Jack, Danny, and Jazz were all eating their breakfast in complete silence. Jack was seated on the floor in the corner and was attempting to shovel cereal in his mouth without looking but had already missed his target several times, Danny's spoon was suspended part way to his lips and otherwise forgotten, and Jazz was the only one who successfully continued to eat, although, even her attention was focused on a singular point in the room.

Maddie was busy frying up eggs in the skillet and was paying no mind at all to the small pup that had pressed himself into her calf, his nose pointed toward her knee and his eyes focused on the skillet.

The rest of the family had expected her to push him away or shoo him off the moment he had approached. Now they waited in silence, wondering what had happened to make Maddie suddenly not mind the presence of the glowing green dog. They each held their breath when Maddie suddenly glanced down, expecting some sort of disapproving sniff or aggressive glare.

Cujo's ear perked up as soon as she looked at him and his tail began wagging. He gave a sad whimper and flattened his ears again, begging for a treat with his eyes.

Maddie sighed and flicked a bit of egg from the pan to the floor.

Cujo inhaled it before it touched the ground and immediately pressed himself against her leg again to beg for more.

Jack had enough and stood to bang his fists on the table, making everyone jump.

"That's it. Who are you and what have you done with my beautiful wife?"

Maddie clicked her teeth in annoyance. "What are you talking about, Jack?"

"My wife has made it very clear she doesn't like ghosts, not even this one. If you were really my wife you would have chased Cujo away, or told him off, and you most certainly would not have given him any food."

Maddie whirled on Jack in a huff, the spatula flicking pointedly in his direction. "First of all, I didn't give him anything." She folded her arms stubbornly. "A piece of the egg just happen to fall out of the pan while I was turning them over. Secondly, the rest of you have been so insistent that I give this ghost a chance that I thought I'd humor you, but if you're going to make accusations when I do then I don't see the point in trying."

Jazz and Danny exchanged a glance and then eyed the doors to calculate their chances of escaping without notice. They weren't good.

Jack fumbled his words, "Oh, well I just...you seemed so against him before."

Maddie waited for him to finish digging for an excuse.

"Well, I'm glad you're giving him a chance. He's actually a very good dog. And I'm sorry for thinking you might have been possessed or replaced with some lesser ectoplasmic filth."

"Jack," Maddie said flatly, "both our suits include specter deflectors. Neither of us can get possessed."

Jack looked down at his gut. He couldn't really see his belt but he knew it was there. "There's a specter deflector in this thing?"

"Yes, Jack. If you read the notes I left, you'd know that."

Jack could see he wasn't getting out of this one easily so he tried the next best thing. A Distraction.

"We haven't had a date night in ages. How about we go to that place you were talking about the other day. The French one?"

"The one I told you about two months ago?"

The ship was sinking fast but Jack was in too deep to back out now. "Uh, yes? How about I call and get us a reservation. Just you and me. The kids can stay home and watch movies or something."

"It's a school night."

"Homework, I meant homework. The kids can stay home and do homework...and chores."

"Hey!" Danny tried to protest but either they didn't notice or had chosen to ignore him.

"Will you wear a suit? A real suit, with a jacket a tie?"

"Yes?" Jack was already regretting this path but it would be far worse if he tried to backtrack now.

Maddie finally grinned warmly and gave Jack a loving peck on the cheek. "That sounds wonderful. I can't wait. Oh, I better start getting ready."

Maddie turned off the stove and practically skipped from the room and up the stairs.

Danny glanced at the clock. It read 7:15 am. "How long does it take to get ready for a date?"

Jazz gave him an understanding pat on the arm. "You'll understand when you get a girlfriend."