A/N:

It's been a few weeks but I'm here with a fresh new chapter for you. Side-note: Butch Hartman recently drew Danny, Sam and Tucker ten years older. Very cool, very Butch. Support his channels, he loves his Phans dearly!

On with the story...


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I didn't really sleep. Maybe I did...I might've slept and dreamed, but it didn't feel like I did.

I had returned to Clockwork's tower after seeing Sam, and he showed me to a room I could crash in. There was a couch so I took residence on it. For hours I sat there awake, but I relived almost every moment of my life. Really- from my childhood to my most recent talk with Sam, I sat there on that couch, just visualizing my whole life. Like I was sleeping and having a dream. But I totally wasn't.

I didn't snap out of it until Clockwork came into the room and said my name. I asked him if it was morning, but then I remembered that the Ghost Zone has no concept of time. There was no morning, noon or night. No twilight or dawn or dusk. Only one perpetual moment.

He didn't make me feel stupid about it or anything. He just smiled at me. It was empty, but reassuring.

"What is your plan for the day, Daniel?" He asked me, gesturing for us to exit the room.

I scratched the back of my hair, grimacing. "I'm not really sure. Last night didn't really go all that well."

He placed his hand on my shoulder and guided me to his main room, "I'm sure you said all you could. You don't get closure through someone else...you have to get closure within yourself."

I rolled my eyes at him. "That's nearly impossible. I don't feel good about the 'closure' from last night."

He shrugged. "Not my problem, now is it?"

Sometimes, I felt like Clockwork was my friend. And sometimes, I felt like Clockwork was not.

He brought me over to his portal. "Who are we visiting today?"

The portal swirled green and blue and I stared into it, wishing it would tell me who I was visiting, not the other way around. "Jazz and Dean, maybe? Not sure." I ran my hands through my white hair and sighed. "I don't want the sight of me causing Jazz to go into premature labor."

He lifted an eyebrow. "Stop stalling, Daniel." He waved his hand over the portal and revealed an image of Jazz setting up a dark wood crib for the baby. A lump formed in my throat and I nodded at Clockwork, who was now in elderly form.

"Just Jazz, it appears," he said, giving me a gentle push forward toward the now swirling with green portal, "Maybe it would be best to have one-on-one time with your sister, hmm?"

I bounced off the floor and leapt through the vortex without another word. My fists out in front of me, I flew straight and fast toward the light that would bring me to my sister. As my hands, arms, body broke through and I landed in the living room of her apartment, I heard a voice I wasn't expecting...

"I AM THE BOX GHOST!"

"I do NOT have time for this, Boxy!" Jazz's voice floated from down the hall and I floated towards it. "Those boxes are supposed to be used for the trash after I'm done with this godforsaken crib!"

The sound of a Fenton thermos. Then a long huff of breath.

I peered into what's supposed to be the baby's room. The walls were a pale, blue-gray with yellow trim on the ceiling, which they'd painted prior to finding out the gender. Yellow and gray accents filled the room- a perfect combination for a unisex nursery. Jazz was on the floor, the Fenton thermos in one hand, directions for the crib in the other, and a stuffed elephant in her lap, perhaps for moral support. She was surrounded by some pieces of dark mahogany, the crib nearly finished, but it was on its side. I crossed my arms and couldn't help smiling at the sight.

I stepped into the room. "It would probably help if you weren't reading the Spanish side of the directions, Jazz."

Her head whipped around, ponytail snapping in the air. "DANNY?!" She sprung to her feet- 'sprung' meaning practically rolled herself until her pregnant form could stand.

I put my hands up cautiously as I entered the room. "It's not what you think...I'm here, but not really."

She clutched the elephant to her chest, her green eyes brimming with tears. "Okay." She squeaked. "This...this is just one of the five stages of grief...I really thought I got passed denial." She held her forehead, "Is hallucinating one of the five stages of grief?"

"Jazz, you're not hallucinating," I practically groaned. "I am...dead. I died."

"You're here as a ghost then?" She whispered almost inaudibly. "Danny that's...that's so sad." Her voice cracked on "sad" and she waddled over to me, throwing her arms around my neck and sobbing.

Finally someone who understands. "Yeah, I'm a little bit stuck." I rubbed her back. "Really fucking stuck. I'm supposed to be cleaning up messes I left behind so I can move...forward."

She pulled back, her bottom lip tucked into her upper. She wiped her tears with the back of her hand and backed up. "So...you're basically here just to...say goodbye?" She rubbed her baby bump.

I nodded slowly. "Yes...I think so." I couldn't swallow that lump in my throat. But I wasn't going to cry in front of Jazz. I wanted her and everyone to know this was all okay and I was ready for the other side.

Even though I wasn't.

She pursed her lips. "Well...then..." She gestured to the crib on the floor. "You want to help me finish your nephew's crib?"

My face broke into a grin. "I would be more than happy to." I knew I could rely on her to make me feel better about the situation.

I got to work on the crib, lifting things with my ghost ray that were too far to reach and screwing in unfinished parts. Too soon I was finished with the product and able to properly stand it up.

Jazz sat on the rocking chair while I stood over the crib. I pictured a tiny baby, my nephew, laying in there looking at a mobile. I wondered if, once I went to the other side, I would be able to watch over him and the others. Babies can see ghosts, so maybe he would get to know his uncle Danny. Even if only for a small period of time in his life. I smiled at the thought.

Jazz rocked the chair back and forth. "Have you seen mom and dad yet?"

My smile fell. "I'm not ready for that yet."

I heard her sigh. "I have forgiven them for what they did to you, but only because I saw what this did to them."

I turned around and leaned my back on the crib. "It's not that I can't forgive them, Jazz. I just don't know how I feel about facing them, having to talk things out and explain all the lies and secrets I kept to protect them." I rubbed my forehead and let out an exasperated breath. "They won't forgive themselves and I'm not ready to see that. Especially because it will only remind me that there will be a day where I really am gone from this world. It will remind me of everything I've lost."

Jazz's lip quivered. "I'm so sorry, Danny. I know this is hard on us...but I can't even imagine what you're going through."

I chewed my bottom lip and swallowed that lump. "I'm really trying to be at peace with what has happened. I am really trying to be okay with the fact that I died...that I'll never get to graduate college, or build rockets or meet my nephew, or start a family of my own." I turned back to the crib, gripping the sides of it until my knuckles cramped. "I'll never get to grow old and pass away knowing I really lived."

The two of us sat on this for a bit. The only sound audible was the creaking of the rocking chair, back and forth, back and forth. It soothed me a bit; no wonder babies passed out in the arms of their mothers in rocking chairs.

Jazz broke the silence. "I want to name him after you, but Dean thinks it's a bad idea."

I turned my head and looked at her sadly. "Dean's a smart guy." I stepped over to my sister and knelt beside the rocking chair. "I wouldn't want my nephew to be the constant reminder of your brother being murdered."

She flinched when I said the word "murdered" and leaned her head against the chair. "But I want him to have a part of you with him always."

I nodded. I understood exactly why she wanted this. But some parts of it just seemed morbid. He would ask what happened to uncle Danny and have to carry my name and that burden with him wherever he went. Forever.

I put my hand over Jazz's on her baby bump. "What about naming him James?" I smiled up at her reassuringly. "Name him after grandpa and give him my middle name as his first name. That way he carries a part of me and gramps together."

She blinked and tilted her head. "James Fenton-Teller?" She smirked a tiny smile. "It flows perfectly...but his middle name was going to be Jack. After dad."

"So call him JJ for short," I shrugged. "Or name his middle name after mom."

"James Madeline Fenton-Teller?" She squinted her eyes at me skeptically, "Too close to James Madison, I don't want to name him after a dead President!"

"No, no!" I rolled my eyes at her. "Not mom's whole name. James Matty Fenton-Teller. Not M-a-d-d-i-e. Or stick with James Jack. Whichever."

"I love the idea of naming him James." Jazz reached down to me and cupped my cheek. "He already feels like a 'James'. It's very sentimental. Thank you, Danny."

I stood up and kissed her on the forehead. I felt that it may be time to leave...a pull in my chest that told me it really was time to say goodbye. "Listen Jazz..."

"I know." She said quietly. She was smiling still but tears were welling in her eyes. "You have to go now."

I bobbed my head up and down slowly and shuffled my feet. "I just want you to know...you are the best sister anyone could ever have. You always took care of me and you were always there when I needed you. And you're going to be such a great mom to James."

She gestured for me to help her out of the chair and I pulled her to her feet. She placed her hand on my cheek again, her thumb grazing beneath my eye. "I love you, little brother." She whispered.

I closed my eyes and leaned into her hand. "I love you too, Jazz." I couldn't stay any longer. The inner tug on my chest was urging me to leave right then. I turned invisible under her hand, then sunk through the floor intangibly. Once I passed out of her apartment, I flew outside of the building and thrust my body into hyper-speed. Faster and faster through the clear blue skies I flew until I tore a portal into the Ghost Zone, disappearing from the world yet again.

DPDPDPDPDPDPDPDPDPDPDPDPDPDPDP

I checked in with Clockwork and updated him on how my visit with Jazz went. He didn't have much to say, typically. But he helped send me to my next stop: my best friend forever, even in the next life...Tucker Foley.

Since the concept of time doesn't apply in the Ghost Zone, I arrived at Tuck's very late at night, well-past midnight. Lucky for me, Tucker was- is- someone who stays up until four a.m. on his laptop or playing video games or texting his girlfriend, and my fellow ghost-hunting friend, Valerie Gray. I didn't have to worry about scaring him or waking him up because I knew he'd be there for me.

I flew towards his window, which were blocked by curtains, a glowing slit indicating he had the television on. I tapped on the window lightly at first, but when he didn't answer, I then knocked on it in a specific beat, a pattern we used to use when I flew over his place to hang out.

I waited. The curtains pulled back, revealing Tucker's aqua eyes staring directly into mine. I gave a small smile and waved. He cracked the window open and grabbed my arm, and I yelped as he yank me into his bedroom.

"Hey!" I stumbled and caught myself once I landed on the floor. I spun around to scold him, but then his arms were around me, squeezing the undead life out of me.

"Oh man!" He said loudly, "I was hoping you would come!" He grabbed my shoulders and pulled back to give me a once-over. "I mean, I didn't want to believe you were still here obviously, especially since I'm sure you'd rather go to the clouds in the sky-"

"-You aren't surprised to see me?" I interrupted.

"Sam called me the other day." He still gripped my shoulders, his smile faltering, "She told me you...stopped by."

Though my blood wasn't pumping, I felt it rush to my face."Yeah, that didn't go too well."

"You should've said you loved her before you died, dumbass." Tucker slapped the side of my head.

I frowned and rubbed the spot. "I know, I know."

Tucker moved to sit down on his couch in front of the television. "I wasn't shocked when she called, though. I knew you'd come back."

I unintentionally made a face, my nose wrinkling in guilt. "Tucker, I'm not back-"

"-I know that," He rolled his eyes and adjusted his glasses, "I meant I knew you weren't gone. Not yet, at least. I felt it." He paused and glanced at the TV. "I felt a lot of things."

I nodded. "I've been staying with Clockwork all this time. He says I'm not supposed to be dead. Something is wrong with the space-time continuum or something."

Tucker shrugged and blinked as-a-matter-of-factly. "I figured the world was in trouble. Danny Phantom doesn't just die."

I smirked and crossed my arms. "Tuck, you know everything."

He winked, then stood again. "Do you...want something to eat? Do you eat anymore?"

I grinned at him. Tucker always made me feel normal when I wasn't. He always made me feel proud to be what I was, who I was. He would always be my friend. I processed his question...did I eat anymore? Do ghosts eat? Or need to breathe? Or use the restroom?

"I...I don't think I need any of that," I said, answering both his and my question.

He narrowed his eyes. "That must be weird as fuck, dude." He went over to his bedroom door, "I'm gonna grab a plate of baked ziti. Valerie's downstairs warming it up. I'll tell her you're here."

He left. It was strange being in his home as a guest, as his friend, who wasn't alive. What was that like for him? Probably not the same feeling as what Sam felt when I went to her. Tuck knew something was up, expected me even. He seemed pretty cool with the whole situation. It made me feel like there wasn't a situation at all. I appreciated this...more than he'd ever know.

I wandered around his room looking at all the pictures of him, Sam and I at different points in our lives. Graduation from Casper High...freshman orientation at APU...the three of us at Floody Waters water park multiple times as children and teens. I grabbed a photo off his wall from freshman year of high school, where we had all gone to the movies and snuck into a rated R film. Tucker was holding the camera, so his face was super close to the screen. Sam and I were hysterical next to each other.

I pinched the photograph between my fingers. I couldn't remember if, back then, I ever worried about death and dying. I didn't think so...I mean, I definitely thought about it. I just never worried about it. I protected everyone as best as I could, regardless of the risk and danger. I wasn't careless, but I never hesitated when it came to saving the world. It was my first priority, even at such a young age. I wasn't ever afraid to die for the people I loved and for the cause I lived for.

"It...it really is you..."

I turned to Tucker's doorway and saw Valerie standing in the light of the hall. Her hands were at her sides and her forest green eyes blinked away tears that began dripping over her cheeks. I placed the picture onto Tucker's bed, and in four strides I swept Valerie Gray into my arms.

She wept into my jumpsuit, clutching the material in her grasp. "I don't understand, Danny."

I pet her brown curls and pressed my cheek to the top of her head. "Me either."

I let her cry for a moment. She leaned back to look at me, taking my face in her hands. Her eyes were swollen from more than just the past minute of crying. It was strange to see her this way, since she was usually the strong one, my rock, the one who never showed weakness or gave too much away. But it told me that Tucker might've been the strong one since I'd been gone, and that Valerie hadn't been taking this as well as him.

She pulled my face down to hers and kissed both my cheeks. I leaned into her hands, closing my eyes. Sometimes, I wondered what it would've been like if Val and I had ended up together and never broken up in high school. It would've never worked, because I was always in love with Sam, and she'd always wanted to be with Tucker. We shared a lot, and we bonded over ghost hunting in a different way than I did with Sam or Tucker. She'd had a hard life, but she always made sure I was the one who was okay. She loved me and I loved her. But it was different than the way we loved Sam and Tucker.

"I'm here to say goodbye." I said blatantly. This was not something I wanted to drag out. "I don't want to say it to Tuck...he has a lot more faith in me than I have in myself."

"I understand," Her hands went to the DP logo on my chest. "But, I don't think you should be saying goodbye at all. If Tucker is right, that something is wrong in the world, then I'm not letting you go down with it."

I sighed heavily, turning away from her. "But that's exactly what I don't want." I crossed my arms. "What if my time really is up? I need to have this closure, I need to tell everyone goodbye and let them know I'm going to be okay and they're all going to be okay, I need to be able to pass away peacefully. Why doesn't anyone get that?" I put my hand against Tucker's window, pressing against it and looking down at the floor.

Valerie came up behind me and touched my shoulder, forcing me to face her. "Danny..." Her eyebrows furred, "Do you...do you want to stay dead?"

"What?"

She tilted her head. "It just seems like you've already given up."

Giving up? Was that what this was? Was that what I was doing? I was only saying goodbye to everyone because I wanted to make sure I said all I needed to before I was gone. I didn't want to leave any doors wide open. I wanted to move on without grief or pain or regrets. I wanted to move on without fear. I wanted to move on.

I want to move on.

"I...I don't know, Val." I practically whispered. Was I giving up on life? My mind whirled with confused thoughts and feelings and I dragged my hands down my face. "I don't know what I'm doing." That lump in my throat again. Breathe. Swallow it away.

Valerie pulled my hands off of my face. "Then you need to figure out what you want and get your ass into gear."

I tore my eyes from hers. "How?"

"Instead of looking for ways to say goodbye, you should ask for help." Tucker came back into his room, his plate piled high with pasta.

I shrugged, "That's what Clockwork is doing already."

"Do you really think Clockwork is that blind to what's happened?" Tucker stuffed a forkful in his mouth, then set the plate on his coffee table. "Don't you think Clockwork knows a little more than he's letting on?"

Valerie pulled on my arm. "You need to work with Clockwork on this. Stop saying goodbye. You have all the time in the world to do that if the time comes."

Tucker came over and grabbed my shoulder, shaking it slightly. "You've never gone down without a fight, Danny. You've never gone down without fighting your hardest."

I looked between my friends. They were smart, smarter than I was half the time. Why hadn't I thought about this before? What was the rush to say goodbye? It was only showing everyone, and myself, that I was giving up on life. I realized that's not what I wanted. I never gave up before, and even in death, I wouldn't give up now. Not when so much was at stake.

I'd never go down without a fight.

"I've been blessed to have you both in my life," I wrapped my arms around Valerie and Tucker's necks, and they both hugged me in return. "I'm going to work on coming back to all of you."

"This isn't a goodbye hug, is it?" Valerie frowned up at me as I pulled away from them.

"It's a 'see you later' hug." I smirked and winked at Tucker. I then climbed onto Tucker's windowsill, standing on the edge and looking down at the silent street below.

"Danny, wait!" Val's voice tugged me from the ledge. My head turned.

Her eyes were brighter than before, that strength I knew oh-so well returning to her irises. "When you see Sam a second time...make sure you try again."

I wasn't entirely sure what she meant. But I could guess she wanted me to fight for Sam, instead of say goodbye to her. I nodded once, then jumped out the window into the night.

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I returned to the Ghost Zone on a mission this time. Flying through the multi-colored atmosphere, I thought about what Clockwork might know and what he might not be telling me. I truly believed he had my best interests in mind, and I know I needed to trust him. But trust wasn't a one way street; if he knew something that could help me, or knew something that could alter what path I take, he had to tell me.

Something had me practically screech to a halt mid-flight.

It wasn't a ghost, nor was it anything physically there. It was a feeling. Just a feeling. I looked around me at where I was...this part of the Ghost Zone looked different to me. Not unfamiliar, but not familiar either. It was black as night, the only light illuminating the area was swirling green streaking across the- for lack of a better word- sky. The swirls were moving in a pattern, slow and enchanting, twisting like tendrils calling out to me.

I found a floating stone ledge and landed on it, staring up at the haunting beauty of this strange dimension I was in. It reminded me of the Northern Lights, a phenomenon that often lit up the Earth in the dead of night. Never before had I considered the Ghost Zone a place of beauty. Sometimes I considered it my escape from the real world, a place I ran to when I needed to get away. Yes, it was still a place that instilled a type of cautiousness, alertness in me, a wariness of enemies lurking nearby, waiting to take me on. But right then, as I sat under the faux Northern Lights, leaning back on my hands and staring up in wonder, I felt as though I was seeing the Ghost Zone for what it really was.

A place of redemption.

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A/N:

Butch Hartman recently told the world Danny Phantom is not done, but in hibernation. The same goes for this story.

~RyJones