He ran as fast as he could, weaving around the trees in his path and smashing through branches. This was unavoidable, as well as unfortunate because it was leaving a trail for the ghost hunters right behind him to follow. He was fast losing hope of escaping at this rate. Leaves and branches whipped his face in his haste, but be couldn't afford to slow down even for a second.

The half-ghost sat on the sofa in front of Jack and Maddie Fenton. He steeled himself, and began before he could lose his nerve. "There's something I need to tell you."

He twisted sharply to the side to avoid a weapon fired by one of the Fentons. Who fired, he couldn't tell. Running was slightly higher on his priorities list. How could he have possibly been so dumb! Now Jack and Maddie think they know everything, but...

"Remember the accident with the ghost portal? Something happened then that I've been hiding from you for a long time now."

He must be near the edge of the forest by now; they'd been chasing him for hours. His hand twitched and he took his eyes off the 'path' for a moment to check the slowly oozing wound. The gash had been caused by some damned invention whose name escaped him, which negated his powers to the point that he could barely hold his ghost form.

"There's no time for me to tell you the whole story, but you have to know this at least. I am being hunted by a powerful ghost."

He should have paid more attention! Why didn't he see this coming? Of course they would react this way. His lungs burned, it was only his supernatural strength and endurance that had kept him going for so long. But for how much longer?

"You know him already. He's attacked you two before as well. He's dangerous."

And oh, of course the other halfa had to go and poison his parents' minds against him. In hindsight, it was obvious that the Fentons would take the side of whoever got to them first. Who could destroy the other's reputation first. As he was experiencing first hand.

"I don't know why, but he wants to kill me. And you. And possibly everyone."

He knew his time was running out. Besides his total exhaustion, he had flown over here going back and forwards to Wisconsin enough times in the past to know there was a dead end coming up in the form of cliff. A very dead end, if he couldn't think fast. Trying to climb up the face of the cliff was out of the question, if not for his fatigue, for the fact that he was a sitting duck up there for the hunters.

"I think you know who I'm talking about."

He reached the cliff way too fast. Not that running slower was any better.

"Stop! We have you cornered, ghost!"

"Please! Let me explain-"

"We know your game. You can't fool us any more Phantom!"

As Jack and Maddie charged out to hunt their son, not that they knew it of course, Vlad sat in their lounge room with a sinister grin on his face.

"Checkmate."

Authors note: Happy Angst day! Was it too confusing? Did anyone figure it out before the end? Also, this is my first foray into angst, so tell me if I did it right... and especially tell me if I did it wrong.