AN: Sorry about missing Saturday's update. For some reason FF.N wouldn't let me into my document manager. So double update this time. This chapter is mostly filler anyway, explaining the two backstories and can probably be skipped.

Oh and for anyone who didn't get the hotel thing, Marapul Marple Miss Marple, one of Agatha Christie's detective characters.

House number 221 on Beika Street had an odd history. It was built on commission for an eccentric mystery writer and his equally eccentric actress wife. Despite the fact that it had every luxury the couple were rarely at home, instead choosing to tour the world.

This changed somewhat when the couple had a child, a bright-eyed inquisitive boy who, even as a toddler, seemed strangely intelligent.

But soon the couple got tired of home life and took off again, sometimes taking their son with them, sometimes leaving him with the neighbors. When the boy turned 16 the couple gave him the keys to the house and vanished, never to be seen by the neighbors again.

For a while the boy lived there by himself, then he too vanished without a trace. The house remained empty and rumors began to spread. Some said that the mystery writer's stories weren't entirely fiction and a contract had been taking out on his family. Others turned to a more supernatural explanation. They claimed the house was cursed, or at the very least haunted.

And at the moment they were right, a ghost did inhabit the home.

Well, half…

The Kudo house was no longer empty. In one of it's many libraries four people, two of whom not what they appeared, sat down for a council of war.

One was a small boy, who sat in a red plush armchair. He wore a look of fierce determination.In spite ofhis young age it was obvious he was in charge.

On the left side of the boy was a redheaded girl sitting in a blue armchair. Despite the fact that she was very nervous she didn't show it, the trials of the last two years giving her an excellent poker face. Her attention was on the small boy, who was definitely rating higher on her danger meter than the third person.

The third person was a middle-aged man. His lab coat and slight chemical odor gave him away as a scientist. He was leaning back in his armchair, a duplicate of the first boy's, trying his hardest to ignore the fourth person, who was currently giving his logical mind conniptions.

Aforementioned fourth person was a sixteen-year-old boy who seeming perfectly happy ignoring his chair, instead sitting in a lotus position… about three feet off the floor.

Hey, he couldn't really be casual about using his powers at home and it was nice to cut loose.

Conan cleared his throat, bringing the meeting to order. "Alright everyone. As I'm sure you're all aware, a man was murdered in a seemingly impossible manner. Now we know that the murder was physically impossible."

Agasa raised an eyebrow.

"And since this isn't an ordinary case, we can't handle it ordinarily. We're going to have to try new tactics. In order for us to bring the culprit to justice we're going to have to work together."

Conan turned to Jazz. "Danny and I both discussed this before hand. I already have a general idea of what's going on and I can assure you Dr. Agasa is very trustworthy. You can trust him with your brother's secret. I trust him with my life everyday." Conan then took a deep breath. "Trust is going to be an intricate part of this operation. Since you two are going to have to trust me with your deepest secret, I'm going to trust you with mine.

My name is, or rather was, Shinichi Kudo. I am not an extremely intelligent child, nor do I have an anti-ageing disorder. About a year ago I was a normal, well mostly normal, sixteen year old boy." Conan got a faraway look in his eyes. "I'll never forget it. My best friend, Ran, had won this big karate championship. I promised to take her to an amusement park as congratulations. Truth be told though, I had an ulterior motive. It was going to be the day I was going to tell her that I loved her. Except I was too scared to actually say the words. I kept trying to find the right time, but instead I kept rambling on about my favorite Sherlock Holmes mysteries. And then this guy got decapitated on the roller coaster and it was a big mess.

While I was investigating the murder I noticed two strange characters, men dressed entirely in black. They weren't involved with the murder, but the were definetly up to something shady. When I saw one of them on his own later, I followed. He was involved in a blackmail/smuggling operation.

It's weird, what makes me an excellent detective is my attention to detail, but I forgot what was probably the most important detail of all – he had a partner. I was so wrapped up the blackmail, I never noticed his partner sneaking up behind me until I felt something smash into the back of my head.

The first man in black, the one I had been following wanted to shoot me, but his partner insisted on not leaving a bullet trail. Instead I was the guinea pig for a new poison, one never tested on humans before. There's…There's no describing the pain I went through. I really thought I had died. Except when I woke up, the world was a tad bigger then when I had left it.

Dr. Agasa pointed out that if the two men in black found out I was still alive, they'd kill me and everyone close to me, so I couldn't let anyone, not even Ran, know who I was. As a result I came up with a new identity. For the past year I've been a grade school kid named Conan Edogawa. I've been staying at Ran's house. Her father's a detective, so I figured I'd have a better shot of locating the men in black. I've been helping him out behind the scenes. Hell, I've been solving all his cases for him! His reputation's grown a hundred fold, but I'm not a single step closer." Conan brought his small arms down on the chair in frustration. "Ran doesn't know who I really am. And she can't know. IAs Agasa pointed out, if the men in black ever find out I'm alive she'd be a target too."

Jazz narrowed her eyes at Agasa, this seemed unpleasently familiar, "Let me get this straight You're the one who told him not to tell Ran?"

Agasa nodded.

"Please explain to me how exactly that would help? Since a body was never found, they could very well be suspicious about Shinichi still being alive. So don't you think Ran would be better off knowing there was a chance she'd have to duck and hide rather that being completely oblivious to danger?"

Agasa looked flustered and Conan's jaw dropped. The idea had obviously never occurred to either of them.

"I understand you're trying to protect her, but sometimes keeping secrets isn't the best way." She looked at her brother.

"The Spectre thing?" he asked.

Jazz nodded "I almost got myself and Danny killed because I didn't know there was a possibility of danger." She explained.

Conan gulped.

"One crisis at a time." Danny stated. "My turn for story time.

If you've heard any details on the Impossible Murder, you know that my father, Jack Fenton, was framed for it. You've probably also heard his defense, that he's being framed by ghosts. Truth of the matter is, he's not far off.

Mom and Dad are ghost hunters. And for as long as I can remember, it's caused me and Jazz grief. Trust me, no one respects the kid whose dad runs around screaming 'GHOST'. The grief factor, however, increased greatly two years ago, when they unveiled their 'greatest invention ever'. A portal into the ghost zone."

"Don't ask us what made them think opening a doorway to the netherworld was a good idea." Jazz put in.

"It didn't work though, at least not a first." Danny continued, "My friend Sam wanted to see it though, and I had to admit I was pretty curious too. I put on a hazmat suit Mom made more me and went poking around inside the portal. I didn't realize my fingers had hit the 'on' button until it was too late. There was this great big flash and everything changed. Like what Conan said, I was in so much pain I thought I had died. Unlike Conan, I wasn't that far off. When I woke up, well…" Danny transformed. "I got the shock of my life. Afterlife. Whatever.

I'm called a halfa, half ghost half living. I have all the perks of both sides. Flying, intangibility, but still having warmth. It was a big surprise, and I got an evenbigger surprise when I found out I wasn't the only one!"

Danny took a deep breath, despite the fact that his current form really didn't need to breath, "Turn out the Portal I had my little accident in wasn't the first of its kind. Mom and Dad had pulled this before. Only last time they had someone else helping them, Dad's best friend, Vlad. There was an accident with that portal too. It basically blew up in Vlad's face and put him in the hospital for a few years. When he finally got out he found out Mom and Dad were married. Dad never knew but Vlad was in love with Mom. And this wasn't some little crush, this was obsession. When he discovered his powers he used them less than ethically to build himself a power base. In the world of the living, he's Vlad Masters, CEO of the multibillion corporation Dalv Inc. In the Ghost Zone he's called Plasimus and is feared by most of the resident. He doesn't want to take over the world, at least not just yet. He wants Mom, and that means getting Dad out of the way, by any mean necessary. Even taking someone's life."

There was a silence as Danny's word sunk in.

Conan took a deep breath, "Well, now we know ourselves, and we know our enemy. It's time to take him down!"

$SS$

Terra89: Can't wait for "Reality Trip" (or "School Spirit" or "Schools Out, Ghouls Out", whatever they're calling it now) Definetly gonna be awesome. And Spirit Wards are just a type of ofuda. There are others that act as good luck charms or ensure good health. And Eri will never change #hands over cookie# Sorry again about the missed update.

Pichu172B: To be frank, Vlads made no bones about his desire to kill Jack, Danny just stops him from being able to go through with it. Do you want me to answer the questions,or just wait and see?

Firefly4000: mmm ragmuffins. And I believe the genisis of our challenge involved you starting it off and me responding.

niku a. : Go ahead and laugh, it's not like Conan's around to hear you, and retailiate via watch/shoes. And this story is not abandoned. actually I'm pretty dern close to finishing it on LJ.

SN 1987A: Poor Danny always gets himself into those situations. And it just seemed like such a Jazz thing to think about. She cares so much for her brother.

Sharmaine: It was mentioned briefly when Danny woke up, Conan stating that his sister and Eri had been attacked but were fine. See Vlad hired some thugs through a third party to take care of the Fenton's lawyer, but between Eri's Judo and Jazz's fighting skills, it was the thugs who ended up needing medical treatment.

hammy ham ham: SkulkerxBean can eh, right up there with DannyxLamp. Danke for the Auther alert