This is something that I originally wrote for a new fic I was starting, but I kinda lost interest so I decided to finish it out as a oneshot and post it on here. Depending on the feedback I might get re-inspired, so let me know what you think!
And yes, I know it's kinda disjointed and might not entirely make sense, but please just remember as you're reading that I didn't ever edit this.
Their whispering voices carried downstairs, though the words were too hushed to comprehend. They were at it again. Danny would come home, more often than not sporting fresh injuries. He would mutter some barely believable excuse and rush upstairs. Then the whispering would begin.
He and his sister had never been particularly close. Each generally considered the other to be rather annoying and they tried to avoid each other. Danny was always somewhat interested in his parents' occupation; he always had been. Jazz, on the other hand, tried her best to deny any association with them at all. She hadn't even believed in ghosts until just recently when they began attacking frequently.
Maddie found herself thinking back to a particular attack that had occurred just the previous week.
A large assortment of various appliances and other technology stood in the middle of the mall parking lot. With massive feet that made the whole area shake, it approached the building. Unfortunately, the mall had not been fully evacuated as of yet, and the people inside appeared to be in imminent danger.
An ectoblast from a nearby weapon glanced off the metal. It did not harm the ghost controlling the gadgetry, though it did manage to get his attention. He turned toward the human couple who bravely stood their ground before the monstrosity.
The glowing black and green technological being did not even flinch under the heavy barrage of ectoblasts as it made its way in their direction. It finally reached the couple and raised one enormous foot in the air over their heads.
Too late to move, the two hunters flinched and prepared themselves for a crushing blow that never came. They found themselves pushed roughly to one side, tumbling across the ground and leaving bits of skin behind. Maddie caught only a brief glimpse of green and white as the foot stamped down with an earthshaking blow on their mysterious rescuer.
Maddie paled beneath her jumpsuit hood. There was no way that anyone could survive that. The foot moved slightly, and the ghost controlling it looked surprised. But if he wasn't moving it, then what… The foot was steadily rising off the ground, revealing an all-too-familiar being. The figure was trembling under the strain of lifting the massive foot, but with a loud grunt he shoved suddenly upward with all his might.
The technological monster, to Maddie's surprise, was thrown off balance and toppled to his back in the parking lot. Phantom flew over the thing, calling down, "Hey Technus, I think you got blocked by a firewall!" A large ball of ice formed in one palm, quickly becoming encased in flaming green ectoplasm.
Phantom tossed it at the other ghost and it hit dead-on. The ball melted right through the protective armor surrounding Technus, and the ice took over immediately afterward, freezing the ghost securely in place within seconds.
Both human hunters paled and raised their weapons defensively. If Phantom had that much power, there was no telling how much damage he could do to the town – or, for that matter, them – for standing in his way.
The young ghost, however, merely reached for a strap that ran over one shoulder like a sash, pulling out a Fenton Thermos. Before he had a chance to use it he was suddenly hit by a massive blast from Jack Fenton's ectocannon. The man might not be the best shot in the world, but even Jack was able to hit a stationary target at short-range.
The thermos clanked and clattered across the ground until it came to a stop against a brick wall, mostly undamaged. The same could not be said for Phantom. He only stopped skidding along the ground after a large portion of his skin became lodged in the asphalt. Groaning, he attempted to sit up only to find his face a matter of inches away from a charging ectogun.
Maddie faltered. She couldn't quite identify the look in Phantom's eyes. It wasn't fear or desperation, as she'd expected. No, it was more like some odd mixture of emotional pain and some sort of inner moral conflict. It changed to confusion when she didn't fire right away. His eyes met hers for a moment, then he was gone.
The ghost reappeared next to the Fenton Thermos, regaining visibility as he stopped to pick it up. Technus was thawing quickly in the warm May sun, and would have to be captured before he got loose to cause more damage.
Maddie realized this. She also realized that Phantom would have no reason to stick around once the other ghost was captured. For some reason, he only made appearances where other ghosts already were, and he always wound up fighting them.
And Phantom really was quite a remarkable fighter. His style combined martial arts with classic street fighting, with a slight twist due to the fact that he had ghostly abilities. Maddie was a ninth-degree blackbelt, but even she would stand no chance in a physical hand-to-hand battle with this ghost. He never fought humans though. Maddie couldn't figure out why he had a problem with it, but was certainly grateful. Phantom was powerful enough that if he ever changed his mind concerning that moral qualm, he would be unstoppable. If that ever happened it was unlikely that he would stop with just a few people or just their solitary town. No, the whole world would be in danger.
Maddie didn't want Phantom to get away, but she also couldn't afford for the other ghost to attack. She didn't think she and her husband could handle two ghosts at once, especially when one of them was Phantom. For this reason Maddie allowed the boy to capture Technus, but the instant he capped the thermos, she fired.
The boy yelped and tried to dodge, but only succeeded in redirecting it into a glancing blow that clipped his shoulder, sending him tumbling to the left. Jack was there with another gun, taking the ghost by surprise with a large blast.
Phantom was barely able to dodge the next shot from Maddie. He rocketed into the air, looping and zigzagging around the blasts so quickly that the ghost hunter couldn't believe he didn't get dizzy.
Then he was gone.
Even when they had directly attacked Phantom, he hadn't fired a single shot back at them. Why not? She couldn't understand it.
Maddie was broken out of her thoughts by a sharp gasp from upstairs, followed by more hushed voices. What had gotten into Jazz? She wasn't usually one to hide things; she was too much of a psychology nut to be caught holding in her feelings.
Maddie walked upstairs and got into bed. She sighed, "Honestly, sometimes I wish I knew what went on between them." She rolled over and tried to dispel her worries long enough to fall asleep.
Nobody in the Fenton household noticed when the Ghost Gabber in the basement quipped, "So you have wished it, so shall it be. Fear me."
Maddie slept restlessly that night. She had the Fenton earplugs in her ears to block out Jack's snoring, yet sleep evaded her. Around midnight she finally dozed off into a fitful slumber. There were just so many questions without answers running through her head.
She must have dozed off at some point, because the next thing she felt was a hand on her shoulder, gently shaking. Danny was calling Jazz's name, softly at first but getting more and more harsh as the shaking increased in magnitude. She groaned and tried to roll over, but was stopped.
"Jazz, cut it out!" Danny's harsh whisper forced her eyes open. Maddie's bleary vision focused on her son, hovering over her bed.
"Ugh… what time is it?"
He tried to cover up a yawn. "Almost 3 o'clock. Desiree woke me up at 1:30 and when I was going back to bed I heard you moving around. Looked like you were having nightmares."
Maddie blinked slowly, finally starting to wake up. "Desiree?"
Danny hardly seemed surprised that she was focusing on the name. "Don't worry, I'm fine, but the area of the park right by the fountain is a little torn up." Then he changed the subject again. "I know you're the one who specializes in the psychobabble, but if you ever need to talk, you know I'm here. I might be able to help. Especially if it's about ghosts." With a soft wry laugh he squeezed her shoulder gently before turning to go back to his own room.
The now mostly awake Maddie, by now also very confused, sat up and looked around the room. It was pink, in sharp contrast to the pale green of the one she shared with Jack. The computer on the desk was surrounded by papers and open books, some rather large. The bookcase across the room showcased a similar collection. This was Jazz's room. How did she get here? And why was Danny calling her by his sister's name?
Maddie climbed out of bed, throwing back the pink comforter and making her way over to the mirror. Flipping on a small lamp, she stared at her reflection. That- that wasn't right. Jazz's eyes stared back at her. Suddenly wide awake, she grasped at her hair, feeling that it was much longer than usual. The Jazz in the mirror pulled a strand of hair in front of her face, gaping at it in disbelief. Maddie took two steps back toward the bed before her legs gave out and she collapsed onto the edge of it, head spinning.
How in the world had she gotten into her daughter's body?