Dizgirl: Ahaha…it's been six months since my last update… (sweatdrop). I am so sorry people! That's just plain unacceptable (scolds self). But now you do not have to wait any longer and not only just for this chapter but all the future chapters too! 'Cause I made a goal to finish this by the end of summer and I'll do it even if it kills me! So expect updates every couple weeks or so. (nods)
Anyways, enjoy and love the chapter! Heheh, the secrets are out!
Ghost Means Dead
Danny struggled to suppress a moan as the raw energy encased his body in a rosy light. The heat brought back memories of the last time he had been on the receiving end of one of Desiree's wishes. The last time he had lost his memory, this time he might be losing something just as important…
Though his eyes were squeezed shut from the heat, he could almost imagine what he looked like as he collapsed onto his knees with his face twisted up into a grimace. Desiree's energy focused in around his waist, touching the exact spot where the white rings that transformed him from human to ghost appeared. He could feel as the heat forced those rings into existence, pulling at them to stretch apart.
NO! Clenching his teeth together, Danny fought the hot energy but it was like pushing against a wall. He pushed anyways, attempting to keep the cool rings together at his waist and not pull apart and reveal his long guarded secret. Just as he thought that maybe he could beat Desiree's power, he lost his grip and the light swung out, sweeping over him and changing him back into his human self.
A cool tingling sensation prickled across his skin as he knelt there panting, his eyes still shut tight. Silence hung around him and he couldn't bring himself to look up and see what reactions waited for him. Whatever they were, though, they couldn't be good.
Chaos floated there in stunned silence. The ghost that had ripped her and Raimee apart only minutes ago had reappeared above the trio and blasted Phantom with bright pink energy, laughing the whole time. She winced sympathetically as she remembered how uncomfortably hot Desiree's power had been when it was turned on her, but that disappeared when two blinding halos of light sprung to life at his waist. They swept over his crouched form and in their wake was someone who couldn't possibly be there.
"Danny?" Raimee gasped beside her, the same shock in her voice as Chaos felt. But there was no mistaking the now familiar black hair and lean build of Raimee's classmate Danny Fenton right in front of them.
"You're the ghost dude?!" Chaos's mouth dropped open. "You mean you were right there the whole time and I didn't even notice? AUGH!" She stamped her foot with a scowl on her face. In contrast, Raimee just continued to stare wide-eyed at Danny.
"Ghost…and human? This isn't possible. This can't...you can't be both!" she sputtered. Chaos's would-be tantrum died as her thoughts turned speculative. It was true, being a ghost meant you were dead and if you were human that meant you were alive. You can't be both, or at least that's what she had thought.
Danny slowly stood up and faced the girls, his eyes a turmoil of emotions though mostly defiance. "Yeah, well I thought ghosts couldn't hide in humans without me sensing them either, so I guess we're both wrong."
"Huh," Chaos huffed as a random thought occurred to her. "So…how did it happen? I mean, to have a half-ghost kid you'd need a human and a ghost to—"
"Okay, no! Stop right there Chaos," Raimee growled, her face turning red. "That's not how it would work! Uh…would it?" Danny glanced between the two, confusion replacing bravado. Then it seemed to click and a blush crept up his neck.
"No, that's not how it happened!" he retorted before hastily changing the subject, "besides you shouldn't be asking the questions, I should!"
"Oh and why's that?" Chaos folded her arms across her chest, her smirk disappearing into a scowl. "You just turned from a ghost to a human and you want to know why I can hang out in Ray without you sensing me? What gives you the right to ask the questions?"
"I'm the protector of this town!"
"Well good for you but that doesn't work for me," she snapped back. "I go by my rules, ghost dude, and you can't make me do anything."
"Wanna try me?" Danny threatened, his eyes glowing green.
"A few of Sparks should do the trick," Chaos taunted.
"Will you both cut it out?!" Raimee interrupted, stepping between the two. "Obviously we all have lots of questions but fighting won't help!" Chaos frowned and landed next to Raimee, not liking the idea of her friend being so close to Danny unprotected.
"Hey, I'm not the one who started the whole 'let's wish everyone knew our secrets' thing! He's the one who made the wish!"
"And you made the next one," Raimee countered before Danny could protest. "And we can all keep blaming each other or we could actually try to solve the problem!"
"By what, beating the crap out of that stupid genie ghost?" Chaos grumbled, her eyes burning a darker red.
"Sounds good to me," Danny agreed seriously.
"No wait, I meant talk—"
"—Where'd she go anyways?" Chaos floated up in the air, scanning the sky around her. Light flashed around Danny's waist as he changed back into Phantom.
"Knowing her she's nearby. She loves to see how her wishes turn out," Danny answered.
"Yeah? Good, 'cause I'm ready to fight!"
"This doesn't mean I'm done with you," Danny warned her. Chaos shrugged.
"Same here."
"Guys, this is not what I meant when I said 'solve the problem'!" Raimee called up to them, throwing her hands on her hips.
"Aw c'mon, Ray, just tell me where she is and we'll be done in no time," the ghost girl persuaded. As Raimee opened her mouth to reply she froze just at the same time that Danny gasped and shivered. Recognizing Raimee's expression, Chaos searched for a ghost.
"Where?" she calmly asked.
"There," both Raimee and Danny answered, pointing towards the center of the park. Chaos turned and took off, unaware of the inquisitive look that Danny sent Raimee before following her.
The two ghosts reached a secluded area of the park where a wishing well stood, though the normally quiet spot was anything but as people fled screaming. Trees were sprouting up around the edges of the walkway, attacking anything that moved, while gigantic pigeons were pecking at an older woman with a bag of bread.
"Keep wishing!" a voice cried out triumphantly. Chaos looked up to see Desiree watch the chaotic scene play out below and couldn't help but smirk in response.
"Well I'll give her one thing; she knows how to stir things up!" she admired.
"Whose side are you on?" Danny challenged, throwing a suspicious scowl her way.
"Mine," she replied cockily, crossing her arms. "And my side is against hers so…" She sent him a pointed look. He frowned but turned his glare towards Desiree.
"Hey Desiree!" Danny called, grabbing the ghost's attention. "This place again? You couldn't wish yourself somewhere a little more creative?" Desiree grinned slyly.
"Why would I go somewhere else when there are plenty of people wishing here? You for example…"
"Oh I'll give you a wish," Chaos began before Danny threw out an arm in front of her.
"Stop! Don't even say the word or she'll use it against you," he warned. "Believe me I know." Desiree chuckled at the hard looks the two exchanged.
"Here I thought I would have to wait weeks before you made a wish that I could use against you," she taunted them though her eyes were on Danny. "But all it took was that human girl. I knew if I stuck around her long enough, one of your secrets would come out! And look, I managed to reveal both of them, growing more powerful by the wish!"
"You're gonna get it!" Chaos snarled, her hands clenching into fists. "No one uses my friend to go after someone else!" She jumped forward and tackled Desiree, sending her hurtling into the ground. Pulling energy into her hands, Chaos then bombarded her with a wave of ecto-blasts.
Desiree shrieked under the attack but quickly recovered, soaring up into the air and molding one of her hands into a giant mallet. She swung at Chaos and knocked her through the air and into the waiting arms of the violent trees. She hissed as they grabbed at her arms and legs and held her down.
"My turn!" Danny yelled before blasting Desiree with emerald energy. She reeled back from the blow but then retaliated with another swing, this time aiming for his head. He ducked and flew around so he was behind her and struck her again with another ecto-ray.
"Fools, you cannot defeat me as long as you fight separately," Desiree jeered, pink energy glittering to life in her hands. The trees redoubled their efforts to hold Chaos down as she struggled to free herself and the large birds turned their beady eyes on Danny. "And after granting your wishes that will never happen!"
Well she might be right about that… Chaos thought, her eyes burning a brighter red. Doesn't mean she's right about the first thing though! She stopped fighting against the foliage and instead focused on her energy. Electricity sizzled along her skin as it covered her from head to toe. The trees roared in pain and let go of her as she pushed the layer of black and white energy outwards much like she had done to Plasmius at their last meeting.
Flying up and away from them, Chaos searched for Danny only to find him streaking across the sky away from a flock of pigeons the size of horses. She quirked an eyebrow, debating internally whether she should help him or go after Desiree instead.
"Chaos!" Raimee's voice cried out from below her. She twisted around to see her friend standing between two unmoving trees, her face set in a worried frown. "What are you doing?!"
"Hmph, Genie Girl over here is being difficult but don't worry, I'll get her," Chaos reassured her. Raimee's frown only deepened.
"Maybe you should listen to her and try fighting with Phan—Danny instead!"
"Not while he keeps accusing us of being bad guys when we haven't even done anything!"
"We'll talk about that later, for now…" the rest of Raimee's comment died as Danny flew past them at top speed.
"A little help?!" he called back before twisting away from several giant birds and diving into the surrounding trees. Raimee sent a look at Chaos.
"Alright alright," she grumbled, turning towards the genie ghost. "I'll save the ghost dude." Smirking as an idea came to her, she floated up to where Desiree was gloating.
"Hey! You wanna grant more wishes?" she asked, effectively grabbing her attention. "Try this one on for size; I wish that the birds and trees were back to normal!" Desiree raised a hand.
"So you have wished it so shall it be!" Pink light raced from her and struck the pigeons and plants, quickly transforming them back to their original states. Chaos grinned.
"Sweet," she said. "What else can I wish for?" Danny flew up to her side, his face reluctantly grateful.
"Thanks," he muttered.
"No problem," she replied as he reached into his backpack.
"Now time to finish this," Danny held up the thermos she had seen him use before and turned it on Desiree. "I wish you'd go into this thermos!"
"No! NO!" she screeched, as the blinding light burst out from the device and wrapped around her. "I will not grant that wish!"
"Can't wish yourself out of this one!" Chaos mocked with a smirk. Danny capped the thermos and allowed a small smile himself. An awkward silence fell between the two but it was quickly interrupted by a familiar voice.
"Raimee!"
"Dad?!" Chaos glanced down to see Mr. Perkings stumble to a stop next to his daughter, breathing and sweating hard.
"Guess we got some explaining to do," she remarked, concern leaking into her usual cocky manner as Raimee grimaced at something her father said.
"Yeah you do," Danny said.
"And you too," Chaos crossed her arms. "But not now, kay? She needs me." He pressed his lips together but didn't argue.
"I guess I can't stop you after you helped me today, so…tomorrow we'll talk."
"Yeah, okay."
"So don't leave," he warned.
"Where am I gonna go? I still want to fight ya, ghost dude!" Danny's expression didn't change. Chaos snorted. "If you're worried about your secret, don't be. We have no one to tell." This seemed to ease enough of his doubt for him to leave and he took off towards his house. As soon as he was out of sight she let herself sink to the ground and into hearing range of the Perking's conversation.
"We'll talk…when we get home," she heard Mr. Perkings say. "When I know…you are safe." Her arms still crossed, Chaos dropped to the ground next to Raimee.
"She's safe," she stated, annoyed that he would think otherwise, "and that's because of me, thank you."
Raimee watched as Chaos distracted Desiree from Danny, confident that despite Chaos's reluctance she would help him until the specter was caught. Instead her thoughts turned to the one she was saving. Danny…was Phantom. It was impossible to believe and she didn't quite understand how it worked, but she couldn't deny what she had seen with her own eyes. Somehow Danny was both human and ghost.
As she thought about it, she realized that it really did make sense. When she had felt the trace of ghost energy in him it was Phantom she was sensing, but because he wasn't a full ghost he didn't feel like one. His strange behavior…well that could just be how he was all the time but some of that was probably because of ghost stuff. She knew how difficult it was to keep her 'normal' life from mixing with her ghost-related one.
Then there was Phantom's behavior. She hadn't seen much of it herself but Chaos never stopped complaining about his mysterious disappearances. Now they knew where he went. Like Chaos had said, he had been right there and they hadn't even realized it. But now that they knew…
Raimee bit her lip as she tried to organize her thoughts. Everything was swirling around in her head as she made connections between Danny and Phantom, but for each one she discovered she had a swarm of questions too. And if she had questions…well he had made it abundantly clear that he wanted to know more about who they were as well. She sighed heavily. They would need to talk soon, whether Danny and Chaos wanted to or not.
"Raimee!" She jerked around at her name and saw her dad stagger towards her.
"Dad?!" He lurched to a stop and bent over, breathing hard.
"You…are…okay?" he panted.
"Yeah, are you?" she asked, leaning towards him.
"I'm fine…but you…are in so much…trouble young lady," Brian looked at her seriously before hanging his head and exhaling noisily. Raimee flinched from the anger he still managed to portray despite the fact that he sounded like he was about to pass out.
"I…" she trailed off, not sure there was anything she could say right now to make the situation better. It was then she noticed that one of the ghost energies had disappeared while another was coming closer towards them. Did that mean the fight was over?
"We'll talk…when we get home," he said when she didn't continue. "When I know…you are safe." Raimee nervously ran a hand through her hair as she thought about the upcoming confrontations between her dad, Chaos, and even Danny. This was not going to be fun.
"She's safe and that's because of me, thank you," Chaos interjected as she landed next to Raimee, startling both of them.
"Chaos…" Raimee cautioned, her eyes on her dad. His face, already red from exertion, seemed to darken.
"If there is anyone who is trying to keep her safe…it's me!" he responded hotly. Chaos opened her mouth to argue but Raimee pushed herself in front of her.
"Please! Not here, not now!" she pleaded. "Let's do what Dad says and go back to the apartment. We'll talk there." Brian and Chaos swapped glowers.
"I want to talk to you alone," her father said.
"Chaos is a part of this, Dad. She needs to be there." He hesitated but finally nodded.
"Okay, let's go back." He turned, gesturing for her to follow. As she did, Chaos leaned close to her and whispered in her ear.
"We'll talk with Phantom tomorrow, probably at school or something."
"Oh…" Raimee nodded.
"Are you coming?" Brian called. Chaos patted her arm before phasing into her body.
'Here we go.'
Danny wasn't entirely sure he had made the right choice to leave Chaos and Raimee at the park with Mr. Perkings. How did he know that they would keep his secret? What if they told Raimee's dad or worse, the authorities? He didn't really know much about the Perkings but they both already seemed familiar with the paranormal world. They might actually know about the Guys in White or some other ghost-hunting group that they could send after him.
He slowed to a stop in midair, only a block or so away from his house. Could he trust them until tomorrow? Danny thought of their fight with Desiree and how Chaos had actually really helped. He couldn't discount that. Maybe she wasn't a bad ghost. Of course he still had some questions and Chaos made it clear that they did too… He guessed that he could wait until tomorrow.
Anxiety roiled in his stomach as he continued to think about what this meant. Someone else knew his secret. For Chaos, it wasn't that big of a deal. Most if not all of the ghosts knew his secret and only a rare few had tried to use it against him. If she was just here to be with Raimee like she claimed, then she shouldn't be a threat. Danny resumed his flight towards home, worry creasing his forehead.
No, if anyone was a threat, it was Raimee. He wasn't sure where she stood in all of this and that concerned him. She seemed nice but if anyone else at his school knew his true identity—identities really—they would love to use it as leverage against him. That or blab about it to everyone else. Was she like the rest? Danny didn't think so, especially considering the fact that she had been trying so hard to keep Chaos a secret herself, but still…
He dove down once he reached his street and landed in an alleyway near his house. With a quick glance around him to make sure he was alone, he transformed back into his human half and stepped out onto the sidewalk. As he walked towards his front door, his thoughts turned from the day's events to what awaited him at home. Danny cringed.
His parents were going to be furious with him for staying after school when he was grounded. The worst part was that he would have to lie to them about where he had been since the truth was out of the question. Oh, he was so grounded unless he could come up with a good enough excuse.
He racked his brain as he went up the step and grabbed the door handle. Twisting the knob and vainly hoping that his parents were busy in the lab and hadn't noticed his absence, he opened the door. His mother stood just a few feet away, her expression anything but welcoming.
"Where have you been young man?" Maddie demanded, her hands on her hips. Danny grimaced, still scrambling for a cover story.
"Uh…I stayed after school…to," he paused as he realized that he could use a half-truth, "talk to the new girl, Raimee."
"New girl?" Maddie inquired, closing the door behind him. She hesitated before her eyes narrowed in suspicion.
"Yeah, she just moved here from Wisconsin," Danny continued, hoping the vague connection to Vlad would soften her anger. "I, uh, had some questions about the papers we have due on Wednesday, so she helped me out."
"So you stayed behind to work on homework?" The skepticism in her voice annoyed Danny but he couldn't really blame her. It was a shaky excuse on a good day for him.
"Yeah…"
"But why ask the new girl? She has to be behind." Maddie crossed her arms.
"Uh, well she's really smart," Danny offered with a weak grin. "She's a whole year ahead of me in math even though she's my age."
"Actually," Jazz's voice came from the stairs, "she's two years ahead but the school would only let her skip one." Danny smiled gratefully at her and Jazz winked.
"You know her too?" Maddie asked, turning around.
"Yeah, the teachers asked me to welcome her and see if I could get her to join the academic decathlon team; she was almost the top of her class at her last school." His mom seemed torn now that it was clear that Raimee was real. Danny grabbed at the chance.
"She really helped me out. I know what topics I'm going to use now." Luckily this was true but it had been Sam who had helped him with that. "But maybe Jazz could help me with the outlines…?" He looked pointedly at his sister who opened her mouth and then nodded.
"Sure, Danny, I have some time." Maddie frowned but then smiled.
"Well okay, but I expect you to have those papers done—and done well," she told him firmly.
"Yep, I will!" Danny replied, heading quickly for the stairs. Wow, he actually managed to avoid being grounded longer!
"Oh and Danny," his mother called out. He paused with one foot on the first step, his silent celebration grinding to a halt. He turned his head to face her.
"Uh, yeah?"
"No staying after school again without asking me."
"Oh yeah sure," he nodded, relieved that that was all she wanted. Jazz slipped past him and started up the stairs. Danny made to follow when another thought struck him. "Hey Mom, where's Dad and Vlad?"
"They're down in the—" an echoing rumble from below cut off Maddie's reply and the house shook slightly. The three Fenton's froze, each with identical looks of shock on their faces. "Lab…"
"Dad?" Jazz slid quickly to the bottom of the steps, barely missing Danny as he dropped his backpack and headed for the basement.
"Jack!" Maddie was the first to reach the door in the kitchen, ripping it open and descending the staircase quickly. Danny and Jazz were close behind her. "What happened? Is everything okay?!"
The lab was filled with smoke though it was slowly dissipating as the ventilation system kicked in. They could hear coughing coming from the other end of the room and out of the gloom two forms emerged. Jack was holding the remains of a Fenton bazooka, his bewildered expression almost comical, while Vlad was only a few feet to his left, appearing calm though his normally spotless suit was rather disheveled.
"What on earth happened here?!" Maddie exclaimed, rushing forward.
"You wouldn't believe it Maddie," Jack began, his tone torn between confusion and excitement. "I was trying to sort the wires so I could recalibrate this and suddenly it exploded!"
"Exploded?!" she repeated, her eyebrows knitting together. Danny and Jazz exchanged puzzled looks.
"Yeah! Who knew these bazookas had that kind of power!" he was grinning now despite the blood dripping down from his forehead.
"Jack..."
"Why if I ever untangle this thing and get it to work right we could take out hundreds of ghosts at one time!"
"Jack," Maddie attempted again.
"Who cares about forcing the ghosts to go back to their creepy homes in the Ghost Zone, we could destroy them on the spot!" Danny winced, glancing over at Vlad who remained expressionless.
"Jack!" Maddie grabbed the smoking invention in his hand and pulled it from his grasp. "We are not going to even think about that right now! Look at you, look at the lab!" She shook her head.
"But think of what these babies can do!"
"I don't have to think about it when the evidence is right in my face," Maddie replied unhappily before sighing. "It's obviously dangerous and we need to be careful." She gestured at Danny and Jazz.
"Of course, safety first but…" Jack protested.
"Please just drop it, Jack, and help me clean up."
"But Mad—"
"Just drop it," she repeated, her voice tight. "We can discuss this later." Maddie turned away from him and set the bazooka down on a nearby counter before beginning to pick up chunks of debris at her feet.
"Let me help you with that, Maddie," Vlad offered, moving swiftly to her side with a friendly smile on his face. Danny frowned at the older halfa. With everything that had happened today with Raimee and Chaos he had almost forgotten that he had to keep an eye out for Vlad as well.
Plasmius was obviously up to something—he had practically announced it when he had first arrived—and now his plan seemed to have started, but what was he doing? The bazooka had accidentally exploded, right? Unless, it wasn't an accident…
"Danny." He looked up to see Jazz's gaze on him.
"Huh?"
"You had something you wanted to talk to me about?" she prompted, jerking her head towards the stairs.
"Oh, uh, yeah," he looked back at the three adults cleaning up the lab, sending a distrustful glare at Vlad. "Yeah, I have lots to tell you."
