Maddie Fenton glanced up from her ghost hunting photo album in time to see the family room glow blue. A small, round object landed on the green carpet, looking as if it has just been thrown through the wall. Maddie jumped to her feet and grabbed the nearest weapon—the Fenton Ghost De-Ecto-Fier (another one of her husband's ideas), but the wall had already returned to its normal state of tangibility. She pushed a button on her large wristwatch. The gadget suddenly folded out and became a ghost scanner, showing no ectoplasmic activity in the area. Maddie cautiously approached the thing on the floor, which turned out to be a wad of paper, with some type of metal clip attached to it. As she came closer to the crumpled piece of parchment, the clip fell under her shadow and just…disappeared. The ghost hunter kept her gun charged. She wanted to be ready for anything; particularly a trap, which she knew this definitely was.

Maddie carefully picked up the paper with the very tip of her hazmat-gloved fingers. It was a note! She narrowed her eyes as she read the words that were scribbled there:

"Fentons,

We have been a bit misunderstanding of each other for quite some time now. I suggest a truce. I hope to show you that death does not change the personality of the victim of circumstances. I was fourteen when I became a ghost; just because I can now walk through walls, it does not mean I have turned evil. If you will agree to meet with me, I can explain every action you have or have not witnessed. If it will make you feel more at ease, I will allow you to put me in the Fenton Ghost Net, but please keep the power at a minimum. I sincerely wish to resolve our differences quickly.

Very hopefully,

Danny Phantom

PS: No, Maddie, this is not a trap. I just want you to understand. Death has given me a new perspective on life."

Maddie growled as she pitched the note to the trash can. How dare he! How could he suggest that he had any reasonable explanations for what he had done? "He will pay for every wrong he has ever committed!"

A sigh emanated from every corner of the room, and Maddie gripped her weapon even tighter in anticipation.

"But, I already have," she heard. Maddie whirled around to find the source of the voice. How had the ghost finder not alerted her of the presence? "I made a mistake, and had to watch my family die as a result. Even after I went back in time and changed it, I am still haunted by the memories of what I saw in an alternate timeline. No matter how hard I try to do what is right, I somehow always mess up." Was that remorse she heard? No—it couldn't be! Ghosts don't have any feelings other than hate! "Even now, I regret every sin I have ever done; accidental and purposeful, big and small. The damage I caused when I was overshadowed, the pain I caused when I fought back in self-defense. Even when it wasn't entirely my fault—when I was simply unable to prevent the truly evil ghosts from hurting my family, my friends, my city. I feel the guilt and hurt of every loss felt by every victim of circumstance."

The speaker took a deep, shaky breath, and Phantom appeared before her. He continued, "I am an outcast in both worlds. The humans fear me, while the ghosts consider me a freak. A half-ghost that walks among humans some of the time, but defies the full ghosts' every attempt to take over the city. I am little more than a freaky kid with freaky powers; I am still half-alive, but my own parents consider me an emotionless threat. My father rants about ripping me apart 'molecule by molecule' while my mother hates me for simply existing. Neither ever thinks that maybe there is more to me than meets the eye, and neither asks my side of the story." Phantom made a half-hearted chuckle. "And you know what the worst part of it is? They don't even know it's me. They think that DannyPhantom is always out to get Danny Fenton, but they never realize that we are the same person."

Maddie gasped as two white rings washed over her enemy, and left her son in his place. Danny gazed at her with exhausted eyes before whispering, "I only ever wanted to be accepted. I only ever wanted to protect you, but you never gave me a chance. You never seemed to notice when I managed to help you, but you never forgot when I made a mistake. I'm sorry I couldn't do better."

He turned and walked dejectedly through the wall. Maddie stared after him, shame apparent on her face. She wanted to chase after him—to tell him that she was sorry-but she was frozen in place.

Jazz strode into her home just in time to see her mother race up the stairs to her room, tears running down her face.