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Maddie Fenton wasn’t the typical ideal of ‘motherly’ Dani decided not too long after meeting her. This had a lot to do with the fact that Maddie was trying to fry Dani with a Jack-O-Nine-Tails at the time, but there were other reasons too.
Dani hadn’t been exposed to a ton of media or good role models, having been living in the Ghost Zone, but all the movies and shows depicted mothers as being soft and gentle. They always knew what to say to make you feel better and cooked the best food on the planet. They loved you unconditionally.
Even Danny, who had lived with the woman all his life, couldn't claim to give her even half of those attributes. When Dani had brought it up, Danny had said there was more than one way to be a mother. That ideal was largely media driven. But to Dani the very role of ‘mother’ was defined by the care of children. Maddie, in Dani’s opinion, didn’t seem to be very ‘there’ when it came to her kids.
So the fact that Dani somehow ended up alone in the kitchen with her was quite the blind side.
“Err, wou-would you like something to drink, Danielle?” Maddie asked. This uncharacteristic uncertainty had its root in some pretty large events that had recently transpired. One: Two days ago, Danny had finally told his parents that he was Phantom. Two: Danny had introduced Danielle as his clone and sister, and then flown off too who knows where. He was in so much trouble once she got out of this.
“Just Dani, please, and no thanks.” She attempted a weak smile. Maddie did the same placed the mug she was holding onto the table. Whatever was in it splashed against the side of her hand as she sat, but she didn’t seem to notice.
“Okay.” Maddie played with the rim of her cup while Dani danced her fingers across the table. Every few seconds the woman would glance up at her. Dani could only imagine Maddie was taking in the features she was so used to on her son in a feminine form.
Dani moved to pick at the edges of her red cloak, then she shrugged her arm out of it to show off the tattoo that adorned it. She relished in the feel of her primary blue t-shirt and red cargo shorts allowing air to brush past her skin. Maddie’s eyes did jump to her arm, but then went right back to her black hair. Dani had been thinking of changing the color, lately. At least then people would stare at her for a reason other than being a clone.
Dani contemplated leaving, surely she had stayed long enough to satisfy Danny? When was the last time he even spent this long with his mother? Then a thought jumped into her mind. Maddie Fenton was a scientist. She might know…
“Dr. Fenton.” Maddie looked up in surprise, “I was wondering if you might know, scientifically, why I turned out female.” If Maddie had been holding up her mug instead of the other way around, Dani got the distinct impression she would have dropped it.
“You don--” she cut herself off. “I… I do have an idea, but… I don’t think I can tell you,”
“What?” Dani demanded, sliding her chair backwards and standing up, one hand pressing against the table. Maddie flinched back.
“I don’t mean you shouldn’t know. Just… ask Danny he--,”she took a breath, “he might be able to tell you,”
“Danny?” The surprise calmed her righteous fury. She had never asked because she assumed it was some complicated genetic thing that only someone with a phD would be able to piece together.
Maddie nodded with pursed lips. Dani sat back down.
“Huh, okay, I guess.” That didn’t explain why Dr. Fenton couldn’t tell her now, but she would feel better asking Danny anyway.
“Are… are you two close?” Maddie asked in a small voice, without making eye contact.
“Ya,” Dani answered brusquely.
“And you’re the ghost girl?” She asked even more quietly.
“Ya. Thanks for the burns,”
Maddie flinched, and Dani reflected that if Danny had been there he would have given Dani a stern look. He had been walking on tiptoes trying not to offend or upset his parents. He insisted nothing that happened had been their fault.
Bullshit.
Their kid died. Their kid literally died and they were so wrapped up in their own business that they didn’t even notice. She might not know what it felt like to get your humanity ripped away, but she had heard stories from Tucker and Jazz and, once or twice, even Danny about the aftermath of The Accident. How confused and lost he was. How he couldn’t understand why food wasn’t filling him anymore. How he would fall into a panic attack at the slightest provocation. How he lost weight and couldn’t sleep unless he cried himself into it.
How terrified he was of his parents.
That feeling, at least, she knew.
Dani could forgive them for not noticing that he died. She couldn’t forgive them for not noticing the anxiety or the depression. She wasn’t about to go out of her way to stay in their comfort zone.
“I’m sorry,”
“I don’t scar, not physically. And I don’t know you enough to scar any other way. I’m not the one you should be apologizing to,”
Maddie’s shoulders slumped. She hadn’t apologized to Danny, had hardly even made eye contact. It was no wonder he attempted to get away from her as soon as possible. Didn’t mean Dani was going to forgive him for leaving her in his place. She would be the first to admit she didn’t know how to read the mood-- complete lack of socialization with logical beings would do that to a person-- but she knew the one between the younger and elder Fentons was tense.
“He… he doesn’t scar?” She asked like it mattered. There was something hopeful in Maddie’s face as she looked up at Dani. Her eyes were soft while Dani knew her own were hard. She was perversely glad she was able to shoot down that hope.
“No, he definitely scars.” She thought of the large burn running down his side courtesy of one of the more lethal versions of the Fenton Bazooka. She felt angry again. Did this woman go five years without seeing a single scar on her son’s skin? Hadn’t they gone to the beach together or anything? Maddie’s breath hitched.
Dani stood up.
“Well, this has been a nice chat.” She still didn’t understand what Danny had been hoping to accomplish here. Did he think she was going to suddenly bond with this lady because of biology? Did he somehow think they would form the child-parent relationship that he didn’t even have with his mother?
Maddie looked up like she wanted to say something but bit her lip instead. Dani let her ghost form envelop her in a flash of light and trickle of weightlessness. Maddie swallowed. Dani leaned up, planning to leave through the ceiling, when Maddie’s chair screeched backwards.
“Wait.” Dr. Fenton was looking up at her with both hands braced against the circular yellow table. Her eyes seemed determined but her voice was still a hint too quiet. “You’re a pretty young woman, you know.” Whatever Dani had expected her to say, that wasn’t it. She couldn’t for the (one third) life of her figure out how it related to anything that was happening and it seemed a weird time to start dishing out compliments or observations like that. Was she trying to win brownie points? Because that was pretty low. Dani didn’t know if the insinuation about her character or the one about her self-confidence was more offensive if that was the case.
“Um, thank you?” she grit out, trying for a smile that ended up exposing a good deal too many teeth. Maddie’s eyes widened a bit and she backtracked.
“No, I mean… you’re welcome here any time, Danielle. If you ever need anything. You’re a pretty girl and that’s nothing to be ashamed of,”
Dani was further confused by the further “explanation”. She couldn’t figure out what she had done to earn the invitation or why Maddie thought she would be ashamed. Was it a dig about her being a clone of a boy? She never mentioned that bothering her and she didn’t think she acted in any particular way that insinuated that. She shook her head and clenched her fists.
“Fine. Whatever.” She wanted to get out of here.
Dani took off through the ceiling without another word. She didn’t see Jazz standing in the stairwell with an angry snarl on her face. Neither of them saw Danny, sitting on the other side of the lab door holding his arms around his legs and burying his head in his knees.