A/N: Three chapters and 56 reviews! YAY! Let's keep up the pace, people. I'm planning on going to more updates = shorter chapters. That worked best for all of us, didn't it? Anyway, some answers to reviews:

Cassondreya: Your first explanation was correct. Impurity was part of Danny originally. As much as Freud was crazy (in my opinion), you could say that Impurity was the Id. Really the simplest way to put it. Impurity wasn't Danny's "Dark Side", but rather…that little bit of selfishness, possessiveness, impureness that exists in all of us as human beings. When Danny died, he was split off from Humanity and Spirit. This created a bit of a fracture, so he is now a separate consciousness…but not completely separated. He is Danny as much as Danny is…Sorry, I'm not really sure how to explain it. I've done my best. As for an anomaly…Yes and no?

Lera-Sing: Welcome! Glad you've enjoyed everything! Be sure to check out my other stories, "The Funeral Singer" and "Amity One-Shots"!

Steph1117: She doesn't want to ruin her tips, and she's found that ignoring them is best. If she snaps at them, they do it more. ("You're just playing hard to get!" "Look at this one, she's spunky!" etc.) She just stays disinterested. It's kind of like how younger siblings will annoy the crap out of you for fun. If you yell at them and react, they'll keep doing it. If you ignore them, they'll eventually stop. Danny, on the other hand, believes that a broken jaw would be wonderful motivation for them to keep their hands to themselves.

jim89: Yeah, it varies by state and probably county, and I'm too lazy to look up the average EMT wages for Minnesota. Yeah, Sam as a waitress…It's one of the most common part-time jobs for college students here in the U.S., so…she's not exactly suited to being a receptionist, and most importantly, Sean doesn't have a strict dress-code for his employees. She can still dye her hair, paint her nails, wear dark lipstick, etc. As for the money: Bingo, right on the head! Which actually answers the question from KaLeighSamantha…

KaLeighSamantha: Yes, she has a trust fund. But she's not the type to use it unless she really has to. It'd give her mother something to wave over her head. "I'm paid for your education, so why aren't you _?! So ungrateful!"

Avidreaded: To other readers, I totally am going to do this sometime. A humorous fic about Sam killing Pam and Danny helping her hide the evidence? YES PLEASE! I'm gonna do it. Not sure when, but I will!

The Talent: I will be writing a one-shot about Pamela finding out about the Tat. Probably next. Maybe even today.

Chapter #4: Seven Days

"That…that can't be right," Detective Morrison throws a photograph to the table, "It's just…"

"This is Amity Park," his partner, Jeanne Stone, snorts.

"Who is it from? Who is it for?"

Stone picks up the photograph and takes a sip of her coffee. It's a photo of a piece of rubble from the building collapse yesterday, the one near the Nasty Burger. Forensics had placed it at the fourth floor, where a fire had broken out. She drops the photo and moves to a witness statement.

The ground began to shake, and I saw a flash of light outside the windows. Then there was a bright flash, and a fire appeared in the center of the room. It was just…hovering there. There wasn't even any smoke. I thought I was hallucinating until I realized everyone else had gone silent, and were staring at it too. Then it swooped over to the back wall and exploded. It began to smoke and sizzle. Some papers caught on fire, and the building began to shake again. We ran out the doors as quickly as possible.

"It wasn't exactly a normal fire, either," she frowns, looking back at the photo, "It's obvious that someone caused it."

"Or something, depending on how you view ghosts," Morrison massages his temples.

"What ghost could have done this?"

"We'll have to bring the Fentons in on this," he sighs, "If anyone knows anything, it'll be them."

"Yeah," she agrees, skimming through more reports. Her eyes keep flicking back to the photo, but she drags them back to the reports. Her eyes lock on one name, "Morrison…"

"What?" he answers, scrolling very slowly through his contacts.

"Make sure they bring Danny with them," she slides the report across the table, "According to several of our witnesses, Danny Fenton was a first responder on the scene."

He picks it up, a frown forming on his face, "Isn't he engaged?"

"To Samantha Manson," she nods.

"And he's certified as an EMT. He has no business running into collapsing buildings!"

"From what I hear, it's not exactly the first time," she raises an eyebrow, "I hear he has a…talent…for showing up in places he shouldn't be."

"And saving lives in the process. He always vanishes before anyone can pull him into an ambulance or aside for questioning. He got away with it in the past because he and Mayor Foley are best friends, but maybe Mayor Gray will crack down on him a bit."

"Don't count on it," she shakes her head, "I think they're pretty chummy too. Father of his best friend's girlfriend."

He snorts, "Well, I'll call the Fentons and tell them to bring Danny with 'em. We need to see if they can tell us anything about that," he motions to the photo.

Stone's eyes move to the photograph once again. A large slab from the fourth floor sits on the ground. Black lettering is scorched into its surface.

7 Days

-BREAK-

"I just…I don't know what to think about it, Crystal."

You don't have to think about it. Just accept it.

"It's just…" Alex shakes his head, staring down at the screen of his phone, where his girlfriend texts her responses, "Danny is…" he lifts his head, "You don't seem too surprised."

I've suspected he has something to do with Phantom for a while… She replies.

He waits silently, giving her time to type.

He'd disappear, Phantom would appear fighting somewhere. They don't look dissimilar either. For a while, I thought maybe Phantom was haunting him, but there were some comments on the field trip that really made it click. I wouldn't say I knew, but I had my suspicions.

"Comments?" Alex's forehead wrinkles, "Like what?"

When we were at Pandora's, Paulina wondered about what kind of nail polish Phantom would like, remember?

"Yeah, Pandora got this look on her face…" he inhales deeply, "Holy…she looked at Sam and commented that he likes black or purple…Sam's colors of choice."

It explains why Sam always got so annoyed whenever Paulina started gushing about Phantom. She was gushing about Danny.

"I seriously just need to learn sign language," Jaden moans from his hospital bed, "I hate hearing only half of this conversation. I need to either hear all of it, or none of it."

I'm still learning, Alex signs with a smirk, knowing his friend won't understand.

"What did you say?"

"I told you that I'm still learning," he replies, "How are you feeling, Jay?"

"Not awful," he answers, "But not fantastic either. Some sleep helped."

"They kept you overnight for observation, but I'm told we'll be able to go home today."

"Awesome," he smiles.

I'm making pumpkin chili tonight, Crystal texts to the two boys.

"Yes!" Jaden pumps a fist into the air, "Crystal's cooking!" He suddenly sobers, his eyes wide, "Just don't let him help."

"Hey!" Alex yelps reproachfully, "I'm not that bad!"

Alex, Babe, your idea of cooking is Top Ramen, Crystal pats his knee, Which you once managed to burn. Jaden can at least cook spaghetti.

"I could cook more than that, if I wanted too," Jaden defends, "I just…"

You're just too lazy and impatient.

"…yeah, that's about right."

They all begin to laugh – Alex listens carefully to Crystal's laugh, enjoying one of the few times he hears his girlfriend's voice. He takes her soft hand in his and squeezes gently.

"Am I interrupting something?"

The laughter halts, and they turn slowly to a corner of the room, where Danny Fenton leans against the wall, his green eyes fading to blue.

"…when did you get in here?"

"Just a second ago," Danny shrugs, "Phased through the wall. There aren't any cameras in the rooms of this wing."

"What about ghost tech?" Jaden asks.

"Adjusted for my ecto-signature," Danny dismisses, "My parents do frequent 'maintenance' of all ghost-tech in town, remember? They make sure it's up-to-date with me."

"Dude, I have to say, hearing you say things like 'phased through the wall' so casually is kind of…surreal," Alex shakes his head, "So…Crystal knows. I'm not gonna keep that from her, seeing as she's the third member of our little household."

I always suspected, she types, showing Danny the screen.

"Sam suspected your suspicions," Danny smirks, "Being a telepath and all."

"Being a what?!" Alex coughs.

"Long story," Danny laughs, flicking a hand. A chair from across the room is surrounded with a green glow, and scoots itself to seat him by the others, "But I'll answer any questions you have. That was our deal, wasn't it?"

"…So…you're a ghost?" Jaden shifts uncomfortably.

"Half," Danny corrects, "The other ghosts call me a 'halfa'."

"Your parents are both…normal people, aren't they?"

"Yeah," Danny laughs, "Being a halfa isn't exactly…genetic."

"So how…?"

"Around the beginning of Freshman year, my parents left the house. Sam and Tucker convinced me to give them a tour of the lab. My parents had recently finished the Ghost Portal, but…it didn't work. It was still a great, big, hole in the wall full of nothing more than wiring. Sam talked me into going inside, and when I did…I tripped or hit a button on the wall or…something. Long story short, I got zapped with the entire ghost zone. According to Sam, I stumbled out of the portal as Phantom, passed out, phased through her hands, and turned back into Fenton. It's like…surviving normally fatal amounts of radiation. Not recommended, no matter how desperately you want to be a superhero. Getting electrocuted to death isn't pleasant – trust me. Besides, it has a lot of downsides."

"Like what?"

"I have to avoid hospitals as much as possible, because my pulse, temperature, and every other reading is abnormal. Like…I should be dead, abnormal. Then there was the duration of time when I couldn't control my powers – we already went over that. Oh, and the whole 'feeding on emotions' thing can creep people out–"

"Woah, wait," Alex waves his hand, "Feeding on emotions?!"

"Yeah," Danny scratches at the back of his neck, "I didn't use to, but my ghost side became powerful enough that my own emotions alone couldn't sustain it, so I have to supplement my diet a bit. It helps me heal faster too. Besides, I used a similar method to help Jaden yesterday."

"The pain from my leg…"

"To feed on emotions, I have to be able to see them, so I–"

What do emotions look like?

He takes a deep breath, "In the Infinite Realms, emotions are carried by miasma, so they're like colorful dust particles. Different colors for different emotions. Here in the Mortal Realms, they're like thin threads of color. It's hard to explain. I don't see them unless I really concentrate on it though. Yesterday was rough on me. You see, Jaden, I found the thread connected to you that was the pain, and then I cut off the 'circulation', if you will. However, that sent it through me instead of you. My leg still throbs if I think about it. Let's not do that again if we don't have to, hm?"

"I don't want it either," he laughs shakily.

"So your parents didn't know about it until the field trip?" Alex inquires, "I mean, before that, they were chasing Phantom around like crazy…"

"Nope. They had no clue. It was…quite the adjustment for my mom. She's totally okay now, which is good, because now I have a looming mother-in-law-to-be and she really doesn't approve of the whole 'halfa' deal…"

"Yeah. I imagine," Alex laughs, "The Mansons are pretty famous for their desire to be completely 'normal',"

"And that definitely doesn't fit," Jaden finishes.

"No," Danny laughs, "No it doesn't."

A/N: So, some notes on Crystal that I'm not sure I'll get around to explaining in-story. Crystals parents are both deaf, and so is her older sister. Crystal and her younger brother can hear, however. They're used to the quiet, and not having to use their voices. This is part of why she doesn't talk. I also think she doesn't like her voice. Most importantly, she doesn't feel like it. Oh, she could talk if she felt like it, but she really doesn't. Her baby brother is a chatterbox with his friends at school.

Crystal is working as an interpreter, and teaching Alex sign language. She, Alex, and Jaden all share an apartment, so some people wonder if they have a bit of a OT3 thing going on…Alex is definitely straight, and so is Crystal…I think Jaden is too, but may be willing to experiment. I don't think anyone besides Alex and Crystal are romantic with each other, but I imagine that those three will always be together. Alex and Jaden are heterosexual life partners, after all. Eh, I'll just leave their relationships up to interpretation.