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Quantum Phantom
A Danny Phantom/Quantum Leap FanFic by Cori

Danny woke up to being strapped down to a table. Not that this was a unique situation – it had happened before on any number of occasions. The only thing that made this a bit special was the fact that the table seemed to be in the middle of some very complex contraption.

He looked around, checking out the various dials and knobs and electrical components. Craning his head backwards, he could just make out the computer the entire thing was attached to. Wires ran from the computer to places on his arms and chest.

That was when he realized he was human. He gave a start at that, the tension in his body racking up a few notches. This wasn't someone experimenting on a ghost, this was someone experimenting on…

"Well, well, look who's awake."

The voice was instantly recognizable. Danny twisted his head, trying to see the white-haired whack job that came with the voice. "Let me go," he demanded.

"Nope." Vlad appeared through the web of wires and panels, a dark smile on his face. "I need a guinea pig. You fit the bill perfectly." He petted Danny's cheek, his fingers cold and dry, then turned to fiddle with some of the knobs.

Danny yanked against the thick bands holding his hands and feet to the table. They didn't move. He snarled a bit and reached for his ghost powers. Cold, incredible power sparked inside of him and raced through his muscles. He took a deep breath, his eyes half-closing at the awesome feeling.

Then the pain started. Danny couldn't help the scream that was torn from his lungs at the pure agony. It seemed to burn through every bone and muscle in his body. He found himself unable to focus on anything but how much pain he was in.

By the time it faded away into nothingness and Danny, quite a bit of time had passed. Vlad was gone from his sights, the room quiet of everything but his own labored breathing and the strange beeping of the machines. "Ouch," he whispered.

"See this?"

A string suddenly dangled in front of his eyes. Danny focused on it for a second, then looked past it to Vlad's face. "Were you waiting for me to wake up?" Danny muttered, his voice raspy from screaming. "Such a nice sentiment."

The look on Vlad's face turned dark. His hand trembled, the string magnifying the movement. "You insolent, little-"

"Whatever," Danny interrupted. "Just do what you're going to do. I don't want to listen to your stupid rants."

Vlad slammed his fist into the table next to Danny's head. His whole body seemed to be shaking. The hand on the table came up to press around Danny's neck, sharp nails curling into the thin skin.

Danny couldn't help the small spark of fear the curled in his chest as his breath started to become raspy. Perhaps he'd pushed Vlad one comment too far this time. It might have been smarter to get himself free before enraging the old man.

"The only reason," Vlad hissed, "I don't kill you right now is because what I have planned for you is so much better than death. You'll live, knowing that you're making me a very rich and powerful man. I'll make enough money off this to be President."

Danny just continued to stare at Vlad, trying not show how much he was struggling to breathe. He gritted his teeth and narrowed his eyes.

The pressure on his throat vanished and Danny shook, trying not to take a huge breath of air now that he could. "You'll never be President," he rasped.

Vlad turned from him and started to stalk away, but then stopped. "No, you deserve to know what's going to happen to you. I'm not going to let you take the enjoy being confused. I want you to understand." Vlad punctuated the last word by twisting around and stomping up next to Danny's head. The string came back out.

"Death by string?" Danny taunted, tugging against the cuffs on his wrist.

"This is your life," Vlad said. "This end is the day you were born. This end is today – the end of your life." He held the string between his hands, pulling it taught. "It follows a straight line, see?"

Danny was feeling a decidedly uncomfortable twinge in his stomach. He'd realized that, generally speaking, the more crazy Vlad acted, the worse things turned out. He was waiting for the day that Vlad went completely loco and somehow tried to blow up the planet. This string thing was an 8.5 on the crazy-scale, meaning the damage from this was going to be huge.

"There's this theory," Vlad continued, "about lives. See how the string is straight now?" He crumpled the string up in his hand. "See how now it's not?"

Danny found himself watching the string as the uncomfortable twinge grew into a full-out 'uh-oh, this is gonna be bad'. The inane comment in his head died on his tongue.

"The string wraps around and touches itself. The idea is that you can leap from point to point throughout your life." Vlad smiled. "This machine is going to make you do that."

"Who'd you steal this machine from?" Danny asked. It didn't come out bad-ass like he'd hoped. Instead, it felt a little desperate, especially since he was still yanking against the cuffs holding him to the table.

Vlad snorted and the smile on his face grew into something realistic, which made Danny close his eyes. "That's for me to know and you to never find out."

There were strange clicking sounds and a soft whirr. Danny flicked his eyes open to stare up into the odd collection of electronics over his head. "Vlad-"

"Say 'bye-bye' Little Badger."

"Vlad!" A powerful surge of energy slammed into Danny's body, causing his arms and legs to tense and seize. Blue light crackled through his brain. He felt this horrible sensation of being torn to pieces.

Then it stopped.

Danny opened his eyes very slowly, still feeling his muscles tingling from the energy from Vlad's crazy 'life string looper' machine. He was expecting to see Vlad's annoyed expression – the machine obviously had failed. Vlad was about to be very mad.

Instead, he found himself staring at a wall. It was green and covered in posters of superheroes. He blinked a few times, finally taking in the ringing of an alarm clock. "What the…" He sat up slowly, a thick blanket falling off his body.

Completely confused, Danny just continued to look around the strange bedroom. "Where am I?" he whispered. The glow of the alarm clock caught his eye and he reached for it, fumbling to turn it off.

His bare feet touched the wood floor and he got up, rearranging the waistband of the long pants he was wearing. He stopped again, studying them. The icon of Superman was emblazoned all over them. One eyebrow arched dubiously. "These aren't mine."

He took a few steps forwards, then froze. Slowly, almost reverently, Danny walked up to the mirror that was on the wall, staring at his reflection.

The boy standing in his spot wasn't him. The kid was perhaps seven years old, with short brown hair and large brown eyes. One of his eyes was blackened. Danny – the kid in the reflection – both reached up to touch his face. Danny hissed a little when he felt the pain of his fingers touch the sensitive skin.

"Andrew?" came a call.

"What the hell?" Danny whispered. He walked up the mirror and pressed his hand against the glass. The young boy in the reflection did the same. He blinked at the same time Danny did. He licked his lips when Danny did.

Then Danny got it. He grinned – watching the boy in the mirror do the same – and snapped his fingers. "Possession." Danny shook his head and snorted. "I can't believe I…"

He trailed off as something because really obvious. He looked down at his hands – the little boy's hands – and turned them this way and that. There was something very different about this. Always before when he'd possessed someone, it had felt like he was wearing some kind of a human suit. There was a very definite 'not right' feeling to it.

This… there wasn't that feeling like he was wearing a suit. These fingers felt like they were his. Only he knew they weren't. He had fifteen-year-old fingers that were covered in small scars and calluses. These fingers were soft and smooth and belonged to a little kid.

"Andrew!" There was a sharp knocking at the door and it opened. Danny spun around to stare at the woman who poked her head around the door. "God, boy, answer me when I call you." The woman had a sharp, pointed nose and owl-like brown eyes. Her hair was done up in a tight bun.

Danny just stared at her, confused. Then he looked around, searching for the boy she was calling.

Her hands went onto her hips and she stalked into the room. "Oh, don't start with me, Andrew. Why aren't you dressed yet? Your uncle will be here any minute!" She grabbed Danny by the shoulder and jerked him around to face her. "What are you playing at?"

Danny blinked and stared at her, his mouth moving aimlessly a few times. "N-nothing," he stumbled. It was obvious she was talking to him. He had to be this 'Andrew'. The question was: who was she? "Sorry?"

The woman shook her head and sighed. "Well? What are you just standing here for? Get yourself dressed!" She turned him around and pushed him towards the closet. "And nicely, Andrew. Not one of those costumes again. We need to impress your uncle, not make him think we live in a mental hospital."

Danny nodded vaguely and took a few steps towards the closet before catching sight of his reflection in the mirror again. He hesitated, staring into eyes that were far too young. He couldn't help but wonder what was happening to him – where he was.

"Andrew." The voice of the woman sounded exasperated. "Now, please. Then get yourself downstairs for breakfast."

There was the sound of a door closing. Danny glanced over his shoulder at the empty bedroom. The woman was gone.

Danny spent another moment staring at his reflection before wrenching open the closet doors. Somewhere between the Superman uniform and the Batman outfit was a nicer-looking shirt. It had at least a dozen buttons. In Danny's book, that meant it was a 'nicer' shirt.

He peeled off his pajama top and buttoned up, then rummaged through the drawers until he found himself a pair of pants. Socks went on, then a pair of shoes he'd found on the floor. Then he found himself stuck, sitting on the floor and staring at his newly tied shoes.

"What the hell am I doing?" Danny whispered. "I need to get out of here, that's what I need to do. Not get dressed and eat breakfast." Without standing up, Danny closed his eyes and reached for his ghost powers. There was a scary moment when nothing happened, but then he felt that reassuring rush of energy.

When he opened his eyes, they were an eerie glowing green. He struggled for a moment, searching for the person he was possessing, trying to figure out how to get himself out of the kid's body. With a scowl, he gave up, crossing his arms over his chest. "Well, that didn't work."

On a whim, he reached out and passed his hand through the floor. He relaxed a bit at the knowledge that at least some of his ghost powers were working.

Pushing himself to his feet, Danny crawled across the bed and pushed the curtain aside. Outside the sun was shining and only a few white clouds were scurrying across the sky. He didn't recognize the buildings, though.

"Darn it, Andrew! Get your butt out here! And you'd better be dressed!"

Danny wrinkled his nose and sighed. "Fine," he muttered. He slumped off the bed and walked across the room, pulling the door open and headed out into the hallway. Then he paused, a bit stumped. "Uh…" He looked both ways down the hallway, unsure which way to go.

The carpet was worn nearly through, the few pictures on the walls had cracks in the glass. Two other doors leading to other rooms were partly open, showing their dusty innards.

"Andrew."

Danny turned towards the voice and found the woman standing in the hallway, one hip up against the wall. She was studying him, a strange look on her face.

"You feeling okay?" she asked, walking towards him and kneeling down. She grabbed his shirt and then froze. "You buttoned your shirt up. When'd you learn to do that?"

Danny glanced down at his shirt. "Um-" He struggled to come up with something to say.

The woman smiled at him and patted his cheek. "That's good, though, that you did that. I'm proud of you, Andrew. Come get some breakfast."

As she got up and started down the hallway, Danny shook his head. "I'm thoroughly confused," he muttered. Then he followed her, glancing down at his fingers now and then to flex them. He was waiting for the glove-like feel to come back so he could go back to his own life.

The end of the hallway opened up to a small living room and an equally small kitchen. The windows were clean but scratched, the kitchen cabinets dinged and well worn with use. The woman was putting big scoops of oatmeal into bowls and carting them over to the table.

Danny made his way over to the table and settled down in a chair. The woman set one of the bowls in front of him. "Don't make a mess on your clean shirt." She sat down in the other chair with the other bowl, blowing carefully on the oatmeal.

"Oh, stop staring at me and eat your oatmeal," she said after a bit, making Danny start in surprise. He hadn't realized he had gotten trapped in watching her. "You're going to be awfully hungry if you miss breakfast."

He grabbed his spoon and started to eat. The oatmeal was actually very good – warm and coated with a tinge of cinnamon. He was nearly halfway through the bowl when he noticed the woman had set down her spoon and watching him with a tilt to her head. He stopped and gazed at her.

"You've picked a good day to act normal, kiddo. Your uncle will be impressed." She smiled and picked up her spoon again.

"Marsha!" came the shout from the door. It sounded like a large, angry man. "You here?"

"Oh, that's your uncle." The woman grabbed the half-eaten bowl of oatmeal from in front of Danny and whisked it away. "You be on your best behavior, you hear me Andrew? We need this and I can't have you ruining it. You just smile and be quiet." She pulled him off his chair and brushed the front of his shirt. "You heard me?"

The way she met Danny's eyes meant she was waiting for an answer. Danny nodded.

"Marsha! You open this door right now!"

"I'm coming!" she shouted over her shoulder, got up, and vanished out of the kitchen.

Danny opened his mouth and closed it a few times, looking around. The idea of just leaving was sounding very tempting – finding his way back to his home and throwing a punch or two into Vlad's face, just to annoy him – but that would mean dragging this kid's body along with him. And it sounded like the woman needed him, at least for now.

So although he found himself staring out the window at the sunshine, imagining himself on his way home, he didn't move. He waited for this 'uncle' to return, along with the woman he was coming to think was called Marsha. If this kid was letting him borrow his body for awhile, he could at least do the kid a favor and make it through this meeting.

"This trailer's getting worse and worse," came the man's voice, much closer than before. "I swear, Marsha, you need to find yourself a proper husband and get yourself a house to keep."

"Yes, Tom," the woman said as she lead the man into the kitchen.

He was exactly as his voice sounded – large, powerful, and extremely male. His barrel chest was probably large enough to cage a mid-sided dog. He was wearing a blue suit and had a newspaper tucked under his arm. Danny instantly got a bad vibe that raced from his toes up to the tiny hairs on the back of his neck. The man's brown eyes scanned the kitchen and rested on Danny. "And you still have the kid."

Marsha tensed a bit. "Yes, Tom."

"I told you to put him in that institution." The large man stalked up to Danny, the floor trembling under his weight. "Look at those dumb eyes. A boy that can barely speak on his seventh birthday is never going to get anywhere. A girl, that'd be a dream. But not a boy. You still dumb, id'jit?" The man stuck his finger in Danny's face. "Still think you're a superhero?"

Danny pulled back, confused, but a few puzzle pieces falling into place. The woman's comments about being able to button his shirt and acting strange were making more sense.

"Look at his face. He doesn't even understand me, I don't think. You're never going to find a husband with this leech on you. Why can't you get rid of him?"

The woman came around the large man and set her hand on Danny's shoulder. "I told you, Tom, I can't afford one of those places for him. Besides, he's my re-"

"Don't need to afford it," the man leered. "One bullet would do it. I could even spot you for it."

Danny stared up into the man's eyes, his mouth dropping open slightly. Was he serious? When the feel of the woman's arm pulling him back and away from Tom registered in his brain, Danny realized that this was no joke. Anger flared in his gut.

"Andrew, why don't you go play in the living room for awhile," Marsha said quietly into his ear. "Let me talk to your uncle."

Danny stayed where he was, staring at Tom, until the woman physically pushed him away. He stumbled sideways a few steps, then made his way into the living room and plopped down on the couch, watching the man's every move.

"My stupid sister, giving him to you. I'da done what was right years ago," Tom muttered darkly.

"I know," Marsha said quietly. "But you're not here to talk about Andrew. Please, Tom." She waited until she had the man's attention. "Sit down for a while, Tom. I'll get you a coffee."

Tom dropped into the chair Danny had recently vacated and dropped his newspaper onto the table. "I don't want coffee. Just get to it, Marsha."

"I'm about eight hundred short this month," she replied. Her chin was tucked down, her eyes focused on the floor.

Silence filled the small house for a few moments.

"God damnit, Marsha," Tom roared. "How'd you run through all that money so fast?"

"I got sick," She answered softly. "The doctor was expensive. Please, Tom. I'll be on the street… I got nobody else to turn to…"

Tom reached into his pocket and grabbed his wallet, pulling out a check and starting to scrawl on it. "You're earning this money, woman," he snarled. "I'm gonna make you earn every penny of it."

Marsha just stared at the floor, not answering. When Tom threw the check onto the table, Marsh visibly flinched. "Just let me get Andrew set up," she whispered.

Tom stood up, knocking over his chair, and stalked down the hallway. The entire house shook. The woman made her way over to Danny and knelt down in front of him, quietly running her hand through his hair. Her eyes were puffy and red. "You just sit quiet and don't listen, you hear me? You stay here."

Then she got up and followed the large, angry man out of the kitchen down the hallway. A bedroom door closed softly, followed by a bunch of sounds.

Seven-year-old Andrew probably would never have known what those sounds meant. Danny did, and it made him sick. He got up and stalked over to the kitchen table, grabbing the check and reading the name on it. "Tom Matterson, I'll make sure you pay for this."

Then he stopped, double-checking the date. "1997? What the hell?" He picked up the newspaper and unfolded it. "September 18th, 1997?"

Suddenly, his stomach gave a little flip as Vlad's words came back to him. The idea is that you can leap from point to point throughout your life. This machine is going to make you do that.

His mouth was a bit more open than before. The newspaper dropped back down onto the table. "I went back in time?" he whispered. He shook his head, not quite believing it, and looked around for another way that he could check it. When nothing met his gaze, Danny hesitated and stared down the hallway. The noises were still going strong.

"I'll be back," he whispered, reached for his ghost powers, and vanished.

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Thanks!

-Cori