Chapter 7: Phase Two

Danny turned and phased through the wall, slowly and professionally, but as soon as he was out of the mayor's sight, he took off and left as fast as he could. His concentration was shot, and his disguise melted like butter in the summer sun. He invisibly soared into the air, trying to mentally sort through what had just transpired.

I must be dreaming. Was he actually regretting everything he'd done? Could I be right, or is he faking it? Danny was extremely conflicted; it seemed too good to be true. Is this truly the same Vlad that helped me escape that ruined timeline?

He thought back to that incident again. The more he compared that Vlad to this one, the more he was convinced. The last time this happened, Masters had jumped at the chance to right his wrongs, even in that small way that he could. As much as he hated what Vlad did, Danny had always wanted Vlad to change. He was the only other halfa in the universe, the only one who could understand Danny, and Danny wished Vlad could have at least tried to be a good person. Hope blossomed in Danny's chest as he realized that Vlad would now take this chance.

There was, however, another thing that pushed into Danny's thoughts as he came to this ecstatic conclusion. Vlad really cared for him. Not only in the shallow and sick sense that he wanted him for his power, but Vlad seemed to care about him as a person. He had locked himself in his office for days on end… over him. Perhaps they could get past their enmity and form a bond…

Stop getting ahead of yourself, Danny. Danny shook his head thoroughly. If he was going to go through with his plan, he needed to talk to someone else. A ghost hunter who was crucial to the protection of Amity Park, and Plasmius' only other enemy in the town. Danny floated down into the apartment complex below him and stopped in front of Valerie's apartment.

There was a box in front of her door. Danny looked down at it and noticed a purple letter on the box. He smiled. He picked up the box and the note. He opened up the note, already knowing that the box wasn't for the Huntress.

You left your things at home.

- Clockwork

He tucked the box under his arm, and taking a deep breath, knocked on the door. There was some grumbling from inside that Danny wouldn't have heard if he was a human, and the door opened. The slightly annoyed face on Valerie's face dropped when she saw her visitor.

"Hey, Val. Did you miss me?"

"So you mean to tell me that you came back as a ghost in the zone, and you decided to let me wallow in my guilt for 5 WHOLE DAYS before you decided to tell me that you were okay? Even though you knew who I was and how much it would hurt me to realize who you were?" The normally strong and witty Huntress looked on the verge of tears. Danny rubbed the back of his neck.

"I guess… I was afraid you wouldn't take it well. Not like you are right now. I thought that after all that time thinking I was your enemy, me turning into a full ghost would make you hate me even more."

"If anything, Fenton, it was the wait that made me hate you. I can't believe that you let me think you were…" The struggle to speak was plastered all over her face. "Gone."

"Nervously, Danny pulled her into a tight embrace. "I'm so sorry Valerie. I should have come to see you the moment Clockwork let me return to the Overworld."

"The what now?" Valerie immediately snapped out of her funk. Her encounters and eventual friendship with Danielle taught her how to quickly adapt to new information. Danny let her go, glad that she was already feeling better. He laughed and explained how it was one of the many names the Ghosts gave to the human realm.

"Look, Val. I don't want to overwhelm you, but I came to see you because I need your help. I can't stay in this world for too long. I can't protect anyone here anymore, I have my duties as Clockwork's apprentice. Because I'm gone, the ghost attacks will only become worse, and I'm afraid you won't be able to handle it. And there's only one person here who can take my place."

"No." Valerie's face turned cold. "Not him."

"Unfortunately for you, yes. Fortunately for him, Clockwork has told me to let go of my hatred for him to give him a second chance. Believe me when I say, the last time I gave him a second chance, he helped me save the world. I know he will take this opportunity to start over, and I'm glad he will, but both you and I still won't trust him as far as we can throw him. I need you to keep an eye on him."

Valerie looked like she was about to start protesting, but Danny held up his hand to stop her.

"He's walking on a thin line right now. Right now, he's doubting himself, but if you attack him now, he will lose faith in trying to change and he will go back to his old fruit-loopy self. All I want you to do is give him this chance, but for now, we will have to monitor him."

Valerie grumbled. "Alright, then. I'll go along with your crazy plan, but don't say I didn't warn you if he tries to destroy the city."

"One more thing: He can't know I'm not gone. At least, not yet. Right now, the only thing making him regret his life is my death. He was devastated by my death, and I think that's why he's in this position right now. If he found out that I was still here, he would probably return to how he was before. For now, you'll have to call me by my alias."

"And that would be?"

"Clockstopper."