SLAM.
Jazz jumped at the sound of the basement door crashing open. She quickly shoved the Polaroid picture of Danny she had been looking at back into her back pocket, slid off the workstation she was sitting on, and faced the stairs to greet her mom and dad.
Her mom dashed into view first, skidding to a stop at the bottom of the staircase. It was odd to see her in formalwear rather than her typical latex suit – but she'd been wearing it less and less lately as she sank deeper into her depression. There was no sign of that sadness now as Maddie looked past Jazz and gazed up at her invention. Her eyes twinkled with joy, reflecting the other-worldly glow of the portal.
Jack bounded down the stairs next, still wearing his typical orange jumpsuit, even on a date. He froze the second the portal was in sight.
For once in his life, Jack Fenton was speechless.
Maddie brought her hands up to her mouth. "Oh, Jack… after all these years…"
"She's… she's beautiful," Jack whispered, tears forming.
Jazz looked back at the glowing portal. Although she was proud of her parents, what did this success mean? If the ghost portal worked, didn't that mean ghosts had to exist, too?
Doesn't that mean I was WRONG?
Jazz ran her fingers through her hair nervously. She detested being wrong but conceded that ghosts (thankfully) weren't exactly her area of expertise. At least her family was acting predictably – Jack had started an animated rant (which Jazz was effectively tuning out), Maddie hadn't taken her eyes off of the functioning portal, and Danny had fled the minute he knew he'd be grounded for trashing the lab.
Besides the portal… everything is normal, everything is predictable, Jazz thought, calming herself. Their craziness must be rubbing off on me. There's absolutely no way I was wrong. Ghosts are NOT real.
Maddie walked over to the wall and opened one of the lab's lockers, revealing various jumpsuits. She took out a teal one, her usual, and stepped into it, zipping it up over her floor-length dress. Lumps of the dress' fabric were visible under the latex suit, and the gown would wrinkle, but Jazz knew that was the last thing on her mom's mind right now.
Maddie walked over to a set of dials on the portal's right side, studying their readings. She turned back towards her family. "Everything looks correct… can you two believe it? A truly functioning portal to the Ghost Zone. Think about what this means for the scientific community."
Jack rushed over to get a look as well, taking his wife's hand in his. "I always knew we could do it, hon."
Jazz stood back, watching the joy in her parents' faces. That happiness had been missing for weeks… she was starting to worry it would never come back. She reached into her pocket, feeling the photograph.
This is something I've got to do on my own. For their sake, and Danny's.
Her parents could be thick-skulled, and they were never the best in a crisis. They tended to blow tiny issues out of proportion and treat big problems too cavalierly. Jazz was fairly sure Danny was fine – but she needed to guarantee it.
She knew couldn't handle it if she voiced her concerns and her parents chose ghosts over their children… again.
"I'm really happy for you two," Jazz said softly.
But they didn't hear her. Jack and Maddie were already lost in their shared euphoria of ecto-technology.
Jazz silently slipped across the room to grab Danny's backpack and headed back up the stairs. She took it all the way to her room before un-zipping it and fishing around inside.
"Okay, Danny… time to find out if you're okay."
"Danny, are you okay?"
Sam watched as Danny examined his body. He was entirely coated in that supernatural aura again. His movements were minimal; he was clearly still nauseous… but it was an improvement. She couldn't believe that with just a few minutes of effort, he'd triggered the transformation that had been causing him so many problems all night. If he could learn to get his thing under control… maybe it was the first step toward things being okay.
Maybe I won't have ruined his life, she thought, then immediately admonished herself for being so selfish.
"Yeah… more than fine, did you see that!?" He let out a whoop of victory, followed by a laugh. His voice had taken on that ghostly quality again – echoic and fuzzy.
Sam couldn't help but smile back at Danny, his exuberance contagious. His cries reminded her of when he'd score an occasional good grade on a test in middle school – disbelieving and buzzing with positivity.
Although she still wasn't sure how to feel about all of this.
Danny may be smiling and laughing, but her eyes still fell to the burns that still marked half of his face, now blistered and scabby green flesh that had barely started to heal. His swollen nose was set at a slightly different angle than she was used to. It was easier to tell now that he was cleaned up that it really was broken. She didn't even want to know what he looked like under the jumpsuit, to see the bruises and cuts that would inevitably be there. Not to mention the frightening glow of his eyes and body. None of this would've happened if not for her stubbornness.
Sam felt so old, like she was remembering the callous behavior of her younger, childhood self rather than something that she'd done just this morning.
She chuckled to herself. Jazz would probably force an explanation on me. "Scientifically, trauma can age the minds of adolescents…" Some bullshit like that. Danny, doubtlessly misreading her reason for laughter, beamed back at her.
Tucker tip-toed up the stairs, eyes glued to the screen of his PDA. He kept his feet light, like they all tried to, since his parents were asleep. The attic didn't carry voices well, but the old stairs creaked throughout the whole house. The last thing they needed was Mr. and Mrs. Foley walking in on their glowing, undead friend.
Tucker unfolded the green knit sweater in his hands, holding it up in front of him. "Thoughts?" He asked Danny, the sweater blocking the view of his friend. "I can go get a tee shirt if you want instead."
"Uh…" Danny looked down at his black jumpsuit, then to Sam. "Do you think I'll need two outfits? I mean… this jumpsuit's clearly in better condition than the other one. It's barely dirty at all. It kinda seems like they're entirely different suits."
"Hey, free jumpsuit. Dying's got its perks," Sam said, deadpan. She pushed her troubled thoughts aside. She needed to act normal around her friends.
Tucker quickly lowered the sweater, eyes wide. "Dude… you changed back? Are you okay!?"
Danny chortled. "Yeah, I've uh…" Danny paused, then let out another laugh. "I guess I've only changed when I feel like shit, huh?"
"Uh, yeah. Understatement of the century," Tucker scoffed, tossing Danny the sweater and jeans.
Danny caught them, a grin still plastered on his face.
Sam turned to Tucker with a smile. "Danny changed back all on his own this time."
Danny laughed. "Vomit-free, if you can believe it!"
Tucker grinned. "See, I told you Empress She-Wolf was the answer! You took my advice, didn't you? You'll be blending in with the humans in no time, Call of the Wild style."
Sam winced. Was Danny really not human anymore? She looked at the daunting glow of his eyes. She'd seen irises glow in movies before, but in person it just seemed so… wrong.
So inhuman.
Those blinding eyes flicked over to Sam as Danny shot her a conspiratorial grin. "Couldn't have done it without my great coach, here."
"Me?" Sam asked, incredulous."Danny, I barely did anything."
Danny waved her protests off with a flick of his wrist. "Aw, c'mon, you know that's not true. I'm serious," he said. His tone grew more wholehearted as he looked between his friends. "I couldn't do this without you. Both of you."
Sam looked away, suddenly bashful. Even though they were her closest friends, Sam had always hung out with the boys in a casual capacity, always related to fun. Going to Nasty Burger, complaining about homework, racing their scooters around town. It's easy to avoid talking about emotions when you're always doing something… they'd never really opened up to each other like this before.
Sam sighed and turned back to Danny, offering a weak smile that she hoped was convincing. I've experienced enough emotional intimacy today to last an entire lifetime.
Tucker walked back over to the pink couch and plopped down next to his notebook with a grin on his face. "We're always gonna be here for you man. But, uh, hey," Tucker said, thankfully changing the subject before the air got too thick with sentimentality. "Why don't you go get cleaned up? I can throw your suit in the wash while you shower, unless… Sam, did you already clean it?"
Danny looked down at himself. "No… but it is kind of clean, isn't it?"
Sam looked over Danny's suit – not a smudge or splash of ectoplasm on it. "Maybe it wiped off somewhere?"
Danny shrugged. "Wouldn't hurt to clean it anyways, just in case it's still dirty. I don't really know how sanitary old ectoplasm is." He stood up slowly, keeping his head stiff and level. "I should probably change out of it either way. Weird ghost glow or not, it's a lot less suspicious to wear normal clothes rather than a polyester onesie."
Tucker laughed and cocked an eyebrow. "You're telling me that's not latex?"
"Yeah right! No way in hell would you catch me wearing the skin-tight garbage my parents do."
Sam guffawed. "You're trying to tell us that isn't skin-tight? If that's not spandex, I'll wear my mom's hideous dresses for the rest of eternity."
"Whatever, I'm showering," Danny grumbled, irritated.
Danny's angry tone and furrowed brow almost laughably contrasted with the small, delicate steps he took towards the stairs.
Sam and Tucker sobered immediately. "You need help?" They asked in unison.
Danny waved them off. "Save it, I need the walking practice anyways."
Danny gripped the handrail at the top of the stairs and pressed most of his weight into it as he began to slowly hobble down the steps. The stairs creaked slightly, but hopefully it was nothing that would wake Tucker's parents. Sam and Tucker listened for ages, until they finally heard the door at the bottom of the steps click shut.
Tucker turned to Sam. "You really think he was that mad? I kinda feel bad now."
"About the jumpsuit thing? Nah. But about everything else… I don't know. I hope not."
Tucker sighed. "Yeah. You'd think that basically getting superpowers would suck a lot less, huh?"
"I don't know if I'd call Danny a superhero, Tucker."
"What else would you call the ability to fly and turn invisible? And with the secret from his parents, we can check 'secret identity' off the list, too."
Sam twitched, angry at the implication. "I'd call it horribly painful. God, Tucker, there's nothing 'super' about it."
Tucker rolled his eyes, irritated. "Sam, you know that's not what I meant."
"Then don't talk about it like that!" Sam growled. "If anything, it's more like he's cursed. Maybe I'd feel different if he could control it, or if we didn't have to see what it did to him, but… I don't know."
Sam huffed, frustrated at Tucker but angrier with herself. She wished she knew the words to get across what she was feeling. It was so easy to bullshit in Jazz's therapy session… why couldn't she talk to Tucker? Why can't I-
"Sam, I really don't know what you want from me." Tucker said suddenly, his tone uncharacteristically sour. "I'm trying to look on the bright side, alright? You think I'm not messed up from what we saw?" His voice cracked. "I'm trying to be okay! For Danny." Sam saw tears pool at his eyes.
What… do I want from him?
Sam sighed, deflating. "You're right, Tucker. I'm… I'm sorry." She reached to tuck a loose piece of hair behind her ear, but stopped when she felt the crusty texture on her cheek. Dark flakes fell onto her shirt. Have I really been sitting here with blood on my face this whole time?
Tucker stood up, wiping his eyes on his sleeve. "I got you. Here, sit down," he said, monotone. He walked over and grabbed the isopropyl alcohol and extra cotton pads that Sam had placed on the ground earlier.
When Sam didn't immediately move, he nodded his head towards the chair Danny had been sitting in. Sam obliged, silently sitting down and placing her hands in her lap.
I'm such an ass. Why the hell am I taking all this out on Tucker?
Tucker unscrewed the cap and splashed some of the disinfectant onto a clean cotton pad. He leaned over her, gently dabbing at the cheek Danny had wiped against earlier. Sam looked away, feeling awkward at the physical closeness after their fight. The alcohol didn't sting – she was thankful that she didn't seem to have any cuts on her face. Mixing human blood was one thing, but she didn't want to know what would happen if any ectoplasm got into her system.
Tucker offered her a sad smile. "Danny hates it when we fight."
"Yeah… I do, too."
"Me too."
Tucker dropped the soiled cotton pad onto the floor and reached for a clean one. "We've gotta get our shit together, you know?"
She knew. Danny had always been the glue that kept Sam and Tucker together. It was unsaid, but they both knew they never would've become friends without their optimistic, sarcastic, space-loving best friend. They'd always needed him to keep their trio together.
Now, bruised and broken, Danny needed them.
"Tucker… how is he going to recover from this?"
Tucker stopped wiping Sam's cheek for a moment, pensive. "We're gonna help him, right? It's what friends do." He flashed her a smile. "Danny said you walked him through changing forms. So we're just gonna have to keep it up. You and me. Until we're sure he's okay."
He held out a fist, back to his normal, goofy self. Sam smiled and tapped her knuckles on his, returning the gesture. "You and me, Tuck."
For a guy who made jokes at all the wrong times, he sure knew what to say to make her feel better. If Tucker can get his shit together… so can I.
Tucker gave her cheek one last wipe and stood up. "Speaking of helping Danny, how are we gonna-"
Beep beep beep!
They stopped. Tucker pulled out his phone. His eyes widened. "It's Danny."
"Don't just stand there, answer it! What if he fell down or something?"
Tucker flipped it open and held the phone to his ear. He headed towards the attic stairs.
"Dude, are you hurt? If your ghost stuff is acting up again, I can-"
Tucker stopped mid-step at the top of the stairs, frozen in place.
Sam's brow furrowed. "…Tucker? What's he saying?"
Tucker turned back to Sam with a grimace, mouthing something she couldn't make out. It's chance…? She heard muffled chatter on the other end of the line.
"What?" Sam asked, dropping her voice to a whisper.
Tucker laughed nervously, panic in his eyes. "Oh nooo Jazz, he's fine!"
Sam froze. Panic swelled in her chest – she immediately tried to push it back down, as she'd forced herself to do all night. Maybe everything would be fine. Maybe Jazz just didn't know where Danny was and hadn't seen the portal… unless something had changed in the last few months, Sam knew Jazz avoided the Fenton lab like the plague. She hated talking about ghosts. What was wrong with an impromptu sleepover between three friends?
"Yeah, no, I get it… NO!" He let out another shaky laugh. "I mean, uh, no need to do that! He's with us… Uh, no, with me and my family. Nothing to worry about. I mean… sure…" Tucker walked hurriedly towards his notebook and flipped it open to a random page. He clicked the pen and scratched something down. "Okay, yeah…"
He shoved the notebook in Sam's direction. JAZZ ON HER WAY NOW.
A.N.: Hi everyone! A big thank you to all my Discord friends who pestered me to get this uploaded, I almost forgot! I've been celebrating my anniversary all day today, 6 years :) No big notes today, but I want to give a big thank you to everyone who's stuck with me all these months!
On to our weekly shout-outs: a big thank you to Dp-Marvel94 and my friend LeonidasDP for the reviews! And thanks to pcrider, InsaneNerd99, The-Fallen-Spirit, isashaa87, shan820, and Ghosts from MW2 for the follows!
See you guys next week for Chapter 13!
- Ani