Author's Note: I own nothing.

2 Transformative

Dani looked sound asleep when they reached her room. Jack was hovering. He nodded to Sam and Tanya as they entered.

"Oh good. Can you two watch her for a minute I need to talk to Maddie." They nodded and Jack hurried out of the room glancing back at Dani as he left. Sam sat down on the edge of the bed and frowned.

"Does she look a little pale?" Tanya shrugged her hands still shaking.

"I don't know maybe. Should we have told them that she was in the portal when it went off?" Sam shook his head slightly.

"No. What about what we saw, the other girl." Tanya buried her head in her hands, long black dreads slipping out from under her red beret as she shook her head.

"It sorta looked like Dani. But…"

"Dead." The word slipped from Sam's mouth before he could stop it. Tanya looked up at her friend, tears welling in her eyes.

"Sam what if she doesn't wake up!" But before the panic could build further a groan sounded from the bed. Both of them froze eyes fixed on Dani as she moved for the first time since collapsing in the lab. She tossed her arm over her eyes blocking out the overhead light. She wrinkled her nose and groaned again.

"Why is everything sore?" But even as she spoke, her voice back to normal, not the echoing whisp it had been, a ring of light blossomed around her middle and split leaving her once again the white haired girl who had stumbled out of the portal. Dani though hadn't noticed, even as Tanya and Sam stared. She blinked bright glowing green eyes at them as she sat up. "What? Do I have something on my face?" She asked rubbing her face and frowning at her glove. "Why is my glove white?" Sam took a steadying breath and spoke, surprised when his voice came out completely calm.

"Dani I need you to look at yourself in the mirror. I also need you to not completely panic." She frowned at him, and he noticed that the green in her eyes swirled and moved with her every movement.

"What are you talking about?" Her voice echoed and Tanya jumped as a few pencils began to float. Sam somehow remained calm.

"Just trust me ok." He reached out a hand to her and she shook her head.

"We were in the lab. Why aren't we in the lab?" Tanya took matters into her own hands, snatching a small hand mirror off the small vanity in the room and holding it out to Dani. She snatched it from her friend and blinked at her reflection. "What the fuck? What's going on?" She was starting to shake, and as she did she lifted off the bed until she was floating.

"Dani." Sam reached out to her only to have his hand pass through her arm as if it wasn't even there. Tanya bit back a scream as the mirror dropped from a hand that just wasn't there anymore. It had simply vanished, the effect quickly spreading up her arm and out across the rest of her body. The last view of her face was of pearlescent tears forming in unfamiliar green eyes. "Dani?"

"I'm here." Her voice was shaking and both of the other teens could hear the hiccup at the end of the sentence. Dani had never been a quiet crier, always winding up a hiccupping mess.

"We're gonna figure out what's going on." Tanya reassured, though it sounded a bit empty. Sam nodded, bright purple eyes searching the air in vain to find her.

"Am I dead?" The question echoed through the room like a death knell.

"No. You had a pulse. Your mom said you were fine." Green eyes shimmered back into view, her face and body following quickly.

"Really, but look at me! I'm a ghost!" Dani buried her head in her hands.

"Well you weren't a minute ago." She blinked at Tanya who'd spoken.

"What?" But before any of them could speak the sound of heavy footsteps came down the hallway and Dani balked. As she did the rings of light reappeared flashing out over her leaving her looking like herself. She hissed in pain as she reached out to catch herself and her hand brushed the star covered bedspread. The few small items around the room that had been floating fell back into place and the three of them blinked at each other. Jack knocked before peeking into the room.

"Dani! You're awake! Maddie! She's awake!" Running footsteps pounded down the hall. Maddie and Jazz quickly piled into the room. It wasn't long before Sam and Tanya were ushered out of the room. Jazz joined them shortly in the kitchen.

"Mom and dad are treating Dani's burned hand but they say they haven't found out what that freaky thing that happened earlier. Mom thinks you two should head home." Tanya was about to protest but Sam cut her off.

"Is Dani ok though?" Jazz nodded.

"As ok as she can be with nutjob scientist for parents." That was a familiar line from Jazz. She'd never believed in ghosts, she probably never would. But it meant that Dani wasn't in any danger. Sam nodded and stepped on Tanya's foot when she made to argue again.

"Tell her we'll see her tomorrow at school." Jazz nodded.

"I will. Now run before mom and dad come down wanting to babble on about ghosts." They nodded and quickly made their escape. As they walked down the sidewalk away from the sore thumb of a building that was Fenton Works, Tanya turned to Sam a frown on her face.

"We shouldn't have left! Dani might need us." Sam nodded.

"That's why we left. I don't know shit about ghosts. That's always been Dani's parents thing and something tells me she won't be too pleased if we tell them that she's part ghost now! They fucking hunt ghosts Tanya! What do you think they might do to her!" Tanya frowned.

"What are we gonna do!" Sam let out a breath as they kept going down the sidewalk. Sam looked up and spotted a sign for his favorite bookshop in all of Amity Park. The Skulk and Lurk opened at five in the afternoon and closed at around midnight most days so even now with the sun firmly set the deep purple of the neon sign glimmered.

"We're gonna do some research." He dragged Tanya into the bookshop waving at the boy behind the counter. He, like Sam, wore almost entirely black, though where Sam had a deep purple vest this person had decided on a bright red choker with decorative jewels that looked like dripping blood. He looked up and nodded at Sam, used to the goth boy and his brightly colored entourage in the store. Sam wove through the bookshelves to a section carefully labeled in swirling script. Ghosts and Spirits. He began to run a finger down the shelves plucking books off here and there.

"Possession and You. Manifestations: Malevolent and Minor. Tobin's Spirit Guide." He pulled all of these off the shelf tucking them under his arm as Tanya stared at him.

"What are you doing?"

"Research."

"How are these gonna help?" Tanya demanded.

"You have a better suggestion?" Sam hissed. He pulled Tanya deeper into the bookshop. "We just watched our best friend die, even if it was only like halfway. I don't know what else to do. So, I'm gonna try to help in the only way I know how." Tanya stared at him, only now realizing that he was shaking and there were tears in the corners of his eyes. They smudged his eyeliner as they spilled out and he took a deep breath releasing her arm. She nodded pulling out her PDA.

"Well you keep your dusty old books, I'm gonna trust in the miracle of the internet." Sam let out a bark of laughter as Tanya retreated to one of the plush bat-winged chairs that hid in little nooks and crannies all over the bookshop. He turned back to his self-appointed task. He found a few more titles that looked interesting. A Study of Ghosts Through History. Spirit Herbology. Salt and Burn: A Supernatural Guide. He toyed with that last one but decided to get it just in case. He paid and sought out Tanya in the armchair she'd chosen. She jumped when he tapped her on the shoulder. She checked the time on her watch and frowned. It was almost her curfew.

"I've got what I need. We'll do some research when we get home and reconvene tomorrow with a plan hopefully." Tanya nodded and Sam walked her home. They paused just outside her house.

"Do you think she's gonna be ok?" Tanya's voice shook. Sam didn't know how to reply. He was silent for a moment before he took a deep breath.

"I really hope so." Tanya seemed to take some heart from that as she raced up the steps to her house. Once she was inside Sam headed home. He stayed up until his alarm went off that morning compiling notes from all the books, things they all agreed on, universal myths, anything he thought might be even semi useful. He stretched as he headed out of his room to grab a quick shower before changing to head to school.