Wow. This is the next to last chapter. I can't really believe this is so close to being done. Thanks to all my reviewers so far, hope you enjoy!

-Obi

Chapter 20

"Danny! NO!" Sam yelled as she watched them fall into the flames. But she gave a sigh of relief as she watched Danny fly up out of the fiery water and land on the pier. At the last second Danny had formed a shield around himself and Daniel to protect them from the ectoplasmic fire. They had been able to go through it without harm and Danny had flown back to the docks.

"You are grounded," Danny said to Daniel as he gave him a hug. Danny and Sam's eyes teared up with joy as they realized what had just happened. The future was changed. The Fire King would never be. The future was their own. Danny finally said what both of them were thinking.

"It's over."

David stood where he was, not able to say anything. Unlike his parents, he wasn't thinking about it being over. He couldn't even understand how Danny thought that. The bad guy had gotten away. They were going to have to go after him.

"Dad, the ghost got away. We have to go after him!" David said.

"No, not now. That isn't important right now. What is important is that we're together. And you, young man," he said as he turned to Daniel. "You are not going to be going on a mission for a long time. You disobeyed my orders. Do you have any idea what would have happened if I hadn't stopped you?"

"No."

"Well I do. I know exactly what would have happened.."

"Well, not exactly, I'm sure," David started to correct his father in a know it all sort of tone. Danny turned around and glared at him with a look that said 'Don't you ever use that tone with me.'

"Trust me, I know. Now let's go home."

They climbed into the speeder and flew home, talking all the way. The rest of the night was spent with Danny and Sam retelling the entire story of what would have been. After dinner they watched a movie then went to bed. David passed his little brother's room and saw the door open. Inside Daniel was on his bed playing with the cat. She gave a little meow as she lunged at his hand. David smiled as he kept walking to his own room.

It had been a few days, and Danny and David were coming up to the woods where the ghost was. David was fiddling arond with the ghost gauntlets as Danny parked the Speeder.

"Okay, you know what to do?" Danny asked. David nodded. Okay then...."

"Going Ghost!" they both said simultaneously. They flew deeper into the woods, where after some searching they found the ghost wandering aimlessly through the trees. He was completly oblivious to their presence. Good. They'd have the element of surprise. Danny put on a burst of speed and punched the ghost in the back. The rogue halfa was sent sprawling. He quickly regained his composure and sent back a few blasts of his own. Daniel went behind him and tried to hit him in the back of the knees, but the ghost moved and knocked him in the head with an ecto blast. Danny came back to his side and grabbed the ghost's arm. Danny's arm glowed blue as he froze the other ghost's arm. The ghost quickly broke the ice and kept shooting at his targets.

"David!" Danny yelled. David nodded his head in understanding. They began to fly around the ghost as fast as they could. Their hands lit up a bright green, and they began shooting the the ghost. He curled up, howling in pain. Two streams of ectoplasmic energy swirled around him.

"Give up yet?" David asked.

"Never!" he yelled in reply with a lunatic's laugh. His face contorted into an evil smile as he released a large ball of energy, blowing Danny and David back. He got up and shot them with red ecto rays from his eyes. They formed a shield around themselves, deflecting the blast. They sent a large blast back, and inflicted a lot of damage to him. He tumbled over, seemingly defeated.

"David, get the gaunt..." Danny started, but stopped when he saw the ghost getting up. There was a gash in his stomach, seeping green goop, but he lurched forward. The two kept at him, putting more and more injuries on him, to the fact that he could barely walk, but he kept going.

"Give up! Can't you see you're defeated?" Danny yelled. The ghost's smile grew bigger, baring his ugly teeth.

"Never," he growled.

Danny ran at full speed and threw rapid punches. Some hit their mark, but most were dodged. Danny created ectoplasmic spikes on his arm, another power that had come in his early twenties, and jabbed it into the ghost. This did very little to stop him, but then again, it wasn't meant to. The ghost cried out when sharp claws all of a sudden pierced his back. David had snuck around him and lunged the Ghost Gauntlets into him. He pulled with all his might, and the evil halfa ripped into his two halves. Each half hung from the claws. The human half just hung there, while the ghost half struggled to try to rejoin with the human.

"Okay, lets get you out of here," Danny said. He walked up to them, examining them both closely. The ghost had a wild look in his dark red eyes. He clawed at Danny, still trying to fight. Overall, he looked like he had when he was joined with the human, only now he was a light shade of green. Danny pulled out the thermos and sucked him in. This one would be going straight to Walker, where he would be stored in suspended animation. He was too dangerous to be left awake, where he could still do damage.

The human half, however, was very different. His skin was pale white, and he had turquoise eyes. His nose was small but jagged. He looked to be about 21, and was wearing a prison jumpsuit that was torn and tattered. He wasn't trying to get away. He wasn't trying to fight. In fact, he looked almost happy. He fell off the claw and landed in a heap on the ground.

"Thank you, thank you, thank you," he said as he laid there. "I couldn't have teken much more of it." Danny helped him to his feet, and there was a big smile on his face. He was genuinly happy to be free from the ghost. "To think I used to envy ghosts. That's not going to happen again."

"Do I know you?" Danny asked.

"I don't believe you do."

"Are you sure? You look familiar."

"Positive. Though you may have known my father. Here, my name is Theodore Showenhower," he said as he held out his hand. Danny shook it.

"Nice to meet you. So, are you related to Freakshow?" Danny asked.

"I'm his son. He actually influenced me. Made me envious of ghosts. That's why I got locked up. I was willing to do anything to get ghost powers. After this though, I'm done." Danny smiled.

"Glad to hear that, but you do realize I'm gonna have to take you back, right?"

"Yeah, I figured as much. And with this, I might never get out."

"You know what? You leave that to me. I can put in a good word for you."

"Why?"

"You seem like a good kid."

"Wait, Dad, why? He's a criminal! Don't tell me you really trust him!" David exclaimed. Danny shot him another look.

"Trust me. I know what I'm doing."