Meant to have this up a few days ago, but my life has seriously gotten hectic. I will probably only be able to manage one update a week at best.

Enjoy!

Chapter 5

Maddie burned the chicken that night, and the rice was undercooked and bitter. Not that it mattered anyway, she had no appetite and she couldn't taste what she did eat. She'd given Jack his plate down in the lab, but she had no idea if he'd even touched it yet. He was absorbed in his latest project, so she likely wouldn't really see him until he was done.

That left her alone at the kitchen table with nothing but her thoughts. And what terrible thoughts they were.

Her son…was a ghost. And not just any ghost. He was the worst ghost, the one that terrorized the town; the one that had kidnapped the mayor, and stole thousands of dollars' worth of jewelry. He was a menace.

No wonder he had lied to her for so long. He didn't want her to find out that he was hurting people, tormenting them.

But how could he not? If he was a ghost, that was just his nature. He couldn't help that. She still didn't fully understand how he was part ghost, but what he's been up to since then all made sense. She should just be thankful that he took that aggressive hostility out on other ghosts most of the time. The town just got in the way a lot.

Funny how she could rationalize Phantom's actions when she thought of him as Danny. As her son, even the worst ghost she could think of could do no wrong. But that wasn't right. Phantom was a menace, he deserved punishment. She couldn't let personal feelings get in the way of that.

So what was she supposed to do now? Arrest her son? Deport him to the ghost zone where all ghosts belonged? Capture him and experiment on him?

No. No, she drew the line there. Ghost or not, Phantom was her son. She couldn't dissect her son. It didn't matter how beneficial to science it would be, she would not do that him. She couldn't do that to herself.

But what if Phantom isn't her son? What if Danny actually died years ago and was replaced with this shapeshifting ghost? It would explain why all their equipment went off around him…but he had sworn he was human. Could she trust his word?

She didn't know what to believe anymore.

The phone rang. She stared at it from the kitchen table, her half-eaten plate still in front of her. It rang again. Maddie didn't move. She didn't want to talk to whoever was on the other line. She didn't want to talk to anybody. She wanted to curl up under a blanket and hide from the world, because any world where her son was actually Danny Phantom wasn't a world she wanted to be in.

The answering machine picked up, filling the room with the voices of her family.

"You've reached the Fentons!" Jack boomed.

"We're not here right now," Jazz chimed.

"We're fighting ghosts!" Jack butt in.

"Or we're busy down in the lab," Maddie added.

"So leave a message, and we'll get back to you," Danny finished. Her heart twisted, but she couldn't help the smile at how happy the four of them sounded, back when they'd been a family. At the same time, tears pricked at her eyes. Would they ever be like that again?

"Mom, it's Jazz. I know you're there, answer the phone."

Maddie perked up, but she didn't leave the table.

Jazz sighed. "Look, I know learning about Danny is a big shock. I know it goes against everything you believe in, and I know what the media usually says about Danny. But the news doesn't know the full story. There's so much more going on than just a fight. Please, just pick up the phone and we'll talk about this."

Maddie put her head in her hands. Of course Jazz had called about this. That meant Danny had already spoken with her. She'd have to find out how he'd convinced her daughter he wasn't a menace.

"Danny's a hero, Mom," Jazz said. "I'm proud of him, of everything he's done. I know you're confused and maybe scared right now, but it'll be fine. Just pick up the phone, please."

Maddie glanced over at the device with sad eyes. A hero? A menace? What was the truth?

"Okay, then I'll keep talking," Jazz stated. "Danny has never hurt anyone on purpose, I promise you. He does his best to prevent people from getting hurt, even if it means letting the bad guy get away for a while. And Mom…if you could only see how many people he's saved…"

Maddie covered her ears. Phantom must have brainwashing powers on top of everything else. He was a no good ghost, just like every other ghost. He's hurt people. He kidnapped the mayor, stole jewelry, destroyed the town on a daily basis…

"Look, the coming home late, the missed classes…it's all because he's protecting people. And his grades are so bad because he doesn't have time to study. He prioritizes saving others over his schoolwork, and I don't think there's anything wrong with that."

The idea that Phantom had homework to worry about was comical, nearly as comical as the idea that he cared more about saving people.

"He's a real hero. I wish you could see that," Jazz said. "I have a scrapbook of his accomplishments here with me…I'll bring it with me when I come home tomorrow. Danny won't be back until I tell him it's okay…so, take this time to adjust to the idea. I'll see you tomorrow."

She finally hung up, leaving Maddie to her silence. Maddie was glad for the chance to think. There was too much conflicting information, too many contrasting thoughts. She didn't know what to think, couldn't process all the thoughts racing through her mind.

"Maddie!" Jack yelled, pounding up the steps from the lab. He jumped into the kitchen, holding a mechanized feather duster. The white handle had a flaming green F on it, and the feathers had been replaced with dozens of small ectoplasm-coated knives. "I just finished the Fenton Splicer!" He held the duster out like a fencing sword, his other hand up in the air behind him. "This baby will slice a ghost to smithereens faster than it can say boo!"

"That's great honey," Maddie said. She couldn't even work up the energy to smile.

Jack swished it around. "Where's Danny? I want to show him my newest invention!"

Maddie's body froze. Her thoughts diminished into single words stringing themselves along until finally completing a thought. Danny. Danny is ghost. Weapon hurt ghosts. Weapon hurt Danny. Must keep Danny away from weapon.

"He's…out," Maddie said. "Spending the night at a friend's I think."

Jack deflated a little. "Aw. I wanted him to see the Fenton Splicer. Hey, what's he doing spending the night at a friend's in the middle of the week?"

"Oh, erm." She didn't want to lie, but she didn't want to tell Jack about Danny either. Not yet. Not until she knew how she was going to handle this. "We had a fight, so he's cooling down at Tucker's."

Jack narrowed his eyes. Maddie bit her lip and tried to smile. It was a terrible lie. If they had had another fight, Danny would have been grounded and sent to his room. He certainly wouldn't have been allowed to leave the house, let alone stay at a friend's house.

"How about I make some fudge?" A distraction was her only hope.

"Fudge?" Jack bounced. "Mmhm, that would really hit the spot."

Maddie jumped up to start, her hands shaking. She hated keeping things from him. How had Danny been able to do this for two years?

A hand landed on either side of her shoulder and started rubbing her taut muscles. Jack leaned in next to her ear. "Whatever you two fought about, I'm sure it will be fine," Jack said. "Danny's a good kid. He had great parents to teach him what's right."

Maddie turned to her husband and buried her face in his chest, tears finally flowing down her face. Jack wordlessly tightened his arms around her. "I hope you're right, Jack. I hope you're right."

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