Spy Guy: I haven't updated this in a while, and maybe that's because I'm not sure if any one likes it. It is very AU, and mellodramatic, and I would like to know if people would like to see it completed to the end. Here's the next chapter. I hope y'all enjoy it. :D I don't like abandoning stories, but I so have MW and Stray, and TNG to write as well.
I dunno...meh. I'm just a lot busier than I was back in the day. I don't know why...it really doesn't make any sense at all. hmmms...I shall have to research this.
Vlad sat in his study, lounging in his favorite chair, his feet propped up on a cushioned ottoman. In one hand, he held a glass filled with the same blue liquid he had given to Daniel. The other hand, he held to his temples. Vlad took a sip, letting the thick concoction run down his throat, and ease his burning stomach.
"You ate again, didn't you?" A voice suddenly asked, coming from the air. He briefly felt a cold hand on his shoulder, followed by the sound of loud metallic footsteps. A chair across from him, usually reserved for Daniel, sunk beneath the weight of an invisible being. Vlad tensed, gripping the armrests of his own tightly.
"Don't worry, sir." The voice continued. "It's only me…Skulker."
"Skulker?" The man asked, sitting up in his chair. "What are you doing here? How did you get in?"
"That's why I came." The voice continued. "The barrier's weak. Demons have already invaded your grounds."
"I knew about that." Vlad said with a sigh. "Daniel was attacked last night. I wouldn't mind if it were spirits, like you, but…demons…"
The man paused, taking another sip of his drink. He hated the taste, but knew that without it…he would die. He could almost imagine Skulker's eyes watching him sadly.
"I didn't just come to tell you that." The spirit said, shifting in his chair. Vlad looked ahead, trying to focus on the guest that he couldn't see.
Skulker sighed, before continuing.
"Duskae's found you." He said, shifting again. "He's been working on breaking down the barriers for some time now, right under my nose. He knows about Daniel, and he won't rest until he has both of you."
Vlad's glass fell from his hand.
"What do you mean?" The man cried. "I've tried to keep Daniel a secret—"
"You can't keep a hunter secret from demons." Skulker continued. "They know. They always know."
"Duskae…Duskae can't come here. He…he can't." Vlad blubbered, getting to his feet. "I…left his service and I refuse to go back."
"You know that you don't have much choice sir." The spirit continued. "You made a contract with him. He'll find you."
Vlad looked down at his feet, holding his arms around him. Flashes of memories ran through his mind like lightning, whipping around so quickly, he couldn't focus. The study fell away, and all he could see was darkness...
He saw the alley where they had first met...smelled the stench of death that hailed his presence. He could feel the demon's hand on his cheek, cold and unnatural.
"Where is your master, Little Link?"
"I refuse to go back to him." The old man growled through his teeth. "Skulker..." He turned in the spirit's direction, his eyes narrowing. "Is there anything we can do? I won't let Duskae get to Daniel."
The spirit paused for a moment, his sudden silence eerie. The only indication of his continuing presence was the indent in the chair where he sat, and the overpowering cold in the room.
"You could get him back to his clan." Skulker replied. "Maybe his family has hunters in it somewhere. Finding his parents could be a good place to start."
Vlad nodded, drawing his hands into fists at his sides.
"I know where they are. I can find them."
"Maybe they will take you as well, sir." The spirit said as he got to his feet. Vlad scoffed.
"What hunter would want to take in a demon's link?" He growled, closing his eyes. "The things I have done to their kind...how could they forgive me?"
Skulker sighed sadly, metal creaking as he sadly turned to the old man.
"When will you realize that you've made up for your childhood, sir? What you've done for that single hunter, has made up for all the terrible things you've done to his kind in the past."
Vlad laughed bitterly, turning his eyes to the stains left by his fallen drink.
"You are such a fool, Skulker. I've done no good for that child, and he hates me for it...
"Just like the rest of the world...."
Daniel didn't finish his soup...his stomach hurt too much...not from his injuries, but from his emotions.
He didn't want to be alone again.
The boy could still clearly remember his years in the asylum. He could remember being alone in the white room with the imps crowding around him...and he could remember how hard he had to try to get someone to listen to him, or to even acknowledge his existence.
The last thing he wanted was to be alone again.
But what could he do about it? The demons called him a hunter, and yet they hunted him. The imps and demons wanted nothing more than to snuff out his life.
How could he hide from them forever?
If what Vlad has said was true, he was only safe within the walls of the mansion, protected by whatever means the old man had used to make his home into a fortress.
What kind of life was that?
In the end, would living in isolation be worth it, if he could never really live?
Vlad stumbled up to his room, his broken glasses making him dizzy as he tried to work out a plan in his head. He would have to take Daniel and make a run for it.
That was as far as he had gotten.
The boy's parents had moved to a place called Amity Park shortly after Daniel had come to Vlad's home. It was a small town located in southern Michigan. A quiet place.
Maybe the Fentons had family there, hunters perhaps who had not known about their relative's plight. A hunter needed his people…needed to be taught how to use his powers and to fight the evils that they had been born to eradicate. A hunter without his own was a liability…a creature born to die at the hand of a demon he hadn't even provoked. It was his destiny…
Just as it was Vlad's destiny to hear the monsters…and be their link between the worlds.
Neither Daniel nor himself could escape their fates. It was in their blood.
The man dragged a suitcase from his closet, haphazardly throwing clothes inside. His heart pumped quickly in his chest, its rhythm offset by the fear coursing through his veins. Vlad quickly changed into something a little more casual, before continuing to raid his closet, throwing various pairs of shoes and shirts onto the bed. He had always been good at packing. All the places Duskae had taken him over the years…he was an expert at knowing just what he needed to survive.
The old man made sure he had his wallet, car keys, and I.D, before dragging his bulging suitcase from his room, and down the stairs. He knew that Vincent was watching curiously from the kitchen, preparing to leave for the night. Vlad didn't care. He had to get out of the house before the demons came. Daniel was too weak to protect himself.
"Sir…" The resident chef said, walking into the foyer. "Are you alright?"
"I'm fine." The man snapped darkly. "I'm just taking Daniel on a little trip."
"But he's weak."
Vlad simply growled through his teeth, barging through the front doors on his way to his car.
Vincent watched his boss tearing across the brick courtyard, pulling a full suitcase behind him. Could he really be serious about taking Daniel on a trip, now? Right after the boy had come back from the hospital? After he had been attacked by a wild animal and still needed rest?
What kind of man was Mr. Masters? Why would he risk Daniel's health like that?
Vincent had been at the house long before the boy had come. He knew the rules that Vladimir had to follow when it came to his care. Daniel was not to go anywhere before calling Dr. Thompson, and the chef was sure that Vlad had not done that.
So…it looked like it was up to him.
Vlad burst into Daniel's room, wearing one of his black polo shirts, and a pair of crisp jeans. His hair was still wild, but it looked as though he had found a replacement pair of glasses.
"We're leaving this place tonight." The man said, moving to the closet.
The boy sat up, confusion running through his mind. What had happened since they last spoke? Hadn't his guardian just condemned him to a life of loneliness…and now they were leaving? Why?
"What happened?" Daniel asked, watching as the old man threw clothes into a duffel bag at the foot of his bed.
"A greater demon is coming, and my barriers aren't strong enough anymore. If we don't leave, it'll kill you."
"I can barely walk." Daniel protested.
"Do you think that a demon cares!?" Vlad shouted, his eyes wild with madness. "He'll kill you! They'll all kill you!"
The boy suddenly felt afraid. He had never seen his guardian so…so…out of control. It was as if there was an entirely different person right beneath Vlad's skin, fighting demons blindly, and screaming.
"I'm supposed to protect you." The man sobbed. "Dammit! I'm supposed to protect you from them!"
He zipped the duffel shut, and hefted it over his shoulder. Maddie growled and snuggled tighter into Daniel's embrace.
"Come on Daniel." Vlad said, holding out a trembling hand. "We have to go."
The boy didn't want to accept, but he didn't know what else to do. If what Vlad said was true, he would die if he stayed…and he didn't want to die...yet.
"What about Maddie?" The boy asked.
"She's coming with us." The man replied. "I have her things in the car. Come on."
Daniel maneuvered the cat onto his shoulder, and reached for his guardian's hand, allowing him to help him to his feet.
"I'm taking you to a safe place, Little Hunter." Vlad murmured. "I'm taking you home."
And Daniel couldn't believe what he was hearing.
Spy Guy: Happy Windsday everyone.