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Chapter 3

Maddie tossed and turned for about an hour, her mind full of questions before she succumb s to her exhaustion. She fell into a restless sleep. She awoke to the sound of birds outside her window. Other than that the house was quiet, no soft sound of Jack snoring beside her or Jazz downstairs getting any early start on college entry essays. She turned over to look at the red glowing numbers of the clock; it was around 7 in the morning. As much as she wanted more sleep, she should go downstairs in case Phantom tries to escape when he wakes up. Maddie sighed, looking at the empty spot in the bed besides her. She wished Jack were here, to act as her partner in dealing with Phantom and Danny. Even if she called him right now and asked him to come home right now, he would not be able to get there for another two days at least. She will just have to do with do her best to deal with this on her own.

Maddie stood up. After going to the bathroom, she changed out of her pajamas and into her blue hazamat suit. Situating her red googles on her head, Maddie studied herself in the mirror. She looked ever the professional ghost hunter and scientist, her face not betraying the lingering ting of worry she still felt. As desperate as she was to get information, she needed to remain calm and professional. While she promised Danny she would give Phantom a chance, she feared the ghost would try to use that desperation against her.

Turning to go downstairs, Maddie hoped Phantom was still asleep so she would have the chance to observe him in that state. If Maddie was honest, though she did not like the circumstances, she was looking forward to the chance to study Phantom and learn more about ghost in general and the anomaly that was Phantom specifically. She quietly walked down the hall and checked on Danny again, sighing in relief to find him safe and in his bed asleep. She walked down the stairs and entered the kitchen. She contemplated making coffee (she definitely needed to caffeine) but did not want to wait. Instead she settled on one of the energy drives Jazz keeps for when she worked late on school work. It may taste disgusting but would wake her up. After downing the drink and a granola bar, Maddie walked down the stairs into the lab.

The lights were dimmed with the green glow of the portal and Phantom's white aura boosting the other artificial lights. Phantom was still lying on the cot in the containment unit, facing the portal. With his back to her, Maddie studied to ghost. He appeared to be asleep which frankly surprised Maddie; they had never observed a ghost sleep before and had hypothesized that ghosts did not sleep. But maybe their hypothesis was wrong or Phantom was different. She walked forward until she was only a few feet from Phantom behind the glass. She could see individual hairs on his head and the way his suit wrinkled around him, even the stitching visible.

Maddie walked around the unit to Phantom's front. The first thing she noticed is that the suit had repaired itself. The hole in the chest where she shot him had disappeared. This was not all the surprising; from eye witness accounts and collecting his ectoplasmic debris after fights Maddie knew Phantom had been cut and had bleed before but the suit appeared in perfect condition by his next sighting. The suit itself looked familiar though. Maddie tilted her head to the side. It resembled one of their hazmat suits. Putting away that observation for later, Maddie noticed something more intriguing. As she watched the ghost's chest, she saw it slowly rise and fall as if he was breathing in sleep. This should not be possible at all. Ghosts have never been observed to breath; even if this was a mimicry and he did not need air, ghost did not even have lungs. The inhalation and exhalation of gas like this should not be possible, especially while Phantom was seemingly unconscious. Maddie blinked in confusion. Surely she was imagining this. But no her eyes feel on the ghost's face where she saw his hair blow out of his face with each breath.

Hardly believing this Maddie moved as close to the glass as possible and kneeled to be at the ghost's eye level. He looked so real and solid. So human like a sleeping child. His face was nuzzled in his pillow with a peaceful expression on his face. Maddie tensed when he moved, fearing he would wake up. Instead, nose wrinkling, Phantom mumbles, "Where is my lizard friend?" Did he just talk in his sleep? Maddie was dumb founded. This was absolutely adorable and strangely familiar.

Maddie studied Phantom's face. His disheveled hair, the curve of his nose, the freckles on his cheeks. Maddie's blood ran cold. She knew that face. The spacing between those eyes, the cut of that jaw, the tiny scar below those lips. Maddie stumbles up and backward. Of course she knew that face. She had look at it almost every day since the day he was born. She had looked at it last night at the dinner table. Maddie felt sick to her stomach. That was Danny's face. Phantom had Danny's face.

Heart pounding, Maddie stumbled to the lab bathroom. Not even bothering to turn on the lights, Maddie leaned over the toilet. Eyes starting to well with tears, Maddie fought keep her breakfast. Her mind was racing. Why did Phantom have Danny's face? It was not just the face either. The two were the same height and build. How had she not seen this sooner? What did this mean for her son?

Maddie closed her eyes trying to suppress her panic. Think Maddie. You cannot do anything about this. You need to try and understand this, to keep Danny safe. Maybe this was an effect of the anti-possession gun? It separated the two but forced Phantom to remain in Danny's form? No, that sounded ridiculous. But that alternatives were to awful. Either Phantom was a shape shifting ghost and using Danny's form to gain her trust and compassion. Or there was some connection between Phantom and her son that went deeper that just working together.

Damnit! She was not going to figure this out without more information. She needed talk to Phantom. Cursing herself, Maddie stood up to splash water on her face. Why could she do have noticed this sooner? Curse Phantom's elusiveness! Other than last night this morning was the closest she had ever been to the ghost. She and Jack would often see him from far away during ghost fights. But often by the time they arrived he was capturing the ghost in a Fenton Thermos and leaving. If fact he seemed to go out of his way to avoid them, fleeing at high speed when he saw them. Maddie had thought it was because of their reputation as ghost hunters. But maybe it was to hide this resemblance to her son.

Maddie clenched her fist; she wanted to go out there and torture the information out of Phantom. But she promised her son. How was she supposed to listen to anything Phantom says when he was looking at her with Danny's eyes? There was no way she could ever trust him, not really. Not when he was using her son's image like this.

Taking a calming breath, Maddie turns to the bathroom door but freezes when she hears a noise.

"No! No! No! Why am I in lab?"

It was Danny's voice. No Phantom's. Even his voice sounded like her son. Maddie peaked through the door of the bathroom, observing Phantom. In the darkness, luckily he could not see her.

Phantom was sitting on the cot, his head in his hands. "Okay, calm down. I can get out of here, easy peasy."

Phantom stood up from the cot. Maddie watched as white rings appeared around his waist. The rings traveled up towards his head and down towards his feet doing….Nothing? Phantom looked down at himself, lips pursed in frustration. "Come on!"

Was this what lets Phantom get through ghost shields, some type of attack?

The rings formed and traveled a second, and then a third time. Phantom was now panicking, hands searching his chest. "No! No! Where is it?! Where is it?!"

Maddie heard feet pounding down the stairs.

Another voice. "Hey, calm down. I could feel the anxiety from upstairs."

Danny jogged down the steps and stopped between Maddie and the containment unit so he was towards facing Phantom and away from his mother.

Phantom's eyes widened. "Holy Shit!"

Danny answered voice light and almost joking. "Yeah."

Phantom's shocked eyes study the human for a moment but then his face softened in understanding. "Oh."

"Do you remember what happened now?" Danny asked.

Phantom shakes his head yes. "Mom shot us."

Wait Mom? Phantom just called her Mom.

Danny answered. "Yeah, you got really hurt. I convinced Mom to take you home and let me help you. I don't think she saw everything and obviously doesn't know anything."

Phantom answered with sincerity." Oh. That's good. Thanks for that." Then putting his hands together, eye brow raised in questioning. " So…? Can you let out then? "

" You know I want to but if Danny Phantom suddenly go missing, Mom will know Danny Fenton did it. Then she'll be watching us closely for the rest of our life!"

Sounding disappointed. "Oh. That would make doing our job really hard."

"Yeah. But if he get HER to let you out then she'll just be watching us for the rest of the summer."

Voice raising in disbelief. "But she'll never do that!"

"I already got her to promise to hear you out. Maybe we can get here to trust you. Just talk to her. Offer to let her run some test."

"What! I'm not going to do that!"

"It'll be fine. She won't hurt you."

Pointing at the human, Phantom was huffing at displeasure at the human's suggestion. "You're not the one who's going to get dissected!" Danny's shoulders feel. Maddie could not see his facial expression but Phantom's quickly twisted into guilt in response. "I shouldn't have said that."

Danny's head was down, as if his eyes were fixed on the floor. "It's okay."

Phantom walked towards Danny, coming as close to the glass as possible and sat cross legged in front of Danny. He looked up a Danny. "No It's not. You have just as much reason to not want me to be dissected as I do." Danny sat down cross legged in front of the ghost. Phantom continued. "I know you wouldn't let her hurt me. We need to be together on this."

Danny questioned. "So you'll go with the plan?"

"Yeah. I'll talk to her. Try to be a truthful as possible."

"Without, you know, telling her the big thing."

"Yeah there's no way she'd believe us."

"And hey if she takes it well or figures out too much, we can eventually tell her everything."

Phantom's eyes lit up with hope. "You're right!"

Danny answered cockily. "I know I am."

"Oh Shut up you narcissist."

"I knew you loved me." Danny answered in a jovial tone. Maddie was thoroughly confused and wished she could see Danny's face.

In response to something (maybe Danny's facial expression), Phantom's face light up neon green. In a blush? "That is not what I meant you pervert."

Danny started laughing hysterically, while Phantom's face remained green in mortification. Danny slapped his knee and appeared to wipe tears from his eyes. "It's a jock. " Still laughing. "Mom thought I had a crush on you."

Phantom was still blushing but his mouth started to turn up into a grin. "That's disgusting."

"That's what I said."

At this point, Phantom broke into a laugh. Both boys were laughing hysterically. Maddie continued watching in confusion, feeling like she was missing something. It was funny but not that funny. Maybe there was an inside joke? After a few minutes the laughter died down. Phantom was now smiling at the human. "We definitely need brain bleach now."

Danny shook his head. "Tell me about it."

Phantom opened his mouth but Danny cut in. "Please don't. My half of that image is enough for now, ya Poltergeist."

Phantom giggled.

Danny crossed his arms. "So are you going to tell me the rest of that thought, from before we jump in this horrible black hole?"

Phantom replied with a grin. "I don't know. Nothing can escape from a black hole."

Danny huffed. "Haha very funny. Come on. I can't just automatically know what you are thinking like normal. You've got to tell me."

Phantom gave in, answering with renewed hope. "If this goes well and Mom figures everything out, no more double life. No more having to hide from Mom and Dad. No more hoping their inventions don't hurt us."

Also full of hope Danny continued. "No more having to sneak out to fight ghost. Or hiding injuries. No more having to lie to them all the time."

Phantom's face looked wistful. "I want that. Man, I really want that."

Danny answered voice unsure. "I mean knowing Mom, she'll figure it out."

Phantom's face dropped at that, eyes on the floor. "Oh, she's going to feel really guilty when she does."

Voice steady Danny replied. "She can handle it. Plus we deserve a chance for things to get better. To be accepted."

Phantom looked directly at the human with focused eyes. "Yeah we do. So the plan? I talk to her, offer to take some tests, give some samples. You talk to her too. Come at this from both angles. What did you tell here by the way?"

"I told her I was helping you fight ghost by letting you overshadow me. I said it was my idea and you just want to protect the town. She knows we know each other very well. And…. that'all actually."

"Okay, We get Mom to trust me and let me out. And before we know it, we'll be back to normal."

"Normal, when have we ever been normal?" Danny answered sassily.

"Well normal for us!" Phantom grinned.

Danny also grinned and then stood up. "Sounds good. You should try to get some more sleep before Mom gets down here."

Phantom also stood up and walked towards the cot. "You should too."

Giving the ghost a wave, "I will. We've got this. See you on the other side." He then headed up the stairs and Phantom laid down on the cot, facing the portal.

Maddie stayed in the bathroom contemplating what she heard. Apparently, there was more going on between them than she was told and whatever it was they did not think she would believe them if she knew that truth. She was skeptical of that, but then again a lot of what they said and how they acted did not make sense. Why did Phantom call her mom multiple times? Why did he think she would feel guilty about something related to him? What were these rings of light? What did Danny mean by feeling the anxiety and normally knowing what Phantom's thinking? And why does Phantom look like Danny?!

The lack of Danny's reaction to that was really getting to her. How could he not see? Or maybe he did see? Since he did not react tonight, maybe Phantom always looked like Danny. She did not like that idea. Why would Phantom do that and how was Danny okay with it? Maddie decided she would not ask either boy about that yet. She would continue observing Phantom. They planned to get her to trust Phantom? Fine but she was not going to blindly do that. They would have to work for it. Sitting down and closing her eyes, Maddie leans against the door. She should wait until Phantom was asleep to leave and then take some time to prepare questions. Maddie closes her eyes and waits.