Author's note: Thanks for sticking with this fic even if I'm slow, haha.
Disillusioned
I just don't know the right thing to do
…
"Is Danny awake yet?" asked Maddie as she pulled a carton of eggs out of the fridge. Several strips of bacon sizzled in a pan on the stove.
Jazz looked up in the direction of Danny's room from where she sat at the kitchen table. "I heard him showering. Not sure why he still hasn't come down."
"All of his showers have been really long since he came back," said Jack, turning away from the local morning news on TV to also glance up toward Danny's room.
Maddie pulled off her apron and handed it to Jazz. "I'll go check on him. Can you watch the bacon, Jazz?"
"I'll check on him," said Jack, rising to his feet.
"No, no, I've got it, really," said Maddie. She quickly walked out of the living room and headed up the stairs. Danny's bedroom door was closed, as it almost always was these days. She stood there for a moment, listening for movement on the other side. She could hear some shuffling, quiet footsteps.
She breathed out, relieved that Danny was still here.
She knocked three times before turning the doorknob and gently pushing open the door. "Danny?" she said as she peeked inside.
Danny stood in front of his full-length mirror and did not turn to her. "I'm not really sure why you bother knocking since you always just come in anyway."
"Oh, sorry," said Maddie. "Is it all right if I come in?"
"You're already here, aren't you?"
Maddie hesitated before stepping inside his room. "I just wanted to make sure you were up since you hadn't come down for breakfast yet."
Danny continued to look at his reflection as he straightened out the long sleeves over the scars on his arms. "I've been getting myself up in the morning since middle school."
Maddie nodded and was about to say more when she noticed just how barren Danny's room seemed. She whirled around, noting that the walls were bare, no posters or pictures, no glow-in-the-dark stars. His bookshelves, desk, nightstand, and the top of his dresser were also empty, almost nothing but school books and a clock and other mundane items.
"What did you—" She turned around again, this time spotting the wastebasket near his desk full of crumpled posters. A cardboard box held knickknacks and collectibles, music CDs and NASA memorabilia. "Why did you take down all of your posters?"
Danny at last turned from his mirror to look at her. "I just decided it was time to take them down. I've had those same posters up for years."
"But what about these other things?" Maddie knelt by the cardboard box and pulled out a couple items. "These astronomy books? And wasn't this comic book figurine expensive?"
"That's why I'm not throwing all of it away," said Danny. "You can donate some of it. Or sell it, I don't care."
"But why?" asked Maddie, searching Danny's face.
"I don't want them anymore."
"But why not?" Maddie picked up a Dumpty Humpty CD. "Don't you still like Dumpty Humpty? You're excited for their concert this summer, aren't you?"
"No one uses CDs anymore. It's all digital."
Maddie turned back to the wastebasket and moaned softly at the sight of a familiar picture frame. She picked it up and trailed a couple gloved fingers down the glass pane. "Your junior astronaut certification?"
Danny rolled his eyes and looked off to the side.
"Why would you throw this away?" asked Maddie breathily.
"It wasn't even real. It didn't mean anything."
"But—"
"Mom, you know as well as I do that I can never be an astronaut," said Danny, scowling as he returned his gaze to her. "My grades suck and now my eye is fucked up."
He gestured to his left eye, the corneal scar partially obscured by his blue contact lens. Maddie's balance faltered on her heels in her kneeling position. She had never heard Danny use that kind of language when speaking to her before.
But Phantom, yes, she had heard him speak to her like that—
"They choose one hundred people every two years to go into the space program," said Danny, something Maddie had heard him say many times before but now he said it with a tinge of sadness, frustration. "Out of thousands of applicants every year, less than one percent get accepted. I never had a chance. I don't know why I kept holding on to that dream for so long."
He looked right at her, his eyes lidded.
"I don't know why you and Dad let me actually believe I could become an astronaut, why you didn't just tell me the truth," he murmured.
Maddie shook her head and rose to her feet, clutching the framed certificate to her chest. "Danny, I just… I never thought you'd give up on this dream."
Danny shrugged, his expression not changing. "I've grown up," he said simply.
Maddie stared at him, trying to process his words because this just couldn't be right, Danny had been obsessed with exploring the cosmos since he was a little boy. She had taken him up to the Ops Center to use their telescope so many times when he was young, and his eyes would always light up as she helped him find the brightest stars and the closest planets.
But now his eyes were dull, faded, all of that boyhood wonder and fascination gone.
The scientist inside her was nagging, alarming, insisting that this couldn't possibly be Danny, that this absolutely had to be an imposter, a ghost—
Phantom—
"Do you have an antibiotic for me?" asked Danny suddenly, holding out his hand.
Maddie blinked and looked at his hand. "Oh. Yes."
She set the framed certificate on his desk and reached into her pocket, pulling out a capsule and placing it in his palm. His fingers curled over it as he lowered his arm to his side.
"I'll be down in a minute," said Danny, turning away from her. He walked over to his closet and started rummaging through it.
"Okay," said Maddie softly. "I'll make you some eggs."
"Fine," said Danny into his closet.
Maddie stared at him from behind, her doubts about him gnawing at her.
you have to make sure it's really Danny because if you're wrong and it's actually Phantom then Phantom must be plotting something awful, his revenge—
Maddie swiftly turned on her heel and power walked out of the room back to the kitchen, banishing the intrusive thoughts.
But they were relentless, creeping into the cracks of her mind while she cooked breakfast. And when Danny at last came downstairs and entered the kitchen, they broke through her weakened defenses, yelling screaming insisting that this was not Danny, it couldn't be Danny, Danny would not act this way and would not give up on his dream and would not speak to her so disrespectfully and—
Maddie watched Danny eat as she sat next to him at the kitchen table. One bite after another, he finished all of the eggs and bacon Maddie had placed before him. He glanced at her every so often and would deliberately shove a bite into his mouth, almost scornfully.
His face looked so much like Phantom's in this moment, the same irritable and distrustful expressions.
so much like him, too much—
Danny tipped his glass to down the last of the milk inside. He then stood and wiped his mouth. "I'm ready to go if you are, Jazz."
Jazz pushed out her chair. "I'm ready."
Danny and Jazz began gathering their dishes. Maddie put her hand on Danny's wrist to stop him, as if to slap him away. Danny raised his eyes to her in alarm.
"Ah—don't worry, I can take care of your dishes," said Maddie, drawing back her hand. "Yours too, Jazz. You kids go ahead and get to school."
Danny stared at her a long moment, his brow furrowed, the muscles around his eyes twitching. Maddie stared back at him, studying him closely.
not Danny not Danny not Danny—
Danny then relaxed and set his dishes back down on the table. Jazz did the same. Jack frowned as he stayed seated and watched, raising his coffee mug to his lips.
Danny and Jazz left the kitchen, and Maddie started gathering all the breakfast dishes herself, taking care to remember exactly which dishes were Danny's, even more care to not allow his fork to touch anyone else's.
"Bye," called Jazz from the front door.
"Bye," Maddie called back as she began bringing dishes to the sink.
Shortly after, the front door closed, and Maddie stole a quick glance back at Jack. Jack was still sitting at the kitchen table holding his mug, his body now turned to the television. He never once looked at Maddie as he watched the latest local news report.
Maddie pulled a zipper storage bag out of a drawer near the sink. She returned to the dirty breakfast dishes and picked up Danny's used fork, mostly licked clean but with tiny bits of cooked yolk stuck to the tines.
The scientist whispered in her head.
it's the only way to be sure.
She opened the zippered bag and placed the fork inside, hastily pushing out all the air and sealing it shut. She then unzipped her jumpsuit just enough to hide the fork between her cleavage, adjusting it before rezipping her suit and checking for any noticeable bulge.
This was absolutely insane, this was crazy, what was she doing—
you have to, Danny isn't acting right and you have to know if it's really him, if he's really human.
But Phantom's DNA results indicated he was somehow human. A mutated human perhaps, but human nevertheless.
but is this boy in your home really your son?
Maddie looked at the dirty dishes, then down at her chest.
there is only one way to find out if this is really the boy you once carried inside of you.
Maddie placed a hand on her belly and sighed.
She missed Danny so much.
Maddie rinsed off all the breakfast dishes and loaded them into the dishwasher. When she turned, Jack was still watching TV, his mug almost empty now.
Maddie left the kitchen, placing the bagged fork into her purse hanging near the door before heading for the downstairs bathroom. She looked herself over in the mirror, at her ashen face and tired eyes. No, this simply wouldn't do. Not today. Not on May ninth.
She went upstairs to the master bedroom and sat before her vanity mirror, grabbing her sultriest eyeshadow, her blackest eyeliner, her sweetest blush. She made fast work as she transformed her face, color and contour and smoke.
She looked through her lipstick collection and selected her secret weapon, the color that always drove Jack wild and so she only wore it for very special occasions. She uncapped the tube and ran the ruby wax over her lips several times. She blotted and smacked, smiled at her reflection, wiped red stains off her teeth, smiled again.
She had almost forgotten just how beautiful she could be.
She fluffed up her hair and left the room, down the stairs and into the living room where Jack was now sitting on the sofa and reading something on his phone. Maddie stood at the base of the stairs for some time, waiting for him to look up, to notice her.
But his gaze never left his phone.
Maddie hesitated a moment longer before brightening and heading to the kitchen. She knew exactly what would get his attention.
She opened the fridge and pulled out a tray of fudge she had baked the day before, already cut into neat squares. His favorite flavor of fudge made completely from scratch, something she rarely did but this was a special day and she was only too happy to put in the extra effort.
She held the tray in both hands and carried it out to the living room, stopping in front of Jack. Jack at last looked up from his phone, his expression befuddled.
Maddie smiled and held out the tray to him. "Happy anniversary," she said in her flirtiest voice.
Jack set down his phone. "Oh," he said.
Maddie held out the tray even more, and Jack took it from her.
"I made it special just for you," said Maddie. "Double milk chocolate with salted caramel, your favorite."
"Oh," said Jack again. "Wow, thank you."
Jack stayed still, holding the tray in his hands, looking almost dumbfounded. Maddie dropped on the couch next to him and ran both of her hands up and down his large upper arm.
"Well," Maddie purred. "Aren't you going to try one?"
Jack hesitated before lifting one of the small fudge squares out of the tray. He popped it into his mouth and chewed. "It's very good, thank you."
Maddie watched him chew a couple more times before he gulped it down. He then picked up another piece of fudge and placed it in his mouth, chewing again, never meeting her eyes.
"You forgot it's our anniversary again, didn't you?" said Maddie, her intonation dropping sadly but her lips curving into a teasing smile.
Jack chuckled. "Old habits die hard."
Maddie also chuckled and stroked his upper arm reassuringly.
"A lot's happened lately," Jack continued. "Just got a lot on my mind these days."
"That's okay." Maddie stroked and squeezed his arm some more.
"I still see police cars or the occasional news van parked in our neighborhood when I go outside. And the neighbors won't even look at us."
"They've always thought we were a little kooky. How many times have they complained about our Ops Center being an eyesore?"
"But they've never avoided us before. They at least used to say 'hi' to us. Now they just pretend not to see us or run back into their homes when we go outside."
Jack held the tray of fudge in his lap but was no longer eating any of it. Maddie gently took the tray out of his hands and placed it on the coffee table.
"I know a lot's been going on, but we can still make today special," Maddie murmured into his ear, placing one hand on his shoulder and the other on his inner thigh.
She nibbled at his earlobe, trailing kisses along his jaw and down to his neck just above the collar of his jumpsuit. Jack tilted his head away from her.
"I'm going to an AA meeting today," he said. "And then later, I want to meet with that therapist I told you about. I think she'll be good for Danny."
"Uh—oh." Maddie sat away from him, bewildered. "Right, yes."
"Did you read her profile? I sent it to your email."
"Yes, yes, of course."
"She specializes in treating teens with depression and PTSD. She has great reviews, very highly recommended."
"Yes, she sounds—she'll hopefully be a good fit for Danny." Maddie cleared her throat. "But, um… We're not meeting her until this afternoon, right?"
Maddie trailed one finger down his arm, then up again. Jack did not respond to her touch.
"Right, but like I said, I have an AA meeting before that." Jack lowered his eyes. "I need to get a handle on my own mental health so I can be a good support for Danny."
"The fudge will help with that, right?" said Maddie with a small smile.
Jack glanced at the tray of fudge on the coffee table. "Sure," he said flatly.
Maddie waited for him to say more, but he was quiet, didn't even look at her.
"Well, when's your meeting?" Maddie caressed the hair behind Jack's ear. "We have some time, don't we?"
"I should probably shower," said Jack.
"I—uh—I could join you."
"You like the water scalding hot. I'd prefer to keep it more tepid."
"I don't need it that hot. I can go with whatever you want."
"But Danny's showers are already so long; I don't want to waste even more water."
"Ah—okay."
Maddie stared at Jack, blinking several times. Since middle school when she started filling out her shirts, boys and men had always fallen over themselves for her, eager to please her, to take her to bed.
And Jack had been one of them, easily aroused by her pouty lips and sensual whispers, her womanly curves, her siren calls. She was used to being able to have him anytime she wanted him, to make him beg and roll over and stay up until she was satisfied.
But now he was stoic, cold, uninterested. Even as she petted his neck and licked at the corner of his mouth, his body did not respond to her.
Maddie swung one leg over his lap, facing and straddling him, pressing her groin into his.
"Well, you don't really need to shower right now, do you?" She tugged at the zipper of his jumpsuit and began lowering it.
"Might as well," said Jack, his head turned away, looking at the wall. "Now that we're done with breakfast and the kids are gone."
Maddie froze, her knees still on either side of his thighs, her fingers still on his zipper.
Then she moved off his lap, slowly. Jack pushed himself off the sofa and began walking toward the stairs.
"You were just complaining about how we never have sex anymore," said Maddie, remaining on the sofa, her tone low and harsh. "And now you suddenly don't want to?"
Jack stopped walking and sighed. "I wasn't complaining about the lack of sex. I was just saying that you don't seem to be into me anymore."
"Well, I'm into you right now," said Maddie irritably.
"So you're admitting that you're not always into me? At least not lately?"
Jack turned to face her fully. Maddie glared at him, balling her fists against the couch cushion beneath her.
"You really think I was having an affair?" she hissed. "All those nights I went out while Danny was missing, you think I was running off to sleep with some other man?"
"What were you doing, then?" asked Jack, sounding tired. "Why won't you tell me?"
"I have told you."
"The truth, Maddie."
"What do you think is the truth, Jack?"
Jack lowered his eyes, turned his face away, rubbed his jaw with one hand.
"You think Phantom was the one I was going out to see?" asked Maddie just above a whisper, her voice too weak to get any louder.
"Was he?" asked Jack just as quietly.
yes
Her heart had raced every time she entered the lab and saw him shackled to that lab table, her lust swelling and aching to find new ways to mark him as her property.
oh god yes
Maddie sniffled, dabbing at her eyes with one finger so the tears wouldn't ruin her eyeliner and mascara.
"I love you, Jack." Her lips trembled. "I wish you could just believe that."
Jack's brows drooped. "I wish the same, Maddie."
More tears flooded her lower eyelid, and Maddie didn't bother dabbing them this time.
"I'm sorry, but I just don't feel like celebrating our anniversary this year," said Jack. He did not sound angry or upset, only sad. "I just want to focus on getting Danny the help he needs right now."
Maddie ran a hand under her dripping nose and nodded.
"But thank you for the fudge," said Jack. "It's delicious."
Jack walked up the stairs and vanished from sight as he turned the corner into the hall. Maddie sank back into the couch, her eyes glazing over.
When Jack came back down the stairs, Maddie had no idea how much time had passed. She jolted, sitting upright on the couch as Jack stepped onto the ground floor. He was dressed in slacks and a button-up shirt, no jumpsuit underneath. Maddie frowned at the sight.
"I'm heading to my AA meeting now," said Jack. "You can meet me later to speak with Danny's potential therapist. I'll text you the address."
Maddie nodded and barely managed an "okay." Jack did not wait for her to say more as he headed for the front door. Maddie stayed on the couch and listened to the sound of the front door closing, then the start of the GAV's powerful engine from behind the house. She could hear the GAV pulling away onto the street, and then it faded away.
She listened a little longer, but all was silent now.
Jack was definitely gone.
She was alone.
She got up, moving quickly. She grabbed her purse as she headed out the front door to her car parked by the curb. She glanced around, spotting no police vehicles or news vans.
Still alone.
She drove at exactly the posted speed limit. She couldn't risk getting a speeding ticket, not now, not when she was headed to a particular place she didn't want the cops to know about.
She checked each of her mirrors constantly as she drove, wary of anyone that might be following her. She could see a white van making all the same turns she did for some time, but it at last turned right when she turned left, and she relaxed her grip on the steering wheel.
Once she was beyond the city limits, she was relieved to see no one else around. Every now and then, a car would pass her and disappear onto the stretch of road in front of her, but no one was tailing behind her.
Alone.
She pulled onto the desolate road leading to the isolated building that housed Vlad's private lab. Once she arrived, she got out of her car and stared at the building, remembering the last time she was here: forlorn, despairing, frightened that the police were about to take everything from her and that Danny would never come home.
She approached the keypad by the front door and punched in the code, hoping that Vlad had not changed it. The steel door buzzed open, and Maddie mentally scolded herself for worrying because of course Vlad would never change it, would never lock her out. He was the one man she could always count on to bend over backwards for her.
And with all the shit he had pulled with both her and Danny, Vlad definitely owed her whatever she wanted.
She entered the lab and flipped on the lights, heading toward the center of the room, the main examination table. She again remembered the last time she was here, Phantom strapped to the table on his back.
But the table was empty now.
Maddie stood next to the table and stared down at it, another memory of Phantom sleeping, seemingly dreaming about something as she placed a hand on his shoulder and he nuzzled his face against it.
But he must've been pretending. Ghosts didn't dream. Only humans dreamed.
Was Phantom really actually a human?
Was Phantom really actually her son?
She had to know for sure.
Because if the boy living in her home was actually Phantom just trying to trick her—if Danny, her real Danny, her actual son, was still out there somewhere, missing and alone—
She could not even begin to imagine how she would punish Phantom if she were to discover such treachery.
She approached the DNA sequencer on one of the lab counters and reached into her purse to pull out the zippered bag containing Danny's used fork. She began to prepare the sample, hoping that this would be enough, but if not, she could easily collect more. Hair from his pillow, blood from any cuts, skin cells she could maybe scrape off if she did it very carefully, maybe even while he was asleep—
God, she was crazy, she was insane.
but what if you're right? you can't let Phantom just keep living in your house, not if he really isn't Danny.
But the sequencing procedure would take days; she wouldn't know the truth for a while.
that's fine. you can wait a little longer to know for sure.
Everything around her faded away, the sterile walls, the hum of the lights, the time. All that existed right here and right now was this fork and these tools and that computer. She worked feverishly, extracting and purifying, readying, refrigerating, compartmentalizing—
Footsteps behind her. Maddie jumped and spun around, pressing a hand over her racing heart.
But it wasn't the police. Maddie released a huge sigh of relief as Vlad and Elsie Mitchell approached her. They were both dressed in business suits, Vlad in his normal red and black ensemble and Elsie in a grey and purple skirt suit.
"Sorry," said Elsie. "Didn't mean to startle you."
"You didn't," Maddie stammered. "I mean—ah—"
She spread out her arms and leaned back against the counter, trying to hide her work as Vlad and Elsie stopped a polite distance away from her. Maddie studied both of them, noting the glowing blue tinge to Elsie's skin and her bright red eyes.
"You really are a ghost," said Maddie. "I thought so when we first met at the police station, but I wasn't sure."
"You don't have to be a human hybrid like Vlad or your son to maintain a human appearance," said Elsie with a small bow of her head.
"I would only ever trust a ghost lawyer to represent you," said Vlad. "It's crucial to have someone who can overshadow and manipulate anyone who poses a threat to our case."
"Well, what are you two doing here?" asked Maddie.
"Perhaps we should be asking you that," said Vlad, clasping his hands behind his back. "This is my lab, after all."
"Oh—uh—" Maddie vaguely gestured to the counter behind her. "I was just running some tests."
"I can see that," said Vlad. "But don't you have your own lab for that?"
"Ah, well…" Maddie wrung her hands. "I don't want Jack to know about this because it's, um… It's about Danny."
"Oh?" Vlad raised both of his eyebrows.
"Yes, um…" Maddie scratched under her jaw. "Well, I'm just seeing what I can do to boost his immune system since he no longer has a spleen."
"Ah, that's right, you removed it," said Vlad, smiling, a glint in his eye.
Maddie shrank back with a scowl. Of course Vlad would find this amusing, the creep.
"But if you're really concerned about Daniel's immune system…" Vlad held up one hand and casually observed his fingernails, rubbing each against his thumb. "I'd be happy to clone him and harvest a new spleen." He lowered his hand. "I could even transplant it for you."
Maddie glared at him. "That's sick. You're sick."
"Oh, really? I'm the sick one here?"
Vlad smiled again, much more smugly this time. Maddie could feel her cheeks glowing hot as her fists clenched by her sides.
"Do you want to tell me what you're really doing in my lab?" asked Vlad.
"Now, Vlad, let's not antagonize my client," said Elsie.
"How about you tell me what you two are doing here?" asked Maddie with a snarl.
"We just thought we should all have a little chat together," said Elsie. "This place seemed perfect, nice and private."
"But how did you know I was here? I didn't see anyone following me."
"We flew here," said Elsie. "And there was a van following you for a little while, but Vlad had one of his ghosts overshadow the driver and take them in the opposite direction."
Maddie's brow knitted as she recalled seeing the white van in her rearview mirror.
"I have ghosts watching your home at all times," said Vlad. "They alert me to any activity that needs to be mediated or prevented."
Maddie folded her arms. "So you're spying on us?"
Vlad smiled pleasantly. "You are the one who asked me to help you cover up your mess, my dear."
Maddie's face flushed even hotter. "It benefits you too, doesn't it? If the police discover what really happened to Danny, it would only be a matter of time before your secret is blown, too."
"That is correct, I have a personal interest in ensuring no one discovers the truth behind Daniel's disappearance," said Vlad. "But my dear, even if I had no stake in this, I hope you know that I would do anything and everything to protect you."
Maddie's anger cooled into a pink blush.
"And if it is not too bold of me to say, you look absolutely stunning today." Vlad gestured toward her with his palm up, as if he were inviting her to place her hand in his. "It's your anniversary today, is it not?"
Maddie stared at his hand. "It is," she said softly.
Vlad's fingers curled in. "I'm surprised you're here and not with Jack."
Maddie bit her lip and lowered her gaze to the floor.
"Or did he forget again?" Vlad turned to Elsie and spoke with a covert tone although still loud enough for Maddie to hear. "Jack's forgotten their anniversary almost every year since they've been married."
"He just gets busy," Maddie blurted, a desperate plea to defend Jack because she didn't want anyone to think she had made a mistake when marrying him; she had been dealing with that sort of judgment and confusion her entire life. Maddie, Maddie, why him? You're sexy and smart, you could get any man you wanted, why him?
"And we've both been preoccupied with Danny lately," she added.
"But you still remembered your anniversary," said Vlad, "didn't you?"
Maddie glared at him, her eyes misting over, trying to think of some biting retort but she had nothing, nothing, no defense.
And Vlad's smirk only widened the longer she stayed silent.
She turned away, holding her arms, shutting her eyes tight.
"I just feel like…everything's falling apart," she gasped out through clenched teeth. "Even with you overshadowing the detective and the police, everyone still suspects me. Everyone treats me differently."
She turned back to Elsie and Vlad, her voice gaining strength.
"I used to be respected in our town." She threw out an arm in the general direction of Amity Park. "But now they all think I kidnapped my own son. And who knows what they think I did to him."
"I've heard the rumors," said Elsie with a small click of her tongue. "Some of them not even that far off from what really happened."
"I didn't know it was him!" Maddie cried.
"We understand that," said Vlad, "but unfortunately, we are unable to overshadow everyone in town to manipulate their thoughts on the matter."
"And some of the people we do overshadow have extremely strong wills," said Elsie. "Once we leave their bodies, their thoughts gradually shift back to believing you are guilty."
Maddie moaned and shook her head.
"But Jack does not think you had anything to do with Daniel's disappearance, does he?" asked Vlad.
"No." Maddie stared at the floor, her heart aching. "He thinks I was going out having an affair every night Danny was gone."
She recalled that look in Jack's eyes the first time he made the accusation, the hurt and the betrayal. And she slapped him in the face because it was all she could do. She had no words to defend herself, to convince him of her fidelity.
Because night after night after night, she did leave Jack alone in their bed, even when she knew he wanted her company, even when she could see that he really missed her, that he needed her.
Night after night after night, she chose to see Phantom over her own husband.
"I suppose it's better than him knowing the truth." Maddie wiped at the corner of one leaky eye. "But I still don't like it. And I don't really have a better excuse to give him for why I was going out by myself every night."
Vlad and Elsie exchanged looks, wordlessly communicating something that Maddie could not interpret. She frowned as she watched their eyebrows rise, their mouths purse, their heads nod.
"What?" she asked.
"Well, it's just…" Elsie shrugged and crossed her arms. "That's not a bad idea."
Maddie squinted one eye. "What's not a bad idea?"
"Telling people you were having an affair."
Maddie stared at Elsie.
"Everyone already knows that you were going out somewhere every night," Elsie continued. "The media would eat that right up."
"It's just the alibi you need," said Vlad. "No one believes you went out in the dead of night to search for Daniel—even less without your own husband—but an affair would perfectly explain why you would do such a thing."
"Yes, that might actually be enough to get the police off your case," said Elsie excitedly.
"Or at least get them to back off a bit," said Vlad. "Enough that we can get their suspicions under control."
"It would certainly throw a wrench in their investigation," said Elsie. "It would detract from their evidence, make it less likely they could ever have enough reason to make a formal arrest."
Maddie watched Elsie and Vlad continue their exchange, her head darting back and forth between the two in shock.
"Yes, why didn't we think of this before?" asked Vlad eagerly. "This is brilliant."
Elsie nodded. "We just need to figure out how we want the story to get out. Do we want Maddie to tell the police or go straight to the media or—"
"You don't understand," cried Maddie. "Jack thinks I was having an affair with Danny Phantom."
"Even better, honestly," said Elsie.
"Yes, that really is the most excellent alibi," said Vlad.
Maddie's jaw dropped. "You can't be serious."
"You need to sell this story to both the police and the media," said Elsie. "And you can't just make up a man to have an affair with. Everyone knows that you've been after Danny Phantom ever since his first appearance, so it would be very believable to say your interest in him evolved past scientific curiosity." Elsie shrugged. "Plus, he is the town's resident heartthrob, so no one would blame you."
"And you yourself are quite lovely, so no one would blame him either," said Vlad.
Maddie's ears burned, a low growl grating in her throat.
"There is an age gap, but I do know there are plenty of people who believe Phantom is at least eighteen," said Vlad. "And the boy's grown so much this past year, we could certainly convince everyone he's in the age of majority."
"You're joking," said Maddie incredulously.
"Not at all," said Elsie, her red eyes round and gleaming. "Danny Phantom is the perfect person to implicate because the police won't be able to find him and question him about it."
Maddie stuck her hands on her hips. "You are aware that Danny Phantom is my son, right?"
"But no one else knows that," said Elsie. "And you supposedly don't know that either."
An intruding memory, Phantom down on his knees with his arms shackled above his head, staring up at her with his dazzling green eyes, his jumpsuit clinging so tightly to his body—
Maddie's face flashed hot as she jerked her head, mentally scolding herself because that was the jumpsuit she made for her son because Phantom was her son—
but is he really?
It didn't matter, she could not should not be thinking about Phantom that way—
"At worst, everyone will just think you're a—what's that term the young people use?" Vlad puckered his mouth, bringing the fingers of one hand up close to his chin. "Monster fucker?"
"Hey, watch who you're calling a monster," chided Elsie, her red eyes glowing.
"Oh, come now, I'm a ghost, too." Vlad tugged at his lapels with both hands. "And a filthy rich one at that. The common folk think I'm a far bigger monster than any ghost."
Elsie and Vlad both broke into laughter, such a casual and lighthearted sound that made Maddie's stomach knot up several times, threatening to push up its contents.
"Do you even realize what you're asking?" Maddie demanded. "Telling me I should say I was having an affair?"
Elsie and Vlad quieted, Elsie's smile fading but Vlad's remaining as they both looked at her.
"I would never cheat on Jack." Maddie pressed a hand over her heart and shook her head. "I love my husband. I would not—I could not do that to him. And things between us are already so rocky—this would destroy our relationship." She glared at Vlad. "Which I know you would just love, wouldn't you?"
Vlad's smile vanished. "Maddie—"
"And telling me I should say it was Phantom—I mean, what would Danny think?" Maddie's eyes hardened with tears. "How do you expect me to explain that to him?"
"I'm sure we could make him understand," said Elsie.
"Yes, I'd be happy to talk with him about it if it would make you too uncomfortable," offered Vlad.
"What about Jazz? And Danny's friends?" Maddie looked up at the ceiling to try to hold in her tears. "How are we supposed to explain it to them without also revealing the truth about what happened?"
Vlad's lips thinned as he exchanged a look with Elsie. "I suppose we could come up with another ghost that you might've had an affair with."
"Phantom really would be the most believable, though," said Elsie. "But we could maybe pin it on your alter ego, Plasmius. He's a good-looking chap for a ghost. Closer to Maddie's age, too."
Vlad's cheeks turned pink. "Ah—oh—"
"No." Maddie shook her head once, twice, over and over. "I can't do this to my family. I can't do this to Danny. I can't do this to Jack—"
She dropped to the floor on her haunches, balancing on her toes with one hand gripping the counter beside her. Her other hand covered her eyes as she shuddered and heaved.
God, how did she get here?
After some time, she heard Vlad walking up to her. She opened her filmy eyes to see his black shoes on the floor next to her. She sniffed and looked up.
"It's just something to think about, Maddie," said Vlad softly, holding out a hand to help her up. "Perhaps as a last resort if the situation gets desperate."
Maddie stared at his hand for several silent seconds before taking it and allowing him to help her rise to her feet. She then let go of Vlad's hand but kept her head down, rubbing her upper arms.
"I get that you're trying to help me come up with a plausible alibi for all the nights I went out," she said quietly. "All the nights I should've been searching for Danny but instead I was coming…here."
She gestured to their surroundings, the very lab in which she unwittingly tortured her own son for weeks.
"And I get how important it is to hide the truth, because we must protect Danny and he would be taken away if the police were to find out he's a ghost," Maddie went on. "And yes, I would be willing to make myself look like a horrible monster if it meant that I could keep Danny safe."
Yes, yes, of course she would—absolutely, definitely. The only reason she wasn't turning herself into the police now was because that would expose Danny's secret. Yes, yes, she had to hide the horrible monstrous things she did to him because it was the only way to protect him from even worse government experimentation.
Yes. Definitely.
"But even if I were to somehow get the police to back off, that wouldn't solve all the problems here." Maddie raised her eyes to Vlad and Elsie. "Jack wouldn't stop trying to figure out what really happened to Danny. He's so convinced that Danny went through something deeply traumatic, he won't rest until he finds out what."
"Yes, our little badger is certainly not very good at masking his trauma responses," said Vlad, almost sounding amused. "Although I'm admittedly surprised Jack has been able to pick up on those cues; he's usually quite oblivious."
"Not this time," said Maddie with a shake of her head. "I think the guilt over ignoring Danny's problems for so long has really gotten to him, so he's fixated on helping Danny."
"I see," said Vlad.
"And I keep trying to brush off his suspicions with benign explanations, but he just refuses to accept any of them," said Maddie. "And now he's being really pushy about finding a therapist for Danny. In fact, we're both supposed to meet with one later this afternoon."
"As I've told you before, I can have any therapist overshadowed," said Vlad.
"But that still won't stop Jack," said Maddie testily. "If the therapist is overshadowed and manipulated to say that everything's fine with Danny, Jack will just try to find another therapist. And then another, and another after that until someone gives him the answer he wants." Maddie groaned. "It'll just never end. And he'll continue to pester Danny about it and what happens if Jack actually manages to get Danny alone? What if Jack triggers him to have a breakdown? Then what? I won't be there to stop Danny from saying anything he shouldn't."
"Hmm." Vlad pinched his chin. "Jack certainly can be very persistent when he's stuck on an idea."
"So you see my problem?" Maddie desperately looked back and forth between Vlad and Elsie.
Elsie raised a brow at Vlad before turning back to Maddie. "Typically when we're dealing with someone who has a strong will that interferes with our agenda, the best option is overshadowing."
"I told you, overshadowing the therapist won't—"
"I meant your husband."
Maddie's mouth hung open as she took a step back.
"Overshadowing is the only way we can turn him off from this obsession he has," continued Elsie. "Of course, it's not a permanent solution if the person being overshadowed has a very strong will. It's why we've already had to overshadow Detective Calhoun multiple times to keep him under control. I imagine it would be the same with your husband."
Maddie's upper lip rose as she listened.
"We could have your husband overshadowed today before you meet with the therapist, get him to suddenly change his mind and go back home," Elsie went on. "But it probably wouldn't be long before he comes back around and again wants to find a therapist for Danny."
"Yes, but we can just have him overshadowed each time the idea gets into his head," said Vlad. "He will never know it's happening, he will never suspect he is being controlled. He won't even question why he keeps changing his mind over and over."
Maddie stared at Vlad, realizing in that moment exactly how he was able to amass such extraordinary wealth and win Amity Park's mayoral election despite having no prior experience as a politician.
"Are you at all open to that idea, Maddie?" asked Elsie.
Maddie shivered. "It won't hurt him, will it?"
"Not at all," said Vlad. "Daniel has overshadowed both you and Jack several times. Do you remember even feeling it?"
Maddie put a hand to her chest. "He—what?"
"Oh, dear. Were you not aware of that?" Vlad smiled brassily. "I do hope I haven't just gotten the boy in trouble. Please don't tell him I told you."
Maddie threaded her shaky fingers through her hair, combing it back behind her ear. "I just—I'm not sure I'm comfortable with some strange ghost overshadowing Jack."
"Well, if you'd prefer, I can overshadow him myself," offered Vlad.
Maddie stuck out her bottom lip as she looked Vlad up and down. "I'm not sure I'm comfortable with that either."
"Maddie," said Elsie, her tone civil but firm. "This really is the only way to get Jack to stop trying to investigate what happened. We've been doing it with the police and the journalists already, but Jack very well might be the biggest threat of all to discovering the truth."
Maddie struggled to breathe through her quivering lungs. She balled a fist and pressed her knuckles to her lips as she turned away, thinking hard, trying to come up with literally anything else to quell Jack's suspicions.
But she could conjure nothing. She could not think of a single alternative that would turn Jack away from his current obsession with solving the mystery behind Danny's disappearance.
Not without ruining their marriage or breaking up their family.
She looked back at Vlad with hard eyes. "You are only allowed to overshadow him with my express permission each and every time."
Vlad inclined his head. "I understand."
"And you must make it clear to me when you're overshadowing him." Maddie pointed a finger at him. "Do not try to pretend you're him with me. And I don't want you touching me or trying to—" Maddie huffed and spread her hands away from each other. "Just don't try anything with me."
"I wouldn't dream of it, my dear." Vlad bent one arm across his middle and extended his other hand in her direction with his palm up. "Do I have your permission to overshadow him today?"
Maddie stared at his hand for a long time, her mind racing, her heart pounding.
"Yes," she whispered.
"Very good," said Elsie. "Well, I have some matters to attend to, so I'll be taking off. Good seeing you, Maddie, and Vlad, I'll see you later in your office."
She gave Vlad a small wink before hovering off the floor and then shooting up toward the ceiling, phasing through and vanishing. Maddie pouted and popped out one hip, suspicious about why Vlad was still here.
Vlad smiled at her, but it was not his normal smirk. No, he looked almost bashful as he clasped his hands behind his back. Maddie narrowed her eyes, just daring him to try.
"I really am sorry that you and Jack are having troubles," said Vlad, lowering his head as his smile faded.
"Don't lie to me." Maddie huffed and rolled her eyes. "This is exactly what you've always wanted to happen, so you can swoop in like a knight in shining armor."
"Maddie, I won't deny that I still have feelings for you, but I don't want anything between us to happen like this," said Vlad, shaking his head. "Not when you're still so obviously in love with Jack. I don't want you to be brokenhearted."
Vlad's eyes were soft. Maddie sniffed and looked away, blinking several times in an attempt to abate her tears.
"I do love Jack," she murmured. "But he doesn't even want to celebrate our anniversary today."
"Is that why you came out here?"
Maddie bit her lip and ducked her head.
"Maddie, you don't have to be alone today." Vlad came a couple steps closer and lightly touched her arm. "I'm here for you."
Maddie jerked her arm away. "Don't act like you're my friend. I'm still pissed at you."
Vlad's eyes widened as he stepped back.
"If you had just told me that Danny was Phantom when he was missing—" Maddie growled and clenched her fists. "I went all the way to your mansion and begged you to help me find him and you just—you lied to me."
"You never actually asked me if I knew anything about Daniel that could help you find him," said Vlad defensively, though his resolve sounded weak.
"But you knew that would've helped me," hissed Maddie. "You knew, and you chose not to tell me."
"I did not know that would help you." Vlad straightened his shoulders. "I had no reason to believe that you were holding your son captive as Phantom."
Maddie's face turned red, sweat beading under the collar of her jumpsuit. "Well, all of this could have been avoided if you told me a long time ago, before any of this happened." She gestured around the lab. "Danny told me you've known he's a ghost hybrid since you hosted our college reunion in Wisconsin. That's when you should've told me."
"Daniel didn't want anyone else to know," said Vlad, his stance not faltering.
"He's a boy, Vlad," snarled Maddie. "A child. My child. When a child asks you to keep something secret that you know is harming him, you don't respect his wishes, you tell his mother." Maddie pointed at him aggressively. "I can forgive Danny and his friends and even Jazz for not telling me sooner because they're just children, but you—you have no excuse."
Vlad lowered his eyes to the floor, frowning deeply. Maddie's facial muscles knotted and clenched as she watched him, rage shaking her whole body.
"I suppose there's more to it than that," said Vlad quietly. "I worried that if I told you about Daniel being a ghost, you would've wanted to know how I found out, and I would've had to reveal that I am also a ghost, and…" Vlad pressed his lips and swallowed. "I didn't want you to think I was a monster."
Maddie's nostrils flared with each breath. Vlad at last met her gaze, his eyes lidded and sad. Maddie held his stare for several beats before relaxing and folding her arms.
"You always were a selfish man," she grumbled, looking off to the side.
"Is that why you chose Jack over me?"
Maddie returned her gaze to Vlad with a quirked brow. Vlad's expression was solemn, sincere.
"You ask that like there was ever anything between us," said Maddie with a scoff. "Jack and I were already in a committed relationship when he first introduced me to you. There was never a chance for anything to happen between you and me."
"I know," said Vlad, sounding forlorn. "That's why I never even tried."
Maddie tightened her folded arms against her middle and hiked up her bottom lip.
"I remember the first time I met you," said Vlad. "My breath was just taken. You were so beautiful and incredible. I remember thinking that Jack was the luckiest man alive." He paused. "I think he still is."
A bright blush spread across Maddie's nose and cheeks. She blinked several times as her center of balance swayed.
Then she regained control of her posture and hardened her eyes.
"Yeah, well, you are on very thin ice with me," bit Maddie. "I am trusting you right now because I don't have a choice. You're the only one who can help me and Danny right now." She inhaled deeply. "Please do not break my trust, Vlad."
She shut her eyes, tears clinging to her lashes.
"I just really need to know there's someone in my corner right now," she whispered.
"Of course," said Vlad, clutching at his jacket in front of his heart. "Maddie, whatever happens, you will always have me. You will never lose me."
Maddie took in the whole sight of him as he gazed at her with such longing. Yes, this was what she was used to, men fawning over her with such earnest flattery and eagerness to please her, submit to her will.
And she liked it.
This was normally the way Jack looked at her, but now that he had rejected her, Maddie's body stirred, tempted to allow Vlad to worship her like he so obviously wanted to.
Her face and neck flushed, desire ebbing and throbbing through her veins, joining at her center.
She sharply turned around to face the counter and waved a dismissive hand behind her back. "Fine. You can go now. I have work to do."
She panted, gripping the counter to catch her breath. Vlad did not speak for some time, but she could sense his hesitation.
"Would you like my assistance?" he finally asked.
"No." Maddie shook her head. "I want to do this alone. I will text you the address for where Jack and I are meeting up later."
"All right. I will watch for it."
She could hear Vlad getting ready to leave. She glanced at the DNA sequencer in front of her and quickly turned around.
"Wait, just, ah—just one more thing." Maddie held out a hand to stop him from leaving. "Danny really is… I mean, my son and Danny Phantom, they really, definitely are the same person, right?"
The corners of Vlad's eyes twitched as they darted around the room before refocusing on her. "Yes?" he said with evident confusion.
Maddie swallowed and nodded several times. "Okay. Um, thanks."
Vlad smiled and began walking toward the lab door.
"You're not going to fly out of here like Elsie?" Maddie called after him, suddenly curious to see him transform.
Vlad turned back to her, his smile becoming awkward. "I'd rather not be in my ghost form around you. I just prefer to be…me."
Vlad's smile changed again, this time looking sad. Maddie watched him turn and walk away until he disappeared down the small corridor leading to the front door. She heard the heavy door open and shut, and then she was once again all alone.
She picked up Danny's used fork, holding it delicately as she stared at it, studied it, entranced.
A few hours later, Maddie pulled up to a therapy service center she had seen a few times before when driving past. She parked in the parking lot and spotted the Fenton GAV driving up as well. The GAV took up two spots in the parking lot as it came to a stop, and the front driver's side door swung open.
Maddie's heart raced as Jack jumped out of the vehicle onto the ground and started heading toward her. He approached her rapidly but then slowed as he came closer until he finally stopped just a few feet away from her. Maddie watched him, waiting for him to speak or move first.
Jack's face was blank for a moment, and then he looked right at her with a smile. "I think I've been overreacting. Danny doesn't need to speak with a therapist."
Maddie's mouth fell open. Jack's eyes glinted a ghostly red.
"Let's go home," said Jack. "I'll meet you there."
He turned around and began walking back to the GAV without another glance over his shoulder. Maddie stared after him as he retreated.
She had never been afraid of ghosts before, but this absolutely terrified her.
