The sound of fabric rubbing together momentarily blocked out the sound of ticking as Dan picked at something on one of his gloves. He'd long since escaped his thermos, and Clockwork had let him stay at the clock tower so long as he didn't destroy it or go messing around with time. Considering both that Dan liked being free and his existence was now tied to the timeless citadel, he begrudgingly avoided doing so.

Today, it was just Dan and Clockwork in the clock tower since Danny wasn't visiting. Clockwork wasn't the most talkative person by himself, and Dan wasn't a conversationalist. Which meant that it was quiet. Dan was fine with that. Lounging in the top of the relatively stationary gears of the clock tower picking at his gloves was fine by him.

"Dan, I'm going to visit Danny," cut through the silence. He looked down at Clockwork, who was floating in front of one of his screens. Pictures of Danny, his friends, and Clockwork over the years adorned the console below it. A few even included Dan. "Would you like to come with me?"

Dan thought on it for a moment. Most often, Clockwork didn't care if he came along. In fact, normally he left right after telling Dan that he was leaving. Clockwork also never made a move to stop Dan from leaving unless something was going to happen.

Now that he thought about it, it was an odd time for Clockwork to ask him to join. Some years ago, before Dan had escaped the thermos, Danny had taken a selfie with Clockwork and printed it out to keep in his wallet. One week ago, Clockwork had asked for it, and had had the photo since. And just now he was going to visit Danny.

Clockwork knew something.

Dan flicked the thing off his glove. "Why not, at least it'll give me something interesting to do." Then he got up and flew down beside Clockwork.

Clockwork took his hand. A swing of that iconic staff, and they were surrounded by blue energy that made it feel like they were inside an actual clock. It almost looked like there were numbers and hands around them.

The next moment, they were inside a hospital room. Both of them were invisible. In front of them sat a bed with an old man on it. He had a few IVs in his arms, and several leads presumably stuck to his chest to monitor his heart. All he wore was a standard hospital gurney with a blanket on top of him. The monitor behind him beeped steadily, though the man's heartbeat was weak.

Dan recognized his hair first. It was grey, but it was still that same reverse mullet. It was his younger self. It was Danny. Danny certainly wasn't young now, but due to time travel mechanics, Dan was still-and would forever be-ten years older than Danny.

He didn't recall Danny looking this frail last time. His hair had been grey and his skin wrinkled, but Danny had looked strong and ready to kick ass last week. He'd been spry. Now his eyes and cheeks were sunken, his skin was pale, and what could be seen of his arms was thin. It surprised Dan to see himself in any form like this. It surprised him even more that such a change had seemingly happened in just a week.

A cloud of blue mist left Danny's mouth in the same moment a cold chill had passed through Dan's sinuses and exited his nostrils as a red mist. Ghost sense. Danny glanced around, then his body tensed as he gripped the bed. A familiar white ring formed around his torso, crackling a moment before Danny grimaced and turned to his ghost self.

The heart monitor's beeping greatly increased.

"I may be old, but I'm still up for a fight, ghost!" He was still willing to fight. He was so weak, and yet he was willing to risk his life and fight. It almost made Dan smile.

Clockwork let go of Dan's hand, holding his own up in surrender as he let his invisibility wear off. "No need to worry, Danny."

Danny breathed a sigh of relief when he saw Clockwork. He grinned as the white ring appeared once more, and he quickly changed back to his human form. The monitor's beeping eased. "Oh, it's just you, Clockwork. You gave me a scare for a moment."

"Myself and a friend," Clockwork corrected, motioning over to Dan. Dan took that as his cue, and let his own invisibility fade as he idly crossed his arms. Danny's smile vanished. Apparently after all this time, Danny still didn't trust him.

"Relax, worm," Dan told him before the heart monitor could start racing again, "we're only here to visit. Besides," he motioned to Clockwork, "I've got a chaperone."

That got Danny to laugh. "Some hundred years old and you still need a chaperone, huh Dan?" Old as he was, Danny's attitude hadn't aged a day.

"At least I listen to him."

"Hey, give me credit where it's due. I started listening to Clockwork!"

"Only after I took you in," Clockwork chimed in, shifting to his elderly form. Then he rose a hand. "But Dan's right. We're only here for a visit."

Danny pointed a finger towards the door. "Well, you just missed the nurse."

"That's fine. We don't plan to stay very long."

Danny gave him a knowing smile. "Clockwork, you know guests are supposed to sign in. Even if they're ghosts now."

Clockwork smiled. "Only if they know we're here."

He arched an eyebrow in response. "Alright, Clockwork, why're you here?"

"I just thought you'd want some company, and I didn't want to get stuck in the lobby waiting to sign in."

"Yeah, and my feet are green."

"Technically," Clockwork pointed to Dan, "they are in one timeline."

Dan rolled his eyes in response, proceeding to look at the rest of the room. It was that obnoxious hospital white tile. It looked so boring and sterile. It felt sterile. And it smelled horrible. "It smells like death in here." And Dan would know what that smelled like.

"Hey, at least it smells better than that cola'd ectoplasm that gave cheesehead his powers." Danny chuckled to himself a little. "It smelled five times worse than this."

Clockwork crossed his arms. Though his tone was stern, he was still smiling. "You wouldn't have smelled it i you'd listened to me in the first place, child."

"Hey, it was a great learning experience for me."

"And you still tried to ask me to keep changing the past after I fixed the time stream."

"It never hurts to ask. The first time I ever asked you anything, you gave me what I wanted."

"You asked my name."

Danny smiled sheepishly. "It was an important question at the time."

Clockwork shrugged in response. "I suppose it was. At the very least, it set you on the right path."

Danny laughed a bit, eyes sliding towards Dan. A soft, "Uh," came out of his mouth. Though he didn't say it, both ghosts clearly saw he wanted to ask, "Is that really a good idea to say around Dan?"

So Dan placed a hand on his chest and answered Danny's question with a grin. "I acknowledge I'm not the most 'good' turnout of you that exists."

Danny gave a few chuckles before quieting down. His eyes scanned the ceiling for a moment, as if he was searching for something. "Hey, Clockwork, you see everything, right?" The time master nodded in response. "You remember when Technus got into Doomed, right?"

"Yes." He shifted back to his adult form. "Your friend Tucker didn't recognize him somehow and nearly doomed technology by telling him he could access the internet after completing the game."

"Yeah. And I had to retake that test." A smile crossed his lips. "But we beat him 'cause Technus wouldn't stop talking."

"He's quite fond of hearing himself talk."

"Sometimes I miss those long speeches he used to give. From his initial escape, to Doomed, and then when he drained the city of power. I'm surprised he wasn't loud and all on Christmas."

"I'm sure he'd be glad to give you one of his famous Technus speeches now."

Danny shook his head. "He'd make me fall asleep faster than Mr. Lancer's lectures used to." Then he turned his attention to Dan, who in turn looked up. "Was he like that with you, too?"

Dan scoffed. "Yes. He was always the master of annoyingly loud lectures about himself. You would not believe how many times I beat him simply from interrupting his megalomaniac speeches."

The man shook his head. "I guess some things never change." A moment passed as Danny took a long breath and traveled down memory lane. "Remember when I got those chills and Undergrowth sent me flying over to Frostbite?"

Clockwork once again nodded. "You were surprised to learn the core of your being radiated ice. It was quite amusing."

"I didn't know much about ghosts back then. Cut me some slack. How was I supposed to know being cold and breathing mist was a part of my core being?"

"You could have asked any primordial ghost about that. We're not unfamilar with ghosts having some kind of element at the core of their being."

"I wouldn't have known it was at the time." When Clockwork didn't offer him a reply, Danny was glad the time ghost had at least granted him that much. Then he turned his attention back to Dan. "How come you never got chills?"

"I'll be honest," the ghost held his hand out, a small grin appearing on his face again as a small flame ignited above it, "I have no idea." Dan then clenched his hand into a fist, smothering the flame and briefly filling the room with the smell of ash and smoke.

"Alright, show off," was all Danny said in reply.

Suddenly, light filled the room in the form of little tiny points along the walls and ceiling. Dan glanced around before both he and Clockwork looked towards a tiny machine sitting beside Danny's bed.

Noticing their looks, Danny began to explain. "I told one of the nurses that I missed looking at the stars. Word must've gotten out to the ghosts since a few of them brought this the next day. Technus made it, with Ember helping with the colors and Nocturne helping with the details. It turns on at six so I can see the stars." He then looked at Dan again, displeased. "Of course, the glow from your hair kinda…offsets part of it."

His immediate response was, "I'm not dampening my hair for this."

The heart monitor began to speed up again. Clockwork raised a hand, shifting to his elderly form again. "Take a deep breath, Danny. Don't let him rile you up."

The man gave Clockwork a look, and for a moment it looked like he wouldn't listen. Then he closed his eyes and took a long, deep breath before opening his eyes again. Danny smiled for a moment. "It reminds me of when I used to watch the stars. I'd lay on the grass, or climb on a building and watch from a telescope.

"Sam and Tucker used to watch with me a lot. They were never as interested as I was, but they watched with me anyway. Jazz would, too, on occasion. Mom and dad even watched the stars with me once when I was little." Danny seemed to lean even further back into his bed and pillow somehow as he sighed at the pleasant memories.

Dan was quiet. He remembered it all, too. He remembered all those years ago, back before he'd escaped, back before he'd fought Danny, back before he'd lost everyone in the explosion, that he gazed at the stars with his friends and family, too. He remembered the late nights watching the universe pass overhead. He remembered the conversations and teasing over wishes made on falling stars. He remembered the drinks of hot chocolate and tea as they theorized and wondered about the night. He remembered Jack and Maddie hoisting him up on their shoulders to show him the night sky. He remembered all of it.

Something deep, deep in his being resonated. There was no emotion, but there was a hollow ring of one, an echo of sorts awoken by these memories. An echo held by these memories he once considered so precious and now didn't know what to do with.

It almost made him feel something.

Suddenly, Danny's smile faded. "But they're all gone now. 'Been dead for years. I miss them, you know?"

Clockwork drifted over, setting a hand on Danny's shoulder for comfort. "They're gone, and that's hard to deal with. But you have memories of them, Danny. Happy memories. Relish in that."

"Yeah," the half ghost mused to himself, "I guess you're right, Clockwork." Then he smiled. "I remember once we spent a hundred dollars on a telescope that didn't even work. Jazz got so worked up about it." Danny began to laugh.

Then he began to cough. It shook his whole body. It rattled and tore at his throat. The bed trembled. The heart monitor quickly began to race.

Clockwork pulled his hand away as the coughing subsided. "Danny," he began, voice a tad quieter than usual, "why not take my hand? For luck." He offered Danny his free hand. Danny contemplated it for a moment or two. Then he, grip weak, carefully took Clockwork's hand in his own.

Then Clockwork smiled at him. "Why not take Dan's as well? It never hurt to have a little more luck." Both stared at him in bewilderment. The two of them still didn't get along. And didn't most movies about this say they'd explode? But Dan had touched Danny before and nothing had happened.

Hesitantly, Dan walked over. Danny slowly wiggled his other arm free, and the two held hands.

Danny's expression turned serious. "Clockwork, I know you're not here for no reason. I want you to be honest. Am I going to be okay?"

The time ghost closed his eyes, still smiling. "You're going to be fine, Danny." He opened his eyes once more. "You're going to be just fine."

The man smiled longingly in return, almost like he didn't believe it. "Thanks, Clockwork."

For a moment, they smiled warmly at each other while Dan watched, and it briefly occurred to him that a father was watching his child with pride. Then Clockwork glanced at his glove. "Oh." He pulled a small slip of paper out from under it and showed it to Danny. "Speaking of memories."

Danny's eyes widened. "The selfie I kept in my wallet. You-you kept it." Clockwork's grin was enough of a reply as he shifted back to his adult form. "No fair, you two haven't aged a day."

"We're special cases. Other ghosts age, just slower than humans."

Something caught Dan's attention. He looked up at the heart monitor. Its pace began to slow as the bumps signaling the pumping of the heart's chambers shrank a little more with each beat. He glanced back at Danny.

The half ghost looked back up at the starry ceiling, mind drifting towards the future. When he spoke again, his voice was much quieter. "Man, when I get free of this place and I'm not sick anymore, I'm going to fly around space and explore a bunch of new worlds."

Clockwork chuckled to himself. "Perhaps we'll meet again in a different world, then."

"Yeah…" Danny sank back into the bed as he closed his eyes, sighing in content. "That'd be nice…"

Suddenly there was a loud ringing that nearly made Dan flinch. He looked over at the heart monitor. The line was flat. Dan's eyes widened. He looked back at Danny. The man was still. Completely still. And still smiling.

He looked over at Clockwork, who hadn't even glanced towards the monitor. The time ghost simply let go of Danny's hand and slipped the photo back under his glove. And that's when it hit Dan. "You knew. You knew he was going to die now."

Clockwork only nodded.

He'd said Danny was going to be fine knowing full well the half ghost would die here. He'd said they would meet again in a different world. Clockwork hadn't been wrong; he'd lied to Danny's face. Deceived him. With a smile. Somehow, in some way, Dan felt deeply betrayed.

A fire of rage began to build within his chest. He let go of Danny's hand, fist clenching as he bared his teeth in a snarl. "You lied to him."

"Yes, I lied." The time ghost turned towards him, and for the first time in all the years he'd been free of the thermos, Dan witness the years and weight Clockwork carried with him in his red eyes. Though he tried to mask it, he was clearly exhausted and in pain. For once, it made Dan consider just how hard his job as the Master of Time really was.

Clockwork continued, "I would rather him die happy than die with despair. He was often alone in life; I didn't want him to feel alone in death."

And with that, the fire of rage died. Dan still felt betrayed, but he couldn't blame Clockwork when he explained why. After all, When Dan had lost his family, the grief had caused him to become this. A small lie wasn't much in comparison, was it?

He looked around. "Well, where is he?"

"You won't find him here," Clockwork answered him. "His soul moved on."

Oh. Danny was gone. He really was gone for good. Dan didn't know what to think of that. Dan hadn't cared for Danny-he couldn't feel love anymore-but Danny had been an interesting person to keep around. His reactions and attitude had always kept Dan entertained the most.

And he was gone.

He looked to Clockwork again. "Will we ever see him again?"

The Master of Time shook his head. "He's in an entirely different world now. Maybe you will some day, but until time ends, Danny and I will never cross paths."

The funeral was held the next day. The entire city gathered to mourn the loss of their hero. Ghosts of all kind gathered as well to mourn both a friend and valiant fighter. Even some of The Observants came, their eyes red as they threatened to drip with tears. Vortex kept the sky overcast, not too sunny but not raining, either. Ember and her band played songs of mourning while everyone arrived.

Ghost Writer stepped up to the podium beside Danny's casket right as Clockwork and Dan appeared on the edge of the crowd from a blue clock-like portal. He rubbed an eye, setting a sheet of paper down. He hesitated. Then, voice strong and steady, he began.

"Citizens of Amity Park and The Ghost Zone, we gather here to day to mourn the loss of Daniel Fenton. Or better known to many of us, Danny Phantom. He was a valiant and relentless hero, fighting to keep this city safe, and in the end, Earth and The Ghost Zone as well. He fought not just for humans, but ghosts as well. Look around you.

"Many of us started off on the wrong foot. Years ago, all of us would have been fighting. Ghosts and ghost catchers would have been at each others throats. This park would have been leveled before I would have a chance to step up here. Now, thanks to his actions, we stand here together in peace, untied as one to celebrate and mourn the death of our hero and friend.

"Numerous eulogies have called their people brave, but Danny had true courage. He faced ghosts that had mastered their powers for years that were far stronger than he was to save his loved ones. He risked his life, his well being, his sanity, to keep others safe. Even when his friends and family died, he continued risking his life for everyone.

"If I ask you to think of a time Danny flew in to save you or your friend, or your family member, I guarantee you can think of at least two. If I ask you to think of a time Danny saved this city or this world, you can think of one. Has he not always been the hero we need?

"Danny was also kind. Despite fighting us ghosts, in the end he heard what we had to say, and put in motion the plans for us to walk here with humans peacefully. He learned to listen to us. He helped us learn how to live with humans. He stood as our ambassador. He cared for everyone here. He cared for everyone so much he risked all he had and gave all he could.

"And yesterday, Danny finally gave everything."

With that, Ghost Writer picked up his sheet of paper and stepped away. A human stepped up to the podium and began to speak her tales of Danny's, heroics.

Clockwork barely listened. He knew what was going to be said. He knew everyone in the crowd was either brimming with tears, or crying rivers. He knew how much Danny meant to everyone in Amity Park, how much his acts of bravery meant to everyone. And he knew how much Danny meant to anyone that had actually known him.

As speaker after speaker came up and recounted their experiences with Danny, Clockwork merely sighed. An ache in the back of his heart that he had long since become familiar with gradually began to grow. He did not cry, no. But his heart ached all the same.

Eventually, Pandora and Princess Dora walked up, carefully lifting his casket into the ground. Clockwork felt a sharp pang in his heart as the last remnants of Danny were placed and buried. The last bit of his friend was gone. No amount of time manipulation would change that. All Clockwork had now were memories and photographs.

People throughout the crowd began to wail and cry. Undergrowth moved up to Danny's grave and held a hand over it, causing a small bunch of flowers to bloom.

He caught sight of Dan trying to hide himself wiping a small burning ember out of his eye. "Don't tell me you actually cared for the boy."

Dan glanced over in irritation. "I don't know what you're talking about."

"It's not wise to hide from your emotions, Daniel. It causes more harm than good. You should know that."

"It's Dan. And I found him interesting, alright? Most interesting guy I ever knew. Now he's gone, and I have find something else." Dan promptly crossed his arms and looked at Clockwork, arching an eyebrow. "What about you? You were closer to Danny. Why aren't you crying?"

He pulled out the photo of Danny's selfie with him again. In it, Danny was grinning as he placed his head next to Clockwork, who was staring at the camera with just a hint of surprise. Danny looked so young. The ache worsened. In time, he knew it would ease until it was all but gone. But until then, this photo would join the others on his console at the clock tower.

Clockwork closed his eyes again. "In some ways, you and Danny were closer than he and I could ever hope to be." A moment to breath. To level his voice. To ease the ache. "I've known this day was coming for a long time. Before Danny and I ever met. You could say…

"I've already done most of my grieving."

((AN: The cover image for this story was provided by Tumblr user Sandy-Sketches! You should be able to find it here: post/161831491020/its-time-heres-a-drawing-for-ghostlymun ))