Chapter Four: Ghostketeers 2.0
"Are you sure about this? I mean, I know we did it once but...I don't know, don't you think this is a bit much?"
"You know you want to do this as much as I do, and you promised."
"Yeah but...isn't this a bit sudden? Like don't you think this could raise suspicions or something? Maybe you should think this over a bit more."
Paulina looks at him unimpressed. They stare each other down, trying to will the other to see it from their perspective. She knows he's a bit uncomfortable but he said he'd do this with her so he can't back out now. The staring contest goes on for a while. Dash huffs in annoyance and rings the doorbell, to her delight and eternal gratitude. She doubted she could do this by herself, his presence is very comforting.
"I'll get it! No, dad please go back downstairs, I said I got it. NO STOP!"
They brace themselves for he imminent attack. Thundering footsteps can be heard speeding to the door. Dash looks about ready to bolt out of there and she's not doing any better. They brace for impact. The door flings open with so much force it's a miracle it's still on its hinges. It slams into the wall, fitting perfectly into the pre-existing grove. The resulting gust of wind ruffles their clothes and hair, they scrunch up their faces and shake in fear.
"GHOST! Oh, it's just people."
Jack Fenton disappointedly walks away from the door. She tries very hard to calm her racing heart and wobbly legs, thanking the Lord that she didn't get dowsed if green foam this time. She peeks over at Dash and if the pale skin and knocking knees are any indication, he appears to be thinking along he same lines. Even though the Ghostketeers where short lived, they did learn a lot in that time. Hopefully she can invoke the Fenton's will to teach to her advantage. Jazz gets to the door and apologizes for her father, inviting them in. After being seated she disappears into the kitchen and returns with some water and baked cheese crackers. She comments on them being Danny's favorite, funny, these are her favorite too.
"I'm sorry, Danny just left a little bit ago. You can still catch him if you hurry, I think he went to the Nasty Burger with Sam and Tucker."
"Actually we came to see your mom and dad, I-we have a...project we're working on and I think they can help me-us finish it."
Dash nods frantically, excitement returning to his body. Paulina explained to him what she was planning to do for their resident Ghost hero, of course he couldn't refuse an opportunity like this. He is Phantom's biggest fan after all, and he's so grateful to him for many things, especially for his little sister, if it wasn't for Phantom saving her from the black dragon ghost she wouldn't be alive right now.
"Oh, well...if you don't mind me asking, what exactly is this project about?"
"Oh um. Well we...uhh"
"...Wanted to learn about ghost biology and behavior for an extra credit paper!"
Paulina is so grateful she brought Dash. She would have totally crashed and burned, she's never been too good at lying under pressure. Thankfully she's mastered her poker face. Jazz seems to be satisfied with that answer but she can see the cautious doubt in her teal eyes. The redhead hesitates before leading them down into the lab, what could she be so worried about? She doesn't press the issue, she's finally going to get some answers and put her plan into motion.
Upon descending the metal stairs, the basement is a lot bigger than she initially thought. The large space houses everything from chemical cabinets, floor to ceiling Ghost containment chambers to every anti ghost weapon imaginable. Couple that with the enormous weapons vault and ghost portal and the lab feels legit. Last time they came over they never made it past the living room, this is a whole new ball game.
After convincing the Fenton parents to help them out the rest was cake. They were already eager enough to talk about their work but now they were giving them lessons on how to catch ghosts with Fenton weaponry. They talked about obsessions, powers, weaknesses, everything that was of no use to her. Sure it was interesting but it wasn't what she needed, and it's impossible to get a word in when they're rambling a mile a minute. Dash nudges her and gives her a pleading look, obviously this isn't what he wanted to learn either.
As she tries to ask about Phantom for the tenth time she spots a device to her left, on a cluttered table. It looks very different than every other anti-ghost weapon, squinting her eyes for a better look it appears to be some kind of tracker. Well, they are scientists, it makes sense that they would make other things besides weapons.
"...and that's how you extract the ectoplasm without getting your fingers blown off!"
"Thank you so much Ms. Fenton for that...informative demonstration, but I think we have enough material for our paper now, and I have to get home soon."
"Aww, but he haven't even shown you the Fenton Ghost Splicer"
"That's ok Mr. Fenton um...you can show us next time, but we gotta go, I promised I'd walk Paulina home"
They slowly back away and once they're close enough to the mouth of the stairs, turn and sprint up and out as fast as they can, almost running over Jazz in the process. They zoom out the door and keep running for three more blocks. Only when they reach the park do they slow down to catch their breath. They find a bench and plop themselves on it, panting.
"Please don't make me do that again"
"Don't worry, I'm never going back there as long as I live"
"I'm still disappointed that we didn't learn anything new about Phantom, that felt like such a waste."
"It was still a lucrative visit though"
Dash looks at her skeptically, raising one eyebrow. She scoffs and lightly smacks him on the shoulder. They start snickering, then it evolves into laughter. That was worse than listening to Lancer talk about the importance of punctuation in poetry. She suddenly sits up and turns to Dash, flashing a victorious and mischievous smile. But before she can say what she wanted, she is interrupted by a falling body!?
Screaming in fear she leaps off the bench and the body lands right on top of Dash, momentarily knocking the wind out of him. Back firmly planted on the floor with legs resting on the bench, she scrambles into a sitting position only to find Danny Fenton sprawled half on the bench, half on Dash. She is flabbergasted, where even did he come from!? Dash voices her thoughts, though not as eloquently.
"FENTON!? What the fuck even? Where did- how did- dude!?"
"Oww. Huh? OH SHIT! Sorry Dash I was trying to-"
"Did you find him!?"
They turn to the voice and see a little boy with dirty blond hair running towards them, followed by Sam Manson and Tucker Foley. The three of them look like they rolled down a muddy hill. Paulina stands up as they reach the bench, Dash helping Danny into an upright position. The little boy frantically asks about something he lost. She looks over at Danny as he smiles and unzips his red hoodie. A kitten pops out and mews at him, it almost sounds like it's saying thank you. Time seems to slow down as Danny returns the kitten and interacts with the boy. Has his smile always been that disarming?
She watches as he delicately extracts the kitten from his hoodie and gently places it in the boy's awaiting arms. She's never seen a guy handle anything with such care and attention. He says something that makes them all laugh but she can't hear for some reason. The moment passes and he Boy jogs away yelling one final thank you. She shakes herself back to reality, what was that? And why is her heart racing?
"Fenton, you're telling me you were up there rescuing a kitten?"
"Well yeah, the kid looked so sad and we weren't doing anything so we helped look for him."
"But Danny, that was almost a three story fall! Are you sure you're ok?"
"Relax Paulina, I'm fine, honest-"
"Besides it's not like he broke anything with Baxter the human cushion breaking his fall"
"Very funny Manson, you know he's a lot heavier then he looks, ow, and bonier too"
The boys start bickering about who's heavier that who, Tucker complaining about his ruined tech loud enough for the whole park to hear. She finds herself staring at Danny, he doesn't look any different...maybe a bit less skinny that freshman year?
"Hey Sánchez, you ok?"
"Oh, yeah, I'm fine, don't worry about it. Just a bit sore from the fall. A better question is what happened to you? You look and smell like a drowned rat"
"Tsk, well excuse me, but we can't all look like glamorous princesses 24/7. While trying to find the damn cat Tucker tripped and took us down the hill with him."
"Ew, did you end up in the lake of something?"
Sam makes a face that looks like a cross between sucking on a lemon and stepping on rusty nails, she can't help but laugh at the girl's predicament. Eventually Sam can't hold on any more and laughs along too. Sobering up a bit she looks over at Danny again.
"Are you sure he's ok? That was a really big fall and I'm sure I saw a couple of cuts on his face"
"Yeah he's fine. Trust me he's a lot tougher that he looks, hell, he'd be the type to get hit by a car and just walk it off"
"Don't lie to me Manson, I can tell you're worried about him. It's written all over your face"
"Ugh, he's such a reckless idiot, of course I'm always worried about him. He's always getting himself into stupidly difficult situations. Then again, it's my fault he's like this..."
Before she could ask what she means by that, Danny yells, grabbing everyone's attention, something about a clock needing some work? The trio scramble to gather their things and make a run for it, saying their goodbyes. They've always been a strange group, and the sudden exits are just a part of who they are so it's nothing out of the ordinary. She sighs and returns her attention to her shrine preparations. Gathering their own things Dash walks her home, both lost in their own thoughts.
"Hey Paulina, what was it that you were gonna tell me before Fenton made his grand entrance?"
"Huh? Oh! It was nothing really"
He watches her for a bit, then shrugs and they continue on their way. Both lost in thought once again. She glances at Dash and grips her purse nervously, making sure he isn't looking. She reaches in and pushes the Fenton Boomerang to the bottom of the bag.
OHHHH SHIET! Things are getting serious. Long story short, the trio and the A-list get along now. Some more than others but at least they're all civil towards each other.
I'm sorry it's taking so long to update these chapters, I don't really write ahead, I make it up as I go along. I have a clear end and I know how I want to get there but the details are kinda fuzzy lol. Also, when I do write out a chapter I proof read it many times so that the points make sense with previous chapter events and that they line up with future chapters.
I also make extra sure that everyone is as in character as possible, even those who were one dimensional. I always try to write them as believable as possible :)
Thanks for reading and please review!