Chapter 16: Phone Call

It was exactly five A.M. on the dot when the phone rang. This time, I didn't hesitate to answer seeing as I was so worried I'd end up missing an important call about Tucker if I tried to ignore it. The voice on the other end didn't sound familiar in the slightest when I answered the call originally, but as they started to speak both louder and faster, with the addition of more and more psycho- babble, I recognized it.

"Jazz? Is that you?" There was a pause on the other end for a good minute before I finally heard a response.

"The name sounds right, but I can't answer your question with certainty. I forgot my name when I moved into the dimension of the dead." Yup, that was definitely Jazz. Only she could take something so simple and make it sound so complicated.

"Okay, can you repeat everything you said before both slower and in a form of English someone who just woke up five minutes ago can actually understand?" Why, hello smart assery. I was wondering when you'd start kicking in.

"I think I know where your friend is." See, short sweet and simple. What every half-asleep person needs in order to comprehend something this important enough to snap into full awareness.

"Where is he Jazz?"

"My dad has him." That statement made me stop for a second.

"Wait, what? Why?" That didn't sound like the sweet, though over-excited, Jack I'd come to know. And didn't Tucker say Vlad had him?

"Dad turned malevolent when he realized mom hadn't come through with him. He doesn't even realize what he's missing because he can't remember, he just knows Tucker is connected to her." She spoke saftly, almost as if she'd been trying to avoid it even though that was something she never did.

"Tucker said Vlad had him a week ago."

"Vlad never had him. Dad's picked up the ability to shape shift. He won't tell me why, but he feels the need to pin the blame on Vlad." Jazz may not have known why, but I think I do. It's fully possible that Jack had seen the asshole flirting with Maddie and now that he's dead, Jack's holding on to what little he can remember from his life.

"Where are you Jazz?"

"I'm not sure. We stayed near where the Fenton Portal would have been, but I can't really tell you much past that."

"Maddie should be able to find that." I wasn't sure if that was a slip of the tongue or not. Part of me really wanted to tell Jazz that her mother was alive and part of me wanted to wait and let it be a surprise when we finally found them in the Ghost Zone.

"Okay. I-" There was a click as the line was cut off abruptly for no apparent reason. It was likely Jack had cut it off when he'd seen Jazz was able to call for help with Tucker's technology.

I would have tried to go back to sleep but I knew that was never going to happen after what I just heard. This was too important to just shrug off, so after getting everyone up (even a rather grumpy Danny, though whether it was from being force to sleep away from me or a night on the couch I don't know) I filled Danny and Maddie in on what was going on.

Maddie was oddly calm with the whole situation, almost as if she knew what had set it off. "I can probably find them, but it might take a few hours."

"Good." I prayed to god her definition of 'a few hours' was not the same one I grew to know back at the GIW. When they said 'a few hours' they often really meant 'a few days'.

"Mom, why haven't I ever seen dad in the Ghost Zone?" Danny finally spoke in more than a few grunts and complaints.

Maddie paused for a second. "He and Jazz may not have been there if Clockwork hadn't brought me back. It's likely we would have moved on after finding out you had survived." Why am I getting a creeping suspicion that that really does make this all Vlad's fault? Had Clockwork out Maddie in this timeline to help with Plasmius?

It was when Maddie asked if either one of us had a car yet that I realized Lancer is going to think we're chronic skippers by the end of this. Two weeks last semester, the past week and god only knows how long this will take. It's a miracle he hasn't punished us for missing so much of our classes yet.

"Neither one of us has bothered with it, mom." Danny's statement brought me back to the present and away from my musings.

"What are you two going to do when you suddenly can't fly?"

"Do you want the smart ass answer or an actual one?" Danny got shot a glare for that statement and it was amusing to see him cower in fear every so slightly from his mom. "Fine! Fine! If we ever needed it, we'd probably go bug Mrs. Stuth. She'd give us hell about it, but she'd help us out."

"Language, Danny."

"Really mom?"

"Yes." I saw Danny fight to hold back a glare, and nearly laughed at his frustration.

Maddie started towards the door and was halfway through it before she turned back to face us. "Well, are you two coming or not?" She didn't even bother waiting for answer before fully exiting our apartment. It didn't really matter though, both of us were trailing feet behind her within seconds.

AHH! I nearly missed an update! Bad author!

In my defense (and this is probably the only time I'll get to say this without being completely insane) I was rather busy making a mole stuffed animal...for chemistry of all things...

Comments and feedback are welcome as always! :D

Invisible One