Disclaimer. You all want to know a secret? I do NOT own Danny Phantom or it's characters. All I own is the ideas for this fiction and any made up characters I add.

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Chapter 7 – Sate of Mind

Danny was in turmoil. How could he recover from what he's done just hours earlier? Controlled by some ghost, he executed the ghost's demands to be killed. Danny has never killed before. The fact that he hardly persuades the nameless ghost to reconsider tore at his mind. What if he had to kill again? What if next time, he enjoyed it? Sam was there, holding him, trying to comfort him in some way. Unfortunately, he cried into her chest, and she knew things had changed for him.

"Danny? Are you going to be ok?"

He shook his head, his throat too swollen from crying to answer.

"C'mon, lets get you home."

Tucker helped Danny to his feet, and with Danny being propped up, he half dragged himself along with his friends. Not once had either of them suggested he change back to his human self.

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Hours later, Danny sat on his bed, still mortified of what he had done. He spoke not a single word. Sam knelt before him, her hands on his knees and Tucker by the door, making sure no one entered without them knowing about it first.

"Danny, calm down. Can you tell us what happened?"

Danny was no longer crying, but his eyes and cheeks were swollen red. He made no smile, but looked at her.

"He asked me to do it..."

He started.

"He wanted to die... And I couldn't stop..."

"Whoa, this is heavy duty stuff here."

Tucker said, shocked to hear that Danny would even grant such a request.

"Who was it Danny? Who asked you to kill him?"

"No name... Just Ghost..."

-He killed a Ghost? Ghosts can't die... can they?-

Sam was lost in thought. Ghost or not, Danny killed him. And his mind screamed at him for his wrong, even if it was asked. It was still wrong.

"I'm sorry Sam... I couldn't... He possessed me..."

"It's alright."

She comforted as she took his hands into her own.

"It's not your fault. If he possessed you, there was nothing you could do."

"That's right Danny. If he controlled you, you're not to blame. He did it himself using you."

"BECAUSE OF ME, DAMNIT!!"

Danny snapped at Tucker, who drew back from his outburst. Danny had never been so angry or messed up before. Even Sam's touch and soft words didn't get to him. What could they do? After his outburst, Danny slumped down, his head hanging in self-pity. This indeed worried the other two.

"I've never seen him like this."

Sam said, shifting her position to sit next to him on the bed.

"I don't know what else to do."

"You could kiss him."

Tucker answered with a laugh. Only to get Sam's burning gaze.

"You're joking at a time like THIS? I thought you were his friend!"

"Hear me out first,"

Tucker defended himself, holding his hands up.

"Right now, his mind is in a state of shock and chaos. He needs to know it's ok. In order to do that, we need to set his mind on something positive. Something he can't turn around and say it's wrong. And I think showing your love to him is just that. You DO love him right?"

Sam blinked at him.

"Somehow Tucker. It's scary even, but you make sense."

"Of course it makes sense! I'm a genius, remember?"

Sam rolled her eyes at him.

-Tucker? A Genius? Yeah right.-

"Danny, it's ok. You say it was a ghost right? Ghosts can't die. They're already dead."

Danny looked at her finally. If ghosts are already dead, then why did his Father say they could die? His mind was so screwed up at this point, he couldn't tell which way was up even if he wee standing. Sam looked at Tucker, who still waited by the door, his arms crossed over his chest.

"Hey, don't look at me like that. I didn't do anything."

Sam then gave him a glare. One that said 'Either do something or leave before I tear your head off.' And Tucker knew she was capable of it.

"Ok, fine. Whatever you want."

And he went out the door, shutting it behind him. Once Sam was satisfied with Tuckers departure, she placed her hand under Danny's chin and forced him to look at her.

"Look Danny. I can't stand seeing you like this. It's breaking my heart. And Tuck's not feeling right about it either. Please. Tell me what I have to do to get through to you?"

She considered Tuckers idea, but even she knew his ideas had a tendency of backfiring, or going out of hand. Right now, She did not want to loose control.

"Danny. Please. You scare my like this. And I feel I must do something about it..."

She leans to him and covers his mouth with her own. For a moment, Danny's eyes dilate, and his mind scrambles. But then...

-I know this feeling...-

Somehow, in the back of his mind, something familiar shows itself. Something he could trust, something he could rely on. Something that he did not have to fear. Yes, it was his love for Sam. Her earlier reply works into his mind at last. She did not like to see him in disorder, and he had to remedy that to keep her from crying. This simple kiss broke the real Danny free from the gloomy prison of his mind. Cautiously, he places his arms around her waist and pulls her against him, taking her by surprise.

-Whoa. He's finally reacting... Better than I hoped-

Sam smiled into their kiss. Then Danny began to groan in delight. He wanted to take this kiss to the next step, and Sam sensed it.

-Wait... Tucker's right outside the door. Can't let him walk in on us like this.-

Carefully, she places her hands against his chest and pushed him away. An expression of confusion and shock came across his face. This look was better than the one he had when he was distressed.

"I would love it if we could continue"

She told him,

"But I don't want Tuck to walk in when we're half naked."

Hearing her words, Tuck then stuck his head in.

"Did you just say you were half naked?"

A perverted smile from ear to ear on his face. His reply was a pillow thrown at his head. Then laughter. Not from Sam, it was Danny. He was smiling.

"I'm sorry I got you all worried about me."

He said, astounding them both of his fast recovery.

"I was just upset at what happened."

"Upset... You were distressed."

Tucker says, not fully in the room and shutting the door.

"The kind of which you may have committed suicide over."

Danny looked down at his feet in shame. Would it be possible for his mind to be in that kind of state?

"Sorry."

Then Danny Phantom shifted back to Danny Fenton. Sam's arm with around his shoulder and leaned him against her shoulder.

"Don't worry about it. But you can start by telling us exactly what happened."

Danny stood and began to pace about the room, wondering where to start.

"Before our...second late night meeting..."

Danny cleared his throat. Sam knew exactly what he meant.

"I ran into this strange cloaked ghost. He had a strange way of speaking. He sounded like he was from Hamlet."

"The pig carton?"

Tuck asked, confused, only to have Sam slam his arm.

"No idiot. Hamlet. One of Shakespeare's plays."

"He told me he had a quest to complete and he wanted my help. I didn't exactly tell him I'd do it, but he then used some kind of spell on me, taking over my mind. I fought against him, but he was too strong. He said something I'll never forget. "I am a simple ghost. A ghost looking for a place to die.'"

Danny took in a breath and sighed it back out.

"He took over my mind last night and took me to the old burnt warehouse. The one that started the 'Firestorm'"

"Hey I was there when that happened."

Tuck cut in."

"Said no one in the building survived."

"And when they recovered everyone's bodies, they couldn't find one."

Sam added, Danny nodded to her.

"You mean this ghost was the spirit of that one that was never found?"

"He said he was tired of reading everyone's hearts and minds, only to be hurt by painful memories. To end his suffering, he asked me to destroy the remnants of the building while he waited underneath it."

"And was crushed when it fell on him."

Sam conclude for him. Danny nodded. But then Tucker asked.

"But how could a building falling down on a ghost kill it? I mean, they can go through walls and other solid objects."

"For once Danny, Tucker is right."

"Yeah...wait a minute."

And once again, Tucker and Sam began to argue, leaving Danny alone to stare out his window in a sigh. Nothing much changes.

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Meanwhile at the ruins of the warehouse, the smoke and ash began to settle. No one cared about the collapse of the building, it was old and decrepit. Only one person cared for it, and his ghostly hand thrusted from the pile, enraged at his failure.

TO BE CONTINUED

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I hope you enjoyed this chapter, cause there's gonna be more!

ALSO, I've written seven chapters with this ghost popping in and out, and I could never find a decent name for him. I could use some ideas, so please submit what you think his name should be ok? Please and Thank you

Until Next Time

Theo