Here is the final chapter at last!

Big thanks to Crazycoffeekat for helping with the proofreading and stuff! She did an amazing job, helping me with this chapter!

Disclaimer: I do not own Danny Phantom.

Rings.

Those familiar white rings.

To Danny, they were the symbols of power and courage, summoned to bring forth his ghostly alter ego, Danny Phantom. Those rings were proof that he could be a better person, helping and protecting the people around him without asking for anything in return. Danny was a good Samaritan of sorts, he supposed.

Other times, they were a sign of weakness- of defeat- when the good that Danny tried to do simply wasn't good enough. When his deeds had, in the eyes of other people, caused more harm than good. That was when he learned that the harder he fell down, the higher he could climb back up...

Time seemed to stop.

It is funny how a few events in such a short span of time can ruin entire lifetimes.

The rings split, travelling up and down the ghost-boy's body. The heads of Jazz and Jack Fenton were mesmerized by the glowing silver circles.

Snow-white changed to pitch black; glowing green dimmed to a soft blue; and the hazmat suit shifted into a T-shirt and jeans.

Ghost became human.

Danny Phantom became Danny Fenton.

Blood began to stain the white T-shirt of the now-human Danny.

Jack Fenton blanched.

The middle-aged man couldn't believe his eyes. Somehow, they were lying to him. They had to be. Because this... simply wasn't possible.

Yet the sight before him was undeniably real.

Jazz was nearly knocked to the floor as her father bolted to the examination table to a still-bleeding Danny Fenton. Jack pressed a hand to the temple of his son. He searched for a pulse with shaking hands. It was weak, and growing fainter.

From her position on the floor, Maddie turned her head upwards at the sight of the glowing rings. As they made their way across the broken body, they drastically changed the features of the human-ghost-boy. Peeking over the side of the examination table was a blood-caked mop of now-raven hair, gloveless fingers also visible. Maddie clenched her fists closer to her body, abruptly jerking her eyes away from the new sight. She noted numbly that the boy on the table now looked a lot like Danny. This was just her mind playing tricks on her...

Ghost. Boy.

Human. Ghost.

Somehow, it made perfect sense.

"My son is the ghost-boy," Jack whispered in shock.

Maddie's stomach dropped. "No... no..." She murmured desperately.

Danny's going to die... The mantra repeated itself in Maddie's head. The scientist was now fully aware of who she had hurt in her scheme of revenge.

And it will be all your fault... The words taunted her.

Jazz moved to the sidelines next to Danny's head and ran a hand through her brother's blood-stained hair. "Everything's going to be ok," she murmured tearfully. It has to be.

With his medical thread and needle in hand, the eldest Fenton looked at his son with a grim determination. This was no time for standing around, asking questions. Danny was slowly bleeding to death, and- half-ghost or not- he was his son. It was time to save Danny.

Gently pushing his hysteric wife aside and removing the reddened T-shirt of his only son, Jack prepared himself for performing a job he hoped he'd never have to do. Carefully, Jack stitched back together the broken body of his son with the precision of a medical surgeon. Each time the needle had pierced through Danny's delicate skin, Jack couldn't help but wince. All the while, the stream of ectoplasmic blood trickled out of the boy's wounds.

"Jazz, get Danny a dose of adrenaline, a jar of ectoplasm, and another needle- fast!" Jack shouted as he finished up the last of the stitches. Jazz quickly complied, setting the supplies at the side of her father.

For about fifteen minutes, dosage after dosage of ectoplasm and the shot of adrenaline were carefully injected into Danny. With the ectoplasm, the blood cells in the half-ghost's body would hopefully regenerate in time. Jack and Jazz tried to stay optimistic, but there was still the issue of blood loss. The adrenaline shot was supposed to bring Danny immediately to consciousness...

Only, it didn't.

Checking Danny's vitals, Jack and Jazz both noticed something very, very important- he wasn't moving. He had remained completely still throughout the impromptu operation- not even so much as a twitch. That wasn't right, even for a person who was slowly bleeding to death.

A closer looked showed that Danny wasn't even breathing. More than likely, his heart was already shutting down.

Maddie must have done something to him, Jack deduced.

Jazz assumed the same idea, as she was already hovering over her mother in an accusatory manner.

"MOM, what did you do to Danny?" Maddie looked up at her daughter with a tear-stained face, her red-goggles masking the guilt and turmoil in her lavender eyes. The mother's body convulsed with sobs before she finally answered Jazz. "D-Danny is... p-paralyzed..."

All three of them stood (or lie in Maddie's case) in a regretful silence.

They were too late.

Then Maddie remebered something-something that could help Danny- something that could save her baby boy. Without hesitation, she sprung herself onto her feet and sprinted behind the examination table as fast as her legs could carry her, with an object in hand.

Shoving Jack aside with sudden vigor, Maddie quickly shoved the object into her son's arm. Jazz shrieked, "MOM, what are you doing to him?"

It was the second shot needle- a spectral-mobility serum.

A sharp intake of air was heard from the examination table.

The light— it was beautiful.

It was so soothing, so welcoming.

It called out to Danny, who kept moving towards the warm, comforting expanse.

The light promised him safety and peace. Whereas, the darkness behind him brought forth pain and suffering.

Somehow, though, Danny knew he needed to go back- even if his time was limited, Danny knew he had to go back. His mother needed to see him again, and she needed to know that he was going to be okay.

So Danny stepped away from the light that was once in his reach and back into the darkness, the soft glow that once emanated form his chest dying out like a blown candle.

There was one, last sudden flash of light, and Danny breathed again.

He slowly opened his eyes to the face of Jazz, his sister.

"DANNY!" She cried out, gently squeezing her brother's hand.

Wow. He was tired.

So, so tired. Danny just wanted to go back to sleep.

But he couldn't just yet. That's not what Danny was here for.

Jazz needed to know something important. "Jazz," Danny grunted. "D- don't stay mad at M-mom..."

"I won't, little brother..." Jazz repeated herself, "I won't."

His eyelids slightly drooped, and Jazz took immediate notice. "Danny, Danny, don't close your eyes. Just don't close your eyes- everything's going to be okay!" Tears began to form in Jazz's eyes once more, her voice cracking as she tried to coax her brother into staying awake. "Look into my eyes, Danny; keep looking into my eyes!"

Danny lifted his eyes a little bit.

So. Much. Effort.

So tired. Want to sleep.

Not yet.

Jazz moved away, and Jack was now present. He stood over his son with a sad smile. "Son, I just wanted you to know I'm proud of you, and I know you're the hero. I wouldn't expect anything less of you." Jack then paused for a moment, searching for the right words. "Thank you for everything that you've done... for everybody in this town," A large, gentle hand was placed on his son's shoulder, a weak smile playing on Danny's face.

Jack tried to hide his sorrowful expression, his eyes threatening to shed tears. "Ghost or not, you're my son, and I'll always love you. Thank you for everything, Danny." Jack backed away with tears falling down his face.

Still want to sleep.

Not time yet.

Danny forced his eyes to stay open.

Just a little more...

Maddie hid herself out of Danny's view.

"Mo-om..." Danny rasped.

Her son tried to turn his head to the side- to see his mother again- but he was too weak, too tired.

Within a moment, Maddie was at Danny's side.

"H-hey, Mom..." Danny smiled up at his mother.

Looking at the dying body of her son, Maddie was starting to become hysteric. "I'm so sorry! I was just trying to get you back. If I had known..."

"D-don't worry... M-mom..." Danny gently cut her off, placing a blood-stained hand in his mother's. "You didn't kn-know..."

Tired.

"I w-was trying... to protect you..."

Danny's breathing hitched.

So tired.

His voice trailed off into a whisper. "I... forgive you."

So, so tired.

Danny's grasp on his mother's hand weakened.

Need sleep.

His eyes glazed over.

Can't hold on any longer...

They began to close.

Maddie already knew what was happening.

"Danny, Danny, please you need to..." She stopped herself. He was well past the point of no-return.

"Don't... worry, Mom..." Danny slurred, his voice becoming lower and lower.

Danny's grip released from his mother's."I-I'll always be w-watching over you..."

Goodbye...

And Danny closed his eyes for the last time.

Thank you all for reading this story!

If you all are wondering about the second needle, it was supposed to reverse the effects of the first needle (Chapter 2). I made sure that everything in the story fits together.

I appreciate all of your reviews, favorites, and follows! I'll be sure to write more in the near-future.