Hey, guys, sorry for the long wait with this chapter. My life is going through a busy period, with a giant workload, an upcoming series of performances, and a recent death in the family, which has hit us all pretty hard.

But I've got the chapter finished. I'd like to give another big thank you to Kagome51, who's being an amazing beta.

The Scrapbook

Jasmine had been with the ghost boy.

She didn't want to believe it. But the more she thought about it, the clearer her conclusion became.

At first, Maddie had told herself she was over-reacting. A single picture in a scrapbook could hardly be counted as proof. But the more she thought about it, the more she remembered strange occurrences and actions from the past.

She had remembered that day over two years ago, during the first major ghost invasion. She had been trying to quench the assault, shooting ghosts right and left with the new Fenton Bazooka. Jack, in a rare show of competence, had had Phantom in his sight. Suddenly, Jazz had fallen on him; his shot missed completely. Jazz had shrugged it off with a simple "oops".

Maddie had thought it a mistake. But how often had things like that happened? Maddie could think of dozens of times where Jazz had 'slipped', destroying her aim on Phantom. She'd never given the incidents any second thought, but now, looking back with suspicion, it looked like Jazz was defending the ghost.

And somehow, Jazz had gotten that Polaroid photo. And Phantom didn't exactly go around showering pictures of himself around town. For the most well known ghost in America, he was also the most reclusive.

Jazz had always been a vehement supporter of how good Phantom was. She had hardly even accepted that ghosts existed, and suddenly, Phantom was her greatest hero. How had she come to that conclusion? Maddie had always assumed that she'd simply been swept away with the media. But now, a more sinister alternative was emerging...

She had this horrible image of Phantom, coming to her daughter in the dead of night- sweet and charming, claiming his innocence. What teenage girl wouldn't fall for him? And all the facts fit: Jazz's support of him, her sudden interest in ghosts, and all the pictures of him in the scrapbook. Even that ludicrous article about Phantom falling for human women; was that Jazz's desperate wish? Or maybe it was included through some twisted sense of irony.

And Maddie could see why Phantom would choose Jazz to prey on. She was the daughter of two ghost hunters, two of Phantom's greatest foes. What better way to get past security than befriending their child?

oOoOoOoOo

"Maddie- What are you doing?"

She looked up from her work. She had been screwing a piece of equipment onto the wall. Screwing was usually a delicate procedure, but she was so worked up that the screws kept falling out of their holes. "Installing a ghost shield on the weapons vault."

"Extra protection, huh?" Jack said happily. "Good idea, Mads! Not that any ghost would ever attempt to penetrate the lab of the Fentons!"

She gave him a tight smiled. "Better safe than sorry...after this, I'm installing a genetic lock on the door."

Jack raised a giant eyebrow.

"But Mads- most people don't even know we have a weapons vault."

She shrugged.

Maddie hoped she was being overly paranoid, that she was over-reacting. Because not only was she installing a permanent ecto-shield and genetic lock on the artillery closet, she'd already counted up every piece of equipment they had. Fourteen thermoses, three bazookas, five specter deflectors, nine ecto-rifles, one Fenton Finder...if even a lipstick ray went missing, she'd know. And she'd also know that only four people could have taken it. If one showed up in the hands of a ghost, she would notice.

But Maddie desperately hoped nothing would. Because then, Maddie knew, there could only
be one explanation for how the ghost got it- from inside help.

The inside help being Jazz.

Otherwise, she once again tried to forget about the scrapbook, and get on with her life. She would not let half-baked suspicions about her own family control her. She continued to keep the house in order, design new weapons, and deal with her new theory of Phantom's aging. Maddie did not look at the scrapbook again, though, and got all of her pictures off the internet.

It hurt, though, because every time she thought about the theory, she thought about the scrapbook, and she thought about Jazz...Jazz, who she was now afraid was co-operating with Phantom.

It was driving her up the wall. She found no real proof to back this idea, but the suspicion was grating on her. In everything that Jazz did, Maddie began to see an ulterior motive. When she went out to the library, Maddie was afraid she was meeting the ghost boy. In the lab, every strange sound was Phantom, invading their home. One time, she even thought she heard Jazz speaking to Phantom- but when she burst into the girl's room, all she found was Jazz and Danny, talking.

Jazz had noticed the change; she seemed saddened and frightened by it. Although the two of them had not always agreed, they'd always been close. Maddie couldn't bear the thought of Jazz betraying the family, and every time she saw Jazz gazing sadly at her, she felt horrible.

I'm going crazy, she thought one evening. She rinsed her face in the mirror.

There were large bags under her eyes; Maddie hadn't had a proper night's sleep in days. I can't keep treating myself and Jazz like this.

She'd never acted this way with anyone in her family- let alone Jazz. She had always been a poster child for wonderful. Always back by curfew, straight A's, never fighting with her brother...and now, suddenly, Maddie wasn't sure if she could trust her.

And she hated it.

She was inspecting her wound. It still hurt; she winced whenever she moved the arm. Maddie was accustomed to pain, but she found it more annoying than usual. But she was finding everything more annoying than usual- the itchiness of the bed sheets, how dirty the kitchen was, the fact that Danny got another detention...her suspicion at Jazz was making her crazy.

I'm making something out of nothing, she tried to console herself. It didn't work much. Part of Maddie recognized that she was being irrational; her mind was feeding on its own fears, making projections of things that weren't there. But that fear was still present. The accusation would not die.

But the stress and guilt was killing her.

She'd never been like this with her kids. If something was wrong, she talked about it. Bad grades, chores not done, rudeness- they were all dealt with. Why wasn't she doing that now? Just asking Jazz straight up? She'd save herself the stress of looking for something that wasn't there.

Because I don't want it to be true, she thought to herself. What if Jazz admitted that she was 'friends' with the ghost boy?

When she'd first found out, she'd decided to play it safe. Wait and watch; if Jazz was at all involved with Phantom, she'd find out. Teenagers could only do so much in their house without being noticed.

The phone rang. Maddie jumped, broken out of her thoughts. She quickly dried her hands on a towel, and rushed out of the bathroom, towards the phone. It was a call from Mr. Lancer, Danny's teacher. Apparently Danny had disappeared from class- again- and gone for a whole two periods before returning. Danny hadn't bothered to tell either her or Jack.

It hurt. At this point, most parents would be desensitized to their son's bad behavior. But every time, it still hurt Maddie. Because she knew, despite everything, Danny was a good kid. She couldn't help but blame herself for the bad grades and mysterious absences. Maybe if I'd been a better mother, I could have helped him sooner.

Danny's life wasn't in ruin. It was patchy, but there. But suddenly Maddie had an image of Phantom messing with Jazz's life, toying with her emotions...could the ghost boy wreck Jazz's life, too?

She had stood in the hall; hand over the phone, her conversation with Mr. Lancer still ringing in her ears. She didn't want to do it- but being a parent didn't always mean doing what you wanted. And even if the guilt and suspicion was bad, it was nothing compared to the fear for her child.

With one last look at the phone, Maddie started up the stairs, towards Jazz's room.

She knocked hesitantly at the door, and Jazz looked up. "Can I talk with you?"

"Sure mom," Jazz said happily, swiveling the chair around. "What's up?"

Maddie hung hesitantly in the doorway, and then took a step forward. She wasn't sure how to begin. "Jazz...you know I've always trusted you, right?"

The girl's blue eyes narrowed. Whether it was how naturally perceptive Jazz was, or that sixth sense all teenagers possessed, she began to feel wary. Her mother's tone worried her. "Yes."

"And I still want to be able to trust you."

Now her wariness was blossoming into full alarm. "And you still can."

"...Can I?"

Jazz gave a large sigh, and stared sadly at her mother. "Mom, what's this about? For the past week, all you've done is give me weird looks and sideways glances, and I don't know why."

"I know- and, it's silly, really." Maddie shook her head. Time to take the leap of faith. "But I need to know. Jazz- do you have anything to do with the ghost boy?"

Jazz froze, her face locked. She looked like the deer in the headlights.

"Wh-what ghost boy?" she garbled out quickly.

Maddie's fists tightened. "You know very well which ghost boy. Danny Phantom. Jasmine, do you have anything to do with him?"

Jazz's eyes were flickering nervously from side to side; she started fidgeting with the papers in her hand. "Phantom- nothing! What makes you think that?"

"Jasmine." Maddie's voice was like iron. "Do not play me. You are a horrible liar."

It was true; ever since she was little, Jazz couldn't tell a single convincing lie. Still, she tried to pull herself together. "I'm- I'm not lying. What proof do you have, anyway?"

"Your scrapbook, I think, qualifies."

"My scrapbook?" Jazz's eyes narrowed, and her body tensed. "What about my scrapbook?"

Before, this would have sent a wave of guilt crashing through Maddie: now she hardly felt anything at all. Jazz was nervous, and now Maddie was a lion, coming in for the kill. "Your scrapbook does not matter. What does matter the fact that you've been co-operating with the ghost boy."

But Jazz was her mother's daughter, and she wasn't going down without a fight. She had come to her feet, and was staring at her mother with stony resolve.

"What's any of this got to do with my scrapbook?"

"You're evading the question, Jasmine." As her mother, Maddie knew all her tricks, and would not fall for them. "If you must know- I took it. I was afraid that your obsession over Danny Phantom was dangerous- and I was right.

"I looked through it- maybe it was wrong of me," she said, seeing Jazz preparing to interrupt. "But it was the right thing to do. Because how else would you manage to get a photo of Phantom from our lab?"

That put the teenager off balance- but not for long. "One picture, mom? That's hardly basis for an accusation, especially seeing how easily doctored they are."

"That's not the only evidence I have."

"Oh?" Jazz seemed distressed; she was wringing her hands fearfully, and there was something desperate and feral in her eyes. "And what's that?"

"How does Phantom keep getting our equipment? How come he so often escapes us? I haven't noticed how often you 'accidently' bump into me when I'm shooting at him."

"Circumstantial evid-"

"No!" Maddie broke in. She looked dangerous; red hair stormed around her, and she towered over the girl's form. "I didn't want to believe it, but your reaction proves it. The truth is, your silly crush is putting this whole family in danger!"

"Crush?" Jazz chocked out, looking incredulous.

"Yes- a crush. Jasmine, I understand you're a teenager, and that it's easy to fall for a handsome face. But that hardly justifies you going behind your parents' backs and conspiring with a dangerous ecto-entity."

"Ecto-entity?" she asked angrily. "You think that just because I'm helping a hero like Phantom out, I must have feelings for him? Do you know how wrong that is?"

Maddie had caught her mistake before her daughter even realised what she said.

"Helping him?"

Jazz gave a little gasp, and snapped her mouth shut. For a moment, they were both silent; they stared at each other. Their gazes were intense. The emotions were so similar; betrayal, fear and disappointment.

Jasmine spoke first. "So," she said sadly. "You took my scrapbook, and invaded my privacy. Now you've manipulated me, and are using the information I gave you to further your own narrow-minded view. Great, mom."

Maddie softened. Despite what she had done, Jazz was the victim here- being used by the ghost boy. He had manipulated her- that was the only reason a rational girl like Jazz would act this way. A desperate urge to protect, to explain, rose up in her.

"Sweetie- listen to me." Maddie took a step towards her daughter. "I know it seems like I'm being harsh. But everything I'm doing is to protect you, to protect this family, and-"

"No."

It was not loud. It was not screamed, it was not filled with rage. But all the same, the reply was angry. Jazz did not look like a teenager; she spoke with the certainty of age. Her eyes were cold slivers of ice.

"You want to protect this family? Then you should stop making assumptions, and actually look at what's going on around you."

And with that, the young lady walked grimly past her mother and out of the room, leaving Maddie with a hollow feeling inside.