Just another one-shot to get me out of my writing slump and to keep my readers happy while I work on updating my other stories. As always main characters are Danny and Vlad, cuz I love em'.

Enjoy~!

I can't remember who said it or if I just read it in a book but I'm sure you've probably heard it said before too.

"The eyes are the window to the soul."

It sounds really deep and complex but what the heck does it actually mean? If I stare into someone's eyes long enough will I really figure out more about them? Or is it like taking a quick glance will let you know if the person is good or bad?

Can something as small as an eye really reveal something as mysterious as the human soul?

I don't know.

Anytime I try to look deeply into my eyes, (using a mirror of course) all I can see is a tiny reflection of myself staring back at me. Maybe eyes are more like mirrors than actual windows…

By now you're probably wondering why I'm so hung up on this quote right? Well, as it turns out the only reason why I'm even thinking about this stupid, confusing quote is because of some English report Mr. Lancer assigned almost a week ago. The assignment is for us to choose one famous quote from any story or poem or whatever and to write an entire essay about it.

What we think it means.

What we think the author was trying to say or what the author might have meant.

Why the quote is special to us and blah, blah, blah, pointless, I couldn't careless, information.

What's worse is that I might've already gotten this report finished if I had started it a week ago. Now it's due in TWO DAYS! But panicking isn't going to help me get it done anytime sooner. Come on Fenton, FOCUS! "The eyes are the window to the soul"…

Huh. I wonder what happens then when I 'go ghost'. My eyes change from blue to green. Does that mean my soul changes too? And what about Vlad? His eyes go from dark blue to solid blood red. What does that say about his soul? Are there two sides to his soul? One that's still human and good and one that's only selfish and evil?

But wouldn't that mean my soul has two different halves too? It doesn't feel like I have two different halves of a soul. Would that even be possible…?

ARG! I'm doing it again! I'm losing focus!

I think this is what I hate most about this essay. That no matter how hard I try my thoughts keep coming back to Vlad for some strange, annoying reason. Probably because these quotes are just the sort of thing a sophisticated, pompous guy like him would enjoy reading. Or maybe it's just because I haven't seen or heard anything from him in three weeks.

I wonder what he's doing right now…

ARRRGGGG!

"Um, dude? You ok?"

I look up from my notebook to find Tucker staring at me looking a little worried. "Yeah I'm fine, why?"

"Well, you've kinda been staring at that paper for the last ten minutes and you still haven't written anything."

"Tucker's right Danny." Sam added, setting down the ancient black covered book she was reading. "The words aren't just going to magically appear on you paper because you're staring at it."

"But if they would you'd probably have a whole novel written by now." Tucker grinned.

"I-"

"SHHHH!" I was cut off by the librarian 'shhhh'ing us again for the fourth time. She was starting to look pretty irritated too, but not nearly as irritated as Sam.

"That does it!" Sam said angrily, getting to her feet. "I don't have to sit here all day being harassed by some vulture!" Oh yeah, she was ticked and she was right. She didn't have to spend her Saturday in a boring library since she finished her report days ago. "Sorry Danny, but seeing that you're not going to be finishing anytime soon."

And with that Sam stormed away from the table and went straight to the exit completely forgetting about her book. I just sighed. I couldn't blame her for being angry. She had reminded me dozens of times to start this essay, she warned me about waiting till the last minute.

But I didn't listen. Instead I spent the whole week goofing off with Tucker and-

Wait! Tucker!

"Tuck where are you going? !" I called to him as he started to follow Sam, ignoring more 'shhh'ing from the librarian.

"Sorry dude, but it's not like me sitting here is helping you much." Tucker replied meekly.

"But what about your report? Don't you have to finish yours?" Please say yes, please say yes…

"No, I finished mine ahead of schedule." Tucker said proudly before pulling his PDA out of his pocket and tapping the screen a few times before showing it to me. "See, I figured out Lancer's password and went into his schedule to see what homework he was going to give us last week. So I actually got my report down two weeks ago."

Oh come on! That just isn't fair!

"Pretty sweet huh?" Tucker smiled.

"Yeah, awesome." I replied less than enthusiastic.

Tucker wished me luck then and ditched me just like Sam. I sighed. Maybe it's better this way though. Maybe I'll be able to concentrate better now that they're gone. Right. Now, where was I…

I looked down only to find a blank page staring back at me.

"Arggg…" I groaned letting my head fall to the table. "This is impossible."

"Come now Daniel, I'm sure reading can't be that difficult, even for you."

"AHH!" I jumped up and nearly fell out of my chair at the all too familiar voice behind me. "What're you doing here? !" I practically shouted at Vlad who was currently smirking down at me. Three people at the table across from mine all 'shhh'ed me at the same time.

"Quiet Daniel." Vlad's smirk widened as he put a finger to his lips. "You are in a library after all."

"What are you doing here?" I growled quietly watching Vlad walk around till he was standing on the right side of my chair.

"Well this is a public library." He said smartly, gesturing to all the walls of books surrounding us. "What do you think I'm doing here my boy? Think hard." He grinned down at me and I half expected to see fangs.

"Go away Plasmius." I waved my hand like I was shooing away a pesky fly. "I don't have time for you right now."

Vlad's smirk faltered a bit, obviously not liking my choice of words. "Oh really?" He quirked an eyebrow. "And what may I ask has you so preoccupied hmmm?"

"This." I answered simply, lifting up my empty notebook so he could see it.

"I see." Vlad said curiously until another sly grin touched his lips. "You've finally decided to write down all those profound teenage thoughts on paper. Good for you." His tone was absolutely dripping with sarcasm and I wanted to punch that smug look off his face right there and then.

"No." I snapped, slamming my notebook back down on the table. "I'm trying to write an essay." Not waiting for him to make another mocking comment I wrote my name at the top of the paper and on the first line wrote, 'The eyes are the window to the soul.'

"Hmmm." Vlad hummed in interest as he hovered over my shoulder distracting me in the most irritating way. "My, my, that IS a profound thought."

I could feel my face getting hot out of embarrassment and anger at the fact that he really did sound impressed. Like I can't think of something profound. Stupid jerk…

"Profound but a tad cliché, don't you think little badger?" He went on, smile evident in his voice.

"Shut up." I replied intelligently not bothering to look up at him. "I told you it's for a report I'm working on." Amazingly Vlad did shut up after that but the few moments of silence were so unnerving that they distracted me more than when he was talking.

"A report for school." Vlad stated aloud as if thinking it over. "And what do you have to write for this report?"

"Like I'm going to tell you." I muttered trying hopelessly to focus on my paper with a crazed fruitloop breathing down my neck. Vlad was quiet again but he didn't back away an inch. Instead he scanned the table taking in all the scattered books around my notebook.

"Well, judging by all the books you have solely biased on famous and well-known quotes I'm guessing you have to write a report on what one of these quotes means to you as well as what you believe it meant to the author, am I right?" Vlad smiled at me with his all too proud little smirk already knowing he had pieced together the puzzle with little difficulty.

I sighed in frustration. Well, maybe if I tell him he'll at least go away. "Yeah, that's right."

Vlad's smile widened. "Well then I can hardly see what you're having trouble with Daniel. It seems to me you've picked one of the most well-known and easily interpreted quotes in the English language."

"I have?" I couldn't stop myself from asking or hiding the evident shock and hopefulness in my voice.

Vlad's smile softened, although that may've just been my imagination, and in one fluid motion pulled out the chair beside me and sat down. "Indeed you have. You see Daniel, when it comes to essays such as this there is no right or wrong answer because the assignment merely requires that you give your own opinion and tell the reader why you've chosen it." He explained smartly. "All you really have to do is decide what this quote translates to you and why."

"Oh…" I replied, enthusiasm fading instantly. "That would be really helpful if that wasn't the exact thing I was having trouble with in the first place." I folded my arms on the table and rested my head on them staring blankly at my notebook.

"You mean to tell me you don't have ANY idea as to what this quote might mean?" Vlad asked in shock and disgust, clearly appalled by the look on his face that I could be so stupid.

"Of course I do!" I said too loudly as a few people 'shhhh'ed me but I ignored them. "And that's the problem. I have too many ideas and I can't decide on which is the right one to use!"

At this Vlad visibly relaxed and smiled in relief as if my answer had not only reassured him but pleased him too. "Dear boy," he sighed shaking his head but his smile never left. "I already told you, there is no right answer for this. Your teacher only wants to see that you put real thought and effort into this assignment. Simply chose whatever idea will be easiest for you to explain."

I laid my head down on my arms again. "I don't know how to explain any of them. I'm not even sure which of my 'translations' I agree with."

Vlad gave me a measured look as he took in my response. "Alright," he said after a while. "Why don't we do this then." Pulling my notebook away from me and closer to him Vlad pointed to the blank page beside the one with my name already on it. "Write down on this page all the meanings you think this quote has. It'll help you to better compare them and decide which will be easier to explain."

Looking up at Vlad I blinked a few times. I didn't want to admit it but that actually sounded like a pretty good idea. "Okay." Slowly pulling my notebook back over I started writing down all my old thoughts on the quote, stealing a glance at Vlad every once in awhile to take in his reaction to my ideas.

He seemed pretty happy with my ideas, or at least I thought so since he wasn't rolling his eyes, looking disappointed or smirking in that way that always makes me feel like an idiot. Feeling a little more confident I wrote faster not bothering to look up at his response anymore.

The whole time though I couldn't stop the nagging thought at the back of my mind that kept asking, 'Why is he doing this? Why is Vlad helping me with my homework? It's not like he actually cares whether I fail or not. Right…?'

I quickly pushed aside the annoying voice as I finished writing making sure to leave out any and all thoughts that had to with Vlad and me and our souls. "There, that's all of them." I stated as I looked down at my paper. Overall there were about five different meanings I had thought of, all of them ending with a question mark as I couldn't decide if that was what the author really meant.

Wordlessly Vlad picked up my notebook and read over all my thoughts with a poker face any dealer would've been proud of and after an excruciatingly long minute nodded his head.

"Not bad Daniel." Vlad said approvingly, not a hint of sarcasm in his tone, smile slowly spreading across his face. "I believe any one of these meanings would work well with this quote and with a little more imagination you should be able to explain your choice fairly easy."

"R-Really?" I stammered out, wanting to smack myself for stuttering over such a trivial compliment.

Vlad nodded still smiling softly as he handed me back my notebook. "All you need to do now is choose one and we can start writing."

I started to smile but surprise quickly took its place. Did he just say, WE? He's really going to help me write this entire essay too?

"Ummm, I think I'll go with number 2." In case you're wondering meaning number 2 was: The eyes are a window to the soul in a way that through them you can get a glimpse of what someone is feeling in their heart. By looking into someone's eyes you can see if they're happy, angry, or if they're telling the truth or if they're in pain. In short, the eyes are a window to a person's thoughts and/or feelings and as a result to their soul. My notes weren't as neat or detailed as this but it was generally the same thought.

"Good choice. It'll be easy to explain why you chose that meaning too." Vlad commended. "Now, to start out your first paragraph you'll want to,-"

Vlad started explaining, suggesting, commenting, and even praising me for the next hour as he helped me step by step complete my essay. I couldn't believe it! VLAD! My archenemy, helping me do my homework!

I never, and I mean NEVER, would've thought Vlad could be such a good teacher. He wasn't impatient or pushy and even when I messed up or spelled something wrong he didn't belittle me or even tease me. He would just help me fix it. I'd never admit it to him, or anyone else, but in a lot of ways Vlad was even better than some of my teachers.

"There." I said proudly, setting down my pencil and rubbing my aching hand. "Finished, and with one day left to spare."

"Yes, you did very well for someone so pressed for time." Vlad added. "Although I don't think you should be too proud about waiting till the last minute Daniel." He scolded lightly before giving me a questioning look. "Do you do this with all your assignments?"

I shrugged my shoulders giving Vlad an impish smile. "Sometimes."

Vlad rolled his eyes. "Well, if you really have so much trouble in getting your homework done on time you should look into finding a tutor."

"Pfft, yeah right. I'd rather not be staying after school with Mr. Lancer every Thursday." I get enough of that on Fridays when I have detention.

Vlad looked at me in surprise for a second. "Why not study with your friends then?"

I shrugged. "I've tried studying with Sam and Tucker but we never stay focused." Well, I don't stay focused but Vlad doesn't need to know that. "We usually just end up goofing off."

Vlad sighed in what seemed like annoyance though it wasn't hard to catch a sense of delight just below the surface. "If that's the case then you can simply call me, I'm sure Jack still has my number."

I stared at him. "Wait, you… you're serious?"

Vlad nodded, trying to hold back the smile that threatened show on his face.

"Anytime I need help?"

"Anytime." Vlad slowly rose from his chair in a dignified manner.

"Cool." I mumbled just low enough so only I could hear. "Well," I stood up from my chair and stretched. "I guess I can finally go home now."

"I guess so." Vlad smirked. "That is, unless you'd like to stay here a little longer and help me research an 'assignment' I'm working on. As a 'thank you' perhaps?" The dark gleam in his eyes made me want to shiver and in an instant I remembered that we were enemies. And no amount of 'homework help' was gonna change that.

Still, it couldn't hurt to try and find out what he was up to right? "This 'assignment' of yours wouldn't happen to be another one of your evil schemes would it?" I asked half joking, half serious.

"Well that all depends little badger." Vlad grinned broadly.

"On what?" I asked nervously, ignoring his stupid pet name for me.

"Your perspective of course." Vlad replied in a tone that involuntary made me shudder. He seemed to notice as he smirked knowingly. "So, what do you say?"

I took a step back not meaning too but out of instinct. "Oh no." I replied shaking my head. "Sorry Vlad, I appreciate your help and all but I'm not going to help you get more powerful, take over the world, or whatever else you're planning. I can't." I don't know why but the last two words I spoke almost made me sound guilty. Like I felt bad for not being able to help Vlad.

Unfortunately Vlad heard this too as he stared at me like he was searching for something. I quickly glanced around at all the books feeling more vulnerable than I ever wanted to be under his gaze. But after a moment he just shrugged his shoulders and sighed. "What a shame. And here I was looking forward to see how would return the favor to me."

"WHAT? !"

That jerk! That unbelievable, self-serving-ARG! He only did all that so I would do something for him afterwards! 'Return the favor.' HA! I'll show him how Ireturn the favor!

"Oh I'll return the favor alright." I promised darkly trying to sound threatening.

Vlad grinned from ear to ear. "Oh I know you will Daniel. I did after all offer my services to you without having to be asked. It wouldn't be very polite for you to not try and do the same. You can't get something for nothing after all."

"I'm still not helping you." I grounded out angrily.

"I know." Vlad replied still looking as though he'd won the argument. "But I'm sure once my plans become apparent to you you'll rush in to try and stop me."

"So?" I scoffed at him. "How is that going to make me help you?"

The look on Vlad's face made me wish I hadn't asked him that. "You'll see soon enough." His voice held a sort of threatening promise. "Of course, if you decide to help me now you can find out all you wish to know about my plans which will help you a great deal when you try to stop me in the end."

'What the heck!' I thought as my brain started to overload with all the confusion Vlad was putting into it. 'What's he playing at? ! Is he really planning something knowing I'll defeat him in the end? Or is he just saying that so I'll think I have a chance at beating him when really I'll be helping him the entire time?'

"Forget it Plasmius." I growled feeling my eyes flash green. "I'm not helping you in any way shape or form. You might as well give up now."

Vlad chuckled as if my utter refusal amused him. "We'll see about that my boy. I'm a very patient man after all and I do so enjoy a challenge. But seeing as I can't force you to help me at the moment I suppose you can head home." He said lightly as if he was giving me permission.

"Fine by me." I turned on my heel and started for the exit.

"Oh, and Daniel." He called after me in a sing-song voice.

"What!" I snapped turning back to him.

"I just wanted to let you know I'm proud of all the work you put into your essay." Vlad's sincere tone took me by surprise making me freeze on the spot. I searched his eyes for a few seconds trying to find that same taunting gleam I saw just moments ago but it was gone replaced by something that almost seemed like honesty. "I know you're going to do great on it." He added with such affection I could hardly believe he was the same guy I was arguing with half a second ago.

I stared at him in shock for I don't know how long until I realized I was blushing. "Whatever Vlad." I mumbled under my breath turning my back on him and quickly leaving before he could say anything else to embarrass or confuse me even more.

Pacing down the street I stared at the sidewalk trying to make sense of everything that just happened. And couldn't.

I sighed. Maybe Vlad does have two halves of a soul…

I glanced back at the library and shook my head. Or maybe he was just being Vlad.

Wow. This ended a lot differently than I thought it was going to. I still like how it turned out though and hope you did too. ^-^ I was gonna leave it all fluffy like my story "Sleepless" but in the end this happened as it usually does with Danny and Vlad.

It's hard for there NOT to be a conflict between the two and in the end they tend to play tug-of-war with the whole good vs evil thing. I loves it.

I'm also very sorry to all my faithful readers that I'm taking so long in updating. I'm really surprised that no one has hunted me down yet and forced me to continue writing. *glances around nervously* But hopefully this will prevent that. As of right now I am working on the next chapter of "Waking Dream" which is probably going to be one the longest chapters I've ever written.

I'm like it I'm sure. And hopefully the length will make for the long wait. HOPEFULLY.

Getting back this one-shot I'd just like to say, MAN! I LOVE VLAD! It's times like this when I look back on the show and realized what an awesome villain he was! He always had something planned and always managed to stay one step ahead!

That is, until the DP writers sold him out. *growls*

But other than that he was great. And he provided wonderful challenges for Danny as a hero and in many other ways too I believe. *sighs happily* Man I miss the show.

Why am I ranting so bad? *sighs* This is what happens when I stay away from fanfiction too long. Oh well. I hope you enjoyed and that you'll send me a review cause they always lift me up. Dank you!