Disclaimer: I do not own Danny Phantom or it's characters.

Note: After the last chapter, I think it was only fair to warn you that this chapter is emotional. I still found it necessary to include it though. And I hope you agree.

Chapter 20,

Francine tries to get back to sleep, but she couldn't. She was still waiting for Paul to call her with an update. She looked over at the clock and sighed at the time.

Paul left two hours ago. Why hasn't he called?

Francine wondered. She tossed and turned and tossed again, but nothing could relax her. She sat up and tried to read a book, but she simply couldn't concentrate on the words.

She kept thinking about Paul looking for Adam. She wondered if Paul found Adam ODing or using or something worse. What was going on? Where was he? So it is understandable that Francine was grateful when she finally heard the phone ring.

"Paul?" Francine asked, hopeful.

"Um, is this Francine Baxter?" A professional voice said. Francine's heart started to race, but she leaned back onto her headboard and took a breath to calm her shaken nerves.

"I have it in my file that you are the emergency contact for one Paul Baxter." The voice said and Francine lowered the phone for a moment to let herself pant. Once she was steady again, she rose the phone.

"That's correct, I'm his wife." Franny said.

"Ma'am, I'm sorry to inform you that your husband was found DOA earlier this evening." The voice said and Francine's voice hitched. DOA. Dead On Arrival.

"Are... are you sure?" Francine asked, her eyes watering.

"Yes, Ma'am. He was identified by a Adam Baxter and a Sam Jacobs." The voice said. Francine turned her head and whimpered as a few tears fell on her flushed face.

"W-where is he?" Francine asked.

"Currently he is in the Morgue." Francine was in shock. Her body went numb and her brain still couldn't deal with the fact that Paul was actually gone.

"Can I see him?" Francine's voice broke when she said this.

"Yes. You can come down and see him. We have a few things to discuss with you, anyways. The police have a few questions to, if you're up for it." She heard, but she rubbed her face in confusion.

"I'm sorry, was that a yes? Can I see my husband?" Francine asked again.

"I'm sorry, yes you can." Francine nodded even though the person on the phone couldn't see them.

"I'll, um... be there as soon as I could." Francine said and she hung up the phone. Suddenly it seemed as if her room had too much space, and it suffocated her. Her movements were stiff and minimal, like a Zombie-state of being.

She dragged her body to the closet and flipped on the light. Franny threw on a tank top and sweat pants on over her pjs.

She opened her door and her eyes landed on the brief case she kept by the door. And she remembered how, just that morning, Paul ran down and stole the briefcase. She remembered Paul yelling 'I'm touching it'. She looked over at the couch and remembered her, Paul and Tommy watching movies together. Francine looked at the kitchen and she remembered the time Paul scorched dinner because he got too caught up in his blueprints of the cardboard castle he wanted to make Tommy. She got so mad and there was one thing Paul said that made her forgive him instantly.

"I'm sorry, do you like it?" Francine quoted aloud, and she just couldn't take it. She dropped to all 4's and she started bawling her eyes out. She howled in pain, her eyes stung, her heart ached and her body grew sore from the experience. Francine was crying so loudly that Tommy woke up.

"Mommy?" Tommy question, and quickly noticed a purple bear. It was from his daddy, so Tommy picked it up and gave it a quick hug. Then Tommy carefully got out of bed and saw his mom crying on the floor.

"Mommy?" Tommy asked but Francine didn't hear him. So Tommy walked over and tapped her on her shoulder. This act made Franny jump. She popped up and leaned against the wall.

"Tom-my?" Franny sobbed. She didn't realize how loud she must have been to wake him up.

"Are you ok, mommy?" Tommy asked and Francine breathed through her teeth.

"No. N-no baby, I am not ok?" Francine said.

"Should I get dad to make you feel better?" Tommy asked and Francine shuddered and cried a little more.

"Come give mom a hug." Francine said, opening her arms and Tommy hugged her.

"I love you honey." Francine whispered.

"I love you too, mommy." Tommy said and Francine held her son for a few minutes.

"Where's daddy?" Tommy asked when he noticed that his father wasn't in bed.

"O-oh, baby. Daddy isn't home." Francine said.

"When is he coming home?" Tommy asked and Franny whimpered at this question.

"Hon, dad isn't coming home." Francine said and Tommy pulled away so he could look at her.

"Why not?" Tommy asked and Francine blinked. She realized that she didn't know how Paul died.

"I'm gonna find out, but first I'm gonna take you to the Fenton's. Go get your school bag and some clothes and I'll, uh, walk down there with you." Francine said. Tommy got the impression that he really shouldn't question his mother so he did as he was told. The two walked down the street and rang the Fenton's doorbell. The Fenton's light turned on, and the door was answered by both Jack and Maddie.

"Francine?" Maddie said, surprised, and Jack yawned.

"Franny, do you have any idea what time it is?" Jack asked and Maddie hit him.

"I... need... you to watch Tommy." Francine said.

"Mom? Dad?" Danny said and Maddie quickly smiled.

"Danny, why don't you take Tommy into the next room while the grownups talk." Maddie said.

"Come on, Tommy." Danny said and Tommy looked up at his mommy.

"It's ok." Franny said and Tommy followed Danny.

"So what's going on?" Maddie asked, once she didn't see the boys.

"Hold it, let's easedrop." Danny said and Tommy wasn't sure that was a good idea. However he still wanted to know what was going on. So the boys sat against the wall.

"I got a call from the hospital... It's Paul." Francine started.

"Paul?" Jack asked, growing concerned.

"Is he alright?" Maddie asked and Francine hugged herself tightly.

"Uh, no... he, uh... he's..." Franny swallowed her tears and took a deep breath.

"Paul's dead." Franny said and Maddie gasped.

"What happened?" Jack asked and Danny looked over at Tommy's face.

"I don't know, but I gotta go to the hospital." Franny said.

"I think so should drive you." Maddie said.

"Nah, I-uh, I'm fine." Francine said and Maddie sighed.

"Hon, you aren't wearing a jacket or shoes." Maddie pointed out and Franny looked down.

"I guess I'm not. Maybe you should come with me." Francine consented, and Maddie grabbed Franny a jacket and shoes to wear. Danny knew what dead meant, with his parents being ghost hunters, but he still couldn't believe it. He couldn't even imagine how Tommy felt.

"Tommy?" Danny asked and Tommy stood up.

"Tommy? Tommy are you alright?" Danny asked and he touched Tommy's shoulder.

"Don't touch me." Tommy said and he pushed Danny down.

"That was a stupid idea, Danny." Tommy said, crying.

"I'm really, really sorry, Tommy." Danny said.

"No! Don't you dare call me that, anymore m. From now on you call me Dash." Tommy said and Danny blinked at this new information.

"But that's not your name." Danny said and Dash sniffled and wiped his nose on his sleeve.

"Then I guess I'm not your friend anymore." Dash said and Dash walked away.

- - -

Down at Baxter Boxes, a strange phenomena occurred. A new ghost appeared. He floated there, staring at his environment and tried to remember who he was. His mind was really foggy for some reason.

"Who... am... I?" The Ghost said with great difficulty. He looked around, for anything to help him. He passed a mirror.

"Excuse... me...?" The Ghost asked his reflection. He waited for the glowing blue figure to say something, but it didn't. He waved, and it waved. He tilted his head, and it tilted it's head.

"Me?" The Ghost asked, reaching out and touching the mirror.

"Me." The Ghost didn't understand, but he knew that the person he was staring at was himself. The ghost recalled a picture he saw on the wall, so he went back to it. It was two men in front of building. They were both holding a giant pair of scissors and were about to cut a ribbon that said 'Grand Reopening'. He pointed to the tall one.

"A... dam... ad... hm...?" The Ghost saw that the short one looked like he did, but not blue.

"Me?" The Ghost asked. He picked up the picture and he went back to the mirror.

"Me." The Ghost said, pointing at his reflection.

"Me." The Ghost said, pointing at the picture.

"Me." The Ghost said, pointing at himself. The Ghost didn't understand how he could be in three places. He looked up and saw how he was pointing at himself.

"I-I... I...? I." The Ghost said and he was starting to have an easier time speaking, now that his jaw was a bit looser.

"I, ad." The Ghost pointed at himself in the picture, and the tall man in the photo.

"I... Ad... I Ad... I ad... I... am...? I am..." The Ghost said, testing these words on his tongues. The Ghost put the picture down on the desk and he saw these square objects that had different markings and images. The Ghost paused when he got to a few boxes that said, 'Sweet Spirits' and 'Fat Ghost'. These seemed familiar for some reason.

"Gh... ooost... Ghost. Me, Ghost?" The Ghost wondered as he stared at the pictures before him. He didn't really look like the Ghost on the box, but he did float like one.

"Me, ghost. I am ghost." The Ghost said and out of the corner of his eye, he saw a bunch of boxes that have been knocked over. He pointed at the mess, somehow feeling like he was responsible for the mess.

"Box." The Ghost said, and the boxes that were knocked over started to float and glow as he did. The Ghost made the boxes stack back on top of each other and he smiled.

"Ghost Box?" He wondered and he went over to the stack. He picked up the top one and lifted it slightly, then let go. To his disappointment, the box did not float or flow anymore.

"Box not ghost." He said, but then the Ghost realized that he was the one that did that.

"Box Ghost?" The Ghost said, wondering if there was such a thing. Finally the Ghost looked over and saw a castle printed on one of the Boxes. A memory flashed in the Ghost's head, which caused him a great deal of pain. The memory was of him playing a castle saying 'beware I am the Box Knight'. The Ghost went back to the memory. He didn't feel like a knight; but he did feel like a ghost. That memory did hurt, but it did knock something loose.

"I am..? Heh, I am!" The Ghost smiled at how easy that was to say. He decided to go all in, and say it; even if it would be the only time he got to say it.

"Beware! I am the Box Ghost!" The Box Ghost said, laughing and he flew away. He didn't know where he was going or where he had been; but he knew he was a Box Ghost, and for now that was enough.

The End.

[I wrote this story to help aid another. So if you are interested in reading more about Paul, then be sure to check out my story R.I.P.P.]