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Mirabel was on her feet before she fully processed the scream. You could call it superhero instinct or her instinct as a prima, but whatever it was had her shooting up the stares of Casita towards the sound of Danielle crying. The young halfa was breaking down, Cujo yipping worriedly by her side and Antonio looking close to tears.
"Mirabel! Help!" Her younger primo pled.
"Ellie, what's wrong?" The girl asked, reaching for her.
Only for the clone to back away. "No! Don't touch me! Please!" She begged.
The pyro grew even more worried. What was going on? Then she noticed something. The floor was wet. And even more concerning, her cousin was dripping.
"Shit!" She thought.
Danielle hadn't been stable when they first met. The process of cloning a halfa made it hard for her to be. If they hadn't done anything, the chances of her surviving long were slim. But they had done something. Using Plasmius's notes and tech with their own magic and Phantom's DNA, Ladybug and Miss Miracle had stabilized her. She should be fine, not melting again!
But she couldn't panic, because Ellie was panicking, and she needed to be calm for her.
"It'll be ok, Ellie. I promise." The girl said. She hoped she wasn't lying. She tried to call her brother, because he absolutely needed to be here, but he wasn't picking up. Damnit, he must be in the Zone. She needed a way to get to him fast. Then it hit her. "Cujo." She said.
The pup snapped to attention. Mirabel moved to open her door to Paris. "Go through Danny's door, and bring him here." She said.
The pup whined slightly, not wanting to leave the young halfa behind.
"It'll be fine. I'm here to watch her. But we need to find Danny." She told him.
After a moment, Cujo nodded, looking determined. He was off like a shot through the door.
"Can I do something?" Antonio asked. If Mirabel was his favorite cousin, Ellie had definitely secured her spot at second favorite. He wanted to do something.
It took her a moment but she thought of something. "Find Tio Bruno. If anyone will know what to do, it's him." Mirabel said.
Antonio moved without hesitation, literally flying off to grab their uncle.
And that left Mirabel with a still crying Danielle.
"How are you doing, El?" She asked gently.
The girl sobbed slightly. "Am I going to be destabilize?" She asked. "I don't want to go."
Mirabel's heart broke. "And we won't let you." She said. She would become Madam Mariposa in a heartbeat if need be.
It was then that Antonio flew up, bringing with him their uncle. And when he saw the state of Danielle, he was on them in an instant.
"Hey, hey, it's going to be ok." Bruno said.
"I'm scared, dad." Ellie cried.
That seemed to hit him hard. He'd adopted her, they all acknowledged that, she was their cousin. But Mirabel didn't think she'd ever called him dad before.
"I know, kiddo. Can I touch you?" He asked.
The young clone nodded slightly, and the man closed the distance. She almost let go when he hugged her and she felt him sink into her skin slightly. That didn't mean she didn't want to reach out when he pulled away slightly to look at her with glowing green eyes. Some people found Oracle's eyes unnerving, but to his family, they were a reassurance.
"Believe me when I say, you're going to make it through this. I don't make empty promises. I see the future, and in every timeline I've seen, you get through this. Because you, Danielle, are so strong. One of the strongest people I know. And I am so proud of everything you've done and everything you will do." Bruno told her.
Ellie cried harder, wrapping her arms around him. He hugged her back, not even caring he was getting damp.
Fortunately, it didn't take long for Cujo to return, the hound literally dragging Phantom with him. The ghost boy had been with Ember when Cujo found him, barking worriedly. The time it would have taken for him to figure out what was up was apparently too short for the dog, as he grew to his hound form and snatched him. Looking at the situation in front of him, he could see why.
"Hola hermano. We've got a situation." Mirabel said.
"I can see that." He responded. "What's going on with El? I thought she was stabile."
"She should be." She said.
Danny flew closer to his cousin/clone and got a better look at her. Her form was unstable, that was for sure, but it was different from her previous instability.
"How does it feel, Ellie?" He asked.
"Like my body isn't trying to be solid anymore. Like my body's turned against me. Like there's pressure waiting to explode. Like I'm wet but also the thing making me wet." She explained.
Danny hummed to himself. That sounded familiar.
"You got something?" Mirabel asked.
"Maybe. I think we're going about this wrong." He said. "What if this isn't happening because she's a clone? What if this is happening because she's a halfa?"
"What does that mean?" Antonio questioned.
"Her core." Mirabel realized.
"My what?" Ellie asked.
"Your core. Every ghost has one. Half ghosts too. I have an ice core." Phantom said. "For most ghosts, it's kind of a one and done thing. I'm dead, formed as a ghost, then boom, core already there. But we're not most ghosts."
"Danny only developed his fully in Paris. And it wasn't a pleasant experience. He was freezing, inside and out. Nothing he could do was making him warm but my fire, and even that was just a stopgap. It was like his body had turned against him." Michael explained.
"Ellie, you might not be dripping because you're destabilizing. It might be because you have a water core, or something on that line." Her template said.
"How did you stop it?" She asked.
"You don't. You embrace it. I stopped trying to fight it and unleashed it. I froze and entire hotel room but it worked." Danny said.
Embrace it? Danielle had been holding back desperately, trying to keep her form solid. "But what if you're wrong? What if I let go, and go for good?" She asked.
"Then I fight Clockwork or ask White Rabbit to send me back in time and smack me for the idea. Either way, we won't know until we try." He said.
Bruno gave her a comforting squeeze when he noticed she was still nervous. "You got this." He said.
Still nervous but willing to trust them, she nodded.
They headed into Antonio's room, not wanting to risk flooding Casita if they were right, and the room already had a river.
"Ready?" The boy asked.
"No." She admitted.
Her cousin gave her a hug. "For the nerves." He whispered.
Then he flew to a safe distance, and she could see her family staring down supportively. Ellie took a breath. She was scared. Terrified. But she trusted them. She trusted her dad when he said she would get through this. Now she had to trust herself. And let go.
Mirabel's heart dropped to her stomach slightly when the girl began to lose solid form. And jumped back into her throat when the dam burst. One second she was a melting girl, the next she was a veritable flood, filling the river higher and higher.
"Woah." She heard Antonio say.
Then, it stopped. And a head popped out of the water. A damp, but more importantly, solid girl. She could have collapsed with relief.
"It worked!" She cheered. Phantasm flew up like a rocked, and it was only her instincts that had her bracing herself for the hug.
Ellie then moved on to Danny. "Thank you." She said genuinely.
"I just gave you advice. You pulled it off. You're amazing, Ellie." He said.
Then it was Bruno. "I knew you could pull it off." He smiled.
"Thanks, dad." The young halfa grinned.
Not to be forgotten, Antonio tackled her into his hug, and Cujo tackled them both, ectoplasmic saliva covering the kids as the overjoyed ghost dog licked them silly. Going from sobs to giggles in one day was a massive win in his book.
"Oh, I wanna try something." Ellie said suddenly. Scrunching her face in concentration, the clone reached for the water and pulled, a literal waterslide rising up at her command. "Yes!" She cheered. "Anyone want a swim?"
The question was answered by Antonio cheering and jumping down it. Mirabel and Danny shared a look, shrugged, and jumped it after him. And Bruno watched with a smile. That girl deserved the world, and he would always be happy to see her thrive.
"That's my girl." He said.