I could barely hear the soft rise and fall of the words, a tone of voice I knew from experience meant the people talking were trying to not be heard. The door was located on the underside of a staircase, so either people had crammed themselves into a broom cupboard, or there was a basement in this place. I sincerely hoped that it was the latter, because, as I'd unfortunately found out, whispering in closets never meant good things.

Ah. That was a scarring day.

Behind me, another set of voices began to quiet as the angry red-headed girl from earlier came from the upper floors and all but dragged the older couple out the door, saying something about 'therapy' and 'disturbing the peace'. She shut the door behind her in a surprisingly gentle manner, her bright blue headband swishing behind her.

I waited until the screech of a dangerously driven vehicle faded before I eased the door open, careful to keep it quiet, the thrill of secret keeping getting to me.

Of course, you aren't named Guardian of Fun unless it's dangerous curiosity that fuels every other action of yours.

The door was made of reinforced steel, but I didn't pay that much mind. It wasn't the weirdest thing I'd seen today. From the doorway I found a downward staircase, descending to what seemed like light source, probably a room. A basement then. Thank the Man in the Moon for not letting me in on another unwanted twist ending.

My footfalls down the steps where carefully placed as I listened to the conversation as best I could. I could clearly make out two voices, a girl and a boy. There might have been more, but I couldn't tell. The stairs ended quicker than I'd expected, leaving me in a huge room that extended back several feet. It seemed roughly rectangular, but the shape of the room wasn't what intrigued me. Long tables were lined along the sides, each carrying beakers and Bunsen burners and microscopes and other science-y things that I didn't really care about. Hung on the walls was a wide assortment of… weapons? I wasn't exactly sure, because some looked like giant, whacked up water guns of some sort, there were a few glowing blades scattered around, and the occasional fishing pole.

What was this place, exactly? This was obviously a lab of some sort, that was obvious. But was this a family of hunters as well as deranged scientists? Killers?

Did they experiment on things and then murder them? I shivered, my eyes lingering on what looked like a jacked up surgery table, made of spotless steel and had a tiny table attached to one side.

I swear, at that point, the only reason I wasn't hightailing out of that house of proven crazies right now was because of the scene at the other end of the room.

I was wrong; there were three people, the girl and two boys, all of them looking a little younger than my physical age. They stood dwarfed by a large hole that seemed to be carved into the wall. Wires and electrical tubes trailed out of it, laying in coils both inside and out of the
man-made cave…. thing.

My eyebrows furrowed as I carefully approached the scene, coming to a stop just behind the group of teens. A boy with the spiky black hair was talking, hands shoved into the pockets of his baggy jeans. His voice was slightly sped up with an exasperated nervousness, "-could be back here any minute. Besides, they say it doesn't work anyway."

So this was the portal that didn't work? Cool. What were these kids doing here anyway? I leaned on my staff, watching the girl dressed in black, her abnormally high ponytail bobbing in excitement. She tapped a Polaroid camera absentmindedly on her palm, "Come on, Danny. A Ghost Zone? Aren't you curious? You gotta check it out."

A Ghost Zone? I raised an eyebrow. They can't be serious, right?

Eh, with this family of nut jobs, I shouldn't be really surprised.

I glanced at the other kid. He was African American, short hair covered in a red beret. His fingers twitched, stroking what looked like some sort of electronic advice with his thumb. He watched his two friends talk, bouncing on the balls of his feet softly.

Danny didn't speak for a long time, but when he did, it was stronger, "You know what?" Some worry had left his voice, replaced by interest. "You're right! Who knows what kind of awesome, super cool things exist on the other side of that portal!" He looked down at the black and white suit in his hands, reminiscent of what I saw Jack and Maddie wear upstairs. He bent down slightly, slipping the suit on over his clothes.

The girl gave him a proud smile, before rushing forward, ripping a sticker off the chest of the jumpsuit. I rolled my eyes at closer examination. A smiling picture of Jack Fenton's head. What else did I expect? "You can't go walkin' around with that on your chest." She waved it at him playfully.

Danny rolled his eyes at her before looking into the portal again, chewing his bottom lip. The other boy spoke for the first time, "Uh, dude, you sure this is a good idea?"

I couldn't help but agree. "Peer pressure sucks. You might get hurt."

I spoke before I realized he couldn't hear me, but I didn't find myself caring. The other boy's voice overlapped with mine. "Yeah, something might happen."

Danny shrugged, "Nothing will happen, Tuck, other than me tripping over some wires probably." He laughed quietly, before adding in an undertone, "But I'll be fine. I've been around this kind of stuff for my entire life."

Tuck hesitated, "Alright then. Your life, man."

Danny nodded gratefully, and stood taller, staring into the portal again. I wondered if I was the only one who saw his gloved hands shaking at his sides. He took a step forward into the darkness, and after a moment of fiddling with the hem of my hoodie indecisively, I followed him. I didn't care if I didn't know this kid, or that he was teenager, or that he couldn't see me. It was my job to protect him from danger.

And if this wasn't dangerous, I don't know what is.

Danny kept one hand near the wall, careful not to touch it, using it as a guide. He stepped warily, lifting his feet high, because whatever he may have told Tuck, he was scared out of his mind of falling and triggering something or the other in here.

I trailed after him, keeping a careful distance away. I didn't want him to be startled by a sudden onslaught of cold air. Besides, even though the technology in here was shrouded in darkness, it was obviously still state of the art. Hexagonal structures riddled with miniscule holes made up the walls of the portal, green pipes crisscrossing over them. The family was much smarter than I'd given them credit for, apparently.

I will never forget what happened next, and I take full and absolute responsibility for it.

The edge of my staff tapped the corner of a wire, jolting it. I watched in horror as frost patterns spread over it, coating and racing up the length of it. Cold and electricity don't work well together; everyone knows that, and a spark flared up, followed by another, and another, a thin line of tiny fireworks.

Danny took a step. I lunged.

His foot came down over the wire just as I reached him. My arms passed right through him, and a rippling cold spreading over me. He fell forward, his fist colliding onto a red button as he tried to catch himself.

And then toxic neon green came from everywhere at once, and an incredibly hot, aching feeling spread through my chest, racing through me and engulfing my heart. I gasped sharply, holding onto my staff as the cold metal crashed against my knees, making them go numb. I hadn't been hurt this badly since Pitch-

A scream interrupted my jumbled thoughts, coming from right beside me. Danny was writhing, unable to collapse as I had, coming in direct contact with the portal. I pushed myself up, ignoring the pain, and stumbled forward, blinking hard against the blinding light, breathless. I grabbed his shoulder, only to find myself passing straight through him. No! I had to get him out of here! I had to protect him!

How can you protect someone if you can't even touch them?

I passed through him, grasping at nothing, "No. Please. Just…"

Then I felt something so chilly and so familiar, engulf me from behind and yank me back. The green was gone, and I found myself back in the lab, with only cool steel and three shrill, terrified screams.

And then I was out of the lab itself, being raced up the stairs and into the empty living room. The door blew open with a bang, and then I was out into the open sunlight.

I took a deep, gulping breath, but my relief at the absence of pain only lasted a few moments when I started struggling against the Wind's strong hold. "No! Wind! I have to… I have to go back! To save… Danny…"

The Wind rustled around me, the soft voice that was rarely used and was never entirely there echoing soothingly, its words almost lost on me, "Home…. Let… Take… Home…"

H- home? I could feel my lips moving with the word, but it didn't reach my ears. I blinked, wriggling again, tiredness weighing down on me.

"Nothing… Do… Sleep… Home…"

My staff rolled loosely through my fingers.

"Sleep…"

0o0o0

The next time my eyes opened, I was buried in a snow drift on the edge of my lake. What was I doing here? Wasn't it too hot now for me to make another heavy snow fall-?

I shot up, and spots danced teasingly against my eyes. I ignored them, getting to my feet against my light-headedness. I ran a hand through my hair. My memories were fuzzy as I scrambled through them.

Leaving Burgess… Finding the strange house in that average town… The odd couple and their obsession with ghosts… The trio in the basement… The portal… Danny!

I have to get back to Danny!

I stumbled as I blinked the last of the dots from my vision. My staff was, thankfully, leaning against a tree; probably retrieved by the Wind when I'd dropped it. I put my weight against the oak for a moment, trying to regain my bearings, before taking the familiar cool weapon.

"Wind!" I called. The air felt empty, but I could sense its presence around me, "Wind! Take me back to… to that place!"

Silence was my only reply before I heard the lulling answer, "Safe…"

I shook my head furiously, ignoring the migraine that came with it, "No! Not safe! I have to make sure Danny's okay! It was… my… fault…"

My voice cracked. If anything had happened to him, anything at all, I would be the one responsible.

"Safe… Here…"

I groaned in frustration. Bargaining with the Wind itself would get me nowhere, especially if it was determined.

"Fine!" I shouted, pushing myself away from the tree. "I'll get myself there!"

If the Wind were to murmur anything in reply, I didn't hear it, and I didn't plan to listen to it. I was a Guardian: it was my responsibility to find out if-

"Oof!"

I was jolted away from my path, and fell back, landing in the snow. I stared ahead of me, trying to see what I'd run into, but there was… nothing.

I took a step forward, holding my staff in front of myself warily. I only got forward a couple of feet before the crook of my staff was jerked sharply to one side, and it was only my death grip on it that kept it from ripping away from me.

I pulled back. An invisible, flowing barrier that kept me within the woods…

"Wind!" I cast my staff to one side, anger starting to clear my head as I came to a quick conclusion. "Let. Me. Out. Of. Here!" I punctuated each word by ramming my shoulder against the stinging barricade, my skin being rubbed raw through the quickly fraying hoodie.

"No! Safe!" The Wind's words were stronger now, fiercer. I growled through my teeth, changing position to thrust at the stream with my hands. This time, however, the Wind, pushed back, and I flew through the air, stopping only when I crashed into the trunk of a tree, the bark digging into my back and colliding with my spine. My head snapped forward with the force of the blow. I slid to the ground, panting, my vision blurred.

"Wind…"

"Safe now," The voice became as gentle as always. "Keep safe."

"But…" My mouth felt thick, my words slurred. I struggled to keep my eyes open.

"No." The fading voice hummed.

And to think, if I hadn't blacked out just then, I might've realized that I was staring at a tree that hadn't been in front of me before.

I might've noticed that I had passed straight through a towering five-hundred-year-old oak.

0o0o0

Hundreds of miles away, another boy woke up.

His blood ran cold as he tried to sit up, only to greeted with twin horrified gasps.

"Dude…"

"Danny?"

"Wha…?" His own voice sounded different, reverberating through his head as it never had before.

"Danny? Are you alright?"

"'M s'okay." The boy grunted back. "Feelin' sorta weird."

"Dude, then, you need to see this."

Hands grasped his forearms, lifting him off the ground, (I was lying down?), and for some reason, the people felt almost unbearably hot, scorching him through his clothes. He hissed quietly as they guided him along, walking slowly as he shuffled blearily between them.

"Danny?" Sam's voice seemed to be coming through him from a long way away. "Open your eyes now, Danny."

He bit back what must have been a deranged chuckle. Surprise parties, at a time like this? He shot what he assumed to be her direction a drunken smile. It took a bit of effort, but he managed to pry his eyes open to squint at the reflective glass.

He sucked in a breath, eyes widening, and all of his tired confusion left him. His friends let go of him, and his hand flew up to his face, unbelieving that it was still his.

His fingers grazed a tan cheek, traveled up and ran through snow white hair. His toxic green eyes were wide, pupils small as he swallowed around a painful lump in his throat.

"I'm so sorry, Danny." Sam sounded petrified, and he met her eyes through the mirror. "This is all my fault."

He looked away from the mirror, watching his faintly glowing hand in disgusted interest, before wiping it furiously on his black, (black?), jumpsuit, as if he could wash it off.

He forced his words out, suddenly hating his echoing voice, "Am I… am I…" He took a deep breath, trying to focus on the steady beat of his heart, panicking when he couldn't feel its steady thumping. "Am I dead?"

Tucker answered this time, his voice uncharacteristically soft, "Danny, we… we think…"

Tucker was interrupted by a sudden shiver that wracked the boy's body, and a frigid puff of cold air escaped his mouth, despite the lab feeling blistering to him. Somehow, he felt his body turn without his consent, and he found himself staring into the glaringly bright, swirling, green hole.

The doorway to another realm.

The 100% working Ghost Portal.

Welcome to the long overdue second -and final- chapter of Witnessed.

Long story short, a lot of stuff happened on both my end and Mimiscout's, which is an overused excuse for collab writers, but, well, this time is true. Anyway, this chapter was pretty much written by me and edited by Mimi.

If it wasn't understood, Jack got a touch of ectoplasm runnin' through his veins, and Danny has a, gasp, icy cold core.

Danny was really fun to write for me, and it fits with my headcanon that he was terrified of ghosts before he became one.

By the way, actual dialogue from Memory Blank, (except for a couple modifications). And yes, Danny did put the suit on over his clothes. Everyone seems to forget that. And this is the first time he went through, so no logo, sorry.

And we may or may not have an idea for the sequel, but it's still in planning, and we each have a lot of other stuff to finish up, so don't be on the edge of your seats for it, 'kay?

Umm... think we're done here. I think this is the first story either of us has completed, (am I getting that right, Mimi?). Thanks to all of you who favorited, followed and reviewed! We love you!

Writeous

*Mimiscout approved*