want to tell you!"

She knew this would happen! She knew Tucker wouldn't take her seriously! She knew he'd-

"No no no no wait, I totally believe you!" Tucker threw up his hands defensively "I just meant, like, how'd you figure it out? I'm sorry, I didn't realize how that would sound! I didn't mean it like that, I promise!"

The fire in Sam instantly died.

"You...really believe me?"

"Of course. Why wouldn't I?"

"Because people are never taken seriously when they say they aren't interested in romance. I've lost count of the number of movies I've seen where someone says they're happy being single, but by the end they've started a relationship with someone and everyone's acting like they're 'fixed' now." Sam unconsciously clenched her fists. She'd never realized that that trope bothered her so much until right now. "Plus you specifically never take anything I say seriously."

"What? Yes I do! What are you talking about?"

"Well you weren't exactly the most supportive of my menu update at the start of the year."

"Sam, you literally forced everyone in the school to change to a very niche diet. You gotta admit that's a little extreme."

"Okay fine, maybe that wasn't my best idea. But it feels like ever since then, you've never tried to help me with my world-improving projects. You don't even really listen to my ideas. Like, the world's on fire, and all my friends, family, and fellow students ever seem to want to do about it is laugh at me for trying to fix things!"

The passion in Sam's voice sobered Tucker's normally humorous attitude.

"I didn't think you cared what other people said about you." he said.

"I don't." Sam looked defiantly into Tucker's eyes "I'm an activist to try and make the world a better place, I'm not interested in this for personal glory." Sam gaze shifted away from Tucker's face and she crossed her arms over her body "But y'know, I...might care a little bit what my best friends say about me."

"Oh." Tucker looked away too. "I...I guess that makes sense."

There was a long silence.

"So...how did you figure it out?" Tucker asked "I mean, if you like girls then you figure it out by liking a girl and vice versa, but there isn't really a sign if you don't like anybody, so how do you know you won't like anybody ever?"

Sam raised an eyebrow at Tucker.

"N-not saying you're wrong about saying you're aromantic! Or that anybody else is! I'm really just curious, I swear! Actually you know what, you don't have answer that. I probably shouldn't have even asked."

Tucker proceeded to shove an entire handful of tater tots in his mouth. Sam was pretty sure it was to stop himself from rambling any more. It was a very Tucker thing to do. She might've laughed if Tucker's question hadn't been making her think so hard.

Sam wasn't offended by the question, she knew Tucker was a curious person who meant it genuinely, it was just a difficult question to answer.

"I don't know." Sam admitted "It just...feels right. I don't know how to explain it any better. The idea of not falling in love feels like it fits better than the typical romantic ideas everyone's always pushing, and like, when I read about some of the experiences of other aromantic people I've found online, it just feels so right. Like someone finally gets it. I can't really explain it much better than that, but I just know it's true that I'm not going to fall in love."

"I guess it's like getting a crush." Tucker mused "You can't really explain it, you just kind of know."

Sam frowned. She didn't think it was exactly like that, but she could see that Tucker was trying to be understanding. Not to mention she had just told herself she was going to try and be more civil with him.

"Uh, maybe." she said "Honestly, the idea was kind of weird at first, but the more time goes on, the more I actually really like knowing I'm aro. It's great. Figuring that out feels like scratching an itch I didn't even know I had."

"I definitely get that."

"You do?"

Tucker felt his heart skip a beat.

"I...think I might be bi." Tucker said.

"Yeah? Good for you." Sam gave Tucker a small but genuine smile.

Tucker felt his whole body relax.

Wait, why was he so relieved? He hadn't felt this tense when he was telling Danny or Valerie.

Maybe Danny was on to something about him and Sam...

"You okay over there?" Sam asked.

"Yeah, just uh, thinking about some stuff. You don't seem surprised."

"Tucker, remember the drive in Danny's RV to Vlad's cottage?"

"Oh yeah. I kind of hoped everyone had forgotten about that nightmare."

"I mean, I had planned on never mentioning it again ever, but I don't think I could forget it if I tried. But hey, at least I figured out my romantic orientation. So that's pretty cool." Sam shrugged casually.

"I wish I felt as confident about being bi as you do about being...what was it?"

"Aromantic. Aro for short."

"Aro, got it. I mean, I'm warming up to the idea of being bi, but it's been quite the adjustment for my brain. At first it felt like I maybe wasn't even allowed to call myself that."

"Why not?"

"I mean, I for sure do get crushes on guys sometimes, but it really isn't a lot of the time. I'm really mostly into girls, so sometimes it kind of feels like I'm trying to claim something I'm not sure I have any right to."

"So what? You gotta like 'this many' boys to be bi? And who exactly is checking that?"

Tucker laughed a little before continuing.

"Yeah, I know it sounds kind of ridiculous. I have been feeling more comfortable calling myself as bi the longer I've thought about it, but I still can't quite shake this feeling that at some random moment someone's gonna jump out and call me out on it."

"Don't worry," Sam picked up her milk carton and drained the last of it "If anyone even tries to imply you're not 'bi enough' or whatever, I'll just have a nice little chat with them."

Sam finished her statement by crushing the empty milk carton in her hand, all five of her nails leaving gashes in cardboard.

Tucker was going to laugh at Sam's joke, but the carton-crushing demonstration ad actually been genuinely intimidating (Sam was pretty good at being intimidating), so the noise he ended up making was somewhere between a laugh and a yelp.

Sam nearly jumped out of her seat.

"How did you even make that sound?" she asked.

"I don't know, and I don't think I could make it again if I tried."

Sam laughed.

It was actually really nice hearing her laugh like that. Tucker couldn't recall the last time Sam had laughed at one of his jokes.

That might have had something to do with the fact that a lot of his jokes were made at her expense.

Like, a lot of them.

Tucker honestly couldn't remember the last time he'd really gone out of his way to be nice to Sam. Not since the meat incident.

This was not a comfortable realization.

"Hey Sam," Tucker wasn't exactly sure how to say what he wanted to say, but he knew he had to say something "I'm sorry I haven't been taking you seriously lately. I know I haven't exactly been the best listener. Don't get me wrong, some of you ideas are insane and I want no part in them, but I'm gonna at least start trying taking them seriously now. I'll start taking you seriously, I promise."

Sam was slightly taken aback. She hadn't expected an apology from Tucker, and she hadn't realized how much she'd wanted to hear that until he said it.

"Wow," she started to say "I really-"

"Hey, sorry I'm late." Danny suddenly appeared and sat down beside Sam. Tucker genuinely wasn't sure whether they just hadn't notice him approach, or if he'd snuck in ghost-style.

"It's all good du-" Tucker paused when he noticed the apprehensive look in Danny's eyes "You okay? You look like something's up."

Danny took a long breath.

"Are you two free to come over tonight?"

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Walking down the basement stairs felt like walking through molasses. Not because it was slow, but because each step seemed to take a monumental amount of effort. The journey was actually over surprisingly quickly.

Danny wondered if there was any way he could have lengthened it.

His parents hadn't noticed his descent, both of them deeply absorbed in...whatever giant metal contraption they were working on. Danny didn't really care right now.

He walked up to his parents and loudly cleared his throat, causing them both to snap their heads up.

"H-hey Mom, Dad."

"Hey Danny!" his father set his wrench down to wave at him "How was school?"

"Uh, g-good. School was good."

"Did you need something, Sweetie?" Maddie frowned, sensing his nervousness.

Danny rubbed the back of his neck.

"Um yeah, I kind of...have something to tell you. It's...about the accident I had with the ghost portal."

Jack and Maddie's faces immediately turned serious.

"Danny," Maddie said gently "

"Yeah, I know, I know. That's not it though. It's..."

Danny took a deep breath.

And just jumped in.

"It made me...like Vlad."

"Like...Vlad?" Maddie raised an eyebrow.

"Half-ghost. The portal made me half-ghost. I have ghost powers like Vlad."

There was a beat of silence. Maddie and Jack looked at each other briefly and turned back to Danny.

"Now Son," Jack smiled "I know you two both had ghost portal accidents, but there's no way our portal affected you in the same extreme way. Sure, maybe you've been having minor side effects-"

"That you should have told us about earlier." Maddie cut in sternly.

"What your mother said. But there's no way you could have been affected as drastically as Vlad. You don't even-"

Jack was cut off by two blinding rings of light splitting around Danny's waist, turning him into the ghostly version of himself.

The sight made both of his parents go slack-jawed.

Maybe it had been a bit much to transform without warning, but after weeks of stalling and months of hesitation, Danny had run out of patience.

"I'm half-ghost like Vlad." he repeated, summoning the rings and transforming back.

It was shockingly easy to say. Although walking down the basement stairs had been torture, once he'd started talking, it had felt weirdly natural to just keep going, like he was just telling them what score he'd gotten on a math test. Danny had expected more resistance.

Telling Jazz had been harder.

"Y-you really are like Vlad..." Jack's voice was almost a whisper.

Oh right, their reaction. The beating of Danny's heart instantly washed away the peace he'd been feeling.

This was actually much worse than telling Jazz.

"Y-yeah?"

"Danny?" Maddie's voice was strained "How long have you...been like Vlad?"

"Since the first day." I...walked out of the portal looking like that. I just managed to transform back before you and Dad came back."

"Jack," Maddie put a hand on the work bench to steady herself "I thought you said you tested thoroughly for any mutations or contaminations!"

"Of course I did, Madds! I did a DNA test and everything and couldn't find any indication of..."

Jack suddenly stopped talking. He and Maddie snapped their heads to Danny as if they'd suddenly remembered he was there.

"All those months..." Maddie pulled down her hood, revealing eyes filled with horror "Listening to us going on and on about capturing and dissecting ghosts...oh! No wonder you didn't tell us! You must've been scared half to death."

Danny almost laughed at his mother's choice of words, but he was still too tense to move. He knew his parents weren't going to hurt him, but for some reason he felt like he was in trouble.

"Oh, baby." Maddie wrapped Danny in a hug. She kissed his forehead and rubbed his back.

"Y-you guys aren't mad?"

"Mad?" his father said. "Danno, I don't blame you one bit. I'd have been scared out of my britches too if I was in your position and I heard my parents talking about ghosts the way your mother and I do."

He came over and wrapped his arms around Danny and Maddie.

"We love you kiddo." he said "And we're both so proud of you for telling us."

Maddie squeezed Danny harder.

Danny felt his muscles relax and his heart slow back to normal.

He'd done it. He'd really done it.

Honestly, Danny didn't know how he felt right now. It was weirdly quiet in his head.

But one thing Danny knew for sure was that it felt good to finally have to stop hiding.

This was good.

Danny smiled and hugged his parents back.

--------------------------------------------------

Sam, Tucker, and Jazz all sat at the kitchen table, none of them daring to speak. They'd all been counting the seconds since Danny had gone down the stairs. It had only been two minutes, but it had been a very long two minutes.

The only sound being made was Tucker tapping his knuckles on the table. Sam very much wanted to ask him to stop, but she also didn't want to be the first one to speak.

"Do you think we should go down and check on him?" Tucker asked, his hand finally stilling.

"I'm sure he's fine, just be patient." Despite her grounded words, Sam's anxiety leaked into her voice.

"Sam's right." Jazz said firmly "We're all worried, but this is Danny's moment, so it's our job to be his support and remain fluid enough to react to what he needs depending on which way the situation goes. The best way to do that we have to remain calm and-"

The basement door began to open. Jazz was on her feet in an instant.

"Where's Danny?! Is he okay?!"

"Calm down Jazz, everything's good. Great actually."

Danny's voice was light and full of joy. He didn't even sound annoyed at Jazz's excessive worrying.

Jazz's shoulder's instantly relaxed and she went over to stand by her family. Sam and Tucker awkwardly followed.

"So they...all know?" Maddie said, gesturing to the room.

"Yeah." Danny smiled "No more secrets."

Despite how nice a moment this was, it was also kind of an awkward one. Everyone appreciated how hard it had been for Danny to get here, and they were all feeling the relief, but the question of 'now what do we do?' went unspoken amongst them all.

"I...brought a cake." Sam said.

"Really?" Danny asked, surprised.

"Well, if you don't want it..."

"No, I definitely do, I just...why did you get a cake?"

"Well I didn't really know what the proper protocol was for when your best friend tells his parents he's half-ghost, but a cake seemed like, maybe appropriate?" Sam shrugged.

Danny went over to the white box on the table and lifted the cover.

"Congratulations On The Thing With Your Parents?"

"Tucker's was in charge of the writing."

"I didn't see you pitching in any ideas for a tasteful message that would fit on a cake and not attract suspicion from the cake decorator."

"My contribution was paying for the cake."

"Aw, that was such a lovely gesture, you two." Maddie beamed "Jazz, could you get the plates out? Let's serve this bad boy up!"

"I call the first piece!" Jack said.

"Now Jack, considering the occasion, I think it's only appropriate that Danny gets the first piece."

"Oh, alright." Jack smiled at Danny and patted his shoulder "I suppose that's fair. But I get the second piece, since I called it!"

"Jack..." Maddie said disapprovingly.

"Dad can have the first piece. I don't mind, I know how he gets." Danny said. He was just glad that things were still normal. Sure, his parents probably still had some adjusting to do, but they still saw him as the same Danny he was before, and that was big enough of a relief. "But I'm getting a corner piece."

Honestly though, Danny could've had to give away the entire cake and it wouldn't have killed his mood.

It was finally over. He didn't have to hide or make his friends lie for him anymore. Not to the people who mattered, anyway.

Danny continued to stare at his mom after she handed him a piece of cake and began cutting one for his dad.

He was still nervous abut what the future held for his family's dynamic, but for the first time he also felt excited to find out.

But for now he was just going to enjoy his cake.

[ramnathsons]

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some Field Sparrows in some shrubs

Virginia, April 2024.

[dailynation]

SAFF a clincher in empowering small, medium scale farmers - Musokotwane

By NATION REPORTER THE Strategic Agriculture Finance Facility (SAFF) is a clincher in the empowerment of small-scale entrepreneurs in the agriculture sector who are not beneficiaries under the Farmer Support Input Programme (FISP), Finance Minister and National Planning Minister Situmbeko Musokotwane has said.  

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In the dynamic urban landscape of New York City, maintaining and improving the structural integrity of buildings is of paramount importance. This requires not only expertise but also a seamless coordination of various agencies and compliance with stringent regulations. At NYCER, we take pride in offering a comprehensive suite of services for urban infrastructure that covers everything from inspection to final approval, ensuring that your projects meet the highest standards set by city and state agencies.

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3,000 BAGS OF FISP INPUTS ALLEGED TO HAVE BEEN STOLEN IN ITEZHI TEZHI

3,000 BAGS OF FISP INPUTS ALLEGED TO HAVE BEEN STOLEN IN ITEZHI TEZHIOver 3,000 packs of farming inputs from the ongoing Farmer Input Support Programme (FISP) is alleged to have been stolen in Itezhi Tezhi and diverted to Kalomo and Mumbwa districts. Itezhi Tezhi Council Chairperson Oliver Sitengu says the district has in the last days been receiving reports of fertilizer pilferage from farmers…

[caramelbobo]

FISP 2024 is coming! It's a biennial professional safety protection exhibition in South America.

INTCO Medical, one of China's top 500 manufacturing enterprises, will be there. At this exhibition, we will present medical consumables like nitrile gloves, vinyl gloves, masks, aprons, caps, and hairnets. Check it out!

[sunnys567]

Friends in Strange Places, Ch 1

Summary: AU where Vlad turns out to be friendly instead of evil.

----------------------------------------------

All was quiet in Amity Park that night. That is, until the silence was broken by a 14 year old on an electric scooter.

"Finally!" he said, checking his watch. "It's only 9:57. I'm about to make it home one night without ghosts getting in the way of my curfew!"

Not 2 seconds after he said that, a familiar chill ran up his body and out his mouth in a puff of mist. Filled with a sudden mixture of dread and annoyance, Danny looked up to see three green birds whizz overhead.

"Ugghhhh, why??" he groaned as he ducked behind a car and transformed. It didn't take long for him to catch up with the birds.

They turned out to be three ghost vultures, who were all wearing red fezzes.

"Hey, any chance you guys lost?" he asked.

One of the birds turned it's head to look at the leader.

"Ask him for directions." It said in a Turkish accent. Danny hadn't expected an actual answer, he was just being snarky.

"Ve don't need any directions!" The leader answered. He suddenly dove out of the sky. The other two birds followed him, Danny not far behind.

The birds phased through the roof of a monorail train. When Danny entered the train he saw the birds perched on the seats, having a heated debate. It was a good thing this car was empty.

"I know vere I'm going!" the leader snapped, his head thrown up in indignance.

"Ve've been flying avound in circle for an hour. Ve could've been halfvay to Florida by now. Ask him!" The vulture pointed his wing at Danny.

"Ask me what?" Danny asked.

The birds phased through the roof and Danny followed them. Why couldn't they just stay still?

The leader ghost sighed in defeat.

"Ve are on a surveillance mission. Could you help us find dis guy?" He pulled a ripped corner of a photo out of his neck fluff and handed it to Danny. The person in the photo had much longer hair, but besides that he looked just like-

"Dad?" Danny exclaimed.

"See, I told you he'd know!" The bird with the glassed smirked.

The bird's smile was quickly wiped from his face as Danny threw and ecto blast at him. He managed to dodge and flew off, the other two trailing behind him. Danny gave chase.

The vultures manage to elude Danny for a bit, until they came to the clock tower. They tried to circle around it to lose Danny, but he saw what they were doing and circled the other way without them noticing. They squawked in surprise when they saw him, but before they could do anything, Danny managed to grab them all by the ankles. He swung them around his head like a hammer thrower and tossed them as far as he could into the sky. The birds were dazed, but they managed to fly off as fast as their wings could take them.

"And how about you do everyone a favour and stay lost!" Danny called after them. He'd forgotten the thermos at home, so scaring them away would have to do. They seemed pretty harmless anyway.

Danny pulled the photo out.

"I wonder what those guys wanted with Dad..."

His musings were interrupted by the chime of a bell. He looked over at the clock tower and saw it was...10:15! Oh no! He was late! Again! His parents were not going to be happy.

-------------------------------------------------

Sure enough, they were not happy. They were waiting for him at the door with unimpressed faces. They brought him to the living room to have 'a talk'. Well, his mom talked, his dad was working on some green boiler-looking machine whose function Danny was too afraid to ask.

"Danny," she said "this is becoming a problem. You're constantly late,"

"You're shirking from your chores," his father popped his head out from behind the machine to say.

"You're grades are slipping," his mother added.

"You're shirking from your chores,"

"You already said chores." Danny raised an eyebrow.

"Yeah, but when you don't do them, I get stuck with them."

"The point is," his mother interjected "this behaviour is unacceptable and has to stop."

"Look, I'm under a lot of pressure." Danny knew that was a lame excuse, but he didn't have a better one prepared, and he certainly wasn't going to tell them the truth. "You guys have no idea what it's like to be a kid these days."

"Oh come on Danny, that's the oldest excuse in the book." His mom was rolling her eyes, so she didn't notice Danny's arm sinking through the arm of the couch. He quickly pulled it out and was relieved to see that Jazz was occupied with a book, so no one noticed. "There's nothing you're going through that you're father and didn't go through as well." "Oh yeah, I beg to differ." Danny muttered rubbing his arm.

"The reason Danny thinks you can't relate to him," Jazz closed her book "is because you never talk about your childhood."

"Jazz." Danny knew this couldn't go anywhere good.

"Did you ever tell him about where you grew up, your first date,"

Danny watched in horror as a thoughtful look crossed both his parents faces.

"Jazz!"

"Where you went to college?"

"You know, that's a great idea Jazzy-pants." Jack said.

"It is?" Jazz asked.

"What is?" Maddie raised an eyebrow.

"This is!" Jack pulled a gold-trimmed flyer out of his pocket. "Our old college bud Vlad is holding a reunion in Wisconsin! We can all go down together!"

"Wisconsin?" Jazz echoed, horrified.

"All together?" Danny horror equal to, if not greater, than Jazz's.

Jack pulled Maddie close to him. The kids could tell from her face that she also thought this was a great idea.

"Yup," Jack chirped, oblivious to their tone "Just the four of us in an RV for hours. And, while we're driving, your mother and I can talk about our college days, and I can blather on about ghosts!"

As if on cue, the boiler-thing he'd been working on sputtered to life and began lurching horribly. Green goo shot out of one of the pipes and landed on Jazz's face. She did not look happy.

"Awesome! It works!" Jack cried, seeming unaware of Jazz's predicament. "I cant wait to blather on about that too!"

-------------------------------------------------

They managed to set off the next morning with only one semi-major incident (Jazz may or may not have gotten covered in ecto-goo again, and it may or may not have been Danny's fault).

Wisconsin was pretty far away, though, so they'd had to park somewhere to sleep for the night. The kids weren't exactly stoked about sleeping in the RV.

"It's the Fenton Family Ghost Assault Vehicle." Jack corrected them.

"And more importantly, hotels are a rip-off." Maddie said. "Why pay 200 dollars to sleep somewhere when an air-mattress for four only costs 80?"

"Aren't you guys loaded?" Danny asked.

"It's the principle of the thing, Danny." His mom replied.

"Alrighty, rest up everyone." Jack said as Jazz emerged from the bathroom. "I want you all bright eyed and bushy-tailed when we meet Masters tomorrow."

"Wait a minute," Jazz froze mid-step "Masters? As in, Vlad Masters? As in, Time magazine's billionaire of the year?"

"Yup, that's the one."

"You mean, you were friends with a billionaire in college?" Danny asked, suddenly getting Jazz's shock.

Jack seemed unaware of the looks of stupor on his kid's faces and continued speaking.

"Well, back then he wasn't 'billionaire Vlad Masters'." Jack said. "Back then he was just good old 'Vladdy'. Yup, we were pretty popular guys back then."

Jazz and Danny finally broke out of their shock to give each other looks of doubt.

"Back then, your mother, Vladdy, and I were an unstoppable team. We were the only ones brave enough to dive into the budding field of ecto research."

Danny resisted the urge to crack a joke. Jazz seemed like she was doing the same.

"Yes indeed, we even had our own research laboratory to build and test our inventions in!"

"Well, it was more of an abandoned classroom that no one stopped us from using." Maddie said as she pulled some pillows and blankets out of a compartment Danny hadn't even know existed until now "but, still, it was ours." She hugged the pillow she was holding with a far-away look on her face.

"Yup, we had a good thing going." Jack beamed. "That is, until the fat fingers of fate jammed themselves into Vladdy's eyes."

Maddie's dreamy expression turned somber. Jack started to tell the story:

"We'd finally finished the construction of our very first ghost portal."

Danny's eyes widened when he heard this. Jazz gave him a concerned look. She didn't like how easily her parents seemed to forget about his accident.

"Well, it was really more of a proto-portal. It was a lot smaller than the one we have back at home. We didn't know nearly as much as we know today about ecto-technology, especially not something as complicated as a portal. I also may have gotten a bit over-excited and rushed some of the calculations. The thing went haywire when I turned it on. Vlad was standing too close and took a blast of impure ecto-energy directly into his face. It resulted in a horrible case of ecto-acne."

"It devastated him." Maddie said. No one noticed that she had made up the air mattress while Jack was talking. "Vlad wouldn't allow any visitors in the hospital. Including us." She looked absolutely crestfallen when she said that. "The week after he dropped out without a word to anyone. We haven't spoken since."

"But the good news is, after all these years, I think he's finally forgiven me. Goodnight kids!"

On that note, Jack flicked a switch and the RV lights shut off.

Danny wasn't sure why, but he couldn't shake an uneasy feeling as he drifted off to sleep.

------------------------------------------------

When Danny first saw Vlad's mansion, he thought it was a castle. The building was constructed entirely out of grey bricks. Green and gold banners hung from four turrets as well as above the entrance. Actually, Danny wasn't completely sure it wasn't a castle.

As they all climbed out of the RV, the wooden double doors swung open and out stepped Vlad Masters. He was wearing a suit and had long silvery hair that was swept back into a ponytail. Danny was surprised by his hair colour. Vlad was the same age as his parent, but neither of them had even started to go grey. He wondered if it had anything to do with the portal incident. Not that he was going to ask.

"Ah, the Fenton family." Vlad smiled as they reached the top of the stairs. "Jack, Maddie. It's been too long." He looked down at Jazz and Danny. "And these must be Jasmine and Daniel. It's nice to finally meet you two. Come in, come in." He turned around and gestured them to follow.

An irritated look flashed across Jazz's face. For some reason, she didn't like being called by her full name. Danny didn't understand why. He didn't mind being called by his.

The entryway was also adorned with green and gold. A red carpet that led to the stairs. Pictures of football players lined the walls. The pictures simultaneously felt tacky and decadent. There was also a football resting on a pedestal near the end of the hall with a signature Danny couldn't make out.

"What's with the green and gold?" Jazz asked. "You're a billionaire, surely you can afford an interior designer?"

Danny hadn't realized the name thing ticked her off that much. Maybe the trip had made her irritable. Still, he felt Jazz was being pretty harsh to their host.

"Jazz, hello? Notice the football stuff? He's a Packers fanatic."

"Fanatic is such a...strong word, Daniel. But, yes." Vlad stopped by the signed ball.

"Oh yes," Maddie said "I remember, back in the day, you and Jack were always going on about football. Vlad actually played quarterback on the college team, kids."

Danny shuddered internally at the word 'quarterback'. Vlad seemed a lot nicer than Dash, but still.

"Yes, but that was a long time ago Maddie." Vlad said "I'm afraid my quarterbacking days are long over."

"Aw, come on V-man. Don't be like that." Jack grabbed the football off the pedestal. "I'm sure you've still got some old moves left in ya!"

"Don't touch that!" Vlad snapped, snatching the ball out of Jack's hand with surprising speed. His warm welcoming aura suddenly turned hostile.

Everyone stared at Vlad for a few seconds, not really sure what to do. Vlad's expression melted from rage to a dignified shame. He cleared his throat and straightened his posture.

"My apologies," he said setting the football back on its stand "I know that reaction was...inappropriate. The truth is I was forced to stop playing because of the accident." A look of guilt flashed over Maddie's face "I didn't realize it until now, but I think I was subconsciously viewing this football as a sort of..." Vlad spun his hand in the air, as if trying to summon the correct word "...consolation prize. It has always been my favourite piece of Packer's paraphernalia. It's signed by Ray Nitschke himself." The warm grin made it's way back to Vlad's face as he stared at the ball.

"It is also very expensive, and I'd rather it not be damaged." He added quickly, snapping his gaze back to his guests.

"That was impressive." Jazz said "You must be seeing a really good therapist."

"Jazz..." Maddie scolded.

"Quite alright, Maddie." Vlad waved his hand "It's been a while, but yes, I've had access to some of the best psychological minds in the field. The accident in college was quite the upset on my life, but it also gave me the opportunity to work on myself. In a way, that accident was responsible for making me the person I am today."

Danny wasn't sure why, but he felt creeped out by that last sentence. It kind of felt like Vlad was making a private joke to himself. Sort of like he was hiding something.

"Anyway," Vlad checked his watch "I'm afraid I can't stay for dinner, but I'll show you you're rooms before I'm off."

"Aw, you're leaving already, Vladdy?" Jack pouted. "But we've barely even had any time to catch up."

"Time is money, I'm afraid, Jack. Don't worry, we'll have plenty of time to catch up tomorrow."

Jack didn't look cheered up at all. Vlad came over and put a hand on his back.

"You know Jack, this house is very old. So old in fact that there's rumours that the ghost of the Wisconsin Dairy King himself may haunt these very halls." Vlad tilted his head upwards.

At the top of the stairs there was a rather large portrait of a stout jovial-looking king whose scepter was shaped like an ice cream cone. Jack's face was instantly lit up with glee, and he was suddenly gone.

"Thought that'd do the trick." Vlad grinned.

"Thanks Vlad," Maddie said "That really cheered him up. It'll be nice to talk properly at the reunion tomorrow." Maddie's voice was level, but it was hard to miss the manic look in her eyes.

"No need to be polite, Maddie. If I know you, I'm sure you're just as anxious to investigate this potential paranormal activity as Jack."

"Don't be ridiculous." Maddie cracked each of her knuckles individually as she spoke. "I, er, should at least see where are rooms are before I run off."

"Ah, yes. Right this way then. I'll make the tour quick."

-------------------------------------------------

Danny was glad to finally be getting some sleep. His room was decorated in green and gold like the rest of the castle (Mansion? Danny wasn't really sure how to classify this place). His room had a purple double bed with drapes. There was a large glass door on one wall that led to a balcony. It was much more glamourous than sharing an inflatable mattress with your family.

Just as Danny began to drift off, he felt his ghost sense go off.

"Oh great," he said to no one "We go all the way out to Wisconsin and you guys still find a way to bug me." Danny focused and the familiar rings came (around the whole bed for some reason) and he was out of bed and flying through the wall in no time.

The mansion was big, but Danny's ghost sense gave him a general sense of where to look. It wasn't long before he found what he was looking for; three ectoplasmic-green ghost...vultures? They were turned away from Danny, various machine parts clutched in their talons.

"You guys again?" Danny exclaimed. The vultures turned around, startled. "Are you following me or something?"

"Aie! It's that ghost kid!" One of the vultures shrieked.

Danny charged up an ecto blast, but he was too slow. The vultures all turned intangible and flew off in different directions.

"Hey," Danny shouted "I want answers!"

"As do I." Came a voice from behind him. Danny spun around.

Floating a few feet away from him was a humanoid ghost. His skin was blue, his eyes were red, and he wore mostly white including a full-body cape. His pitch-black hair was styled straight-up, giving it the appearance of devil horns.

Danny had to admit, he looked pretty impressive, floating there with his arms crossed, cape flowing out behind him. The glare he shot Danny from his glowing red eyes was actually quite scary.

Not that all ghosts weren't kind of scary...

"I was aiming for the birds, but you'll do."

Danny charged at the ghost, fist-first. To his surprise, the ghost caught Danny's fist and redirected him, causing him to crash into a wall.

"You're a lot more competent than the other ghosts I've fought, I'll give you that." Danny said as he got up. He made another attempt at the ghost, charging straight for him. "But I'm done playing around."

Before Danny could hit him, the ghost caught him again, this time by the neck.

"As am I." The ghost said as he threw Danny to the ground. "Danny Phantom, is it?"

"You...know me?" Danny quickly recovered, floating back up to the ghost's level.

"Of course!" The ghost flew backwards, phasing through the wall behind him. Intrigued, Danny turned intangible and followed him. The room they ended up in was a giant library. There were so many bookshelves that it was more of a maze.

"Every ghost in the ghost zone has heard of you. You're that ghost child who's been defending the humans in Amity Park ever since that portal opened. Imagine my surprise to find you here, harassing my vultures."

"Hey, they're the ones that started it!"

"Is that so?" the ghost raised an eyebrow.

"Yes, and I intend to end it!" Danny said shooting an ecto beam.

The ghost raised his hand and Danny's beam bounced off of a pink square that appeared in front of his hand. Danny tried firing more beams, but the ghost simply moved his hand around, along with the pink square, deflecting all of Danny's blasts.

"Ectoplasmic energy blasts." the ghost fake-yawned. "So, year one?" he closed his fist and the square disappeared. "Tell me child, can you do...THIS???"

Suddenly, another ghost, identical to the one Danny was fighting, popped up beside him. Startled, Danny began to back away, but two more clones popped into existence behind him.

"N-no, I can't." Danny replied, gobsmacked. "How can you?"

"Years of practice." The four ghosts replied in unison. They all raised their right arm and fired their own pink ectoplasmic energy blast at Danny.

Danny crashed to the ground. He looked up to see the four ghosts fuse back into one, but it didn't matter. That last blow had knocked any chance of winning the fight out of him.

Danny felt his consciousness slipping away...

-----------------------------------------

"No, stop, get away!" Danny yelled as he untangled himself from the blankets, sitting bolt right up in bed.

"Everything all right in there, Daniel?" Vlad asked from the doorway.

"Huh, oh, uh, yes Mr. Masters. I must have just had a nightmare, sorry for disturbing you." Danny spoke quickly, still dazed.

"Quite alright my dear boy. You needn't worry, I was awake anyway. You're sure you're alright?"

"Yeah, I'm good now thanks. You can go back to bed."

"Yes, I think I shall." Vlad said, turning around "Sleep tight little badger. We've got a big day ahead of us tomorrow."

Once Vlad was gone, Danny breathed a sigh of relief. So the ghost attack had just been a dream. It didn't feel like a dream, Danny thought, as he laid back on his pillow. Then again why would those ghost Vultures come all the way from Amity Park to Wisconsin?

At least he didn't have to worry about facing that terrifying ghost again, he thought as he drifted off.

-----------------------------------------

The next day went off without a hitch (aka, ghost attacks).

At the party, Jack and Maddie introduced Jazz and Danny to their friend, Harriet Chin. Danny cringed in sympathy when his dad made a joke about her name ("Harry Chin. Get it?"). Jazz actually seemed interested in Harry, though. The two of them talked for a bit about Harry's career with the Milwaukee Journal. It seemed pretty high-level.

After a while Harry and Maddie found some other old friends to catch up with. Jazz went to Vlad's home theatre (man, he was rich) to watch a documentary on the Packers. Danny popped in to check it out, but saw that the film was in black and white. It was a close-call, but he decided the get-together might be slightly less boring.

While most of the guests were getting reconnected with long-time friends, Danny sat at a table by himself, his chin resting on his hand. His eyes glazing over as he watched the various 30-something-year-olds "shin-dig" around the auditorium (seriously, who has an auditorium and a theater in their house?). The novelty of a bunch of adults with blocks of cheese on their head had worn off about an hour ago.

Just as he was about to fall asleep, he felt a hand rest on his shoulder.

"Bored are we, Son?"

"Wha- uh, no sir, Mr. Masters." Danny startled "Also, it's just Danny. 'Son's' what my dad calls me."

"Hm, very well then." Vlad smiled. He was always smiling. Danny was sure if he found that comforting or creepy. "Anyway, I've got something upstairs that I've been wanting to show you. Interested?"

"Oh, um...sure." Anything was better than sitting around here.

"Excellent. Right this way." Vlad said, turning towards the auditorium exit.

Wait, Danny thought, was Vlad taking him up there alone?

"Uh, Mr. Masters," Danny said as he caught up with Vlad in the hall "Aren't you going to get my parents?"

"No, Daniel." Vlad said as they started to ascend a curling set of stairs "They're busy catching up with old friends, I don't want to disturb them."

"Oh. Should I get Jazz then? She's probably not doing much either."

"Oh no, don't bother her." Vlad said as they reached the top of the stairs "I have something that I'd very much like to show you, and only you."

"Why me?"

"Don't worry my dear boy, it will all make sense when we get there."

Something wasn't right about this.

Danny did not like how secretive Vlad was being. He probably would have run away by now, but his curiosity was getting the better of him. Besides, if things went south he had his ghost powers, something Vlad didn't know about.

They stopped in front of a statue of the Wisconsin Dairy King. Vlad put his eye to one of the buttons on his coat. A red beam shot out and scanned it.

"Personal Recognized: Vlad Masters" A voice said, making Danny jump.

"Sorry about all this security, little badger. " Vlad said, as the wall in front of them slid to the side, revealing an enormous safe-like door "I've got some...valuable things in there. Things I really wouldn't want others to find."

"Well now I'm definitley interested in what you want to show me." Danny muttered as Vlad punched in a code on a keypad.

The door slid open. Vlad walked inside and Danny followed, cautiously eyeing his surroundings. There wasn't much. Unlike the flamboyant decadence of the rest of the mansion, this room, although large, was empty besides for another keypad on the back wall. The floor was white and the walls were made of metal. It kind of reminded Danny of something, but he wasn't sure what.

The door slammed shut behind him. Danny felt his eyes go green, as they sometimes did when he was startled. He quickly blinked them back to blue. He hoped Vald hadn't seen.

"Now then," oh good, he hadn't. "Now that we're alone, I wanted to ask you a few questions."

"Okaaaay..." Danny raised his eyebrow, what could Vlad possibly want to ask him of all people?

"Your parents did tell you about my little...accident back in college, didn't they?"

"Yeah, my dad says you haven't spoken since that day." Danny responded.

"Indeed," Vlad sighed "Jack and Maddie are dear friends, but it was hard to face them after what happened."

"So, you're still mad at them?"

Vlad laughed. Danny hadn't been expecting that reaction.

"Mad? Daniel I was never mad at them. I just called them 'dear friends' didn't I? What happened was an accident."

"You seemed pretty mad at my dad earlier."

"Sure, your father has always had a habit of getting on my and, frankly, everyone else's nerves." A far away look washed over Vlad's eyes. "But he made up for that with his sheer joyful enthusiasm. He may come off as an unaware oaf, but he really does have an incredible knack for ecto-technology. It could be hard, but it really was a delight to work beside him and Maddie."

Vlad sighed.

"Ah, Maddie, what a brilliant mind. You know, she could have chosen to study anything. Become a doctor in any field of her choosing. In the end she chose to pursue what mattered to her, even though the rest of the world called her work nonsense. That's truly an admiral trait, being true to oneself in spite of other's expectations. I don't know where she found the patience to put up with your father and me, though. I imagine she's an incredible mother."

"Um, yeah, I guess she is." Danny wasn't really sure how to respond.

"Anyway, enough reminiscing" Vlad said, returning to the present. "The past is in the past."

"Isn't reminiscing the whole point of this reunion?" Danny asked.

Vlad laughed again.

"Oh, Daniel. You're as clever as your mother, you know that? Both you and Jasmine." Vlad shook his head "Ah, look how easily I get distracted. This is what happens when you spend too much time alone. Anyway, I was wondering if they ever took up trying to rebuild that old portal."

"Um, yeah." As Danny spoke, Vlad turned around and started typing on the keypad on the back wall. "They actually got one working in our lab about two months ago." Vlad paused his typing, but didn't say anything.

Danny felt weird. It was odd to be talking about ghost stuff with someone who wasn't an immediate friend or family member. Usually that would result in him getting punched.

"Well good for them." Vlad's tone shocked Danny out of his stupor. There was almost something...forced about it. Maybe Vlad wasn't as over the accident as he said he was.

Before Danny could decide whether to confront Vlad about it, he pushed a green button on the keypad and the wall in front of him split into two and began to slide open, revealing a swirling pink, fully functional-

"Ghost portal?" Danny gasped.

"Yes, and that's not all." As Vlad spoke, tables began to emerge from hidden panels in the floor, and sections of the wall spun around revealing shelves. The tables and shelves were all filled with familiar green test tubes, as well as strange devices that glowed pink like the portal. If the devices had been green, and the whole space a little shabbier, it would have looked identical to Danny's basement.

"Wait, you've been a ghost hunter all these years too?"

"Well, more of a ghost researcher than a hunter, but yes, basically."

Danny walked up to the portal and brushed his hand against the metal frame.

"That's incredible. Do my parents know about this? This place would blow they're minds!"

"No, Daniel. You are the only other human who's been in this lab."

Danny stopped rubbing the frame and turned to face Vlad.

"Mr. Masters, why would you tell me about this place and not my parents? I mean, no offence, but they're the ghost hunters, and I'm 14. I feel like you'd get more out of showing them than me."

"Daniel when your parents got their portal working," Vlad's face suddenly turned serious "were there any...complications?"

Danny's eyes widened.

"I-"

Before Danny could think of an answer, he felt a familiar chill escape his mouth.

"Look out!" he shouted as an ecto-blast shot through the portal. Danny barely had time to jump out of the way as it whizzed by where his head used to be and crashed into one of the tables, shattering the beakers.

"Butter Biscuits!" Vlad cursed, grabbing an ecto gun off of another table and pointing it at the portal. "What is it this time?

As if to answer his question, three giant green yeti-looking ghosts with massive tusks lumbered out of the portal, the largest one leading the other two. They walked on all fours, and Danny noticed razor-sharp claws on their front paws.

The ghosts stopped to look around, and Vlad seized the opportunity and shot at the one closest to him. It yelped as the beam hit it's face and the front one (who Danny assumed, based on his limited knowledge of biology, was the Alpha) roared and swung it's paw at Vlad, launching him into the air. He crashed into the wall next to Danny and slid to the floor.

"Mr. Masters!" Danny cried, rushing to his side. Before he could help him up, Vlad brushed him away and pushed himself up into a fighting position.

"Alright," he grimaced "Time to stop playing around."

Danny gasped as a black ring suddenly appeared around Vlad's waist, crackling the air around him. The ring split into two and went up and down Vlad's body, changing him into the ghost Danny had seen last night.

Danny stood there, awestruck, as Vlad flew into the air. The yeti he had shot at let out a challenging roar. Vlad raised his arm and shot a pink ecto beam directly into it's throat. It let out spluttering yelp and ran directly back into the portal. The other two turned intangible and went off in separate direction. The Alpha one phased through the floor while the smaller one went through the back wall.

"Finger sausages! They've split up!" Danny almost jumped out of his skin as Vlad turned to look at him. "Daniel, the leader is headed to the auditorium. You distract it while I take care of the other one. Make sure it doesn't hurt anyone." Vlad said as he turned intangible. He flew through the wall before Danny had time to respond.

"Okay, not only is Vlad a ghost hunter, he's also apparently a ghost-ghost." Danny put his hand on his forehead "How long has he been a ghost? How is this even possible?"

Danny shook his head to snap himself out of his stupor.

"I don't know how this is even possible, but I'll have to figure it out later. For now, I'M GOING GHOST!" Danny shouted as he transformed. The rings had barely left his body before he was diving through the floor.

-------------------------------------------

Meanwhile, at the party...

"...And then I..." Harry blathered on about a story she was working on to Jack who, not possessing an ounce of subtlety, let his chin sink down into his cup.

"Am I boring you, Jack?" Harry asked, irritated by his lack of tact.

"Quite frankly, yes." Jack replied.

Suddenly, a giant green beast dropped from the ceiling and landed in the middle of the dance floor, silencing the chatting adults. They all stared at it for a moment, before it let out a terrifying roar, sending everyone into a panic.

"Suffering spooks! I didn't expect to see one so far out here." Jack immediately jumped into action "Maddie, get the RV! I'll hold it off!" he cried, pulling a mini ecto gun out of his jumpsuit pocket.

"Come on!" Maddie cried, grabbing the awestruck Harry by the arm as she ran by. "That gun won't do much, we're gonna need the Fenton Family Assault Vehicle!"

Harry was bemused, but intrigued.

Just as they left the room, Danny poked his head through the floor (or, ceiling, he supposed). Party guests were running everywhere, and his dad was shooting the yeti with a small ecto gun. The gun didn't seem to have much effect, in fact it only seemed to make it angrier.

This was bad news. The ineffective ecto gun meant Danny would need to help his dad fight the ghost, but unfourtunately Jack was likely to start attacking Danny as well if he saw him.

Danny had an idea. Turning invisible, he flew towards his dad and dove into his body. Blinking a few times to adjust himself, he raised his hand. Ever since he'd discovered that he could overshadow people, Danny had wanted to see if he could still use his powers while inside someone.

Danny aimed for the yeti and was pleasantly surprised to see a green ecto beam shoot out of his now enormous gloved hand.

"Yes!" he shouted as it made contact with the yeti, who yelped. The good news was that he now had a way to fight the ghost without his dad trying to kill him. The bad news was that the yeti now had it's attention turned on Danny. He barely managed to jump out of the way as the yeti lunged at him, crashing into, and destroying, another table.

"Woah," Danny wobbled a bit as he landed. "Jumping around in Dad's body feels so different." His musings were interrupted by the yeti throwing a chair at him. He ducked just in time. "But I better get used to it quick."

Danny looked around and saw that everyone had fled the auditorium, leaving him alone with the yeti.

"Perfect," he said, smiling at the yeti. "That means I don't have to worry about anyone seeing my dad do THIS!"

He punctuated his sentence by launching another ecto blast at the yeti. The yeti yelped again as it was hit. Danny launched a few more, but the yeti had wised up and began darting around the room, making it way harder to hit. It moved surprisingly fast for such a large creature.

Danny was so busy trying to hit the yeti that he failed to notice how close it had managed to get to him. Just as he realized what was going on, the yeti pounced across the remaining distance, pinning Danny's wrists to the ground with it's paws.

"Uhhh, any chance you want to just, talk this out?" Danny asked nervously, the yeti opened it's massive maw (which was uncomfortably close to Danny's face) and gave out another incredibly loud roar. "That's not exactly what I meant." Danny remarked, silently sweating.

Suddenly a pink ecto beam hit the yeti in the face, knocking it off of Danny. Danny pushed himself off of the floor. It took a second since he wasn't used to how heavy this body was. When he got up he saw Vlad had arrived, glove still smoking from that last ecto blast.

Before either of them could say anything, a loud honk stole their attention. He turned and saw the Fenton RV smash through the wall that used to hold the auditorium entrance. His mom's head was poking out through the driver window and she looked furious.

"Get away from my husband you filthy ecto abomination!" she shouted as three mechanisms that all looked vaguely like guns popped out of the roof of the vehicle. There was a brief whirrr sound before the one in the middle shot out a green ecto beam that was much bigger that the ones Danny fired. It his the yeti square on and sent it flying across the room.

"Way to go Mo- uh, Maddie!" That was close. It was weird how easy it was to forget you were in someone else's body.

Maddie got out of the RV, a much bigger ecto-gun than the mini blaster Jack had been using in her hands.

"Jack, you drive the RV." She commanded running past him, her goggles blazing with determination. "I'm going to give this ghost a piece of my mind!"

Danny looked around the auditorium. Vlad was nowhere in sight. He turned his attention to the RV.

"Ok," he said to himself "I'm technically too young to drive, and Mom and Dad seem to have this handled, so I'm going to go find out where Vlad went."

With that, he invisibly flew out of his father. Danny hovered near the ceiling and watched the panicked Harry yell Jack out of his stupor. Jack shook his head and jumped into the RV, weapons blazing within seconds.

"Wow, I almost feel sorry for the yeti." Danny cringed. "I wonder if Vlad went back to his lab."

Danny phased through the ceiling and turned visible. Vlad was indeed there waiting for him, still in his ghost form. Danny would've been lying if he'd said he wasn't a bit intimidated.

"I assume Jack and Maddie have the situation under control down there?"

"Yeah, and all the guests are safe." Danny looked around. He felt a twinge of guilt at the sight of the smouldering tables. "Sorry about the damage to your lab." he said sheepishly.

"Why apologize? It's hardly your fault. And anyway this happens every other week. Comes with the 'ghost researcher' territory." Vlad grinned "Fourtunately, I am immensely wealthy."

Vlad stared at Danny for a minute. It made him a bit uncomfortable, but he wasn't really sure what to do. What do you do when you're a half-ghost, and you meet your parents estranged college friend who also turns out to be a half-ghost?

"So I suppose your parent's portal did this to you?" Vlad finally asked. Danny's eyes widened.

"I, uh, don't know what you mean..."

"You can give up the ghost Daniel, I know it's you." (:D)

Danny sighed. There was no escaping it.

"Yeah," he answered, rubbing the back of his neck "Sorry, I just, you're the first person- I mean, I've...never really told anyone before. They couldn't get it working at first. One day I went inside of it, I guess because I was curious. I was kind of running my hand along the wall and it...turned out that they had put the 'on' button on the inside."

Vlad paused for another moment.

"Yes, that does sounds like Jack and Maddie. Well, maybe more so Jack, but your mother has her moments." Vlad mused. "So you've been like this for about two months then, correct?"

Danny nodded.

"And, how did you, you know..."

"The proto-portal from college." Vlad raised an eyebrow playfully "Duh.

"So that means you've been a half-ghost for, what, twenty years?" Danny spun that information around in his brain. "Oh jeez, that's a long time! I can't believe that's even possible! I thought I'd be the only human with ghost powers ever! I never thought I could meet someone like me!"

"As did I." Vlad said "Of course I'd heard the rumours of a ghost-human hybrid in Amity Park. In fact, it was these very rumours that prompted me to hold this reunion. Thinking of Amity reminded me how long it's been since I'd seen Jack and Maddie, or anyone else from college, for that matter. Imagine my surprise when I see the fabled ghost-child, the only other member of my kind, floating through my very halls last night." Despite his regal composure, Vlad's tone was filled with excitement.

"Oh, uh, speaking of which," Danny said "sorry for attacking you last night."

"I believe it's the vultures you owe an apology to."

"The vultures?"

As if waiting to be mentioned, an angry ghost bird's head suddenly popped through the wall.

"Yea!" he screeched as two more heads popped out above and below him " 'Vere's our apology?"

"Hey!" Danny snapped "You're the one's who showed up looking to attack my family!"

"Ve did no such thing!" the lead vulture retorted, phasing his whole body into the room, his two friends following him.

"Ve vere only dere for invormation on da Venton's, ve never planned on attacking dem!"

"Well how was I supposed to know?" Danny shot back "Every single ghost I've ever met wants to either kill me or my friends."

"Well not all ghosts are evil, doncha' know?"

Danny turned around and saw a stout kingly-looking ghost floating a few feet away. He looked familiar...

"The Wisconsin Dairy King?" Danny said, remembering the painting in the entrance hall.

"Aye." the king answered jovially "I, fer instance, have been roaming these here halls fer centuries, not bothering a soul."

Danny blinked at him.

"What he's trying to say Daniel," Vlad cut in "is that, like humans, all ghosts have different motives and desires. You tend to only see the evil ones because they're the ones who go looking for trouble. The not-evil ones tend to mind their own business."

"And how can you be sure of that?" Danny asked.

"I've been dealing with ghosts for 20 years, Daniel. I've learned a thing or two along the way."

"Well, how do you know which ones are evil and which ones aren't?"

"Same as you do with humans."

Danny bit his lip pensively.

"It seems," Vlad said as a black ring formed around his waist, morphing him back into his human form "that you have a lot to learn about ghosts. Especially if you're going to continue in the business of keeping the malicious ones out of Amity Park. Even though I live quite far from you, I'd be willing to offer my support where I can, if you're interested."

Vlad finished his offer by holding a hand out. Danny shook it and morphed back to human as well.

"It's kinda nice, not being the only one." Danny smiled as he let go of Vlad's hand.

"Likewise, my boy." Vlad beamed back. "Now let's head back to the party. I'm sure your parents are looking for you."

"And you. My dad's probably already started crying about how 'the ghosts kidnapped his best friend'." Danny said as the lab door slid shut behind them.

"Awww," The Dairy King cooed. "T'wasn't that sweet".

"Ve still didn't get our apology." The lead vulture griped.

-------------------------

"...and even if I did believe you, which I don't, why on earth would a ghost be a yeti?"

"I don't know Jazzy-pants. Your mother and I may be leading ghost experts, but there's still a lot we don't know. It's too bad the spook ran off, though. I'm sure we could've learned a great deal if we'd been able to examine that behemoth more closely!"

"Sweetie, all the other guests saw the ghost, too. Surely you'd believe over fifty eye witnesses."

"Sure." Jazz rolled her eyes "Why wouldn't I believe a bunch of drunk people who ran screaming from the room before they could even get a good look? There's not even enough proof for your friend Harry to write a decent story, and she's a professional journalist!"

Danny watched his parents and Jazz argue from the bottom of the mansion stairs. He'd known this was coming and did not want to get involved.

"I assume they don't know?" a voice said from behind. Danny turned around and saw Vlad standing behind him.

"No."

"Do you plan on telling them? Jack and Maddie are very loving people, you know they'd accept you, no matter what."

"Are you going to tell them?"

Vlad paused.

"Touché. I stand by what I said, but I won't push it."

The pair watched the argument by the RV ("...crowds can be susceptible to suggestion! A group of scared teenagers once managed to convince an entire town they were attacked by a giant alien that turned out to be nothing more than an owl!").

"I must say, it's rather nice having someone else who knows." Vlad said after a minute. "Well, someone who isn't a ghost. It's a shame you couldn't stay longer."

"Yeah," Danny sighed "but you know how my parents are. Can't stay away from their research too long. They didn't even change out of their jumpsuits for this trip."

"That's the Jack and Maddie I know. I wouldn't change them if I could." Vlad smiled. "Still, I'm sure we'd have had lots to talk about."

"Maybe...maybe you could come and visit sometime?"

Vlad made a strange face. It only lasted a second before it shifted back into his usual smile, although it wasn't as bright as before.

"Much like you parents, I would be remiss to leave my work for too long. Amity is quite a way's off from Wisconsin."

"Oh." Danny couldn't really hide his disappointment. A pensive look crept onto Vlad's face.

"Perhaps..." he hesitated. "I can't guarantee it'll work, and it would take some time to figure out, but now that your family has a portal, it could work as a much quicker route between our locales."

"Wait, really? How?"

"Well, the Ghost Zone doesn't follow the same logic as the human world. This, theoretically, could allow for faster travel between the two portals. However the Ghost Zone is also rather...difficult to navigate. Quite dangerous and confusing."

Vlad noticed the excitement on Danny's face.

"Now don't go getting your hopes up quite yet, Daniel. I can't truly guarantee there even is a quicker route via the Zone and, even if there is, it will take time to find."

Danny still felt pretty pumped at the possibility. He noticed a strange look on Vlad's face. It was hard to identify. It was like he was thinking about something that worried him. Danny wanted to ask him what was wrong, but that felt kind of awkward. He figured Vlad might not want to confide in some 14-year old he'd just met.

That being said, they were just about to leave and Danny wanted this visit to end on a happy note.

"Hey, um," Danny rubbed the back of his neck nervously, not sure how Vlad would respond to this "How long did it take you before you stopped accidentally phasing though stuff?"

Vlad laughed loudly.

"Goodness, I'd forgotten all about that. Oh, that was awful. I lost count of all the things I'd dropped my first few months as a ghost. I remember once, when I thought I'd finally gotten my powers under control, a dear archeologist friends invited me over to see her research. She let me hold a genuine Ming Vase and it slipped right through my hands!"

Danny's eyes went wide.

"Did it break?"

"Absolutely shattered. The only positive note was that she was too stunned to notice my hands were translucent. We never spoke after that. I assume she was angry, but, truth be told, I was too embarrassed to ever check if she'd forgiven me."

Danny figured it would only be fair if he shared an embarrassing story of his own.

"A few weeks ago, I asked the most popular girl in school to the dance, and my pants went intangible fell off right in front of her. Well, her and the whole school." Danny chuckled hesitantly. It had been an incredibly humiliating experience, but enough time had passed that he could see the humour in it.

Vlad laughed hysterically when he finished telling his story.

"And that is why I locked myself in a castle for twenty years. I honestly don't know if I could have survived if I'd gotten my powers as a teenager."

Their conversation was suddenly interrupted by the most obnoxious car horn.

"C'mon Danno, time to hit the road!"

Danny sighed. He didn't want to leave, but he didn't really have much choice.

"I hope I get to see you again soon." he said to Vlad as he made his way to the RV.

"As do I, little badger." Vlad replied, following.

Unbeknownst to them, the three vultures had been perched on the banister, invisibly eavesdropping.

"I hope he does visit the kid soon. If you ask me, dat guy could really use some more human vriends." the raspy-voiced one said once they were out of ear shot.

"Yeah, I haven't seen Vlad dat happy in a vile." the one with the glasses added.

"That Plasmius is vun tough egg to crack fellas." The leader said. "but who knows? Maybe dat kid really can get trough to him."

Danny climbed into the RV as his parents said their goodbyes to Vlad.

"Well, Vladdy, it was good to see you after all these years." Jack reached his arm out the window and wrapped it affectionately, but tightly, around Vlad's neck. "It's like nothing's changed!"

"Yes, indeed." Vlad said, shoving himself out of Jack's grip.

"It's a shame we didn't have more time to catch up." Maddie sighed. "We'll have to get together again real soon, Vlad. Maybe you can come down to Amity Park next time."

"Yeah, V-man! You wouldn't believe the ghost activity down there!"

"Oh, I gave up the ghost research long ago." Vlad waved his hand. "But a visit with the Fenton family does sound enticing. Whenever I can find the time, of course. You don't become as rich as I am by sitting around all day, after all."

They did that thing that adults do where they talk about nothing for forever after they tell you it's time to leave. Eventually, Jack rolled up the window, and they were off. Danny waved at Vlad from the back window. Vlad waved back as the RV went around a corner.

Once Vlad had disappeared from sight, Danny sat back in his seat, beaming. Jazz raised an eyebrow at him, but didn't say anything, instead cracking open a book

Danny felt lighter than he had in months.

[oblivious-aro]

Friends in Strange Places Ch. 5 Intro

What if Vlad was good instead of evil? Link to chapter 1:

https://archiveofourown.org/works/39040329/chapters/97656390

--------------------------------------------------

"...and then after it's completely emptied, you just untwist, put the cap back on, and you're done. Any questions?" Danny asked.

"Nope." Valerie said. "Seems pretty straightforward."

Valerie looked at the swirling portal.

"So this is where the ghosts come from." she said.

"Yup."

"And it's where you...you know..."

"Became half-ghost?"

"Yeah. Sorry, wasn't sure if that was a sensitive topic."

"Eh, not really." Danny stuck his hand into the portal. "Want to stick your hand in?"

"Uh...you sure that's safe to do?"

"Of course. See?"

Danny pulled his hand out and stuck it back in. Then back out, and in, and out, and in, and out, and-

"Okay, I get it."

Valerie took a deep breath and tentatively stuck her hand into the portal.

"Okay, this is weird. It feels like there's something in between a solid and a gas flowing through my fingers. And there's a weird vibe to it, like some kind of cold energy that feels almost...alive...alright, that's enough."

Valerie pulled her hand back out, shaking a few green wisps off of it.

"Now that was an experience I'm not interested in repeating anytime soon." she said, inspecting her hand.

"Okay, we leave in the morning, so I guess I should give you this."

Danny looked at the thermos in his hand for a few seconds before holding it out to Valerie.

"Don't lose this." he said firmly "It's our only one."

"Got it."

"Seriously."

"Danny," Valerie put a hand on the thermos "I got this. You can trust me."

"Right, yeah." Danny let Valerie take the thermos. "It's just one weekend."

"Exactly." Valerie smiled "You all go and have a good time with Mr Masters. Valerie's got the Amity ghosts all under control." Valerie briefly spun The Thermos on her finger like a basketball before catching it and stowing it away in her backpack.

Danny wasn't feeling as confident as Valerie. Hunting ghosts by yourself could be a lot. Even Danny rarely fought ghosts without Sam and Tucker.

Although, Valerie was getting a lot better. She was very capable, and she'd probably be fine on her own for just one weekend.

Probably.

"Alright." Danny relented. "Oh! One last thing, don't touch anything in this lab."

"Don't worry," Valerie glanced at a bubbling green beaker "I absolutely wasn't going to."

"Sorry you can't come with us." Danny said as he and Valerie started up the basement stairs. "I know Sam and Tucker are going, but Vlad hasn't met you, so it'd be kind of weird if I asked him to invite you too."

"Yup. Never met the guy. I hate meeting strangers on my vacation as much as the next billionaire, ha ha." Valerie cleared her throat. "Probably for the best anyway, someone's gotta keep Amity Park safe from ghosts. You just relax and enjoy your lakeside vacation."

"Yeah, alright." Danny forced a smile. Not that he wasn't going to try to relax, but Valerie had no idea how high the stakes were going to be this weekend.

--------------------------------------------------

"...and he's got his own vacation home now!" Jack beamed as he zoomed through a yellow light "He only built it in the last decade, so we haven't actually seen it yet, but I bet it'll be great!"

"And it's right on the lakefront, so the view will be spectacular!" Maddie turned in the passenger's seat, her face turning serious "Now kids, Vlad has requested that we don't bring any ghost weapons with us, and we're going to respect his wishes, but I want you all to be careful. The ecto activity is Wisconsin may be lower than Amity, but even if it was zero it's always good to be vigilant."

"That's true!" Jack said. "If you kids see a ghost, just scream and the two of us'll come running!"

The kids all gave each other a look.

"Ooh! This song's a classic! turns it up Madds!"

"You got it Jackie!" Maddie replied, cranking the volume.

The kids averted their eyes as the parents began to 'groove'. It was a horrendous sight for four teenagers, but at least Jack and Maddie were occupied enough for the kids to talk freely.

"Hey Danny," Tucker said "You sure Valerie's gonna be alright on her own for the weekend?"

"I'm sure she'll be fine." Danny smiled reassuringly at Tucker "I left The Thermos with her. Besides, you've seen her fight ghosts, she's been getting a lot better."

"Did you show her how to empty it?" Tucker asked.

"Yup."

"You told not to touch anything in the lab, right?" Jazz's eyes widened in concern.

"Yes Jazz, I told her not to touch anything." Danny rolled his eyes.

"It's not even two full days." Tucker glanced out the back window, despite Amity Park no longer being anywhere in sight "You're right, Danny. She can totally handle herself."

"Hm, you see awfully concerned about Valerie, Tucker." Sam smirked. "Don't worry, your crush can handle herself just fine."

"Oh, lay off Sam!" Tucker glared at her "I do not have a crush on her!"

"Right, because you don't get a thing for literally every girl that talks to you."

"Yeah, well, why don't we talk about your crushes for a change Sam!"

"What?"

"Yeah! You've been making fun of me for forever, now it's your turn! I'm sure you've got some super embarrassing ones we can make fun of!" Tucker smiled evilly.

"Tucker, I don't-"

"Hmm, let's see," Tucker made an exaggerated thinking face.

"Should we intervene or something?" Jazz asked Danny.

"I don't want to be involved in whatever this is." Danny replied, holding a book in front of his face. He failed to notice that it was the RV's maintenance manual, and also upside down.

"You were pretty into the Blood Love books in seventh grade? Maybe you were secretly into Winston MacWolfe or Florence Fanguard? Hmm?" Tucker waggled his eyebrows.

"Okay, first off, never do that with your face again." Sam said "And second, I'm not just some stereotype. Those two would be a terrible boyfriends. Looking back, their relationship with Bethany was so toxic, and they're both literally bloodthirsty monsters. I just liked the battle scenes, and was too young to fully pick up on the misogyny. And also the thinly veiled racism."

"Jeez," Danny turned to Jazz "What happens in those books?"

"Okay, then what is your type? Moody musicians? Old timey poets? Ooh, I know! Since you're not a stereotype, maybe you're a super subversive goth who's into jocks. Sam, do you have a crush on Dash?"

"No Tucker. I do not have a crush on Dash."

"You did kiss him that one time, though."

"Wait, what?" Jazz asked.

"That doesn't count." Sam snapped. "And literally every other thing you said was stupid. I've got way better taste than whatever it is you seem to think of me."

"Okay, what is your taste?"

"Well..." Sam hesitated briefly "I haven't ever actually fallen in love with anyone yet, but-"

"Calm down, Sam. I'm just talking crushes and stuff. You don't have to have figured out who you're going to marry yet."

Sam stared at Tucker for a second before rolling her eyes.

"I've never had a crush or whatever either."

Tucker stopped smirking.

"Oh." Tucker's tone had lost all its joviality. "Oh, jeez. I'm sorry Sam. I didn't mean-"

"Sorry? What are you sorry for?" Sam asked angrily.

"I didn't realize. I wouldn't have made fun of you if I'd know."

"I don't have some kind of disease, Tucker. We're only fourteen, I think it's pretty reasonable that I haven't had any crushes yet."

Tucker, Danny, and Jazz all looked away from Sam awkwardly.

"Ugh!" Sam rolled her eyes. "Why are you all are being so weird about this?"

"You're right, Sam." Jazz said. "It's perfectly normal to have never had a crush at your age."

"See!" Sam threw out her hand towards Jazz.

"Although, I would say that most people have."

"I know most people do," Sam said. "I just think most of them are a waste of time. Like, what was the point in pining over Paulina?" Sam thrust her hand out towards Danny "That didn't go anywhere and I think we both knew it wouldn't."

"I mean," Danny put the manual back where he found it, disappointed that it had failed to keep him from getting involved "Sure, I guess in hindsight, but it was fun at the time."

"Paulina has the personality of a porcupine that likes to bite. How could going to the dance with her have possibly been fun?"

"Because I liked her."

"Why though?"

"I don't know, I guess she was pretty and popular, and going out with someone like her just made me feel really...good about myself, I guess."

Danny rubbed the back of his neck shyly. It was weird saying all of that out loud.

"Hey, lay off Sam." Tucker cut in "Sure, in hindsight, Paulina's probably not the best choice for a long-term girlfriend, I'll give you that, but wouldn't you go out with one of the most popular guy in school if he asked? Not one of the A-Lister jerks, obviously, but, let's say...Yujin Choi?"

"Hanging out all night at school with someone I barely know? Gee, that sounds fun."

"Sounds fun to me. Even if it was just one date, going out with Jin would be a great boost for my confidence. Not that I'd really need it, I already know I'm great, but I'd still take it."

"Wait," Sam said "Do you like Choi?"

"Yeah, I guess."

There was a stunned silence in the back of the RV. Tucker did not seem to be aware that he'd said anything weird.

"I...didn't know you liked guys Tuck." Danny said.

"Huh? Oh, nah, I'm straight. Choi's just one of those guys, you know?"

"One of what guys Tucker?" Jazz asked.

"One of those every-once-in-a-while guy crushes."

"Um, Tucker, straight people typically don't get crushes on people of their gender." Jazz said gently, her eyebrows creasing.

"Eh, maybe it's just a guy thing." Tucker shrugged "You all know me, I like a lot of girls, but every so often there's a guy who's like, dang. Back me up here Danny, you know what I mean."

"Er..." Danny rubbed the back of his neck "Gotta be honest with you Tuck, but I think Jazz is right about this one. It's definitely 100% girls for me."

The comfortable smile slipped from Tucker's face.

"Wait, really?"

"Yup."

"Oh."

A heavy silence fell over the group. It was very uncomfortable, but everyone was too afraid to break it.

Jazz finally cracked about two minutes later.

"Hey, who wants to hear some interesting fun facts about Lake Geneva?" she asked, pulling out a brochure from a compartment beneath her seat.

No one responded.

"Before the American settlers forced them out in the seventeenth century, Geneva Lake was home to members of the Potawatomi tribe, who originally called the lake Kishwauketoe, meaning 'clear water'..."

--------------------------------------------------

A string of songs from the Fenton parents' era had come on after the first one, much to their delight.

"Ah, that music really bring brings you back, doesn't it Madds?" Jack said.

"It sure does, Jack." Maddie smiled.

Even though it was a commercial break, Maddie left the volume up. She checked over her shoulder. The kids were preoccupied, listening to Jazz talk about the history of Lake Geneva.

She turned to Jack. He looked very excited. Maddie hated to quash that excitement, but she had some concerns she thought it'd be best to voice before they arrived at Vlad's.

"Jack, before we get there, I should probably talk to you about something."

"What's up sweet cheeks?"

"I probably should've mentioned this earlier, but a little while back, Vlad and I had a kind of a talk."

"Is that where he came up with the idea of this trip?" Jack asked.

"Erm, maybe, but it wasn't exactly a very nice talk."

"Oh?"

"I told him how I felt about him avoiding us all the time."

"Oh. How'd he take it?"

"I'm not sure. I kind of stormed off before he could reply and we hadn't spoken again since. Until he invited us up for this weekend, actually."

"Well, he did invite us out here, and he said he'd make sure he'd stick around the whole time, so he's probably not mad at you. I'll bet he actually listened to what you said, and that's why he's doing this. Maybe he'll even explain why he's always avoiding us all this time!"

"Huh, I suppose that makes sense..." Maddie mused. "Might be a little optimistic with that last bit, Dear, but I suppose Vlad wouldn't have invited us down if he was angry. Maybe I really did get through to him."

"That's the spirit Madds!"

Maddie was glad she'd spoken to Jack about her concerns, she was suddenly feeling much better.

"It'll be nice to finally spend some quality time with Vlad. We have so much catching up to do."

"I know Madds. I have so many new inventions to tell him about! Oh, and you brought the kids' baby pictures, right?"

"Yup! The album's in our suitcase."

"Excellent! I know things have been kind of weird between us, but this weekend's gonna be fun! I can just feel it!"

[okbirdphotos]

Field Sparrow

Virginia, March 2024.

[expotime]

#TradeShow #BusinessExpo #Conference2024 #NetworkingEvent #IndustryEvent  #EventMarketing  #GlobalExhibitions #Expo2024 #BusinessNetworking #TradeFair #CorporateEvents #EventPlanning #ProfessionalDevelopment -#VirtualExhibitions #EventProfs #Russia,St. #Petersburg DENTAL-EXPO ST.-PETERSBURG 2024

[humanistisch]

Nachruf auf Hans Lenk

Der Professor für Philosophie Hans Lenk an der ehemaligen Universität Karlsruhe und Olympiasieger von 1960 ist im Alter von 89 Jahren verstorben. Lenk war von 1969 bis 2003 Professor für Philosophie an der damaligen Universität Karlsruhe, einer der Vorläufereinrichtungen des KIT. Er zählte zu den herausragenden Vertretern der deutschen Gegenwartsphilosophie. Bekanntheit erlangte Lenk nicht zuletzt durch seine sportliche Laufbahn: Bei den Olympischen Spielen 1960 in Rom gewann er mit dem Deutschland-Achter die Goldmedaille. Lenk wurde für sein Engagement mit zahlreichen weiteren Ehrungen ausgezeichnet. Im Jahr 2005 wurde ihm vom damaligen Bundespräsidenten Horst Köhler das Große Verdienstkreuz des Verdienstordens der Bundesrepublik Deutschland verliehen. Im selben Jahr wählte ihn die Weltakademie der Philosophen (Institut International de Philosophie) als ersten Deutschen für drei Jahre zu ihrem Präsidenten. Damit hatte er das höchste wissenschaftliche Amt in der Philosophie inne. Die Ehrendoktorwürde wurde ihm von der Deutschen Sporthochschule Köln sowie von den Universitäten Moskau, Córdoba, Budapest und Pécs verliehen. Hinzu kommen renommierte Preise wie die Carl-Diem-Medaille oder der Distinguished Scholar Award der Internationalen Philosophischen Gesellschaft für das Studium des Sports. Nach seiner sportlichen Karriere gehörte Hans Lenk als Sportfunktionär von 1973 bis 1992 gehörte er dem Nationalen Olympischen Komitee an, dann gab er sein Mandat aus Protest zurück. In einem offenen Brief an NOK-Chef Walther Tröger schrieb er: Alle strategischen Positionen im deutschen Sport sind mit Opportunisten und Möchtegern-Potentaten besetzt. Das OK ist von allen olympischen Geistern verlassen. Nach seiner Promotion in Kiel im Jahr 1961 und seiner Habilitation (in Philosophie und Soziologie) an der Technischen Universität Berlin war Lenk zunächst in Berlin als Lehrkraft tätig, bis er 1969 einen Ruf auf den Lehrstuhl für Philosophie an der Universität Karlsruhe erhielt. Lenk wurde 1981 in die National Academy of Kinesiology, 1995 in die Internationale Akademie für Philosophie der Wissenschaften und 2003 in die Russische Akademie der Wissenschaften berufen. Nach seiner Präsidentschaft der Allgemeinen Gesellschaft für Philosophie in Deutschland (1990–1993) wurde er Vorstandsmitglied der Weltgesellschaft für Philosophie FISP (1993–2008) und bekleidete von 1998 bis 2003 das Amt des Vizepräsidenten. Im Jahr 2005 wurde Lenk als erster Deutscher zum Präsidenten des Institut International de Philosophie (der "Weltakademie" des Faches) gewählt. Neben Fragen der angewandten Philosophie (Wissenschaftstheorie, Moral-, Technik-, Sozial-, Sport- und Wirtschaftsphilosophie) lag ein Schwerpunkt von Lenks Philosophie in der Theorie der Interpretationskonstrukte. Hiernach haben wir immer nur mittels Interpretationen Zugang zur Welt, es gibt keine nichtinterpretative Beschreibung der Welt. Die Interpretation geschieht immer durch sogenannte Schemata, die formierende Grundlage unserer Erkenntnis und Handelns sind. Diese Unhintergehbarkeit der Interpretation führt nach Lenk jedoch zu keinem Relativismus, sondern zu einem pragmatischen Realismus. Lenks „schema-interpretationistischer Realismus“ hat Parallelen mit Hilary Putnams Konzeption des internen Realismus, ist aber stärker sozialpsychologisch, sozialphilosophisch und neurowissenschaftlich orientiert. Er hat Studien verfasst zu „Interpretationskonstrukten“, zu systematisierten Verantwortungstypen und -stufen, zur „Eigenleistung“ und zur „konkreten Humanität“. Lenk hat auch Bücher zur Sozialphilosophie, Philosophie des Geistes und der Wissenschaftstheorie geschrieben. Seine Publikationsliste umfasst fast 150 Bücher (ca. 30 zum Sport) und insgesamt über 3000 Titel. 2013 erschien sein autobiografisches Werk Ratzeburger Goldwasser – vom Lago Albano bis Lambarene, in dem er auf sein Leben als Sportler und Geisteswissenschaftler zurückblickt. Der WorldCat hat 668 Werke von/über ihn. Aus Anlass seines 75. Geburtstages wurde er durch eine internationale Festschrift geehrt. (Quelle:Wikipedia) Read the full article

[dailynation]

Stop blackmailing farmers, SAFADA tells gov’t

By NATION REPORTER  SMALL-SCALE Famers Development Agency (SAFADA) has accused government of blackmailing farmers for them to sell their maize to the food reserve Agency (FRA). SAFADA executive director, Boyd Moobwe accused the ministry of Agriculture of threatening to remove all the farmers that were not going to sell their maize to FRA from the Farmer Input Support Programme (FISP). He said…

[hazelandrea655]

Demystifying Local Law 11: Understanding Compliance Requirements for Building Owners

Local Law 11, also referred to as the Facade Inspection Safety Program (FISP), is a crucial regulation in New York City geared toward making sure the safety and integrity of building facades.