I do not own Danny Phantom
The married couple shared a quiet look. They never wanted to do this again. They had barely escaped with their lives the last time. But they would do this for Danny. They felt in the deepest recesses of their hearts that they could do anything if it was for their family's sake. They had to believe in that. It was the only way for them to get through.
At the count of three they both pricked their thumbs. A small drop of blood rose to the surface and they wiped it on the business card. First Jack, then he handed it over to Maddie to do the same. Then they waited.
It felt like an eternity for them but in reality, it was only a few seconds before it happened. The lights began to dim and the room grew noticeably colder.
Suddenly the sound of a lighter being flicked open broke the silence and a cigarette being lit became visible. From the shadows a short, cruel looking ghost stepped forward, his devilish face was still partially cloaked in darkness and half illuminated by the lighter, but Jack and Maddie could still make out his form. He wore a faded, tacky, old suit and tie, his eyes and fangs were a rotted yellow color and horns grew from his head making the creature look demonic. The ghost let out a puff of smoke and said in a raspy low voice.
"I am Scratch, the Necromancy ghost. Why have you summoned- Wait, Maddie?" The creatures voice suddenly changed from one of commanding and evil to that of a surprised old friend, shocked to run into old acquaintances he hadn't seen in years.
"Maddie Henries and Jack Fenton? Wow, aren't you two a sight for sore eyes. It's been ages!"
"It's Maddie Fenton now." The woman corrected in an irritated voice.
"No kidding?" The ghost laughed, not noticing the somber mood of the room. "Congrats! So how you've been? What have you been up to-"
"We didn't summon you to catch up on old times!" Maddie snapped. She lowered her head in shame. She had hoped she would never need to do this ever again. "We want to make a contract."
Scratch's face lit up in glee. "Really?" He remembered these two. How could he not? They were the only two workers he had ever had who were able to complete a contract successfully. Others tried. Others got close but no one ever made it a full year without slipping up. No one had the tenacity that these two had, and boy, was he excited to have them back in the fold.
"So…" he teased "Who's the unlucky guy?"
Not being able to say it out loud the grieving mother gestured towards the table her son lay on.
Scratch raised an eyebrow and let out a low whistle at the sight of cadaver. The 14 year old was covered in electrical burns. His once white and black jumpsuit was now stained with brown and black scorches. What a way to go, and for someone so noticeably young too.
"You two really don't learn do you?" He teased.
The ghost reached a clawed hand over the poor dead boy. He ran his fingers through the boy's hair, petting the singed locks in a mockingly gentle gesture.
"DON'T TOUCH MY SON!"
Jack roared out in fury, forgetting momentarily that someone outside might hear him. He couldn't help but seethe at the sight of this particular ghost. When he and Maddie were young, they never really thought about whether ghosts could be 'good' or 'evil'. They were like animals to be studied. It wasn't until he came to know Scratch, this vile, disgusting, putrid being, that he became certain. Any creature like him would have to be without feelings or morals to take advantage of grieving, desperate people the way he did.
It was Scratch who taught Jack and Maddie how utterly despicable ghosts are.
Speaking more carefully in a lower tone of voice, "Just…. Can you bring him back?"
The ghost took a drag of his cigarette. As he studied the dead kid. Not everyone could be brought back from the dead as they were before. A lot of people passed on immediately after death, to heaven, hell, or who knows where. He didn't know exactly what was beyond the earth and the ghost zone, just that they were out of his grasp when they got there. He had tried once or twice before to bring those souls back but no dice. Even if he could get their bodies to essentially function again, without a soul they were just vegetables.
Then there were the other cases. The souls that began their transformations into ghosts. Maybe they weren't good or evil enough to make it into heaven or hell, or maybe they just didn't want to go because of unfinished business. Whatever the reason, those souls weren't out of his reach. He could take summon them into his grasp and shove them right back into their old bodies and simply resurrect the corpse back to how it was before.
It took him a long time to perfect the process. He was terrible at resurrecting humans at first. The last time Jack and Maddie asked him to do it for them, their friend came back with a horrible illness that lasted a few years afterwards. But that was two decades ago. Now? He could have this kid up and running around just fine in about an hour. It would be like nothing ever happened. Even the burns from the electrocution would be gone without a hint of a scar.
He blew a puff of smoke into the lifeless kid's face, increasing Jack and Maddie's irritation. Yeah. This kids was a perfect candidate for the resurrection process he could tell just by looking, that's how good Scratch had become at his work.
"Yeah…" the ghost smirked cockily. "I can have this kid up and at'em like nothing ever happened. You can trust me."
In a sudden puff of smoke, papers and a pen appeared in Scratch's free hand. "Just sign here. Standard contract, you know the deal."
Maddie took the papers and pen in her hand and read it over with a fine tooth comb. She absolutely needed to make sure there were no loopholes, no tricks, no way of this disgusting ghost getting out of his end of the bargain. Sure they were lucky last time, but she didn't trust that Scratch wouldn't try something to worm his way out of the deal.
She'd briefly known of other humans who took Scratch's contract only for them to be fired for mere technicalities. If Scratch didn't think you would be useful to him, he'd use whatever loophole he could find to have you gone. Maybe he'd send you on an impossible job, you would fail, be fired, and you're newly resurrected loved one would fall down dead again. Or you'd get killed while out on the job, thus making you unable to complete the contract and your newly resurrected loved one would fall down dead again. Or any other number of ways he'd trip you up to make you fail, which, of course, would lead to your newly resurrected loved one to fall down DEAD AGAIN!
For one week when she was 21 Maddie and Jack worked alongside a man in his 30's who only wanted his wife back after she died in a car wreck. She didn't get a chance to get to know him well, because Scratch thought he'd be dead weight to his little 'operation'. Over a tiny slip up of being 5 minutes later than expected, Scratch let him go. The last time Maddie saw the man, he lay crumpled up on the floor, phone in hand, begging for his wife to pick up on the other end. She never did, and the image of the sobbing mess of that poor widower was forever etched into her memory.
Scratch seemed to like them though. He saw Jack and Maddie's skill set and scientific, technical knowledge as very useful and often gave them second chances and leverage he didn't offer other workers. That was then however. This is now. Who knows how the contracts might have changed.
Her hand hovered frozen over the dotted line. If she and her husband signed this paper Danny would be alive and well just like he was this morning before they left. He wouldn't even remember dying. In exchange she and Jack would have to work for Scratch for one year. Complete every task he'd give them. It didn't matter what it was or when he'd ask it, they would need to drop everything to do the job. And if they failed? If they made a mistake? Scratch would snap his fingers and Danny would be gone instantly. Their son would stone cold before his body even hit the floor.
Memories of the last contract she and Jack completed for Scratch flashed in her mind's eye. The first thing he asked them to do was burn down their campus's science hall in the middle of the night when no one was there. They loved that place. They did so much work there but the ghost just lorded it over them, that if they didn't do it, their best friend would be die again and it would be all their fault for failing to follow through. That evening they broke into the building and doused the halls in kerosine. Just as they were about to light a match. Scratch stopped them, telling them it was all just a test to see how far they'd go.
While the two of them were free that night, the many that followed weren't so fortunate. Every few weeks without warning, Scratch would contact them with a job to steal something for him, smuggle something across borders, break and enter private property, and more than once did they have to commit arson for real, thankfully without anyone getting caught in the fires. They didn't know what they would do if they were asked to kill someone, but they always had that feeling that it wouldn't be above Scratch to order such a task.
So many times they were almost caught, killed, or failed. The two of them only managed to successfully last a whole year due to pure drive to not let their friend die. That and stupid luck. The moment she'd sign this paper, she'd have to return to that life.
"Would you hurry up. I know you'll sign it."
Scratch's wicked sneer broke Maddie out of her train of thought. He was beginning to get annoyed at the hold up.
"I know people." He explained condescendingly. "I know you'll sign it because you'd do anything avoid what happens next. Going home, picking out a suit for your son to be buried in, calling all your relatives to explain what happened, planning a funeral. I got you pegged. You're desperate people. You went through a whole year for your friend. I can only imagine what kind of dedicated workers you'll be for the sake of your 'widdle baby'."
Maddie was about to say something when suddenly Jack's cell began to ring. He checked the caller ID.
"It's Jazz"
Crap, they had forgotten Jazz.
Jack answered the phone with fake cheerfulness.
"Uh, Hey princess-"
"Dad, I just got home! Sam and Tucker filled me in on what happened! Is Danny okay?! What hospital are you at?! I'm on my way now!"
Jack cut his frantic teenage daughter off. "No, don't come! We're uh, we're about wrapping things up here right now. We're gonna be taking Danny home any minute now. The doctors ran some tests and said he's going to be fine. Full recovering and everything."
Maddie was shocked at how easily Jack lied.
"Really?" Jazz asked amazed. If it were anyone outside her family, Jazz would be able to put together how suspicious and strange that all sounded, but pure relief at hearing that her younger brother would be fine took over her logical side. "The way Sam and Tucker described it-"
"Yeah, we're all amazed here too. Doc said it was a one in a million case. Danny's one lucky kid."
Jack could hear his daughter talking to someone else. He was sure he could hear Sam and Tucker's voices, probably being relayed the news.
"Put Danny on the phone."
"Uh, the doctors gave him something to make him sleep so he's out right now, but um, we'll be wheeling him out the door in a few minutes. We'll be home soon, promise."
He heard her once again reiterate the message back to the other teens before answering, "Okay. I love you. See you when you get home."
"Love you too, princess."
Jack hung up and turned back to Maddie and Scratch, now with a serious air, he reached forward and snatched the contract from Maddie's hand, signing his name on the dotted lines without bothering to read.
"What?" he asked annoyed by their stares, "Didn't you say it yourself? We all know I'll do it."
Maddie took the papers back, suddenly feeling better about the decision. She could always trust Jack to be her rock. She signed her name down right next to his and handed the documents back to the ghost.
The moment Scratch held the contract in his hand, it once again disappeared in a puff of smoke.
"It looks like we're in business."
With one snap of Scratch's fingers, Danny's soul was suddenly slammed back into his body and every cell in his being instantly woke up to latch onto it like flytrap grasping onto an unlucky bug, pulling the struggling creature down to it's fate. His physical form spasmed as it fought to take hold of a writhing spirit that was now used to flying free and untethered by a mortal coil. His back arched and he let out gasp after gasp, in quick succession, one right after the other. Gulping down air like he was making up for lost time. His burn scars were gone like a flash, leaving unmarred skin. Danny was alive.
Maddie covered her mouth to suppress a gasp of relief before quickly rushing to embrace her child. She wrapped her arms around him and pressed her head to his chest, needing to hear that heartbeat. It thumped erratically as if it itself was shocked to see it going again. She could feel the way his body harshly trembled and hyperventilated in her hold. He was still so cold but little by little his body warmed as the blood under his skin began to flow again. His face scrunched up in pain and distress. Danny looked as though he was experiencing a traumatic nightmare, but still Maddie held him close as fresh tears fell from her eyes, whispering to him through frantic, choked sobs.
"It's okay, baby- It's okay. You're here- I'm here. You-y- you're gonna be fine. Everything's gonna be fine!"
She could feel Jack lean in behind her. He scooped her and Danny both up into his strong arms, hugging them tightly against him and the family just stayed like that for a moment. The relief was so powerful they didn't even care that Scratch was watching them, taking another long drag of his cigarette, his face uncaring.
"Yeah, anyway, breaking up this oh so touching family moment, you might want to sneak out the back before anyone sees you. It'll be a difficult explanation to give as to why a corpse is now suddenly breathing. I'll take care of the evidence. The kid'll be awake in an hour-ish. We'll be in touch."
The married couple looked up, glaring at the ghost for interrupting their moment. They didn't bother to thank him. Gently, but also as quickly as he could, Jack picked up his unconscious son. Danny's entire body was still convulsing in harsh tremors from the fight between body and soul to meld together again. Maddie led the way, peeking around corners to see if anyone was coming. She found an exit and ushered her husband out. They tried to be as discreet as possible as they whisked their now very much alive son back to their vehicle.
Scratch hacked into the hospital mainframe, he deleted any and all files pertaining to Danny Fenton. He even erased security cam footage. Sure there would be witnesses like the EMTs and the mortician, but for a paper trail? There was no proof that this kid was ever here. As for the Fenton family, the next time they needed to a trip to the hospital, they could go to a different one, just in case they were recognized.
Scratch then thought about the married couple's reaction to him. Seems their hatred of ghosts didn't waver over the years. After what he put him through and what he was likely to soon put them through again, he didn't exactly blame them. It didn't matter to him if his workers loved or hated him, so long as they were useful and followed orders. Still, he thought about the side effects of bringing a human back from the dead. Once a soul begins the transformation process of turning into a ghost, nothing can stop it. Not even anchoring him back to his physical human body could do that.
Would they choose to terminate the contract if they find out about about the little side effect of becoming part ghost? With how much they hate ghosts maybe they'd prefer their son dead?
Eh, who cares. They never found out when it happened to their friend all those years ago. Maybe they won't notice anything for their son either.
There are a lot of theories for how it's possible Danny can be half living human and half ghost, and I personally consider Butch's explanation about how all the ghosts are just other dimension monsters and not the souls of the dead to be just another theory no more valid than any other fan's. He doesn't own the rights to the show and even if he did, I'm of the opinion that if it's not stated within the show, than it's just paratext and can be ignored
This is my theory of how it works. Danny and Vlad did die temporarily. For some people, when they die their soul becomes a ghost and that's what happened to Danny and Vlad, they came back to life, and their souls reattached to their bodies, but their souls still turned into ghosts, making them living humans with ghost powers.
This whole story is just based on one way in which they could have come back after having died. Maybe another way within the show is that the portal did both to kill and resurrect them? I dunno, this is all just my crazy fan theory and I'm sure you could poke holes in it, but I still find the idea interesting.
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