Special thanks to danifan3000 for reminding me that Valerie exists and would be very unhappy right now.
While I have you all, the epilogue is already done. I've been busy. :)
Chapter Six: Family
"Before you 'assume,' try this crazy method called 'asking.'" - Unknown
Homeroom was…interesting. Poor Eileen could barely take roll. Half the students were throwing questions at her. The other half were too afraid to even look at her. When the cracks in Eileen's professional facade were starting to show, I found myself on the verge of throttling the nearest person.
Then, the room's temperature dropped to the point that everyone could see their breath, and they shut up instantly. They thought Eileen had done that. I felt guilty for losing control until Eileen snuck me a grateful look. I don't know why she couldn't have just compelled them to be quiet.
Maybe she's afraid to use her powers now.
I spend the whole morning in a daze, chomping at the bit to talk to Eileen. When lunch rolls around and I don't see her - now that her secret's out, why should she pretend to need food? - I bail on Sam and Tucker, promising to tell them everything after school, and search for my teacher. I peek into the window of her classroom and find her in her human disguise. She is sitting at her desk and talking to- Oh no.
I turn invisible and poke my head through the wall to listen, ready to spring into action if this goes south.
"So, the rumors are true?" Valerie asks too calmly.
Eileen nods, her hands folded on her desk. "I am a ghost, yes."
Valerie Gray has been hunting ghosts since they destroyed the place her dad used to work and cost the man his job. (Partially my fault, mostly the dog-ghost's fault.) She ended up getting some pretty solid ghost-hunting equipment from Vlad, and now she tries to protect the town from ghosts like I do. The difference, however, is that she, like my parents, will attack any and all ghosts on sight.
Valerie leans her hands on Eileen's desk with narrowed, suspicious green eyes. Eileen shrinks back at the intensity of her gaze. "Listen here, ghost," Valerie growls. "Just because some people don't mind having one of you," she says the word like a curse, "in this school doesn't mean all of us trust you. You make one wrong move, and somebody's gonna do something about it. You may not be one of my teachers," and thank God for small miracles, "but I've got my eye on you. You understand me?"
Have I mentioned that I almost dated her once? Or that we still get along when I'm Fenton? Yeah…
It takes Eileen a moment to recover. When she does, she makes sure to keep it cool. "Valerie, was it? I know the risk I'm taking, and I know that not everyone is as okay with me as they pretend. But, I promise you that I mean no harm. I'll do everything I can to prove that."
Valerie hums, unconvinced, but says no more.
When she's gone, Eileen lays back in her chair, stares up at the ceiling, and blows out a relieved breath.
It's my fault she has to put up with this. "Eileen?" I say.
Eileen doesn't look at me, not that she could see me anyway, and points to the ceiling. "Roof," she says.
Once I figure out what that means, I thank the copy, go ghost, and fly up to the roof. Sure enough, Eileen is sitting in the center of it, meditating in her natural state. Everyone thinks her human disguise is hot - and admittedly, it kind of is - but I like this Eileen better.
"Eileen?" I say, not sure if I should interrupt her. But, she opens her eyes and gives me a forced smile. She pats the space next to her, and I sit with her. "You okay?"
"Let's just say that I'm glad you didn't come up here two minutes sooner," she says. "I used a lot of swear words."
Any other time, that might get a chuckle out of me. "I'm sorry," I say, my voice breaking. "I led them right to you-"
"Danny, no." She pulls me to her, a real hug instead of the side one I'd gotten used to receiving from her. I return it, swallowing the lump in my throat. "You didn't do anything wrong. With those two snooping around, one of us was going to be caught eventually. I'm just glad it wasn't you."
I hold her tighter and bury my face in the crook of her neck. "It was supposed to be."
"And, I chose to prevent that. I don't want you blaming yourself for this."
She says that, but it doesn't stop me from feeling horrible.
"And, maybe it won't be so bad," Eileen says. "I mean, I'm an old friend of Danny Phantom now. And, the Witch Trials are a thing of the past. Maybe I'll even scream, 'I'm gay,' at the top of my lungs!"
"You're really scared, aren't you?"
"Oh, fuck yes." We both burst out laughing, and man, it feels good. We pull away, and Eileen shakes her head. "Never tell anyone I dropped an F-bomb in front of a minor." I mime zipping my lips. We sit in companionable silence for a while. Then, "You gonna be okay when you get home?"
"I'll manage," I say, hoping she can't tell that she's not the only one who's scared.
When the bell rings, Eileen says, "We should get to class."
Yes, we should… "Can we send our duplicates to class for us?"
Eileen glares at me then smiles softly. "Just for this period."
We stay up there until the final bell.
Sam, Tucker, and I meet up behind the school, where I finally come clean about Eileen. I tell them that she was a teacher in the 1600s and that teaching is her Obsession now. I tell them that our tutoring sessions were for my Duplication. I tell them that we bonded over it, though I guess that part goes without saying.
I don't tell them anything about Eileen's previous life beyond the teacher thing. That's not for me to share. I also downplay just how close I feel to Eileen, simply calling her a friend. If Sam and Tucker find out that I've started viewing Eileen as a maternal figure, there will be a lot of questions I don't know how to answer. I don't mention the Box Ghost offering me his Haunt for protection either. That would raise even more questions.
When I'm finished saying as much as I'm comfortable with, Tucker lets out a low whistle. "That's a whole thing, isn't it?"
"That's one way to put it," I say.
"You think Ms. Mae will be alright?" Sam asks. "Or, Eileen? Or, whatever?"
"I think once the shock wears off, it'll be okay. We might have to keep an eye on Valerie, though. But other than that," I puff out my chest and throw on a cocky grin, "who could hate a friend of Danny Phantom?"
Sam rolls her eyes fondly.
Tucker frowns at me. "What about your folks? What'll they say about all this?"
Anxiety swirls in my stomach. "I don't know." I rub the back of my neck. "To be honest, I'm not looking forward to going home."
"You want us to come with you?" Sam asks.
I have the best friends ever. "Thanks, but I'll be fine. I just need to get my thoughts together."
"Man, you look like you've had a day," Box Ghost comments when he finds me in human-form in his Haunt, lying on my stomach, trying to do my homework but not really focusing.
"You could say that, Lawrence." I'm telling myself that I'm only using his real name because I ran out of Larry puns. Giving up on math for the time being, I raise myself to my knees. "Did Eileen tell you what happened at school today?"
Box Ghost shakes his head and sits cross-legged in front of me. "I'm guessing it wasn't something good."
Should I tell him? He's friends with Eileen, so he'll probably find out. "Eileen got outed as a ghost."
"What?"
"It's okay," I say when he looks like he's going to shake me down for details. "She still has a job. Everyone just needs to get used to her. She'll be okay."
Box Ghost calms only slightly. "I hope so. How did it happen?"
This place may be "neutral ground" now, but Boxy and I aren't that close. "There was…an incident. Involving ghost hunters."
His dark red eyes soften. "Your parents?"
I shouldn't have mentioned ghost hunters. "Let's just say that I'm here because I'm not ready to go home."
Box Ghost hums in understanding. Then, he levitates. "Well, stay as long as you want. But, do not touch the boxes over there!" He very seriously points to a stack of boxes in the corner of the room. "They are brand new, and you will feel my wrath if even a single corner is out of place!"
They just look like a bunch of cardboard boxes, but I give the man a salute. He has his Obsession, and I have mine.
I'm not stalling when I call Mira while flying home. She would want to know what happened, too.
"So, it's okay then?" she asks.
"Seems to be," I say. "People just need to get used to the idea."
"Yeah, that's how it was when Bridget first saw me as a ghost." Bridget is her best friend, the first non-family member to learn Mira was back from the dead, so to speak. "And, don't get me started on when I finally revealed myself to the rest of town. But, things are good now. Mostly. Bigots, you know?" Boy, do I. "Maybe I'll call Eileen myself and check in on her."
"She'll like that."
"So, have you talked to your parents yet?"
"I may or may not be putting that off as much as I can."
"I don't blame you, dude. I don't blame you."
We talk a little longer before I decide that I can't put this off forever. I find a place to change back into a human and walk the rest of the way. Okay, I can't put it off forever, but I can wait a little bit longer. It's dark by the time I make it to my front door. I stand there for a minute before biting the bullet.
When I walk into my living room and throw my backpack on the couch, Jazz ambushes me. She is holding a small plastic container and a spoon. The container is empty but looks like it used to hold…salsa? "Danny, where were you? You wouldn't answer your phone and Sam and Tucker didn't know where you were and-"
I raise my hands. "Okay, before anything else, I gotta know." I point to the container. "Were you eating salsa by the spoonful?"
"I'm stressed out, it was there, and I'm not old enough for alcohol."
"Got it." I sigh, hating how much I've worried her. "I'm sorry, Jazz. I just- I just really needed to get my head on straight."
Jazz absent-mindedly stirs her container. "I figured. It's just…with how you've been lately, and after this morning, I-I didn't know what to think."
"I should have called you," I lament. "I should have just talked to you before all of this, but-but you're always putting up with my shit, and…and I just…" I blink away tears, unable to go on.
Jazz smiles sadly and strokes my cheek. "I'm your sister, Danny. I don't put up with you- Well, maybe sometimes." A breathy chuckle escapes me. "I love you. I'm here for you because I love you."
"That's why you picked AU, isn't it?" I regret the question as soon as I see the confusion on Jazz's face. But now that it's out, I can't take it back. "You picked Amity University so-so you could stay with me."
Jazz blinks a few times, stunned. "Danny? Danny, I-"
"But, now that I…am doing better in school," I amend in case Mom and Dad are close enough to hear, "I don't have to hold you back anymore."
"What? Danny, you're not-"
"You can transfer to a better school. Like, Yale or Stanford. I know Amity's not your only scholarship."
"But-"
"You can go somewhere far away from ghosts and danger and my-my stupid problems-"
"Daniel James Fenton!" Jazz drops the spoon and container in favor of grabbing my shoulders. The hurt look on her face makes me feel infinitely worse. "I didn't pick Amity because of you. I picked Amity because I picked Amity. And, you are not holding me back! Ever since I learned about your…bullying problem," translation: ghost powers, "I've started being braver, tougher, more open-minded. You didn't hold me back from anything, little brother. You made me better."
The tears I'd been holding back trickle down my cheeks. "I did?"
Her own eyes are misty as she pulls me in. "You did."
I return the embrace and press my eyes to her shoulder. "I love you, Jazzie."
"I love you too. Don't ever hide how you're feeling from me again, okay?"
"Okay."
I don't know how long we stay like that, but I miss the contact when Jazz pulls away. She wipes my cheeks. "We good now? Are we all good?"
"Better, anyway," I say truthfully. "I still have to talk to Mom and Dad."
"They're in the kitchen. I saw you coming down the street and made them wait. I wasn't sure if you were ready to see them."
I grin in a frightened, trapped animal way. "I'm not. But, it has to happen some time, right?"
"Do you want me in there with you?"
"Tempting, but I should do this myself."
She gives me another hug for luck and gathers up the spoon and container, muttering about the stain on the carpet. I wonder how much I should tell her about Eileen. Maybe just what I told Sam and Tucker. I know I promised Jazz I'd stop hiding my feelings from her, but I don't think I'm quite ready to talk about just how screwed up my head is.
Maybe I'll see how things go with Mom and Dad first.
I drag myself into the kitchen, and Mom and Dad look up. They are sitting at the table, looking at me with pinched, anxious faces. They're as nervous as I am.
Mom gestures to an empty seat and gives me a forced smile. "Why don't you sit down, honey? We have a lot to talk about."
"I won't apologize for anything," I say as I sit and stare down at my lap, unable to look at them.
"We're not asking you to, son," Dad assures. "We just wanna pick your brain a little."
I nod. I'll answer questions but only as much as I want to.
Mom goes first. "Tell us more about that ghost." My hands curl into fists. "That ghost at your school-"
"She is not 'that ghost,'" I growl. "Her name is Eileen. Or, Ms. Mae. She'll answer to both, and you better pick one when addressing her."
To my surprise, Mom doesn't hesitate. "Of course. Sorry. Tell us about Ms. Mae."
I'm actually glad she chose Eileen's teacher name. Now that I think about it, I don't want either of them using her real name. I decide to tell them the truth, leaving out the more personal details. "She taught in a one-room schoolhouse, and she didn't let death stop her from doing what she loved. She's spent the last few centuries going from school to school, changing her identity each time so no one would know she wasn't human."
"That makes sense," Dad comments.
I nod and continue, still staring at my lap. "When she saw how much I was struggling, she offered to help me on the spot. She's an amazing teacher." The corner of my mouth pulls up. "Has a lot of experience, I guess. But, it's not just that. She's open and honest with me, and I with her. We got to know each other." I finally raise my head. I can't read my parents' faces, but this might be the most attentive they've ever been. Then, I remember what got us into this mess and realize that there is some lying to be done. "And, the contamination will wear off by tomorrow and it's harmless. That's what she told me, and I believe her. I care about her, not what she is." That much is true.
When I don't say anything else, Dad asks, "Did you know she was a ghost?" He's not angry, just honestly curious. "Before today, I mean."
"I did," is all I tell him.
Mom's turn. "You and Danny Phantom seemed pretty familiar with each other. Did you see a lot of him when you were with that- with Ms. Mae?"
Now to fudge some more details. "He popped up now and then, checking on her. He knows she teaches humans, and he worries. Especially once she started tutoring the son of two ghost hunters. I know what you think of Phantom, but he's a good guy. Not bad looking, either," I add because I can't resist.
My parents raise an eyebrow at that but don't comment. "What about the warehouse?" Dad asks. When he sees my expression, he raises his hands. "Not accusing. Just asking. Phantom called it a training exercise that went wrong."
"It went wrong because you guys came in, guns literally blazing. Why do you think he and the other ghosts took off as soon as they saw you?"
"But, you said you went to get help," Mom reminds me.
"Because I knew what you'd say!" I realize I yelled and lower my voice. "I knew what you'd say if I told you I was helping Phantom train. I panicked. That's why I lied." There are a lot of reasons why I lied.
I give my parents a minute to digest everything. Just when the silence becomes unbearable, they look at each other in that silent communication way that parents do sometimes.
"Ms. Mae means a lot to you," Dad says.
I just nod. She means more than I'm willing to say to them. Especially with Mom present. I could never tell her that lately a ghost has felt more like a mother to me than she has. It would break Mom's heart.
Mom reaches over and touches my arm. I let her. "Danny," Mom says gently and with a look that's full of affection, "if she's that important to you, we'll leave her be."
"Really?" I say with hope in my heart.
Dad nods with the same tender expression as Mom pulls her hand back. "You know how we feel about ghosts, but as long as she doesn't give us a reason not to, we can look the other way."
Eileen is safe. Maybe not from everyone, but this is a start. "Thank you," I croak out. "She-she'll be so happy to hear that!" Because this is going well, I take a chance. "What about Danny Phantom? Not every ghost comes here looking for trouble. Phantom just wants to help." My parents hesitate, and my heart sinks. "I know he doesn't always get it right, but he means well. I- He just wants to keep everyone safe! He's not perfect, but he's trying. Please leave him alone…" I have to stop or else I'll lose my composure.
"You've been keeping this in for a while," Mom comments sadly. "I can tell."
"Your sister defends Phantom all the time," Dad adds. "Why haven't you?"
I sigh and shrug. "Maybe my skin just isn't as thick as Jazz's. Sometimes, it just feels easier to not say anything."
"Oh, sweetheart," Mom coos. "We don't want to feel like you can't speak your mind in this house." Her face lights up suddenly, and she folds her hands on the table. "How about this? Your father and I will only attack a ghost if it poses a direct threat to the public."
Dad smiles and pats Mom's shoulder. "Good call, Mads." To me he says, "Anyone else, we'll leave them alone if they leave us alone. Sound like a plan, son?"
"You mean that?" I ask, my voice thick with emotion. This is long overdue. "You really mean that?"
"We wouldn't say it if we didn't," Dad says. Mom agrees.
I'm so relieved, I could cry or laugh or both. Instead, I leap out of my chair and throw my arms around my parents.
I find Jazz sitting on my bed, anxiously trying to spoon out the last dregs of salsa from the container. "This feels familiar," I tease. "Only last time you weren't licking a container like a starved racoon."
Jazz rolls her eyes. "I'm not licking-" Then, she looks at my face and smiles. "You look happy."
I plop down beside her. "They'll leave me alone from now on. They'll only attack ghosts who are attacking others."
Jazz gasps and wraps me in a hug. "Danny, that's great! This should have happened a long time ago."
"Better late than never." I return the embrace until a spicy stench assaults my nose and I yank myself away. "Ew, Jazz!" I playfully wave my hand in front of my face. "Your breath smells like peppers."
Jazz narrows her eyes in mock-offense. "It didn't seem to bother you downstairs."
"I was blinded by teen angst. Where'd you get that salsa, anyway?"
"It was in the fridge. I don't know who made it."
"Well," I point to the door, "you better march into the bathroom and not come out until you've gargled an entire bottle of mouthwash."
"Oh, it's not that bad." But, she stands up. And, sways slightly, blinking quickly.
"You okay?" I ask.
She shakes her head clear. "Stood up too fast."
I grin at her. "Maybe it's the salsa. Maybe it was tainted by a ghost."
Jazz smiles at me then bends down to kiss my forehead. "It's nice to hear you joking around again."
"It's nice to do it," I reply.
Things are looking up. They aren't perfect. Mom and Dad still hate ghosts, and Eileen may never be fully accepted, and maybe I won't either, but things are looking up.