Life's Changes

by Team04Phantom

Part 4 of the Danny's Story series. Dani's missing, his parents are closing in and Sam is in constant danger. Danny is at a breaking point. With Vlad denying responsibility, his parents on the verge of a discovery and Sam's blind eye to the danger, Danny wonders how much more can he take.

11. Chapter 11

Warning: This story contains adult content.

Disclaimer: I do not own Danny Phantom.

Chapter 11: New Solutions, New Problems

I awakened drowsily. Sam was clutching to me like a lifeline but she still slept peacefully. On the ground, inches of snow layered the ground but on the Ops Center, only patches of snow surrounded us. The roof was divided numerous times by a trench of some sort and only a small amount of the roof had snow on it. I guess the snow hitting me melted and the water ran down the roof, causing trenches.

"Sam," I said gently. I nudged her, pulling her with me. The snow still fell from the sky and the snowflakes that hit us melted instantly. Steam poured off my skin as if I had electricity in me. Sam moaned, opening her eyes slowly.

"Good morning," Sam smiled at me drowsily.

"It is morning," I smiled back at her. "I have no idea what time it is. We have school this morning…" I grumbled, "although most kids won't."

"You know we don't get out of school for natural disasters," Sam smacked her lips.

"Yeah, I know," I sighed. I just hated it. I kept her with me as I retrieved our clothes. Only my pants (but not my underwear) were near us. I helped keep her warm as Sam dressed and once she was fully clothed, the hoodie back on her shoulders, I dressed quickly. I took her back in my arms, keeping the heat constant. She wasn't shivering before but it must be really cold out here.

When we made it to my room, I caught the time. It was a little after four-thirty. "You want to go back to sleep," Sam asked me.

"I'm not that tired," I replied. "You can lay down, though."

"Nah," Sam dismissed with a wave of her hand. "I think we can find some things to do in the next hour." There was nothing seductive about her voice so I knew she was serious. There probably was plenty of stuff to do outside; like hunting down ghosts for instance.

Tucker was sleeping on the cot so I let him be. I went into my nursery, Lilly sleeping peacefully. Megan, on the other hand, was awake. I picked her up before she started to fuss. "Shh," I said softly. "Daddy's here."

Her quivering lip softened and she looked at me in expectation. I took a seat in my glider and began to rock her. I didn't want to feed her this early unless she was hungry. She just needed to calm down and a little rocking would help. Sam brought in a laundry basket and started to collect the discarded clothing. I wondered if Sam could see well enough. All the lights were out in the room so the only thing she had was the glow of the ops center.

She bent down and picked up one of her black shirts that was lying beneath my bed. Her shirt was laying on the ground with the back facing her so I'll take that as she can see perfectly.

I know their temperature is rising and they have been able to hear things no ordinary person should be able to hear but I guess their eyesight is improving as well. I'll have to do some tests today after school. Tomorrow is the first day of Thanksgiving Break so we should have plenty of time to test some theories. I just wished Mom and Dad could be a part of this.

I resisted the urge to sigh. I will graduate May 2008. It's November 2006. Just a year and a half to go and I can tell them again. I can do this. If time continues to fly, a year and a half will be over in no time. It's been two years and three months since the accident and sometimes it seems like that happened a few months ago. Both of my pregnancies flew by. So will this.

But that doesn't mean that my daughters won't be nearly three and one and a half when I do include Mom and Dad back in our lives. At least they'll know Lilly, though. At least when they see Lilly, they will only be seeing her for the first time, not being introduced to her.

My parents will find out that there has been a child living in their house for a year and a half and they have had no clue. It made me sick to my stomach; imagining my daughter looking to my parents as nothing more than two complete strangers. But she'll be okay. She will have people who love her dearly. Sam and I will love her with everything we've got.

Sam left my room with the basket of clothes as Megan started to settle down. I stood up, placing her in her bassinet and stroked her chest soothingly. Megan lulled to sleep.

I checked on Lilly one last time, kissing her gently. I felt guilty when it came to Lilly. So much was wrong when it came to her. She had been stolen from me for five months and now, almost a year since I got her back, she was forced to share us with a baby she couldn't even interact with. Lilly has no problem telling us she'd like to send Megan back, COD, but she's also supportive. Well, supportive is a wrong word to use. Tolerate, on the other hand, is more appropriate.

I cleaned up the two areas of my room quietly so I wouldn't wake up Tucker and tossed out the trash. I checked on Dani next, peeking in her room. Dani lay on her side, death gripping her pillow to her swollen abdomen. Bile rose up in my stomach and I silently wished for Vlad's head on a silver platter again. Hurting me was one thing. Hurting my family, though, was completely different. I closed Dani's door quietly, leaving her be. I know I should wake her up and tell her everything's going to be okay but I just couldn't. If we talked about what that thing done to her, this week of all weeks, I'd lose my cool. I would just rather leave her hurting a little bit than to open a wound.

Between my bedroom and Dani's was two doors. I opened up the one closest to Dani's room, switching on the light. A soft powdery blue lined the walls of the new nursery. Mom refused to put it off any longer. Danielle should be delivering any day now and Dani would still not have put the nursery together if she had her way. The two cribs sat on opposite sides of the room, one a royal blue and the other a crimson red. JACKY written in block letters sat above the royal blue crib while JAMIE sat above the crimson red. In the back of the room was all the unpleasant things about having a baby; the diapers, the waste pails, the bathing tub, things like that. Behind Jamie's crib was a closet full of baby boy clothes. Two rockers sat in the room along with a couch. My parents sure had the room set up.

But Dani hadn't stepped one foot in here yet. From what she told me about her arrangements, I can't blame her. Vlad had thrown her in a nursery and forced her to stay in that room for months. She was constantly reminded that she would be forced to have a child—later to find out it was two children—against her will. I turned out the light, afraid of angering myself anymore. I closed the door and turned to my room… where my heart sank. I left my door wide open and Mom was glancing in my room.

"Mom," I called, way too eager to cut her off. "What are you doing up?"

"I was going to the bathroom when I saw your door open," Mom replied. "Are you okay? Where is Sam?"

I stepped in front of her, pulling the door towards us and stepping out of the way. "She's washing some clothes. We decided to get up early and take care of some things. I was checking on Dani."

"Are you going back to sleep," Mom asked me, glancing at the door like it held all the answers.

"No," I said, trying to remain calm. I didn't want to appear nervous or fearful. That's a bad thing when it comes to my parents. I think I have got them to lay off the claim that Lilly is my real daughter. I don't need that fire to resurface on something else.

Mom looked conflicted. I swallowed hard. "Can I ask you a question?"

What am I supposed to say? I nodded. "What," I asked, my voice catching in my throat. Crap!

"Why do you have a basinet in your room," Mom asked me. I think I lost all color in my skin.

I gripped the handle tightly. "Basinet," I questioned. "There's no basinet in my room. Only Lilly's crib."

"Don't give me that," Mom said sternly. Her hand went on top of mine.

"Mom, wait," I cried.

"Explain to me why you have a basinet in your room," Mom demanded. She tried to twist the knob but I held my ground. Mom couldn't even get it to twist with my hand guarding it. "Open this door," she demanded.

"Just go back to sleep," I pleaded. "You're tired and you don't know what you saw."

"Don't give me that," Mom retorted again. "Open this door or when you come home, it will be off the hinges!"

"You can't do that," I retorted.

"You are still under my roof," Mom declared. "You are still a minor. I can do what I want!"

"Then maybe I'll just leave again," I declared. "You cannot tell me what to do!"

Mom scoffed. "I am your mother," Mom declared. "I can tell you what to do!"

"But I am not your slave," I screamed at her. "No one controls me!"

"Whoa," Sam's voice shouted. She bounced up the stairs in a rush. "Mrs. Fenton, please back off!"

"No, Samantha," Mom declared. "I am tired of his mouth. You may be sixteen years old, Daniel James Fenton, but you are still my son. You do not speak to me that way!"

"Mrs. Fenton, please," Sam pleaded. "I know how to calm him down. Please, just let me calm him down!"

"I'm not giving up," I retorted to my mother. "You may be my mom and I get that—I really do—but you cannot threaten to control me! Not this week of all weeks!"

"Danny, please," Sam pleaded. "Come on, calm down. You know she doesn't mean anything by it."

I kept my hand firmly planted on my door. I'd be damned if I let her push me over like this. I may still be a child in her eyes but I am not a child! I have two lives that depend on me and that's not including the hundreds of lives I defend from the ghosts. She may think that I am nothing but a bratty child but when she discovers what we've done for this town, she will understand that I will not back down to her bossing. No one controls me.

"Open that door," Mom demanded.

"You need to leave," Sam declared.

Mom gasped in surprise. "Excuse me, young lady."

"You are only making this worse," Sam retorted. "I'm tired to playing nice. You need to leave before he leaves completely!"

"You are under my roof," Mom declared. "You go by my rules."

"And I am trying to pacify things here," Sam declared. "You know I would never disrespect you, Mrs. Fenton. You are a wonderful mother and a dear friend. But please listen to me. He is furious right now and if I don't calm him down, you will lose everything."

"What's going on out here," Jazz asked sleepily.

"Nothing, Jazz, go back to sleep," Mom demanded.

"Obviously something is going on out here," Jazz remarked. She walked past Mom like she was nobody. "Hey, what's going on Danny?"

I don't know, I realized. "Mom saw the basinet in my room and now she wants inside my room."

"Let her in," Jazz said simply. I caught a look in her eyes.

"Are you nuts," Sam erupted.

"Let her in," Jazz repeated, looking to Sam. Sam nodded slowly. Am I missing something here?

"No," I said, shaking my head. I can't let her see Megan. As much as I want my parents a part of my daughter's life, if they discover Megan, it'll only make things worse.

"Mom isn't going to give up until she sees that the basinet is nothing. Let her in."

I had a nausea in my stomach that could sink ships when I released that knob. In one fluid motion, Mom had the door shoving in. It banged against my dresser, causing the objects on it to teeter. My room was exactly as I remembered it except all signs of Megan vanished. The basinet was still there but it didn't have any linen in it.

"What in the world," Mom asked, confused. There were obvious barren places where I had things for Megan but those objects had now vanished. I glanced to the cot to find Tucker still sound asleep. That's crazy. Who told the party to clean this area out?

"See," Sam said. "Nothing to worry about."

"Why did Danny freak then," Mom declared. "What was in here that you didn't want me to see?"

"It wasn't anything," Sam said, rolling her eyes. "Mrs. Fenton, it's just this week. It has Danny on edge. He'll be back to normal next week."

"What has you on edge, honey? And let Danny answer," Mom imputed.

"It's nothing," I said, my voice sounding weird in my ears. I guess I was in too much shock.

Mom sighed. "Do not do that again, young man. I am your mother. I demand to be respected!"

Mom walked out of the room and Jazz closed the door behind her. "Why," Sam smarted. "You don't do anything worth respecting."

"That's not true," Tucker's voice remarked as he sat up. I gasped, surprised. "Sorry, I wasn't really asleep. Jazz woke me up and I told her what was going on while the party took care of the room. If I was awake when Mom came in here, she would have known I did something."

Gage appeared back in my room and placed Megan back in the basinet. I was about to object when all the objects came back, including the invisible liens of Megan's basinet. They didn't clear it out, they just made it invisible. Dom released the ectoplasm that had made everything vanish.

"Are you all right, sire," Gage asked.

I shook my head, "I don't know. I overreacted, I know, and that made it worse but I can't stand it when someone tries to control me."

"You're a mustang," Sam smiled at me. "You won't be ridden."

"Ew," Tucker smirked.

"Just try not to do it again," Jazz sighed. "If I hadn't woke up, we would have been in big trouble," she opened my door. "And keep the door shut!" She shut the door at that very moment and went back to her room.

"She's right," Tucker sighed. "The best way to keep the suspicions away is to keep the door closed. Or else we'll have to keep Megan at headquarters. We can't have them find out about her."

I sighed. "Thanks for saving my hide. All of you. I'm sorry I didn't listen to you, Sam."

"You were too angry," Sam said softly. "After everything you've been though, this week especially, I can't blame you."

I know what she meant. It's not the week of this year she's referencing. This week will be ingrained in me for the rest of eternity. Because this week started it all.

3 3 3

I didn't even acknowledge Mom as we left for school. Outside was a mess, ice and snow everywhere. Every one of us had a jacket on this morning but none of us felt cold… except for Jazz. I talked Jazz into walking to school this morning and she was overly relieved when we saw how many accidents were on the way to school. When you deal with ghosts every day, the weather just doesn't look that intimidating but it can be.

When we made it to school, the front parking lot had been scraped of all the ice and snow but the student parking lot hadn't. I could hear honks and various shouts behind the school and knew there was a problem. "You guys go on," I sighed. "I'll catch up later," I replied.

"What are you going to do," Sam asked me.

"The school is too busy making sure the visitor parking is clear but they haven't taken care of the student parking. I'm going to see what I can do."

"Are you going to scrape the snow," Sam asked incredulously.

"I'm hoping I can get someone to take care of it for me," I explained, "but I can't leave it be. Those kids are going to get themselves killed. They cleared the parking lot where the drivers have been driving for years but the one where the drivers are new to it they leave covered in snow and ice. It doesn't make sense."

"We're going with you," Tucker replied. "You might need some help. They may give you a shovel."

I shook my head at the possibility. "They may." It was the first real snowfall of the season and it had come early. The kids were irate as it was because we should have today off as well as yesterday (which ran late). I'd imagine emotions are running high.

Even Jazz tagged along because she was a senior and most seniors drove. Jazz figured there'd be some of her friends involved. When we made it to the back lot, was it ever a mess. Right away I saw two people decking it out over a fender bender. I ran over, getting between the two seniors. "Okay, everyone just quiet down!"

"Back off, Junior," the senior threatened. "I'm going to rearrange that C-Crew's face!"

"You back off," I said, lowering my voice. "We've been doing this for two years. You'd think we could handle this better."

"He was just looking for a way to put a dent in my seventy-five thousand dollar car," he threw back in the C-Crew's face.

"Oh, please," the C-Crew scoffed at the A-List member. I should know his name. There are only twelve A-List members per grade.

"Jason," Jazz interrupted. "Will you calm down and listen to reason?"

"Stay out of this, Jazz," the one she called Jason retorted.

"I will not stay out of this," Jazz threw back in his face. "Tim has never caused problems before. He's not the enemy."

"He scratched my car," Jason declared.

"Be glad no one was hurt," I interrupted. "I'm going to get this ice and snow cleared off but one more person throws a punch and I will have both of you detained. Is that understood?"

"He started it," the one she called Tim snorted.

"I don't know who started it," I retorted. "I just know I'm stopping it. We will figure out what to do about the scratch later. Right now I have other pressing issues!"

"Oh, you have other pressing issues," Jason scoffed. "What about my car?"

"Cars are replaceable," I declared. I looked up the driveway to see another accident, this one with the entire front end caved in. "People are not!" I left the squeamish.

When I made it up to the two cars, I noticed it was involving Star and a senior. The senior was furious but he didn't have a leg to stand on. He may as well have hit the Queen of England for all the trouble she'd get into. Star might be the Princess of the A-List but her bloodline is richer than Paulina's. It's rumored that Star has the purest bloodline in all of Amity Park which makes all her sisters pure-breeds too.

"Are you okay," I asked, settling by Star.

Star let out a huff of hot air. "I'm fine but my car is wrecked. I hit him, it was my fault but I couldn't stop."

"It's no one's fault," I said gently. "It's just one of those things. Everyone else in the area is getting out of school."

"Yeah, well if our attacker doesn't glow and doesn't have a tail, it might as well be a sunny day," Star huffed out again.

I turned to the senior. "Are you okay?"

"I'm fine," he grumbled. "I came to a stop," he retorted.

"Well, excuse me," Star retorted.

"Come on, guys," I said gently. "We've just got to live with these kinds of things."

"Easy for you to say," the senior retorted. "You don't have a car."

"But I do," Jazz interrupted. "My brother suggested that I not drive today. I'm glad I didn't. We passed three wrecks on the way over here."

"Wish I had someone as smart as your brother," he said sarcastically.

"We've been doing this for two years," I repeated. "It started out raining yesterday. You should have put two and two together."

"What do you think we should do, Danny," Star asked me.

"I'll get Principal Ishyama out here and she can decide what to do. The Division will cover all accidents that happen on school property." I let out a huff. "I'll see what we can do about those involved in accidents that were coming to school. I'd imagine we've been placed under a winter-weather advisory so it was probably suggested that we stay off the roads. The school board suggests we go to school regardless."

"Who is the school board," Star asked me, shaking her head. "We're privately owned now, aren't we?"

"Yes," I nodded, "but we have a staff of administrators who are Divisional agents that act as the school board. It has nothing to do with Region 13 or Illinois."

"Oh," Star said, nodding her head as it made sense. I glanced around the parking lot again. No other accidents, but the traffic was backing out on the highway. I have to get this place cleared off.

"I'm going to find Principal Ishyama or Mr. Lancer," I said. "Try to keep these guys calm."

"Okay," Sam nodded.

3 3 3

Tensions were high as I made my way to the office. When I first arrived, not many people had made it to the school but now as a few dozen were pushing their way to class before the bell, I could taste the frustration. Even kids that normally had a welcoming smile for me was pushing past me, aggravated. This storm was a little worse than our normal snowstorms so I guess I get why everyone is on edge but we've been doing this for two years. I don't get why everyone is so annoyed.

Finally, I arrived at the office. I opened the door but the tensions weren't much better inside. The two secretaries were on the phone so I bypassed them and went to Principal Isyama's office. I knocked on the door, positioning myself directly in front of the window so she'd know who it is. The principal unlocked the door, sighing in relief. "Oh, Danny, thank God it's you. Please, come in."

I've never been the principal's favorite person so why was she treating me as such? Oh well, I can't worry about that now. I came for a reason. "Principal Isyama, we need some shoveling out on the student parking lot. Is there anything you can do?"

"Honey, you have more possibility to get something done than I do," she sighed tiredly. "Southern Illinois is in the middle of the worst snowstorm in years and it's only getting worse yet the Division refuses to let school out. Not even a delay! The state road is doing everything they can but there are more important areas that need plowing. Plus the snow that continues to fall is covering the streets with snow as soon as they're cleared."

"I know the school board is stubborn on this issue. I get why it was necessary the first year but I don't get why they have to do this every year."

"You've got to talk to them," Principal Ishyama pleaded. "You're the only one who could possibly talk them into at least giving us a two-hour delay. Any time would be helpful but a cancelation when the weather gets bad would be best."

"I can talk to them," I said, sighing. I doubt it will work, I added internally. "What can we do about that student parking lot, though?"

"Not anything I would think," she sighed. "We got the main one cleared by luck. One of the parents works for the state road and he asked to have at least that one cleared."

"Why would he do that," I declared exasperated. "What takes most priority: kids or adults? Some of those kids have been driving only for a few weeks?"

"It's not about experience," she said, giving me a serious look. "Look at it from this perception. What takes most priority: pulling in once or numerous people trying to drop their kids off at once?"

I looked at her with a little more understanding. "I never thought of that. There are more parents who drop their kids off than there are kids who drive. It'd be worse if he didn't do that."

"Exactly," she sighed. "If we don't get someone to clear it off before final bell, though, we're going to see how worse it can get. I don't know what to do."

I got an idea. "Can I get your permission to excuse a few kids from classes today?"

"For what," she asked casually.

"Clearing the snow in the parking lots. All of them."

"That's going to take a lot of time," she said seriously.

"I know," I nodded. "That's why I want us excused for the entire day. I can pace the others and we can keep the lots clear."

"Who were you thinking," she asked me.

"I was going to talk to Dash first," I sighed. "He'd know who could help and who would rather stay in class than shovel snow."

"Get back to me," she gave me a smirk. I took that as a yes.

"But you're going to need to do something right now. There were two accidents when I got here. Heaven forbid there be more. One was involving Star, so…"

"I need to get out there, now," Principal Ishyama remarked, standing up. "If I'm not back when you find Dash, talk to Lancer. He can help."

"Thank you, Principal Ishyama," I said, walking out of the class.

Principal Ishyama let out a deep, exhausted sigh. "No. Thank you, Danny Fenton." She resumed her walk to the parking lot, no doubt dreading the trouble she'd find.

3 3 3

Trying to find Dash proved more troubling than I anticipated. I checked our first class but he wasn't there. I asked Mr. Lancer had he seen him but he hadn't. First block had already started but there was barely any of our classmates there. I told him that Sam, Tuck and I were here but we were handling the crisis out back. He seemed to understand.

So then I checked the gym, thinking the jock had used the crisis to his advantage and skipped. There were a few people in the gym but the minute I walked in, they grabbed their bags and lit out like I was the hall monitor. I tried to get someone to talk to me but they just pushed past me, muttering insults. I have to admit, it surprised me. I have been a part of the 'in' crowd for so long, I forgot what it was like to be the dweeb again.

I got my ego in check real fast though when Chris walked past me.

"Hold up," I said, stepping in front of him.

"Move, Dweeb," Chris shot.

"I need to know where Dash is," I demanded. "Do you know?"

"Like I'd tell you, traitor," he sneered.

"I don't care what you think of me," I said, pushing him back. This sort of snapped him out of it. The last of the students were filing out of the gym and it was only he and I. "But there is a fucking crisis out there and I need to know where my King is. Do you know or don't you?"

"I haven't seen him," he muttered. "But who are you kidding? You're king? Please. Since when have you ever honored Dash as your king?"

"I didn't say I wanted to fall on my hands and knees," I scoffed. "But Dash knows what to do in a crisis. I need to get a hold of him."

"Just get lost, loser," Chris snorted, trying to pushing past me. If he hit a brick wall he wouldn't have been more surprised, though. I stepped to the side, letting him out. I was left alone in the gym where there once were dozens of students. What the hell is going on? I don't care if I drop to the bottom of the barrel again. I have Sam and Tucker has Valerie; we're not looking for any more friends and we are still in control… control. Chris had called me a traitor, I remembered. Could this whole nightmare be because of the change of tradition? Not only is there this massive storm that all other schools are getting out for, it's happening on a day that is traditionally a vacation day.

I think I get it.

Oh well. I pushed on my communicator. "Hey, Tuck," I called.

"All you had to do was think," Tucker replied in a grumble. "He's still on the road. He's about a mile from his house."

"Thanks, Tuck," I replied over the communicator. I opened the door to a traditionally empty classroom to find about six students inside. I groaned. "Just stay put. I don't have time for skippers." I closed the door, heading for the utility closet. It was so small that I doubt anyone was hiding in there. I shut the door, transforming.

Dash's house was a distance away. He lived almost in the town where all the storefronts were. That was a good three miles away from the school so he had made one mile of the trip. Maybe he was late getting out. However, when I arrived about a mile and a half from his house, I didn't see Dash or anyone for that matter. I should have passed him by now.

About a mile from Dash's house I saw the most horrific sight. I could see the traffic backed up from a distance but as I got closer, I saw what was holding them back. About three vehicles laid in a crumpled mess, Dash's big black 4-door Ford F-150 truck in the middle of it. My heart leapt to my throat because there were no paramedics there. Was anyone hurt? Was anyone worse? I couldn't think about it.

I landed on the snow and stepped towards the crowd that had gathered around the wreck. "You guys need to get back," I declared. "This could be highly unstable."

"Is there anything you can do, Phantom," one of the students asked, her eyes full of tears. "The paramedics said they are trying to make it but the roads are too bad. They're spread thin as it is."

"I'll see if there's anything I can do," I said, swallowing. I've been trained in first aid and I have participated in rescues before. I know what to do. I can do this. I walked up to the first vehicle I could, a Dodge Grand Caravan. There were small children in the back seat, crying. I think they were mainly scared because that's mostly the emotion I tasted.

"Ghost boy," the driver, a young woman, asked in slight shock.

"Hold on. I'm going to get you out of there," I replied. I slid my hand in a bent piece of metal, prying it away from the van. Gasps filled the area and I fought to not blush. It wasn't that impressive. I tossed the door aside, leaning inside. "I'm going to be a little cold, okay. I'll give you something to keep you warm as soon as I know you're okay."

"Please, save my children. They're scared."

"I'm going to get everyone out," I said seriously. I looked to the back of the van. "Is anyone hurt?"

"No," one of the eldest cried. "But Mommy…"

"Don't worry, honey," I said softly. "I'll take care of Mommy."

"Please, Danny," another of the girls cried. "Mommy doesn't feel so good."

"I'll take care of her," I said gently.

"My kids," the mother repeated again. I know she must be badly hurt. Her speech was slurred and her eyes were glazed over. I focused on her again.

"They're fine," I said softly. "They want me to take care of you so that's what I'm going to do. What is your name?"

"Emmy," she said, her voice breaking. I put my hands on her neck and she gasped.

"I know I'm cold. I'm really sorry but there's nothing I can do. I'm the only one around, Emmy."

"T-That's okay," she shivered. I kept feeling down her body, trying to feel anything broken. I wanted to heal her but I couldn't. It was not common knowledge that ghosts could heal and I couldn't possibly repair her van. If I did heal her, she might be accused of fraud. I'll have to talk with Samuels and get it out that ghosts can heal. That way, God forbid, if this happens again, I could heal someone.

"So, what do you do, Emmy," I asked, trying to keep her talking.

"I-I'm a store manager," she replied. Her lip was quivering and I felt horrible. But I had to make sure she had no broken bones first.

"Do you work today," I asked.

"No," she shuttered. "We closed the store but the kids still had to report to school. Is that messed up or what?"

"I know," I said softly. "We're going to see what we can do about that. Team Phantom and I. It's not right to have so many people risking their lives because of school. So much property and lives damaged just for school seems ridiculous, huh?"

"It's that stupid Division," she grumbled. "They only see the ghosts. I know they're bad but we have you. We don't need them."

"I appreciate that," I said, feeling my heart warm… well, core. "But we do need the Division. There weren't enough teachers and the homeowners insurance wasn't paying for the damages. If you consider the first year with this year, it's really improved."

"I guess," she sighed. "Thank you, Phantom. I have to admit I was one of the nay-sayers when this all began but you really are a hero. My kids were right."

"I'm just trying to help out," I said gently. "That doesn't make me a hero."

"No," she agreed. "What makes you a hero is you do so without anything in return."

I swear if I could blush I'd be beet red. "Can you unbuckle your seat belt," I asked.

"No," she shook her head.

"Don't move," I said, trying not to sound as panicked as I felt. I cursed myself for not telling her that to begin with.

"It's jammed," she continued, her head perfectly still.

"I can take care of that," I said gently. She was facing out her windshield so I had to tell her what I was going to do. "I'm going to cut this with my ectoplasm. You're going to see a green glow and it may feel hot. Do not move. I will not hurt you."

"I know you won't," she said, her lips curling up in a little smile. I think the talking was helping because she was seemingly a little better. I pulled on the belt but it didn't budge. I put my finger against the belt that was away from her body. I could burn her if I cut it where she was. I couldn't use the harmless ectoplasm here. I was trying to cause harm to the seatbelt.

"Are you feeling anything, Emmy," I asked as I began to cut the belt.

"It's a little warm," she said softly. "Why is it hot and you're so cold?"

"I don't know," I smiled. "You'd have to ask my par-pa—the Fenton's." I nearly cursed at how close I came to calling them my parents.

"You don't know," she asked me, surprised. I saw her eyes roll as far to the left as she could.

"No," I smiled. "Do you know everything about your body?"

"But it's out there," she input.

"Mine probably is too but I'm not that popular in the Ghost Zone," I smirked.

"No," she chuckled. "I'd imagine not."

My ectoplasm completely cut through the belt and I grabbed the bottom of the belt. I started to thread it through but then it hit me. "Duh. Cutting it would be a lot easier."

She chuckled. "How old are you," she asked me suddenly.

I paused. "Ghosts don't go by their human age," I covered up. "So I say I'm two. I've been a ghost since August of 2004."

"That wasn't long before the ghosts started coming out," she said softly. "Such a young boy to shoulder all that."

"I couldn't stand the sight of those—others hurting innocent beings. I could do something so I decided to make a difference." I nearly said those ghosts but I thought that might sound suspicious. We don't call people 'those humans'.

"We are lucky to have you in our town," she said gently. I cut away the last of the belt.

"I'm lucky to have you guys as a town," I said softly. I remember when I thought Amity Park was a curse and not a blessing. Now I understand it better. They were only afraid. "Okay," I said gently. "I'm going to get you out of there. I need you to remain absolutely still. It's going to be difficult with my cold hands but try your best not to move, okay?"

"I'll try," she said, her eyes searching mine. I know she was scared—I could taste it—but there was also this sense of comfort I could taste. I couldn't explain it.

I put my hands behind her neck, stabilizing her backbone. I realized that this was going to be a problem when I didn't have anyone to roll her out of the car. I focused on my energy, duplicating. She gasped. "Try to stay still. I can split myself in two."

"What makes you be able to do that," she asked me. "Is that other you conscious?"

"I don't know what exactly makes me able to duplicate," the second me remarked. "But yes, I am sentient."

My duplicate went on the other side and ripped the door off in one motion. Even though there was no damage on the passenger side, the door went flying. He climbed in the passenger side. He gave the kids a small smile and their eyes lit up. There were four kids in the back, three girls and one boy. My duplicate replaced my hands as I went to her spine. We gently lifted her up and carried her out of the car. I formed ectoplasm on the ground, the warm energy melting the snow I laid it on. We laid her on the energy that resembled a blanket and I wrapped her up to keep her warm. I was controlling how much energy was coming out so it wouldn't burn her.

"Thank you," she said gently. "You really are a hero."

"I'm just doing my job," I replied. I went back to the van to get the kids out. I kept my duplicate around because there was another two cars to take care of—one of them Dash.

I opened the door gently, pushing the sliding door to the back. "Danny," the kids declared.

"Hey there, tykes," I replied. "Anyone can't get their belt off?"

"They're jammed," the eldest replied.

"I can take care of that," I replied. I sent my duplicate to check on the boy on the end while I got to checking the little girl by the door. She was maybe six. Not all these kids were in school. The boy was maybe three. After I checked the girl over and my duplicate checked the boy, we cut away their belts. We both formed ecto-blankets and wrapped it around the kids shoulders. We went on the last two. None of them were injured.

I went to the next vehicle I could get to—Dash's. Dash's truck wasn't that damaged but he was trapped inside by the car he plowed into. I went on the passenger side.

"Phantom," Dash replied. "I'm fine but I'm afraid for that lady. That's a tiny car for my big truck."

"She's going to be a little harder to get to," I replied. "I may have to cut her out completely. Emmy's van went through half of that car."

"Which is why you need to get to her," Dash said on the verge of hysterics. "This was my fault. If I hadn't been messing with my music player…" I thought the self-proclaimed tough man was going to start crying.

"It's okay," I said gently. "Everyone is going to be okay, Dash. You just have to remain calm."

"How can I remain calm," Dash screamed, near tears. "I probably killed that woman."

"That's not important right now," I said, swallowing the lump in my throat. God, let her be okay. I have never seen a dead person except for those two people Vlad killed and their faces still haunts me. I don't want another face haunting me. "I'm going to get this belt off you but I need you to be completely still. I'm going to check for any broken bones first."

"Okay," Dash said, his lip quivering. I crawled across his passenger bucket seat and console, trying desperately not to fall through the truck. I did not want to forget where I was and fall through while I was checking on him. I floated a mere inch off the ground with Emmy but I couldn't do that now. That lady's car was pressed up against Dash's door while the front of Emmy's van had plowed through the driver's side. It's hard to imagine how this accident happened. Was someone coming on the opposite lane?

It didn't matter. What mattered was rescuing those I could and clearing the scene. My duplicate was trying to pick through the tangled cars to make it to Dash's door. I needed someone to stabilize his neck while I packed him out. The only person that could get through that mess was a ghost. The paramedics would have to use the Jaws of Life to get to Dash and I may have to use something of my own construction to get to the woman. The front of Emmy's van was right in the cab of the car. I had a bad feeling when I thought of the woman.

I cut away the belt, this time on the opposite side, and we moved Dash out. I wrapped him in the blanket like I had Emmy and unwillingly went to the Pontiac Grand Am two-door car. I started from the roof, cutting away the top of the car. I completely cut away the driver's side and the roof over the car, discarding the metal. The airbag hadn't deployed and the woman sat slumped over in her seat. I swallowed the bile in my throat.

"Miss," I asked, my throat clogging. God, please let her be okay. "Miss, can you hear me?" I reached my hand over to her neck, my hand shaking. I didn't feel anything. I thought I was going to be sick. "Miss," I repeated again, my voice choking on unshed tears. I got close to her, praying I just couldn't feel her pulse. I had these big gloves on—but they're my skin—and I can't feel anything—but vibrations. I listened carefully but no sound emanated in my ears. I let out a gasp, my eyes filling with tears. Not again. Oh, God, not again.

"Is she—," Dash asked, his voice catching in his throat. He had the blanket wrapped around his shoulders, holding it with one hand. I could taste the extreme sadness rolling off him.

"Don't," I interrupted, pushing him back gently. "It's best you not see this."

"I-I killed her," Dash said, shaking. He fell to his knees, sobbing. "I killed her!"

"Hey," I said, struggling not to let lose my own tears. I couldn't see her. Not really. I saw the woman and the boy I let die. I heard her pleas again as they fell on deaf ears and I saw his terror. I imagined their families, wondering where their loved one was. I heard Vlad's voice describing them as mistakes. I imagined a little three year old baby somewhere growing up without a mother. I couldn't comfort Dash from the grief I was feeling.

"I killed her because a song I didn't want to listen to was on," Dash declared. "How do I deal with that, Phantom?"

"I don't know," I said, my eyes welling with tears again. I hung my head, beginning to cry myself. "I don't know, Dash. I don't know how to deal with allowing two people to die because I was too afraid."

Dash was silent for a while as I cried. "What two people," he finally asked me.

"They weren't from here," I whimpered. Her face flashed in my mind, that panicking and pleading face. "I was in Colorado when this happened. Two people, a woman and a teenaged boy, were kidnapped and a ghost killed them. Right in front of me." I don't know why I was telling him this. I don't ever talk about it. Not even to Sam and Tucker. "She pleaded for her life and he was so afraid. I did nothing though because I was weaker than their attacker."

"Why were you there," Dash asked me, biting back a sob.

"They were a present," I said, bile rising in my stomach. "I didn't want them but he gave them to me anyway."

"What did you do," he asked me.

"Nothing," I said, hanging my head in shame. "I did nothing."

"You must have gotten away," Dash said softly. Shouldn't I be comforting him?

"How did you know I was being held hostage," I asked, realizing something else.

"You wouldn't have been there if you weren't," Dash said softly. "You're a good person. I don't care what anyone out there says, you are ten times the person any one human is. For you to be so scared you wouldn't try to save them… I couldn't imagine what you were up against. You fought against the King of All Ghosts and you saved the entire planet from the Disasteroid. It had to be bad."

"Not so bad I couldn't lift a finger," I said, shaking my head. His wondering eyes, searching for anything that would try to hurt him, entered my mind. The irony—he was his own enemy.

"We can get through this," Dash said softly. "Stuff happens. Some stuff is forgivable and some stuff isn't but we can get through anything."

"I'm supposed to be comforting you," I said, shaking my head. "I'm sorry."

"You are comforting me," Dash said softly. "No one out there could possibly get how I feel yet here you are. And you shouldn't even feel guilty. How many lives have you saved? What will I ever do to erase this?"

"You don't erase people like marks," I said, shuttering in the end. "I could save millions of people and it couldn't erase even one of them because to someone out there, they were their world and they were stolen from them. It's not possible, Dash."

"You have saved millions of people," Dash said softly. "You saved the world, quite literally. You may never erase those two people but look how many lives you have impacted. Every single person on this planet owes their very existence to you."

I took a breath—didn't do anything—and walked over to Dash. "Come on. Let's get Emmy to the hospital. I want the kids and you checked out, too."

My duplicate vanished as I absorbed it. I walked over to where I wrapped Emmy and formed this huge box with cut outs like windows. I looked around the area, spotting maybe fifteen people. I made out twenty spots and a long bed for Emmy. "Everyone, please come this way. Step inside the box and I will take you where you need to go. Lock up your cars and I will block this off until the road crews can get here. We're going to the hospital first."

I walked back to the car that Dash hit, digging around for her purse. I put it on top of her and picked her up. When the last person got in the box, I floated Emmy into the box without touching her. The box floated and I put a shield around us, flying to the hospital. Several shrieks filled the air as the box floated seemingly on its power. They couldn't know I was doing it.

I floated Emmy and told the kids and Dash to follow me. I walked in the emergency room, walking up to the desk. "There was an accident. One injury, five involved and one fatality. Do you have room?"

"Phantom," the nurse replied, her eyes on the woman. "Follow me." She turned to her co-workers, "Get those people in the ER."

I followed her to the morgue, her asking me if I needed to put the woman on the gurney. I refused, carrying her the entire way. Finally, she looked at me after I put her down. "The police will need a statement from you, Phantom. Can you stick around?"

"Yeah," I nodded my head. "I'd like to be here when her loved ones come to identify the body anyway." Plus, I wouldn't leave Dash. He's being examined right now is the only reason I haven't duplicated. They could charge him with vehicular manslaughter.

I went back upstairs to take the rest of them to their destinations. I duplicated this time because I wasn't going anywhere. I floated into the air, taking the position of sitting.

A few minutes passed, the person beside of me looking at me every so often. Finally, she got the nerve up to ask me. "Why are you doing that? Why not sit down?"

"Ghost," I replied. She gave me a 'duh' look. "I can't touch anything from the human world without thinking about it. It's a lot easier to do this."

"Oh," she said, her mouth forming the shape of the letter. She didn't say anything more.

3 3 3

Some time passed before the Amity Park Police Department arrived. Sanchez wasn't there though I wished he was. With Dash involved, it's best to have the queen's father present. But Norris was there and that made me relax a little. I landed on the ground, walking over to him. "Hello. I'm the one who performed the rescue and the recovery."

"Danny Phantom," Norris replied, a little stiff. "You're the one who reported the accident."

"No," I shook my head. "I'm the one who responded. I was flying over the area when I spotted a pileup. I found out from the scene that the paramedics couldn't make it in time. I was afraid for those involved."

"We'll get your statement about what happened after you arrived but I need to know how this began. Who was involved?"

"I don't know her last name but a woman in a blue Dodge Grand Caravan. Dash Baxter was driving a black Ford F-150. The fatality was driving a white Pontiac Grand Am."

Norris wrote down the statics. "Okay. You said you didn't know her last name. What was her first name?"

"She said her name was Emmy. She had four small children with her. I estimated their ages to be three to eight."

"Was the King alone," he asked.

I nodded my head. "Yes. So was the driver of the Pontiac."

"What did the scene look like," he asked me. This must be unusual for him.

"The roads hadn't been plowed. It was the top of the hill on main street. Dash's truck was barely damaged. There was some scratches on the driver's door and the windows were shattered. The van was in the next best shape. The driver's side was mangled. I used my powers to cut away the door on her side and the passenger door so I could remove her. The sliding door was jammed so I had to force it open. I cut away all seatbelts. The Pontiac was the worse. Her passenger side was crammed against Dash's driver door, the reason I had to go through his passenger door, and Emmy's van had plowed through the front of the car. The front of the van went through the door right behind the wheel and plowed in, taking half the car with it. She was dead when I checked on her. I listened with my acute hearing and nothing."

"Is she still at the scene of the accident," Norris asked, looking up with a look of disturbance.

I shook my head violently. "I said I was getting everyone out of there. I wasn't going to leave her."

"You did good, kid. You might have saved a life today," Norris replied.

I swallowed hard, thinking of the one life I didn't save. "I set up blocks to keep people out of that area and I had a duplicate transport everyone there to their destinations. I have names, addresses and phone numbers so you can get in touch with them."

"Duplicate," he asked, his eyes wide.

"Yeah," I nodded, swallowing hard. "I can duplicate out. I had them sitting outside and the only thing keeping them warm was a shield. I wrapped the ones involved in the accident in ecto-blankets. Sheets of my energy made out like blankets where I control the temperature. I didn't wrap her in one, obviously."

He nodded. "Did she have any kind of identification or did you look?"

"I didn't look but I found her purse. She may have identification in there."

"You did really good," he nodded. "Is there a way I can get a hold of you if we have any more questions?"

"My team phone or call Danny Fenton," I replied. "He can get a hold of me."

"At Maddie and Jack's," he asked to clarify.

I nodded. "I can give you his personal cell phone if you need it but you can reach me at the Fenton household as well. I won't answer, of course, but I can be there or call you back as soon as possible."

"Okay," he nodded. "Thank you. You can go now."

"I'm going to stick around. Dash is really shaken up. I think he should have someone with him."

"Okay." The officers walked to the nurses' desk as I connected to my communicator. I dialed Carrie's number.

"Homeland Security, Division G. Daniel Fenton's office. How may I help you?"

"Carrie," I replied. "It's Radar. I need you to do me a favor."

"Anything, Radar," she asked. I got several weird looks but I ignored them. They couldn't possibly know who I'm talking to.

"I need you to close down the roads. Emergency personnel only. Okay?"

"Sure," she replied. "May I ask why?"

"There was a fatality on the road today and it wouldn't have happened if the school had been closed. That's who I'm calling next."

"Okay," she replied. "I'll get on the phone with the Division of Highways. Anything else, sir?"

"Call the Metro East Communications and have them put up a service announcement. If anyone is stuck and can't leave, call Team Phantom. We will be transporting people on the roads."

"Yes sir," she replied.

"That's all," I sighed. "Thank you, Carrie."

"You're welcome, Radar," Carrie replied. I disconnected from Carrie, calling the headquarters base number. I was transferred to the school administrators.

"This is Radar," I started, no bull in my voice. "Things are going to change."

"Radar," Raymond Morgan replied, surprised. "What's wrong?"

"Before, this was hurting no one. Now someone is dead because of this stupid law. You consult with me when the weather gets bad, is that understood. If I see it's too bad to be on the roads, school is canceled. If the roads are closed when you wake up, I've gone over your heads. If you have a problem with this arrangement, have Samuels call me but this ends now. I'm sending the kids home."

"Now, hold on one moment," he began. I felt a burn in my gut.

"No, you hold on one moment, you pompous son of a bitch. A woman is dead because school was not canceled. It's over. I will not cancel school for just anything. I will even push the boundaries but God damn it school should have been canceled today. I will be leading an investigation into your organization and if I find even one of you suggested school to be canceled, there will be a new order. We've been hearing about this storm for a long time. The weather people have been warning us that it was going to get bad. There are other dangers besides ghosts. Is that understood?"

"Yes, Radar," he grumbled. "But if you think I am going to let some bratty sixteen year old tell me what to do, no matter what title he has, you have another thing coming."

"Oh, I'm so scared," I said sarcastically. "Buddy, I hold the third highest office in this nation. You threaten me again and you will be looking at an eternity in Guantanamo Bay for treason!" I disconnected, a fire burning in my gut like a volcano. Every one of the people in the waiting room was staring at me like I'd grown a second head. I stormed off, going to the back.

Dash was sitting on the examination table, his head in his hands. I knocked on the door. "Phantom," he asked, surprised. "What are you still doing here? The cops can't be holding you. You had nothing to do with the accident."

"I'm here on my own free will," I said, taking a seat across from him. "Is there anything I can do? Call your Mom and Dad? Go get them and bring them here?"

Dash groaned. "I so do not want my mom to be here but I'd rather her see me for herself than get a phone call and have no way of getting in touch with me. Could you go get them?"

"Sure," I smiled. Dash looked at me expectantly as I sent my duplicate straight to Dash's house. Three was a little harder to maintain but I could do it. Four of myself might as well be four paper dolls. I smiled. "I sent a duplicate out. I'm not leaving you, buddy."

"I-I'm your buddy," Dash said, hesitantly.

"You've defended me since the beginning. How could I not defend you," I asked. I side stepped the question because if he thinks he's my best buddy, he's got another thing coming. Danny Fenton isn't his best friend and even Danny Phantom doesn't overly trust him. The only reason Dash defends me like he does is because I'm a 'hero.' Sometimes I think he has the male version of what Paulina has. Everyone does.

For some reason, Dash held his head down. "I didn't defend you always. When you needed us through the Masters' Blasters, we weren't there."

"What made you think of the Masters' Blasters," I asked.

"How could we forget them," he sighed. "I don't know what happened to them but good riddance. I can't believe we abandoned you like that."

"You don't need to worry about that," I said softly. "It's hard to explain but I had more stuff going on than just the Masters' Blasters. They were the salt. Something else created the wound."

"Well, I'm sorry we poured the salt on your wounds," he sighed.

"It wasn't you," I said softly. "It wasn't even this town. Mayor Masters has some beef with me, that's all."

"I'd like to know how he got elected," Dash said through gritted teeth. "We had our write in candidate but he didn't receive one vote. Something fishy happened that day. You don't get elected mayor without approval from the A-List."

I smirked. "Well, I think it's safe to say he'll be a one-term mayor."

"Damn right," Dash groaned. He sighed, becoming depressed again. "If I'm not in prison."

"You're not going to jail," I said softly. "I may have you put in some volunteer time. I may get your license revoked for a while. But you won't go to jail, I promise."

Dash looked at me weird. "What could you do?"

"Me, nothing? But," I couldn't help but laugh, "I can make Fenton do things he doesn't want to."

"Yeah, right," Dash sighed. "I screwed Fenton over. He'll be happy to see me gone."

I know I shouldn't but I was curious. "Why do you say that?"

"Can I tell you a secret," he asked me.

"Sure," I nodded.

"You can't tell Danny," he said, looking me in the eye.

"That's a little hard," I smirked. God, I'm going to get in so much trouble.

"I meant Fenton," he snorted. "Anyway," he began and I fought not to laugh. It's still hard. "When we were kids, we all got along. I went to his birthday parties and he went to mine. We were real good friends. He even got me to warm up to the new kid, Kwan Jee. I would have never had my prince if it weren't for Danny. Anyway, fifth grade came along and I ran for King of the A-List. Danny believed in me so I thought for sure I could make it. I did. I knew exactly what I wanted. I wanted Danny as my prince and he was going to be a part of the A-list. I was super jealous of Sam and Tucker. They had a friendship with Danny that I could never understand. But I couldn't hurt Danny that way. He liked them two, as you know, so I had to include them. But I couldn't possibly get away with putting Foley and Manson on the A-List. So I let go of my original plan and picked Tommy to be the sixth member. I created this new list, the Dweebs, so Danny, Sam and Tucker could all be together. What I didn't know at the time was new lists needed polling to be created. Just because I had made the new list didn't mean they weren't political suicide. With only three on the entire list, no one wanted to sign to make them popular. I felt so horrible but that's how things turned out. As time continued on, I discovered the bullying problem here. Some of the other A-Lists were going to pick on them but I wasn't going to let them. I found out the only way to protect someone is to take them in as your nerds. It nearly killed me but I started picking on Danny. Now he's forgotten all about that old friendship we had and he treats me like the boogyman. He'll never know how sorry I was. He'll never know he was my best friend before Kwan. He'll never know how much I envy him, even after becoming the king of the A-List. Because I'll never have a friend like Danny. I'll never be a friend like Danny."

My heart was caught in my throat. I never forgot how we were but I was for sure Dash had. I thought he let the power get to his head. Yeah, Tucker and Sam were my best friends… and Brit, though I think he's forgot about her. But Dash and I got along great. We all did. I just thought we let our lives get in the way and I'm sure some of us have. I have to say I thought it was funny when he said that Tommy took the vacant place I left and that he couldn't make Sam an A-List member. Sam's an A-List member now.

"I bet Danny knows more than you give him credit for. He's protective of Sam and Tucker. They're his best friends. Always have been and always will be. He and I have got into some fights when Sam and Tucker get involved in a ghost fight. Trust me, you will never replace them two. But it may not be too late to save the friendship you had before the election. Talk to him. You might find him more forgiving than you once thought."

"Thanks, Phantom," Dash sighed. "Can you see what your duplicate is doing?"

"I can see him," I nodded. "He's talking with your parents. He's telling them you're okay and they're getting ready to leave. Your mom wasn't dressed so she's cleaning herself up. Your dad was dressed."

Dash snorted. "Yeah, Dad's dressed. He gets dressed to use the bathroom. He's an ex-marine."

A knock came to the door and we both looked to the officers entering. "Mr. Baxter, may we have a few words."

"Sure," Dash nodded. "Have you got a hold of the woman's family?"

"Not yet. We're not even sure who she is. We've been dealing with Mrs. Kincaid."

"Emmy Kincaid," I said, nodding.

"Emmylyn Kincaid is her name. She goes by Emmy," Norris replied.

"Thanks," I nodded.

"So, what do you remember about the accident? What were you doing just before you hit the other driver?"

"I was running late," Dash sighed. "I jumped in my truck and put it in 4-wheel drive. I was about a mile away from home when a song on my Ipod came on and I didn't want to hear it." Dash's voice broke. "I decided to change it. I was scrolling my list for my favorite song and I don't even know what happened. I glanced at the street and nothing was there. I glanced back at the Ipod and a few seconds later, I felt the truck vibrate. I looked up in time to see the van hitting me from the side. I saw the car then but I couldn't get out. My belt was stuck. It was maybe ten minutes before Phantom showed up. I kept hearing things but I never thought it was a rescue and I certainly didn't think Phantom was the one rescuing us. He opened my passenger door and crawled across my seats. He checked for injuries, cut my seat belt in two and he and someone else eased me out of the truck. I have no idea who helped him."

"No one," I filled in, looking to Norris. "I duplicated and that's how I moved the injured."

"Okay," he nodded. "I remember you telling me about the duplication process. When is that list of names and numbers getting here?"

"Soon," I replied. "My first duplicate is about a mile out. He has to deliver it to me. I don't know what would happen if he was holding something. The second duplicate is getting Dash's parents."

"What's going to happen to me," Dash asked fearfully. "I killed that woman."

"As far as I'm concerned, it was a natural disaster. From the way Mr. Phantom described the scene, it might have happened whether or not you were looking at your Ipod. Mrs. Kincaid was paying attention and it did little to help her."

"She didn't kill anyone," Dash said with a growl.

"Neither did you," I said. I looked to Norris. "I would go on stand to say that there was nothing he could have done. Believe me, Radar will be looking into the admin and finding out if they even toyed with the possibility of closing the schools."

"How do you know what Radar will do," Norris asked me.

"I'm going to suggest it," I said, fibbing a little. As soon as this mess is over, I will be leading an investigation. They should have considered the possibility that the roads were too dangerous. If I find out even one of them suggested to close the schools, heads will roll. If I find out they ignored the warnings all together, I'll be the one rolling the heads.

"I know how to get in touch with you Dash. Feel better, okay?"

"Thanks," Dash said, swallowing hard. The officers walked out. "You can go now, Phantom. Thanks for sticking around."

"I have to stick around until my duplicates get back anyway," I said, telling a small lie. I only had to wait for the first duplicate. I could recall the second one from anywhere but I wasn't leaving him alone. I swear if Mr. Baxter started something, I'd show him who to be afraid of. Ex-marine or not, I'll show him something ten times more scary then Vietnam.

"Thanks," Dash sighed. He laughed. "I kinda wanted you to stick around. Maybe Dad won't start if there's a ghost around."

"You don't deserve any grief. You didn't do anything wrong. Trust me, you will make yourself pay ten thousand times over before he makes you pay once."

"Speaking from experience," he said softly.

"Yeah," I nodded my head. "You're the first person I've told since I remembered. You're the only person I've ever told besides my team."

Dash got a small smile. "That means a lot to me. Thanks."

"I don't think it's something I should have done," I sighed. "You were dealing with your own grief and then I add on my own. It wasn't right but I couldn't stop seeing them. If I hurt you, I am sorry."

"You really did help me," Dash sighed. "I can't tell you enough how much your story helped. I felt like I was alone before you told me that. Now I know I'm not. Fenton isn't going to be the only person making new laws. I will be writing city legislation to counter the dangers of distracted driving."

"Good for you," I smiled. "You don't have to make this a loss. You can save other people, Dash. You are in a very influential position here. If anyone can stop the dangers, you can."

"Do you practice these pep speeches at home," Dash kidded.

I laughed. "I don't know where I get it from. I'm just passionate about some things, I guess."

"You remind me of Danny Fenton," Dash sighed. "I never knew how tough that wimp was. I really thought I needed to protect him. He fights ghosts every day! Amazing!"

I chuckled. "Well, I can't really speak for him." I lost control for a moment and snickered but I regained my posture. "But I'm sure if you sat down with him and chatted with him, he'd still be the boy you remember."

"I know he's the boy I remember," Dash smirked. "Except… there's something about him." He repositioned himself on the examination table, straightening his letterman jacket. "You know Danny pretty well. You guys are a team. Do you think he's changed recently?"

This made me a little uncomfortable and I cleared my throat. "Changed how," I asked.

"I don't know," Dash sighed. "We hadn't really hung out for four years before we found out he was a part of Team Phantom. It's just… he's different. We've been trying to decipher it as well."

"We," I asked, intrigued. I noticed I was wringing my hands before so I laid them by my side.

"The A-List," Dash answered without thought. He continued, "We are trying to figure out when the Dweebs stopped being dweebs."

Then the confrontation in the gym with Chris is not going to help. "Well, I don't think they were ever dweebs. From the minute I meet them in Danny's parent's lab, they've been cool."

"I guess you would think that," Dash remarked with a thoughtful look. He grinned, "Especially after how we reacted to the exposure."

I couldn't help it. I smirked, remembering Kwan and Mr. Lancer's reactions. Even after all the hell I was going through, Walker-related and unrelated, it brought a smile to my face. "Yeah, well I should have expected the town to be scared." I took a breath, adding in a pitchy voice, "Although, I had no intentions of letting the ghosts be exposed." I grumbled, "Walker ruined that."

"This is my chance," Dash declared and I had a sinking feeling that declaration wasn't for me. "What happened through the mayor thing? What about when you stole that stuff? The rest of the stuff is easily explained but those two things we only theorized about."

I Sulked. "The mayor was complicated. As I've said before: it's over, don't worry about it." I sighed, swallowing hard. "I try not to remember that I stole stuff."

"Y-You mean you did it—willingly," Dash asked, acting as if I had kicked Pookey; hard.

"Not-not willingly," I said, swallowing hard. "There was this crystal ball and it could control ghosts. I, uh, had no free will."

"Oh, man," Dash said, swallowing hard. "I'm sorry if I hurt you."

"Nah," I tried to push it away. I could still feel that haunted look on my face though. Anytime but Thanksgiving and Christmas to the first of February. I just can't take it through those two times.

"I can see it," Dash said softly. "I'm sorry. And you shouldn't feel bad to allow it to depress you. You shouldn't let it rule your… er, afterlife? But you have a right to feel crappy. You're a hero. A lot of people look up to you and I know how that feels. You can't screw up. But you're only human. Everyone makes mistakes."

There was so much wrong with what he said. But there was only one I could object to. "I'm not a hero. I'm just doing my job."

"Who pays you to save the entire planet and how much of a bonus did you get for stopping the Disasteroid," Dash asked with a serious look. He broke out in a smile, "Come on, dude. You are a hero! No one on this planet would be alive if it wasn't for you. You face your own kind, even when the whole town didn't quite get what we kids got. You are a hero, Danny Phantom. And I wouldn't trade this time if I could meet Elvis."

I smirked. "I wonder if he's a ghost." I shook my head.

"What," Dash asked, looking at me weird.

"Nothing," I waved it off. "You can think of me as a hero," I groaned, "It's your opinion, but I'm not one. There are people out there who do things and they don't have these cool powers. Saying I'm a hero, to me at least, is like calling someone who throws away a piece of trash a hero. I'm only doing my duty and I'm not doing anything spectacular to do it."

"Is that how you look at it," Dash asked me. "The ghosts are your trash and if you don't get rid of them, you're littering?"

"You've been hanging around Jazz too much," I smirked. "No! I know I'm not responsible for the ghosts… most of them. I have to come to that understanding. If I don't, by the time the war starts, I'll go crazy." I gasped when I realized I said that aloud, clamping my hand over my mouth.

"What war," Dash asked.

I shook my head, "You can't know."

"Why not," Dash declared. "I'm the King! I should know when my city is in danger."

"It's not just the city," I said, locking eyes with him. "We're on the brink of war and it's going to include the entire planet."

Dash's eyes widened. "Is-Is there anything we can do?"

"Mom and-," I froze, looking at him in horror. Dash looked at me weird. "Danny's Mom and Dad have been looking into it," I added with a weak chuckle.

Dash still held that shocked look. I swallowed hard, not daring to speak. I didn't want to finish my original sentence but I felt it would be worse if I left it hanging than pretending to correct it. But I didn't correct it. I just hope Dash is just as shallow as he was when Dad shrunk Skulker, he and I. If not, I'm screwed. We've been talking about my human self and Dash was thinking this was in complete confidentiality.

Dash swallowed. "Have they found out anything?"

I was still on edge because Dash talking again doesn't mean anything. "We've discovered a few things to help tip the balance. The Fenton's are working on perfecting the shield. Hopefully this time the shields won't fall and none of this will happen."

"Possibly," Dash nodded. He still eyed me like I was going to shoot him or something. That betrayal in his eyes had me worried. Has he found out? Does he know Danny Fenton and Danny Phantom are one and the same? I swear if I hadn't signed that letter as Danny Phantom I would have never told them that alias. It is so damn close to my real name that I was an idiot for choosing it for my ghost hunting name. I should have gone by James Phantom or something!

My duplicate arrived and waited for me just outside the door. I didn't want him to come inside. I did not want to give Dash another piece of ammo for his theory. He can't know that I can change forms but he's the closest one who can figure it out. All he has to figure out is that alteration power I kept using was not just for my clothes and he can piece two and two together. That is definitely something I don't want to happen.

"Can you excuse me," I asked. "I need to step out for a while. I'll be back before your parents get here."

"Yeah," Dash nodded. I turned around, feeling him stare a hole in my back. This is so not good.

I went outside and grabbed the book, absorbing the first duplicate. As I was walking to the nurses' station, I realized I could have had the duplicate deliver the book. Stupid! It's not like Dash doesn't know what I'm doing. I just gave him some alone time to think; to figure it out.

The nurse told me that Norris was in the morgue awaiting the family's arrival. I swallowed hard, walking down the flight of stairs. I didn't want to be there in a hurry so I bypassed phasing and riding the elevator. I finally arrived about three minutes later to find them categorizing everything.

I cleared my throat, causing the officers to turn around. "You wanted those names and addresses. Here they are?"

"Thank you," Norris replied, taking the ectoplasm notebook. "What is this?"

I smirked. "My powers. Don't worry, I've stabilized it. It's just as good as any notebook but it'll always be green." I flipped the pages so he could see for himself. "You could use it until the 'paper' is gone." I put up air quotes over paper.

"Being a ghost must be really cool," Norris smirked.

"It has it's perks," I said sadly. "And it has it's downsides. The desire to feed on other hu—on people's emotions is the worst for me. I want to help but fear tastes so damn good."

"It's in your nature," Norris said sadly. "You shouldn't feel ashamed."

"It's not as easy as it sounds," I sighed. "Did you find out her name?"

"She had her ID in the purse. Good thinking. Her name was Angela Greene. She was forty-eight. She's married and has two grown kids. I spoke to her husband over the phone. She works the late-night shift at the hospital… the other one, you know." I nodded. There's Amity Park Memorial, where we are now, and then there's Amity Park General. "She was coming home."

I closed my eyes, taking a deep breath. "I just wonder what else I could have done."

"As far as I'm concerned, the fact that you saved the Kincaid's and Dash Baxter was enough. Not to mention all these people," he said, holding up the book. "You can't beat yourself up, kid. You're just one ghost. No matter how powerful you are, you can't save everyone. Sometimes, you have to pick your battles. That's something we're learning here."

"I can't do that," I said, shaking my head. "I don't know how to give up. The longer I've been a ghost, the more passionate I get. I can't explain it."

Norris chuckled, shaking his head. "It's just like when Maddie and I were talking last time we ran into each other at the headquarters. That boy of hers, Radar; he's something else. She told me she's afraid he's going to get himself killed he spreads himself so thin. I told her he was going to get himself killed and there wasn't a thing she could do about it." My eyes widened. Why would he tell my mother that? "I told her that he was too good of a boy to sit on the sidelines. You're that way. You will push yourself until there's nothing left of yourself to push. Just keep in mind what's important: one victory or a thousand losses?"

A soft sound caught my attention, causing me to turn around. A nurse led a man into the morgue. My heart constricted when I saw the pure grief in his eyes. The emotion rolling off him caught my attention and I couldn't help but relish in it. I shook myself, stopping myself from feeding on her widower.

"Mr. Greene," Norris began. "My name is Captain Holliday. I'd like for you come with me."

"Can I see her," the man asked, his voice breaking. "Can I see my Angela?" The smell overwhelmed me as he broke down in tears. "I saw the accident. I just want to see her."

Norris gave him a sympathetic look. "Come on. It's best you not remember her this way, though."

"I won't," the man shook his head. "I just want to see for myself. There's a small voice of doubt in my head and I can't stand it. Please, let me see her."

The man stood beside Norris and one of the officers lifted the sheet. The man broke down in sobs, taking the woman by the neck and laying his head on her chest. My heart was breaking but I couldn't stop the feeding I was doing on this man. No one but me would know I was feeding on him but I would know. I just wanted to stop.

"Mr. Greene," Norris replied. "Danny Phantom was the one who found your wife. He brought her to the hospital."

Mr. Greene rose up, kissing her bloody face gently. "I love you," he whispered and I bit back a sob. He turned to me. "Was she alive when you got there?"

I shook my head. "The accident was really bad," I said, a lump in my throat. "I got to the ones I could get to first. By the time I got to your wife, she was dead. I don't know if she survived the impact or not."

Mr. Greene nodded, swallowing. "Thank you for not leaving her there. I can't thank you enough for not leaving her there."

"I wasn't going to leave anyone," I said, a sob escaping my throat. "I am so sorry."

"You saved lives today. That-that's what my Angie would have wanted." He broke down crying when he said 'that's'.

"What about your children," I asked gently. "Do they live out of town?"

"No," he shook his head. "But the roads are closed. They can't come."

"I can go get them," I said gently. "It'd be no problem."

"We'll get together. I'm a firefighter. I had already started my shift when I got the call. I had-had no idea the accident on Main was my Angie."

"If you need anything at all," I said, swallowing hard, "don't hesitate to call. I'll be there. I am so sorry, Mr. Greene."

I turned to leave when I heard his voice begin hesitantly. "D-Do you think she's a ghost?"

"The Reality Gauntlet," I said, my eyes widening. I turned back around. "If she hasn't crossed over…" I stopped short. That was a big if. I didn't want to lead him on.

"What are you talking about, Phantom," Norris asked.

"Mr. Greene, could you please step out of the room," I asked, my hopes high in the air. My future self said the reason I could revive Vlad but couldn't revive Sammy was because Sammy had moved on. It makes sense. Vlad would have held on, like he always does, but Sammy would have wanted to return as quickly as possible. There's a chance I could save her.

"What," he asked, stunned.

"I can't explain," I said, praying my attitude change wouldn't offend him. "Please, could you step outside of the room. I need to talk with the officers."

"O-okay," he said hesitantly. He walked out with the nurse as I twisted my arm. Norris and the other officers jumped.

"What's going on, Phantom," Norris asked unsure.

"I didn't want to say this in front of him," I said, pointing the Gauntlet at the woman. "The Reality Gauntlet has the ability to revive if I use all three gems. But there's a catch. If she's moved on, I can't do anything about it. I didn't want to get his hopes up. He's been crushed enough."

You could hear a pin drop when the Reality Gauntlet lit up. All three gems, red, blue and yellow, emitted a glow around the Gauntlet. I prayed with every prayer I had. Don't let this be too late. The glow faded. I listened closely, praying to hear the thumping of her heart. Only the still air could be heard. I felt like a building had fell on me.

"It's too late," I sighed, my voice breaking. "She's moved on."

"You can't do anything," Norris asked me.

"No," I shook my head. "T-The Reality Gauntlet can't revive those who have crossed over."

Norris tried to put his hand on my shoulder but it dropped straight through. He composed himself. "It's not your fault. You tried everything."

"Maybe not in time though," I sighed. I turned to leave, making the Gauntlet disappear again. When I stepped into the hallway, I could see his face with that crushing hope. "I'm so sorry, Mr. Greene. The only thing I can do is help you say goodbye."

"What do you mean," Mr. Greene asked.

"The ghosts we see, they're the spirits of the deceased. I don't know if this is something you would want but if you want to see her again, I could help you get in contact with her. I'll leave it up to you."

"I could see her again, even though she's gone," Mr. Greene asked.

"Yes," I nodded. "She'll be at peace. She will have no desire to stay in the real world but I can arrange for you to see her. To say goodbye."

"I'll call you after I talk to my children," Mr. Greene said, swallowing. "This is something that involves all of us."

"Of course," I nodded. "You know my number. If not, it's in the phone book under Team Phantom. Someone there can get a hold of me."

"Thank you, Danny Phantom. For everything."

"I wish there was more that I could do," I sighed.

3 3 3

By the time I made it upstairs, my second duplicate had almost arrived with Dash's parents. I prepared Dash for their arrival and greeted them outside the door. I absorbed the duplicate and took them inside. Mrs. Baxter was all over Dash, coddling him. Dash was annoyed, trying to tell her he was okay, but his eyes were on Mr. Baxter.

"I'm just glad you're okay, son," Mr. Baxter replied. "I don't care about the truck. We can replace it. But I can't replace you."

I smiled warmly. I'm glad he's not giving Dash a hard time. I wanted to leave but Dash begged me to stay. I stuck around until he was discharged, then I took them to the elementary and picked up Lil' Dan. Oh boy, do I wish I wasn't there. He clung to me like I was a jungle gym. I prayed no one would notice his comfort around me. I took the group home and went back to Casper High.

3 3 3

The entire school was in the gymnasium just like at the elementary. I looked around the gym but I couldn't find Sam, Tuck, Jazz or Valerie anywhere. Tired of walking around aimlessly, I sensed them out. They were in the teachers' lounge.

"There you are," I declared, walking in the room. The entire ghost hunter community from the school was there, including some of the kids from camp.

"Hey," Sam said gently. "How are you?"

"I've been better," I sighed. "I guess you know what happened?"

"It spread around the school like wildfire," Tucker sighed.

"Tucker got a text message," one of the triplets replied. She gave me an annoyed look. "Ava!"

"Sorry," I smirked but my heart wasn't in it.

"Tucker has no problem remembering who I am," Ava snorted.

"So," Tucker began, "What are we going to do?"

"I'm going to call my parents and get them to deliver some transportation. I'll get in touch with Samuels and see if I can get some of the Snowcats out here."

"Good idea," Sam replied.

"What I want from you guys is to break up that horde out there. Get them divided into a sizable amount and according to where they live. Can you do that?"

"We sure can, Radar," another one of the triplets replied. "Ana!"

"I'm going to get you three name tags," I grumbled as I walked out of the teachers' lounge.

AN: I appreciate all feedback: drop me a line just to say hi, if you liked it, if you didn't, what you think I can do better or any constructive criticism. If it's on your mind, you might as well share it. :) Thanks for reading!

(Four)

P.S. PrincessBetty01, thank you for the inspiration for my nickname. I didn't know what to go by but when you called me Four, I liked it. I'm adding the parenthesizes because 04 is a reference to a year (when Danny got his powers, of course). You rock, Betty. Thanks for being such a great friend!