Chapter 2

Putting the car into park, Maddie looked back at her son and Phantom. "Danny. We're here."

Maddie opened the driver's side door and walked around towards the side door of the RV. Inside, Danny stood up to pick up Phantom. "I can carry Phantom inside." Maddie offered.

Danny shook his head. "No, I've got this. He's really light."

After picking up the ghost and again holding him bridle style, Danny exited the RV and walked to the front door which Maddie unlocked.

In the lite living room, Maddie could see Phantom more clearly. His white hair was disheveled, and his face nuzzled into Danny's shirt, as if he was seeking comfort in the other's presence. Danny moved to put Phantom on the couch.

Maddie shook her head, brows furrowing in slight frustration. "No. He's staying in the lab."

Danny opened his mouth to argue but Maddie interrupted. "We are not arguing about this. If I am keeping a powerful ghost under my roof, then he is staying in the lab."

Frowning, Danny begrudgingly gave in and carried Phantom down the stairs, into the basement lab. Danny froze uncertainty and a little fear flashing in his eyes when he saw the ghost containment unit in the middle of the lab, between the stairs and the portal. The unit was a 10 by 10 by 10 feet glass cube. The thick phase proof walls were designed to withstand both ectoblasts and brute strength, with a powerful ghost shield running through the walls. It was even designed to withstand Phantom's sonic attacks. The feature Maddie was most proud of though- a human, like say her accident prone husband, could not get locked in. While a trapped ghost would be shocked by the ghost shield and unable to leave even if the door to enter and exit the unit was open, a human could simply open the door and exit since the door had no lock. Maddie moved to the control panel and turned the shield on.

Maddie pointed to metal table within the unit. "Put Phantom there."

Walking into the unit, Danny gently put the ghost down. "Mom can you get something so I can bandage Phantom's chest?"

Maddie found the first aid kit, under the sink of the lab bathroom. She opened it, her stomach knotting with worry as she observed that it was significantly less well stocked than the last time she checked it. Luckily, there appeared to be enough gauze and medical tap to bandage Phantom. When Maddie exited the bathroom, she saw Danny had removed Phantom's suit from the waist up. She handed the kit to Danny and watched as he bandaged the ghost's chest with the careful hand of someone who had done this too many times before.

Danny studied his work. "That looks okay. Hopefully it is will be healed before tomorrow night."

Danny walked out of the unit and towards bathroom. He came out moments later with one of the cots Maddie and Jack stored there for when they were working long nights in the lab.

Maddie crossed her arms and frowned. "You better not be planning on sleeping down here!"

"It's for Phantom. If he wakes up on the table in lab, he'll think you're going to dissect him. That won't end well. We've had nightmares about that." Danny shook his head, as if he was trying to clear his head of that image.

Danny set up the cot and moved Phantom to it, laying a pillow under his head and a blanket over him.

Danny exited the unit and closed the door. Hand reaching to rub his neck, he nervously said. "I'll… uh… head up to bed now."

Maddie continued to frown and cross her arms. "Not yet young man. We need to talk."

Danny groaned in annoyance. "Can't it wait until the morning? I'm tired."

Sharply Maddie replied, eyes boring into him. "No. I want to truth and I want it now."

Danny bit his lip, eye fixed on the floor and shoulders slumped in defeat. "Alright. Can we go upstairs?"

Maddie's eyes still fixed on her son, she nodded and motioned him upstairs. Danny tread up the stairs, movements slow as if to delay the coming confrontation. Once in the kitchen, he took a seat at the table, eyes still trained on the floor. Maddie took the seat across from him.

Deciding to start at the beginning, Maddie asked flatly. "Why were you out of your room tonight?"

Danny looked at her but flinched when he met her hard eyes. His focus traveled back to the floor and he bite his lip, quietly answering. "I was helping Phantom."

"By allowing him to possess you?"

Danny answers flatly. "Yes"

Trying to remain calm, Maddie pushed him for more information. "Tell me the truth. Did Phantom threaten you? Or promise you something?"

"No."

"Really Danny. You don't have to defend him! If you threatened you, your father and I can protect you. Tell me what he did to convince you."

"Nothing! It was my idea."

"What!" Maddie froze, eyes widening in disbelief. After a pause, she continued, her anger flaring. "Why would you do that? You know better! Why would you help a ghost?"

"Phantom's a good guy. He's trying to help the town!"

"So you let him possess you?! What could either of you get from that?! We don't know if that could hurt you in the long term!"

"It's fine! Phantom's not doing anything to me! I'm helping because I want to!"

"Then why are you letting him violate you like that? Phantom could do anything to you or use you to hurt people. How are you okay with this?!"

Danny's eyes blazed with fury at that statement. "Phantom's not violating me! He would never do anything to hurt me or anyone else!"

"How do you know that? Phantom could be tricking you!"

"Why! Because all ghosts are evil? Why won't you even give Phantom a chance?!"

"This isn't about whether or not Phantom is evil. He is putting you in danger! He could hurt you!"

"I told you earlier, Phantom would never hurt me!"

"But you are getting hurt!"

Danny tried to argue "But…"

"Don't lie to me I've seen the bruises you try to hide. I saw the almost empty first aid kit tonight and how you treated Phantom, like you've done it dozens of times before. Don't tell me this is not dangerous." Maddie wiped tears threatening to spill down here checks.

Danny crossed his arms, pouting. "Yeah. I sometimes get hurt. But I'm helping people! This town needs Phantom and Phantom can't do this without me!"

Maddie sighed, trying to calm herself down. Arguing with Danny like this was getting her nowhere. "Look. Danny if you want to hunt ghost, your father and I can teach you. We can take you hunting with us and train you how to use our weapons. But you cannot keep doing this behind our backs. You can't keep helping Phantom like this."

"But…"

Cutting of his argument, Maddie shouted. "I don't want to hear any other argument from you! You are not helping Phantom anymore! You will stay away from him and if he goes anywhere near you, I will not hesitate to rip him apart molecule by molecule."

At this point, Maddie was out of breath with anger. She expected for Danny to continue fighting her but was surprised to see a hurt expression on his face. He was near tears. "Why do you hate Phantom so much? What did he ever do to you? We're just trying to help. We just want to keep everyone safe but you won't even listen to me. You would even give Phantom a chance."

Dumb founded at this outburst, Maddie was realizing how dire situation was. Clearly Danny cared deeply about Phantom and simply forbidding him from helping him would not work. She swallowed and said in the calmest voice she could muster. "Danny. I know that you care about Phantom deeply. A lot of young people, like you, find him very alluring and I can understand you falling for that. But you can't guarantee he feels the same way about you or even has the ability to."

Danny looked at her with a confused look. "What do you mean?"

Maddie frowned, not really wanting to spell it out. "Danny do you have a crush on Phantom? If you do that's fine. But Phantom does not feel that same way about you."

Danny's eyes widened in shock. Looking queasy he responded. "What! I don't… That doesn't even…Ewww. Mom. That is the most disgusting thing I've ever heard. That would be like me liking Jazz!"

Maddie was completely shocked, not expecting that at all. "Then why do you care about Phantom so much?"

Danny was furiously shaking his head to dissolve those images. "We're just friends? No closer than that. I guess brothers is the closest word. But definitely not…that." After scrunching his nose in disgust, Danny looked at her with sincere eyes. "Let's never talk about that again. The point is yes, I care about Phantom and I know him very well, better than anyone else does. I know he is good. Yes he has messed up and he knows it. But he wants to protect this town and its people. Can't you just trust me and give Phantom a chance?"

Maddie looked at her son sadly. "I don't know if I can do that, Danny. Trust has to be earned and you broke mine."

She saw Danny's eyes light up with guilt. "Then I'll work on earning that trust. But can you promise to give Phantom a chance, for me please?"

Part of her wanted to say no, that this was dangerous, and she should go downstairs right now and destroy Phantom. But her heart said if it's that important to Danny, it's worth pursuing. "Okay."

Danny's eyes lit up with hope. "Really?! You'll listen to Phantom. You won't hurt him or try any painful experiments."

"Yes. I will listen. I do not promise to believe or trust him but I will listen. And while I won't go out of my way to hurt him, if Phantom tries anything, anything at all to hurt or manipulate me, you, or anyone else, I will not hesitate to destroy him."

Danny shook his head in understanding. "Okay. I can live with that." He bit his lip in nervousness. "Can I uhhh go to bed now?"

Maddie put her hand up to stop him. "One minute. We need to discuss your punishment. You were out past curfew without my knowledge doing something dangerous behind my back. Is that correct?"

"Yes ma'am." Danny responded, as he deflated with guilt.

"As a consequence, you are grounded for two months."

"What…" Danny tried to argue.

Voice deadly serious and more than a little angry, Maddie continued "Let me finish. I'm taking your phone and your laptop. If you need the computer for schoolwork, you will use the one in the lab. If you are not working on homework, you will be catching up on your chores. After two weeks, if you are on your best behavior, I will return your phone. Do you understand?"

Danny frowned, looking at the floor. "Yes ma'am"

Maddie nodded and gave him a slight smile, reaching across the table to take his hands. "Danny, while I am disappointed, I am glad you are okay after everything that happened tonight. I'm glad this is out in the open now."

Danny looked into her eyes, still looking slightly guilty. "Yeah Mom."

Maddie kissed his forehead. "Go to bed."

Danny stood up still sad. "See you in the morning." She watched him walk up the stairs and enter his room. Once he was out of sight, she slumped in her chair and put her head in her hands. Maddie was still a little shaken from everything that happened tonight. Danny never did say why exactly Phantom possessed him. They would need to talk more about that in the morning and she needed to talk to Phantom. Looking at the clock, Maddie saw it is almost 2 am. She needed to try and get some sleep. Standing up, Maddie headed to her and Jack's bedroom. Hopefully tomorrow would provide some answers.