Burnt Bacon and Bright Stars
Danny was stretched out on his favorite starry blue blanket while looking up at the night sky. His father was next to him on a big blanket the same color as Mars and talking about ghosts. His voice was big and bounced off the shiny walls as he waved his arms around. Danny liked how his dad talked with his hands and tonight, he'd used his hands to point out Ursa Major and Ursa Minor. To Danny, his father was like Ursa Major, large and bright, and he was Ursa Minor, smaller but still just like him.
"And when the Ops Center is complete, those ghosts won't be able to hide anymore! This baby will have the most advanced ectoplasm sensing satellites scanning for traces all over the northern hemisphere!"
Danny looked up at his father and wistfully said, "I wanna be a ghost someday. Then I can go to space and fly to the moon." He rolled over on his side, propped his chin on his hand, and his elbow on the floor. His dad rolled over and mirrored Danny's position.
"Oh Danny-boy, you don't want to be a ghost. Ghosts are scary and want to hurt people."
"Nuh-uh, I would be a good ghost and not be scary. I would even make sure to do all of my chores and help old ladies with their groceries!"
Daddy said, "But Danny-boy, Mommy and Daddy hunt ghosts. We try to catch them and protect people because ghosts are bad."
Danny pouted before shaking his head, "I would be a good ghost and save people instead of hurt them, like a superhero!"
His dad chuckled as he stood up. "Ghost powers would be good superpowers for heroes if they weren't bad," he said.
Danny sat up.
"Ghost powers would be the best for exploring outer space! If you don't need to breathe then you wouldn't need an oxygen tank and you could carry a whole bunch of useful tools and bring back space rocks. If you could go intangible then you wouldn't have to worry about friction leaving or reentering the atmosphere, you wouldn't need a space suit and could just fly straight to the moon!" Danny pointed up at the full moon which brightly shined over the town. "It would be so easy to explore the other planets in our solar system with ghost powers. Dust on Mars wouldn't be a problem, storms on Jupiter wouldn't be a problem. I could go count the rings of Saturn and compare them to Jupiter's ring."
Danny hugged his knees to his chest before asking, "Daddy, would you and Mommy hunt me if I was a ghost? Even if I was a good ghost?"
Danny's father crouched next to him and put his large hand on the boy's shoulder, "If you were a ghost, I would know you're good, even if you have big teeth and pointy claws and horns," He scooped him up and gently swung him around through the air, "Even if you turned green and hairy. As long as you're Danny I will always love you!" He brought his son to face him, "Even if you turned into a ghost, you'll always be my little boy."
Danny giggled and put his hands on his father's cheeks and gave him nose kisses. "I love you too Daddy!"
Jack gathered the blankets and slung them over one shoulder and Danny over the other. He carried the giggling boy down the stairs all the way to the kitchen. He plopped his son into his chair.
"Well, Mommy and Jazzy-pants should be back soon from the store, and I think they're bringing home pizza!"
Danny laughed at the nickname for his sister before cheering, "Yay! Pizza!" He threw his hands in the air. "Do the pizza dance, Daddy!"
Jack sighed dramatically before smiling and saying, "Ok, I'll do the pizza dance."
He danced around the kitchen, waving his arms and occasionally chanting, "Pizza! Pizza! I want some pizza!"
Danny wiggled in his seat and yelled, "Pizza! Pizza!" every time his dad did. They were loud enough that neither of them heard the click of the front door opening and shutting, or noticed that Maddie and Jazz were home until Maddie's voice joined in the song..
"Pizza, pizza, here's the pizza!" She sang as she danced into the kitchen with two big pizza boxes.
Jazz bounced into the room chattering about how excited she was to start first grade and how happy she was to have the big colored pencil box that had all of the important colors and its own special sharpener. Jack danced around Maddie before he pulled her into a spin and dipped her for a kiss while his other hand held the pizza boxes steady.
"Ewww." Danny and Jazz said together.
When Jack released Maddie and took the pizzas, she asked, "So what have you two boys been up to while we were gone?"
Jack turned to put the boxes on the counter. As he grabbed paper plates and napkins out of the cupboard he replied, "Me and Danny were taking advantage of the clear sky and were stargazing up in the ops center."
Maddie turned back to face him with her hands on her hips and a mild look of disapproval.
"I hope you cleaned up the floor before you let Danny up there," she said.
Jack kissed her on the forehead before he passed her some plates.
"Don't worry, I cleaned up the floor and made sure to put down blankets."
Maddie beamed up at Jack while Danny and Jazz made gagging sounds at their affection.
"I also told Danny a little about ghosts and what they can do."
"I want to be a ghost someday!" Danny exclaimed from his seat at the table.
"A ghost? Jack!" Maddie scolded as she turned from Danny's beaming face to Jack's stiff shoulders.
She kneeled next to Danny's chair.
"Danny, why would you want to be a ghost? Ghosts are bad and they attack people." She explained.
"Ghost powers would be the best for exploring outer space! And I could do my chores faster and go to the Moon and Mars and all of the other planets!" He rambled. "I would be a nice superhero ghost Mommy."
"I suppose those would be some good uses for ghost powers, sweetie." She said as she ruffled his hair.
Jazz piped up from across the table, "Ghosts aren't real, but if they were, Danny couldn't be a scary or mean ghost even if he tried. So, Danny would be a good ghost if they did exist."
Maddie smiled and said, "Yes, our Danny couldn't be a bad ghost. If either of you were ghosts we would still love you."
Danny leaned forward in bed and stretched his arms out over his head. The last several nights he had been thinking hard about whether or not he should tell his parents the truth about his accident. His powers were pretty much under control now. He hadn't had any intangibility or invisibility accidents for at least a couple of weeks. He had been trying to remember all the times that his parents had mentioned ghosts before the portal was built. This had been on his mind so much now that he had continued to relive his memories in his dreams. If there was a ghost that could affect dreams or memories he'd be concerned, but he hadn't heard of any with powers like that.
The memory he had dreamt of this time was from when he was little. He remembered the unfinished walls of the ops center and the silly dance his dad would do whenever they had pizza. Maybe this was the sign he needed that it was time to tell them.
Danny grabbed his phone from the nightstand and called Tucker. His heart felt like it was beating in his ears as the other line rang. After a few unending seconds, he heard a click, and then Tucker's voice.
"Danny? Are you ok?"
"Tucker, you know how I've been thinking about telling my parents about the whole half ghost thing? I had a dream last night and I remembered that when I was little I told them I wanted to be a ghost."
There was a lengthy pause before Tucker groaned, "Dude. It's 4 am."
Danny cringed slightly as he looked over at his alarm clock.
"Were they ok with you wanting to be a ghost when you were a little kid?" Tucker asked. "Because I can't see them being too thrilled about it. Even back when we were little they were pretty anti-ghost."
"I remember I told them I wanted to be a ghost because ghost powers would be great for exploring space and the Moon. I even told them how I would use the basic powers to go into space if I was a ghost. They wanted to remind me that ghosts were bad but they did say that if I was a ghost they wouldn't hunt me. Dad even said that ghost powers would be good superpowers."
"Well it seems like you already want to tell them and I have been saying you should tell them since you got your powers. Have you even tried to go to space since you got them?" he asked.
"Tucker," Danny groaned. "I've been way too busy trying to deal with the ghosts that've been invading and trying not to flunk all of my classes to even think about going to space."
Tucker snorted. "I'm sure you've managed to at least think of it, but seriously, it's probably a good idea to tell them before something bad happens and someone gets hurt. Who knows what kind of nasty ghost could attack next?"
"Yeah, you're right. The longer I wait the harder this'll be. Thanks for helping me talk it out."
"Sure thing, buddy. Just, try to keep the existential dilemmas and mental crises to daylight hours."
"I make no promises." Danny chuckled.
"Alright, fair enough. But if that's everything, talk to you later. I'll even warn Sam for you so she won't try to talk you out of it."
"Thanks Tucker, you're the best."
"You know it!" Tucker answered before hanging up the call.
Danny laid back down, thoughts racing, as he tried to think of how to tell his parents.
"Hey Mom and Dad, you remember how the ghost portal wasn't working at first? Well I did get it to start…but I happened to be inside it?" He dragged his hand over his face with a groan.
"Hey you know how we aren't supposed to be messing around in the lab because it's dangerous? Well I may have disregarded the rules…but at least now the portal is working?" He grabbed his hair and tugged at it in frustration.
"Maybe I should start with Jazz. I know she has to believe in ghosts now since she saw Phantom and Spectra after the Spirit Rally last week. She did say that I can talk to her about anything though I doubt this was what she was expecting."
Decision now made, Danny slid out of bed and crept down the hall to Jazz's room. Her door was slightly ajar with light spilling into the hallway so she must've been awake. He lightly knocked on the door and poked his head in through the gap.
Jazz sat in bed in comfortable pajamas with a book in hand.
"Danny? You're up early." She checked the clock. "I'm surprised to see you before noon on a Saturday. Come in. Is something wrong?"
Danny shuffled into the room and softly closed the door behind him. He rubbed the back of his neck as he stood by the entrance. His eyes skipped past his sister's face as they roved over the bookshelves stuffed with psychology and science textbooks. She still had all of her spelling bee medals pinned and hanging around the border of the cork board behind her desk. With posters of quotes from famous scientists intermixed with handwritten motivational phrases, her personality practically oozed from the walls. Now that he was actually in her room, it was like all of his confidence had just evaporated.
As the silence dragged longer, Jazz put her book aside and patted the bed next to her. Danny gingerly stepped forward before he perched on the edge of the bed.
Jazz rolled her eyes and pulled him closer. Once she had rearranged the blankets to cover both of them she said lightly, "Just like when we were little and you would sneak into my bed after nightmares."
Danny chuckled, tension broken, and said, "Speaking of when we were little, do you remember right when you were in, I don't know, first grade, and I told Mom and Dad that I wanted to be a ghost someday?"
He felt her go very still. She stared straight ahead for a long moment before she shook her head and answered.
"I do remember that. They were still doing that ridiculous pizza dance back then. Wasn't that before they finished the Ops Center? You used to stargaze up there with whoever you could convince to go up with you."
"Yeah," he confirmed. "Well, remember how we basically all agreed that I couldn't be a bad or scary ghost even if I tried?"
"I do remember that, too." she laughed. "Of course, now we all know that ghosts actually do exist. But I stand by what I said back then, even if ghosts exist, you wouldn't be a bad ghost."
Danny managed a half smile and took a deep breath.
"So a few months ago when I had the accident in the lab I got more than just a shock. I was in the portal when it turned on and ever since I've had ghost powers and can turn into a ghost. I'm not dead! I can turn back to well, mostly normal, very easily. The ghosts call me the halfa, half ghost, half boy. I've been catching the ghosts that come through the portal and putting them back in the ghost zone. They aren't all bad either. I've met a few nice ghosts that live in, well haunt, the human world. They've been really friendly and helpful! Some of them just want to be left alone, you know? I'm rambling now aren't I?"
Danny paused for a breath and raised his head from his knees to how Jazz was taking it. She smiled at him.
"Uh, Jazz? Are you going to say anything?"
Instead of responding, she pulled him into a tight hug. It took a moment for him to relax.
"Jazz?" he asked with a sniff, "C'mon you can't just-"
"I am so proud of you!" she said. "I know it was very brave of you to tell me a big secret like that."
"Wait, you already knew?" he asked.
"I suspected something was going on for a while, but I only found out last week during the Spectra thing at the Spirit Rally. I was hoping you would tell me when you were ready. I'm proud of you for telling me, and for all you've been doing to protect everyone. I've been doing what I could to help cover for you with Mom and Dad and your teachers."
"You have?" He asked, eyebrows creeping into his hairline.
"I may be your bossy big sister, but I care for you and I don't want to make things harder or more stressful for you." She paused, and then asked, "Are you planning on telling Mom and Dad next?"
"I thought you just said that you were trying not to make things more stressful for me." Danny teased. "But yeah, I guess remembering how supportive they were when we were little was the push that I needed to be ready."
"Well, I'm sure they're awake now, and the kitchen should be pretty safe right now. I made them clean up their experiments yesterday. If you're ready, now would be a good time."
"Yeah…you're right, it just feels like a lot to tell them. Even knowing that they'll accept me, I'm still worried that they won't see me the same, or that they'll want me to stop hunting ghosts." Danny said as he slipped out of her arms and off the bed. "Will you come down and back me up when I tell them?" he asked.
"Of course I will! Just give me a couple of minutes to grab a few things and I'll be right down."
Jazz flipped her blankets off revealing her favorite pajamas that were covered in different scientific formulas.
"You're still a nerd." Danny said as he ducked back out of her room.
"And you're a dork." She retorted.
"I love you too!" he called as he headed towards the stairs.
Danny paused at the top of the steps and pulled out his phone to message his friends.
Danny: About to tell my parents
Wish me luck!
Tucker: You don't need luck
Sam: If things go bad come to my house, I can hide you in my closet.
it's big enough to have its own ensuite
Tucker: Sweet!
He let out a humorless chuckle and put his phone away. A few seconds later Jazz walked up behind him with a large binder titled, Reasons Why Not All Ghosts are Bad, and Especially not Danny.
"You had enough time to make a whole thing of why ghosts aren't all bad?" he asked.
"Don't be silly, I've been working on this since the first ghosts showed up and started adding in the bits specifically about you last week. I thought it might come in handy one day to have all of the evidence together."
"I both admire and fear your organization." Danny said.
Jazz sniffed imperiously and said, "As you should."
Danny went down the stairs slowly with Jazz trailing behind him. He stopped at the doorway to the kitchen, but Jazz gave him a gentle push across the threshold.
"Morning, sweetie!" his mom called from the stove where she was frying up surprisingly non-ectoplasmic bacon and eggs.
"Good Morning, son!" his father said from the kitchen table where he was tinkering with a gadget, parts strewn all across the tabletop.
From behind him, Jazz facepalmed and muttered, "So much for keeping the kitchen clean."
Danny cleared his throat.
"Mom, Dad, I have something I need to tell you." He picked at one of the holes in his pajama sleeves as he waited for their response.
"Is it about ghosts?" His dad asked.
"Well, kinda." Danny answered, now rubbing the back of his neck.
"Have ghosts been threatening my boy?" His dad demanded as he leapt up from the table.
"Well yes, and no…" Danny's voice trailed off.
"What ectoplasmic scum thinks it can mess with a Fenton? I'll tear it apart molecule by molecule!" Jack exclaimed with his fist in the air.
"Now Jack, calm down," Maddie turned from the stove and put her hand on his arm, "I'm sure that whatever is going on will make more sense after Danny has had a chance to tell us about it."
Danny chuckled nervously, glad that Jazz was behind him for moral support. "Let me just start from the beginning then. A few months ago when I had that accident in the lab and got the portal working, I was a lot closer to it than I told you."
"How close were you?" Maddie asked.
Danny hugged himself as he answered, "I was inside it, there was an 'on' button on the inside and I accidentally hit it while I was looking in it."
"But Danny, the shock of that much electricity, not to mention the ectoplasm, should have killed you! You were fine when we came home and the portal was working."
Maddie quickly ran over to him, scrutinizing him for signs of injury.
"I was fine! I still am!" Danny added as he backed away with his hands in the air. "I just had a few more side effects than the tingling and numbness from the shock. What I'm saying is, ever since the accident with the portal, I've had ghost powers."
"Ghost powers? Sweetie, humans can't have ghost powers." She put the back of her hand to his forehead to check for a fever and then grabbed his wrist to check his pulse. "You don't have a fever, and your heartbeat is steady if a bit slow. Honey, you're not a ghost."
"I know, I'm still human most of the time, I can turn into a ghost and back at will and can use my powers in either form." He held up his free hand. "Here, look." Then he flickered his hand in and out of visibility.
His mom frowned. "I suppose the high concentration of ectoplasm would have prevented you from crossing to the other side, especially as you would have been effectively on both sides if you were in the portal when it activated. Is this why you've been dropping glassware at school?"
"Yeah, getting control of the powers was a little tricky at first and several times they went off while I was holding beakers or flasks in science class. And that's basically the theory so far, that being in the portal when it activated saved me from actually dying."
"Son, why did it take so long for you to tell us?" his dad asked.
Danny looked down, unable to meet his dad's eyes or to look at his mom wrapped around him. "I was afraid. At first I didn't want to worry you guys or get in trouble for not obeying lab safety rules. Then I was hunting the ghosts that were attacking the town and I didn't want you to try to stop me when I'm able to help protect people. I was also worried that you would see me as a ghost instead of your son or not believe me when I told you."
"Oh sweetie, of course we believe you're still you. This does explain why almost all of our inventions were going off around you. You're very lucky that you didn't get hurt! We'll have to work at modifying them to ignore your signature." His mom said.
"Whether you're a boy, a ghost, or something in between, you're our son and we love you." Jack added as he picked up both his wife and his son in a hug. "I bet you've got all kinds of insider information on ghosts now! Think of how much you can help advance our understanding of ghosts and how they interact with our world!"
"We love you, sweetie. No matter what." Maddie said.
"I knew everything would be alright." Jazz cheered as she joined the group hug.
Danny smiled and basked in the acceptance of his family. He'd been pretty sure that they would accept him, but it still felt amazing to have his trust validated.
A moment later, he wrinkled his nose.
"I think the bacon's burning."
Jazz jumped out of the hug.
"I've got it! None of you move!" She exclaimed.
She hurried over to the stove, flipped the bacon, and turned the heat down.
As he sat in his parents' arms, Danny decided that slightly burnt bacon was his new favorite smell.