Summary: Danny learns more about Clockwork and his past, and decides to change a bit of his future.

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My hands shook as I wiped away the tears that streamed down my cheeks, blinking as the water blurred the sights in front of me until all I saw was blobs of green and purple floating around me. I had no idea where I was going, the only thing I knew was I needed to get out of the human world for a while. Amity Park can get along for a few hours just fine without their hero. I scoff at the thought. Hero? No. A hero would have been fast enough to save everyone. I'm just a freaky teenager with impossible goals. Astronaut, yeah right! Not with my grades!

A bitter laugh pushed through my lips, echoing in the emptiness of the ghost zone as I continued to fly. I flew faster now, as if to escape the feelings dragging me into the hell that is my own mind. You're worthless! You can't even save one person! Pathetic! I shook my head, snapping out of my thoughts when I was forced to twist myself to the left in order to avoid getting hit by something in front of me. A gear...? Clockwork? Why did I end up here? And how? I thought you could only find the tower when Clockwork allowed it?

"I did allow you to find the tower, Daniel." I spun to face the voice, quickly swiping my hands over my face, sniffling in an attempt to regain my composure as Clockwork hovered just in front of me, his child form morphing into his adult form. "It wasn't your fault, you know. I looked at every timeline. If you were to save her, you would have died."

"So? She'd still be alive, Clockwork, and that's better than this!" I pressed my lips together as guilt consumed me. I shouldn't have snapped at him like that, I'm angry at myself, not him.

"No, Daniel, it would not. Think about it. Her dying, yes, it's terrible, but it only affects a small group of people. Were you to die, the whole world would be affected. We need you." I scoffed.

"No one needs me, Clockwork. Not when they have you to manage the balance." He's more powerful than I will ever be, and he probably makes better decisions, too.

"They did not always have me, Daniel. I was not always like this. I was not thrown into the ghost zone and into this job without training. I, too, was human once." I looked up at him, my lips parting in surprise. He smiled down at me. "I died at the age of nineteen from the bubonic plague."

"Nineteen?" I whimpered, my voice raising a few octaves when I realized he had been only a year older than me when he died.

"Mm. The year 1348, the Black Death swept over Europe, killing 60 percent of its population. I was one of them."

"Oh, God." My hands rose to cover the bottom half of my face as my already red eyes filled with tears. "That must have been horrible! I'm so sorry Clockwork..." I felt a hand reach toward my jaw and grip my chin, tilting my head so I was looking up into Clockworks eyes.

"Its quite alright Danny. I would not have been happy then. I was too... different." He frowned. "It was not until very recently that I could have had any resemblance of a normal life." He paused, as if deep in thought.

"What did you- erm, I mean, if you don't mind-" before I could figure out how to form my sentence, Clockwork was suddenly morphing, changing. His face changed first, his jaw becoming sharper and more defined, his eyes- while they stayed the same lovely shade of red- gained whites and pupils, and his cloak melted away leaving a head of fluffy dark brown hair in its place. I actually, more than once, had to keep myself from running my hands through it.

Next, his body started morphing. I watched as his spectral tail straightened and split in two, legs forming in its place as his chest and shoulders shrank slightly, though they were still broad.

He was tall, about five foot eleven, and he had on a purple hoodie, black skinny jeans, and purple and white high-top converse. The only clock on him now- that I could see, anyway- was a single pocket watch, the gold chain hanging loose around his right thigh.

"This is how I first appeared in the Ghost Zone." I had to do a double take when I noticed that his voice had not changed, still echoing with the same depth it had before. It actually suited him well in this form. "I didn't understand at first, the clothes mostly, but because the Ghost Zone works differently, it's a mix of all times, past, present, and future." I simply floated in place, gawking at Clockworks new appearance. I shook my head, blushing as less than ideal thoughts invaded my mind.

"Um, why don't you- I mean, why did you change your appearance?" His grip on his staff increased, his eyes glazing over and his jaw clenching.

"When the Observants appointed me Time Master- something they had come to regret to this day- they had decided that no one in their right mind would listen to- let alone appoint- a teenager. They used my ability to change my age to their benefit, claiming that the teenager that everyone had seen was just one of my many forms, and that my true form was twenty four years old. The very same one you yourself have seen on multiple occasions. They banned me from using it, and I haven't since."

"Well I, for one, think the Observants can stuff it. You look great, and I personally think it suits your personality better." Clockwork grinned, unnaturally white teeth peaking out from behind his full lips. I blushed, smiling back at him.

"Do you really think so?"

"Of course! But, don't you know that?" I watched as his cheeks tinted green, grinning when I realized he was blushing. He looks cute when he blushes.

"It seems that, when it comes to you I am starting to become less and less sure. You must remember, I see every twist and turn in time, but I cannot choose which outcome any given timeline follows. This means that even though I know how many different possibilities there are-" He hesitated, biting his lip as if he didn't want to admit something to himself.

"You don't know which one will actually happen." He nodded, frowning at the admission.

"Precisely. Most people I can read, figure out how they work, and follow their path from there. You, though, I never know."

"Is it the boy that's different Clockwork, or how you view him?" Clockwork and I both turned to the sound of the voice only to find a pair of Observants glaring at Clockwork. "Everyone else you view from afar, however, it seems you have taken quite an interest in young Daniel here. Your teenage self has even resurfaced. You're breaking all of our rules, Clockwork." They began to approach, their staffs raising, but paused when I stepped in front of Clockwork, a low guttural growl escaping my throat as I bared my fangs.

"Stay away from him!"

"Get out of our way, child. This no longer concerns you. We have given you every chance Clockwork. We gave you a chance when you refused to kill Daniel, despite what we knew about his future. We gave you a chance every time you meddled in Daniels life, ensuring us it was for the good of the timeline. We will not watch any longer." They pointed their staffs at me, apparently no longer hesitating at the thought of me dying here too.

"Daniel, get behind me." I shivered as Clockworks deep voice vibrated through me, sending chills down my spine.

"No! They-"

"There are eight possible ways this can go." He hissed, cutting me off. "Of those eight, four end in your death. I will not let that happen, Daniel, not a chance. Get behind me, now!" I blinked as I watched a tear drop from Clockworks eye and onto his cheek, the sight making my stomach curl. Unease guided me behind clockwork as he wiped his cheeks and turned back to the Observants. "When I saved Daniel the first time, you told me that he and his future were now in my hands. I accepted that and kept my promise to keep him and his timeline safe. So why, now, are you against this?"

"Because back then, Clockwork, you didn't have any feelings towards the boy. Not like you do now. We are against this because instead of acting on reason you are acting on love, one of the most unreliable emotions." I stumbled back, the words hitting me like a physical blow. ...you are acting on love... my eyes widened as I looked back up at Clockwork- when did I look down?- noticing he had tears freely streaming down his cheeks as he powered up his staff, the blue glow lighting everything around us.

"Clockwork! Don't!" I ran up to him in two long strides, purposely putting myself in between Clockwork and the Observants as I placed my hand on his, both of us holding his staff. He looked up at me, surprise and fear in his eyes. "Don't do anything you might regret later. You taught me that, remember?" He frowned, his gaze turning to the ground. I gasped as a sharp pain exploded in my back, my skin bubbling as the Observants blast burned through my suit. I lost my balance, closing my eyes as the ground neared far to fast to be a comfortable landing.

"Danny! No!" I felt two strong arms catch me, one around my neck and one at my waist, both careful not to touch the burns.

"Its time, Clockwork." I opened my eyes to see the Observants closer now, practically hovering over my feet, one of them holding the staff that Clockwork had, presumably, dropped in his effort to catch me.

"Fine! Yes, alright! Just, don't hurt him." I frowned. While his duties may not always be fun, Clockwork enjoyed what he did and he did it well. I wasn't going to let him lose everything he worked seven hundred years for just because of me and a couple of eyes.

I kicked my leg up, hitting the staff with the top of my boot and sending it flying. The Observants, apparently not ready for that particular move, scrambled to regain composure and to retrieve the staff. I shot up out of Clockworks arms, hissing at the pain rippling across my skin, and flew up to grab the staff. My fingers gripped the cool metal and power surged up my arm and straight into my core, my wounds healing instantaneously. Dropping back down in front of Clockwork, I held my free hand out in front of him and the staff in front of both of us, protecting him from any further attacks.

"Let me get this through your thick skulls." My voice was sharp, cutting through the atmosphere of the ghost zone like a hot knife through butter, making the Observants shiver. "Clockwork belongs here. He is good at his job, and he has successfully managed the time stream for seven hundred years. You have no right to call him off just because you don't like his methods or who he likes. That, in itself, is allowing your emotions to control your decisions which, to you, is an irresponsible thing to do." The Observants looked to each other, distaste clear on their features.

"You will mess up one day, boy, and when you do, Clockwork will not be able to protect you." I watched as they turned, walking out the same way they came, before turning and kneeling next to clockwork. He had, while my back was turned, lifted his hood and dropped his head to shield his face from view, but the drops of water below him told me exactly how he felt.

"Dammit, Clockwork."

"You have my sincerest apologies, Daniel." I watched as he turned back into his adult form, keeping his hood down and his eyes on the ground. "You may go, I will not follow you. If you do not wish to return, I shall respect you wish for distance."

"Oh, Clockwork. For being the most intelligent ghost in the Ghost Zone, you can be a real idiot sometimes." He finally lifted his head, his eyes tinged green from crying. I reached out my hand, wiping the tears from his cheeks. His eyes widened as I smiled, leaning my forehead against his. I pulled at the warm spot in my chest, feeling the bright rings wash over me, my heart stuttering before starting to beat again. Clockworks skin was cold against my warmer human body, a shiver running down my spine as I grabbed is hands, intertwining our fingers and pressing my palms against his. "You are the most incredible being in this universe, how could you think I would turn away from you?"

"There are three ways this could have ended, each way having approximately eleven to seventeen different subcategories. It was a three to one probability out of my favour. I didn't like those odds." Removing my hands from his, I placed them on each side of his face, forcing him to look up at me. I blinked, running my thumb over his lips in surprise when I felt cold breath run across my cheek, like drinking water after chewing mint gum. I breathed in as he breathed out, the cold a pleasant sting in my nose and mouth.

"Don't you get it, Clockwork? If anything, I'm the one who doesn't deserve you. You're incredible." He attempted to pull away from my hands as a splattering of green appeared on his cheeks, his already cold skin becoming even colder. "You look at these time streams, at all the possibilities and all the futures, and you make sure everything is running as it should be, and that it's best for everyone, at least in the long run. No one can do your job like you can, and especially not for this long." I watched as his blush spread, his entire face turning slightly green. Our breaths- still confused about that- mingled in the air between us as I watched clockwork tilt his head forward, our noses now touching. I looked into his lidded red eyes, a questioning look in my own.

"May I?" The question was breathy and heavy. This- combined with clockworks deep voice- was all it took for me to nod, wrapping my hand around his head and tangling my fingers in his long white hair, his hood falling in the process. "You must say it, Danny. I want to hear you say it." I swallowed the lump that suddenly formed in my throat. I don't even know if I'm able to speak at the moment.

"Yes." My voice was rough, and it sounded as if I hadn't spoken in a few days, but it was apparently enough. His lips were cold, like someone was pressing an ice cube to my lips, but they were soft, like silk in a cold room. I gasped as his teeth suddenly caught my lip, allowing him to deepen the kiss further, his hands tangling in my hair just as I had done with him.

When we finally separated I was completely out of breath and, strangely, so was Clockwork. Before either of us said a word, I found myself laughing and burying my head into his shoulder, my face burning up as I processed the last few events in my head.

"I have so many questions." I finally breathed, looking up at Clockwork as an idiotic grin appeared on my face. I looked into his eyes, just realizing that they once again had whites and pupils, and that he had shifted back into his teenage form at some point, and I hadn't even noticed.

"And I have so many answers." He smiled up at me and, without warning, wrapped his arms around me in a hug, nearly making me fall backwards.

"I hope you realize I'm going to be here all the time, now." Clockworks hand drifted up to rest on my cheek, his thumb tracing a line from my cheek to my hairline, and back.

"Good, because I don't think I'm going to be able to leave your side." I chuckled, imagining Clockwork sitting in on my class, as bored as I am.

"I hope you like English, Math and history, 'cause if you're coming with me to school, you're helping me with my homework." He smirked, as if laughing at an inside joke.

"Well, I'm a whiz at history." I huffed, leaning forward to kiss his nose.

"You're lucky you're cute." He winked, a sly grin on his lips, the only thing giving away his thoughts being the blush dusting his cheeks.

"It has nothing to do with luck, I assure you." I groaned and hit his arm. I should have known.

"Cheeky bastard."

"You love it."

"Yeah, I do."

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2890 words and yet I still don't have the motivation to finish any of the other fics I started. I am actually the worst. But, I can tell you for a fact that they are not and will never be discontinued, I promise! It just takes me a while.

Also, in these one shots, they are completely separate unless stated otherwise. So Clockworks back story for this one shot will not show up again unless explicitly stated at the top of the chapter.

Thanks for reading! \(^-^)/