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jetii · 4 months ago

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Event Horizon

Chapter Thirty-One: The Weight of Command

Chapter WC: 9,771

Chapter Tags/Warnings: it's a battle chapter what can i say

A/N: Welcome to part two! Much angst, fluff, smut and clone shenanigans ahead. Sadly no Rex in this part, but absence makes the heart grow fonder (and more desperate) and all that.

Mind the time skip from chapter 30, we're about 3? months in the future now.

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Nadiem, 20 BBY

No matter how many battlefields you walk away from, no matter how many lives you save, no matter how much glory you win for the Republic, the weight of your vision still rests heavy upon your shoulders.

No matter how much you try to silence the echo of Rex’s voice calling you back or the memory of his blaster pressed against your chest, it still lingers, like an unseen shadow at the edge of your sight. You had chosen to turn away from the darkness in that moment, a decision you've made time and time again, but it's a choice you've wondered if you would continue to have the strength to make again.

After all, every Jedi is tested at some point, and each must choose whether to give into their anger or their fear. Every Jedi must conquer the temptation to reach for the power that comes from the Dark Side in order to embrace the Light. Every Jedi struggles to understand the will of the Force and the part they are meant to play.

But not every Jedi has seen their own death.

You know what awaits you in the dark, and the temptation is always there, a constant nagging voice in the back of your mind, a whisper on the wind, a promise of power, of strength, of safety. You've learned to ignore it, but you can't ignore the burden of the knowledge, the weight of the responsibility. You can't ignore the certainty that, eventually, you will be faced with a choice, and that choice will define who you are, who you were always meant to be.

It's a terrible thing, knowing that you will never be able to save everyone. But you haven't stopped trying anyway.

In the months since you've left Coruscant and Rex behind, the 419th has been inundated with missions, battles, skirmishes. It seems as if there's always another fight waiting around the corner, and you have a sneaking suspicion that the Council is hoping to distract you, or perhaps even exhaust you. But there's no denying that the galaxy is changing, and the threat of the Separatists is ever present.

It's easy to lose track of time, the days and weeks blending together into a blur of movement, a cycle of action and reaction. It's easy to lose track of yourself.

And through it all, you've been training your men. Teaching them.

You've drilled them relentlessly, not just in standard combat, but in one very specific skill. Nearly every morning begins with sparring exercises, teaching them how to counter a lightsaber, resist Force-assisted strikes, and fight without relying on the idea that a Jedi would always be their protector. After all, not all Jedi are as noble as Obi-Wan. Not all Jedi will be there to save them.

Some might even have their backs turned.

The irony isn't lost on you.

You've also spent much of your time on the field, honing their skills, encouraging their growth, and learning their strengths and weaknesses. You've seen their potential, and you've worked tirelessly to bring it out, to shape it, mold it. You've pushed them to their limit, and they've surpassed every expectation, refusing to fall. Refusing to give up.

And most importantly, refusing to let you go.

They follow your lead, no matter where you go. No matter what you do. No matter what the mission is, no matter the risks, no matter the danger. They're always by your side, and they always have your back. And it helps.

The more time you spend with Booker and the men, the more at ease you feel, the less afraid, the less lonely. They've become your family, and their support is invaluable.

Without them, you know you wouldn't have been able to make it this far. Without them, you'd be lost.

It's the only reason why you're here now.

The view from your perch on the lone tree among miles of open fields is beautiful, the rolling hills and valleys stretching out before you. The sky is a vibrant mix of blue and pink, the sun just beginning to rise. In the distance, you can see the outlines of a nearby town, sunlight warming the small hovels and cobblestone streets.

The wind is blowing softly, rustling the leaves above, and the smell of fresh rain hangs in the air, filling your lungs. It's peaceful, quiet, and you can't help but appreciate the calm. But you know better than most that the peace never lasts. It's a fleeting thing, a fragile illusion, and the war will soon find its way here. It always does.

"Beautiful, isn't it?" you murmur, not turning your gaze from the landscape. "I could sit here all day."

Snap lowers his binocs from his visor and looks down at you. He sways dangerously on the branch above as he shifts his weight before his hand comes down to steady himself. The kama attached to his belt, covered in gold swirls and lines that remind you of a sun's rays, flaps in the breeze.

"Not the best spot for a nap, if I'm being honest," he quips, adjusting his position, the branch creaking ominously beneath him. A bird takes flight in alarm, and he sighs. "And if you ask me, the sun's a little too bright. Hard to get a good look at things."

"Careful, Snap. Sounds like Wise is rubbing off on you," you retort, shooting him a smirk. "If I didn't know any better, I'd say you were becoming a bit of a grouch."

"If that isn't the quacta calling the stifling slimy," he mutters, and the branch creaks again.

You snort and shake your head, shifting your attention to the horizon. The smoke is beginning to dissipate, and the first rays of sunlight are peeking over the trees.

"I happen to like the sunlight. It's...refreshing."

"You're only saying that because you didn't have to run drills for two hours this morning," he mutters. He sighs and reaches for the binocs, bringing them back up to his visor. "So what's the plan? Do we wait here until the droids show up or what?"

"Patience, Captain. Patience," you reply. He gives you a look that translates through the helmet, and you laugh again, raising a hand in surrender. "I'm kidding. Mostly."

He lets out a huff and returns his attention to the binocs, scanning the area. You've been camped out on this ridge for hours, waiting for the Separatists to arrive. The village has already been cleared out, and the town hall is wired with explosives. All that's left is for the droids to show up. Then, it's game time.

"We'll give them an hour," you say, closing your eyes and taking a deep breath. The scent of grass and flowers fills your nose, and you exhale slowly, allowing the Force to flow through you, reaching out and stretching. You can feel the faintest whispers of the enemy, the echoes of their approach. "Then we'll make our move."

Snap grunts, and the branches above rustle as he adjusts his position. He's impatient, and you can't blame him. The wait is maddening, but you can't afford to jump the gun again.

The last time you rushed the Separatists, things didn't end well. There were heavy casualties, and the 419th lost a lot of men. It was a hard lesson, but it was an important lesson, and you've taken it to heart.

You will be patient. You will be smart. And most importantly, you will protect your men.

"Hey, General," Snap finally says, his voice low. "Can I ask you something?"

"Always," you reply, your eyes still closed, the Force guiding your senses.

You can feel the presence of the 419th tucked in the rolling hills behind you, the soldiers spread out along the perimeter, watching, waiting. Elsewhere on the planet, Master Luminara and her Padawan are preparing their own forces for an attack. If all goes according to plan, the droid army will be trapped between the two forces, unable to retreat or escape.

"It's about the training."

Your mouth twists. You've been expecting this conversation for a while now, and you're almost impressed that he managed to hold out this long. You're certain that the others have been whispering amongst themselves, wondering if they should bring it up. But Snap has always been the brave sort, and it seems that bravery extends to speaking his mind.

"I'm surprised it took you so long," you quip, and his breath catches, the branch creaking again.

"I..." he trails off, and the hesitation is thick, almost tangible. He clears his throat and takes a deep breath. "The men are...we're worried. About you."

Your connection to the Force snaps shut, and you open your eyes, the image of the landscape blurring before settling. You take a moment to gather yourself, the familiar pang of guilt tugging at your heart.

"Is that so?" you reply, forcing the emotion from your voice.

"Well, yeah. Of course we are," he continues. He lowers the binocs and looks down at you. "Look, I'm not trying to question your methods or anything. And I'm sure the Council has a good reason for doing whatever they're doing, but...we just don't understand why. We're fighting droids. Blasters will do the job just fine."

You let out a heavy sigh and shake your head, leaning forward and resting your forearms on your knees.

"Because the battle doesn't end the moment the droids drop," you reply, keeping your voice low. The wind is still blowing, and the last thing you need is for your words to carry back down to the camp. "The war is just beginning, and we can't afford to take any chances."

"With all due respect, General, that doesn't answer the question," he replies, his tone firm. "I don't know what kind of enemies we're facing, but I know how to fight, and I know how to win. And the men are capable of handling whatever comes at us."

"I'm not disputing that," you assure him. You keep your gaze fixed on the horizon, and you can't help but think of Rex. He would like it here. And he would be just as eager to charge into battle as the rest of them. "But this isn't about winning or losing. It's about surviving."

Snap falls silent, and the breeze picks up, ruffling your robes and tossing your hair. You close your eyes, reaching out once more, and the faint presence of the Separatist forces grows stronger, a steady trickle of droids flowing toward the village.

"I care about all of you," you continue, your voice strained. "And if the enemy ever wields the Force against you, I want you to have a chance to survive. To have a chance to fight back. I want you to have the tools to protect yourselves."

You open your eyes and look up at him, his expression hidden behind the visor. His shoulders are tense, his body stiff, and his hands clench and unclench at his sides. You can feel the emotions roiling beneath the surface, a storm of confusion and frustration.

You know it's selfish. You know it's foolish. But you can't help it. The idea of losing any of the men is unbearable, and the thought of losing Rex, the idea of him being forced to face the darkness within you, the idea of him having to kill you...it's a pain you can't even begin to comprehend.

You've already lost so much, and the future is a constant, looming threat, a shadow in the dark, a whisper on the wind. It's a burden that's always there, always lurking, and you can't shake the feeling that the worst is yet to come.

You will do everything in your power to prevent the future you've seen from coming to pass. You will not allow yourself to fall. You will not allow yourself to hurt him. Not again.

"General," Snap says, his voice barely above a whisper. "You don't have to worry about that."

You can't help but huff a laugh, and you shake your head, your eyes stinging.

"But I do," you reply. You look away, unable to meet his gaze, and your fingers brush against the hilt of your lightsaber. "More than anything, I worry about that."

"General..."

Your comm beeps, and you raise a hand, cutting him off.

"We'll talk later," you promise. "For now, focus on the mission. Stay safe, and remember your orders. I want no heroics."

Snap hesitates for a moment, his hands flexing, and he sighs.

"Yes, sir."

You lift your vambrace up, and the holoimage of Master Luminara flickers to life. Her hands are clasped behind her back, her head tilted down, and her lips are pressed into a thin line. You immediately feel a sinking sensation in your gut.

"Master Luminara, I'm afraid you're a little early," you quip, trying to keep the anxiety from your voice. She doesn't respond, her expression unchanging, and you take a deep breath. "Okay, clearly, something's wrong. What is it?"

"We have a situation," she replies, her tone grim. She glances over her shoulder and turns back, a slight crease forming between her brows. "My scouts have reported movement to the north. A large group, and they appear to be heading in your direction."

You swallow and look up at Snap, who gives a nod. He's already moving, sliding from his perch and landing on the ground below. You watch as he hurries down the hill and back toward camp.

"How long until they arrive?" you ask.

"An hour, perhaps less," Luminara replies. Her frown deepens, and her hands clasp tighter. "But what troubles me is the makeup of their forces. They appear to be commando droids wielding blades. Cortosis blades."

"Fuck," you mutter, and her brow rises at the profanity. You sigh and shake your head. "Sorry, Master. It's just...I had a bad feeling about this."

Luminara lets out a small sigh and nods, the lines around her eyes softening.

"As did I," she murmurs, and she looks over her shoulder again before returning her attention to you. "The question is, what do we do now?"

You glance up at the sky, the first rays of sunlight piercing through the clouds.

"I'll take care of it," you say, looking back at her. Her expression shifts, concern etched on her face, and you raise a hand. "It's alright, Master. I have a plan."

"I do not doubt your capabilities," she replies, and the corners of her mouth curl upward. "However, I cannot help but notice that you tend to attract trouble."

"All the better for me to handle it," you say, smiling wryly. You're already moving, sliding down the hillside. "Don't wait for me. Attack on schedule."

"Very well," she says, and she reaches out, cutting the connection.

You pick up the pace, sprinting across the field, your boots kicking up the grass. The wind whips at your robes and sends your cloak billowing behind you. Your men are already moving, packing up the camp and waking the AT-TEs. Booker is barking orders, and the soldiers are falling into formation, their blasters at the ready.

"Booker!" you shout, and his helmet snaps up, his body tensing. He rushes over to meet you, his rifle in his hands, and the rest of the 419th follow suit. "I need a squad, and I need them now."

"What's going on?" he asks. He motions to the soldiers closest to him, and they break ranks, forming a loose semi-circle around the two of you. "Who am I shooting?"

"Cortosis blades," you reply. The color drains from his face, and he stiffens, his mouth falling open. "There's a detachment of commandos heading this way, and they're packing. Luminara’s scouts spotted them. We have less than an hour."

A ripple of tension passes through the men, a shift in stance, an adjustment of grips on rifles. No one speaks, but you don’t need the Force to feel their unease. Cortosis is rare, and the material is difficult to work with, fragile against most armor. But it can block a lightsaber, and it can kill a Jedi. It is, in effect, the greatest weapon a droid could wield against a Force-user.

Booker curses under his breath. "Great. That’s just great. So, what’s the play, General?"

You scan the gathered soldiers, your mind already calculating the odds, the risks, the potential. You could wait for the 419th. The droids won't arrive for at least an hour, and Luminara will likely send her own troops to assist, but it's not worth the risk. If the enemy is armed with cortosis, it means they're coming for you. And that puts everyone else in danger.

"I'm going ahead," you finally say, and Booker goes rigid. "You have your orders, and I trust you to carry them out."

"That's not gonna happen," he counters, and his grip on the rifle tightens, his jaw clenched. "You're not going out there alone. If the droids are really packing, you're gonna need backup."

Snap pushes his way through the group and steps forward, his shoulders squared.

"I'm coming with you," he declares. His voice is firm, resolute, and he lifts his chin. "And so are they."

He gestures to the rest of Maelstrom Company, and a chorus of agreements rings out, a show of support. Dash and Screwball take their place beside Snap, and the others follow, standing at attention.

"It's too dangerous," you argue, and Booker rolls his eyes, stepping closer.

"No, what's dangerous is sending a lone Jedi into battle against a group of commando droids wielding a rare metal known for cutting through Force shields and blocking lightsabers," he says, and his voice is quiet, his gaze hard. "So unless you're planning on telling me that all this training has been a waste of time, I suggest you let them help."

You look up at the soldiers, each wearing a fierce expression, a set jaw, a raised chin. They're not backing down, and neither is Booker. And the sight warms your heart as much as it fills you with dread.

"Well, I can't exactly argue with the entire company," you reply, and Snap lets out a snort. You shake your head and take a deep breath. "Fine. Snap, you’re with me. I need a fast, mobile team—no more than ten. We intercept before they reach the village. Cut them off in the ravine."

"Ravine’s tight quarters," Booker points out. "Could work in our favor… or trap you with them."

"I’m counting on the terrain to funnel them, limit their mobility. If they can’t swarm, we can pick them off in controlled strikes." You glance at your men, weighing each of them. "We’ll need explosives to destabilize the cliffs. Set the charges right, we could bring half of them down before they get close."

"Risky," Snap says with a low whistle.

"Only if we hesitate." You meet his gaze. "Do you trust me?"

He doesn’t waver, not for a second. "Always, sir."

That should reassure you. It should fill you with confidence. But it only serves to twist the knot in your stomach tighter. You nod anyway. "Then gear up. We move in five."

As the squad disperses to prepare, Booker lingers, his fingers tapping against his rifle. He doesn’t speak, his silence more meaningful than anything he could say. You can feel the concern radiating from him, the uncertainty, the worry.

"I know what you're thinking," you say, your voice low. His brow furrows, and his gaze shifts toward the men, watching as they grab their equipment. "But they have a choice. And I trust them."

"I'm not worried about the men, I'm worried about you," he replies, and he looks back at you, the lines around his eyes deepening. "You're taking a lot of chances lately. Don't think I haven't noticed."

"It's the only way we win," you retort. Your voice is harsh, your words more biting than you intend, and he flinches, his shoulders slumping. You let out a heavy sigh and place a hand on his arm, giving him a reassuring squeeze. "Trust me. I know what I'm doing."

"You better," he mutters, his hand coming up to cover yours. "If you get yourself killed, I'm gonna be really pissed. And don't think Rex won't be, either."

Your heart skips a beat at the mention of his name, and you pull your hand away, clearing your throat.

"You worry too much," you say, offering him a weak smile. "I'll be fine."

"Right," he replies. His expression softens, and his hand falls to his side. "Just...come back. All of you. Okay?"

"We will," you assure him. You turn and gesture for Snap to join you. "Come on, we're burning daylight."

The ravine is a jagged scar in the land, cutting deep through the valley, its steep cliffs lined with loose rock and vegetation. It's narrow, just wide enough for three men to traverse shoulder to shoulder, and the perfect place to bottleneck an enemy.

The plan is simple: let the droids enter, detonate the charges, and force the survivors into a close-quarters engagement. One they won’t walk away from.

You crouch behind a boulder at the ridge’s edge, peering down into the path below. The morning sun casts long shadows across the jagged rock walls, but it does little to ease the weight settling in your chest. You stretch your senses outward, brushing against the cold, mechanical signatures approaching from the north.

The droids are close.

Snap shifts beside you, his rifle braced against his shoulder. He's watching the ravine below, scanning the terrain, searching for any signs of movement. The others are waiting elsewhere out of sight, hidden in the shadows, ready to strike.

"I've got eyes on 'em," Snap murmurs. "Looks like... a full squad of commandos, maybe two. Moving in formation."

You exhale slowly, fingers curling around the hilts of your lightsabers. "Then we stick to the plan."

Screwball, perched on a ledge above, snorts.

"You say that like plans don’t go to hell the second we start shooting," he says, his voice barely audible through the comm. "We ready to light this thing up, or what?"

"Just hold your position," you reply. "Wait for my signal."

"Whatever you say, sir."

You glance back at him to see his posture is relaxed, his arms draped over his knees. The detonator is clutched loosely in his right hand, his thumb resting on the trigger. He seems calm, almost bored, and you can't help but envy his composure.

"Stay focused," you remind him, and he chuckles.

"Don't worry, General. I know how to handle myself."

You roll your eyes and turn back to the ravine. The droids march into view, moving with an unsettling precision. Unlike the standard B1s or even B2s, these commandos are sleek, built for agility. Their movements are eerily smooth, nearly silent, and in their hands are dual-bladed staffs made of a strange, dark metal.

Your pulse steadies. You can feel the moment hovering on the edge of action, that perfect, weightless second before a fight begins. The anticipation is always the worst, and the adrenaline is coursing through your veins, heightening your senses, sharpening your focus. Your heart is beating slow, your muscles coiled, ready to strike.

Then, with a wave of your hand, you give the signal.

The first blast rings out, echoing off the rock walls. It's followed by a second, a third, a fourth, the explosions rippling along the canyon walls in a cascade of rock and dust. The blast takes out the lead droids instantly, their metal forms crushed beneath tons of debris. The rest reel back, momentarily thrown into disarray.

"Go!"

Snap and the others move as one, blasters lighting up the smoke-filled canyon. You take a deep breath and ignite your blades, launching yourself over the ledge. You hit the ground hard, landing in the fray with a controlled burst of the Force, sending the nearest commando droid skidding backward.

Your lightsaber arcs through the air, slicing through the first droid, its body falling in two pieces. The second is already moving, its staff swinging down, and you move to block with your blade before remembering at the last moment that the cortosis will resist the plasma. You pivot, narrowly dodging the attack, and swing again, this time severing the droid's arm at the shoulder.

A bolt sizzles past you, slamming into the droid's chest, and it falls backward, collapsing to the ground. Another shot rings out, and the droid's head explodes, sending shrapnel flying. You duck, barely avoiding a piece of metal as it whizzes by.

Dash and Snap are beside you, their blasters trained on the remaining droids, their shots finding their targets with deadly accuracy. You spin, deflecting another bolt and bringing your blades down, carving a deep gash in the chest of a nearby droid. The commando falls back, its movements sluggish, and a second bolt pierces its head, causing it to fall limp.

A third and fourth droid approach, their blades swinging, and you deflect their attacks, pushing back against their onslaught. You're holding your own, but the enemy isn't faltering. The commandos regroup, adjusting, adapting. One of them moves with eerie precision, its blade slicing dangerously close to your ribs. You're forced to sidestep, throwing up a shield to block a second attack.

A warning flares in the Force.

You spin, deflecting a blaster bolt aimed at your head, and the commando is upon you, its blade sailing toward your left arm. The blade of Yaddle's lightsaber fizzles and dies as it connects with the metal, the shock nearly ripping the hilt from your hand. Your other lightsaber snaps up, cutting through the commando's arm, and the staff falls uselessly to the ground.

Your vision tunnels, your focus shifting, and the world slows to a standstill along with your heartbeat. You can hear the hum of your blade, the rasp of metal, the snap-hiss of Dash's blaster. The droids are closing in, and you're surrounded. A bolt grazes your thigh, and another glances off your shoulder. You're moving too slowly, and you can't block them all. You won't be able to keep up.

You can feel the stirrings of something whispering, calling out to you. It's there, just beyond the edge of your mind, a familiar, seductive power. You reach out, and it answers, filling you with a sense of strength, a sense of certainty. A sense of control.

It would be so easy.

So very, very easy.

You could crush the droids without a thought. You know you could. The Force is already singing, urging you forward, beckoning you, begging for release. Just a taste. Just a moment. That's all it would take. A snap of your fingers, a whisper on the wind, and the battle would be won. You could save the men, and no harm would come to them. Not if you did this. Not if you took matters into your own hands.

"General, look out!"

Snap pushes you out of the way, the butt of his rifle connecting with the side of a commando's head, sending it reeling. He ducks under the blade as you've seen him do a hundred times during training, bringing his rifle up and firing a single shot directly underneath the droid's chin. The commando goes still, its head jerking backwards before its body falls lifelessly to the ground.

He's panting, his helmet tilted, and his visor is locked onto you, his shoulders tense.

"You okay?" Snap asks, his voice tight, and you nod and swallow hard.

"Thanks."

"What the hell was that, sir? You stopped moving."

You shake your head and straighten, gripping your lightsabers tightly. Yaddle's blade hums to life again, and the hilt feels strangely cold, a chill creeping up your arm.

"Nothing," you reply. "Don't worry about it. Let's finish this."

"Copy that," he mutters. He lifts his blaster and fires, taking down a nearby commando, its head exploding in a shower of sparks. "Watch your six."

You glance to the side just in time to see a droid rushing toward you, its blade raised. You dodge, sidestepping and swinging your own blade, catching the staff as it sails past. The staff breaks in two, and both halves swipe toward you, striking your shoulder and knocking you back. The impact sends you staggering, your boots sliding on the loose dirt, and your feet slip from underneath you.

Dash is there before you can right yourself, stepping in front of you and ducking under the droid’s staff, his own vibroblade flashing in the sun. He slashes upward, severing the its arm at the elbow, and spins, his leg snapping out and catching the droid in the chest. It flies backward, crashing into the rock wall. Its body is mangled, the metal twisted and bent, and it crumples to the ground, unmoving.

Dash turns, his hand outstretched, and you can't help but smile.

“You’re still leaving your left side open,” you tease. You clasp his hand, and he pulls you to your feet, his helmet tilting to the side.

"What, that wasn't good?"

You can’t help but laugh before you wince, grabbing your injured shoulder. The blade failed to cut through your armor, but you can feel the bruise forming already.

"It was better," you concede.

Screwball lands on the ground behind you with a thud, his boots kicking up a cloud of dust. He raises his blaster, firing a series of shots, and a trio of droids collapse. They fall into a heap, and he lets out a whoop, spinning around and shooting another commando as it charges him.

"That's the last of 'em," he declares. He slings his rifle over his shoulder and gestures to the wreckage, a cocky tilt to his stance. "You should put me in charge of your training sessions, General. I could teach the men a thing or two."

You shake your head, still clutching your shoulder. "I'll consider it."

He lets out a bark of laughter and turns, surveying the destruction. You take a moment to catch your breath, the adrenaline starting to wear off, and your legs are shaking. You can feel the exhaustion settling in, the familiar ache spreading through your limbs, and the pain in your shoulder is worsening.

"That was easier than I expected," Screwball says. He nudges a nearby droid with his foot, his helmet tilting to the side. "Almost disappointingly easy."

Snap lets out a sigh. “Don’t jinx it, vod. We're not done yet."

The comm crackles, and a voice comes through, faint but distinct.

"Sir, this is Booker. We have a situation."

You and Snap share a look. Screwball snorts, and the captain shakes his head at him, pointing an accusatory finger. "Told you."

"Report," you say, tapping the commlink in your wrist gauntlet. "What's going on?"

“Our party guests never showed,” Booker answers grimly. "Looks like we got played."

"Shit," you breathe, and your gaze snaps up, scanning the area. The ravine is still, the morning sun casting long shadows across the rocky ground. Nothing stirs, and the only noise is the wind whistling through the narrow gap. But there's a heaviness in the air, an invisible presence, a cold sensation pressing down on your senses. “They could still be coming."

"I don't think so," Snap replies. His helmet tilts up, and he points to the sky, where a cloud of smoke is rising in the distance. "That's not a good sign."

The comm crackles, and a voice comes through. It's strained, distorted, and filled with static.

"—epeat, we—eing atta—"

"Luminara?" you ask, tapping the commlink. "Do you copy?"

"—eady?—an't—"

"Master, can you hear me?"

There's nothing but static, and you curse, tapping the link again. It's no use. The transmission has been cut off, and the heavy feeling in the air has only gotten worse. Your gaze shifts back to the sky, where the column of smoke is darkening, a thick cloud rising over the valley.

“Find a droid with its memory core intact,” you order, and the men scramble, searching the wreckage. "We need to know what we're up against."

You take a step forward, your gaze fixed on the smoke. The weight is almost unbearable, a pressure on your mind, an invisible fist squeezing. You can feel it trying to force you down, trying to make you bend. And it's only getting stronger.

“Booker," you murmur, your voice tight, and you can hear the unease in his response. "Tell me you're seeing this."

"I see it, General,” he answers. “Looks like it’s coming from the capitol. Whatever the hell this is, it's bad."

"Yeah, I got that," you reply, and the smoke continues to billow, a black plume against the blue sky.

Your pulse is pounding, a lump in your throat. It's just like the visions. The smoke. The screaming. The bodies. It's all there. And it's happening right now.

"We need to get moving," you say. You turn and start walking, the men falling in behind you. Screwball props his foot on the chest of the droid he’s looming over and wrenches its head off, tossing it to Dash. "Now. Work fast. We need that data."

Snap catches up to you, his footsteps quick.

"Is everything okay, General?" he asks. He lowers his voice, glancing over his shoulder at the others. "You're not looking so hot."

"I'm fine," you snap, and he stiffens, his pace slowing. "Sorry. It's just...it's nothing."

"Are you sure?"

"Yes, I'm sure," you reply. "I'm not hurt."

"That's not what I'm talking about, and you know it," he counters. His voice is gentle, his tone cautious, and he matches your pace, his posture stiff. "You froze up out there. The last time I saw you like that, you…”

You turn away, avoiding his gaze. Snap is the only person who’s ever seen the extent of the ability you keep locked away, the only one to bear witness to the amount of destruction the blast of energy could cause. It was a mistake, a loss of control. He was the first person to see the true depth of the darkness in your heart. And you know he hasn’t forgotten.

"Don't worry," you mutter. You can feel the anger simmering in your chest, the frustration. "I have no intention of repeating that mistake."

He sighs. "It's not a mistake, it's just—"

"It is," you insist, turning back. Your eyes are stinging, and your hand curls into a fist, nails biting into the flesh of your palm. "It's not who I am. And it's not who I want to be."

He pauses, his shoulders slumping, and the silence between you is heavy. The wind blows, scattering the dust at your feet, and the smell of smoke fills your nose, the air thick with the scent of ash and burnt metal. You can't help but shudder, and you know Snap notices.

"It's just..." he says, and the words catch, his voice rough. "I've seen what that power can do. I've seen what you're capable of." He glances over his shoulder and looks back at you, his head tilted down, his voice dropping. "And if you're gonna go head-to-head with that thing, I want to make sure you're doing it on purpose."

"It's under control," you repeat. You take a deep breath, forcing your voice to remain even, your gaze focused. "I won't let it get the better of me."

"I trust you," he murmurs. He places a hand on your arm, his grip gentle, his fingers squeezing. "I trust you, but I also care about you, and I know how much you hate yourself for using that ability."

"Snap," you whisper, your heart aching. You don't deserve his concern. You don't deserve his kindness. But he gives it freely, and it only adds to the guilt twisting in your gut. "Please. I can't talk about this right now. We have a mission."

"Right," he agrees. He nods, his helmet bobbing, and his hand falls to his side. "Right. Sorry."

You give him a weak smile. "It's okay. We'll talk about it later."

"You always say that."

"Because we will," you assure him. "I promise."

The comm crackles, and Booker's voice rings out, cutting through the silence.

“General, just got word from Gree,” he says, and the knot in your stomach tightens. "They’re under heavy fire in the capitol."

You lift up your commlink, and the holoprojection of Booker flickers to life. He's pacing, his helmet tucked under his arm, and his expression is drawn, his jaw set.

"How heavy?"

"A full-on siege," he replies, stopping to turn toward you. He shakes his head, and the image stutters. "They've barricaded themselves in the central square. If we don't hurry, they won't last long."

You exhale slowly, steeling yourself.

“Don't wait for us," you order. “Take the transports and get to the city now. Reinforce General Unduli and hold the line until we get there.”

Booker hesitates, his eyes searching yours. Then, with a nod, he replies, "Copy that, sir. See you soon."

The image flickers out, and you lower your arm, taking a deep breath. You stop walking and look over at the squad, where Screwball is holding the droid’s head out for Dash. The young trooper has jacked into the port on the back of its head, the other end tethered to his datapad. You can see the information scrolling across the screen, and you gesture for him to join you.

"Got something," he calls, and he jogs over, holding up the device. The data is streaming across the screen, and the map is flashing. You can see the layout of the town and the location of the main square. "Looks like they're moving on the capitol. They rerouted all of their forces."

"They knew we were waiting for them in the village," Snap mutters. He steps beside you, his helmet tilted. "But why still send a commando unit out here instead of using them for the siege?"

"That's a damn good question," Screwball agrees. "Maybe they figured the droids could handle us?"

"Unlikely," you reply, and the map is flashing again. It zooms in, revealing the path the droids took, a route directly toward the capitol. "They were leading us away from the main battle. Leading me away."

"Leading you away?" Dash asks. "Why would they want to do that? Seems like a waste of resources."

“Dooku had a shiny new toy he wanted to show off," Screwball suggests. He grins, his visor glinting. "Maybe he wants to play with our Jedi."

"He's playing with fire," you mutter. Your gaze shifts to the sky, where the smoke is rising, the plume dark and ominous. "We're going to have to move on foot. Send everything you have to Booker and Gree. Tell them what we're facing."

Dash nods, tapping the console before he looks up at the sky.

"You think Master Unduli and the 41st are gonna be okay?" he asks, his voice quiet, and his helmet turns, his visor gleaming in the light. "I mean, they're gonna have their hands full without us, right?"

You let out a slow breath and try to calm your mind. It's harder than usual. These past few months of constant battles have worn down your shields. You're struggling to find the stillness within, and your many attempts to draw the darkness into the light and transform it have been futile. Yaddle's teachings feel more and more like a memory of a bygone era, a dream half-remembered, a shadow of what could have been. A shadow of who you could have been.

You know that Luminara will succeed. She has a lifetime of training and discipline behind her, a lifetime of experience and wisdom. She's a beacon of light in the Force, a pillar of strength. She's everything you're not, and she's everything you should have been. And she has an entire legion of men to help her.

So, yes. You know she will succeed.

The question is at what cost.

"They’ll be fine," you say, the lie burning on your tongue. Dash relaxes slightly, and his helmet tilts back toward the sky, the clouds drifting lazily overhead. "Let's get moving. We've got a job to do."

By the time you reach the capitol, the city is already burning. Flames are consuming buildings, smoke billowing from shattered windows and crumbling walls. The defensive wall has been breached, and droid tanks are rolling through the streets, their guns firing incessantly into buildings with seemingly no pattern.

It's chaos.

You've fought for the Republic long and hard. You've bled for the Republic. And you've lost men. Too many.

But this...this is unlike anything you've seen.

Screwball's hand finds the back of your head, pushing you down behind the cover of the rubble as a squadron of vulture droids pass overhead, the whine of their engines echoing off the broken buildings. Two Republic fighters painted with the green of the 41st are in pursuit, but the droids are too fast, and they evade the blasts easily. They soar over the rooftops, and the fighters are forced to break off, looping around to regroup.

You take a deep breath and lean back against the broken concrete, the rough texture digging into your spine. The smell of ash is in the air, burning stone, metal, and something worse. Something organic.

“General Unduli’s position is—” Static erupts from your comm, and all ten of the troopers turn their heads toward you. “—east sector—cut off—heavy casualties—”

A sudden explosion racks the building beside you, and you throw up a shield to deflect the debris. Shards of rock and chunks of metal rain down around you, and a nearby AT-TE topples, its treads snapping as it crashes into the street.

You grit your teeth and close your eyes, reaching out through the Force, trying to locate Luminara and Barriss. You can sense them, but the connection is faint. Their signatures are distant, their presence shrouded by the fog of the battle.

"We need to get to the main square," you tell the men. "We're getting cut off. Luminara and Barriss are in danger."

"That's great and all, but how the hell are we gonna do that?" Screwball asks, his tone clipped. He glances over his shoulder and ducks down as another explosion rocks the city, sending a shower of dust and ash falling from the sky. "If those things spot us, we're toast."

He's right. The entire avenue leading toward General Unduli’s last known position is blocked by swaths of droids. Separatist reinforcements are pouring in faster than Republic forces can push them back. You can hear the clones fighting street by street, alley by alley, but the tide is shifting, and the droids are advancing.

You take a deep breath and center yourself, focusing on the task athand. It's not just about getting to Luminara and Barriss. There are civilians trapped in the crossfire. Families. Children. Innocents. You have a duty to protect them. And that means you need to find a way through.

Dash moves closer, crouching beside you. "I have an idea."

"Let's hear it."

"Well," he says, his voice low, and his visor gleams. "It's probably a really stupid idea, but I think it could work."

"Oh, boy," Screwball mutters.

"What's your plan?"

He points toward a series of cables dangling from the side of a nearby building, and your eyes narrow. "You're not serious."

He huffs. "Got a better idea?"

You glance at the cables again and shake your head. "Fine. But we need to make this quick."

"Then follow my lead."

Before you can argue, Dash launches himself out of cover and begins sprinting toward the opposite side of the street. You curse and follow after him, the rest of the squad close behind. The droids are still occupied with the AT-TEs, their backs turned, and the distraction buys you a precious moment of time.

Scaling the side of the building is a challenge, but you're able to use the Force to pull yourself up. You reach the roof just as the droids notice your squad, their heads swiveling toward the men. The first bolt is already flying, and it narrowly misses Dash's helmet, slamming into the building behind him.

You and the squad race across the roof, dodging shots and leaping across the gaps between the buildings. Below, the droids are scrambling, their cannons swiveling up toward you, and the sky is filled with a hail of fire. Blasts streak past you, and you're forced to throw up a shield, deflecting the incoming projectiles. One bolt skims past your arm, slicing through the cloth between your shoulder plate and rerebrace. You bite back a yelp and push forward, urging the men onward.

The gap ahead is wider than the others, the distance too great to jump. Instead, you leap onto the edge and push off, using the Force to propel yourself across.

"Two at a time, I'll catch you!" you shout.

"Copy that," Dash calls. He slows and turns to the nearest clone, shoving him forward. "You're up, Screwball."

"Why do I have to go first?" Screwball grumbles. He glances over the edge of the building, his shoulders sagging. "Shit."

"Because you're the slowest," Dash replies, his tone matter-of-fact. "And I want to make sure we get there in time."

Screwball mutters something under his breath, and he braces himself, preparing for the jump. Another trooper, Fuse, nudges him as he lines up his jump, and the two of them leap across the gap. You catch them with a wave of the Force, carrying them safely to the other side.

The rest of the squad follows, leaping across in pairs. Each time, you catch them and lower them gently to the ground.

It's exhausting work, and you're beginning to feel the strain of the battle. The constant fighting, the constant running, the constant use of the Force has left you drained. Your limbs are heavy, your lungs aching, and your injuries are only getting worse. You can barely lift the arm that was wounded by the cortosis blade, and your shoulder is throbbing, the pain pulsing in time with your heartbeat. You're running on pure adrenaline and willpower. It's the only thing keeping you going.

Your arm wavers as Snap and another trooper make the leap, and you let out a gasp as they drop. They fall halfway across, their bodies crashing into the side of the building. You reach out, catching them and pulling them up, but the effort leaves you breathless. The men scramble over the edge and roll onto the roof, their armor scratched and dented.

"That was a hell of a catch, sir," Snap wheezes. He pushes himself to his feet and gives the other man a hand up. "Thanks."

"Anytime," you mutter. You stand, taking a moment to steady yourself, and the world tilts. You lean heavily against Fuse, his arm steadying you. "I think we're almost there."

"You're wounded, sir," he says. His fingers brush the raw burn bisecting your arm, and you wince, hissing between your teeth. "I've got bacta gel, let me patch it up."

"It can wait," you insist, shaking your head. You straighten and take a deep breath, willing yourself to stay upright. "We're close. We can't afford to stop."

He grumbles, but you don't give him a chance to argue, and you lead the squad toward the edge of the building. The main square is in view, the plaza choked with smoke, the buildings surrounding it ablaze. The battle has spilled into the streets, a sea of white and green and gold fighting against an army of metal. It's chaos.

"We're nearly there," you call, and the men pick up the pace.

"General, I'm detecting movement," Snap calls. "Incoming!"

A Republic fighter streaks overhead, and the droids shift their attention, their guns tracking the ship. A blast connects, and the fighter spins out of control, the engines sputtering. The ship crashes into the rooftop on the opposite side of the square, sending debris and shrapnel raining down into the fray.

“We drop in hard and fast. Shock and break their ranks before they realize what’s happening," you command. You pause, taking a moment to steel yourself, and your fingers curl around the hilt of Yaddle's lightsaber. The hilt is warm beneath your touch, a comfort. "Be careful. There are civilians in the area."

"Yes, sir," the men chorus.

"Good. Move out!"

With that, the squad launches themselves off the building, their armored bodies plummeting toward the ground. The troopers land hard, their boots pounding against the ground, and they move quickly, falling into formation. They spread out, weapons raised, and begin firing on the droids.

You land a moment later, and you're moving before the shock wears off. Your lightsabers swing wide, cutting through a pair of droids, and the troopers press forward, their guns blazing. They fight like a well-oiled machine, each man knowing exactly where the other is, where he needs to be. They work in perfect synchronization, and the droids are overwhelmed, their ranks crumbling.

But the fighting isn't easy. The droids are relentless, and the clones are outnumbered. Fuse takes a hit to the chest and goes down, a scorch mark seared across his breastplate. Screwball dives, grabbing his arm and dragging him out of the line of fire, and a pair of troopers flank him, their blasters lighting up the air.

"Push through!" you order. You deflect a bolt aimed at a clone's head, your lightsaber flashing, and the droid explodes. "We need to reach General Unduli!"

Snap falls into step beside you, his rifle pressed against his shoulder. He fires a series of shots, taking down three droids in quick succession.

"She's holed up in the capitol building," he says. He points to a tower looming over the square, its walls crumbling, its windows shattered. A few troopers peek out of the upper windows every few seconds to fire on the droids before retreating, only to reappear a moment later. "That's where they're holding out."

You can sense Luminara's presence now. Her signature is unmistakable, her power rippling through the Force. She's still standing, but you can sense the pain radiating from her. It's like a physical weight pressing down on you, and it only adds to your exhaustion.

"We need to hurry," you say.

A pair of vulture droids scream overhead, their wings folding back as they dive toward the ground. A clone on a nearby rooftop fires a rocket, and the projectile connects, sending the fighter spiraling out of control.

You watch in horror as it spirals toward where Dash and several other troopers are engaged with a group of droids. The fighter crashes into the ground, and a wall of smoke and flame erupts, sending men and droids alike flying.

"Dash!" you shout. "Snap, find him! Go!"

"Yes, sir!"

Snap launches himself toward the crash site, his blaster held high. He ducks and rolls, firing a shot that blows apart a droid's chest, and he's up again, sprinting into the smoke. The rest of the men follow, and you force yourself to turn away toward the capitol building, where a line of droids has formed, blocking the entrance.

The battle rages around you, a blur of noise and fire and smoke. You can't tell the droids apart from the clones anymore. You just keep pushing, tears stinging your eyes as you slash and cut and slice. The droids fall around you, and you don't stop. You're not sure you even breath until you're inside the capitol building, the doors slamming shut behind you.

"Master," a voice says, and you turn to see Barriss, her expression drawn. Her robes are stained with blood, her head covering torn. "Thank the Force."

"Are you alright?" you ask, and she nods, her lips pressing together. "Where's Luminara?"

"She's resting," Barriss replies. She gestures for you to follow, and she leads you deeper into the building. "We were forced to retreat after our forces were pushed back. There's only a handful of our squad left."

You follow her up the stairs and into the main chamber. It's a functional room, plain and unadorned, a testament to Nadiem’s agricultural roots. Two troopers are positioned at the entrance, and a third is tending to a wounded comrade, wrapping bandages around his arm. Luminara is leaning on a pillar, her hand clutching her side and watching the scene. She straightens as you enter, her expression softening.

"You took your time," she teases, her smile faint. She looks weary, her eyes heavy, and there's a bruise blooming along her jaw. "I was beginning to wonder if you'd forgotten about us."

"Ah, well. You know me, always fashionably late," you reply. You return her smile and move toward her, your gaze shifting to her side. "How badly are you hurt?"

"Just a scratch," she says. She moves her hand, and you can see a deep gash in her side, the edges singed. But the bleeding has stopped, and the wound isn't as bad as it could be. "Barriss has handled the worst of it."

"Good work," you praise, and Barriss flushes, ducking her head. "I'm sorry we were delayed. The situation with the commandos was worse than expected."

Luminara sighs. "I should have known. Dooku is always full of tricks."

"We're just glad you made it," Barriss says. Her gaze shifts, and her brow furrows. "Are you alright? You look...unwell."

You try to hide your grimace at the question. It's one you've heard enough of today, and you feel a flash of irritation, though it's not directed at Barriss.

"I'm fine," you lie.

The wound on your arm throbs, and the smell of blood and smoke is everywhere. You can't tell the difference between the two anymore. It's all just death. All just pain. And you can't take it anymore. Your body is shaking, and you want to collapse, to curl up in a corner and cry, but you can't.

There's a voice in the back of your head that whispers to you, reminding you that you have the power to end this, to save the clones. It would be so easy. Just a snap of your fingers. A flick of your wrist. You could have the whole thing over in a matter of minutes.

You bite your cheek, tasting blood, and you squeeze your eyes shut. It's tempting. So, so tempting. But you know what will happen if you give in. The darkness will consume you. And what happened here on Nadiem will pale in comparison to what will happen elsewhere. To what you will become.

No.

You can't.

You won't.

But, Maker, you want to.

"It's been a hell of a day," you offer when the silence has dragged too long. You try to keep your voice light, but the words come out strained. "I'll be fine once I get a chance to sit down."

Luminara's eyes narrow.

"General!"

You whip around, your head snapping toward the entrance. Booker is standing in the doorway, his helmet tucked under his arm. He's out of breath, his hair disheveled, his uniform covered in dirt and soot. But he's alive. He's alive.

And he's smiling.

"You're not gonna believe this," he pants. "But they're retreating."

"What?" you gasp.

"I know," he says. He grins, and the rest of the men begin pouring in behind him. "Looks like they ran out of tricks. The reinforcements are pulling out."

The wave of relief that crashes over you is staggering, drowning out the pain and fatigue and worry. Your legs threaten to buckle, and you have to grab the wall for support, the stone rough beneath your fingers.

Booker pushes past the rest of the men and grabs you, his arms wrapping around your waist and lifting you off the ground. He spins you around, and the motion only adds to the dizziness.

"Put me down," you laugh. He obliges, setting you back on your feet, and you lean heavily against him, your eyes falling shut. "Kriff. I didn't think we'd make it."

He huffs. "Don't be so dramatic."

Your head lolls, and he steadies you, his hands on your shoulders. You force your eyes open, blinking away the black spots that swim in your vision.

"Dash?" you ask. "Snap? Is everyone...?"

"We're all fine, sir," Booker replies. His tone is soft, reassuring, and he holds up a finger. "Well, Fuse is a bit banged up, but he'll pull through. Wise is already reading him the riot act about not taking cover sooner."

Your shoulders sag. "Thank the Force."

"General!"

Your head snaps toward the door, and Snap is striding across the room, a smile on his face. You break away from Booker and launch yourself toward him, and he catches you, his arms encircling you.

"Snap, are you okay? Are the others—"

"They're fine," he promises. His voice is warm, and his hands rub circles on your back, his touch gentle. "We're all okay."

You relax, melting into his embrace. The world is spinning, but it doesn't matter. He's safe. Everyone is safe.

And you're so, so tired.

Your knees give out, and Snap's arms tighten around you, holding you up. "General."

"M'okay," you murmur, your forehead resting against his chest plate. His heart is pounding, his body trembling. "I'm okay."

He lets out a shaky laugh. "You're not."

He's right. But it doesn't matter.

You've won. You're alive.

And you're still holding on.

taglist: @baddest-batchers @lolwey @chocolatewastelandtriumph @hobbititties @mere-bear

@thegreatpipster @tentakelspektakel @notslaybabes @aynavaano @floofyroro

@ayyyy-le-simp @mali-777 @schrodingersraven @megmegalodondon @dangraccoon

@heavenseed76 @dreamie411 @sukithebean @bimboshaggy @bunny7567

@lostqueenofegypt @9902sgirl @jedi-dreea @salaminus @heidnspeak

@ghostymarni @gottalovehistory @mrcaptainrex @burningnerdchild @yoitsjay

@callsign-denmark @julli-bee @moonychicky @captn-trex @feral-ferrule

@webslinger-holland @marchingviolist @cw80831 @chaicilatte @somewhere-on-kamino

@sensitive-shark @kashasenpai @kkdrawsdecently @isaidonyourknees @awkwardwookie

@sugarrush-blush @lunaastars @capricornrabies @champagnejaig @silly-starfish

#the clone wars #captain rex #clone captain rex #captain rex x reader #rex x reader #roy writes #event horizon #wrote this chapter in two days and did not proofread sorryy #accidentally threw in another clone OC but idk if i want to do a lot with him i just needed another guy 💀#if you wanna flesh him out be my guest #also! new masterlist format #there’s summaries for the parts now

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jamiethebee · 7 months ago

Text

Harvest

My piece for ecto-implosion 2024!

I was partnered up with @tsubaki94 who did three whole lovely artworks, so go check them out here! (x)

(The AO3 Link (X) : broken up into smaller chapters rather than this one big guy)

25,252 words

Danny rubbed his foot around in the dirt, watching the small dust cloud billow up and hang there.

“Well come on, I’ll show you where you’re staying for the next few months.” Alicia turned around and started walking off.

“Wait!” Danny bent to pick up his bags and rushed to catch up to his aunt, “I thought that you lived in the cabin?” He looked over at the cabin he spotted through the trees.

Alicia glanced back at Danny. She sighed, “I do. You don’t.”

Danny frowned. “I won’t? Then where will I be staying?”

Side stepping a bush, Alicia grumbled, “you’ll see.”

They moved through the brush, dodging branches and stepping around roots and detritus on the ground. It was hot and humid and Danny was starting to feel sticky, carrying his bags with him through it all. The birds around them quieted as they approached and then started up again once they left. A gentle slope turned into a steeper incline and Danny quietly wondered how much longer they were going to take. He really hoped Alicia wasn’t just taking him in a circle in some sadistic test to see how long he’d last before complaining. Or murder him. It wasn’t likely, but Danny didn’t know his grumpy aunt well enough to rule it out either. Probably not though. Maybe.

As they made their way up, Danny smelled a change in the air. He arched his neck around Alicia to try to see what the cause was, but quickly moved his head back and away from a sudden branch flying in his face. Just as Danny was weighing the benefits of asking for a break, the ground leveled out, and Danny got his first glimpse of the farm.

Golden strands of wheat waved in the slight breeze, stretching farther than Danny thought he’d see. In the distance, taller stalks formed a different swath. Alicia stepped out of the trees and onto a path that edged the fields. Following Alicia, Danny realized the smell had gotten stronger. “Huh,” Danny thought. He leaned over, closer to the stalks. Yep, the fields were definitely the source of the smell. Turning back to Alicia, he looked down the path and stepped next to his aunt to walk side by side. They seemed to be close to the edge and Danny could see a couple of structures in the distance.

“These are the wheat fields,” Alicia said. “My farm grows two kinds, spring and winter wheat. This here is the spring wheat; it’ll be part of what you’ll be helping to take care of on the farm.”

“Oh. What else will I be doing?”

Alicia looked down at him, “We’ll see.”

Danny winced and looked ahead again. “Am I staying in one of those cabins ahead of us?”

Alicia huffed, “Sure will. I’ve got a farmhand that helps out - sometimes stays in one of the cabins, sometimes travels back and forth from here to town. You’ll be meeting him later.”

“I didn’t realize there would be anyone else here.”

“Well sure, ya think I can take care of a farm like this all by myself? It’s a lot of work. Course, if one of my hands didn’t leave me in the middle of the season, I wouldn’t have let Maddie send you here at all.” Alicia looked down at him, “My farm’s no place to goof around. We all have jobs around here and we all have to do them.” She leveled a sharp look at Danny, “Understand? Just because you’re my sister’s kid doesn’t mean you aren’t responsible for pulling your own weight.”

Danny looked away, “Yeah. I get it. Don’t worry, Mom already told me.” More like lectured me to behave, Danny thought.

Alicia huffed. “Well, just keep that in mind.” They walked the rest of the way down the path in silence.

As they neared the first cabin they could hear a bark, “That’s Skip. He usually follows me around or hangs around the animals. Good for keeping most unwelcome visitors away.”

Danny looked out and around excitedly, “you have a dog?”

Climbing up the cabin steps to pull open the door, Alicia said “yeah, but he’s a working dog, so don’t go bothering him.”

Once Danny stepped in, Alicia followed, closing the door behind him. Sunlight streamed in through high set windows, illuminating the space. At one end there was a bed on a simple frame, a dresser next to it, and enough space for a chair and small table.

“This is where you’ll be staying. Got the place to yourself, though there isn’t much to begin with. The toilet is the outhouse in between these two cabins, unless you really want to head down to bother me for mine.”

Danny gulped, feeling a little intimated. “Got it – outhouse.”

“Yeah well, I’ll leave you to get settled in here and then I’ll come grab you for dinner. Most meals will be down in my cabin, since it has the kitchen. That said, you can bring food up here, but I don’t recommend it. Racoons and the like will try to break in if they smell it up here.”

Danny nodded, looking around. “Anything else?”

“You’d be best to wear boots if you’ve got them starting tomorrow, but for now? Make sure the cabin door latches correctly when you leave or it’ll swing open. That’s a great way to invite little rodents to make their home in here or to take a shit on the floor at the least.” Alicia looked over the cabin once, “Fer now, settle in and I’ll come get you when it’s time.” Alicia opened the cabin door and left Danny alone with his thoughts.

Stepping over to the bed, he set his suitcases down and sat between them. The bed let out a soft wheeze, but otherwise stayed firm. It was more of a cot than a proper mattress, but that didn’t faze Danny. He was looking to get shipped back to Amity Park as soon as he could anyway. Dust motes danced around him. The cabin was quite small. But at least Danny didn’t see any spiderwebs or droppings. ‘Small mercies’ Danny thought. Pulling out the older PDA gifted to him by Tucker, Danny tried to see if he could pick up a signal to send back to his friends. Waving his arm in the air didn’t do much. No signal. Sighing, Danny put the PDA down behind the suitcases and leaned back on his hands.

Closing his eyes and taking a deep breath, he could smell the dust in the air, hear the rustling of leaves on the trees, and the faint sounds of animals. He didn’t know why his parents thought he needed to get away from Amity Park for the second half of the summer, but Danny was annoyed. He spent the first half of the summer trapped in summer school, and no sooner did he have the freedom to spend time with Tucker and Sam, than his parents and Jazz decided to send him off. Between more ghosts showing up and causing problems, and his parents paying more attention to him now that Jazz was off at college, Danny had felt like he hadn’t had a moment to himself during the school year. Any extra time he used to have was taken up by his parents dragging him into the GAV to hunt down ghosts and talk about what he planned to do after high school. Danny had been looking forward to vegging out on the couch and running around the mall with Sam and Tucker instead of what? Shoveling dirt? Or watering plants? Or whatever. Danny wasn’t sure what would be expected from him this summer, but his mom made it clear that he was supposed to help his aunt with minimal complaint. Danny let his arms give out so he could fall back onto the bed.

He didn’t know what to expect here, but he knew that back in Amity the ghosts would be having a great time wreaking havoc with one less capable ghost hunter there to kick them back into the Ghost Zone. At least Valerie had enough of a truce with Phantom now to be convinced to empty the ghosts back into the portal instead of handing them over to be subjected to the latest experiment his parents cooked up. Danny closed his eyes. Even thinking about what he would be returning to at the end of summer back in Amity Park was enough to exhaust him and before he knew it, he drifted off to sleep.

A short rap on the door woke Danny up, and he got up, threw a glance at his still unopened suitcases, and walked to the cabin door, pulling it open. “Oh,” Danny said. It wasn’t Alicia at the door like he was expecting.

“Hey, you must Alicia’s nephew?” the mystery man asked.

“Uuuh yeah,” Danny rubbed the back of his neck trying to work out the crick that he put there by falling asleep cockeyed on the bed. “And you are- ?”

The man laughed, “Aaah, figures that Alicia wouldn’t have told ya. I’m here to take you to dinner, I’ll tell ya about myself on the way.”

Danny eyed the man, dressed in a button down shirt, blue jeans, boots, and a hat - he certainly looked like he worked on a farm. Stepping out of the cabin, and making sure that the latch took, Danny walked after the guy as he led Danny to a dirt path off to the side of the cabins. “I’m Will, no it ain’t short for nuthin. Down this path,” he gestured, “takes you straight to tha boss’ place – and coincidentally dinner.” Will let out a barking laugh and continued. “I’ve been working here for a few years now. Actually, for most of my life. Worked here during the summers in between school for Tish and Dick back when they ran the place. Later, when I realized city life didn’t agree with me, I came back and started working here full-time. Alicia took over when they passed and she’s a bit gruff, but just as smart as her ma in running the place.”

“Oh, last time I was here, Alicia mentioned the women in the family being smart,” Danny said offhandedly as he looked around the woods.

Will hummed, “darn right they are, never met a smarter bunch. The town was real glad when Alicia moved back, and I think they’re still a bit sad her sister – yer ma – never came back.” Danny could feel Will’s gaze on him, “when were ya here last, by the way?”

“Uh,” Danny said, looking over at Will, “uuh must’ve been a year and half ago? Roughly? It was only a short trip. My mom came down for Aunt Alicia’s divorce party and my sister and I dropped in to make sure my dad had my mom’s anniversary present. That’s a bit of a long story, but we were only here for a day.”

“Aaah,” said Will, “makes sense. I usually take a trip to the next town over to see my brother’s kids around that time. Wouldn’t have seen ya and Alicia ain’t a big blabber if it’s not about the farm.”

Danny didn’t have much to say to that, so he looked ahead to the path, which had started curving away. Coming around the bend, Danny could see Alicia’s cabin through the trees and realized that Alicia could have chosen to take this path up when Danny was carrying his suitcases. His mood soured as they kept walking. Getting to the end of the path, and out of the trees, Danny noticed a small building behind the cabin. Maybe he could ask Alicia what it was for?

Will walked up to the cabin door and knocked, before opening and sticking his head in, “Heya Boss, got the kid. Anythin’ ya need help with?”

“You two better wash your hands ‘fore ya even think about touching food.” Without turning around, she kept stirring the pot on the stove.

“Yes ma’am,” Will said, before turning around to Danny behind him, “Follow me.” And he walked into the cabin, heading around a wall to another door inside.

Danny glanced around the cabin as he stepped in. Nothing much had changed since the last time he was here. He heard water running and looked back around to Will, who was washing his hands in the small bathroom sink. Waiting for his turn, he looked around. There was a picture or two on a table along with a radio, a small couch and chair, and a little fireplace. But no TV. Danny frowned, resigning himself to a very boring summer.

“Alrighty,” Will said, hanging up the towel, “your turn kid,” and he walked off around the corner to the kitchen.

Danny stepped in, noting the indoor toilet and shower that wasn’t in his cabin, and washed his hands. By the time he got back out, Alicia and Will were outside setting down the final dishes on the wooden picnic table.

“Ah there you are Danny, we’ve got everything out here, come join us,” Alicia called him over.

Jumping down the stairs, Danny walked over to the table and took a seat next to Will. Alicia may be his aunt, but he felt more comfortable with Will from the short walk over than he did with her. A stack of bowls, a pot, and some bread on a plate got his attention.

Watching Alicia and Will grab bowls and dish out stew, Danny grabbed the last bowl and did so himself once the ladle was free. Grabbing a piece of bread, he started dunking it in. Watching Alicia and Will eat, he took a bite. Danny made a surprised noise.

Alicia looked over to him, “Surprised?”

Danny nodded and swallowed his bite, “a lot better than I was expecting.”

Alicia laughed, “I’ll take it that my sister still ain’t much of a cook if you think that.”

Danny sheepishly laughed, “Mom’s cooking is alright.” How could Danny explain that most of the stuff in their fridge sat next to ectoplasm and that no matter how well the containers were sealed, most of the time, the food tasted slightly off from spending time in there? He elected to stay silent.

Alicia hummed in response as she ate another bite of stew. The rest of dinner passed quietly, and soon the sounds of bowls being scrapped clean echoed in the little clearing.

Alicia leaned back, waiting for Danny to finish. Will took out a little pipe, tapping down the tobacco and lighting it. Danny wrinkled his nose at the smell as he finished his bowl and straightened. “That was really good Aunt Alicia,” Danny said.

Alicia grinned, sharp and wide, “glad you thought so. Will, you can head back up, Danny here is going to help me with the dishes tonight.”

“Are ya sure?” Will asked.

“Yea, we’ve got some things to talk about anyway,” Alicia narrowed her eyes at her nephew.

Danny felt a chill run down his spine, unrelated to the waning light.

“Alright,” Will said, standing, “I guess I’ll be going then. Night Alicia, night Danny.”

“Night Will,” Alicia said.

“Goodnight Will,” Danny called out as Will walked back to the path they came down.

“Well,” Alicia started, “Grab the dishes and follow me in.” She stood up and grabbed the pot, heading back to her cabin.

Danny stood up, piled the bowls and spoons together in a neat pile, and walked in after Alicia.

“There ain’t no dishwasher in this old cabin, so we’ll be doing everything by hand.” Alicia plugged half the sink and started the tap. “I’ll let you rinse and dry the dishes.” Danny set the bowls off to the side of the sink and walked around her.

After filling up the sink sides, Alicia took the pan and started soaping it up. “So, Danny,” Alicia started. “Um, well, Maddie,” she cleared her throat. “Yer ma seemed worried about you. Anything I should know about? Since you’ll be working on my farm and all.”

Danny shoulders inched towards his ears. “No, nothing. I didn’t need to get out of Amity.” He scowled at the pot Alicia was cleaning.

“Hmmm,” Alicia replied, methodically working around the inside. “I never knew my sister to be a worrier, but I won’t pry. So long as you don’t bring any strangers or trouble around it’s not really my business.”

Danny’s shoulders relaxed some as he took the pot from Alicia and rinsed it off before setting it in the dish rack to start drip drying. The rest of the dishes passed quickly in the silence and as Danny was drying the last bowl, Alicia walked off around the corner.

Danny closed the last cupboard as Alicia came back around with a large fabric bag. “I don’t want to keep you up for much longer, but we’ve got some housekeeping to deal with first.” She held out the bag towards Danny. He took it. “First off, my cabin has the only shower. The only rules are to not use it when I’m sleeping and to clean up after yourself. I mean pick up your towels and hang them to dry over your cabin porch railing. I’ve got a standing unit in the back.” At Danny’s scrunched eyebrows, she sighed. “A washing machine,” she strode to the cabin door. Heading down the steps, she called back, “You saw the structure behind the cabin?”

“Uuuh, yeah,” Danny said, walking behind her.

“Well, the machine’s in there. We don’t got a dryer, instead,” Alicia pointed up at a line stretching from her cabin to a tree. “There’s a bag inside with clothespins. You’ll hang up your clothes after the washer gets done. I recommend getting up in the mornings and starting them so that they have the whole day to dry on the line. But that’s just me.” Turning back around she said, “well, I think that’s most everything. I’ve got a bell I’ll ring to let y’all know when food’s ready. I expect you to finish whatever you’re up to and to get down here when you hear that bell. Either you’re on time or you don’t eat. There’s too much to do around here to wait around.” She looked down at him as the sun finished setting, the orange glow around them the last remnant of the day. Her face softened some, “before I send you back to get some sleep, any questions?”

Danny shook his head, “Naw, laundry out back, shower inside, don’t bother you with either. I think I’ve got it all.”

“Good.” Alicia and Danny stood there for a moment. “Well,” Alicia cleared her throat, “I’ll uh, see you tomorrow mornin then. Night kid,” and turned to walk back to her cabin.

Danny stood there for a moment before sighing and making his way back to the path.

_______

Danny woke up to knocking on the door and sunlight on his face.

Knock knock knock echoed through the cabin and Danny squished his eyelids together even tighter. “Come on, get up boy, you don’t have time to lay around.”

Danny turned his head into his pillow and groaned. He spent long enough last night putting away his clothes and getting used to the small cabin that he fell asleep at a time that, had he been back in Amity, would have been early and yet here was late, based on how groggy he felt. Unrested.

Knock knock bang, “don’t think I won’t come in there kid,” Alicia warned.

Danny let out another groan before turning his head and calling out, “Alright, I’ll be out in a minute.”

Something that sounded like “too long” came from the door before footsteps started walking down the cabin steps. Quickly getting ready – jeans, shirt, and unfortunately, FentonWorks patented hazmat boots, Danny pushed open the door, hopping a little to finish getting the second boot on. He jumped down the stairs, making his way to Aunt Alicia, who was leaning against a tree.

“Well, 56 seconds ain’t bad kid, but come on. You’re following me around for the day.” She pushed off and started walking, “I assume you don’t have any experience working a farm?”

Danny shook his head, “no ma’am.”

Alicia snorted, “none of that ma’am business, call me Alice.”

“I thought your name was Alicia though?”

Opening a little gate, Alicia whistled and then beckoned Danny through before latching it, “Sure is, but yer ma and me had our Grandma Alicia, so family started calling me by Alice.” Walking off to a small building further back, she continued, “But enough of that, we’ve got a long day. You can ask if you have questions, but do your best to pay attention.” With that, she opened the door to a cacophony of clucking that quickly died down. Danny stepped in after her, and as his eyes adjusted he saw the inside of a coop. Two rows of chicken nests on either wall, with hens either standing around Alicia or sitting. Once they spied Danny hiding behind her though, they started squawking again and rushed forward, wings flapping and feathers fluffed. Danny started backing away before a hand pushed on his back and a bucket was shoved into his chest. Quickly grabbing it, Danny looked down at a bunch of seed and –

“OW!” Danny yelped as he started hopping from one foot to another, hens trying to peck away at the new intruder.

“Walk out, they’re just not used to you is all,” and Alicia shooed him out of the coop.

‘Fuck’ Danny frowned, not quite running away from the coop and wishing he could’ve used his intangibility to get away from the chickens. Alicia laughed at him as the hens kept pace around Danny’s ankles, lunging forward to peck at him. “How do I get them to stop?” Danny yelled.

“Jump the fence!”

Danny ran back to the gate and hopped over it with a little help from his ghost side to land a few steps away from the chickens.

Bwaack Squak Sqwauk!!

Danny looked up at Alicia who offered an unapologetic, “Sorry. I forgot.”

Squinting at the slightly amused look on his aunt’s face, Danny scowled, “Did you do that on purpose?”

“No idea what ya mean kid. Anyway, for now you can toss some feed in, but otherwise wait out there. I’ll explain what I did when I get back out to you.” Alicia grabbed a basket hanging outside the coop door and walked back inside.

Danny glared down at the chickens who were still protesting his presence. “What.”

“Squuuuawk!” was the response back.

Danny sighed and looked down at the bucket in his hands. It had some seeds and other things mixed in. Looking back up at the chickens staring at him, Danny slowly raised a hand, “I’m going to throw some seeds in. Please don’t scream at me for it,” and he reached a hand in. No sooner did Danny close his hand around some feed, then one of the hens decided to start flapping its wings again to cause a fuss. Danny jumped and glared at the chicken. Out of spite, Danny reached back in and with a handful of feed, overhand chucked it into the coop yard. Sticking his tongue out at the chickens that refused to let him out of their sight, Danny took another step back. He couldn’t wait till his parents’ summer banishment was over and he could go back to Amity Park.

Alicia stepped out of the coop with the basket and walked over to a trough sitting in the yard. After looking down, she gave a quick nod, and then started heading to the gate. Where the chickens were still standing. Glaring at Danny.

“Uuuh,” Danny said, “Do you have a plan on getting close enough to take this bucket back?”

“Sure do,” Alicia said, coming up to the gate, “step closer and hand it over.”

Eyes never leaving the chickens, Danny inched his way closer to Alicia and when he was close enough, thrust out the bucket towards her. “Do they hate everyone?” He asked.

Alicia took the bucket, “Nope. Not me,” and laughing, walked back to the coop.

“Great, real reassuring,” Danny grumbled to her back.

Once Alicia finished up inside the coop, and with a basket of eggs in hand, she walked back out of the enclosure to Danny. “Noticed how I whistled before?” Danny nodded. “I was warning the chickens that I was coming in. It’s how I let them know it’s me and not a stranger.” She grinned. “Not that it helped you any.”

Danny looking away, glaring.

Alicia paused for a moment, “Well, no matter.” She started walking to another log structure. “I want you to figure out what signal you’re gonna give the chickens and start visiting them in the mornings. Just so they get used to you. We don’t want to upset them too much, so they need to start recognizing you.” Walking up to the much larger barn, she opened the doors. Danny was hit with the smell of animals and he scrunched up his nose, coughing.

Alice looked back at him and laughed, “Well, you’ll get used to the smell soon enough. Anyway, this is where we’ve got the rest of the animals. Some pigs, cows, sheep - used to have a horse, but once we switched to using the tractor and truck full time, and old age killed her off, it didn’t make sense to get another. But that was a number of years ago at this point. I think ya mom and me were still kids then.”

Danny’s eyes finished adjusting to the inside and he saw the animals in their stalls. The cows looked over at him, but it was one brave pig that snuffled up to Danny. “Oh,” Danny said, crouching down. “Cute.” Reaching out a hand, Danny tried to pet the pig, which quickly moved away and waddled back to its stall area.

Danny caught Alicia’s smile as he stood back up. “Pat’s rather friendly, but I wouldn’t recommend getting too attached.” She gestured over to the far wall, “I usually open up the barn during the day, let the animals wander around. Before that though,” she bent down to grab a stool. “There’s some tasks to get done.”

Alicia made her way to one of the cows and picked up a stool and a steel bucket hanging up on the post. She turned back around to Danny, “Yer gonna learn how to milk the cows here. We usually fill up the pail and then transfer them to bottles. We get too much milk to use ourselves, so neighbors will come and pick up some bottles from time to time.” She set the stool down with the pail on top, then moved to the larger cow. Going around to the back of the stall, she unlooped a short rope and tied it around the cow’s neck. “This old gal here is Gully.” Alice jerked her chin to other stall, “and our younger one is Lass.” Alicia walked back out of the stall to move the stool and bucket closer.

“What’s the rope for Aunt Alice?” Danny asked.

“Oh,” Alice said, setting down the stool and pail at Gully’s side. Sitting down, she said, “just to keep her in place. Gully doesn’t move as much as Lass will, but she’s used to the rope. Either way, it lets her know it’s her turn. Here,” Alice beckoned Danny over. "Now here’s how you milk a cow.”

After the early morning of getting food to the animals, collecting the eggs, and milking the cows, Alice led Danny back down to her cabin. Going inside for a minute, Alice came out with a cup of water for Danny. “I’m gonna check on the oatmeal and cook up a few eggs for us. I want you to walk around the woods down here while I finish up breakfast.”

“Alright,” Danny said. “And uuuh, I’ll hear the bell when it’s time to come back?”

Alice chuckled, “Ha - yeah, you’ll hear it. Remember – don’t dawdle when you hear it, come straight back.”

Danny downed the cup of water in one go and nodded, setting down the now empty glass on the table. “Will do.” Danny started walking off and he heard the creak of the cabin door. Just as he was about to exit the clearing, Alicia yelled back, “And don’t step on my rhubarb!”

Danny walked around a bush, ducking underneath a tree limb, “Ok!” and almost ran into a large leafed plant. He tilted his head. Squinted.

‘I don’t actually know what rhubarb looks like,’ he thought. Danny shrugged and moved around it anyway. Walking further into the woods he felt the temperature drop some as shade took over. Standing still, Danny realized how quiet it was. No cars, no honking, no rushing of traffic in the distance. Instead, there was the rustle of leaves and the occasional bird call. He breathed in and out. Quiet, and it smelled like the earth. He looked around. A chipmunk scampered up a far off tree. Danny started picking his way through the bushes, tree roots, and other obstacles as he walked further in.

Danny looked back, and not seeing anyone, did his best to walk in a circle with Alicia’s cabin in the center. He almost tripped a few times, before remembering that he could use his intangibility to easily get through the plants without crushing any. ‘Problem solved. I can’t step on anything if I do this.’ Without having to pick his way in between and around foliage, Danny’s pace picked up as he walked the area. Coming up to what he assumed was near the back side of the cabin, Danny heard a sharp piercing bell echo around. Danny jumped. It was much louder than he thought it would be, especially through the trees. He started walking back, and spied Will coming in and out of view. Danny had gone farther than he thought and hurried up. Just before he popped out of the trees, he dropped his intangibility and walked out behind Will onto the dirt path. “Hey Will!” Danny greeted.

Will whipped his head around, “Oh! Geee-zuuus kid. Where’d you come from?”

Danny came up alongside Will, “the woods. Alice showed me around the animals this morning, then had me walk around for a bit.”

Will nodded. “Makes sense. You see her rhubarb patch?”

Danny grimaced, “Uuuh maybe?”

“You don’t know what they look like, do ya?”

Danny shook his head, “Not really.” After a moment of hesitation, Danny asked, “what do they look like?”

“Oh well, you’ll know it when you see it. Got these big leafs on them. Actually, she’s started a new patch of them in her actual garden. Not hard to spot, there’s about 6 of them? Started a year or two back to grow them in a different spot. Real finicky things, they don’t like it down here, but I suppose Alicia likes ‘em well enough that she takes the time to baby the things. Me personally, I don’t like ‘em all that much, wouldn’t bother putting in tha’ much effort.” Popping out of the trees, Will waved over to Alicia, getting her attention to let them know they had arrived.

Alicia looked over, “Good – kid came back with ya. I’ll finish hanging this line and then I’ll get food out.” She turned back to the laundry.

Will nodded, “understood ma’am.” He looked over and down at Danny, ��We best wash our hands and start setting out dishes then.”

Getting the table set up with a small plate, bowl, and spoon for each of them, Danny grabbed the pot of oatmeal, while Will grabbed the scrambled eggs. They got them set down in time for Alicia to round the corner from the back. “Aah, thank you kindly boys. Wasn’t expecting ya both to set up, but I’m grateful.” Sitting down, she started dishing out a ladle of oatmeal for everyone and Will pushed off some eggs on each plate. Danny waited a moment for Will and Alicia to settle down and then started eating.

After breakfast, Alice once again shooed Will off to work and had Danny help her wash and put away the dishes. Putting the towel back on the oven handle, Alice turned to her nephew. “Well. We’ve got a long day ahead of us.” She glanced around. “Ya bring a water bottle with ya or anything?”

Danny furrowed his eyebrows, “Uh no.” He flushed, “I forgot to grab one when packing.”

Alicia huffed, bending down to open a lower cabinet, and rummaged around before pulling out a spare canteen. Standing up, she unscrewed the lid and looked down into it with one eye closed. “Don’t think there’s dust or nothing in there. Should work fine for ya.” She passed it off to Danny and started walking out the door. “Get it filled and I’ll see ya outside. If you need to pee, now’s the time to do it.” She walked out and left Danny in the cabin. Looking around, he didn’t see anywhere other than the sink to fill up the water. Shrugging, he got it filled up from the sink, then quickly went to the bathroom. Looping the water bottle strap around himself, he left the cabin. Making sure to latch it closed, he walked towards Alicia who had put on a wide brimmed hat and they started up the slope together.

“Soooo,” Danny said. “What’re we doing today?”

Alicia chuckled, “you’ll see. I always found it easier myself to see what someone was talking about than to just listen to someone blabber on.”

They headed back up to the animals. Walking towards the barn, Danny squinted his eyes at the change in light as they reentered. He put a hand to his mouth in an attempt to stifle a cough. Alice looked over at him, eyes crinkling. “First order of business, mucking out the stalls. I’ll do the first one, then you’ll take over, so make sure you’re watching closely.” Danny wrinkled his nose as he took his hand away and watched Alicia roll up a wheel barrow from the side. She picked up a pitchfork, and as she speared the poop, started talking.

“You’re probably familiar with the poop part of this. You want to get out all the large patties, and then go back and clean up the pissed sections.” Alicia grunted as she lifted a large chunk into the wheelbarrow. “It ain’t tricky, but sometimes the animals like to cover the patches, so you gotta make sure that you get all the spots. We want them to have clean stalls when we bring them back in this evening. Specially the cows, don’t want them to get infections or nothing.” Alicia looked over at Danny who was looking up into the loft.

“Hey!” she called, and Danny dropped his head down to look at her. “You got that?”

“Yes, Aunt Alice,” Danny rubbed the back of his neck.

Alicia narrowed her eyes at him, then continued mucking out the stall. When she finished, she handed the necessary tools over. “Your turn kid.”

Danny flushed as he grabbed at the pitchfork, “Uh yes.” He looked around before facing his aunt. “What am I doing?”

Alicia stared him down. “The next stall, boy. Get to it.”

Danny gulped and walked to the stall next to the one Alice finished. “So I just-“ and he mimed stabbing a poop patty.

Alicia raised an eyebrow and stared Danny down.

Turning back around, he prodded the pile. Standing there a moment, he shifted his stance and jerked the tines into the pile. He wiggled it in a little further. Glancing over at the wheelbarrow, he started to crouch a little, bracing against his leg, and tried to leverage the pile up. The pitchfork shook a little and Danny shifted a foot back to steady himself. He shuffled around and clumsily wiggleded the poop off and into the wheelbarrow. He looked up at Alicia. Alicia looked back into the stall then back at Danny. Figuring that was as good of a “go ahead” as he was going to get, he turned back into the stall and continued. Alicia came to stand by the stall entrance and give the occasional tip as Danny rooted around looking around for spots to clean up. Danny groaned as he finished the last spot. Rubbing his arm, he turned toward Alicia.

As he opened his mouth, Alicia cut him off, “On to the next.”

Danny shut his mouth, glowering a little, and stepped over to the next stall in line. By the time he finished with that one, Alicia had come back with additional stall bedding, spreading it out and filling in the bare spots. Danny leaned against the stall divider and opened up his bottle, taking a gulp of water. It dribbled down his chin and he wiped it off. He hung his arms over the divider as he watched Alicia. Her movements were smooth and practiced, and she was methodical, poking around and moving material, building it up in spots and thinning it out in others. Alicia stepped back, shovel planted by her side. She glanced over at Danny, not surprised to see him watching.

“Any questions?”

Danny shook his head.

“No? Well, I’ll leave you to the rest then,” and grinned at him, before leaning the shovel to the side and walking out of the barn.

Danny sighed and dropped his head for a moment. It wasn’t hard to get the gist of what he had to do, but all of them? It felt like he spent an hour just cleaning out the two he did already. Not looking forward to the rest of the day, Danny pushed off the wall to continue.

At some point, Danny noticed something watching him from the barn door. His shoulders tensed as he turned around. The shape was grounded, solid in a way that most ghosts couldn’t replicate, and Danny felt his shoulders relax some. Squinting against the bright light pouring in, he made out a fuzziness to whatever it was. As his eyes adjusted enough to see more, Danny smiled. It was a large dog, light in color except for the face and ears where the fur darkened. Just as he was about to take a step to walk over, a low bark echoed throughout the barn. Danny stopped. The dog stood up but otherwise didn’t move, keeping eyes on him.

“Hey,” Danny said. “Aunt Alice said your name was Skip?”

The dog lowered its head down, staring down Danny.

Hearing footsteps coming from outside, Danny looked up. Alice came to the entrance by Skip’s side. “Sit,” she said. Turning to Danny, “can you turn away from Skip a little?”

Crouching down, she talked to Skip for a moment, before standing up and walking towards Danny. “Alright, this is Danny.” Coming to a stop near Danny, she clapped a hand on his shoulder. “He’s going to be staying with us a while Skip.”

Skip stood up, turned away, and walked off. Alice faced Danny. “Well, that was Skip. He isn’t the most friendly to strangers, but he’ll get used to you being around eventually. Not that he hangs around us all that often. Skip spends a lot of time with the chickens, sometimes the cows or pigs depending. And you,” Alicia shook a finger at him, “will be out with the crops. Shouldn’t run into any problems with Skip, just don’t startle him.”

Danny’s face fell, “Got it.”

Alice looked around. “So, you about finished in here?”

Danny ducked his head, “eeh about that.”

Alicia sighed, “Ok. Well, once you get done with this, come find me. I’ll be around, but if you can’t find me, just give a shout.” She walked back out of the barn.

Danny sighed, hopes of having a dog crushed once again, and got back to work.

_____

Putting the tools back where Alicia grabbed them from, Danny walked out of the barn. Stepping out of the shade, his hand flew up to shade his eyes from the sudden sun. Glancing around, he didn’t see Alicia. The woods on one side, chicken area in front, barn behind, and fields on his left. Danny’s arms were aching, and he turned toward the woods.

Walking through them for a while, Danny found a downed tree and sat down on it. Head turned up to the dappled sunlight, arms stretched back, legs thrown out in front of him, he breathed deeply. He slowly built up energy in his chest, before directing the collected ectoplasm out from his fingers, through the log, and into the surrounding area. Nothing ectoplasmic echoed back through the connection and Danny slowed pulled it back, collecting and dispersing it back into himself. Once confirming there were no ghosts out there, he fully settled his weight down onto his hands.

He ignored the guilt building a home in his stomach and stayed for a few minutes, letting the sun soak into his being. Danny was starting to get warm, bordering on hot - a foreign feeling ever since his ice core fully formed. His eyelids fluttered closed and a soft breeze blew through, taking the edge of the heat off. Danny could feel his heart slowing, mind growing fuzzy, and then he toppled back off the log. His back hit the ground and the air escaped his lungs. Wheezing softly, he stayed there for a moment. Gathering breath back in his lungs, he tried to roll himself over. Picking himself up, Danny did his best to brush the dirt and leaves off his backside. Turning his attention back where he came from, he stomped his way to the farm.

Coming back up to the path around the farm, Danny spied Alicia coming up to the barn. He started jogging faster before deciding to turn invisible and fly into the barn. Setting down in a shaded corner, Danny turned visible and walked to the open doors. Looking around behind him, he double checked that everything looked alright and walked out.

Alicia was almost to the barn doors, looking back at the chickens, when Danny popped out. “Hey!” Danny called. Alicia turned around to look at Danny before sending one last glance back. Waiting for Alicia to get to the barn, Danny rocked back and forth on his heels. His arms didn’t ache as much as when he first finished, but he could still feel the shaky weakness in them. Danny flashed a smile at her as she got to him.

“So, how are you feeling? Up to walking through the fields with me?”

Danny grimaced before he could stop himself.

Alicia looked at him, “I’ll take that as a yes.” She started walking away.

“Uh.” Danny started. Alicia stopped. “I – uh – what do I do with the, uuh, poop. In the wheelbarrow?”

Alicia sighed before changing directions, walking back up and into the barn. “I’ll show ya. You’re gonna dump it in a pile out back. We let it sit and age a while before using it. Not the most glamorous, but it does the job.”

Danny followed her in and took up the handles on the wheelbarrow. Alicia led him out back, through the gated fence, and to a pile of poop. Danny wrinkled his nose. It didn’t smell as bad as he thought, but it wasn’t pleasant either. He watched Alicia pick up a shovel that was leaning against a tree nearby, and she scooped the poop out of the small wheelbarrow and onto the pile. In a minute she was done and set the shovel back down.

“As I said, not hard. Get that wheelbarrow back where I grabbed it from this morning and catch up to me. We’ve got a lot to do today.”

Danny hurried to comply and jogged to get back to Alicia who was halfway to the fields.

“Sooo,” Danny stretched out the syllable, “what’re we doing anyways? Like the plants are all planted and stuff, right?”

Alicia scoffed at him and continued walking out to the fields. Coming up to a large field of corn, she sharply turned left and kept walking alongside it.

Danny hopped a little on one leg to change direction and catch up. After a few minutes of following Alicia and looking around the area – primarily at the woods in the distance, watching a bird fly up and overhead, and trying to find some shapes in the clouds – Danny sighed. He looked over at Alicia. Tried to find another bird to watch. Looked back down. Then further down at his feet. Kicked a stray rock, causing a small dust cloud to rise up. Alicia huffed. Danny paused for a moment. Started swinging his arms back and forth. Stopped. Started humming. Stopped. Shifted his weight on every step so he bobbed and swayed along more than walked. Stopped that. Looked back up at the clouds. He could feel the sun warming the back of his neck as they went.

Alicia glanced over at him, causing Danny’s extraneous movements to still. His shoulders lifted and he ducked his head down. After another moment Alicia put her hands in her pockets. Sighed. “If Will wasn’t using the tractor to go around the farm today I would’ve taken you around in it.” She leaned over to examine some of the corn stalks they passed by. Straightening back up Alicia said to Danny, “There’s still a lot to do on the farm. We may not be primarily livestock, but crops also require a fair bit of work. We have to make sure they’re getting enough water, fertilize from time to time, spray for bugs and other diseases, weeding of course, making sure we don’t see signs of problems on the plants themselves, taking care of tractor maintenance – among other daily tasks. You’ll be out in the fields mostly. I’ll show you what needs done these first few days and then you’ll be sent off to do those tasks. Don’t worry, I’ll let you know what to focus on, but,” Alicia shrugged, “a lot of it comes down to watching and learning the first few days.”

“Oh.” Danny said. “Uh, so what kinds of plants do you grow here?” He scratched his warm neck.

Alice lifted up her hat before setting it back down, “Well, we’re a bit unusual – mostly growing feed for the livestock farms around here. Remember when you and Jazz jumped into town last year from Air Grits?”

Danny nodded, “Yeah, that was weird; drove in this time though.”

Alice lifted her eyebrows for a moment, “Yep. Bit of a hassle to drive into town though?”

Danny looked away, “Uuuh yea, the roads were kind of bumpy?”

Letting out a loud barking laugh, Alice said, “That’s one way to put it. The road up here has a lot of sections through the woods too. People here don’t drive from town to town all that often. Makes us pretty secluded, and since there's not a lot of traffic it doesn’t make much sense to put money aside to pave a more direct route in. Easier to just jump in from a plane for the most part. Unless you live close that is.”

“I guess. But what does that have to do with your farm?” Danny wrinkled his noise as a breeze briefly brought the smell of manure his way.

“Mmm,” Alicia started. “Well, animals need a lot of food, and the harder it is to get it brought in, the more expensive it is. Growing up, your ma and me saw how the farmers struggled with the prices. When I grew up, I decided to shift the family farm to silage to help with the demand. You won’t see a lot of farms like mine, most of the food is grown outside of our region here or in other states entirely.” She paused. “It’s also a hell of a lot more trouble to get it to all work out if I’m honest. There’s a reason crops aren’t grown in these parts.”

Danny nodded, looking back at the trees they passed by.

“To answer your original question, we got a field we plant cover crops in. Depending on what we’ve got, I’ll send the cows and pigs out there during the days. You won’t spend a lot of time there. Then we’ve got this corn that we’re passing. Unlike the corn we eat, this gets left to dry out after it gets done growing.”

Danny looked over the field, eyebrows pinched together. “Corn?”

“Yessir, this is a corn field we’re walking by. I guess for a city boy like you, it’ll be easier to tell in a few weeks. These here are still growing their ears. We’ve got some fields we planted earlier – they got their ears and silk already. You’ll see them tomorrow probably.”

“Why?” Danny interjected, “Why did you plant them like that?”

“Well,” Alice starts, “Oh, we’re coming up to the wheat here,” and pointed forward to the next field. “We stagger our fields like that, so we stagger what time they’re ready to harvest. It doesn’t make sense to flood the ranchers around here with a bunch of feed all at once, or to hafta store a bunch of it. Arkansas up here in the north is a little interesting. I started doing that a couple years back, and it’s been alright. More work on my and Will’s end, but,” Alice shrugged.

Danny looked up at her, then tried standing on his tip toes as he walked. He couldn’t see past the tops of the corn stalks and stumbled over an uneven patch on the ground. Righting himself, he glanced back up at his aunt. “So you’ve got corn and wheat, anything else?”

Alice looked down at him briefly, “Sometimes we’ll do soybeans, sometimes sorghum. Depends. Nothing you’ll have to worry about either way. I think we’ll keep ya working on the wheat and corn this summer.” Alicia looked at him from the corner of her eye. “Speaking of, you drive yet?”

Danny choked on some spit, “Sorry?” He cleared his throat, “I’m still a few months shy of being able to get my permit. Eeeer,” Danny looked up her, “Why?”

“Aaah,” Alice said. More to herself than Danny, she muttered, “No matter, I’ll have to teach ya regardless.” She looked off in the distance before turning back to Danny. “Today, we’re going to go around the farm. I’ll show ya where are the different sections are and how they’re organized.”

Danny squirmed, “You don’t have to do that Aunt Alicia, I could walk around by myself. I don’t want to take you away from your work.”

Alicia narrowed her eyes at him. “You won’t be. I’ve got stuff to do out in the fields anyway.”

Deflating a little under her gaze he nodded, “Okay.”

Walking out to edge of the farm, Alicia took Danny through a section of wheat, pointing out things to watch out for, checking moisture levels, and more. Danny did his best to pay attention, but kept getting distracted by the wind brushing through the wheat. The plants would bend and rub against one another, creating a raspy sound, like someone walking around. After a sudden gust that caused Danny to jump, Alicia looked up at him. She waited for Danny to settle again, then went back to what she was doing. He could feel his shoulders tense and looked around the tops of the wheat to make sure that there really wasn’t anyone around. Danny moved to crouch down next to his aunt. He started to lean off to one side, unbalanced on the ground, and it was only when he put out a hand to brace himself did Danny notice that his hands were balled into fists. He slowly unclenched his left hand, the tension dissipating as he flexed it. Turning back to Alicia, he noticed she had turned to look at him. Danny looked back at her. She raised an eyebrow.

At Danny’s clueless face, she rolled her eyes. “Look over at the roots by you – do you see anything out of the ordinary?”

Danny ears flushed pink as he turned his head to look around him.

The rest of the afternoon passed by quickly, with Alice pulling snack bars from her overall pockets as a short break while they walked through more sections. As they exited a corn field, Danny heard a rumbling in the distance. After a minute or two of walking down the wider path, Alicia angled her head back, listening to something. “Seems Will is driving the tractor back. If he crosses near us, and has the cart hitched up, we can get a ride back.”

Danny desperately hoped that he would see Will. He might have the occasional ghost fight and Sam as a friend, but he wasn’t fit. After a day walking around, crouching and standing, his legs were tired, feet aching, and even his arms felt heavy. Danny couldn’t wait to get back to his cabin and fall face first onto his bed asleep. His stomach grumbled out. Actually, dinner first, then sleep. Hearing a change in the tractor rumble, Danny looked behind him and saw the tractor turn down their row. Danny waved at Will, and Alicia turned around. Ushering Danny to the side of the path, they let Will come to a stop, before closing the distance.

Grinning over at them, Will opened the door and told Danny, “You look dead on ya feet, kid. Ready to get back?”

“Yes please,” Danny begged.

“Alright, then climb in.” Will closed the door.

Danny gave a little wave and followed Alicia to the back, climbing up into the cart hitched up.

As Will got closer to the upper cabins, he let Alicia and Danny off before he went off to park the tractor and finish up some tasks.

“Well,” Alicia said, stretching out her back, “I’ve got some stuff to get in order before dinner. If you want to call home, I’ve got a landline down in my house. There’s not enough time to take a nap or anything, not that I’d recommend it anyway. Or you could always take another look in the barn, see if there’s anything to muck out before the animals bed down for the night.

“Ok,” Danny said. Alicia quickly turned and made her way down to the lower area. Danny stood there for a minute, looking off into the woods, before making his way behind his cabin to the freestanding outhouse.

After, he ambled to his cabin. Throwing open the door, he walked over to his bed. He flopped down on top of it, a leg and arm hanging over the edge. Danny wasn’t sure how much time he actually had before dinner, but he just wanted to be horizontal for a while. His body settled down, weighing into the mattress as he tried to stop thinking. After a while, his face got tired of being smashed into the sheets and Danny turned his head to the side, examining the little cabin. The sunlight coming in through the windows was yellow orange and muted. He watched the dust motes dance down the shaft of light before they disappeared into the shadows by his face. Feeling his body relax further, his turned his attention to his wide open door. The sounds of the woods filtered in, quiet, through it. He heard a deep bark come from Skip from somewhere. The sounds of a fly buzzing around his doorframe before flying off. Birds called back and forth. Danny sighed and felt his eyelids slide shut. He couldn’t wait to start counting down the days until he returned to Amity Park.

When Danny could feel his heart slowing down, he quickly opened his eyes and pushed himself up. The sudden shift started his heart beating rapidly. Despite wanting to sleep so badly after this day, Danny did not want to miss dinner and he had a sinking feeling that his aunt would not be happy if he didn’t show up. Not knowing how much time passed, he got up and left his cabin, making sure the latch clicked shut before he walked down to Alicia’s cabin. Rubbing his eyes with the back of his hands, he made his way down the slope. He didn’t call last night, despite promising his family he would. Danny was relatively assured that his mom would’ve called Alice anyway. More than that, Danny wanted to check in with Sam and Tucker. As enthusiastic as his parents could be about chasing down ghosts, they were hardly reliable when it came to dealing with the ghosts in town.

He heard a steady clacking as he approached Alice’s door, and opening it, he found her in the kitchen cutting up ingredients.

Danny looked around, then cleared his throat. After a moment, Alice turned around to face Danny. “What’s up?”

“Uuh, I’d like to use the phone. If there’s still time before dinner?”

Alice gave one short nod then gestured, curving her hand around to point. “Phone is on the other side of this wall, it’s a mounted one. You can pull up a chair if you want. I reckon you have enough time for a call.”

“Or two, if you’ve got a special someone,” she tacked on, laughing when Danny spluttered half formed words at her. “Aah just kidding kid,” Alice said as she turned back around.

Danny let out a wheezy, “thanks,” before walking to the other side of the wall. He found the aged yellow phone on the other side easily enough. Pausing in front of it, he took a deep breath, before lifting up his hand to the receiver. His hand rested there for a moment before he tightened his fingers and pulled the phone off, dialing the FentonWorks business number with his other hand. Bringing the phone up to his ear, he shifted his weight, an arm coming around to wrap around himself.

Briing brriiiing.

….

Briing Brriiing.

….

Bri – “Hello?” A female voice answered. “You’ve reached the FentonWorks business. If it’s about ghosts or specters, we’re here to help. What can we do for you today?”

Danny let out a breath at his mom’s practiced spiel. “Hey, Mom.”

A gasp crackled through the landline, “Oh Danny!” she said in surprise. “Oh, honey, why didn’t you call the house number?”

Danny looked up at a corner of the cabin. “They all end up at the same place though?”

“Honey, but it’s different phones that ring – you know that. And I’m not sure your father deleted off old voicemails from this number, so if we weren’t here to catch your phone call you wouldn’t have been able to leave a message!”

“That’s what I was hoping for,” Danny mumbled under his breath.

“What was that? Danny, you have to –“

“IS THAT OUR DANNY BOY?! HOW IS HE? ENJOYING LIFE WITH YOUR OLD BAT OF AN SISTER?” Jack’s booming voice cut through, clear enough to understand even as it crackled the closer he got to the phone.

Danny heard a rustling and a light smack on the other side. “Jack darling, my sister is not an old bat,” she admonished. “But yes, it’s Danny.” A pause. “Danny can you hold on a moment? I’m going to put you on speaker.”

Danny’s hand crept up to the coiled cord connecting the phone to the base.

A couple of clicks, then – “Oh Danny, can you hear us?”

And a competing “Still there Danny?” coming through at the same time.

Danny winced as the phone screeched. “Yeah,” his fingers twisted around the cord, “I’m still here.”

“Oh wonderful,” his mom said, “how are you settling in?”

“Meet any farm animals yet?” his dad asked. A breath, then an excited “Meet any country ghosts?”

Danny sighed, his fingers twisting up more in the cord. “I’m doing fine. Aunt Alice explained where everything is, and I pretty much fell asleep after moving my clothes out of the suitcase. Sorry I didn’t end up calling you last night.”

“That’s fine sweetie, your aunt gave us a short call last night to let us know you made it there alright.”

Danny hummed, hunch confirmed. Hearing his dad take a breath in, Danny quickly tacked on, “and I haven’t seen any ghosts, Dad. Met some cows, pigs, chickens, and the farm dog though.”

“And how is Skip doing?” Maddie asked.

Danny’s face scrunched up, “Fine? I guess? He didn’t like that I showed up today, just kind of stared at me for a bit before walking off.”

Maddie laughed. “That sounds like him. He’s nice enough when he warms up to you. But no, he isn’t too fond of strangers. Just give it time Danny.”

Danny huffed.

“Yes, yes, but I think he’ll be back before then Maddie,” Jack replied.

“Oh, you’re absolutely right dear. How are –“ Danny heard distant footsteps.

“Is that Danny?” his sister’s voice called out in the distance, a whisper coming through the phone.

“YES, COME HERE JAZZ, SAY HI!” his dad yelled.

Danny untwisted his fingers from the cord before starting to wrap them up again. “Hi Jazz,” he said.

“Oooh! Hi Danny! How are you doing!?”

“Alright,” he said. “Aunt Alice was finishing dinner. I just wanted to check in with you guys before then.”

“Ok Danny. Well, thank you for that. We don’t want to keep you too long then.” Jazz’s voice turned sharp, “Do we?”

“No! No, we don’t Jazzy pants! Don’t forget to call later! We miss you Danny boy! Don’t work yourself too hard, but make sure you listen to your ba-“ Jack cleared his throat, “your aunt.”

“I suppose we should let you go then Danny. Thank you for calling us. As nice as it was to know you were there safe, it’s even better hearing your voice. We miss you sweetie, love you!” Maddie said.

A twin chorus of “Love you”s sounded off after her.

“Love you guys,” Danny said. He clicked the phone back on. Sighing, he pulled it back off after a minute. Dialing a different number, he waited for the signal to connect. Danny started counting, but before he could reach five, he heard it connect.

“Sam?” Danny said.

A gasp, “Danny? Oh, I didn’t know you’d be able to call so soon!”

Danny smiled. He heard a small voice come through, “Is that Danny?” After a moment, a much louder, “Hey dude! How are you? Is it smelly there? Did you get a signal with my Charlotte?”

“Hey Tucker, Sam. Uuh, no Tucker, your PDA didn’t connect to anything. Other than that, it’s fine. I was outside, like, all day today. My legs feely like jelly,” he grouched.

Sam clicked her tongue, “This is why you, and Tucker, should join me when I exercise!”

“You can NOT convince me to join your exercise regime,” Tucker said.

“One day,” Sam vowed, “one day you’ll join me, Tucker Foley.”

Danny laughed. “Alright, I’m glad I reached both of you. I’ve got some questions about our,” Danny paused for a moment, “city guests?”

“Guests?” Tucker said. “What do you – oof.”

“Ghosts, Tucker, keep up,” Sam hissed.

“Got it, there was no need to elbow me though.”

Danny could imagine Tucker melodramatically massaging his side as Sam rolled her eyes at him. “So?” he prompted. “Anything to worry about?”

Tucker sighed, “dude it’s been dead around here, Poindexter was walking around campus yesterday, the Box Ghost was seen flying around the warehouses, and then today Vaaaal – the Red Huntress was chasing Skulker.”

“Skulker?” Danny snapped.

“Yeah, no need to get your pants twisted Danny,” Sam said, “it was Skulker out of his suit of all things. No clue why he was wandering around like that.”

“It was weird seeing his naked, blobby ass Danny!”

“Eeeew, Tucker!”

“What?”

“Gross! Anyway, Danny, despite having so many sightings the past few days, there haven’t been many problems. Even your parents have kept the GAV destruction to a minimum. Your dad only dented a stop sign pole and your mom only scorched some leaves while blasting at the Box Ghost.”

“Huh,” Danny said, “that’s good. I guess?”

“Relax, dude, if any problems pop up, Sam and me have got this. Along with Valerie. We won’t let anything too bad happen. And hey! If all else fails, then your parents are always around.”

Danny snorted, “thanks, I feel so much better now.”

Sam sighed, “seriously though Danny, take it easy. You are nowhere near Amity right now, so it’s no use worrying about it. We have it covered and before you know it, you’ll be back.”

“Yeah, alright,” Danny said, fingers twisting in the cord again. “Okay. That’s – thanks for letting me know.”

“Are you okay?” Tucker asked.

Danny sighed into the receiver. “Yeah.” Silence stretched out between the two sides of the call. Danny heard Alicia shuffle out of the cabin and down the steps.

“Yeah, I’m alright,” Danny said. “I’m just. UUuugh. I don’t understand why my parents thought I needed to get away from Amity Park. And my sister didn’t help, butting in with all these psychology studies about stressed teenagers, and environments, and whatnot. Can you believe that fink convinced my parents to send me away for basically my entire break!?! I already missed half of summer being in school, and now I’m out in the middle of nowhere? It’s stupid. I don’t even know why they thought the ghosts attacks were putting me on edge in the first place! I don’t even stick around for the ghost fights as Fenton because I’m so busy running off to fight them myself,” Danny hissed. He heard a stair creak. He sighed, letting the tension bleed out of him. “Anyway, how are you guys? Enjoying your summer?”

Sam and Tucker started talking about how excited they were for a new movie that was coming out next week and Danny smiled softly, listening to their back and forth. Hearing someone clear their throat behind him, he turned around, and lowered the phone away from his ear.

“Dinner’s gonna be done soon kiddo,” Alice said.

“Thanks,” Danny mouthed.

Finding a short break in the conversation, Danny interrupted whatever retort was coming next, “Hey, guys. I’m glad I could catch both of you, but I got to go. I’ll talk to you both later?” He untangled his fingers from the cord.

“Oh,” Sam said, “Yes, of course. Bye Danny!”

“Bye! Talk to you later!” Tucker said.

“Bye.” Danny clicked the phone back in place.

Collecting himself, Danny breathed out, plastered a neutral expression onto his face, and turned around to walk outside for dinner.

_______

Danny was in his bed. He was exhausted. His arms ached, his feet were sore, and his eyes were tired.

He rolled over. It was dark, likely the middle of the night, and he was groggy, limbs still heavy and heart slow from sleep. So why was he awake? He heard a far off call coming from the direction of the woods. ‘Probably a wolf’, he thought. Closing his eyes, Danny settled back down. Or tried to. His skin itched and Danny twisted around to rest on his other side. Scrunched together his eyelids. Moved his feet around. Sighed, then pushed himself up. Slipping on his boots, he opened up the cabin door and stepped outside.

Looking around, Danny didn’t see anything concerning. He stepped down and walked around the cabin, looking at the sky and the darkness in between the trees. Danny walked back in the cabin, pulling the door till he heard the latch click, then walked to his bed. Sitting down he took a deep breath, held it, and his eyes glowed green in the dark as he released the breath. Ecto pooled beneath his feet and he pushed it through the ground. He stretched out his consciousness with the ecto, making sure that there was nothing unexpected in the area. The only thing he sensed was a small pool of ectoplasm in the ground, far enough down that it was probably undisturbed by anyone for hundreds of years. Breathing in, he called his ecto back. Breathed in, then out. Followed the path of his breath through his body as it traveled. In through the nose, down to his lungs, inflating, then back up and out. Once he felt sufficiently centered in his body again, Danny kicked off his boots and laid back down. Sleep claimed him quickly once more.

Sun hitting Danny’s face woke him up. Throwing an arm over his eyes, Danny groaned. He still felt sore from the day before, tired from the ghosts fights prior to coming to his aunt’s, and annoyed from being sent in the first place. In short, Danny was grumpy. The sharp rap on his door a couple minutes later did not help.

“Up and at ‘em Danny.”

“I’m up!” he called back.

Hearing footsteps recede, Danny groaned. Loudly. Maybe he could convince his parents to pick him up? Call this summer trip short? Danny started plotting ways to get back home, with his parents’ permission, as he followed Alicia back to the chickens, then off to the barn.

Neither spoke to one another, Danny doing his best to help Alice. Before long, she had him mucking out the stalls again as she walked off to attend to other chores. As Alice said, it wasn’t tricky and the repetition had Danny zoning out, daydreaming about being back in Amity.

A short step back, and Danny tripped over a trough. Hitting the ground hard, he felt something squish against his backside. Danny sighed. He closed his eyes, gathered some motivation, then swung his legs over the trough and fully onto the ground. Standing up, he twisted around to see the cow pie he landed in. Wrinkling his nose, Danny pushed intangibility through his body to get the crap to drop off his butt and walked out of the way before releasing it. He stood there, feeling the warmth of the sun heating up the open doorway, and looked at the two stalls left to do. Danny was just about to turn around and walk off for a little break, when his mom’s chiding voice echoed through his head. Turning back around, he went to finish the job before the food bell rang out.

Later that day, the walkie that Alice had given Danny earlier that day crackled to life. “DANNY! Get the first aid kit from the barn and get out to the field Will was working in. Now.”

Click.

Danny, who had been lounging by the storage barn, darted inside to grab the kit that hung up there, and ran back out. He activated his flight so he lifted just above the ground, and flew most of the distance to the field. When he was close, he dropped back down and ran the rest of the way.

“Mmmm fine,” Will slurred out.

“Will Archibald Jacobson don’t you dare,” Danny heard Alice hiss out.

He darted around a row to see Will by the woodchipper, Alice holding his arm above his head. “What happened?” Danny yelled, dashing the last few yards to them.

Will’s arm was wrapped in his overshirt, blood soaking into the fabric. He had blood on his tank shirt and his pants. Blood dripped down to his neck. His face had an out of focus expression.

Danny set down the first aid kit.

Flipping it open, Alice responded, “darn idiot got distracted and forgot about the woodchipper next to him.”

“Hey!” Will protested. “Kid, don’t listen to her, I was… safe, prom’se! Jus’ go’ startled by this green thing – glowing like the sun – ‘n tripped ‘n fell is all.”

“Danny, press here,” Alice instructed, ignoring Will’s slurred explanation.

Danny helped Alice wrap up Will’s arm tight. Hauling him to his feet, Alice turned around. “Danny, I’m going to take him into town. I’m not sure how deep that cut went, but,” she trailed off, looking at the dopey look on Will’s face.

“Got it, what do you want me to do?”

Hoisting a shoulder over her own, Alice grunted, “help me get him there.”

Danny darted under Will’s other side to support him, and they started to walk him back. Will protested the whole way, claiming that he was fit as a fiddle and definitely didn’t need to walk into town and that they should check out ‘the weird creature in the woods, big, green, and glowing, can’t miss it’. Danny extended some of his flight powers to Will, lightening the load on him and Alice. They walked Will past Alice’s cabin, through a short stretch of woods, and into town. Will finally quieted down, grumbling instead of loudly complaining, and they made it into the small clinic.

“Patty!” Alice called out.

A middle aged woman came out from the back door, “what’s – oh, get him into the back room.” She propped the door open, and let them pass her, pointing them to one of the two examination rooms. Shooing Alice and Danny back out once they set him down, Patty got to work.

Walking back out to waiting room, Danny felt sick to his stomach. He was supposed to have gone to help Will out that afternoon, but decided to take his time and took a break near the chickens instead. “Is he going to be ok, Aunt Alice?”

“Probably,” Alice said, but the furrows between her eyebrows told a different story. “Well, nothing much to do in the meantime. You been through town yet?”

Danny blinked at the sudden shift, “uh, no, not yet.”

“Then I’ll show you around real quick while we’re here, make the most of this.”

Alice took Danny around, which consisted of walking him up and down Mainline and Riverway, the two major streets of the small town. There were only a handful of shops, the clinic, and a gas station.

“That’s it?” Danny asked as they walked back to the clinic.

“Yep,” Alice popped the p.

“It’s…. tiny.”

Sighing, Alice said, “well yea, most folks around here stay on the farms. You have a few homes down here near town, but most people prefer to move down to the bigger town about 50 miles from here.”

Stepping into the clinic, Danny now noticed the chime that signaled their entrance. They settled down in two of the three seats in the front area.

A few minutes later, Patty walked back out. “Well, Will should be fine. It’ll take a while for his arm to heal up, but he’s still got movement and feeling, so I don’t think he’s got any nerve damage.” She smiled at them. “Lucky, though, that he didn’t lose too much blood. I got him a snack and had him lay down in the meantime. What’d he even do? He had fat hanging out of the wound and everything.”

“Fool got distracted and the wood chipper was nearby,” Alice grumbled.

“He tripped into it,” Danny added.

“Hmm, well alright. You guys gonna take him back up to the farm?” Patty asked.

Alice uncrossed her arms, placing her hands on her knees. “Suppose so. His family’s too far away to call to get him today. I’ll see if they’ll come pick him up tomorrow.” She sighed, running a hand through her mullet. “Tomorrow’s Saturday, so they probably will.”

“Definitely lucked out then,” Patty said. She walked back to check on Will.

Waiting for the “all clear” to take Will back up, Danny stewed in his thoughts. He hadn’t exactly done anything outright wrong, but Danny knew that if he had taken his job more seriously, he would’ve been with Will and maybe he wouldn’t have gotten hurt or as badly or –

“Stop thinkin’ so loud.”

Danny jumped. The swirl of his thoughts coming to a halt.

“I’m sorry,” Danny whispered.

“What for?”

“I –“ Danny paused. “I –“

“Danny,” Alice cut in. “It ain’t your fault.”

“But –“

“Nope. Whatever ya think ya did or didn’t do, it’s not your fault.” Alice side eyed his hunched, guilty looking form. “Stuff like this happens – whether or not anyone else is around. So don’t worry too much.”

Danny dropped his head down.

The silence stretched between them. Alice looked out the window, and Danny made a promise to himself to take this summer more seriously.

__________

The next morning, Danny waved Will and his family off as they left down the back road. He’d be gone for the next couple of weeks to keep him away from the temptation of working. Knowing they’d have to pick up the slack, Danny and Alice hurried back to work.

_________

A week later, Danny was settling into a routine, getting comfortable around the farm. He was getting quicker at mucking out the stalls, and as such, he had some time to do some laundry. Taking the path down to Alice’s cabin, he passed under one of the open cabin windows.

“-addie.”

Danny stopped. Was Alicia talking to his mom?

“Danny?” Alicia asked.

Oh, they were talking about him. He stood there, holding his bag of laundry, curious about what his aunt would say.

“No, he’s doing good work around the farm.”

Danny shuffled a foot around, making circles in the dirt as he listened in.

“Yeah Madds, I can see why you’re so fond of him.” Alicia laughed in response to something Maddie said. “That he is, you raised a good boy.”

Danny’s eyes widened. Bugs buzzed around in the grass around him.

“Mmmm. If he didn’t have school to get back to, I wouldn’t mind keeping him around,” Danny overheard. Eyes widening, he decided to quickly walk off to the laundry.

He hadn’t realized that his aunt liked him that much. Even more surprising that she’d want to keep him on. Danny remembered the start of summer school when his teacher all but groaned at him walking in. Danny had just failed the second half of their class not 2 weeks before. Due to the sudden ghost appearances, Danny hadn’t been the most reliable in the last few years. But for someone to recognize his work? And be satisfied with it? Danny felt a warm feeling start in his chest. Maybe it wouldn’t be so bad to stay for the rest of the summer.

______

A couple weeks passed from that phone conversation, with Will coming back and slowly starting to pick up more work again.

Danny had, for the first time since he arrived on the farm, a short work day. By the time lunch came around, Danny had finished his list of chores. After getting the confirmation from Alice, he had the whole afternoon to himself.

He walked around the farm, ending up at one of the wheat fields. Will and Alice were focused on the corn fields for the day and wouldn’t be out this way until later. Standing there amidst the softly swaying strands, Danny watched the sky. The breeze in the air that moved the wheat also pushed the clouds around high above. He decided to take a seat between the golden rows, laying on his back, arm flung behind his head. Staring up at the clouds, he watched them flow across the sky, shifting forms as they traveled. The sun-warmed dirt below him felt like a warm blanket on his back. This close to the ground, it smelled sweet, a little moist and earthy. Danny pulled his cap lower over his face as the warmth settled into his bones. Soon enough, he was lulled off to sleep.

By the time he woke up, the sun had dipped lower in the sky. Sitting up, Danny didn’t hear anyone around and got up. As he walked out of the field, Danny raised his eyes, jumping a little at Skip sitting down and watching him from a distance. Danny paused midstep. When Skip didn’t make a move, Danny finished walking out of the wheat and onto the dirt path. They stared at one another for a moment. Out of view, one of the pigs grunted. Skip blinked, and his tongue lolled out of his mouth, before he got up to walk to the pig. Danny watched his tail wag as he left. He chuckled softly as he headed off to Alice’s cabin.

After dinner, he stuck around, playing a card game with Alice, Will, and Jasper. Every so often one of the townspeople stopped by to get Alice’s opinion about something or another and stayed for a meal. When Jasper lost the third game in a row, he called it quits and headed out for the night. Will, Alicia, and Danny played a few more rounds themselves, Will and Danny winning a round each, with the rest of the wins going to Alice. By the time they said their goodnights, the moon was rising. The sky had darkened considerably and the stars were twinkling to life above them.

“Oh.” Danny breathed, stopping on the cabin porch.

Will looked back, “Danny?”

“The sky. I –“ he paused. “I’ve been falling asleep so quickly I haven’t had time to really see it.”

“Oh, that all? It’s pretty neat I guess… Well, I’ll head up then, see ya later Danny.”

Eyes never leaving the sky, “Night Will. See ya tomorrow.” He walked down to sit at the table.

The door creaked open, “Oh. Danny? Is that you still down here?”

Danny, from the picnic table, confirmed, “Yeah.”

“Huh, I thought you and Will left a while ago.”

“Hmmhmm. Will did, headed up already.”

“Ooook. Well, you need anything?”

“Nope.”

“Alright,” Alice stepped down, walking up to the table. “Well, it’s getting late. Now, I’m not your mom, but maybe consider heading up yourself soon.”

“Ok. Yeah, you’re right.”

“… Ya really like those stars huh?”

Danny finally looked down, “Yeah.” He grinned, “you can’t see the stars like this in Amity. I mean, you can, it’s not the worst, but it’s just so clear out here!”

Alice chucked, “Sure is. Sometimes I forget how nice it is.”

“If I lived out here, I would never take it for granted. I bet it’s so easy to track the constellations and star movements,” Danny’s eyes lit up with the possibilities.

“Don’t know much about the stars myself but,” she shrugged, “I guess it wouldn’t be hard to, no.”

Taking one last look up at the stars, Danny got up, said goodnight to his aunt, and headed up to get ready for bed.

_______

“And Danny? Come into my cabin for a moment, your job today is going to be a little different.”

Will frowned, “Aaah man, Danny gets to do that?”

“Do what?” Danny asked.

Alicia grinned. “Blackberry picking.”

“Yeah, and it’s the best job of the summer,” Will grumbled. “You better enjoy it kid.” He stood up. “Well, I’ll see you two later,” and he walked up the slope to get back to work.

“Bye,” Danny called. Turning to Alicia, “So what does berry picking mean I’m doing, exactly?” He looked around, “I haven’t noticed any berries around here.”

Alice laughed, “no you won’t. Come inside, I have to show you where you’re going.”

Danny furrowed his eyebrows but followed her into the cabin where some maps of the farm and surrounding area and a large basket sat on the table.

Alice picked up the first map, took a look, then rifled through the pile to find one that had a large circle on it. “Ah, here it is,” she placed it on top of the pile and pointed to the circled area. “This is where you’re headed today.”

Danny leaned in to look over the map. “That looks like it’s in the woods?”

“Yep,” Alicia said, “you’re going to be taking a little walk today. I’ve got your lunch packed up, all you have to do is fill your canteen, and then head out for the day.”

Danny frowned. “And how am I supposed to find them?”

Alice rolled her eyes, “They aren’t hard to spot. Here,” she pointed to a different area of the map, “we are. You’re going to head this direction,” she moved her finger up, around a small lake, and to the circle. “It’s pretty easy walking. The pond will keep you on track, though it’s more like a glorified puddle, but whatever. You’ll hear the stream feeding into it, so if you do get lost, just hush up and listen. You’ll pick the berries, put them in this basket, and when it’s full, you’ll head back. I scoped out the area last year and this was a fairly big thicket, so even if the animals have gotten to it there should still be plenty left for you.” She looked up at Danny. “Got it?”

Danny worried his lip. “I guess?” He hadn’t really explored the surrounding area, but figured if he needed to, he could just fly up and look for the way back easily enough.

“Good. Well, get your basket and water and get going. I’ve got work to get to. See you for dinner kid,” and Alicia walked out the door.

Danny took another look at the map, doing his best to memorize the path. He sighed, picking up the basket, stopping by his cabin quickly to grab his water bottle, and started off to the trees.

Walking into the woods, Danny noticed a strap on the basket and quickly put it over his shoulder. The basket bobbed against his butt as he walked, but it was better than having to carry it the whole way. As Danny got further in, the undergrowth increased. Danny activated his intangibility and walked right through. The sun was bouncing through the leaves, casting spots of shadow and light. He heard the birds sitting overhead in the treetops and a beetle buzzed past Danny’s ear. He made his way to the small lake.

As he got closer, he heard a soft bubbling sound that soon turned into a whoosh. Then the smell of the dirt changed – rich and a little heavy on the tongue. Danny walked through a bush and saw the puddle. If he wasn’t intangible, he would’ve gotten his boots wet.

Huh, Danny thought. It really is small.

The pond was only a couple of yards across and looked shallow.

Danny looked to his left and saw the stream that fed into it. Looking around the edge, he couldn’t find where the pond emptied. Danny stayed there for moment, comparing what he was seeing to his memory of the map. Once he felt confident in his orientation, he floated up and drifted across the pond. Setting himself down on the other side, he double checked his intangibility was still activated and started walking again. True to Alice’s word, the walk itself was easy, and Danny took the opportunity to look around at the woods. He spotted a deer in the distance at one point, and what looked like owl nests in some of the branches.

As he walked through a particularly dense area of bushes, he noticed some mist by a tree some distance away. Danny squinted at it. It was too warm in the day for there to be mist and, he looked around, it didn’t look like there was any water for it to come from either. As he started to walk to it, Danny realized that he hadn’t heard any birds in a while. Getting closer, he saw some wispy tendrils float out from the densest part of the mist. He tilted his head. Let some ectoplasm leak into his eyes. The mist suddenly contracted and came together to form a vague squirrel shape. Danny stopped. Followed the smallest tendril down to the earth. A squirrel, blood leaking out from a wound on its leg, was connected to it. Danny looked back up. The ghost followed the motion and looked at Danny. Danny looked back. Blinked. And stepped forward, holding out a hand. The squirrel ghost drifted forward and right before it made contact with Danny, turned to look back at its mortal body.

Danny held his breath as he watched one of the ears tufts twitch. The squirrel turned back around and jumped forward to touch Danny’s palm. As it nestled into his hand, its soft, transparent body started to disperse again. Danny reached for his core and pushed the ectoplasm circulating in his body to his hand. His palm started glowing green before some ectoplasm coated his palm. The squirrel started condensing again, pulsing as it made contact. The ectoplasm flowed off Danny to mix in with the translucent body. The ectoplasm swirled around like bubbles in soda before losing shape and being absorbed. The squirrel’s ghost glowed bright and Danny looked away, closing his eyes.

When he no longer saw the light through his eyelids, Danny cracked open one eye, and confirming the bright light was gone, fully opened both eyes. What was once a misty looking squirrel ghost was now a small green blob. As it rotated around, eyes came into view, and opening up, looked at Danny, letting out a small chirrup in greeting. Danny smiled a little. It was cute, if a bit sad knowing where this little blob came from. Danny looked back at the corpse. Then up to the blob. The wispy tendril no longer connecting the two. Danny let his hand drop and the blob stayed floating. Floated closer to Danny’s face. He could feel his eyes flash green. The blob ghost let out another little chirp and flew around Danny head before settling down on his shoulder, nuzzling up into his chin. Danny laughed at the ticklish sensation and then turned around to continue to the blackberry bushes.

As Danny got to the blackberries, he reached up a hand to the blob ghost. Gently scooping it into his hand, Danny lifted it up and onto the top of one of the bushes. Looking around and not seeing any animals, Danny focused on the bushes. There were a lot of them, and it seemed like the bushes had plenty of berries. Danny could make out at least 5 bushes growing into each other, and possibly more around some trees. He knelt down and picked a blackberry, tossing it into his mouth. As the berry burst open, juices sprayed Danny’s mouth, and he stifled a cough. He ate it quickly and indulged in a quick cough. Even though it was smaller than the ones they bought from the store, it was noticeably sweeter. Danny smiled and swung his basket off his shoulder. He started carefully plucking berries off, and every time he accidentally squished one, he popped it in his mouth instead of the basket.

At some point the little blob ghost woke up and started darting between the leaves of the berry bushes, occasionally trying to eat one. Danny laughed at its antics, making a little ball of ectoplasm form, and tossed it for the blob to chase.

By the time the sun started its afternoon descent, Danny had his basket filled and a happy blob ghost nestled on top of the berries. Over the course of the afternoon, its green color had started disappearing and now it was more wisp than blob again. Danny frowned briefly and started off to the farm.

As Danny got near to the edge of the woods, the little ghost had lost all its color and was now back to a translucent wisp. Before he could give it more ecto, he heard a shout and ran out of the trees. Aunt Alice had dropped a screwdriver on the ground and when she stood back up from grabbing it, she spotted Danny. She waved, walking over to him.

“Hey Danny, how was –“ the little ghost darted out from behind Danny’s back, coming to face to face with Alicia. She frowned. “how was the trip?”

He pulled the basket forward, “good, there were plenty of blackberries.”

“Aaah good. Any trouble finding them?” She eyed the ghost out of the corner of her eye.

“Nope,” Danny paused, and taking a chance, said, “I found this little guy on the way though.”

“Oh?” Alice raised an eyebrow.

“Yeah.” Danny rubbed the back of his neck. “You can see it, right?”

Alice’s frown lightened. “Yes.” Sounding choked up, she cleared her throat. “Yes, I can. I didn’t realize - well, nevermind.” She looked at the ghost, nuzzling into Danny’s hair, mussing it up. “I don’t know why it’s acting so friendly, but you best not encourage it. The less attention you give it, the sooner it’ll pass on.”

Danny’s ears flushed red, “pass on?” he asked.

“Chiiiirup?” said the wispy ghost.

Alice leveled a glare at it. “Absolutely not.”

Danny’s mouth fell open. “Wait. What? Can you understand it?”

“Sure can. Ever since I was little,” Alice answered.

“Does Mom know you can see them? And understand them?”

Alice squinted at him, “Sure does, was the first person I told as a kid. Real supportive of it all.”

Danny stood there for a moment. “Mom knows? And she didn’t have you help her with the – the ghost stuff?”

“Nope. I was the reason she got into ghosts in the first place, but,” Alice shrugged. “I didn’t want anything to do with them. After I got back from the big city, I just wanted to live a quiet life and Maddie respected that.”

“Oh.” Danny looked between the ghost now on his arm and Alice. “Really?”

“Yep.”

The ghost floated between the two, circling Alice once before resting back on Danny.

“Well, looks like we should go deal with those blackberries.”

As Danny and Alice finished sorting the blackberries into different containers, Will walked up to them. “Hey! Oh, Danny’s back already?”

Alicia snorted at him, “Don’t act surprised.”

Will held up his hands, “Aaah you got me. I saw you two meet up earlier.” He quickly reached down to pop one in his mouth.

Alicia smacked his shoulder. The ghost flew up and chittered angrily in his face.

Will smiled, showing off his berry splattered teeth, completely unrepentant. Chuckling, he walked off.

Danny looked at the ghost, now flying over the piles of blackberries, and then up at Alice. “Will didn’t react at all.”

Alice grunted, “Hmm.”

“Are we the only ones who can see this little guy?”

“Far as I can tell, kid.”

“Oh.” Danny looked off into the tree line. “Aunt Alice, what did you mean when you said it’d pass on?”

“Well, exactly what I said. Little bugger died, and whatever was left will pass on to whatever’s next. Why? What’d you think I meant?”

Danny shrugged. “I guess I’m just not used to ghosts passing on? Most of the ones I meet stick around and cause trouble.”

“Ah. Madds has mentioned something like that. Have they caused you any trouble?” Alice probed.

Danny grimaced. “I guess you could say that. A lot of ghosts cause trouble around the high school.”

Alice nodded, “I can see how that’d be distracting.” Alice watched a bee buzz around the table. The wispy ghost chased after it.

“Yeah, most of them like to cause problems on purpose, but sometimes there’s the little blobs that hang around and they’re kind of cute, like a stray cat. They do make it hard to concentrate if it’s dark though.”

“What do ya mean?”

Danny looked back at his aunt. “Cause, they, you know, glow green?”

“Green? Huh. None of the ghosts round here glow green. I guess Will did mention something similar. And I remember Maddie showing me a vial of glowing green stuff once. Made me feel kind of sick.”

“Oh, that vial was probably ectoplasm,” Danny said.

“Ec-toe-plasm?” Alice sounded out.

“Yeah,” Danny said. “It’s the glowing green stuff that ghosts are made up of.”

“Really?” Alice sounded unimpressed.

“Hmmhmm,” Danny hummed. “You can kind of see their insides if they get hit with an ectoblast. It’s all gooey looking, like a really thick liquid. Their bodies kind of flow back in to fill the hole.”

Alice shook her head. “I don’t know about all that. All the ghosts I’ve seen are just misty lookin’ and real hard to see if the sun shines through them. Well, that’s only if I catch them. As I said, they don’t usually stick around too long.”

“Interesting.”

Alice shrugged, “I suppose. Madds had a theory that ghosts only form when the living aren’t prepared to die or something.” She laughed. “Not that I think most things around here have unfinished business. Everyone has a time and place, you know? A rabbit lives its life knowing it’ll be eaten and all that.”

“I guess.” Danny thought for a moment. “I think a lot of the ghosts I know didn’t even think death was a possibility.”

The little ghost zipped under the table and around their feet.

“Perhaps.”

In the time it took for Alice and Danny to finish with the blackberries and prepare dinner, the ghost kept fading bit by bit. Once Danny rang the dinner bell, the little ghost was completely gone. Danny tried not to miss it, knowing it was better that the little guy passed on, rather than hang around the ecto deprived area.

____

After dishes, Alice sat Danny down. “How you doing kid?”

“Fine?” Danny said, voice lilting up like a question.

“You sure? You looked rather, uh, sad about that little ghost disappearing on us.”

Danny shrugged, “hmm, I guess I’m not used to it.”

“It?”

“Yeah, I’m not used to things just…. Ending. I guess.”

“Oh, is that it?”

Danny looked off to the setting sun.

“You know, I can sympathize. Used to be a time when I thought that I could fix anything.”

Danny looked back at her. “What do you mean?”

“Well, you know I’m divorced right?”

“Sure, Mom visited you on the anniversary for that party last year.”

“Right, well I know it was a big celebration, but when it first happened, I was lost. I mean, I knew that it was coming. He didn’t like the farm, fell in love with someone who wanted the city life with him. A real yuppie. And yet, when I sat in the lawyer’s office, papers in front of me, there was this emptiness that seemed to take me over. We both wanted our relationship to end, happy for it even, but, that didn’t make it easier to deal with. Waking up and knowing that there wasn’t going to be someone by my side? That there was no fixing it, no going back? It’s hard to accept that some things just can’t be changed. Don’t like talking about that even now.”

Danny’s mind flashed briefly to Dan. His shoulders raised. “I guess. How did you deal with it?”

Alice hummed. “The divorce? Time, I suppose. I had the support of the community here. With death?” She shrugged. “I grew up. At some point you just realize that some things have to happen and you can’t change it, so you have to accept it.”

Danny huffed out air. “Yeah, alright.” The variation of the age old excuse of “when you’re older” rang hollow in him.

A hand landed on his shoulder. He turned back to his aunt. “Danny. I mean it. Some things just need the perspective that time brings. I’m still not sure my sister has quite grasped that.” She smiled. “No fault to her; understanding comes in its’ own time. Worrying about it won’t help.”

Danny watched the last of the light chase the sun down with his aunt beside him, before standing and heading to his cabin to think.

An hour later, he stood up from his bed and walked down to his aunt’s cabin. By now, the air was cool against his skin. The cicadas were out, filling the air with a loud buzz. Danny stopped halfway down the path, trying to collect himself. As he stared up at the trees, his eyes burned. Rubbing them harshly, he breathed in, the smell of dirt and the green leaves settling into his lungs. He stayed there for a moment, collecting the resolve that started to slip away. He let out some ectoplasm around his feet to light up his path and continued. Exiting the trees, Alice’s cabin was lit up, warm light enveloping it like an aura. Cozy. Welcoming. Danny dispelled the ectoplasm around his feet as he walked towards the cabin, each step feeling heavier than the last. His shoulders curled forward until he stopped at the stairs up to the porch. He heard Alice set something down inside and a creak of a door, then a click as the front doorknob rotated open. Danny stayed at the bottom of the stairs, feeling frozen, as the door hinges creaked. Alice’s red hair came into view first, quickly followed by the rest of her. Catching sight of something, she raised her head to look at Danny.

“Danny, that you down there? Everything alright?” voice soft as she stared down at him.

Danny’s body moved, skipping steps as he rushed up to Alice. Her body swayed backward as he barreled into her, and she wrapped her arms around him to steady them both.

“I died,” Danny said, voice muffled in her shirt.

Alice didn’t say anything for a moment, squeezing Danny close. His body shook as he cried into her shirt. After Danny’s shaking petered out, Alice stepped backwards, hand on Danny’s back to nudge him inside.

“Take a seat on the couch, Danny. You want tea? Hot chocolate?”

Sniffling, he wiped a hand against his nose. “Hot chocolate please.” He went to sit on the couch, grief and emptiness gnawing at his insides in equal measure.

The sound of boiling water soon filled the space. A clink of a mug. Powder being measured. The fridge door opening and closing. Alice walked over to the sofa, two mugs in hand. Danny unstacked two cup coasters from the pile in the middle of the coffee table, placing them down for Alice.

Danny picked up his hot chocolate and took a sip, holding the warm mug in his hands. Alice said, “Now, what was that about?”

The silence stretched between them as Danny stared at the wall, quiet. By the time Alice had finished most of her cup of tea, Danny finally opened his mouth.

“When I was fourteen, I died.” Silence followed Danny’s statement, Alice’s torso turned towards Danny, but nothing else to indicate she was listening.

Danny let out a shaky breath. “I didn’t, come back. All the way.”

Alice took another sip of tea.

Danny set his mug down. Folded his hands together and set them on his legs. “I know what it sounds like, but I’m not crazy. I’m alive, but I’m also, somehow, a ghost? Not like the one we saw today, but the kind I talked about, the glowing ones. I think I turned the portal on when I went inside to look. Not that I remember a lot of that, except for the pain,” Danny laughed, the sound hollow. “I mean, it wasn’t working before, and after that, it was that glowing green. It’s kind of pretty, actually? Or maybe that’s just what I think. It swirls around, the ectoplasm, like a really slow whirlpool, but it’s vertical like a door, not horizontal like a pool. It makes it really easy for Mom and Dad to get more ectoplasm samples. Actually, I gave the ghost today ectoplasm and it kind of turned into what I call a blob ghost? By the time we made it back to the farm it was back to that wispy appearance, so, I mean, that was different. But it was interesting, made me think of the blob ghosts back home. You know, the ones that don’t pass on? That’s the kind that I’m like. A ghost. I mean, I’m alive too, but I’m also a ghost. I don’t know if that means I’m still dead or not? I don’t think anyone really knows, but it’s kind of cool because I’m like the town superhe-“

“Danny,” Alice cut in. Danny stopped.

Alice took a breath. “Danny, do your parents know?”

Danny’s eyes widened. He shook his head.

“Are you going to tell them?”

Danny tongue felt stuck to the roof of his mouth, throat tightening as he thought about the answer. He settled for a small shrug.

“Alright. Well, I can’t say this isn’t a surprise, but I won’t make you tell your mom or nothing. Thank you for telling me.”

Danny stared at his mug, still half full. He picked it back up. As quiet settled around them, he felt his heart speed up. Alice set her mug down, now empty.

“But, I don’t think,” Alice started, slow, “that it matters too much. From what I’ve gathered, dead, alive, or something else, you’re still you. The caring and hardworking young man that Maddie described is the same one that arrived on my farm. Sure, you’re not perfect, and the implications of it all is damn worrying, not knowing, but that’s life.” Alice swung her knee up onto the couch to fully turn her body to face Danny, arm braced along the backrest. “For what it’s worth, people love you because of who you are, not what you are. That includes your mom and dad. Heaven knows when Maddie decides to love someone, she does it with her whole heart, no matter the circumstances.” She tacked on a lighthearted, “and that includes your fool of a father”.

Danny laughed, rubbing his eyes of residual tears. “Thanks, Aunt Alice. I’ll keep that in mind.”

Danny finished off his hot chocolate, bidding his aunt a goodbye, and walking back up to his cabin, feeling lighter than he had in a while.

______

During that week, Danny started helping out even more on the farm, volunteering to lend an extra hand when needed or after his own tasks were finished. He was getting comfortable with the flow of the days – spending mornings and evenings with the animals, afternoons in the fields, and helping out with various chores. It was easy to fall into the rhythm and to trade playful quips with Will and Alice when they worked together.

Alice called Danny over one day.

“What’s up, Aunt Alice?”

“You know anything about machines?”

“Uuuh,” Danny’s eyebrows shot up, “I guess? I’m familiar with my parents’ inventions.”

“Hmmm. Why don’t you come over here then and tell me what you think.”

Danny peered his head into the propped open tractor hood, looking at the mechanics. “It looks like the belt, here,” Danny pointed, “is wearing out.”

Alice appraised him.

Danny shifted his weight. “Uh, was that it?” he asked nervously, feeling like he was taking a surprise pop quiz.

“Yea. Yea, it was kid. You familiar with engines?”

Danny made a face, “Sure? I’ll help my dad out sometimes when there’s a problem with the GAV.”

“The GAV?”

“Oh, it’s our family car. Or van, RV, thing? My parents souped it up, so a lot of service shops won’t even look at it. My dad keeps up with most of the maintenance on it and makes me help out.”

Alice nodded, “Ok, makes sense I suppose. Well, if you’ve got a familiarity with it all, why don’t you help me replace it. I’ve got a spare belt down in my cabin. I’ll go grab it and you can get the tools we need. Just look in the toolboxes around here, find the one we need for the tractor.”

Danny nodded in agreement and Alice walked off to get the part.

Later that night at dinner, Alice remarked to Will that it might be time to let Danny drive the tractor.

“Sure thing boss! Who’s gonna teach him?”

“I will. I’ll start him off with parking it in the barn, so tomorrow just leave it out when you’re done and I’ll walk him through it.”

Will nodded and continued eating.

“I’m what?” Danny asked.

Alice raised an eyebrow.

Danny swallowed his bite of food. “Can I even do that? I don’t have a learner’s permit or anything.”

From beside him, Will answered, “Don’t need one. Most kids ‘round here start driving tractors much younger than you are. It’s not like you’re going to be driving down the road or anything in it.”

“Oh. You don’t need a license for it?”

“No sirree, and it ain’t that hard to do either.”

Alice piped up, “You good with that?”

“Oh. Yeah. I guess, I just wasn’t expecting it.”

The rest of the night and next day passed calmly. Then came Danny’s first lesson.

“When you go to park it, don’t forget to let it out of gear and apply the parking brake. That’s about it. So, you good to go?”

“I think so, Aunt Alice.”

“Alright, well don’t forget your ear protection, and I’ll let you get to it.”

Alice swung the door closed and stepped back from the tractor.

Danny put on the headset, and did one last review of everything, before he turned the tractor on. Looking behind him, clocking Alice still off to the side, he carefully backed up the tractor. Slowed down and came to a stop. Danny turned forward again and started moving the tractor forward. Taking a circle around, he pulled up to the storage barn and eased the tractor in. Applying the brake and turning it off, he took off his ear protection and stepped out.

“Not bad kid, not bad. Now help me look everything over before we head back for dinner.”

Alice walked Danny through the daily checks and maintenance on the tractor, then showed him where they kept their log.

“What it comes down to, is if you notice a problem, either stop and fix it right away, or come get me or Will if you can’t figure it out. I’d rather you waste an hour doing that, then pushing through it and messing up the tractor on us.”

The bell rang out, clear and bright. Alice glanced out of the barn doors. “Well, guess it’s quitting time for ya. Let’s get this put back and get our asses down there.” Alice handed the binder back to Danny, who placed it back on the small table and hurried to close the doors and catch up with Alice.

Another week passed, with Danny learning how to operate the tractor, hitching up different attachments, and getting used to the daily checks.

“I think it’s time to start harvesting the far wheat fields tomorrow.”

“Already?” Will asked.

“Yeah, it’s ready to go.”

“Huh. Alright, if you say so boss.”

“Will I be helping with that?” Danny asked.

Alicia nodded, “you’ll be here through this first harvest, then you’ll head back to Amity after that.”

“Oh.” Danny forgot he’d be heading back soon. “Right.”

“So soon?” Will asked.

“Yeah, that’s what I said. Madds reminded me that their school year starts earlier in the season.” Alice shook her head, “seems ridiculous, but there’s nothing to be done for it. The cities run on their own timeline.”

“Wait, then when do schools around here start? And where’s the school? I don’t remember seeing one when you showed me around town,” Danny asked.

“Oh, about a month later than yours I reckon. The school isn’t on the main roads. It’s back on one of the side roads, so the farm kids can get to it easier.”

“Used to be in the town,” Will added. “When most of the town families moved out, the farm kids got together and convinced the adults to move it closer to them, oh, I reckon ‘bout 20 years ago?”

“Closer to 25 I think,” Alice corrected. “I remember the big commotion when I visited from college. Maddie, I think, organized it all.”

“Sounds like Maddie,” Will agreed.

“Mom did that?” Danny asked.

“Sure enough. Everyone knows she’s a force of nature when she puts her mind to something. She argued with near everyone about it.”

“Don’t know why she fought so hard for it,” Will added. “Had to have been her senior year, didn’t even make a difference for her, considering the changes took place after she headed off to college.”

“Huh.”

“She never mentioned it to you?”

“No, not really. But it explains where Jazz got her single-mindedness from. She turned our annual Spirit Rally into a whole week at Casper High during her freshman year.” Danny grimaced, “My freshman year, I got put in a diaper and thrown on stage for it.”

Will laughed and Danny scowled at him. “Sorry, but just a diaper?”

“Are you kidding?” Alice was flabbergasted.

“Wish I was, it wasn’t funny.”

“Sorry, but you have to admit, that’s just a little funny,” Will chuckled.

“It really wasn’t. Also, our counselor tried murdering Jazz.”

Will stopped laughing. “What.”

“Yeah, she ended up getting, uh, jail, for it.”

Alice narrowed her eyes, “Really?”

“Yep,” Danny said, “last year wasn’t so bad though. Hardly anyone called me a baby the whole week.”

“Damn.”

“What the hell is happening in those cities.”

The sudden somber shift made the conversation die down and dinner was finished quickly after.

The next morning, the bell rang out clear and sharp. Danny blinked his eyes open, noticing it was still dark out. Stumbling out of his cabin, he turned to Will, who was passing by. “Why’re we up so early?” Danny yawned, pulling on a long sleeved shirt.

Will returned his yawn, jaw cracking in the early morning air. “Oh, we do most of our harvesting in the morning or evening. Means real early mornings the next few days. S’not so bad, once you get used to it.”

“Mmm.” Danny responded, following Will downhill.

“Hey Alice. You got the coffee brewing?”

“Hey, boys. Sure do. Another couple minutes or so, then we can get started.”

After getting their coffee in thermoses, the group headed up to the fields. Danny was put on tractor duty. Alice took over the truck with a wagon attached and Will was in charge of the forage harvester. With the exception of taking care of the animals, Danny and Alice traded back and forth on filling up their collection wagons and running them to the silo.

Soon enough, the harvest passed and it was time for Danny to return to Amity Park.

“Yep, got it sis.” A pause. “Uh huh.”

“No, no need, I’ll take him myself.”

“Of course I do.”

“No, it’ll be fine. A short trip up.”

“Will can do what needs to be done.”

“Yes I’m sure.”

“Uh huh. See ya then.”

“Take care Maddie.” Alicia put down the phone and turned to Danny, seemingly unsurprised to see him leaning against the wall. “Well, I’ll be driving you back up to Amity in a few days.”

Danny nodded, not looking particularly taken back, despite the fact that his aunt hadn’t gone up to Amity in the past 10 years or so.

The corners of Alice’s mouth turned up, “alright then, make sure you’re ready. It’ll take a couple days, since you can’t help with driving, but it should be a nice enough trip.”

“Anything to do before then?”

“Nope, the only thing left to do is to check on the truck. As much of a help as you’ve been with the tractor, I’ll be doing that. You just make sure you help out Will with any odd jobs before then.” Alice scratched the back of her neck. “Uuh, ya excited to be heading back?”

Danny shrugged his shoulders. “I guess.” He looked out the kitchen window, “I’ll miss being here though. I know I caused some trouble when I first got here, but it grew on me.” Danny smiled softly.

“It has a way of doing that,” Alice agreed. “Well, let’s get back to work then. It doesn’t stop for rain nor shine.”

Danny finished loading up his bags in the short backseat and closed the back door. Hauling himself into the front passenger seat, he closed the front door.

“Got everything squared away?”

“Yep. Double checked and everything.” Turning to grin at her, “but if I forgot anything, that just means I’ll have to come back.”

Alice laughed and shifted the gear to start the truck rumbling down the path. Soon enough, bouncing along the road, a dust cloud behind them, the farm was swallowed up by trees.

The journey itself was uneventful. The mountains turning to valleys turning to farms turning to small cities and large ones, a one night stop at a motel, then back on the road, and finally Danny recognized the outskirts of Elmerton in the distance. He could feel the rumbling of something in his stomach, and it solidified into a nervous ball when they crossed the town limits.

Elmerton had enough tall buildings that Danny couldn’t see over into Amity Park, but he could feel the flow of ambient ectoplasm moving about like chem trails, signifying the presence of a visiting ghost. Next to him, Alice clutched the steering wheel hard enough to turn her knuckles white. Coming to a red light, she glanced over at Danny and noticed his pinched eyebrows, eyes on her hands. She sighed softly, relaxing her hands and hitting the accelerator when the light turned. The sun filtered through the buildings, casting long lines of shadow that waved over the truck passing through. Danny turned to look out the window, head in hand, braced against the door. It was quiet, no ghostly interference on this side of town. Nevertheless, he could feel the ectoplasm that floated in Amity’s air reach out tendrils in Danny’s direction. Welcoming him home, beckoning him closer, wanting to wrap him up in its embrace. He shuddered. After getting used to a non-ecto infused environment, the not quite alive reaction of the ectoplasm felt like a slimy slick hand on his shoulder, slipping off before trying to embrace him again. He didn’t notice Alice next to him, her breathing becoming shallow and quick.

As the truck crossed over the interstate separating the two cities, Danny shuddered, feeling the sharp contrast of a decidedly unhaunted city to one that almost had more ghostly visitors than alive ones. He could feel the boundary like he was pulled through a film, the ectoplasmic residue clinging to his skin on the other side, settling back into his nose and lungs, coating the back of his throat and cooling his hands. It wasn’t enough that someone like Valerie – fully human - would notice, but being so attuned to the presence of ectoplasm as a being shaped by it, Danny could feel it like a physical weight, bearing down heavier on him the closer they sped to FentonWorks. Alice’s hands lightly shook as she clasped the stick to shift down.

Pulling up to the side of FentonWorks, Alice stopped the car. They both sat there for a moment, breathing in the quiet of the street, before a far-off blaster shot echoed in the distance. Danny turned to Alice, a wobbly smile on his face, “home sweet home,” he said, punctuating it with a little laugh.

Alice looked past him to the door, then back to Danny. “I suppose so,” mouth set in a thin line.

Danny turned away, not wanting to parse what Alicia was feeling, and unclicked his seat belt. He opened the door to slide out of the truck. Alice followed him out and walked around to knock on the front door. As her first rap against the door ended, weapons sprung out of the sides of the walls, focused down on her. Alice jumped back a little as a light popped out of the door, scanning Alice from head to toe. “Freaky,” she muttered darkly as something dinged and the door clicked open, the differential air pressure opening it further. Alice turned back around to Danny, “What was that?”

Danny shrugged, “It seems Mom and Dad added some things while I was away.”

Alice gaped at Danny. “Added some things? What was it like before?”

Popping open the back door to grab his bags Danny said over his shoulder, “Oh, the weapons have been there since the first house defense upgrade, but the unlocking is new.”

Alice looked back to the door. “That’s the new part?” She hesitantly reached a hand out and tapped the door hard enough to swing it open the rest of the way. She leaned forward a little. “Uuuh,” she started, peering in. Clearing her throat, she spoke up, “Anyone home? I’ve got your boy back Maddie!”

Danny walked up beside her. “I wouldn’t wait for an answer Aunt Alice. It’s best to just walk in and take a seat.” Danny did so himself, setting his bags next to the stairs and walking back to the truck. Alice walked in, tentatively lowering herself down to the couch, and looked around wide eyed.

“Just what in the world has my sister been up to?” she said mostly to herself.

The slamming of a door and a loud beep sounded out as the truck was closed and locked. Danny walked in with Alice’s bag and closed the door behind him. “Seen anyone yet?” he asked.

Alice swung her head around to stare at Danny, “No, not yet.” She gestured around at the living room, a myriad of objects on the table, hung on the wall, or thrown onto a shelf. “Danny, what is all this?”

Danny barely glanced down before making his way to the kitchen, “probably broken ghost inventions. I wouldn’t touch any of them though, they can be a bit, well, temperamental.”

The sound of a cabinet door squeaking open, running water, and Danny came back with a water glass for himself and Alice. “Here ya go,” he said, holding one of them out.

Alice absently took the glass and sipped from it. Choking and spluttering, she set the glass down on the coffee table, slapping a hand against her leg. She collected herself, wheezing, and looked up as green light tinted her peripheral vision.

“Oh Alice! And Danny!! I didn’t hear you two come in,” Maddie said after exiting the downstairs lab. She quickly went over and swept Danny up into a big hug. “Oh, I missed my sweet little baby boy.” Giving Danny one last squeeze, she stepped over to Alice to do the same.

A clang could be heard, echoing up the lab stairs and then some thumps as Jack made his way up. Danny set his glass down in anticipation. No sooner did Jack realize Danny was home than he rushed over, knocking over a chair in the process, scooping Danny up into a bone crushing hug. “DANNY BOY!” was shouted right into his ear.

Danny did his best to move his wrists enough to pat his dad back. “Hey Dad. Just got back.” He paused and with no indication that Jack was going to let go anytime soon, “Can you let me go now? It’s hard to breathe.”

Jack, embarrassed, let him go, giving him a firm pat on the back, “Sorry about that, I was just so excited to see you back home! JAAAAAZZIE-PANTS!” He called out.

Alice clasped a hand to her ear, scowling as Maddie looked on fondly. “Oh honey, no need to yell like that.” She turned to face her sister. “It’s so good to see you here Alice. I don’t remember the last time you visited and things have changed so much since then. Jazz was just toddling around and we still had the play pen set up for Danny.” Taking a seat, she pulled on Alice’s sleeve, inviting her to sit next to her. “I missed you,” Maddie said.

Alice coughed and looked around the room, “I missed you too Maddie. If you ever want to visit the farm more often, you could.”

Maddie laughed and waved her hand around, “Oh our work keeps us so busy nowadays. Speaking of, I hope you didn’t run into any ghosts on your drive in?” Eyes twinkling, Maddie waited for the answer.

Alice frowned at her, “No, we didn’t,” and watched as her eyes dimmed a little.

“Aah well, that’s alright, I’m glad you two made the trip up here safely. Speaking of, I was thinking we could all head out for dinner tonight? I know it’s not often you’re in the city, so it might be nice.”

Jack leaned down to Danny and whispered conspiratorially, “We had an ecto sample explode in the fridge. All the food is completely inedible, but wouldn’t you know it? The old chicken and hot dogs started a little kingdom in there. Fascinating stuff Danny. Really.” He looked over at him, “Would you like to meet them?”

Danny grimaced more than smiled, “Uuuh no thanks Dad. I think I want to get started unpacking instead.”

Slapping a hand to his forehead, “That’s right! I won’t keep you Danny. Go take your bags up to your room, we’ll visit with your aunt down here.”

A boom echoed through the neighborhood and Maddie jumped, starting to reach a hand for her blaster before relaxing, continuing the conversation she was having with Alice. Danny stopped briefly to grab his bags and headed up the stairs towards his room. As he reached the top, Jazz’s door clicked open and she stepped out.

“Danny! You’re back!” she said. Stepping forward, she wrapped Danny up in a hug, chin poking into his head as she said, “I missed you little brother.”

Danny awkwardly stood there holding his bags, “Missed you too Jazz.” He swayed a bag a little to knock into her leg.

“Oh!” she said, releasing him, “Sorry, I’ll let you get to your room.” Smiling at Danny for a moment, Jazz started down the stairs.

As Danny kicked his door open, he heard Jazz greet their aunt. Dropping his bags down in front of his dresser, he jumped up onto his bed. “Uuuuuuuugh,” the groan rumbling throughout his chest. He breathed out, then rolled over onto his back, arms flung out and over the sides of his bed. Danny stared up at the glow in the dark stars, stuck on his ceiling years ago. He had barely been gone for a couple months, but already his room felt slightly foreign - like returning somewhere he didn’t fit into anymore. It was like an old sweater you found again after a few years. Slipping it on and knowing every seam, texture, and fold as it settles around you, but no longer the same comforting weight – a little too thin, worn at the elbows and a hem starting to unstitch itself. Not as soft as you wanted to remember. Exactly the same, but time having polished away the fondness that once endeared it to you.

Danny rolled over onto his side, staring into his closet. The sliding door left cracked open from when Danny slammed it shut, the recoil pushing it back open before he left. He heard the cadence of a conversation float up the stairs and he closed his eyes.

Waking up to someone shaking his shoulder, he blinked awake. His room had darkened with the setting of the sun and Danny felt groggy. “MmMMMmm?” he hummed.

“Danny, we’re going to head out to the Nasty Burger for dinner. You gonna get up and come with?”

Danny bolted up, smacking his head into Jazz’s hand still hovering above him. “Up! I’m up!” he said.

Jazz chuckled, “See you downstairs,” and left his room.

Danny braced himself on his arms, letting the thrum of his heart settle back down from the adrenaline rush. After a moment he swung his legs down. A quick detour to the second floor bathroom later and Danny joined everyone else downstairs.

“Alright, now that we’ve got everyone here – to the GAV!” Jack announced.

Danny sleepily followed Jazz out to the garage and clambered into his seat. Alice, who was following Danny, stopped at the open door. Looking around the retrofitted RV, she hummed and side-eyed Jack who had turned the key in the GAV, prompting the consol to light up in a variety of buttons and gauges. She stepped into the back and climbed into one of the open seats. Maddie closed the door behind Alice and got herself into the passenger seat. After clicking her seatbelt in and checking that the kids had as well, she pushed a button, the garage doors clanking open behind them. Jack flipped on the headlights and backed out of the garage.

“Hold on,” Danny hissed up to Alice, who in turn, grabbed onto the hold bar at the top of the door.

Once Jack cleared the sidewalk and safely backed onto the street, he stepped on the gas and catapulted the GAV down the street, careening around corners, and speeding through yellow lights till they swayed to a halt in the Nasty Burger parking spot. Jazz sighed, Danny let out his breath, and Alice looked a little green. “ Does your husband always drive like that Maddie?”

Maddie turned around, unclicking her seatbelt, “Like what, Alice?”

Alice eyed Jack nervously before looking back at her sister, “Uuuuh. Nevermind Maddie. Let’s go,” and she opened up the sliding door to shakily step out.

The Fentons and Alice went into the Nasty Burger, quickly ordering food and sitting down at a booth. The chatter of the restaurant was pleasant, if a little overwhelming to Danny. He decided to listen to his family’s conversation and looked out the window. As Alice asked after Jazz’s college adventures, Danny saw a bright blast light up the sky. He blinked and took a moment to process as a streak slithered through the air. A ghost! He turned around, nudged Jazz out of the booth, and slid out with a halfhearted excuse about the bathroom before making his exit. Hiding behind the dumpster, Danny transformed and flew off after the ghost that he could still see winding around the tops of buildings. The trusty Fenton thermos clattered against his leg as the wind whipped Danny’s hair into his face. Coming up to a stop, he watched the ghost slow down over the park, then dive down. Danny pushed himself into action, darting into the tree tops to see where it went. He heard the whine of a blaster charge up below him and Danny looked down. Tucker stood there, a small blaster leveled at the backside of the ghost. Danny flew up towards the sky and starting arcing down the other side. Before he could do much, Sam ran out from the other side of the trees shooting at the ghost. A low hum joined the chorus of weapons and Danny turned invisible as the Red Huntress caught up to the ghost.

Danny drifted up higher, watching the teamwork between the three of them. They quickly captured the ghost. He lazily drifted down to the trio.

“Huh, didn’t know you guys would team up,” Danny said, turning visible.

Tucker flinched and the girls rolled their eyes.

“Hey Danny,” Sam greeted.

Valerie retracted her helmet and stared at Phantom for a moment before, “Hi, Danny.”

Danny’s eyebrows flew up, pinched together.

Tucker laughed at his expression as it quickly morphed into a look of betrayal aimed at Sam and Tucker.

“Sorry Danny,” Sam looked away. “Val kind of… figured it out?”

“Sam!” Danny hissed, voice crackling like steam. “What does that mean?” His eyes darted back to Valerie, who just stood there, looking conflicted.

“Exactly what I said Danny!”

Danny shifted so he could stand on the ground. “But how?” He was starting to get angry at the lack of answers. It hadn’t even been two months and without being around Valerie somehow pieced together his biggest secret?

Tucker’s laughter died down.

“It’s – Danny please don’t be mad,” Valerie spoke up. Her eyes darted around the clearing before landing back on Danny. “When Phantom disappeared after Fenton left it wasn’t hard to figure out you two were connected somehow. And then Dani stopped by in town and-“

“Dani came back?” Danny interrupted. He glowered at Sam and Tucker, eyes glowing brighter for a moment.

“It wasn’t a big deal!” Tucker tried to defend.

“Yeah!” Sam chimed in. “She was here for like, a day? Maybe? Hardly worth mentioning. She spent most of it playing pranks on Vlad.”

“And Valerie met up with her? But not me?” Danny voice raised in pitch, “I missed seeing my cousin and you didn’t say a word?!? I thought I wouldn’t have had to tell you two that Dani coming back would be something important to mention.”

Tucker’s shoulders crept up to his ears.

Sam rolled her eyes. “Really, Danny, it is so not a big deal. We didn’t even know for most of that day. She only came to see us towards the end of her stop.”

Danny’s core felt a sting go through it.

“Did she know I was coming back?”

“Yeah dude, we mentioned you were sent to your aunt’s farm. She asked about you! Promise! Once she realized that, she told us she’d try to stop by to see you. Seemed really excited to check out a farm.”

“Although,” Sam chimed in, “I don’t think she realized you’d be back so soon? If you never saw her, she probably got distracted by something on her way.” Seeing Danny’s sad expression, Sam said, “I’m sure she’ll be back to visit you, Danny. She did say she’d stop by at least a few times a year to check in, right?”

Danny sighed. “Yeah. I’m just bummed that I missed her. And with no way to get into contact with her,” he trailed off.

“Actually,” Valerie started, “Uhm, I gave her a little, well, kind of like a cell phone? It can make calls, but it’s also got a little button to send a distress signal to my suit if need be? And seeing as it’s never gone off, Dani’s okay. Ok, Danny?”

Danny looked down at the ground. “Alright. I guess that’s better.” He looked preoccupied - lost in thought and still a little sullen.

Sam, Tucker, and Valerie exchanged glances with one another over Danny’s bowed head.

Valerie gave a little cough. Seeing Danny head twitch at that, she said, “I saw Dani transform after one of her pranks. I was stopping by Vlad’s office to see if I could find anything new.” Valerie paused. “She looks a lot like you Danny. And once I saw that, and my suit recognized her like any other human, I approached her. She explained a lot to me and after getting lunch, I brought her around to Sam and Tucker.”

Danny looked up at his best friends. “Really? Valerie had to bring Dani to you guys?”

Sam nodded and watched Danny’s expression lift at the confirmation.

“Anyway, Sam didn’t tell me anything, but Tucker told me about the whole,” she waved her hands around, “Cujo? The ghost dog thing.” She sighed. “It wasn’t easy to sort through it all, but I realized that I was being really unfair to you Danny. I’m sorry for not hearing you out about it earlier.”

Danny shifted his weight from one foot to the other. “Oh, well. That’s? Ok? I mean it’s not okay okay, but I understand. Why you acted like you did. Life dealt you a really bad hand with everything and you were dealing with a lot with your dad and his job and the A Listers and everything so – “ a hand settled on his shoulder.

“Danny,” Valerie cut in. “You don’t to forgive me right away. I’ve had a few weeks to deal with this. I just wanted you to know that I know about your … situation and that we – Red Huntress and Phantom – are cool now.” A bell tolled somewhere in the town. Valerie looked up at the street lamps turning on. “Anyway, I’ve got to get back, but it was nice to see you Danny.” She gave him a little smile, activated her hoverboard and helmet, and flew off.

Watching Valerie fly off, all three of them stood still for a moment.

“Well,” Danny started, “I’ve got to get back.”

As he started moving to walk off, Sam grabbed his arm, “Are you mad at us?”

Danny turned around. “No, Sam. I’m not. I just – I’ve had a long day and I want to go eat dinner. Can we get talk about this tomorrow?”

“Promise? I’ve got a new game I can bring over to play,” Tucker offered.

Danny smiled at them, “That sounds good. I’ll see you guys tomorrow.”

Danny started walking backwards and turned invisible from one step to the next. He flipped up into the air and flew off, back to the Nasty Burger. He transformed in a stall, washed his hands, and walked out to the booth. As everyone turned to look at him, Danny’s neck flushed red. “Hi.”

“You doing alright Danny?” Jack asked.

“Uuuh yeah, just,” Danny paused, “had to take a dump?” He slid into the booth, Jazz pushing over his tray of food.

“If you say so m’boy.” Jack shoved more fries into his mouth.

Jazz scolded her father for his manners and Maddie smiled fondly at her eldest.

Danny inhaled a third of his burger and as he took a sip of pop, looked over at his aunt. Alice had a smile on her face, but it was stretched a little thin, eyes crinkling right underneath them, a fist on the table and body turned, supported by the window and booth back. Danny went back to eating his burger. Aunt Alice had looked like she was in pain that she was trying to hide ever since they entered Amity Park’s borders earlier. He hoped she would be fine considering Maddie had wrangled her into staying for a couple days. Danny ended up ordering another burger and Jazz decided to split a small shake with Maddie. Once they had finished eating, they climbed back into the GAV and headed home. Danny started feeling sleepy again, leaning his head on the cool window, watching the streetlights pass by. Jazz looked over at her brother, noticing how relaxed he looked. She missed him.

“You know Danny,” she started, “you look so much more relaxed than before.”

Danny glanced over at her. “I’m not giving you the satisfaction of saying you were right.”

Jazz smiled softly as Danny’s head rolled back against the window. “I wouldn’t expect anything else little brother,” she whispered.

___

Danny heard the clicks and whine of the Fenton door weapons activate and after a few seconds, the doorbell rang out. He left his room, heading down the stairs to hear his mom invite Sam and Tucker in.

“Hey guys,” he called down the half flight of stairs. He waited for them to start walking up before he turned around and led them to his room.

Pushing open his door, he dropped onto his chair. Tucker grabbed a spot on his bed and Sam, after closing the door, took a spot at the foot of the bed.

“So,” Sam started.

“So,” Tucker added.

“Soooo,” Danny finished, “any thing else I should really know that you didn’t bother to update me on?”

Tucker winced at Danny’s tone.

“Nope,” Sam popped the p. “Vlad’s still mayor,” she ticked up a finger. “No new halfas that we know of, no new ghosts.”

“Oh!” Tucker interjected. “Dash had a wipe out on a skateboard.” He looked smug, “I caught it on video, wanna see?”

“Yes!” Danny cheered, leaning forward to watch.

Sam scoffed at them, but she also leaned in.

After catching up on all the little things Danny missed over the summer – a new girl moved in next to Tucker, Sam’s petitions and protests, teaming up with Valerie – Danny stood up and stretched. His spine let out a loud crack and Tucker gaped at him.

“Geez, are you okay? What were you even doing on that farm?”

“Yeah Danny, you sounded like my Bubeleh and she’s, like, 80.”

Danny laughed, sitting back down. “Actually, I think that was because I’ve been sitting so much the past few days. I was pretty active before that.” He thought for a moment. “I might be able to beat Dash in a race now.”

Tucker snorted, “I don’t know dude, he decided to start working on his legs this summer. He’s no longer, like, a Dorito with sticks for legs.”

Sam definitely didn’t giggle as she said, “But sure, we’ll take your word for it, Danny.”

Danny rolled his eyes as he sat back in the chair. “Alright, enough teasing me.”

“Yeah, let’s talk about Sam ditching our elective class to take environmental sciences. Can you believe she disrupted our carefully crafted schedule that ensured we shared as many classes as possible just for? What was it? The earth? Can you believe Same is ditching us like this?”

“Huh,” Danny said, he turned to Sam, “what’s that class even about.”

Sam glared over at Tucker before looking at Danny, “I’m glad someone here is taking an interest in the important things in life.” Sam launched into an hour long explanation. After the first five minutes, Tucker had pulled out his PDA to play a game, mouthing along to parts of Sam’s explanation from time to time. Danny got the basic idea shortly after that. He started to tune out, thinking about school. How in 2 short weeks, he’d be back in the classroom, probably juggling ghost attacks, Dash, the other A Listers, homework, and sitting in a cramped chair for hours on end. The sun coming through his window warmed Danny’s side. He glanced outside at the street. A bird flew across, but otherwise it was buildings, sidewalk, and asphalt as far as he could see. No green at all. He wondered if Undergrowth would make another appearance, and if Danny could convince him to –

“Danny, are you even listening to me?” Sam’s sharp voice called out.

Danny whipped his head away from the window, “Uh, yeah, Sam, I’m listening. You were saying something about,” he searched his short term memory, “the climate?”

Sam huffed and crossed her arms, “So, as I was saying – “

“As she was saying,” Tucker interrupted. “She’s shamelessly ditching us, Danny. Can you believe it?” Tucker slid dramatically off the bed and grabbed Danny’s jeans, “and Sam doesn’t even care!” he cried.

“Tucker, you know that’s not it,” Sam reprimanded. “Besides, didn’t you sign up for Advanced Algebra or Calculus or something? You’re also ditching us.”

Turning around to face her, Tucker gasped. “How. Dare. You. It’s Finite/Brief Calculus and that’s only because they refused to put me in the computer class again this year.”

Danny laughed, “That’s because you hacked the school’s computers and played that banana song over the intercom for all of lunch.

“Because peanut butter jelly time is a classic,” Tucker grumbled. He got up, sitting back on the bed. “Anyway, you should have your schedule by now too. Have you looked at it?”

Danny rubbed the back of his neck, “eh? I think my parents handed it to me this morning, but I didn’t take a look.”

“Oh, well then what are you waiting for? Let’s see it! I want to see how many classes we share this year!” Sam demanded.

Danny sat up in his chair and rolled over to his desk. Grabbing the school letter, he opened it, gave the schedule a once over, and then surrendered it to his friends. Sam grabbed the paper and her and Tucker leaned over it.

“It looks like we share PE again Danny,” Tucker held up his hand for a high five as he continued looking at the schedule.

“We all share chemistry this year, right before lunch,” Sam added.

“Oh nice. And look – we end the day together in art too,” Tucker pointed with his other hand. Sam and Tucker looked over at Danny. “Dude?”

Danny stared past them, eyes not focusing on anything. When Tucker waved his hand in front of his face, he jolted back to focus and gave a half hearted smile as he high fived Tuck. “Yeah, that’s great.”

Sam narrowed her eyes at Danny, “that doesn’t sound very enthusiastic. Are you not excited for this year Danny?”

A shrug was her answer. “I don’t know.”

Tucker glanced over at Sam, “What do you mean? When you finished summer school, you seemed pretty thrilled to finalize your schedule request and send it in.”

Danny looked out the window, “Yeah, I know. And I was.”

“Was?” Sam echoed.

“Well, this summer on the farm was a lot different. I liked it, being outside and stuff. Working on things, knowing that I was making a difference for people.”

“Danny,” Tucker started. “Do you not want to be in Amity anymore?”

Danny whipped his head to stare at Tucker, “Oh course I want to be here! I missed you guys so much! And I missed a lot of other stuff too!”

“Danny.” Sam waited until he looked at her. “You can have missed us, and not want be in Amity Park.”

Danny dropped his gaze to the carpet between their feet. “Yeah, I know that. I do want to be here. I do!”

He fell silent, struggling for a moment.

“I just – it’s so much, you know? The ghosts, and Dash, and school, and my parents, and all of it. It’s so much, all the time, without a break. And I don’t feel like I have a choice in any of it either. Obviously I can’t skip school and I can’t avoid Dash. We live in the same town after all, and there’s only like, three places for teenagers to hang out. And then the ghosts on top of that! And the ghosts are here because of my parent’s portal, but I’m the one that turned it on – I can’t just ignore that the ghosts are causing problems even if I want to. I don’t feel like I have a choice but to take responsibility and step in. And I know you guys have been helping Val and stuff, but -” Danny shrugged his shoulders.

“I like being on the farm. It’s quiet. And even when there are ghosts,” he noticed their faces, “– and there are ghosts,” Danny confirmed, “they’re different! They don’t cause trouble. It’s like,” Danny waved his hand around, “everything’s so close to the cycle of living and dying and everything has it’s time from the plants to the animals and like – uuuuugh,” Danny threw his hands up. “I don’t know how to explain it. Death is always a part of living and everyone out there is used to it being a part of life, so when it happens it’s less of a tragedy?” Danny looked away. “I guess,” he scratched his arm and fell quiet.

Sam and Tucker looked at Danny, waiting for him to clear up what he was trying to say. The wind pushed against his window, a slight whistle from uneven weathering strips cutting through the quiet of the room. Danny sighed and looked at the ground in front of his feet. “I feel like less of a freak for dying and coming back when I’m out there.”

“Oh Danny!” Sam moved forward.

Tucker let out a quiet “Danny”.

Danny pushed away from them in his chair, rolling back some. Rubbing his arms he said “I mean, I know I’m not a freak or anything, but it’s hard to forget that I died when I’m in Amity, you know? I can’t escape reminders of it and that it makes me different from everyone else. When I’m out there on the farm it’s just? I feel at rest.” He laughed, “that’s stupid isn’t it?” He ran a hand through his hair. Looking up at them, “A ghost who feels at rest. But DAMN! I do, getting to be part of life and death like that makes me feel normal – I feel like I belong out there.”

“Danny,” Tucker glanced over at Sam before turning back, “Danny, do you want to stay there?”

“Tucker!” Sam admonished, “I don’t think –“

Danny laughed, “Yeah, I think I might want to…. Would you hate me if I left you guys again?”

Sam rushed forward to pull Danny into a hug. “Oh Danny, I don’t think we could ever hate you.”

Tucker joined in, “Yeah, we’ll just have to visit you.”

Danny’s smile was smushed against both their shoulders.

“Do you think I could get internet out there?”

And all three of them laughed.

_________

“So, that’s what I want to do. If I can,” Danny said. He stared at the coffee table in front of him. His parents sat on the couch across from him.

“Well, Danny, I don’t know if we’ll be able to do that.”

“But if that’s what you want, we’ll support you son!”

Danny looked up and gave him parents a smile, “Thanks.”

_______

It turned out Alice was familiar with the work programs that the local school utilized for their students. It consisted of students taking the core classes, like math and science, in the mornings, and then working on the farm in the afternoons.

The trick was getting Casper High to agree. But between Alice and Maddie, there was no trouble convincing Principal Ishiyama and Mr. Lancer that Danny would be better off in the modified program. As long as he came back to take the state proficiency tests, he could even still earn credit for Casper High’s records without having to transfer them back and forth.

Within a few days, Alice, and now Danny, climbed back into the truck, ready to head back down to Arkansas.

“Bye!” Danny called, waving out of the window.

A chorus of bye’s and love you’s sent Danny off as they drove away.

Extra:

“Come on,” Danny laughed as he looked at his friends struggling up the side of the silo.

Tucker’s hand slid off a rung and he yelped.

Looking up at Danny, Sam asked, “are you sure this is safe Danny?”

Laughing again, Danny started climbing again, “Sure is. Besides, I can always catch you guys before you hit the ground.”

“Wow, that’s sooo reassuring,” Sam grumbled.

Reaching the top of the dome, Danny disappeared from both their sights. They heard some clangs before his head popped back over the edge, “come on! Hurry!” He grinned at Tucker’s frown as Sam reached him first. Danny disappeared again as he gave Sam room to clamor up. Soon enough, both their heads popped back over the side. Twin grins met Tucker as he finished climbing up. Hands thrust towards Tucker, he grabbed them and let himself be pulled up the rest of the way.

“Okay, we’re here. What are we supposed to be doing?” Tucker asked as they crawled their way to the middle of the silo.

Danny sat down, and pointing up said, “Look.”

“Oooh,” Sam breathed.

“Wow,” Tucker added.

The sky stretched up above them, shades of blue creating a fabric where streams of stars traveled across the expanse. Blushes of red and green broke up the inky darkness and stars twinkled back and forth. A light breeze caressed the trio and they laid back, enjoying the view.

#ectoimplosion2024 #danny phantom #danny fenton #danny phantom alicia #danny phantom fic #the bee writes #it is very late so i'll look over things once i sleep... i'm hoping there's nothing weird happening with format #ok! it's now later. I've got the AO3 posted and linked #warnings: there is a farm accident and therefore brief mention of an injury. also a brief mention of animal death #ao3 separates out the “injury chapter” so if you want to skip that part and get a summary of what happens then you should head there #this is the longest thing i've ever written actually. and most of it was written in the last 2 weeks.#every time i join a phandom event something happens irl: a case study (in this case it was multiple things)

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