Ooh Chihuahua! I wrote some angst! *Gasps* This could only be the work of….Writer's Block! Darn Plot bunnies turn evil and have those red eyes…and it makes me wanna huggle them! Evil Bunnies! Evil bunnies! Angst Fanfiction! Angst Fanfiction! Help me! Help me! …Did I mention I'm on sugar?

Just a Child

Maddie walked through the park, ecto-gun strapped onto her shoulder tightly. Her walk was far from casual, as she sauntered from tree to bush, to any other possible foliage that would provide cover. She was sure she had seen a glimmer of something.

What it was, was still unknown. Something rustled to her left, and Maddie, rolling her eyes, dropped down to a squat and rolled to her side into a bush, crouching low.

Maddie felt the rush of dissapointment. She hated using such cheap moves that only appeared ninja movies, but they could sometimes be effective in these type of scenarios. However, even if she told her karate/judo instructor that, he would probably never forgive her.

Maddie peeked out from the bush, and to her utter surprise saw a faintly glowing outline. A short stature with baby cheeks outlined with something that resembled white chalk. The whitish aura had two small eyes and a button nose, and pouty lips. Small stubbly legs attached to small stubbly feets, with two fat lumps for hands.

Maddie sat dumb-founded for a moment. She had heard of ghosts like this, merely pent-up memories, usually very mellow ghosts that were naturally harmless. But they usually didn't appear in the human world. Why…?

The ghost wobbled to the slide. Maddie noticed its little galoshed didn't make a sound when they stepped on a branch. The second time they stepped on a dried up leaf, a strangled crunch sound was made.

Could this child be trying to recreate a moment?

Maddie watched in silence.

The child's small hands gripped the bars, slowly hoisting itself up. The squeaks of the shoes on the metal were off-time, but the ghost paid no heed. As it sat at the head, memories flashed to Maddie's mind.

"Uh, Uhhhh, Uh!" Panted a 4-year old child as he pulled himself up the bars of the slide.

"Be careful honey! Remember, hand, hand, foot, foot!" Maddie called out concernedly.

"Got it Mommy! Hand, hand, fwoot, fwoot!" The child grabbed another bar mechanically, mumbling the mantra to himself over and over again. Maddie watched from the side, concerned.

Danny's hand hit the slide and he grasped it, a triumphant grin alighting on his face.

"Mommy I did it!" He looked down and blanched.

"No Danny! Don't look down!" Too late. The child became pale and started to shake. He bit his own lip as tears stared to pool in the corners of his eyes.

"Danny you're almost there! Keep going!" Maddie encouraged.

"Yeah you big baby! Give it a try already!" Jazz shouted, scowling.

Danny reluctantly looked away from the ground and looked up. Slowly he swung his legs up, sitting down on the slide and-

"Mommy…" The child sat on the slide's edge. He looked down around and said in a shaky voice,

"I did it Mommy. Do you see? I made it." Maddie looked for another shimmer. There was none. The ghost was alone.

Something tore at the mother's heart. Her ecto-gun lay beside her, forgotten.

The child looked down the slide and slid. His hands did not go up in an attempt to go faster, and no enlightenment shined on his face. He came to a stop at the end, and his feet gently brought him up to a stand. He looked to both sides. No one.

The kid wobbled slowly to the swings and sat down. Nothing happened for a few moments.

"Mommy, you said you'd watch me. You said you'd be there, and you'd watch. I went down the slide Mommy, I did it." The child looked at a single spot, a few feet away. He stared at it like there was something there.

"So where are you?"

Maddie stood up. The ghost did not see nor hear her. She reached for the gun then retracted her hand as if burned. That child…it was a benevolent ghost. Harmless really. Why not just let it stay…?

There was a soft thud as feet landed next to the child. It did not notice the lean figure next to it.

Maddie's breath caught as she saw the flicker of light reflected off the shiny metal surface of the Fenton Thermos. The figure pointed it at the small child, and for a moment the clouds covering the moon (for it had gotten late in the night) opened up and Maddie saw his face.

His green eyes, usually alight, seemed cold and dead. His whole body posture gave off an air of decisiveness. As the little machine responded to the ecto-energy and charged up, the small whine alerted the ghost, who looked at the teenager questioningly.

"…Mommy?" The hollow eyes did not look away as the boy was sucked up, its innocent face still staring at him curiously. Maddie felt something in her stomach clench.

Danny tucked away the thermos without another word.

"How dare you." Maddie whispered, raw fury boiling in her veins. Her eyes betrayed her anger, her teeth gritted together so hard she was sure he heard them grind. She approached him recklessly, standing close.

"How dare I what?" He asked, softly, coldly.

Somehow the roles had been switched.

"Capture him. That-That child!"

"Don't you mean that ghost?" Danny asked. Maddie flinched, taking a step back involuntarily.

"What, do you have an age limit?" Danny asked calmly, continuing very collectedly.

"I don't-" Maddie started angrily.

"Sure, if their younger than 10 they're okay, they can't be evil or dangerous-"

"Stop it!" Maddie cut in,

"but if they're older, even a teenager like me-"

"Slap!" Maddie stared in shock. Without realizing, she had struck the ghost across the face. Her hand went for her gun, but she found it discarded several feet away. She wouldn't be able to make it in time, even if she ran.

The boy touched a hand to his cheek, then regarded the woman with the coldest eyes she had ever seen.

"Did it ever cross your mind that that child as you put it could shoot rays out of his hands, like this?" He asked softly. A small green beam appeared in his hand and Maddie stepped back on instinct. A small smile graced the boy's lips and the beam disappeared.

"Or that maybe when he cried, things could blow up?" Danny asked, looking at her seriously. Maddie felt rage growing deep inside her.

"Of-Of course I did! Don't you dare tell me how to conduct myself!" She raised her hand as if to slap him again, and he flinched back. She blinked, and noticed for the first time that his hands were trembling ever so slightly. Could it be possible he was…scared?

She disregarded the comment. She had no weapon. She was defenseless. Why would he be scared?!

"That child," Maddie started. His unreadable eyes met hers as he realized she wasn't going to hit him.

"was looking for his mother. What danger could come from that?" Danny shrugged and for some reason she felt infuriated. Why did all reason leave her when she saw his face?

"Nothing. Or something. I wouldn't want to take that chance. Would you?" His eyes became profound, and she found herself unable to make sense of him. Why was the ghost being so darn evasive today?!

"You shouldn't talk like you know everything." She spat. For a moment his fists clenched.

"Say that child became convinced someone had killed his mother. What if that need to avenge her grew into something more…powerful? With ghosts you can't be too sure." Maddie grimaced again. He was using her own theories to trap her! She felt so angry and felt such strong desire to hurt him, hurt something!

"Still, that-that was cruel!"

"And if you had caught him, if you had actually felt the need to capture him, what would you have done?" Maddie felt like a predator losing to its prey. What…why was she becoming so disoriented.

"But-you"

"Think of it in this way," Danny said, looking at the metal thermos in his hand.

"If I bring that boy to the ghost zone, maybe he'll find his mother." That small smile returned.

Maddie staggered back. Why did he seem like the good guy, even to her? Why was she suddenly the evil thing to run away from?

"If I let a ghost go, simply because of how it looked…I don't think I would ever be able to run from that decision." Danny said softly, pocketing the thermos once more. Maddie now stared, unable to come up with a defence.

"You-You don't fight ghosts! I fight ghosts! I'm the ghost hunter! Not you!" She shouted suddenly, feeling like a small child.

His lips turned upward ever so slightly.

"I know." He said gently.

"Where would we be without the all-powerful ghost hunters?" He asked, smiling sadly.

Maddie felt like he had hit her.

"I don't know why I tried to reason with you, I never have before." He sighed.

"Look, I just," he stumbled. Then he showed her his hand, palm up, not fully-grown but like a kid's.

"Maybe because I can sympathize with a child." He murmured.

"You and I…are not that different. Where my heart doesn't beat, yours does, sure, but I am able to process thought…to let my emotions control me… to forgive…to forget…." The last part was a whisper

"To make mistakes…." Maddie felt unable to breathe.

"So if you make mistakes…and I forgive you…" He said, taking Maddie's hand in his, he turned hers upwards, and the slightly larger hand was clasped in the small one. She did not move.

"Maybe one day you'll come to forgive me." He grinned then, but his eyebrows made it a pained one. Maddie did not know how to react anymore. Something was placed in her hand, and then the ghost…child was gone.

Maddie then fell to her knees, shaking a little, and stared at the object in her hands. A thermos.

She felt that ghost had been incredibly impudent to her. She knew she should feel anger, and she could, somewhere, deep down.

But then also, she felt shame. And for the life of her, she couldn't understand why.

Had she made a mistake? The logical part of her asked.

Had Phantom been right to capture that child?

Another part, the more irrational, yet logical in a sense, responded,

When had Phantom ever been the right one?

What would make him capture that child in the first place?

And then some other part of her, the scientist part, asked,

Why don't we just find out?

The thermos was in her hands. The release button flashed green. She could let the ghost out. She could let it stay here, let it roam…or return it to the ghost zone.

Sudden thoughts whirled into her head.

Had Phantom shown the child cruelty…or mercy?

He had said he could sympathize with the ghost. Because of its age?

"He's a child too…" Maddie murmured softly, eyes widening. Had she really never noticed how young Danny was?

For a long time, Maddie's feeling and thoughts conflicted.

And then something else popped into her head…

Had she been biased?

Had she shown one child mercy where she had not another, just because of how it looked and acted? Had she pitied the ghost, and let it live?

She was no predator. She realized suddenly. Predators never showed their prey mercy.

Had Phantom been trying to get that across?

With a storm inside her head, and hands itching for an aspirin bottle, she got off her feet and slipped inside the Ghost Utility Vehicle. The thermos was gripped tightly in one hand as she drove.

The first thing she did was empty it into the ghost zone.

Was this a mistake? Every part of her asked.

She didn't know.

But if it was she'd already be forgiven by someone.

And for some reason, for which she did not know the answer to, she felt relief. Like so many things were no longer riding on her decisions.

And with that, the last surprise floated into her head.

Phantom had asked whether she'd forgive him…if he made a mistake.

"Just a child…Just a ghost…" A part of her murmured. More biased thoughts.

Maybe there was a time where a lot rode on his decisions…maybe more than one…

"Just a child…Just a ghost…"

Maddie chose a bias.

"Maybe I would…" She looked into the swirling depths of the green portal.

"But only after I scolded you first."

Oh gosh. That was a crummy ending to a crummy piece of angst if I've ever read one. I can't believe I actually wrote that. Oiy. Don't hurt the authoress. Reviews should never hurt, they should comfort. So please don't virtually slap me!!! Oh, I've been facing a TON of Writer's Block recently. For those Ghosts Can't Feel Electricity, I've basically written out 2/3 of the next chapter, but now I'm kinda in a slump. I am officially assigning the readers the task of RTG's!! (If you want to be!)

RTG = Random Title Generator. Give me something to work with people! (If you want to! …and you probably don't want to)

Help me! I'm swirling into a dark abyss of death! Look at that! I used the word "dark"! Writer's block makes me angsty! Help!

Artgirl4!