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13. Closure

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The eraser glided smoothly across the board, wiping away the words he'd scribbled across its surface.

Jonathon Lancer glanced at the clock.

4:29 pm.

The man set the eraser down, gathered his things, and walked out, making a brief stop at his office to pick up his car keys.

The students had already left about an hour prior, leaving the entire school completely empty.

The sun's warmth greeted him as he walked outside.

The weatherman had predicted agreeable weather for the next few days, and Lancer genuinely hoped it would stay that way.

His decrepit car was one of the last few in the parking lot.

He opened it, tossed his things inside, and stuck his keys into the ignition.

This time, it only took two tries before the car rumbled to life.

He pulled out and entered the highway.

The radio's smooth jazz station remained on low volume, allowing for a calm drive down the street.

The bustling city was heavy with traffic, so it took him a while longer than expected before he finally arrived at the quaint housing development.

Lancer looked at the address scrawled on the paper and looked up.

He wondered how he would find his destination when every house looked exactly the same as the other, most of them missing their numbers.

It wasn't until he saw the large, ostentatious 'FentonWorks' sign protruding from the roof of one of the houses that he realized, unsurprisingly, he didn't actually need the house's number.

He drove into a parking space and stepped out.

He paused, looking up at the anomaly of a house.

It had already been three days since he'd last seen Danny and Danielle.

Daniel hadn't shown up at school, and he hadn't heard from Danielle since that fight he'd witnessed at the school. Although Lancer never pressed the children for information, he knew Manson and Foley would faithfully refuse to divulge any information about the Fentons.

Finally, just that morning, he'd received the phone call from Jack Fenton, asking for him to meet up with them at their house.

Anxiety had troubled him upon the request. Surely, the educator would be viewed as a threat by the Fenton family. He didn't know what reaction to expect from the infamous ghost hunters, and they'd had more than enough time to think about how to approach the teacher—no, the outsider who'd discovered the secrets that only a select few were privy to. On the other hand, the curiosity that bubbled up within him made him eagerly anticipate the unusual conference, and he clung to the hope that he'd get to reunite with his former hybrid house guest.

Lancer squared his shoulders. His ambivalent feelings offered no assistance, and the fact of the matter was that there was no way to avoid this moment.

He trotted up the steps and tapped on the door.

A few short moments passed before the door swung open.

Maddie was the one to answer. The woman wore a light yellow sundress, flip-flops on her feet, and a wide welcoming smile on her face.

The sweet smell of chocolate wafted from within their household, tantalizing Lancer's stomach.

The sight of Maddie made him relax a bit more, and took away some of the uneasiness he'd felt.

"Mr. Lancer," she smiled and shook his extended hand. "Good to see you again. Come in, come in!"

The woman ushered him inside, closing the door behind him. "We're in the kitchen."

She paused to look at him. An uncomfortable silence passed between them. Lancer wasn't sure what the woman was thinking, but Maddie smiled again before he could dwell on the observation. "Jazz made us some brownies. She and her brother went out to get some pizza."

Lancer followed her into the dining area where they found Jack sitting at the table, hands folded in front of him, resting against the smooth marble.

The man looked unusually serious.

"I understand we're here to talk about your children?" Lancer queried.

"Yes, sir." Maddie pulled up a chair and motioned for Lancer to sit.

"Where are the children now?" Lancer inquisitively glanced up the stairs, wondering if he'd see the young Fenton children and hoping he'd see Danielle.

"Danielle is still sleeping," Maddie explained. "Danny and Jazz are out buying some stuff to make Danielle feel more at home."

Lancer was disappointed, but he didn't let it show, choosing instead to focus on the matter at hand.

"So, where to begin?" Lancer set his messenger bag on the floor and settled into the seat across from Jack.

He was eager to get the conversation going.

Questions had been bouncing around his head for the last few days, and his curiosity had practically been eating him alive.

Jack finally spoke. "Truth be told, we weren't sure what to tell you about all of this, but Daniel and Danielle both seem to trust you and we trust them." The man turned to look at his wife as she took a seat beside him. "We figured the best place to start would be at the beginning."

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And they did begin at their very beginning: college.

Their theories, their experiments, their failures. Losing their funds, losing their lab, and bringing their work home.

They continued recounting their history by vaguely mentioning a lab accident involving Danny that occurred a year later, which was followed by the secrecy from their children that ended with the parents' discovery of Danny's secret.

Lancer quietly listened from beginning to end.

It was all so difficult to grasp. Human-ghost hybrids, clones, and the power-mad mayor who'd taken it upon himself to become the antagonist of their outrageous lives.

"Mr. Lancer," Maddie bit her lip. Jack Fenton's hand fell over hers.

"Jack and I understand that we have failed as parents. Our jobs and our obsessions had us blind and oblivious to everything that was going on around us."

Lancer blinked, struck by an unexpected epiphany.

"But we're trying our hardest to be better. We're trying-"

"Excuse me, Mrs. Fenton," Lancer cut in, gently. "Are you...do you think I'm going to call child services on you?"

"Well," the Fentons glanced at each other. Maddie sighed and rubbed her cheek. "You would have every reason to."

Lancer straightened up in his chair.

It was his turn to speak.

"You're right. I do have reason to call child services." He paused, then quickly added, "But I won't."

Lancer allowed them a moment for the news to sink in. The couple heaved heavy sighs of relief.

"It seems to me like you have been trying to be better involved in your children's lives, and succeeding. I see you two often in parent-teacher conferences. Daniel's attendance and grades have improved impressively, so it look's like he will graduate with at least average grades. He's more alert, better focused, less burdened and—overall—happier and lighter, as a young man of his age should be.

"The accident, in my opinion, was just that. An accident." Lancer closed his eyes for the briefest of moments, feeling a melancholic nostalgia sweep through him. "It was just an accident."

He breathed, opening his eyes and pulling himself away from that terrible memory that had resurfaced unexpectedly. "I know what it is to feel like a failure as a parent, and so I don't' believe calling child services is at all necessary."

"Oh, thank you," Jack breathed. A brilliant grin lit his face.

"However," Lancer warned. "If Danny's...secret is ever revealed to the world, there will be legal repercussions, amongst many other things, regardless of whether or not he is of age."

"We know," Jack admitted.

"We've all given this a lot of thought." Maddie agreed.

"I hope I don't sound offensive in asking," Lancer hesitated, wondering if he should even be asking. "What would you have done had I not agreed to maintaining the childrens' abilities a secret?"

"I'm glad you asked," Maddie smiled somewhat darkly.

Jack patted his wife's hand. The couples' eyes momentarily met.

"Well," Maddie's lips quirked downward into a slight frown. "We have a few options. The primary one consisted of reaching into your mind and blocking memories."

Lancer swallowed. Again, instinct told him not to utter another word but his curiosity won out again. "And how would you have gone about doing that?"

"Never mind that, Lancer." Maddie waved her hand dismissively. "We trust you."

"Mostly," Jack added, his eyes revealing some unease about the situation.

"There is something else we've been meaning to discuss." Maddie began, capturing Jack's attention.

The Fenton man sighed heavily. "We've been a little concerned about Danny's grades." Maddie nodded in agreement. "Danny has made it explicitly clear that he is under no circumstances willing to stop ghost hunting-"

"Stubborn as a Fenton," Jack cut in, beaming proudly.

"So we've been wanting to try something new with Danny." Maddie continued. "In hopes that we can find some balance to his chaotic life. Although he seems to have gotten a better handle of things on his own."

"That would explain his academic improvement," Lancer remarked.

Jack cleared his throat. "We understand he's improved a little bit, but we believe he can do better. And we know there will be times when his…uh," he paused, "extracurricular activities will cut into his school time."

Lancer smiled, already prepared with a solution. "I've already begun working on an in-school schedule for him, and I will be more than happy to take care of any problems that may arise in the future, especially in terms of absences and tardiness."

"You see, Mr. Lancer," Maddie continued. "Danny has always struggled with school, even before he received his...abilities, and we know how much he's struggling right now." She paused. "Since the ghost activities in Amity have spiked, we've been selling a lot of our technology, and we officially have enough money to, perhaps, pay you, if you're willing."

Jack finished her thought for her. "We were wondering if you would be open to being hired as a private tutor."

"Oh?" Lancer blinked, surprised.

"We know you have a Bachelors in History and Journalism, and a Masters in Literature and Humanities, and you also teach math and science," Jack informed him.

Maddie smiled in agreement. "You're a smart man and a good teacher, and we believe you can help Danny and Danielle reach their full potentials, especially now that you some of their secrets."

"Well," Lancer cleared his throat, taken aback by their request. "So you'll be enrolling Danielle in school, as well?"

Maddie hesitated. "That...we're not sure of."

"We want to make Danielle an official Fenton," Jack assured him.

Lancer felt his heart swell in excitement, but his joy was cut short as Jack continued. "But we keep running into problems. Biologically, Danielle is, technically, a Fenton."

"But," Maddie continued, "there is no record of her anywhere. She has no family, no history, nothing."

"And we hate the idea of having to hide her away from the rest of the world," Jack added. "We're still trying to figure out how to make her legally ours, so we can offer her choices and a future."

"But we have no idea where to begin," Jack admitted. "And the same goes for David." Jack paused. "If he survives, and if he chooses to remain with us."

Lancer paused, suddenly pensive. "My sister-in-law's fiancé is a lawyer with connections. I don't want to get your hopes up, but he may be able to help in your situation. I don't know if he could or if he'd be willing, but I can ask. He's a good, law-abiding man and the process might be complicated if not impossible, especially with out inability to divulge certain aspects of this unusual situaion, but we'll see what we can do."

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Danielle had been awakened from her nap by the muffled sounds of chatter coming from downstairs. She tossed aside her blankets and paused, wondering how she'd gotten from the living room couch to her bed. Likely Danny had taken her. She vaguely remembered having falling asleep against his arm while waiting for her turn on the game Doomsday 5.0.

The girl stepped out and into the hall, pausing briefly to peer into Danny's and Jazz's empty room, then turning to follow the smell of edible food down the stairs.

She paused when she neared the living area, leaning over the rails to peer around the house.

The sound of the a news reporter talking drifted from the living room, but Danielle couldn't see if there was anyone in there.

She had a clearer view of the open kitchen from where she stood.

Maddie was wiping down the table counter with a white towelette. Half of her hair was pulled up into a ponytail. The rest of it stuck out at various angles, too short to be pulled back with the rest of the copper-red locks, the color of which Danielle had always admired.

A white apron was tied around her waist, protecting the yellow dress from the stains of cleaning.

Jack was sitting at the table across from the kitchen, intently reading a newspaper, chewing on what appeared to be the last brownie.

With the natural silence of a ghost, Danielle hopped off the last step, walking toward the kitchen. She froze when Maddie's indigo orbs immediately snapped to her.

"Danielle," Maddie smiled.

Danielle twisted a strand of hair around her finger as Jack turned to look at her.

This wasn't the first time she'd caught them staring, but it was definitely the first time they'd done so openly, and it was making her awfully uncomfortable.

She wasn't accustomed to being watched so intently. Not even Vlad had stared so much, he usually just scribbled notes on her physiology and mostly ignored her.

She finally had some free time with two of the only three people on Earth she'd always wanted as being a part of her life, and she had no idea what they were thinking as they stared at her.

"I'm sorry," Maddie apologized. "Your resemblance to Danny is-"

"Incredible," Jack finished with a grin.

It wasn't the first time they'd openly admired her resemblance to Danny.

Personally, Danielle didn't mind. She was flattered and honored to bear a resemblance and likeness to Danny

"Both of you look just like Jack did when he was young." Maddie smiled warmly, laying a hand on her husband's shoulder.

"And you're—what? Ten?"

"Technically, I'm two. But biologically I'm twelve," Danielle blushed.

Jack laughed. "You're like Jazz when she was twelve—teeny, tiny, and then she hit her growth spurt at sixteen. Us Fentons are late bloomers."

"Get that from his side of the family," Maddie chuckled. "Certainly not mine."

Maddie put down her towelette and wiped her hand on her sweatpants. "Care to take a seat?" She gestured a hand towards the table. Jack eagerly pat the seat beside him.

Danielle approached.

She looked up at the man with the beaming blue eyes that had darkened significantly with age.

She had always seen Jack as a large man filled to the brim with enthusiasm.

That first day she'd been brought to the house she'd seen him as large, overpowering and daunting, especially with his overly eager smile.

She suspected he had been holding back some of that overwhelming enthusiasm for her sake, which made her feel slightly more at ease, and for that she was grateful. It was rapidly becoming easier for her to openly interact with the Fenton parents.

"So," Jack beamed. "We have a visitor joining us for dinner today." Jack's smile immediately returned. "It's-"

Before he could introduce their guest, a familiar man, wearing his traditional flannel shirt and khaki pants, emerged from the living area.

"Danielle!"

"Mr. Lancer!" The girl jumped over to give the man a hug. He returned it promptly. "What are you doing here?"

"I guess asking you to call me Jonathon is futile." Lancer chuckled warmly. "I'm here to see my best student."

Danielle furrowed her brows confusedly. "Student?"

"Well," Lancer began. "The Fentons have sort of hired me as a private tutor for you and Danny."

"What? Really?" Danielle turned to look at the Fenton parents. The pair was standing beside each other. Jack's hands were around Maddie's shoulder. "Does Danny know about this?"

"Yes." Maddie replied, smiling. "We told him about it while you were sleeping. We had intended on talking about it with you, too, but you'd fallen asleep and we figured we'd just wait to tell you"

"Speaking of," Jack added, "Danny was telling us that your favorite food is pizza."

Danielle felt hope swell up with hope.

"Especially the one from Penny Pepper's Pizzeria."

Danielle dared herself to speak. "Are you telling me you-"

The sound of the front door slamming open snatched everyone's attention.

"I'm back!" Jazz walked in through the front door, porting several bags filled to the brim with items Danielle couldn't see. She paused, smiling at the educator. "Hello, Mr. Lancer. Good to see you again"

Danny followed suit, balancing a precariously tall stack of pizzas in his arms.

"Jazzy-pants! Danny-boy!" Jack vivaciously greeted.

"Let me help you with that." Lancer moved to take some of the burden from the Fenton children.

"Thanks," Danny smiled gratefully. "It's so weird seeing my teacher just hangin' out at home. Especially now that you know about…" Danny cleared his throat and broke eye contact. Lancer raised a brow.

"Now that you know what you know," Danny finished, chuckling awkwardly.

They set the boxes on the table, giving the young clone a glimpse at the brand of pizza.

"Penny Pepper's Pizza!" Danielle squealed excitedly. Her stomach was rumbling with hunger, and the smell of the cheese watered her mouth.

"We thought a small get together might make you feel more at home." Jazz set down the bags and flashed Danielle a brilliant smile.

Danielle genuinely liked Jazz. The girl was incredibly kind, extremely insightful, and easy to get along with.

"I know this has been a crazy week," Maddie began, looking at the youngest female clone.

"Everything's been happening so fast we haven't really had a chance to sit down and just be with you." Jack added, gently laying a hand on Danielle's shoulder.

"We just want you to know that, if you're willing, we'd like to-" Maddie trailed off, eyes watering.

"We want you to become an official Fenton," Jack finished.

Danielle was taken completely aback. She hadn't known these people for very long. They barely knew each other, and they had learned about her personal history, understood the risks they took in taking her into her home, and they still wanted her to be a part of their family.

She glanced over at Lancer who nodded encouragingly at her.

Danielle felt her own eyes water she she turned back to the Fenton parents.

Danny and Jazz were at their side, gazing at her with hopeful eyes.

"I'd love that," she sniffled.

And, then, she was enveloped in a pair of arms, each on holding her tight.

Their warmth was contagious; their joy magnified her own.

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Epilogue :

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Two weeks later

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Except for the slow, rhythmic beeping that echoed through the room, everything had been silent. Habituation had made that steady beep fade into the background, so that it could be easily ignored.

But, although they weren't very loud, the new sounds were impossible to ignore.

Shuffling sounds indicated movement, like someone rummaging through drawers and whatever content resided within. This sound was then followed by the sound of cabinets opening and closing.

And then there were the footsteps, which seemed purposely quiet.

The dim light that managed to seep through his closed eyelids was occasionally dulled by a shadows that constantly flickered past.

He was tempted to simply ignore the person wandering around the room, ready to return to unconsciousness, but the heavy weight of sleep was momentarily forgotten by an unusual disturbance that blossomed from deep within him.

It began as a powerful release of unusual yet strangely pleasant cold blast of energy at his core that expanded across his body—simultaneously spreading from his core to his head and his core to his feet.

He opened his eyes just in time to catch a brief, blinding flash of light sweep across his vision.

The abrupt, cold sensation disappeared before he could figure out what it was and what it had done to him.

A noise of surprise brought his attention to the only other person in the room.

The woman was standing right by him, an unused IV bag squeezed precariously in her fist. Her free hand had fallen over her chest, and she stared at him with a look of utter shock.

He felt something…out of the norm, something different about him and within him; although, he wasn't entirely sure yet whether the change was something to he should be worried about.

He spoke, the inquisitive tone muffled by the oxygen mask pressed against his face. "Maddie?" He blinked up at her dazed and befuddled face.

Slowly, her expression of surprise melted into that wide, warm smile that always made him feel like things could always get better. Her response caused a sense of calm to wash over him.

"David."

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A/N:

And the story is officially over! I had begun working on yet another sequel a couple months ago, but I haven't continued it.

However, if there are still any willing readers and enough requests, I may continue working on the story.

Let me know in your reviews!

As usual, any and all forms of criticism and feedback are always accepted and appreciated.

Many thanks to all of my readers and to everyone who followed the story!

:-)

With immense gratitude,

nycorrall