Saturday night. Danny, for once, had nothing important to do. His homework was done and the ghosts were behaving. His parents were downstairs doing stuff. (Never mind whether or they not they know about Danny being a halfa: this story isn't about them.) Then an idea struck him like a sock full of quarters: He'll go see Clockwork!
Before he could stand up from his bed, Danny was blinked out of existence...teleporting straight to Clockwork's realm. Before him was the rear a huge red chair, with Clockwork himself no doubt on the other side, watching a wall full of television screens at once.
"I take it you sensed I was bored and wanted to see you," said Danny.
"That's right, Phantom," said Clockwork, dark yet welcoming, "Make yourself at home."
Danny looked at the wall of television screens that Clockwork was watching. He noticed that many of them were different Dannys from different timelines. A large screen in the center was the one that Clockwork directed his attention towards. This one had Danny...Phantom, mind you...being hugged and smothered by his parents. They must've took it well.
"Did this already happen in another timeline?" Danny queried.
"Maybe it just happened, maybe it will happen. All as it should be for this Danny, though."
Another ideal thought came to Danny's mind right then and there.
"Clockwork," Danny began, "Is there a timeline where Vlad wasn't hit by the proto Portal back in college?"
"Could you be more specific?" said Clockwork, "I know several where there wasn't a portal at all."
"Okay...how about one where Vlad isn't a fruit loop...because someone else was hit by the proto Portal instead?"
"That's one of my favorites," Clockwork, delighted, turned younger as he spoke, "Have a seat. We can watch it together."
Clockwork aimed his clock staff at the center screen, and, after a beam of ectoplasm or electricity or whatever, changed to the timeline in question.
Jack and Maddie savored the intensity and awe of their creation that is the proto Portal from afar. Vlad, however, chose to observe it up close. But Vlad's big (at the time) head was in the way of Jack's view.
"Vlad, could you move a bit to the right?" said Jack.
"Why should I?" said Vlad, "I could've had a part in making this too, y'know."
"Just move, Vlad," said Maddie.
That did the trick. It was no secret among their classmates at the University that Vlad had a thing for Maddie.
Then ectoplasm hit the fan. The portal started acting up...and a large beam of ectoplasm-and-electricity shot out of the portal, past Vlad, and straight into Jack, knocking him over and out cold.
Jack woke up a few hours later in a hospital bed. Standing beside him was the love of his life that was Maddie, and Vlad.
"Jack!" said Maddie, "You're awake!" A hug ensued.
"Ugh...Maddie...what happened?" said Jack, tired.
"Well, Jack," Maddie sighed, "The portal did a number on you...and then it exploded."
"So...back to the drawing board?"
"That's not all Jack. While you were unconscious...you looked...different. I mean, your long black mullet turned into a white one. And your lab coat turned black. I tried to pick you up, so did Vlad, but our hands...they went right through you!"
"What?" Jack was at an otherwise loss for words.
"After a while, don't ask me how, but you turned back to normal, and I was able to carry you onto the gurney, and here you are."
Jack's eyes opened wide, "I did what now?"
Before Maddie or Vlad could answer, a doctor entered with a paper full of test results in one hand.
"Here are the results of your blood test, Mr. Fenton," said the doctor, "Apparently your blood has been...contaminated as a result of the explosion. Could you tell me again what it was you were doing?"
The doctor waited a bit for Jack to gain the strength he needed for his explanation. Then he began.
"Yes. Maddie and I...and Vlad...were attempting to create a portal that could link our world with that of the dead."
"Woah," said the doctor, "I think that answered more questions that I had prepared. Mr. Fenton, there is ectoplasm mixed in with your blood!"
That alone explained why Maddie and Vlad saw his hair white and his coat black while he was knocked out! Jack could turn into a ghost!
As the doctor left the room, Maddie reached forward and gave Jack a soft kiss. Vlad started to shed a tear, but held it back. The realization dawned on him: Maddie loved Jack, no matter what happened to him, and he had to respect that. After all, he couldn't help but feel that Jack knew from the start that the Portal was going to backfire. But he had to be sure.
As he finished up his thoughts, he noticed that he was the last one in the room, Maddie having already up and left.
"Jack," said Vlad, "When you told me to step aside before the Portal acted up, did you know that it was going to happen?"
Jack was still tired, so he needed a bit to think about the question asked. Then he shrugged and nodded.
"I...guess so."
"In any rate," said Vlad, "Thank you...for saving my life. I don't know what would've happened had it been me caught up in that beam. For all we know, I could've straight up died!"
Jack grew more and more tired, and started to fall asleep again. Another doctor entered the room, telling Vlad that visiting hours will be over in a few minutes. Vlad stood up. Heading straight for the door, he turned around to take one final look at the colleague he could no longer see as a rival, and uttered four last words before leaving Jack alone for the rest of the day.
"I owe you one."
