Dreamed images floated through Fenton's consciousness. His own hands in front of him, swirling with neon green light. The dark lab. The portal. Was that churning ectoplasm the same color as his? Floating up the stairs, sitting on the couch in the darkened living room. Dark….it was dark. Fenton's mind drifted, the images falling away into….nothing…...

Fenton blinked awake to soft gray light. Mind fuzzy with sleep, he groaned into his pillow. He closed his eyes, thoughtlessly, and started drifting again. Then cold air brushed his face and he was pulled back to consciousness. He opened half lidded eyes.

"Phantom?" He questioned. The ghost was kneeling in front of him, just beyond the edge of the bed.

"Sorry." The ghost whispered. "Didn't mean to wake you."

"What are you doing?" Fenton muttered, sleepily.

"Trying to find our hazmat suit." The ghost ducked lower, clearly searching under the bed. "I can't remember where I left it yesterday."

"Bathroom." The human answered, already burying his head in his pillow again.

"Oh yeah." Phantom's voice rang with realization. Fenton gave a wordless hum. Then cold hands were shaking him.

The human lifted his heavy head. "What?" He groaned, annoyedly.

"Don't go back to sleep." His ghost self gently admonished. "Our alarm goes off in like one minute."

At that, Fenton turned an eye to the clock. He groaned again, rolling his eyes exaggeratedly. It was in fact 6:59 am. Huffing, the human pushed himself up with his hands and sat heavily on the bed. He pouted, jutting his lip out with a deep frown. It was too dang early to be awake.

Fenton glanced up at his other self, who looked wide awake and was studying him with a raised brow. The human crossed his arms, debating if he could flop back down for another five minutes. Then the ghost's lips turned up and he…..laughed.

Fenton's frown somehow deepened more and he glared.

Phantom held up his hands, his laughter quieting. Then he looked at Fenton. "Is this what I really look like in the morning?" His voice was almost fond. "We're really not a morning person."

The human's face softened at the tone. "Nah. We're not." Fenton rubbed his eyes, just managing to give his other half a subdued smile.

Then the alarm went off. Both boy's noses wrinkled and both reached to press the off button. Phantom's hand hit first with Fenton's slamming down on top a second later. The blaring sound ended.

"Man, I hate that thing." Both uttered with a groan.

In synch, both pulled their hand off the clock. Blue and green eyes met and both started laughing. Fenton really smiled, feeling more awake. He and Phantom kept doing that, talking at the same time and copying each other's actions. It was weird, that was for sure. But also really funny. It felt good too, like he and his ghost half were on the same page.

After a few moments, the laughter trickled out but Fenton kept smiling at his counterpart as he swung his legs over the bed and stood. "I'm gonna to go ahead and start getting ready. You…." He trailed off.

"I'll go get our hazmat suit." He pointed towards the door. "I was...uhhh….actually going to change into it."

"Why?" Fenton looked up and down the ghost, noticing he was in the same clothes as yesterday. "You can wear something else."

Phantom shrugged, looking sheepish. "Yeah but...I kinda like it though."

Fenton shrugged as well, deciding to drop the issue. They could puzzle that out later if it was important. With that last remake, the ghost flew out of the room. The human grabbed an outfit from his drawers and got dressed. About the time he finished, the ghost returned. Fenton studied his counterpart. He was again fully cad in the black hazmat with the collar, belt, boots, and gloves shining as white as his hair. At some point he had washed the makeup off clearly revealing the green undertone of his skin. He looked definitively ghostly. And to Fenton's pleasant surprise, that didn't revolt him, not in the slightest. If anything, the appearance, hazmat included, suited him. Yes, he looked very different from their normal human appearance. But...Danny Phantom was supposed to look like a ghost. And that was good.

Phantom noticed the look and raised a brow. "What?"

Fenton blushed at the attention. "The hazmat looks good."

The ghost furrowed his brow in confusion. "Thanks...I guess."

"Nah. I mean…uhhh….you looked like...well you, like our ghost half's supposed to." The human wrinkled his nose. "I..uhhh...guess that doesn't actually make sense."

His ghost half shook his head. "No. I get it. I do." He offered a kind smile. "And the hazmat feels pretty good too." He quirked a brow. "Which is weird considering how uncomfortable it was to put on before….uhh...going into the portal."

Fenton frowned. "I remember." He'd had to stuff it over his clothes, wrinkling them uncomfortably. The boots were slightly too big, the gloves clunky. He'd hated how the material rubbed against the raw skin on his hands and around his neck.

Phantom wiggled his fingers. "Yeah. It's not clunky at all. I can barely feel the material on my skin. It feels like….well...it's fitted to me perfectly."

"Huh." The human boy tilted his head, puzzling it out. "I guess...the portal did something to it. I mean, it made it change color too."

His ghost half hummed thoughtfully. "I guess."

"And….uhhh speaking of the portal…" Sudden uncertainty swirled in his gut. "What was up with it last night? I mean...I dreamed that you were looking at it and it was calling to us and...yeah."

Phantom's eyes lit up. "So you were dreaming with me."

Fenton blinked. "What?"

The ghost's hand rested over his chest. "I could...feel that you were there too. Following along with me." His eyes widened. "I called out to you and you responded."

The human's eyes also widened. He remembered that distantly. Looking through Phantom's eyes and being aware of it. "Yeah. It was...kinda like a lucid dream but...I couldn't actually direct what we were doing. But...you heard me?"

"It's more like, I can sense what you were feeling." His expression fell. "And the portal scared you."

"Yeah, it did scare me." That ominous feeling from the lab had returned but much stronger than before. On some level, he wanted to run away and being unable to was frightening but…. "I could hear the call too and….it was...comforting. Part of me wanted to go in too."

Phantom's eyes somehow widened even more, multiple emotions crossing his face. "That part's me, isn't it?" There was a hint of guilt in the statement. He shook his head. "I felt both things too. Like I wanted to run away from the portal but I was drawn to it too. I guess...we're feeling…." He trailed off.

"Different aspects of the same thing." Fenton offered. He could feel the wheels turning in his other half's head. How he was struggling to put the pieces together. "Because we're two parts of the same person."

"I guess…Yeah." Phantom swallowed. "Still...I don't know what to think of this."

Fenton walked to his other half, putting a hand on his shoulder. "It's okay. We'll figure it out together."

At the touch, the human felt his counterpart relax. "Yeah. And thanks." He smiled. "You need to keep getting ready for school though."

"Oh yeah. School." Fenton pouted slightly, earning a shake of the head from his ghost.

"Please. I'm stuck here and we're grounded. So Mom's definitely got a list of chores for me to do."

The human's eyes widened. "Dude. I am so sorry."

"It's fine. At least only one of us has to suffer through that." With that, the ghost ushered his other self out of the door of their room.

A few minutes later, after using the restroom and brushing his hair, Fenton was walking down the stairs with his ghost half following. He stopped in the living room, taking in the scene. Mom and Dad were eating, quietly talking to one another. His stomach flopped at seeing them. Part of him was still angry about the grounding. But he was guilty about sneaking out and worrying them. Pain pricked at his heart. He glanced back at Phantom who was looking down. He felt hurt by some of what Mom said as well. He knew she loved him, both of him, his ghost self included. But the way she talked about his ghostliness, the sad looks she kept giving Phantom…..

Jazz who sat in her usual spot, a book splayed out by her elbow, perked up as she noticed the two boys.

"Danny!" Jazz waved. "Good morning."

At least Jazz was happy to see them. "Morning, Jazz." "Good morning." Both Dannys responded.

Fenton walked towards the kitchen shelves. He grabbed a bowl and a spoon before opening the fridge and pulling out the milk. He turned back to the table and raised a brow.

"That's my chair." He said in mock annoyance, forcing down a smile.

Phantom, who was sitting in their regular seat, crossed his arms and wiggled his brows. "Is that so? I'm pretty sure you're already sitting in it."

Fenton pinned him with a serious look before plopping down beside him. The human poured his cereal and milk. He started eating quietly, ignoring his ghost's teasing look. But his mock annoyed expression disappeared as Phantom grabbed onto his hand, the one holding the spoon. A cold feeling poured into his hand, tingling spreading from the point of contact as his hands took on a bluish, semi transparent tint. His spoon fell through, literally though, his hand and Fenton started laughing hysterically.

Phantom grinned. "It's been a while since that happened." He started laughing as well.

The human Danny picked up his spoon, pointing it at his other self. "You poltergeist." He playfully elbowed the other boy. "Just imagine the pranks we could pull with that!"

"I know! I was thinking of this one prank we could pull on-"

Jazz interrupted. "So you two are getting along now!" Her eyes widened, quickly looking between the two. "I'm so happy you guys listened to me and actually talked!"

Both Danny's mouths snapped shut at the exclamation. Fenton tensed while Phantom swallowed. "Yes, we did." The human glared at his sister before side eyeing their parents.

Jazz noticed the angry look and glance towards the adults. She opened her mouth to respond but didn't get a chance before Mom cut in.

"Getting along…?" She looked between the two versions of her son. "Was there a….problem between you two?"

Two pairs of eyes widened with identical alarm and fixed on their mother. "No!"

The woman blinked before narrowing her eyes seriously. After a moment of tense silence, both Dannys started rambling.

"It's just...with everything.." "So much has happened and…" "Being split is confusing and.." "The merging didn't work and that was…" Fenton trailed off, looking like a deer in headlights.

There was no way he could tell his parents about his fears, his guilt, the ongoing problems with his ghost half. No way, nope, not at all. Not with...with... Wrong...unnatural...the pain, the guilt when Mom looked at their scar….the way she sometimes hesitated to look at Phantom, to touch him. She couldn't think in any way, shape, or form that he was uncomfortable with or afraid of being part ghost. That would be a wide open excuse to keep them separate or find a way to suppress their powers or-

Mom reached forward, gently putting a hand on Fenton's arm. "Sweetie, I'm so sorry. I should have realized sooner."

The human Danny blinked confusedly. "You...what?" She realized, she figured it out. He let it slip. How-

"Of course you're having trouble with being like this." The mom looked down, guilt flashing across her face.

"Like...this?" Phantom muttered, a hint of fear in his voice.

"Being split." Dad added, a hint of sadness in his eyes. "Like you said before, you're one person, really one person." The man's expression fell. "You're not supposed to be split like this."

"You're having trouble with being divided, aren't you?" Mom shook her head, sadly looking between the two versions of her son. "I can't even imagine what this is like for you." Her expression turned soft, almost pitying. "This must be so confusing. No wonder you've been so stressed."

The human nervously glanced at his counterpart, who returned a subtly questioning look. Fenton swallowed, deciding to answer for both of them. "Yeah...uhh….being split's been….it's not been fun."

"Of course it hasn't." Mom replied understandingly. "Is that what you two ran off to talk about last night?"

Fenton's stomach flopped. "Yeah. We...uhhh….did talk about that."

Guilt churned but the human pushed it down. It was technically true. He and Phantom did talk about being split and a part of their issue was that they tried to merge only for it to fail. But that was only a portion of the real problem.

Mom nodded, accepting the statement. Then Dad pinned the two boys with a sorrowful but sincere look. "I promise we'll do anything we have to get you back to normal."

Fenton tensed slightly at the word, normal, but paradoxically Phantom relaxed. "I know Dad." The ghost rubbed the back of his neck. "Thanks for promising that, again."

The human's brow raised. Again? Mom and Dad had said they would help them but Phantom sounded far more assured than Fenton thought was warrened. The human wanted to ask but his ghost noticed his confusion before Fenton could think of how to. A moment later, a cold gloved hand was gripping his, both clasped under the table. The ghost closed his eyes for a moment, reassurance passing through the connection before images filled Fenton's mind.

A large hand gripping his shoulder. "I promise, I will do anything I can to make sure you come out of this okay. Better than okay." Dad's hand squeezed tentatively. "It kills me to see you like this. So sad and anxious. I'd give anything to see you smile again."

In a second, the whole memory of that conversation passed through Fenton's mind and lodged itself in his skull. The human fought not to gasp in shock. Woah, That was….Something like that had happened last night, the two of them passively sharing memories. But….this was intentional, for the first time not just sharing emotions or single images but a complete memory.

A sudden cough brought Fenton out of his thoughts. He looked up at the same time Phantom did and found his family members' eyes pinned on him.

"What was that?" Jazz questioned, curiously.

"We were...uhhh...sharing a memory." Fenton answered.

His sister nodded though confusion remained on her face. At the same time, Mom's brow furrowed. "What do you mean?"

Phantom spoke up. "I was showing him something that happened on Monday, when I was here and Fenton was at school."

"You can do that?" Dad's eyes widened, a hint of excitement in his voice.

"Apparently." Fenton muttered.

Phantom shrugged. "I mean, that's the first time we've done it on purpose but it's happened before. So I figured I'd try."

The adults and Jazz all nodded, taking in the answer with varying degrees of thoughtfulness, curiosity, and excitement.

"That's really good." Their sister smiled. "Sharing memories now will probably be a big help for once you refuse."

Fenton titled his head at the statement, giving the girl a puzzled look. "Why?"

Jazz looked between the two versions of her brother, also looking confused. "When you do figure out how to merge, won't you have two sets of memories from the last week at least?"

The human Danny's face paled at the question. "Oh. I uhhh…I" He rubbed the back of his neck, suddenly nervous and alarmed.

"I guess?" His ghost shrugged, wrinkling his nose. "I mean, I hope so. I don't want to only remember half of what happened after this."

"That would be really bad." Fenton then bit his lip. He shook his head, remembering the few times he'd been aware of and actively seeing out of both his human and his ghostly eyes at the same time. The confusing double images, double emotions, even double thoughts. "It'll be really confusing, if we do have two sets of memories though." The human's voice turned quiet as he glanced at his other half. A spike on unease touched his heart. As much as they'd talked about refusing, Fenton hadn't really thought about the specifics, beyond that he'd finally be whole. But...what was being split doing to his memories, to his very mind? How would the pieces, that were he and Phantom, reassemble into a whole person?

For a moment, that now familiar feeling of incompleteness flared. Something was broken, missing inside of him. But the feeling quickly washed away as Phantom's reassurance and understanding trickled into him and he knew his other self felt the same hole.

"Well, whatever does happen, you'll have us to help you." Jazz's quiet promise farther lifted the human Danny's spirits as he looked up.

Dad smiled at him kindly. "Yes son. We'll be here."

"Always." Mom nodded. "And like your father said, we will do everything we can to fix this."

The sincerity brought a smile to Fenton's face. "Thanks Mom and Dad."

After that, there was silence for a few moments as Fenton dug into his food again. He was still nervous from the previous questioning but hearing his family's conviction to help him eased some of his burden.

The conversation restarted, this time more light-hearted. It continued until Jazz stood up and put her bowl in the sink. A moment later, Fenton followed. The two human teens grabbed bags, put on shoes, and were soon walking towards the door.

Fenton waved. "Bye Mom. Bye Dad." He stopped for a moment, smiling at his other half. "Bye Danny." He stepped towards the ghost, speaking quietly enough to not be overheard. "Good luck with Mom and Dad."

"Yeah." Phantom muttered, looking down.

The human could feel his counterpart's nerves. He smiled, an attempt at comfort. "Everything's going to be okay." He took his phone from his pocket and offered it to the ghost. "Here. In case you wanna get up with Sam or Tucker."

The ghost's eyes widened before his face softened. "Thank you." He floated back. "You should get going. See you later Danny." He met the eyes of his sister who had been watching the exchange curiously. "See ya, Jazz."

"Later, little brother." The girl replied with a wave.

Moments later, the siblings were in Jazz's car and driving towards the school. It was quiet for a few minutes; the only sound was soft classical music from the public radio station.

Then Jazz spoke. "What was that about you running off last night?" Her brow wrinkled in a troubled expression.

Fenton suddenly paled and rubbed the back of his neck. "Well we...ummm…went flying and..."

"Flying?" His sister asked skeptically.

"Yeah." The boy looked down,biting his lip. "I...I just wanted…." He trailed off.

"Danny." Jazz said pointedly as the silence grew. "What happened?"

"Phantom and me talked and kinda lost track of time and...Mom and Dad….."

"What about Mom and Dad?" She asked.

"They….uhhh…. Were there when we came back and were pretty mad and…..I'm...uhhh… grounded."

There was a beat of silence and Fenton's stomach flopped. He wondered what Jazz was thinking.

"Grounded?" She asked quietly. "You're grounded...Wait" Her eyes widened. "You snuck out!"

"I didn't sneak out." Fenton muttered, crossing his arms.

Jazz's jaw fell, disbelievingly. "You snuck out!"

"I didn't sneak out." The boy repeated. "We were planning on going for a short flight, like five minutes and coming right back."

"But you were gone long enough for our parents to notice and ground you!" Jazz shook her head. "You didn't even bring your phone, did you?"

"No, I-" Fenton started only to be cut off.

"You didn't even tell anyone!" She gripped the wheel more tightly.

"Jazz! Stop." The boy gritted his teeth.

"Do you have any idea how irresponsible that is?! Something could have happened to you."

Fenton rolled his eyes. "Oh my god, stop. You sound just like Mom."

His sister's mouth snapped shut, her eyes narrowing. "I do not."

"Yes, you do." The boy crossed his arms. "That's almost exactly what she said last night."

The girl opened and closed her mouth, clearly reaching for a response but none came. Fenton felt a hint of pride at silencing her. Then Jazz huffed. "If you'd told me where you were going, I could have covered for you."

This time, Fenton's jaw dropped. "You? Cover for me?"

"Yes, I could have kept Mom and Dad from worrying so much…" she grinned wickedly. "And chewed you out myself when you got back."

The boy rolled his eyes. "Oh, so that's what this is about."

Jazz shook her head. "But seriously, you should have told me you were going for a flight." The boy offered no response, crossing his arms. After a moment the girl sighed. "I mean it. I wouldn't have been mad or tried to stop you. And…" She bit her lip. "Well….I don't like that you missed curfew but…." Her voice softened. "You were doing what you needed to make peace with what's happened to you."

There was silence for a few moments as Fenton took in her words. His sister's ability to read into what he was thinking made him uncomfortable. But at the same time… she supported him, even though he did something some would consider questionable.

Finally the boy uncrossed his arms. "Well, I won't make the mistake of leaving without telling anyone again or leaving my phone. But….." he wrinkled his nose. "I'm not giving up flying."

Jazz raised a brow, pointedly side-eyeing him. Maybe she noticed the bitterness of the statement but as the silence drew out, clearly she chose not to question. Instead her face softened. "What's flying like?"

"What?" Fenton's eyes widened at the sudden question.

"Flying. What's it like?" She repeated. Her tone was innocently curious with a hint of wonder and keen interest. A slight smile crept onto the boy's face.

"It was awesome." He tilted his head back and forth thoughtfully. "It was really scary too but….it was amazing."

"Wow, that...That's great." Jazz smiled at him, sincerely. "I think it's really great that you're getting to experience something so..." She trailed off.

The boy raised a brow. "Weird, strange, unusual?"

Jazz nodded vigorously. "No, something so...special. No one else can fly like you can, see the world like you do." She smiled proudly. "You're so brave to even try."

Fenton blushed at the compliment. "I...well…"

"You are brave." She reassured. "And I'm so proud of you for talking to Phantom. You know that right?"

He answered teasingly. "Yes. You must be so proud of me for talking to myself."

His sister rolled her eyes. "I talked to your ghost half. " Her voice softened. "I know how much trouble you guys were having and how hard that conversation must have been."

Fenton's expression fell. "Yeah it was." His own sincerity surprised him. "It was hard but...it was...really good too. We talked about...a lot of stuff. And it really helped." He wrung his hands. "Phantom showed me what you two talked about. Thanks for talking some sense into me."

She raised a brow. "That's what other you said."

"I know….I remember." The boy said quietly, seriously.

A heavy silence fell as an intensely thoughtful expression crossed Jazz's face. She tapped the steering wheel with furrowed brow. Fenton's stomach flopped again, anxiety rising. He was just about to quietly ask what she was thinking, when Jazz fixed an eye on him. "You really are Phantom."

The human Danny's jaw dropped. "Yes. You know that." A hint of warriness and hurt entered his voice.

Jazz shook her head. "No, of course I know that. I mean…." She trailed off before sighing. "Seeing you and your ghost half apart is so….it's disorienting. Sometimes it's easy to forget."

Fenton frowned. What exactly was he supposed to say to that? What could he say? After a moment, he swallowed, deciding to be honest. "It's disorienting for me too."

His sister nodded, a thoughtful expression on her face. "I'm sure it is. But you're managing. And….this, being split, is not forever."

"I guess it's not." The boy muttered, more to himself than his sister.

Sam and Tucker had said as much. So had Dad and Jazz. Fenton had even thought as much. He'd thought about refusing, coming back to being truly one person, his ghostliness and his humanity in sync. But...those imaginings were indistinct. Something that would happen in the future at an undetermined time. But imagining the specifics was harder. Having his powers back but not being afraid of them. Being, really being a ghost and not being terrified of himself…...Fenton could hardly imagine being that person but, after the breakthrough he and Phantom had had, the peace that linger between them, it felt more possible.

Jazz seemed to not notice the thoughtful pause, instead continuing as a fond smile covered her face. "All the same, I'm really happy you seem to be doing better despite everything. I know you're having a hard time but things are starting to turn around."

Fenton nodded, a smiling edging onto his face. "Yeah…..I think they are." The boy felt more confident with his sister's encouragement. But that smile soon fell.

"And I'm glad you were honest with Mom and Dad." Jazz continued. "About how being split is affecting you."

Guilt swelled in the boy's chest. "Yeah."

His sister raised an eyebrow, her voice quieting. "You know, if there's more- about the accident, about being a ghost, you can still be honest with them."

Wringing his hands, Fenton muttered an incoherent response.

"Danny?" Jazz questioned.

Fixing his eyes on his lap, the boy bit his lip. "I don't know if I can." He breathed the words so quietly, he was surprised when Jazz responded.

The girl frowned. "Danny, they're our parents. They'll listen if you just talk to them."

Fenton shook his head. "I'm...I'm not ready." Tentatively he looked back up, glancing at her. "I...I'm still struggling to process all...all this myself. I can't...I'm not...I can't talk to them yet."

That was the truth, at least partially. He and his ghost half had just gotten on good terms. He was just starting to let go of his fear of being a ghost. But Mom and Dad…..he remembered what they'd said about ghosts, how they'd...they'd chased him and shot him and….They were sorry, they really were but...the sorrow, the grief, the fear he kept seeing. They didn't think his ghost half was a monster but….wrong, unnatural…...he was still broken in their eyes. Fenton couldn't deal with that from them, not yet.

There was silence as the human Danny's thoughts fizzled away. After a moment, the boy glanced at his sister. The boy bit his lip. He expected her to push him about his conversation with Phantom or what he'd told their parents. But no questions came. Instead there was tense silence, expect for the soft sound of the radio, for the next few minutes.

Jazz turned into the school parking lot. She pulled into a parking space before putting the car in park and turning off the engine. As she took the key out of the ignition, Fenton grabbed the handle preparing to open the door.

His sister's voice stopped him. "Hold on a second Danny."

The boy turned around again, swallowing. "What is it?"

"If you can't be honest with them yet, can you at least talk to me?" She asked quietly.

"Jazz-" The boy started.

His sister shook her head. "You're still struggling with being a ghost, with this new part of yourself. And I know talking to your ghost half again is helping but...you don't have to do this alone. Let me help you."

Fenton's stomach flopped nervously. He wanted to say no, to refuse to talk. A large part of him was screaming to stay silent, to lock his feelings, his questions inside but….Sam's words from yesterday rang in his head. He didn't need to pretend to be okay for his friends and family. They didn't need him to act strong to help them cope. Acting like he had everything together had helped no one and just hurt himself. He looked in his sister's understanding eyes. She knew, she already knew he was struggling and had never judged him. He could count on her to continue.

"Danny?" She tentatively said.

The sound of his name got the boy's attention. "Okay. Yes." He nodded. "I...Thank you. For helping me. I'll...take you up on that."

"That's a promise that you'll talk to me?" Jazz asked.

"Yes." Fenton offered another nodd. "I will."

His sister pinned him with a serious stare, assessing his sincerity. After a moment, her expression softened. "Alright." She glanced out at the school. "We should head inside unless….." She looked back at him. "You have something else to say."

The boy shook his head. "No. I'm okay...for now." He tried not to frown. He had a feeling...there would be things to talk about. Mom and Dad, the weirdness with the portal, his changing feelings about being a ghost. But...well, those would likely be long conversations. Right now, he had school.