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 and the OC's 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, mature themes and crude language. This chapter contains several flashbacks.

A/N: Happy new year to all my readers!

Ch. 19

"Don't worry so much!", Maddie whispered into Vlad's ear as the nurse beckoned her. "I'm telling you, everything will be fine!", she added before she turned around the corner and disappeared from his view. Vlad sighed and stepped into the doctors private study. The lavish room was as familiar as his own home after all the time he'd spent here waiting for the doctors pronouncements. Countless grateful clients had passed through this cozy retreat, and Vlad glanced at the bronze plaques they'd left behind to join impressive certificates on the physicians wall of honors. Soon a plaque bearing his and Maddie's names would join these testimonials of gratitude, he thought, provided everything worked out.

With a tired sigh he settled in the comfortable chair before the large oak desk. If only he could be as confident as Maddie was, he thought as he closed his eyes and tried to relax. But a bad feeling had settled in the pit of his stomach and he knew it would take more than a cheery phrase to convince him that all was in order. Too much had happened recently, and he was on edge. This day had already tested his nerves, and waiting didn't improve his somber mood in the slightest.

Trouble had started early in the morning when a minor home repair to the main water line had resulted in a broken pipe. "We can fix it later, it's no big deal!", Maddie had said in an attempt to cheer him up, but Vlad wasn't about to humor her suggestion. "We shall do no such thing!", he'd snapped while he groped in the rapidly rising water for the turn off valve. "You want us to work on the pipe after we return from the appointment? And in your condition? Oh no, I'm calling a plumber!" "Whatever you say!", Maddie had shot back as she stalked off and Vlad sighed. "That went well", he growled under his breath while the water rose higher.

"There!", he burst out triumphantly when his fingers closed on the old fashioned valve, and moments later the water stopped rushing through the mangled pipe. He stood up and wiped his hands dry. After a quick look convinced him that Maddie was in the house he pulled out the time device and pressed a button. From his vantage point he could see her still figure through the kitchen window. "Sorry darling, but it's for your own good!", he mumbled as he shifted into ghostform and phased into the barn. A second later he'd breached the ghost portal and faced a very surprised member of the ghost crew.

"Get the others! The main water line's broken - again! - and I need it to be fixed before we return this evening!", Vlad Plasmius announced and the small specter before him nodded eagerly. "Sure thing, boss, we'll take care of it!, the ghost turned to leave. "Not so fast!", the halfa snapped. "What did you find out about the mailbox?", he added. "Nothing really", the ghost replied with a shrug, but Plasmius wasn't in the mood to accept this answer. "What does that mean?", the ill-tempered ghost hybrid snarled. "Make yourself clear!" The small ghost seemed to grow even tinier as he faced his master's wrath. "We just noticed that several other people had their mailboxes smashed on the same day, too, and some people were talking about a hobo making the rounds in town, but we couldn't find the guy."

"Very well", Vlad Plasmius grumbled. "Just keep an eye on things, and don't let anyone see you! And this time fix the pipe so it stays fixed!" The ghost nodded and sped off into the depths of the ghost zone to assemble the rest of what Vlad had come to call his crew. The angry halfa turned and exited through the portal and continued towards the house. The unsolved case of the smashed mailbox weighed on his mind as he phased into the kitchen only to realize that Maddie was still frozen in mid motion. With a curse on his lips he phased again to the outside and released the button on the time device the moment he shifted back into human form.

Here was yet another problem, Vlad thought as he pushed open the front door. The inconvenience of having to hide his true self from Maddie made his life difficult at times, but this was something he'd have to accept. Under no circumstances could he let her know his dual nature, certainly not now. She had enough on her mind, and he couldn't be sure that she'd be able to accept him as a halfa. "Do you need the yellow pages?", Maddie asked as she held a phone book towards him. "No, I already have someone in mind", he replied. "I just need to wash up and - oh, cheese doodles!", he cursed. "Yep, no water! Lucky for you I filled the tub before you started on the repair!", the radiant young woman before him grinned. Vlad pulled her close and gently kissed her lush lips. Her presence was intoxicating and he yearned to linger, but there was no time for romance now. "You're an angel! Forgive me?", he asked and Maddie nodded. "Sure, but you better hurry up if you want us to make the appointment!"

They'd spent the long drive to the city chatting idly, but Vlad's mind was still uneasy. "How are you feeling, Maddie?", he'd asked. "I'm fine. A little tired, maybe, but that's normal, the doctor said." He nodded gravely. "I remember, but I want to make sure that you're not worried about anything. The doctor also said that you need to remain calm, and it's been so stressful lately!" "I am calm!", Maddie snapped. "Are you going on about the mailbox again? Really Vlad, as if we don't have anything more important to worry about!", she added as the blood rushed to her cheeks.

Vlad winced. Once again he'd managed to upset Maddie. She'd been moody lately, but she'd taken the destruction of their mailbox remarkably well while he considered the vandalism a personal attack directed at them, no matter who else had experienced the same. He'd called the police, but was surprised to find that the local law enforcement was less than eager to investigate a simple case of property damage. "There's not much we can do here", the sheriff had said. "The deputy took a report, but there's no suspect but some unknown hobo who's already left the area. Besides, nobody else took it that seriously, Mr. Masters!", he'd added, clearly amused that he'd been called out to look at the remains of a mailbox.

Vlad had stared at the sheriff in mute anger. In the mirrored sunglasses clamped on the man's beefy face he could see his reflection, and suddenly he understood the cop's palpable lack of interest and respect. To this officer he was only young Vlad Masters, Olaf's weird white haired nephew with the ghost obsession, one of the local oddballs. In this reality he had neither the status nor the clout which his former life had provided, and the sheriff felt no need to make a special effort for such an unimportant person. A wave of anger rose in Vlad and he opened his mouth to speak, but the cop interrupted. "Maybe somebody didn't like your research. What is it again you do? Something with ghosts, I've heard?" Vlad nodded and tried to speak again, but once again the sheriff cut him off. "Never mind! I'll have my men patrol the street, but that's all I can do!", he said as he swaggered back to his car and Vlad kicked the mailbox in frustration.

"I think you're worrying too much about incidentals!", Maddie had interrupted his train of thought. "We're not having any serious problems, Vlad, we're just living a normal life. And that means sometimes we have to face everyday, mundane stuff like broken pipes and smashed mailboxes and careless sheriffs! It's just ordinary life, nothing more, nothing less." "I guess so", Vlad said, but her words struck a chord within him. Maddie was right, their present life was perfectly mundane, and only their chosen work made them stand out from any other young couple. Only he knew how truly extraordinary their life was, and he had to safeguard many secrets to keep it that way. But he hadn't come this far to vanish in obscurity, he thought. Now that he had Maddie by his side he could concentrate on other things. Their ghost portal was nearly complete, soon he'd file patents and take their new company public. He'd apply his vast and detailed knowledge of the markets to speed their business along until the Masters name resumed its rightful place in the ranks of the superrich and famous. Soon he and Maddie would enjoy the fruit of their labors in the truest sense of the word, Vlad thought happily.

Steps approached in the hallway and receded quickly. The sound had pulled Vlad out of his meditations and his restless gaze fell upon a thick file on the desk. He grabbed the folder and skimmed through the pages. It was his medical file, he realized with a start. No, it was his alter ego's file, but as far as he could see the boy's history was identical to what his had been at that age. But why was the file here, he wondered. Shouldn't the doctors study Maddie's record instead? Suddenly the door opened and Vlad nearly dropped the papers. "Good day, Mr. Masters!", the heavily accented voice of the small woman rushing past him cut through the restful atmosphere of the room. "Your wife will be along in a moment." "How is she? Is everything OK?", Vlad asked nervously.

"Dr. Otumba will give you the details of the exam", the blonde woman across the desk said crisply and gave Vlad a cool glance. "May I have that?" she asked and reached for the medical folder, but Vlad tightened his grip on the thick stack of papers. "About my wife ...", he continued slowly. "I'd like to know how she is", he repeated firmly and the doctor's pale eyes flashed in irritation. Suddenly a perfunctory smile curled her narrow lips. "Please relax! There's nothing to worry about, Mr. Masters. Your wife is perfectly fine and the pregnancy is proceeding normally. Now, is there anything I can help you with?"