The moment both boys entered their room and closed the door, Phantom watched Fenton flop down onto the bed face first. The human let out an exaggerated groan, his legs dangling off the bed. The ghost sighed, shaking his head; he could roll his eyes at the overdramatic action but…

A moment later, Phantom copied the action. He fell onto the bed, ending up half on top of Fenton. The human groaned again, weakly flailing with one arm to push his other self off him. The ghost let himself be moved, shifting on the bed until he was no longer on top of the human but instead was laying shoulder to shoulder beside him, with his own legs dangling off and his own head buried in the mattress.

Neither said anything for a long time, stewing in… whatever they were feeling. Phantom was having a hard time identifying it. There were no more tears; he wasn't upset exactly but…. The ghost sighed again. He and Fenton should talk about this.

"I don't wanna talk about it." Fenton whined, voice muffled by the sheets.

Phantom didn't reply in words. He didn't want to talk either but then again… was there that much to say? Mom had apologized. She'd said that she was sorry, that she had messed up, that she had been wrong. The woman had said that she would do better, that she would work to regain their trust. The words, the memories replayed in Phantom's mind. The tears on Mom's face, the determination, the conviction...despite the brief moments of confusion and discomfort.

"Stop thinking so hard." The human grumbled. "I wanna sleep."

The comment made Phantom lift his head from the bed. "Dude, you're not gonna get to sleep only half laying on the bed like that."

Fenton also lifted his head. "Then get up so I can actually lay down." Despite the narrowed eyes, there was no bite in the words.

The corner of the ghost's mouth turned down. "Alright, Alright." He started floating off the bed just as a knock sounded at the door. Phantom froze, still parallel to the mattress and only three inches above it.

Jazz's voice softly called through the door. "Danny? Can I come in?"

The ghost frowned. Of course, their sister wanted to check on them right now, when his human was just about to go to sleep. Beside him, Fenton let out a quiet groan.

"Please? I just want to make sure you're okay." The girl's voice rang out with worry.

Phantom's expression softened, a warm feeling rising in his chest from the tone. She was worried, reasonably. Just...a few minutes, to make her feel better. "You can come in." The ghost answered.

At the same time, "Phantom, no." Fenton hissed.

It was too late. The door swung open and Jazz stepped into the room, just as Phantom floated into an upright position.

The human Danny let out a louder groan. "I was gonna take a nap."

"I'll be quick." Their sister frowned, closing the door. "I just want to see...how did things go with Mom and Dad?"

Fenton propped himself up with an elbow. "It went...okay, I guess."

"Mom apologized." Phantom offered. "She said she was sorry."

"About?" Jazz said softly, raising an eyebrow. "What exactly did you say to her earlier?"

Phantom bit his lip, looking down. "Well… I brought up her being distant… and treating me differently from Fenton, like I was...wrong and…" With one hand, he rubbed his aching core . "She said I was supposed to be alive. I wasn't supposed to be a ghost."

The red-head winced, exacerbation flashing across her face. "Really? Really? How could she say something so insensitive and stupid and not think that you're going to react badly to that? This woman… I swear-"

"She apologized for that." Fenton cut in, sitting up. "Said she didn't mean it like that. She's….still really guilty about us getting hurt by the portal."

Jazz nodded in understanding. "Oh. Of course she is. Still…." She frowned. "That doesn't excuse how she was treating you."

"I know it doesn't." Phantom crossed his arms. "But...I think she gets that now."

Just a hint of relief softened the other teen's frown. "Good. What about...the other things she's said about ghosts? You were really angry about that yesterday. Did you… talk to her about that?"

Ghost Danny barely registered as his legs morphed into a tail, the tip flickering nervously. "Yeah. She said...she doesn't think any of that about me. And that...she was wrong."

"She did?" His sister asked, receiving a nod. "Do you think she meant it?"

"I think… "Phantom considered, stomach churning anxiously. Did she mean it? Mom had said she did. She vowed she did, multiple times. She promised she loved him. She promised she would do better and yet... "I think she wanted to mean it."

There was doubt. All those horrible things...Mom and Dad had always taught them that ghosts were unfeeling and unthinking monsters. They were obsessive and tricky. Destructive, deceptive. Inhuman, wrong, unnatural. Years and years of hearing those words, those stories, even before any of them knew ghosts were real. Just two weeks ago, Mom and Dad would have still said the same things and yet…. They weren't saying that anymore. They fully acknowledged him and loved him as their Danny, despite his ghostliness. Dad had said that there was nothing wrong with him, that he was exactly the way he was supposed to be. And Mom...she apologized and vowed that she would do better.

At the thought, the ghost's expression softened and Fenton must have been thinking in parallel, based on his identical expression. "Mom and Dad said they were going to do better with that. She's okay with us training our powers before we re-merge. And...she'll try not to freak out about us using our powers around the house."

Jazz didn't look all that convinced so Phantom continued. "And they're changing how they do their research. Just observing and talking to ghosts."

His sister gave a thoughtful hum. "Just talking and observing? So does that mean no experimentation or data collection of sapient subjects without informed consent?"

The ghost and human boy glanced at each other. Then Phantom turned back to Jazz. "Umm….they didn't explicitly say that so….I guess?"

The red-head frowned. "Do I need to have an ethics discussion with them? Just because they're not human doesn't mean Mom and Dad can break the Belmont report."

Fenton furrowed his brow and wrinkled his nose. A silent conversation between the two Dannys was had with a look and human's facial expression spoke volumes; was Jazz seriously doing this right now?

Phantom's response was kinder than his grumpy, tired human half's would have been. "Maybe not right now, Jazz."

"Yes, you're right." Their sister conceded. "This is good. It sounds like Mom is genuinely sorry and wants to make progress."

"Well...she said she did at least." Fenton shrugged, trying to appear unbother. His downcast eyes said the opposite.

"And you said that you thought she meant that." Jazz replied, looking from the human version of her brother to the ghost. "Danny...what do you really think about all of this?"

"I...I...don't…." Phantom ran a hand through his hair. What did he really think, what did he really feel about all this? It was...this was a lot. That conversation had been a lot so…. "We don't know."

On the bed, Fenton sighed. "I mean… we really want to believe Mom...and she sounded like she wanted to try to be better but…. We've been hurt before so…"

Phantom continued. "I guess...if Mom's willing to try, we'll work with her. I want things to get better too but…" He looked down. "I still can't trust her...or forgive her yet." The ghost bit his lip, not liking the words that had just come out of his mouth. He didn't want that to be true. He felt like it shouldn't be but… "Does...does that make me a bad son?"

Jazz's eyes widened compassionately as she took a step towards him. "No, of course not."

"Really?" Ghost Danny asked. His core pulsed sadly, aching ever as he asked for reassurance.

His sister reached out to place a comforting hand on his arm. "Yes. It's okay to not trust right now. Like you said, you've been hurt before and right now, you're still trying to protect your heart."

Heart… Phantom's eyes flickered to his human self at the word. The corner of his lip twitched up. Fenton's did the same. "And core." The other boy added.

Jazz turned so she could see both versions of her brother. "And core." She confirmed, letting go of Phantom's arm. "That point is...you're trying to protect yourself from getting hurt again. And that's perfectly fine. You have every right to be cautious now. She broke your trust and trust is something that takes time to earn back but…" Her brow furrowed in question. "You are still willing to try? To work with Mom and Dad?"

"Yeah." Fenton nodded. "Like other me said… we'll try if Mom will but anything else...not yet."

The ghost gave a hum of agreement. Yes, not yet. The answer wasn't never but not yet. Maybe, hopefully, after a lot of work on both sides, both of him would be able to trust Mom again and to forgive her. And hopefully, like with re-fusing, that would be sooner rather than later. He still didn't like it; on some level, he still felt guilty, like he should have gratefully, excitedly, whole-heartedly accepted that apology but…

"And..Mom didn't pressure us or anything." The human Danny continued, picking up on the doubt. "She didn't...like...ask us to forgive her or act like she expected us to trust her just like that so…."

"That's good." Jazz gave a relieved sigh. "So I'm gathering it was a productive conversation at least and...things will probably get better."

"We hope so at least." Phantom said, with just a hint of still lingering sadness.

"Me too." The red-head nodded, moving to stand in between Fenton and Phantom. "Just...remember it's going to take some time, okay? You've already been so patient with our parents but...they've got a lot of bias to sort through. That's twenty years, an entire career of negative and harmful beliefs and behaviors to unlearn." His sister's expression softened. "I have a feeling you've got a lot of experience in that department."

Both Dannys looked down, faces coloring with shame at the words. Phantom's core twisted. All those horrible things about ghosts... They...the whole Danny...had believed that too, not even two weeks ago. He and Fenton were still fighting those thoughts now. And…

"Yeah, we do." Fenton confirmed, to his own surprise. The human looked up, briefly meeting his ghost's eyes. "We don't think...we know that they've been wrong this whole time but…" He wrung his hands. "Before the ghost catcher…I didn't...I didn't want to be a ghost back then. I didn't want my ghost half. I was terrified. I used to be so afraid of Phantom because..." The human swallowed, cutting off his own words.

"I...I thought this was...I was wrong. That...I was a monster." Phantom could hardly believe the words coming out of his mouth, not that they were true and he could admit them but...he was telling Jazz this. "And sometimes...I'm still scared that I am one." The ghost looked down, cheeks green with shame. He'd...he'd said that. In front of Jazz. Not in his own thoughts or outloud to his other self but...to another person. He'd...he'd admitted that.

For just a moment, guilt and fear rose in him, the feelings perfectly evenly shared with his human. That...this feeling was both of theirs and they were working on it. They were so much better than before. But still… Phantom's stomach churned. What must Jazz think of him?

"Oh, Danny." Jazz's soft voice came from in front of him. Phantom looked up and...there was no surprise, no horror, no disgust on her face but… her eyes were wide and compassionate. "Listen to me. You are not a monster and there is nothing wrong with you. Nothing at all. Being a ghost makes you special. It makes you who you are and… and I wouldn't have you any other way."

"I know, Jazz. I know." The corner of Phantom's mouth turned up. "And...I know I'm not a monster. I know I'm not." The confidence was surprising but… "I can't say that. No...I won't say that anymore. How can I? Jazz, I...I met another ghost and...he was...just a kid, like me. He wasn't...a monster and...I'm not either."

That mustered a look of surprise on Jazz's face. "Is that that Sidney ghost that you talked about?" She looked to Fenton.

"Yes." The human boy shrugged. "We'll tell everyone at dinner about it but… yeah, we have a ghost friend now."

"Friend?" Jazz blinked, surprised. Then she smiled. "A friend! That's wonderful. I want to meet him."

Fenton and Phantom looked at each other. Well, that was fast...but then again, of course Jazz was eager to meet a ghost that wasn't him.

Phantom sighed. "We'll have to see. We need to tell Mom and Dad first… and I guess see if Sidney is willing to meet our parents and you, and figure out how we'd do that."

His sister's excited expression dimmed slightly, into something soberly understanding. "Alright. That makes sense. Still….I'm very excited to hear about everything that happened."

The human Danny crossed his arms. "Well, you're gonna have to wait until dinner, just like Mom and Dad. I was going to take a nap, remember?"

"Alright, Alright." Jazz held up her hands. "I guess that's your way of saying that you're done talking." The girl reached out to give a comforting pat to Fenton's and then Phantom's shoulder. "Sleep well."

"Yeah." Fenton waved as the red-head walked towards the door. "And...thanks."

Phantom turned to face the girl. "Yeah. Thanks Jazz."

"Of course, I'm always here to talk and...I'm always going to want to make sure you're okay." Her face softened. "And, Danny, I'm really proud of you for telling me what you just did about… being scared and feeling like...that. I...I meant what I said...I've never thought you were anything other than my bratty, kinda annoying little brother." Her voice rang out teasingly.

The ghost rolled his eyes while his counterpart shook his head, the same teasing in his voice. "And you're still my nosy, overbearing big sister."

Jazz chuckled. "Love you too. See you later."

With that, she closed the door, leaving the two Dannys alone again. Fenton immediately laid back down on the bed and started pulling the covers around himself.

Phantom turned back to him, lowering himself in the air so he and the human were at eye level with each other. "So...you told Jazz...about being afraid of me."

His counterpart paused, cheeks reddening with guilt. "Yeah."

"Danny, it's fine." The ghost's expression softened. "Like I've said...that fear's both of ours and… I think it's good to be able to say that to someone that wasn't just ourselves." He reached out to squeeze Fenton's hand. "I'm proud of you, of us."

The corner of Fenton's lip turned up. "Yeah. Me too." He squeezed back, his eyes widening. "So much happened in the last few hours…"

Phantom suppressed a wince at the overwhelming feeling. A complicated mix of anxiety, sadness, and paramount...relief. Finally alone, with everything quiet, the weight of everything that just happened finally hit. "We'll deal with it later. You should get some sleep now, sleepy head." He smiled.

His other self blinked. "Sleepy head? Dude...no, you can't call me that."

"Dude...I can't get physically tired but I can feel how exhausted you are. You're a sleepy head."

Fenton huffed. "This is a stupid conversation."

A chuckle. "That's because you're stupid tired." Phantom let go of Fenton's hand and floated up right. "I'm gonna go find something to do and stop bothering you."

"Yeah." The human wrapped the covers around himself. "See ya." He buried his head in his pillow and was asleep within minutes.

Meanwhile, Phantom grabbed their phone, a pair of headphones, and the book he'd been working on. He phased through the wall and into the guest bedroom. He sat down on the bed and read.

About an hour and a half later, near four o'clock, Phantom looked up as Fenton opened the door to the guest room and stuck his head in. "Hey, I'm up. You wanna go ahead and get that homework done?"

The ghost closed the book. "Yeah, I'm coming."

"Was that it?" Phantom asked about an hour later as his counterpart put their math worksheet in their bookbag.

"Yeah. There wasn't that much. I was only there for half the day." The human frowned. "I'll have makeup stuff to do tomorrow."

The ghost winced in sympathy. "Oh yeah...well...let's not think about that right now. We'll go do something fun."

Fenton glanced at the phone, which was still plugged in and charging. "I'm going to text Sam and Tucker and let them know we're alright."

"Good point."

The human Danny did so, almost immediately receiving relieved replies from the two friends. With a promise to tell them all about it later, he put the phone in his pocket and went down stairs with Phantom. Fenton went first, tramping down the stairs casually but… the ghost paused, eyes falling on a certain person in the kitchen. Mom was there, standing in front of the pantry and apparently looking for something.

Phantom felt his core clinched. He glanced down at his feet, at the space between him and the ground. For just a moment, he blushed, feeling self conscious. Gravity pressed down on him and he sank in the air. Then Fenton looked back with one raised eyebrow. The ghost swallowed, his descent pausing. He glanced back at Mom who still hadn't spotted them. One step… one step at a time. Phantom straightened himself, floating higher instead of landing to walk as he's been intending just moments before. Fenton's lips twitched up. The human gave him a satisfied look, as if to say, that's better, and started walking again.

"Hey." The human Danny said, just as he stepped into the kitchen, the tile creaking under his feet.

At the same time, the woman turned. "Hey sweetie." She offered a small smile.

"Starting on dinner?" Phantom asked.

Mom tilted her head back and forth in a so-so motion as she glanced back in the pantry. "I'm trying to decide what to make." She looked back as Fenton. "Are you in the mood for anything?"

Fenton considered. "Do we have stuff to make tacos?"

The woman nodded. "I think so." She started pulling things out of the pantry. A box of rice, a can of refried beans. "Oh. Here's some of that pineapple salsa you like, from the farmer's market. There should still be some tortillas in the fridge, I think." Mom opened the appliance and then nodded in confirmation.

"Do you need any help?" The human boy offered.

The adult opened the freezer. "Not right now. The chicken still needs to thaw." She pulled out the frozen chicken breasts and grabbed a large plastic bowl.

"Okay." Phantom shrugged, as Mom's gaze flickered from Fenton's face to his as she filled the bowl with warm water to thaw the meat. Her brow wrinkled for a moment, confused, until her eyes moved down, noticing the open space below his feet. Her expression smoothed out and she looked back at his face. "We were gonna watch some TV."

"Alright." Mom maintained his gaze. "Do you have homework?"

"Already done." The ghost confirmed.

The woman smiled. "Good." She started towards the living room. "We can watch one episode of something. Then I need to get started on dinner and you can help me if you want."

Fenton walked in front of her. He half-smiled. "Is that a thirty minute episode or an hour?"

Mom raised a brow, slightly teasing. "If you're alright having dinner thirty minutes later…"

"Fine with me." Phantom shrugged.

His human mocked elbowed him. "Come on, man. Really?" Just then, his stomach growled.

The ghost snorted. "What? It's not like I'm hungry."

Mom rolled her eyes, even as the corner of her mouth turned up.

The three watched an episode of Criminal Minds and after, Mom got up to start on dinner. The Dannys moved to follow. But just then, Dad came up the stairs from the basement.

"Danny boy." He smiled, crossing the living room and kitchen. "How was your nap?" He patted Fenton on the back.

"It was good." The boy nodded.

"Good." Dad lowered his voice slightly, looking at Phantom. "I wanted to tell you….I told your Mom what we talked about last night."

Phantom flushed, biting his lip. "Oh….you did?" He glanced down. "I...I'm sorry I asked you not to tell her earlier. I shouldn't have."

Now it was time for ghost Danny to get a pat on the back. "It's alright son. I understand why you did and… your Mom did too. Neither of us are angry about it."

"You're not?" Phantom rubbed the back of his neck. "That's good."

The adult patted his knee. " 'Course not. Now." His eyes widened expectantly. "Are you gonna tell me all about your Ghost Zone adventures?"

"Not yet honey." Mom interrupted from the kitchen. "I'm working on dinner."

"Right." Dad nodded.

With that, Fenton and Phantom continued into the kitchen to help with dinner. At Mom's request, they pulled things out of the pantry and started the rice and refried beans while the woman opened and seasoned the chicken. By the time the chicken was cooking in the skillet, Jazz had come downstairs. The girl sliced olives and heated tortillas in the microwave while Mom supervised the food cooking on the oven. Meanwhile, the boys cleared and set the table with Dad's help.

Within thirty minutes, all the food was hot and on the table. Phantom smiled softly, watching all the humans assemble their tacos. For once, the sight didn't hurt; he wasn't jealous, longing for something he thought he couldn't have. The ghost thought back on the meal he'd eaten earlier, the tea and sandwich he'd shared with his new friend. And… his ears twitched, trying to listen for the sound of the portal. There. He could hear it, just barely. Now he knew, he knew why it called to him.

"What's with that look?" His sister asked, drawing him out of his thoughts.

The ghost boy shook his head. "Sorry, just thinking about something I learned at Sidney's."

Dad perked up at the words. "Wanna tell us about it now?"

Phantom glanced at his human self who was already digging into his tacos. The other boy shrugged. The ghost turned back. "Yeah so…" His eyes flickered over the food in front of him. "I figured out I was wrong about ghosts not needing to eat."

Both parents blinked, looking confused as they processed. Then, worry flashed across Mom's face. "What? What do you mean?"

"So...umm…. Apparently ghosts do eat but...it's ghost food, made from ectoplasm."

"Ectoplasm?" Dad questioned.

"Yeah." Phantom continued. "But it looks and tastes like real food...or it did to me at least. It's probably like that for other ghosts too."

"Wait." Mom interrupted. "What do you mean, it did to you?"

"Oh." Phantom blushed. "I ate some. Sidney made me tea and a sandwich. And I had some cookies. Oh! And there's plants that are native to the Ghost Zone! I had this black and orange striped fruit. Sidney called it Tiger fruit. It kinda tasted like an apple." He frowned. "He said he could give me some seeds to grow some but that didn't end up happening…."

Phantom trailed off, noticing his parents and sister's expressions, a mixture of confusion, excitement, and worry.

"Sidney's the ghost you meet..." Mom's eyes widened. "Why was he giving you food?"

"And why did you eat it?!" Jazz pursed her lips. "Did you even ask if it was safe for you?"

"Plants! There's plants in the Ghost Zone. Did you see any or just the fruit?" Dad exclaimed.

"Ghost plants…." The briefly awed look on Mom's face was wiped with a shake of her head. "Never mind that. Why was a ghost you just met offering you food?"

Ghost Danny opened and closed his mouth. "Well...Sidney offered to let me rest a bit. He said I looked like I needed something to eat and drink and...he kinda freaked out when I said I didn't know that ghosts eat."

Mom, Dad, and Jazz were still gawking. Then… "But...why?" "Where did this even happen?" "What do you mean he freaked out?"

Fenton gently elbowed him in the side to get his attention. "We should start at the beginning."

Phantom nodded. "That's a good idea."