Chapter 12- Meetings, Part I

"We don't meet people by accident. They are meant to cross our path for a reason. A lesson or a blessing."

"And she's a real princess! Got her own kingdom and castle and everything."

"How'd they meet?"

"A beauty pageant of all things. Danny said she's got a brother, Aragag? Aragoon? Ara something, but the point is he was looking for bride and he wanted something no ghost had ever had; he wanted to be the first ghost to marry a human."

Maddie furrowed her brow. "Why would he want that? Ghosts are immortal, he would outlive his wife and there's no guarantee that she would become a ghost like him. She'd also be more fragile comparatively speaking and I imagine it would be hard keeping a human in good condition for very long in the ghost zone. What would they do for food or water? And what about ecto exposure? We get enough living with the portal but the amount you'd be exposed to staying in the ghost zone 24/7 would be astronomical. There's no telling what the effects would be."

"Maddie let me finish." Jack whined. "You can analyze how stupid the guy was later."

Maddie rolled her eyes. 'Maybe I'm where Jazz gets her analytics from.' She mused. "Sorry, sorry. Continue."

"So Arrowgon sent his sister to find someone worthy of being a princess. Dora thought the best way to do that would be to have a beauty pageant where all the girls from Casper high could strut their stuff. They met because Sam signed up and won."

"Sam? You mean Sam Manson? Danny's Sam- the one he's had a crush on for years? She hates that kind of stuff."

"I know. Danny said he almost fainted when she filled out the form. My money would've been on overshadowing if I were him but no she entered it as some kinda statement."

"So how'd she win? I though high school girls were all about looks and popularity. Why would they give her the crown?"

Jack laughed. "They didn't. Danny was the judge and he thought no one would make a better 'pretty pretty princess' than Sam. After he crowned her the winner Dora took her into the ghost zone to marry Aragorg. Danny got a hold of Phantom and Phantom went after Sam. He barged in on the ceremony and helped Dora overthrow her dictator brother. After that he brought Sam back and that was that."

"Danny's sure got some exciting stories."

"It would be nice if we had some with him and this wasn't all Phantom." Jack said with a pout. "I'm glad he's taken up ghost hunting but we've been trying to take him and Jazz out for years even before the portal. I know I can be overbearing about it, but is it really that bad going out together? He wasn't interested in anything ghost related and now he's brushing us off to go hang out with a ghost." He sighed. "I guess I feel a little jealous that Phantom was able to influence Danny more then we could. And I worry Maddie. I can be blind but I've seen the bruises. I've seen the empty first aid kits in the bathroom garbage and the blood stained gauze. I… Sometimes I'm afraid that Danny will get in over his head. Or that Phantom will drag him into something he's not ready for."

"I know Jack. I worry about it to. Sometimes when I'm doing laundry I find a new bloodstain on one of Danny's shirt or on one of the towels. Those are duller, I think he tries pretreating them so I won't notice but it's hard getting blood out. And it's more than just the physical injuries. It's his school work and social life which seems almost non-existent. His grades will determine what college he gets into and that will affect where or how easily he gets a job and that's- that's his future.

And what about his psychological health? Is he prepared to deal with any backlash from an attack gone wrong? What if Sam and Tucker get hurt? Or a bystander winds up in the hospital? Or there's some dumb lawsuit over property damage?" Maddie put her head in her hands. "I'm so proud of him for trying to make a difference but I'm afraid for him at the same time. He never said a word to us Jack. It's like he's trying to shoulder everything and one day he's not going to be able to do it."

Jack put his arm around Maddie. "That's just how Danny is Maddie. As much as he shirks some responsibilities he picks up the slack silently in others. I think he'll be okay as long as he has help. Danny's already been doing this for over a year without us even knowing. He's a tough kid. We just… we'll be there for him when he needs us."

xXxXxXxXxXx (Friday Morning)

"Onto our final order of business- starting a ghost elective. Paul, since this is your brainchild, if you will?"

"Thank you Allyssa. As we all know, ghost attacks are a regular occurrence here in Amity. They happen everywhere including here at the school. Frequently enough that Naomi commissioned the Fenton's to install three ghost shields to aid in keeping the safety of our students. Now, these attacks do not seem to be slowing down and if anything have gotten worse. You all remember the incident last Halloween with that Ichabod Crane ghost? Or when the town was transported into the ghost zone and invaded?"

He paused and watch as several teachers bobbed theirs heads up in down in agreement. "School is meant to prepare students for life and to give them the appropriate skills necessary to go through it successfully. In Amity Park that means educating them on ghosts. I propose two things: a short, mandatory lesson on ghost safety and school protocol that all students must attend which can be scheduled during gym for a few days and a more comprehensive elective for interested students."

The teachers murmured amongst themselves as Lancer glanced at Naomi's face gauging her reaction. She seemed deep in thought which meant she wasn't just dismissing the idea and Lancer took that as a win. He glanced around listening to the comments and questions wanting to know how the other staff members were taking the proposals.

"We do have a lot of attacks. My wife was screaming about the flower bed in the yard getting burned to a crisp last week."

"I know. My car was damaged 3 days ago in fight between Phantom and the robo ghost. Maybe we should teach a class on filing ghost claims on insurance policies."

"I think mine takes the cake this week; my daughters homework was destroyed by that ghost dog. Her backpack had a lot of cat key chains and she was just walking home one day when it grabbed her back pack and tore it to shreds. We all hear it as teachers, but a dog really did eat her homework. Susy said that's the best excuse she's ever gonna have."

"The elective would obviously be for next year but what about the mandatory one? Should that be this year? Prepare them for any summer catastrophes."

"I don't think it can. It's pretty much the end of the year- there's only two weeks left. That's no time to prepare anything."

"Who's gonna teach the class? No one here is an expert and I'm not in favor of inviting Jack Fenton here on a regular basis."

"There's a whole summer to read up on this stuff. Anyone one who wants to could teach it."

"Maybe a club would be a better idea? If that has good results then we could start a class."

"Would all students have this annually or only freshmen after we update all the kids?"

Naomi cleared her throat. "I believe Paul has brought up some good points. We would be failing our young charges by not providing an appropriate education on ghost safety. Some of you have expressed that going over safety protocol might be good preparation in the event of a ghost disaster this summer however I also agree with those of you who feel that that there is not enough time.

In light of this conflict I would suggest a one period workshop going over safety measures in case the school is needed as an anti-ghost safe heaven during the break and answering any questions the students have in regard to that. That will leave the summer to create official ghost protocols for Casper High that can be gone over at the beginning of next year. We will have this short lecture on Monday during, as Paul suggested, the student's gym period. I would hate to take away other class time right before finals and I believe their gym final is a timed mile run. They can afford to miss practice Monday and either stay after school or do it on their own time. I hope this is alright with you Briana?"

Briana Tetslaff nodded. "Of course, ma'am."

"Good. As for starting a ghost elective… One of you would need to volunteer before the year is over and present a basic lesson plan. I need to know what would be taught and if I would need to order anything for the new year. It was your idea Paul but if you feel you are too busy and someone else would like to volunteer or if two teachers would like to split the course and cover two related topics then that is fine. Graduation is the 21st but I know that grading finals so report cards can be released is a higher priority so I would like something submitted by that Saturday, the 23rd. If there are no further questions or comments," she paused giving anyone a chance to speak "then the meeting is adjourned."

xXxXxXxXxXx (Right after school)

Danny walked into his homeroom and set his stuff down. "How'd the meeting go? You seemed kinda stressed about it yesterday."

Lancer finished stuffing a short stack of pink and green papers into a section of his accordion folder. "They ran out of the light yellow paper." He said wryly. "Just when I was starting to sort them partially by color." He put the segmented folder into his large knapsack. "The meeting went very well. Ms. Manson's protests have paid off. Principle Ishiyama agreed to include a vegetarian option for lunch next year and to hire a new cook. Tetslaff managed to get approval for the new obstacle course equipment. She used my argument about ghosts to make a case. Apparently kids will be better prepared to go through a war zone, or a ghost disaster zone, after she's through with them next year."

"You realize that now that they've given in once to Sam's demands she's not gonna stop? She's gonna be pushing for the mechanical frogs with new determination. And thanks for the heads up on gym."

"You're quite welcome Danny. I've seen that woman during gym, she runs it like a boot camp. I always feel bad for the incoming freshman who have no idea what they're getting into and try making it a point to give them a fair warning."

Danny shook his head chucking. He didn't know when or what had started it but most people were aware of the rivalry between Lancer and Tetslaff. Sometimes that meant exaggerating how bad the other one was, although it wasn't that much of a stretch. Gym really felt like boot camp sometimes. "Did you get approval to?"

Lancer smiled brightly. "I sure did. It's open to anyone wanting to teach it but I'd really like to teach at least half the class."

"Half?"

"Well Principle-" the door opened and Sam walked in.

"Tucker's staying behind for a bit and talking to Mr. Roberts." She explained before Danny could ask. "That class actually happening?" Sam asked turning to Lancer.

"As I was explaining to Mr. Fenton, permission was given to start a class and it's open to any teacher who wants the job. There was a suggestion on possibly splitting the class into two semesters and having two people teach it. I plan on running at least half of it although no one else seemed that interested this morning so I might be teaching the whole year alone."

Sam nodded. "Do you have an idea of what you want to do yet?"

"Not really no. I was hoping maybe Mr. Fenton could give me some inspiration. I'm also planning on talking to Maddie and Jack. Perhaps one or both of them could come in and give a lecture about their work."

Danny looked a bit skeptical. "You actually want to invite my dad here?"

"I'm hoping that as long as there isn't a ghost attack that day nothing will happen. I've been to your house several times for personal parent teacher conferences and I know it's possible to have an uneventful talk with them."

"Well, I'm sure they'll agree to it. I was already talking to my dad about it and he seemed pretty excited about the idea. Did you mention having my parents or Phantom as guest speakers to the principle?"

"Principle Ishiyama wants a lesson plan by the 23rd. If I can reasonably work your parents into it then I think there won't be a problem. She's a bit leery of your father but seems to tolerate him more after he put in the ghost shields with no incidents and she's fine with your mother. As for Phantom, well he shows up sometimes. It's not my fault if he drops by and decides to talk to the students."

Sam got where he was going. "So you think she'd refuse if you flat out asked and you're banking on being able to chalk it up to coincidence."

"Why Ms. Manson I don't know what you're talking about. I am merely stating that ghosts have a tendency to show up and that I cannot control nor be held accountable for that."

Danny and Sam shared a look. 'Plausible deniability.'

"Moving on, Mr. Fenton I really would like to talk to your parents and see if they have any advice. This is their field of expertise after all. Is there any time you think I could come over and talk to them? Hopefully soon since I am on a time crunch."

"My dad's getting out of the hospital today but the weekend is usually a good time. I guess Sunday? That way I could let them know tonight and you'd have some time to come up with any questions you want answered."

"Alright. That sounds reasonable. Is there a specific time that would work best?"

"Uh… we like to sleep in, so the afternoon would good. 2 o'clock ok? I know my parents can loose track of time if they're really into something so that would give you guys plenty of time to talk."

"Very considerate of you. If that won't work out then please have them call me. I know your mother has my number. I also have your house number and I'll make sure to call before coming over."

xXxXxXxXxXx (Sunday, Fenton House)

Lancer rang the doorbell and waited patiently on the steps. He looked up at the giant structure perched atop the house and wondered not for the first time how it managed to sit there without crushing the building beneath it. Perhaps some kind of ghost powered technology was responsible for denying the laws of physics.

The door opened and the youngest Fenton greeted him. "Hey Mr. Lancer, 2 o'clock on the dot. Are you this punctual to everything?"

"Not everything no. Sometimes I arrive early." He replied following Danny inside. Danny led him into the living room and motioned for him to take a seat. The balding teacher chose the single chair next to the couch. That way the Fenton's could sit together and he could face both of them.

Danny pulled over another chair from the corner but refrained from sitting down. "My parents will be up in a minute. They're setting something up so that it'll run while they're up here. Did you want anything to drink? Coffee, tea, soda, juice, water?"

"What kind of tea do you have?"

"Uh…" Danny scratched his head. "I'll have to look. I mostly drink soda and juice. I could give you a full inventory on those. Jazz is the tea lover, although my mom likes some every now and then."

He walked into the kitchen and opened up the cupboard next to the fridge. "There's rose hip, chamomile, chai, and jasmine." Danny announced raising his voice.

"Jasmine's good." Lancer replied back.

Danny grabbed the box of tea bags and set it on the counter. He opened the next cabinet and pulled out a mug with a smirk on his face. 'He'll get a kick out of Jazz's cup.' On the front were several disheveled stacks of book and a caption that read 'I've stared down books with more spine than you'. He filled the mug with water and put it in the microwave for 90 seconds. "Have you made any progress on the lesson plan?" Danny asked leaning against the doorway.

"I've come up with a few ideas. I was hoping for your feedback as a student since you know more about your peers' interests. I'd like it to be educational but also appealing and hopefully, fun to some extent."

"Sure." The microwave went off and Danny took the nerdy mug out before grabbing the tea canister and fishing a bag out. He dropped the it in the hot water and brought it out to his teacher who accepted the mug gratefully.

"This is really just going to be trial and error for the first year. I have several topics I'd like to touch on but I have no idea have long any of them will take. It's hard to gauge when I don't even know how much information is available. It's also going to be up to the students to give me feedback on what they like, don't like, what they might want added for another year and so on."

"You think it'll run for a while?"

Lancer frowned. "I would like to have a least one class on ghosts as long as there are ghosts around, and I foresee that being the norm for a long time unless something changes."

Thunderous footsteps drew their attention to the kitchen and a moment later Jack and Maddie popped into the living room.

"Mr. Lancer, so good to see you again." Maddie greeted offering her hand.

Lancer took it and gave a firm shake. "Likewise, and under much better circumstances than usual." He added giving Danny a teasing smile.

"Danny says you're here to talk about ghosts." Jack said grabbing Lancer's hand in a crushing grip as soon as Maddie let go.

"Yes. I was hoping for some assistance in planning a class. I have some things I'd like to educate the students on but find myself lacking the necessary information. I also had a few favors to ask."

"Oh?"

"Well, one of the last sections I plan on discussing is Fenton tech. Would you mind if I brought the students here as a field trip and you explained some of your work? Showed them what you've been working on and around your lab?"

"Of course!" Jack boomed. "Give 'em an inside look into the wonder of FentonWorks."

"Assuming you could get approval for such a thing and get permission slips signed I wouldn't be opposed. I imagine there would be more than a few concerned parents though. There are those that consider our house a death trap. What else did you have in mind?" Maddie asked.

"There's only so much I can answer if there are any questions and some of this stuff will be over my head I'm sure. Are you open to coming in and giving a lecture? Answering any questions the students have from previous lectures or in general?"

Jack paused and looked at Danny. "Well I wouldn't mind but I'm not sure if we're welcome. I've been told I have a tendency to…" he trailed off not sure how to phase it. 'Embarrass Danny and to a lesser extent Jazz. Make people uncomfortable. Make a mess of things, literally many times and not be taken seriously.' The field trip was a bit different. The damage was limited to just the students in the class. There was the whole student body of Casper high to contend with if he went to the school.

Maddie gave Jack a sympathetic look understanding what was going through his mind. She was glad Jack wasn't rushing into things. It was very considerate and a huge difference from his usual tendency to just blindly rush into something with overwhelming gusto. It also made her a bit sad.

Danny for his part looked shocked that his dad hadn't just agreed after sounding so enthusiastic about having his fellow classmates over to look around the lab.

"There's a tendency for something to happen." Maddie finished for Jack. "Usually there's some kind of incident whenever we go to the school so your principle might not be too keen on the idea of having us. If we get permission then I would be agreeable to giving a presentation to the students." She looked at Jack. "We both would."

Lancer nodded. "I understand. If it helps, Principle Ishiyama was very pleased with your work installing those ghost shields Mr. Fenton. And she's very appreciative of those times when you've personally seen to the safety of the students and towns people. As long as she's given notice of when you'd be coming in, I believe that she be amiable to such a thing."

"I suppose we'll see what happens. For now, why don't you tell us more about what you tentatively have planned." Maddie suggested.

"Of course. I would like to start with some basic information about ghosts. How they're formed, where you find them, how you find them, maybe a little physiology. After that I'd like to go over safety. There's going to be a mandatory lecture next year on our schools ghost protocols but I'd like to include more and it's a good bridge into the next section- recognizing and treating injuries. After tha-"

"Are you referring to standard wounds or ecto injuries?" Maddie asked interrupting.

"I wasn't aware there was a difference unless you're just referring to what caused wound."

Jack shook his head. "Some injuries are directly caused by ectoplasm. Ecto burns and toxic ecto exposure mostly but we've seen ecto-acne in a few instances and some other things."

"There was an outbreak last year if you remember where the school had to be quarantined. That was another ghost illness." Maddie added.

"Is there any special first aid to treat these ecto injures?"

"Some. It depends on what you're dealing with."

"Since you have more practical experience perhaps this would be one of those times where you could come in and give a talk or demonstration on treating injuries? I'm sure our principle would be more than willing to allow the two of you to come in for something like this."

"We'd be glad to."

"Thank you. After that I'd go over available Fenton Tech and then practical and theoretical uses for ectoplasm."

"That's when you wanna have us come over here, right?" Danny asked.

"Yes. I figured that would be interesting and a nice topic to end the class on. Your thoughts so far?" Lancer asked to all the Fentons present.

"It sounds like a lot." Danny admitted. "Ghost physiology is kinda heavy. You should see the book Jazz has been reading. It's like two phone books thick. And you want us to learn first aid. Are we going to be getting certified by the way if this is approved?"

"Probably not. You need to pass an actual test after taking a class with a teacher who's been certified. I'm just hoping to get the basics taught in case there's an emergency. Knowing how to bandage someone who's bleeding out or understanding not to move someone who's in shock is important. Not just for ghost attacks but if god forbid any other kind of disaster strikes."

"I agree with Danny." Maddie said putting her two cents in. "It's going to be a lot for you to learn as well to be able to explain it to your kids. You'd need to have more understanding than them to answer any questions. Granted, since you're looking to give more of an overview I would say it's doable but you're going to need to put in time." She warned. "We'd also be putting in time teaching you some of this stuff. Not everything you want to know is in a book. You wanted to have a unit on Fenton Tech which sounds like a good idea if any of them want to learn how to defend themselves but that is something only me and Jack could explain."

"If you're willing to take the time to teach me then I am prepared to learn. I would not ask my students to do anything that I was unwilling to do myself."

"Alright. I believe I can make some time. Jack?"

"I wouldn't let you have all the fun Mads." He answered smiling. "I do have one question though. Danny mentioned something about having ghosts show up. Are you really looking to invite Phantom?"

Lancer paused. He hadn't been expecting that particular question. The Fenton's were known to be very anti-ghost; he assumed that little tid bit would have to be forceful pried out of Danny instead of just being given up. "I… don't know of a reliable way of contacting him to invite him but yes, I was hoping Phantom would show up at some point during the school year and that he could talk to the students. He is a ghost, I believe he has some authority on the matter and unlike other ghosts Phantom is friendly and approachable."

Jack digested the response. It seemed like Danny and his teacher were on the same page as for as trusting Phantom to no end. "Is it worth the risk? If something happened to make Phantom attack you wouldn't be able to stop him. He's the only ghost we know of that can get past ghost shields. No idea how he does it, but that adds a unique danger to him. There is no safe zone if he turns." He saw Maddie giving him an annoyed look and Danny seemed hurt. "It's not pleasant to think about I know, but as good of an opportunity as it is it comes with risks. Ghost are liable to come looking for him while he's at the school and that's just inviting trouble."

"You bring up excellent points Jack; points that I've actually being giving a lot of thought to. I agree that other ghosts have been known to go looking for Phantom. That robotic ghost in particular seems to show up at least once a week. But nine time out of ten the ghosts show up before Phantom which means they're going to be around regardless. In the end I really don't think it's gonna make a difference in the frequency of ghost attacks. And I have noticed his puzzling ability to get into places he shouldn't be able to. As you've said it's just one of the many mysteries of Phantom." Lancer sighed. "What would you have me do? Ask him to leave and keep an ecto gun on hand in case he doesn't go when asked nicely?"

"I…" Everyone seemed focused on him and Jack felt a brief flash of anger. Why did it feel like they were against him? He was trying to be careful and reasonable and keep people safe. He wasn't trying to be the bad guy and yet that's what he was here. Four people in the room and he was the only one with reservations. He wasn't the bad guy, was he?

Jack didn't trust Phantom. He wanted to. He wanted to believe that Maddie was right. That Danny was right. That everyone else who supported Phantom was right because there were enough headaches when it came to dealing with ghosts and worrying about the ghost boy seemed to take the cake. He was powerful, cunning and could get around the only means of protection they had. Jack wanted to be able to stop worrying about Phantom so much. It's why he had asked Danny to set up a meeting with him and why he was willing to meet another ghost. But Phantom didn't have his acceptance yet. And until he did Jack was going to be skeptical of letting the ghost interact with people, kids in this case, who couldn't handle themselves in a ghost emergency.

… but what if there were people who could handle him? What if he or Maddie were there when Phantom was. The ghost seemed to have a soft spot for his wife. Perhaps he'd be less likely to start trouble if she was there. And even if he did Jack had no trouble believing that Maddie could handle herself.

"I think he needs a chaperone. My biggest concern is that something could happen that you aren't prepared to deal with. If someone else is there then problem solved."

A/N:

This got up faster than I originally thought when I posted chapter 11. And wow. Have been rereading the other chapters to form some kind of coherent timeline and at the end of chapter 5 Jack asks if Phantom will be alright to which Maddie replies 'he's always been a tough kid.' In this chapter it goes the other way with Jack reassuring Maddie that Danny will be alright because 'He's a tough kid.'

School is being a pain. The average for my last biochem exam was a 56.6. I got a 67 which all things considered isn't bad (its almost 11 point better than the average) but that's still a D to me. My physics teacher had to give 3 points back to everyone because one of the questions was so damn hard that no one got a perfect score on it. Kinda nice of him but since he wrote the question in the first place…. Learning how to classify and identify fungus is boring as hell. I'm sorry if taxonomy is your thing but I hate it. I hate the weather right now to. It snowed. I got just over 6 inches in my town which could be worse but it's only the middle of November. Enjoy life everyone. Don't expect me to get another chapter out this year, there's only 6 weeks until New Years.

Notes about the chapter-

1) I feel like Jack might get excited about the fantasy aspect of Dora being able to turn into a dragon and having her own kingdom. Maddie just gets way to fixated on details about feasibility and I honestly feel like she is where jazz get's her deductive and analytical brains from.

2) The staff meeting: First, I picture it being more lax and the teachers calling each other by first name. Lancer as vice principle is close enough in rank that he calls principle Ishiyama by her first name Naomi (which I made up). Allyssa is just a secretory that types up meeting agendas and keeps track of things. Briana is Tetslaff's first name in here (also made up) because Helga or Beatrice or Brunhilda just seem too stereotypical. Briana means strong, virtuous and honorable and that seems to fit Tetslaff. I considered Bernadette which means strong and brave as a bear but I just can't reconcile the image of Tetslaff and the Bernadette from big bang theory. Second, Ichabod Crane is the headless horseman from the legend of sleepy hollow. Lancer doesn't know that his name is the fright knight and that seems like a connection he might come up with.

3) Regarding Jack being A-OK with everyone coming over to FentonWorks but being kinda hesitant about going to the school, Jack has had a few incidents at the school and has been lectured by Jazz and who knows, maybe by Maddie off screen. In trying to be more considerate and thoughtful towards Phantom, Jack is also trying to do the same with his family. He knows Danny gets a hard time from students and teachers because of him when things go awry, and he doesn't want that.

4) I know some of you really and truly hate how reluctant Jack is about Phantom and his whole argument being 'well something could happen'. I don't really like it either (I prefer to judge based on past actions not potential actions) but I can't picture Jack just all of a sudden liking Phantom and being a supporter. He's skeptical and it's going to take time for him to accept the ghost boy. His experience with ghosts is that they are dangerous and he's reacting accordingly but he is trying to give Phantom a chance, there's nothing more he can do.

As always please let me know what you think. Comments and reviews really are helpful. I actually chose which ghost Jack is going to meet based on a reviewer. (I'm betting some of you are going to be going through them trying to figure out which ghost it is).

~May