Author's Note: This chapter was written by Litastic.

Buried

Outside

Danny braced himself for the electrical shocks that would surely seize his entire body. But when a few seconds had passed inside the portal and the only sensation he felt was a brief chill, he cautiously peeked open an eye to a world of greens and purples, strange doors, and land masses floating all around.

While Danny was excited to finally see the real world, he didn't consider the intrigue of the Ghost Zone itself. Granted, with his father's warnings and his prior unpleasant experience with the portal, it was no wonder the thought never occurred.

Danny gawked at the oddities and leaned back slightly, bumping against Paulina. He looked over to check up on her, but she was also distracted by their surroundings. Her eyes sparkled, reflecting the lights that filtered through the Ghost Zone atmosphere. Her face seemed to shimmer in the same way his would when he was in his ghost form. Still visible, still present and alive, but evidently not of this world.

Danny looked down at Cujo, who appeared perfectly solid, perfectly fit in the world he came from. Danny quickly looked himself over to make sure none of his own ghostliness was seeping through.

It was at that moment that Danny realized just how close Paulina was to him. Close enough that she had her arms wrapped tight around his waist. Close enough that she was pressed against his back as if it were just an ordinary thing to do, so casual and so normal.

Danny stayed still. His ears began to burn, and he nearly went intangible when Paulina leaned over his shoulder and pointed at something ahead of them.

"Look! That must be the other portal," she said.

Danny nodded and idly wondered—or rather, tried to distract himself from the thought of Paulina's face right next to his—why the portal looked no different on the other side.

As they neared the portal, Paulina's excitement dissipated, soon replaced by dismay. Danny frowned as Paulina shrank back.

"So, I know you're super excited to see the outside world and all that but…" Paulina paused. "I may have forgotten to mention one thing."

Danny didn't get a chance to respond when the chill of the portal passed through him again and they stumbled into….another lab?

His confusion was short-lived when an alarm began blaring and a red light flashed and swiveled around them. Lining the perimeter of the opposite wall and up the stairwell was a squadron of guards all wielding weapons now pointed directly at them.

"What's happening here?" Danny yelled over his shoulder, trying to be heard above the alarm.

"About the thing I forgot to mention—" Paulina's voice caught in her throat when the captain of the guard entered the room. Cujo growled, his hackles raised and teeth bared in a vicious snarl. Goose bumps rose all along Danny's arms.

"I knew you two would come back eventually. And it looks like you got yourself an accomplice," said the captain.

Danny stared incredulously at Paulina. She pursed her lips as she focused on the captain.

"Look, Captain Gray, was it?" said Paulina. "I know you're just doing your job, but this is all just a misunderstanding—"

"There is no misunderstanding," said Captain Gray. "You stole the Specter Deflector from the royal family and ran off with that ghost mutt."

Danny's wide eyes switched between the captain and Paulina.

"I know how it looks," said Paulina, "but I swear it was an accident. Here, you can even have the Specter whatever back." Paulina tugged at the metal band around her waist, but it wouldn't budge.

"You can plead your case later, but for now…" Captain Gray's voice was booming, leaving no room for objections as she waved a hand at the other guards. "Arrest them. And capture the ghost dog for experimentation."

Danny's heart nearly stopped. Experimentation?

The circle of guards closed in on them while Paulina still tried to remove the belt. Something gave under her thumb, causing static to shock through her finger. She gasped, but the moment was gone when Cujo reared on his hind legs and began charging toward the stairwell.

"Oh, no, you don't," said Captain Gray as she unhooked a bundle of glowing rope from her belt and caught the charging hound's neck with a lasso.

Cujo yelped and shook his head furiously, not giving the captain an easy time restraining him while Danny and Paulina desperately hung on to the fur on his back.

Danny tried to loosen the rope around the wildly bucking dog's neck, but the rope was taut, and there was no way Cujo could slip out of it now, not at his current size.

Danny gave Cujo a hard tug to catch his attention. "Cujo, shrink!"

Cujo's ears perked up, and in an instant, his houndish figure changed into a tiny pup, leaving Danny and Paulina briefly in the air before dropping to the ground. Paulina yelped as she fell, but Danny was quick to catch her before she could lose her footing. Cujo wiggled out of the rope and hopped into Danny's arms.

"A little warning would have been nice!" said Paulina breathlessly.

Danny grimaced at the crowd of oncoming guards. "Here's a warning for you: Run!"

Without a second to spare, Danny and Paulina sprinted up the stairway and into a room with old furniture and messy raced toward the doorway, but it was blocked by more guards. Behind them, the captain was fast approaching with her squadron.

Cujo wiggled out of Danny's hold and grew in size once more, snatching up Danny and Paulina and tossing them onto his back as he charged through the doorway and turned them all intangible.

The sound of the guards faded away as Cujo phased through wall after wall and room after room and then beyond even that. Danny shut his eyes and wasn't sure how long it was until Cujo's haphazard sprint slowed to a lazy jog, but it must have been quite a distance they traveled when Cujo finally stopped and landed on the ground with his legs sprawled, exhausted.

For a moment, no one moved. Or at least, that's what it felt like to Danny. It was hard to tell with his racing heart rattling his ribcage and the numbness of his fists still clinging on to Cujo for dear life.

Danny exhaled and opened his bleary eyes. But then his vision scrambled as Cujo shrank, causing Danny and Paulina to once again drop to the ground with an unpleasant thud.

Sitting up slowly, Danny massaged a sore spot on the side of his head and tried to blink back the bright light that now invaded his vision. He vaguely heard Paulina grumbling as she gathered herself. He was about to apologize for Cujo's rambunctiousness, but as his vision began to clear, his jaw dropped as the world filtered into view around him.

He was outside. In the real world.

No walls. No locked doors. No lab.

Nothing except the whole world for him to take in right here, right now.

He was completely free.

The ground seemed to stretch on for miles and miles and miles every which way, covered in an array of lush trees and fields of grass and all the colors of nature he couldn't even bother to name, couldn't even remember from all the books he read. All that mattered was that it looked amazing and beautiful and he didn't even know it was possible for his eyes to process so much color all at once.

The whole scene seemed to shimmer under a golden ray of light, brilliant and sparkling. Almost surreal.

Danny turned his gaze upward, squinting in the bright light. The sun peeked out from behind the clouds, so vibrant up high in the sky.

The sky!

A warm breeze tousled his clothes and hair and danced through the grass, leaving a winding trail. A couple leaves fell and landed beside him, and he curled his fingers into the ground, feeling the grass and dirt tickle his palms. This was real. The earth was right here in the palms of his hands, not hidden away by cold concrete floors.

He took in a deep breath. His nose tingled with the onslaught of scents he couldn't even put a name to, but again, it didn't even matter because it felt so fresh and invigorating, not stale and artificial.

Something rustled in a nearby tree, a chorus of chirping rang out in the air, and the sound of rushing water trickled in from far away. It was like music to his ears, so different and so much better than the incessant hum of machinery that constantly filled his eardrums back home.

He had been so caught up with what it would be like to see the outside world that he had completely ignored the possibility of all his other senses experiencing something entirely new as well.

And it was more than he could ever have imagined.

"I can't believe this is real," he barely whispered, feeling his face muscles twitch from smiling so much. A laugh almost escaped him at the realization. He couldn't recall if he'd ever been this happy before.

But here he was, surrounded by all the sights and sounds the outside world had to offer, all because of a chance encounter that led him to finally leave his home for once in his life.

"I can't believe I did this." Danny fell back onto the cold grass and stared at the wide expanse of blue sky up above. "I can't believe I did this!" he said again with a giddy laugh that faded into a nervous chuckle.

After years of seeing the outside world only through pictures and reading about it in books, dreaming about the day he'd get to see it all in person, he was finally able to make it a reality. But the initial wonder and amazement began to dissipate as his father's warnings surfaced again, nagging and tugging at his anxieties.

His father would be furious if he found out just where Danny was and what he was doing right now.

But…he didn't have to know. He wouldn't know. He simply couldn't. Danny just had to make sure he made it home in time before his father's return.

What Vlad didn't know wouldn't kill him.

Although, if he did know…

Vlad had said many times it was dangerous out here, that it was not fit for ghost hybrids like him and Danny to live in a world that would never accept them. Vlad had told him so many tales of malicious ghost hunters and humans with cruel vendettas against ghosts and even their own kind. It didn't take much imagination to predict how they might react to a half-ghost half-human like Danny.

His father was so certain about what he knew of the outside world, so unapologetically callous and unwavering in his stance. Danny never doubted his father, of course. He never would. And yet, somehow, with the little time he'd been out here, the doubt began to manifest.

But Vlad had far more experience and wisdom and knowledge—how could Danny be such a horrible son to ever doubt that Vlad's intentions to protect him were misinformed?

And there was truth to Vlad's words already, truth that Danny witnessed within the first few moments of stepping out from the other side of the portal. Those guards back at the other lab, and that captain in particular, certainly did not seem to take kindly to ghosts.

Captain Gray had used the word "experimentation." Danny shuddered as her voice echoed through his head.

Maybe this was a bad idea. Maybe he should go back. He had to go back. He had already seen enough, he didn't deserve any more. He had already indulged way too much.

His father was right. He was acting like a spoiled and horrible son.

"I have to go back," he muttered.

Paulina shot him a look of disbelief. "What?"

"I need to go back. If my father finds out I left, that I purposefully disobeyed him, he—he would—" Danny's fingers curled deeper into the grass and dirt beneath him. He swallowed hard. "He wouldn't be very happy."

"But we just got here!"

"I know, but—"

"And what about seeing the stars? Don't you still wanna do that?"

"It's…not that important…"

"What do you mean it's not important? It's for your birthday! You can't just quit now."

"I'm not—I mean, I don't want to, it's just that—" Danny sighed and pushed himself off the ground to a sitting position. His arms tingled, numb and wobbly. "I can't do this to my father. How can I let myself enjoy this when all I've done is go behind his back and lie to him?" He groaned and buried his head in his hands. His gut twisted and knotted. "I am a terrible son."

"You said your father won't be home for a few days," said Paulina. "He won't even know you're gone."

"Yes, but—"

"I mean, what he doesn't know won't kill him, right?"

Danny held his tongue. No, it wouldn't. It might certainly kill Danny, though. After all, he was already doing a superb job drowning himself with guilt, so when—if Vlad did find out, Danny would never see the light of day again.

Not that he ever did before anyway.

"Thank you, really, for all your help," said Danny. "And I'm sorry for any trouble Cujo and I might have caused you, but I think—I think it's better if I go back."

Paulina frowned. "You sure that's what you want?"

It was not at all what he wanted. But he had to do it. He owed at least that much to his father.

Danny stood, gesturing to Cujo that they had to leave when he was distracted by a clinking and cracking sound.

Something fell to the ground beside him with a shatter. His hand hovered over the now empty spot on his belt where his telescope had once been. His fingers twitched, dread creeping up on him as his gaze reluctantly drifted to the source of the noise.

The telescope was cracked and splintered, pieces of the glass lens scattered about and twinkling in the sunlight. Danny's throat seized as his breath stopped short, as if he had swallowed sandpaper. His father went through all the trouble of finding something special for him on his birthday, and now, not even hours later, it was broken.

Could he even go home now? How was he going to explain this to Vlad when he returned? Even if Vlad never found out about him leaving, he would still have a broken telescope that Vlad would absolutely not be happy about.

He could hear Vlad reprimanding him, the words muffled but Danny could never mistake the unnerving and terrifying tone of his father's disapproval. The fury on his face and the way his eyes glinted red, an image burned into Danny's mind after all the times he had disappointed his father, far too many times. How could he be such a screwup? It was no wonder Vlad never trusted him to be on his own outside the bunker.

Danny's breaths came in stuttering, uneven intervals, his vision blurred as he swayed on his legs that were ready to collapse beneath him. A dizzying feeling washed over him, as if his head were about to float off his shoulders.

Vlad's irritated voice morphed into concern and confusion. The unrecognizable tone was enough to shake Danny out of his hazy mind to realize that whoever was speaking to him was definitely not Vlad. And he was definitely no longer standing.

Rough bark dug into Danny's back as he tried to regain control over his body. A gentle hand brushed his shoulder, making him flinch away out of instinct. The chill of Cujo's fur was pressed against his side. Danny leaned into the familiar touch as a strange tingling sensation crawled along his arms and legs.

Distantly, he could hear Paulina talking to him, drowned out by his own irregular breathing ringing loud between his ears. Danny blinked once, twice. He looked up to find Paulina staring at him. He tried to match the words she was saying to the movement of her lips. After a few moments, her voice became clearer.

"Just breathe with me. Inhale, then exhale," she said, her voice calm and soothing.

Paulina took in a deep breath, then exhaled, her focus entirely on him. Danny followed suit, struggling the first few times, but eventually he managed to match her rhythm.

They continued for a while until the tingling and weightless feeling in Danny's body subsided. The sun was warm on his skin, the grass beneath him prickly yet soft. Cujo's large form was curled protectively against him while Paulina sat on his other side facing him.

"Danny? How are you feeling?" she asked.

Danny ran his fingers through Cujo's fur. "I'm okay, I think."

"Do you know what happened?"

"I, uh…it's kind of a blur."

Paulina nodded, watching him carefully. "Was it something to do with the telescope?"

Danny leaned his head back against the tree and closed his eyes. He could feel his chest tightening again.

"Danny? Danny, it's okay. Just remember to breathe."

He took in a few more deep breaths, exhaling slowly before opening his eyes again. He lowered his gaze, sensing Paulina's eyes on him. Embarrassment suddenly burned all over his face. She probably thought he was so weak for panicking over a broken telescope.

"Sorry about all that. I don't know what came over me, but, uh, yeah, the telescope," he finished with a mumble.

Cujo whined and curled closer to Danny, as though he disapproved of what was said. Before Danny could contemplate further, Paulina let out a small laugh and gave Cujo an affectionate scratch behind his ears.

"Cujo's right. You don't have to apologize. We're just glad you're feeling better." Paulina smiled. "And if it helps, I've seen telescopes like yours at a shop in town. Maybe we can go there and find a replacement."

"Really?" Danny straightened. "Do you think the shop would have the exact same one?"

Hope fluttered in Danny's chest, but admittedly, he was a bit wary of the thought of getting a replacement telescope. What if Vlad knew it wasn't the same one? What if there wasn't another one like it?

"Oh, I'm sure I've seen it before." Paulina tilted her head, the corner of her lip curving upward. "So? What do you say about a trip to town?"

Danny somehow managed a smile as he met Paulina's gaze. Replacement or not, it was still worth a try.

"I think I'd like that."