#the keep

"If you can find something in the data, that would be wonderful, Danny." Maddie had said, handing over the laptop and external hard drive.

"Sure. Uh, Mom...what are you guys working on?" Where ghost hunting machines had once dominated the lab there were new centrifuges, microscopes, and test tubes of dirt, rock, and sludge. Gardening tools too. A few trays held plants under grow lamps. "Are you guys growing weed?"

"Oh, no, sweetie. We have someone for that. No, this is our new angle of research....it's soil and environmental studies."

Danny stared, unsure if he'd heard her correctly. "...soil?" His parents were ghost hunters. Had always been as far back as he remembered. They'd studied it in college. Built their careers and lives around ghosts and their portal. The portal still stood at the end of the room. He hadn't been able to get himself to come down her since his return; but... "Mom....what about your ghost studies?"

She turned away, picking up a pipette and reaching for a sealed jar of algae. She'd distributed it into one of the trays to her let before speaking. "It's...time to take a break from them. Your father and I agreed to focus on....more productive fields of science. We already have a few grants to work in our latest project."

"Mom...you guys love studying ghosts. You built a whole new field of science and...."

"Yes, we do love them...we love our work; but we realized while you were missing...what we'd done to our family. What we'd done to...people. We...Sam told us we ought to touch grass during the first week....we thought the ghosts had you we didn't know or even think..." Her voice hitched and as much as Danny wanted to comfort her, he wanted answers. "Then we realized a few things after that. It was a mutual decision...so."

"That's not an answer. Not a whole one."

Maddie's head whipped around, scolding on her tongue before a sigh dragged her shoulders down. "Danny, this is....it's. You're our son. It's our job to protect you, to love you and everything about you, every angle and shade and we failed and it wasn't when you were taken. We failed long before that and we..." she turned away. "would you ask your father when dinner will be ready? I'm not sure if I'm going to start the next part of this project without being able to see it all the way through."

It was a blatant and almost stupid diversion, but Danny wasn't sure how much more he could listen to. He wanted to make her feel better. Assure her, but he wasn't able to summon the words. "Yeah. I'll ask."

Dinner was an awkward affair from which Danny escaped as soon as possible for space to work. In his current conundrum, he was staring at the readouts with a budding headache.

In short, they were in comprehensible; but the longer he stared the more patterns began to emerge. He'd marked off a few which seemed to come out in every ghost fight and was trying to compare them ones taken after fights at different times when Jazz entered.

"Danny....what are you doing?"

"Trying to figure out what I'm missing. I don't think they'll let me go through the portal right now since it's got a lock on it and I'm hoping to find something here." He saved his work and turned the chair around. "What's up?"

She smiled wanly, taking one of the spare chairs in the command center. "So...how are you doing?"

"I'm fine. I think. I don't know, it was weird being gone but since I don't remember that much it doesn't really bother me....i mean...everyone is different; but I don't feel any different. I feel like me."

"That's great. Have you...considered going back to school?"

"I've probably missed a lot," he muttered."I guess I should go back....it'll be easier the sooner I go back."

"Danny, it's okay if you don't feel up to it."

"No...I think I'd like to do something normal. Everyone's been handling me like I'm about to break into pieces.I just...I'd like to feel normal." He tried to smile as Jazz.

"I'll tell Mom and Dad. What are you doing?"

"This is the data they've collected from older ghost fights. I want to see if I could put anything together that will help."

"You think it can?"

"I think it's worth a shot. I've already found repeated patterns. I'm not sure what they mean but it could be useful."

"Do they have timestamps?"

"Uh...yeah?"

"Then you should look for videos of your old fights. You can probably cross-reference the data."

Danny paused. "That's a great." He heard his sister leave after that and returned to his work. If he could pieces together a timeline then he might be able to identify....something?

"It was a project he labored over for the next few days. When he couldn't sleep he'd pull on his bathrobe and head to the commander center. The longer he worked and more patterns he isolated and synced alongside each other the more he could decipher what he was looking at. The spikes and patterns he noticed were unique signatures for each ghosts. Depending on the power they used altered their patterned. For Skulker, on video he could see when he fired his weapons versus pulling out a sword. He could see himself too. His pattern as Phantom both equal parts peculiar and entertaining depending on which of his powers he was using. Intangibility and invisibility changed it the least. Some of the more complicated, obscure powers seemed to make the patterns fluctuate wildly.

Tucker helped too, working on search algorithm which isolated identified patterns and tagged the one most similar. Sam came by often as well to help with the search and identification and dragging them both out off their work when she felt they'd continued for far too long. It helped pass the time as he was also getting ready for school. His first day back was accompanied by everyone piling into a GAV to drop him them all off.

He had to assure his parents several times that he would call if he thought he was in danger and that he had the Fenton Tazer with him and would at all times. When he finally made it to the school there wasn't the hushed shock he'd expected. A few students had already swung by the house to talk to him, and more had heard he rumors."

"Heeeey! Fenton!" Kawn jogged over, waving with a bright grin. "Heyyy, Littlest Witch, Tucker, Jazz. Dude, Fenton, can't believe you're back. It's pretty fucking cool that you managed to make your way back." Kwan stopped in front of the group, hands on his hips and dopey grin across his face. It was nothing like his usual hostility.

"K--Kwan?"

"Yeah, man. Dude, the rest of the football team wanted to come up but Star said that we'd crowd you."

Star had said what? Kwan was being nice? Danny wasn't sure if he'd fallen into the Twilight Zone.

"Wow...uh...thanks?"

"They were search party F." Tucker said as he offered the football player a fist bump.

"Yeah, man. Coach decided to sign us all up for emergency aid training afterwards. We're still in it. Hey, I know how to apply a tourniquet! You'd better believe that Dash is the actually the best with CPR, but I think Dover is coming up fast too. But seriously, man." Kwan clapped a hand on his shoulder. "I'm really happy you're back and safe. Anyway, I'll see you in English!"

Only after he'd gone did Danny face his friends. "What the fuck?"

"Like I said. He was on a search party." Sam offered. "He got a long really well with the search and rescue dogs."

Danny tired not to reel backward in complete and total shock.

"I asked Paulina if she could keep Dash busy and tell him to mind his own business." Tucker said, not glancing up from his PDA.

"As interesting as this is you still need to get to homeroom." Jazz smiled down at him. "I'll walk you."

Mr. Lancer looked almost the same as before; only heavier bags in his eyes which brightened the moment Danny entered his classroom. "Anna Karenina! Danny Fenton!"

"Hi, Mr. Lancer." He waved awkwardly.

"Well, it's good to see you in one piece."

"It's good to be in one piece."

Teacher and student stared at each other, unsure and awkward. Danny had never hated the man, not really. He'd only become someone who got on the teachers radar because of the ghosts. His work as Phantom....wasn't needed anymore. Classroom interruptions probably wouldn't be coming. His ghost-sense hadn't even bothered him.

"We...we'll be working on Heart of Darkness, Mr. Fenton. Here's a copy for you. Now, go take a seat and we'll get started."

It was the strangest day of Danny's life; when he remembered what happened while he was kidnapped then he was sure one of those days would take the top spot; but for now.....Danny did his best to pay attention to class. Half jumping every time the air -conditioner put in a little too much work. Phantom chills ran up and down his spine as the anticipated trouble never materialized. He almost buzzing by the time he made it to lunch.

"Dude, you need to calm down."

"I know!" Danny almost wriggled in place. "I can't help it! I keep thinking something is going to show up! That a ghost is going to come through and I just....I keep expecting a fight!"

It had been calm. Far too calm for Danny's taste and memory. He shifted awkwardly and stared out the window. Sam and Tucker's concerned expressions went unnoticed.

"Dannnnnyyyyyy!" Paulina sidled up to his side, beaming. "My abuela made tamales! She said to give you some. Oh! You look like an overcharged bunny."

"Yeah. I feel like an overcharged bunny."

"We have gym next class," Tucker reminded him, reaching for a tamale only for Sam to slap his hands away.

"Oh! If you like, we can go over some gym routines?" At Danny's baffled expression, she laughed. "Gymnastics? Cheer? I teach all my siblings so they don't bounce off the walls. Come to the practice mat and I'll show you. Sam?"

"I'm not really cheerleader material."

"You could be," Paulina sidled up to her. "You and Danny! The two highlights of our routine! Can do black uniforms....maybe some dramatic shows with a little witch at the center ...."

It was tempting Sam, that much Danny could tell. She always wanted to make a statement and maybe she'd been a bit like Danny. Wanting to be popular, wanting to the shine and attention while everything else in her rejected the notion.

"Uh..."

"Don't, Sam! She's trying to seduce you! Don't do it!" Tucker leapt in front of Sam, posing heroically. "She's too dangerous."

Paulina's smile was a touch feral when she turned to Danny. "Come to the practice mat, Danny. See you." She winked at Tucker before vanishing into the crowded lunch room.

As it turned out, practicing gymnastics did help Danny get out a little bit of his buzzing energy. His fear and nervousness turned to concentration and sweat as Paulina barked instructions at him from the sideline. A few other cheerleaders applauded when he succeeded and laughed when he ended up falling flat on his face. By the end of the hour he'd worked up a complete sweat and was panting on the edge of the mat while the others trickled back into the locker rooms.

He was used to fighting ghosts. Used to investigating and solving puzzles. He couldn't believe how idle he'd been until school. Maybe all of his work as Phantom had helped, because none of the work was as hard as it had been. He wasn't having too much trouble with anything, he'd gotten sleep, his bullies were friendly...so what was the problem? What couldn't he relax? Why did he feel every peaceful moment and calm he'd dreamt of for so long rub him the wrong way?

When Danny made it home his first step was toward the control room. The data held answers. He couldn't get into the portal an alternative had to be found.

"Danno! How's your work going? How was your first day at school?" Jack bounded into the room holding a plate apples slices and peanut butter and a cup of ice water.

"I thought you guys were doing field work today!" Danny paused his program and swiveled toward his father.

Jack waved his concerns off. "We sure did, but I came back early to make dinner. How to you feel about chili?"

"....sounds fine." Danny blinked, fiddling with his pen for a moment. "Dad...I've been trying to decipher these readings. It's not that I haven't been able to figure it out, but I.....since I got back and got better." Jack set the plate on the nearby console and plopped into a chair. "I feel like I'm just....like I....like I'm expecting a fight or something. I know it sounds crazy' but I just expected a ghost to just jump into the room and I know they're not around anymore but...I....I don't even know what's wrong with me, Dad."

"Oh, Danno....that's not. You know you....well this book..." Danny cut himself off. "Why don't you train with your mother again. You know, if you feel a little more prepared for the fight if it does come. How about that?"

"I was practicing gymnastics earlier. I...it helped a bit."

"Then why not gymnastics. That would be a fantastic way to get the energy out. It would help with your training too."

"Uh...okay." He'd have to break the news to Tucker.

"Do you need any help with your work, Danno?"

"Uh...not really...do you need any help with dinner?"

Danny brightened. "I'd love some help."

He didn't feel as out of sorts as he worked in the kitchen. Fighting back tears as the onions stung his eyes, sneaking bites of apple, helping his dad measure the spices and grating cheese. His dad was here....Danny finally felt safe.

chapter 5