(One week after the accident…)

The days after went by in a blur for Danny…

That night Danny had had been take to the hospital where he stay for observation. The next morning the police came to ask questions. And Danny told them everything, even that he cheated on the test. But the officers didn't cuff him after hearing the news, instead one of them said. "Get some rest, the doctors say you can leave soon."

"Do you have anyone else to look after you?" The second officer asked, she was a slim woman with red hair, and brilliant green eyes.

Danny shook his head crying. "I have an Aunt, but she doesn't live here."

"What's her name?" The First officer, a widely built man asked.

"Aunt Alicia." Danny had answered. "Her maiden name is Chester, she's my Mom's sister."

"We'll track her down." The male officer said.

"In the meantime, do you know anyone you can stay with until you we do?"

Of course, if this had been any other emergency Danny would have chosen to stay with Tucker or Sam. But they were gone too, and Danny didn't know if he could take hearing their parent's screams of pain again. So, he shook his head.

"He can stay with us." Valerie had said.

Of course, Danny was shocked by this, up until the accident Valerie had been one of the more popular kids that bullied him, and his friends. She was also a ghost hunter who had tried to kill Danny Phantom more than once.

Her father agreed almost instantly. "It will be just until you locate his Aunt." He assured them. "Besides Danny may feel better around people he knows."

The officers nodded.

"Are you okay with that son?" The Male officer asked Danny.

Danny looked at Valerie, who gave him a reassuring smile, and Danny found that he liked that smile. He liked the fact that he had someone here to be there for him, even if it was one of the least expected people that he ever thought would help him. It was nice all the same, it was nice to know he wasn't alone.

And that night Danny found himself in the guest bedroom of the Gray's home, though he didn't sleep very well that night, or any night since. The doctor's had prescribed medicine to numb the pain and help him sleep, but Danny didn't take it because when he slept, he dreamed. And when he dreamed, he dreamed of losing them.

He dreamed of the mistake that had cost him everything!

It took the Police three days to find Aunt Alicia, she was deep in the south of Texas, and the moment she saw Danny was the moment she fell apart!

Danny had never seen his Aunt Alicia cry, she was a big, strong woman, with skin as thick as bricks. Or so he thought, turns out Aunt Alicia was once a lot like his mom. A thin pretty thing that was just as fragile and full of love, but then her ex-husband broke her heart, and that's when she changed. She worked out more, and grew muscle. She became a survivalist so nothing could ever hurt her again, man or otherwise.

However, it would appear that all her hard work could not shield her from this.

"It's going to be okay now." She told him, though it was hard to tell who she was trying to convince. "We have each other." She cried. "We still have each other."

'It's going to be okay.'

Everyone kept telling him that, but their words did little to ease the pain. Nothing seemed to help make the pain go away, and the guilt that came with it ate at his very soul.

He just wanted it to go away, they say he'd feel better someday! But he wanted to feel better now, he wanted to go numb, but he kept on feeling; kept on regretting!

Danny sighed as he tightened the tie for his suite, the funeral was today.

Sam's and Tucker's parents decided that they should all just have one big funeral, of course there was no bodies to burry, they had evaporated into ash in seconds. But the town had created a statue in their honor, and would be presenting it at the ceremony that day.

"You ready Sport?"

Danny turned to see his Aunt Alicia; she was wearing a black dress. His Aunt Alicia rarely wore dresses, she always said they got in the way. However, this one was special.

"Your mother got me this one." She said. "She asked me what color dress I wanted to wear to her wedding, and I said black." She shook her head. "It was a joke of course, I never did approve of your father, but she took me seriously, and I wear it, too ashamed to admit how cruel I had been."

"I think it looks nice." Danny managed to say even though it was a plain black dress, with nothing special.

Aunt Alicia embraced him. "I miss them too, and don't worry we'll make this work."

"What do you mean?" Danny asked.

"Look I know it must hurt to stay here, but Danny I think it's best for you to be around the people who have grown up with you since you were born." Aunt Alicia told him. "There is no better healing, then the healing of friends."

"My friends are gone." Danny said bitterly.

"Not all of them." Aunt Alicia said. "That Valerie girl seems to be nice; she and her father were awfully kind to let us stay with them."

Danny found a smile slipping on his face, she was right, Valerie had been very supportive, though he wasn't sure why. In this week alone she had never left his side, she took the whole week off from school and made sure he was okay. She had a marathon of cheesy old timey movies playing in the living room for him, and when he was ready to talk she listened.

"This is all my fault." He had told her one night after waking up screaming from another dream, another nightmare.

"Danny I know that's not true." Valerie told him, sitting on the bed beside him.

"But it was." Danny sobbed. "If I had not cheated on the C.A.T. we would have never been at the Nasty Burger."

"You cheated?" Valerie had asked, her voice was one of surprise.

"I found the answers outside of Nasty Burger the day it originally blew." Danny lied.

"Oh, right that Thursday before the test, with the ghost attack." Valerie realized out loud.

"Yeah, I saw them, and the temptation was too great for me, I use the answers and cheated. Mr. Lancer found out somehow, and he asked that me and my family come to Nasty Burger to discuss my actions."

"And Sam and Tucker?" Valerie asked. "Why were they there?"

"They were trying to beg Mr. Lancer to give me a second chance." Danny moaned. "Go ahead call me a monster, I am one aren't I?"

Valerie sighed, and embraced him. "We all make mistakes Danny, but blaming ourselves doesn't make it better. Believe me I know."

Danny remembered crying in her arms for a long while after that.

"Just promise me you'll try to make it work." His Aunt Alicia whispered, her words pulling him from his thoughts. "Promise me you want shut down, or go suicidal. Promise me you'll hold your head up high, and try to move on."

"I…" Danny began unsure.

"Your Parents would have wanted you to stay here, in the town where they were born, where they fell in love. They'd want you to stay here and live on for them."

"Then I will." Danny said. "I promise."

"You two all set in here?" Mr. Gray asked walking into Danny's temporary room.

"Yep." Aunt Alicia said pulling away from the hug. "And I just want to say thanks again Damon, for letting us crash here."

"Of course." Damon, Valerie's father brushed it off. "I know how hard it is to stay in a home you use to share with someone you loved." He paused. "Someone who isn't here anymore."

Danny walked out of the room, he didn't want to be rude, but if Damon was about to cry, he didn't want to see it.

He had seen enough tears to last a lifetime…maybe even two lifetimes.

Danny walked outside, and sat on the porch of the Gray's home. He sighed deeply; depression showed in the autumn air. It reminded Danny of his ghost sense. He hadn't gone ghost since before the accident, could he even still do it? Or had that blast rid him of his power for good?

'Only one way to find out.' He thought. He focused on his hand, and made it turn intangible. "Well looks like they still work after all." He whispered, as his hand went back to normal. Danny looked around him puzzled; no ghost attacks had happened since the accident. It was almost as if the ghost world was respecting his space.

Not that it really mattered since Danny wasn't even sure if he could fight ghost anymore. 'I've never fought a Ghost without Sam, and Tucker.' He told himself knowingly. 'What if it's too much for me on my own?'

"Can I join you?"

Danny looked up to see Valerie, she was also dressed in black, but her dress looked way more expensive then Aunt Alicia's. He nodded, and Valerie sat down beside him.

"How are you holding up?" She asked.

Danny went to answer, but Valerie scoffed at herself.

"What kind of question is that?" She lectured herself. "That's like asking someone does it hurt after they stub their toe, of course it does!" She sighed. "I'm sorry."

"Everyone's sorry." Danny said. "Everyone wants to help; everyone says it will be fine." He sighed, putting his knees to his chest, and hiding his face. "But no one can help, the pain will never go away."

"You're right." Valerie said. "It won't go away, not completely; but it will get easier to bare. You'll see."

Danny looked up at her, looking like a lost puppy. "How do you know?"

Valerie sighed. "I'll show you how." She said. "At the cemetery after the ceremony."

"Ok." Danny said.

"You two kids ready?" Damon asked as he and Danny's Aunt stepped outside.

The two kids nodded.

"Then let's go." Damon said.

The car ride to the cemetery was short, and silent.

That was Danny's life now.

Silence!

No phone ringing excitedly with Dad on the other line screaming about curfew. Or Tucker and Sam screaming about some ghost they had to catch. No Jazz standing over his shoulder giving him her two sense. No over showering love from his mother. No more 'you can do better if you try.' from Mr. Lancer.

Nothing!

The funeral left a stale taste in Danny's mouth, a part of him was still having a hard time believing that this was reality. He wanted to wake up from a dream, or a nightmare as he would most likely call it, and find out it was all his imagination.

Nothing but pretest anxieties.

Oh, how he wished that was true.

After the preacher spoke the Mayor presented a statue, it was large marble stone with Mr. Lancer, Mr. and Mrs. Fenton, Jazz, Tucker, and Sam carved in it. The Statue read. "Gone, but never forgotten."

Danny couldn't take it anymore, he ran away from the crowd, and deeper into the cemetery.

"Danny wait." His Aunt called after him.

"I'll go get him." Valerie said, running after him.

Danny ran, he ran until he could run no more, and when that moment came he collapsed, on his knees. Tears streamed from his eyes.

'I thought you were better than this.'

"If he wants to cheat let him cheat.'

'Cheaters never win Danny.'

'Fentons are Genius, we don't need to cheat.'

'Just go to the car while I try to fix this mess.'

'Sam's right, you're better than this.'

'I don't have all the answers, do you?'

Danny put his hands to his ears. "Stop!" he screamed. "Just make it stop!"

"Danny?" Valerie came up from behind him.

"Just go away!" Danny shouted. "You keep saying you know how I feel, but you can't possibly know!" Danny yelled, getting to his feet, and glaring at her.

"You feel like it's your fault." Valerie said. "You keep playing it back in your mind, every word that was said before it happened."

Danny stopped. "How do you know that?"

Valerie sighed, and took his hand. "There's something I want to show you." She began to walk down the rows of graves, and Danny allowed her to lead him on. Finally, they stopped in front of a tombstone with a very familiar last name on it.

Rachel Gray

Danny gasped. "Valerie is that…"

"My Mom?" Valerie asked, and nodded. "Yeah it is."

"What happened?" Danny dared to ask.

"It was raining really hard, and she was driving a bit too fast. Some driver pulled out in front of her, and she didn't have any time…to…to get out of the way." Valerie explained, only stuttering slightly at the end.

"Valerie I'm so sorry." Danny said. Of course, he should have understood what she meant when she said I know how you feel. Or I've been here, before because she had! He was such a jerk.

"It's okay, I never told you." She said. "It happened two years ago, mom and I got into a big fight over moving because of her new job. I didn't want to leave because all my friends were there. I told her I hated her for ruining my life." Valerie sniffled. "She was hurt by my words and left to go on a drive to clear her head, she always did that when she was upset."

"It wasn't your fault." Danny whispered. "The driver should have been paying attention."

"And one of those Employees at the Nasty Burger should have known it wasn't safe for people to be around there." Valerie told him. "They should have had the place blocked off to the public."

Danny knew she had a point, but it did little to quell the pain. "How did you do it?" he asked. "How did you learn to live with it?"

"It wasn't easy." Valerie admitted. "But I can help you." She said. "Please let me help you."

Danny thought for a moment, and then nodded. "Okay I'll give your way a try." He vowed.

Valerie forced a smile as they embraced again.

"So, what's the first step?" he asked, pulling away.

"Going back to school." Valerie said.

Danny sighed, but force a nod all the same, he had come clean to the cops about cheating, but since he had already been through enough the State had decide to let him off with a light warning instead of expelling him.

"Danny if you're not ready." Valerie said. "I understand."

"No, it's okay." He told her. "Maybe it will be a good distraction."

Valerie nodded. "That's all you can hope for now." She admitted, being honest with him. "Plenty and plenty of distractions."

-To Be Continued