Hey everyone sorry I didn't update sooner school is trying to kill me I had a 7 page research paper due today and a ridiculously large art project to do (the canvas is 36 in. by 36 in. AHHHH!!!!) I know this is kinda short but I didn't have much time to write it so I'm sorry. I hope ya'll like it!

Oh and thanks to everyone who reviewed and favorited I really appreciate it! and just so ya'll know if anyone noticed "I" reviewed myself it wasn't me it was my cousin who didn't realize she was signed in my name and there was no way to fix it. So in case anyone was wondering no I do NOT have multiple personalities or something.

Thanks to my Beta, Anisney-Robin

Disclaimer: I do not own Danny Phantom. Do you?

Chapter 4

Only the Beginning

Lancer pulled into his neighborhood, all the houses looking nearly identical. Each house was made of red brick, and each front yard was decorated with overgrown, weed infested grass and old beaten up cars sitting in the driveways. Lancer chuckled to himself; it was all he could afford on a teacher's salary but it was home. Lancer drove into the drive way of his house which was a single bed and bath building that matched the description of the rest of the homes on the block.

Lancer turned around to look at the sleeping boy who was beginning to stir from the sudden stillness of the car. "We're here," Lancer told him, as he stepped out and opened the back door so he could help the boy out.

Phantom pushed himself into a sitting position and very slowly heaved himself to the door, wincing with every move. Lancer put his hand out to the boy to help give him some support, all the while wondering if he should carry the boy inside. Without speaking a word, he got his answer when phantom whispered "I'll walk, just help me get out." Lancer did as he was told and helped the weak boy to a standing position. At first the boy swayed, then became slightly steadier as Lancer put a hand on his arm, allowing the boy to lean into him taking his first steps. Lancer couldn't help but see this as a bit odd. Phantom would always float…like ghosts were supposed to. He had never actually seen the ghost walk like a human

They made it over to the porch and walked into his dark living room. Inside there was a navy blue, overused, lumpy sofa and a chair to match. Lancer helped the boy over to the sofa and the boy fell into it with a soft plop. Phantom had his eyes closed tight with an expression of slight pain and was a bit winded but other than that, he seemed to be better.

"Are you okay?" Lancer asked stupidly, knowing the answer was clearly no, but the boy simply gasped out a "Fine."

"Why don't you lie down? You need to get some rest," Lancer said, placing a throw pillow at the edge of the sofa for the boy to lie on. The boy slowly brought himself down whispering "Yeah… sounds good" and abruptly fell asleep.

Lancer sat in the chair a few feet from the sofa and picked up the book on the end table and stared at the pages, not really reading it, but not wanting to just stare at the boy either. Lancer's curiosity kept getting the best of him and he would catch himself watching the ghost boy.

The boy just looked so young and vulnerable. Lancer was used to seeing a brave and cocky ghost, but never weak. Lancer studied his face a little longer and realized he looked older than he should. When Danny Phantom had first come to Amity, he looked as though he was no older than a fifteen year old boy, now though, he seemed to be at least sixteen or seventeen. The observation would have made sense if he was human but in his experience ghosts didn't age. There was no doubting it though, Phantom had definitely grown and taken on a manlier look and less of a boyish one. Not that Lancer thought of him as a man, he just didn't think of him as such a young boy anymore.

It was barely over an hour later that Phantom started to move in his sleep, tossing and turning. Suddenly, he sat bolt upright, eyes wide and screamed. At first Lancer thought he must have had a nightmare, but an uncomfortable tingly feeling that suggested to the contrary, changed his mind. Phantom was screaming in agony, as though he was being tortured. Lancer was about to run to him when he saw a mixture of mud and soil slowly rising.

"Lord of the Rings! What is going on here?!" Lancer heard himself shout as he watched his legs slowly disappear into the dirt. It was then as he felt a tremor that he realized that it was the house that was sinking.

Suddenly, all was still and the rising of the dirt came to a halt just below his knees and the screaming had been subdued into whimpering. Once Lancer freed his legs, he crawled over to the sofa which was now even with the floor. Phantom had his arm wrapped around himself his eyes wide, tears streaming down his face.

"Phantom," Lancer said, hoping to get the boy's attention; the ghost was unresponsive so he tried again, this time a little more persistently. "Phantom? Phantom!" The boy looked up at him, eyes not blinking and unfocused.

"It'll be okay." Lancer said trying to comfort the boy while trying to comfort himself as well. He was scared. "Everything will be okay" he soothed.

The boy just looked back down to where the floor once was and the 2 feet of mud that covered it. "Look what I did." He choked out. "What's happening to me?" he asked so quietly and with so much fear Lancer actually sat by the boy and put an arm around him pulling him into a hug. The frightened ghost boy was shockingly much warmer than he had been an hour ago. It was almost human temperature. To his surprise, the boy didn't resist, but instead, gave in and cried harder.

"I don't know what to do. I don't know what's wrong with me", he cried, his raspy voice wavering. Then he mumbled something that sounded oddly like "I really don't want to die."

Lancer's heart skipped a beat. He tried to ignore what the boy had just said, figuring that he probably wasn't supposed to have heard it and said in a calm soothing voice, "don't worry, we'll figure it out and get you back to normal."

"Yeah right", Phantom snorted "How will we figure it out? I can hardly remember what happened before waking up in your classroom. All I know is that something is seriously wrong with me." He looked down at his fidgeting hands and let out a soft defeated sigh.

"No, we will figure this out, and you will be fine. You have to stay as positive as possible and not give up. Now think hard: can you remember anything? You mentioned a Tectnis or Techaness earlier, saying something about not being a threat?" Lancer prompted, hoping to get a reaction out the boy.

"Technus?" He asked confused, then his eyes widened in realization. "Oh my God, Technus!" He exclaimed with surprising force considering he had barely been able to whisper. "Something about the dagger…" he said softer as he concentrated hard on trying to remember any detail.

"Dagger? Is that what happened to your side?" Lancer asked a bit alarmed.

"Huh?" Phantom mumbled a distracted reply "Oh…yeah."

"Phantom?" Lancer asked, his voice going weak as he suddenly noticed something that was just a step too far, sending Lancer over the edge.

Phantom looked at him questioningly, not understanding the sudden change.

"You're bleeding…" Lancer said not being able to tear his eyes from the wound. When he had learned about the dagger being the cause of the boy's injury, he had brought his eyes down to the bandaged wound and had froze from the sight. The once white bandage was turning a rusty brown over where the injury was. Lancer knew that there was only one explanation for this occurrence and it was not something Lancer could just take in stride. "You're bleeding red."

Phantom looked down at his side and his eyes grew wide with a whispered "Oh my God."

Thanks for reading! Hope ya'll liked it and continue reading!

~Mia