Agony. Hot, twisting, open-your-mouth-to-scream-but-nothing-comes-out agony. Danny had never felt anything like it before. He couldn't see, he couldn't hear. The pain was the only thing in his world. And it wouldn't stop. It felt like an eternity had passed before he heard a soft voice apologising over and over again. From there, his other senses began to kick in. He could smell the sharp tang of ectoplasm mixed with a familiar scent that was both fresh and mildewed at the same time. It wrapped around him like a comforting embrace. Through the haze of pain, a single word floated to the forefront of his mind.

Clockwork.

The wrenching torment began to subside and if he'd been conscious enough, Danny would have wept with relief. More sounds and feelings began to creep in. The endless tick-tock of clocks, the low babble of noise from the mirror gears Clockwork watched the world from. Ectoplasm washing against his bare chest – and how had that happened? He was sure he'd been in his HAZMAT suit when he'd been –

Danny's back arched as he let out a silent scream of horror. They'd shot him. His parents had actually shot him. They had known who and what he was and still! It took a moment for him to realise that someone was very firmly shoving him down.

"You need to stay in the bath, Danny. It's very important." Why was he in a bath? He needed to escape before his parents caught him again and did God knows what! He tried to flail again but the arms holding him were too firm.

"Danny. I can't halt your time for this, you need to be in its flux for the ectoplasm to work. Please, stay still." There was an edge of panic to the voice that felt entirely wrong. Danny felt it was the kind of voice that was better suited to gentle amusement, or patient explanations. His thrashing weakened as he began to slip back into unconsciousness. It looked like he was going to be staying in the bath then. Hopefully it would make that voice less concerned.

Clockwork barely concealed a sigh of relief as Danny sank back into the ectoplasm. It had been touch and go for a while there. The moment he'd let the time stream embrace Danny again his body had tried to transform back into its human form. Clockwork shuddered mentally at the thought; it was hard enough to heal such a grievous wound in a ghost, but as a human Danny wouldn't have stood a chance. If it hadn't been for the fact that he had to be in time for the healing to work, Clockwork would have left the teen suspended in an unknowing state. Far kinder. The poor boy had suffered enough.

He flinched slightly as several furious presences made themselves known on the other side of the barrier he'd established around his haunt. The Observants had been angry enough to discover what Fate had in store for Danny as it was. He had no doubt that they'd had some involvement with the events that had transpired, but with grim satisfaction he knew it had been fruitless for them to try and stop it. Destiny would not be halted for any being. With a smug smile, Clockwork glanced down to Danny's still form. Besides, they were the ones that had demanded he take the halfa as a ward after the unsavoury business with that rather obscure future. What was he supposed to do? Let him die? The smile dimmed as Clockwork reasoned that was exactly what he was expected to do.

There was a more urgent and angry probing at his barrier now, and Clockwork sighed. He'd hide Danny a few seconds into the future where he would not be found, then face whatever the Observants wanted to throw at him. But they would not harm the boy.

The town was eerily devoid of ghosts. Normally, there were at least two or three of the spectral menaces causing havoc until Phantom showed up on the scene. Valerie gazed up at the sky as though she expected the infamous ghost to go shooting past. But the only creatures in the sky were birds and with a sigh she turned her face back to the building in front of her.

Fentonworks was both imposing and homely, but Valerie wasn't sure if the inhabitants would be feeling much of the latter right now. She knocked lightly on the door then took a hesitant step back. It was well known that you were just as likely to earn a face full of ecto-foam as you were a friendly greeting when calling on the Fentons. Better safe than sorry. A long moment passed before Valerie moved to knock again, a light frown on her face. Before her knuckles could meet the wood the door opened slowly. Valerie opened her mouth to greet whoever had come to the door but instead her mouth hung open in shock. The usually perky and collected Jazz Fenton stood before her almost unrecognisable. Her hair was unkempt, not even scraped back with her customary hairband. Bags hung heavy under red eyes and a general air of misery seemed to gather around hunched shoulders.

"Valerie?" Jazz's voice was hoarse but the surprise in it was clear. Valerie gave a weak smile in return.

"Can we talk? About… y'know." The thought of saying those words, can we talk about Danny being dead?, made Valerie want to vomit. It must have bled into her expression because instead of sending her away with a flea in her ear, Jazz smiled wanly and stepped to the side in open invitation.

"Let's go upstairs. I'd rather not have anything be overheard by those people." Ice crept into Jazz's voice and Valerie found herself flinching despite herself. A glimpse towards the darkened kitchen revealed who exactly Jazz didn't want eavesdropping. Jack and Maddie Fenton were hunched over the table, papers strewn about in a haphazard fashion. If they'd heard Jazz's biting remark, they didn't comment. The two girls made their way silently up the stairs. As they reached the top, Jazz let out a quiet sob. Valerie looked up in surprise to see Jazz gazing tearfully at one of the doors down the hall. Following her line of sight, Valerie saw a door covered with stars and cut-outs of rockets. 'Danny', big red letters proclaimed and Valerie smiled despite herself. It was cute and geeky, just like the person who had decorated it. The person who wouldn't get to open that door ever again. The smile dropped from Valerie's face almost as soon as it had arrived.

"In here." Jazz said, gesturing to an open door. Valerie sidled into the room silently, looking around with the barest interest as Jazz shut the door and went to sink onto her bed. She wrapped her arms around herself as though she was trying to hold herself together, and Valerie felt a flicker of sympathy well up inside her. How hard must it have been for Jazz to know her own parents had murdered their son?

"I suppose you want to know how Danny became half-ghost?" Jazz asked, one brow raising inquisitively. Valerie hesitated, then gave a nod. It was a good idea to start at the beginning of it all. Jazz smiled weakly.

"Well, I only know what Danny told me, since it was him and… you know, when it happened." Jazz's eyes hardened at the thought of Sam and Tucker. She didn't know why they'd betrayed Danny, but she didn't care to find out. No excuse was good enough for what they'd done. Valerie remained silent.

"My parents had been working on their portal, but they couldn't get it to work…"

Vlad threw another beaker at the wall. It shattered, the shards of glass falling to join the dozen or so other beakers he'd broken.

"How can one ghost hide so well? Lair out of time be damned, there's always a way past any obstacle! So why can't I find one here?" More glass smashed against the wall. Maddie the cat had long since fled the room when her owner's rampage began, and he'd destroyed the computer that held the program for his beloved hologram the night before in a fit of rage. Skulker had arrived earlier that morning but one look at his boss' face had sent him straight back into the Ghost Zone.

With a shuddering breath, Vlad ran his fingers through his loose white hair. He felt like he was losing his mind. Every contact he'd reached, every favour he'd cashed in, every peon he'd threatened and not one of them could even give a hint as to how to reach Clockwork's tower. It was like the ghost didn't even exist, and Vlad might have been inclined to agree if he hadn't seen Clockwork himself. The memory of the ghost holding Danny's body so gently in his arms sent a prickle of anger through Vlad. He was supposed to be the one that was there for Danny when he was badly hurt. They were the only two true halfas in existence. No matter how they felt about each other, they shared a bond that was unspeakable. For a mere ghost to infringe on that was infuriating beyond belief.

"Daniel is mine! I won't stand for this Clockwork thinking he can just swoop in and claim the boy as his own!" Vlad snarled, ignoring the tiny voice in the back of his head that muttered about obsessions both unhealthy and ghostly. Obsessions be damned, Danny was meant to be his son!

With an angry howl, Vlad transformed and shot into the Ghost Zone. It didn't matter how long it took, he would find his Danny, and then he would pry Clockwork's hands off him.

Clockwork raised an eyebrow at the sheer rage of the elder halfa. While his sentiment to protect Danny was nearly at a point where it could be understandable, the reasoning behind it ruined all sense of goodwill. A quiet noise behind him prompted Clockwork to turn around. There were benefits to being able to control time on a whim, he thought fondly. The gruesome wound that had dominated Danny's abdomen was all but gone now. Clockwork knew that inside the young halfa the bones and tissues destroyed by the blast were repairing themselves too. Soon, Danny would be able to awaken once more.

Clockwork's smile faded. Of course, the physical recovery would be the easiest. The mental and emotional recovery was going to be far harder to achieve. Danny had suffered the cruellest betrayal at the hands of his friends and family. It would be difficult to move past those wounds, but given time he knew that Danny would survive. It only helped matters that the wildcards had met. Clockwork glanced at a mirror that showed Jazz and Valerie talking on a bed, before embracing each other in search of comfort. They would be a sorely needed source of strength for Danny in the coming weeks and months. His eyes glazed over slightly as another future asserted itself in the mass of possibilities.

"Ah. That's a good one. I'll have to bear that in mind." A faint grin pulled at Clockwork's lips as he returned to his present moment. Content to let time pass of its own accord, Clockwork floated back to the bath where Danny lay slumbering. He looked far better than the fragile boy that had arrived just the week before. Sometimes even Clockwork felt surprised at how quickly time could pass. Danny stirred again, a frown wrinkling his brow. Clockwork absently reached down to run a soothing hand over Danny's hair.

"You're safe, Danny. I won't let you get hurt again." The creases smoothed out and Danny sighed, relaxing back into a deep sleep. Clockwork gave an affectionate smile to his unconscious ward. He knew it was dangerous to play favourites like this, but it was hard not to like the bright, friendly and endlessly amusing young man. The smile turned wry as Clockwork recalled the scolding – for there was no better term for it – he'd received from the Observants. They had been furious, but even they couldn't refute the role Danny had to play for the future. In the end, he'd ended up scolding them for trying to interfere. It wasn't often he got to swing back at the Observants, and he'd relished every moment.

A familiar yet foreign presence brushed against his barrier and Clockwork smirked to himself. It was about time they showed up. He wrapped a strand of his power around the intruder and pulled them into his time so they would be able to see his tower.

"It looks like she got here just in time." Clockwork smirked at his own little joke. Beside him, Danny stirred once more before settling down into the bath.

When she'd heard the news, Dani had been heartbroken. To have lost the closest thing to family she'd ever had had dealt a harsher blow than any fight she'd been in. It was no solace that the entire Ghost Zone seemed to be in mourning as well; she thought bitterly that if they'd cared so much about him they could've cut Danny some slack. But it was too late for what ifs now. Or at least, it had been too late until she'd heard the rumours. Clockwork, was the name uttered in hushed whispers by ghosts that looked nervously over their shoulders. And why not? The legendary ruler of Time itself had been considered just that; a legend. But to have undeniable proof that he existed, when he'd vanished clutching the dying body of Danny Phantom in his arms, had sent a ripple of unease through all ghosts. Many wondered what the significance of the halfa had been. Others worried what the future would hold in light of this uncharacteristic reveal. All could feel the quivering anticipation of the looming future.

Dani soared through the Ghost Zone with no particular path in mind. She'd been given some leeway by the other ghosts, who recognised her as someone involved with Phantom's dealings. Her grief was to be respected, and not even Walker had dared try to arrest her for some perceived crime. It would have been something to revel in if the circumstances hadn't been so bitter. As it was, her freedom to wander anywhere had given Dani the perfect opportunity to hunt down this Clockwork. She vaguely remembered Danny mentioning the ghost, and where his lair could be found. But no matter how hard she scoured the area Danny had mentioned, not even the slightest hint of a gear could be found. It was more than a little annoying, if she was being honest with herself.

Dani slowed her pace before slumping onto a nearby rock with a sigh. All she wanted to do was to find out if her father-brother-cousin was okay. Was that so wrong? Not for the first time, Dani regretted leaving Danny behind after the destabilising incident. She'd just been so excited about her new strength that she'd dashed off to finally fulfil all the wants and desires she'd built up while weakened. A low humming sound snapped Dani out of her trance and she flipped backwards off the rock to observe as the Spectre Speeder glided overheard. She scowled as the windshield slid up to reveal Sam and Tucker. It wasn't the first time they'd ventured into the Ghost Zone, and she'd refrained from ratting them out to the other ghosts only because Danny would've spared them that fate.

"Danny! Where are you?" Tucker shouted, one hand on the wheel of the Speeder and the other fiddling with some device on the dashboard.

"Give him back, Clockwork! Whatever bullshit you're planning isn't worth what we'll do to you if you hurt him!" Sam yelled, looking more frenzied than she had the other days they'd come through the Ghost Zone. Dani snorted to herself. Everyone knew what the pair had done to their friend. They were top of the list when it came to humans the ghosts hated most. Danny may not have been the most popular of ghosts when he'd been around, but ghosts took care of their own, even if they were only halfas.

The Speeder moved further away from Dani, and as she watched it pass something seemed to flicker in the corner of her eye. She turned, half-expecting to see another ghost there but froze as a tower surrounded by slowly moving gears came into view. Relief flooded through her. It didn't matter how or why it had appeared, but she wasn't going to let this chance escape. Dani turned invisible and sped towards the distant tower before the humans behind her could see it as well. As she reached the doorway, Dani hesitated, a tremor of anxiety running through her. This was the lair of a powerful and feared ghost. His abilities were spoken of only in legends and stories, but what was said was terrifying. The power to completely halt time so an enemy could be destroyed before they even realised what had happened. Speeding up time to let his opponents wither into dust. Replaying the same moment over and over again, letting his foes suffer endlessly until they faded into nothingness. How was Dani meant to face a ghost like that?

A little voice in the back of her head reminded her that Danny had trusted Clockwork, possibly more than he'd trusted anyone else. He'd visited the mythical ghost more than once, and if his stories were to be believed, had even faced him in a fight and survived.

"If he's good enough for Danny, then he's good enough for me!" Dani whispered, and pushed open the imposing door. The space beyond was far less impressive than she'd expected. No grand decorations like the entrance to Vlad's mansion. Instead there was merely a small cubby, with another door standing ajar. The anticipation of entering the tower had vanished with the anti-climactic first entrance, and Dani pushed through into the next room without even thinking. With a start, she realised that this was what she had expected the first time. It was less of a room and more of a vast space, filled with gears and cogs. To her amusement, Dani recognised them as clockwork pieces.

"Hello, Danielle. I've been expecting you." Dani gasped at the sound of the voice, spinning around to face its source. A small baby-like ghost smiled benevolently back at her. She let out an incredulous snort.

"You're the mighty Clockwork?" A few more undignified giggles escaped before she could hold them back. The ghost only smiled wider.

"That is correct. Well, the part about me being Clockwork is correct. I don't imagine I look very mighty right now." Dani shook her head silently, too busy trying to stifle her hysterical laughter. She had been afraid of this? Clockwork let her gather herself before turning and floating towards a metal tub near some gears coated in a reflective substance.

"You're here about Danny, yes? I understand that you're both quite protective of each other." There was a note of fondness in Clockwork's voice that didn't go unnoticed by Dani.

"Yeah, well we are kinda related y'know." Dani said, her brows furrowing in confusion as Clockwork chuckled as though Dani had told a hilarious joke.

"Oh, I'm well aware of your relation. But more importantly, you came to see Danny." Clockwork said, never taking his eyes away from the tub beside him. Dani floated forward in curiosity, but froze when her eyes caught sight of a mass of familiar white hair.

"… Danny?" She whispered, her voice catching at the end of his name. He lay in a pool of ectoplasm, a serene expression on his still face. Without thinking, Dani lunged forward with tears in her eyes to embrace her counterpart. She'd barely made it five inches before a hand grabbed her arm gently. She turned in shock to see Clockwork, now a man, holding her with a smile still on his face.

"He's still resting right now. Give him a moment to come around." He said as he released her arm. Dani backed away uneasily at the change and rubbed at the spot where he'd held her. Clockwork simply watched her in silence. The silence continued until it was broken by Dani's timid voice.

"Why are you helping him? Aren't you supposed to be all impartial or something?" Clockwork laughed openly at this, his eyes crinkling at the corners.

"Normally, that is the case, but circumstances have placed Danny directly under my care. He is my ward now." Dani watched as Clockwork reached down to ruffle Danny's hair. It and his face were the only things not submerged in the ectoplasm. She opened her mouth to say something only to be stopped by Clockwork speaking first.

"Ah, it looks like our moment is up. Welcome back to the land of the half-living, Danny." Clockwork's lips quirked up in a smile. Dani looked down to see the most beautiful shade of green she'd ever witnessed.

"… Clockwork? Dani?"

Valerie skimmed the cloud tops with her board, flying almost aimlessly. After the night spent talking to the Box Ghost, more ghosts had been returning to the human world. With their return, ghost hunters had been going wild trying to capture them in case there were other half-ghost hybrids like Danny. Property damage had skyrocketed, especially when the Guys in White launched a full-scale attack against the town's spectral visitors. Most disturbingly of all, there was talk of experimentation on the ghosts that were captured. Valerie shuddered. Her talks with the Box Ghost and Jazz had started the slow realisation that she really didn't know all there was to know about ghosts. Or even Danny, for that matter. He'd never meant to hurt her, she knew that now. And since it was too late to make amends with him, Valerie would have to continue his efforts to keep both ghosts and Amity safe.

An alert went off on her visor screen and she swerved left, angling her board down to duck below the clouds once more. It was Skulker and Ember, she realised, both of them making a concerted effort to lay waste to several GiW vans. Valerie grinned as she surveyed their handiwork. They made a surprisingly effective pair. Unfortunately, it seemed that their years of battling a single enemy had made them weak to attacks by a unified force and Ember was struck out of the air with a yelp. Skulker let out a roar of fury and blasted down the agent that had hit Ember, but two more replaced him. Valerie pulled out her thermos and fell into a dive. If she was quick enough, she'd be able to snag them both and get to Jazz before the GiW could rally themselves. Ember was sucked up first, her protests not quite as convincing as they could have been. Skulker eyed Valerie before allowing himself to be sucked in as well, putting up enough of a fight to make it look like they were still at odds. With her job done, Valerie shot off down the street with a laugh, easily dodging the blasts aimed at her by the agents on the ground.

Once out of sight, Valerie landed and let her suit fall away. It had been a surprise to find out that Technus had been the one to bestow the ghostly powers to it, but she was grateful for how easy it was to change between normal Valerie and Huntress Valerie. She jogged down the street, her precious burden tucked firmly out of sight in her bag and hopped up the steps to Fentonworks. Jazz was already there by the door waiting, and she beckoned Valerie in with a cautious glance along the street. Valerie waited for Jazz to nod towards the lab before heading down. The first time she'd come, Jack and Maddie had been down there working. It had been luck and her practice moving stealthily that had prevented them from seeing her.

"So who was it today?" Jazz asked conversationally as she followed Valerie down the stairs. Valerie chuckled in reply.

"Skulker and Ember on a romantic date blowing up government property." Jazz grinned back at her reply, and Valerie watched as the other girl moved to open the portal. It was strange how easily they'd fallen into this routine of rescuing the ghosts from harm, Valerie mused as she dug in her backpack for the thermos. If someone had asked her a month ago if she'd be helping Jazz Fenton capture ghosts to set them free again, she would have laughed at them. But then, a month ago Danny was still around. Her smile became melancholy as she thought about her friend and crush again.

"He'd be proud of what you're doing, Val." Jazz's soft voice stirred Valerie back to reality.

"I hope so. I'm breaking the law for that stupid ghost boy." Valerie winked at Jazz, who laughed back at her.

"Ready to release some ghosts?" Valerie asked, popping off the lid of the thermos. In a flash of light, Ember and Skulker were before them.

"Hey, thanks for the save, Val." Ember was smirking as she floated cross-legged. Valerie rolled her eyes.

"I shouldn't need to be saving your asses every single day, y'know."

"We would have been fine if someone paid attention to their weak spots." Skulker said pointedly. Ember's hair flared higher.

"Excuse me? At least my weak spots aren't my entire body!" She shot back. Before the argument could escalate any further, Jazz stepped in.

"Enough! If you two wreck anything in here, my parents are going to realise what's going on and it's not going to end well!" The expressions on the faces of both ghosts darkened at the mention of the elder Fentons.

"You sure we can't just turn them into paste, Jazzy? They deserve it after what they did to babypop." Ember's grin was almost feral. Jazz sighed.

"I'm angry too, Ember. But Danny wouldn't have wanted them dead. He loved them, even if they didn't love him." A weary silence fell over the room. Eventually, Skulker broke it with a sigh.

"Come on, Ember. I think we made our point clear for today at least." Ember stretched her legs out and punched Valerie gently in the shoulder.

"Don't be strangers, Val, Jazzy. You know where we are." With that, both ghosts vanished through the portal. Its eerie glow was cut off as Jazz activated the DNA lock again.

"So… Same time tomorrow?" Valerie asked. Jazz snorted.

"Probably."