Maddie Fenton looked at her son he stood near the door with his hands in his pockets, staring out of the window; similar to how a businessman would look out of his twenty story office, observing what was below him. Pondering. Thinking.

Shortly after Danny got back from school two days ago, Sam's parents came around and told them about the funeral. The news shocking everyone but Danny, who already knew. She had to pay attention to the little things now as he had gotten a lot more secretive, and his reactions... It was a mixture of all sorts of things, but pain was a dominating emotion on his face. Pain as if he had gotten punched in the stomach, but hadn't keeled over.

There was something, anything she wanted to do to comfort him as soon as she found out. But he just shrugged her away and left the room. Jazz left immediately for her brother's room right after. It was common knowledge that he was closer to his friends than he was his family. After a bit, Jazz seemed to replicate that kind of closeness. But it left her and Jack in the dark because they never understood what was going with him. The fact drove her nuts. It was her job as a mother to figure what was wrong with her kids.

"This stupid tie," Jack said, trying his hardest to try and tie the frustrating piece of clothing.

"Here honey," Maddie said gently before moving over to help him with the tie. But her eyes moved back over to Danny. He seemed to have no problems tying his tie. He was dressed down in an immaculate suit. She smiled gently from how handsome he looked. But the eyes are what got you. Beautiful, bright blue eyes that she had seen with many different emotions. But she had never seen them filled with a type of... lost look. A distinct dim.

"You all ready?" Danny suddenly asked. Maddie finished Jack's tie while blinking really fast before turning towards Danny.

"Soon. Jazz is still upstairs getting ready," she told him. He nodded before beginning to pace around the room. But then he stopped as his sensitive hearing picked up footsteps on the stairs. He smiled gently at his sister. At the least he still had one person who knew more about the situation just like he did. How he wished this whole thing was a nightmare orchestrated by Nocturne. But he knew very well that he was awake.

"Alright, so we're ready to go," Danny said. Jack moved to say something, but Danny was already out of the door. He looked at his wife with worry on his face, and she mirrored the look. Jack's shoulders deflated. He so desperately wanted to help his son, but he just pushed them away. He was like this when his friends were still alive, but the gesture still hurt. The fact that he didn't trust them enough to open himself up to them. They couldn't understand how he felt. Because he wouldn't tell them.

"To think I would've cared a few weeks ago if we were traveling in this stupid vehicle," Danny thought as they piled in his dad's stupid ghost assault vehicle.

Jazz looked at her brother with a worried look. She couldn't recall a time where she saw him look so downcast. His blue eyes somehow looked more dim just from the more hollow look in them. It hurt her to see him so downcast. Her strong, ghost-fighting brother looking as if he had given up all hope. So she awkwardly moved her hands out to pull him closer.

Danny immediately flinched away as if electrocuted and she pulled her hands back a couple of inches before moving forward again to try and pull him closer.

"It's ok," Jazz said softly. Danny looked at his sister sadly before he stopped resisting. He laid his head on her shoulder and she put her hand on his left shoulder. There was comfort in the gesture. He knew she wasn't there. She didn't see what happened. She didn't know what it really felt like, but at the same time, there was more understanding. Maybe because he knew that she understood more than anyone else who was alive how difficult his life was. He didn't complain about it. No. Even though it could ruin his future. But he had his friends and Jazz to help him when he needed it. Now...

Maddie looked back in the backseat and saw that Danny had his head on Jazz's shoulder. She smiled to see the fact that someone was able to give him some comfort. More than ever, she wanted Danny to know that he was not alone. She just wished he felt he could act the same way around his parents. The relationship with the people around him was always different than most people. She saw even more of that today.

"Skulker did it," Danny whispered to Jazz. She looked at him and saw that he was trembling. But there was no sadness in his gaze. It was determination and fury.

"What do you think you'll do?" she whispered back so her parents wouldn't hear. He closed his eyes and once they opened, they were bright green and full of anger.

"Payback," Danny said through gritted teeth. Jazz saw her parents' gaze start to shift over to them, so she didn't press further. But at the same time, she didn't quite like what the word meant. Payback to a ghost? How would that even end? What would he even do?

Without a word, Danny got out of the vehicle when it stopped. He straightened his clothes as he stood erect. His dad parked right outside the cemetery, and by the looks of the amount of cars around here, Sam and Tucker's families were already here. The stares he felt at the back of his skull made him draw in his shoulders. So he just opted on walking in the cemetery gate and heading towards the funeral.

"Oh, right. They're burying them at separate plots," Danny thought with a displeased frown. Who was he going to see first? He hated that this was a decision. He really didn't want to be here very long. The longer he was here, the more that the situation would eat away at him. So he had to decide quick.

A hand on his shoulder made him jump and it was his dad's beefy hand. There was sympathy in his look and the look deflated him a little more, but he smiled gently at him. Maybe it was some vain attempt to make it seem like he didn't look as in pain as he felt.

"Who we going to see first?" his dad asked. Danny looked between the two separate areas and when he raised his hand, he found his finger pointing towards where they were burying Tucker. Jazz and his mom had caught up and he looked at them briefly before nodding and heading towards Tucker's plot.

Danny had to restrain himself from putting his head down when he walked over to Tucker's parents. The sad looks on their faces transferred to him, and there was guilt. Damned guilt for something that he couldn't have stopped. He was there, but he couldn't have stopped him... Ghost powered hero Danny Phantom...

With a hesitant hand, he put a hand on the side of the coffin. He was kind of glad they didn't have to go to any type of open casket thing. He might've broken down from the sight of his dead friend. Even as he stared at the closed coffin, his ability to stay strong was dwindling.

"Hello Mr. and Mrs. Foley," Danny heard his parents say. Danny stayed silent as he heard a crunch of rocks right next to him to signal someone was positioned next to him.

"I can tell it's not easy," Jazz said, putting a hand on her brother's shoulder.

"No. It's not. Just standing here makes me wish even more than before that this was some horrible nightmare I'm going to wake up from soon," Danny said as he ran his hand over the lid of the coffin. "I shouldn't have to be standing here. I shouldn't know what it's like to have people you love be taken from you. Neither of them should've died like that. They didn't deserve that. They deserved far better."

"So do you," Jazz said as she quieted her voice. She saw out of the corner of her eye that the adults were watching them. "After everything you've done for this town... after everything you've been through... I just wish better things had happened."

"It's one of life's cruel jokes. Bad things happen to good people. One of life's biggest jokes. But I'm not laughing. I just have all of this grief and all of this anger and I only have one idea as to what to do with it. After that, what's left?" Danny said, curling his fingers. If he had remotely long nails, he would've scratched the coffin.

"The only thing I can tell you is to take it one day at a time. Give the... fighting a break, take time off, anything," Jazz said, selectively choosing her words because she started to become more aware of the fact that the adults were approaching them.

"Danny... the undertaker is here," Maddie said gently. Danny turned towards her and sighed sadly before backing up. Then he looked over to where they were burying Sam. He could see that her mother was crying in a handkerchief and her dad was holding her close and comforting her. Then he turned back to Tucker's now descending coffin. He knew once he was lowered in that coffin, that was it. He wasn't coming back.

"We can go see Sam now. If you..."

"Yeah. We can go," Danny said sadly, backing away from Tucker's grave. He knew he was coming back. There was no way he was forgetting about them any time soon.

"Stop." A voice he had never heard before made him look up. There was a man dressed in a suit and he was holding his hand out.

"What's the problem?" Jack asked.

"The Mansons wished to grieve in private. You can come here after they leave," the man said, making Danny's gaze instantly snap to the man's.

"Excuse me?" he questioned, his voice somehow managing to come out calm.

"Move along please," he said.

"I'm not waiting. This place is public and the right to prevent people from going into a certain area should not extend to the rich just because they have money," Danny said through gritted teeth. Jazz knew that this was going to lead to something. Either the man was going to let them through because he has some inkling of a conscience, or this situation was going to get ugly.

"Danny..." his mom started, but he wasn't having none of it.

"No. I'm not letting some rich privileged idiots run me out of here just because they have enough money to hire people to keep people away. Now... move or I will make you move," Danny said, his voice filled with venom as he stepped forward. The man's eyes slightly narrowed. He could've sworn his eyes were blue just a moment ago. And he looked angry enough to actually want to attack him.

"Alright, I'm going to have to ask you to back..." The mistake during his speech was that he put a hand on his shoulder. Between anger and natural reaction timing, he acted in the worst way possible. He flipped the guy over by the arm to where he ended up on his back, and had he not been as upset as he was, he wouldn't have broke the guy's arm. But he did. The loud crunch and yell of pain was a dead giveaway.

"Danny!" Maddie exclaimed, her eyes widening as she saw him break the man's arm. She didn't even know Danny was that strong. He made it look like he had done things like that for a long time. And that raised the question. Did he?

"He wouldn't move," Danny said simply before straightening his tie and letting out a breath through his nose. Like Tucker or god forbid Sam would let some asshats with money tell them they can't do something. Granted, those asshats were Sam's family, but it's a point nonetheless. So he continued forward.

They had already buried her. I mean, in a way, that made it easier to take in the sight. Until he stared at the gravestone. That was what got under his skin. Then Sam's parents looked up at him.

"How'd you get over here?" Sam's mom asked, her voice watery from her tears but still managing to find an inkling of suspicion.

"We got past him. You have absolutely no right to keep me from seeing her," Danny said, anger in his tone.

"She is our daughter. We-"

"And she is my best friend! What kind arrogance do you have to where you can make people who care about her just as much as you stay away? You self-righteous prissy little bit-"

"Danny!" both Jack and Maddie exclaimed, which made Danny calm down a little. Just enough to keep his eyes from turning green again. He had to get a lid on his anger. But he could never see eye to eye with this woman.

"Look, we don't need to fight. Not now. Not while we're burying two kids today. It's wrong," Maddie said.

"Mom's right. Look, I can tell there's animosity between you two..."

"Oh ho ho. That's an understatement. They never could stand me without even knowing me," Danny said, eyeing the parents with anger in his gaze. "But I have no reason to play nice with them. Not anymore."

"But..." Jazz continued, emphasizing the word. "...we can call a truce for now. In agreement to respect the dead."

"I won't say anything to you if you don't say anything to me," Danny said, forcing his tone to stay calm.

"Ok," Sam's dad said before his wife could open her mouth. Danny turned towards him and nodded in some semblance of respect. At least he didn't seem as selfish as his wife.

Danny opted on sitting in front of the grave with his family gathering around him. What a mockery his life was. A supposed hero. Supposed to protect people from ghosts. And couldn't even protect those closest to him. And now he was alone.

"Well..." Danny thought as he looked at Jazz. "Not completely alone."

But there were things his sister couldn't do. Like help with school. Stay out at nights and help him with ghost hunting. She had school to go to and goals to achieve. He couldn't do the same because he was stuck fighting ghosts. Would be so easy to give up now. But that was just something he couldn't do. He knew Sam would crack his skull if he tried, which made him smile a little in a watery fashion.

"Couldn't drop a subject she believed in to save her life," he thought, his thoughts rising slightly at the thought. "But that's what made Sam. Loyal to a fault. Stubborn, but had a good heart. A good friend too."

The last thought made him frown a little. There was that strange thought again. Given enough time, would they have escalated to more than just friends? The fake out make outs were situational, but they were somewhat nice even though they were forced more than anything. Was he attracted to her? At times, yes. At times, no. Wasn't like he would ever get to find out where they would've ended up. Cause both her and Tucker were dead.

He felt something on his dress pants. It caused him to shift his gaze over to the spot where he felt it and it was a wet spot. He was crying. He knew he was. But he didn't make a sound. Mourning in silence seemed to be his thing. Not showing how weak he was on the outside.

Then he felt gentle arms pull him in. He didn't look up. He didn't dare look up. But as much as he tried to fight it, a sob wrenched itself free from the back of his throat.

"It's ok honey," his mom said, her hand rubbing his back in a comforting way. It broke her heart to see him this way. She didn't wish pain like this on her child. She didn't wish pain like this on anyone's child.


Sitting there was pointless. What did he have to gain by just sitting in the middle of a cemetery, looking back and forth between where his friends were buried? He didn't know why. He just sat here, not really knowing what to do next.

"Disheartening, isn't it?" a familiar voice said. But it was a voice that made him tighten his fists in anger.

"What do you want Vlad?" he questioned with barely restrained anger.

"Calm down child. I'm not here to fight," Vlad said, raising his hands in surrender before slowly lowering them.

"Then why are you here?" Danny asked in a snap. Vlad walked around to get in front of Danny's face and sat down in front of him. He raised an eyebrow in slight wariness and suspicion, but Vlad didn't make a move to transform, attack him, or anything.

"While your desire for vengeance is a much better improvement than your very crippling hero complex that you had when I first met you, I would hope you at least have a plan as to how you're going to get the person. Starting with finding out who the person was," he told him. Danny looked up. He wasn't even going to ask how he even knew he was going after Skulker.

"I already know who did t. I was there when it happened," Danny said darkly. "And as for getting there, I don't have to worry about that either. All I have to do is..."

"What? What are you going to do? There isn't much you can do to a ghost. They don't face justice like they would in any sickeningly moral society," Vlad pressed.

"I know that! What, do you think I was born yesterday? Walker punishes ghosts for the fun of it, not because he actually cares about enforcing any sort of law. No, I'm handling this myself," Danny said with a hard tone.

"And how you are you going to do that?" Vlad questioned.

"I don't- gah! I don't know what I'm going to do when I get there! Dammit Vlad, I just have to do something! Anything! I lost them! Forever! They're not coming back as ghosts. They're dead and gone. And I don't care what I do when I get to Skulker, but when I get to him, I will make him pay for what he did," Danny said, his tone venomous. Desire for vengeance, a desire to hurt someone as badly as he felt was never an urge he had before. He wanted to teach Dash lessons on occasions, but it was nothing this raw. Nothing this... necessary.

"Welcome to walking a mile into my shoes," Vlad said simply.

"Oh, put a sock in it, you cheese head," Danny snapped at him. "My dad didn't mean to turn you into a half ghost. I don't recall you ever talking with him after the accident."

"Because I spent years in a hospital!" Vlad snapped, suddenly on his feet.

"And your life got better because of it. Come on, like the idea of being one of the richest people in the world because of your ghost powers doesn't please you. And before you start talking about how you would rather have mom than your riches, stop acting like you couldn't find a woman just as good given your reputation," Danny told him.

"And you think I haven't tried something as abhorrently simple as that? My reputation is exactly why... This is not about me," Vlad said, cutting himself off.

"It fully well is. Because you still have an opportunity to have friends. I've lost mine. Let go. And... hey, you'll have something else I don't have anymore," Danny said with a shrug.

"That's not what this is supposed to be about," Vlad said with a frown.

"But it's true. Look, I learned in the rudest way possible that life is about as sudden as it gets. Make up with them before there is no chance to," Danny said before standing to his feet. "Now... I have business to take care of."

"Skulker?" Vlad questioned, making Danny nod. "If you set on a goal of revenge, do yourself a favor and try to do it right."

"You mean you're not going to try to stop me?" Danny questioned with a raised brow.

"Briefly. But I decided to replicate the closeness Jack and I used to have with my current demeanor and abilities. I would kill whoever caused his death slowly and painfully. So I will not deny you this," Vlad said. Danny nodded, and briefly, he felt as if he understood the man. It may have been for only this moment, but it was a moment. Then Danny transformed and took to the skies. Time to find Ember.