Chapter 5! Trigger warning, This chapter does contain mention of past abuse and blood. Please read and review. Disclaimer: I do not own Danny Phantom, Nickelodeon does.

Lilith is mine and shall always be mine! *Evil laughter*

Danny walked through his front door breathless. He had no words to say as his soul had yet to re-enter his body. In his head – and more importantly, in his heart – Danny was on cloud nine. Jack got up from his spot at the table and ran at the two engaged teens with all his might, picking them both up with the tightest hug the two had ever experienced. "I finally have a daughter,"

"Ehem" Jazz yelled from outside.

"In-law." He corrected, "Daughter In-Law!"

Maddie came running after Jack with tears in her eyes as she did her best to produce a word from the English language. "You two...babies….eightteen...only. Just babies! Married!"

Even without knowing her exact words, Danny and Sam could figure out what his mother was saying. Jazz came in from behind the two lovebirds and held Maddie as she collapsed in Jazz's arms. "It's okay, Mom. We all knew this day was coming. Some of us knew way before others though." Jazz said, giving Danny a sly look.

"What exactly is that supposed to mean?"

Danielle came in next and hugged Sam nearly as tight as her Grandpa just had. She accidentally transformed out of pure joy and phased halfway through the floor before she giggled, noticing what was happening. "I can't believe it. My parents are getting married. I'm the only kid in the world who can say that without the slightest bit of guilt from a Preacher!"

Tucker came down from hiding upstairs and gave Danny a punch on the arm, followed by a big techno geek hug. "So, I take it you are going to want to rent out the Town hall. Now just because you're my best friend doesn't mean I can give you a discount."

That earned the cocky mayor a harsh glare. "How about the fact that I saved your butt more times than I can count? And you're dating my daughter."

Tucker paused for a moment, his fingers little stubble that had started to line his chin. "I can do fifteen percent! No higher."

Danielle grabbed Tucker by his ear and yanked him to the ground, but was careful not to put too much pressure into her hold. "Okay, okay! Thirty five and that's it."

Sam went to stand next to her daughter, squeezing her side in a wordless thanks for defending them. "I was thinking more of a nice, old, gothic, style church."

Tucker burst out laughing, arms flinging to his abdomen as he tried to not tumble over. "Aren't you afraid it will burn down if you stay there too long?"

Sam rolled her eyes. "Ha Ha. But seriously, I do have fire retardant socks and before you ask yes they are black."

After a bit, the group sat at the table, with Jack recounting old stories from his college days and how he wooed Maddie. Once Maddie regained her composure she told them the story of how she and Jack met for the first time. Everybody laughed at the part when Jack tripped over his untied shoes and knocked Vlad into the county swimming pool, which was still frozen as Wisconsin winters lasted until June.

As he looked through the window at the happy scene, a tear ran down his face. It was hot and burned with sadness long forgotten, only fueling his anger even more.

It began to rain, masking the fallen tears.

Red and blue lights shone through the cracked, dirty window.

"Mommy," asks a little boy no more than ten. "Where is dad going?"

An older woman looked down at the little boy, tears falling from her bruised eyes. She held him close to her, placing tiny kisses on his head. "I promise that no matter what happens you will always have me. Okay, sweetie?" The woman tried to give her best-broken smile.

Two men wearing dark blue uniforms entered the room. "Ma'am, we are going to need to ask you a few questions about," The man stopped dead in his tracks at the sight of the boy. "The nature of this incident." The woman walked into the other room with the blue men. All the boy could think of was how the red and blue lights reflected off the older woman's bright orange hair.

Rain once again took over everything.

There he stood looking at his own mother from a distance, hidden and alone. Just how it was meant to be. She didn't really love him, how could she with his other half being the thing she had vowed to destroy. But now, now that other half was all he had. All he needed.

He had seen all he needed. He gripped so tightly his palm threatened to bleed as his nails cracked the skin.

He flew away to Casper High, which was now as empty as the night. He floated above Lancer's desk as ghosts began to talk around him. So many ghosts filled his head and refused to leave.

"Danny," A hand was placed on his cheek. He looked up to see a faint figure in front of him; he could almost make it out to be Sam. But no. His Sam was dead. So was the rest. "It's not too late, we miss you, the real you."

He closed his eyes.

"You're not real! You are never real!" Opening his eyes he saw his old classroom in pieces. They were only shadows in his memories now, even when they haunted him.

"It's better this way. Trust me."

Fleeing from the school, he only had one destination in mind.

Clockwork's.

His feet met the ground with a heavy thump. Just by being at this place almost sent a shiver through Dan's spine. But no, he wouldn't let human emotions control him. He wouldn't let humanity take control.

The time ghost had his back turned to him, only showing his plum colored cloak. "I was wondering when you'd get here."

This only angered Dan more. Clockwork was so calm and collected. Storms could be striking about him, yet he wouldn't lift a finger to stop it. He only carried on with what he was doing.

"You know what I want, old man. I don't belong here and you know it!"

Clockwork chuckled. "Yes, and what you want no longer exists anymore, not in this timeline or any other. Now leave, there is nothing for you here."

"Why have me leave so fast? Wasn't I your prized possession for all those years? Why do you want me gone... Ah! You can't capture me yourself can you, that's why you sent the little Phantom brat... to do what you couldn't. Well she's not going to stop and neither will you. I'm going back to my timeline!"

With that Dan lunged forward at Clockwork.

"Time out!" Clockwork yelled. Dan was frozen in place, his eyes following Clockwork as he moved to and fro.

Emotion was starting to break though his harden extintor. "You should not exist, you still being alive is just wrong! I sent Lilith back to avoid exactly this. While you were in that thermos, I was able to put you on a shelf and ignore the fact that I had the most unstable being in presence. But now I have a feeling getting you back in that tube will be more trouble than it's worth. Now you have given me no choice. I was being kind."

From behind, Clockwork opened up a portal and inside was pure white.

His eyes never left Dan's as he spoke, "You see, each and every choice one makes has the possibility to create a new timeline, or to put it simply, each choice creates a branch in the timeline."

Clockwork looked back at the white portal. "This portal behind me is the space between timelines, between those split branches. It is a void of pure white and nothingness where once sealed nothing can enter or escape."

Clockwork's stare bored into Dan's eyes.

"You should have stayed in that thermos."

Clockwork stepped to the side of the portal, leaving it directly in Dan's path.

"Time In!"

Dan could not control his aim after being frozen mid lunge. He flew directly into the void as it sealed permanently.

Dan's hand plunged directly though Clockwork's being, his face distorted with anger. Nothing but pure evil masked his face.

"And you should have watched me more closely!"

Clockwork seized in pain as his being began to shrivel. His head shot back as pain filled his entire body. His hands shook as he tried to get Dan's touch off of him, but to no avail. The pain that coursed through him was becoming too much for him to handle.

"Ah, so that's why you sent the girl. You can't even touch me. You are the being solely responsible for correcting time. That being said, when something is out of time, something like me, and it comes into contact with your high and mighty ass, you have that power drained like a used battery."

"You need to stop this. You can't control that much power. It will consume you. You will cause an imbalance for all of existence if not used correctly!"

"Well, if you're right and I can't get back my own timeline, I will take that as a close second. Now, Time Out!"

Nothing happened.

The sound of heavy breathing from Clockwork as he was doubled over in pain reached his pointed ears."You may have those powers but you have yet to master them. Let me tell you, it will take far more than brute strength to do so." Clockwork grit through his teeth.

"Oh trust old man, time is on my side."

Dan aimed his hand at Clockwork and fired a green glow at the now shriveled up ghost. The energy began to harden around Clockwork as he reached with all his effort toward his seeing orb.

"Well, it looks like these powers have quite the perk. If it's impossible to get my timeline back, I won't lie, there's no use for me being here. But if I'm going down, I'm taking the Fentons with me. He's going to feel my pain all those years ago. See ya around, gramps."