Connections: Danny does some thinking about his relationships with the ghosts. Sam and Tucker just don't understand…

Danny watched as the little green blob circled his head, making happy little gurgling noises. A smile tugged at his lips when it stopped for a brief moment, rubbing against his arm and purring. This was something Danny hadn't told anyone about; not even Sam or Tucker knew about it. He didn't think they would understand it, this connection he felt to the ghosts. Ancients, he didn't really understand it himself.

The first time he had seen a ghost, he had been alone in the lab a few days after the accident. He felt drawn to the portal, to the beautiful swirling emerald leading to a brand new yet already familiar world. He had never been there, but he just knew what it would feel like. It would feel comfortable, energizing, like a cold shower after a long day in the sun. It would feel like home.

But he could never bring himself to go in. Something held him back every time. Perhaps it was his connection to his family, or his fear of the portal itself; he had no idea. He was contemplating this one day when suddenly, the hypnotic swirling of ectoplasm seemed to grow faster… and faster… and faster, until the center of the spinning looked like the eye of a hurricane or the depths of a whirlpool. Danny stood there, mesmerized by the pure otherworldliness emanating from the portal as wind from an invisible source ruffled his hair and caressed his cheeks. He vaguely noticed an eerie, unidentifiable sound echoing through the lab. It reminded him of dead leaves rustling in the dead of night, the wind howling through the trees in a storm, the ominous snap of a twig when you're all alone… The green vortex slowed as a small, glowing something sped out of the depths, heading straight for the awe-struck halfa.

Too stunned to move, Danny stared in shock as the thing zoomed right at him. Before he could do so much as flinch, however, it pulled to a stop inches from his nose. With eyes wide as saucers, he stepped back and got a good look at what had almost flattened his face.

It almost looked like a tennis ball at first glance. A glowing tennis ball. With little red eyes. And a fanged mouth, and… was that a tail? Alright, so it didn't actually look that much like a tennis ball after all. But it was round, squishy-looking, bright green, and staring directly into Danny's eyes.

Neither moved for a solid ten seconds, not sure what to make of each other. Danny immediately recognized it as a ghost. He could feel it, somewhere deep in his chest, the very core of his being… a sort of connection to the creature before him. The ghost merely stared, tilting its head questioningly as if to ask, "Who are you?"

Danny hesitantly lifted his hand in response, reaching towards the little ghost. It watched him warily, but made no move to escape him. He stopped when his hand was only a hairs-breadth away from the glowing orb, having second thoughts. This was a ghost. He had been taught his whole life how all ghosts were evil, mind-controlling demons that would kill you as soon as look at you. Now, though, he wasn't so sure.

His deliberating was cut short by something cold and soft pressing against his hand. Startled, he looked down, only to see that the ghost had snuggled up against his outstretched palm. Its eyes were closed, and a strange rumbling sound was emanating from it. It almost sounded like… purring. Marveling at the sight, Danny brought his other hand up and pulled the ghost closer to his chest, cradling it in his arms. The purring grew louder, and Danny found himself smiling despite his reservations.

He must have spent at least four hours in the lab that day, playing with the little ghost. He decided to call it Spooky, and was dreading the moment when it would have to leave for the Ghost Zone. He tossed little bits of popcorn in the air and watched as Spooky tried to catch them. He laughed when a kernel bounced off the ghost's head, but tried to muffle his giggles after seeing Spooky's expression; he looked so sad. Danny apologized and gave him a piece of chocolate. Turns out, ghosts like chocolate. A lot.

It was with great reluctance that he said his goodbyes and headed upstairs for dinner that evening. He just couldn't stop thinking about Spooky and the connection he felt. It was like no other feeling he'd had, not even with Sam or Tucker. He guiltily remembered the innocent look Spooky had given him when he left - head tilted sideways, wide red eyes staring into his own, and a questioning trill: Where are you going? Won't you stay with me? He had to turn away before he lost his resolve, leaving the little ghost alone in the lab.

Later that night, Danny was moping on his bed, staring at the ceiling, when he heard a soft coo. Whipping up into a sitting position, he came face to face with none other than… "Spooky!" He was answered by an excited gurgle as Spooky launched himself into the boy's arms, nuzzling his chest. Danny buried his face in Spooky's soft fur-like aura, laughing quietly. "You came to find me," he mumbled. Spooky purred reassuringly. Of course. I'll always come find you. We're friends now.

Spooky stayed in Danny's bed that night, keeping him company. He returned the next night, and the next, days stretching into weeks. And still nobody knew about the little ghost that kept Danny going. When his friends carelessly labelled all ghosts as evil and mindless (forgetting that included him), when his parents ruthlessly shot at him, when it all just became too much, he could count on Spooky. He was always waiting for Danny to get back, greeting him with a happy hum and nuzzling his cheek. Danny knew Spooky would always love him, no matter what he did, no matter how badly he messed up. Because Spooky didn't care. Danny was his friend, his core companion, and Spooky couldn't want anything more.

Even three years later, Danny couldn't bring himself to tell his friends. Not about Spooky, and definitely not about the link he felt with the ghosts. He felt it again when the ectopi first came through, and he could see they felt it too in their eyes when they looked at him, but it vanished the moment the ghosts saw Sam and Tucker. Their ingrained hostility born from eons of self-preservation kicked in, and Danny was forced to send them back to the Ghost Zone. But he hated every moment of it.

His friends always asked why he just put the ghosts back in the ghost zone. "Wouldn't it be easier in the long run for you to destroy them?" "They're just going to keep coming back, you know." But he knew he could never do any permanent harm to his own kind. Human or ghost. So he continued to protect both species, keeping the ghosts away from people that want to hurt them, and preventing the ghosts from harming the humans.

Nobody would ever understand why he did what he did. But maybe that's okay. He smiled at Spooky and rubbed his head. Ghosts hated humans, humans hated ghosts, but Danny loved both. And he would be their protector.

Hey guys! I've been on fanfiction for a while now, but I've never had the courage to post something. Today, I decided to just do it. This is something I've been thinking about for a while and it just wouldn't leave me alone (stupid plot bunnies *grabs shotgun*), so I sat down and wrote it.

Anyways, this is my first published fic! So leave plenty of reviews! I don't expect a lot of people to even read this, but if you do happen to come across it, please give me feedback! I don't usually let people see my writing, so I want to know how I did :3 Good or bad, I don't care. I want to improve.

Thanks for reading!

Skree, out! (*jumps out the window*)