Time passed so slowly now that they could do nothing but wait. Waiting and worrying and waiting some more. Danny kept seeing his parent's expressions, the concerned look on his mother's face and the sadness on his father's. But he hadn't seen disappointment or hatred so, that was a good thing, right?

But he also hadn't seen Jazz, so did that mean she'd gotten away? But then if she had, wouldn't she have found a way to have gotten ahold of him already? He had too many questions and he wasn't anywhere near getting answers for any of them. So there he sat, staring out the window at the mass of clouds that drifted past as the Op Center carried them closer and closer to Florida.

He'd been wanting to go to the space center for so long, but under the circumstances he felt more dread than excitement. If the job was just getting the stones, if they weren't constricted by the time limit, would he explore the area? Would he look at all the rockets and dream about what it would be like to go into space?

Maybe, or maybe he would just focus on the job like he'd been doing for months now. Was being an astronaut even still possible? Physically he could probably pass, but they did blood work too, and did he dare even try? Obviously with his secret out it didn't matter, but when he set everything right, and he would set things right, would it be worth it to even try? More questions, still no answers.

He'd known what he'd wanted to do with his life since he was a little kid, and now it was empty and bleak and full of darkness. Would he just fight ghosts for the rest of his life? Would he ever get married, have a family? Or was that just another risk, the worry of having a child that possessed some of his abilities.

Thinking about it too much made his head hurt, and he was still so tired. He'd tried to go back to sleep after eating and grabbing a change of clothes, but his brain just wouldn't shut up. Sam and Tucker had found a deck of cards with some old board games shoved away in one of the closets and occasionally he could hear the two of them laughing or arguing.

They'd asked him to join but he'd turned them down, he just didn't have the energy to focus on much of anything. Which was ridiculous, they were going on a road trip together with no supervision; any other teenager would be having the time of their lives. But then again, any other teenager wasn't a half ghost whose parents had been kidnapped.

"Danny?" Glancing up, the halfa met concerned violet hues and offered a faint smile, the small act relieving some of the worry Sam held in her eyes. "The GPS says we're almost there."

"Yeah, kind've exciting right?"

The girl rolled her eyes in response and clutched a leather bound book closer to her chest.

"What's the plan?"

"Find the gem, wasn't it?"

He asked, pulling his feet down from off the console and sitting up straighter as the girl deadpanned.

"Obviously, but how are we going to find it is the question."

"Doesn't your book tell you how to locate them?"

Tucker chimed in, draping his arms over the back of Danny's chair.

"If it did then Freakshow would've had his hands on the Gauntlet years ago, use some common sense." Sam sighed, reaching out and flicking the boy's beret. "What the book does say is that the gems are activated by touch, so as long as nobody found it yet then maybe this will be easy."

She shrugged, closing the book as a shadow crept over their ship, a massive rocket hovering over them as Sam's optimism had become short lived.

Two glowing eyes that burned like fire sat on the nose of the rocket while a deafening screech had the trio covering their ears, a metal jaw forcing its way open. Inside the gaping maw were hundreds of daggered teeth, each glinting in the light as it snarled down at the Op Center, seemingly delighted to have found its lunch.

"It's never easy, is it?"

Sam asked quietly as Danny shot her a sideways glance.

"You just had to jinx us, didn't you?"

"It's coming!"

Tucker yelled, the rocket surging forwards and mashing its teeth together as the Op Center diverted its course, turning around and speeding away from the enemy that flashed in red on every computer screen.

"Hold on!"

Danny yelled, gripping the arms of his chair as Tucker and Sam grabbed ahold.

"Well, here's your up close and personal view of a rocket, Danny!"

Tucker shouted as the monster grew closer, its speed far faster than any the Op Center possessed as its massive mouth opened wide and smashed down over the back end of their vehicle. The ship jerked to a halt in the jaws of the rocket, sending the trio flying backwards into the walls and each other as Danny's back slammed into a cupboard.

The halfa let out a groan as someone whimpered beside him, half lidded eyes looking over at Sam and spotting the Goth's hair in her face as she cradled her arm, a thin stream of blood dripping to the floor.

"Sam." Danny breathed, forcing himself up and reaching out to her, though her eyes refused to meet his. "Are you okay? No, wait, stupid question."

He rambled out, grabbing for her hand as she pulled away from him.

"You have to stop it."

She grit out, pain laced through her words as Tucker appeared next to her, a bruise already forming on his cheek as he grabbed ahold of her shoulders protectively.

"I'll take care of her."

He reassured him as the boy hesitated, his eyes darting back to the girl in front of him, her body trembling as she curled in on herself and used her hand to try and cover the wound to stop the bleeding. Standing up reluctantly and clenching his fists, Danny nodded.

"I'm going ghost!"

He yelled, feeling the rings of light move over him and transform him into his ghostly half. Bolting into the air, Danny placed both hands on the roof of the cabin and turned himself and the Op Center intangible, freeing it from the rocket's jaws as the auto pilot took back over the controls and steered them away from danger.

"I'll be right back."

The halfa promised, moving through the ship and appearing outside, scanning the area for the rocket. He didn't have to look long, the possessed object looming over him as rage built up inside the teenager. Firing shot after shot at the creation, it did little to slow it down, only in fact seeming to anger it more. Brute force obviously wouldn't work, but it had caused his friends to get hurt, so-

"Whoa!"

Danny yelped, the rocket slamming into him as he grappled at the glass shield, trying to hang on as it soared higher into the sky. Inside the craft sitting perched on the pilot's seat was a glowing red gem, its form glittering in the light as Danny's eyes widened. Perfect, it was right there, all he had to do was reach in and take it.

Readjusting his position, he started to push his hands towards the glass as the rockets speed slowed, the vessel turning abruptly to the side and forcing the halfa to hang on tighter to keep from falling. Trying again, Danny pressed his hands into the glass as the aircraft began bucking up and down and thrusting side to side, the halfa's grip failing as the boy was thrown from the rocket.

Danny sped through the air faster than he'd ever imagined possible, barely having time to process the wind ripping at his skin before his body slammed into asphalt and everything went black.

"Danny, give it back!"

Jasmine whined, stamping her foot as she tried to grab the teddy bear from the boy's pudgy hands.

"No! You promised to play with me today!"

He yelled, clutching the bear tighter to his chest and swatting her hand away.

"Mom! Danny won't give Bearbert Einstein back!"

She cried, her hands balled into fists as she glared angrily at him.

"Danny, give your sister her bear back."

His mother called from the other room as Danny tugged away from Jasmine again.

"Mom, tell her to play with me!"

"I can't play with you right now, Danny! The fifth grade is hard, I have homework that's more important than playing your dumb games!"

She declared, crossing her arms over her chest and turning her head, her pigtails flying over her shoulders as tears filled the little boy's eyes.

"They're not dumb! You always played before!"

"I'm a big kid now, I don't have time anymore, now give him back!"

"No!"

"Mom!"

"Both of you stop it right now." Their mother chided, walking in from the other room and kneeling down next to them. "Danny, give your sister back her bear, you know how much she loves him."

"But mom-"

"No buts, give it back right now, you know it wasn't yours to take."

A pout formed on the boy's lips as he thrust the plush toy at the girl who snatched it from his hands, hugging it close to her.

"And as for you, young lady, what have I said about working so much on your school? Learning is good, and loving it is even better, but don't forget to be a kid sometimes too, okay?"

She said, poking the girl's nose as she nodded, looking down at the floor.

"I know. And I'm sorry Danny, we can play in a little bit, okay?"

She promised, pulling her brother into a quick hug before running off, the teddy bear dangling from her fingers.

"She always says that."

The boy continued to pout, refusing to meet his mother's gaze as she leaned her head in closer.

"Well, why don't we play instead?"

"Really? You don't have to work?"

He asked, eyes wide as he reached out for her.

"Of course! I can put work off for a bit, nothing is as important as my little man." She smiled, pulling him into her arms and hugging him tightly. "You know I love you so much, don't you? More than anything in the world. It doesn't matter what you do, or what kind of person you become, I will always love you. I don't want you to ever forget that, okay Danny?"

The little boy nodded, hugging her tighter.

"Danny?"

Her voice called, sounding concerned as the boy looked up at her.

"Danny, say something."

He blinked a couple of times, his mother's image fading away as he reached out for her, hands touching nothing but air.

"Danny!"

"Danny!"

The world began returning in pieces, the most prevalent being the near unbearable pain. It felt like every inch of his body was throbbing, tiny needles digging into his skin and setting his veins on fire. Had he ever felt like this before? So much pain, it made him so tired. He could sleep, if he tried, the darkness was calling to him, begging for him to return to its warm embrace. Waves upon waves, a calming shore, if only he would sleep.

"Tucker, he's not moving, he's not moving."

What had he been doing? Was it important? Everything ached and burned, could someone make that stop? If he stayed here, if he didn't give in, would it go away?

"Danny, please!"

Someone was crying and he could feel them grabbing his arm. He wasn't asleep, was he? It didn't feel like it, his mind was running laps around and around inside his head, fighting for freedom and relief and God the pain.

"Danny, I need you to wake up, please, please wake up."

It was raining, small drops of water splashing onto his face and his chest and his arms. No, not rain. Tears. Someone was crying over him, someone was crying about him. He struggled a moment, tilting his head towards the sound as a sharp intake of breath sounded above him.

"Danny?"

She was begging, pleading, encouraging. He remembered the rocket, and the gem sitting just out of reach inside. Everything was coming into focus, and the calming waves disappeared altogether. He was so tired, and everything hurt, and he knew sleep would be an escape he so desperately needed, but his friends needed him more and he couldn't just leave them.

Pulling open his eyes, Sam and Tucker's worried expressions hovered over him as Sam covered her mouth, tears streaming down her face.

"Dude, we thought we lost you."

Tucker said quietly, the relief clear on his face as he offered his hand out to the halfa. The boy took it slowly, his bare arm covered in cuts and smeared blood, each move aching more than the last.

"Can't get rid of me that easily."

He croaked, cracking a smile as Tucker pulled him up, his chest protesting the entire way.

"You scared the hell out of us." Sam murmured, still kneeling beside him as he took note of how red her eyes were before his gaze was shifting to the stained gauze wrapped around her forearm. "Don't you dare ask if I'm okay or I will hit you."

She warned, following his stare as a high pitched scream pierced through the air in the distance.

"How long was I out?"

"Only a few minutes, but I'm just glad you woke up at all. I've never seen you take a hit like that before." Tucker laughed weakly, making a motion at the dirt walls around them. "We had to climb down here just to find you, you fell so hard you made a crater."

Glancing to either side, Danny winced, his arm wrapping protectively around his ribcage.

"It feels like I made one too."

Exchanging a look, both of his friends stood and offered him their hands which the halfa took reluctantly. It was a group effort as they pulled the boy to his feet, Danny struggling to bite back his groans as Tucker kept a hold of his arm and steadied his friend.

"You look awful.."

Sam commented, her eyes darting over his battered form as he flashed her a lopsided smile.

"Cause that's what every guy wants to hear."

He teased, receiving a familiar roll of the girls eyes in return as the rocket soared overhead, swooping down at the station before rising into the air again.

"That thing is going to kill someone." Danny frowned, his hands balling into fists as he pulled away from Tucker and swayed where he stood. "I'm going ghost!"

Transforming back into his trademark jumpsuit, he found himself feeling a bit better, his ghost half less susceptible to the pain like his human half was. A perk of being partially dead, he supposed. Not that he could ever tell his friends that either, or Jazz.

It was hard enough talking about those things without the looks of discomfort making him feel guilty for bringing it up at all. Not that he blamed them, of course. Thinking about it too much made him feel numb and inhuman, the very thought of his nonexistent pulse and glowing eyes in this form enough to fuel his nightmares for days.

"Are you going to be okay?"

Tucker questioned as the halfa nodded, smiling at his friends with more confidence than he felt.

"I'll be fine, but you guys go back to the ship, you'll be safer there."

"Danny, go get the gem."

Sam urged as the boy nodded and shot back into the sky, wind blowing through his hair as he focused on the rocket in front of him, letting the pain and the worry and the stress slip his mind as he dealt the task at hand. Speeding around and cutting off the rocket, Danny waved his arms in the air, attracting the possessed machines attention.

"Come and get me you giant lump of space junk!"

He called, watching while it bared its fangs and flew straight towards him. Skirting to the side at the last minute, Danny grabbed ahold of the back wing and hung on for his life as it began reaching top speeds once again and soared even higher than before.

"I always wanted to ride on the space shuttle," He grumbled to himself, straining to see as the wind pushed against him. "Just not on the outside!"

Inch by inch the halfa worked his way up the side of the rocket, reaching around and finally pulling himself back to where he had been in the beginning, the glowing gem a taunting reminder of his previously failed attempt as he glared inside at it.

"You're mine this time." He muttered, turning his top half intangible and pushing himself inside, his hands reaching out as he focused on the gem and picked it up, pulling it back out with him.

"Yes!"

He shouted, pumping his fists in the air as the gems glow faded away, the rocket coming to an abrupt stop before it began plummeting, leaving the halfa floating in the air where it had once been

"Oh, crap."

He mumbled, gripping the gem tightly and soaring after the rocket, turning intangible once more and landing in the pilot's seat.

"Okay, I've run the simulation a million times on my computer."

He reassured himself, grabbing ahold of the controls and looking around. Reaching up, he flipped several switches, rotated a dial, and pressed two blue buttons. The rocket shuddered as landing gears began releasing, a small relief to the boy as he pulled back on the yoke as hard as he could, attempting to stop the rocket from crash landing on the Op Center that was right below him.

"Come on!"

He yelled, tugging harder as the rocket skimmed over the top of their ship and hit the asphalt, the machine rolling down the runway as Danny let go and let the rocket slow to a stop at the end of the tarmac. He stared at the controls a moment, a laugh leaving him as he flew through the top of the ship and hovered in the air, staring at the machine in awe.

"Ladies and gentleman, the eagle has landed, intact!"

He cheered, excitement and pride welling up inside of him as the sound of a speaker crackling behind him drew his attention away.

"Attention Daniel Fenton, AKA Danny Phantom, give yourself up."

Swiveling around, Danny stared at the ship above him, the two Guys In White looming over him as his excitement faded.

"Shit."

He cursed, ducking his head and making a beeline for his own ship.

"Do not run or we will take action."

They warned as the halfa continued to fly towards the Op Center, ignoring their threats.

"Fire."

One of them barked out, a high pitched whine now distracting the boy as he dared to glance up. Just as he was about to move out of the way, three shots from the men fired on the ship rather than at him.

"No!"

Danny cried, unable to stop the blasts from raining down, piercing through the fuselage and hitting the engines.

It was eerily calm and silent at first, and then everything was fire and heat and scorching metal. The force of the explosion knocked the halfa back, sending him hurtling into the asphalt once more.

Sitting up slowly, his ears were ringing from the blast and his head was spinning, the heat of the flames burning his skin as pieces of the wreckage rained down over him.

"Sam?" He called, his voice hollow and strained as he tried to blink past the smoke blurring his vision. "Tucker?"

Crawling forwards, glass dug through his gloves and cut into his palms, his body lurching as he crept closer to the ruins. "Oh God.." He whispered, his hand reaching out and flinching away from the heat.

"Tucker! Sam!" He screamed, nausea settling in his stomach as he pushed himself up and teetered, nearly crashing back to the ground. "Please.. please no.." Forcing himself to turn intangible, the halfa pushed his way through the wreckage, looking for any sign of his friends.

"Sam? Tucker! Answer me!" Danny cried, pieces of metal ripped apart as flames danced higher around him. "Oh God.. oh God.." His breaths were sharp and fast as he moved further into the destruction, a thick, black smoke clouding the air and leaving an acrid smell behind.

"Sam!" Staggering forwards, tears were sliding down the boy's face as he moved through a wall that had been blasted apart, desperate to find any trace of the two of them. "Tucker.. please!"

Ghosting through another wall and appearing back outside, Danny collapsed to the ground as his body returned to its tangible state, his fingers digging into the earth as the heat of the flames burned at his skin and the smoke filled his lungs. There was too much wreckage, too much he couldn't move or check.

"Oh God.. Oh God please.. please don't be.. please, I'm sorry.. please.."

He was begging, pleading with anyone who could hear him. He would have gone with them, he would have given himself up if he had known, but why did they have to.. He told them the ship was safer, he'd put them in there oh God he told them they would be safe.

He couldn't breathe, couldn't think, each ragged breath he managed to take only drew in the soot and the smoke that his body rejected, a violent coughing fit forcing bile past his lips and onto the burned earth beneath him.

Tears fell uncontrollably as they worked to clear to ash from his eyes, his vision beginning to darken at the edges as his body trembled and his fingers curled deeper into the dirt. He'd brought them into this, he'd put them in danger and now.. now they were.. Oh God, what had he done?