"But is she now just resigned to the fact that there's an immortal dude possibly sucking her blood and there's nothing she can do about it? Do we got a Wes/Mr Crocker situation? Did she learn the truth?" - "Noonle" on AO3

When the stabbing happened, Danny was taking his usual nap in his hammock outside the school. (Thank Clockwork upperclassmen had the option to leave during their study hall. These naps had done wonders for his sleep!)

At first he wasn't sure what had happened. He felt the pain, sure, but it wasn't anything like an ectoblast - something he was FAR too used to for his own comfort.

By the time he began to process things, Alex was halfway to the school. It wasn't until Sam pointed it out that his shock-slowed brain realized "Oh, yeah. Letting Alex talk right now would probably be bad!"

Flying up and overshadowing the younger student was easy enough. As was getting through the rest of the school day pretending to be them. (As much as Danny didn't want to, it was easier than leaving them passed-out in a closet or something).

After school, Sam asked him what he was going to do.

Which was what Danny had been trying to figure out all day.

"The only he CAN do is tell them, right?" asked Tucker.
"I'm not doing that."
The two stopped walking to look at him, questioning. He turned to look back at them, exasperated.
"I'm not just gonna trust some random kid with my secret. Especially not one that just tried to KILL me!"
Tucker asked the obvious, "So then, what?"
"..."

Danny started walking again, "Let's just… focus on one problem at a time, okay?"

...

Tucker was the one who came up with their current plan for capturing the vampire-ghost, much to his own discomfort. Since this kid "Avery" was the only person to be attacked twice (so far), there was a good chance they'd be attacked again. So Team Phantom decided to stake out Avery's hospital room tonight.

Danny flew them (and Alex's body… He didn't know where their house was. He recognized this was a problem - but wasn't sure what else to do about it right now. One problem at a time, dammit!) invisibly and intangibly into the hospital. Finding the right room took a while. Once they did, Danny left Alex sleeping on the spare bed near the window.

Aside from Tucker pacing and muttering ("modeling agency") constantly, Danny hiding them from nurses periodically, and Avery and Alex continuing to sleep, nothing happened for a few hours.

...

It had been dark for only about thirty minutes before the vampire-ghost arrived - and all hell broke loose.
This ghost was fast!
Danny and Sam both shot at it from different angles when it appeared in the doorway, but it dodged easily! Danny tried to get close, but it flew across the room before he could. Tucker tried to catch it using the Jack o' Nine Tails, but it turned into a flock of bats!

As this was going on…
Alex. woke. up.
And saw their worst nightmare come to life: two vampires fighting over who got to feed on their cousin!
"Hey! Get away from my cousin, you filthy-!"
*bam*

Tucker had knocked them out out with, appropriately, the "Fenton Anti-Creep Stick."
"Just knocking-out a would-be murderer, while fighting a vampire, in a modeling agency," he muttered before yelling, "Sam, use it!"
It was a longshot, but Sam thought it was worth bringing just in case: she pulled out a crucifix and a Star of David.

Hissing, the vampire-ghost (now re-formed) darted into the corner farthest from the objects.

… and started whimpering.
"I-... I-...
"... I'm sorry…!" He was… crying? "I didn't mean to!"

The ecto-energy faded from Danny's fists. "Didn't mean to…?"
"I never meant to feed on this child more than once. I-I came here to check on them, a-and a-a-apologize. That's all, I swear! Please, just… Just don't kill me!"

Putting their last-resorts away, Sam walked up to him. "We're not going to hurt you."
"Sam-!" Tucker whispered.
"-Look, why don't you tell us why you've been… feeding off people in the first place?"

Sam tried to act as comfortingly as she could, while still keeping a safe(-ish) distance.
It seemed to work. A bit. Though as he talked, the poor guy became frantic again.
"I… I never meant to become this. I just wanted to die peacefully, but - While I was on death's door - I was bitten by one of them! I didn't live long after that, and when I… awoke… I was like this!"

Sam exchanged a knowing look with Danny.
"You're not a vampire."
The ghost looked at her with pity, starting to speak - but Danny interrupted.

"You're a ghost whose obsession is being a vampire. I've met other ghosts with similar problems - there's one who became a genie-ghost after… Well, that's not really my story to tell, but," he pulled out the Fenton Finder, "-the point is, we can prove it."

After a few explanations and demonstrations, the ghost was just about convinced. He agreed to go to the Ghost Zone, at least, and asked to be put inside the thermos until they'd arrived there ("For everyone's safety").
But before they could leave-

"Y'know, in retrospect, this WAS super obvious."
Team Phantom froze at the voice. And slowly turned to see that Avery was wide-awake.
"I mean, really? 'Fenton'? 'Phantom'? Jeeeez. Who woulda guessed that Wes guy was actually right?!"

"Uh…"
In all the excitement, Danny had actually forgotten about the other two kids in the room.

He glanced over. Oh, good. At least one of them was still asleep!

"I won't tell. Promise." Avery pulled themself up to sit straighter in their bed. "But, uh… You should know: my cousin, Alex," they gestured to the sleeping figure, "thinks that you're the vampire that's been attacking people."

Sam almost dropped the thermos - and bent over in barely-contained laughter.
Even for Danny, this was a bit much for one day. Nervously, he asked, "Could you…? I mean, would you mind-?"
Avery smiled. "Yeah, I'll cover for you."

Actually, he was going to ask them to convince their cousin otherwise, buuut…
Priorities first. "Mind if I ask why… they thought I was the vampire?"
"Oh!" Avery's smile widened, completely innocent, and said nonchalantly, "It was the fangs."

Sam collapsed on the floor.
Much more of this and she'd wake up the whole hospital.

…
… Yep.
Danny was 1000% DONE with this day.

"Y'know what? Sure. Why not?" he grabbed onto Sam's and Tucker's arms, "Vampire. Sure. Let's go with that," he turned them intangible, "Can't kill me anyway. Why not a vampire? Vampires are cool. I can pull off a vampire…" He continued muttering as he flew them out of the building.

And he was still going by the time he made it home.

...

Alex didn't wake up until the next morning.

"Hey, fish-breath."
"Morning, medusa-hair," Alex muttered unthinkingly - before realizing where they were.
Alex sat up with a start.

They dashed over to Avery, checking them up and down for… something. A bite mark, maybe?
"Woah, uh… personal space, much?"
"You're okay…" It was said almost like a question.
"Aside from being in the hospital, and smelling your disgusting morning-breath again? Sure."

"Last night!" Alex screamed at them, grabbing Avery's shoulders, "You were awake! I saw you! They didn't touch you?"
"Last night?" Avery pretended to be confused, "Saw what?"
"The vampires!"
Avery rolled their eyes, "Again with the vampires-"
"-They were right here-"
"-You had a nightmare, Alex."
"Wha-!"

Avery looked Alex dead in the eyes and explained as if to a child, "You came to visit me last night. You were worried that ghost-"
"-vampire-!"
"-might attack again. It did, and Danny Phantom came and finally caught it," Avery shrugged, "That must've been what you saw."

Alex was too panicked to notice the inconsistencies in Avery's story.
Their brain was too busy piecing together… something (incorrectly).
They'd had a… realization (a mistaken one).

"... Ghosts…?"
"Hm?"
Alex let go of their cousin's shoulders.
"... Nothing…"

Danny Fenton. Danny Phantom.
That guy… He kept trying to convince people those two were the same. Alex - everyone - always dismissed him. A ghost couldn't be a human, after all.
But… What if…?

There were so many different types of vampires in mythology…
What if… Ghosts and vampires… Were the same thing…?!

After all, vampires could shapeshift, so… If that's what "Danny" was…!

What was that guy's name…?
… "Wes"! That was it!
Maybe "Wes" was onto something after all!

… Alex decided then.
That they should go talk to this "Wes" guy.

If you want more of this, don't forget to request it and vote for it in the next OSW poll!

You can find the current poll on my Tumblr ("CiestessDE"), Twitter ("Ciestess"), or my website (crossroadofinfinity. com).