Danny yawned, his eyes drooping. He'd felt pretty awake after running into Sam and Tucker on the way to school. But man, he felt really tired now. Sleepily, he stared down at his lunch, poking at the questionable meat. Grimacing, he took a bite. Across from him, Tucker slammed down his own tray while Sam placed down her lunch bag down.

"Hey guys." Danny acknowledged his friends as they sat down.

With a nod, Tucker dug in while Danny and Sam looked on in disgust, though for different reasons. The blue-eyed boy pushed his tray away and Sam gave him a sympathetic look. "You can have my apple." The boy gladly accepted it, taking a lazy bit as Sam continued with wrinkled nose. "I can't believe they think it's okay to feed us this stuff."

"It's not that bad." Tucker said, with a full mouth.

"Yes it is." Both his friends quipped, drawing a sheepish look from Tucker.

"That's why I've been petitioning the school board about changing the menu." The girl crossed her arms. "No more mystery meat and some actually vegetarian options."

Danny tipped his head, blinking tiredly. "I can agree with that." He took a sip from his water bottle. "Never having to even look at mystery meat again would be great."

Tucker continued shoveling food into his mouth and shrugged. Finally he swallowed, just as Danny yawned again. "You okay there, Danny?"

Sam blinked at him. Then her expression morphed into one of concerns. "Yeah. You were yawning all through Spanish too."

The black-haired teen waved off his friend's concerns. "Yeah I'm fine. School just been boring today, like really boring. Especially since I don't have to deal with limbs randomly turning invisible." He half smiled, though little relief came from the statement.

Tucker nodded. "I guess it would be. A lot less stressful at least."

"Yeah. It looks like things are back to normal." Sam added.

"I guess they are." Though he tried to smile, Danny's lips turned down. His thoughts drifted back to his conversation with Sam and Tucker that morning. And his dream that he wasn't sure was a dream. Were things back to normal? Or was something ghostly still going on? To Danny's surprise, the thought that everything was back to normal didn't make him happy. Actually he barely hoped that was the case. The now familiar uneasy feeling welled but not at the thought that something ghostly might still be thrust upon him. Instead it sprung from...something else, some unreachable reason just out of the boy's perception.

Noticing Danny's strange change in mood, Sam and Tucker glanced at each other. The barrett-wearing boy poked his food, as the conversation lulled into awkward silence. "So…." He ventured, trying to change the subject. "Are you guys excited to see the new Femalien movie on Saturday?"

Danny nodded, trying to shake himself out of his funk, though his mind felt fuzzy. The sounds of his friends' conversation drifted over him, barely penetrating his watery brain. Across him, Tucker waved his arms at something Sam said, causing Sam to frown in disagreement. The two became so caught up in their conversation, they failed to notice Danny's spaciness. Until a sudden chuckle burst from Danny's lips.

At the act, Danny's eyes suddenly popped open in surprise. He definitely felt more awake as Sam and Tucker whipped their heads towards him questioningly. Tucker wrinkled his brow. "What's so funny?"

Danny just shook his head, perplexed. "I just had a funny thought."

Sam raised an eyebrow. "Want to share?"

At that, the boy frowned. A misty thought, something about the movie Sam and Tucker were talking about, fluttered through his mind but then out of his grasp, disappearing like a ghost in the night. "I...I don't remember." Danny shook his head, trying to shake off the weirdness. "I'm just tired enough that I'm getting a little loopy."

Though his friends quickly accepted the explanation and continued the conversation, Danny remained perplexed, a small ball of worry growing in his gut. He slept pretty well last night all things considered so why….

Just then the bell signalling the end of lunch rang. The three friends stood up, making their way to their classes. At a fork in the hallway, the group parted ways.

"See you after science guys." Danny gave a wry smile. "Good luck in English."

"Bye." "See ya." The two friends waved and walked away.

The blue-eyed boy also turned away, smile falling. He still felt tired, exhausted even, but he wanted to enjoy science class all the same. They were watching a documentary about NASA; that should be interesting, right? The boy couldn't seem to muster his usual enthusiasm. His stomach flopped, anxiety returning, the feeling like something was off.

Just then, Danny arrived at his locker. With struggling hands, he turned the dial and the door swung up. The boy sighed, surveying his books and papers. He needed this book for science, and that notebook. Should probably get the binder too. And the book for history. Unsteady hands reached for the book and Danny sniffed.

Wait. He paused, stiffening. A shaking hand reached for his cheek. The boy moved his fingers to find…water? Only a few drops, but definitely real. His lips pursed. He'd...he'd been crying, again, water leaking from his eyes. But he wasn't...it didn't, it didn't make sense. He hadn't even noticed until now. With a groan of frustration, Danny angrily whipped his face and slammed his locker shut. Mind buzzing with confusion, the boy tried to push away the feelings. He didn't have time for this; he needed to get to class. But anxiety still swirled in his gut.

After leaving the park, Phantom flew off in a random direction, looking for something to occupy his distressed mind. The ghost found himself floating through the mall.

"Do you want to play with me?" One little boy asked another boy in the play area; the pair smiled widely, giggling as they played superheroes. The two kid's moms chatted, one woman laughing at something her new friend said. On a bench across the play area, an elderly couple shared a milkshake. The ghost smiled sadly at the humans, at the connections both old and new being forged and reforged. It sent a pang of loneliness through his chest.

He floated away, trying to maintain his wavering invisibility while browsing GameStop. Oh look, the new Spiderman PS4 game. He'd been saving up for months...no Danny had. Phantom frowned, putting the game down. Then behind him, the ghost heard a gasp. He whipped around to find a shocked employee gaping at him. Cringing, he flickered invisible and flew until he was sure no one was around; the ghost stopped in an abandoned stock room. Phantom sighed; he definitely did not want a repeat of what happened in the park...meaning he needed a way to make himself less conspicuous if someone spotted him.

After swiping a jacket from the lost and found, the ghost floated around the mall until he was bored, which didn't take that long. Going to the mall's not all that fun when you have no money, no friends, and have to stay invisible. So Phantom hovered into the parking lot. He squinted in the sunlight. What was that building across the empty lot? He floated forward and shook his head. Oh yeah, it was the movie theater. His eyes studied the posters advertising what movies were playing until his attention focused on one familiar poster. A determined looking female astronaut hefted a futuristic gun on a clearly alien jungle planet. Sinister looking alien creatures lingered in the shadows behind her. The ghost's lips turned up in a smile. Dang, it looked incredible.

Too bad, he didn't have any money. Phantom's smile dropped at that as he studied his transparent hands. Then again, even if he did, it's not like they would let a ghost into the theater; the employees would probably run away screaming first...or call the cops, maybe even the Fentons. Although… the ghost studied the shimmering outline of his hands again. They didn't have to see him.

The thought of sneaking into the movie theater sent a note of guilt and nervousness through whatever the ghost had in place of a stomach. But the desire to see the movie and need for a distraction won out. Invisibility, Phantom crept into the almost empty theater just as the actual movie started. And it was glorious- the perfect mixture of hair-raising thrills, shocking and slightly nauseating gore, and hilarious dark humor. The ghost felt a chuckle well in his throat and one of the other movie goers glanced back in confusion at his muffled laughter. Still grinning, Phantom managed to quit himself as he and the other patron turned their attention back to the screen. At another gag, the ghost shook with silent laughter. Oh, man this was perfect. He wished Sam and Tucker were there to enjoy it with him.

At that thought, Phantom's jovial mode disappeared. Guilt swelled; Sam and Tucker weren't his friends. In fact, he'd overshadowed their best friend, causing Danny distress, anxiety, and fear. Then he'd stolen the boy's face and some of his memories. Phantom didn't deserve to enjoy this, not after what he'd done.

With his muddled thoughts, the ghost didn't notice he had turned visible until an annoyed shouted sounded in front of him. "Hey! Where did that light come from?"

Phantom blinked, eyes whipping to his now glowing hands. Embarrassed and guilty, he flickered invisible just as the couple in front of him stared back in shock. He glanced back at the screen, a tiny part of him wanting to stay but his mind was made up. Mind buzzing with nervous guilt, he silently floated up through the ceiling and into the Amity Park sky, until his view of the town was blocked by the clouds below.

Once Danny had finally arrived in science class, his increasingly present unease seemed to lessen marginally. Danny sat at his desk with his head propped up by one hand as the teacher played a NASA documentary. The warm classroom, dim lights, and soft murmuring of the video threatened to lure the boy to sleep. Lazily, he blinked at the TV screen, again trying and failing to focus on either the screen or the words. The boy groaned. Why couldn't he focus? They were talking about space. Space, his favorite subject! But his mind kept wandering without direction as the words seemed to just flow over him without penetrating his brain. Danny yawned for what had to be the tenth time. He blinked tiredly again. Why was he so sleepy? Maybe he should close his eyes for a few moments. It couldn't hurt, right?

Sunlight streamed through the clouds. He floated lazily through one fluffy mass, the mist tickling his face.

"Mr. Fenton!"

With a jolt, Danny jerked up. He blinked, meeting the eyes of his cross-looking teacher as several of his classmates snickered. The boy blushed and stammered. "Sssorry."

Seemingly satisfied, the teacher turned away, starting the video again. The other students soon went back to ignoring him, the spectacle over. Danny remained embarrassed. Had he...fallen asleep in class?! That wasn't like him at all! He might not be as academically crazy as his sister but he tried to pay attention at least. And why was he so tired?!

Danny yawned again but tried to put his focus back on the documentary. He had no success. No matter how much he tried to focus his mind remained fuzzy and blank, everything taking on a dream like quality like he wasn't really there. The teenager struggled through his last two classes, especially history. Time seemed to both stretch and race as the boy fought sleep. He'd blink and nod off to a brief image of clouds and sunlight. Then he would open his eyes, for a split second surprised that he was in the classroom and not floating above Amity Park. Then he would be back fully, taking in his teacher's droning about the American Revolution.

Finally the bell rang and Danny sighed in relief, stuffing his papers in his bag with uncoordinated hands. Zombie-like, he shuffled to his locker. Sam and Tucker meet him not even a minute later.

"You okay, man?" Tucker asked, lips turned down in concern.

Danny shook his head. "I'm just...really tired. I think I'm going to head home and try to get a nap. See you later, guys."

Not waiting for a response, the boy shuffled away, barely registering the worried looks on his friends' faces. At his sluggish pace, it took Danny much longer to get home than it normally would. Without a thought to the loud noises coming from his parents' work in the basement, Danny stubbled up the stairs and collapsed on his bed just as the sun set.

The sunset was really beautiful up here, away from everything. The wavering light turned the fluffy clouds below him a soft purple color while the few clouds above him reflected pink, like cotton candy. The sky darkened from a dark blue to purple to black. And that's when the stars began twinkling into existence. The boy's gloved hand reached out. Those stars looked so close but so far away. He twirled taking in the all encompassing darkness and his own weightlessness.

He smiled sadly. "It's like being in space." Then a sigh as the echoing voice whispered. "The real Danny would love this."

Danny suddenly sat up, wide awake but mind ripe with confusion and a vague sadness. Getting out of bed, he wrapped his blanket around himself. He stood in front of his window, studying those same stars.

Above the clouds, time quickly ran away from Phantom as he pouted and stewed in his guilt. But those feelings ran away with the fading light, at least for a time. He floated under the stars, eyes widening in awe at his surroundings. He reached up.

"It's like being in space." Then he sighed, whispering. "The real Danny would love this."

The words sent a pang of pain through his chest. In response, Phantom flew up, as if trying to escape guilt but like the night before, the physical ache in his chest returned as the distance between him and Amity Park increased. He stopped with a sigh once it became unbearable. In the blink of an eye he descended, diving past the clouds. The wind whipped the ghost's face as he closed his eyes. Seconds later, he jerked to a stop, sensing he was only a dozen feet from the ground. Phantom opened his eyes and frowned.

He had stopped outside of his… Fentonworks. The ghosts gripped his hair. Of all the places, why was he drawn here? For a second he thought it maybe was the portal he was feeling connected to, then he spotted a familiar figure in the second floor window. The boy stood in front of his window, wrapped in a blanket and staring into the sky. He then turned his head suddenly, eyes falling in the ghost across the street. With a gasp, Phantom turned invisible but remained stationary, watching Danny until the boy yawned and returned to his bed.

For some reason, actually seeing the boy sent a tangle of emotions and thoughts through the ghost that he couldn't seem to unravel. He felt so guilty and ashamed of what happened. But so much did not make sense. Why did he look like Danny and have his memories? Phantom drifted forward. Part of him wanted to float through that window and actually talk to Danny, maybe see if the two of them could figure this out. But something about the thought terrified him, and not just the thought of Danny's ghost hunting parents. So Phantom stopped, confusion and fear freezing him. Why did he feel so drawn and connected to this human boy?

Then another thought hit him in realization as he remembered something the Fentons said. Ghosts are usually linked to the real world by something or someone, an object or person they fixate on. Their special interest, their ...obsession, root them in the living plane. Phantom's hands shook as the connection, the linking thread between him and the living boy seemed to solidify in his mind. Danny Fenton was his obsession. That would explain Phantom's memories and appearance. It would explain why he felt so connected to the boy.

At the revelation, dread surged in Phantom's mind. Because he remembered something else Mr. and Mrs. Fenton said. Ghosts inevitably hurt or destroy the object of their obsession. Fearful what ifs jumbled Phantom's mind; if he had a heart it would be beating out of his chest. He gripped his hair as the image of Danny Fenton broken and bleeding assaulted in mind.

"No! No! No!" Anger flared as his hands lite with neon green light.

The ghost's eyes widened as the energy flared, though he was barely moved by the new power. Instead the thought of hurting Danny, even on accident, tortured him. He balled his fist as the light extinguished. He might not be normal, alive, or even human. He might not remember who he is or where he came from but Phantom knew that whatever he felt when he thought of Danny Fenton was not evil. He would rather fade than lay one hand on Danny in malice. He didn't want to hurt anyone, not Danny's friends and family and especially not the boy himself.

A protective instinct that Phantom didn't even know he had flared in the ghost. Now more than ever, he wanted to prove Danny's parents wrong. He wanted to be a good ghost and make right for what he did to Danny. And maybe he could do that by making sure the boy was safe and happy. If he had to keep his distance to do that, then all the better; maybe he could protect Danny even from himself.

Danny stood in front of his window for what could be forever, mind swimming with confusion over his dream. It had felt so real and oddly peaceful, until the end when he felt a flash of guilt before waking up. The boy furrowed his brow, puzzling it out but unable to make any sense. He sighed...and he still felt completely awake, despite literally falling over in exhaustion earlier.

Suddenly, he was flung out of his thoughts by a flash of white light. His head turned and his eyes fell on a glowing black and white humanoid figure across the street. Glowing green eyes blinked at him but the apparition disappeared before Danny could see its face. He stared, slack jawed. Was...had that been the ghost he saw last night, the one Mom and Dad said was possessing him? He shook his head. No, no it couldn't be. He must have imagined it. He looked again and there was still nothing there. Yawning, Danny returned to his bed, trying to put the ghostly thoughts out of his head.

But he couldn't. He just knew there was something out there. Meaning…his stomach twisted… Mom and Dad were right about his being possessed. His brow furrowed again. Except, that still didn't make sense. None of it did. Somehow both his friends and his parents were wrong. There was a ghost, a very real ghost but it (he?) hadn't done anything malevolent. The ghost hadn't even approached him and he was still sure he hadn't been possessed earlier. Groaning, the boy turned over. Why wouldn't this puzzle unravel? Even as Danny's eyelids grew heavy, the wavering unease began creeping in again. But...something fought it off. A foreign, yet familiar protective and protected feeling washed over him just as his breathing slowed in sleep.