Phantom was having the worst afternoon of his afterlife. After saving Sam (which had felt so good and right), he flew off in search of the other ghost. Maybe he could talk to her and convince her to leave. At the very least, he could get some more information. He spent the last hour of the school day looking with no luck until about ten minutes after the students left for the weekend.

In what Phantom had dubbed his ghost sense, his breath misted in front of him. There! He flew in the direction of the other ghost.

An angry yell rang out. "Eat your doom!"

Phantom paled. The Lunch Lady was after someone again! Then her voice cut off.

"Mads! We caught a ghost!" It was...was Danny's dad.

Phantom peered around the corner to find Maddie Fenton capping something that looked like a thermos. She frowned and shook her head. "But not the ghost we were looking for. I was hoping that monster had finally popped up again after that spike in ectoplasmic energy appeared on our sensor."

Jack also frowned. Then a device in the orange clad man's hand beeped. "The Finder says there's another ghost nearby!"

Maddie stepped towards her husband. With wide eyes, she focused on the Finder. "And according to this." She looked up. "It's right around that corner."

Right around the corner…. The ghost tensed, breath hitching. They...they were…

Before he could finish the thought, the sound of feet pounding echoed across the hall. "Come on Jack!"

Phantom fled, disappearing just as Maddie rounded the corner. He dodged and weaved, flying around corners and through walls. But ominous beeping of the Fenton Finder and the pounding of running feet seemed to follow just behind him. The ghost phased through a wall, finding himself in the bright sunlight. To his left a door slammed open.

"Maddie! It's the scum that overshadowed Danny!" Jack yelled, eyes narrowing in anger.

Right behind the male ghost hunter, his wife pulled her goggles over her eyes. Phantom panicked, taking off towards the football field.

"Come back here, you abomination!" Maddie hefted her ectogun and took a shot, barely missing Phantom.

With only the thought of escaping, Phantom gave cursory glances back. The ghost hunters chased him furiously, calling him a monster and threatening him for getting near their son.

"This is for possessing my son!" Maddie shouted, managing to land a shot on the stomach.

He curled up, wanting to crawl away but unable to move. The angry ghost hunters ran towards him, their bug-like goggles covering their eyes. It made the adults look more like the hateful ghost hunters they were, than the loving parents that Phantom remembered so strongly and wished he was facing.

His face wetting with tears, the ghost whispered. "Mom, Dad. Please."

Just as the two hunters went in for the 'kill,' Phantom sunk through the ground to slip away. Intangible, he flew through the soil in a random direction. He came up several minutes later, hoping he was far away from his pursuers. Phantom looked around, seeing the Fentons were nowhere in sight but he felt no relief.

Having fled to a now familiar place, the woods in the park, the same ones Danny played in as a child, Phantom perched in a tree. One that Danny Fenton had loved to climb as a kid, he noted. The ghost curled in on himself, trying and failing not to cry again. His wound burned but that pain paled in comparison to the emotional pain. The harsh, furious faces of Jack and Maddie Fenton contrasted painfully with the soft, loving smiles of his Mom and Dad that also burned in his mind. Memories assaulted him: Mom kissing his scraped knees, Dad holding him during a terrifying thunderstorm, Both parents crying over him when he woke up in the hospital after the accident. Part of his mind screamed- No, those weren't real, those weren't his memories but the real Danny's. But every recollection felt so real, so crisp right now. And they always had really; since going through the ghost catcher, Phantom had not specifically tried to recall Danny's past but all the knowledge, thoughts, and emotions had always been there in the back of his mind just waiting to be remembered. And now he did, he remembered everything. And it hurt so badly.

Because though Phantom remembered Jack and Maddie Fenton being his parents, he knew they never had and never could love a ghost like him. Instead, like the ghost hunters they were, they yelled and shot him. The ghost's core trembled with sorrow. What did he ever do to deserve this?! He had been good! He had tried to stay away from the Fentons, Danny's friends, and the boy himself as much as it hurt, as much as he wanted to be near them. Yes, he had followed Danny but that was to protect him from any ghost that might come through the portal. And that had turned out to be a good thing to do; he'd saved Sam! But what did he get? Chased and attacked by Danny's parents? But…Jack and Maddie Fenton's words (scum, monster, abomination ) rang through his head. Maybe they were right about him. Maybe he did deserve this, for possessing Danny and stealing his memories and appearance. Maybe he deserved it because he was a monster. Maybe he just needed to leave. He didn't, couldn't belong here.

Then he heard rustling below him. A voice rang out. "Hello? Is anyone here?"

It was his own voice…no Danny Fenton's voice. Flickering invisible, Phantom looked down to find the black haired boy below him.

Danny called again. "Ummm I just want to talk. I'm not going to call Mom and Dad or anything. I just want to know what's going on. And thought maybe you might too?"

The ghost glanced down, staying silent. He did want to know what was going on, why he remembered being Danny and why he looked like the human boy. But he should stay away. He didn't want to hurt Danny anymore than he already had. He was a ghost and everyone knew ghosts are evil and always end up destroying the object of their obsession.

Then there was a sigh below him. "Look, I know you're here. I can…sense you. I just want to talk. Please." The boy below Phantom sounded so sad and lost. Maybe it won't hurt to respond just this once?

He turned visible, glancing down at the human trying to remain casual. "Why are you here?"

The other boy looked up, slightly startled. "I wanted to talk like I said."

"There's nothing to talk about." Phantom scoffed, crossing his arms.

Danny huffed. "Nothing to talk about! Weird stuff has been happening to me all week!"

Phantom paled at that, though he tried to stay casual, closed off even. It didn't make any sense to him but the statement felt like a punch in the gut to the ghost. Danny Fenton was supposed to be a normal human boy, not contaminated by…whatever Phantom was doing to him. Without a thought, the ghost flew in front of the boy in the blink of an eye. "You need to forget about me."

Danny's eyes widened, though Phantom wasn't sure if it was because of the statement or the ghost's sudden appearance before him. "You..you…ummm…What?" He stuttered.

Bypassing the boy's confusion, the ghost pressed on. "You need to forget about me."

The human's eyes traveled up and down the ghost's body, finally focusing on his face. "Who are you?" he whispered.

Phantom frowned. "I'm just a ghost, nobody important. But you need to leave."

"B..But…"Danny stuttered.

Phantom's facial expression softened somewhat, though his tone stayed steady. "Forget about me Danny. Go. Live your normal, human life, like you've always wanted." Then the ghost turned invisible before the human could respond. He flew away but inevitably remained haunted by the hurt and confused look on the human's face.

Danny stayed, staring at the space where the ghost had disappeared from for several minutes, his mind spinning. Sam had said the ghost had looked like him but he hadn't been expecting…that. The resemblance had been shocking, like looking in a funhouse mirror- almost identical but not quite. Expect it, no he, the ghost had been much more real and close enough Danny could have reached out and touched him. And then Danny realized with a start, that he remembered looking like that, like a ghost. He remembered after the accident seeing his own face in the mirror with green eyes and white hair. And he had been terrified then but now...he wasn't, not at all. The ghost had looked…sad, lost, and so hurt like Danny himself did.

With a sigh, Danny turned away, going back to his friends who were waiting. Rustling the branches, he walked through the trees and into the grassy field leading to the playground.

Sam and Tucker, who'd been quietly chatting with each other, perked up at hearing him approach. "Did you find him?" Sam asked.

Danny frowned but slowly nodded. "Yeah. But I didn't find out anything."

"What? Why?" Tucker gapped.

"He…. didn't want to talk." The other boy looked down, wringing his hands.

Sam's eyes narrowed in anger. "What?! He can't just not tell you what's happening! We...You need to know!"

Pinching his mouth, Danny just shook his head. Mind still swirling with confusion from the strange interaction, he had no idea how to respond.

At his silence, Sam studied his troubled face. "He said something else too, didn't he?" Danny's eyes widened slightly but he said nothing. Sam pressed on. "What did he say? Come on Danny, he said something. Or you noticed something." Biting his lip, Danny shook his head again as the girl demanded. "Come on tell us!"

"Sam, stop." Noticing the other boy's discomfort, Tucker nudged his other friend. "I don't think he wants to talk about it." Danny gave him a grateful look as he continued. "Do you wanna hang out tonight? We could even watch one of those space documentaries you like." Despite the sincerity of the offer, Danny shook his head. "Not tonight. I...want to be alone. I need some time to think."

With sad but understanding looks, Sam and Tucker accepted. Silently the three left the park. Then they came to the street where they would part ways. With a concerned look, Sam said. "See you later then. Text us if you want to hang out okay."

Danny nodded. "Yeah, I will. Bye guys." Expression carefully neutral, he turned away and returned home, his troubled thoughts following all the way.

Dinner that night was awkward. Mom and Dad spent the whole night ranting about almost capturing the ghost who had been overshadowing him. While Mom boasted about having landed a shot, Dad loudly complained that 'the vermin' got away. Danny's stomach churned with anxiety at the words, his hand moving unconsciously to cover his stomach, where he had a similar burn. He glanced down, not liking the implications. Not two minutes later, he asked to be excused, unable to handle his parents' hateful rant.

Mom gave him a concerned look. "But you haven't finished your dinner sweetie."

"I'm not hungry." He lied. "My friends and I went to the Nasty Burger after school."

Mom frowned but nodded. "Put up your leftovers then, in case you want them later."

Quickly Danny did as he was told before silently heading up stairs. He spent the rest of the night thoughtlessly surfing the internet and trying to ignore the occasional sounds of his parents work in the basement. But his mind kept drifting to those familiar troubled thoughts. After midnight, the boy found himself laying in bed staring at the glow in the dark stars on the ceiling. He couldn't sleep, not after the confusing day and confusing conversation with the ghost sharing his face. He wished the ghost would come back so they could talk properly. Danny just desperately wanted to know what the heck was going on and why he was connected to this ghost.

Just as he was starting to drift off, Danny noticed a glow out the corner of his eye. He sat up startled and his eyes widened. The ghost floated nervously outside his window, rubbing the back of his neck.

Danny stumbled up and opened the window. Eyes wide and voice filled with awe, he whispered. "You're here."

The ghost looked at him warily but responded. "Yeah, you said you wanted to talk and figure out what was happening so here I am."

Danny nodded, stepping back. "I did…. I do."

As the ghost flew through the window, the human rambled about all of the weird things that happened to him that week, ending with the weird burn that appeared on his stomach. The ghost's eyes widened as his own hands rested on his abdomen. "That…that's where Mom and Dad" he quickly backtracked. "your mom and dad, I mean, shot me." Danny nodded; he had already thought that was the case. He moved forward, hands reaching towards the ghost but the ghost backed up, his eyes wide with a mix of emotions. "You weren't supposed to get hurt because of me."

Danny shook his head, reaching forward again though the ghost backed away. "I'm fine. This isn't your fault." The ghost just looked down. The human didn't know what to say but he should really stop calling the other boy just the ghost. He asked. "What's your name?"

The ghost looked up, neon green eyes startled. Then he bit his lip, nervously. "It's uhhh Phantom."

"Phantom?" Danny tilted his head. "But, that's just another word for ghost?"

The ghost, Phantom, fidgeted. "Ummm, yeah it is. But that's what I'm called."

Danny looked at him, questioningly but said nothing on that subject. "So… has weird stuff been happening to you too since….." He trailed off.

"Since I stopped overshadowing you?" Phantom asked quietly, eyes downcast again.

Danny bit his own lip. "Yeah but….I'm not sure that's what it was." Phantom looked up, startled and the human continued. "I mean when we were….together…..I didn't feel possessed. The powers were weird, but I felt like me, not like someone was trying to control me." His voice then quieted farther. "I…I even remember looking like you, like a ghost. I remember everything really, which Mom and Dad said wasn't possible. Do….uhhh…you remember everything?"

The ghost nodded. He paused, studying Danny's eager face for what felt like an eternity. Finally he sighed unnecessarily. "Yeah, I remember being you."

Danny also nodded "So you remember looking like me, like a human, after the accident."

Phantom shook his head furiously and when he spoke, his quiet voice was pained. "No, I remember being you. I remember my name being Danny Fenton, I remember living in this house, in the town. Mom and Dad reading me bedtime stories and playing with Jazz as a little kid, and going to school. I remember meeting Sam and Tucker. And Dash bullying me. And going to Lake Eerie with Dad this summer." He swallowed. "And going into that portal to impress Sam and thinking I was going to die in there." Danny just gaped at him, mind frozen at the speech, unable to process. A tear fell down Phantom's face as he continued. "And…and I don't know why or how. But I don't remember the ghost zone or much about being a ghost. I…I don't know who I am or where I came from. But….I feel so empty, like there's a gaping hole in my chest. And I wanted to stay away, to not hurt you but I can't. I can't stay away. And I don't know what's happening or why. And Mom and Dad freaking shot me today and think I'm a monster. And maybe I am. I'm a ghost and ghosts can't be good."

Tears full on streamed down the ghost's face while Danny Fenton continued to gap. He had no idea what any of that meant for him, for them but… he knew, he just knew the ghost, no, the boy in front of him was not evil. He was hurt and scared like Danny himself was. And Danny felt the emptiness, the ache too. Without thinking, Danny acted on the instinct to comfort Phantom, his arms wrapping around the ghost.

And both boys gasped. Instantly, tears also started streaming down Danny's face, mirroring Phantom's emotional state . The human could feel the ghost's entire soul, his whole being. All of his thoughts, feelings, and memories. Somehow, impossibly, their souls fit together, like two pieces of a puzzle, the empty places in Danny's being met with matching places in Phantom's. And the reverse was true. Danny sensed Phantom seeing his own soul, how the two of them match, fitting together perfectly. The human leaned in closer, his thoughts and emotions coming into sync with the ghost's, running together, in unison.

I know who you are. Came the echoed thoughts. Or was it only one thought?

Suddenly, Danny felt a spike of fear as Phantom pulled away. The human's eyes remained wide as he whispered. "You're me."

And he knew without a doubt that it was true, somehow. Somehow Phantom was him and he was Phantom. The other boy's soul was his, and his soul was the other boy's. No, no, there was only one soul, split into two pieces. Danny smiled widely feeling euphoria at the revelation, at the completeness he hadn't felt since going through that stupid ghost catcher.

But then, it crashed.

"No." Phantom's eyes remained full of fear, dread in his voice.

"No?" Danny whispered, mind unable to grasp.

"No. I'm not…I can't be. I'm not you." The ghost stuttered.

The human's mouth dropped open. "What? I felt it! I know you did too!"

"NO!" The ghost yelled, shaking his head. "I'm not…I can't be you. I'm a ghost. Danny Fenton is a normal, human boy."

Phantom tried to flee but Danny grabbed his hand. "NO!" The deep fear the human felt at the contact made him recoil but he pushed it away, grasping the joy he felt earlier. "Please. I don't understand how…but we're the same."

The ghost's eyes softened but he pulled away, disappearing. Danny collapsed onto the floor of his room and cried, though he couldn't tell if the sorrow was his or his ghost's.