A/N: So holy cow, I've became addicted to this fandom. So I had to write something, seriously!

This is my first DP story, but it's also my fourth story overall, so it should be okay.

And DISCLAIMER will only be announced in the first chapter, because if you read that I don't own DP here, then I don't need to remind you again. I'm sure your memory is not defective. :)

About the story, it's slightly AU. I'll be taking the thing with ghosts a little more seriously. They'll be less 'human' here. Not to mention, this is not really a plot-bunny. I've put some good thought into this. So give it a try. ;) Sorry about any grammar problems, I still have some trouble with English sometimes, and it's late too.

Rated T for violence and blood later.

Mother Knows Best

Chapter 01

The Silence

"Pass me the wrench, dear?"

Danny sighed loudly, to make it clear how bored he actually was with the whole ordeal, but did as asked anyway, passing the tool to her.

Maddie saw right through him sometimes. Most times. She smiled at him before glaring at the offending piece of metal that refused to do what it was supposed to do, which was 'spin', like any bolt should.

Her husband was just beside her with his lucky blowtorch, a Fenton Blowtorch mind you, making the last few adjustments to the inside of their most prized invention yet.

The Ghost Portal.

Opening a rift to the afterlife has always been their little dream since way back in college, and they were finally ready to give it a go. Both of them were sure it would work this time.

Last time they had an unfortunate turn of events - which included the loss of their best friend back then… but this time, it would work!

Her husband's exacerbated, but lovely optimism was rubbing off on her…

"Aaaaand we're done!" Jack said loudly, walking out of the portal to examine their work-and boy, how happy he looked. Like a child on Christmas.

Maddie also puffed her chest with pride. "Look at it, Danny, we're about to make history!"

Danny looked at the portal before nodding. "Yeah, well, can I go now? I gotta meet Sam and Tucker. You can tell me how it went later."

Maddie rolled her eyes, pulling her son by the arm until he was close enough to hug her, looking uncomfortable like any teenager would.

"Don't be silly, Dann-o! You helped, so you might as well see your efforts being rewarded right here and now!" Jack was practically glowing with happiness, and Maddie almost cooed.

Her son, however, wasn't fazed - merely shaking his head in slight embarrassment. "I'm kinda hungry too…"

Maddie excused his lack of confidence. "We'll be done in a second." He didn't believe in ghosts after all. Jack wanted his kids to participate in their ghost hunting passion's activities, even going as far as giving Danny a HAZMAT suit - that looked absolutely adorable on him! (Jack had even used one of his face-stickers on it, which Danny ripped off in pure teenage indignation the moment he saw it in the mirror) But Danny never budged with his lack of faith, just like Jazz.

He liked to stay out of sight by being as normal as he could be, and Maddie always knew he was shy like that.

That wouldn't change anytime soon, but at least now they could prove that they were cool parents. "Ready Honey-cakes?" Jack called from the control panels at the front. Near his feet, laid the outlets that would activate the portal.

Maddie moved Danny and herself out of the portal's path, just to make sure. She didn't want to repeat that accident 20 years ago. "Ready now, honey!"

Giving the thumbs up, Jack plugged it in. She felt Danny's shoulders tensing a little as the machine whined to life. Maddie smiled in anticipation, Jack grinned madly and Danny held his breath, before finally…!

Green sparks flew around the hexagonal hole in the wall, and then died down after a second…

Maddie felt a heavy feeling sinking into her stomach. Her shoulders slumping before she looked at the floor. Danny looked at her when she dropped the hands that were holding his shoulders before, as her husband sighed heavily and slumped towards her in what she could only describe as 'pure-disappointment-walk'.

She was feeling it too.

They exchanged silent apologies for the failed project, while Danny walked closer to the portal to examine it. Maddie didn't think about it. It didn't work anyway.

After a few seconds of silent comforting, she looked around for her son. He said he was hungry before, they might as well go upstairs and eat their sorrows away. "Danny?"

"Hm?" He was inside the hole, glancing around as if looking for answers or ways to fix their failure. She felt her heart flutter. Knowing he cared, even if he didn't really believe them, was certainly warming.

"How about we go upstairs? Grab something to eat?" She asked, but her heart wasn't into it. She just wanted to leave the lab.

Danny frowned lightly before sighing, walking back. "Sure-whoa…!" Maddie saw it clearly as the cable on the floor tangled with Danny's boot, and being somewhat clumsy, he immediately tripped, but placed a hand on the wall to steady himself before he could hit his face on the metal floor below.

Maddie winced, but her eyes widened when she heard a click, followed by a familiar whine of electricity.

Jack was thrown out of his depressed state at the sound, and when he looked at the portal, he was surprised to see Danny in there, looking like a deer caught in the headlights when the portal glowed with its green hue.

It was a mere half-second when Maddie reacted. "Danny!" And a half-second too late for him to even move.

Maddie gaped when light exploded in front of her. Her knees wobbled a little when she couldn't stand anymore, and her son's scream of pure agonizing pain paralyzed her body completely.

She couldn't breathe, much less hear anything but her son, while the logical part of her brain continued to insist that her precious baby-boy was dying right in front of her and she wasn't doing anything!

She could hear it…! She clamped her hands on her ears to muffle the sounds, but no avail.

She didn't have time to think, because in just a few seconds he would be dead! She knew her husband was just as shocked and paralyzed as she was and she couldn't bring herself to scream at him, to do something, because no thoughts were even being processed appropriately!

Death. So that's how it sounds like…

The only thing that was being processed was the fact that her son was already dead! His screams had stopped and the portal whined off, no longer glowing with energy.

Silence.

Her shoulders trembled when she heard a thud of something falling on the floor. 'Not like this…'

Maddie couldn't bring herself to look though. Her hands flew to her face, hiding the sight from her eyes as tears fell freely. She didn't want to look at him, but her mind kept providing images of what she was already expecting.

His scorched form on the floor wasn't something she wanted to look at…

Jack had yet to say anything though, to make any noise, but she wasn't going to risk looking at him. She didn't want to see him… It was beginning to sink in. Her baby was…

However, Jack broke the silence suddenly. "…Maddie…" He called. He didn't sound broken, reassuring, or even comforting…

Just… perplexed.

'It's cold…' Part of her mind quipped. Slowly, she looked at her husband, hands still covering the general area where her son should be. But Jack slowly walked towards that same space.

"…Look at this…" Was he looking at Danny…? Jack would never be fascinated with the sight of his child's dead body, so what was he looking at? Danny? Was he alive?! At the sound of hope, Maddie stood up and ran towards her son, stopping abruptly when seeing something else.

A ghost.

Pure white hair, with that same HAZMAT suit, but in black and white instead of white and black. The ghost was clutching its chest, as if in pain, some electric chain would pass by his form every few seconds, she could see its unearthly glow, pulsing and shining enough to be an useful light source in the dark…

Jack tried touching its shoulders, but the left-over electricity shocked him lightly… Wait…

"It can't be…" Maddie mumbled. "…"

The ghost moved, and Maddie took a step back, Jack only leaned back a little. The floor beneath it was visibly freezing, ice slowly creeping around the ghost. It struggled to look at her direction, its green eyes simmering with energy focused on her. Its eyes, despite the glow, looked dull. "M-mom…?"

Maddie gasped. "Danny…?" She dropped on her knees and tried pulling Danny out of the floor. More than comforting herself, she needed to comfort her baby, and she ignored the frost forming on her gloved hands.

Unfortunately, only to crush her hopes of this just being ectoplasmic radiation playing with light and changing colors, Danny became transparent and phased from her grasp, falling on the floor again.

Danny curled his body as if feeling the cold in the air, hissing in pain. Maddie looked at Jack. He looked conflicted, but it soon turned into a determined look as he inched forward and held Danny carefully, who was struggling to even open his eyes. Jack's fingers trembled to ignore the cold and the frost. "He's shaking…"

Maddie put a hand on his chest. "…No heartbeat… No breathing…" Jack tensed. "Oh my god, Jack, what did we do…?!"

He didn't want to admit it either.

"Danny…" Maddie stroked his now white hair while whipping tears from her eyes, trying to somehow comfort him even though she knew ghosts don't care about this kind of physical comfort.

Both of their eyes widened. It struck them with clarity. Danny was a ghost now… They killed him.

Their hearts sunk. "…At least he remembers us." Jack mumbled.

Danny seemed to be falling asleep, but ghosts don't sleep...

She couldn't help but repeat the same thought over and over. It just didn't seem real. Her boy was a ghost… How long until an obsession twisted him beyond recognition? How long until he decides to leave and simply hurt people to feed from human emotions…?

What would he be obsessed with anyway?

"What now…?" Jack asked.

Maddie didn't know how to answer, and for a few minutes, they watched as their son's glow dimmed slowly, the super-charge from the shock fading. Suddenly, a bright light startled them. Jack started, but didn't let Danny fall.

A ring. They watched as the ring of white energy parted across Danny's body, changing him. Maddie gaped, now along with her husband who had a similar expression.

When the ring was gone, Danny, looking as alive as ever was on Jack's hands. "H-he's warm now!"

Maddie checked. Indeed he was warm again. "Heartbeat, breathing…" She cupped his cheek, feeling a very human warmth, and took a deep breath. Realization hit her. "…Leave it to Danny to be invisible in plain sight…" She whispered. "Even like this…."

The son they killed was an incredibly dangerous ghost. Especially when he could disguise himself as a human so perfectly…

But a ghost was a ghost. They wouldn't let Danny turn into a monster, even if they had to terminate him.

They owed him that much…

A/N: So? How was it? I'll wait for a response before writing more. I mean, I won't put effort into something that won't be worth it. So, till next time! o/ Review, I wish to know how well it went!