He was so limp, so lifeless; his head was back, his throat bare and exposed. He looked… dead. Sam took barely a second to process this before she was at Danny's side, tugging on Mr Fenton's large arm as he tried to place his cargo on the road.

"Put him down!" Sam screamed unnecessarily- too worried about her friend to care about the odd looks she was getting from the curious bystanders. "He's hurt!"

Now that Danny was somewhat safe, Jack retreated from the scene. Moments later, a whispered argument erupted between him and Maddie.

Sam fell to her knees beside Danny's body; the thin material of her purple stockings ripping on the asphalt. Tucker appeared behind her almost silently, placing a hand on her shoulder. Together, they stared at the injuries that covered their friend.

"Is he…" A hesitant boy crept closer to the sight, fear flickering in the depths of his young eyes. "Is he… dead?"

"Of course not," Maddie answered patronizingly, glaring at Jack. "It's a ghost, and everyone knows that ghosts can't die- they're already dead."

Jack glowered back, all of his usual jolliness replaced with a serious expression that looked out of place on his broad face. "But that's not all true, is it? Mads, why don't you tell them the rest?"

The blue ghost hunter sighed and looked at Phantom in disgust. "They can run out of energy, and that causes them to-"

"Melt," Sam whispered. With horror twisting her face and her heart, she ran her hand across Phantom's cheek, staring wide-eyed at the viscous ectoplasm that coated her fingers like honey. "It's starting."

"What?" Maddie gasped, running to stand beside Tucker. "But he's- he's… he can't die!"

Ignoring the liquid that sluggishly cascaded over her black gloves, the ghost hunter knelt beside Sam and began to shake the unresponsive ghost violently. Sam's eyes grew wide with fury, and she grabbed the older woman by her shoulders, violently pulling her away from Danny.

"Stop it!" the girl screamed, her face stained an angry colour. Maddie sprawled onto the ground with a dazed expression, obviously shocked by Sam's strength.

Their fight was cut short, however, by an alarmed cry from Tucker. Everyone turned towards him as he dropped onto the road, hands skimming painfully across rough surface. All attention was then diverted to Phantom. His eyes were open, glowing feverishly, and most of his legs were gone, melted into a large puddle of ectoplasm. He was speaking, the words pouring out of his mouth almost inaudibly.

Tucker looked up at all of the bewildered faces that were watching him, but it was one in particular that he sought.

"Sam," he called, motioning with his head. "He wants you."

Sam approached hesitantly, glancing back at Mrs Fenton as if seeking permission. Finally, she knelt back down at Danny's side, not acknowledging the ectoplasm that seeped through her ruined stockings. Phantom's eyes locked onto hers, unnerving her with their intensity.

"I- I'm… sorry," he gurgled, thin green ribbons trailing out of the corners of his mouth. "I'm a bit… a bit l-late."

"No," Sam replied, gently brushing a lock of pale, glowing hair out of his eyes. "It's never too late."

He looked up at her hopefully, longing and desire warring across his features, before he smiled. Tears welled up in Sam's eyes, making her vision of him blurry. That small, weak smile was so… innocent. Why would anything ever want to take that away?

"Danny, I-" Sam started, unable to look away from him. "I have something to-"

DPDPDPDP

He felt like death- literally. Not one scrap of energy was left in him, there wasn't even enough to change back. He was gone, spent. Nothing could save him now.

He could feel himself melting; the cool, glowing ectoplasm trickled lazily through every microscopic crack and fissure in the road's surface, and he remained conscious of it all. Every twist, every turn, that the imperfection took, he followed it, getting weaker and thinner by the second. Soon, he would be but an empty shell, then… nothing.

It was Sam that brought him back. He knew she would be right beside him at that very moment, begging, pleading for him to come back. Strong hands grasped his shoulders, leaving shallow indents in his rapidly deteriorating form. They shook him forcefully, hurting him.

Stop! He wanted to shout. Leave me alone.

He just wanted to sleep, but then he heard her voice again. She was angry, upset. Was it with him? Danny hoped not, but he had to know.

The first person that Danny saw when he opened his eyes was Tucker. He looked distressed, and kept glancing downwards every so often to check on the ghost boy at his feet. It took a while for him to process what he could see- long enough that Danny was starting to worry- but when Tucker saw the two bright, green eyes fixed on his own, he acted fast.

Falling to his knees, the techno-geek listened to what his friend had to say. Danny had only the slightest idea of what was coming out of his mouth, so he was extremely relieved when his message was properly understood. Soon, Sam was beside him, kneeling in what was essentially his blood.

He had so much to say, but no time.

"I- I'm… sorry. I'm a bit… a bit l-late," Danny choked slightly on the thick, green liquid that was quickly filling his throat. Not long left.

Sam said something in reply, but it was her actions, not her words, that spoke the loudest. Her touch was so gentle, so kind, that it almost made the numbing pain disappear. The memory of her fingers trailing across his face lingered like raindrops in a spider's web. He knew that, from that moment onward, he was complete. No matter what happened later, he knew that Sam loved him.

Before he knew it, Danny was smiling.

AN:

Hey! pale-blue11 here!

So... do you like it? I started to write it today, but I had the plan in my head all week! Want to know the plan? It was: 1. Jack saves Danny, 2. GIW shows up (for you, Inviso-Al :D), 3. Danny wins, all go home. See anything about melting in there? No, neither do I, but that's where this story wants to go -_-

Anyway, thanks to everyone who reviewed, favourited and/or followed that last chapter! You all made me so happy! :D

And please review, favourite and/or follow this chapter! Also, if you feel like it (and I hate having to do this :/) please check out Some Mistakes are Permanent? It was getting lots of reviews before and now it's... kinda dead :( sorry for asking.

Have a nice week! And good luck to everyone doing their exams! :D

pale-blue11