Disclaimer: See Chapter 1

A quick note: Okay, I didn't cry when Uncle Ben died in the original movie, but when I was writing this scene, I nearly did cry. Why is it that things like death are always sadder in writing?

Reviews: inufan-308, Siren of Time, Black.Rope.Walker, Wolfee, Phantom of a Rose, passing4insane, Jenna Dax, dessyweird51, JC, SMALLVILLE23, Red's-Fury.

Chapter 3: The Death of Jack Fenton

Danny walked up the stairs, gazing down at the rink in awe. The place was loud, the people were shouting, and the enemy looked fierce. Danny grinned, eyes narrowing as they flashed green for a moment. He could take him. He slipped into an empty corner and quickly transformed before joining the growing line of wrestlers.

"Next!" the woman shouted, and Danny moved up to the table. She looked him up and down then burst out laughing. "This is no feather-weight division here, small fry. Next!"

"No, sign me up," he said.

She looked back up at him then shrugged. "All right. You do know that the NYWL is not responsible for any injuries you might and probably will," she glanced him up and down again, "receive?"

"Yes."

"Down the hall to the ramp. May God be with you. Next!"

Danny followed her directions and stood patiently. He heard the announcer call out, "Are you ready for them?" The crowd cheered.

"Bone saw is ready," he heard the enemy say into the microphone.

"Will the next victim please enter the arena? If he can spend just three minutes in the rink with Bone Saw, the sum of $3,000 will be paid to—" The microphone cut off, and Danny heard the announcer whisper, "What's your name, kid?"

"Danny the ghost boy," he muttered.

"Aw, that sucks." He turned back to the microphone. "Will be paid to DANNY PHANTOM!"

The partition was raised, and Danny was shoved out into the arena. He walked down the ramp while Bone Saw's girls followed him, flinging insults at him left and right. The last opponent was wheeled by, screaming about his legs. Danny gulped then climbed into the arena. The crowd began to chant, "Kill him! Kill him!" as a cage began to lower around the arena.

"Hey, guys, I didn't agree to a caged match!" Danny said as they locked the corners. "Unlock the thing! Take the chain off!"

"Hey, freakshow!" He turned to face Bone Saw. "I got you for three minutes. You're going nowhere."

The bell went off, and Bone Saw charged at Danny who gasped and flew up on reflex. Bone Saw ran into the side of the cage. Danny floated over the rink, staring down at Bone Saw who was rubbing his nose.

"What are you doing up there?" Bone Saw shouted, pointing at the floating young man.

"Staying a way from you. That's a cute outfit. Did your husband pick it out for you?"

Bone Saw growled and leapt up to try and grab Danny who simply flipped out of reach and landed in a crouch on the ground. He shot up again as Bone Saw ran at him, flipping over the professional wrestler's head.

"Finish him off!" one of his women shouted and handed him a chair.

Danny turned his head only to have a chair slammed into the side of his face. He fell to the ground, groaning and tried to get back up. Bone Saw slammed the chair into his back. Danny got up on his hands and knees, sighing, then grunted and fell sprawled on the ground as the chair connected with his back once more. Bone Saw hit him with the chair one more time then threw it aside, picking the ghost boy up and slamming him against the side of the cage.

"Kick his ghostly ass!" one of the women shouted, handing Bone Saw a cane.

Danny stared wide-eyed as Bone Saw came at him then kicked out, hitting the wrestler in the chest. He kicked out again and again, alternating between his chest and his face. Bone Saw staggered back then came at him again, roaring and raising the cane. Danny let out a yell and pushed out with both feet, catching the wrestler in the chest and flipping him over his head. He slammed into the side of the cage, dropping to the ground.

Danny stood, shaking his head and running a hand through his white hair before looking at his opponent. Bone Saw didn't get up as the referee called out three seconds. "Give it up, people for the new champion: DANNY PHANTOM!" the announcer shouted, holding up one of Danny's arms.

Danny looked around him as the people chanted his newly received wrestling name then raised his other arm, laughing.

He stood in the office later for his money. The owner set down two hundred-dollar bills then began counting the rest in his hand. While Danny took the two bills given him, he waited for the rest too.

The owner looked at him. "Now, get out of here."

Danny glanced at the money in his hand. "The ad said $3,000."

"Yes, three grand for three minutes, and you pinned him in two. For that, I give you two hundred."

"I need that money," Danny growled, green eyes flashing dangerously.

The owner leaned his elbows on his desk, glaring at the young man before him. "I missed the part where that's my problem."

Danny took a few deep breaths to calm himself down then walked out of the office, brushing past a man that entered after him. He pushed the button on the elevator, returning to human form and muttering about the unfairness of it all.

"Hurry up!"

Danny turned at the shout and watched in shock as a silhouette in the glass hit the owner's silhouette. He stepped away from the elevator and watched, uncertain as to what he should do. The elevator door opened but was ignored by the teen that had called for it. The man he'd passed on the way out ran toward him with a gun and bag loaded with the money from tonight's match.

"Stop that guy! He's got my money!" the owner shouted, stumbling out after him.

The armed guard ran after him, and Danny stepped aside from in front of the elevator, letting the man pass. He pressed the button repeatedly before the door finally closed, muttering a "thanks" before it did. The officer slammed his fist against the elevator door before turning to Danny.

"What the hell's the matter with you? You let him go!"

Danny just watched him walk away. The owner walked up holding his head then looked at Danny.

"You could've taken that guy apart! Now he's going to get away with my money."

Danny smirked and said, "I missed the part where that's my problem."

The owner snarled at him then walked away. Danny smiled, feeling pretty pleased with himself, then pressed the button to call the elevator again. He headed for the library once he finally got out of that building, watching as police cars passed him up. He followed them with his eyes then stared curiously at a gathering crowd in front of the library.

"Move away, people. Give us room!" an officer ordered.

"Someone's hurt," the people said. "Someone got shot."

Danny elbowed his way through the crowd, mumbling "excuse me" every once in a while. He reached the front of the crowd, and the police officer tried to push him back. Danny's eyes widened as he stared at the bleeding form of his father lying on the sidewalk.

He fought against the officer. "That's my dad!" He pushed past the officer's arm, kneeling beside his dying dad's side. "Dad?" he whispered, tears stinging his eyes. He turned back to the officer. "What happened?"

"Car jacker. He's been shot. We called the paramedics; they're on their way."

Danny turned back to his dad. "Dad?"

Jack's breath was coming in short pants, but he managed to open his eyes to look at his son. "Danny…" His mouth could barely form the name, his eyes glazed. His smile was lopsided, and his voice was slurred.

Danny could feel tears trailing down his cheeks. "I'm here, Dad," he whispered, grasping his dad's hand.

"Danny," Jack choked out again, his smile turning into a frown as his eyes began to darken. He tried to say something more, but his eyes closed and his body fell limp. He was dead.

Danny couldn't stop the tears that streaked down his cheeks as he buried his face in his dad's unmoving chest, sobbing openly. He dimly heard a police officer say they'd found the shooter, and he stood suddenly, his anger replacing his grief. The crowd didn't even seem to notice as Danny walked quickly from the crowd then began running down a darkened alley, changing to Danny Phantom as he did. He took to the skies, flying faster than he had ever flown before, following after the police cars in pursuit of his father's car where the shooter now tried to escape.

His eyes widened as a wall came into his path, and closed his eyes, unconsciously turning intangible and phasing through the building. He grinned, eyes flashing, before picking up more speed and landing on top of the car. The shooter let out a shout and began firing at the roof. Danny took off, ducking under a bridge, then leapt onto the front of the car, slamming his fist into the windshield. The shooter swerved, unable to see out of the front of the car.

Danny turned and took to the skies again as the car ran into a locked gate in front of an old, abandoned warehouse. The shooter struggled out of the car and ran through the now open gate as the police cars pulled up. He stumbled into the building, holding his gun out and turning around every once in a while. His eyes were wide, and Danny could feel his fear from where he hid in the shadows invisibly. Danny snuck around the room slowly.

"Who's there?" the man shouted, spinning around. Danny didn't reply, and the man shot at the roof.

He moved to run on, but Danny grabbed him and slammed him into the wall before pulling him back by his collar and slamming him into another wall. He slammed the shooter's head into two different windows before throwing the man away from him, causing him to crash into some old crates. The man lashed out with a knife, throwing it at the ghost who leapt onto the wall, crouching on it as though it were regular ground, and out of the knife's way. He smirked as the man stared at him.

He leapt off the wall as the man stumbled over to the window, and Danny went human before approaching him. "Don't hurt me! Just give me a chance! Just give me a chance!" the man cried.

"What about my dad? Did you give him a chance?" Danny shouted before grabbing the man by his collar and lifting him up in the air and into the light

He gasped as he stared at the man's face, recognizing him. He was the man that had stolen the money from the match, and he was the one that he had let escape. Letting that man go had suddenly become his problem. He released the man, stepping back. His blue eyes were wide and hurt as he suddenly realized what he had done. The man laughed, stepping away from the window. He cocked his gun and held it to Danny's head.

"See ya'," he said, finger moving toward the trigger.

Danny grabbed the man's wrist, turning intangible so the bullet went through him. The man cried out as Danny twisted his wrist and broke it. The man backed away from him, panting. He tripped over a stray piping sticking out of the floor and crashed through the window, falling with a scream. He landed on the ground two stories below, dead. Danny didn't feel the satisfaction he thought he would feel; he only felt empty.

A police spotlight glanced over the dead man then up to the window where Danny still stood. "Freeze! We have the place surrounded!"

Danny turned at footsteps, went ghost, then flew invisibly out of the building. The officers ran into the room then looked around. It was empty. They walked over to the window where the police spotlight waited. He was gone.

Danny flew to the highest building in the city and sat upon one of the gargoyles decorating the edging. Tears filled his blue eyes as he sat with his knees pulled up to his chest and his arms wrapped around them. He buried his face into his knees, shoulders shaking.

He returned home about an hour later, eyes downcast and puffy from crying. Maddie and Jazz both stood from where they sat on the couch by the door and went to the fourth member of their family. He pulled them into a hug as they began to sob, out of relief for his return and grief for Jack's death. Danny held them close and rubbed his mom's back, trying to comfort her as his own tears built up once more. His dad was really gone.