Summary: #day3 - Portal: It represented something like hope, something unearthly, something worth examining, but now, for Maddie, it was nothing else just a reminder, telling that she failed.
Maddie was staring at the swirling green madness, trying to recall the days when it wasn't a curse or seemed more than an acidic green-ness of doom, but- she shook her head, she couldn't tell. Now, at the present, she couldn't remember those days.
Her son was dead, and partly she had made it happen. And she called herself a good scientist! But, after all, she called herself a ghost-huntress too, and...
She bit her lips. She had been both at a certain moment of time and also a mother, who should have been a support to her little boy, but- now, who she was? But this damn thing couldn't answer her question either, it was wordless and- and just the shifting swirl was speaking in silence, telling a tale that she hated to hear, it told that- that she had failed. As a scientist, as a ghost-hunter, and as a mother too.
Maddie took a careful step closer, wondering. Had it been painful? Surely, it had supposed to be. It had killed her boy. But- she almost could imagine him, shrieking in pain and falling to the floor, unaware yet that his life had changed and that- that it never would be normal again. She had made it. She had let it happen. She had killed her baby. Just as-
"Mom!" a sudden shouting voice made her stop to take another step. And then, in the corner of her eye, a bright green light slowly was flying closer. "Come back, it's dangerous."
She had to laugh at the note – if she could have been able to crack a smile on it. Dangerous, he said, dangerous! It had been dangerous, a hazard too at the first place and-
Suddenly something grabbed her shoulder and then in a blink of an eye she was at the other side of the lab, being pushed down in a chair. A glowing green gaze locked her eyes, worried. "Mom, you're okay?"
Maddie had to blink a few, realising what had just happened, that she was placed – by flying obviously – away from the portal, because- because she had been standing too close to it, that- that she had been too close to harm herself with it, just like-
A little shake got her out of the thinking. "Mom!"
Maddie shook her head, trying to concentrate. It took a huge effort, but then she looked back at the bright gaze, nodding. "I'm okay, sweetie, don't worry, I was just thinking there."
Her boy – now in ghost form – moved backwards, giving a sceptical look, crossing his arms and floating in the air with spectral tails. "It's dangerous, mom. You can't just walk into the Ghost Zone. For humans, it's better to wear something like uh- sort of protection or else who knows how it could affect the body or even hurt you. It's not safe for you, to walk in, just like that." he lectured, but the only word she heard was the word 'hurt'.
Hurt… not safe… just like that… dangerous. Fatal maybe even – not maybe, literally, because- because- Now, it reached the edge, Maddie buried her face in her hands, breaking out weeping. What had she done? He was- he was worried over her that she would get hurt by the portal and- and she supposed to be the mother, to take care of her son and- who was she now? Nothing else, just a failure.
For a moment there wasn't anything else just her quite sobbing, and then something made a bright flash of light and a nearly uncomfortable cold something embraced her, flinching by the touch, but not releasing her otherwise. It took a second to realise what it was, what – who – was hugging her, comforting her. Maddie pushed him away.
"Danny, change back immediately!" Her son, confused and surprised blinked at her. Maddie stared at him seriously. "Now, sweetie!" The boy raised his arms in the air, giving up, but wincing in pain by the movement, only confirming by it, that him, being 'human' caused him indeed trouble.
"Okay, okay, gee!" rolled the human formed boy his bright blue eyes that were still dimmed by the hurt he still was in. "Ancients, if someone had told me a week ago, my parents would force me to stay Phantom, I would have thought they were too long in the Thermos and lost their mind." he mumbled under his nose, but then the white rings appeared and his form changed back into the ghost-state. Maddie gave a sigh of relief and wiped off the remained tears on her face.
"Honey," she turned to her baby, "just because I am still processing this whole, it doesn't mean, you have to change back to human and comfort me, just because you assume I'd be less freaked out."
The boy in embarrassment scratched the back of his neck, this time with a lack of frowning by the movement. "I thought- I thought…" but then, he stayed wordless.
Maddie reached out for him, slowly grabbing his uninjured hand, looking straight into the glowing green gaze. "Danny, you have to heal, and you said, you heal faster as Phantom. Staying ghost is obligatory till then, got it?" the boy sheepishly nodded, she continued. "I might not be able to protect you from everything, but I am your mother, and as a mother, I have to take care of you as much as I can." she gave the explanation.
The boy pursued his slightly trembling lips, visibly near to crying, but he didn't say anything, he was just quietly floating in the air, rubbing his upper arm uncomfortably. "Okay, but-" he gazed at the floor, but then lifted his eyes, letting out a breath. "Just don't go into the Ghost Zone without protection, okay? If you want to explore it or something, tell me and we'll figure out how I can show you around safely later."
Maddie stared at her son, shocked, he was- but after all, he was the hero of the town, the Ghost Boy, protecting Amity Park from the other ghosts and… even if she was his mother, she didn't have a word who was in charge connected to ghosts. She nodded.
"All right," he accepted it, and moved a bit backwards, giving a quick glimpse towards the portal. "You don't might if I shut it off now, do you?" he flew towards the panel. Maddie shook her head, slapping herself mentally why didn't she yet do it, after the other ghost had appeared and disappeared, and…
"Uh-" she facepalmed, cursing herself that she hadn't been thinking at all. The ghosts were coming to Amity Park from the Ghost Zone, through their portal and- and if any showed up right now, Danny was still weak and healing to fight them and- she was so stupid not shutting it off immediately back then.
"Mom?" came suddenly a questioning voice. Maddie raised her head towards her boy, the lack of swirling green made the lab almost dark.
"Sorry, sweetie, I- I really need to get used to it. So, uh- if the portal is off, there wouldn't be any ghost issues?" she wondered, the answer was a soft chuckle.
"No, unfortunately, it doesn't work like that." her son explained. "But I guess, it can keep them away for a while, but for example for Cujo… well, he could slip out even if it is closed." Maddie's brows raised up, he continued, reading by her expression. "He is a ghost dog, harmless, mostly." her eyes widened, by the last note, the boy waved in the air. "I mean, mostly, as a little puppy, mom." well, that didn't calm her down, but- after all, what she could do.
Maddie stood up from the chair and walked towards the stairs, but then she turned back to her baby who was now, floating thoughtfully next to the portal in his ghost-form. She had to admit, even if they were scientists studying ghosts, they would have never ever thought they would once actually meet with spectral beings and not even imagining that their town would turn out the middle of paranormal occurrences, and- and not even conceiving that their son would turn out half-ghost by their-
Maddie let out a shaky breath that grabbed the boy's attention, making him fly next to her, examining her worried. "Mom, are you sure, you're okay?" she couldn't tell it or put it into words, but then seemingly she didn't need to, namely suddenly he wrapped his arms around her. "I'm sorry, I know how hard it can be for you, but I- I don't blame you, okay? I'm okay like that. And if- if I once had to do this again, giving up being Phantom or living a normal life, I still would choose this, no matter what."
Her hands started to tremble, but then she squeezed her boy, realising that partly, he had been hiding this part of his life – or afterlife – because he felt it would upset them, blaming themselves for it, creating the portal and… then it clogged together. The portal. Now, it all became clear. Not only her son turned half-ghost but-
"This Wisconsin Ghost…" she started, recalling the ghost who had been helping her, patching her boy, keeping him alive and things – god, how many breakdowns she had had in one day…
Her son released her, suddenly, facing her. "You mean Plasmius?" Maddie nodded, yes, after all, only her husband called the spectre 'the Wisconsin Ghost', and in real, they hadn't ever given a chance to ghosts to introduce themselves... They shot first and asked questions never, especially if that was about- about… Phantom. She buried those disturbing thoughts rather right now, in the back of her mind, only focusing on the current issue.
The boy ran his hand through his white hair. "Yeah, I should definitely thank him, saving my life…" he whispered, and then, his lips curled into a half-smile. "Gee, actually, I hadn't even thought, he would help me, but-" his expression fell into an unreadable one. "After all, he was right, if things turned bad, he would be the only person to understand me…" he pursued his lips to that note. Maddie was sure that note meant something to him, something deep, but she didn't push it, just as he forced himself to leave that thought behind, turning to her suddenly. "Sorry, what you wanted to ask about Plasmius?"
Maddie had to think, what she wanted to ask, but then, it reappeared in her mind. "It's Vlad Masters, isn't it?" she voiced, her son's mouth opened and closed a few times, putting together what she was saying.
"I- I didn't- I don't suppose to-" he stuttered. "We- we have a pact not telling- well, not telling- I-"
Maddie put a hand on his shoulder, giving her a look, tilting her head. "You didn't tell it. I figured this out myself." she calmed her, and indeed it seemed his ghostly body released the sudden tense. "It was the Proto-Portal, right?" he didn't need to give a nod, she knew it. Now, she started to understand the man too, not everything, but slowly, the things began to clear up. Especially the expression that had been readable on the ghost-man's face as he had spotted the injured boy, and Maddie had asked for help. That had been fear, horror, if she had hurt the ghost-boy, because Vlad was aware of who her son was. The Wisconsin Ghost that had once attacked them, the man who had a clear obsession over getting her, had been worried over the other part-ghost, because- because even if they were each other enemies, they still shared the same fate, bonding over their state.
Maddie gave a quick glimpse towards the now shut-off portal, she wasn't sure when she would be capable of stepping over it, but then she turned to her boy, making up a convincing smile. "Pizza?"
Her half-ghost son smiled back at her. "Pizza sounds good, I'm starving." he said, phasing excitedly through the door of the lab. Maddie stared back at the cursed invention, but then, followed her boy, concentrating on preparing lunch instead and somehow making a promise to herself to never ever create another portal. She couldn't even tell if she was once able to survive the guilt over this, or either the previous one.