In the still of the night I hear the wolf howl, honey, sniffing around your door
In the still of the night I feel my heart beating heavy, telling me I gotta have more

Wasn't sure I'd be back, but hey, here's more.

Two

Yep, Jazz was still out front talking to her new 'boyfriend'. Danny shook his head and stepped away from the front door. He made it all the way up the stairs to his room before he finally let his emotions out as he slammed his door closed behind him.

"Agh!" He punched the wall next to the door then cradled his hand. He leaned his forehead against the door and sighed.

"Jeez, take a chill pill why don't ya."

Danny froze. He closed his eyes and took in a deep breath. He opened them after a few seconds, paused, and grit his teeth. Nope, still not calmed down. He turned his head so slowly he could have sworn he heard his neck creak.

Ember tossed him a cheerful wave as she reclined on his bed. The corner of Danny's mouth started to twitch and he opened and closed his hand while considering how hard it would be to wrap them around her throat.

"Ember," Danny said softly," you're in my room."

Ember turned her head then stared at Danny with wide eyes. "Huh, would you look at that, I am too. Killer observation there."

Danny closed his eyes as he brought up a hand to massage the bridge of his nose. "Again, why are you in my room?

"Just following up on our deal. Yaknow, su casa es mi casa?"

"That's not how that works! I said you could use the portal, not invade the privacy of my bedroom!"

"Careful there babypop." Ember leaned back at Danny's outburst and eyed the closed door. "Don't wanna bring your old man runnin', do ya?"

"Please," Danny said, a smug grin playing briefly across his lips, "my parents soundproofed the whole building from top to bottom. It's not perfect, really it only works as long as you keep the doors closed, but they're probably too busy resecuring the Fenton Portal to pay attention to me."

"Resecuring it?"

"Yeah..." Danny grit his teeth and worked his jaw silently for a few moments. "Probably adding a proximity sensor after... Anyway, don't worry about your access, you should be fine once I have some time to mess around with it."

"Thanks, kid, I appreciate it."

"Kid, come on," Danny said as he rolled his eyes. "You don't have room to call me that. You're what, sixteen, seventeen? "

"Something like that. So," Ember tilted her head at him, "what's got you spazzing out?"

Danny closed his eyes again as he raised his hands and started to tick off his fingers."Well, let's see, I've been awake for more than thirty-six hours now, all the ghosts I caught managed to get loose, yet again, I think I slept through another test or two at school, oh, and my sister's got herself a new 'boyfriend, who I'm pretty sure she's making kissy faces with out front right now," Danny said darkly. "None of which I'd have to deal with if wasn't for that stupid bad luck ghost."

"Bad luck... wait," Ember turned and floated over to the window. She stuck her head out and looked around before her body froze. A moment later she leaned back inside and dropped to the floor with her back to the window, laughing her head off. "Oh my god, Johnny's dating your sister! Kitty's gonna murder him when she finds out!"

Danny blinked at her then rubbed at his forehead with the palm of his hand. "You know him? Of course you know him..."

Ember's laughter dwindled into soft chuckles as she floated back onto Danny's bed. "Nah, I know his girl, Kitty way better. That's why I was laughing. Seriously, you know when they say marriage is a ball and chain? Kitty is Johnny's ball, and she busts his if he so much as looks at another chick. Which is, you know, like every five minutes?"

Danny rolled his eyes as he walked over and sat at the chair next to his desk. "Sounds like a real nice guy. I'm surprised he has a steady girlfriend if he's such a player."

"Not that surprising." Ember shrugged."He's not as smooth as he thinks. Plus pickings for girls like me an' Kitty are pretty slim you know? "

"You're kidding, right?" Danny gave her an incredulous look. "I mean look at you, you're smart, funny, and a rockstar! Who wouldn't want to date you?"

Danny gave Ember a curious look as she turned her head away for a moment. He was worried for a moment that he might have offended her somehow, he'd never really understood girls that well and Sam didn't count, but she turned back with a soft smile. "Heh. Thanks babypop, but I think the whole ghost-thing is kinda the deal breaker. Sides, I think they've stuck this long because Kitty's the only one willing to actually follow through and sleep with him."

Danny blinked then slapped a hand over his face. "Definition of too much info, right there."

"Aw, did I injure your innocent sensibilities?"

Danny separated his fingers and peered at her through the resulting gap. "One, no you didn't; two, 'innocent sensibilities'?"

"What, I read." Ember huffed and looked towards the window. "It gets boring floating around the ghost zone all the time. It's better now that I can get out though." She paused before giving Danny a smile. He blinked at the surprising warmth in her expression. "Thanks for that. You really have no idea what that means to me."

Danny scratched the back of his neck and studied his feet. "Like I said, so long as you don't cause any trouble, the portal's all yours."

Ember let the moment hang between them before snorting and shaking her head. "Enough sappy talk. You been practicing?"

"Sure. I'm not in the mood for playing though." Danny dropped his head down onto the chair's backrest. "Why couldn't their relationship have them singing about shattered dreams."

Ember stared at him blankly. "Okay, what?"

A tremor ran through Danny's body but he didn't look up. "Shattered dreams, you know, by Johnny..."

Ember let out a snort that quickly turned into outright laughter, Danny joining her a moment later. "That's a horrible joke," she said between breaths. "Seriously dipstick, that sucked."

"It's not like anyone else would have gotten it."

The two teens sat for a while "Well, that's enough sharing about feelings for one day." Ember rolled her shoulders before crossing the room and opening the window. "Word of advice, John boy's shadow is like any other, shine a bright enough light on it and good night."

"Tha—" Danny started, only to stop as Ember escaped into the night air before he could finish. He shook his head as he got up and walked over to close the window. He took a look outside but she was long gone. "Thanks."

"-then my folks come out and congratulate me like I won a medal or something. It was kinda weird."

Jazz paused with her hand raised over Danny's door as the sound of laughter — a girl's laughter — made it through the wood. She wouldn't have been surprised if Danny had his friends over to celebrate with him, but the laughter... It wasn't Sam's, it was too... Happy, for lack of a better word.

"Nice. Course now Johnny's gonna be insufferable for who knows how long. Thanks for that dipstick."

Jazz eased the door open. Was that her guitar? She was wondering where it had gotten to, and there it was sitting on her brother's legs, while Danny leaned back and laughed. And looking like she'd stepped out of a magazine cover, Ember McLain lay on his bed, her head propped up on her hands, a wide smile on her face as she joked with Jazz's brother.

"Yeah, well next time you see him, remind him to stay well away from my family, just in case he didn't hear me the first time." Danny frowned and shook his head. "Otherwise I'll do worse than just sucking him into my thermos."

Jazz's brain screeched to halt and it was only due to her body locking up that she didn't fall into Danny's room. Ember was a ghost, that much she had gathered from overheard conversations between Danny and his friends, well, eavesdropped conversations to be honest, but there she was, without a care in the world.

And Danny was just sitting there!

"Sure thing." Ember rolled over onto her back and let her head hang off the edge of the bed. "You feeling up to playing for me this time round?""

"Maybe," Danny shot back with a smirk - a smirk! From her brother of all people! "Depends on what you want, I'm not really feeling like anything too loud, don't want to wake my folks, yaknow?"

"Thought you said this place was soundproofed?"

"It is, except Johnny's shadow busted my parent's door down."

"So play me something softer then." Ember tried to shrug but her position caused it to only push her breasts together and up. Jazz felt like slapping a hand over her face, or Danny's, when he didn't seem to notice. He closed his eyes and leaned back on his chair, humming softly, his hand

When I was a child, I heard voices...
Some would sing and some would scream
You soon find you have few choices...
I learned the voices died with me

When I was a child, I'd sit for hours
Staring into open flame
Something in it had a power,
Could barely tear my eyes away

All you have is your fire...
And the place you need to reach -
Don't you ever tame your demons
But always keep 'em on a leash

Wow. Jazz shook her head. Who knew her brother could be so smooth? Poor Sam... who could have seen this coming? She could interrupt, but even just watching didn't feel right. The look in Ember's eyes, the look in Danny's... No, she wouldn't interrupt.

Jazz quietly closed the door and walked back to her own room. Danny wouldn't have let a ghost into his room if he wasn't confident that he wouldn't be attacked, of that she was sure. She'd let him have tonight, he'd earned it. He knew what he was he was doing.

She hoped.

When I was 16, my senses fooled me
Thought gasoline was on my clothes
I knew that something would always rule me...
I knew the scent was mine alone

All you have is your fire
And the place you need to reach
Don't you ever tame your demons
But always keep 'em on a leash

The sound of Jazz's door clicking closed was covered up by a soft sigh. A moment later Jack and Maddie retreated from the edge of their door back to their bed. Silent, they slipped back under the covers and stared out into the hallway.

"Should we do something?" Jack asked with an unusually pensive expression. "I mean Danny does have a girl in his room."

"I don't know. \" Maddie couldn't help the proud smile on her face as she listened to the music flowing out of her son's room. "When was the last time you heard Danny sing like that? I think we can give him a pass this once, don't you?"

Jack sighed and looked forlornly at his hands. "But what about the bat?"

"Dear..." Maddie shook her head as she leaned against her husband.

"Oh alright. But they better not get up to any funny business. And she better leave before midnight!"Jack smacked a fist into his palm. "And the lights had better stay on!"

Maddie reached up and gave Jack's shoulder a pat. "Of course. Besides, knowing our Danny, he's probably as oblivious as you were."

Jack nodded as though Maddie's words were sage advice."That's right." He blinked a couple times as his mind made the connection."Hey!"

When I was a man I thought it ended
When I knew love's perfect ache
But my peace has always depended
On all the ashes in my wake

Unaware of the world outside his room, Danny played on, as Ember's hair twisted and twirled in the air above his bed.

All you have is your fire,
And the place you need to reach
Don't you ever tame your demons,
But always keep 'em on a leash...