Now or Never.

Jazz closed her book, letting out a shaky breath. Danny had left the house and wasn't planning to be back until tomorrow. Mom and Dad were on a year long ghost hunting trip. She was alone.

She waited to make sure her brother didn't come back for anything he might of left behind. Thinking about it once more.

This was a stupid idea. She knew this. If it was anyone else, she would lecture them to Hell n back. Yet, she can't seem to find any reason not to.

No. She had reasons not to. Many. But they couldn't measure to what she could gain. She knew she would regret it more if she didn't.

She gave a firm nod, with that in mind. She was going to do it. She stood up from the kitchen table and made her way to the basement.

Jazz stopped once she reached the bottom of the stairs, staring at the ghost portal. She hated it.

It devoured her parents attention. More often than not, she found herself wanting to bust the machine out of teenage rebellion. At times, she wish she had. Instead she took the high road and focused on her studies, believing she could get away from all things ghostly.

Jazz snorted, shaking her head with a fond smile. 'Old me would have a heart attack.' She turned to start working on shutting the portal down, starting with the power supply to it.

She had grown to get over that. She didn't care about appearances, about being normal, and about winning parents attention. That didn't matter. Still, she hated the portal because of what it did to Danny.

It took away her little brother's life.

Worse, it took away his death.

Danny was aiming for the stars, and dreamed of his future in space. Jazz wasn't the only Fenton that picked out their dream college in middle school. Danny had a few he was aiming for.

After the portal opened, Danny's grades plummeted. His eyes stopped looking at the stars and instead were trained to his feet. Dreams of the future turned into nightmares instead. He no longer looked farther than the present, if only to keep himself sane. He was just 14.

Now, and forever. Jazz listened to the whirl of machinery as it powered down. Jazz staring as the portal refuse to leave. It whirled despite all the power supplied to it, dissipated.

Jazz knew that powering it down wouldn't work to shut down. It would take days normally for it to fizzle out. If not weeks. That's why she had prepared before hand. After all, this wasn't a last minute decision.

She had noticed Danny hadn't age since the accident during her first year at college. She had come back for winter break, realizing how much Tucker and Sam grew, yet there was Danny. Sheepish smile. He must of knew by then too.

Jazz went on a photo frenzy afterwards, to make sure she wasn't just imagining it. It was true though. Danny never aged once, his demeanor made him look older, but he wasn't. Not physically. It confused her, and it scared her. She was terrified for Danny.

She took off to find answers from those in the ghost zone.

'Fate is cruel. Young Daniel's even more so.'

Clockwork never gave Jazz a direct answer, but he gave her all she needed. She had seen parts of the future Danny could only remember, and knew Danny would continue to beat himself up through his grief. He couldn't prevent them from dying. Nor should he.

But he shouldn't have to deal with this alone. Its too much for one person.

Jazz went over to a closet, revealing a modified shop-vac. She been secretly working on and upgrading the vacuum to suck up ambient ectoplasm. She used the Fenton thermos as inspiration, and the vacuum had already been modified by her parents. She just made tweaks on it. It took her a lot longer than she was willing to admit.

She wasn't good at building without instructions. She wasn't creative like her Dad or Danny was, or knew as much as her mother to wing it. She couldn't asked them either, at least not directly. She couldn't ask Danny at all. He would of known that she was planning something.

She smiled. Funny how he always thought he was the dumb one in the family. Considering how much praise Jazz received over Danny, even after parents knowing the truth, wasn't surprising. Still, she hoped she could change that.

It took about a few hours of vacuuming, Jazz having to clean it out twice, before the Portal started to look different. Jazz was starting to worry that she might not make it in time. She looked at the clock, furrowing her brows and pressed her lips. She could of sworn it was hours, but it only been one.

Jazz shrugged it off, and continued to run the vacuum. It took 3 hours for the portal to close, (She double checked.) She let out a relieved breath. A cold settle in, as she stared at that empty hole in the wall.

It felt unsettling, eerie... death. She steeled herself. She redid her bun on her head, and started cleaning up the lab. She wanted to recreate that faithful day as much as possible. She only had one chance.

Danny was one of a kind, even among his own. He was perfect balance between life and death. Jazz theorized. Vlad and Danielle were still aging. Vlad was aging slowly, and poor Dani. She was aging rapidly.

'Nooo, now I have TWO older sisters! Both just as annoying.'

Jazz chuckled at the memory. Dani and Danny made jokes about it. Jazz and Dani tag team to mess with Danny all night. Despite the laughter, they all were scared. Dani less so then her and Danny.

'I never even thought I get to live this long.'

Jazz remember her confess.

It was hard to tell with Vlad, but Jazz had seen pictures to prove it. The lines in his face were getting deeper. Jazz wonder if Danny was still holding onto hope that he was aging slowly. Tuck and Sam seem to be under that impression. So was Mom and Dad.

Dusting her hands off. She had the lab outside of the portal mostly ready. Anything that could interfere, was put away. The filters were cleaned and excess ectoplasm was dealt with.

Now she needed to turn the button off from the inside, so she can turn it on once everything was plugged in. She felt a chill again, as she climbed inside. Its been 6 years since she saw the inside of this thing.

Her heart thumping hard. It was dark in the portal, creepy. Humans naturally feared the unknown. Jazz KNEW about the portal, but she never explored it. She never looked inside it. And now it terrified her.

Danny was here when-

Her resolved was steeled again, she took a deep breath. 'Focus Jazz, button.. button. A-ha!'

She saw the panel in the dim light and pressed the off button, holding it down for a minute. She hoped that kept it from turning on.

Now she needed to clean herself up. She didn't want her ghost to look disheveled, and she wasn't sure if any residue from ectoplasm would hinder or help her. She needed to replicate the accident as close as possible.

She pursed her lips, staring at the row of hazmat suits. Danny was wearing his when he.. She didn't want to be stuck in one though. She wonder if it would change the results.

Jazz groaned, deciding to put one on. She just had to put something over the top. Maybe a jacket? That sounded good. She hoped it wouldn't make a difference...

'Danny said there was a way to change it. He just didn't know how. Hm..'

Danny was stuck in what he died in. Jazz wonder how much that actually affects him. That's something they never discussed. Actually, there was a lot of things she had to guess with with Danny.

Jazz chewed on inside of her cheek. So many things she wonder about. Worried about. Only one way to find out.

She tugged her favorite zipped up jacket over her hazmat suit. Her hair tied into a bun. She snorted. She looked far from the professional attire she usually wore

She was ready. At least ready as she could be. Danny was going to hate her.

Jazz shook her hands, getting rid of the nerves that tingled her skin. She could do this. She HAD to do this. Ghosts had unfinished business, that's why she was sure she would come back. She needed to be there for Danny.

She plugged in the portal. Chills going down her spine as she heard the machinery hiss with power. Jazz pressed the button on the outside of the portal on. Waiting. She heard it whirl up and creek, whispering danger. Her eyes glued to the inside of the portal, that was now lit up.

Jazz felt fear that she messed up, seeing green at the end of the tunnel only for it to fade right out. She let out a shaky breath in relief.. then started laughing at how ridiculous she was.

Calming herself, she went back into action. She wondered if she should leave a note for Danny just in- No. She needed all her reasons to come back. She HAD to tell him herself.

Stepping into the portal, she was cautious of the wires. 'Ugh. Mom and Dad preach about safety measures but never proper do them.' She wonder how different their lives be if they did.

'Everything is as it should be.'

She gasped, stumbling back. She didn't see it the first time she was there. The wall and ground was charred black in a shape of-

'Danny...' Jazz swallowed thickly, as she stared at the shadow of her brother, stained in the tunnel. Her eyes watered, she couldn't imagine. She wouldn't have to.

Her teal eyes staring at the panel. She had one more chance to turn around. Danny would forgive her... but she wouldn't forgive herself. Danny needed someone there with him. It had to be her.

Mom and Dad obviously can't.

Sam and Tuck couldn't do it either. Shouldn't do it. They were in denial of their guilt and it would fester if they couldn't have a life away from it. Time wouldn't be kind to them. Danny would only blame himself.

He still would if she-when she. Jazz had to come back so they could work through that together. Even if it took years, decades.. maybe centuries.. though she prayed not that long.

With that thought in mind, she pressed the button. She had to be there, she has to.


Danny grumbled as he fought Skulker. Danny hated when his plans get interrupted. Couldn't he have a day to himself? The ghosts weren't as bad as they use to be, mostly because he didn't have a fix schedule. Yet it seems without fail, something always happens when he makes plans.

Earlier it was some kind of giant newt, then someone messed with the lunch menu at the hospital, and now it was Skulker.

"You couldn't of waited until next week? Sam and Tuck only home for the week."

"Hunter's schedule is never convenient for their prey!"

Danny squinted at the weapon aimed towards him, "New rocket launcher?"

"Yes! They're made to lock on to. So no matter where you run or hide, they'll find you welp!" Skulker bragged.

Danny whistled, "Fancy. Make it yourself?"

"Yes actually-" Danny shot directly into the barrel of the launcher, causing it to explode.

Skulker slammed into the ground below with a growl. Danny smirked, as he aimed his blast to knock off Skulker's metal head clean off.

"Maybe next time you should can it." Danny sucked Skulker up into the Fenton Thermos. "Enjoy your week, I know I will." Danny was planning to keep Skulker in there for at least a few days if not the week.

Danny got out his phone, to text Sam and Tuck, to let them know he was on his way back-

Danny dropped to the ground, as a shudder shook him from his icy core. Dread. Something bad was happening. His body was screaming at him to go home.

'Jazz?!' Fear surged through him.

His shot off from the ground, speeding towards home. It took him minutes to make it back to Fenton Works, crashing into the living room.

"Unggh-Didn't.. stick the landing." Danny rubbed his left side as he picked himself up.

A foggy breath escape with a chill. Danny's heart sank into his stomach, leaping back up into the air. "Jazz? JAZZ?!"

He was only greeted by silence. Panic. Danny dashed into the kitchen, where he had last seen his sister. Her book laid closed on the table, and the basement door was.. open. Danny phased through the floor, stopping midair with a hitch in his breath.

The portal hummed and swirled behind a figure that laid on the ground. Danny landed in front of the figure, shaking. It was a young woman, her blue hair was tied up into a loose bun and her jacket was white.

The woman groaned, shifting her weight. Danny caught a glance at her eyes, they glowed orange. "..nnngh.. When Danny said that hurt, he was understating it..."

"J-jazz?" Danny unable to make his closed throat speak above a whisper. Teeth clenched as the situation sunk in, speaking with a hiss "What did you DO ?!"

"Danny?!" Jazz jolted from her spot on the floor, sitting up right. She rubbed back of her neck, chuckling. "Something.. admittedly.. dumb. B-but Hey! It worked. Heh."

Danny was in shock. He couldn't believe it. His sister was-

A bright light enveloped Jazz, revealing her natural red hair and her teary teal eyes.

Half-dead.

And an idiot.

Danny wasn't sure which revelation shocked him more.