Ok so the continuation of The Great Experiment! I hope I can live up to Cordria's standards, but that may be hard. She is a very good writer! This may take a while to post because I will be editing it to try and make it good so sorry for the wait!

Disclaimer: I do not own DP or the original plot line :)

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Chapter Two

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He refused to say a word. The only sounds in the room for a long while were the buzzing of random instruments and equipment and the soft patter of tears hitting tile. He pulled his knees to his chest and buried his head in his arms and remained quiet.

Maddie was perplexed to say the least. Not only did this ghost go against everything she knew about them, but now he was crying. That kind of emotion just wasn't possible for a non-sentient being. She looked at her husband and he gazed back, shrugging his shoulders. He was just as bewildered as she.

The woman stood and sighed. It was clear the ghost child wasn't going to say anything more for now. At the sound of her husband's growling stomach and his sheepish grin, she chuckled lightly. "Would you like something to eat, dear?"

Jack nodded vehemently. "Maybe some grilled cheese! Oh! And fudge! Can't forget the fudge!"

Maddie smiled at her beloved and shook her head. With one last sad glance at the ghost in his cage, she went up the stairs to make lunch.

As his wife exited, curiosity overtook Jack and he took a few steps near the cage. Unlike his wife, he didn't have maternal instincts kick in at seeing the young ghosts' suffering; but that didn't mean the man was heartless. Now that he finally had public enemy number one in his custody, he didn't feel the overwhelming joy he thought he would as he gazed at the rocking form.

He didn't know why, but something inside him compelled him to ask. "Are you alright?" A stupid question. He knew it as soon as it left his lips.

Jack actually received a reaction from the halfa. A pale face lifted from its spot in his knees and blazing green eyes glared. "You captured me and stuck me in a cage. You took away my freedom. How do you think I am?" he spat.

Jack was taken aback and could only stare wide eyed at the young hybrid. After a short time, Phantom's eyes lost their steel gaze and softened into sorrow before being buried once again in his knees.

No, Jack did not feel joy at all.

The large man stalked out of the lab and up the stairs after his wife.

Once the room was empty, Danny took a moment to look around. He was, of course, familiar with the lab. But there were instruments lying on tables he had never seen before--possibly for dissecting ghosts. Danny shivered.

He wiped away a stray tear and forced himself to calm down. His first reaction was emotional, but now he had to think logically. Was there anyway out of here?

With fluid motion he stood and walked around the cage to inspect for any flaws. None, the plasma was strong and sturdy. Why did this invention have to work? Danny thought angrily.

Alright, think, Fenton, think. He berated himself as he paced. He couldn't get out, the plasma was solid. Jazz was away on a weekend field trip so she wouldn't find him down there. That left one option; contacting Sam and Tuck. How exactly do I do that?

His thoughts were interrupted as light footsteps patted the stairs. Danny tensed and once again put up a brave front.

Maddie gazed at him from the bottom of the steps. Once again she noted the ghost wouldn't hold eye contact for more than a few moments at a time. She had to admit to herself there was something haunting and almost familiar about the young ghosts' eyes. Her own trailed over his form, confirming his human-like bone structure. No matter how many times she rolled it over in her head, nothing about Phantom made sense.

Her eyes made brief contact with his and she could see the terror behind his front. For a second she let her heart reach out for him until she realized what she was doing and drew herself back in. Maddie composed herself and walked to the shield, noticing how Phantom took a cautious step back. She stopped despite herself to try and keep his fear in check. The panic was already rising in his eyes and was evident in the way he held himself.

"I'm not here to hurt you." She assured him.

His response was a scoff. "I've heard that one before." His voice shook slightly betraying his stern tone.

Maddie paused, thinking carefully about what to say. "I am simply curious." She settled.

"So you decide to sate your curiosity by keeping me prisoner and dissecting me?" his glare hardened.

This time it was Maddie who was a little shocked. Merely a few minutes ago he was crying and begging for his life and now he was standing up to her. She sighed and dropped her shoulders. "You truly are perplexing." Her eyes rolled over him again to study him.

Danny noticed her scrutinizing gaze. "I'm not some caged animal. I won't entertain you and I certainly won't let you get your hands on me."

The malice in his voice ignited Maddie. She returned his glare and thrust a finger in his direction. "You're still a ghost! You don't have the rights of a human being! Like it or not, you're in my plasma shield and Ican do whatever I wish with you!"

Danny took another step back into the shield. So maybe angering his mom wasn't the best thing to do. But it's not like he had a way out, and as long as he kept her talking she wouldn't dissect him.

Amidst their glaring contest a growl resounded through the echoing lab. Danny's eyes widened slightly and he dropped his glare to adopt a shy blush. Maddie was puzzled. "Was that…?" she trailed off.

Danny nodded slightly. "I'm hungry."

The female scientist couldn't believe it. Ghosts didn't eat! They were dead and got their energy from ectoplasm, not food! Dumbfounded, she nodded. "What would you like?"

The young hybrid shrugged and in one smooth motion sat crossed legged on the floor. "Whatever is fine." He averted his gaze and stared blankly at the wall across from his mother.

Maddie nodded again and silently ascended the stairs to make another grilled cheese.

As she entered the kitchen, Jack immediately noticed her mood. "You ok, Mads?"

"He's hungry." She explained without missing a beat. Jack coughed. "How can he be hungry?" he asked.

"I don't know, but he is." Maddie opened the fridge, pulled out a drawer and grabbed two slices of cheese; one cheddar, the other swiss. Heading over to the stove, she grabbed two slices of bread on her way and turned the fire on under the frying pan she had used to make Jack's grilled cheese. Spreading butter on the bread, she placed one on the pan followed by the cheese and the other slice of bread.

As Maddie flipped the sandwich over, she realized that subconsciously, she was making the grilled cheese the way Danny liked it. No one else in the house ate it with swiss. Come to think of it, the two did bare a small resemblance…

She shook her head to rid herself of those thoughts. How ridiculous could she be? Danny was still in school and the only reason she was thinking that way was because the ghost boy somehow brought out her motherly instinct. She nodded mentally deciding that had to be it.

Placing the sandwich on the plate, she turned the fire off and went to the cupboard for the box of Cheez-its. 'Danny always eats these with grilled cheese' she mentally added, the thought going almost unnoticed to even herself.

Something about the way Maddie was acting was beginning to worry her husband. She seemed as if her maternal side was getting in the way of her scientific curiosity. Although, he had to admit, the boy wasn't anything like he expected. He watched his wife quietly leave the room to deliver Phantom his food and wandered after her.

Once downstairs, Maddie dimmed just enough of the shield to slide in the food before increasing the power again. She watched as the ghost boy quietly and cautiously took the food and inspected it. After a few moments of that, the woman found herself losing patience. "It's not poisoned if that's what you're looking for."

That earned her a glare but other than that, no response. He finally took a bite and chewed carefully before deciding it wasn't going to kill him and began to eat in earnest. Maddie walked to her husband and shrugged. "I can't explain it."

Jack nodded in understanding. "I can't either. Have we really been so wrong about ghosts?"

"I don't think it's that." Maddie shook her head. "I think this one is unique."

"But why him? He terrorizes the town just like any other ghost. He has all the ghost abilities, so why is he so different?"

Once again Maddie shook her head. She was at a loss for words really. "I think we should let him eat and rest and after a while simply talk to him. We can test him later. He's too scared for that now."

Jack nodded and turned his own eyes on the boy. He was finished eating already and glaring in their direction. "He sure got an attitude fast, didn't he?"

"Yeah, he did. He went from crying and freaking out to being snippy." Maddie glanced at the clock and noticed the time. "Come on Jack. Let's give him space. Danny will be home soon and I want to tell him all about it."

"Sure thing, Mads! Danny will be so proud!" The large man puffed out his chest and Maddie couldn't help but laugh.

As they headed up the stairs, a now calm Phantom watched them go. Sadness settled over him. Little did his parents know their little boy would not be coming home today.

He knew he couldn't tell them. How could he? Who could love a halfa? He wasn't human and he wasn't a ghost. He was a monster. Yeah, his powers were cool sometimes and it felt good to save people, but when it came to his personal life, he suffered greatly. No one except Sam, Tuck and Jazz could know who he really was. The world would condemn a half human abomination like him.

No, they could never find out. They would have to miss their little boy for a while.

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:) Ok so I'm REALLY sorry that took so freaking long! Like my authors note said, my computer blew up. I still do not have Microsoft office on it, so I can't load it on my PC, but I was able to get it off of it and transfer the file to my laptop. I know it's not great, but I'm trying. The next chapters will hold some heart felt talks and stuff. This won't be a really long story, mostly Danny/parent bonding so yeah…I hope you enjoyed it.

Once again, sorry for the wait!

Review!

Kagome