Summary: Maddie and Jack go out to hunt for ghosts when they see he ghost boy in a tree in the park. And what's more surprising is what he's doing. ONE SHOT! SONG FIC!

HalfafanD: Hello guys, so I pretty much revised everything here. I even changed the song. I wrote this right around the time Skillet came out with their newest album and I freakin' LOVE it. Though I'll explain more here at the end in a bit. But other than that and the writing quality, most of the story is left the same. Hope you guys enjoy.

Disclaimer: Danny Phantom was created by Butch Hartman and is owned by Nickelodeon. And the song is 'Famous' by Skillet. I own nothing here.

Phantom Melody

Maddie slowly parked the anti-ghost RV into an empty spot by the park. She was grateful she was able to convince Jack to let her drive. And by convince, she gave him cookies. As always the two were out and about on their usual petrol routine, hunting ghosts when the Fenton Finder picked up on a specter. And by the looks of the radar, it was inside the park.

"Come on Jack. Let's go catch that ghost." The statement drew her husband's attention from his plate full of cookies, his smile brightening instantly.

"Yeah! I can't wait to try the Fenton Ghost-Proof Net on it!" The large man exclaimed, his excitement evident.

The two of them then step out of the GAV and entered the park. Going by the radar, it looked as though the ghost hadn't moved from its spot. Good, if it was occupied and they stayed quiet they might get the drop on it.

It wasn't long before the Finder stated that the ghost was directly ahead. They had only been walking for about less than a minute, and yet neither hunter could spot the ghost. Maybe the thing was busted again. It did go off around her son again this morning, after she had adjusted its wiring for like the umpteenth time.

Well, looking like there were no ghosts to catch today after all. Time to head home (and fix the Finder... again). But just as she was about to tell her husband this news and to pack it up, a shimmer of white caught her eye.

It took a second to locate what her eyes had registered, but once she did, boy was she glad to have caught it.

There on the branch, was the ghost their device had traced. So the thing wasn't broken again after all (Thank God!). There was a ghost in the park. And not just any ghost; the ghost. Danny Phantom.

It was no wonder she and Jack had almost missed him, with him sitting so high up on that branch surrounded by twigs and leaves, anyone could've missed him.

Signaling her husband, the two took cover and brought out their ecto-guns.

Jack giggled as he aimed his gun, bouncing in excitement. "That Phantom punk a sitting duck. We'll definitely catch him this time."

"Wait," Maddie quickly halted her husband, gently grabbing the arm resting on the trigger. "Perhaps I should take the shot, Jack."

"Aww... but Mads."

"No buts. This requires stealth, if we're too loud when taking the shot he'll end up escaping. We'll practically be warning him. So I'll take the first shot. If I somehow miss and he starts to make a getaway..."

"Then I shoot." Jack finished with a smile. "Gotcha."

Maddie smiled, nodded and taking position. No matter what everyone said, Jack was not as dumb and he appeared. There was a very intelligent man underneath that large orange jumpsuit.

Back to the matter at hand, Maddie zeroed her gaze on her target. Phantom had not moved from his spot on the tree, reclined back against the large trunk base with his legs stretched out on the branch. She was honestly surprised they were able to get so close. Normally whenever they showed up, Phantom high-tailed it out of there. Only when there was another ghost and on other rare occasions did he show up. Just what was he doing up there that kept him from noticing her and Jack?

Giving the ghost another once over, she spotted her answer. In his head laid a music device with ear buds connecting from it, to his ears, blocking any sounds he might potentially hear. His eyes were also closed as if to help immerse himself into the song. Odd, what on earth could a ghost benefit from listening to music? By her research, ghosts didn't care about or registered such things, they only sought to terrorize and cause havoc.

She shook her head, no time to be thinking about that now. Once he was captured she could learn all she wanted about him back at the lab. Taking her gun, she aimed at his head, finger resting on the trigger.

3, 2, 1... wait, is that his mouth moving? No, it's closed now. Oh wait, it opened again. Was he talking? No, her mind then supplied. He was singing. And now that the wind had stopped for a second before going back to its calm breeze, he wasn't just moving his lips either. He was actually singing. Producing sound.

"Mads?"

Maddie blinked, turning toward her husband. She honestly forgot he was there.

"You okay?"

"Jack, he's singing."

"Huh?"

"Phantom. He's singing."

"What? Why?"

"That's what I'd like to know." And with that she pocketed her gun and stepped out of the shrubbery.

"Wait, Mads!" Jack whispered harshly. "Come back, what if he sees you."

"If that was the case he would've seen us before we took cover."

"I guess." Was the tentative response she received as her husband followed suit. "But isn't it dangerous to get this close unarmed."

"If he's listening to music and singing he won't be able to hear us. And his eyes are closed so he won't see us walk up. And even with his eyes open, if we're directly under him, he won't spot us right away." Maddie reasoned. "Besides, this is our chance to observe Phantom in a natural environment as opposed to a controlled space."

Nodding in understanding, Jack followed his wife up to the tree. Now that they were right next to him, they were able to hear and understand him much more clearly. So the two stood still and listened silently.

"I testify, this is not a secret meant to keep

Your love, like fire, spearing from my heart straight to my feet,"

That was how the song started, calm and at an even pace. But within the next second, Phantom voice picked up the pace.

"And when I was dead, you gave me new life

I'm lifting you up with all of my might

I don't care who's to the left, to the right

You're all that's on my mind

Don't really care what they say, what they think

I feel so alive,

"I'm unashamed, I'm wide awake

Not gonna hide, can't deny, you're my everything

Here's to the free who still believe

You're the star of the show that we came to see,

"With all my heart, all my life, gonna live it loud

I wanna make, make you famous

Light up the night, let it shine, never burning out

I wanna make, make you famous,"

Now she recognized this song, Danny was blasting it on the stereo in his room (She was surprised at how he wasn't deaf by now). A song from one of Skillet's new albums as she recalled. The minute that album came out her son was all over it, playing those songs over and over. Commenting and complimenting at how well written they were, how catchy the tune was and what each and every song meant. This was one of the few songs Danny went into a full explanation over.

Maddie smiled as Phantom continued on singing. Humming a little at the tune itself that had cemented in her head from her sons antics. When it looked like the song was ending, she turned to her husband. "Let's go Jack."

"What?"

"We're leaving."

"I meant why? That Phantom punk's in our grasp."

"He's not doing any harm Jack. He just relaxing on a nice Saturday afternoon, like we should be."

"But isn't he a putrid protoplasmic ghost?"

"That's another thing. I think we need go through some of those theories of ours. I have a feeling a lot of them are wrong."

Jack blinked, having no idea what could've brought this on. But one look into those purple orbs and he understood (a least somewhat). "Ok Mads."

"Good. Now go ahead and power that ecto-gun down. Seems like we won't be using it today."

Nodding, Jack switched the gun off, the device giving off a whir-like sound as it powered down.

"Gah!"

The two hunters jumped at the exclamation, a collection of snapping tree twigs, rustling leaves, and mild curses following suit as they both suddenly got a eye-full of a dangling ghost boy. It seemed that as the song had ended and just before the next song started, Phantom had apparently caught the sound of the gun powering down and had looked down to see the two hunters who've done nothing but shoot at him and threaten to tear him apart, 'molecule by molecule'. Needless to say he was startled, promptly causing him to loose his balance and leave him currently hang in front of the Fentons like fish bait, his legs entangled in the branches.

"Uhh... hi." Was the lame response Phantom gave after that catastrophe.

Well... this was awkward.

None of the three knew what to say, nobody was moving, no guns or blasts ready to fire. Instead, they stood in silence (or in Phantom's case, hung), smothered by the award atmosphere that continued to loom over them. Until finally, Phantom broke the ice.

"Mo-Maddie, Jack," He addressed in a surprised voice, not making any attempts to move an inch. It was clear to Maddie that the ghost boy was afraid that in doing so, he might suffer their wrath as a consequence. His stuttering was also a clear sign.

She frowned, was he always this afraid of them? She never would've guessed what with the cocky, confident superhero she was used to seeing. Yet another piece of evidence suggesting their research was wrong.

Though apparently, the frown was taken the wrong way. "Wh-what are you two doing here?"

There were honestly a lot of things either her or her husband could respond with. But none of those replies seemed to fit the situation, especially after her small talk with Jack. And speaking of her husband, taking a glance a him, it appeared that he felt the same way. She could've told him what their initial goal was, or maybe come up with some science bull tin an attempt to lift this awkward weight on all their shoulders, but there was one thing nagging at the back of her mind that she just had to ask.

"Why didn't you just hover or fly, or even phase through the branch to avoid getting tangled?"

"I uhhh... I didn't... I just..." That lame response was all Maddie needed to deduce that those options never even crossed his mind. She smiled, it seemed so illogical, compared to their research, or off the behaviors they observed from Phantom before, and yet... it seemed so like him.

Sensing that there wouldn't be an ecto-bazooka pointed to his face in the immediate future, Phantom finally moved to phase through the branch, untangling himself from the tree and floating back to the ground.

"Umm... but back to my first question." He prompted, wiping of some leaves and tree branches that seemed to have attached to his hair and suit.

"Well we could ask you the same thing," Maddie countered. "Why were you singing up in that tree?"

A light blush dusted the teen's cheeks. "S-singing?" His echoed words stumbled. "I wasn't singing."

Maddie raised a brow. "Oh? But I could've sworn I heard singing. What about you Jack?"

Jack blinked turning to his wife. One look at those eyes suddenly filled with mischief, and the man smiled. He then gave a nonchalant shrug.

"Pretty sure I did as well. I probably would've put my bazooka down and danced along if that were the case."

"Same here. Such a shame really." Maddie side. Oh well, I guess we'll just have to capture this ghost the boring way."

Really, this was just too fun. Though why they suddenly found it in themselves to joke like this was anyone's guess. Especially since this was the same why they joked with their kids. Perhaps it was seeing Phantom fall from the tree. Or maybe the serene way he relaxed as he divulged in something he more than likely would have been embarrassed to do in front of others. Who's tho say.

But no matter the question of rationality, it all became worth it when they turned to see the object of their teasing. And they were granted with a sight they probably would've never seen under normal ghost-hunting circumstances.

A pouting Danny Phantom.

And the words that followed only made it better.

"You guys are messing with me."

They couldn't help it, really. The couple burst into an explosion of giggles and laughter. After all, this looked all to similar to a memory in the far distant past of a pouting black-haired boy who wanted to go to NASA for his birthday and they took him to baby rocket ride sitting in front of the super market.

All this going on while Danny continued his pout fest to the side. He had at first worried over their presence and the possibility of them capturing him. But they hadn't done anything yet, and they were his parents so there was a chance, right?

It wasn't long before the two began to finally calm down.

"Sorry," Maddie finally spoke, containing her giggles. "It's just that... you looked just like our son for a moment there."

Danny sweat-dropped. "Really, I wonder why?"

Jack gave his last huff, wiping off an imaginary tear. "So, you into Skillet?"

"Something like that."

"Well imagine that, our son does too! Who knows, maybe you two could be good friends! I'm sure you both would get along great!"

"Swimmingly." Danny muttered. This was getting a little too close for comfort. "S-Should I be running or..."

The other two paused, as if suddenly aware of the full situation. Right, they were ghost hunters. And he was a ghost, not a boy. Not their son.

Maddie looked into Phantom's green eyes. Seeing their hesitance, their nervousness. Emotions she never would've imagined conveyed by a spectral entity.

But it's not just that is it. Her mind added. There was something else, something familiar. Something she couldn't quite put her finger on. Maybe...

And in a mind's eye, she looked at him again. Only this time, she changed his look. From white to black, from green to blue...

Her eyes widened. No...

She shook her head, clearing the thoughts. Not now, she needed to answer. But...

She turned to her husband. "Should we?"

"We don't... have to." He suggested.

"But," She hesitated. "We're ghost hunters. It's what we do."

"You never have to." They both turned to look back at the ghost. With a tentative swallow, the boy continued. "You always have a choice. A choice than can be pressured, but a choice. It's yours to make, in the end."

The couple didn't respond.

"I think, it all depends on what you want to do."

What they wanted. Why would a ghost ask that of them? Whether they wanted to shoot it on sight. Whether they wanted to tear it apart. Why even bring it up?

Yet another thing that was so strange about this ghost.

What did they want. They became ghost hunters to learn about the supernatural. They built the portal to explore the unknown. Sure, ghosts escaped and they had to learn to protect their kids and the town. And after all the studies and communing with other paranormal scientists, they had prepared for the worst of the unknown. But that was never their goal. They were just, curious.

They wanted to learn.

Maddie blinked, and looked at Phantom. His stance was stiff, as if ready to run at a moments notice. But his eyes were sincere, true to the words he had spoken.

Finally, she opened her mouth.

"We want to learn more. About ghosts."

Phantom blinked, then nodded. Urging her to continue.

"We want to know more about the ghost dimension, where ghosts came from, what your society and government are like."

"How you can stretch yourselves in crazy ways!" Jack added.

"And why you need ectoplasm to survive and not blood and how those two differ or compare. We want to learn all those things." She sighed. "I suppose we might've lost sight of that."

Phantom took a breath. "I can't answer all of those questions."

They both kept their heads down. Dejected, apologetic. Wishing that they could make up for the shouts and blasts and misunderstandings, they they only just now realized.

"But I can answer some."

Both heads snapped up, surprised.

Phantom smirked, once again his cocky heroic self. "Oh come on. You didn't honestly expect I'd have leave you empty handed after hearing all that. Especially considering you don't have me strapped to table already."

They winced. Had they really given him that kind of impression?

But Phantom's sincere smile waved off all of that. "All you had to do was just ask."

Just ask. It was that simple.

"Can we ask now?" Jack tentatively spoke.

The ghost boy nodded, almost enthusiastically. He then plopped back on the grass, padding the spot beside him. The two hunters followed suit.

From there, it was a simple QA. No guns, no shouts, no blasts. Just two eager scientists asking whatever they wanted to learn, and the subject of their wonder answered to the best of his ability.

Danny smiled, already starting them off on the Ghost Zone and the lairs that dwelled within. This was nice. He knew how much his parents truly wanted to learn, but always felt scared at the ways they attempted to get those answers. Or rather assumed theirs were correct and the truth were lies.

And now, he could truly share what he believed, what he knew. And maybe someday, he could share a little more.

HalfafanD: Yep. There we go. Here's the rewrite of Phantom Melody. As I said before, I wrote this right when Skillet's new album came out and I really came to enjoy a lot of their songs from it.

The songs are so fresh and amazing with awesome messages. Many people didn't like it because it strayed from their traditional music, but in all honesty, I think that's for the best. It's very clear that Skillet experimented a lot with their sound and instruments and tried for new things.

If a band keeps dishing out the same kind of song, a lot of fans will eventually get tired of them (despite the occasional hidden gem of a hit once in a while). Changing things up is a great way to not only expand upon a wider audience and broaden your horizon. But it also makes each and every song shine in their own way.

Naturally everyone has different tastes. But the wide variety makes for all the songs to be popular to various groups. That's why bands like Icon for Hire are so great. They're constantly experimenting and trying new styles.

Honestly I think that this is the best of Skillet we've seen yet. But that's my opinion.

Also I'm sure you're asking on whether or not Maddie and Jack now know Danny's secret (Maddie more specifically). Maybe, maybe not. There's surely some evidence there. But I leave the rest to your imagination *que rainbows at the wave of my hands*.

Anyway, what do you guys think? Please review if you enjoyed the fic, I'd love to hear your thoughts. No flames please.