6. Dreams

A/N: Many, many, many apologies for the delay in updating.

Work, school.

Same old excuses, I'm sure y'all are tired of it.

Hopefully the length will make up for it!

The shower was heavenly.

Danielle smiled as the hot water poured down and washed away all the dirt and grime from her body. The steam swelled around the shower and surrounded her with tranquility.

She took her time in the shower.

Danielle had had a real warm bath only one other time in her life, and it had been months ago, at Danny's house—the last time she'd seen him.

Ever since she'd left to travel the world, she'd basically relied on showers of indoor pools and the beaches' outdoors showers.

Oftentimes, she found herself going days at a time without showering and longing for residence in Danny's household.

It was one of the downsides of travelling penniless.

Memories of her original's home came rushing at her.

Unbeknownst to Danny, she had snuck into his house two, maybe three times in the past year just to sneak a peek into his warm abode.

The pictures on the wall revealed an overall happy home.

She'd seen Danny interact with his relatives, and it was exactly how she'd imagined a family to behave: never perfect but always reliable, loving, and nurturing.

More than once she'd imagined walking through those doors and being embraced by that family, being accepted into their home.

Of course, she thought, that could never happen.

And even if they did accept her despite her hybrid status, it wouldn't work.

There would be no way to explain the uncanny resemblance she and Danny shared.

She was certain the whole "distant cousins" excuse would not work on the Fenton parents.

And, if she did let them know she was Danny's clone, there would definitely be more questions.

Who had cloned her?

Why on earth would anyone want to clone Danny?

It might even lead to experiments in which they would find the ectoplasm in her bloodstream.

And...

Dreams were called dreams for a reason. They were generally impossible.

Still, there was always that glimmer of hope that she futilely kept.

Danielle stepped out of the shower, feeling refreshed and rejuvenated.

The brush came in handy, as her hair had been tangled from months of being left uncombed.

She stepped into the room and changed into her only extra set of undergarments then pulled on her rumpled t-shirt and tarnished jeans.

She stepped into the bathroom to take a look in the mirror.

Her cheeks flushed.

It wasn't noticeable beneath her oversized t-shirt, but she had noticed the change while she had been taking a shower.

Her breasts had already begun developing.

Danielle wasn't stupid.

She realized that her body would change eventually. After all, a girl's body did not have the same shape as the body of a woman.

Anyone with eyes could see that.

She knew the baggy clothes would, eventually, not be enough.

When Danielle first chose to leave Danny and travel the world, she decided to travel the human world, but she quickly learned that she disliked crowds.

People were too irritating, nosy, and annoying, especially the people in big cities.

So she'd hopped into a natural portal and chose to wander around the ghost zone, where things were, though perilous, much simpler.

Simple-minded, pertinacious ghosts were easier to deal with than complex, overemotional humans.

Her travels had taught her many things about ghosts but very few things about people, and it wasn't until she came to Frostbite that she realized she needed to be around humans more than ghosts.

Frostbite had been astute enough to recognize that, despite being physically and mentally thirteen years old, she'd only had three years of life experience.

She needed to learn about humans, as a part of her was mortal.

He had talked to her and explained that, while he could teach her everything she needed to know about ghosts, he—like her—knew next to nothing about human development.

He explained that he would not be able to help her learn about human maturation, especially the area of development that concerned the female species' transition into womanhood.

He advised her to seek out her original for guidance.

She had heeded his advice and took off for the human world.

Using the InfiMap, Frostbite had transported her to San Francisco, California.

Along her journey back to the Fenton household, Danielle often eavesdropped on women and teenagers whenever she snuck into the bathroom.

All she had gathered was that they went through something called a "period."

Danielle still had no idea what exactly that was but, from what she had gathered, it was something unpleasant.

She had hoped to talk to Danny about it, though she already dreaded an extremely awkward conversation.

If anything, Danny could at least find her another female to help her with her little dilemma.

Maybe Sam or Valerie, both of whom would be more knowledgeable, more understanding, and less awkward.

Danielle needed Danny, and not just because of discussions of human development, out-of-whack powers, or the hunters on her tail.

Traveling had quickly lost its marvel. With no money, no shelter, and no one to spend time with, life became primarily about survival.

Danny was the only family she had left in this world.

Without him...

She sighed and rubbed her temples.

Coming to a resolution, she grabbed her few belongings and stuffed it into her backpack.

As she did, energy unexpectedly exploded at her core and erupted into incredibly bright rings of light that traveled across her body.

She peered into the mirror. Snowy hair, green eyes, and the familiar hum of energy coursing through her veins. She exhaled, wondering if the unpredictable, sporadic changes would ever cease.

She tugged at her intangibility and invisibility, but, much to her frustration, the abilities refused to work.

She settled for sneaking out the old fashioned way.

With the silence of a ghost, she slipped out the door.

The living room was empty and dark, but still as homey as it had ever been, making Danielle feel a twinge of disappointment for leaving.

She snuck a quick glance at Lancer's closed bedroom door then crept towards the front door and quickly made her way out.

The outside world was still and quiet except for the buzzing crickets and chirping birds. She knew it was cold, but it didn't bother her like it would most humans.

She stepped through the door.

To her surprise, the porch lights were on.

Lancer sat on a wooden chair, book in one hand and his other elbow resting on a round table beside him.

The man peered over his glasses, training his clear eyes on her. "Going somewhere?"

He wore a solemn expression.

Danielle swallowed. "Were you waiting out here for me?"

"Yes," he replied simply.

"You knew I was gonna make a run for it."

"Yes."

"How?" Danielle's voice took on an edge of frustration.

"I'm not stupid. If you tried it once, there was no doubt you'd try it again." As if reading her mind, Lancer added, "I know that I cannot stop you from leaving. If you want to go, you can fly out of here without any permission, but you can be sure I will try to prevent you from leaving."

"What? Why?" Danielle glowered. "What do you care if I leave or go?"

"We already discussed this. It's too dangerous," Lancer pointed out, equally frustrated. "Have you forgotten? Your abilities are not working properly. What if someone assaults you? What if you run into a ghost hunter? Or worse, what if you run into the person who almost killed you? What if someone recognizes you as a ghost? The paparazzi would eat you alive! Or you might end up in a secret facility experimented on." He paused and took a calming breath. "Danielle, you're still a kid, and there are so many things could go wrong if you take off on your own. You need a guardian."

Danielle grit her teeth. "I'm not a kid." She paused. "Besides, Danny will protect me."

"And how long will it be before you find him? Days? Weeks? Anything can happen between then and now. You could get yourself killed before you ever even find him. And then what? Mr. Phantom would wallow in misery and blame himself for your death. Because he's a hero, he would probably feel regret at not having been able to save you."

"That's not true," Danielle snapped. "That would never happen!"

"Oh, but it can, Miss Phantom, and you are angry because you know very well that I'm right. At least if you're with an adult, the odds of you getting into trouble diminish significantly."

Danielle huffed and crossed her arms, suddenly reluctant to meet his gaze.

Fury and humiliation ran hot in her face.

Lancer spoke with an authority she found difficult to defy. "Go back inside, Danielle. Now."

:~:~:~:~:

Danny looked up at the door, suddenly hesitant.

It was the same as it had always been: faded blue paint on smooth wood with a little chip at the bottom left corner.

There was no reason to fear the door itself, but there was a most definitely a reason to fear what went beyond.

The knob twisted. He pushed the door open and entered.

The lab was clean. It had been tidied by Maddie just that morning, but it looked different.

The table, the cabinets, their software, and their equipment had all been moved to the far right wall of the lab.

To his left, there was a large, enclosed glass cubicle with a keypad and speaker attached on either side of a door that would've easily gone by unseen were it not for a small metal handle.

A computer on a wheeled table sat by the cubicle.

Normally, the screen would display figures and numbers that were incomprehensible to Danny, but today it was black with the word FentonWorks bouncing around the screen.

Danny redirected his attention to the cubicle.

Inside, there was a small wooden desk, a lamp, a white bed, and a shower that Jack had constructed himself.

His old man had taken the liberty of hanging curtains around the bathroom area for some decency.

The cubicle had been purposely built around the wall with a vent installed into it.

Danny knew his parents had rigged the vent with some of their technology, though he could only guess at what the vent's purpose was.

Nothing else inside except for a young boy sitting on the floor, his legs crossed and a face displaying an expression of boredom and vexation.

Danny hesitated then approached.

According to his parents, the case was entirely ghost-proof, so there was no chance of the Phantom doppelgänger escaping or hurting anyone.

Still, closing the distance between them seemed precarious to Danny, especially if the only thing that separated him from his clone was a mere glass wall.

Danny mustered up enough bravery to do what his instincts alerted him not to do, and, once he was up close, he was able to better study the boy.

The boy's silver-white hair was ruffled.

He wore simple attire: a white t-shirt, blue jeans, and white t-shirt—garments that had once belonged to his original.

The boy was nearly an identical replica of Danny.

He had the round face, the lean form, the short stature.

The only distinguishing features were the gray-ish tint to his hair and his body's increasingly visible signs of deterioration.

Deep bags formed beneath his dull green eyes, his gray-tinted silver hair had lost its healthy luster, and his normally roseate lips were as pasty as his unusually colorless skin.

Anyone who looked at the young boy could tell death was slowly, treacherously creeping onto him, preparing to wholly consume him.

"So we meet again."

Danny was startled by the coarse voice.

The sound was eerie with its nearly imperceptible echo and uncanny equivalence to Danny's own voice.

The clone cleared his throat and managed to hiss at Danny. "Would you quit staring?"

"S-sorry," Danny uttered out.

"God, I hate it when people stare." The clone shifted uncomfortably.

"Y-yeah. Me too," Danny uttered, dumbly.

The clone snorted in response.

Danny cleared his throat. "My—my mom told me you finally woke up some time last night."

"Clearly," the boy retorted.

Danny sighed and shifted uncomfortably.

The clone also sighed but placed his elbow on one knee, resting his chin on his hand.

"You look like shit," Danny finally pointed out.

"Thank you for stating the obvious." The clone rolled his eyes and gave Danny an icy glare. "How about you stop talking shit and start answering questions."

"Questions?" Danny blinked. "You have questions?"

The clone straightened up, his eyes flashing with fury. "What are you, stupid? Wouldn't you have questions if you woke up in someone's lab after a huge battle with your original and, to top it off, felt like the energy was being sapped out of you?"

Danny blushed. "I guess."

"Yeah," the boy bit back, angrily. "You guess." He slowly rose to his feet, eyes glowing furiously. "Why am I here?"

Danny flinched back a step. "I-I don't know. I thought someone would've told you-"

The anger in the boy's gaze suddenly intensified, and Danny hadn't even known that was possible.

The fury in the clone seemed to magnify tenfold, his eyes wild with rage.

He roared, hammering his wrath and madness into each word, screaming with a frenzy that frightened Danny.

"ANSWER ME, INSOLENT HUMAN! TELL ME WHERE I AM! WHAT ARE YOU DOING TO ME? TELL ME OR I'LL SNAP YOUR NECK, YOU STUPID, FUCKING EXCUSE FOR A HERO."

The boy's fist slammed into the glass. The confinement vibrated from the impact, but otherwise remained undamaged and intact.

Danny stumbled backwards, suddenly terrified of his own copy.

Something soft brushed against Danny's shoulder.

Alarmed, Danny swatted the hand away and jumped into a defensive stance.

His palms glowed with ectoplasmic energy.

Maddie raised her hands in a calming gesture.

"Easy," she reached out and gently laid a hand on her son's cheek.

She met his gaze.

Her indigo eyes pacified him, but he suddenly felt weary.

She gave him an appraising look that quickly shifted to the confined clone.

The rampant teenager was wreaking havoc within his own confinement.

Ecto rays sporadically shot from his palms and even his eyes.

He was evidently attempting to break out, though his torrent only served to obliterate the little furniture he possessed.

Maddie stalked over to him.

The clone turned to look at her, focusing his rage and attacks solely on her, though his attempts at harm were clearly failing.

Maddie pressed a few buttons on the keypad.

It must've been an activation code, Danny deduced as a green gas shot out from the miniature vent.

The greenish vapor pressed into every inch of the cubicle, causing the clone to drop to his feet, unexpectedly caught in a coughing fit.

Maddie approached the glass and guided Danny towards it. She put one hand on each shoulder.

Danny bit his lip resisting his own reluctance to approach.

The clone shot Maddie a glare that was dulled by his exhaustion.

"What...did you to me?" He bared his teeth, menacingly.

"I drugged you." She pointed to the keypad. "This thing isn't just a security lock. Jack hooked up one of our devices to the ventilation system in your cell, although I'm not exactly sure how. Jack was always better in the engineering aspect of our ecto-entity research, while I was more interested in the biological and chemical part of it. The gas you were given was something I created. It's an ecto-nullifying gas mixed with a dosage of benzodiazepine or BDZP, which is a drug used for sedation." She paused.

The clone sat up on his heels, eyes widening.

Maddie's face remained neutral, betraying no emotion. She pulled her rolling chair away from the computer and sat down.

She crossed her legs and settled her hands on her lap, her fingers lacing together.

"You have nothing to worry about. The amount I just gave you is only enough to mildly calm you. However, if I punch in the right numbers," she pointed to the keypad, "I can give you enough to knock you out for a long while."

"A long while?" The clone furrowed his brows.

Maddie didn't elaborate. "Yes. Long enough for Jack and I to do what we have to."

A flicker of fear passed through the clone's eyes, causing Danny to feel a sympathy he wished he hadn't felt.

"What exactlyare you doing to me?" The clone snapped. "Whatever it is, it's making me weak."

"We're currently not doing anything to you." Maddie divulged.

"The hell you aren't!" The ghost cut back. "I can feel it. My strength is failing, and it's starting to hurt every time I use my powers. My chest is tight, and sometimes I feel like my insides are melting."

"They probably are." Maddie pointed out, earning a horrified look from the clone and the original.

The Danny copy found himself at a loss for words. Maddie continued. "When Vlad created you, he was hoping to create a full ghost from the DNA of a human-ghost hybrid."

Maddie briefly placed a hand on her son's shoulder, flashing him a sympathetic glance before turning a neutral expression back unto the clone.

"However, like most of his other experiments, Vlad failed to successfully make a stable clone. I can see why, too. Vlad tried eliminating any humanity in you, and, by doing so, made you unstable. Because of his attempts to remove your humanity, anytime you experience strong enough emotions, you release a caustic chemical from your brain that corrodes your blood and brain cells. This is why you're finding it increasingly difficult to control your impulses. Your frontal lobe and your blood have been affected by the chemical releases. Your organs should have been melting by now, but Jack and I have decided to try and preserve your life for as long as possible. In addition to the EBZD, the ventilation system is periodically releasing a gasified version of the ecto-dejecto into your cell, which is why you are still alive. The ecto-dejecto is giving your body enough energy to fight off or, rather, slow down the effects of the chemical Vlad built into your system."

The clone fell silent; his gaze had fallen to his hands.

Danny couldn't find any words, either. The information Maddie had given the clone was unsettling.

Despairing, actually.

The sympathy Danny had felt earlier magnified and was immediately accompanied by pity and sorrow.

The clone pulled his knees to his chest. He struggled to conceal his emotions, but a bit of grief still managed to escape.

"How long do I have?"

"It's hard to say," Maddie admitted. "The fewer emotional attacks you have, the longer you'll last. Even so, the ecto-dejecto only slows the effects the chemical has on your brain. However, it hasn't stopped the disintegration of the rest of your organs. With the the ecto-dejecto in your system, I'd say you're life span has expended to two more weeks. A month, by miracle. Maybe if I had a sample of that chemical in your head, I could get...well, something to help, but if I even attempted to do that the damage could be exponentially worse."

"So, I'm going to die." The boy said, simply. His eyes suddenly empty of expression.

Maddie's gaze softened along with the tone of her voice. "I didn't say that."

The clone's eyes betrayed a glimmer of hope.

"From what Danny has told me, this isn't the first time a clone began disintegrating. According to him, this has happened to another clone at a much more rapid pace. He used the original ecto-dejecto on her and managed to save her life. Unfortunately, that was our last vial, and Jack and I didn't bother continuing our research once we realized the syrum was beneficial to ghosts. The gas we've given you is only an attempted replica. It's not as good as the original."

The clone flinched at her last words. "Yeah," he chuckled mirthlessly, flashing bitter eyes at Danny. "Not as good as the original, huh?" He grit his teeth, returning his bitter glare to Maddie. "Why do you people even bother keeping me alive, huh? I'm dying anyways, and you've got your oh-so-special original over there."

"Believe it or not, he's the reason you're alive." Maddie motioned towards Danny who blushed at the sudden attention.

The clone swiveled his cynical gaze towards Danny, making the original feel uncomfortable.

Maddie continued. "Jack looked about ready to kill you when I saw him. But he sucked you up in the Thermos, instead. He said Danny could decide your fate. Danny decided to let you live. Then again, my son values life...and afterlife, I suppose." She sighed. "He's made it explicitly clear that he frowns on obliterating creatures."

"As for why Jack and I are keeping you here..." she paused, eyes momentarily meeting Danny's before returning to his clone's. "When we released you from the Thermos, you appeared unconscious. We studied your condition and realized—at the rate the chemical was being released—you only had a week's worth of life left. I wanted to keep you around, study you, but Jack didn't. We eventually agreed to release you into the Ghost Zone and let whatever happened happen. We considered the possibility of you coming back here for help or for vengeance, but we figured we'd deal with it if or when we had to. But then..."

She sighed. "While you were out, you scrunched your nose."

Both the original and clone were perplexed. The clone voiced Danny's thoughts. "Yeah? What of it?"

"Anytime Danny has an unpleasant dream, he furrows his brows and scrunches his nose in his sleep. He also mutters things that no one really understands. And that's exactly what you did."

Danny's surprised gaze met his clone's. Their expressions of surprise and bewilderment mirrored one another's.

"We still don't know what you were muttering about, but Jack and I both decided we'd try our hardest to save your life." She paused. "You're still just a kid. A small part of you is human. You reminded us of that while you slept."

The clone furrowed his brows, though his expression was unreadable.

Maddie rose to her feet. "Jack and I are working vigorously to help you. There's still a chance for you. A slim chance, but a chance nonetheless."

She pointed to their computer system. "This baby here is keeping track of your heart, your BP, your energy fluctuations, and your brain waves. If there is even the slightest change, the computer will alert a portable buzzer that Jack and I carry at all times. We'll know immediately if something's wrong."

The clone rose to his feet.

Danny held his breath as he watched the clone's slow, methodical movements.

To his surprise, nothing happened.

He received a cold glower from the clone who then paced over to the farthest corner of his confinement.

The young boy sank to the floor and turned his back to the Fenton pair.

"Leave me," he said, finally.

He wondered if the clone really expected them to comply.

Maddie nodded and motioned for Danny to follow.

A flurry of emotions rushed at Danny, and he struggled to sort them.

"So," his mother began as she closed the door behind them. "Do you still think he's worth saving?"

The pair fell into step.

"Yes," Danny replied without hesitation. "Even more so, now. We should help if we can."

Maddie nodded, her own smile stretching across her lips.

Danny continued, encouraged by his mother's smile. "I'm aware that he poses a threat to all of us, me especially, and it's kind of scary." He admitted. "He may be dangerous, but I'm the reason he even exists in the first place, so I feel like I owe it to him to try and save him. I think he should at least have a chance to live, to choose."

"Oh, my boy." Maddie ruffled his raven hair. "The purest soul of us all." Her hand fell away and she regained her solemnity. "The reason I ask again is because we may need you to help him live. I'm going to need a sample of your blood for starters. I want to compare and contrast your genetic make up to his, and a blood sample seems like a good start."

Danny hesitated. "Alright, I guess, but I'd like to get it over with. Sam and I found out that Vlad's after Danielle, and I want to start searching for her as soon as possible."

Maddie stopped abruptly, capturing Danny's arm and preventing him from entering the kitchen.

Danny glanced at the fingers wrapped around his arm then looked up to meet her intense gaze.

"You're looking for Danielle?"

"Um, yeah." He shifted, uncomfortably. "That's not a problem, is it?"

"Danny," she began, "Danielle's form was stabilized with the original ejecto-dejecto. Between your stable DNA and the original ejecto-dejecto in Danielle's system, there might just be a really good chance of saving your clone."

Danny blinked and allowed the information to sink in.

He swallowed, nausea rolling over him.

Maddie placed a hand on the small of his back.

"Danny, this is good news. We could save a life, and this would be a great opportunity for your father and I to get to know Danielle. Possibly even make her an official Fenton herself if she chooses to stay."

Danny swallowed, anxious. "Yeah, but if that original ecto-dejecto really is as valuable as it sounds it is, then that gives Vlad a really good reason to want Danielle. He already lost a clone, and he's desperate to figure out how to stabilize more of them. It all explains why he's placed a bounty on her head."

Danny swallowed, suddenly shaken. "Mom, Danielle is in really big trouble."

A/N: Reviews are greatly appreciated!