Jack and Maddie talk things over.
Jack sat on the couch beside Maddie, a bowl of fudge and bottle of wine waiting on the table. Maddie still looked pale, and Jack wanted to warn her against drinking, but she had already poured herself a glass, so he let it go.
To be totally honest, Jack was still having a hard time wrapping his head around the situation. Danny, a ghost? But ghosts were evil. Except Jazz said they weren't, and she was typically a good judge of character.
It just didn't make sense to him, but apparently it did to Maddie.
So he asked, "Mads, what does this mean for us?"
"It means," Maddie took a sip, "that our own son is the very thing we hunt. And he's afraid of us. And he should be."
"Why should he be afraid of us?" Jack countered. "We'd never hurt him, ghost or not."
"But we did!" Maddie cried. "Or, I did, anyway. Jack, I shot our son."
Jack gripped Maddie's shoulder, suddenly wondering where Danny was and if he was okay. Probably. There hadn't been a lot of ectoplasm left behind. "Maddie, you didn't know it was him. He knows that. You were just doing your job."
"Exactly! Our job, Jack! We're ghost hunters, and our son is a ghost! I can't keep doing this, knowing that our son is a potential target!"
Jack shook her gently. "Maddie, we have to. There are ghosts causing havoc throughout the whole town, and we're the only ones who can help. We'll just... have to be more careful who we attack. Make sure that they're actually doing harm, first."
Maddie shook her head. "What about Danny?"
"When he comes back, we'll apologize, explain ourselves. We'll adjust our equipment so it doesn't target him. Eventually, it'll be like he never... left."
"How can you be so certain he'll come back?"
Jack grinned. "He's a Fenton. We stick together."
Maddie snorted. Jack knew she didn't believe him, because her own family had had a falling out when she was in high school, but Jack also knew that Danny and Jazz had gotten very close since reuniting. At the very least, he'd come back for her. Jack grabbed the fudge and left Maddie to her thoughts, staying beside her in case she needed him, but giving her the space to figure things out for herself. He had almost finished the bowl when Maddie sighed.
"You're right." She nodded. "Danny will come back, even if it takes some time. And when he does, we will prove to him that we still love him, and that we'll never hurt him, even if it takes giving up ghost hunting. Until then, though... Let's start modifying our equipment."