Hello! This is a longer chapter, and it was really hard to write. So I'm going to skip posting tomorrow and possibly the next day.

Poor Danny. I've given him an emotional roller coaster ride. And I've given you another cliffhanger. BUT I do plan to bring the conflict with his parents to a conclusion soon. Like, next couple of chapters soon.

A couple of people asked me about my update schedule. I don't really have one, and I won't commit to one, because life. I have been posting about four or five times a week, I think, but that's because I've had a lot of free time this summer. The closer I get to the school year, the less time I will have. Once the school year starts I'll probably only post once a week.

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Chapter 49: Misguided

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"You- You're twisting my words!" said Danny angrily. He squirmed out of his mother's embrace. How could she not get it? Well, maybe he was being unfair. His core injury was affecting his mind. He stood up, tripped, and was caught by Echo and Fractal. Then he began to pace.

"Then explain it to us, sweetie."

"Yeah, Danno. We just want to help."

Danny ran an angry hand through his hair and rubbed the back of his neck. "But you're not listening." He turned sharply. "Where do you think obsessions come from? They don't just show up from nowhere. This is- They aren't- This would have always been important to me. Obsessions- They aren't something you'd die for, they're what you want to live for, even when you know you're dying."

"But you aren't dead, Danny."

"Do you not remember what started this whole mess? What that thing was supposed to do? Going through that- Burning and freezing and screaming and being torn apart and..." his hands skittered helplessly over his arms before seizing on his upper arms. "What do you think that was?"

"Oh, Danny-"

"No. No, no, no. No. I'm not- This isn't-" He took a deep breath. "Ghosts can be violent, territorial, possessive, obsessive. They hold grudges. Big ones, for a long time. There are few ghost communities that have more than a few thousand people. But murder- and I'm not talking about the Taboo, I mean the human conception of murder- is basically unheard of. Even people who say that they want to kill someone, they hardly ever follow through. They just haunt the person, and get progressively more petty. As for the Taboo, there are maybe a half a dozen murder cases tried between the three courts a year. Compare that to just about anywhere on Earth, and it looks pretty good. And- And most conflicts, they never rise above, like, the equivalent of a- a playground dispute. Flashy, loud, lots of posturing, lots of tears, some injuries, but no hard feelings. Even with the ghosts that come to Amity Park, they're not setting out to kill anyone. Most of them. Most of the ones who're sapient, anyway, and they're the only ones who can really 'set out' to do anything. Can't really say anything for non-sapient animal ghosts, or, you know, non-sentient blobs, and stuff. But who can? Actually, some blob ghosts are perfectly sentient and sapient, so maybe I shouldn't use them as an example."

"You're rambling," murmured Fractal.

"I know," said Danny. "Theft is, like, barely a thing on this side, did you know that? When it is a thing, people rarely care. Unless it's some artifact, or sentimental something or other, or part of their obsession. Which is a lot of unlesses, I guess, but still."

"I don't understand why you're telling us this, Danny."

"So that you'll get it. Ghosts aren't evil. I'm not broken. They're just- I'm just different." He shivered. He didn't always like his differences, and he especially didn't like the way his parents were looking at him.

"What were you going to do, then, when we got home?" asked Maddie, her tone that of forced reason. "Danny, how did that picture really get taken?"

Danny bounced in place. "There are- There are things that- that can- that can temporarily- But it's always temporary. Even if I wanted to be- to be 'fixed' or whatever, none of that would actually help. None of it would do what you want it to do."

"What do you mean?"

Danny hugged himself tighter and bit his lip. "Before- Before I tell you, you've got to promise that you won't- won't try to fix me. You've got to promise."

Maddie and Jack exchanged glances. "I promise, Danny," said Maddie.

"Me, too, Danny," said Jack. "We just want to understand, so that we can help you."

"I don't believe you," said Echo. He was behind Danny now, glaring over Danny's shoulder. "Humans don't keep promises."

"Sam, Tucker, and Jazz do," said Fractal.

"They're different. And they aren't ghost hunters."

"They kind of are, though."

"That's different."

"Guys. Please." He couldn't think when they were going at each other like that. "Stop." He looked at his parents, who were still sitting on the floor. "The Ghost Catcher," said Danny, "can split me in two, but it doesn't work long term. When I was split, I was always being- There was always something missing, and it hurt. Like, like I was always being pulled back in, towards myself, with a hook inside myself, and my personality? If that's what you want to fix me for? It skewed so far off normal because it was in pieces. Then the other way, that was worse. So, so much worse. My human body doesn't know how to work without ectoplasm anymore, my homeostasis or whatever it's called is shot. My other half was melting because it has trouble keeping form."

"It is called homeostasis," said Fractal.

"Oh, good."

"We can work from that, though," said Maddie.

"Do you even hear yourselves?"

"We won't do anything you don't want, Danny, but I'm, we're worried about you. Can you even live like this? Will you be healthy?"

"I'm not the first liminal person. I'm- I'm not even the first person that's this liminal."

Maddie frowned. Scientific curiosity temporarily overtook the motherly concern in her face. "You used that word before. Is this really common enough to have it's own name?"

Danny shrugged. "Not, you know, exactly this. But there are lots of people with a little liminality. A little ghostliness, or a little humanity. I mean, basically everyone that lives in Amity Park is a little liminal." He said the last part eagerly. Maybe this would help them understand.

"Wh-what?"

"Us too?" asked Jack.

Their expressions were nothing short of horrified.

Danny backpedaled. "You, um, you're actually less liminal than you should be. Probably because you were those suits, and do that purge thing every once in a while." Danny swallowed. He could see them thinking, wondering, planning. How should they fix this new problem? Was liminality just an issue of ectoplasm contamination? Could they convince people to purge themselves of ectoplasm? To wear protective suits? To leave Amity Park? It made Danny's skin crawl, a thousand tiny razor sharp needles brushing lightly against his skin, teeth at the back of his neck. "I-I guess the order of who has it most would be me, by far, then, um, Valerie, because of her suit, then Jazz, Sam and Tucker, and you guys?" He was practically vibrating out of his skin now. It was a wonder that he wasn't clipping through the floor. "I don't know. I- I try to know about these things, this kind of thing, but I have a lot of other, you know, stuff going on all the time."

"Okay, okay, it's okay," said Maddie. "We aren't angry at you. We don't want you to be- to be uncomfortable. We didn't want to upset you. I'm sorry."

"Okay," said Danny. Was he crying? Yes, he was crying. He rubbed his eyes aggressively. They didn't understand. They thought he was broken. That he was sick. But at least they didn't hate him. At least his worst fears hadn't been realized. They still loved him. "I'm okay. Thank you. Are you okay?"

"We're okay."

"Okay," he nodded once, sharply. "Okay. I think- I think I should tell you. I think- I think that something bad might be about to happen here."

"Here meaning?"

"Here. The lair. This place. I can feel things." He freed a hand to rub a bookshelf. "Sometimes. Some things. I, um. Something's coming, waiting outside the door and I don't like it."

"Wait- You know where the door is?" asked Jack, clearly confused. "Then why..?"

"Not really," said Danny. "I don't know where anything is, or what's here, exactly. I'm just getting impressions. I didn't even know this place was a place until a couple days ago."

"It's true," crooned Echo.

"But, um, the workshop is being used right now. Because of that. That- That's why I told you. Because this was only sorta dangerous before, and now it might be seriously dangerous, and I didn't want you to get in a fight with another shadow."

"There's another one?"

"Yeah."

"How many?"

"I'm not sure. A few?"

Maddie directed a fraction of her attention towards the shadows. "Do you know?"

"Six, I think," said Fractal after a moment. "For now."

"You know what is," she looked back at Danny, very briefly, "waiting outside the door?"

Fractal shrugged. "Not really?" He looked very uncomfortable. "We haven't looked, exactly. We don't want to invite them in. The lair can tell that they are there, but the lair doesn't think. Really all that we know is that they are there, and we don't like them."

"And the one using the workshop is a shadow?"

"Yes."

"Why? What is he making?"

"Something to defend ourselves with," said Fractal. "We don't care for fighting, but we want to be prepared."

"Weapons."

"Yes."

"Can we-?"

"No," interrupted Echo. "You can't." He leaned into Danny, who fidgeted and looked at his feet. "We don't trust you."

"We should go back," said Danny quietly. "We have a long way to walk, tomorrow."

"Danny-"

"We can talk on the way if you want, but... I don't think you should go to the workshop."

"You really don't trust us," said Maddie, softly.

"Well, would you, in his situation?" asked Fractal. He tilted his head. "If it makes you feel better, it's not about your morals or personality, and more about how almost everything that you make hurts him, whether you intend them to or not."

"Fractal," said Danny.

"It's going to be okay," whispered Echo.

"We could bring you back the easy way," said Fractal quietly.

Danny shook his head, the walk back would be long and awkward, but running away from it wouldn't solve anything. "I think it was this way," he said, "to get back, I mean."

The first few minutes of the walk, with Danny leading the way, followed shortly by his parents, and all three of them... shadowed... by the shadows (Ancients, that wasn't even a good pun), passed in near silence. But then, inevitably, the silence was broken.

"Danny," said Jack.

"What's up, Dad?" asked Danny.

"We still need to talk about this."

"Mm," said Danny.

"I know that I'm no good at talking, and serious things," continued Jack, "but your mother and I, we're worried about you. And you shouldn't try to distract us."

"I- I know," said Danny, peeking over his shoulder.

Jack didn't seem to know what to say next, so he looked at Maddie, who sighed. "Danny, we need to know how much this," she looked back at the shadows, "is affecting your personality and your health. Maybe- Maybe we can stop it from affecting you without removing your powers."

"It isn't affecting my personality."

"You said yourself that ghosts are violent."

"That's- Argh. Humans can be violent too."

"Don't you ever worry about hurting people?"

Danny froze, mid-step, poised over a channel of water. He carefully put his foot down. "All the time," he said quietly.

"Wouldn't you like us to- to help you with that?" asked Maddie gently, clearly choosing her words with care.

Danny whirled, fists clenched. The trees above rustled ominously. The starlight seemed to dim. The already-faint auras of the shadows flickered and vanished. "You have no idea what you're talking about," Danny hissed. He could feel his eyes start to glow, and he blinked, hard. "I don't hurt people." His eyes sketched down to where his mother's jumpsuit was still damaged from the tree. "And when I do, I do my best to make it better."

Maddie followed his gaze to her wrist. "Danny-"

"I'm sorry," said Danny. "I'm sorry. I panicked and you were going to use that thing again, and I couldn't let you do that. I didn't mean to hurt you. Really."

"But that's just what we're talking about, sweetie. Earlier you were worried about starting the apocalypse."

Danny curled inward. "It didn't happen. It isn't going to happen. I promised. I keep my promises. All of them. Always."

"Danny?"

"It didn't happen."

"It's okay, it's okay, Danny. It isn't your fault. This is our fault, all our fault. We did this to you. We did this to you, but we can fix it, if you let us."

"I'm not broken," said Danny, wilting, shrinking further. "Besides, there isn't anything that you can do now, here." He looked up. "What would you even do with my ghost half, if you separated me? Would you kill him? Experiment on him?"

"Oh, no, sweetie. Nothing like that. We'd have to lock him up, to make sure that he can't hurt anyone, but we'd help him move on, find peace."

"Y'know," said Echo, fluttering (how did he do that?) to Danny's side, "it's awfully bold of you to talk about that in front of us. I mean, without Danny, we wouldn't exist." He slipped in front of Danny, one hand wrapped around Danny's, the other hand building a ghost ray. "It's kind of our job to protect him."

Maddie took a step back, and Danny saw her hand going to the place on her belt where she usually kept her weapons. Danny leaned slightly into Echo. Hiding. This was all so confusing. Why were they acting like this? This wasn't the way it was supposed to be. This was scary.

"Don't forget about me," said Fractal, pleasantly, still behind Maddie and Jack.

"Danny," said Maddie, "how much control do you have over these things?"

"Oh, you hear that, little brother?" said Echo. "We're things now."

"Stop," whispered Danny.

"Are you sure?" asked Echo, surprised.

Danny nodded. "You can't fight anyway," he said.

"Can't fight," said Jack, something like relief in his tone. "That contract, it was real?"

"Yeah. Why wouldn't it be?"

"So-"

"So, unfortunately, our policy with you is going to have to be 'hands off.'" Echo sighed. "Here I was, having so much fun."

"Scaring people isn't fun."

"Yes it is."

Fractal coughed. "Anyway," he said, "this place is based on Danny. This Danny. The whole entire Danny. Splitting him in two is not likely to have a beneficial effect on either the lair, or any of the people in it."

"We could work around that," said Maddie. "We were able to manipulate the link your ghost half has to this lair before. We can set up some kind of decoy, give it a false signal."

Danny's breath caught in his throat. "Is that a joke? Have you been listening at all? That- That stunt you pulled the other day, do you have any idea how much that hurt? Do you even care?"

"Of course we care!" protested Jack. "We don't want you to be hurt like that again."

Danny shook his head. "What you're talking about, that's Taboo, a sin. By ghost standards, and clearly you don't think too highly of those, but you've got to recognize that this is a thing that they put above murder in terms of seriousness." He stared up at his parents.

"They aren't ever going to get it," said Echo dismissively. "Just send them back where they belong and come back. Here. Where you belong." Echo smiled lazily. "You've only seen a fraction of what's in here. Who's in here," he whispered.

"Maybe it would help if we gave them a demonstration," said Fractal, who had flicked up next to Danny and Echo.

"A demonstration?" asked Danny, nervously.

"A demonstration about why messing with connections is considered Taboo."