Hi!

It's late. Or early. Whatever. I'm up, and I'm off page one, so I'm updating now. I'm not sure if it's a trend, but so far my chapters have been longer than last time.

Thank you to all awesome reviewers! Welcome BarnOwl23, AirGirl Phantom, and Bunny Bubble. Glad to see some new faces, or pennames, or whatever. Thanks to all repeat reviewers, I hope I continue hearing from you. It means the world to me.

Special shout to Epona, who pointed out a MAJOR mistake on my part in a previous chapter. The problem has been fixed, and I no longer need to worry about looking like a complete idiot. Thank you sooo much!

Alright, fair warning. Last chapter was light and happy, but that was counter-weight. I just like making characters miserable too much to carry on like that. So this chapter is pretty heavy. And this is where the problems really start. Long setup, but it's finally time to make all the little characters suffer. Muahahaha!

Hope you like it!

HiddenAuthor

Chapter 5 – Roles

Danny fell back on his bed and looked at the shadows the afternoon sun threw against his walls. It had been one of the best days of his life. Giving Sam that stuffed bat - not an easy prize to find - after winning a ghost shooting game. Sam shoving it back into his arms, only to win it from him fair and square in a rematch. Well, maybe not entirely fair, but she didn't need to know he missed on purpose. Then when they rode the Ferris wheel and it stopped them at the top…Danny grinned at the memory. He'd have to remember to thank Dani for overshadowing the controller and fixing that one for him. Come to think of it, she'd been pretty aloof after they visited that caricature guy. Scratching his head at that, Danny walked down the hall and knocked on the trap door. A moment later, he heard a muffled "come in," and phased up into Dani's bedroom.

Dani had really made the attic her own. The walls still weren't painted, but she'd hung some basic pictures. Two matching lava lamps, white lava in black liquid, glowed on either side of her bed. Looking around, Danny noticed several unused nails. He remembered helping Dani hang pictures of space and rockets on the wall. Those pictures seemed to have vanished. The young ghost girl was laying face-down on her bed. Curious and a little concerned, Danny came over and sat down.

"What's up, Dani?" The girl turned on her side and faced him. Danny gave a small start when he saw how completely miserable she looked. "Dani?"

"It's funny." The girl said quietly. "I was having the best day. A blast. I've never had that much fun before. Then I decided to go to that artist guy for kicks." The ghost girl fished out a paper from under her pillow. "Today's drawing topic was 'what you'd look like as a boy.' Or girl, I guess. I suppose it depends." Looking away from the crinkled, tear-stained paper, the young girl held it up for the older boy's inspection. Danny hesitantly reached out his hand and took the drawing, turning it over. It looked like him.

"Surprised?" Dani asked bitterly, with a humorless half-chuckle. "Believe it or not, I was, though I shouldn't have been. The guy hadn't even seen you. You could tell when he looked up and gave a start; he drew this without looking at you once." Danny returned the caricature to the distraught girl, trying very hard to keep his voice calm.

"Well, we do look a lot alike, Dani." At this the ghost girl grimaced.

"You know, I almost wish I didn't hate Danielle so much. But that's what Vlad calls me. I couldn't stand being called that. At the same time, though, at least our names would sound different, even if we look the same." Danny quirked an eyebrow.

"You're a girl, Dani. We don't look exactly the same. You don't like the way you look?" Dani snapped her eyes up, and Danny gave an involuntary start at the anger that flared up for a moment in the young girl's eyes.

"I don't want to look like you! I'm supposed to be my own person, but how am I supposed to feel like one if every look at a mirror reminds me I'm a clone? Some puddle of goop Vlad molded into your shape! Worse, I wasn't supposed to be a girl, so I'm a failed clone." The young girl's eyes watered up again. "I even like the same things you like, hate the same things you hate. Am I even a real person? Or just some stupid copy Vlad made so he could have you?" Dani's eyes fell back to the floor. "What am I?" She whispered, almost to herself. Danny's eyes widened in shock as he recalled asking his parents the exact same question yesterday. Not really sure what to do, he awkwardly put a hand on the poor girl's shoulder.

"Look Dani. I'm not really good at the whole psycho mumbo jumbo stuff. That's Jazz. But if you want, I'll try to help you through this." Not even looking up, Dani gave a slight nod, sniffling slightly. Danny sighed.

"Yeah, I know we're a lot alike, and I know that we share the same DNA, or whatever. But, people who look and act completely different have almost the same DNA. The differences are always small, even if they look big sometimes." The older boy scratched his head, trying to think of things to say. "Um, even identical twins act differently. They might like a lot of the same stuff, and look the same, but they're different people." Danny's expression softened as he looked down at the sad confused little girl. "I don't know how Vlad made you the way you are. But I do know you're a person, Dani. You always have been. You're just as much a person as I am." Finally, Danielle looked up at him, and the next second, she'd buried her face in the front of his shirt as she pulled him into a bone-crushing hug.

"Thank you." She whispered quietly into his chest as he sat their, patting her back and trying to breathe. "You really care, not like Vlad." Danny shifted awkwardly on the bed, looking around for a change of subject.

"Err, it looks like you took down the space pictures." He said lamely. Dani just sighed, still attached to his waist.

"Yeah. Sorry. It's just…space is something you like. I like it too, but…I mean…I couldn't deal with liking the same stuff as you when I got back up here." Danny just nodded quietly, eyebrows creased slightly. Surprisingly, Dani continued. "I did think of you as a dad a lot, you know." Danny tensed. Finally, the ghost girl let go and sat back, looking hesitant. "I'm sorry if that makes you feel weird, it does for me, too. I thought you should know." Danny just nodded mutely.

"Why'd you think like that?" He finally croaked out. Dani flushed slightly, and then looked down, tracing invisible patterns on her comforter with her finger.

"It's hard to explain." She said quietly. "I guess…after I started running, every kid I ran into had parents. A mom and a dad, or just one, or maybe a grandparent or an aunt or uncle." Dani's voice grew even quieter. "I didn't have anyone. Vlad created me, but he didn't want me. He wanted to kill me. Parents are supposed to love their children." The girl looked up into the uncomfortable boy's eyes. "You were the only person in the whole world who'd ever…cared about me." A few tears fell from the girl's eyes and dropped onto her blanket. "I know you didn't know he was making me, and he just used you for the DNA, but I just thought that might…count for something." Dani' face crumpled slightly, and the older boy was shocked that he'd never realized just how lonely she was. If you looked, you could see it in her quiet, sad eyes, in her posture, even when she smiled. She'd been completely on her own without anyone to care for her for practically her entire life. Somehow, he just hadn't noticed how alone she felt. "Besides, the only other…things…like me in the whole world were Vlad, and you. Vlad's evil, Danny. I don't want to be like him. I needed someone to look up to." She finished quietly, returning her gaze to her sheets. Not really knowing what he was doing, Danny reached over and held the miserable little girl, wanting to do everything in his power to make her feel better.

"Dani. I may just think of myself as a cousin, and I hope you can live with that, but I do care. Never doubt that. I won't let anything happen to you, okay?" Danny cupped a hand under the girl's chin and lifted her face so he could look into her lonely, running eyes. "You're not alone anymore, Dani, and you're definitely not a thing. Vlad will never hurt you again." Nodding, Dani sniffled, and tried to smile, despite the slightly runny nose. A strange look crossed her face, and the girl sneezed. The whole bed phased for a second, and both kids fell on their butts. At this, Dani suddenly giggled wetly, despite the tears, and started cheering up.

"Want to help me re-hang some pictures…cuz?" Danny smiled down at her.

"Sure."

Jazz woke up extra early Monday morning, grabbing every spare second to finish her second draft for her Advanced Psych essay. Sure, it wasn't due for two more weeks, but this way she could run it by Mr. Trona and get it back in a few days with some helpful hints to further improve her work. Walking downstairs to brew herself some morning tea, Jazz was surprised to see her mother already sitting at the kitchen table, a half-empty coffee pot on the warmer.

"Mom?" Maddie gave a brief start at the unexpected noise, and looked up from her mug to see her daughter sit down at the table. Jazz gasped as she saw the dark circles under her mother's eyes. Mrs. Fenton gave a hollow smile the fell well short of her eyes.

"Haven't been sleeping well lately. I've had a lot to think about." Trying to hide her concern behind an encouraging smile, Jazz went to work, applying her well-practiced mind to the problem in the same way she approached her brother.

"It is a lot to take in. Want to talk it out mom? It's nothing I haven't heard already." Maddie grimaced slightly, and Jazz mentally berated herself for dragging her greater understanding of Danny into this, even if she had meant to make her mother more comfortable. "Come on, mom. I want to know." Maddie smiled.

"You're very good at this, you know. You'll make a wonderful Psychiatrist someday." Seeing that her daughter wasn't taking a compliment for an answer, the older woman sighed and looked back down at her mug. "To be honest, I haven't slept since Danny told us. I've been lying awake in bed, thinking about all the signs, all the things I missed, and how obvious it all seems. Coffee and makeup have helped, but I'm just so tired. Your father was just as sleepless and confused as I was the first night, but after that…" Maddie smiled softly. "He was always better at adapting. I suppose it's one of the reasons I love him so much. He's always so happy, so confident that everything will work out. As brilliant as he is, there's a sort of innocence to Jack. And as glad as I am that he's been able to hold onto it," she said with a sigh, "I still wish I didn't have to go through all of this guilt and doubt alone." Jazz smiled sadly, and reached out a comforting hand.

"You're not alone, mom. Maybe you should talk to Danny about this after school. I know he's already talked with you about why he didn't say anything, and he's told you how he understands why you did what you did. But still, I think maybe there are some things you want to tell him, or want him to tell you, to help clear the air. And it won't happen until you try." Maddie nodded, and looked up, her eyes haunted and full of pain.

"I know about Vlad, Jazz." The younger girl's eyes widened at that, but she furiously clamped down on any reactions and tried to maintain a calm, professional demeanor.

"Does dad know, too?" Her mother shook her head, working equally hard to maintain her self-control.

"I already told Danny that I know. One of the benefits of being awake all night, I suppose. You have plenty of time to figure things out. I understand how evil Vlad has become, no matter what he might think of himself. I just remember that in spite of all that, he was our friend once." Maddie let her head sink down, tired and world-weary. "I don't know how I'm supposed to tell Jack. He trusts Vlad so much; I don't know what this will do to him. He's going to be so hurt, Jazz." Her mother sniffled. "But look at me. As good as you are at this; it's not fair for me to bring these problems to you. You're supposed to come to me for support, not the other way around. And Danny. After everything I've put him through already, after all the times I've hurt him and publicly denounced him as a villain, as evil, as a worthless ghost fit only for destruction and dissection. What kind of mother would I be to show him how upset I am, to force him to deal with more problems now that his life might finally be turning back around? What kind of mother would I be to show him that even though I still love him, and want to understand him, I can't understand? That I just can't seem to reconcile the son I love and the ghost I used to hunt, even if I trust him now?" Jazz only tightened her grip on her mother's wrist, causing her to look up again.

"A good mother. You've always been a good mother. Danny and I love you. He never doubted how much you cared about him, even when you were fighting Phantom. He cared about you enough to want a relationship without second-guesses and doubt. He wanted so much for you to trust all of him, so you'd never have your feelings poisoned by questions of whether or not you were just being biased. That's why he waited to tell you, no matter how much harder that was; no matter how much confusion he knew you'd all go through. He trusts you enough to tell you everything about him. Now it's your turn to trust him. Tell him how you feel, and talk to him. Work things out. He'd want to know how upset you are, and he'd want to help you feel better. We both need you in our lives, mom. It's not wrong for you to need us, too." For a while Maddie sat there, nursing her coffee mug in silence.

"Your father is going with you to school today, to have Dani placed and to disable the Ghost Suckers. We're going to do everything in our power to get Danny's good name back." Jazz nodded.

"What are you going to do?" Maddie smiled softly.

"I'm going to explore behind Danny's door." Maddie looked back up. "Besides the research possibilities, I think it might help me understand Danny a little more." Her face showing some shame again, Maddie went back to nursing her coffee. "I've just missed so much. I want to understand my son again, Jazz. And I want to spend some time in a quiet place, alone. I have a lot to think about." With that, Maddie walked off to the lab, to grab a handheld voice recorder and some measuring equipment. A sad smile flickering across her face, Jazz got up and made some tea.

"All buckled up, kids?" Jack asked enthusiastically as he revved the engine in the Fenton Ghost Assault Vehicle. His question was naturally redundant; the kids were far too familiar with his driving and valued their lives too much to not make that their first priority. After a brief chorus of 'yes' in various forms, the ghost hunter floored it and the four sped off to the school together.

"I know you like to drive yourself, Jazzerinces," Jack said, looking in the rearview mirror at his very pale daughter, "but I'll be at the school all day setting things up for Dani and taking down all those Ghost Suckers. I'll be waiting to pick you and Dani up first thing after school." The older man paused thoughtfully. "You know, I should probably turn all of the Suckers off first thing. Wouldn't want any of you to get melted and slurped up." Grinning, Jack turned away from his pale prisoners/passengers and returned his eyes to the road just in time to swerve away from an oncoming truck. A short heart-stopping trip later and Jack was leading the family up into the school, running ahead and shutting off the Suckers as he went. With no suction to worry about, Jazz hurried off to talk to her Psych teacher before class.

School passed fairly uneventfully and before Danny knew it, it was lunch. Eyeing every Ghost Sucker warily just in case, the ghost boy walked cautiously over to his usual seat. Tucker and Sam were already there, but surprisingly, Valerie was absent. Seeing his friend's questioning look, Tucker shrugged.

"I don't know either, man. I heard she called in sick today." His look darkened. "No way she's sick, I would have caught whatever she had." Seeing his friends' grins, he blushed slightly. "What? It's not like you two don't kiss!" With a brief nod in agreement, Sam and Danny moved the topic back to Valerie.

"So if she's not sick, what's going on?" Tucker just sighed and shook his head.

"I don't know, Danny. She didn't show it as much when all of you were around, but she's really mixed up about you. Or, Phantom, anyway. Maybe she just needed some space. Her dad knows what's been going on now, he probably thought so too." He turned and put on a calm smile. "I'll call her after school and see what's up. Your place?" Tucker asked, shooting a questioning look Danny's way. The ghost boy nodded. Suddenly, their table talk was interrupted by a small cough.

"Um, room for one more?" Smiling, Danny turned and looked at his cousin.

"Dani. Sure, have a seat!" Dani quickly sat beside Tucker and started picking at the mystery meat, a slight grimace on her face.

"So, Dani, what's up?" Sam asked, trying to break the ice. Dani looked back up and smiled.

"Well, it looks like I'll be placed a year ahead, as a freshman. I guess it's a good thing I spent all that time in libraries." Tucker stared over at the girl.

"You actually study? I thought you were supposed to be Danny's clone! Ow!" Tucker reached down and rubbed his shin, after Sam gave him a vicious kick. Dani seemed pleased by the comment, though. Danny was pretty sure he knew why, and silently thanked Tucker for being Tucker.

"Well, it wasn't really to study, but I did that anyway. When you don't have any money, you can't afford a warm house, or even a roof." Dani explained. "But, I figured it wouldn't really be a big deal if I phased into the library after it closed. I mean, its public property, right?" Looking slightly embarrassed, Tucker nodded. Dani smiled. "Don't feel bad about it. Like I told Jazz, with ghost powers you can get anything you want, if you feel like trying. I chose not to steal lots of money or break into people's houses. And I have no regrets." Dani sat back at that, looking very proud of herself. Sam smiled in approval.

"Good for you, Dani. And the studying probably helped, too. You can help Danny in math!" The three sniggered as Danny pretended to glare at his girlfriend. Sam just smiled at him, and laced her fingers through his under the table. Just then, Danielle hiccupped, and the table phased out, dropping their food onto the floor.

"Danny!" Danny sat back, and held his hands up.

"It wasn't me! It was," Danny's eyes widened as they locked on the young ghost girl. "Oh no." Realization dawning in Sam and Tucker's eyes, they stared at Danielle, too.

"What?" She asked, uncomfortable. "I just slipped. It's been happening on and off the last day or so." Sam just groaned. Danny turned to his cousin.

"It's your ghost powers. I just went through this. They're increasing, and you're going to have sudden bursts of energy, and sometimes you're going to lose control." Dani paled.

"Oh no." She repeated quietly. Misunderstanding, Tucker laid a hand on her shoulder.

"Don't worry, Dani. It's perfectly normal. For you guys, anyway. You'll be over it in no time." Dani just shook her head.

"That's not it." She said, still very pale. "I don't mind the control problems. But, unlike Danny, if I use a lot of power…" Sam and Tucker's eyes widened.

"I'll melt."