Danny lay unconscious on his bed, moving only slightly with a pained moan or whimper while still in the inescapable clutches of dark exhaustion. There was no way he could even awake to the triggering of his ghost sense.

Before the fires of the Nasty Burger had even been put out, the shadow of a large and intimidating figure stood across the feint moonlight streaming through Danny's window. The red eyes that shone from the darkened figures face were, however, filled with pity.

Vlad Plasmius walked silently to Danny's bedside and looked down at him. It had not been a lie. One look at Danny's face was enough to tell him that, even if the scene at the Nasty Burger hadn't already. Vlad sighed mournfully. He knew the only way Danny could be asleep after all this was due to dire exhaustion. Even Vlad couldn't imagine what Danny had been through to come to this, and in truth, he was glad Danny was asleep. If he hadn't been, Vlad wasn't sure he'd have gone with him, but now he had no choice. Vlad had been told Danny would understand, would not resist… but knowing Danny, Vlad wasn't so sure. And yet… perhaps the Daniel Fenton he had come to know was now gone. Loss like this could change a person forever, this much he knew. For he himself was suffering, and he knew he couldn't return to the life he had made for himself after this. He would have to change, because now, someone relied on him. Daniel relied on him. And a little part of Vlad told him, as he scooped the broken boy into his arms, that he would rely on Danny too.

Danny woke with a yell. His eyes were wide open, and for a moment they seemed to shine with a bright green light, but the next moment they were sky blue once more. And bewildered. Danny immediately registered, pushing the shock of his dream to the back of his mind, that he was not in his room. And yet, the place was vaguely familiar. Then a similarly familiar voice to his left gave him a start.

"Daniel?"

Danny snapped his head around, his breathing still fast. His eyes rested on a concerned looking Vlad Masters. Vlad attempted a small sympathetic smile. "It's alright. I brought you here… you're safe." He said gently. Danny swallowed and blinked. It took a few moments for the memories to erase the post dream confusion. But when they did, he wished he was still in the dream… at least it hadn't been real.

"Did anyone find out?…" Danny croaked as he sat up slowly. Vlad gave him a puzzled look, and he added " my identity… does everyone know?"

Vlad's face relaxed a little. "Oh, no, not at all. You don't have to worry about that, no one saw much at all according to the news." Vlad explained. Danny looked somewhat relieved, but he frowned a little. "When did you find me? How did you find out what happened?" He asked. "I came to get you while they were still putting out the fires. Don't worry, I informed the authorities that I'm looking after you, they won't come looking. I was told by Clockwork…" he trailed off with a tone of slight confusion. A change came over Danny's face. "Clockwork? He was with you?" he seemed a little lost for words and… angry? "Not for long, he just told me I had to go and get you because… your family…" Vlad trailed off awkwardly, not wanting to mention the D word incase it upset Daniel. The implication was enough to twinge the pain in Danny's eyes, but he seemed to push it away, replacing it with confused anger once more. "Did he explain to you how? Did he tell you he could have stopped it?" Danny said in a strained voice of barely contained rage. Vlad's face strained a little more with confusion and anxiety at Danny's strange turn of emotion. He had expected grief, and possibly anger that he had not been able to save them, but this vicious attitude towards Clockwork?… Vlad had a feeling he had missed something here…

"He didn't tell me how this came to be, but he did tell me it was his fault and there was nothing he could do. He said he would return to speak to you when you had recovered a little more. That was all, then he left." He explained calmly.

Danny looked away from Vlad, the pain in his eyes deepening. He seemed to be struggling with something more than just the burning lump in his throat.

"What's this about Daniel?" Vlad prompted carefully.

"His fault? HIS fault… he's damn right it's his fault! Where was he? WHERE was he when that MONSTER escaped? Where was he when I was fighting to get that Basterd into the void? WHERE WAS HE WHEN I COULDN'T SAVE THEM? HE KNEW! HE KNEW THIS WOULD HAPPEN AND HE DIDN'T DO ANYTHING!"

Danny's sudden explosion shocked Vlad. Tears had begun to stream down Danny's face again and he shook with both grief and rage. His breathing was shallow and shaky. After a shocked moment of tense silence, Vlad got over the initial surprise and leant forward. He wrapped his arms firmly around Danny, and after a moment of resistance, Danny gave up and collapsed into them, sobbing unrestrainedly into Vlad's chest. "Why?… why didn't he save them?" he gasped through choking sobs.

"I don't know, but I'm sure he will explain it when he comes…" Vlad replied calmly, running a hand gently through Danny's mess of black hair. He let Danny cry his heart out without another word, his presence enough to slowly calm and extinguish Danny's anger, leaving him a weakened mournful wreck, trying to come to terms in his mind with the fact that he would never see them again…

His Mother, his Father, Jazz… Tucker and Sam… even Lancer, he'd cost the innocent man his life… and denied his two best friends theirs, which they had not even truly had a chance to live…

And what was worse was the horrible twisting pain in his chest when he thought of Sam. He only just realized what it was… They had never said it. He'd known it now for long enough, yet he hadn't said anything. And now it was too late. She'd never know how he really felt.

Danny shuddered, a fresh wave of silent tears spilling down his face as he closed his eyes tighter. He couldn't take this pain. He forced the memories down, trying to think of something else. But unlike last night, his mind was not clinging to distractions. Quite the opposite, it was now ignoring all the little petty thoughts that tried to make themselves heard.

Danny didn't know it, but Vlad himself was still struggling to let the gravity of the situation sink in, as he sat with his arms still protectively wrapped around Danny's shaking shoulders. His mind was still in denial. They were dead. Maddie… the love of his life. Jack… his mortal enemy. Jazz, the sort of daughter he wished he had. And Danny's friends… both of whom had proved themselves worthy opponents along with Danny, his half-immortal enemy… who now resided in his arms as he tried to comfort the grief stricken boy. It all seemed so surreal to him. So much so that he felt numb to it and he couldn't yet work up any deep emotions of his own. It might have been that the reality hadn't sunk in yet… it could also have been his alienation and lack of true companionship for so long, that suppressed his emotional response to no more than a dull pang, like the loss of a prized possession. As though there was still hope he could find it again. But Vlad decided it was his ignorance of the situation and actual event that created this barrier to the deeper feelings within him. The need to know became unbearable.

"What… exactly, happened?… What was the monster you said killed them?" Vlad asked softly. Danny tensed in his arms again, the flame of anger sparking dully within him again. He made to wipe his eyes on his torn shirtsleeve. Vlad finally released his hold on him and sat back onto the end of the bed, facing Danny. There were shadows behind the pained and defeated blue eyes as they stared at the floor. Danny swallowed and steadied his breathing.

"Me… it was me…" he mumbled in a hollow tone. Vlad was slightly taken aback. "What do you mean it was you? You didn't… you weren't… were you being controlled somehow?"

Danny shook his head and sniffed. "It wasn't me now, it was the future me… and kind of you too…it's… a long story."

"Well…" said Vlad, trying to decipher his own involvement in the whole ordeal, "perhaps telling it will take your mind off things."