Chapter 1: The Grave Encounter

Danny wandered over to the graveyard with a heavy heart and a restless mind. It was a cold winter day and there was no sun that day. He looked up at the sky and swallowed a sigh. A cold gust of wind blew right through him and, for an instant, he thought it was a ghost passing through him. That's stupid, he thought, I freaking am a ghost! He rolled his eyes at himself and continued walking. He finally found a slightly old grave that no one has touched in a long time. He looked at the name. It said: Ember McLain.

He sat down on the hard grass and laid a couple roses down in front of the stone. As he did, he could still hear her sing:

You will remember my name!

He couldn't forget her name even if he tried. How could he? She was beautiful, independent, slightly annoying, and had an amazing voice. For an instant, he too had Ember-mania. He was crazy about her, and he wouldn't deny it…nor would he confirm it. He had to keep this a secret from everyone, especially Sam. Yes, especially Sam. This wasn't the right time to tell her this. But, when is the right time? He thought. He was confused and just wanted to scream.

"What are you doing here, dipstick?" asked an angry but familiar voice.

Danny looked up and saw Ember sitting on the stone, arms crossed and an angry look on her face. Her blue flame hair was in a ponytail, as it always was. If Danny looked closer, he could see sadness behind all that anger. Her eyes were always so angry, but now he saw sadness in them. Why?

"I'm waiting." she said impatiently.

"I…I felt like visiting." Danny said pathetically. "Are you mad at me?"

Ember sighed and shook her head. "You're the first person in a long time to put flowers on my grave…thank you."

Danny nodded. "You're welcome."

She smiled sadly and picked up the flower. "Why'd you do this? I'm your enemy."

He shrugged. "I felt bad for you. Plus it's a habit of mine."

Ember frowned and raised an eyebrow. "You put flowers on your enemies' tomb stones? That's more than just weird."

"I can live with that." he replied. "But not all my enemies get flowers."

"You're a strange one, Ghost Boy. You know that?"

He nodded. "Believe me, I'm aware."

"I could just kill you right now." she said, tapping her chin.

Danny raised an eyebrow. "In a graveyard? That's just wrong."

She shrugged. "What can I say? I have a twisted sense of humor."

He chuckled. "I kinda like it."

Ember raised her ghostly eyebrow. "Why do I get the feeling I'm being tricked here?"

Danny shrugged. "Paranoia?" he rubbed the back of his head. "Listen, there's something I wanna tell you…"

Ember tensed up. "Just say it, dipstick."

He took a deep breath to calm his nerves, which didn't help, unfortunately for him. As he looked into her eyes, he got lost in her. For some reason, he was seeing her in her human form. They were her memories, her life. He saw everything that led up to her death. Something cold knocked him on his butt and he winced.

"Ow! What was that?" he asked.

Ember rolled her eyes. "Don't know you that looking into a ghost's eyes for an extended time will show you their memories? You're a ghost yourself!"

"Sh!" he looked around. "Ok, so I didn't know. Big deal."

She frowned and crossed her arms. "Those things are private, Ghost Boy! Don't go prying where you're not wanted!"

Ember's ghostly guitar appeared in her hands. Her face was once again angry and hid any trace of sadness. She gritted her teeth and put her fingers on the guitar, ready to strum a chord that would send Danny back to the Ghost Zone. As Danny went ghost, she couldn't help but pause. She looked into his eyes, carefully blocking her memories.

There was something about the Ghost Boy that she didn't realize: that he was kind, too kind to pry on purpose. Still, Ember did not move, her hands shaking from inner turmoil. She felt something tug at her ghostly heart. Her grip on the guitar loosened and she hung her head, ashamed that she couldn't just finish him off.

Danny stared at Ember, who seemed to be having a tough time deciding what to do. He floated above the graves, waiting for her to blast him with a musical chord of death. As he waited, he noticed that the pain was once again visible on her face. She looked at him for only a brief second. He floated over to her and put his ghostly hand on hers.

"What you went through sucked, I know. But I think I can help you." He said calmly.

"How? He's probably forgotten about me. And even if he didn't, he's most likely married now. That was almost thirty years ago."

Danny still didn't move his hand and tightened his grip ever so slightly. "You need a friend, Ember. Whether you like it or not."

"Pff! Why on earth would I be friends with you?"

"Because I'm a ghost, just like you."

She glared at him, wondering if she should trust him. "Thanks but no thanks, dipstick."

She flicked his hand away and disappeared in a blue mist. Danny sighed and turned back into his human self. Great going, Fenton, he scolded himself, you just screwed up ever being friends with her. He started walking home, more dejected than ever. What he didn't know, was that Ember was watching him from afar. She floated high in the sky, watching the peculiar Ghost Boy.

That was the weirdest encounter I've ever had, Ember thought as she returned to the Ghost Zone.