A new lease on life

New lease on life

A Danny Phantom fan fic by Wega the blue sun

No copyright infringement is intended, the DP characters don't belong to me nor am I making any money off them. Only the story itself and the OC's in it belong to me, and I'm still not making any money!

Vlad goes to desperate lengths to attain his hearts desire. Story contains adult and explicit situations and mature themes, nudity and crude language.

Ch. 18

"Let me get that, butterfingers!", Maddie said and stooped to pick up the time device while Vlad silently cursed his bad luck. Somehow the small piece had slipped out of his hand and now Maddie was examining what looked like an old-fashioned pocket watch. As long as she didn't press the buttons everything would be all right, he thought and nervously chewed his lip. Oh, please don't touch anything, just give it back, he prayed.

"How long have you been carrying this? I never noticed it before!", she asked. "Only for a short time. I found it in my parents house", Vlad lied. "Thank you for picking it up!", he added and held out his hand, but Maddie wasn't yet finished with the device. "There, I finally got it open!", she announced triumphantly and cold beads of sweat appeared on Vlad's forehead. "You may want to be careful, it's pretty delicate!", he said and stepped closer, determined to retrieve Clockwork's gift before Maddie accidentally discovered its powers.

"Looks like there's engraving on the back, but I can't read it. What does it say?", she asked and handed the device back to Vlad. "What? No, that can't be", he murmured, but she was right, there were tiny scrolled words where previously none had been. A feeling of dread washed over Vlad as he read the inscription. "Use time wisely", he said and swallowed hard. "Seems appropriate for a watch!", Maddie shrugged and he nodded his agreement. What was the meaning of this message? Had Clockwork sent him a warning?

"I have to put the turkey into the oven", Maddie's voice interrupted his frantic thoughts. Wanna give me a hand?" "Sure, I'll be right there", Vlad mumbled. "You look pale. Are you OK?", the young woman asked and placed her warm hand on Vlad's cheek. "Maybe you've caught that bug that's going around!". She gave him a probing look and the halfa forced himself to smile. "No, I'm fine, really. Never felt better!", he lied desperately. "I'll meet you in the kitchen shortly!"

"Why don't you take it easy today?", Maddie suggested. "It's the holidays! Watch some TV and I'll make you a nice cup of expresso." "Sounds wonderful!", Vlad replied but his thoughts were elsewhere. No, the inscription was new, he was absolutely certain of that, he thought while Maddie gently steered him towards the couch. "I'll be right back!", she smiled and Vlad tightened his grip on the time device until his knuckles showed white through the tightly stretched skin. What the hell was going on? If this was a warning, why had it appeared now?

Certainly he'd used time in this reality wisely, the nervous halfa thought. Not only had he
wooed Maddie successfully, he'd also rescued the family farm and punished Olaf's doctor, Vlad counted off the list of his accomplishments. And then there was the ghost portal, on which he and Maddie had been working for the past months. It was impossible to tell if the portal was Clockwork's doing, but their work on the containment gate was groundbreaking, and thanks to Maddie's eye for detail, absolutely flawless.

Maybe the time guardian objected to the way he'd dealt with the obstacles in his path, Vlad wondered. He'd ruthlessly overshadowed his alter ego's body and made the hapless young man's life his own. He'd also set a ghostly terror campaign in motion against Olaf's doctor, and with the help of an overshadowed lawyer successfully sued the hospital. But those actions were necessary and with his and Maddie's future happiness at stake he'd gone to extremes to ensure a good outcome. Surely Clockwork had expected no less of Vlad Plasmius?

"Here's your coffee!", Maddie's cheerful voice rang out and Vlad gratefully took the steaming cup. "Feeling better?", she asked and he nodded. "I'm fine, just fine!", he said and carefully sipped the aromatic brew. "What do you need help with?", he asked and Maddie energetically shook her head. "Nothing, I just want you to relax!", she replied and left the room. What Vlad needed was assurance he wasn't about to be yanked away from this reality. He'd die of misery if that happened, he thought while his stomach churned. Not even the time guardian could be so cruel as to deny him this life, but had Clockwork not said that his happiness was of no particular importance?

It was impossible to predict the time keepers actions, nor did he know the full extend of his powers, but a rising wave of anger was replacing the nagging fear. "I don't care what you do, but there's no way I'm going to leave here!", Vlad whispered under his breath. Life with Maddie was too precious to give up, and he treasured every minute they spent together. Even mundane tasks such as shopping for groceries were a celebration of their happy union, he thought. Maddie was an angel, and he loved her more than ever. And for once in his miserable life she loved him right back. The only flaw in their relationship came from his failure to reveal himself fully to Maddie, but this was unavoidable.

And he had a very good reason for not letting Maddie know that he was half ghost, Vlad thought as he took another swig of the bitter coffee. Not only would she be shocked to her core to discover her fiance's true nature, the revelation would also invite embarrassing questions he'd rather not answer. Plus there was the undeniable fact that Maddie disliked ghosts. No, he corrected himself, she hated ghosts. The recent incident of the escapee from the ghost portal came to mind, and he cringed as the memory played out.

It was bad enough that his precautions had failed, but to be forced to stand by impassively while the deranged specter tore through the barn destroying much of what they'd built was painful. Worst of all was the look of intense hatred and revulsion on Maddie's face. This was one expression he never wanted aimed at himself, Vlad thought ruefully. It was undeniably inconvenient to hide his double nature from her, and he disliked lying to Maddie, but a secret of such magnitude needed to protected until the time was just right. Only when he could be certain she'd be able to accept him as a halfa would he tell her, but not a moment earlier.

"Vlad, did you invite someone to dinner?", Maddie said as she walked out of the kitchen. "There's a car driving up, but I can't see who it is". "A little holiday surprise for you!", Vlad announced, grateful for the interruption. "I thought it would be nice to have your sister and her new boyfriend over so we can celebrate as a family!". Maddie stared at him in amazement and then threw her arms around his neck. "You are the sweetest, most thoughtful man!", she squealed. "I am, aren't I?", Vlad agreed while Maddie ran to greet her guests. At least she was happy, he thought, and he was determined to keep it that way.

"Nice place you got here!", Alicia said as she looked out on the snowy landscape beyond the window. "Instead of fooling around with ghosts you should put some cattle on those pastures!", she added with a wink and Vlad chuckled. "I'll keep that in mind!", he said and opened the refrigerator to reveal an impressive array of imported beers and wines. "What would you like?", he asked the small man partially hidden behind Alicia's broad back. "Beer's fine!", the answer came quickly, tinged with a soft Southern accent.
"It's sure nice of ya'll to invite us!", the man added and Alicia nodded her agreement as she grabbed the beer Vlad offered.

"Well, it's nice to have you!", he courteously replied and guided his guest into the living room. Seconds later the raucous sounds of a football game reached the ears of the women. "You weren't kidding, he really is different! But how do you know he'll stay that way?" "You're barely in the house and already you're starting in on Vlad!", Maddie said defensively. "I trust him, that's how I know. We haven't had even one tiny disagreement since I've come back from visiting you. He's a new man, sweet and kind and thoughtful!" "OK, I admit it was nice of him to pay for our tickets but ..." "No buts!", Maddie said firmly. "Let's not argue any more about this. Just take my word for it, we're perfectly happy together!"

Alicia shrugged and took a deep drink from the bottle. "I'm glad for you, kid. But have you told him yet?". Maddie flinched. "I'm just waiting for the perfect opportunity. Everything's been going so well, I didn't want to ...I'm just not sure how to bring it up!", she admitted. The older woman tossed the empty bottle into the garbage can and grabbed a celery stick off the plate of appetizers. "You better figure it out, little sis!", she said and shoved the celery into her mouth.

"So, you and Maddie really hunt ghosts? Gosh, that sounds exiting!", the man seated next to Vlad said. "It can be", he replied curtly. Not only was this conversation hopelessly boring, but the man also insisted on chattering during the game, a breach of eitquette which bothered him to no end. And to top off his annoyance he'd completely forgotten the dull idiot's name. "Where do you find those ghosts?", the man persisted. "Oh, they can be anywhere! You'd never know if one was in this room, right next to you!", Vlad grinned and struggled to resist the urge to play a practical joke on the witless fool. "Oh", the man replied in a small voice and shifted uncomfortably in his seat. "Are you ready for a refill?", Vlad asked sweetly as he made his way into the kitchen.

The appetizing scent of roasting turkey was thick in the air and Vlad's stomach growled in anticipation of the upcoming feast. "There's my darling!", he greeted Maddie and waited as Alicia hastily vacated the room. "You know, since they are already here we might as well get some work out of them!", he suggested in a low voice. "What do you have in mind?", Maddie asked with a hint of uncertainty. "Well, I thought they could witness our wedding, as maid of honor and best man!", he grinned. "I should have guessed!", Maddie replied. "OK, let's do it!", she said and rose to her tiptoes to kiss him. "You make me so happy!", Vlad said as he embraced her tightly. "Just think, soon we''ll be Mr. and Mrs. Masters, together forever, just the two of us!" "Sounds great!", Maddie smiled, but if there was a slight hesitation in her voice, Vlad failed to notice it.

"Plasmius seems to have recovered his equilibrium", the chorus observed. "He's hard to shake!". "Oh, he'll shake soon enough!", Clockwork replied quickly. "I think he's had it easy for far too long, wouldn't you agree?", he said and the voices of the chorus rose in anticipatory murmurs.