Danny finishes up his homework one evening, and is eternally grateful for his friends and sister who got the notes for him when he needed to run out of class again, as he was now known to do. Thinking of his sister in particular prompts him to drag a few loose pages of paper out of his pocket. He really should transcribe all of them onto a single document or something, so he could keep better track of it, and that would also make it easier to read.

With that in mind, he began to type out his list in a more organized way; Jazz and Sam would be proud, he thinks, shaking his head with a smile.

When Jazz had suggested that Danny should try to temper his paranoia of his secret being outed by making a list of all the ways he thought he would be found out, Danny didn't think it would work, not at all. But, Jazz was insistent that it would help, at least a little, so he did it anyway, if nothing else to get Jazz off his back about it.

Besides, he was getting pretty bad with this 'paranoia' thing. You can only have so many panic induced jump scares and sleepless nights of worry before your friends begin to notice that things have gone far enough. And so, he wrote the list out (smirking to himself a bit as he wrote his first entry):

My List of How My Secret could Get Out:

-Jazz tells everyone I'm Phantom out of spite for not writing this stupid list

-My terrible acting and lying skills, (honestly, even I don't buy what I'm selling most of the time, how have I lasted this long)

-Mom and Dad actually parent us for a moment away from work and send us to the doctors office for a routine check up, and they run blood tests or something and they find the weird stuff that is most likely in my blood (not to mention my weird vitals that would make them doubt their medical stuff was even working, don't want them to waste their time trying to fix something that isn't even broken)

-SPEAKING OF FIXING THINGS! My parents could also wisen up a bit and realize all their stuff reacts exclusively around me (Like, what the heck, all their stuff goes off around me and they still think its all broken, instead of thinking I actually am the reason their stuff goes off, that will most definitely not last forever, so I will be talking to Tucker about trying to fix that problem)

-The GIW could capture me and take me away, and then they keep me as the brand new species that they think I am (which honestly, I don't even know what i am specifically, I may be part of the smallest species ever, and it consists of Vlad and me, joy) and I'll never see the light of day again, either as their sick experiment, or they put me on display as an extremely rare and endangered species

-My parents could actually get a lucky shot in and take me down, and then I honestly don't know what they would do; continue their experiments? Think I'm overshadowing myself? Think that I replaced myself and just took over my life like some ghostly version of that changling creature that Sam told me about once? Accept me, but only so long until they could figure out how to get rid of my ghostly side? Accept me as I am and then we live happily ever after? (Hmm, wonder which one I want?)

-I could get hurt during one of my fights and just detransform in front of everyone, like that alternate timeline with Freakshow and the reality gauntlet (What a trip that was. Hah! Reality Trip! That's pretty good actually)

-One of the ghosts could actually say something or attack me during dinner, and then I would be toast, (really though, why haven't the ghosts done anything, like, I understand Plasmius, he has his own secret to protect, but the others? Why haven't they told everyone I'm a halfa? It would be so much easier for them, cuz they could hunt me anywhere then, not just in places I can transform and kick their butts? I don't understand?)

-Honestly, Wulf could show up on accident, just by showing up to say hi or something, and not even mean to out me

-Vlad could do something, or get Valerie to do something that would out me in a way that would have me taken away for good, and have him be protected, or something. Jeez, I don't even know with that Fruitloop, he could be planning anything at this point, and I wouldn't really be surprised

-What if I eat something that has a weird reaction with ghosts or something. Can blood blossom be the only plant that affects ghosts? I have many doubts, and thus I have more research to do and Sam to consult

-Lancer could actually see some of the injuries I hide, and put it together, heck Dash may even see enough to connect some dots! (Or they could think that I'm being abused, which you know, after doing some research ... neglect is a form of abuse right? I'll talk to Jazz about it)

-My picture could somehow end up in the paper, next to a photo of also me but in Phantom form, and then people will see that I look the exact same in either form except for my hair and eyes and honestly I don't know why it has been this long and only Wes has figured it out? Why has no one ever thought, 'hey, Phantom kinda looks like Fenton... wait...'

-What if someone actually listened to Wes and his crazy obsession with outing me, like really, wth is his deal?

-What if I get too powerful and my two forms starts merging or somthn and I end up with old man grey hair and blue-green eyes?

-What if I time travel again, (either on accident or for Clockwork again) and someone figures me out in the past and then half ghosts are common knowledge by my time and then the timeline disintegrates or combusts or something crazy, and Clockwork gets mad at me again and gives me another earful as he fixes it

-What if I forget to transform back to my human form and just walk into the house and walk to my room, what would Mom and Dad even do?

-What if I sneezed and transformed on accident?

-What if someone sees my eyes glow when I get mad?

-What is someone catches me floating accidentally when I'm laughing too hard?

-What if I freeze something again when I get startled and can't explain it away?

-What if, What if, What if, lots of what ifs...

You know, when he started this list, he thought that outlining the very scenarios that would change (aka. possibly ruin) his life forever would induce even more paranoia as to how easy it would be for his life to come crashing down around him, with nothing that he could possibly do to stop it.

But, writing things down, putting it to paper, seeing with his own eyes and writing with his own hands the very things he thought could happen, made it somewhat bearable. Whenever he got a new idea, or thought of a new way for his secret to be revealed, he grabbed the nearest paper and available writing utensil to scribble down his hypothetical scenarios. Most of the scenarios he thought about really, were out of his control. Some of the things he wrote were things he could prevent, and he would do so, to the very best of his ability; but when he thought on the majority of the scenarios in his head, now written down and easily seen for what they were, he thought about what control he had, and what control he didn't have.

If he didn't have control of most of these situations, then why was he running himself ragged worrying about things that he had no control over. I mean, don't get him wrong, he was still a bit worried about whether or not he would be found out, and would make sure to do his best to do what he could to prevent that, but that's just the thing; do what he could, not bury himself in dread over what he couldn't do.

So, he wrote his list, and kept it with him, and felt a bit better knowing that he was doing what he could, and not worrying about things he couldn't do.

His friends were happy for him, and Jazz was trying hard not to be smug about being right, but was completely failing in that regard, but he supposed he could give her this one. Jazz does know things sometimes, who would have thought? And, it was kind of funny seeing Tucker try not to laugh at his 'what if' scenarios and fail miserably, so truly not that bad of an idea. (The heavier stuff was talked about. All four of us holed up in Sam's mansion and made a giant pillow fort, and had a movie marathon and board game bananza. It was amazing, and took the edge off of the stuff they needed to discuss as a team, and as a family.)

He finished transcribing all his hypotheticals, and then printed it out to keep it with him. As he was just about to grab his newly printed list, and pack up his things to get to bed, cold air coalesces in his lungs and he gasps out frost bitten air. He sighs slightly, recognizing the weak signature as most likely being the Box Ghost or a blob ghost or two, transforming and then flying out of the house to deal with the nuisance. If only he heard his father coming up the stairs as he flew out the window.

Jack knew this was the one! The one that would definitely lead to the capture of the ghost boy! As he calibrated the last panel on the new, shiny, chrome weapon, he thought of how amazing the victory of finally capturing that spook would be! The looks of admiration and pride in his family's eyes! All the tests and experiments they would run to finally prove all their theories! (Not that their theories needed proving of course!)

Snapping the panel into place and holding up his newly finished invention to see it in all its 'shiny Fenton invention' glory. Now, to show it off!

Maddie was sleeping off the past few days of intense inventing and ghost hunting. She had taken the last time the ghost boy had escaped them pretty hard; she had so wanted to try out a few of her new theories on that ectoplasmic filth. So, Mads was definitely out, he could show her in the morning.

Jazzy was asleep as well, back from college a little early due to her taking all her finals and acing them! His genius princess! Truly, a Fenton through and through! He'd let her sleep, she probably needs it.

As he walked up the basement stairs towards the kitchen, he heard the printer going off. Danny had taken it over after Jazz left for college, so that meant that Danny must still be awake. Hey! Danny boy! He would surely want to see his new invention! He was still awake after all! (Doing what, he didn't know, surely not homework with how his grades were currently looking!)

Bounding up the staircase and across the landing, he ran into his sons room, bursting with pride! This time, this time for sure his son would be stunned and amazed by his new invention! He made sure it wouldn't affect humans, it wouldn't target him this time! He would be so excited that he would be awake for hours asking him questions about how it would help them to destroy those nasty ectoplasmic spooks! (Not like he sleeps well anyway, judging by the way his school calls to tell them he falls asleep in his classes.) Now he would have a reason to be awake, and it involved destroying ghosts!

As soon as he slams the door open, he sees the empty room, and realizes that Danny must be at his friend's house. Weird, maybe he was remotely printing something? He could have sworn Danny came home that night. Oh well. A shame, he would have liked to blather on about ghosts, and for once Danny might listen to him.

As he turned to leave, he sees the pages of handwritten notes on Danny's desk surrounding his laptop, and the newly printed pages sitting in the printer tray. He is somewhat baffled for a moment. Danny doing homework? Yeah right!

Jack looks a little closer at the printed pages and catches the word Phantom. Phantom! Danny was writing something about the Ghost boy! So he was interested in ghosts! Maybe Danny boy found some weakness about that ectoplasmic scum that refuses to leave the human world alone! It does like to hang around Danny boy's high school.

Jack took the pages, and decided to find out for himself what Danny had written out. He paused at the title though; Danny had a secret, that he didn't want anyone to know? It had something to do with Phantom? Why? Danny should have told him! He could have helped! Oh well, he thought, better find out what this secret is, then make sure Danny knew that it wasn't right to keep secrets like this from him or Maddie, especially if it had something to do with that putrid ghost kid and made a list of ways he was afraid that his secret would get found out. So, he settled down, on the edge of Danny's bed and began to read.

When Jazz heard a door slam, waking her up abruptly, her immediate thought was 'Danny needs help.' So, naturally, she leapt off her bed and scrambled a little in the darkness of her room to her door, and carefully made her way to her little brother's room. A little puzzled as to why her little brother's door was wide open, (she would assume he would slam it shut if he were to slam it at all), and then proceeding to become even more puzzled when she finds Danny's room to be empty.

Where's Danny? Out fighting a ghost? At Sam or Tucker's for the night? No, he would have let her know, so she knew where he was and could then run interference with their parents (if they even asked), so out fighting a ghost was the most probable option. Then who slammed a door? Mom or Dad? Dad was the only one still awake that she knew of when she went to bed that night, so it was most likely him. Why though? She heard the door slam close by, so it must have been to either the bathroom in the hallway or to his own room.

Just as she was about to go investigate further, Danny flew in through his wall.

"Jazz" he whispered, touching down and then transforming into his human form. "What are you doing? Is something wrong?"

"Oh Danny, thank goodness, now you can help me. I just heard a door slam, and at first I thought it was you, so I came to see if you needed help, but your door was open, and you weren't here so I figured you were out fighting a ghost, but then I thought who could have slammed the door, so then I thought.."

"Jazz!" Danny whisper shouted, interrupting her quiet tirade. "Jazz, just breathe for a second, okay?" Danny placed his hands gently on her shoulders. "Now, what do you need my help for? Who slammed a door?"

Honestly, Danny was too good for her. With all he goes through everyday, he always thinks of others before himself. 'I don't have a hero complex Jazz, stop talking nonsense' yeah right. She hopes she can measure up to how good a person he is someday by doing what she can to help him.

Pulling herself back into the present situation with a small shake of her head, "Okay, so I think Dad slammed either the bathroom or his and Mom's bedroom door. I was just about to go see what was going on when you came back. Oh, who were you fighting by the way, are you okay?"

"Yeah, just Boxy again, no big deal" Danny replies nonchalantly, shrugging his shoulders. "Now, lets go see what's goin' on and make sure everything is okay, okay?"

"Yeah" she sighs slightly "lets go."

They both make their way down the hallway, and she watches as Danny makes sure the bathroom is empty before they both walk more surely towards their parents bedroom. The door was slightly open, but there was no light comping through the small opening, and she could hear the quiet voices of their parents. It sounded like they were arguing? She couldn't quite make it out. She glanced quickly at Danny to make sure he was ready, and met his confused, slightly nervous, but determined eyes. They both nodded, and she knocked on the door, pushing it further open.

"Mom, Dad? Is everything okay, I heard a loud bang. It woke me and Danny up..." She trailed off slightly when she saw both her parents standing behind their bed, in the semi darkness of their room. They had stopped talking to each other abruptly, and they were both standing stock still as if frozen. She began to look closer, and she did not like what she saw.

Clenched jaws, pale faces, furrowed eyebrows, and narrowed eyes. Eyes specifically narrowed at Danny. Their postures were rigid, knuckles white, hands clenched, and Mom had papers clutched in her hands, crinkling in her tense grip.

She heard Danny gasp slightly. She looked over, and saw that he was staring open mouthed at the papers in Μοm's hands. He then looked up sharply at their parents faces, now with a face full of fear and anxiety.

"Jazz" he said shakily.

She looked quickly at their parents, saw that they were beginning to show signs of anger. Of hatred. Staring straight at Danny. Glaring at him. Connecting the dots, she had a feeling she knew what those papers were now.

"Jazz..." Danny said, as he turned to look at her. There was still fear written all over his features, but a cool resignation was there as well.

"This wasn't on the list"