Maddie grabbed Danny's wrist Danny not struggling as she led him to the Fenton Family Ghost Assault Vehicle.
"Just what were you thinking young man?!" Maddie lectured in that motherly tone of hers, "We turn you human, give you a life, and this is how you repay us?" Maddie asked incredulous. They were ten feet away from the RV and at those careless words Danny planted his feet in the ground his impassive face becoming angry.
"You don't get it do you?" Danny accused pulling his hand back defiantly; Maddie looked shocked that he would be angry by this.
"Get what?" She asked not understanding.
"Exactly!" Danny said with a huff, "Mo- Maddie… when I was a ghost I could help people, I was Danny Phantom for a reason. I could stop ghosts, fight them, keep the people I love safe, hell I even protected the people he hated me. I'm not like the other ghosts Maddie. Turning me human was a mistake, I am… was, different from them, I…I…" Danny just shook his head not able to phrase what he wanted, "Let's just say that turning me human… you upset a delicate balance…" Danny stared at the ground.
"You've messed this up so badly I don't even know where to start to try and fix this. I understand that what you do is to protect your family, but sometimes you only do it for yourself, and I hate that… that you would put your goals in front of the big picture. You have eyes don't you? So why couldn't you see? Why can't you see?" Danny said then he climbed into the RV and sat in the front seat pouting in a way that was entirely too familiar to Maddie. Maddie tried to place where she'd seen that pout before but ended up shaking off the feeling and walking around to climb into the driver's seat of the RV.
Phantom sat, back pointedly turned away from Maddie, dressed in her son's clothes. Maddie sighted starting the RV and driving back home Phantom staring out the window wistfully. The drive back to Fenton Works had seemed like an eternity. But eventually the familiar building came into sight and Maddie pulled up to the house parking around back then letting her self and Phantom in through the back door.
"Are you hungry?" Maddie asked awkwardly as they entered the kitchen figuring he'd be hungry.
"Not really" Phantom answered; little did Maddie know he was still full of pancakes. Phantom moved through the house and sat on the couch, well more flopped onto the couch in that way teenagers have of doing. He grabbed the remote and started flipping through the channels. Maddie turned toward the basement door intending to tell her husband she had found Phantom, even though she had just about given up looking by then. If he'd been kidnapped by ghosts and taken to the ghost zone then the chances of finding him were from slim to zero. Maddie had gone to the park to walk around and clear her head only to see a curious white haired boy among the kids on the playground. At first Maddie wasn't sure if it was him; a growing number of teenaged boys and even girls had been bleaching their hair white in honor of the so-called superhero. She thought it might have been just one of Casper High's many Phantom Phans, it was only when he turned and began walking that Maddie recognized his face. It was Phantom, thank god. Just as she was about to give up hope she had found him.
A yapping noise from the living room pulled Maddie out of her thoughts and distracted her from the basement door behind which the noises of her husband could be heard.
"Hey Cujo." Danny said. Maddie smiled, so Danny had come home, she would have a talk with him later about not calling and skipping school but right then she just wanted to make sure he was ok. Whether she admitted it or not Phantom's words about not knowing her son had gotten to her.
However, upon entering the living room she saw no signs of her son with his familiar black hair and crystalline blue eyes, nor had she heard him go upstairs, and once she thought about it, she hadn't even heard him come inside. Cujo; however, was very contentedly warming up to Phantom, his stark white hair even without its slivery glow was still unnatural and a bit unnerving, her hand nearly jumped to the ecto-gun in her holster. His human eyes were sparkling with interest as he smiled down at the dog that had taken residence beside him on the couch. Frowning Maddie wondered if she was mishearing things or if she was just tired when it struck here that Phantom was the one who had called the dog's name.
Then a sudden thought made her freeze, Phantom shouldn't know that dog's name. How did he know that her son, her Danny, had named the dog Cujo? How could he know? Maddie stepped back and gripped the doorframe looking at Phantom who was just sitting there flipping through channels in a way that was so familiar yet so alien. But it was a human action, a very distinctly human action in his boredom and the way he scanned the little blue bars while he pressed the buttons in an agitated way.
Another thought distracted Maddie from the strangeness of the former ghost boy knowing the dog's name. Many times during her theorizing Maddie had come to the conclusion that most ghost would have a bit of trouble adjusting to becoming alive again. The things they knew in life, when they were alive, had changed and ghosts lacked the ability to adapt. Many things she even knew as a kid had vanished and there were things, shows and games that her children had no idea about. Recently Danny and Jazz had been more tech savvy than she was. Things like iPods, iPhones, razor this, high tech that. As far as phones went Maddie preferred simpler things. She remembered the nightmare it was when her two kids had convinced her to get a "smart" phone. The blasted thing wouldn't spell out ectogun to save her life. She spent quite a few days getting over the embarrassment it was when she… Maddie shivered. She was sure that Danny wouldn't let her live that down in a million years.
Then it struck her that Phantom really hadn't died that long ago, most of the technology that an older ghost could have been baffled by was something he'd probably seen before he died.
Putting this out of her mind she proceeded to fix pancakes with bacon and eggs with bacon on the side. The pancakes were blue for some odd reason but that didn't bother her, she'd eaten stranger foods. For all she knew Danny had slipped food coloring into the flour or the milk and she hadn't noticed. She hoped her son would get home soon, though she knew she'd have to wait till at least 6:00 if Danny was going to uphold to his usual schedule. She hated it when he stayed over at a friend's house and didn't call to let her know where he was.
Suddenly the phone rang, it was a sharp sound making Maddie jump, the pancakes she had been stacking on her plate wobbled and she picked up the phone.
"Hello?" Maddie asked jumpy, because no one really called the house phone unless they were looking for Danny or Jazz.
"Hello. We'd ask you to take time out of your do to answer a few questions about-" Maddie hung up the phone. It was just a political survey probably calling for the next election. She was getting to jumpy. Probably on edge because of the ghost boy… former ghost boy, sitting in the living room, she glanced toward then lifting room then set the plate of pancakes, eggs, and bacon down on the table retrieving another plate from the stove top and setting it down on the table.
She called to her husband that breakfast was ready a giant plate of waffles in his spot. Jack Fenton clamored up the steps with all the grace of a bull and immediately began eating the pancakes. Maddie poked her head into the living room once more to check on Phantom.
"Are you sure you don't want something to eat?" Maddie asked, "I could just make you some toast." Maddie suggested. Phantom made a face.
"No thanks, I hate toast anyway." Phantom responded. Jack looked up from his pancakes.
"Is Danny home?" Jack asked with a mouth full of pancakes. Maddie held her finger up signaling Jack to wait.
"Ok but if you need anything just let me know." Maddie said kindly. Phantom nodded but didn't look her way; he was watching some violent movie about corrupt government, one that was very popular with Danny. Phantom had one hand on the puppy, Cujo, as he watched the screen intently. Maddie made her way back into the kitchen and sat down with her husband.
"That was Phantom. Danny is probably at school by now since he stayed over with one of his friends again without telling me." Maddie said voicing her anger with the boy, and then she started to eat her pancakes.
"Huh…" Jack said swallowing, "Kind a funny how Phantom and Danny both don't like toast." He commented before stuffing his mouth full of more pancakes. This got Maddie to look up staring at Jack a moment before the phone rang. Maddie hurried to get it all thoughts on the similarities between her son and Phantom in the living room forgotten in the hurry to answer the shrilly ringing device on hanging on the wall.
Danny woke up on the couch having fallen asleep on the movie that was playing after V for Vendetta one of his favorites. The one after it was some high risk mission with chases and explosions where there was never a moment of silence. In fact it was the silence that had woken him, the continuous noise of the movie like listening to a river flowing it had lulled him to sleep. His mom had always wondered how he had ever managed to fall asleep during movies like that. Danny rubbed his eyes, Cujo was breathing softly curled up next to him on the couch. The movie didn't really have much of a plot anyway, just a whole bunch of screaming and running and… Danny looked up at the movie playing now, something with bees and honey and civil rights. Danny yawned shutting off the TV jostling Cujo awake who yipped up at Danny happily. Danny looked down at the dog wondering if it was Ghost Dog Cujo and he'd been brought back to life like Danny had.
Back to life… Danny groaned loudly causing Maddie to come in from where she was working on some strange new device and look at him.
"Are you ok? Are you feeling sick? Or are you hurt somewhere?" Maddie worried afraid he'd destabilize back into ectoplasm. In retrospect, Maddie thought, it would have probably been best to try out the humanizer a few more times and monitor the results. She had just been too excited, too ready for it to work; she was scared that Phantom was going to melt in front of her. Seeing Phantoms are-you-kidding-me expression she decided he wasn't quite ready to melt. With a sigh of relief she studied the Phantom's face.
"Take a picture it'll last longer." Phantom remarked crudely. Maddie was going to admonish him for his tone with it occurred to her that would probably be a great idea.
"Wait there." She said going downstairs and searching for the camera she used to take pictures of experiments. Phantom's voice drifted down the stairs behind her.
"I was only kidding!" He yelled sounding exasperated. Maddie found the camera though and was trudging back up the stairs looking for the former hero turning it on and looking up at his childish face. Maddie drew a breath in. It struck her again that he was just a child, a kid, no older than her son at least. His habits were that of a teenager too. Maddie choked a bit a bit saddened by the fact that he died so young, yet no one missed him, no one loved him; no one paid attention to his death. Her breath hitched again as she realized his actual body must be somewhere, sure he was human again, but it wasn't the body he had when he was alive the first time was it?
"Do I really look that bad?" Phantom teased trying to force a smile but feeling uneasy around Maddie who was staring at him like an orphan… Danny realized the irony of this. He was an orphan now, and orphan in his own home. He scoffed a little at himself as Maddie cleared her face of emotion.
"I need to take some pictures, we're sending them to different people, I don't need to get into the details but basically we're showing what good this invention could bring to the world." Maddie said pasting on a Politian's smile. Danny blinked.
"Yeah, sure, whatever." He said waving his hand in a dismissive manor. Maddie held the camera up and Phantom stuck out his tongue making faces. Maddie took the camera back down her hand moving to her hips.
"This is serious." Maddie scolded giving Phantom the look. Phantom rolled his eyes.
"So was my afterlife but you really didn't care about that did you?" Phantom asked. Maddie gritted her teeth, just when she was starting to see him a human he always did something that reminded her that he had been a ghost. His snarky attitude from his time as a ghost transferred to his new life as a human. Taking a breath she pinched the bridge of her nose like she had done many times when Danny had started taking an attitude with her.
"Look Danny, just let me take the picture and we can be done with this." Maddie said. She heard no answer and was looking away from Phantom at the time not wanting to see his FU expression. When she looked up she saw him staring at her like she had grown another head and the extra head was about to bite his off. Realizing what she said Maddie blushed furiously getting mad at herself.
"Phantom just let me take the picture." Maddie almost yelled snapping a few with her camera. Phantom was too far in shock to mess it up, though the oh-shit look on his face didn't really help matters. Maddie resolved to take a few candid shots later when he wasn't looking. Phantom slowly began to reach his senses again but was still shocked by Maddie calling him Danny.
She called me Danny, does she know? No she can't know otherwise she'd have already tried to fix things wouldn't she? What if she doesn't know how to fix things? Oh god. Even I have no idea how this is going to work out. Shit! What if she finds out? She'll be with me all the time and I've been pretty careless. Sure part of it's because I'm pissed but aw crud, crud, crud, crud…
Snapping out of it Danny rubbed the back of his neck the quick put his hand down wondering if his mom had recognized the action. If she had she made no motion that she had and was busy frowning at the camera as if trying to figure out some puzzle. Danny panicked hoping she wasn't thinking about how much he looked like Fenton. Though if he told her she might be able to help… but he didn't want to tell her just yet, he wasn't ready. Just about the time Danny's mind was about to go into overdrive as Maddie looked back up at him his stomach saved him by letting out an enormous growl. Danny's hand instantly went to his stomach covering it up as if that would muffle the discontented noises it was making.
"Well… it is about lunch time…" Maddie frowned Jack was supposed to be back with the Mexican food already. While Phantom slept they had dropped a vial of ectoplasm that had been cooling in the fridge and all the food in there was inedible. That and she'd been so preoccupied with her invention that she'd forgotten to buy more food, especially with Danny and his friends coming over to eat so much of it.
"Hey Mads I'm home." Jack bustled in with armfuls of groceries. Maddie put on a tight smile that Phantoms seemed to notice but not her clueless husband who handed her several take out boxes and continued to the kitchen to drop them off at the table. But not before giving his wife a peck on the cheek Phantom cringing away like Danny had done many times.
"Well then let's eat." Maddie said looking over at Phantom who hesitated a moment before going in to sit at the table.
Boxes were passed around and Phantom got Danny's usual meal. He spent the first few minutes picking at the Chile Reno before Jack tried to strike up a conversation with him.
"So… Phantom, how did it feel to be an evil ghost?" Jack asked. Maddie mentally face palmed as Phantom's head whipped up to stared at Jack with a mixture of anger and plain confusion… and something else Maddie couldn't quite place.
"I wasn't evil." Phantom said making sure each word was clear. Jack gave out a boisterous laugh.
"Sure you were, all ghosts are evil, or are you meaning to tell me you don't remember the things you did when you were a ghost." Jack asked eyes full of humor like the whole thing was a joke. The shocked and somewhat hurt look that flickered through Phantom's eyes showed that he did remember, very well it seemed, but that look was replaced by one of determination.
"I do. But there were circumstances." Phantom said jaw set.
"Circumstances to being evil?" Jack asked giving another short laugh. Maddie put her hand on her husband's forearm.
"Yes." Phantom said through gritted teeth. His face was getting hot and his fists hand clenched under the table. He'd never really had to talk to his father about his Phantom half before, he could always avoid it, say he was busy, going to the library, the arcade, to Sam's or Tucker's… but now… he was trapped.
"So you have circumstances." Jack said genuinely curious but Danny could only hear the laugh in his voice like he was mocking him. He didn't want to be seen as evil; Danny hated it.
"I was framed." Danny insisted, "and the circus one I was being controlled by Freakshow." Danny said surprised by how level his voice sounded while his insides were shaking with anger.
"Of course." Jack seemed to breathe.
"Jack." Maddie gave as a warning but Danny had stood up fists shaking eyes narrowed at his father.
"Believe me the last thing I want to be is evil! You think you've seen me evil?" Danny's voice had begun to show his anger trembling slightly his voice low and husky, harsh and sharp, "You haven't seen anything. I will never be evil I promised that a long time ago. I will NOT," Danny palms met the table with a loud crack his eyes focused into Jack's, "Be called evil! I am NOT evil! I WILL NOT BECOME HIM!" Danny glared and for a second it looked like his eyes flashed in the light the way they used to when he became angry. The acid green anger flashing through his eyes, but it was just a trick of that light.
The kitchen was deathly quiet as Danny stared down Jack daring him to call him evil once more, daring him to challenge what he said, and Danny could explain away every single "evil deed" he had done.
"Who is him?" Jack asked instead throwing Danny off. His face paled and his confidence drained away as he backed away from the table emerald eyes growing wide.
"N-no one… I-I-I…." Danny turned on his heel and headed up the stairs not caring that he probably had just raised so many more questions, he just had to be alone, to curb his anger… and his fear. Sitting on his bed Danny hung his head between his knees and took a few calming breaths trying to sort out his head.
"Who is him?" his dad had asked. So simple a question… yet I hat brought so much doubt into his life. He could see it on his parent's faces, the way they feared him as he had grown angry, and the way his mother's hand twitched toward her gun the way his father's childlike smile had fallen so quickly. Danny stretched out on the bed trying to calm his rapidly beating heart. It was far too loud suffocating him in its rhythm. The way it seemed to be a stone weight in the middle of his chest, it might as well have been Mijonir.
Danny's eyes closed against the sudden realness of the world, the fact that he was human, probably till he died, and that Danny Fenton couldn't exist anymore than Danny Phantom could. It was when the weight of the world came crashing down that Danny used to go out flying. Times when he realized he could never become an astronaut because of his bad grades and all the ghosts, times when he realized he was lucky to have even passed freshman year and was dreading this year as a sophomore, times when he realized that he was alone, that the only one who could understand the pressure, the pain, the loneliness of being a halfa was a crazed up cheese head fruitloop who was pure evil. It was those times he used to go out and fly to leave all his troubles on the ground and sort out his head. Danny let his head fall to the side and looked out the window longing for the sky, the breeze, the freedom of flight.
"Goin' ghost." He mouthed silently but nothing happened. There was no flash of light, no magic, no nothing. It was then that Danny let the tears he'd been holding for the past day and a half to fall. And when they fell, they fell hard.