Only Half

Desperation

A/N: This is the last of the older chapters I kept... My writing style has changed a bit since then, but I hope to eventually be able to bring a new chapter or two that will finally end this story. Since this was originally near the end of the original story. Thank you to anyone who voted for my story even while I had neglected to update it. I sincerely apologize again, and I hope you guys like these chapters!

They weren't sure just how much longer the thermos could hold him. The metal contraption the teens had all come to trust so thoroughly was literally cracking, ready to burst apart with the enraged form of the Fright Knight any second now. Despite, therefore, their hesitance to leave Danny struggling in his room alone, they had to do it. This was the only way to save him... it was the only thing they could think to do. Without his help, however, it would be difficult (if not nearly impossible) to manage. They just had to hope that some sprinkle of luck was on their side. Judging by past events that didn't seem likely, but neither Jazz nor Tucker nor Sam could help but think that Danny would have a different outlook. As sarcastic as their friend and brother seemed to be at times, and even with all the puns and joking negativity, everyone who truly knew Danny also knew that he had a heart of gold. He liked to think the best of people, and he tried to be positive about the outcome of a bad situation. And sometimes...

...sometimes things like that worried Jazz. Danny wasn't perfect; if there was one thing she learned from her psychology studies, it was that imperfection was a flaw everyone had, some more than most. He was the type to hold everything in, the tragic hero. He'd never outright say it, Jazz knew better than anyone else ever could that Danny was willing to lose his life (the half that was still alive, anyway) to save the ones he cared about. And though his immediate family and friends would always top that list, sometimes Jazz was concerned that the ghostly obsession would consume him. His saving the town, that is. He wanted- no needed, to protect Amity Park. Where he'd been willing to risk himself for the ones he loved before he was Phantom, now that trait expanded to include the entire city. He gave people too many chances, and he saw too much good in people. And that, Jazz knew, would get him killed one day. It actually already did. Thank god it hadn't been permanent...

But Jazz couldn't keep thinking about that now. Despite her tendency to ramble about psychology, even in her own mind when no one else was willing to listen, she had to focus now. This was important. If they couldn't get rid of the Fright Knight, Danny would be hurting forever. And Jazz couldn't stand to see her brother like that. He didn't deserve that. He deserved better than that. Better than all of it.

It took a few painfully worry-filled minutes for the three teens to arrive at the lab. It was late enough at night that both Jack and Maddie had fallen asleep. For the past few days, Jazz had managed to convince her parents that Danny had come down with some form of a cold. She insisted that they see him as little as possible, so he could get better faster. They had agreed eventually, feeling confident in their daughter's prognosis since they knew at one point she had been interested in medical school.

Jazz stood by the door, making sure that they didn't wake up. Tucker held the thermos in his hands, trying desperately not to let the sweat of his palms allow it to slip through his fingers. All they needed at this point was for him to accidentally drop the thermos, providing the momentum the Fright Knight needed to finally break free. Tucker, however, in an attempt to avoid such a catastrophe, immediately put it down on the nearest table. He looked up at the huge containment unit the Fentons had recently set up, made of firm fiber glass. It was virtually unbreakable to a ghost. But... then again, so was the thermos... virtually was the key word here. Any ghost that was powerful enough could eventually crack the walls, and that was why Danny had to always beat the ghosts first before sucking them into the device. Jazz had always wondered what the point of it was, and when Danny explained it to her, she finally understood. That was why the timing of this was absolutely urgent. Because not a single one of them could fight ghosts like Danny could and win, especially when it was the Fright Knight. Danny hadn't gotten a chance to weaken him enough before Jazz had sucked him into the thermos, and while the trio could certainly hold their own if they were attacked, they wouldn't last long, and they knew it.