Hello. I haven't written anything in a while... I tried to go back to some of my old story's but haven't found much inspiration in them... So... I figured I'd get this out of my system.

I don't know about anyone else, but I've liked Danny Phantom sense the first time I saw it. Still, I've always felt uneasy about how... conflicting and under developed Jack's character always seemed to be... so here's me trying to find character in Jack Fenton... I like it so far. I'm going to take it as a far into the series as I can stand.

Anyway. For the helk of it. Please enjoy! :D

Not an Idiot

Chapter One:

Jack Fenton was not an idiot. Jack Fenton was far from it. Jack was a scientist through and through. He was always excited by the idea of the unknown and always searching for answers. He knew how things rose and fell. Lived and died. He knew exactly how dark the world could be. He knew all too well.

Still, he couldn't help but want to make it a little bit lighter. When he wasn't working on his inventions he was cracking jokes and trying to connect to people. This was harder, he'd often think, than it should have been. He usually settled for talking about ghost since some people actually seemed interested in them. Yet, he'd always slip into techno speak and would get overly excited. He could tell, even his children wanted to run from him when he spoke. Yet, he kept taking and talking- because if he didn't he feared he'd be isolated. He couldn't think of a solution to this problem. People weren't his specialty. Ghost were, and it was fitting, he often thought, because his biggest fear had always been that he'd become invisible. In all honesty it all kind of felt like some kind of cosmic misunderstanding.

Jack was the kind of man who was motivated by the idea of creating new things, by finding new things. His life's work revolved around uncovering the mystery's of the paranormal. Such mystery's as specters and spooks. That involved an understanding of science and math that not many took the time to grasp. Jack knew that his focus made him awkward around most people. He knew he was a goof when it came to regular things that had nothing to do with ghost. He found himself looking at obituaries and wondering if they had become a ghost. He'd wonder, if they had, how much of that had to do with their mind and body, and how much of it was an outside effect. Such as an environmental setting. He knew that wasn't exactly normal.

He looked at his life and had to scratch his head. He really didn't understand how he got to where he was. He considered his life blessed, for lack of a better word. He was married to the love of his life and along with providing them with two beautiful children Maddie also shared in his love of the paranormal. Sometimes he thought she loved the study even more than he did. She helped him build many experiments over the years. Now after years of work Maddie had finally helped him finish his greatest idea, their greatest experiment. The Portal to what they called the Ghost Zone. The machine was massive. Large enough to fit a tank through it. It was designed with the intent to eventually lead to full on explorations to the alternate world. It gets really technical but the Ghost Zone was, according to theory, the flip side of the "Living World." Almost an alternate dimension- but far too close to really be considered such.

Jack always wondered were all the ghost in the Ghost Zone the remaining energy's of the living world? Did it cycle through some how? Why was it that ghost seemed able to come to the living world? Has man ever been to the Ghost world? As far as popular theory had deduced ghost didn't die. Yet, their world was irrevocably connected to this one. What was the connection? There were so many questions and more made that had Jack all the more determined to tare down the wall between the two sides.

The day that the portal was to be turned on Jack received a letter. Jack stared at the invite for a long time. Its appearance set him on edge as his thoughts were drug into the past. The letter was from his old collage friend Vlad Masters. Inviting him and his family to a School reunion that would be taking place in a couple of months. Jack took in a shuttering breath. Vlad hadn't talked to him or Maddie since the accident. Maybe he'd forgiven them? Forgiven him. Was it the world giving Jack the green light or was some higher power trying to remind him of what happened the first time he tried to tare the wall between the worlds.

That day was supposed to be the highlight of their collage careers. In the end Jack nearly lost his best friend... and it was all his fault.

Jack shook his head and stuffed the card in his back pocket as he walked up to the portal his mind rolling with the thoughts of Collage. Thoughts of his old friend. Jack knew Vlad never forgave him for the accident. Jack worked thoughtlessly pulling in wires and screwing on the final bits of panel. Hooking up the emergency off button on the inside of the portal. It was supposed to be functional in the rare case that while they were working on the inside of the portal during maintenance they could completely power it down if something went wrong. Jack wiped the panel and blinked, the switch was supposed to be labeled "OFF" and just have one large red button, this panel was labeled "ON OFF" with two buttons. He scratched his head. Realizing he was probably spacing out a little too much. He fiddled with it realizing the on button made a clicking sound activating and deactivating the mechanism. The off button didn't do anything. It was silly but it should still function how he wanted it to. All the really complicated wiring and materials had been put together and finished days before. The whole thing wouldn't fall apart because of one little miss labeled panel. He looked at the one button panel in his hand and shrugged. He could drill another hole and add a secondary button later. Trying to refocus his thoughts on happier things Jack gathered up his tools so he could add the last touches to the control panel on the outside of the portal.

Latter that night he gathered his family in front of the portal. His wife Maddie his two children Jazzman and Danny. The excitement was palatable.

"It's all set up!" Jack said. His heart racing with anxious and eager energy. He was always like this when first trying new projects. His worry and fear of failure so strong he couldn't keep himself from shaking. He smiled as big as he could and told the world. "THIS WILL BE THE BEST BRAKE THROUGH IN GHOST HUNTING HISTORY EVER!" If he could convince the world he could convince himself- his mother always told him that. With the proclamation out he picked up the last set of wire that needed to be connected in order to complete the circuit. The last peace needed to tare down the walls between the living and the phantasmal. Jack felt his heart beating as a whirling sound began to build up in the portal. Jack saw Danny's tired look shift to a curios gaze and Jazz's look although still scrutinizing doubtful seemed to twitch with anticipation her eyes on the portal rather than on her book. He glanced at his wife whose eyes shown with excitement and wonder. He felt his smile start to relax feeling more natural as energy began to spark deep inside the portal. This time things were going to be perfect. As that thought crossed his mind a large zap of electric energy trailed through the whole of the mechanism and they lost complete power. The electricity safe guards had turned off all the power in the house as something had clearly malfunctioned within the machines wiring. Jack felt like the whole house had come falling down on top of him. The lights flickered back on after a moment and he tried to breathe normally as he looked to the disappointed eyes of his wife. Glancing to his kids he saw Danny looking up at him. Was that disappointment in his eyes too? Jack couldn't tell the boy's brows were knitted together, his eyes wide as he looked up at him. Jazz scuffed. "I knew it was just another crack pot invention! A portal to another world? Give me a brake." Mumbling she walked up stares.

Maddie placed a hand on Jacks shoulder and he looked to her. She gave him a tentative smile. Jack sighed. "Well... I guess it just wasn't meant to be." Jack said unable to fake a smile. Unable to push his happy shield through.

"Oh Honey." Maddie hugged his arm close to her as she pulled him toward the stairs. "Let's go upstairs we can have some hot coco and snicker doodles."

"Wait!" Danny said his voice full of confusion and worry. "That's it? You're just... going to give up?"

Jack bit his lip unable to look back at his son. The words sounded judgmental to his ears, after making his proclamation- his son must be thinking less of him now. He tried hard to bight back tears. Maddie patted Jacks shoulder. "Sometimes there are points where it makes since to let a project go." Maddie said her voice quiet and trembling. She took a breath and smiled holding her hand out to Danny. "Come on sweaty. I'll make us all some hot coco."

"O-okay." Danny stepped forward, and Maddie pulled him into a hug and patted him in the back as she pushed him up the stairs. "Go on." She said fallowing him up.

Jack stood still watching their legs climb the stairs as they left the basement. For a moment he felt frozen, his limbs burned and it wasn't until his body forced in a deep breath that he blinked, and shook his head. Swallowing his disappointment he gave one last glance to the portal and left. It was clear that the world was not ready to tare down walls.