Disclaimer: I do not own either Criminal Minds or Danny Phantom. I also lay no claims to the play Hamlet.

A/N: Thank you to all of you who have read, reviewed, and added this story (and me) to your Favorites and Alerts lists. I offer iced tea and apples in honor of Labor Day. Good luck to all of you students as the school year begins.

Chapter 2

"There are more things in Heaven and Earth, Horatio, than are dreamt of in your philosophy."

– Hamlet, Hamlet, Prince of Denmark, Act I scene 5 (William Shakespeare)

The team took their jet to Amity Park, IL, that afternoon. Once the jet had leveled off at cruising altitude, the team assembled around Hotch's laptop to Skype Garcia, who was locating information for them in her office back in Quantico. At this point, she was consolidating what she could access on Danny Phantom and the other ghosts that regularly showed up in Amity Park.

Morgan was still annoyed about the reason for this trip. "Remind me why we're doing this, again?" The black agent was rubbing the bridge of his nose as he looked over the GiW file on Danny Phantom.

Rossi sighed as he also read through the information. "Because a group of incompetent idiots managed to convince Erin, who I thought was smarter than this, that our help was needed in hunting down a ghost."

Reid, who had already read everything during takeoff, noted, "You know, they do have some reason to think that Phantom is different than the other ghosts that come to Amity Park."

Hotch looked up from reading his own file. "How so?"

The genius began enumerating everything. "Well, every other ghost the GiW have information on has a very clear obsession that defines everything it does. Some of them actually state their purpose very clearly, almost bragging about why they're terrorizing the town. But this Phantom doesn't say anything that indicates what he's trying to do."

JJ offered, "Well, maybe not all ghosts have an obsession, Spence. After all, we don't know that much about ghosts. They can't all be of a piece. People are different, so it stands to reason that ghosts are different, too."

Spencer turned to look at the blonde. "Actually, all ghosts do have obsessions, JJ. It's a pretty well established fact. Phantom's obsession just isn't obvious to the Guys in White. He seems to be more human in his behavior than most ghosts. The types of places he's seen are more varied than other ghosts. And he seems less comfortable with his powers."

"You know," Emily pointed out, "there is a pattern, here. He's showing up in all of the popular teen hangouts." She moved the list of frequent sightings to where everyone could see it. "Look at this: the high school, the mall, certain single stores where teens often shop, the park, concerts, a favorite local fast food place..."

Garcia chimed in from the computer. "Yeah, weird thing about that concert Phantom showed up at: This Ember McLain had every teenager, worldwide, going nuts about her for two whole days before her only concert. It was a live broadcast, no taping allowed, and was suddenly interrupted when some kid started singing her only hit badly off-key, right on stage.

"Quite suddenly, everyone hated her, and she vanished from the airwaves overnight. Even stranger, Ember McLain doesn't seem to exist anywhere. Her name isn't in any official records, so I ran her through facial recognition, in case the name was an alias, and nada. No such person anywhere in the world. It's like she's a ghost."

Smirks appeared on every agent's face at Garcia's last comment. Morgan said, "Baby girl, that is just wrong. We're trying to profile a ghost, and you're making bad jokes about a girl that managed to stay out of official records."

Garcia smiled. "Honey, her parents would have had to be staying off the radar for me not to be able to find her. No birth records, no school records, no hospital records... She's never had a school photo, driver's license, non-driver's ID... Nothing! She doesn't exist, Derek!"

Rossi mused, "That's quite a feat. I think Garcia's right: Ember might just have been a ghost." Garcia smirked at Derek, who glared back her halfheartedly. Rossi chuckled at the byplay before continuing, "We'll have to talk to the kids while we're there. Given that Phantom spends so much time at the teen hangouts, they probably see a lot of him."

Emily noted, "Phantom looks about the age of a high school kid. Maybe he died as a teenager. Is it possible that Phantom's obsession is so hard to pinpoint because he's so young?"

Spencer shook his head. "I doubt it, Emily. Teenagers tend to be pretty self-absorbed. An obsession would be more likely to develop in the ghost of a teen, not less so. And it should be more obvious to the observer. Teens are often more likely to focus on a single objective than adults. They also tend to be less likely to care whether others are hurt by their actions. I would expect far more damage to extraneous buildings than tends to happen in Phantom's fights."

Hotch carefully considered his team's points. "Alright. We'll be setting up at the Amity Park Police Station. I don't want our profile colored by the GiW's biases. JJ and Reid, you'll go to the high school. Talk to the teachers, find out which of the students are most likely to have information on Phantom. While you're there, see if they'll allow you to talk with the students, as well." Both agents nodded.

"Prentiss and Morgan, you'll head to the Fenton home. Jack and Maddie Fenton are the local ghost experts, so I want you to talk to them about what they know about Phantom." They also nodded.

"Rossi, you'll come with me to the Police Station. We'll have to get their take on Phantom, so we can get a clearer idea of his effect on the town." At Dave's nod, he continued. "I know none of us is too happy with doing the GiW's dirty work, but the faster we get this done, the faster we can get back to doing our regular jobs."

Amity Park, IL

The team took rooms at a hotel when they landed. Since they didn't have to worry about stopping a killer, for once, they all decided to just begin their investigation in the morning. This decision was only helped along by their distaste for the case.

After breakfast the next day, the team separated to look into their agreed upon avenues of investigation. Hotch and Rossi took one of the SUVs to the Amity Park Police Station. As the two agents entered the small police station, they saw two officers seated at the reception desk. While both were men, one was Hispanic and one was white. The white officer's uniform bore sergeant's stripes.

The white officer greeted them, "Good morning, sirs. How can we help you?"

While Rossi was older, Hotch, as the Unit Chief, took the lead. "Good morning, Sergeant. I'm Supervisory Special Agent Aaron Hotchner, and this is Supervisory Special Agent David Rossi." They both showed the officers their credentials.

The sergeant, obviously puzzled, said, "I'm Sergeant Frank Anderson, and this is my partner, Officer Edward Vasquez. What can we do for you, Agents?"

Hotch removed the letter the GiW operatives had given Strauss from his coat pocket. "Mayor Montez requested the services of the Behavioral Analysis Unit of the FBI to create a profile on one of your local ghosts, Danny Phantom." Rossi couldn't help a grunt of displeasure at this.

The officers looked at each other, then turned back to the agents. They chorused, "The Ghost Kid?"

Rossi cocked his head in curiosity, but merely noted, "We hear he's made quite a name for himself."

Sergeant Anderson shrugged uncomfortably. "Well, he's either a good kid or a bad kid; a hero or a villain, depending on who you ask."

Hotch raised an eyebrow at the comment. "Well, that settles it, doesn't it?" he noted dryly.

Anderson rubbed the back of his neck sheepishly. "Yeah... That wasn't very helpful, was it?" The two agents gave him a 'What do you think?' look.

The sergeant lowered his hand again as he explained. "The reason there's such a problem is that the Ghost Kid doesn't make any sense. When ghosts attack the high school, both the teachers and the students swear up and down that Danny Phantom saved them, defeating and capturing the ghosts, and then moseying off into the sunset, or wherever it is ghosts go." There were nods from the agents at this.

Officer Vasquez chimed in, "Then, you have the incident, about six months ago, where this place was Ghost Central."

Anderson turned to him with an incredulous look. "Which time was that?" It was quite clear from his tone that the suggested influx of ghosts was a common occurrence.

Recognizing this, Vasquez clarified his statement. "Not this last one, when the whole town got sucked into the 'Twilight Zone,' or the 'Ghost Zone,' or whatever you want to call it." Rossi and Hotch looked at each other, tempted to ask for more details. The town's disappearance was the reason the GiW were now a part of the Federal government. They decided to let it be. The two officers were sharing a lot more just arguing amongst themselves than they would if reminded of the agents' presence.

Vasquez continued his statement. "I'm talking about when there was a ghost invasion so bad, the Mayor deputized the Fentons to protect the high school and instituted the curfew."

Anderson rolled his eyes in disgust at this statement. Hotch and Rossi looked at each other in amusement.

Completely ignoring the two agents, Vasquez reminded his partner, "Phantom kidnapped the Mayor!"

Totally caught off guard, the agents looked at each other in shock. They chorused, "He did what!?"

The officers were still ignoring the agents as they argued back and forth. Rolling his eyes again, Anderson pointed out, "If he did, he didn't try very hard. I'm not convinced that we saw the whole business. That Phantom kid is a powerful little ghost, and if he put his mind to something, he'd get it done. But after the so-called 'kidnapping' incident, the Mayor woke up to see the Ghost Kid standing over him in a protective stance. Ernesto never made it clear what the Ghost Kid was protecting him from, but he said the Ghost Kid did not appear to be dangerous, but protective."

Hotch tilted his head to one side in interest. This was unexpected entertainment and information. They were learning a lot already, and they hadn't even asked any questions, yet.

Vasquez snapped at his partner, "Oh yeah? The Ghost Kid is responsible for thousands of dollars of property damage."

Anderson put a hand on his chin in thought. "Have you actually ever stopped to watch one of these ghost fights? It's collateral damage, at best. A ghost that's bigger than him might shoot him with what the Fentons might call an 'ecto-blast' or something. The kid falls, and the crater left behind as the kid dusts himself off from whatever happened to him can hardly be blamed on the poor kid."

Vasquez crossed his arms in defiance. "Really? Then how do you square that away with the jewelry heists he was involved in?"

Anderson looked up at the ceiling a moment before turning to face the other officer. "Unless I have failed to remember this correctly, Phantom stopped those other ghosts, and every last thing that was stolen (and he appeared to help to steal) was found with that Freakshow, who clearly was the mastermind, who mourned that he was no longer in control of the ghosts who performed for him and stole for him.

"Isn't that funny? The ridiculously disturbed ringmaster proved to be as single-minded as most ghosts are. He was so taken with his loss of the control of these ghosts, that he failed to notice he was giving us a full-blown confession of his crimes and of somehow forcing the ghosts to act under duress." He leaned forward. "If the Ghost Kid was acting under duress, it wasn't his fault that he was involved in the crime spree.

"But even before the Ghost Boy's participation in said spree, you were perfectly willing to frame him as you contemplated stealing a diamond necklace and blaming him."

When the two agents glared at him, Vasquez blushed. "I was just joking."

"You don't joke about that," Hotch told the embarrassed officer sternly. The former prosecutor was furious at this evidence of misconduct.

Vasquez sighed in defeat. "I am never going to live this down, am I?"

Anderson and the FBI agents all chorused, "Never."

In the meantime, JJ and Reid drove to Casper High School. The building appeared to be a typical small town high school: three stories, with a brick facade, and an American flag on the roof. As they entered, Reid was regaling JJ with what he felt were fascinating stats on high schools in the state of Illinois. JJ had tuned him out within the first couple sentences.

As the blonde agent was trying to figure out which hallway to take, a tall redhead with a spring in her step turned the corner. The girl stopped in surprise on seeing the two adults, then walked over to them eagerly.

Jazz Fenton was on her way to the library for study hall. She was surprised to see a woman in a gray business suit standing in the school foyer beside a young college student carrying a messenger bag. 'Are they recruiting?' she wondered.

The teen walked over to the pair. "Hi, I'm Jazz. Who are you, and how can I help you?"

As both agents pulled out their badges, the woman spoke. "I'm Special Agent Jennifer Jareau and this is Dr. Spencer Reid. We're from the FBI. We need to speak to the school principal."

Puzzled as to why the FBI would be in Amity Park, Jazz said, "Principal Ishiyama? Sure. Let me take you."

The two agents were glad to find someone so helpful, and they accepted her offer. As the teen led them to the principal's office, she asked, "So what unit do you work with?"

Dr. Reid answered, "The Behavioral Analysis Unit, the BAU. We analyze the behavior of criminals in order to catch them."

Jazz's face lit up in fascination. "Really? I'm really interested in psychology. I've been helping to counsel some of the troubled teens here at Casper High. But using it to solve crimes sounds very interesting."

Dr. Reid began fidgeting with his fingers as he entered 'lecture mode.' "Behavioral science is an extremely fascinating topic. Since a large part of it is understanding how people tend to react to certain kinds of stimuli, we apply that to determining how those reactions lead to criminal behavior.

"Then, we use the methods used in the crime to isolate a suspect pool. This allows us to narrow down the kinds of people we're looking for. In addition, we have to also look at the locations the criminal prefers and the types of people they prefer to target."

Agent Jareau rolled her eyes. "Okay, Spence. I think she understands."

As Dr. Reid blushed and mumbled an apology, Jazz laughed. "Wow. You remind me of my dad. But in a really cool way."

Curious, Agent Jareau looked over at the redhead. "Who is your dad?"

"Jack Fenton," the teen answered, blushing at the admission. "While the BAU sounds very cool, Dad... hunts ghosts." The girl rubbed the back of her neck, clearly uncomfortable.

The two agents fell silent, trying to decide what to ask next. Before either had a chance to do so, Jazz suddenly perked up again. "Here's Principal Ishiyama's office!"

Turning to face their student guide, Agent Jareau said, "Thanks for showing us the way, Jazz."

"My pleasure." The redhead walked off, a cheerful bounce in her step as she left the two agents.

JJ and Reid walked up to the principal's office door. The blonde agent knocked on the door. A high female voice called out, "Come in."

As the agents entered, the stocky Asian woman behind the desk turned to the door in curiosity. "Yes, can I help you?"

JJ stepped forward. "Principal Ishiyama?"

The dark-haired woman nodded. "Yes. And you are...?"

Once again pulling out their badges, both agents fully entered the office. JJ said, "I'm Special Agent Jennifer Jareau, and this is Dr. Spencer Reid. We're from the FBI."

The principal was shocked. "The FBI? Oh my! And what has our fair school done to attract such important attention?" The woman's sing-song voice and clutching of her hand to her chest struck the agents as rather over the top.

JJ was a bit thrown by the principal's attitude. The older woman seemed to be almost eager to hear what she obviously assumed to be good news. Clearing her throat, the Media Liaison adopted the expression she used for press conferences. "Ms. Ishiyama, we've been asked to assist in an investigation into the ghost Danny Phantom."

Principal Ishiyama looked stunned for a moment before she recovered her composure. "Well, my assistant principal, Mr. Lancer, will know far more about it, but the ghost Danny Phantom has been seen all over this school – nay, all over this town! – but especially in this school."

JJ nodded. "We realize that, Ma'am. As part of our investigation, we'd like to speak with your faculty and, if possible, your students as well, about Phantom's activities around the school."

The Asian woman paused a couple of seconds in surprise, then spluttered, before putting a hand on her chest as though delivering a Presidential stump speech. "Of course! We will do anything and everything we can to cooperate with you, of the FBI." JJ and Reid looked at one another; the sense of the principal's political grandstanding was growing on both of them.

The principal was so eager to help, that it didn't take long to set up the agents in an empty classroom. The desks and chairs had been cleared away, In the center of the room, a small folding table was set up. Two folding chairs were set u p on one side, and one chair on the other. The teachers were sent to speak with the agents during their free periods. JJ was rather disturbed by the principal's behavior, though the older woman's readiness to help was a relief. Reid was fascinated by this almost childlike desire to be seen to be helping. The genius was actually wondering if that desire to help would culminate in the principal actually impeding where she thought she was helping.

Over the course of the morning, JJ and Reid were subjected to a long litany of each teacher's description of every encounter they had ever had with Danny Phantom. Most were colored by the individual teachers' perceptions about why the ghost teen was there. Some clearly felt that the ghost was possibly dangerous, while others just as clearly felt he was just doing his best to help where he could.

Mr. Faluca, one of the Math teachers, described an encounter with a giant green mosquito. "The mandibular formation was quite interesting, though I dearly hoped not to experience them from the inside. I was backed up against the wall, when a benevolent ghost suddenly swooped in and forced it out of the building. I didn't see said ghost, at first, because it was invisible. But I was curious to see the fate of the monstrosity that had me cornered. So I ran to the window to watch, and it appeared that Danny Phantom had an aerial dogfight with the giant mosquito."

Satisfaction entered the teacher's expression as he said, "It was quite amazing to watch as Danny Phantom jumped out of the way of the mosquito, and it got electrocuted by the power lines, like a giant bug zapper. No matter what anyone else says about him, I will always be grateful to Danny Phantom for saving me."

Reid nodded. "So Danny Phantom was very clearly trying to stop this thing?"

The shorter man nodded vehemently. "Oh, yes, Dr. Reid. He seemed very unhappy that the mosquito was there. I had no doubt he was protecting me from it."

JJ and Reid looked at each other, considering this. Then, JJ asked, "Was there any other ghostly activity that day?"

Mr. Faluca hesitated a moment in thought. "Well... That was also the day almost all of the students began exhibiting what appeared to be ghost powers. I realize that the Fentons, particularly Mrs. Madeline Fenton, said that humans having ghost powers was ridiculous, but I know what I saw.

"Most of the students had a problem turning invisible, or intangible, or both, with a touch of levitation. And I promise you, there was no levity about the situation, at all." The two agents rolled their eyes at the pun. "Then, this strange man, a Dr. Bert Rand, came to the school. As the students were quite clearly ill, he insisted on quarantining the children at North Mercy Hospital.

"Since he seemed to be a government official, no one objected. Though I'm not certain what agency he was from. Unlike you, he and his assistants didn't present badges. And we had no idea if they were City, State, or Federal." The teacher was clearly puzzled by this. "To this day, I'm still not sure what right they had. But, sometimes, the appearance of propriety seems more tangible than actual..." He trailed off and stared out the window in thought.

After giving JJ a speaking look, Reid went to the far corner of the room from where the interviews were being conducted. Pulling out his cell phone, he called Garcia.

"Fountain of All Knowledge. How can I help you?" Garcia's chipper voice had the genius smiling.

Then, Reid cleared his throat. "Um, Garcia, I need you to look into a Dr. Bert Rand. He seems to have been involved in some sort of quarantine of all the students at Casper High. One of the teachers suggested there might be something suspicious about the circumstances. Quite frankly, I'm almost positive that there's something fishy about it."

"Just give me a moment, sweet cheeks." There was the sound of the tech analyst typing away on her keyboard as she ran her search. "Well, I can't find any record of anyone named Bert Rand, doctor or otherwise." There was another pause. "And this quarantine is nowhere in any government records I can find. The CDC keeps scrupulous records about these kinds of things. You are right, my little genius. There is definitely something off about this."

"Thanks, Garcia." Reid hung up, then returned to JJ's side for the next interview.