Aloha, readers! Sorry there was ANOTHER long wait; things just kept on coming up. Hey, just in case you all don't know, the next Danny Phantom episode, "Beauty Marked" is scheduled to air February 24 at 9:00 PM! Check out TV . com for the summary, and don't you dare miss it!

And don't you all dare miss this! The concluding Chapter 10 of "Ghostly Competition" is here at last!

Ghostly Competition

Chapter Ten: Friends

Some time later, in Amity Park Hospital, Danny, Sam, and Tucker sat in the waiting room. They had gotten Steve there as fast as possible, and now all they could do was wait while doctors operated on him.

Sam gave a long sigh, "Geez, I hope he's going to be okay."

Tucker shrugged, "I don't know, Sam. He looked really mangled from that explosion."

Danny growled, "When I see Plasmius again, whether Steve makes it or not, I am gonna tear him limb from…"

Sam put her hand on Danny's shoulder, "Danny, this isn't a time to anger yourself over Vlad. Right now, we have to pray and hope that Steve makes it out of this okay."

Danny sighed. He didn't know what to think.

A minute later, a male doctor who looked to be in his thirties walked towards them with a clipboard in his hands and a worried look on his face.

The trio looked up as he stopped at their seats.

The doctor asked, "Danny Fenton, Sam Manson, and Tucker Foley?"

The three of them nodded, with their throats now too tight to speak.

"I am Dr. Jenkins. You are the ones who brought Steve Reynolds in a little while ago?"

They nodded again. Sam said to him, "Dr. Jenkins, please, how is Steve?"

Dr. Jenkins sighed, "I'm afraid he is not good at all. He has a number of gashes and broken bones, but he has also taken much damage on his internal organs that is...unrepairable. We have him on life support right now, but it doesn't look like it will do much more than prolong his life for just a few more minutes."

Sam gasped and clapped her hand over her mouth. Tucker sighed. Danny slowly hung his head.

"Fortunately, Steve is awake now. He has asked to see Danny."

The three of them began to walk towards his room, but Dr. Jenkins held up a hand, "No, no. Not you two, just Danny."

Tucker and Sam sadly sat back down while Danny followed Dr. Jenkins into Steve's room a short distance down the hall.

Dr. Jenkins led Danny in and said, "I'll leave you two alone." He closed the door and left Danny inside.

Danny turned to Steve's bed and gasped. Steve was lying in the bed. Patches of his skin had bandages on them, and a number of tubes went inside him. His eyes were open halfway.

Steve spoke very weakly, "Danny…"

Danny walked towards the fellow hybrid. It seemed to take him an eternity before he finally reached the side of Steve's bed and got down on one knee.

Danny said, "How are you?"

Steve answered, "Kind of…and obvious question, Danny. I feel…like I'm about…to die."

Danny sighed. He said, "So why did you only want to see me?"

"First of all…I wanted…to say I'm sorry."

"Sorry? For what?"

"I acted…like a selfish…and arrogant jerk to you. I shouldn't have."

"It's okay. You had Amity Park's best interests at heart. And I guess I should apologize too."

Steve laughed dryly, "You…apologize? For what?"

"I let my pride as this town's protector get the better of me. I wanted to prove I was better. I just wanted to keep helping the town."

"It's okay. But…two skilled ghosts like us…would've been…better off working…together."

"Yeah. It would've been nice."

"Hey, Danny…could I get one…last request?"

"Anything, Steve."

"Just…don't tell anyone…I was a ghost. I feel it…would be an insult to…my memory. I enjoyed…my privacy."

"Consider it done."

"One more thing. Do you…see that note…on the table?"

Danny saw a note sitting on the table and picked it up. He said, "This note?"

"Yes. Read it. I had…a nurse write it for me."

Danny read it out loud.

For my last will and testament, I leave everything I own to Daniel Fenton. It can be picked up at 500 River Street, the Amity Park Homeless Shelter.

Steven Taylor Reynolds

Danny gave a warm smile as he turned back to Steve, "Thanks."

Steve smiled back, "This includes…super-hero duties…for Amity Park."

Danny responded, "Thanks again."

"You're welcome…friend."

"We're friends?"

Steve nodded, "Too bad…this friendship…is so short."

"Yeah."

"At least…I will…be back with…my family and friends."

"You must be filled with joy at that thought."

Steve smiled, with Danny doing the same. Just then, Steve started gasping.

Danny gasped, "Steve?"

Steve sounded wheezy as he gasped, "This…is it."

"No! It can't be!"

"I'm…sorry…Danny. My time…has come."

"But…Steve…"

Steve let out one last gasp of air, "Goodbye…Danny Phantom."

He said no more as his body fell limp and his eyes fell closed. The line that monitored Steve's heart became a single beeping and the line was straight.

Danny sniffed back tears as he slowly turned around and walked out of the room.

"Amen," the priest said as he closed the bible and walked away.

It was Amity Park Cemetery, where a number of people were gathered together surrounding a coffin with Steve's body inside. A short distance from it was the gravestone.

Steven Taylor Reynolds

1991-2006

A brave hero

A true friend

It was Danny who decided what the gravestone marking would be. As the people around him walked away, Danny never turned his eyes away from the gravestone and never moved his feet.

Danny lingered in the cemetery long after everyone else had left, continuously thinking about the events over the last couple of weeks.

I just can't believe he's gone. After all that, when we were just starting to come around, when we had just managed to defeat Plasmius…he's gone.

But in a way…I feel happy for you, Steve. You'll be back with your family and friends, in a peaceful place.

Farewell, Steve Spirit.

He never spoke, and the day drifted into night before he finally left.

The next day, Danny just looked at Steve's former merchandise in his bedroom. Tucker and Sam were there as well.

Danny sighed, "I can't take this."

Tucker said, "Dude, he just left it all to you. Take it."

"No. I'm not going to use any of this stuff. It's his stuff, not mine."

Sam asked, "Then who are you going to give it to?"

"I'm not giving it to anybody. Come with me."

The three of them went upstairs to the op-center. There, Danny led them to a room in the very back. On the door said "Memories."

Sam asked, "What's this?"

Danny answered, "This is a door where we keep all memories. Old photo albums, school yearbooks, etc. I'm putting all Steve's stuff in here, never to be touched."

Tucker asked, "You sure you want to do this, man?"

Danny nodded as he lugged all of Steve's stuff in, "Positive."

Tucker and Sam joined in the lugging. When it was all done, they left, with Sam saying, "I think you're doing the right thing."

"Me too. Steve's gone, but there's something very important I've learned from all this."

"What's that?" Tucker asked.

"That no matter how powerful I turn out to be or how good I have it, there's always going to be someone out there who's more powerful, and who truly deserves there chance in the limelight. I'm sure Steve went out in a way that he preferred."

Sam and Tucker put both their hands on Danny's shoulders and Sam said, "I think you're right, Danny."

"And no matter what, even though Steve and I had our differences and arguments, he will always be my…friend."

The three of them smiled.

Just then, Danny's ghost sense went off. He looked out the window and saw a ghost raven flying across town.

"Also," said Danny, transforming into Danny Phantom, "That no matter how tough my job is, it's still…mine."

Tucker gave him a thumbs up, "Go get it, dude."

"Gladly," Danny said, and then flew out the window.

The End

And that's it. Bet you weren't expecting that! That's not usually my style of writing, putting character death in there, but in this case, I just wanted to try something different. Anyway, glad you all enjoyed it! This fic was quite unsuccessful, but I still enjoyed writing it. Expect my next work later this month. Until then, JK rulez signing off!