"Hi, Danny."

It took a good minute for the words of the female ghost to register in the mind of the boy standing before her. Danny slowly dropped his arms. Tears fell from his eyes. He saw Jazz holding out her arms and walked into her embrace.

He fell right through her and onto the floor. Danny wiped his eyes and rose to his feet. He closed his eyes and stood still. Two rings appeared at his midsection and moved, one going up and the other toward the floor. He was now his ghostly self, with a black hazmat suit and white hair.

He wrapped Jazz in a tight hug, fresh tears falling from his face. "I missed you…so much", he said, between sobs.

"I missed you, too." The siblings let go. Jazz took in Danny's new form. "So you're a ghost?"

"Half-ghost, actually."

The girl pinched a bit of the suit between her fingers. "How did it happen?"

"The ghost portal. I was inside and I must've hit a button. Next thing I know, I'm like this. I guess you were right about Mom and Dad's ghost obsession, huh?"

"Yeah. I guess so."

A brief look of surprise crossed Danny's features. "You know something? I was so scared of telling my family about this. I used to have nightmares about what would happen if people found out. But now, I feel…happy. Truly happy."

Danny hugged his sister once again. "I love you, Jazz."

She returned the gesture. "Jazz loves you, too."

His grasp on his sister tightened. He glowered at the back wall. "Spectra." He practically spat the word out.

"What about her?"

Danny ran a fist into his hand. "This is all her fault: your murder, me being locked up…" He started pacing his room. "Man, if only there was some way to…nah. I don't know."

"No. What?"

"You might not like it."

"No. Tell me. It's nice to converse with the living again."

Danny smiled at the comment. "Well, I was thinking…what if there were a way to get me out of here, and, maybe, get her back?"

Jazz glanced off and rubbed her chin.

"What is it?"

"That's not a bad idea. Anything particular in mind?"

He sighed. "I have to work on that. Any chance you can come back tomorrow night?"

"I think that can be arranged."

Danny gave the ghost one more hug before she disappeared out of the window. He concentrated once again and the rings appeared around his waist, turning him back into a human.

He walked back to his bed and crawled under the covers, a contented smile on his face.

XxXxXxXxX

It had been a pretty good morning for Danny. Just the thought that he would be seeing his sister again filled him with immense self-satisfaction. His classes were but a blur to him, and lunch seemed to taste better; almost like a home-cooked meal.

That he could see, nothing could get him down. Well, almost nothing.

The boy looked around in wait. He had been asked to come back to this room after lunch. What could possibly be here for him?

A hiccup and a light blue trail seemed to answer the question, however mockingly.

"Danny. I heard about the little kafuffle yesterday. Isn't it wonderful? We get to see each other every day!" Spectra refused to disguise the elation in her voice.

"Yay." Danny spun his finger around unenthusiastically.

She walked around him. "So, what do you think about my suggestion?"

"I think you're lucky to remember to dress yourself, the way I've been wrecking your brain."

Spectra yanked the seat from under the table and sat down. "I don't think you understand the situation here. This whole thing can't end unless you come clean. Don't you even care how much grief you're causing your parents? Lord knows they've had enough to deal with lately. There's no need for you to be so stubborn; so childish."

"Tell me, Spectra. What were you like as a girl? Beauty queen, driven by mommy to be the best? Or maybe you were a hatchet-faced geek who got to attend the ball as a princess, and once you got a taste of beauty, you just felt like gorging?"

"What do you think you're trying to do, here? You wanna get inside my head? Good luck. Many have tried and failed."

"Hey. I couldn't possibly be any worse than you."

"I heard that you're getting another trial in three weeks. Gonna be a lot of fun seeing justice served." She stood a tape recorder on the table.

Danny rose an eyebrow and pointed. "What's this?"

"What were they teaching you at that school?! It's a tape recorder."

"So you want a confession on tape?"

"It's not like audio can be taken from the cameras."

Danny smiled to himself. It seemed like an idea was forming in his head. An idea so diabolical in its cleverness--

"What the hell are you smiling about?!"

"Oh, I…just thought of something funny I saw on television."

"Oh, Danny boy. Tuning me out isn't going to help your case any more than it's going to help the arbiters of your fate. Besides, Jazz didn't seem to have a problem with what I had to say."

She wrapped her arms around him. "You remember? Sweet Jazz. Sweet, helpful Jazz. Sweet, helpful, flame-broiled Jazz."

Danny shook himself free of Spectra's grasp. She put a hand to her chest. "And why are you lashing out at me? I'm not your enemy here."

"Um, yes, you are."

"I'm sure there will be plenty of time to delineate that tomorrow." Spectra walked out, a superior smirk on her face. Danny, meanwhile, stared at the opposite seat, a smile on his own face.

XxXxXxXxX

"What did you say?" Sam sat in a chair in her living room, regarding the people in front of her with a look of confusion and disbelief.

"Your mother and I discussed it. We don't want you to have anything to do with…that boy." The man stood sternly before his daughter. It wasn't like he disliked her friend. However, he and his wife had always felt there was something…off about Danny.

"That boy happens to be my best friend!"

The woman next to her husband spoke up. "And a delinquent who murdered his sister!"

"He was accused of murder. I'm old enough to know the difference."

"Samantha, we're just trying to do what's best for you."

"More like what's best for you," the girl muttered under her breath.

"What was that?!"

"You heard me. How would it look: 'Oh, did you hear about the Manson girl working to free a murderer?' Your friends would just eat that up with a spoon." Sam stood up and glared at her parents. "You wanna do what's best for me? Leave me alone!"

The girl ran up the stairs, her boots clunking the whole way. The next sound heard by the adults was a door slamming.

XxXxXxXxX

Sam grabbed her phone and dialed a number as she flopped down on her bed. It rang three times. "Tuck, please be there."

"Hello."

"Tucker, thank goodness."

"Sam, are you crazy calling me? I almost got caught the last time."

"I'm sorry, Tuck. I just had to talk to someone who wasn't a blood relative."

"Fine. What do you want to talk about?"

She took a breath and curled into a ball. "I miss Danny." The tears in her eyes seemed to deliver this point home.

"So do I, Sam. So do I." Tucker's tone was unexpectedly somber.

XxXxXxXxX

Danny looked around in the courtroom. There were times when he felt like this was some kind of cruel trick; that the justice system wouldn't allow him a second chance at freedom. To his relief and surprise, the three weeks had passed quickly and without incident…well, not quite.

He looked out to Spectra. She had been retained as a material witness. It made the boy more than a little nervous to think that his freedom was partially in her hands. She looked rather impeccable; not a hair out of place. The woman knew what she was doing and wanted the world to know so at every possible moment.

His gaze then went to the people sitting around him. Never before had he seen so many solemn faces. Not a single one of them made eye contact with him. In the gallery sat his mother and father, who sat in silent support. At one point, she mouthed 'I love you' to him. He smiled a little at this, but not too much to draw attention from the case.

So far, the trial had been going as well as could be expected. Danny was no better or worse off than before. And then, a bombshell…

"The court calls Dr. Penelope Spectra to the stand." The prosecutor's words nearly stopped the boy's heart in his chest. She swung her long legs out of her seat and approached the seat next to the judge. She stood and placed one hand on a bible while raising the other.

"Do you swear to tell the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth, so help you God?"

Spectra gave a little smirk at Danny before answering. "I swear." She sat down. The prosecutor, a harsh-looking woman, walked up to the incognito ghost.

"Now, Dr. Spectra, what is your relationship to the defendant?"

"I am his psychologist."

"Yes, and what does that entail?"

"That entails understanding a patient's problems, why they exist, that sort of thing." Danny stared at her, impressed with how serious Spectra sounded. 'If only her practice matched her current tone', he mused to himself.

"And what were the defendant's problems, to the extent that he'd want to take a life?"

"I object!" Danny's lawyer, a bespectacled man, shot up from his seat.

"Overruled. Let's see where this goes."

"In my professional opinion, Danny suffers from feelings of inferiority, stemming from a failure to fit in with his classmates."

"That's utter nonsense. There's nothing inferior about my son!" A voice boomed from the back of the court.

"Jack, shush!" Maddie tried to pull her husband back to his seat.

"Mr. Fenton, you would do well to listen to your wife. Continue."

"Even more, Danny is not the kind of student who stands out in a crowd, so he feels that he must gain attention, any way he can."

The boy could do nothing but roll his eyes. If the whole psychology thing doesn't work out, she had a bright future in waste removal.

"Thank you, Dr. Spectra. You may step down."

"Oh, I'm all too happy to help." Another small smile as she walked to her seat. "There is, however, one more thing…" From the pocket on her jacket, she produced a tape recorder.

The judge pointed with his gavel. "And just what is that?"

'Jesus, is everyone around here so thick?' "It's a taped confession. Not three weeks ago, Danny confessed to me the truth."

"Objection!"

"Sustained. Dr. Spectra, approach the bench." She does just that. "Not only are you violating doctor-patient confidentiality, but you are introducing evidence of a questionable nature."

"Your honor, this isn't just a confession. This could make your name, as well as the names of everyone in this court. I mean, this is no mere felon we're dealing with here." She looked at the man, as if to say, 'Come on!'.

The judge exhaled. "I'll allow it."

Spectra turned and addressed the gallery. "And now, if it pleases the court, I would like to play something that will blow the lid off of this case." She hit the 'play' button and set the device on the prosecutor's table.

A few moments of static crackle on the tape… "What I don't understand, after all this time, is this: why set me up? Why not someone else like one of the jocks?" That was Danny's voice, no question, but those words weren't meant to be captured.

"Please. Loner mentality, even with your outcast friends, unpopular, trouble magnet." Spectra, whose voice was currently playing, dove for the recorder. Danny's attorney rushed to grab it and kept it away. "The question is 'how could I not?'"

"I can't believe I was your fall guy."

"Believe it. I checked your grades. You couldn't even create a papier mache volcano. There's no way you could've created such an elaborate set-up. Then again, your parents are crackpot inventors. Who knows how much of that was passed down? An audible collective gasp came from Jack and Maddie. The two of them started to scowl.

The attorney stood beside the bailiff and handed the built man the device. "Still, there is something to be said for the pudding-brained morons of this town: they'll believe anything I tell them. You see, Danny boy? That's how authority works. I'm a board-certified psychologist, and you're just some punk kid with shitty grades, loony parents and a dead sister!"

It was simply a matter of Danny setting up a tape recorder of his own with Jazz's help. The device was placed under Spectra's chair in the examination room. There were a few false starts, but once he inquired about being set-up…it was like catching a rat in a trap.

The bailiff hit the 'stop' button. Spectra turned in shock toward the gallery. Danny winked at her and gave a wide smile. She bared her teeth at the boy. "Dr. Spectra…" turned to the judge, who looked quite upset.

"…what do you have to say about this?"

She tugged at the collar of her blouse. "Well, you see…I…it jus…the thing is…" The woman balled her fists so tightly, she could draw blood from them. She let out a primal scream as the flesh seemed to burn off of her body, leaving her as a dark entity that floated in the air.

From the back of the courtroom came an impassioned cry: "Ghost!" Stating the obvious, Jack Fenton-style.

Spectra, or what was believed to be her, flew like a shot through the walls. The assembled humans glanced in complete surprise.

The judge shook his head and banged his gavel, his bearings regained. "Danny Fenton, this court finds you not guilty pending further investigation."

Danny breathed a huge sigh of relief. He shook his lawyer's hand, certain that the man had little (if any) idea exactly what happened. The boy ran toward his parents and hugged them tight, seeking comfort like a child who had awoken from a nightmare.

XxXxXxXxX

The family traveled down the streets in their custom-styled Fenton RV. Maddie, in the passenger seat, put a hand to her head. "Spectra…specter. Why don't people check these things?"

"Well, what's important is that we have our son back, breathing the air of free men, again." From behind the wheel, Jack took a whiff of said air.

"Danny, can you ever forgive us?"

The boy looked at his parents nervously. "Wait. You didn't think that I--?"

"No. It's just that…we did lose some faith in you."

"Mom, of course I can forgive the both of you."

"That's good to hear, Danny. I can't wait to get you back home."

"Your room is just the way you left it. Of course I had to do some of the laundry that was on the floor."

Danny blushed at his mother's news. He never was the most organized teenager.

XxXxXxXxX

The van pulled up in front of Fenton Works. Danny looked out the window at his home. The place seemed a little conspicuous in town, but he was never more glad to see it than now.

He carefully stepped out of the vehicle and walked up to the front door. If nothing else, Danny could take comfort in the fact that the nightmare has concluded.