He felt like he was floating. It hurt, vaguely. He could remember hearing voices, but couldn't place who they belonged to. Time passed by, but he couldn't tell how long. A warm hand held onto his for a long long time. Slowly, he finally came back into consciousness. With a soft groan, he forced his eyes open to be greeted by stars. Plastic glow-in-the-dark stars covering the ceiling. He turned his head with some effort and spotted the electric red of his alarm clock. 4:22 AM. A cartoon ghost nightlight was plugged into the wall next to it, smiling back at him indifferently.

Danny tried to push himself up onto his elbows only to fall back onto his pillow in defeat. His left arm didn't want to move at all. With some effort, he managed to raise up a little on his right elbow, enough to knock back the covers. He was wearing his favorite pajamas, a comfy set that was covered in stars and rocket ships; the ones that buttoned down the front. He noticed slowly that his left arm wasn't in the sleeve. Wiggling his fingers on his left hand made him realize that his arm was tucked gently across his chest. Confused, Danny pushed himself upright into a sitting position and realized he wasn't alone.

His mom was asleep across the foot of his bed. She was still mostly sitting in the kitchen chair that had been placed next to his bed, but looked like she had simply gotten too tired to stay upright any longer. One arm was stretched out, draping across his legs, while the other was tightly tucked under her head as a makeshift pillow. A blanket had been draped across her shoulders at some point in the night. Even though she was sound asleep, her brow was furrowed in worry.

Danny stared at her for a long while, slowly trying to piece together his fleeting memories. What had happened to him? He remembered it was Friday night; he was on his way to Tucker's to meet him for a Doomed marathon when Skulker showed up. He wanted to try out some new gun or something on him, and they fought across the park for half an hour. He was able to dodge everything, new and old, that Skulker threw at him, didn't he? He captured Skulker and then his parents had shown up... then an alleyway? A chase through the city? His head turned all foggy at that point.

Maddie started to stir then. She sat up slowly, rubbing at her eyes groggily. She looked toward her son in the dim light only to find a pair of bright blue eyes staring back.

"Danny?" She asked sleepily, not quite processing what she was seeing. "You're awake!" Relief washed over her; Danny could see the tension draining from her instantly. He smiled sheepishly at her.

"Uh... Morning?" He had no warning. Maddie pulled him into a tight hug, carefully avoiding his left shoulder. He tensed at the sudden contact, confused, but didn't pull away.

"I was so worried about you." She said into his shoulder. "I could have hurt you..." He could feel her trembling now. The faint sensation of wetness on his shoulder. "I hunted my own son." Danny's eyes went wide. The alleyway... He stared up at her across from her ecto-blaster and told her the truth. Her hand was so warm in his, even through her hazmat gloves...

"Oh crud... Mom, I..." The words died on Danny's lips. What could he say? No doubt she knew the whole story now. He reached his free arm around her and hugged her back, gently. "I never wanted you to find out like that." They stayed like that for a long time. Danny finally felt his mother calming down, but was unwilling to break the contact. Maddie did it for him, pulling away to wipe at her eyes.

"I know you didn't, sweetheart." She took a couple deep calming breaths before continuing. "Jazz said you planned on it during our picnic next weekend." Danny nodded, but couldn't meet her eyes.

"I've... been trying to tell you for a while now." He glanced up quickly, just to make sure she could hear him. "I didn't really want to hide it from you. It was just easier to tell you nothing than to try to explain it..."

"I know, Danny. I remember how nervous you were. Just..." Maddie trailed off, looking off to the side nervously. Danny could see she was starting to shake again. Her eyes flashed back to his, purple locking onto blue. "Am I that bad a mother that you think I wouldn't still care about you? That I..." she swallowed hard. "...wouldn't still love you?" Danny stared at her, dumbfounded.

He wanted to say it. He could destroy her with it. After all the times she had talked about destroying him, experimenting on him, making sure he payed for all the "crimes" he had committed just by existing... It would have been so easy. Here was his chance; to throw back everything that had kept him from telling them from the beginning. Yes. Three little letters. He could vent all his pent up anger and resentment finally.

"Wha? NO! No, Mom, it's nothing like that!" And he let it go, just like that. He would probably be dealing with the emotional fallout for years to come, but right now? That didn't matter. She had bandaged him and was remorseful. She was trying. And dammit if that wasn't all he'd ever wanted out of her. Taking a deep breath, Danny tried to order his thoughts. Now, how to explain it without directly giving away Vlad? As much as Danny would have loved to throw the Fruit Loop of a halfa under the bus, fair was fair. Vlad had kept his secret. He'd keep Vlad's.

"You're a great Mom," Danny started, smiling at her nervously. His uninjured hand went to rubbing at the back of his neck almost automatically. "It's just... After the reunion... The way Vlad said you and Dad treated him after getting just ecto-acne... What would you guys do if you found out I was half-ghost? I mean..." Danny fumbled, looking for a good way to say exactly how he felt. "... Experiments sound painful." He said in a small voice, looking away ashamed. Silence reigned for several tense seconds.

"That's why?" The words were soft. Danny looked up to see a slight smile on his mom's face. Confusion flashed all over his face. "Danny," Maddie started, seeing his confused look. "There are a lot of things I regret about college. I think everyone does. We were young and maybe too enthusiastic. When Vlad..." She paused, suddenly trying to put pieces together that didn't fit anymore. Shoving it to the side of her mind, she continued. "had his accident, there was a misunderstanding. I thought Vlad would... Well, I thought a lot of things about him, but I was wrong."

"I'm confused."

"I'm a scientist, Danny. I always have been. I'm constantly questioning everything around me. Whys drive me crazy and answers like because or that's just the way it is drove me mad as a kid. I started thinking outside the box. It led me to paranormal studies and your father and Vlad. Finally, after years of wondering why alone, here were two people who also questioned why like me. Or so I thought.

"We ended up creating our first proto-portal together and it blew up in our faces, quite spectacularly. We wanted nothing more than to help Vlad, but the only way we knew how to do that was to find out what went wrong. I think we put too much emphasis on the Portal, though, and not enough on him. I think Vlad probably still resents us for it." She smile a small sad smile before shaking her head to organize her thoughts.

"I still don't see how that's relevant." She laughed a little at her son before returning her gaze to his.

"What I'm trying to say, Danny, is that we love you, no matter what. We want what's best for you. We want to take care of you. Just also remember that we're scientists and not the best at social interactions. I'd like for you to help us. I'd like a chance to analyze you; to understand exactly what happened to you. I'm going to keep asking why. But also remember that I will never hurt you, baby. We... I... can get carried away so easily before I ever even realize it, but you will always be my son first." Somehow her hand had found his without her even knowing. She squeezed it gently, reassuringly. Danny squeezed it back with a smile. For the first time since she had found him in that back alley, everything stopped, if just for a moment. Everything was going to be okay.

"Thanks, Mom." Danny said softly. Seconds passed by in a calm, reassuring silence. "Does this mean you've already told Dad?" Maddie chuckled at her son's amazing ability to break silences.

"Ah, no. You get to do that." Danny groaned loudly, over exaggerating. "Don't worry. Jazz and I will help. Promise. Now," She straightened in her chair. "How's your shoulder feeling?" Danny shrugged experimentally.

"Fine, I guess. It doesn't really hurt so much as it's sore and stiff." Maddie nodded.

"That's probably because of the stitches." Danny flinched a little.

"It was that bad?"

"It wouldn't stop bleeding. Once I tried to stitch it up though, you kept phasing through the normal thread. Jazz suggested the Fenton Fishing Line, and sure enough that worked." Danny chuckled nervously. "And... your ghost half? Did you recover okay?" She asked awkwardly. She didn't understand how everything worked. Maddie watched in fascination as Danny closed his eye in concentration. They shot back open with a gasp almost immediately.

"Yeah, actually. Better than great."

"So it worked, then." Maddie said with a smile. At her son's confused look, she pointed over at the wall, to the cartoon ghost nightlight glowing softly. Upon a closer look, Danny realized that there was a small metal box attached to the bottom of it.

"Is that a ghost shield generator?" Maddie beamed.

"It's a modified, portable ghost shield. It also radiates the same type of energy inside the shield as the Ghost Zone." Danny stared at her.

"Is it safe for you to be in here with it on?"

"Of course, Danny. The worst I might get is super statically charged once I leave." Maddie smiled gently at him. The first thing he was worried about was her. He really was a good kid. "Sam told me you always seem more energized after you've been inside and near the Portal, so I ran some quick tests once we got you stabilized and sleeping. I discovered the 'atmosphere' has a low concentration of..." Maddie trailed off, seeing the blank look in her son's eyes. "Never mind, that's not important. What is important is that it makes you feel better, Danny." He stared at her, glancing between her and the nightlight for a few more seconds.

"You built that for me?" She smiled at him.

"Of course, Danny. I told you, I love you no matter what." After one final glance at the nightlight, Danny nodded, like he had decided something. He scooted over to the edge of the bed, swinging his legs around to rest on the floor.

"I want to show you something." Maddie turned her full attention on her boy, curious. He pointed to his chest. "I've never been able to explain this well, but I'll try." He took a deep steadying breath.

"Danny, you don't have..."

"I want to, Mom. It's important." Danny cut her off, but not forcefully. She nodded and he continued.

"This is my heart. I can feel it beating." A warm hand gently wrapped around his hand and moved it down two inches. Danny smiled sheepishly at his Mom and continued. "It's warm, and comforting. This," Danny moved his finger over to the middle of his chest, even with his heart. "is my core. I can feel it even now. It's cold, but still comforting, in a different way. It doesn't beat like my heart, but radiates energy like," Danny paused, chewing on the inside of his lip, thinking. "a sun." He smiled at the comparison. He might not know a ton about chemistry and biology, but he knew his planets and celestial bodies. "My core is this tiny ball of energy. When I reach for it," he paused, holding his hand up. It started to glow as he focused. "I can use just a little like this. Or," he let the energy fade. "if I want to use a lot, I can reach out for my whole core and," He reached deep down for his core in his mind, pulling the energy to the forefront and letting it wash over his body. He could feel his entire body change, but in that same instant, nothing changed at all. "change completely." He finished, noting the distinct, echo-y tone his voice had taken. He could practically see the gears turning in his mom's eyes; pieces being shoved, flipped, changed completely.

"Incredible." She breathed. Danny smiled and gently grabbed her hand in both his, enveloping her hand in a icy grip that was not uncomfortable.

"Mom, pay very close attention." He placed her hand on his chest in the middle. "You should be able to feel it now. It's like the soft hum of electricity." Maddie closed her eyes, concentrating hard. She was amazed at how solid he felt, but then chided herself. Of course he was sold, he was human too. His real body didn't just disappear when he transformed, it just converted to mostly ectoplasm. 'Focus, Mads!' Her inner voice (which sounded remarkably like Jack) berated. 'Science later.'

There. Like an electrical pulse, she felt it. A soft hum she couldn't hear but could feel, just like he said. That was his core. Icy against her skin, but not uncomfortably so. She felt him pick her hand back up. She thought he was going to drop it away from him, but was surprised to feel the icy spandex back under her fingertips. She was about to question him when she felt it.

Ba-dum.

Could it be? Several tense seconds went by in silence.

Ba-dum.

A fleeting bit of warmth flashed under her palm in that single instant, then it was gone.

Ba-dum.

She pulled her hand back like it had been scorched. She cradled it to her own chest while she tried to steady her breathing.

Not quite a ghost, but not completely human either. A human with a core. A ghost with a heartbeat. Something perfectly in between. It should have been impossible. But it wasn't. Equations and hypotheses flew through her mind at light speed before her gaze snapped to her sons. He was staring at her, confusion written plainly across his face.

'Later, Mads. There will be plenty of time for that later.' Her inner voice scolded again.

"Danny, that's..."

"...my heartbeat." Those bright transformation rings appeared again as he returned to normal. Maddie noted dully that both his arms were in the sleeves of his pajamas now. "You know," Danny caught her attention, breaking the tension expertly. "I expected you to freak out a lot more."

"Just because you weren't awake to see it doesn't mean it didn't happen." Danny grinned sheepishly as he watched her stand up and stretch. She glanced over at the clock and was surprised to find it was already 5:49. "I'm going to get some fresh bandages and check on your stitches now." Danny nodded as she stepped over to his desk, where the Fenton First-Aid kit sat open. She gathered up some fresh supplies and picked up a pair of snips. The stitches really shouldn't be ready to come out yet. But she took them with her as she returned to Danny's bedside, where he had already removed his shirt and was fiddling with the edges of the wrappings.

"Stop that." She shooed his hands away gently.

"But it itches." He wined back.

"Good. That means it's healing." He grumbled a little more but kept his hands away. Maddie pulled the bandages off slowly, gingerly. Danny stared at the wound as she uncovered more and more of it.

It was a starburst, he thought. The main shot was just barely bigger than his thumbnail, but it radiated out to over the size of his whole hand laid out. The center was an angry mess of scar tissues and fishing line.

Danny was in disbelief, seeing the whole thing uncovered. He honestly didn't remember getting hit, especially not this badly.

"Skulker got me good this time." Maddie absently nodded as she looked over the wound.

"I didn't think they'd be ready too, but I can go ahead and take your stitches out. I think it's healed up enough." Danny nodded and his mom set to work removing the stitches gingerly. Silence reigned, but it was a comfortable one. She had just pulled the last stitch out when a loud ringing cut through the silence, causing both her and Danny to jump.

Danny immediately recognized the tune as Tucker's ringtone; it was a chip-tune version of Doomed's main theme. He glanced around for his cellphone when Maddie pulled it out of her pajama pants pocket.

"Hello?" Maddie answered, only to immediately pull the phone away from her head as a roar crackled through the speaker.

"Mrs. F?" Danny even heard Tucker loud and clear. "Um... Sorry to call so early..." Sam's voice cut him off with an indistinct yell. "Help! We need help! Skulker..." another roar of electricity and static. "...the school."

Silence. The line went dead.

Maddie and Danny stared at the phone for several tense seconds before they looked at each other.

"We have to..." Danny cut her off.

"Let's do this my way." Maddie stared at her son. He was no longer her timid little Danny sitting in front of her, Maddie realized with a start. He was confident, self-reliant. She found herself nodding in agreement, or was it consent? Either way, he smiled that cocky little smile she had seen on Phantom's face so many times, so unlike Danny and yet... With a flash he was in ghost mode. "Have you ever wanted to fly?" He asked slyly before he hooked his arms under hers and then, they were gone, flying straight through the ceiling.

After a moment, the door slowly opened onto the empty room, revealing Jazz standing in the doorway, a small smile on her face. She quickly crossed the room and shut off the nightlight, powering down the ghost shield in the process. Waste not and all that. She made her way back across the messy room quickly; after all, she had to get ready for school still, but she paused in the doorway. She glanced back over her shoulder at the empty bed.

"Good job, little brother." She whispered fondly before pulling the door shut. "Now, how to tell Dad..."

AN: And we're done! I want to thank everyone who reviewed, favorited, and followed me and this story. I was so excited every time I checked my mail and found a new one. And now, it's complete.

At least this story is. I have so much more I want to write using this as my foundation. Jack finding out about Phantom. Dani coming back into the picture. Several "missing scenes" between the last chapter and this one. A sequel. They just didn't fit into this story. So be on the lookout for more new stories from me.

Also, like I said there is a bunch of head-cannon-y stuff in this chapter about how Danny, and ghosts in general, work. I haven't actually sat down to write out a complete theory or anything yet, but I probably will soon. I will probably post it up on my tumblr (katwritesthings) when I do get around to it, since it won't be a "story" in its own right.

Thank you so much!