Author's Note: Sorry that this chapter took me like twelve years to write. And sorry that it's so long.
But here it is. The initial incident from Jack's perspective. Enjoy!
(To clarify, yes, that means we're going back in time for this one.)
Condemned
The condemner
Mountains and mountains of fudge reaching to the clouds raining chocolate syrup drenching his hair sticking to his forehead creased with joy and rapture.
Then rocking and knocking him into darkness. Jack groggily opened his eyes and peered up at Maddie. She leaned over him, uncolored in the lack of light.
"Jack, Danny's gone." Her voice was strained with worry.
Using his elbows, Jack pulled himself into a sitting position on their bed. "Gone? What do you mean?"
"I mean he's gone! He's not in his room. He's not anywhere in the house. He's not answering his phone."
Jack didn't reply for a moment. Maddie seemed so stressed, so upset, really worked up over this. Was she assuming the worst? She often did when it came to Danny. "Do you think he snuck out?
"I don't know," said Maddie. "I mean, that doesn't seem like him, but I don't know what other explanation there could be." She chewed her lip, put a hand to her chin. "I mean, unless—but who would—?"
Her fingers were chafing her chin, rubbing it raw. Jack imagined all of the terrible scenarios running through her mind.
He was sure Danny was fine. He could think of no reason for someone to abduct Danny, so if he really was gone, he had left on his own. And he could take care of himself wherever he was.
But there was no way he could ever make Maddie believe that. Not until their boy was safe at home again.
Jack stood and placed a hand on her shaking shoulder. "Do you want to call the police?" Totally unnecessary at this point. He knew that. Danny was probably fine and it'd be a terrible waste of the police's time. But if it would make his wife feel better, then okay. And it would also teach Danny a good lesson.
"I want to go out and look for him myself," said Maddie.
Jack watched her move to their closet and pull out one of her jumpsuits. Very typical of his wife to want to go find their son herself. Still not something he felt was necessary, though.
But as she threw off her clothes, he was more than willing to do anything for her. Her ample hips, her jutting bust. Just a quick romp, maybe? Just something to calm their nerves before they went out?
"Honestly, I think we'd take this far more seriously than the police would," continued Maddie as she stepped into her suit and pulled the zipper up to her neck, "especially since we just saw him a couple hours ago."
"Right," said Jack. "He was here when we went to bed, for sure. And that was what, around ten? What time is it now?"
"After midnight." Maddie pulled her jumpsuit hood over her hair. "Are you going to come with me?"
Jack glanced back at their bed. It looked awfully warm and comfy. "Do you really think this is necessary? I'm sure he's okay. We could just wait for him to come home."
"But this isn't like him, Jack. This doesn't feel right to me. I could never forgive myself if something happened to him and all I did was wait around for him to come home." She headed to the door. "I'm going to grab some weapons. You know how ghosts are this time of night."
Ghosts! Fighting ghosts! Fighting ghosts with weapons! Fighting ghosts with weapons they had created themselves! Fighting ghosts with a weapon he had created all on his own!
"Ooh, yeah!" Jack's adrenaline spiked with sudden enthusiasm. "I can try out my new Fentonuzi!"
Maddie left the room. Jack grabbed his own suit and opted to just zip it up over his clothes. Except it was a bit of a tight fit. He struggled with the zipper, fought to pull it over his girth. Had he gained weight? Surely not since a couple hours ago. Or maybe this was one of his older suits. He really should go through them one of these days, throw out any that were too worn or stained. Maddie could sew new suits for him in no time.
He tossed the suit aside, took off his pajamas as well. He pulled out another suit and was able to pull the zipper up to his neck with little trouble. All right, there, he didn't need to lose weight. The suit still fit just fine. He kicked aside the suit on the floor. It'd be going straight to the trash in the morning.
He glanced at himself in their full-length mirror. Boxy, bulky, bulgy, but he still had his brawn.
And his woman still fit so perfectly in his arms. Their bodies still latched together nicely, still looked great next to each other in their matching jumpsuits.
The fatigue and grogginess were completely gone, replaced with eager excitement. He had been working on a new weapon all week, and he just had to try out tonight. What a perfect opportunity. Ghost hunting with his wife, the fearsome duo, famed for their pioneering work in the supernatural and paranormal field.
He strolled out of the room and through the hall and down the stairs toward their basement. He just needed to his grab his new gun and then he'd be ready to go.
Ready to fight ghosts and—
Well, yeah, search for Danny, too.
Jack entered the lab and observed Maddie pressed against a counter, loading up a dart gun with her own recent invention, a concoction that could render ghosts nearly powerless, preventing their molecules from changing in any spectral way. Intangibility, invisibility, healing, and even ecto-rays were all effectively dismantled.
He had named it for her. The Fenton Ghost Solidifier. A perfect way to disable ghosts and hold them down and prevent them from moving during various procedures without the use of expensive and power-draining equipment.
She had created it to aid their research, yes. But he knew there was one ghost in particular that drove her to finally figure out how to mix it.
One ghost he really wanted to strap down to their table, too. That enigma, that oddity, that phantom. That punk kid never showed up when they were actually looking for him, but maybe they'd get lucky tonight while looking for their son.
Jack moved to his workspace and latched a Fenton Thermos to his belt, then picked up his newest ectoplasmic assault gun. His Fentonuzi.
"Ready?" he asked Maddie. She turned to look at him. Jack held up his gun with a grin.
"You sure you want to take that one?" asked Maddie. "Wouldn't it be better to take a gun you know definitely works?"
"What better way to test it than on a real ghost?"
Maddie shrugged and led the way out of the basement. After switching on their ghost shield that surrounded their house, they took to the streets, opting to leave their Assault Vehicle to be as inconspicuous as possible. They could more easily get around and sneak up on any ghosts on foot.
"Do you have a plan where to look, Mads?" asked Jack as he followed her. He scanned darkened windows reflecting glaring orange streetlights. "Nothing's even open this time of night."
"Parks. Near the school. Maybe he's with some friends," replied Maddie as her goggled vision darted in all directions.
She suddenly looked ahead in just one direction. Jack followed her gaze to a flash of green light farther up the street. Only one thing could ever produce that sort of eerie luminescence.
Maddie clutched her ecto-gun and started running toward the light. Jack also broke into a run and quickly caught up to her.
"All right, a ghost!" he whooped, running gloved fingers along the length of his newest gun. "I can't wait to try this baby out."
They sprinted onto the scene, skidding to an abrupt halt when they caught sight of the ghost, a huge entity that resembled a spider. Jack stared up at the creature's dripping fangs and couldn't stop a huge grin from spreading his lips.
"That's what I'm talking about!" He aimed his Fentonuzi at the spider ghost. Steady, right in line. He pulled the trigger.
Click.
Maddie groaned. "See, Jack, I told you—"
"No, wait, I got this." Jack inspected the gun, turned it over several times, snapped some parts in and out of place, shook it out a couple times. Something seemed a little loose, a little out of place, not snug like it should be. What exactly?
The spider ghost shrieked and advanced toward them with slinking legs. Maddie raised her gun and locked onto it. He had to figure this out quick, had to help her, couldn't let her fight alone.
A blast knocked the spider ghost away, a blast that was not from Maddie's gun. Certainly not from his gun either.
Jack stared at the spider ghost that had been whacked away a fair distance, then looked around for the source of the blast. There was another ghost hovering in the air above.
No, not just another ghost.
The first ghost he had ever seen, the ghost that had restored his belief in the existence of ghosts, the ghost that was nothing like any of the others that haunted their town.
"Hey, it's the ghost kid!" cried Jack.
Tousled frosted hair, gleaming toxic eyes, boasting such a small frame in his tight jumpsuit that for some absurd reason all the girls in this town swooned over.
Jack worked furiously on his gun, prying and prodding at everything. He really needed to get it to work now. Phantom would be a perfect first victim for his Fentonuzi.
Beside him, Maddie was silent, barely moving. Jack stopped his fiddling to observe her. She was staring up at Phantom, eyes locked right on him. She seemed tranced. Hypnotized.
He didn't like that look. That slight hint of color in her face, that small part between her lips.
Just what was she thinking about as she looked up at this ghost punk? How many times had he heard her say she wanted to get at him underneath his suit? Who even talked like that about a guy that wasn't her husband?
Phantom had some sort of effect on the women of this town. Perhaps some sort of ghostly ability of his. And lately, Jack had to wonder if it was working on his wife as well.
Maybe even right now. Maddie and Phantom were staring right into each other's eyes. Perhaps this was Phantom's power at work.
Maddie began reaching for the dart gun attached to her belt, but her eyes never disengaged with Phantom's.
He had to break this spell somehow.
"Mads, ah—"
Maddie turned on him with a fierce scowl. Jack flinched and shrugged. All right, maybe interrupting her wasn't his best idea. He returned to tinkering with his gun. If he could just get it to work he could shoot that punk ghost maybe even in the head kill it so that Maddie could never be aroused by the sight of him ever again.
She snatched the weapon away from him and began working on it herself, huffing and muttering under her breath.
Jack watched her for a moment, observed her steeped eyebrows and twitching temples. Then he moved his attention up to Phantom with a glare. Phantom cocked a brow in response.
This ghost was so often on her mind. Everything she did in the lab seemed to be oriented around this strangely human-looking specter. Jack didn't like the rouge that would rush to her face when she spoke about him. He didn't like the way she'd describe his toned physique or his magnetizing eyes.
His wife was obsessed with this ghost. And the only way he could stop her from obsessing was to eliminate the object of her obsession..
He would capture this ghost. And then he would rip him apart molecule by molecule. And then she would have nothing left to fantasize about.
Phantom turned his attention back to the spider ghost, which was now scurrying away behind a building. Jack's glare intensified.
I will kill you. Someday.
Phantom took off at top speed. Maddie looked up and yelled at him, but he ignored her. Jack only watched him fly away.
Good riddance.
Maddie thrust the Fentonuzi back into Jack's arms. "We need to split up."
Jack fumbled the gun before attaining a firm grasp. "Why?"
"Because we need to find Phantom. We can't let him get away this time."
Jack held in a groan. "But aren't we supposed to be looking for—"
"Jack, don't argue with me. You have your radio, right? So we can talk to each other easily?"
"Yes, of course—"
"Here. Take this." Maddie pushed a dart gun into his hand. "It's the Solidifier. Use it on Phantom if you find him. Corner him so he has no chance to get away."
Jack studied the dart gun loaded with the solution. "But isn't this yours?"
"I have my own. Radio me the second you find him."
"Ah, but Mads—"
"And take this gun." Maddie unclipped another ecto-gun from her belt and held it out to him. "I don't know why you insisted on bringing a gun that doesn't work, but I don't want it screwing up our chances of finally capturing Phantom."
Jack's face muscles twitched. Was that what she thought of him, a screw-up?
She was gone. Sprinting away and disappearing around a corner. Jack glowered and spat out a curse. Once again, this punk ghost had ensnared his wife's attention. He had even managed to make her forget all about the real reason they were out here in the first place, had actually taken her attention away from her own darling boy who was missing.
Phantom's hold on his wife was unforgivable.
Jack scanned the stars.
You better hope I don't find you.
He trudged along the streets, kicking at curbs, huffing and puffing around buildings and under streetlamps. His enthusiasm for ghost-hunting was gone, replaced with irritation that this had turned into a hunt for Phantom.
Of course he wanted to catch Phantom as much as Maddie did.
But at least his intentions were scientific.
An ethereal light from an alley caught his attention. He stared down the darkened passageway.
Frustration and hate. So much hate.
He crept into the alley, kept his steps as soundless as possible.
There.
His breath flared hotly through his nostrils. A tall gate, two silver trash cans, and the ghost he wanted more than any other to tear apart in his basement lab.
The ghost was facing away from him, looking down at the ground. His stance was normally confident and cocky, but here he seemed only pensive, lonely even. There was a sense of melancholy longing in the silent way he held his arms.
The bounty on his head was remarkably high. So many others wanted him, the Guys in White and other ghost hunters.
And perhaps most of all, his wife.
She would love Jack forever if he brought her Phantom.
But then how long until she loved Phantom more?
I can't let her have you.
Jack held up his dart gun, steadied and aimed it.
I can't let you take her from me.
He pulled the trigger, watched the dart pierce through the air and hit Phantom in the back near his neck. The ghost yelled and immediately pulled it out. Jack could see his hand shaking as he tried to understand what it was.
Phantom began to turn around.
"Hold it there, ghost!" Jack shouted. He aimed the ecto-gun Maddie had given him, the one that worked because apparently his Fentonuzi was just a failed screw-up.
Phantom's whole body tensed. The dart fell out of his hand and clattered to the ground.
"You've just been injected with the Fenton Ghost Solidifier," said Jack, pride sifting into his voice. "It won't let you change your molecules in any way for a while. You won't be able to become invisible or intangible."
It really was an amazing solution. It had already saved them so much money and made ghost experimentation so much easier. His wife was just so brilliant for figuring out a way to create it.
He faltered.
His wife had created it.
For...him. This ghost right in front of him. She wanted most of all to prevent him from using his powers, wanted to render him helpless and vulnerable.
"My wife's creation," Jack informed with falling tone.
Phantom tried to turn again.
"Don't move," snarled Jack.
The ghost halted.
Jack approached him until he was close enough that he didn't have to yell for Phantom to hear him. "Put your hands up where I can see them," he ordered gruffly.
The ghost remained motionless.
"Now, Phantom. Don't make me shoot you." He kept his gun trained on the ghost, hoping he could hear its whirring.
Phantom raised his hands with open palms facing the gate in front of him. "Like this?"
"Shut up, ghost," spat Jack. "Don't speak unless I tell you to."
Phantom obeyed, did not even move.
Well, that was easier than Jack thought it'd be. He was sure this chickenshit would put up more of a fight.
"But yes," said Jack somewhat awkwardly. "Like that."
Phantom still stayed quiet, kept his hands up near his head. Trapped and cornered and at his mercy, under his power. Phantom was submitting to his authority, complying with his commands, surrendering to his captor.
A collection of molecules just begging to be ripped apart and scattered all over his basement lab.
Phantom turned his head to try to look behind him.
"Keep looking forward, ghost," hissed Jack.
He obeyed, but Jack could hear his irritated sigh. He smirked to himself. Phantom hated this.
"How long are you going to keep me like this?" asked Phantom. "My arms are getting tired."
"Do you really think I care about your arms?"
"Are you going to capture me or not? Because I feel like you would've captured me by now if you were going to."
Jack's eyes narrowed. This punk kid was in no position to act so defiant and bratty. "What did I tell you about speaking?"
His radio crackled with a voice. His wife's.
"Jack? Jack! Come in, Jack."
Jack didn't answer right away. He knew what she was going to ask. He knew what she wanted.
He unclipped his radio and held it to his mouth. "Yes, Maddie?"
"Did you find Phantom?"
Jack looked at the back of the ghost's head. All that glowing hair, so much hair.
"No," he replied. "Not yet."
"All right," said Maddie wistfully. "Let me know the moment you find him."
"Of course."
He reclipped the radio to his belt. Phantom continued to stay still with his trembling hands near his head.
Want to take a rest, Phantom?
Jack moved until he was close enough to touch the ghost, angled so he could see the ghost's face in profile.
Want this all to just stop, Phantom?
He could almost certainly ring Phantom's neck with just one hand. Crush his larynx, splinter his bones. His molecules wouldn't be able to morph to lessen the trauma.
He stared at Phantom's thin frame, his fragile shoulders, his small arms. He could tear this punk apart right now. His body would break and fracture with so little effort.
"What are you waiting for?" asked Phantom, his tone surly.
Jack growled a warning. He was not about to let this ghost talk to him so disrespectfully.
"My wife wants to be the one to capture you," explained Jack.
She wanted to do so many things to him, things she was surely keeping secret from her husband.
Things she couldn't do if her coveted ghost was dead.
"But maybe I should just shoot you instead."
Jack raised his whirring ecto-gun right next to Phantom's head. Phantom flinched before straightening again.
"Shooting you might be better," Jack said, his voice low, his gun steady.
Phantom's head tilted toward the sky. Jack resisted the urge to slam the grip of his gun right on the ghost's crown.
"Shooting me," said Phantom. "What do you mean? Like shooting to kill?"
"Yes, like shooting to kill. What do you think?"
"And then what?"
"And then I'll take you back to our lab and rip you apart."
"Like dissect me? Wouldn't you rather me be alive for that?"
"My wife would prefer you be alive," said Jack bitterly, irritably. Oh, yes, she wanted him to be alive so that he could react to her prodding and groping and molesting. She wanted to elicit screams and moans and pleas.
A pout pulled at Phantom's lips. "So you don't care if I'm alive or not for your experiments?"
"All I care about is getting you out of the picture."
Phantom made no reply. He continued to stare straight ahead, brows knitted in contemplation. His shaking arms began lowering.
"Keep those hands up, Phantom," Jack yelled.
Phantom immediately raised his arms again. "Look, Jack, um, can I call you Jack?"
"No."
"All right, well... What do you mean by 'out of the picture'? I mean, what picture am I in exactly?"
"Quit talking."
Phantom said nothing. Jack contemplated what to do now. He couldn't tell Maddie he found Phantom. He didn't want her anywhere near him. But then he couldn't just let him go. So should he capture him? Suck him into a Thermos?
Or should he just kill the damn thing? Shoot him right in the head? Blast a hole straight through his neck?
"Seriously, what are you waiting for?" asked Phantom.
"I said don't speak," snapped Jack.
"Or what? If you were going to shoot me, you would've done it. And I'm not just going to stand here in silence," spat Phantom, staring straight ahead, his hands still up. "So why don't you tell me what you want from me already? Or at least tell me what your problem with me is."
Jack groaned, drawling a disgruntled huff. Figured this punk wouldn't just be quiet so he could think.
Jack held his gun steady, trained right at the ghost's snowy strands.
The only way to silence him would be to kill him.
But it didn't seem right to just kill him, not without an explanation. He wanted Phantom to know exactly why he deserved to be torn apart and splattered all over this alley.
"I was so excited the first time I saw you," said Jack quietly. "Do you know you're the first ghost I ever saw?"
Phantom's eyes fluttered upward.
"I was all set to renounce ghosts," continued Jack. "After years and years of what seemed like wasted effort and drained bank accounts, I was finally ready to give up on this venture. Ghosts. I had never seen one. My wife had never seen one. Our kids thought we were insane, especially our daughter. And I started to believe it."
The way Jazz would look at him with so much disdain and disappointment. He hated that look. He just wanted his daughter to understand, to believe, to be proud of him. He wanted to prove her wrong, show her that her father was intelligent and capable and absolutely not wasting his time. That he was worthy of her admiration.
But as the years went by, even he began to grow weary. Their failed portal creation was a huge setback. Even after their son somehow managed to get it working, the blow to his confidence in his work had already torn in deep.
And he still had yet to see a single ghost. That was, until…
Jack stared at Phantom, observed the way the ghost's gaze fell on the ground in front of him.
"But then you appeared," said Jack. "Out of nowhere. This punk ghost kid single-handedly renewed my faith in our work. Your existence proved we were right all along. My wife and I were ecstatic." Jack paused. "And then more ghosts appeared, and we finally had real specimens to capture and work with, study."
"And vivisect," bit Phantom.
"Yes," affirmed Jack with a sneering bite of his own. He was damn proud of his ghost research and was only amused at Phantom's attempt to chide him. "We've torn so many apart, maybe even buddies of yours. Do you want the details, Phantom?"
Phantom's expression sobered.
"Then shut up," said Jack. "Nothing you say is going to get any sympathy from me."
Phantom's fingers curled slightly, his gaze lowered. Jack opened his mouth to say more when his radio crackled to life again.
"Jack? Come in, Jack."
He didn't want to answer. He wished he didn't have to answer. But at last, he unhooked his radio and held it to his mouth. "I'm here, Maddie."
"Did you find Phantom?"
He was absolutely expecting this question and yet it still pissed him off. He exhaled heavily. "No, Maddie. Not yet."
"Well, be sure to—"
"Yes, yes, I know. I'll be sure to call you if I find him."
He relatched the radio to his belt and glared at Phantom. This stupid kid. This stupid ghost. All of this was his fault. His wife was getting more and more distant from him and more and more obsessed with this punk each day.
"We were both so fascinated by you. My wife and I. You were at the top of our list from day one. Our first ghost. And I wanted nothing more than to rip you apart, study each and every nerve and fiber as I tore them away."
Belted down to their operating table. Chest and arms breached and broken apart.
Jack studied Phantom from behind, his pulsing back and quivering legs.
I keep thinking about slitting you deep, spilling everything you are until you're gone.
"That's what I want to do. Study you." Jack paused. "But my wife…"
Her soft skin, her bedroom eyes that used to be just for him.
"She wants to study you as well, of course. But lately...sometimes I wonder…"
And where was she now? She wasn't with him. No, she had left him. She had left him to look for another man. This ghost standing right here. Not even a man, just a boy. Sure he had grown taller and developed some decent muscle mass over this past year and a half, but he was still nothing more than a dumb kid.
"You're the only ghost she ever seems to think about anymore," griped Jack. "Whenever we're operating on another specimen, she's always relating it back to you somehow. 'I wonder if Phantom would have this?' 'Do you think Phantom would react this way?' 'I bet Phantom is different.' And every new invention from her lately is created with you specifically in mind. She'd never admit it, but I know that's the case." Jack huffed. "Might as well call it the Phantom Solidifier. I know she created this solution just for you."
Jack pressed the barrel of his ecto-gun directly to Phantom's head. Phantom's head bent forward in response.
"And you wanna know why, Phantom? Why that inhibitor coursing through your veins was meant for you?"
Phantom did not respond.
"Without it, ghosts have to be contained in special ways. Huge containers, bulky anti-ghost restraints. Makes dissection difficult a lot of the time. We often have to anesthetize them to prevent them from shape-shifting or becoming intangible or invisible. Or else we have to keep them in special restraints that neutralize their powers but then make it difficult to work on them. Also very expensive to keep running. You should see our power bill."
The expense, the cost of their research was indeed sky high. They had been alone in their endeavors for so long with no government grants or funding, no support from everyone who just thought they were crazy. They had nothing but the very generous inheritance Jack's parents had left him. Without that, they wouldn't have been able to afford any of this.
But it was still so expensive.
"My wife created that Solidifier so those cumbersome measures could be eliminated."
Jack moved the barrel of his ecto-gun back and forth along Phantom's head, rippling through his illuminated locks. Phantom shivered and moved his head away, but Jack pressed the gun against him again.
"And that way, you'll be completely vulnerable. A powerless ghost. And she'll be able to do whatever she wants to you without an excess of anti-ghost measures." Jack chuckled and shoved his gun into Phantom's head, forcing it to tilt toward the ground. "Real close and real personal. Just as intimate as she wants to be with you."
Phantom's legs were quaking and his arms were spasming. Jack smirked at the sight. Excellent. He wanted this ghost's last few moments to be agonizing.
His radio buzzed again with Maddie's metallic voice. "Jack?"
Jack cursed under his breath as he unhitched the device. "What is it, Maddie?"
"Did you find—"
"No, Maddie. No, I did not find Phantom," snapped Jack. "And anyway, aren't we supposed to be looking for Danny? Wasn't that the whole point of us traipsing out here in the middle of the night?"
Danny. That boy. This whole thing was his fault. His wife would've been sleeping next to him in their bed right now if it weren't for their son daring to break one of their parental rules.
"Jack, watch that tone," scolded Maddie. "Of course we should be looking for Danny as well. But it's just that—"
"I know, Maddie. I know. We saw Phantom. We know he's out here. This could be our only chance. I get it. I promise I'll tell you if I find him, all right? You don't need to keep asking me."
Silence from the radio. A very long pause. Jack could practically hear her frustration and irritation growing through the static.
"Fine," she said evenly before signing off. Jack gripped the radio in his hand hard, so hard he could surely crush it into pieces if he squeezed any more than this.
He turned his attention back to Phantom, who was still standing submissively with his arms raised.
"It's you," murmured Jack. "It's only you. You're all she wants. The more I've realized her intentions toward you, what she's really thinking about you, just how much you dominate her thoughts, the more I don't want her anywhere near you at all. You're a sickness. Her sickness." Jack turned the blast setting on his ecto-gun to maximum. "If I get rid of you, maybe she'll be cured."
He placed his finger on the trigger. He'd burn a hole through this ghost's head and render him nothing more than a spectral corpse. Maddie could rage and scream and curse him out, but she'd be too late.
All this ghost's silly fangirls thinking he looked so pretty. Didn't they know how much prettier he'd look flooded over the ground and drained of color?
Phantom suddenly spun around with a swift lower kick that connected hard with Jack's shin. Jack's grasp loosened on his gun, allowing Phantom to latch onto it and wrench it away at such an angle that Jack was forced to let go. A beaming discharge raced past Phantom's head and crumbled part of the wall beside them. The ghost leapt backwards with the gun in his gloved hands and aimed it at Jack, shoulders heaving with shallow breaths.
Jack stared with wide eyes and slacked jaw before regaining control of his senses. He clenched his fists and straightened his spine to tower over the ghost even from a distance.
The way the punk held the gun, so unsteady, looking like nothing more than a frightened child.
"What are you going to do, Phantom?" he asked with a leer. "Are you going to shoot me?"
Phantom's gaze dropped to the weapon in his trembling arms. He switched it off and tossed it behind him.
Jack laughed cruelly. He was not at all surprised and yet it was still hilarious that Phantom had even tried to intimidate him. "Of course not. You always have to be a hero. You'd never hurt me because I'm not a threat to this town. You're compelled to protect even me. It's embedded in your composition. You can't disobey your obsession."
"We're not enemies," insisted Phantom with a tremor in his voice.
Enemy. Ha. Phantom being his enemy would mean that the punk posed some sort of danger to him. This kid really shouldn't flatter himself to think Jack would ever see him as anything more than a pest to exterminate.
"I hope you never stop thinking that," said Jack coldly. "That will continue to give me an advantage over you."
They stood apart in tensed suspension, their only weapons the strength of their stares. Jack used his to its fullest capacity, bearing right into Phantom's gleaming gaze no matter how much its bright light made his own eyes tear up.
"Jack!" another voice cried, the unmistakable voice of his wife. Only this time it was not coming over a radio.
Jack turned to look at Maddie, who was standing at the beginning of the alley with a gun in her hands. Her stance indicated distress, but she straightened in shock. "Phantom! That's—" She growled and began angrily stomping up to him. "You promised you'd tell me if—why didn't you—"
The spider ghost he and Maddie had confronted earlier appeared in the alley behind his wife, but she did not stop her march.
"Maddie!" hollered Jack.
The spider ghost advanced and grabbed Maddie with its front legs. She turned her gun on the ghost, but the shrieking arachnid knocked it out of her hands toward Jack. The sight of his wife in trouble took over as he completely turned his back on Phantom. He immediately picked up the weapon and began firing at the spider's legs.
The spider shrieked and squinted at Jack. Jack continued firing at the spider, but it would not relinquish its hold on his wife.
"Jack, look out!" cried Maddie.
Jack turned too late to see the spider ghost aiming a shot of webbing straight at him. He sailed backwards and hit a wall, the ecto-gun he had been holding skidding across the ground away from him. He struggled to break out of the silky entrapment, watched with rage as his wife, still in the spider's grasp, had no way to defend herself. The spider stared down at her hungrily.
But she had a great shot if she only had a gun.
He broke his arms through the webbing and unlatched the Fentonuzi from his belt. He turned it over in his hands, trying yet again to locate the problem. The bolt was slightly out of place. How had he not noticed that before? It would have to be properly fixed later, but for now, Jack slammed it in tight and raised his arm to throw it. "Maddie!" he yelled.
Jack threw the gun hard and precisely, watched it soar through the air and land neatly in Maddie's gloved hand. She snarled and aimed it right at the spider's face, pulled the trigger and delivered a powerfully focused beam of ectoplasmic energy in the spider's many eyes. Green sludge burst from its eye sockets as the ghost staggered backwards and rolled onto its back with legs curling toward the sky.
Maddie sealed the ghost in a Thermos, then stayed where she was with her back to Jack, her shoulders rising and falling, her one fist clenching.
Jack never took his eyes off of her as he pulled out of the webbing he had been trapped in. He knew that body language way too well.
After gathering the two ecto-guns that had been thrown across the ground, he cautiously approached her. "Hey, Maddie. You okay? You're not hurt, are you?"
She rounded on him with bared teeth. Her eyes were not visible through her goggles, but he knew all the same that they were hot with anger.
"Where's Phantom?" she demanded. She pushed past him and scanned the now empty alley. "Where is he? Please tell me you captured him."
Jack also searched the alley, but Phantom was indeed gone. His eye twitched. "Ah, well, he was right here—"
"Where is he now, Jack?" yelled Maddie.
Jack flinched and once again looked around the alley. "I... I guess he got away."
"He got away?" Maddie's voice was shrill. "You let him get away?"
Jack's gaze hardened. "I didn't let him get away. You were in trouble. I was trying to save you. That was a little more important to me than keeping track of some punk ghost kid."
"He's not just 'some punk ghost kid,' Jack. He could be the link we've been searching for, the crux for everything we've been—"
"Yeah, yeah, I know. I get it. Phantom is special. So special that his capture is apparently more important than your safety." Jack scowled. "I'm real sorry I chose you over him, okay?"
Maddie's whole body shook as she seethed. She said nothing for a long moment. "How long was he here?" she finally asked.
Jack furrowed his brow and shook his head to indicate he didn't understand her question.
"When exactly did you find him?" Maddie lifted her goggles on top of her hood and fixed him with a glare. "And why didn't you tell me you found him?"
"I… I found him not long after that last time you radioed me. And I just didn't have the time to contact you and let you know."
"Really? You really expect me to believe that, Jack?"
Jack held her gaze as long as he could before looking down at the ground.
"You liar." Maddie's eyes were filling with anguished tears. "You are such a liar. I asked you directly if you found him, and you lied to me. Why, Jack? Why did you lie to me?"
"I—I'm sorry—"
"Sorry doesn't make up for this, Jack. Sorry isn't going to bring Phantom back."
Phantom. That was all she cared about. That was all she was really mourning over. Jack's arms tightened with bulging veins beneath his jumpsuit. "Okay, well, he's gone now, all right? There's no point in—"
"He's only gone because you didn't tell me you found him," cried Maddie. "Because you lied to me. If you had just told me you'd found him, I would've been right here with you, and then he definitely wouldn't have gotten away." Maddie angrily held up her Thermos. "You realize Phantom could've been the one trapped in here? Right now? Do you? But no, you decided to lie to me instead. And now Phantom has once again gotten away from us."
Jack groaned. "Maddie—"
"No. I'm done with you."
Maddie turned her back on him and latched the Thermos to her belt. She stayed silent for some time, her arms and back trembling. Jack wanted so much to embrace her, rub her shoulders, kiss her hair. But he instead kept his distance.
She finally shook her head and straightened up. "Let's just get back to looking for Danny." Her eyes suddenly widened with panic. "Oh, God, Danny. What if a ghost got him? What if that spider ghost got him first?"
Jack sighed, rolled his eyes, handed her an ecto-gun and took his Fentonuzi back from her.
Danny. His wife was upset with him, and it was all that boy's fault.
"He's fine, Maddie."
"But he doesn't carry around ghost-fighting weapons like we do."
"He's fine."
The two returned to the streets and looked for any further signs of ghosts and, more importantly, their son. But despite Jack's attempts to walk beside her, to make conversation with her, Maddie was always a few steps ahead and spoke very little to him, and anything she did say to him was curt and laced with irritation.
All Danny's fault—
All Phantom's fault—
This was both of their faults and he definitely wasn't going to go easy on either of them once he found them.
Especially not Danny. Not this time. Danny knew better than to sneak out in the middle of the night and yet he did it anyway. Maddie was worried that the worst had already befallen their son. Jack knew damn well that the worst would not befall Danny until Jack got a hold of him.
But no, no, he had to restrain himself. Maddie would never forgive him if he did anything to Danny. He couldn't even hurt Danny's oh-so-sensitive feelings without getting chewed out.
He grimaced and sulkily followed behind Maddie as she desperately looked for any signs of their son.
And she was probably still hoping to catch a glimpse of Phantom, too. Of course she was.
Maddie's cell phone rang. She looked at the screen and answered the call without even bothering to tell Jack who was calling. But at least she had the courtesy to stop walking. Jack listened to her side of the conversation.
"Jazz, what is it? Did you hear from Danny?" Pause. "Really? Is he there with you?" Pause. "Thank God." She put a hand to her chest. "Is he okay?" Pause. "Okay, we're coming home right now." She disconnected the call and looked at Jack. "Danny's home."
Jack gave her a tentative smile. "See? I told you he was okay."
She did not return the smile, only sharply turned from him and headed back in the direction of their home. Jack followed behind her with heavy steps that kept getting angrier.
Danny better have had a really good explanation for this blatant disrespect.
In their living room, Danny and Jazz stood up from the couch as Jack and Maddie walked in.
His somber expression. His arms down at his sides. Their boy looked guilty, upset.
Good. Jack was at least glad to see that he was showing some remorse over worrying his mother and forcing his father to get out of bed just to look for him.
"Danny!" Maddie ran and threw her arms around him. "I was worried sick."
Jack narrowed his eyes as Maddie proceeded to coddle their son. He didn't deserve this. He deserved to be yelled at.
Maddie pulled back, her hands now on his shoulders. "Where have you been, young man?"
"Yes," said Jack tiredly, walking up beside her so that Danny would be forced to look up at him. "What was so important that you felt you had to leave the house in the middle of the night?"
Danny's voice was quiet. "Sorry. I was with Tucker."
Maddie cocked a brow. "Tucker?"
"Yeah, um... Well, we were just—"
"With Tucker?" Jack stared down at him in disbelief. "Like at his house?"
"Well, yeah—"
"Why didn't you answer your phone? Your mother was trying to call you, sent a ton of messages."
"Ah, well, I wasn't looking at my phone. I'm sorry."
"Well, it certainly would have saved us a lot of trouble. You know we actually went out to look for you, right?"
Jack bore into him with a glare. Danny shrank back and averted his own gaze.
"Well, we're definitely going to have a talk with Tucker's parents tomorrow," said Maddie. "And we'll have to think of a suitable punishment for you, Danny." Her expression softened. "But I'm so relieved you're safe."
"Yes," said Danny quietly. "I am."
Jack irritably stared off to the side. He just couldn't believe his son would waste his night like this. That he'd waste all of their night like this. Even Jazz was awake. How could Danny be so inconsiderate? And all to visit Tucker? Could he even believe such a flimsy excuse?
"Are you okay, Danny?" asked Maddie.
"Yeah, I'm fine. I'm just...really sorry. And tired."
"You seem... I feel like something's wrong."
She ran her fingers through his hair. Mothering and comforting him, how like her. Even when he didn't deserve it, even when he needed to be disciplined instead, she was just so easily distracted by his pouting lips and large sad eyes. Actually staying mad at their son was apparently a real challenge for her.
Jack's vexed gaze snapped back to Danny. Danny quickly turned his head away in response.
"Danny?" asked Maddie with alarm.
Danny smiled. "Sorry, I'm just tired. So, um, is it all right if I go to bed now, or do you still want to talk about this?"
Maddie glanced back at Jack. Jack in no way thought this should wait until the morning. He wanted to demand that Danny explain himself right now.
But instead, he shrugged. Maddie was already upset with him, and he wasn't about to push her by insisting that they interrogate and emotionally batter her favorite child.
"Yes," said Maddie. "Yes, we'll talk tomorrow."
She placed a tender kiss on his head. Jack glowered at Danny, but his son did not meet his gaze.
Maddie released him, and Danny briskly walked away. Jack watched him ascend the stairs with Jazz right behind him.
"What do you think's going on with Danny?" asked Maddie in a low voice.
"I don't know," replied Jack dully. "I guess we'll find out tomorrow."
"But what do you think he was doing with Tucker? At this hour?"
"I really don't know," said Jack, more irritably this time. "Do you want to make him talk tonight? Instead of letting him go to bed? Because that's the only way we'll find out."
"Don't take that tone with me. I was just asking."
"Yeah, well, I'm tired." Jack started leading the way upstairs. "So for now, let's just be glad he's okay and get some sleep, all right?"
Maddie said nothing more as she followed Jack. Jack glanced at Danny's closed door as they walked past.
Yes, Danny was okay. Safe at home. Where he should've been before. In his room. That he never should've left.
Maddie pushed past him without a single word.
This was all Danny's fault.