A/N: Many thanks to everyone reading this story, especially to those who take the time to comment on it.


It was three in the morning. Jazz was still the only one home. Sam and Tucker had called her earlier, hoping she had news about Danny, but she hadn't. And the only thing she'd learned from them was that he'd gone off to fight a ghost. It had been during English, with Mr. Lancer. He hadn't made it back before the end of class, which, while not the norm anymore, wasn't exactly unusual, either. The fact that he'd missed lunch was, and the fact that he never did show up again definitely was.

They'd come over around midnight, and she hadn't lectured them about trying to get any sleep. She wasn't going to be getting any herself, either. When Sam had insisted that she and Tucker go into the Ghost Zone in the Spectre Speeder, reasoning that a ghost—probably Skulker, or maybe even Walker if Danny had somehow ended up in the Ghost Zone first—had captured him. Someone needed to look for him there, Sam had said, and she and Tucker were the best ones to do it.

The Fenton Portal had been open for those three hours. Not a single ghost had come through, thankfully, but perhaps they didn't expect it to be open at this time. They usually managed it at some point while Jack was working down here, when he got caught up in an experiment and didn't remember he'd left it open.

But as far as Jazz knew, neither of her parents had been doing anything too destructive. Her dad was still in the very early experimental stages of the latest weapon, and she'd heard her mom muttering about trying to fix up some of the old weapons. And neither of them had mentioned ghost hunting today, and she was sure her dad would have said something if that had been the case.

"It probably was Skulker," Jazz said quietly. "He's always after Danny." She'd hoped saying it aloud would make it all sound more preposterous, but it only sounded that much more likely—and horrible.

Yes, Skulker always was after Danny. But before now, Danny had always bested him. Somehow. Eventually.

But what if he'd needed help and no one had been there to give it?

Jazz stopped pacing and sat down on a chair in the lab. She had one hand curled around an ectogun. The other rested on the counter, the phone a finger's breadth away. But it didn't ring, and the Fenton Phone on her ear didn't crackle to life.

No progress reports from either side.

No answers, then.

No Danny.


There was no sign of Danny. Jack hadn't found anything, she hadn't found anything, Jazz hadn't heard anything…. Maddie collapsed on the bleachers, having trekked back to Casper High over the course of the night. She knew she couldn't keep this up much longer. Even driven by worry, anxiety chasing away much of her sleepiness, she was still tired. And that meant she missed things. It was easier now that she wasn't just relying on the Fenton Flashlight—the sun was starting to come up—but she was only reminded of the passage of time and everything that meant.

She was beginning to wish desperately that she'd never heard from Sam and Tucker. It would have been easy to believe that Danny was with them. But, at the same time, she knew she'd hate to be lied to by anyone, especially those two, who would think they were doing it to help. She had no doubt that they'd cover for Danny even if they didn't know exactly what he was up to, as Mr. Lancer suspected. She just wished some loyalties wouldn't stretch so far.

Phantom clearly thought they did, if he had any real concept of loyalty anymore. She rather doubted it, but it was something he could mimic, if only crudely, after observing human interactions. Why was it that that particular ghost had to stop acting human when she desperately needed him to understand what she was going through? If he'd only help her.

He knew where Danny was. She had no doubt about that. He just wouldn't tell her. He enjoyed seeing her suffer. It was a kind of revenge he could get on her, withholding that information, knowing she couldn't hurt him because she risked losing her last connection to her son. He'd said as much himself.

But what connection could he possibly have? That worried her as much as Danny's disappearance itself. Danny knew better than to associate with ghosts, which meant that, whatever the connection was, Phantom had done it without Danny's consent. Or, possibly, his knowledge.

And as much as she hated to admit it, there was a very real possibility that whatever Phantom had done was beyond her knowledge. As much research as she and Jack had done on ghosts, it hadn't really prepared her for this. Whatever this was.

Maddie found herself staring at the thermos again. She was loath to let Phantom go free, but she was beginning to wonder if she had a choice.

Jazz had been defending Phantom for some time now, and Danny was always uncomfortable when they spoke of the destruction Phantom caused. It was quite possible that neither of them knew precisely what hold Phantom had over Danny. But Danny…. Danny hadn't been himself for quite some time.

She'd noticed, of course. They all had. It wasn't just the suffering of his schoolwork. He spent less time at home and less time with them. He wasn't sleeping as well. He'd always been clumsy, but he seemed to injury himself or drop things more often than he used to. Jazz had mentioned the possibility of Danny being bullied in school, back when Danny's clumsiness had escalated after his accident, but Danny had never said a word, and she had yet to ask Mr. Lancer if he'd noticed anything unusual, convinced that he would have brought it up if he'd noticed anything himself.

There were only so many things Maddie was willing to chalk up to being a teenager, so many so-called 'stages' she could convince herself that Danny was going through. He pushed them away, all of them…. Though not Jazz, not as often as he used to. But Jazz was clever. If she knew anything about Danny, about any connection between him and Phantom, she'd tell them. She knew that they were the only ones who could help Danny, given their experience.

But, if Jazz knew, perhaps she didn't realize the extent of it all. She had been, after all, convinced by Phantom's act despite their protests. Maybe she didn't know the damage that could be done. Maybe she thought they would try to use that connection to get to Phantom.

Maddie's mouth twisted. Instead, Phantom had used his connection with Danny to get to them. If Jazz knew…. If Danny knew….

But if Danny knew, he certainly wouldn't know the whole story. Phantom would never tell it. Not when it suited his purposes otherwise.

And if Danny knew, why would he allow it? Had Phantom threatened him? Threatened to hurt them if Danny didn't comply? Or had Phantom forced it on him, not giving him even the semblance of a choice?

And if he had…how?

As she'd told Phantom, it was possible for ghosts to gain a foothold in the real world by taking advantage of a connection with a living being, but there were undoubtedly many other ways that such connections could be forged. What had Danny gone through?

Why hadn't she pieced it together until now?

Why hadn't Danny told them?

What hold did Phantom have over him? What had he threatened? What had he promised? What had he said that would make Danny ignore everything they'd been telling him for years? Why hadn't Danny come to them for help when he realized something was wrong, even if he wasn't sure what it was?

When had they lost his trust?

And what was she going to do if Phantom had managed to gain it? If he'd managed to trick and connive and beguile her son into believing whatever he'd said? How could they possibly….

But they couldn't do anything, Maddie realized, if they didn't find him again.

"Phantom never denied he and Danny had a connection," Maddie said, rolling the thermos between her hands, "and he didn't want to tell me about it. He didn't think I'd like it."

He was probably right, but that didn't mean she didn't want to know.

Maddie pressed the release button on the thermos for the second time that night. The cap sprang off and Phantom spun out, looking disoriented. He noticed the brightening sky, and then her, and then….

He didn't fly off, as she'd expected. He didn't come any closer, either, but he did drift down so that he was only floating an inch or two off the ground. He was staring at her, and she at him.

Finally, he opened his mouth. "No weapons this time?"

"No." Nothing except the thermos, which she had already closed again. She kept her hold on it, not quite willing to put it down in case Phantom did try to attack her, but…. She was hoping he might give her some answers if she pretended to ask in a more…relaxed setting.

She had a terrible yet utterly certain feeling—her mother's instinct, she suspected—that getting answers out of Phantom would be the only way she'd see Danny again.

"It's, um, been a long night, I guess," Phantom said slowly.

"Where's Danny?" Maddie asked, not even trying to hide her desperation or her weariness. Phantom might very well try to take advantage of her, but as he'd forged a connection with Danny, perhaps he'd be lenient for once.

Were ghosts even capable of that? She wasn't sure anymore. Her instinct told her no, but Phantom…. Phantom was different. Just a little. Enough to give her pause. He hadn't attacked her yet, at any rate, and he'd had plenty of time to do so.

And she was making a rather large bet that that was Danny's influence on him. Connections would have to work both ways, wouldn't they?

"Why do you think I know?" Phantom asked, playing at being innocent as he rubbed the back of his neck with one hand. A small voice from the corner of her mind pointed out that she had seen Danny do the same many a time when he was nervous. That gesture alone made her think Phantom had picked up a few things from Danny, besides his energy and whatever else he used.

"Can you honestly tell me you don't? You never denied that you were connected." Phantom opened his mouth as if to do this, but Maddie continued on. "You even said you could find him. I want to know where my son is. I want him back. So release him."

Phantom blinked at her. "Huh?"

"You're connected," Maddie repeated. She'd lost count how many times she'd said this now, but it was getting harder to repeat instead of easier, because Phantom never corrected her. "Release him. Break that connection. Leave my family alone."

Phantom swallowed. "Um…."

"Any connections forged can be similarly broken," Maddie said, still managing to keep her voice neutral.

"Really?" For a few seconds, Phantom looked interested. Then he seemed to realize precisely what she'd said, and he avoided her gaze. "But, um, this is different, you know." He risked a quick glance. "It's not what you think it is. Danny and I are just…friends."

"Don't lie to me," Maddie said, her voice sharp. She'd had quite enough of lies.

Phantom winced. "It's not really a lie."

"It can't be the whole truth, either. Danny knows better than to associate with ghosts!"

"Danny knows not all ghosts are evil," Phantom countered. "I'm not, and he knows that."

"Then you tricked him." Maddie's fingers clenched the thermos tightly, and it was everything she could do not to attack Phantom then and there.

"Look, Danny's helped me out before," Phantom said, watching her carefully. "It was a while back now, but did Jack ever tell you what happened at the fair? The time Technus attacked it? When he'd taken over your Assault Vehicle?" Phantom must have noticed her blank look because he added, "It was also the time he possessed your house and moved it to the waterfront."

She did certainly remember that; it had taken them a lot of time and more expense than she'd cared to move their home back to its proper lot. But she didn't remember Jack mentioning anything about Danny and Phantom at the fair.

Phantom seemed to realize this. "Technus had put up a ghost shield, and I couldn't get through it to stop him. Danny helped me."

"Danny helped you fight a ghost?"

The incredulity in her voice made Phantom freeze. "Um…. That time," Phantom said slowly. "He hasn't exactly helped me since. Usually I'm the only Danny fighting."

Maddie didn't even chuckle, and the smile on Phantom's face faded. "My point is," he said, "that Danny's my friend. I'm not going to hurt him."

"So you're saying I don't need to worry." Her voice was flat.

"Well, yeah."

"Even though my son is missing, you don't think I should worry."

"Well—"

"Just answer me this, Phantom. Do you know where Danny is?" He may not want to tell her where her son is, but just getting him to admit that he knew would be enough for now. It would give her some hope. They could get the answer out of him later, surely, and then….

But what if they couldn't? What if Phantom had betrayed the friendship he claimed to have with Danny? She was really going to have to talk to Danny when he got home about the company he kept. His explanations would have to be less vague than Phantom's, and she certainly wasn't going to let him get away without making any explanations.

Just…after. Once she knew he was safe and sound, once he was back under their roof, she could ground him until he was finished high school.

"Uh, I've gotta go," Phantom said, taking a step back.

When Maddie made no move to stop him, he jumped in the air and flew off, winking out of sight when he was hardly thirty feet off the ground.

If Phantom knew where Danny was, and if he was going to pretend he had an ounce of compassion, then perhaps he'd try to get on her good side in the foolish hope that it would mean they'd stop hunting him. Or perhaps he'd let Danny return to them as a supposed sign that he was telling the truth, that he didn't want to hurt Danny, that they really were friends, that he wasn't an evil ghost.

Maddie snorted. The fact that he had done anything to Danny in the first place completely undermined his attempt at proving that he was everything he claimed. But if it meant he would also return their son unharmed, she was willing to give him that chance.

If she thought they had any other choice, she wouldn't. But she wasn't sure they did.

Besides, she didn't have to tell Jack. If this didn't work, she only had herself to blame, and the guilt would be enough to keep her from questioning herself again before she blasted Phantom out of the sky.

But if it didn't…. If Danny never…. If Phantom….

Maddie closed her eyes. "Please let Danny come home safely," she whispered.


Jack couldn't remember how many times he'd driven past Casper High, but when he spotted Maddie, alone and unmoving out by the football field, he drove up to fetch her. It was time they went home. After an hour or two of sleep, they could keep looking. But even he had to admit that it was getting harder and harder to search.

"Get in, Mads," he said from the open window as he pulled up alongside his wife. Technically, he shouldn't be driving here, but he'd thrown out the few rules of the road that he actually followed shortly after they'd realized that Danny wasn't just out with his friends, that he wasn't going to rush home a few minutes too late to be in time for his curfew, throwing a flurry of excuses at them before sneaking guiltily up to his room. "You need to get some sleep. You're not doing Danny any good here."

"He'll come back," Maddie said. "He has to. Doesn't he?"

"He'll come back," Jack repeated. He hoped it was true, but a rather unpleasant thought had crossed his mind during their search. They were well-known ghost hunters. As such, their children might be thought good targets for ghosts. Jazz was better than she used to be, grudgingly agreeing to take a Jack-o'-Nine-Tails to keep in her school locker just in case, but Danny….

In the past year, Jack could count the number of times he'd seen Danny hunt ghosts on one hand. And for a Fenton, that was completely unacceptable, but no amount of convincing had gotten Danny to agree to spend more time ghost hunting with them. Jack had suggested going after the ghost kid more than once, for instance, since he seemed to show up a lot, but Danny had always made up one excuse or another to avoid that. And he was clearly reluctant when he was dragged along, and he made any excuse he could to avoid even picking up half their weapons. After all, given Danny's inexperience, he should be wearing a Spectre Deflector in all fights. But every time Jack brought it up, Danny went pale and made up excuses or just ran out of the house altogether.

If a ghost was going to try to get at them through their kids, Danny would be the easier target.

And since they couldn't find him anywhere, since he'd disappeared from school, since no one knew anything…. It was all too likely that a ghost was behind this.

Maddie didn't say another word as she climbed into the Assault Vehicle. Jack drove home at a reasonable pace, still keeping his eyes peeled. There were always clues, always hints that a ghost was behind something. They just needed to see them, not overlook any detail, and then they'd figure it out, and then they'd find Danny.

They had to.


Danny flew back to FentonWorks but didn't change into his human form yet. The Assault Vehicle was gone, so that meant his dad was probably out with it, since his mom had been on foot. And the house looked empty, but that was no guarantee Jazz wasn't home. She might be asleep, but….

Her room was empty, her bed undisturbed. A quick scope of the house revealed she had to be in the lab, so Danny headed down there. His sister was asleep on a chair, head slumped forward, a Fenton Phone in one ear and the house phone and an ectogun close at hand. Feeling a bit guilty, Danny reverted to human form and shook her shoulder gently. "Jazz?"

"Hnh…what?" Jazz blinked, and in a split second, she was wide awake. "Danny!"

"It's, um, only been one night, right?"

"Yes, but, Danny, where were you?" Jazz asked. "I was so worried! Mom and Dad are out looking for you, and Sam and Tucker went into the Ghost Zone, and—"

Danny cringed. "Look, I'm sorry," he said, cutting in. "It's not really my fault. Mom caught me in a thermos."

Jazz frowned. "She never said anything."

Danny shrugged. "I think I sort of shocked her. She saw Phantom get hit with the Booo-merang, and I think she was looking for me."

"What? Danny, you have to be more careful!"

"Well, what I supposed to do about it? I didn't even see it coming! I was busy fighting Skulker." Danny shook his head. "Never mind. Call Sam and Tucker back before they get into trouble, and then phone Mom and Dad and tell them I'm home."

Jazz's worried frown returned, but she contacted Sam and Tucker, giving them a cursory explanation and promising that Danny was fine and would give them the whole story tomorrow. But when Danny offered her the house phone—he wasn't about to get chewed out by his parents over the phone and then in person, too—she shook her head. "Not yet."

"Why not? They're worried. I think Mom's going frantic. She didn't even shoot me when I was Phantom."

"What am I supposed to tell them?" Jazz asked. "What are you going to tell them? Once they realize you're fine, the first thing they're going to ask is where you were."

"Oh. Right." Danny rubbed the back of his neck. "Um…. Do you have any ideas?"

Jazz shook her head. "Did Mom keep you in the thermos the whole time?"

"She let me out twice," Danny said, "and then she let me get away the last time."

Jazz's eyes narrowed. "That doesn't sound like Mom."

"I know," Danny agreed, "but I'm not really complaining. I'm back, aren't I?"

"Danny…." Jazz bit her lip. "What exactly did Mom tell you?"

"Besides the fact that I was missing? I dunno. She's convinced that I'm connected with Phantom somehow, but she never really explained it, so…. What?"

"Don't you get it?" Jazz asked. "Mom's going to figure it out!"

Danny shook his head. "I doubt it. I mean, I took care of it. You, um, remember that time when saw two of me and thought you were going nuts? When you knew my secret and I still didn't know you knew it?" At Jazz's hesitant nod, Danny continued, "I reminded Mom of that time. I mean, she didn't see as much as Dad did, but there was definitely me and Phantom."

Jazz looked puzzled. "You know," she said, "you never did explain that to me. I didn't think you could duplicate yourself at that point."

"I couldn't," Danny replied. "I split myself with the Ghost Catcher. Long story. Let's just say I managed to pull myself together and I know not to try that again. But Mom and Dad don't know that, so they'll never put two and two together and figure out I'm Phantom."

"All right," Jazz said, "but that still means you need to come up with an explanation as to where you were."

"Sam and Tucker can cover for me," Danny said. "I'll just pretend I forgot to call."

Jazz shook her head. "That's not going to work this time. Sam and Tucker phoned here looking for you."

"Oh." That wasn't the best news, since it meant his ready-made alibi was already out the window. But he guessed he shouldn't have expected anything else, if his parents were out looking for him. They would've started with Sam and Tucker. "I was hoping they'd just talked to you."

"Mom talked to them first," Jazz said. "You can't blame them; they did know there was a good possibility you were at home. It wouldn't be the first time you'd gotten caught up in something and hadn't had time to call them."

So he still had to come up with some excuse. "She'd probably check if I used Valerie as an excuse, wouldn't she?"

"Oh, Danny, don't," Jazz said. "That's too risky. Besides, if she's convinced you're at all connected to Phantom, she's going to be asking questions."

"So it, um, probably wasn't the smartest idea to tell her I was friends with Phantom, huh?" Danny winced at Jazz's look. "It was that or get blasted to pieces, okay?"

Jazz rolled her eyes. "You need to be more careful, Danny," she chided. "You have to watch what you say or someone else is going to figure out your secret."

Why did Jazz always have to be right? "Look, just help me come up with something, will you? I'm going to need a good excuse this time, not the kind I usually give."

Jazz sighed. "Danny, you can't just—" She broke off as the sound of the front door opening caught their attention.

There was a quiet murmur of voices, then Jack's voice cut through, calling, "Jazz? Did you hear from Danny?"

Danny shot her a panicked look, but Jazz just gave him an apologetic shrug. "I'm sorry," she said. "I guess you ran out of time."

"Jazz?" Footsteps at the top of the stairs now.

"Are you awake, sweetie?" Maddie's voice.

"I'll, um, be outside, I guess," Danny said, hurriedly transforming back into his ghost form. He phased through the wall just before his parents came down to talk to Jazz. He settled down on top of the Ops Centre, still invisible, thinking. He didn't really want to wait. His parents were worried and tired, and they didn't deserve to think he'd been kidnapped by a ghost or anything like that.

He had to come up with some excuse soon.

He just had no idea what he could say.