Chapter 1 - Prologue

Danny rolled down the window, peering up at the forest that flanked them on both sides. Trees just tinged with a cherry-red autumn blush climbed the hills on either side of the winding road, broken here and there by rocky outcroppings."Geez Mom, how far are we from civilization? I haven't seen a gas station since breakfast."

Maddie smiled and steered the GAV expertly around another pothole. "If you want to do real stargazing, Danny, you've got to do it in the wild. I did the calculations, and the middle of the state park has the least contamination in the Northeast. Sure, it's a little remote, but this will be the absolute best location to watch the comet."

They rattled over a creaking bridge. The rocky ravine below exposed a slash of vivid autumn sky; through the open windows they could just hear the rush of rapids. Danny sprang up and leaned out to get a better look; he whistled.

"That's a long way down." He glanced at her. "Are you sure we won't run out of gas? It would suck to be stranded out here."

She laughed; you'd think after being stranded in Colorado once, he wouldn't be worried about a little wilderness. It wasn't that easy to teach an urban kid how to rough it. "We're driving a twenty-ton armored vehicle with a month's worth of food and onboard satellite communications. What could go wrong?"

Her son groaned and threw himself back on the seat. "Mom, seriously? You're gonna jinx us."

"Oh honey, don't be silly. That's all superstition."

"Says the professional ghost hunter to the ghost," Danny muttered.

Maddie blinked. "What was that?"

"Nothing! Just some saying… Dad made it up, I think." She shot him a puzzled glance, but he was busy rooting through the cooler between the seats. He emerged with a soda and a triumphant grin. "What do you think he and Jazz will do without us?"

"Oh, I'm sure your father will come up with something." Maddie grinned wryly; she was counting on Jazz to balance out Jack's more disastrous impulses.

"Father-daughter ghost hunting, I bet." Danny chuckled. "Jazz could use the practice, that's for sure. I hope somebody's around with a video camera."

Maddie pressed her lips together, shifting her hands on the steering wheel. It bothered her sometimes, that ghost hunting took up such a large chunk of their life. It was their undisguised passion. She had no regrets in their choice of career or way of life. Still… sometimes Maddie wondered if their little family didn't suffer from the singular theme that ruled their lives.

"I wanted it to be just us two, Danny," she said at last. "I know your father and I can be somewhat…distracted."

While she liked to believe that her children knew they were always loved, ghost hunting and invention both could be all-consuming professions. It seemed that every time she stopped a moment to look at her children, they'd gotten that much older. In just a couple of years, Jazz would be a legal adult. Danny wasn't far behind.

She offered him a smile. "Hanging out with your mom for a whole weekend might not be the coolest thing, but I wanted my son to myself for a change."

Danny scoffed. "Come on Mom, you know I'm excited about this. This'll be our last chance to see the comet for thirty years. Isn't that amazing? In thirty years I'll be..." He grinned and offered her the coke. "Old. That's what I'll be."

"And what would that make me?" Maddie demanded. She snatched the fizzy drink and took a long sip. It was ice cold, crisp and refreshing.

"Uh—still the world's coolest and most badass mom?" Danny gave her his most winning smile.

She snorted, handing the soda back. "Nice save."

"And anyway, you're right, it's good to get away." He leaned back in his seat, throwing his feet up on the dash. "No school, no responsibilities, no gho—uh, I mean homework."

The reference didn't slip past Maddie, and that added a little prickle of guilt to her determination. "No ghost hunting this trip Danny, I promise. Just you, me, and that comet."

The souped-up RV rattled on across a bridge and out of sight, its passengers unaware of the ghost that lurked high above the trees. Ruby eyes followed the vehicle's path with a dark hunger; fanged teeth curved in a grin, tongue running across blue lips in anticipation.

Everything had turned out perfectly.

tbc...

A/N: Off we go! Welcome to my new little adventure with Maddie and Danny, which will borrow shamelessly from Maternal Instincts. The prologue is short, but things'll really get moving in the next chapter.

Many thanks to MarshmallowGoop for beta reading! Cover art (minus text and background by moi) is by the amazingly talented thedustyleaves. Check out her blog and artwork on Tumblr!

-Hj