Chapter 9: Grief

Disclaimer: I own nothing

"Grief is the price we pay for love."

Queen Elizabeth II

Chapter 9: "Grief"

(Tuesday-November 5, 2013)

"Everything went very well in my opinion," Morgaine le Fey mentioned as she stood in an area filled with black swirling energy, "The only person planned to die that actually got to live was Harm. Besides that, though, everything we wanted to accomplish…except capturing Dan Phantom of course."

"He no longer matters. My original interest in him was because I thought that he had the special attribute I was looking for. From my observations, he doesn't have it like the real Phantom does. It must have disappeared when he cast off his humanity and fused with Plasmius. Of course, he still would have made a good minion, but I don't think he knows how to serve very well. He would have tried to rebel too many times to be considered useful."

"I suppose that is true, Nekron."

Several meters away from Morgaine le Fey was a large skeleton dressed in black robes. He sat on a throne made up of skulls. Black smoke rose out of the skeleton's mouth as he loosely gripped the black scythe at this side. On either side of the throne was two Black Lanters. Nocturne and Aragon were on one side, while Hotep Ra and a cloaked figure were on the other side.

"The most important thing is that the Spectre is dead. His death has given me a large amount of energy to use and one less enemy that might actually pose a threat," Nekron mentioned, "And with all the other deaths, I would say that the first part of my plan was an incredible success. The Observants, the Red Huntress, Wulf, Secret, and all the people that died shall be a big help to the end game."

"It would have been even better if we could have killed or capture the Dark Phantom," Hotep bowed his head to his master, "We failed you in that matter."

"Like I said, he doesn't matter in the end. He isn't a real threat to me despite what he thinks. In a direct fight, I would win, and he has no allies on this planet. His attempts to stop my absorption of the ectoplasm failed, and his efforts to stop my plans for magical energy will end the same way,"

"He does have a plan that could make it so that he could match you, master," Nocturne reminded Nekron, "I heard it from his subconscious during our battle."

"True, but I'll have you and Aragon guarding his goal. That way, he doesn't have a prayer of succeeding. As for you, Hotep Ra, you'll be staying by my side in case I need to sent you out on an emergency mission."

"And I will continue to work to make sure the Sorcerer Initiative goes on as planned," The cloaked Black Lantern spoke, "Of course, everything is already in place, so my job will be just to make sure everything goes to hell."

"Hahahahahaha! Exactly!" Nekron's skull face twisted upward into a grin.

"And I believe that I'll be sitting this one out," Morgaine le Fey spoke up once more, "I would rather avoid your attempts to manipulate Earth's magic. Not to mention the fiasco with Trigon…"

"Of course, of course," Nekron waved her off, "You have done more than enough, my dear. And as promised, I shall make sure to give you the entertainment you so crave. I shall leave you to your own devices and let you watch as turn this world upside down once more. By the time this is done, you'll have enough to entertainment to satisfy you for the rest of eternity."

"Indeed," Morgaine smiled, "I better make sure to secure a home off world, though. I doubt there will be much left if your plan works out."

"If?"

"You never know what could happen. Not that any of it matters to me. From here on out, I'm just the silent observer," Morgaine le Fey began to walk away. After a few steps, though, she paused, "Before I leave, though, I have one question."

"Oh?"

"What was that quality you thought that the Dark Phantom would have?" Morgaine le Fey questioned.

"Hahahahahahahahahaha! Now that is a good question! I'm sure you're familiar with Danny Phantom's state of being. He exists perfectly on the line of life and death. Much more so than the other half-ghosts who have struggled with stability at one time or another. One half of him perfectly represents in Death, while the other half perfectly represents Life."

"And what does that have to do with anything?"

"Let's just say that his state of being makes him a very interesting player in my game. You see, long ago when he was born, he managed to fight off Death. For a long time, no one on the spiritual side of reality understood how this was possible. His natural affinity for ectoplasm, sheer willpower, luck, and a situation of being so near Death right after birth made it so he could force himself back into his body. But no one, and I mean NO ONE can breathe true life into a body that was taken by Death without the say so and blessing of one being."

"One being? What exactly are you talking about?"

"Tell me, le Fey. Have you ever heard of the Life Entity?"

Words and whispered danced around Dani's ears. There was no part of her that cared to discern what was being said. Even when people addressed her and her painting, she remained silent. Her focus was completely on her painting hanging on the wall.

"I have to say, Miss Master, that is an interesting painting," Jason Blood spoke as he approached his student. He was a middle aged man with streaks of grey in his crimson hair. A dark suit covered his body, and a tired look made him look even older.

"Hmm…" Dani didn't turn away from the painting.

"It…is a bit more gruesome than most of your work," Jason mentioned with his hands held behind his back, "I won't question your artistic vision, but do be careful. This is a school art fair, after all. We wouldn't want you to get into trouble."

"Hmm…"

Jason Blood, knight of old, experienced sorcerer, and the human form of Etrigan, eyed his student, "Miss Masters…Danielle…are you okay?"

"Hmm…"

"I see…" Jason sighed and looked away, "You do not wish to talk with me. Or perhaps, you don't wish to talk at all."

Dani remained silent. Despite the man's words and the groups of people moving around, her tired eyes did not move away from the painting. It was the same image that haunted her at night.

"I would suggest talking to someone," Jason Blood noted as he began to walk away, "A neutral party. Someone that could be objective to the current events. Don't you agree, my young pupils?"

"Yeah…" Rachel Roth nodded to Blood as she and her group passed the man on their way to Dani, "That might be smart."

"Then contact me when she's ready. I have a friend in mind," With that Blood left Dani to her friends.

Despite the arrival of the group of three, Dani had yet to move from her spot. Under different circumstances, she would feel glad to have so many of her friends back. Youngblood had been gone for years, and Victor often seemed distant at the best of times. Now, though, she didn't feel all that cheerful.

Because of his ghostly appearance, Youngblood wore a Fenton Disguise Belt in order to fool people into seeing a more normal version of himself with brown hair and tanner skin. In addition, his pirate outfit was traded for an orange hoody and simple jeans.

Victor was also using Fenton Disguise tech in order to appear normal. He appeared to look exactly like he did before the accident. Unfortunately, there was a limit to what the belt could change. If anyone bumped into him, they would feel the metal. As such, he wore a thin layer of padding that felt like skin over every part of his body from the neck down. A thick black beanie covered his head to avoid any clang noises if something fell on him, and if something or someone every hit his face, he would just say that he had an iron jaw.

"I like your new painting," Rachel stated, "But I don't think that it's your normal style. Too dark."

"Yeah, I think it's a bit…" Youngblood paused for a brief second, "Gruesome."

His words were true. The painting was of three figures on a field of ash. A large wolf lay on the ground with blood pouring out of holes in his chest. Beside him was a hunter dressed in lose robes. Still, it was easy to see that the hunter's body was broken and beaten. Above the two fallen beings was an angel dressed in white reaching down to try and fail to bring the corpses back to life.

"I think it's perfect," Victor stated, "And I think that they would appreciate your tribute to them."

For the first time in a while, Dani's eyes moved away from the painting. She looked up to the taller Victor. Many people would have flinched under her gaze, but Victor remained strong. He made sure that she knew that he meant what he said.

"…Thanks…" Dani turned back to the painting, "That was what I was hoping for. I miss them."

"We do to, Dani," Rachel hid her face with the hood of her sweater to conceal the pain in her eyes, "We do to."

"It's never easy, is it?" Youngblood mentioned, "Losing people…I hate it. Why can't we all just stay as we are? Why do things have to change?"

"Because then, we wouldn't evolve, Chuck," Victor noted, "How can things ever get better if we're all stagnant?"

"Better?" Youngblood frowned, "How is this better?"

"Growth…Healing…It takes pain and suffering…" Victor looked down at his hands, "And it takes time. Trust me, I know that much. The anger and resentment doesn't fade quickly. It lingers and festers."

"Since when did you become the guru of the group?" Rachel questioned.

"Well someone had to with Dani like this and Nyx gone…Woops…"

Dani's frown grew worse.

The three friends of the halfa shared a look. They silently decided to try a different tactic. Time for plan B.

"You know, there's going to be some sparing matches at the Cave," Youngblood noted, "Rae was telling me about it. Apparently, Lieutenant and Sergeant Marvel are going to have their first sparing sessions."

"They don't have a lot of fighting experience and could use your help," Raven mentioned.

"Plus, they're pretty much invincible," Victor mentioned, "It would be really, really hard to hurt them. You could go all out if you wanted to."

Dani turned away from the painting once more, "Really?"

"Yep."

Dani glanced back at the painting. With clenched fists, she nodded, "Alright, let's go."

"I still don't know why you took a blow meant for me, but thank you," Dusk mentioned as he rewrapped the bandages on the still unconscious Johnny 13's shoulder. While Greta did a great job healing the injury, the dagger that stabbed him had been laced with dark magic. Until the energy completely faded, the cut would continue to reopen randomly.

While both Johnny and Kitty, who had her time resotred to her, were able to move around normally, it had been decided to keep them both unconscious until their wounds completely healed. Kitty went into a crazed state when she saw the bandaged Johnny, and when Johnny was awake and in pain, Kitty would stir. Once they were better, they would be allowed to wake, but until then, it seemed too dangerous to let them move about.

Looking up from Johnny and Kitty's side-by-side cots, the youngest halfa glanced around the room. The medical center of the Land of the Far Frozen was packed with injured and dying ghosts. Dozens of medics and volunteers rushed around the room to try to help, but despite their work, many ghosts had still died.

Standing, Dusk began to walk across the room. He eyed each cot. Some were filled, and some were now agonizingly empty. Most of the now healed ghosts were awake but were not allowed to move by orders of Vision. She refused to let someone die because they were moving too soon, and no one had the guts to argue with her.

As he walked, Dusk passed several different groups. Each group seemed to be having conversations that made him feel a bit guilty in hearing. He tried not to listen, but he couldn't seem to tune them out.

Vision gave the Box Ghost a sad look that could been seen even under her veil, "I'm sorry that we could not save your eye."

"That doesn't matter," The Box Ghost shook his head slowly as to not aggravate the aching left eye socket underneath his new eyepatch, "All that matters is that my family wasn't hurt too much."

"Hun…" The Lunch Lady gently grabbed her husband's arm.

"And Box Lunch wasn't hurt at all," Box Ghost gently rocked the baby girl in his arms, "Remind me to thank that magician girl. I owe her more than I could ever repay…"

Dusk continued to walk.

"I'm sorry that I don't remember what le Fey had me do," Amorpho stated as he gently petted the bandaged Cujo that sat next to him on a cot, "Everything is blank. She must have ordered me to forget everything I did."

"I was afraid of that," Plasmius crossed his arms and sighed, "Then there is nothing we can do but wait for Daniel to finish analyzing that chip."

Dusk took a few more steps.

"That last Observant has passed away…" Colossus clenched his fists in anger, "I believe that he stopped fighting. He knew that the rest were gone and refused to go on without them."

"Damn," Frostbite placed a hand over his face to hide the tears, "How many more people must we lose?!"

Colossus placed a gentle hand on his friend's shoulder and glanced to a few empty cots that once had yeti ghosts in them, "I'm sorry, my friend."

Passing those two, Dusk finished his trek and stood before the medial tube that held Clockwork, now the last ghost that could foresee the future. In that moment, Dusk wondered if things would have been different if Clockwork had been awake during the time. Would the Master of Time have intervened, or would he have let all this occur? It was hard to say.

"He probably would have intervened," A voice spoke behind Dusk.

Dusk turned to see a ghost named Sydney Poindexter. The ghost had no coloring on him rather than black and white. His once well-kept hair was now long and messy. Thick glasses covered his freckled face. A blazer sat over his shoulders, but his dress shirt and overalls were still visible.

"Excuse me?" Dusk questioned.

Poindexter walked beside Dusk and peered up at Clockwork, "Your expression was very readable. I could tell what you were thinking, and I do believe that Clockwork would have intervened in this case. He couldn't always, but I think he would have changed a few things. At least, that's what I think considering the stories Master Scribe told me."

"I see…" Dusk followed Poindexter's gaze back up to Clockwork.

"Of course, that might be the very reason he's like this. People with the power to predict the future can't intervene. It always causes trouble. Either the situation gets worse, or…bad things happen to the foreseer."

"Like with the Ghost Writer and Clockwork…" Dusk frowned, "Is that why you refused to intervene? You have inherited your master's powers, correct?"

Poindexter looked ashamed, "I used to think that it would be amazing to have the power to stop bullies. Now that I do have power, though, I can't bring myself to do it. Not when I know that it would only cause my end."

Dusk silently nodded.

"Tell me, Joel," Poindexter turned to Dusk, "Is it a sin to not save a life out of fear for your own safety?"

"I…I don't know," Dusk's shoulders slumped, "I often think so, but there are times where all I want to do is leave and never look back. I never asked for my power or my talents, yet I have them. Many times, I wish I was born like everyone else so I could live a peaceful life."

"There are times you want to stop and try to live a regular life, huh?" Poindexter had a look of contemplation on his face, "What makes you stay in those moments?"

"I always have reason to stay. I know that my leaving would hurt a lot of people."

"Hmm…Interesting," Poindexter nodded. He then turned and began to walk back to helping the wounded, "Well then, I hope that answer never changes, Joel."

Dusk nodded and continued to peer at Clockwork, "I do too…"

Danny rubbed his temples in exhaustion, "I'm sorry, but I really don't understand what you're asking of me. You want an energy converter? Something that could transfer power from multiple sources into one battery?"

"Kekekekekekeke! You got it!" Klarion laughed from his monitor.

"Oui, Monsieur Fenton. Your donation would be most helpful." A voice with a thick accent spoke from a brain mounted on a mobile machine.

Fenton's eyes glanced around the various screens that sat across his desk. Each member of the Light was in this video conference. Thus, he could gauge the various reactions that generated from this request. Oddly enough, almost half of the Light seemed displeased with this idea. It made Fenton wonder what exactly was going on.

"And this is request from all of you?" Fenton questioned.

Silence was his answer for a while, but then one of them spoke. While not technically official, the Light did have a leader. Vandal Savage was a large man made up of pure muscle. Three long scars ran across his hardened face while his long hair was slicked back. As a being that was as close to immortal as a person could get, Savage was over 50,000 years old and had more experience and knowledge than anyone on Earth. He even predated the ghosts' time of existence.

"We have already voted. It has been decided that everything will proceed as planned…" Savage stated with a deep frown on his face.

"I see," Fenton leaned back in his seat, "Well, you definitely chose the worst possible time to make this request."

"We are aware that you lost your lover during the last incident. I heard the report that she was killed by a ghost at her campus. It must have been frusting to have her so far out of your protection in the first place, but to actually lose her...," Queen Bee could only be described as a dark-skinned goddess. Her beauty was unquestionable from her full lips to her long dark wavy hair. It was easy to see why men fell over themselves to serve her without her even using her natural enthrall pheromone ability, "And that is why I suggest that it would be best to save this request for later."

"Time and patience are a few things some of us are running out of, Queen Bee," Ocean Master stated to the women.

"Yeah, the time is now…er, soon at least. I've been planning this for years, after all," Klarion spoke up again.

"Urgent timing huh…" Fenton eyed the screen again, "You are aware this could take some time. By what time do you would you want these tubes?"

"Ignore them," Ra's eyes frowned at the screens that probably surrounded him as well, "If you decide to take up this project for us, you would be given all the time you would need."

"And why is the Brain not handling this one?" Fenton questioned, "I know that he's more than capable of crafting it."

"My hands are full at zhe moment…figuratively speaking of course," The Brain stated.

"Hmm…" Danny closed his eyes for a second. His fatigue and grief quite evident on his face, "Alright. I'll think about it. That's the most I can give you right now."

"That's all we can ask for right now," Luthor spoke up before Klarion or Ocean Master could speak, "Thank you for your time, Daniel. You have my deepest condolences for you loss."

"And from me as well, young Fenton. I know the pain of losing a close lover very well. Take heart in knowing that she lives on your memory," Savage noted.

Danny looked at their faces and were surprised to see that they seemed the mean their words. At that moment, he felt his heart ache in a different way than it had for the past six days, "I, uh…Thank you."

"Do take care, Daniel," Queen Bee gave him a smile. It looked very seductive to him, but that was probably because of her natural look. The monitors quickly began to flicker off until only one monitor was left lit.

"Oh, and once again, thank you for looking after my boy, Daniel," Ra's smiled, "I know that you didn't have to pretend he was family so he would stay in Amity Park. I appreciate all you've done for my family, and don't worry, I'm sure my daughter or I will convince him to return the Shadows at some point."

"Don't worry about. I enjoy having Joel around," Danny waved him off.

"Well, I thank you regardless. Goodbye, Daniel."

"Goodbye, Ra's." Danny canceld the video chat. With that done, he slid down his chair, took a deep breath, and closed his eyes once more.

"I…refuse…to…abandon…you…" Valerie's words came out as pained heaves. Her voice was cracked and barely audible, "Not…like…last…time..."

"Specter, let her go!" Phantom begged desperately. He tried to pull Valerie away from the Spectre, but he barely had the energy to old onto Valerie, "Please! She's innocent!"

"No one is innocent," The Spectre's words pierced Phantom's heart like a spear. His arm clinched and bent as he prepared to toss the broken girl away like she was a piece of trash. Still, Phantom did not let got. He would never let go.

"Danny…" Valerie could no longer breathe correctly. Words felt painful as they left her lips, and she lacked the energy to speak much more. There was so much she wanted to say to Danny. She wanted to proclaim her love for him. She wanted to say how proud she was to be able to fight as he equal. She wanted to thank him for making her into a better person. The ghost hunter could say none of these things, though. Her body wouldn't let her say more than one more word, so she gave him one last loving look and said the one word that explain exactly how she felt about Danny, "Yes."

As soon as that was said, the Spectre tossed Valerie away. Phantom did not let go, so he was dragged with her. Because of his lack of energy, though, Phantom could do nothing to stop their moment or even pull his girlfriend close to shield her. Thus, he could do nothing as Valerie's unprotected body crashed through several buildings, land with a solid crack, and then roll into a broken, unmoving heap.

"Danny?"

"RAW!" Danny jumped up from his chair with terrified roar and took a self-defense stance. He quickly relaxed when he saw his employees.

"Danny, are you okay?" Harriet Chin questioned, "You look like you nodded off for a minute there…"

"Yeah…" Danny leaned against his work desk, "Yeah, I'm fine."

"No, he's not," J.A.Z.Z.'s voice sounded through the computer, "He refuses to sleep, and has been constantly working since Halloween."

"Danny…" Harriet gave Danny a concerned look.

"That is not a good thing, child. Our brains are our greatest assets," Nicolai Tillman stated to his employer, "Of course, I understand the urge to work. After all, I, NICOLAI TILLMAN! Have gotten in the passion of working. But if we don't rest, we won't be able to succeed in our work. In fact, my Agatha—"

"Well, I don't have an 'Agatha' to drag me away from my work, Nick," Danny snapped and began to walk away from his desk to the development department. He was stopped when he felt a hand on his shoulder.

"I know you must be hurting, but Valerie wouldn't want you to be killing yourself like this, son," Silas Stone stated.

Danny smacked the hand away, "Don't call me son. I don't even let Vlad call me that. Besides, you really haven't even been a good father to your actual son."

Silas flinched back as if he was struck. He might have fallen if Elinore had not been there to steady him.

Danny didn't look back, but he hung his head in shame, "I'm sorry. That wasn't fair."

"It's fine. I think I deserved that a bit…" Silas worked to steady his trembling hands.

"I just…" Fenton took out his phone, "I just need some time. I'm taking the rest of the day off. J.A.Z.Z. called my friends. They're coming to kidnap me, I think…"

"That's good," Harriet nodded.

As he was leaving, Danny paused and looked back to Silas, "And…I…Sorry again. Just…keep working with Victor. He'll come around sooner or later. He's got a good head on his shoulders."

"Yeah," Silas nodded, "He does."

Troia found herself in a rare situation where she was facing a foe that had more physical strength than her. Even in Young Justice, she was at the top in consideration to raw power. Before today, only Superboy rivaled her. Now, though, she had two people that could quite possibly beat her in an arm wrestling contest, and she was loving it.

Now, if only they could actually fight correctly…

"Oof!" Sergeant Marvel aka Freddie Freemen groaned as he was flipped through the air and landed on his back.

"Thy speed and power are incredible, but thy technique is nonexistent," Troia stated as she clapped her hands dismissively.

"Yeah…" Sergeant grunted as he pushed himself up, "Not like this is my second fight or anything."

"Excuses are for the weak," Troia slid back into a fighting stance, "Prepare thyself!"

"Do I have to—Holy crap!" Sergeant ducked under Troia's kick to his head. He quickly stumbled backward as he tried to avoid several of Toria's rapid attacks. He sent several wild punch of his own to try and push her back. Troia knew better than to try and block the attacks, so she easily ducked under and avoided the wild blows.

She then ducked down low and sweep kicked Sergeant Marvel's legs out from under him. Once again, Sergeant fell onto his back, but this time Troia did not let up. She grabbed Sergeant Marvel's arm and twisted him onto his stomach. With his arm locked, Sergeant decided to tap out.

"I give up, I give up, sheesh…" Sergeant Marvel muttered as his arm was released, "Why can't anyone go easy on the new guy?"

"That's not how thing work here," Black Canary, who was taking the lead in combat training, noted, "We need to jumpstart your fighting abilities as quickly as possible if you want to go on missions."

"Who said I wanted to go on missions…" Sergeant Marvel muttered under his breath.

"Finally, someone who shares my view of the world," Raven whispered to Cyborg with a nod of her head, "Good. I was getting sick of everybody having such a cheery attitude."

"That's no way to talk, Freddie!" Lieutenant Marvel aka Mary Bromfield bounced on the balls of her feet, "This is a dream come true! We're superheroes and are working with people like Robin, Troia, and Spirit. How can you not be psyched?"

"Because I keep getting the crap kicked out of me?" Sergeant Marvel rolled his eyes.

"Damn…" Raven frowned, "We get someone that finally begins to even out the character spectrum, and then she comes with him to tip the scale again."

"Well, if we get too many people like you here, then none of us will be motivated to do anything," Youngblood, who was allowed access to the Cave as a guest, mentioned.

"You act like that's a bad thing," Raven rose an eyebrow.

"God, what is with all you superpowered people?" Robin shook his head, "None of you seem motivated to use your powers right. If I had superpowers, I would be busting into bad guys' bases, kicking ass, and taking names. And they would be like, 'Please, Robin, don't kick our asses.' And I would be like, 'Too late, suckers'!"

"Uh…" Beast Boy blinked up to Robin in confusion, "Okay, dude. Whatever you say."

Batgirl walked up behind Robin and flicked him on the back of the head, "Stopping acting stupid."

"Hey! Don't disrespect me! I have seniority on this Team," Robin stated smugly.

"And I have seniority as a vigilante. The only reason I didn't join when you did was because of…permission issues…" Batgirl frowned as she thought of her father Jim Gordon.

"Like Troia said…" Robin gained a huge grin, "Excuses are for the weak."

"Thou can't argue with that logic," Troia mentioned.

"I…I think I can," Batgirl noted, "But I really don't want to right now. I think the numbers will be against me."

"Alright, enough chatter," Black Canary called out, "I need two more sparers."

"Me," Spirit, who had been oddly silent during her time at the Cave, stepped up, "Come on, new girl. Let's see what you got."

"Alright!" Lieutenant Marvel fist pumped and floated over to the center of the training area, "I've been waiting for this."

"Hmm…" Spirit gave the Lieutenant an unsavory smile, "Just try not to go overboard. I heard what happened during le Fey's attack."

Lieutenat Marvel flinched, "I, er…Right. Is the Box Ghost doing better? I tried to go visit him, but…"

"He'll live," Spirit noted a she slid into a fighting stance, "I'll talk to Vision about you visiting him. He'll probably thank you for stopping him. Just be glad you didn't hurt his family. You've seen what happens when he's trying to protect his family."

"Yeah," Lieutenant Marvel's expression did not lighten up despite Spirit's words, "Thanks."

"No problem," With that Spirit rushed forward. She sent a side kick to Lieutenant Marvels' side. The Marvel girl took the blow and went skidding back. She stopped herself but was unprepared once again as Spirit followed after her.

Twirling around the other girl, the halfa grabbed the Marvel's cape and used it to fling her to the ground. The girl went rolling but quickly pushed herself up and charged at the halfa. She sent several powerful yet uncontrolled attacks to the white haired girl. Despite the speed of the attacks, Spirit was still able to dodge the blows with ease.

As she danced around the attacks, Spirit let her mind go into her instinctual battle mode. Her Premonition guided her. For the first time in a long time, she ignored the thrill and adrenaline rush she felt from combat. If this could be called that. Lieutenant Marvel was sloppy. The difference in skill was far too great for her to get one up on her during a spar where they couldn't fight with their full powers—

Smack!

Because of her carelessness and lack of motivation, Spirit allowed Lieutenant Marvel to get a lucky hit in. The halfa went reeling back in pain. She kept moving back to avoid future hits. As she moved, though, her instincts screamed at her. Flashes of the fights days before returned. Terror and anger rushed through her veins. Rational fled from her mind. All that was left was instinct.

Rush forward. Spin around her. Slam head into the ground. Repeat motion several times. Flip her over. Punch face. Punch face. Punch face. Activate Spectral Claws.

"Azaroth Metrion Zinthos!" Black and white magic swirled around Spirit. She swung around wildly. Her claws cut through the magic. Just as she cut through all the magic, a large form grabbed her and held her tight. She thrashed around violently. Cut. Slash. Bite.

Spirit…

Cut. Slash. Bite.

Spirit!

Cut. Slash. Bite.

"SPIRIT! STOP!"

Spirit stopped her movements. She suddenly realized that Cyborg was holding her close to him. In her fit, she had hurt him. He was covered in deep gashes, cuts, and bite marks. His metal was cracked. Blood oozed out of some spots while oil leaked out of other spots.

"Oh god, Victor…" Spirit muttered in horror.

Cyborg slowly released the hug and pushed Spirit to arms' length. Despite his bruised and cracked head, he smiled, "You okay now?"

"I…I hurt you…" Spirit gently placed a hand on his swelled cheek, "Why didn't you fight back?"

"Because it's you. I could never hurt you," Cyborg explained as his red eye flickered.

Tears instantly flooded from Spirit's eyes. She lunged forward and held Cyborg close, "I'm so sorry! I'm so sorry! I'm so sorry!"

"I know," Cyborg gently rubbed his back, "It's not your fault."

"I…I…I need help…" Spirit's eyes glanced around the Cave. Her teammates all gave her look of concern. Even the rising Lieutenant Marvel only seemed to be concerned about her and Victor's health.

Raven stepped forward, "Then let's go home. Mr. Blood has someone ready to speak with you."

Dusk quietly approached the tall form of Pandora. She stood on top of the Ghost Zone's prison. As the chief of justice and police for the Ghost Zone, she was given the freedom to travel almost anywhere she wanted. The halfa found it odd that she would choice Torch's prison to hide. The place was dull and grey. It missed the beauty and care that Pandora took pride in with her domain.

"Pandora?" Dusk made sure to speak up as he approached the woman. It was not wise to sneak up on Pandora, "Vision sent me to find you. She needs your help at the medical center."

"Hmm?" Pandora turned to look down at the teenage ghoul, "She did? Right, I was supposed to go help there a while ago…"

"Are you okay?" Dusk questioned as he walked next to the woman as she stood at the edge of the prison.

"No…No I'm not," Pandora slowly shook her head, "My precious child is out there being controlled by a monster and there's nothing I can do about it."

"Oh…I, um…I'm sorry," Dusk looked away awkwardly, "I guess it was a stupid question."

"No more so than the one I'm about to ask," Pandora's gazed below them at the prison yard, "Are you feeling okay after everything that happened? Out of everyone, you are one of the ones that lost the most."

"Of course I'm okay," Dusk crossed his arms, "All things considering, I'm better off than both Mentor and Dani. At least I know Greta moved on content with her life. And…I can't claim to have as deep of a hurt over the loss of Valerie and Wulf. With what happened…having them die in their arms…It would be stupid to say that my suffering is even close to what theirs is."

"Don't brush your pain off so easily," Pandora gave Dusk a sad smile, "You can admit your grief and suffering. Trying to dismiss it won't help. I know that's part of who you are. You shrug off a lot of what the world throws at you. Even with the Ghoul Project…You didn't dwell on it long enough. It hurts your humanity to continuously ignore the selfishness and pain you feel. For that is what makes you human."

"I'm a half-ghost," Dusk noted.

"You know what I meant. Remember what happens to ghosts that forgets what it means to be human…to be alive."

"Don't compare me to—"

"YOU ABSOLUTE BASTARD!"

The sound of a guitar blasted from the prison. In a blaze of physical sound energy, Torch was sent flying out of the front doors of the prison. Both Pandora and Dusk were shocked to see him hit the ground and roll without any effort to stop himself. They were even more shocked to see Ember angrily rush after him in blast of blue fire.

"What?" Torch grunted up as he sat up from his position on the ground, "You wanted the truth out of Torch, right?"

"How…How can you even say crap like that Trever!" Ember's eyes shined with tears, "I'm your sister damn it! When it was just us and Dad, you were all I had besides my dream!"

"And then Torch and Ellie died. Now all that is left is the dreams," Torch stated, "That's why Torch never contacted you. You aren't part of Torch's obsession, so you don't matter anymore."

"Liar! I know it! I don't remember a whole lot, but I remember that you cared about me! You used to threaten my bullies! You used to pack my lunches! You…you were the reason I ever believed in my dream in the first place…"

"Idiot. The brother you love is dead. Trever is gone just like the original Ellie is gone. All that's left is Torch and Ember. And Torch doesn't care about having Ember in his life," Torch stated as he pushed himself to his feet.

"Then why did you save me!? Why did you refuse to hurt me?!" Ember demanded.

"Torch doesn't want you dead. Torch…Torch just doesn't want you in Torch's life—"

A loud smack echoed across the prison as Ember's hand met Torch's face. With hot tears running down her eyes, she lowered her trembling hand and began to sob, "You…I hate you!"

"Torch doesn't care," Torch shrugged.

"Gah! Fine who needs you!?" Ember began to storm out of the prison compound, "Family is overrated anyway! Especially with people like you and Dad in it! All that matters is the music revolution! All that matters is my obsession!" With that said, Ember left in a blaze of fire and sound.

Torch did nothing even after Ember left. He just stood there with a swelling cheek and wounded pride.

"Are you alright, sir?" Bullet questioned. This purple skinned muscular ghost with an eye patch used to be Walker's second in command, but he refused to abandon the Ghost Zone like his old boss. His loyalty was to the prison, not to Walker.

"Yeah…Torch is fine…" Torch muttered.

"Then why are you crying and clutching your fists so hard they're bleeding?" Bullet questioned.

Torch quickly wiped away the tears and blood, "Gah…Torch is a jackass…But Torch did what was best for Ellie. Her dream is coming true. If she starts to spend her time with Torch or investigating what happened to Dad…It would break her."

"I know, sir," Bullet nodded, "I know."

Pandora and Dusk peered down at the scene. Both of them had deep frowns on their faces.

"I envy him," Pandora noted, "Doing what's best for your family even though it hurts both you and them…I wish I had the ability to do that. I thought being here and watching them would give me the courage to fight against Nyx, but I just can't do it. Every time I look at her, I see the little babe that I gently held in my arms."

Dusk was silent.

"But at least I know for certain now," Pandora sighed and turned around, "I will have to rely on others to help me save my daughter. This is not a burden I can carry alone."

Dusk lowed his head.

Pandora understood that he was trying to hide the pained look on his face. She gently patted his shoulder before he left, "I shall go help Vision. As for you, I would suggest doing what I did. Go find a place that will give you clarity. Find the place that will reveal what you really feel."

"Untold destruction. Countless injuries. Unacceptable deaths. These are the things that describe the events from not even a week ago. As the whole world continues to mourn, the question on everyone's mind is…why?" G. Gordon Godfrey was a television host. He was a blond haird Caucasian man with sharp blue eyes and a few wrinkles. This reporter was well known for his strong opinions. In fact, he used to be completely against ghosts before the GIW War. After all the blame was pinned on the Guys in White, though, he quickly changed his tune.

"Why did all of this happen? Who is really responsible for all this?" G. Gordon paced in front of his desk, "The harsh truth is that everyone in charge of our safety is responsible for this. Sure, we could take all the blame and place solely on William Hayes, aka Harm, but is that really smart? He has already been apprehended and his punishment is being decided. But there are other villains, terrorists, and enemies to humanity that could have done the exact same thing and very will might do so.

"Now that is a scary thought. That this could happen again. We need to find a way to prevent such a thing," G. Gordon leaned against his desk and frowned at the camera, "But how do we fix this? After all, we can't very well blame the ghosts on this one. They were the ones that lost the most and had no control over what happened. The Council of ghosts even fought against their own to try and save lives.

"Heck I won't even blame the Justice League, despite a deep desire to. No, I'll tell you what the real problem is. It is far to easy to get in and out of the Ghost Zone. There are no regulations, restrictions, or walls to prevent people from passing between the two worlds at will, and that is dangerous. Think about it, every country in the world has restrictions and failsafe's, but the Ghost Zone has nothing like that. Now is the time to be thinking about making such restrictions. My suggestion would be for the UN to get off their rear ends, contact Daniel Fenton, and get him and his team to develop something to prevent this from happening ever again."

Danny had a neutral expression on his face, although it couldn't be seen underneath the baseball hat that his most of his features, "I hate to admit, but I agree with him for once."

"Well, I guess even a moron can have a good idea every now and then," Wally West, dressed in a red sweatshirt, mentioned. He then glared at Dick Grayson, "Shut up, dude."

"I didn't say anything," Dick raised his hands in defense but still wore a smirk on his face. He wore dark sunglasses over his eyes and a leather coat over his shoulders.

"You were thinking it," Wally glared.

"In his defense," Artemis leaned against her boyfriend, "We were all thinking about it."

"Geeze, no one gives me enough credit," Wally frowned and leaned back in his chair, "Science genius, people. I gave myself my own powers after all. That's more than can be said about all of you."

"True," Zatanna's eyes sparkled with mischief, "But you it didn't work completely."

"Oh I give up," Wally rolled his eyes.

"Don't pout, Wally," Raquel Ervin, aka Rocket, "We'll get you an order of chili fries to make up it up to you."

"…Make it two orders."

When light first hit Amity Park, Danny received multiple messages from the senior members of Young Justice. They were all going to go out and do what they knew Valerie would want them to do. Move on with their lives and keep moving forward. Danny really didn't want to go out on the town with his friends, but he knew that he didn't have a choice in the matter. If he refused, they would just come to Amity Park and drag him along.

Apparently, he wasn't the only one to want to be somewhere else. Kaldur looked extremely distracted right now. It was understandable. From what Danny understood, Aquaman was going through a funk after what happened with his brother. Tula and Garth were both by their king's side, but Kaldur was forced along on this outing. It was basically a "senior" trip, and while the other members of Young Justice had strong bonds with the Red Huntress, none of them had been through what the senior members had been through together.

"Danny?" Megan, M'gann's Caucasian form, gave the halfa a concerned look, "You look exhausted. Have you been sleeping?"

"No," Danny didn't look away from the TV that hung in the diner. He didn't remember the name of the diner, but they were still in Happy Harbor, Rhode Island.

"You always do this," Conner frowned at the man he considered his best friend, "You always go on these binges. Valerie wouldn't want you to—"

"Just shut up," Danny muttered tiredly.

Everyone was silent for a moment.

"You aren't the only one hurting, Danny," Dick spoke up.

"I know. I'm just…sick of losing people," Danny turned to them, "It just never going to stop it? This life always keeps taking."

"Yeah, it does…" Zatanna nodded slowly, "But…I think she knew that. That's why she always wanted to make the most of the time she had."

"Yeah, like YOLO but less douche and stupid, right?" Raquel noted.

Despite everything, Danny smiled, "Yeah…"

"See, there you—"

"Megan! Conner! How's it going?" A woman's voice called out to the group. The woman was an African American girl wearing a black and yellow sweater. Her dark hair was pulled up into bunches or buns on either side of her head. Next to her was a very large muscular man with dark skin. Danny was sure that the guy was a head taller than Superboy and twice as bulky, even if Super boy could through the guy around like a ragdoll.

"Karen! Mal!" Megan jumped to her feet and greeted the new woman, "How are you?"

"Pretty good all things considering," Karen smiled at the Martian, "Although, I do feel bad about getting out of school because of what happened."

"Yeah, and it's not like there's anything else to talk about," Mal's eyes danced around at other people at his friend's table, "I remember Wally, but I don't recognize these other people. I didn't realize you had so many friends from out of town. How come you didn't mention them at school?"

"We don't have to tell you about everything in our lives," Conner shrugged.

"True, I guess. It just seems odd. Especially because…" Mal's eyes lingered on Danny, "Hey…You look familiar. Have we met?"

Before Danny could answer, Megan spoke up, "Hey! Why don't we catch up real fast! Sorry, guys, we'll be right back."

"Yep," Conner grunted as he stood up, "Come on, Mal."

"Yeah, but…"

"Just move," Conner followed Megan as she gently guided Karen away. He did a lazy wave back to them saying, 'we got this.' He was quickly followed by Mal after the man gave Danny one last glance.

"That's what we get for having a celebrity with us," Dick joked.

"And this coming from you?" Zatanna giggled, "You're Gotham's Prince right?"

"I never approved that name…" Dick grumbled.

"And now you know what I feel about the Inviso-Bill crap," Danny noted.

"Oh! I almost forgot about that," Raquel grinned, "And that ammo is back for use. It makes me think that you actually like being called that."

"Yeah?" Zatanna giggled, "You…Who are you waving to?"

"Wally and Artemis," Danny lowed his hand, "They had their 'I want to make out with you the bathroom' look, so I texted to them to go. They should enjoy every moment they've got together while they got it."

"What?" Dick turned around to see Wally and Artemis enter the unisex bathroom, "How did I miss them leaving?"

"The Inviso-Bill joke can distract anyone," Danny noted, "Trust me, I've tested it."

"Really?" Zatanna gained a thoughtful look, "Then I need to try that next time Dad gets on my case…"

"Or if one of us gets stuck with cleaning duty," Raquel stated, "I hate when…"

Danny stopped listening at that point. He leaned back in his chair and relaxed. He had to admit, this was the best he felt all week. Being around his friends always seemed to help, but he knew that it was only a temporary fix. As soon as he was alone again, the despair would return—

Danny shuddered as he gasped out a breath of blue smoke. The activation of his ghost sense caused the other three people at his table to look at him in alarm. Ignoring them, Danny looked around cautiously to see what ghost was here. No ghost seemed to be around, though. Everyone looked normal. Except maybe that one tattooed lady that was looking at him…Wait.

With a nod of her head, the woman turned and walked to the back ally of the diner. Danny stood up, "A…friend is here. I need to take care of this. I'll be right back."

"Do you need back up?" Zatanna questioned.

"No, like I said…" Danny began to follow after the tattooed woman, "She's a friend."

Quickly exiting the diner, Danny was suddenly sounded by the shadows of the alleyway. The tattooed woman was there waiting for him. Her skin began to turn green, her dark hair changed into spiked, and her eyes flashed red. The only thing that remained the same was the many tattoos that covered her body.

"Lydia, it's been a while," Danny noted, "How did you find me here?"

"Freakshow read your mind once, remember? He learned a lot about you and your patterns. It was either here or in Amity Park. This was closer, to where I was staying so I tried here first," Lydia explained.

"I see…" Danny nodded slowly, "How have you been? I haven't seen you since right after Freakshow died. That was a while ago it seems like…"

"Yeah…it seems like it's been a hundred years," Lydia sighed, "I won't lie. It's been hard. I tried to find some purpose…some kind of love to keep me going. But people don't click with me well. I have always been a bit of freak. Normal people get put off by my true appearance and tastes."

"I understand that," Danny stated, "You know, you could come back to Amity Park with me. I'm sure you would fit in well with my family."

"No…No thank you. That was never an option. Being around there…It would only remind me of Freakshow, and I need to move past him," Lydia shuffled a bit, "That…That's part of the reason I'm here. I found a cause that I want to help."

"Please don't tell me it's the Light."

"No. The opposite really," Lydia pursed her lips, "But that's all I can say for right now. Just know that I will not be your enemy. Even if you are working with the Light as a ploy."

"How do you know about that?"

"My group keeps tabs on them. I made sure that they knew you weren't a bad person," Lydia stated, "We won't attack you or anyone in Amity Park."

"Well…That's comforting to say the least…"

"But I do need to warn you. I would take a leave of absence from the Light for a while. My groups thinks that they're up to something bad. They don't trust me enough to fill me in completely, but it's going to be bad. This much I know," Lydia warned.

"Then that's all the more reason to keep an eye on them," Danny stated.

"Well, you can do whatever you want. I just felt that you deserved a warning for what's about to happen," Lydia stated.

"Thanks," Danny gave her a small smile.

"Oh…and one more thing," Lydia walked up and placed a gentle hand on Danny's shoulder, "I heard about the Red Huntress. I know you were lovers. I'm so sorry you lost that."

"Thanks, that means a lot coming from you," It really did. Few understood lost love like Lydia did.

"If I could make a suggestion," Lydia began to back away, "Go to her resting place. Speak your mind. Find closure. Only then, can you move on."

"…Right. I think I'll do that. Thank you."

"No problem, Daniel. Until we meet again, try and relax. I get the feeling that you'll need for what's about to come." With that, Lydia disappeared in a swirl of energy and living tattoos and left Danny alone with his thoughts.

Spirit sat on a rather comfortable leather couch. Despite this, she didn't lean back. Instead, she was at the edge of her seat with her head lowered and her hands on her knees. The room around her was rather bright and cheerfully colored. Various degrees and diplomas covered the walls proving the hard work and dedication of the woman across from the halfa.

"Miss Spirit, I'm glad you decided to come," Penolope Spectra was a rather thin woman with long red hair pulled into a pony tail. A red dress suit covered her body. She seemed to be aging rather gracefully, but her growing age was noticeable. Spectra didn't seem to care too much, though. This was the first time Spirit saw Spectra up close since the Freakshow incident. She had to marvel at the differences a few small changes to her backstory made to the woman, "I would just like to get this out of the way. I'm a big fan. Your work and dedication is an inspiration for many people."

"Uh…Thanks, I guess. I never planned to inspire people or anything…" Spirit rubbed the back of her.

"Inspirational people rarely plan to be that way," Spectra chuckled, "Especially you teenage heroes. I find it amazing that people so young can do such good in the world. I can't imagine the stress you go through, though I have written several papers with theories of your mindsets and ability to deal with situations that most adults wouldn't be able to handle."

"Yeah…I heard about all that. My brother was really interested in it," Spirit noted.

"Oh yes, Danny Phantom, right?" Spectra nodded, "I've met him a few times. He seemed a lot more interested in me than I was about him. It was almost like he was expecting me to lash out at him or something."

Spirit was silent concerning that.

"But this isn't about him. This is about you. So…" Spectra leaned forward, "How are you, Spirit?"

"Bad."

"Oh? Could you be a bit more specific please?"

"Really bad."

"I see…" Spectra sat back, "You're rather defensive. I will tell you that I don't know exactly what happened, but considering the time, I assume it has to do with the incident last week."

"Yeah…I guess," Spirit looked away.

"I know that people died. Some of them were your friends," Spectra gave her a concerned look, "It must be difficult for you to lose people you care about. People that have fought side-by-side with you."

"Yeah…"

Spectra gave her a contemplative look, "You know that the only way to get better is to talk about this. If you don't, this won't help you at all."

"You want me to talk? Fine," Spirit glared at her, "I'll talk. I'll talk about how hundreds of people died without me being able to do anything to stop it. I'll talk about how some of my closest friends, people that are family to me, died and I didn't even know about it until it was all over. I'll talk about how a friend goddamn killed himself to save me!"

Spectra was silent as Spirit jumped to her feet.

"I have worked and trained for years so I would be strong enough so that the people I cherish wouldn't die!" Spirit shouted, "Then I found out that it all meant nothing! I was still too weak save anyone!"

"I heard from Superman personally that you helped save him and Superboy," Spectra noted.

"Yeah, I save the invincible ones, but I can't save the people that can bleed and die easily," Spirit shook her head, "And the worst part is, it wasn't even a matter of my physical strength. It was really my mental strength. If I just…if I just went all out. If I took Wulf down with real force instead of trying to subdue him, then he would still be alive!"

Spectra nodded, "I see…"

"And now, that's all I can think about. I can't hold back. If I hold back, people will die. But if I go all out, I might kill people," Spirit clenched her fists, "Today, I was doing a simple spar, but I took it too far. If I was sparing anyone else, they would have been hurt. And when my friend tried to stop me…I hurt him."

"Spirit, you were having a flashback to the battle. Soldiers with PTSD do that all the time," Spectra stated, "No one can blame you for that."

"Then what can I be blamed for?!" Spirit had an angered look, "You say that nothing is my fault, and I think that everything is my fault! It was my decision that caused Wulf to die!"

"Everything is simple in retrospect, Spirit," Spectra noted, "You made the best decisions you could at the time. The only thing you can do now is to learn from what happened and try to make sure this never happens again."

"And what am I supposed to learn here? That I'm powerless? That my decisions can cause people to die? That…that I can get angry enough to try and murder a defeated man?"

"No, you learn that it is easy to criticize decisions made in the heat of the moment. When you only have a split second to make a choice, you don't have time to think about everything that could happen because of it. You just follow your gut and do the only thing you can."

"And that is?"

"You do the best you can, hope for that everything works out, and if things don't go the way you planned, then take heart in knowing that you did everything you could to save as many people as possible."

"I had a feeling I would find you here," The Fright Knight mentioned as he approached the seated Dusk.

"Why? I don't come here that often," Dusk questioned. Was seated beneath a tree on Amity Park's highest hill. The view allowed them so see the whole town.

"Yes, but you always enjoyed when you did. You and Lady Greta were always smiling when you returned. Lady Spirit would always joke that you two were kissing, but I knew that you just had a lot of in depth conversations," The Fright Knight noted as he stood by the seated halfa.

Dusk pulled his knees to his chest, "I guess…"

The Fright Knight let out a sigh and leaned against the tree, "Forgive me. I become sentimental in such stressing times. It comforts me to think of them. Remember the best of those that have fallen and continue to push forward. I think that's what they would have wanted."

"Yeah, I'm sure that's what they would want," Dusk nodded oddly.

A comfortable silence developed around them. Neither ghost said a word. Instead, they looked to the horizon and watched as the sun sent on Amity Park's horizon. Like always, though, the silence was easily broken.

"I always wondered how my friends felt after they took down the Ghost King," The Fright Knight mentioned suddenly, "He was our leader, our friend, our family. How did it feel to acknowledge his fall into madness and fight against it despite not wanting to do so? It must have been terrible. This…this is the greatest loss I have ever experienced, so I can only base it on this. And I have the satisfaction of know that they all died with honor and heroism in their hearts. Knowing that Pariah Dark and I would forever be locked in our own bad decisions must have been hell on my old comrades."

Dusk was silent.

"From I heard, it caused them to drift apart. Especially after the Spectre's rampage and Colossus' hibernation, as I like to call it," The Fright Knight lowered his head, "Having those close to me drift away and leave…That's not something I want."

Dusk looked up to Fright Knight and raised an eyebrow, "That's not something I want either…But…people drift apart. Things change. It's how life works."

"I know. It is the way life and death has always been," The Fright Knight nodded, "And if someone wanted to leave, I would understand. Some people don't want this kind of life. Some people want something a little simpler. The lifestyle we live is a hard one. We could lose people at any moment. For someone that prefers peace, it must seem hellish. I know Lady Greta never enjoyed it. She stayed, though, because she cared for us. For that, we were all grateful, but if she decided one day that she wished to leave, then I think we all would have come to accept it."

"I'm not leaving, Fright Knight," Dusk mumbled.

"But you want to. You want to escape this harsh lifestyle, and I don't blame you," The Fright Knight pushed off the tree and looked down at Dusk, "And I thank you for staying despite your distaste for our conflicts. But the way you're going now, you'll break under the pressure."

Dusk released his legs and glared up at his companion, "Excuse me?"

"You don't want others to see your pain. You have always tried to hide it, even after the Ghoul Project, you don't allow yourself to stay emotional for long. It is a characteristic that I both admire and condemn," The Fright Knight stated, "Every soldier needs to hold in the pain while the fight is going on. To let your emotions get the better of you will get you and your allies killed. But once the war is over, and it's time to go home, you can't keep acting like the pain doesn't exist. If you do, eventually, you'll crack."

"Maybe stuff just doesn't bother me as much," Dusk suggested.

"Or maybe you feel more deeply than all of us combined, and you hide it well," The Fright Knight argued, "I can see it beneath your eyes. Lady Greta's passing has caused you much pain."

"Don't be ridiculous," Dusk clenched his fists, "That would be selfish of me. She completed her obsession. She moved on happy. What more can I ask for?"

"An awkward first date. A precious first love. Years of sweet memories," The Fright Knight gently placed a hand on the boy's head, "All things you desire but will never have with her. It may be selfish, but that is how you feel and ignoring it will only lead to more pain. You need to let it out, young knight."

Dusk slowly pushed himself to his feet, "Let it out…You want me to let it out…"

"Yes."

"Fine. I'll let it out," Dusk's face twisted into a combination of pain and anger, "Yeah, I'm trying to hide the pain, because that's the only way I know how to deal with it. That's the way it's been my whole life. Orphaned as a baby. Taken into the League of Shadows to be trained as a child soldier. Excommunicated and thrown into a living hell. Then, I finally get a bit of happiness with my new family, and I start to lose them!"

The Fright Knight did nothing as Dusk brought his fists up and banged them against his chest.

"I'm finally happy…I finally have people to care about, and I lose them!" Tears began to fall from Dusk's eyes, "I won't have Valerie coming up to me demanding to test her skills against me! I won't have Wulf trying to steal my food and try to keep an eye on me! I won't have Greta to share how I'm sick of fighting! Damn it, I'm tired of it all!"

Dusk slid to his hands and knees and hung his head low, "I know it's selfish of me, but I'm so tired of it! All I want to do is leave and never look back! I want to escape so that I won't have to suffer anymore! And the only one that felt the same way was Greta! I know we were young, but…I know there was something there. Something that could have been amazing, and now it's gone! I'm angry at her for leaving me with nothing but 'what ifs,' and I hate myself for it! I should be happy for her, but…but…"

The Fright Knight grabbed him and pulled him into a hug, "I know, young one. I know."

"It's so hard…" Dusk cried into the metal chestplate, "I miss her. I miss them. I miss everyone that we've ever lost…Why must everything I touch turn to ash? Why is there only misery and destruction around me? Why couldn't I keep my happiness just a little while longer? Just so I could know what Greta and I could have been…"

"I don't know, Joel," The Fright Knight comforted his friend, "But now is not the time for answers. Now is the time for mourning. Just let it out."

Nodding, Dusk hugged his teacher tightly and sobbed out loudly. He let out all the pain that ached in his chest as the sunlight faded in the distance. Even as the sky grew dark, the Fright Knight did not try to move away from Dusk. He stood there and comforted his hurt friend and protégé for as long as the young warrior needed it knowing that the halfa would come out even stronger once the pain had passed.

Danny stood in the darkness. The silence of the graveyard was near painful to his ears. They felt like they were going to bleed. That was nothing compared to the painful imaged before his eyes. Valerie Gray received a simple grave. He felt that she deserved the largest and most intricate gravestone in the world. Hell, she deserved an entire tomb dedicated to her, but he knew that she would want to keep it simple. He could even feel a slight pain in the back of the head where she would have gently smacked him for even thinking about such a waste of time and money.

"And then we would have argued. You would have won, of course, but I never cared. It was part of the game. I had to at least try…" Danny knelt down and gently traced the words on the stone.

Grief and despair hammered at his heart. His limbs felt numb, and his eyesight became blury. He knew this was a bad idea. It would only make things worse to come visit the grave so soon. It was dumb to take Lydia's advice. He should have just gone back to work like he always did. That was always his plan. Distract the mind and let the pain heal slowly.

He needed to leave. The pain was too great. If he stayed any longer, he might start shouting and flaring his powers. As he stood up and turned to leave, he stopped though. It turned out that the cemetery wasn't as quiet as he thought. He was just filtering everything out like always. In his distraction, someone walked up behind him.

"Mr. Gray…" Danny's head bowed in shame at the sight of Valerie's father.

"Danny," Damon gave the younger man a sad smile, "Hello. I see great minds think alike."

"I…I was just leaving," Danny began to walk past the other man, but he was stopped when a firm hand landed on his shoulder.

"Don't leave just yet. Stay here a bit longer, will you? I could use the company."

Danny wanted to say no, but he couldn't. Not after what he took from this man, "…Sure."

"Thanks," Damon released Danny and peered down at the grave, "I don't want to be alone right now. I've been alone since it happened, and it hasn't made the pain hurt any less."

"But why me? I get that you would someone around to stop the loneliness, but…" Danny looked away in shame, "I was the one that took your daughter away from you. You should hate me."

"Hate you? I couldn't hate you Danny. You were the man that Valerie gave her heart to," Damon looked up to the sky wistfully, "I have to admit, I wasn't exactly thrilled when she started dating you…for many different reasons. But I got over it when I realized how much of a better person you made my daughter. That's what true lovers should be like. They bring out the best in each other. That's what you two did, and how could I even think about keeping Val away from that."

"She was pretty great on her own, though," Danny argued.

"Yeah, she was. But I'll be the first to admit that I spoiled her too much. She could be a brat to people way back when. Then the ghost problems started happening. Looking back, your influence on our lives is the best thing that ever happened to us," Damon stated.

"But it's my influence that got her killed! If I never interacted with her, she would have never become the Red Huntress and never died in battle!" Danny was in near hysterics at this point.

"And she never would have had the happiness and peace that I saw in her eyes every day," Damon's lips twitched into a smile, "I had never seen anyone as content as she was these past two years. If there is one single comfort I have in all of this, it's that she had a fulfilling and worthwhile time in this world. She made a difference and was proud of it…"

Danny shook his head, "It's still my fault that she's gone. I should have done something, anything, to save her. I failed her."

Small tear droplets began to roll down Damon's face, "You did all you could. I know that. She knows that. Everyone knows that. So stop killing yourself, you dumbass. You're the precious person that she gave her life to save. No matter what, you have to live. For her…I'll protect everything she cared about in her place. Because that's all I can do."

Damon reached into his coat and pulled out an envelope, "I managed to force myself to go through her stuff. It hurt so damn much, but I had to do it. And I'm glad I did. That girl of ours…she was something else. Smarter than anyone could give her credit for. She prepared for something like this. I think this one is for you."

Danny took the unopened envelope. The words 'For Danny' were written across the front.

Damon gently patted Danny's shoulder, "I think I'll head over to that mansion of yours. Maybe old Vlad and I can get stupid drunk and forget all our problems for the night. As for you, go get some sleep. You sure do look like you need it, son."

With that, Damon began to walk away from the grave. Danny watched as the man's retreating form. Once he was gone, Danny looked down to the envelope in his hands. With trembling hands, he carefully opened the envelope and pulled out the letter inside.

Dear Danny,

There are only two reasons that you would be reading this. One, you decided to go through my stuff. If that's the case, stop it and put this letter away now before I kick your ass. If not then its reason two. I'm dead. If that's the case, then I'm glad you found this. Because knowing you, you're basically killing yourself over me.

I always knew the dangers of being the Red Huntress. There was always going to be the risk of death. But I didn't care, because I decided a long time ago that no matter what, I would fight by your family's side. No matter the consequences, I would fight until my last breath. That was my decision, so don't take blame yourself.

I want you to know, that I was always happy. Every day, I woke up with a smile knowing that I was doing the right thing and living a life of no regrets. This was especially true whenever I woke up next to you. Even with knowing that I might die, I never once thought about quitting. If I died that day, then I would die satisfied and happy. That's what's important. My life may have been short, but it was fulfilling. I with certainty that I would not have any unfinished business left to keep me here.

So, thank you Danny. Thank you for everything you've done for me. I know you must be hurting, but please don't let this break you. The world still needs Danny Phantom to make it a better place. Just like you did with me.

Hopefully, I'll see you in the next life, Danny. Then you can tell me about all the other adventures you had after you lived a long, fulfilling life. Until then, keep fighting, enjoy life, and make sure to get more sleep.

I love you with all my heart, Danny. Bye.

Love, Valerie.

Tiny drops of tears landed on the letter. Raising his soaked face, Danny looked up the sky to the glowing moon above him, "You came through one last time, Val. Thank you. I love you too. So much."

After gently bringing his fingers to his lips, Danny reached down and ran his hand across Valerie's grave one last time. Then, he turned and began to walk away. Before he exited the graveyard, he took one last look back, and then continued his trek home. Suddenly, the exhaustion was catching up to him. It was time to get some sleep, and this time, Danny knew that the dreams he had would be sweet and restful.

People often deal with grief in different ways and in different periods of time. For the three of us, though, that day was the first step in the road of recovery. While we would never forget those lost, we would continue to march forward. It's the good thing we did, too, because the world didn't stop spinning for us. The plans in the background didn't halt for our sakes.

Even as we began our recovery, our foes continued to work. They were relentless, and there were many of them. We would have to recover as quickly as possible to prepare for the next trial, because there were still friends that needed saving.

Morgaine le Fey didn't resurface much after that, of course, but truth be told, she was the least of our worries. She had her entertainment and wouldn't be back soon. With what was to come, I don't really blame her for disappearing. Considering what happened, she would have suffered just as much as everyone else. She probably knew that. That witch was always the cunning one.

I would bet she knew what the Light was planning. Of course, everyone knew that they had something planned, but no one could have predicted what was about to go down. All we could do was heal and prepare for the worst. Because the worst was what we were going to get. The Sorcerer Initiative was quickly coming, and we would need all the power we could find to fight against it.

-From the personal memoirs of Danielle Masters