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darks-ink · 5 years

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What A Nice Surprise CH.4

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(I’m not getting any options for linebreaks - did Tumblr seriously delete them? Luckily there are none in this chapter but oof.)

Danny rang the doorbell to his own house. It was slowly becoming normal for him – just like calling his parents Maddie and Jack had become normal over time. Hell, now that he was spending extended amounts of time around his parents as Phantom, he had to start reminding himself not to call them that when he turned back. How weird would that be, if he called them by their names as Fenton?

Everything about this situation was just so weird. Jazz would have a field day with this if she knew. That, and she would be very very worried.

Which is why he wasn’t planning on telling anyone just yet. His parents’ support for Phantom was good enough for now. Besides, he had made it through the past two years without trouble – why would he tell anyone?

Anyway, he was visiting as Phantom once again. It hadn’t been very long since his last visit – only about a week or so. But it was Saturday, and he figured he might as well. Besides, Johnny and Kitty were in town – which made this a good moment to introduce his parents to some non-malevolent ghosts without having to travel to the Ghost Zone.

The door swung open, his dad’s massive frame filling the space. The man glanced around, then stepped aside. Clearly he, too, had gotten used to the invisible visits from Phantom.

“Hey Phantom,” Jack greeted him when Danny became visible again. “What can we do for you today?”

Smiling, Danny shrugged. “Nothing. Just dropping by, if that’s okay?”

His dad’s face brightened even further. “Of course that’s okay! Mads is down in the lab, do you want me to call her up or…?”

“We can go down.” Danny glanced away, then turned back with a sheepish expression. “I, uh. I actually had an idea for something we could do. To work on your research, I mean.”

“Really?” Jack had started leading the way, so Danny couldn’t see his expression, but he sure sounded enthusiastic. “What do you have in mind?”

“If you can wait for a moment, I’ll tell you when we get down.” Danny smirked at his dad, even though the man didn’t look. “I don’t want to have to repeat myself for Maddie.”

Jack huffed in that way he always did when he was pouting. Danny’s smirk simply widened as they entered the lab.

“Jack? Phantom?” His mom looked up from the invention she was working on. “What’s going on?”

“Phantom wouldn’t let me tell his idea,” Jack complained, still pouting. Maddie shot Danny an incredulous look, which he answered with a shrug.

“I didn’t want to have to repeat myself to tell you as well.” He floated over to a nearby chair, perching on its back. “I had an idea for your research, but you’ll have to leave the house.”

“Oh?” His mom pulled her hood off, revealing a quirked eyebrow. “Why’s that?”

Folding his arms over the chair, Danny tried to look casual. “I figured I could introduce you two to some other ghosts. Kinda slim pickings on this side of the Zone, but I’ve got an ally over at Casper High, and Johnny and Kitty are in town and usually okay.”

Then he shifted, getting a little fidgety. “That is, um. If you are okay with that?”

“That’s…” Maddie paused, glanced over at her husband. “Actually, that’s a pretty good idea. We already knew that you were pretty strange for a ghost, Phantom. Having more proof of ghosts behaving non-malevolently would be useful.”

Danny grimaced at the casual reminder that somehow people had figured out that he wasn’t a regular ghost. “Right, um. I figured as much. We can start with Sidney, since I actually know where to find him.”

“Actually, Phantom,” his dad crept closer, looking rather thoughtful, “I – we – would like you meet someone, first.”

Frowning, Danny shifted to look at both of his parents. “Oh? Who?”

“Our son, Danny!” A massive hand came down on Danny’s shoulder, which thankfully covered his wince. Right. His parents thought that Danny Fenton was home – it was a regular Saturday, after all. Now how was he gonna cover for this…

“Really?” He made sure to look interested – or as interested as he had been when he met Jazz, at least. “Well, I mean. If he’s interested in meeting me, I’m not opposed either.”

“Of course he’ll be interested!” His dad scoffed at the thought of Danny not being interested in meeting Phantom. “Danny-boy has always been interested in ghosts, you see. But he doesn’t speak about it much, I think it embarrasses him.”

Or maybe he didn’t speak about it much because he didn’t want to attract attention to himself. Being interested or knowledgeable about ghosts wasn’t much to be ashamed of anymore, now that ghosts were actually known to be real. And, in the case of Phantom, widely beloved.

“Well, in that case.” Danny shrugged. “I suppose it would be a little silly to meet one of your kids and not the other, right?” Or, they would think it was weird. He had no reason to not want to meet Danny Fenton – none besides the fact that he was Danny Fenton, of course.

He just… he had to find a way to get out of this. If he could get a duplicate going, it would be fairly easy to blow off Phantom as Danny Fenton. But to do that, he had to sneak out a copy. And while he had gotten fairly good at making duplicates – and maintaining them – creating them unseen was still a little tricky.

Trailing behind his parents as they went of the stairs, Danny made sure to go just a little slower than usual. When no one was looking, he tugged on his core and prayed that the duplicate would come out invisible like he wanted. The line snapped, and Danny could sense the copy but not see him. Good.

Like all duplicates, the copy knew exactly what Danny wanted from him. It wasn’t a direct link, not usually – that cost more energy than it was worth. Instead he simply imparted the duplicate with his orders, and the copy would, for better or worse, follow those instructions to the best of his abilities. But they were just enough like him to put their own twist on them – to act just right enough.

“Danny-boy?” his dad called once they arrived at the base of the stairs to the next floor. “Can you come down for a minute?”

A moment of silence. Danny tensed reflexively – surely his duplicate had…?

“Coming!” his own voice answered from upstairs. Footsteps, and then Danny Fenton appeared around the corner. “What’s up, dad?”

His dad gestured at Danny – real Danny, who was Phantom right now – and smiled. “Hey son. Why don’t you come and meet our new ally, Phantom?”

The duplicate glanced between Jack and Danny – Phantom. Then he shrugged, not looking particularly enthused. “I mean, I guess. But I’m kinda busy right now, and it’s not like I’ve never seen Phantom before.”

Mom narrowed her eyes, shifting her gaze from Danny to Phantom. “Really now?”

“I’m at the school all the time,” Danny said, taking his eyes off of the duplicate to look at her. “You wouldn’t believe how many ghost attacks there are at Casper High. The kids there have seen me a lot.”

“Yeah, exactly.” The duplicate nodded his agreement. “Plus, like I said. Busy. And I’m sure you three have other things to do, too.”

The fake Danny Fenton gave a short wave, then turned around and walked back into his room. Moments later Danny felt the duplicate dissipate – he had done exactly as required.

“I guess he wasn’t as enthusiastic as I expected.” His dad frowned, looking at Danny a little apologetically. “Sorry Phantom.”

“It’s fine.” He flapped a hand, dismissive. “You never know with teenagers. Trust me, I know.”

His mom clicked her tongue. “That’s because you’re one yourself, Phantom.”

“Doesn’t that make me an expert?” He grinned, in that way that he knew was just a tad too cocky. “As a teen myself?”

Then he floated past his parents, moving towards the front door. “Either way, I hope you’re not tired of teens yet. The ghost we’re meeting first, Sidney Poindexter, is a teenage ghost as well.”

They nodded, and his dad pulled out the notebook again. “Ah, yes. Haunts Casper High and is on neutral grounds with you, right? Occasionally fights bullies?”

He ran through the list, mentally. Yes, that sounded about right. Sidney was actually an ally of his, but he hadn’t told his parents as much. After all, Sidney was mostly an ally for Fenton, not Phantom.

“Yeah, that’s correct. We’ll be meeting him by Casper High.”

“We’ll take the GAV,” his mom said, pulling the key from a pocket in her jumpsuit. “Will you ride with us or will you fly?”

Shrugging, he halted by the front door. “Might as well ride with you, if that’s okay.”

She scoffed, unlocking the front door and walking towards the garage. “Of course it’s okay. Why would I ask if it wasn’t?”

“People can be stupid like that, sometimes.” He grinned at her raised eyebrow. “Ghosts, especially, like to offer things and then not follow through. Especially if they think that it’ll get me off of their tails.”

“What’s the most alluring offer one has made you?” his dad asked, looking bright-eyed and curious.

Danny hummed, thinking it over for a moment. Or, more accurately, thinking if he should reveal the truth of not. And if yes, how to twist it in a way that wouldn’t give anything away.

“I suppose… The one time a ghost offered to teach me, when I was new and struggling to control my powers.” He looked away, one hand moving to rub his neck automatically. “He offered to help me. And he was so genuine about it too – he really did intend to follow through on it.”

“But?” His mom unlocked the GAV, the sound of which almost hid the question. She had clearly caught on to his unsaid words.

“But the prize was too high. He really did want to train me. But only in return for something I couldn’t give him, couldn’t let him do.” And what a shame that had been. Vlad had been the first human to find out, and still was the only human that knew. He knew what it was like, to be a halfa. To have no one in the know.

But instead of supporting Danny, he threatened his family. And that wasn’t something Danny could overlook.

“I’m sorry to hear that, kid.” A massive hand landed on his shoulder, and Danny looked up to see his dad’s sad expression. “Sometimes people are jerks. Ghosts, unfortunately, are no exception to this.”

“I know.” Danny sighed, shoulders slumping down. “But he was one of the first I met, and… I guess I really could’ve used that support, back then. It’s better now – I have my ghostly allies, and,” he looked up, “And I’ve got you two, as well. But I didn’t have any of that back then.”

His dad released him to clamber into the vehicle, and Danny followed by phasing through its walls. Once he was inside, his mom looked over her shoulder at him, with a far more fierce expression. “Is this a ghost we know? Because I would love to tell him off, next time he comes around.”

Danny snorted at the thought. Oh, if only. “Uh, yeah. He calls himself Plasmius, but you guys tend to call him the Wisconsin Ghost. I think I’ve mentioned him before.”

“He’s the one that tricked me into catching you, right?” Jack frowned, deep in thought. “The one I beat up in the lab when he tried to steal the Portal?”

“That’s the one,” Danny confirmed, lying down on his stomach mid-air, right behind and between his parents. “He’s a real jerk. My arch-nemesis, if I had to pick one.”

“Really?” The car roared to life, and Maddie started carefully turning it onto the road. “I would’ve expected a ghost we encounter more often. Plasmius we barely see.”

Another snort. “The keyword there is ‘see’. Plasmius comes here all the time to mess with me, but he knows how to stay hidden.” It wasn’t even come, really. Vlad was in Amity Park constantly. Hell, he was even the mayor! “He’s sneaky, so no one but me knows how much he’s here, really.”

“Wow, that’s… unfortunate.” A creak as Jack shifted, uncomfortable. “Maybe we should look into making some kind of city-wide ghost radar. So ghosts like him can’t escape our supervision.”

He would really rather they didn’t do that. Because most of their radars picked up on Danny, and if they had them everywhere… Well, it would only be a matter of time before they caught him shifting from Fenton to Phantom.

“No, no, it’s fine,” he said hurriedly, holding up his hands. “I’ve got it handled. Besides, Plasmius can hide from ghost hunting equipment, just like I can.” Well, from all equipment but the Fentons’, but that wasn’t something they needed to know about.

“You sure?” His mom didn’t look away from the road, so he couldn’t see her face, but she sounded concerned enough. “We want to help, Phantom. You know that, right?”

He sighed. Somehow his parents always found a way to play on his emotions. This was why he hadn’t told his friends – because they would’ve wanted to help, no matter the danger. “I know, I know. But I’ve got it handled. Let me deal with the ghosts, and you two can focus on your research, yeah?”

A sigh. “Alright. But if you ever need–”

“If I ever need help I’ll come, I promise.” He cut her off before she could finish the sentence. “Isn’t that what I’ve been doing?”

“We’re just worried about you, kid.” The car came to a stop, but his dad kept talking. “You already admitted that no one helps you, and that most ghosts you’re allied with stay in the Ghost Zone. And you’ve made it through the last two years, sure, but…” he trailed off, falling into silence.

Danny sighed, rubbing his hands over his face. “I get it. I know, you’re worried. But I’ll be fine, okay? And I promise to come for help if I ever need it.” God, and this was without his parents knowing that this was their actual son. If they ever found out the truth…

Well, he was pretty sure that he would never leave the house again if they found out. Forget worries about them studying him, they were gonna be too busy parenting him.

“We’re here, by the way.” His mom undid her seat belt, and Danny jolted back to awareness. Indeed, they were in the Casper High parking lot. “Does your friend know we’re coming?”

“Uh.” Danny phased through the side of the car, waiting for a moment until his parents had left the vehicle as well. “Sort of? I asked him if I could introduce you guys to each other, but I didn’t set a specific time or day or something like that.”

“Go find him, then.” His mom leaned back against the side of the car, loosely crossing her arms. “We’re not breaking into a school during the weekend to look for a ghost if he’s perfectly capable of coming outside.”

“Yes ma’am.” Danny jokingly saluted her, then dove into the building. It wasn’t hard to find Sidney – the boy tended to stay close to their shared locker.

As they flew back towards the car – and Danny’s parents – Sidney shot him a glance and asked, carefully, “Your parents, right? But they don’t know?”

“Yeah.” He phased through a wall, taking the more direct route outside. “And they think we’re just on neutral grounds, not allies. We have a deal, so you’re allowed to stay at Casper High and I keep an eye on you to make sure you don’t go too far while picking on bullies.”

Sidney nodded, and they emerged from the building. “Gotcha, buddy. Don’t worry about me!”

“I’m never worried about you.” Danny rolled his eyes, but smiled fondly. “You’ve been fine without me for 50 years, I’m sure you can handle yourself.”

“Don’t be so sure,” Sidney said as they finally came close enough to the Fentons for them to be able to hear the conversation. “I might surprise you!”

“Surprise him how?” Jack asked, curious and excited. “Is this a ghost thing?”

“No.” Danny rolled his eyes somewhat fondly. His dad and ghosts, really. “It’s not important.”

“Just some friendly ribbing,” Sidney agreed with a nod. “As us teenagers do.”

His mom shook her head disapprovingly, but didn’t object. The expression on her face said more than enough – teenagers, right?

Then she put a smile on her face and offered her hand. “Sidney, yes? Nice to meet you, I’m Maddie Fenton, and this is my husband Jack.”

“Pleasure to meet you as well.” He smiled back, accepting the offered hand and giving it a firm shake. “I don’t meet a lot of adults anymore, these days.”

“What about the teachers?” Jack asked as he stepped forward to shake hands as well. “Or do they not count because you’ve met already?”

Sidney grimaced, releasing Jack’s hand with a pinched look. “I usually avoid the teachers. They’re not very fond of ghosts. And most seem uncomfortable with an old student haunting the halls, even if I predate most of their careers.”

Maddie nodded with an understanding expression on her face. “That… makes sense. It’s unfortunate, but certainly understandable.”

“Indeed. Besides, more and more kids who get bullied a lot have been warming up to me.” He glanced over to Danny, then added, “And Phantom and I have been getting closer, too.”

“You’re a hard guy to hate,” Danny said with a shrug.

“So… What do you do, usually?” Jack clicked a pen, having grabbed a notebook. “You spend a lot of time in Casper High, and you scare off bullies, but surely you don’t do that all the time?”

“During the day, I attend a lot of classes.” Seeing the concerned expressions, Sidney raised his hands placatingly. “Always invisibly, of course! But it’s interesting to stay on top of the current material, to see the differences between my time and now. During the night I usually retreat to the Zone.”

“How?” Maddie frowned, looking between Sidney and Danny. “You can’t possibly be using our Portal, not that often.”

“He has his own Portal in the school.” Danny rubbed the back of his neck, smiling sheepishly. “It’s an enchanted mirror, kinda. Sid is the only one who can use it, though, so you don’t have to worry about anyone else coming through it and endangering the school.”

Sidney nodded energetically. “Yes, what he said. And it’s hidden in a place where n– where the students won’t find it, so you don’t have to worry about anyone getting hurt.” Danny heard the barely swallowed ‘normal’ Sidney had been about to say, and hoped his parents hadn’t. Because it was an understandable mistake – it was hidden in Danny’s locker, where no one else would find it. But Danny was a student, just not a normal one.

“That’s good,” Maddie said approvingly. “I’m glad to hear that the two of you put so much thought into it.”

“It’s what I do.” Danny shrugged, but couldn’t stomp down the smile that crept on his face. Hearing his parents compliment Phantom never got old. “Keep people safe, that is.”

“Both humans and ghosts, huh?” But Jack also smiled, clearly pleased. “You’re a good kid, Phantom. And you as well, Sidney, from what I hear.”

Sidney smiled in response, his aura brightening slightly. “Thank you, sir. I do what I can.”

Danny opened his mouth to answer as well, but he felt his phone buzz in his belt pocket. Frowning, he pulled it out. It was his normal phone, but it was generic enough that he didn’t expect his parents to recognize it.

That, and he had replaced it himself several times since they had last bought him a phone, so. If they hadn’t noticed that Danny’s phone had been replaced, they definitely wouldn’t notice that Phantom had the same one as their son.

“If you still want to meet Johnny and Kitty we’ll need to leave soon,” he said, looking up from the screen and at his parents. “They just texted me to let me know that they plan on returning to the Zone.”

Sidney rolled his eyes. “Oh, those troublemakers.”

“At least they’re not bullies.” Danny grinned, and Sidney sighed but didn’t protest. Then he turned back to his parents. “It’s up to you two. If you want to meet them I’ll text them to ask if we can chat first.”

“It would be interesting,” his mom said carefully, her tone measured. She was clearly trying to find a way to agree without accidentally offending Sidney. “But…”

“It’s fine.” The full ghost smiled at her. “I completely understand. I’ll be around if you want to pick up the conversation again another time.”

“Well, thank you.” She offered her hand again, and they shook. “It was a pleasure meeting you, Sidney.”

“You as well, madam.” Still smiling, he shook Jack’s hand as well. “And you too, sir.”

Danny, meanwhile, shot a quick text to Johnny. Looking back, he was glad that he had talked the couple into accepting a phone. Even if it wouldn’t work in the Zone, it was handy for them to be able to text him to let him know if they were in the human world or not. Before, they just… dropped by. Which usually was at extremely inconvenient moments, because that’s just how Danny’s life was.

Johnny agreed to wait in the park, and promised they wouldn’t mention Phantom’s human side or anything related to it.

“Alright, we can meet Johnny and Kitty in the park,” he told his parents. Then he turned to Sidney, “And Sid, see ya later this week, alright?”

The ghost nodded, then waved. “Of course. Stay out of trouble, Phantom.”

He gasped dramatically, clutching his chest. “Me, getting in trouble? I would never.”

Sidney didn’t bother responding as he left, but Danny’s dad snorted.

“Let’s get going,” his mom offered in lieu of a response. “Wouldn’t want to keep those two waiting, right?”

“Right.” Danny followed her back to the car, phasing through the wall again. “Although technically there are three of them. Johnny has a sentient shadow which follows his commands, and it’s always near him.”

He sat between his parents, floating cross-legged. “He calls it Shadow, which might be the least creative name I’ve ever heard.”

“Pot calling the kettle black?” His dad quirked a brow. “Phantom isn’t a very creative name for a ghost either, you know.”

“But it’s a pun,” slipped out before he could really think about it, and Danny clamped his jaw shut. But it was too late – both his parents had clearly heard him. “It’s, um. It’s a pun based on my actual name.”

“Oh,” his dad said, far more quietly now.

“Don’t worry about it.” Danny scrambled to lift the mood again. “It’s okay. I don’t mention it to keep my old identity safe, you know? So I’m used to people commenting on it.”

Jack nodded, but didn’t answer. His mom offered no response either, focusing on the road instead. Danny tried to think of a way to break the silence again, but it lasted until they arrived in the park.

Then his parents spotted Johnny and Kitty, and promptly jumped out of the barely-stopped car.

“You!” his dad shouted, as Danny scrambled out after them. “You’re the creep that dated Jazz!”

Johnny flinched back, half-stumbling over the bike he was leaning against. “I, uh.”

“Stop!” Danny yelled, diving between the two groups and holding out his hands. The ghosts flinched back another step, clearly expecting an ecto-blast to follow.

Seeing this, Danny lowered his hands again. He floated backwards a little, so he could see everyone simultaneously.

“Look,” he said, carefully. “Yes, Johnny and Kitty have both secretly dated humans before. And yes, Johnny dated your daughter Jazz before. But that’s been resolved, and they won’t do it again.” The last part of the statement was underlined with a heated glare, which both ghosts answered with sheepish smiles.

“Exactly as he said, uh, sir.” Johnny held up his hands, attempting to be placating. “I didn’t mean her any harm, and Phantom has certainly made sure it won’t happen again.”

Danny barely repressed his snort. Didn’t mean her any harm his ass – Johnny had wanted Jazz as a permanent host to Kitty. But Johnny had begged for another chance, and so had Kitty over the whole ‘overshadowing Paulina’ debacle.

And sue him for giving them another shot. Less ghosts to fight was always good, right?

“If it helps, I keep a close eye on him now,” Kitty tried, putting on her most trust-inspiring expression. Which wasn’t terribly trustworthy, between her abstract coloration and her ragged clothes. “Johnny is done dating other girls, so it won’t happen again, I promise.”

The Fentons shared a few glances – a short but entirely silent conversation – before nodding. “Alright,” Jack finally said, gruffly. “But if I see you close to my daughter ever again…”

“I hear you loud and clear.” Johnny finally lowered his hands a little, shooting a mildly panicked glance at Danny. “But, uh. I think Kitty and I should be going. I just remembered that we promised Ember to drop by, and her lair is quite a ways away.”

“Smooth,” Danny hissed under his breath with a roll of his eyes. Then, at a volume everyone could hear, he added, “Yeah, alright. Get going then. Let me know if you come back, yeah?”

“Of course, Phantom.” Johnny waved his phone demonstratively. “Actually, I believe some of the ghosts are looking into these phones, trying to find a way to make them work in the Zone as well. So maybe next time I could drop you a message beforehand.”

“Really? That would be really useful, yeah.” If they got it working, Danny would have to get phones to some of his other friends and allies. It would be nice to stay in more constant touch with his allies – not to speak of his friends, like Wulf. “If Technus is helping I might have to drop by and see if I can do anything to help. At the very least this project will keep him busy in the Zone instead of terrorizing the human world.”

“Until he decides he needs some material from here and steals it,” Johnny said with a shrug. “But I’ll leave that to you, Phantom. See ya later!”

Kitty waved them goodbye too, and then the bike zipped off – a trail of green smoke following them.

“Well, um.” Danny rubbed the back of his neck as he turned to face his parents fully. “That didn’t quite go as I had planned.”

“Did you know that that ghost has dated our daughter in the past?” It was his dad who asked, but Maddie behind him had a terribly scrutinizing expression on her face as well.

“I, uh. I knew that he had dated someone without them knowing about him being a ghost,” Danny admitted, carefully. “But I didn’t know it was your daughter specifically, no.”

“And you made sure they won’t do it again?” His mom, now. Her expression had softened slightly, but not much.

“Absolutely.” He nodded firmly. “I wouldn’t let them hang out in the town without supervision if I wasn’t absolutely sure. They were messing about for a while, penned up frustration and relationship struggles and all that stuff. But I made sure they sorted it out, and not being stuck in the Zone helps as well.”

The two parents shared a look, then relaxed entirely.

“Sorry, it’s just…” Jack shrugged, looking uncomfortable. “We’re just used to seeing ghosts as invariably evil, you know? So knowing that one messed with our daughter…”

“No, no, I understand.” And he did. Because Johnny had messed with his sister. And this, this structure, trusting Johnny and Kitty… It had been hard. “But I promise you that I’m keeping an eye on them. And, just like humans, ghosts can change their ways too. I don’t want to force them to deal with the consequences of a single mistake for the rest of their existence, you know?”

Maddie sighed, but it was more fond than exasperated. “You’re a good kid, Phantom. And you’re right. It’s just… It’s just us being parents. Don’t worry about it.”

He nodded. “Will you make it back to the house alright? It’s time for me to go on patrol, but if you want I can come with…?”

“Oh, no, we’ll be fine.” She flapped a hand, but smiled. “Thank you, though. It’s appreciated. Stay safe, Phantom.”

“And let us know if you run into problems!” Jack added, as he got back in the car as well.

“I will!” He waved them goodbye, a smile plastered on his face. The day might not have gone entirely according to plan, but it went alright. Better than he could’ve hoped, really.

And wow, cellphones in the Zone? Wouldn’t that be useful, if Technus could get it to work?

#danny phantom #dp fanfic #phanfic #dp fanfiction #phanfiction #danny fenton #maddie fenton #jack fenton #what a nice surprise #dark writes #the menu didn't give me any linebreak options so that's nice #didn't need them for the chapter per se but like come ON #am i gonna have to start making my own? praying that tumblr won't delete those? rude

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ladylynse · 7 years

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Here, have a Jack- and Jazz-centric almost-reveal Danny Phantom ficlet.

Phantom’s Capture: Jazz was too late to stop it, but she had to try.

“Dad, no!” Jazz screamed.

Jack Fenton jumped and turned, but the damage was already done; the Fenton Bazooka’s trajectory had altered when she’d startled him, and instead of stopping him from shooting, she’d corrected his aim.

Jazz was out of breath even before the tiny body dropped out of the sky like a stone, but she kept running long after it crashed into the fountain. She stumbled down the grassy knoll to the path, using gravity to keep her feet moving even as the stitch in her side burned. She had to…had to get….

“Jazzy-pants, what’s gotten into you?” Jack asked as she careened past. He reached out to catch her arm, and she couldn’t evade him quickly enough. She sagged forward, but he held her upright. “You’re not carrying a weapon.”

She didn’t need a weapon. She just needed to get to Danny. She tried to break her father’s grip, but he wasn’t about to let her go. He might want his children to be interested in ghost hunting, but he also wanted them to be safe.

She wasn’t sure if she wanted to laugh or weep at the irony of that.

“Just stay behind me,” he said, pulling her back. “You don’t want to give the ghost any more opportunities to trick you than it already has.”

Than he already has. But it wasn’t the time for that argument. Not now. “Dad—” Her voice cracked as he pulled out the Fenton Ecto-Cuffs. “Dad, you can’t.”

“Nonsense! I just need to slap these babies on that ghost before it recovers enough to fight back.” He brandished the handcuffs and grinned at her.

And then he ignored her protests as he turned to capture his own son, her brother, just because he thought she was misguided in her belief that Phantom was the good guy.

But this was her dad. She knew he had let ghosts go before—let Phantom go before—when he felt the situation called for it. He would almost be easier to convince than her mother. “Dad, please, stop.”

Jack Fenton picked up the unconscious Phantom like he was a sack of potatoes, completely oblivious to the way his body dripped water or the way his hair was plastered to his skin, just like it would be for any normal human. He said nothing about the slight rise and fall of Phantom’s chest, didn’t comment on how odd it was for blistering skin to be shown beneath the burn in Phantom’s suit or how ectoplasm flowed steadily from his wounds like blood, not a bubbling froth erupting from within at the merest breach in its containment. If he even noticed, he either didn’t acknowledge it or chalked it up to Phantom’s power, his ability to mimic humans. Both of her parents refused to see the truth. Didn’t want to think about it. And they were going to make a terrible mistake because of that if she couldn’t stop them.

Jack was cheerful, completely unaffected by her stricken expression. “Don’t you worry, Jazzerincess. Ghosts can’t feel pain.”

Yes, they can. Especially Danny. “No, you don’t understand. Dad—”

But he wasn’t going to let her finish. “You’ve seen what it can do, Jazz,” he said in a softer tone, a more serious one than he usually used. “Your mother and I can’t let this continue, especially since it’s managed to hoodwink you, too. Maybe, once we finish this, you’ll be able to see clearly again.”

“Finish—? Finish what?” But she knew the answer. Jack Fenton was famous for shouting it out. I’m going to tear that ghost apart molecule by molecule! She suddenly felt like she was going to be sick.

Something must have shown on her face, because Jack stopped and gripped her shoulder—which might be the only reason she was still on her feet. “You can’t,” she whispered, and then she looked at Danny’s pale, still face, and tried to will him awake.

He didn’t move.

“Please, for me, just…let him go.”

She saw sympathy and concern on Jack’s face, but it was for her, not Danny. “You know I can’t do that,” he said. “Your mother and I have an obligation to protect this town.”

But Danny’s taken that obligation upon himself, and you’re only making it harder on him! Can’t you at least work together? But she couldn’t say that. “So does Phantom.”

“It’s just trying to lull you into a false sense of security,” Jack said dismissively. “You should know that, Jazzy-pants. I understand if you don’t want to watch your mother and I work, but we need to figure out what makes this ghost tick if we’re going to figure out how to keep it down.”

She shook her head. “You don’t understand. Please, Dad, just trust me on this.”

“It’s not a matter of trust. It’s a matter of safety.”

Yes, it is. Danny’s safety. Which you’re threatening. But he thought her judgement was compromised. “If you love me,” she tried, “then free him and walk away.”

“Jazz—”

She pulled away and forced herself to stay standing. She’d never win if she tried to physically force Danny away from her father; she had to convince him to give up Phantom. “I’ll never speak to you again if you do this.”

“Don’t worry, Jazz. No matter what it’s done to you, I’ll see that you’re right as rain by this time tomorrow!”

He would never hear her out if he thought she was only speaking words put there by Phantom. “It’s not me, it’s Danny.”

She saw him stiffen. “What about your brother?”

She wondered how much of the truth she could tell. Danny would never forgive her if she gave up his secret like this, but— “Phantom’s the only reason he’s alive.”

“Jazz, what do you know?”

The sudden intensity in Jack’s voice made her take a step back. She wasn’t scared of him, not really. He would never hurt her. If he realized what he was doing, he would never hurt Danny. But he was fiercely protective of his family, just like Danny was, and he would be harder to fool because of that. She took a careful breath. “The Ghost Zone and our world are connected,” she said. “It’s like two sides of the same coin. One can’t exist without the other. Danny and Phantom are kind of like that.”

Or maybe, now that she thought about it, exactly like that.

“So you’re saying Phantom took the name Danny because of our Danny? That it’s using our Danny to survive here?”

“Not exactly,” Jazz said, though she didn’t want to correct him too much because if she did, he’d invariably steer her closer to the truth. “I just mean that you can’t destroy Phantom. If you do, you’ll…you’ll destroy Danny, too.”

“Because of what this ghost has done to my boy?”

She didn’t like the way anger was creeping into his voice. “No, Dad. Not because of something Phantom did. Something Danny did. It’s not Phantom’s fault.”

“But it—”

“Just forget about Phantom! Focus on Danny, Dad. For Danny’s sake, let Phantom go.”

He was shaking his head. “I can’t. Not until Mads and I figure out what Phantom—”

“You can’t!” Jazz burst out. “It’s right in front of you, Dad, and you can’t see it because you refuse to see it! Let Phantom go, and then talk to Danny.” She wasn’t going to promise him that Danny would say anything, and she wasn’t going to promise him that it could all be sorted out, but she could promise him that much.

Jack hesitated. Then, finally, “You’re confused—”

“I’m not confused!” Jazz yelled, balling her hands into fists. “I’m just not blind! And I care about Danny!” Her vision was starting to blur. “Please, just…let Phantom go. If you care about Danny, you have to let him go.” She felt her legs give way this time, and she collapsed to the ground in tears. They weren’t forced, weren’t fake, and she hoped something in her voice was enough to convince Jack that she meant this. “Please, don’t hurt Danny.”

“Don’t worry, Jazzy-pants. I’ll see that this ghost never hurts him again.”

Jazz looked up, the denial leaving her lips—that’s not what I meant!—but Jack was already jogging to the Ghost Assault Vehicle. She scrambled to her feet and ran after him. She knew Maddie was at home, prepping the lab and supper (meaning they’d be ordering in from the Nasty Burger again), so if she couldn’t stop her dad now, she wouldn’t make it home in time to save Danny. “Dad, wait! Stop!” She reached the GAV just as he started it up. “You don’t understand!” she yelled over the roar of the engine as she fought with the door handle.

He’d locked her out.

He thought he was doing her a favour by keeping her from seeing this, by severing whatever connection Phantom had with Danny and freeing them both from the ghost’s influence.

She pounded on the window. “You don’t understand!” she screamed. “Danny’s Phantom! You can’t—!” But the GAV was already pulling away, and trying to hold onto the door handle just left her on the ground, bruised and battered and without breath.

With a screech of tires, the GAV pulled onto the street and roared out of sight.

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