"Thanks for the help, Vlad." Dan said, levitating off of the ground with Danny in his arms. "We'll be back tomorrow evening."
Vlad nodded, smiling a little when Danny waved at him, before the phantoms disappeared through the portal. A sigh then left the halfa as he proceeded to lock the portal for the night. Dark rings then transformed him into the weary man he truly was. His blue eyes then drifted towards the phone, and he found his jaw tighten. He needed to make a phone call…
Dan floated into his living room just as a knock sounded against the front door. He glanced at it, before turning his attention to the yawning Danny he still held in his arms. Setting the halfa down, Dan lightly ruffled his hair and told him to head to bed. And once Danny had planted his face in his pillow, the full ghost disguised himself and answered the door.
He raised his eyebrows when he saw who it was. "Jazz? What are you doing here?"
"…Can I talk to you?" Her voice was careful, as were her steps as Dan moved aside and let her in.
She sat on the couch and watched the front door shut, before she was joined by the tall ghost. Said ghost leaned back and looked at her, an eyebrow now raised in inquiry. Jazz took a breath to still her nerves, looking back at Dan. She was silently grateful he wasn't in his ghost form, especially as she asked her question.
"Why did you kill all of those people?"
Dan frowned at where this conversation might lead, looking up at the ceiling. "In the beginning I was overwhelmed. It was bound to happen when the parts of your sum are so bitter and broken… After awhile I actively started to enjoy it-it became an obsession almost. A damn fun one at that." The smirk that accompanied those words made Jazz shiver.
"What do you mean? About being made out of people that were bitter and broken?" Jazz whispered the question, seeing the smirk fade from Dan's face.
"…In another timeline, I was Danny Fenton. And when I was 14 I became a half ghost. I also gained some abilities, and had decided to use them to protect Amity Park." Dan snorted at the idea. "Not a few months later, everyone I loved died in an explosion at the Nasty Burger, and I felt destroyed. I was so depressed and felt so much pain I went to an old college friend of Jack and Maddie's-who just so happened to be my archenemy, Vlad Masters… I asked him to remove my humanity and my emotions. But,"
Dan narrowed his eyes at the blank television in front of him. "I didn't want that. I was Danny's ghost half. I always helped him fight to protect people, and I devoted myself to his stupid wants. I made it my obsession. But because of his despair he had Vlad rip me out of him… So I ripped the ghost out of Vlad and merged with it. I let him overpower my mind with all of his jealousy, anger, and bitterness. And then I killed my human half, the one who rejected me and left to end the lives of everyone else who did the same."
Dan now stared into Jazz's eyes, as if he was trying to read her mind. "I'm so sorry… I couldn't imagine how bad that must of felt. I didn't mean to bring it up…"
"It's not like it can make me sad. I can't be sad-I'm a ghost." Dan said while rolling his eyes. He then glanced at the young Fenton beside him. "You seem pretty understanding about the murders I've just admitted to."
"You need me to be." Jazz told him, hesitating before she continued. "And how could you say you can't be sad? …You looked devastated when you saw what happened to Danny…"
Dan gave a humorless chuckle, telling Jazz with a somber smile. "I'm lying to myself. It makes me feel better."
Jazz gives the phantom a worried look, but decides to change the topic to something else. "…Have you and Danny found another way to get home?"
"Yeah… The Vlad Masters' of this timeline is letting me use his lab. Being a halfa himself, he was the next best choice" Dan explained.
"It's still hard to believe Vlad Master's is half ghost…" Jazz trailed off, before asking. "You were too, right? A halfa you said? How did you become one?"
Dan looked at Jazz, and for a brief moment he recalled the time in his room all those years ago. He stood at the center, with his older sister telling him about the test answers and admitting she knew he was half ghost. He then relaxed further into the couch, and began to retell everything-from the portal accident and on until the red-head fell asleep.
The full ghost chuckled lightly, shedding his disguise before heading into his unused bedroom. He then grabbed the blanket and threw it over Jazz, before going out for a late-night fly.
Danny awoke the next morning to the smell of some sort of animal sizzling away in a pan. He transformed into his ghostly half immediately and flew through his door-only to pause when he saw Jazz. She was fast asleep on the couch, blanket tangled around her, while Dan busied himself in the kitchen with breakfast.
"Why is Jazz in our house?" Danny asked after floating up to his father.
Dan let a smile form on his face, as he placed some bacon on a plate. "Being a good sister… Breakfast?"
Nodding, Danny then turned his gaze to the sleeping girl. He contemplated her for a while, before a smile formed on his face and he rushed to his room to dig around in a drawer. And once the young phantom found what he needed, he rushed up to Jazz and knelt in front of her with a grin.
He then placed beside her the ghost plush he'd gotten from the Nasty Burger-it's face holding a smile despite the fact it was now missing an arm and an eye. And it is as Danny does this that Jazz begins to stir awake, her groggy eyes eventually falling on the beaming half ghost.
"Danny…?" She asked, sitting up a bit before she noticed the smaller ghost now beside her.
Danny then said brightly. "Dad says you're a good sister, so I promise never to play tag with you-ever!"
Jazz stared at Danny in pure confusion, but Dan's sharp ears twitched at those words. He then continued to cook with a smile on his face.
A/N: I- Have nothing to say, really. Now that this is done, I'm probably just going to crawl into bed and sleep until 10 am. I will say though, I do like this chapter. Jazz is actually one of my favorite characters for a number of reasons, and its nice to be able to use her. So... That is the extent of my willingness to form words. Goodnight/morning/whatever to all of you.