Mossmask: If you can't tell, this chapter takes place before the last one. It takes place basically right before Maddie proposes that they find away to legally keep her. Adopt her. All that nice stuff. It might even take place earlier the same day.

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Mother

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The Fentons had thought it was awkward at first, when they realized the girl's name would become "Dani Fenton." Danny and Dani had cackled madly at the comparison, and decided that they didn't care.

When the girl had first shown up weeks ago, she'd clammed up when the Fenton's had asked for anything besides a first name. Last name? She'd almost answered, but frozen up and shook her head vehemently, replying instead that she "didn't have one."

Other family? Her face would simply darken. A home address? Eventually Dani realized she was being probed and would stop answering completely when her past was mentioned. It was obvious to Jack and Maddie that the girl must be a runaway. She had bonded almost instantly with Danny, and got along remarkably well with Jasmine as well. But she must have a family out there, somewhere, looking for her.

As parents, the Fentons couldn't imagine keeping a child away from her parents. But they weren't so rash as to assume they knew the whole story. If Dani was homeless, she might not have a home to go back to. If she was a runaway, who knew the situation they could be forcing her back into?

One day, when Danny and Jazz were at school, Maddie decided that her and Dani needed to sit down and be honest with each other. She sent Jack out of the house with a casual mention of spotting some ghosts near the park when dropping Danny and Jazz off at school. If Jack wondered why she didn't go after it herself – or noticed, at all, that she hadn't driven either child to school, then he didn't show it. He was out of the house in a matter of moments, stopping only long enough to grab some gear and then he was screeching out of the driveway in the Fenton GAV.

"Dani?" Dani looked up from Danny's bed, (she'd been sleeping in Jazz's room, but seemed to spend most of the day when she was alone in Danny's. Danny insisted – oddly enough – that he didn't mind), where she'd been reading one of the books from Danny's shelf. It looked like an old storybook Danny hadn't actually read since middle school.

"Um, yes, Mrs. Fenton?"

"Maddie." She corrected absently. "I was wondering if, well... I was wondering if we could talk?"

Dani's face darkened for a moment before she leaned back and gave a long sigh – remarkably similar to the one's Danny gave whenever Maddie asked him to talk. She leaned over, doggy eared the book, and placed it on Danny's night stand. "Yeah, I guess... I guess it is." She admitted, sounding reluctant.

The first thing she did when Maddie sat down beside her on the bed was apologize. "I-I'm sorry for sticking around this long. I know you said it was only until I got better, and I was fixed up weeks ago, and I haven't been doing m-much besides take up space. And eat your food. And I guess I just didn't want to say goodbye to Danny again so soon, but-"

Maddie cut her off with a hug, shushing her. "Dani, Dani. That's not it at all. Look, I'm just gonna ask you a few questions, that's it. It's important you answer honestly. But you don't need to tell me anything you don't want me to know, okay?"

Dani nodded slowly, slightly confused, and wiped rapidly at the corner of her eye with her hoodie sleeve, trying to cover any evidence that she may have been about to cry.

"Dani, do you have family, looking for you right now?"

The girl's face dropped into a stony expression, her jaw locked. She sat frozen for a moment, before shaking her head stiffly.

"Dani-"

"There is someone, looking for me. But he isn't family."

Maddie took a deep breath, trying not to think about any of the implications the girl was making. "Okay, it's okay Dani." She rubbed the girls back, just like she did to comfort Danny when he was young enough that he still let her. It spoke volumes about her current state that the normally obstinately independent girl was allowing it.

"Did you runaway from home, Dani?" Again, the girl nodded once, stiffly.

"But there's no point looking for it. And you can't send me back. I'd just disappe-"

"I'm not sending you anywhere, Dani."

"You... you're not?"

"No."

"Oh." She answered in a small voice, looking startled. They sat in silence a little longer before Maddie continue, pointedly ignoring the tears now wetting her shoulder.

"Just one more question, Dani..."

"Uh-huh?"

"Were you being abused?"

"... Huh?" Dani pulled back and stared at her blankly. "I don't... understand the question?"

"We're you being abused. Mistreated. Harmed. Physically? Emotionally? ... Sexually?"

Dani blinked. "Oh! Uhh..." she trailed off. "But you said I didn't have to tell you if I didn't want to." She argued. Maddie gave a small nod, seeming unable to unlock her arms around Dani. "That's right. You don't have to answer." No answer would be answer enough.

Dani pulled back uncomfortably. "Aah, but... oh... now you're going to assume the worst." She cringed. "Okay, okay. Um. Yeah, I was, I guess? But not... not really... and definitely not the last one! Ew!" She paused, gathering her thoughts. "At first he never really hurt me. I think he might've actually loved me? I mean... I know he didn't want me, but he still might've loved me... y'know?" She shook her head slightly. "But he manipulated me, like he manipulates everyone. He lied to me, and he made me do some really awful things... I never even would have known he was using me if it weren't for-" she shook her head again, shutting her eyes.

Maddie didn't know who the mysterious "he" was. All she knew was that before Dani had come to them, she had spent an unknown amount of time living with some man. She would speak of him on occasion, but those occasions were rare and the information gleaned in them was small though unsettling. This was the most Dani had spoken on the matter at any time, and Maddie thought it was good for her to get it off her back. At the same time, Maddie knew better then to pry and ask any more questions beyond what Dani told her willingly.

"Anyway, I ran away once before. He found me that time, and almost killed me. He came really, really close to doing it too. I would have died if- if it weren't for... I... anyway. I ran away again. Lived on my own for a bit. Ended up here. The rest is history." Dani gave a noncommittal shrug as her story came to a close, and Maddie knew that was all she was going to get on the girl's past for likely a very long while.

She paused as a thought struck her. About how a girl used to living on the streets just up and decided to come to some family for help? After learning to be independent, learning not to trust strangers... you don't go anywhere you don't trust. You don't just knock on a random door. Much less when you're injured. So why come to the Fentons? And... the panic on Danny's face when he'd answered the door, and brought the girl into the living room, asking for help. The way he and Dani bonded instantly. Danny's incredibly blatant over-protectiveness of her. And- and didn't she say she didn't want to say goodbye to Danny... again? Maddie paled slightly.

"Dani, I've got just... one more question."

The girl frowned at her uncertainly. "I thought that last one was the last one?" She questioned, but she didn't sound genuinely bothered.

"I was just wondering... if anybody else knows about your situation? You... you had help getting out of it, right...?"

Dani was silent, watching her calculatingly.

"Dani, did... did Danny know? Did he help you?"

Dani bit her lip this time, her expression an exact copy of Danny's when he was trying to keep something from his mom. Dani's silence was enough of an answer.

Amidst the shock, Maddie felt a swell of pride.