…I don't care. This is two chapters in one. It's got loose ends. I wanted to make a sequel to this fic in the future. I'm going to have to plan it drastically and keep to the plot because this one went from cool to SUCK. Can't lie, guys. I'm glad this fic is friggin' OVER. Let's just finish this. I don't really give a flying crap anymore. It's rushed. Done. BUH-BYE.

Thanks for reviewing tbsavafob, Hordak's Pupil, HoratioCraver101, princess moon shadow, thealycat., FernClaw

22. Epilogue: Lines of Light and Dark

"This should do it," Alexx mumbled, taking hold on the syringe and piercing Horatio's arm with it while finding a vein. "There's enough in here for you to probably get a full dose of what could turn a ghost back into a human- or something like that." She injected it into his body, shaking her head and chuckling. "Those notes of Plasmius's didn't take long to read really. It was just full of scientific things that needed a bit of help from another scientist."

Danny anxiously watched the man wince and take a deep breath while clenching up. "Who did you go and see, Alexx?"

The medical examiner chuckled a little and took out the needle, setting it down and applying a cotton swab to where she had punctured. "Mister Wolfe himself. He knew a little bit more about this sort of thing than I did. After all, he was the one kidnapped by that crazy ghost himself, so I figured he'd have a better chance at actually knowing about such things."

Horatio didn't say anything, merely smiling a little as Alexx applied a bandage to the wound and he standing up slowly to leave the room. Danny watched the lieutenant, tilting his head. "Yeah," he muttered distantly. "What's up with Horatio and everything?"

Alexx sighed. They had been back for three hours, and still Horatio had been silent about the entire ordeal with Plasmius and Phantom. "He's hiding something he doesn't want the world to see," she told the teenager gently, chuckling a little. "It's a little quirk of his and everything. You get used to it, and then you will never get used to it." She looked up, seeing Ryan outside talking with Sam and hugging her- which she didn't seem to mind.

"So- what are you guys going to do about Plasmius?" he asked, trying to divert the subject and looked outside at the CSI and the Goth embracing.

She shook her head as she and Danny left the room as well. "Not sure. We'll figure something out for certain."

Sam turned to Danny, grinning a little before running over to him and hugging him tightly. He hugged her right back, stroking her hair and kissing her cheek. She blushed insanely, looking at him and tilting her head. The hero grinned a little. "What do you say we go home, Sam?" he muttered. "We've been around the country enough for one vacation."

She smirked a little and nodded towards Natalia. "You gotta say bye to her first. Seems like you two have something going on there."

"That's not exactly right," he muttered. "It's just a friendship."

Sam and Alexx laughed in agreement with his statement, but they allowed him to go and see her in peace anyways. The teenager gave Ryan one last smile before running towards the elevator and Tucker, who was still in a bit of a sling. He winced a little at Sam's smirk and shook his head. "All I want is my technology at home," he told her matter-of-factly. "That stuff isn't the stuff that gets us into these types of things."

Sam laughed. "No kidding. You can stay home and play video games for the rest of the break."

"Or what's left of it," he grumbled, getting a chuckle out of his best friend.

Horatio had his hands on his hips as he glanced at Danny approaching him. Natalia sat in the car, chuckling a little and leaning back. Two heroes together for one more time. The Specter Speeder floated behind her, ready to take the teenager home with the others. Sam sat in the front seat, watching and waiting for her cue from Danny. Whatever the hell that cue was from him.

Below them, a scene was unfolding that could've been pulled from a movie.

"So then what does that make you?" Danny asked bluntly, watching the lieutenant's gaze pierce his own. "If you're not a hero or a villain, then what else can you be?"

The redhead sighed, shaking his head. "The gray area. I'm the antihero. I don't play by the rules at times when they are needed, Danny." His arm hurt. It throbbed, his whole limb shaking a little. He couldn't stop it, but who cared. Something always hurt; his head, his body, his heart. Pain was something the man was used to now.

The hero himself blinked a little. An antihero- he hadn't thought of it like that before. He shrugged a little, nodding and chuckling for a moment. "I guess so. But have you ever-"

Horatio gazed at him. "I killed my father, who murdered my mother. I slay my wife's predator. And I have murdered more people than you could ever imagine." His eyes were stormy. "I'm supposed to be Catholic, Danny. And for all I know, I'm going to Hell for the number of sins I have committed."

Coming from a man who rarely spoke to him- maybe twice the entire time he was there- this was something a lot deeper of a good bye than he certainly had ever planned to give. Danny tilted his head again and rubbed the back of it. "I'm not really religious or anything, but I know that I know my sense of right and wrong is a straight line. There's a line you can cross, but you can't really walk on it. But hey- I've been proven wrong more times than I can count."

"So what are you saying? That I proved you wrong?"

The kid grinned cheekily. "Something like that."

"Danny!" Sam was waving from the Spectre Speeder now, smiling a little. "We gotta get home! It's gonna be a few hours!"

Danny waved to them and turned to Horatio, folding his arms and morphing into Phantom in front of him and Natalia in the Hummer. "So I guess this is good bye, huh?"

The lieutenant nodded steadily. "If you ever need anything from another source that has nothing to do with your city, Danny, call me. Email us. We'll come by and visit your city if we have to."

He blinked. "Really?"

"It's a promise," Horatio assured the teenager, nodding and slipping on his sunglasses. "Now go. You've got friends waiting for you."

Phantom smiled and nodded, giving the lieutenant a thumb up before flying up towards the speeder and slipping inside the cockpit with Tucker and Sam. He waved to the redhead before the vehicle sped towards the northern rural section of the city and away from the older man on the beach. Horatio looked down and out at the water. The gray line between good and evil- he tread it so carefully and yet he was a reckless pursuer in entering and exiting that light.

On one side, there was that nasty darkness he threatened to embrace every day he was alive. That side of Plasmius, the one who had a bit of a downhill spiral- more of one that he anticipated.

But on the other side, there was a light that Phantom seemed to radiate. He loved to protect people, blamed himself when he didn't and couldn't.

A certain sunshine that glazed over the darkness. Phantom sunshine… so beautiful, and yet so horrifying.

Final chapter composed to "Now We Are Free" by Lisa Gerrard. How appropriate.

Well, all's well that ends… messed up as hell. Hmm. Sequels because of open-ended bullcrap anyone? SAY YES. I'M BEGGING YOU. I need new material! *sadface*

So then… thanks for reviewing this entire story… SethTkun, StoryDreamer, Taccuino, Shadewolf7, Choco(dot)Sushi(dot)Nut, Sora Hane, Long Slow Collision, shelby, CSIBeauty, Miriam1, pearl84, Le Pecore Nere, Bored2Deth, Nicky-Pickle-25, SumikaAmayaOblivion, Farrahmack, Webster, YoungbloodFan, Out-Of-Control-Authoress, babydragon11, kingdomhearts222, Lady-Bloodrose, Little Laurentum Light, RENT Head – A Guardian Angel, WinchesterPhantom, Hordak's Pupil, Plushiemon, princess moon shadow, NC Phantom, Em Phantom, Pterodactyl, Quacked Lurker, mystery writer5775, Jodine16, Shade rose, fairyprincesst, yumi2482, Yhunderstorm101, ImmortalPhantom22, queendragonfire, Jag Lady, Billie Jukes, thealycat., Silver Shadowbreeze, cabot007, GeekGirl2, FernClaw, Me-against-the-world, inukagome15, lily moonlight, valenciadarkness, AlexCurtis, icestriker, dragon of spirits, Ebony Falcon, tbsavafob, Crazy Joe, HoratioCraver101

For all the faves… (all 34 of you guys.)

And ALL the alerts… (all 50 of you. FIFTY. I'm about dead over here.)

…and for all the countless times I've said I'd update and never came through until so many months later. I can't give any of you enough credit for anything you ever did. PLEASE accept my humblest apologies. I started this in sophomore year of high school- the end of tenth grade- and I finished it AFTER high school. How horrid of me.

Well, I'm done guys… with a sequel slowly being planned out. Look out, Miami and Amity- I ain't QUITE done with you guys yet. *smirks a bit*

Love always and forever,

Shiny-sama