Edit: 6/5/18: Next wave of grammar fixes and wording tweaks or some scenes altered to avoid cliches. Took out AN question and answer sections.

My schedule's still pretty tight so I still can't go back to regular updates yet. The next chapter will come when it'll come. However, as a side note, if you ever feel the need to check on me or are curious about how far I've gotten on the next chapter, you can PM me. The only thing I ask is to not be demanding or anything of the ilk. I won't get mad, but it will stress me out. Real life before Fanfiction after all.

Anyways, I hope you enjoy this chapter!

zzz- normal separation

ooo- dream or vision separation (could be a past event of some kind)

Mental thoughts or distant speaking

"Live free or die." ~ General John Stark.

zzz

He slowly rubbed a worn spot on the trinket he had. It was a little silver baseball that Star had given him years ago when they were younger and he never failed to bring it with him for every important moment for his career in law. It was strung about his neck by a tiny silver chain and was most often times hidden. David rubbed it for good luck just because he didn't want to tempt fate with two innocent lives and possibly countless souls. Star had said she owed Danny. What she had meant by that, David had no clue, especially since she hadn't even mentioned they were friends and until the last few days, he hadn't even known there was a boy named Danny in her grade, but if it made Star happy then that was also a bonus. He glanced back as people finished settling back into their seats and looked at his sister. She was staring sadly at both the young Fentons and gave David a fragmented smile when she noticed him. All the questions he had could wait until later though.

Kaufman finally got seated and when everyone else grew quiet, he broke the trance with his voice. "The motion to dismiss has been denied. The defense will continue with their case-"

A small eruption of murmuring of course started up almost immediately as well as a few hecklers, to which David could hardly blame them for their confusion and frustration. Kaufman merely banged his gavel and with a few cold stares from the attending cops and the various men in black suits, everyone silenced. "Mr. Hudson, would you please call up your first witness."

David nodded and stood, taking on a much less carefree air about him then he'd had before. He had been almost certain the case would be dismissed; it was a good thing he wasn't a betting man. He'd forgotten in all his preparation that people in general wouldn't be satisfied by purely facts in a case like this. They needed emotion and things to pull at their deepest moral heartstrings as well. Kaufman was right, now it was a show, not a trial.

"Yes sir. I would like to call to the stand, Madeline Fenton."

Maddie rose form the stands again and made her way up to the witness' stand. She sat and swore to the oath again before looking at David.

"Ghosts do not have nervous systems like humans do, but instead an intricate system of energy diffusion acting in the nerves and neurons' steads. When a full ghost is harmed, energy slash matter is in fact removed from their system. No longer being concentrated by the forces made by the core, causes the removed part to disconnect permanently from the ghost; newly created ectoplasm is later made by the core. The loss of mass is sensed by the core and the core then translates this information for the ghosts' consciousness to understand it is in danger of collapse. If too much ectoplasm is lost, the forces being exerted by the core are not balanced enough to continue sustaining the ectoplasmic body and the ghost disappears from the physical plane. Only if one is quick and prepared, can one destroy a ghost's core before it phases back into the dimension known as the Ghost Zone. If proper equipment is used, one can keep a core from regenerating back inside the Zone and could theoretically destroy said ghost permanently. All spectral entities, from the most primitive slime balls to the more complex spirits of departed humans, share this system. The core of every ghost is able to transmit the information of energy loss to whatever sort of a level of aware consciousness the specter may possess (See data comparison between ghost dog, Cujo, and willing participant, Youngblood - appearance age eight, chronology age fifty-four). Ghosts supposedly wish to remain in our plane of existence to fulfill a task, much like living beings do; this core response system gives ectoplasmic entities the chance to protect itself from destruction for as long as possible. From studies performed in our lab, we've also observed physical response to pain very similar to their living counterparts, ears back and muscle tremors for dog and narrowed brows and facial distortion from human spirit…" David trailed off and glanced about the room at his audience before looking back at Maddie. "Wow is all I can say. A core response system? How interesting. Can you tell me, Mrs. Fenton, if you believe, in your scientific opinion, that a ghost's core can act not only as a heart substitute but a substitute for the brain as well?"

"I have no doubt."

"I see. This report you wrote-"

"Jack and I both wrote it and he had a major part in carefully doing the actual procedures."

David smiled as Jack bounced a little in his seat, looking pleased. "Of course. The report you and your husband wrote, it was written October twelfth of last year, correct?"

"Yes."

"And exactly what was the date that you learned of your son's genetic condition?"

"November fourth of last year."

"So, the jury can conclude your natural bias concerning your son and daughter wasn't at play when writing that report?"

"Correct. We had only known Danny's Phantom half to be a full ghost at the time. He had continuously gone against our general theories on ghosts and so we decided to actually see if his statements on ghosts being more than mere ectoplasm had any basis. He also suggested that Cujo and Youngblood would be willing subjects if we treated them with dignity."

David nodded. "It's always wise to consider the possibility of one's own mistakes." He paused. "Now we are aware that you were unable to be a part of your children's… physical check-up." David grimaced at his own attempt to sugar-coat the fact that Danny and Danielle had been looked at almost like lab rats. "But from what you looked at after finding out about your son's and then daughter's condition, you found they have a system that is even more like our own?"

"Yes. Danny and Danielle both have full nervous systems even in ghost form as well as a weak core response, but it seems to be mostly overridden by their human system most of the time. Their core response acts more like a warning regarding low energy levels, not necessarily caused by damage inflicted."

"Sounds reasonable for what, in all practicality, is a hybrid." David nodded. "Thank you, Mrs. Fenton. No further questions."

Kaufman glanced over to Diego as David returned to his seat. The prosecutor rose and quietly walked towards Maddie's place.

"Would the prosecution-?"

"Yes."

Kaufman huffed quietly, planning to give Diego a glare if he was rude again.

"So, the core response supposedly monitors energy fluctuations?"

Maddie paused for a moment before answering. "Well yes."

"Do ghosts start to show discoloration near a wound sight as though the flesh is being destroyed in some manner?"

"No. It's simply a loss of mass that occurs."

"So, no dying flesh, no true damage other than something disappearing from a concentrated state?"

Maddie immediately saw what he was trying to do, but this Fenton wouldn't have it. "Mr. Armando, I didn't know you were trying to prove dead people were dead. I thought you were trying to prove that ghosts have no sentience."

Diego's face darkened in frustration as a few snickers from the crowd echoed through the room. "Ghosts are still merely energy forced into a pattern. This core response you described is nothing more than giving a false name to the process of entropy that occurs when one removes the wrong preverbal Jenga block from the tower." Diego walked calmly back to his table. "No further questions."

"Very well. Mr. Hudson, do you have another witness for us?" Kaufman asked and entertained his fingers.

"Yes, I do. I'd like to call to the stand, Vin Leyton."

The Phantom siblings watched as the kind doctor from the labs rose and made his way up to the front of the room. His salt and pepper hair was combed back neatly and his small button-like indigo eyes were calm. He took his place, took the oath and faced David.

"You were one of the various scientists in charge of looking at Danny and Danielle's physical properties, right?" David started.

"That is correct."

"Could you give us an outline of your findings?"

The older man coughed into one balled fist before lowering it to intertwine his fingers with the other hand on the ledge in front of him. "From what I studied of the two, they appear to be functioning living organisms. They are extraordinary and not exactly human but living none the less."

"I see, could you go into more detail?"

"Certainly." Leyton gave a brief pause as though to figure out where to start. "Well to begin with, in their human formes they have nearly the exact same bodily workings as normal humans. A skeleton supports their frame, muscles, underneath skin, contract, organs play the roles they should, even the brain waves almost match up with normal human data. If anything, their biological systems actually work more efficiently than any of our best human athletes. They could go for twice as long without food and perhaps even longer if they had access to free forming ectoplasm or emotional energy. As humans, they do require the same amount of water and can last about the same without it; in their ghost form though, the ectoplasm burns away most wastes as well as minimizing the amount of water lost from more infrequent breathing, thus they can conserve their water for a longer period of time-"

Danny and Dani blinked and looked at each other at exactly the same time.

"We can do that?" Dani whispered softly.

"I guess so."

"Weird."

"A lot of their processes are a bit slower and from what they've told us, they are immune to most diseases. The most remarkable thing though is that their body is vastly more flexible in their ghost form. While their skeletal system is mostly solid all the time in human forme, when their ectoplasm in their DNA is activated all the way, they can potentially reform their entire bodies from no more than a mass of biological material and ectoplasm."

A few people in the room grew green in the face.

"There are limitations to that though. It depends entirely on how activated their core is. If a body part is severed before the system can react to the threat, then permanent damage can be wrought. Somehow in those instances, there is a loss of connection or communication between the regions of the body, which almost is a behavior found amongst some multi celled colonies rather than multi celled organisms-"

"Professor Leyton, if you would state for the jury and the people present today, what you found regarding this loss of communication between cells as well as the fact that Danielle is in fact Daniel's clone."

"Of course. You see, their cells can go through apoptosis. We instructed Daniel to shift into his 'ghost' forme and then we removed a blood sample-"

"And why did you have him shift?"

"So that his blood would be glowing with activated ectoplasm."

"And why did you want it to glow?"

"So, we can see when it stopped glowing."

David smiled a tiny smirk. This subject would come back around to what Professor Harland had failed to talk about properly in the prosecution's case.

"Why does that matter?"

"Well just like there's a theory out there that Mitochondria were once bacteria that hijacked our cells and over time became part of multi celled organisms' biology, my colleagues and I came up with one on our own. The ectoplasm is so tightly bound to the biology of every cell in the Phantoms' bodies that it is reliant on it. The human half is benefited greatly from the powers and evolutionary advancements that the ectoplasm provides, so the question is, why doesn't the ectoplasm simply burn their bodies up, suck them dry or kill them immediately when it was introduced to their systems? Their bodies captured the energy source and integrated itself with it with the help of outside stimulants like electricity or electrode stimulation. Their bodies have adapted. That and their core or… their soul… help keep the truce between the two conflicting halves. It's seemingly taken over the activate job of monitoring both halves."

"So, you're insinuating that the core of a ghost is actually one's soul?"

"Objection!" Diego shouted, having finally reacted his tipping point during the long talk. "That is complete conjecture, your honor."

"Is it?" Leyton asked quietly. "This is the first time in many years that I'm reconsidering things. If the ectoplasm that comes from the fully formed manifestation of a core and supposedly a soul is just ectoplasm, then a sample of blood taken far from the source, the core, should continue to glow and emit energy. Ectoplasm in its natural and non-organized state glows without aid. When we did this to Daniel and Danielle's blood, the cells died like a human's and the ectoplasm stopped glowing and even faded away. Blood and ectoplasm being made by two different systems, the bone marrow and the core, are working in perfect harmony. That and a supposed corpse being possessed by a ghost shouldn't have viable DNA that could be healthy enough to be used to create an entirely new being. They are in fact clones, nearly a hundred percent identical, like identical twins practically. The only obvious difference being gender."

Hartman hummed. "I'll allow it."

Diego settled slowly, retaining his calm.

"Do you have any more questions for your witness?" Hartman asked, turning to look at David.

"No, your honor."

"Very well, would the prosecution like to question the witness?"

"No, your honor."

"Next witness?"

David nodded as Professor Leyton pulled himself up and calmly made his way back to the rows of seats. "I'd like to call to the stand, Doctor Lorey Garber."

The time drug on as David brought up each of his witnesses. Garber had talked long and almost passionately about how distinct the Phantoms' emotional reactions had been to stimulus and in interactions between each other. They not only had adaptive emotional responses, but they also correlated with physical evidence of emotion.

A firefighter from Amity came up next, giving the crowd and jury the chance to hear more specifically about Danny's moral choices. Robberies, fires, and car accidents, countless times that Phantom had arrived to help the first responders. These acts of heroism didn't even account for the ghost attacks at all. The firefighter could remember seeing exhaustion plague the young hero, but never letting it stop him from going into the burning building one more time or trying an again to peel back bent metal that trapped bodies. Knowing now that Phantom was more than a ghost and in fact had human needs had floored the fire department and the police force both.

Diego tried to bring up the incidents of Danny's stealing and kidnapping and other blights on Danny's heroic record while questioning the firefighter. When David brought Sam to the stand, he started by having her recount the reasons behind those episodes, before moving onto more personal things.

"Sam, did he always act like the Daniel Fenton you'd grown up with?"

"Yes. From the moment of his accident on, he never faltered at being just Danny."

"Are you sure you weren't biased because of your close bond to him and even more so after becoming involved with him?"

"No. Danny's body changed a bit, with how it works and what it can do, but Danny himself never changed. Even the confidence he showed as Phantom was normal. Not many people had really ever bothered to get to know Danny, that's why it doesn't seem like Fenton and Phantom's personalities are similar. Not many people saw Phantom when he got nervous and not many people saw Fenton when he had to step up and fight. I did though. He's just Danny."

Mr. and Mrs. Fenton shared a sad look between each other at the thought that they hadn't tried hard enough to really know their son for so long. Jazz placed a comforting hand on her mother's thigh.

"Thank you, Miss Manson."

"Would the prosecution like to cross-examine this witness?"

"Yes, your honor." Diego walked up, looking Sam in the eyes. "How do you-"

"How do I know it's him?" Sam asked, cutting off the man. The room when deadly silent. "I know it's him because he started to panic after he got out of the portal. I know because of the way he looked at me right before passing out. I know because he still likes ketchup under his patty instead of with the mayonnaise on top. I know because he still hates toast. I know because he still wrinkles his nose if he's upset about something. I know because he still wears a shirt almost every time he uses the public showers at school or decides to go swimming. I know because he still has trouble saying 'burglary'. I know because he still dots his I's before finishing the rest of the word even though he prefers cursive." Sam paused, taking a calming breath. "Do you want me to continue? I've known him since we were like five. I could give you the same run-down for Tucker and they could do the same for me. Yes, he may have gotten into some bad looking situations, but here's the thing, it's all the times he had the opportunity to do terrible things and didn't that count more."

Diego scowled a bit. "Or he could be using his pre-programmed memories to pretend to be the Danny you remember?"

"For what? A plan more than four years in the making? To become the most powerful ghost? To rule over everything? I fail to see any logical reasoning behind your ideas. Danny's been able to handle most all of his enemies since over a year and half ago. Only a select few that come to Amity ever gave him any problem after that. To become any more skilled, he would've had to have had gone deep into the Ghost Zone, constantly searching for primordial powers or other long dead gods. He's hardly had time for that."

Diego gave the girl a small glare, that was barely hidden from the rest of the audience. "Of course, because it's inconceivable that your friend died and is no longer the boy you knew. No further questions."

Sam had her mouth open, but snapped it closed once he'd shut her down. Maybe he'd gotten the last word in, but what he'd said still wasn't well supported.

"Mr. Hudson?"

"Yes. I have another witness."

"How many do you have!?" A heckler shouted from the back.

David ignored him as Tucker walked forward to stand beside him.

"Mr. Hudson?"

"I thought that since we are trying to make a decision regarding ghosts, that perhaps we should get their side of the story."

The Guys in White that were present, immediately rose to grab for their weapons and even the black suited men, tensed.

"Mr. Hudson, what exactly do you mean?" Kaufman asked, showing nervousness on his face for the first time.

"Mr. Foley?"

Tucker only nodded before uncapping the thermos. In a flash of light, Technus and Wulf tumbled out.

"Finally! This type of treatment is unacceptable! I now smell like wet dog!" Technus shrieked in annoyance and impatience.

Wulf shook his fur and cocked his head. "Wet? Not wet."

"It's a figure of speech, you mutt."

"Not mutt." Wulf growled and extended his claws in one large paw as a threat. Technus paled a bit, as much as a ghost could.

"Guys! Now's not that time," Tucker expressed. "Wulf, would you get the others here?"

Wulf nodded before using he ready hand to claw open a large hole into the Zone. Everyone continued to stay absolutely frozen in either fear or shock at the turn of events. Before long, Frostbite and Dora joined the other two ghosts in the courtroom. Dora immediately turned to face Danny.

"Sir Phantom? Are you alright?" Dora asked worriedly.

Danny smiled faintly. "Dani and I are alright. Don't worry, Dora."

She glanced about the room. "So, this is the place humans of this age judge their criminals?" She turned and looked at Kaufman. "Is he your king?"

Kaufman coughed nervously.

"No Dora. He's called a judge. A person who's appointed the job of observing cases involving criminals," Danny answered with a smile.

Dora nodded. "I see. Thank you."

"I am glad to see you in good health, Great One," Frostbite mumbled.

"Thanks Frostbite."

"Mr. Hudson."

David looked up at Kaufman, who was starting to give him a hard look and the Guys in White cocked their weapons. "A little warning would have been nice."

"You had the list of the witnesses' names…"

"I thought they were strange names, not ghosts."

Frostbite rose a hand, freezing over the Guys in White's weapons, making a few fearful people gasp. "We mean you no harm, but I do no appreciate your people aiming such weapons at my allies." The black suited men seemed to be tense, watching closely, but yet, not acting...

"You're ghosts!"

"And you are undoubtedly humans. Are we going to exchange any more intelligent statements of fact?" Technus grumbled.

"You're chill now? Since when?" Danielle asked in confusion.

Technus huffed. "That has yet to be decided… however, making it more difficult for these bias men in white uniforms to harm ghosts in general is something I do indeed support believe it or not. That and I suppose I'm tired… tired of being angry."

Frostbite's eyebrows lowered in understanding and he rested a large paw on Technus' shoulder. "I congratulate you for taking such a step, Technus."

Technus snorted. "Keep your congratulations to yourself, Ice giant."

"Objection, this is introducing evidence and or a witness not cleared by the courts," Diego spoke and rose, eyeing the ghosts in the room wearily.

Kaufman sighed and massaged his temples.

"If I may, this is not a normal trial and it is with what you could call unnatural context. We are prosecuting not just two young people, but an entire group of people without really hearing their story. I say let them speak. We've been wrong after all this time. Dead men do tell tales."

"Uh-huh," Wulf grumbled, letting his tongue slip out of the side of his mouth. A bit of ectoplasm splatted on the ground.

"They are as follows. An entity with an ectoplasmic level of 14.2, level 12, level 18.5, and level 15.9. We can't simply let them stay. They are an extraordinary threat to everyone here!" Agent M expressed.

"I assure you, we are not," Frostbite stated calmly. "You need to calm yourself, sir. As I've stated before, we mean no harm. We come as a bringer of peace and good will. Perhaps if you understand more about us, you will find yourself less afraid."

"I will allow it," Kaufman finally said sparing an almost invisible glance to the black suited men. The cameramen and reporter excitedly readied themselves again, happy to have the ghosts here for their story.

"Thank you, your honor. The first one I call to the stand is Frostbite, Leader of the FarFrozen."

Frostbite nodded and lumbered towards the seat. Since it was too small of a chair, he stood and, with a bit of aid, took the oath. Wulf, Technus and Dora sat on the front row, which was unoccupied by people.

"Frostbite, welcome."

"Thank you, Mister Hudson. An honor to meet you in person. Tucker of the Trendy Tech told me about you."

"Well thank you." David then halted in front of Frostbite. "Could you tell us a bit about the history of your people as well as their place in the Ghost Zone? Would that be acceptable?"

Frostbite nodded. "Our written records are a bit old and were damaged many years before my rise to leadership, but from what I've studied, we were the protector spirits of the Inuit peoples. Many many years ago, they called out to our ancestors for guidance and in that way, we taught them the ways of the ice and the cold. Perhaps before then we had been their deceased relatives, given new form by our respect for the animals we hunted, but there is no proof of this in our records. After a certain period of time though, they stopped calling out to us and so, we tried no more to aid them. Sometimes new spirits come to our group, but not as often as they used to. We remain, in case they ever need us, this is the only reason we linger. As for our place in the Zone…" Frostbite paused. He simply couldn't tell all humans about the Infimap and how it was created from the maps the aurora borealis drew in the skies in ancient times, nor that it was specifically their job to guard it. "We are a well-established kingdom within the Zone and regarding grave matters we are informed of such happenings. Most kingdoms remain separate and do not cross into other territories, but in times of need, we come together."

"Fascinating. So, the Ghost Zone have various kingdoms and providences."

"Oh yes! Perhaps thousands of different lands and kingdoms all with their own peoples and purposes for remaining here. There are undoubtedly more than that as the Infinite Realms are indeed infinite, but no one has travelled beyond the green haze."

Danny perked up. "Green haze? Are there other colors?"

Frostbite gave a somewhat sad smile to the boy. "I had intended to teach you more, before these happenings all occurred, but even I do not know what lies beyond that point. I suspect only a very select few, do." Frostbite gave Danny a look, indicating that he was referring to Clockwork and the other higher beings in the Zone.

"Even more interesting. So, to be clear, the Ghost Zone has a government?"

"Yes. Perhaps not as strictly organized as yours, but it need not be. It has its own natural order of things, that and ghosts tend to obsess over their duties. Most don't dare leave their homes or kingdoms. The ones you see in the human realm are loners that are loyal to no group. That is where Walker is supposed to bring about order, but we've been having trouble with him the last half century."

"You're telling me." Danny and Danielle muttered at the same time.

"You haven't thought to remove him from his place in all that time?"

Frostbite smiled. "Government is fickle, no? That and something like a century is a blink of an eye to beings like us."

"I see and yes government is fickle or perhaps it's the people." David smiled as Frostbite broke out into raucous laughter that almost reminded some of what Santa Claus would sound like.

"Indeed, Mister Hudson."

"Thank you Frosbite."

Kaufman nodded. "Would the prosecution like to question the witness?"

"Yes." Diego took David's place. "You are merely a conglomeration of energy. You are all merely following a predetermined path designated by your previous lives. The fact that you stated most ghosts don't like to alter from such paths proves this, does it not?"

Frostbite smiled. "Of course not. All ghosts are different, as are spirits, wraiths, demons, youkai and other things."

Diego paused. "You make distinctions?"

"Of course. Though we all tend to interchange the words a lot. There are proper terms for each type of being. Ghosts are entities who remain on earth to find peace with unfinished business be it benevolent, benign or malicious in intent. Spirits are entities that can't easily interact with the living but remain in order to follow a specific duty entrusted to them. Wraiths are more animalistic and almost always malicious. They almost mindlessly guard places or items and most often they are forced to remain on earth due to a curse of some sort, which is why they appear to have no true consciousness. Demons are as you know them as, evil beings that seek only to harm. Sometimes they will pretend to be children or even animals. Youkai are interesting. They aren't Demons as they have been translated as, but they aren't innocent either. They are almost like living beings that have aged long or have been given the power of a spirit in a mortal body. They live for a long time and tend to have varied existences, sometimes malicious and sometimes benevolent. Then Angels are also easy to understand. They are rare beings of great compassion and love. Sometimes an entity can ascend to that state, but it is almost unheard of. Angels were always angels and for another being to become an Angel is nearly impossible."

Everyone was quiet, each dealing with this new info in their own ways.

"I see…" Diego paused, actually speechless. "But a ghost has no DNA, correct? You only have an abstract core, no-" The prosecutor seemed to have trouble forming an intelligent sentence. He was angry, but even he was starting to wonder if there was any way to prove that ghosts were purely evil. What could he say? What could he prove? Was there anything to prove?

Frostbite leveled his kind gaze on the man. "This is true. Only a half-alive being like young Daniel possesses DNA. Then again, Daniel, Danielle, and Masters are unique cases. For a normal ghost our equivalent is not physical, so I have nothing to give but my word. As soon as the body fails and the biological form breaks down, the soul can finally serve its true purpose. Does this make our existence a bit clearer to you?"

Diego was silent before- "No further questions."

"Very well."

As time went on, both Dora and Technus had their chance to speak. Dora explained a bit more about different kingdoms and daily existence, while Technus talked about obsessions. Diego tried to make a point about how dangerous a ghost can become even if their obsession is accidentally threatened, but Technus merely mirrored that statement with humans and how they were often unpredictable. Ending his turn with a jab at the idea of trying to protect people from life. Things happen and sometimes they aren't fair.

Finally, David indicated his last witness, Wulf.

"Hello Wulf. This is Mister Schrödinger. He will be translating your Esperanto for the rest of us gathered here. Do you understand?" David asked.

Wulf nodded. "Yes."

"Excellent. You seem to know some English."

"Danny. Friend help."

"That's great. Now, the reason I've called you up here, is to show people that appearance in the Ghost Zone can be deceiving. Just because you appear to be more animal than man, doesn't mean you have the mind of an animal. In fact, most animals in the Zone are given human intelligence upon death or creation, correct?"

Wulf cocked his head before speaking. "Jes. Bestoj estas donitaj komprenon sur morto. Ne multe pli ol en la vivo, sed sufiĉe por kompreni iom pli bona. La plej sekura maniero por paroli al ili estas uzi latinan kiel ĝi estas baza lango preskaŭ ĉiuj estaĵoj rekoni. Iuj diras, ke estas alia lingvo kiu neniam estis uzata de la mortemuloj, sed nur tre maljunaj fantomoj scias ĝin kaj uzi ĝin por paroli al tre malnovaj spiritoj aŭ bestojn. Mi mem fakte beston. Mi estis kreita tra penso pluraj jarcentoj. Mi komencis kiel normala besto kaj transformita kiel la popola pensoj faris. Plej bestoj kiel mi havas la kapablecon de pasi inter la sferoj, kiel la bestoj nomitaj unukornuloj de homoj. Kontraste normala bestoj kiuj iam vivis, ni havas tiel intellengence kiel la seres kiu kreis nin."

Everyone almost at once turned to stare at Schrödinger. He coughed. "He said as follows: Yes. Animals are given understanding upon death. Not much more than in life, but enough to understand a bit better. The safest way to speak to them is to use Latin as it is a basic tongue almost all intelligent ghosts recognize. Some say there is another language that has never been used by mortal men, but only very old ghosts know it and use it to talk to very old spirits or beasts. I myself am actually a beast. I was created through thought several centuries ago. I started as a normal animal and transformed as the people's thoughts did. Most beasts like me have the ability to pass between the realms, like the creatures called unicorns by humans. Unlike normal animals that once lived, we have as much intelligence as the beings who created us."

Diego felt himself grow frustrated again. "Objection! Your honor, are we really going to start listening to the ramblings of animals now? This creature's mental capacity can't be up to par for the legal system!"

Kaufman waved his hand. "Wulf appears to be of sound mind if Schrödinger is anything to go by. Besides, he's capable of learning almost two languages perhaps three. I would like to think that's a good sign of mental capacity." He turned to David. "Continue."

David nodded as a practically defeated Diego slumped and nearly pouted in his seat. "In short, most entities in the Ghost Zone are sentient?"

Wulf nodded. "Yes. All things have place." He scratched behind his left ear. "Cxio havas siajn gravecon. Ruinoj ofte sanktaj kaj fantomoj, spiritoj kaj aliaj entoj resti malantaŭe por iliaj propraj kialoj. Ĉio estas kiel ĝi devus esti."

"All things have their importance. Ruins are often sacred and ghosts, spirits and other entities stay behind for their own reasons. Everything is as it should be," Schrödinger translated swiftly. Danny merely smiled at Clockwork's favorite quote.

"Very well. Is that the conclusion of the Defense's case?"

"Yes, your honor."

"Then let us move onto rebuttals and closing statements."

Diego walked up and took David's place as Wulf lumbered over to take an awkward seat, he still didn't like chairs much. Diego then went over several of his points, expressing and reiterating the danger involved with such creatures. It was short and quick and played on mortal fears, but at this point, that was all Diego could try to do.

Then it was David's turn. Time to put on a show.

"Death. What is it about death that puts fear in our hearts? For ages were feared it because it is often associated with earthly things, pain, sadness, unfinished business… This is our chance to progress humanity further, to answer some questions that eluded us for so long. Peace. Enlightenment. Are those things we all strive for?" David turned and looked at everyone. "Furthermore, Daniel and Danielle Fenton are alive. They have organs, they both enjoy eating food at the Nasty Burger with their friends, they both hate toast, and they both love their family dearly. Ectoplasm in their system, in their DNA, is merely a condition. The only difference between this condition and a disease is that they require a daily dose of saving your lives to stay healthy. This is only a benefit to you. These beings have their own government, world, and if we aren't more careful we could end up angering them all. Wouldn't you rather have allies amongst them, than enemies? Yes, there are risks, but life is full of risks… and as Frostbite once informed me, death is full of reflection… Risks… and Reflection… that seems to make a lot of sense, doesn't it? Life and Death… to turn against that is to turn against nature… Mankind has wondered for all time what lies beyond the veil… What is death really? What is life? The answers are being practically given to us. Let us not make a foolish mistake here. This is another turning point in history. I hope you all make the right choice."

David nodded and then walked towards his desk and a waiting Danny and Dani. Diego frowned before looking at Kaufman. "I have nothing else to say. I pass on my second rebuttal. I believe the choices are clear."

Kaufman looked over at the jury and the Congressmen. "Well, ladies and gentlemen of the jury and of Congress. We leave you to deliberate. Take in all the things you have heard and consider your opinions. Should the Anti-Ecto Acts be repealed? Are Daniel and Danielle Fenton and even the currently wanted Vladimir Masters, citizens of the United States? And finally, should charges against Daniel Fenton regarding theft, kidnapping and assault be dropped? Good luck and go with God."

As the jury and Congressmen left for the deliberation room, David looked at Danny and Danielle. "My business partner, Nathan, just sent me a text from the civil courts division. If you are both declared human, then Danielle's birth certificate will be officially rewritten. He said they also bought Tucker's story about having someone else make the fake one and him not knowing it was such an offense," David finished in a whisper.

"So, I'll be truly part of the Fenton's family?"

"Yes, you will."

Danielle smiled happily with a look of serenity on her face that was hard to match. Danny, at least the best he could still cuffed, placed a hand over hers. "It's just a piece of paper."

"I know, but it means something to me. Thanks, any ways, Danny."

zzz

Courtroom. 5:33 PM.

Two hours after the trial had come to a close, the jury and the Congressmen filed back into the courtroom. They all stood at attention and the Senator of Indiana, symbolically enough, held the piece of paper from which he would read off their verdict.

"Has the jury come to an agreement?" Kaufman asked and an audible creek filled the air as everyone leaned on the edges of their seats.

"We have, your honor," the Senator stated before glancing down to read word for word. After Kaufman asked Daniel and Danielle to rise during the reading of the verdicts, the senator spoke, "We the jury on the first count of theft, by Daniel Fenton, find the defendant, not guilty."

Danny nervously felt hope bubble in his chest.

"On the second count of kidnapping, we find the defendant, not guilty."

Sam's grip tightened on her arm rests.

"On the third count of assault, not guilty."

Jazz, ever the practical person ironically found herself crossing her fingers and pleading for luck or a miracle.

"Regarding the citizenship claims of Daniel and Danielle Fenton, we the jury find the defendants to be undoubtedly citizens of the United States of America."

Danielle's eyes widened before they began to water as relief flooded her system. She felt Danny let out a shaky breath.

"And Regarding the Anti-Ecto Acts, we the jury unanimously agree that they should be repealed. Discussions between the House and the Senate will begin as soon as possible regarding our new understanding of the Ghost Zone and its inhabitants."

Smiles broke across several people's faces and predictably murmuring, clapping, and shouting broke out. Danny immediately encircled Danielle's head with his restrained arms so he could hug her.

"Is it really over?" Danielle asked quietly as the siblings parted.

"Yeah. I think so."

The men in black suits moved forward and slowly unlocked the cuffs and neckpiece from the two Phantoms, which brought in a massive round of applause from most onlookers.

"I'LL SAVE YOU FROM YOUR CURSE!"

And like that, all hell broke loose. There were screams and shouts as a GiW Agent lunged over the seats, Ghost Gauntlets sparking. They were like the ones Danny's dad had shown him in the lab months ago. More importantly they were the kind that had helped given birth to Dan Phantom and they were spearing towards Dani's chest.

Danny dove.

He'd been separated before. His body should be able to handle it. Having the ectoplasm removed didn't feel great, but none of those types of weapons could stop the division of his soul. Being a half ghost wasn't just a physical thing, both halves were connected to the core, two halves bond so tightly together that to try and separate the human and ghost half could only result in the halving of one's very soul. Dani might not survive such a thing though. She could melt if she was split. Though being deprived of ectoplasm and having it exorcised from his body were two different things, that might not matter for Dani's fragile existence. At least, it was a threat he couldn't risk. If things went bad. They could destroy him.

Even though the long claws from the weapon didn't actually cause direct pain from penetration, the fire that burned through his body at all his ectoplasm being torn from his person made him let out a animalistic cry of torment. The Fenton Ghost Catcher felt so much like water, the removal was somehow smooth and painless, but the Gauntlets, oh God. Maybe it had been this one moment that had driven Dan completely off the deep end.

With a flick of his wrists, Agent S, a man that Danny had never seen before, had never encountered, had never even almost and accidentally harmed, tore the boy in two. Fenton was tossed to the agent's left and Phantom to the right. Both landed in an awkward mess. Maddie let out a cut off cry of horror, not knowledgeable about what the weapon had just done to her child, since of course she'd never tested it against a halfa. Damon Gray felt blood drain from his face. He'd cleared that and a few other weapons that the Fentons had developed with Axion in recent months. It was partially because of him that such a thing had found its way into that agent's hands. They were easily concealed as bracelets in the newest form.

"Order! Restrain that man!" Kaufman shouted out, but the black suited men had beat him to it. They even went so far as to make the other agents present there, step away and disarm.

Frostbite kneeled next to Phantom's form as Sam and Dani made their way to Fenton's.

"Great One? Are you alright? Please, say something."

Finally, Phantom looked up with hazy green eyes. "That… that really hurt." His eyes then slowly widened as though some knowledge was coming to him. "No… no no no no no no-" Phantom almost seemed to become cationic at that point.

"Great One?"

"Amiko?"

"Sir Phantom?"

Phantom clasped his hands over his ears. "I… I… He… he'll…"

Sam narrowed her eyes at Phantom before looking back at Dani as she tried to shake Fenton awake. Slowly her eyes grew wide as Tucker and some others made their way to the front.

"SEE? I'VE FREED HIM! I'VE FREED HIM FROM THAT ECTOPLASMIC SCUM!" Agent S screamed, almost maddened as he was being restrained.

Sam started to shake slightly. "Dani, get back."

Dani cocked her head. "What do you mean? We need to wake up Danny!"

"No, just back away."

"But-"

"Now, Dani."

Dani went to stand, still confused before she felt something grab her wrist, tightly.

"Now where do you think, you're going?"

Dani turned in joy only to look in confusion at her brother's face. He was giving her a look he'd never given her before. There was no love, no compassion, it was blank, empty. "Danny?"

"Yes, little copy?"

Dani flinched in surprise. Danny had never NEVER called her that. Sam grit her teeth and looked at the agents. "You idiots! Don't you see? Fenton and Phantom, it doesn't matter! It's only Danny. Now we have two emotionally unstable beings that aren't a full person!"

"Ouch, that's harsh, Sammy."

Sam's gaze snapped back to lock with Fenton's blank one. "Fenton… easy."

"Easy? What? You almost sound like you're afraid of me, Sam. Why? I don't have ghost powers anymore. I'm not a freak. Not a monster. Not able to hurt you."

"You aren't any of those things, Danny."

"Freak, Loser, Wimp, Halfa, Great One, Not a Ghost Not a Boy, who could love me? Dash… Red HUnTrESs red BITCH- Humans are evil Ghost are evil. I'm EVIL LIVE I Live so live evil. Damn it OBLIVION ABOMINATION. NO COURT NO LOVE SEND THE BLIGHT TO THE PIT! ONE EYED CREEPS!" Danny started raving, pulling at his hair after Dani had wrenched herself free of his grip and floated back to the others in ghost form.

Frostbite, Dora and Wulf's faces adopted very sad expressions and the leader of the FarFrozen glanced down at the shivering form in his arms, that was trying in vain to block out his other half's words. "Oh, Great One, what pressures your mind has suffered."

Star looked at Sam as practically everyone else watched in stunned silence. "What do we do?"

Tucker swallowed nervously, answering for his peer. "At least he's human, so we could restrain him… But…"

"But what?" Paulina asked. Dash had a dark haunted look on his face as Fenton laughed at no one.

"The Fenton Ghost Catcher has a reversal switch. The Gauntlets don't. Even if we put the two Dannys through the Catcher back home, there's no guarantee that it'll work."

"What!?" Valerie blurted.

"The two weapons' technology runs in two different fashions. The Catcher is supposed to be a smooth filter-like method of extraction and the Gauntlets are supposed to be… messier, but their intent was to force ghosts from overshadowed hosts, which would cause no harm to either ghost or human. Using them on a Halfa though is different…" Maddie explained.

"But…" Dani murmured.

Fenton growled. "Who says I want to go back, huh!?"

Phantom cracked open an eye and slowly, with Frostbite's help, rose from the floor. "Fenton… puh-please try to calm down."

"I am calm! You shut your mouth, you worthless pile of sludge… Monster… you ruined it…" Fenton whined before he hiccupped, tears coming out of nowhere. "I'll… I'll never be an astronaut AND ITS ALL YOUR FAULT!" Fenton took a running start before tackling Phantom and the two started to roll all over the floor.

"Stop! Stop! Pull yourself together!" Phantom yelled. Ghosts and humans alike moved to try and pry the two apart. Sam grabbed Fenton's shoulder, right before Fenton swung back and struck her across the face.

Phantom's eyes widened as Sam stumbled back from the blow. Fenton might not have ghost strength anymore, but he was still a nearly grown young man. With a growl, Phantom lunged. "How dare you!"

Finally, everything grew completely silent once more. Fenton was thrashing helplessly against Phantom's grip, spitting and grunting. Phantom was quietly holding him down, barely using any power to do so. A crushed look adorned his face, as he watched his human half pitifully struggle against something he could never hope to best. A soft hand rested on the ghost's shoulder and he dared looked up into his girlfriend's eyes. A small spot was already starting to turn purple near her jaw. Another hand and then another and both Tucker and Dani were trying to comfort him.

"Burdens are made easier by more ready sets of hands, Great One. Remember to let others help you carry your burdens," Frostbite spoke.

Slowly a police officer walked over and used his pairs of cuffs to cuff Fenton's wrists and ankles. The half-human as you could practically call him, continued to thrash. Jack was eventually the one to kneel and lift up his human son into his arms.

Sam looked over at the ghosts. "Wulf can take you all back now."

Frostbite nodded in understanding. "Of course. But please, if you can, send word of the Great One's condition…"

Something in the way the giant spoke made Sam believe he would be staying with Clockwork to watch Danny's fate for himself.

Kaufman finally found his voice. "Court dismissed." He banged his gavel.

zzz

Private Plane. 6:29 AM.

"So, he had been at the preverbal bottom of the food chain at Casper, huh?" David asked his sister. Currently, Paulina, Star, Kwan, Dash, and the adults that had come with them were in a private plane, provided by Paulina's father.

They had offered to make room for the Fentons, Mansons, Foleys, and Grays, but they had gone in the Manson's own private plane. It was probably for the best and if the kids here were honest with themselves, they didn't want to be near Fenton or Phantom; it made them more than sad.

"Yeah…" Star murmured quietly. The adults were near the back, talking in low whispers. David had been with them at first but had eventually come to talk with his baby sister and her friends.

"I see. He really is a hero, isn't he?" David expressed with a wistful smile on his face.

"Didn't you know that before?" Kwan asked.

"Well I figured it, but that's the thing with defense lawyers. Sometimes you have to defend someone you don't like even if you believe they did actually commit a crime," David explained. "Law is kind of a strange world and it's hard to truly know what morals you're following..."

"Hmm…" Paulina hummed.

"I caused some of that… and it kills me," Dash spoke up suddenly. The friends were surprise to see a truly pained look on Dash's face. Kwan thought that even tears were trying to gather, which floored the other young man.

"What do you mean, Dash?" Star asked.

"All the crap I said to him. You guys heard him say my name!" Dash snapped in slight anger, gaining looks from the adults that were worried, but then somewhat pitying. The adults went back to murmuring.

"I think we're all guilty of that, man," Kwan replied calmly.

"And remember what Sam said? Those gauntlets or whatever really mess with Danny's personality," Star added.

Dash clenched a fist, trying to reign in his emotions. David got his attention.

"We make mistakes. I mean I don't know what you guys were up to at school, but from what I've gathered, it wasn't good," David spoke.

Star looked away, unable to look into her brother's eyes. The others looked down as well.

"No one goes through life without making mistakes, but you can change how you behave from this point on. Do what you can to fix what you've done and that's all you can do," David continued.

Star, Paulina, Kwan and Dash shared a blank look between each other. They weren't sure how they could ever fix things. They had been silly to think they could have the gall to ask to be acquaintances, much less friends, with Fenton and his makeshift family.

zzz

Amity Park. 9:46 AM.

As soon as the Fentons, Mansons, Foleys, and Gray's had made it to FentonWorks, Dani had used her invisibility with Phantom on the Manson's limo. Predictably, there were a lot of people, mostly various reporters lying in wait. Phantom and Dani then used a combination of their invisibility and intangibility to get the families out of the car without being seen. Everyone was also distracted by the limo suddenly appearing from thin air near the driveway. The group had hoped their attention would be kept entirely on the limo as it drove off, luckily the Phantoms' powers had taken everyone through.

The ghost found the others in the Lab. Fenton had been oddly quiet ever since they'd gotten in the plane.

"He's being awful quiet," Tucker stated, feeling a bit awkward communicating with only a half of his best friend. It had been different with Fun Danny since he hadn't fully understood the implications of their split then and it had been honestly kind of funny at the time.

Phantom nodded, not taking his eyes off Fenton as his father used the keys the police had given them to un-cuff the human boy. He slumped to the ground afterwards.

"Fenton?" Phantom asked.

The human wearily looked up and blinked. "…"

Maddie walked closer with a small syringe. "Danny, can I take a little blood? It'll make it easier for us to know what kind of effects those weapons have on you."

"Yeah, the Catcher never seems to case that much trouble, except in the personality department. Maybe there's something that happens at the molecular level. We also need to know if your human half would die if you both were left like this for too long," Tucker added.

"Well the process might be different, but the results should technically be the same…" Maddie mused as she carefully finished drawing a bit of Fenton's blood. Fenton didn't really even budge.

"I think it's our soul. It gets split and though biology accounts for a good deal of someone's personality when they're alive, their soul controls it in death. Ours is a weird combination of that," Phantom murmured. "He must be depressed too."

Fenton grumbled angrily when Phantom reached for him, which caused Phantom to flinch in fear. Jack made his way forward and picked Fenton up, ready to toss him into the now on Fenton Ghost Catcher.

Fenton flailed suddenly and looked at his father with large eyes. "Please. Don't do it to me again! I don't want to die again, dad!"

Jack tensed up as did Maddie. Phantom looked at the both of them worriedly and with sadness.

"He's lying now. All of our attributes are split," Phantom explained, looking now at everyone else in the cramped Lab.

"Yeah right!" Fenton snapped angrily.

Everyone looked at each other, knowing how infrequently the real Danny ever truly snapped at people. Phantom tensed as Jack swayed back and then bodily tossed Fenton through the Catcher. Phantom dove, connecting with the green veil at the same time.

One body fell out.

Everyone sort of rushed forward, with Dani hovering above since she couldn't see easily from anywhere else. Danny was still before he let out a fearful and great gasp of air, like he'd just been birthed back into the world. Sam carefully placed a hand on his chest and could feel his human heartbeat going in a slow if slightly jumbled rhythm; it would even out.

"Dude?" Tucker asked, finally the first to speak.

Danny cracked open his eyes and smiled weakly. "I'm all here."

Dani couldn't help but start to laugh hysterically in relief. The Fentons gathered up into a large hug soon after that while the other families were content enough to watch.

Sam was focused in thought though. She kept wondering exactly what the Gauntlets and Catcher did to Danny. She hoped perhaps Maddie would figure it out soon enough, but at least they knew the Catcher and its blueprints were always an option in the future. After the family had parted, Danny got to share a hug with his friends, Dani and Sam. They held him tightly, happy at the very least that he was back. Whether things were completely resolved or not was something they'd worry about later.

The Phantoms were home.

zzz

Ghost Zone. 3:12 PM.

"See now. All is well," Clockwork soothed.

Frostbite let out a sigh just as Dora did. Clockwork flicked his wrist and the portal, showing the Fenton's Lab, changed to black. Without much warning Vlad Masters stumbled through the black and back into the lair, out of the grayscale purgatory he'd been stuck in.

He, for lack of better words, looked truly like death. There was no light of rebellion in his eyes, a blank stare was all that welcomed others who looked. It was as if he'd given up.

"And now Frostbte, if you would take Mr. Masters to try and cure him of his acne and the damage it's doing to his core?" Clockwork asked.

"Has he learned his lesson?" Frostbite asked, still suspicious of the man.

"To some degree yes, but it will take time for him to change his life around. First, he must find motivation again. He must do this before trying to become a better man. If he cannot, then his will to live will disappear piece by piece until there is nothing left," Clockwork answered, noticing that Dan's door has cracked open slightly.

Vlad didn't even appear as though he'd heard Clockwork. Frostbite and Dora exchanged a brief glance before Frostbite reached forward and pulled the full-grown man into his arms. After he was done, he looked back at Clockwork.

"If you were any other ghost I would question their judgement, but I will heal him to the best of my abilities," Frostbite spoke.

"Thank you. That is all I ask." The two monarchs and the Halfa left after that. Clockwork stared at the door for a moment before turning back to look at his time windows. "You can come out. Asking questions is a good thing to do."

Dan stepped into the large room before shutting his door behind him. At the moment, he was in his human disguise. His red eyes were locked on the back of the time ghost's head.

"So, Vlad's going to vanish like me?"

"No. He will most likely adapt to his changing obsession. That and his human half gives him a bit more longevity in this situation compared to a full ghost."

Dan flinched in shocked anger. "What?"

"Yes?"

"How can his obsession change?" Dan asked, a dark eyebrow risen in confusion.

"Yours did in a way, why not his? Humans are always in a state of change after all."

"So, you gave a traumatic experience to help start his change, like I had mine?" Dan questioned.

"Something like that. He was already on his way though."

"And me?"

"Well it would be easier if you'd kept your human-half."

Dan started fuming so badly that white flickers of fire from his ghost form started to slip through his disguise's black hair.

"Your transformation will take a bit more of a blind leapt of faith and more motivation with little evidence of success…"

"No, it won't, because I'm not going 'transform'," Dan snapped back, making sure to stress the word, transform. "I don't want to change and I don't want my human-half. It's not worth it, so give up whatever plans you had for me."

Clockwork heard his guest's door slam once more. "Give up?" Clockwork asked no one before reaching up to wind the clock on the top of his staff. "Now what would that accomplish?"

So, there it is. Things are going to go back to being kind of more normal, though there are still some things not yet resolved regarding the world's reaction to Danny and Dani's human selves. Walking around town, going to school, how will that be after all that's happened? And what of Danny's budding business with Mr. Fundoo? I guess we'll find out, huh?

The GiW had their little moment to try and mess everything up and they may try to do some other things in the future too. Peace between the Zone and Earth hasn't really happened yet, the U.S. Government is going to be watching Danny and his family as well as being in contact with him... so yeah, that's kind of where we're heading next.

Vlad's been brain-blasted, lol. No but seriously, he's kind of shut down at the moment. He was forced to not only watch his own death again but find out even more about his own death than he'd ever known before. A lot of years of not having the full picture, how will he interpret his knew knowledge? That is if he can will himself out of his stupor.

Thank you all so much for your support and wonderful wonderful reviews! I thank you all so much :)

God bless and Best wishes to all of you!

~NoSignal