In this fanfic, I have decided to make Jack smarter. I mean, he is a scientist and, with the help of Maddie, created the Ghost Portal, so he shouldn't be incompetent to exclaim, "Ghost!" and "Fudge!" every time. Endearing as it is… And he needs to show caring more since he's a family guy. Maddie needs to show more of that to.
Chapter 1: My Child
Today was the third…going onto the fourth day that their 10-year-old son, Danny Fenton, went missing. They didn't know what had happened to lead up to him vanishing, but they had no doubt that it had something to do with the Ghost Portal they made.
Maddie and Jack were trying to run the systems of their newest invention, after years of researching and developing the blueprints, but it refused to show any signs of activating, much to their disappointment. So when they had left to do a shopping run (for fudge) and returned to the sounds of the young boy's screams at the top of his lungs, followed by the abrupt end to them, they rushed to the lab.
A pale Jazz was already there, staring in shock towards the green portal that, for some reason, was now activated. And when they asked where her brother went, she could only collapse into herself crying in front of the portal.
The parents became distraught, in realizing what the silent reply meant.
On the second day, after getting sympathetic gestures from the notified police (which they couldn't do much for supernaturals), they packed all their text, research and inventions (save for one ecto-gun that Jack couldn't bear to put away), deactivating everything and sealing them in the room hoping never to return to the subject again.
Only on the witching hours of the fourth day, a massive of salt was poured onto the too raw wound when they heard the sounds of a child crying. A child with the same facial features and hair styled in the same mannerism of their son, except with white hair and the poisonous green eyes, in front of the same active object that made their happy lives to fall into despair.
Jazz was all to accepting in having her brother back. Blind yes, but she didn't care. Danny is alive in her arms is all that mattered to her.
The parents were not.
They couldn't accept it; that the child they had found was their son. It was just impossible to them that their black hair, blue eyes baby boy was in fact the white hair, blind green eyes whatever he…it…was.
'What if it is a ghost impersonating our child?'
It was a theory, since they didn't know if going into the Ghost Zone was possible and they don't know what could happen to anyone if they ever did. That though was the border of tearing the…child away from their daughter.
However, a tiny conscious thought made them pause at the action:
'What if it isn't, and he is Danny?'
A glimmer of hope sparked in them; but it just wasn't enough for them to take that first step.
They are scientists, they had to look at every fact. And right now they have too many unknowns.
Danny looked different; hair snow white, venomous green eyes that glowed and almost belonged to a cats but also blind to the world. Their was no telling what effect a human going into the Ghost Zone would do as no one had done so before (in Wisconsin, a certain halfa sneezed). The only questions would be, 'What had happened while he was over there?'
Or, it could be the theory that they had before: a ghost is impersonating him.
"Mom, dad?" they flinched, eyes flickering to the closest weapon on instinct upon hearing the echo familiar whispered voice of a frightened child Danny was giving them. Fortunately the boy couldn't see it. But Jazz did, not need a minute to understand the thoughts going around in her Ghost Hunter/Researcher parents mind. Their actions were louder than words itself; which is disappointing, as she had expected them not to be biased and single minded, especially since they now had Danny (though different) back.
Narrowing her eyes at them in warning, placing herself a bit in front of her brother, protecting him from them, her expression screaming at them: 'She will not lose her brother again.'
…
Danny, on his part, felt uneasy.
For some reason he could feel the negative charge of the atmosphere around him: unease, hurt, anger, even fear… All of them were swirling around him. Even when Jazz is standing right in front of him; even though he couldn't see… he could tell from whom the emotions were coming from. And to whom they were directed at.
'What did I do?' Danny wanted to voice out the question but thought better of it. In the back of his mind he knew that if he said anything more, there would be a volatile reaction.
Then, the emotions shifted again
Soft tentative footsteps approached them, sound of fabric from the Fenton Jumpsuit rubbing against each other, grating his hearing as it got closer before stopping a foot away from him, Jazz tensing muscles felt under his grasped fabric.
Something happened causing everyone in the room to gasp.
He wasn't sure why, but it might have something to do about how his body, feeling light before finding himself in the arms of Jazz crying with him, suddenly feel like a ten ton weight had been placed on his shoulders.
Last thing he knew, was the familiar feeling of Jazz's small arms catching him as he felt his mind go into a void.
…
The three remaining Feton's watched as two white rings circled around the boys abdominal separated, travel up and down his body like a sci-fi signal for Teleportation, changing Danny's appearance to normal.
Jazz turned, catching her brother before he fell, leveling him to the ground.
Maddie and Jack met each others gaze, silently debating something to each other until Jack went to the back of the workshop to find something. Maddie turned back to her children, stepping even closer. Jazz looked up at her lacking a bit of the heat it had previously, cautiously watching her approach.
Maddie couldn't help but smile at the protectiveness her little girl has of the boy in her arms. But it hurt to realize that it was directed at her. It felt like she broke her sworn motto of being the unconditional loving mother to her children.
How could she think that the child wasn't Danny? Mothers should be a natural in instinctually knowing their children. And hers kept signaling the moment she made eye contact with the white hair now the usual black boy. To ignore it and instantly looked for a ecto-blaster?
Looking over to her husband, she's not surprised to see the similar thoughts crossing his thoughts as he stared sadly at their boy. A tug of a smile broke across their faces when they made eye-contact and he reached out to grab her hand to give a squeeze of reassurance..
These small gestures always made her heart flutter like all those years she first met him as she squeezed back in return.
Purposely, she moved over to Jazz and touched her child's forehead. It seemed like normal human temperature, however the moment she removed her hand, she realized he was sweating upon finding her gloves damp. Confusion turned to alarm when a theory as to why Danny started sweating made her scurried over to one of the closed boxes.
"Maddie, what's wrong?" Jack had to ask as she frantically dug around. She didn't reply, her attention on finding whatever she needed. Her expression lit up upon finding that something she was looking for.
Jack and Jazz's eyes blinked seeing the thermal goggles on the Matriarchy and activating it; a startled gasp came from her as she scooped up her boy rushing upstairs, followed by the rest of the family asking what was wrong.
"Danny has a fever, and if he's half-ghost, that means that his core temperature should be a lot lower than a humans. What I saw is-" she cut herself off in realizing there was something more important to do first. Turning on them she ordered out her instructions. "Jack, get as much ice you can from the fridge. Jazz, go get a cold bath ready."
They didn't even hesitate as a flurry of movements, they went to get their jobs done. Maddie could hear them turn on the water and get ice out of the freezer as she set her son down on the sofa before rushing up the stairs to get a T-shirt, boxers and some light sweat-pants from Danny's room before going down the stairs.
Jack already has a bucket full of ice and she motioned for him to come with her as she once again scooped her child (face flushed and perspiration, despite the temperature she felt otherwise) into her arms and into the bathroom. Jazz was standing next to the tub knob, watching water rushing out into the quickly filling tub. Maddie told her to stop as she stripped her son of his clothes, then slowly slipping Danny into the water (mentally glad that she had the forethought to get the Fenton gloves which would keep her own hands warm). Jack understood already what needs to be done and dumped half of the bucket contents into the tub.
Jack and Jazz watched on as Maddie, with her goggles on, as she held Danny's head above the water. All three stayed there, waiting the alarming temperature to slowly decrease.
…
They had stayed in the bathroom for well over an hour and multiple runs for Jack to get more ice, before Maddie found Danny's temperature satisfactory. All were tuckered out and wanted to sleep, despite it being 5 in the morning (thank god it was a weekend otherwise, Jazz would declare she wouldn't go to school).
Jazz refused to sleep by herself, wanting to be near her brother; Jack and Maddie couldn't refuse as they didn't want the boy to be on his own, considering his new disability of being blind, agreeing to sleep together.
Drying Danny and getting clothes on them they wearily moved over to the bed of the master room and snuggled closely (Jazz hugging Danny closely to her in the middle of their parents on each side). And while the two children doze happily, the adults couldn't sleep despite being drained.
"What do we do now Jack?" Maddie asked Jack, finally letting go of her hard exterior that she put up in times of need, gazing at him in ushered tears at the brink of spilling. "Danny… he's blind…and he's half-ghost…" 'all because of us' was left unsaid, but he understood it anyways.
"The only thing we can do, Madds," he said in determination, running his fingers through his son's hair, still soft and smooth just as he remembered it. "We help him get through this. We studied ghosts despite the vague details and managed to make the portal." 'Though I wished we never did. Should have stopped after Vlad's accident.' "We can do this."
"But Jack… he's blind!" she whispered desperately, her sobs apparent. "How can we help him… when we can't even show him? How can we fix this now that his dreams are dashed? He'll be devastated!"
Jack winced, remembering his son brightening at every mention of NASA, astronauts and going into space. Again, the thoughts of 'what ifs' kept repeating in his mind, but he shoved them aside, locking it behind his mental doors. "We have to try…"
Maddie didn't bother to retort. She did smile at his positive attitude though. Large hands interlaced with hers. Looking up to Jack, she had to smile through her tears to see his own smile.
"Let's get some sleep. Tomorrow, we can work on helping him, step-by-step."
"…okay…" she whispered, gripping the hand a little harder before closing her eyes and letting her mental chains loose to take her into darkness.
…..
