Disclaimer: I do not own Danny Phantom.
Warning: This story contains references of rape, male sex, and pedophilia. Sexual content, MPreg and language are a factor in this story. If any of this disturbs you, please do not read.
Chapter Ten: Ghost Hunters Disneyland
It had been a couple of hours since my grandparents took the boys back into the Ghost Zone and we were upstairs, having finished eating ourselves. I was talking to some of Dad's cousins about the various ghost attacks I've dealt with, per their request, while Jazz, Dani and Tucker had found a few of our cousins who had similar interests. I called the children of Dad's cousins my cousins but really they were Dad's second cousins and my distant cousins. Dad had no siblings so honestly, I didn't have any cousins. It didn't matter, though, because the entire lot of them were fairly close. Even Dad, who has said he'd be happy if he never saw any of them again, was enjoying the company.
Our family was huge. Grandpa had two brothers: Ralph and Riley; Grandpa being the oldest. Uncle Ralph and Aunt Carrie had three kids: Charley, Jensen and Marissa. Grandpa's other brother, Riley, was someone I wasn't too familiar with. He was married to Joyce and they had four kids: Tommy, Janet, Carolyn and Christine. Those seven were in and around the same age as my parents and Vlad.
Now, the kids I called my cousins were their kids. They were around my age, some older and some younger. Charley was married to Felicia and they had three kids. Jensen was married to Natalie and Marissa was married to Steve Monroe; each had three children too. Tommy was married to Marie and they had two children. Janet had three children but she was divorced. Carolyn had two children but no one knew who their father or fathers were and Christine was married to Andy Bridges and the couple had four children. This was only the Fenton side of the family.
On my mom's side of the family, only Grandma's family had any survivors. Grandpa was an only child and his parents are dead now. Grandma's parents are still living and they are Susan and Clark Trescott. Grandma has two sisters, Denese and Daisy. Denese, the oldest, is married to Aaron Cook and they have two children together. Daisy is married to Aaron's brother, Devin Cook, and they also have two kids together. Denese's oldest child, Willow, is married to Nicholas Read and they have a son. The baby, Willis, is married to Sally and they have three children.
Daisy's oldest child, Marcus, is married to Trish and they have three children. Her baby, Heather, is who Mom calls the baby-maker of the family. Heather is married to Mark Bailey and they have six children, with their baby the youngest member of the family. Heather and Mark had a daughter five months ago. I guess she's not the youngest of the family—Lilly isn't quite five months old yet.
There were a lot of people to learn the names of here and I still didn't get them all straightened out. A lot of the times, I had a name but not a face but mostly I had neither. Most of my cousins remained unnamed; they mostly hung out as a group and I addressed them that way.
I heard Sam coughing and I looked up to see her with her arms crossed. "I don't care that we are under the mistletoe. You are not my boyfriend!" One of my cousins stood in front of her, a big grin on his face.
"Come on, baby," he said. "You can't ignore the law of the mistletoe!"
I walked over to the two, crossing my arms: "It'd be in your best interest to," I said, playfully.
"Why," he asked, laughing. "Is her boyfriend some kind of strong man?"
"You can say that," I smiled. I walked over to Sam. "May I?"
"Of course," Sam smiled. I leaned in, kissing her. "Now that's how you do it!"
"You two are dating," one of my cousins declared in shock.
"You have not shown any signs of dating before," another one declared, this one a girl.
"We were friends before," Sam shrugged. "We haven't really changed that much. We just kiss a lot more and have… well, gotten a lot closer," Sam smiled at me.
"Indeed," I smiled back. Mom cried out again, preferring to forget that day ever happened. Sam would love to relive it and sometimes, so would I.
"Have you guys—," one of my boy cousins asked. He broke out in a grin.
"Yeah," I said, looking down. "Mom nearly had a duck calf."
"Oh, Maddie," one of the adults cried. "I'm so sorry."
"He thought just because he had been in a relationship with a man and had sex that if Sam thought she was ready, they were ready," Mom declared. "I don't know how I'm going to convince them that they're too young to start having sex even if Danny has had it!"
"So the father of his children is a man," another one of the adults asked.
Mom looked down, "It was Vlad."
"Mom," I declared. "You don't have to dirty his name any more! He don't need any more help in that department!"
"You're kidding," Charley demanded. Finally, a face I know the name of! "I knew the bastard was evil but he got involved with a minor! Didn't he know that's statutory rape?"
"Oh, he didn't care," Dad retorted. "It started out as rape to begin with. The bastard raped Danny when he first met him but Vlad made Danny forget about it and the only way it could appear to him was as a dream. Vlad asked us to allow Danny spend the week before Christmas with him and we actually allowed it. God only knows the hells Danny went through that week! He barely talks about it."
All eyes fell on me and the look was unbearable. I don't want their pity. I have moved past that and everyone thinks it's on my mind constantly. Like I cry every night. They can't believe that the rape is far from my mind. I haven't forgotten it but I did have a happy relationship with him for three weeks. I have just had it on my mind a little more than normal because of the week this was. Our relationship wasn't meant to be, of course, but when I think of Vlad and the hell he put me through, it's normally the breakups, not the rape. The 'I'm gones' and the 'I'm sorrys' that we went through hurt both of us and we should have given it up after the first breakup but the feeling just wouldn't let us. The magnetism did just like the name implies. We pulled together easily and the separation was what took the most energy.
"Are you okay," Aunt Carrie asked me gently.
"I'm fine," I replied, looking up to face them. "These guys believe that I'm in constant turmoil about the rape but I'm not really. I'd just rather not talk about it. I forgave Vlad for it. He really changed over the few months that he knew me. I always hoped for him to remain better but I'm proud of the work I done. He doesn't kill anymore and he doesn't rape anymore. The last we had a serious conversation, he promised me that even though I didn't believe in him anymore, he was determined to remain a good role model for our daughter. When I get Lilly back, I don't know what I'll do. He's had five months with her. She might have already formed a bond with him."
"You're not seriously considering giving him parental visitation," Tucker declared furious.
"I haven't decided anything yet," I replied softly. "But I have to consider all the sides of the equation."
"Vlad's part of the equation has come and gone," Tucker demanded. "He didn't consider you in his decision! Why should you?"
"Because then how does that make me any different," I asked. "This isn't just about Vlad. Lilly may have no memories of me! I won't want to scare her any more than she may already be."
"And what happens when Vlad disappears with her again," Mom declared. "Do you believe Vlad is just going to give up that easily?"
"Of course not," I replied. "I will take precautions: a tracker in Lilly, a tracker on the island, a threat to encase Vlad in a one-inch cell. That doesn't mean, though, that I can ignore Lilly's bond with her father."
"What if she doesn't have a bond, then," Jazz asked. "What if she's been waiting for you to come rescue her for the last five months and hates Vlad?"
I looked away, "I'd rather not think like that. That would mean I've failed her for the last five months. I want to believe Lilly has been in good hands for the past five months and not with someone she's desperate to escape from."
"I know it's hard to accept but I don't think Lilly is going to like Vlad," Tucker replied. "She is bound to remember you!"
"I hope that she does," I said softly, "but there are no guarantees. When she was born, she was so adult-like. She floated, held her head up on her own and spoke telepathically, knowing exactly what she was saying. Then as she got older, she became more child-like. I'm hoping she's forgotten about me no matter how painful the thought is. The alternative is even more painful."
Sam smiled softly at me, taking my hand in hers. "I know what you mean. You hope she'll remember you until you think what that will mean. Then, you pray just as hard that she doesn't."
"How can I explain to her that it has taken me five months to find her," I asked, trying to control my emotions. Please, don't let me cry anymore. I've cried enough to last a lifetime. "I gave up on her after the Disasteroid. She couldn't forgive me for that kind of betrayal."
"She could and she will," Tucker said softly. "I'm sure Lilly is a smart cookie. She knows that you love her."
"She'll have to get it all from Vlad," I laughed weakly. "I sure don't have any smart genes to pass down to her."
"You are smart," Sam replied, turning to face me. I took her other hand in mine. "You don't give yourself enough credit."
"I just want her back," I said softly. "I've gone long enough without seeing my baby. It will be five months in one week and one day." Just thinking of how big she will be caused me to choke up. "I've nearly missed one half of her first year. She's bound to be so big!"
"Well, where is Vlad," Grandpa asked. "Can't we just go there and force our way in?"
"Vlad has an island in the Philippines and it's guarded by a ghost shield. I don't know if it's there now or not. I think he moved it," I replied.
"Moved it," Aunt Carrie declared. "How on Earth could he do that?"
"You don't know the power we have," I replied. "Vlad can teleport so he doesn't have to rely on carrying everything. All he has to do is touch one thing and it's all gone. It wouldn't be so easy for me to do that."
"It wouldn't be so easy for Vlad to do it either," Mom replied. "I say he's in the exact same spot but using a cloaking device to make it look invisible. You were probably right over it but you couldn't see it."
"But I would have sensed Vlad," I denied. "He had just sucked me within the last twenty-four hours. That's how I knew he was in the house when Nocturne attacked."
"Vlad was here through Nocturne," Sam asked in shock.
"Yeah," I chuckled. "He was sound asleep, holding a doll that looked like Mom. Honestly! And he says he got over her. Please!"
"Wait a minute," Tucker demanded. "You're jealous of his affection for Mom?"
"No," I denied, a little embarrassed. "I mean, I'm with Sam now. I'm not jealous of anything Vlad does or wants to do." I laughed weakly and Sam burst out laughing.
"You so are," Sam laughed. She kissed me on the cheek, "But forget it, boy. You're mine!"
"You're all I want," I replied, softer. I wrapped my arms around her shoulders, "I'm sorry if I upset you. I really do only love you."
"I'm not giving up on you that easily," Sam sighed in my arms. "I fought too hard for you to give up because of some stupid ghost law!"
"Magnetism," Grandma Fenton replied. "It's a powerful force. You should keep your eye on him, Jack."
"I will, Mom," Dad smiled at her. "I won't let him touch my son again!"
"So, do you think David and Carla will be back soon," one of the adults asked.
"Hey, that's my name," a young girl replied. She looked like the girl who didn't understand why the boys slept so much but her mother had called her Casey.
"That's right, Carla," the woman replied. "You are named after Maddie's mother. She was a close friend of mine."
Then I saw it. A young girl that looked exactly like the little girl named Carla came out of the group. They were twins! "They're twins, right," I asked.
"Yeah," she replied. "I'm Janet, Riley and Joyce's daughter. These are my girls Carla and Casey and my son is William. He's two and a half."
"Finally, a name to a face," I declared excitedly. "I've heard a million stories about Willard but now this is so overwhelming. I didn't count on there being so many. Now, I can't keep track."
"I'm Becky," a teenaged girl replied. "My parents are Marissa and Steve. I'm Ralph's granddaughter!"
"Hi," I smiled at her. Surprisingly, a lot of them started to introduce themselves. There was a Jacob and a Lilly there as well, causing us to chuckle when they introduced themselves.
The last one to do so seemed to be the eldest of our generation. "I'm Billy," he replied. "Charley and Felicia are my parents and Ralph and Carrie are my grandparents."
"Billy," I smiled, shaking my head. "Forgive me if I seem rude. I have bad history with the name Billy… well, actually Bill. When I first came out, they called me… Invisobill." I laughed, "I don't mean any disrespect to you."
"I can't blame you," he laughed. "Invisobill?"
"Yeah, Sam cried for me to turn invisible and one of the girls here heard 'Go, Invisobill'. It didn't take her long to spread that my name was Invisobill. I was too afraid to tell them my real name so I just left it be. Then the King happened and I had signed the note Danny Phantom. I told the crowd my name was Phantom in hopes that it would reach my parents before they found the note. Thankfully, the note wasn't necessary and I destroyed it."
"What note," Sam declared.
"Yeah, what note," Mom demanded.
"A goodbye note," I replied, looking to my family gently. "I had so much to say to you guys but I didn't have the time. I left a note so I could get the most important things out. I told you I was the ghost boy and that I didn't mean to fire upon you. I told Sam and Tucker to fill everyone in and that I was the only one that could do it. I placed it in your good jewelry box so when you got dressed up for my funeral, you would find it. That's also when I locked the portal. I was afraid Sam and Tucker would try to turn half ghost as I was dying for real."
"You really never planned to come back, did you," Mom asked, tears in her eyes.
"I didn't get my hopes up," I replied softly. "You saw it on the show. The King powered Plasmius and I both down effortlessly. He was a monster compared to my powers and even with the suit, I was hardly even with him. The best I hoped for was to be able to defeat him before the suit sucked the life out of me."
"I really need to watch this series," Charley's middle child declared. His name was Nate. "I didn't figure it was accurate!"
"It's more accurate than I'd like it to be," I chuckled. "However, there are some differences. They've taken out a lot of the adult content because it is a cartoon and they've turned a lot of the situations into a funny perceptive.
"And I'm just going to get it out in the open: I did not push that button! The day of the portal accident, which is shown in the theme song, my friends asked me to see the portal and I took them down, disobeying my parents. I had the jumpsuit on from the minute I entered the lab but Sam and Tucker did not. Sam took the picture and then said that it was cool. I turned around to try to see it from her perceptive and my foot had been wrapped around a cord. I tripped, falling into the portal. I felt something click under my hand and I learned I had reached out to the wall and hit the internal on switch.
"One thing I'd also like to say is that it did not happen like they show it on the show. I was in there for five minutes and the pain was unbelievable. I don't know exactly how long Butch Hartman thought I was in that portal because he uses simulated time. I know, however, that it was five minutes. Four minutes and fifty-nine seconds wouldn't have been long enough and five minutes and one second would have been too long."
One of the younger cousins, Riley's grandson Greg, snorted at Nate, "I told you to watch it with me! He thought that just because it was a cartoon that it wouldn't be any good even though it was about our cousins."
"Many of us didn't watch it," Anna replied. She was Becky's older sister. "We'll watch it now."
"You don't have to," I replied. "You ain't missing anything!"
"Don't listen to him," Tucker said, rolling his eyes. "It's a good show. I'd watch it if I were you. I like it!"
"I think it's gotten too much attention to begin with," I groaned. "For two weeks they played nothing but the show and for more than a week, all commercials were Danny Phantom-related. It was ridiculous."
"So," Riley's son, Tommy, declared excitedly, "can we get a tour of the Ghost Zone?"
I looked up in surprise. The only other person I've taken into the Ghost Zone was Jazz and that was when I thought I was going to die before the end of the day. Mom hesitated audibly, "We haven't even seen the Ghost Zone except for when the town was sucked inside. You'll have to ask Danny about that. I think he's the only one who's been inside."
"We've been in," Sam replied. "I don't know, though. We don't have the Specter Speeder to protect us. We'd have to fly."
"Oh," Tommy said, deflated. "I don't want to overexert Danny."
"No, no, no," Tucker replied, reading his mind before he could fully say it. "Humans are the ghosts in the Ghost Zone. We can fly effortlessly. The problem is that we have no cover. We'll have to take a shield or hope we don't come across any big bad. That's not likely to happen."
"You kids can fly in the Ghost Zone," Mom declared, surprised.
"Oh, yeah," Sam replied. "Humans phase through objects in the Ghost Zone, too! When we're in the castle, Danny usually stays in human form."
"The castle," I declared, looking up. "If you guys want to go on a small tour, we can stop at the castle and you'll be safe there. It isn't any problem to recreate the Specter Speeder. I've already recreated the Ops Center today!"
"Well," Tucker said, "let's do it. We can interact with the twins more there!"
"Exactly," I declared. I walked over to the wall and phased my hand inside, retrieving the gauntlet. I slipped it on. "Step back, please. It's a big car!" I imagined the Specter Speeder and it reappeared. "See!"
"You're good at that," Mom smiled at me. "But what is it doing in the wall?"
"I thought it was safest here," I replied. "No humans can get to it and I don't figure any ghosts will look for it there."
"When we finish that case, that's where it will go," Mom pointed out.
"I agree," I replied. "But you guys can't figure out how to immune me from Ectoranium and you won't just allow me to be affected by it. You can't have it both ways!"
"We will find a way to manipulate the Ectoranium and you will be able to touch the box without getting torn in two," Mom declared. "We just have to work a little longer."
"And while you're doing that, the gauntlet is being at risk for being stolen," I replied. "You guys are doing your best but I don't see how you can monitor the use of Ectoranium and who it affects. Not in its natural form!"
"That's why you're the kid and not the scientist," Mom replied. "Okay, so we finally get to see the Ghost Zone and this castle!"
"If that's what you want," I replied. "If you don't want to go, you're more than welcome to stay here. If you'd rather just go to the castle, don't worry; I'm only touring the way there. The Ghost Zone is too unpredictable for you guys to be taking a full tour. This isn't Disneyland or something."
"It's a Ghost Hunter's Disneyland," one of Uncle Riley's granddaughters replied. Her name was Sharon but she likes Shari. Jensen and Natalie had named their children all strange names or outdated names is more like it. Carissa, Sharon and Carlisle were their names but Sharon and Carlisle went by Shari and Carl.
"Well, let's see," I hummed as I opened the hatch. "Maybe twelve can ride at one time. I'll have to take you in trips."
"Don't be ridiculous," Mom replied. "Everyone can fit in here, although it may not be the most comfortable tour bus. I can even give them windows so that they can look out if they want."
"What," I asked, surprised. Mom walked past me, stepping inside. She undone the benches in the back that I knew about but she walked to the very back and typed in a key code. The Specter Speeder expanded both vertically and horizontally. She pulled down two more benches, increasing it to twenty-four passengers and pulled up ten rows of three-seaters. There were now fifty four additional seats in the back plus the three up front.
"We're about twenty over but I have handles like in subways." She pushed in another key code and windows opened up and these handles dropped down.
"Wow," I replied in shock.
"Didn't know about this, did you," Mom smirked.
"No," I replied. "Jazz and Tucker stood in the back while Sam and I sat in the front. One more could have fit but Tucker volunteered to stay with Jazz."
"She could have sat in the back," Mom replied. "Okay," she called out, "let's get the kids and the adults who are carrying babies in their laps in first."
I looked to Tucker and Sam. "It's fine with me," Tucker replied before I even asked.
"Would you mind allowing my great grandparents to ride up front so they can be comfortable," I asked Sam. As far as I know, she can't read minds.
"I don't mind either," Sam smiled at me. "Who's driving?"
I pulled out a coin, "Flip for it."
"Heads," Sam declared quickly.
I flipped the coin and Tucker cheered. "Okay, that settles it," I replied. I kissed Sam on the cheek as I went upstairs to get my great grandparents. Most of the family was downstairs but Denese was upstairs with them. "Hey, Denese," I asked as I came upstairs. She was reading a book while my great grandparents rested. "You could have taken them upstairs to a bed," I spoke softer. "You don't even need to climb the stairs."
"They just dozed off," she replied. "It happens a lot when we get old, Danny. What do you need, sweetheart?"
"We're going into the Ghost Zone so that we can interact with the twins," I replied. "I was wondering if you guys would like to attend. It'll be easier on their joints from the lack of gravity."
"There's no gravity in the Ghost Zone," she asked, surprised.
"Well, there is… to ghosts. Humans can fly in the Ghost Zone, though," I replied. "I'll get these two. You go downstairs and wait to be seated if you like."
Denese nodded. "Be careful with them," she replied softly as she closed her book.
"I will," I replied. Denese went into the kitchen. I placed my hands on their shoulders, turning them intangible and phasing them through the floor. I phased us through the Specter Speeder, placing them gently in the seat like they were lying upstairs. The older generation was climbing in now: Grandpa, his brothers and their wives, Daisy and the Cook brothers. Denese took the last seat, filling up three middle chairs. Then the teenagers and the adults started to board. It was funny because the teenagers were fighting over who got the handles; there were still chairs. Dani was sitting outside of the Specter Speeder still while Sam stood towards the front, behind Tucker. Jazz and Becky were sitting side by side on the wall benches. Mom delegated who got to go where, causing many to groan in resignation.
"Okay," I replied. "Everyone ready?"
"Yes," they declared. I thanked God that the cabin of the Specter Speeder was closed off. My great grandparents wouldn't hear any of this.
I grabbed a set of Fentonfones and gave one each to Sam and Tucker. I wouldn't need the Fentonfones because a) I can hear everything they say and b) the Fentonfones pick up Spectral voices and amplify them. You can hear the noises like when they protected Sam from Ember's spell but that didn't mean she could be affected by them. I only use a Fentonfone if I am going to be a few hundred meters away from them, like on patrol.
"You flying with me," I asked Dani, already knowing her answer.
"I don't have to answer that," Dani playfully rolled her eyes. I smiled at her, opening the portal. We flew in and the Specter Speeder followed us in.
Sam was telling everyone what was what but she was hardly the happy hostess. I couldn't help but laugh at her dull tone of voice. "Just go ahead and laugh," Sam retorted. "I can't believe I'm stuck with giving the tour!"
"I'm driving," Tucker retorted.
"And I'm driving on the way back," Sam declared.
"Your chance to drive is tomorrow, Sam," I replied. Sam groaned. I chuckled.
"Don't be so down, Sam," Dani replied. "You've always been a tour guide. You help Danny and Tucker know what's what in life!"
Sam and Dani laughed, leaving Tucker and I brooding. "Funny," I retorted. We flew by Skulker's island.
"And that's Skulker's island," Sam droned on. "If Danny ever turns up missing, that's the place we'll check."
I chuckled. "That ain't ever gonna happen, " I retorted. "Skulker will have to be a lot better than he is to beat me!"
"You wanna give this tour," Sam retorted. "What else am I gonna say about Skulker?"
"How about I'm the Ghost Zone's greatest hunter," Skulker's voice replied. I looked around, trying to find him.
"Ha," a female voice retorted. "Why don't you find the TV remote, doofus?"
"It ran away," Skulker roared. "I can't control it now! It's alive!"
"Yeah, well, if you're so great, you can catch them and stop them from breeding and overpopulating our island!"
"Ember," I asked, confused. "What on Earth are you doing on Skulker's island?" I still couldn't see them but I could hear them perfectly.
"Hello, dipstick! Nice to see you, too," Ember retorted.
"I'm just shocked," I replied. "What are you doing on Skulker's island?"
"We got back together," Ember replied, clearly regretting her choice. "So what if those stupid girls beat us! We were outnumbered! You couldn't catch him and you had a giant sea creature helping you!"
"His father surprised me," Skulker defended. "It was your stupid guitar that didn't control Goth girl and my beautiful Jazz!"
"Your what," I declared. "Okay, you two, get up here!"
Ember and Skulker floated up. "What is it, dipstick?"
"What did you call Jazz," I demanded, powering up my hand.
"She's my little helper," Skulker shrugged. "I like the girl!"
"Oh, great," I groaned. I extinguished the ecto-energy, knowing what Skulker was talking about now. "And you, Ember! What is he talking about?"
"Didn't your little girlfriend, your sister and your mother tell you," Ember asked. "Kitty, Spectra and I tried to rid Amity Park of all the men but they beat us."
"When," I demanded, turning to the Specter Speeder.
"When you and your dad went on that fishing trip," Sam replied, sheepishly. "We didn't want you to worry. It was over!"
"I told you about the sea creature," I declared. "You didn't tell me about this, though!"
"Don't get so bent out of shape, dipstick," Ember stated, crossing her arms. "The spell was reversed and your precious town was safe again."
"What are you doing in the Ghost Zone," Skulker asked. "You do realize the treaty is in effect today, right?"
"Yeah," I replied. "I'm just giving my family a tour while the treaty is in effect. I won't have this opportunity later."
"That's true," Skulker gave me an evil grin. "I will rest your pelt at the foot of my bed."
"On the wall," Ember retorted.
"I will rest your pelt on my wall," Skulker corrected.
I started laughing, slightly disturbed, "She's the girlfriend! Oh, my God!"
"Yes, I'm the girlfriend," Ember replied. "Why? Has he been with anyone else?"
"No, no, sweetheart," Skulker replied. "I swear it's only you!"
"Good," Ember retorted. "Because if you cheat on me like that no good Jonny does Kitty, I will rip your metal penis off and keep it!"
"Okay, I'm outta here," I said, floating backwards.
"Already ahead of you," Dani said, equally as disturbed.
"What? He's got a really big—," Ember began.
"At, at," I cried. "No, I don't want to hear it! I've already seen Technus's. I don't want to know about Skulker's!"
"You have to get used to Technus," Skulker groaned, rolling his eyes. "The guy is obsessed with his body."
"Oh, please, I don't want to hear this," I groaned. "You two, stop fighting. It's the treaty, remember. And Merry Christmas!"
"Not yet, dipstick," Ember smiled. "We've got that covered."
"Hush," Skulker declared. "Merry Christmas, whelp."
I looked at them weird but shrugged it off, resuming the trip to the castle. I heard Walker curse and I heard something about a treaty in there as we passed the prison. We five chuckled as we were the only ones who could hear him. We finally made it to the castle and Tucker parked the Specter Speeder. I phased my great grandparents out and took them inside. The Record Keeper met me at the door.
"Sire, Merry Christmas. May I assist your great grandparents," he asked.
"No, I have it," I replied. "But you can call my grandparents and tell them to bring the boys here."
"At once, sire," he bowed. I continued to fly them into the guest bedrooms. I laid them gently in the bed and turned around to leave. I smacked myself on my head, turning around to see them doing exactly what I thought they'd be doing: floating. I lowered them back to the bed, covering them with the covers and attaching ectoplasmic straps to the ends of the bed to keep them strapped in.
"Castle," I said softly. "When they wake up, direct me to this room." I floated out of the room, going back to the main entrance. My family had already began walking in and while Sam and Tucker were just walking in the room, the rest were in awe. Even Dani was amazed. "Don't you remember it from my memories," I asked her.
"Sure," she replied. "But it's so much bigger than from my memories. I guess the mental image of it is different than what I'm seeing."
"Maybe," I shrugged. "Welcome to the Ghost King's castle. You are welcome anywhere in this castle. If you get lost, just follow the red line that appears below you. If you want to go somewhere particular, just think about it. The castle is enchanted and it will lead you where you want to go."
"This is your haunt," Mom declared in awe.
"Yep," I replied. "I acquired it when I defeated the Ghost King. Sam and Tucker are rulers as well but the castle is only mine. However, mi casa es su casa."
"Thanks," they replied. They already had places they wanted to go.
"Mrs. Fenton, I know what you want to see," Sam replied. She took her hand and pulled her in the direction of the library.
"What is this place," Dad asked.
"It's the palace of the Ghost Zone," Grandma declared in shock. "There are millions of subjects here alone."
"My population has increased over the months," I replied. "I have had requests to allow other ghosts to join my haunt. I mostly allow it."
"This is amazing, Danny," Dad replied. "I've heard you talk about the castle before and I know you kids disappeared to who knows where, but this is way beyond my expectations. I am truly impressed."
"Well, I didn't build it," I replied. "I just run it."
The remainder of my family set out to explore while I waited alone for my grandparents and my twins to arrive. I wondered if they would be any different in the Ghost Zone. Would they be more active in a natural element? Were they normal month olds no matter where they were? As I waited, the Record Keeper brought me some things to sign. Some more ghosts asked to be transferred and I had some paperwork about the army. I was filling them out when Grandma and Grandpa Simmons arrived.
"Tell the Army to continue to protect the castle and to abort any protection for the Earth. I have it covered," I replied, handing him the paper work. I had pretty much learned how to run this place. Record Keeper nodded, returning to his office. "Did you guys have any trouble finding the place?"
"Of course not," Grandma replied. "All ghosts know where the Palace of the Ghost Zone is."
My boys were sound asleep on my grandparents shoulders. "Let's lay them down," I replied, walking to the library. When we arrived, I went to form two bassinets but my grandparents beat me to it. My grandparents laid the twins down in the two bassinets and the boys continued to sleep.
"Daniel," Mom said softly, "you are grounded for not showing me this place sooner!"
I laughed, "Sorry. I didn't know you were interested in seeing the Ghost Zone. Besides, getting here is never this easy."
"Never," Sam groaned. "You should have heard Walker when we passed the prison."
I laughed, "That was awesome!" I looked around the library and only a handful of people were here. Not even Dad was here. Jazz was, though, not that it was a big surprise or anything.
"I just can't believe all these books," Mom declared. "There are probably millions."
"Possibly," I replied. "But they're not current," I added. "This castle hasn't been updated in more than five hundred years."
"I could live here," Mom replied.
"I know the feeling," Jazz replied. "Danny, now that I'm more involved in the team, can I come here with you three?"
"I have no problem with that," I replied. "Just, please, don't try to come here on your own and don't try to leave alone. It's too dangerous."
"He nearly skinned us for doing it," Sam chuckled.
I gave her a dirty look, "You could have been killed!"
"Please," Sam scoffed. "The ghosts didn't even give us a second look when we passed through. They knew if we had one hair out of place, they'd have to face the wrath of the ghost boy!"
I smiled weakly, "Just, please, don't do it again. I get worried sick when you guys take out on your own."
"We won't," Sam smiled. She walked over to me, wrapping her arms over my shoulders. "You just need to learn not to worry so much." She kissed me quickly, "My man doesn't need to go gray."
"Actually, we don't lose the sheen in our hair," I informed her. I broke out in a smile as Sam shook her head incredulously. Sam let go of my neck, returning to her books. Sometimes I think she's read everything here and then I realize even Sam isn't that good.
,
My twins started to stir a little after three so I picked up Edward while Grandma picked up Jacob. I started to rock Edward gently as I had been during the morning but something was off about him. Edward was throwing his arms out every ten seconds or so, just repeatedly. I added a little bounce to the rock but he kept throwing his arms out, still in that pattern. When the bouncing and the rocking didn't seem to work, I held him by his back, careful to support his head, and began to lift him in the air. This caused my heart to race a little because Edward continued the behavior, making me think he was going to take a tumble. I returned him to the swaddle.
"What's the matter, little one," I asked softly. It had been two minutes since I picked him up and I still hadn't figured out what the throwing meant. I started to soothe a shushing sound to him, hoping to make him more cooperative but it did little to calm him. As the second minute wrapped up, my son became more demanding. The time between throws became longer but the force he inserted in the throw was stronger. Halfway through the third minute, his glow became more pronounced. I started to panic as nothing I did seemed to calm him down and every minute he became more impatient with me. Four minutes, he took on a silent cry.
"Oh, no, Edward, don't cry," I pleaded, bouncing him softly. A straggled, hoarse cry erupted from his mouth. "Shh, baby, it's okay!"
I heard Grandma let out a half-laugh and I turned to see her smirking at me. I was bouncing him but he was not happy with whatever I was doing. "Here, David," Grandma said, handing him Jacob. I looked to my older son and was hit with a wave of jealousy. Jacob was content with a mild glow around him. The baby I had could be his own nightlight. "Eddie," Grandma cooed quietly. "Is Daddy not doing it right, my little Eddie? Here, Danny, let me have him."
"Please," I begged, practically in tears. I was a failure of a parent and I didn't know what to do.
I passed her Edward and she cuddled him. The transfer didn't bring about instant peace surprisingly so I knew I must have really screwed my son up. Grandma cooed as she bounced him in her arms. She walked over to the table, lying him on his back. His hands pounded against the wood but the scream stopped. "What are we going to do about this, Eddie? Eddie wants to play but Daddy couldn't figure it out, could he? What do we want to do, Eddie?" She paused as if he would reply. I listened, thinking maybe he would (telepathically, of course. I wasn't stupid). "You wanna play a game of ecto-flash," she asked, a gasp tying up the sentence. "Why, Eddie, I think that's the best idea yet!" Grandma waved her hand and the four types of ectoplasm appeared, clearly out of his range. "What do you want the green to be," she asked. She paused again, watching him intently. I raised an eyebrow. "A frog," she gasped. "Why, yes, frogs are green, aren't they!" The green ectoplasm turned into a frog.
Edward pointed to the blue energy and I saw it for the first time. He was interacting with Grandma, not just allowing her to play with him. Grandma went on to ask him what 'Eddie' wanted the blue beam to be and 'he' said he wanted it to be a bird—a blue jay no less. She turned the purple beam into a twilight sky and the red beam into tropical fish. She added a second blue beam to create an ocean at the bottom of the sky.
"Now," she said, her voice excited, "where does the frog go?" Edward pointed to the collage of the Earth. "Right, in the picture!" The green ectoplasm leapt to the collage but it was in the sky portion. "Is that right?" Edward let out a muffled grunt and I could almost make out the no. I smiled brightly, tears pricking at my eyes. He was so bright and fun loving. The entire morning he had wanted to be swaddled and carried so I didn't even think he wanted to interact.
I watched as Grandma and Edward put the picture together. Edward knew where they went and where they didn't. Grandma put the blue jay in the ocean and the little ectoplasm animal vanished but Edward still knew that it was out of place. Edward squealed with delight and was so involved in the activity that I almost forgot he was Edward. My grandparents had said he was developmentally behind and he wouldn't be as advanced as his brother. How can that be? Edward was already the most advanced baby I'd ever seen!
As if on cue, I heard a small voice. "Ba-ba-ba," it said over and over.
"What says ba," Grandpa asked, his voice kind of pitchy. "Does the goat say ba?"
"Ah-ah-ah," he started saying.
"Now, hold up, champ," Grandpa chuckled. "You haven't told me what goes ba yet."
"Ba-ba-ba," he started saying. Grandpa put his hands on his hips, playfully scolding.
"I'm going to ba-ba-ba you," he playfully retorted, not an ounce of anger in his voice. Jacob squealed.
"Ma-ma-ma," Jacob began to babble. He had three babbles!
"Now you're on to the third one," Grandpa declared playfully, lifting his hands in the air dramatically. He used his ectoplasm to create the most hideous creature I had ever seen. It wasn't scary, just odd looking. It had antlers like a goat but fur like a sheep and it had paws and a long nose with noticeable whiskers. "Is this the Aa-ba-ma creature?" Jacob squealed, the laughter almost obvious.
"Ah-ah-ah," Jacob began again. The creature vanished and it turned into three animals. A blue Billy-goat, a pink cat and a green sheep. Jacob pointed to the blue ectoplasm, "Ah-ah-ah!"
"Very good, Jacob," Grandpa congratulated.
"They're amazing," Mom declared. "How are they doing that?"
"They're just imitating," Grandma replied. "They've been doing this for two weeks now. A child ghost has more time to master his skills because he has a slower development schedule. By the time they're fully grown, they will be much brighter than an average eighteen year old."
"Like the nursery upstairs," I replied. "The children were around five to eight years old but they were learning things way above their levels. I learned they were older than I was."
"As the boys get older, they will leap developmentally," Grandma replied. "The first two years are always the slowest for child ghosts compared to their human peers."
"I think they're light years away from a human baby," Mom replied. "Danny and Jazz could never do this kind of stuff at a month old!"
"Danny and Jazz weren't a month for four," Grandpa pointed out.
"Why Eddie," Sam asked softly.
Grandma looked to me with uncertainty, "I hope I didn't step out of line. I just thought Eddie fit him better than Edward."
"I hadn't thought about a nickname for him," I replied. "I think it's perfect. You'll have to ask him when he gets older if he wants to go by Eddie or Edward, though."
"But you don't mind," Grandma asked me, fearfully.
"Of course not," I laughed. "I'm Danny but my name is Daniel. Trust me, I love nicknames!"
"That's what Vlad called him all the time," Mom grumbled. "I only named him Daniel because I wanted a sure-fire way to get his attention. Jazz too but Vlad took up to calling my children their full names. I know it got on Danny's nerves."
"I got used to it," I rolled my eyes. "I didn't care what he called me after he called me son. Beggars can't be choosers."
Grandma and Grandpa returned to their games while we watched in awe of the tiny babies. They changed their games up, sometimes using objects from the Ghost Zone instead of their powers or creating an object from ectoplasm. Jacob was the one most developed but Eddie was far from behind. I watched my grandparents interact with my twins and was trying to learn how to create my own ways to interact with them.
A line appeared out of nowhere and I knew that my great grandparents had awoken. Wow, it's taken them a long time to wake up! "I'll be right back," I said. "Bye, boys," I waved goodbye. I have to say, I wouldn't have been surprised if they didn't just wave back!
,
I arrived in the room to find my great grandparents trying to sit up. "Hold up," I replied, walking over to them. I forced myself to walk so that I wouldn't scare them. "You remember me, right?"
"Maddie's boy," Great Grandma Trescott asked.
"Yeah," I replied softly. "We're in the Ghost Zone right now. There's nothing to be afraid of. I just want you to know some things before I let you up."
"Okay," Great Grandpa Trescott said, confused. The clarity I gave him seemed to still be holding.
"In the Ghost Zone, the humans are the ghosts," I replied. "When I release these straps, you will begin to float. Do not be afraid. Floating works just like walking. If you want to go forward, act like you would when you walk. You'll probably use the motion of walking until you get the hang of it but it's not necessary. If you try not to think about it, it should come easier."
"Okay," they both nodded.
"Another thing is humans pass through things here," I replied. "I'm not afraid of you spinning out of control and you think you're going to hit a wall; that's not it. What is a possibility is you lean up against a wall or try to sit on something not made from natural materials. I have a lot of human objects here for you to interact with."
"So this bed—," my great grandmother asked, trailing off.
"Is made from materials I bought from our world," I supplied the answer. "Human objects are ocean blue. That's the code. If it is any other color, you'll end up in the floor."
"Then how do we walk on the floors," Grandpa Trescott asked. "How do the human objects sit on these ghost objects?"
"All excellent questions," I replied. I bent down, pulling out a green disc from beneath the peg of a nightstand. The nightstand toppled like it was missing a leg. "These little things help keep the objects on the surface. They're ectoplasm so I've designed them to be touched by both worlds." I returned the peg to its rightful spot, leveling the nightstand again. "As for the floor, that's the castle's doing. It's hard to explain that one."
"Okay, I think we're ready," Grandma Trescott said. I nodded.
"You're going to start floating as soon as you are no longer confined by a human object," I warned. They nodded, preparing themselves. I dissolved the straps and the blanket floated up with them. "Okay, think heavy," I replied. "You can keep yourself at a certain height."
"Heavy," Grandma replied, focusing. "Heavy." Slowly, she lowered to just an inch off the ground. "It's not that hard, Clark!"
"Heavy," Grandpa replied now. He sunk to the ground tremendously faster.
"Wow," Grandma replied, impressed. I swallowed the lump in my throat. He would get it the fastest because he's the one closest to death. Mom Number Three picked it up just a fraction slower than he did.
"You were right," Grandpa declared. "That was easy!"
"Now," I said, my voice giving out. I cleared my throat, "Don't imagine it as floating. Just imagine you're walking down the street, effortlessly." I started to move forward, my legs still. Once again, Grandpa caught on easier than Grandma but they both floated moving their legs. I led them to the library.
Grandma looked up the minute we entered the library. "Welcome to the Ghost Zone," she said with a smile.
"Is this where you live," Grandma Trescott asked.
"No," Grandma Simmons replied. "This is Danny's haunt. I live about fifteen minutes from here."
"It's big," Grandma Trescott said with a smile. "It's beautiful."
"I can't take the credit for it," I replied, smiling softly. "I just own it."
"Are you some kind of King or something," Grandpa Trescott asked.
"Sort of," I chuckled. I lowered my head, slightly embarrassed.
"Yes," Grandma Simmons retorted. "He's the King of all Ghosts!"
I put my hand behind my neck, "Not my idea!"
"Still true," Mom remarked. I crossed my arms, fighting the blush.
"Aw," Sam cooed, "Is someone embarrassed?"
I smirked at her, "Quit it. You know I can't stand that."
Sam sleeked towards me, throwing her arms around my shoulders, "Stand what?" I moaned, leaning into Sam. We started kissing, slowly and meaningfully. Sam broke the kiss. "Any more worries," Sam moaned, turning her head to the side.
I wrapped my arms around her waist, "What worries?" I gave her one more passionate kiss.
"You children shouldn't be kissing," Grandma Trescott declared. "You're just babies!"
I looked to her in surprise. "It's just kissing!"
"Sweetie," Grandma Simmons chuckled, "her generation, a man and a woman didn't kiss unless they were in private and they certainly didn't kiss like that at your age."
"That may be so," Sam said softly, "but this is a new generation. Things have changed."
"Things haven't changed, deary," Grandma Trescott replied with a smile, "standards have."
"I'm sorry if we offended you," I replied softly. "We'll make it more private."
"Are they engaged," Grandpa Trescott asked.
"Engaged," Sam nearly choked. "No. We're just dating!"
"This generation doesn't court the way your generation did, Momma," Daisy said softly. I looked up surprised. Daisy wasn't here when I last checked. "Did you sleep well?"
"We slept fine," Grandma Trescott replied. "How did you find us?"
"This castle can take you anywhere you want to go," Daisy replied. "I asked it to take me to you and it lead me here."
"Was it difficult at all," I asked, concerned I may not have explained things thoroughly.
"Not at all," Daisy quipped excitedly. "I asked and it delivered. It was just as you described!"
"Good," I sighed. "I've been doing this for months. I hoped I wasn't too light on explaining."
"Not at all," she smiled at me. "You made things perfectly clear—for me at least."
"I'm sure everyone understood perfectly, sweetie," Mom replied. I walked over to my grandparents, watching my twins interact with them.
"Are they just like normal babies," I asked, watching Jacob lying on his stomach and playing with something my grandparents had created.
"They are identical to when you were a child or your sister," Grandma replied. "About the only difference is that they have longer to pick up the skills. The only thing that alters is that they learn to do certain things early: language, motor skills, certain tasks. They would fit in perfectly with other four week olds."
"They just may appear slightly advanced but it would never appear off to others," Grandpa replied. "All babies develop at their own pace, after all. There may be a human child out there who can do everything the boys can."
"So they feed on fear," I asked, slightly concerned.
"Just like any ghost, they feed on emotions," Grandma pointed out. "Don't worry, we would never take them out to feed on humans. If you ask me, human emotions are like crack. Maybe that's why so many ghosts have become extremists."
"That's a perfect analogy," I groaned. "Every day a handful of ghosts come into the real world. Majority come out every other day, though."
"One of our neighbor's grandsons is hooked on human emotions," Grandma sighed. "She said that he becomes violent if he doesn't feed daily. Ghosts were never meant to feed on human emotions."
"You may have a point," Mom replied, glancing up. "What do you feed on, though, if it isn't human emotions?"
"We have restaurants in the Ghost Zone," Grandpa replied. "You can feed on bottled ghostly emotions, residue human emotions or human food."
"Residue," Mom asked, confused. She turned a little panicked, "What is residue human emotions?"
"The human world and the Ghost Zone are connected," Grandma began explaining. "When something happens on Earth that has enough impact that it can bleed through to the Ghost Zone, it comes through as residue. It's sort of like a natural plant or tree that grows but it appears more water-looking. The vendors find it and bottle it, selling the contents. It's the most potent of all feedings… that was until the Ghost Zone got a portal to the real world."
This got me a little confused. "I thought when something big happens like that, the outcome was an apparition," I asked. "The ghosts who have no form, like the Fright Knight."
"That's something entirely different," Grandma replied. "They stem from similar events like you said: when something big happens; but it's a lot larger than residue. The event was so large, it took on a life of its own. That takes a lot of energy; countless lives were impacted. Those kinds of ghosts barely have the energy to sustain themselves and they go around, seeking out similar energies to strengthen themselves."
"I didn't even know that, Mom," I smiled at her. Sam was already at the bookcase, seeking out a book about it. I smirked.
"Wanna learn more," I asked Sam.
"You know it," Sam smirked back. "That's an incredible description."
"It was discovered centuries ago that when those kinds of ghosts run out of energy, their forms devolve back to the liquid," Grandma remarked. "There's an entire market out there that hunts those kinds of ghosts and they'll feast on them."
"Feast," I said, thinking of an episode. I knew that part well because it was Life Lessons, the episode that I watched before I lived. Skulker had remarked that he planned on feasting on a ghost for dinner and it looked like a typical apparition. I wonder if that's true.
"What's wrong, honey," Grandma asked, concerned.
"It's just something I watched one time," I remarked. "You guys know Skulker pretty well, right?"
"Yeah," Grandma replied. "He's the ambassador of our area."
"Does he feast on ghosts like that," I asked.
Grandma wrinkled her eyebrow. She turned to Grandpa, "I don't know. I've never had dinner with him. Do you know, David?"
"I can't say that I do," Grandpa replied. "He probably does, though. The ghosts from different dimensions usually do."
"Ah ha," Sam called as she floated back to the ground. "Apparitions, poltergeists and Emotion Collections."
I shook my head. "Sam's silly, isn't she," I asked, looking down to the twins and raising the pitch of my voice. They giggled. "Reading when it isn't required. We don't want any part of that, do we?"
"You should try it sometimes," Sam scoffed playfully. "It'd come in handy."
"I'd rather not know what something is or can do than inaccurately think I know something and tell my friend something wrong."
"Who knows how old Evil Pegasus was," Sam retorted, defending herself. "I'm sorry the book I had didn't accurately portray him!"
I chuckled, "Don't get so defensive, Sam. I'm just playing."
Sam sat down at the table, "I really thought he couldn't do anything!"
"Are you kids talking about when that ten-headed dragon attacked," Mom asked softly.
"Yeah," I replied. "Box Ghost got a hold of something called Pandora's Box and he was wreaking havoc with it. Box Ghost had a horse there named Evil Pegasus and Sam thought he couldn't do anything. If fact, he could do a lot of stuff. The most dangerous: ghost nasal drip." I shivered, remembering the horrible stuff that had covered me. I washed that stuff out of my hair that night even though I had went intangible a few times.
"Ghost what," Mom cried, knowing exactly what I said.
"Oh, yeah," I remarked, wrinkling up my nose. "Completely disgusting."
"You didn't tell me about that," Sam said, cocking her head to the side. "What did it do?"
"I'd rather not say," I replied slowly. "The details are pretty gruesome!"
"Please," Sam scoffed. She chuckled, opening the book. "I think I got the picture, though."
"Was that before or after Lilly," Mom asked.
"After," I replied. "That happened the Friday after Lilly's birth. She was four days old."
Mom gave me a sympathetic look but resumed her reading as well. Grandma and Grandpa moved out of the way so that I could interact with the twins while they done some reading as well. I shook my head, turning to my twins. They were on their stomachs on the table, playing with their toys and oblivious to the world around them.
,
As the day went on, I finally got to see how the twins ate. My grandparents had brought along some food and nothing seemed out of the ordinary until she lifted that lid. Sam and I both snapped our heads in the direction, taken by surprise with its smell. Grandpa asked us to walk with him but it wasn't too far away. Surprisingly, the scent doesn't drift out too far.
"Is all emotion like that," I asked.
"Pretty much," Grandpa replied. "The further away from the source you are, the less potent the smell is. That's why most ghosts chase their prey. It's a small meal to spook and stay."
"That makes a lot of sense," I replied softly. "Instead of hanging out in a background and feeding on natural emotions, it's best to be an active part of the emotion."
"That's probably why fear tastes the best, too, even though you may have no desire to scare others," Sam replied. "It's a lot easier to scare someone than it is to make them all giddy."
"That's part of it," Grandpa replied, nodding his head. "The other part is the adrenaline involved. If you've ever tasted fake fear or fear that's not completely unexpected, you know what I'm talking about. Fake fear is like a piece of meat that is unseasoned while real fear has been marinated overnight. You have fear that is between, of course, and then you have fear that is just too potent. That's usually fear that is enough to scare someone to death."
"I've tasted it before but I've not had enough to distinguish it," I replied. "I've accidently fed off my town and Vlad has fed me fake fear to make me hungry. Either way, I don't particularly care for it. That on the other hand was delicious!"
"I guess you can say that what your grandmother was feeding the boys was the way the product was meant to be served and what you taste in your world is the addictive stuff. You're wise to avoid that kind of fear."
"Does it run out," Mom asked from her spot closer to the babies.
"Yeah," Grandma replied. "I have to monitor which baby gets full first so that I can leave the last baby to finish up. Usually Jacob will finish first and try to engorge on Edward's feeding. He doesn't need any more, he's just overeating. That could lead to future problems such as haunting. There are some ghosts out there who purposely feed on their fellow ghosts by haunting them. With Jacob and Edward being twins and especially with Edward's vast power shortage, Jacob could grow up to bully Edward."
"Can ghosts overeat to obesity," Mom asked, an incredulous look in her eyes.
"Not really," Grandma replied. "They can if it's the opposite emotion of their choice. Ghosts can't really change after they die and those that do are either immature ghosts or ghosts who feed too much on a negative emotion."
"Remember the show, Mom," I replied. "Ember's character during Dan's episode. Ember loves attention and praise but when she lost her ability to sing, she started to criticize herself. She really lost herself because she was filling herself with empty calories. When a ghost favors a certain emotion, like praise for Ember and misery for Spectra, then they start to feel the opposite towards themselves, they start to feed on the very emotions they create. It's a really powerful thing."
"What if they come across that emotion when they don't feel it," Sam asked, looking up from her book. "What if Ember came across self-loathing and belittlement now?"
"It would have a bad taste to it," Grandma replied. "She wouldn't even want to be around it. When she starts to feel that way towards herself, what she's really doing is feeding herself that."
"Do all ghosts favor a certain emotion," Mom asked.
"No," Grandma replied. "David and I enjoy different emotions but we do have the ones that taste best like anyone has preferences. Ghosts who favor a certain emotion usually have an obsession that involves others. Ember is obsessed with being a pop star so of course she wants people to praise her but Box Ghost just has an obsession with an object. He can enjoy different emotions."
Grandma watched the boys closely for a while. Finally, she picked up Jacob and carted him over to us. I took him in my arms, cradling him. Grandma returned to finish watching Edward eat. When he showed signs of being done, she returned the lid to the bottle and put it in the diaper bag. Grandpa brought Jacob back to his brother.
"Can ghosts taste," Mom asked. Oh, no. Here it comes!
"Well, sure," Grandma replied. "Why?"
"I don't just mean emotions," Mom added, becoming serious. "I mean take a piece of fruit from Earth and eat it, tasting it."
"As far as I know," Grandma replied. "I haven't had Earth food since I died."
"You said they serve food like human food in these restaurants. Does it have taste?"
"Yeah," Grandma replied. "But it's not human food, it only resembles it. Everything in the Ghost Zone comes from the Ghost Zone. As far as I know, there hasn't been a start-up of human black market activity. Why do you ask?"
"Danny can't taste anything," Mom replied. Grandma and Grandpa both snapped their heads up and I lowered mine down. I hadn't told them that.
"Danny," Grandma asked. "Why didn't you tell us this? We could have you checked out at the clinic."
"Because I didn't want anyone to worry," I declared, annoyed. How many times must I explain this?
"He would get periods of normalcy with Vlad," Mom replied. "Could it have something to do with the fact he's only one of two?"
"Three," I corrected. "Dani is like Vlad and I, remember?"
"Right," Mom added. "I think it has more to do with his human and his ghost sides competing, though."
"It could be," Grandma agreed.
"You guys don't need to worry about it, though," I groaned. "I'm taking care of myself and that's what matters. Hundreds of people live with the inability to taste."
"So then why can you taste and everything else with Vlad," Sam asked. "You should be able to do this stuff, it's just that you can't. We need to find out why."
"Everything is heightened with Vlad," I argued. "It's not that I'm the way I should be with Vlad, it's that everything is so unbelievable sharper. It probably had more to do with the fact I was intimate with him than anything else!"
"Well, it still deserves looking into," Grandma replied. I sighed, knowing I would have to go back to that crazy hospital.
,
That night, we returned home while my grandparents and my boys went back to their haunt. Even Grandma Fenton returned home with them, spending the first night away from Grandpa Fenton in more than twenty-five years. The house was full of guests but we didn't really mind. Mom and Dad Number Three stayed at the house because they had yet to know Brit and my little secret. That was a present for tomorrow.
,
Christmas broke over Amity Park in a beautiful display of snow. The trees and the ground sported a beautiful appearance of snow, freshly fallen through the night. I came downstairs, finding everyone in their PJs awaiting present-opening time. We had agreed that there would be no present exchanging because the visit would be enough of a present. I think it was a fair exchange because we were all seeing people we hadn't seen in decades or never at all for some of us.
"Good morning," Aunt Carrie greeted me with a wide smile. "Sleep well?"
"Yeah," I returned the smile. "How about you?"
"I slept well," Aunt Carrie replied, her smile returning to a simple one.
I took one of the few remaining empty seats. Mom had brought out more chairs, of course, but even the increase did little to relieve the cramped conditions. Still, I can't help compare these last two days to the conditions after the King. I didn't see it personally but I did clip some footage from the videotapes and I got a firsthand look at how packed the house was. Our house is much more roomy than it was in the days following that event.
The sounds of footfalls brought my attention to the doorway separating the kitchen and the living room. Mom stood there: "Ready for breakfast?"
"Then we can open presents," one of Janet's twins asked, excitedly.
"Yes, Casey," Janet smiled. "Then we can open presents."
We all gathered in the kitchen but I stopped dead in my tracks. "Mom, since when has the table been that large?!"
Mom chuckled, bringing a platter of pancakes over: "Since I extended it."
Mom's cousin, Heather, chuckled. "Most people can extend a table to fit two more people. You can extend a table to fit dozens more."
"It's only extended twenty percent of what it can be," Mom smiled. "The full-sized table is impossible to fit in the kitchen. We set up a tent outside after the town was sucked in the Ghost Zone. Of course, that wouldn't work now. We have a pool in the yard now."
I chuckled. "I guess I can tell you where that hole came from now. Skulker shot a rocket at Dash and I when we were fitness buddies. I managed to turn Dash intangible before it killed us and he remained in the dark but the blast still shot a hole in the ground."
Mom smirked at me, "I always wondered how that hole got there. I figured it was ghost related but you wouldn't crack."
"Yeah. Not even Sam and Tucker know that. I never got around to explaining it to them. I didn't know where to begin."
"When were you and Dash fitness buddies," Dad asked, furrowing his brow.
"I'll give you a clue," I smirked. "You put the Fenton Cramer in the shed because it didn't work." I winked at him.
Dad cried out, realizing what day that was. "I am so sorry!"
"Forget about it," I smirked. "And I wouldn't mention it to Mom if I were you."
"Don't worry about that," Dad quipped, a pang of fear in his heart. He looked at Mom out of the corner of his eye. "Honey, I swear, nothing happened!" He put his hands up to defend himself.
"Don't get upset, Mom," I said, turning to her. She sent fear in my own heart at her look. "Hey, nothing happened."
"Something happened," Mom retorted, crossing her arms, "and I want to know what!"
"I'd say the answer is in that invention Danny mentioned," Mom Number Three remarked. "The Fenton Crammer. What is it?"
"Jack Fenton, you didn't," Mom roared. I gave Dad a sympathetic look.
"It's not like I knew it was Danny," Dad defended. "When Phantom turned back up, I figured it didn't work!"
"It worked all right," I chuckled. "That's why it's in the weapons' vault. I just could never figure out why you shrunk Dash as well."
"I'm sorry," Dense asked a little unsure. "Did you say shrunk?"
"The Fenton Crammer shrunk spectral energies until they became five inches tall," Dad replied. "But what do you mean Dash? It wouldn't have worked on him."
"It did," I replied with a smile. "Dash, Skulker and I were all shrunk."
"You shrunk our son," Mom Number Three roared.
"If you don't calm down, I will heal you right now," I retorted at her.
"Forget it, mister," Mom Number Three declared.
"How did you return to normal," Mom asked.
"Dash unshrunk me and I unshrunk him," I replied. "I have no idea how Skulker unshrunk. The last I saw him, I flipped him into the freezer."
"Maybe it doesn't work," Dad offered.
"I'm sure it does," I replied. "Skulker is pretty good at mechanics and plus he has Vlad as an ally. He either reversed it himself or he got Vlad's help, I'd say."
"Vlad could have copied the invention," Mom replied. "It's not like he's shown any restraint from stealing our inventions."
"No restraint at all," I groaned. "He even stole the thermos design and gave it to the Red Huntress." That's one thing I haven't told anyone nor do I plan to. Valerie's secret will remain unknown.
"Well, let's eat," Mom called, sighing. "No point in getting all worked up, I suppose."
"There's not, really," I smiled. "Dad didn't know what he was doing and I'm full sized again. No harm, no foul."
"You're really forgiving," Billy chuckled. "I'm not so sure I could be so forgiving."
"Well, it was my fault there were even disputes between us," I replied, taking a seat. My family started to gather around me, grabbing various items to add to their plates. I grabbed the syrup only, pouring it over my pancakes. "When Walker overshadowed everyone around me, I assumed Mom and Dad were overshadowed as well. I fired a beam at them to remove the ghosts but since there was no ghost, I ended up apparently attacking them. I couldn't just walk up and say: 'sorry I shot you!'" I chuckled, "That would have wound me up on an examination table, presto."
"Phantom was always a mystery to us," Mom said, her voice soft. "He appeared out of nowhere, surrounded by hundreds of ghosts and in the confusion, I couldn't tell if he was bad or good. Then the thing with the mayor happened and I was sure he was evil. When Danny was controlled by this staff, he done some bad stuff but it was out of his control. That only convinced me further he was evil. By the time he finally did a great deed, I was so tainted that I couldn't see it. The majority of the town saw him for what he was, I was just too blind to see it."
I smiled at her, "Don't be so hard on yourself, Mom. You guys never done anything to the point it's unforgivable." I gave her a smile, "You have to remember, I worked diligently to keep this secret from you for six months. Give yourself some credit."
The floorboard squeaked and I looked up to see Dani walking towards me. I gave her a broad smile, fighting the urge to chuckle at her appearance. Dani was not a morning person and it showed. She pulled out the chair beside me, plopping down. I chuckled. "You're real funny," she grumbled. "How do you stand getting up this early?"
"I get by with less sleep than you," I smirked. I laid my hand over her neck, giving her a playful hug. "You and Sam are just alike."
"Why aren't you and I just alike," Dani shot me a dagger look.
"Because you just aren't," Mom replied, her voice leading. Dani and I read her loud and clear: can it. Dani grabbed the blueberries from the center of the table, adding them to her pancakes. I picked up my fork, cutting into my pancakes. Dani and I were so much alike yet so different. There are many things that we are identical about but it's usually something that I'm to the core about: ghost hunting, my family, Mom's chicken; things like that. The rest, Dani has her own opinion about and sometimes our views vary greatly. However, when Dani and I get into it about being so different, it gets on Mom's nerves and she makes us stop. To our parents, Dani isn't a clone and I couldn't be any happier. I imagine Mom and Dad would have been the perfect parents to an adopted child amongst a biological child.
,
After breakfast, we went into the living room to open presents. When everything had been opened and the kids were playing with their toys, I walked over to the table beside the couch. I opened up the drawer and removed a set of keys. I walked over to Mom and Dad Number Three, unable to hide the smile. "Merry Christmas," I replied, handing them the keys.
"I thought we agreed no presents," Mom Number Three replied, scrawling.
"This is different," I smirked. "Remember when you guys sold your house last year?"
"Of course," Mom replied. "Why are you bringing that up? That was Christmas last year."
"I know," I smirked. "I bought the house."
"What," Dad Number Three declared as Brit started laughing. "You knew of this?"
"Of course I knew of it," Brit chuckled. "It happened during the time that Danny actually spoke to me every day."
"It happened before Walker's ghost invasion," I retorted. "My depression was a small factor but I wasn't lying when I said I was busy."
"I know," Brit smiled softly. "I'm just saying that you could call me a little bit more."
"You'll be living across the street again," I retorted. "You can come and see me now!"
"Sweet," she smiled.
"Merry Christmas, you guys," I smirked at Mom and Dad Number Three. "And if anything, that's my present to myself!" They chuckled.
Sam, Mom Number Two, Dad Number Two and Tucker came over around nine followed by the Ghosts returning to the real world. Things were going by the same as yesterday until around five. Surprisingly, the Ghost Emergency Broadcast System went off. While the guests found it entertaining that our town had such a broadcast system, I couldn't figure out why a ghost would be in the real world. We tuned in to see Lance Thunder working today.
"Our town is experiencing ghostly reindeer in the vicinity," Thunder began. "They don't appear to be after anything but they are attacking our town. Danny, if you're watching," he continued. A reindeer showed up behind him, hitting him and knocking the screen to fuzz: "Help!"
"Duty calls," I replied. "Be back soon."
"Wait, Danny," Sam replied. "Something's wrong. Reindeer?"
"I don't know but I have to go," I replied. I triggered my rings, "I'll call if I need you."
"Be careful," Tucker replied.
"Always," I replied. I phased out of the house, going to the mall. I know that's where he was from the background.
,
The sight that met me left me without words. There wasn't a thing out of place—except for eight reindeer flying in the mall. My citizens were running, trying to get out of the way. I had arrived within seconds of Lance Thunder's broadcast, so there wasn't a lot of time for the shoppers to escape. Not too many people were in the mall, though, considering it was Christmas.
I formed ectoplasm in my hands, lassoing it around the first reindeer I saw. I felt the beast pull me but I put my back in it, refusing to be dragged around like a rag doll. I secured the reindeer so that it couldn't get away and went after another of the seven beasts. Something about this is familiar but I can't figure it out. Within ten minutes, I had the creatures tethered.
As soon as I had the beasts controlled, the public frenzy started. I lead the reindeer out, running back to the safety of my home.
"Are you okay," Mom asked as soon as I was back.
"Yeah," I said, sighing. I looked at Mom and she read my look loud and clear. We really needed to erase their memories.
"I can't believe it," Sam declared. "They're really reindeer."
"They're ghost, though," I added. "Coincidental?"
Tucker scoffed, "Since when has coincidence existed in our world?"
"Never," I added in a gruff. "I'll see how it plays out." Ember and Skulker's exchange was the only thing I can think of. The Ghost Zone had internet now. It's not a long stretch to say that the ghosts have expanded the service.
,
The ghosts must think they're real funny. I'll never get Aunt Alicia back here after the toys disappeared and it tuned into a giant nutcracker. I thought the fifty foot Easter bunny was close enough but I guess they didn't. I barely convinced her to stick around. The episode was nearly over when the nutcracker was introduced. They nearly followed the episode of the series to a t. The only thing that they didn't imitate was the stealing of the presents. The rest, I was subjected to. No one got hurt or was even attacked but I will definitely pay them back.
We took the people from Willard home and Aunt Alicia home but, as expected, we packed Grandpa. Grandpa said the most romantic thing to Grandma Miranda: I'll face the winters to see you again. It was so sweet.
Monday at twelve-o-one, I was pulled out of my room by Skulker and a few other of my common tormentors. It didn't matter, though. I still returned to my bed after catching them, Sam sleeping peacefully. She didn't even wake up.
,
The house was so quiet when morning came around. For two days, one couldn't hear himself think and now you could hear a pin drop. Mom and Dad Number Three and Brit were once again living across the street and Grandpa never made any noise. It was just us again and I didn't know if I liked it or wished they were back. I was the first up this morning, standing in my makeshift nursery. I still hadn't made it look like a real nursery but I couldn't bring myself to get rid of it either. I missed her so much but I had to keep reminding myself that Mom and Dad, if anyone, could do it.
I left my room and went downstairs so that I wouldn't disturb Sam. The house was plunged into complete darkness because the sun hadn't come up yet. It didn't bother me any, though, because I could see perfectly. I made a pot of coffee, popping a capsule to capture the smell. No kidding, in this house, coffee does wake the parents up. I sat on the front steps, waiting for the paper to be delivered, with a steaming mug of coffee. It was nice to be able to step out of my house and not have the media hound me. There were probably cameras here from daylight to dusk on most days. I missed being able to blend in; being able to be invisible. We were as invisible as a flashing neon sign now.
The paper arrived a little after five but the delivery person didn't even see me. I went out and picked up the paper once his taillights disappeared. I didn't want to take any chances. Opening it up, I read about the strange Christmas related 'attacks'. It really wasn't an attack. It was the ghosts' way of saying Merry Christmas! After I finished my mug and the front page news, I went back inside. It was too early for anyone to be getting up. Honestly, I shouldn't be up.
,
Once my family woke up, we went about our routine that we followed before the holiday. We worked a little on the Reality Gauntlet but we gave up on the books. Obviously, there was nothing of use in the books about it. I have to say I was getting used to the Reality Gauntlet and I could handle it with ease. The gem of life and the gem of fantasy were my favorite gems so far. The gem of form was okay but I couldn't really see any reason for it. The idea of turning one thing into another just didn't sit well with me.
I could bring anything to life that Mom suggested. About the only thing I did use the gem of form for was to turn something I had brought to life back into its original form. The gem of fantasy was my favorite thing to experiment with. Making the rats act like dogs, causing the ballerina of Jazz's childhood jewelry box come to life. Things like that was so fascinating to me. I don't want to sound like Jazz here, but it probably has something to do with that gem will erase the world's memory as well.
"Well," Mom declared as I slipped the gauntlet off my arm. "I think we got everything under control. I just want you practicing with the gem of form more."
"I understand it," I replied as I phased the gauntlet in the wall. "I just don't like to use it."
"Still, you need to practice it more," Mom replied. "Imagining the ballerina back to being inanimate again isn't really challenging. Imagining a fork as a tiny airplane might be more complicated for you, though."
"I'll continue to practice with it," I smirked at her.
"Good boy," Mom smiled. She took a breath and then looked at me seriously. "Who are you going to use that gauntlet on?"
I was taken by surprise. "Why? Is there someone you don't want to remember?"
"Just the opposite," Mom sighed. "Your father and I were talking. Danny, you used that thing to erase our memories through the two week summer break. I just don't want to forget, honey."
"Oh, Mom," I declared softly. "This is completely different. I only erased your memories so I could tell you personally. I had been meaning to tell you ever since I pointed that thing in you guys' direction."
"I just don't want to lose my baby boy again," Mom said softly. The taste of fear laid heavily in the air. I walked over to her, taking her in my arms. She broke down, sobbing for a few moments.
"I'm not going to erase anyone's memories in Amity Park," I said softly. "Once the craze dies down from across the globe, I'll see how the town reacts but I'm not going to ever erase your memories."
"I'm sorry," Mom sniffled. "I've just been scared all morning. I remember that dream when I see you land on the ground. I will never be able to complete that dream because that thing stole that memory from me. You can't imagine what it feels like to not remember something."
"No, I can't," I said softly. "Even when Vlad tried to steal my memories about the first rape, I remembered it. It came back to me in a dream and it came back to me as feeling but I never lost it."
"I just don't want to have another dream of my ops center hitting a face of a mountain and not remember what happened there."
"Nothing happened there," I said softly. "I was not inside of the jet. I was fine."
"Something happened to me, though," Mom said softly. "For a brief minute, I believed you were dead. I'll never forget the reactions of Sam, Tucker and Jazz. Jazz telling me there was something that she must tell me. I realizing that you weren't safe with me. Danny, for a real minute, I believed you were dead."
"I know," I said softly. "But believe me, if I had been in the plane, I would have been fine." Maybe. I rubbed her back but I couldn't help going back there. My reserves were so low. Would I have made it out of that plane wreck alive?
"Promise me you won't erase our memories," Mom replied desperately. She locked eyes with me. "You could erase every memory in this world but promise me you won't erase ours."
"I promise," I smiled. My parents were taking it fine. Why would I erase their memories?