Exams went great! They were a lot of essay questions, and because of fanfiction, I blew through the typing. That cut the work in half!

There are lots of POV changes, so watch out.

Thanks for waiting! I don't own DP.

Chapter 10: Eureka!

(POV: of Dani Phantom.)

My Cousin munched happily on his lunch, satisfied with his progress. Pele held a skeptical look on her K9 face.

"So what did you learn?" She asked.

Danny swallowed, "That I can combine my fire-core and my wind-core."

"At will?" She asked critically.

Danny paused, "Maybe…"

I laughed, "Fail," I said simply.

Pele sighed with obvious frustration as we tried to ignore her, "I just don't get it! When my powers developed, it was merely second nature for me. Why does it take you so long to learn?"

Danny put his hands up defensively, "Hey, I'm only half-human, plus this isn't my first core. I did that fire-whip-tongue-thingy, didn't I?"

Pele sighed, "Yes. Yes you did, Danny." Pele's face scrunched up in thought for a moment, before she relaxed and a look of realization came over her.

"Danny, make a fire orb." She commanded.

"But I can't, it doesn't work for me."

Pele barked, "Do the best that you can, then thrust your hand from your left, to your right."

Danny sighed put down his sandwich, and transformed. He stood up and faced away from us.

"I still don't know what you think you're getting at…"

"Try," Pele said sternly.

Danny glared at Pele from the corner of his eye, but did as she asked. He lifted his right hand up, and to the left, then created a small unstable fire orb. He concentrated, and then swung his hand horizontally across his chest.

The orb stabilized and expanded. In a second, it filled up half of his palm in sheer mass, and masked his forearm in light. Green flames exploded from the orb and spread out like an eclipse in front of him. Creating a wall of intense, hot light. The flames roared like a hundred lions.

Pele yipped and darted away, I screamed and covered myself with a shield, Danny fell backwards, and crawled back to me.

He panted, "What the heck was that?"

I slapped his right shoulder, "How the heck would I know?"

Pele came back crawling on her belly. Her ears were pined down to her head.

"I- I think I do…" She said, her voice a full octave higher then normal.

"Enlighten us," Danny and I said irritably, and as one.

Pele relaxed and lifted her ears up, "I believe the problem is not that Danny cannot use his cores together, the problem is that he cannot use them apart. At least he cannot use his fire-core separately. Attacks as such are a last resort. Your flames burn hot, and as flames, not as a liquid-beam like mine do."

"So, that means?" Danny asked.

"It means," Pele replied with her usual tone, "That in order for you to use your fire-core, you must use your wind-core with it, and to use that, you must be moving. Also…"

Danny interrupted, "Does that mean we're done for today?"

I nudged him, "Don't be rude."

He nudged me back, "Don't be pushy."

Pele growled, "Fine, were finished for now. Just swear to me that you understand one thing."

She pounced on Danny's lap to stop him from getting up.

"You are a walking means of devastating destruction. You have no control now, and you never will. Even in death you will bring destruction, and in life you must be cautious."

Danny gulped, "Thanks for the tip." He shoved Pele off of him and stood up, before he made a hasty retreat by means of Clockwork's medallion.

Pele stared into space. I patted the ground beside me, "Did you want to talk about something?"

She cuddled up beside me, and let me stroke her head. "Actually, yes."

(POV: of Danny Phantom.)

After I pulled off the medallion, I was transported back into Clockworks lair. Said ghost was floating in the other room in front of his tele-portal-screen-thingys. I sighed and pondered saying goodbye.

"Hello, young Phantom"

I flinched, his tone said 'get over here' and the usage of the word 'young' was a polite way of saying, I'm the boss of you, so do as I ask.

"Hey, Clockwork. Uh, did you need something?"

"You're troubled."

It wasn't a question, "What's new?" Yeah, he didn't appreciate my pitiful attempt at a joke.

"Danny, some things are better put out of mind and to rest. What is troubling you?"

I sighed, "This whole fire-core thing. That's what's troubling me. I have that kind of power and with no control? It's not meant for me! I just…"

"You're worried about becoming like Dan?"

I nodded. 'Like Dan,' was the new phrase for me becoming a bad person. Dan himself would never happen to me. One, Clockwork wouldn't let it and two, for me to become Dan, I'd have to split both Vlad, and myself and merge both ghost-halves together and under the right circumstances.

Needless to say, I knew that I needed to dodge that bullet.

"Of course I'm worried, Dan was so powerful, and so destructive. I'm becoming the same way."

"Of course you are, Danny. It is only a mere part of growing up. Pele and I grow in strength as time goes by, as does every other being. Time just passes by faster for those who have little of it."

I smiled, "Thanks Clockwork. See you later!"

"Goodbye, Danny."

I flew out of his tower, and back home…

…

The Fenton Portal was within my sights. I kept flying at a straight, steady pace until I reached the doors. With a hardy shove, the doors were open enough for me to slip through.

Thankfully, my parents weren't in the lab. I floated there for a minute in thought, before I turned invisible and headed for Sam's. I tended to meander over to her place when I wasn't thinking straight.

I knocked on her window; she was at her computer, video-chatting with Tucker.

She turned to me, "Danny, come on in."

I phased through the window and transformed, then I took my place in view of the camera.

"Hey Sam. Hey Tuck."

Sam sat back down; I leaned on the back of her chair.

"So, how'd it go?" Tuck asked over the computer.

I sighed, "Can we meet somewhere to talk? I'd rather not explain this over the computer."

Sam and Tucker raised their eyebrows in mixed emotions.

"How bout the park? In that really wooded area?"

I nodded, "That sounds good. How long does it take you to get there?"

Tuck thought for a second, "I can get there in ten minutes. You?"

"Five by air, with Sam." I glanced at Sam to confirm.

She looked away, "Flying is nice."

"Okay then," Tucker said with an odd smirk, "See you then."

(POV: of Dani Phantom.)

"You're crazy. You are utterly insane. You should be place in a loony bin, and forgotten to the ages."

Pele flinched, "I know it's crazy! I can hardly believe it myself, but I strongly believe that that is who Danny truly is."

I paused, "I repeat."

Pele huffed, "Would you please stop it?"

I sighed, "Well what do you expect me to believe? Did Danny's stunt earlier mess with your head?"

Pele looked away defiantly, "Fine. I confide in you my worries, and you crucify me as a moron."

I grabbed her white head and pulled her to face me, "No! If you said that about anyone else, well almost anyone else, I would've believed you, but this is Danny we're talking about."

Pele calmed down a little bit, "Well, thank you for that. For what it's worth."

I stood up, and prepared to take off my medallion. Pele stayed in her dog form since she could control Clockwork's medallions with mental commands.

I paused my fingers over my medallion, "Pele?"

"Yes?" She replied softly.

"Do you really think that Danny, just being Danny, could become…as powerful as an Ancient?"

Pele didn't make a sound, "I wouldn't leave it to the impossible."

We took off our medallions.

(A/N I am SO tempted to leave you right here.)

(POV: Narrator.)

In the brief moment between Danny's leave, and Dani and Pele's arrival, the ghost of time found a rare moment, in which he found it worth his while to talk aloud. Even if he spoke only to himself.

"Worry, and fear," the ghost mused to himself all the while shifting his age from child, adult, to old man.

He closed his eyes with purpose for a fleeting moment, the feeling of cutting off a sense being odd and yet insignificant.

It had been a long time since Clockwork had experienced emotions such as fear, worry, and concern.

Sure, he felt protective of Danny, but he had always known the outcome of things. That he had nothing to worry about, that Danny would always be safe so long as he was there to pull a few strings. As long as time existed, so would he.

That was what had made Clockwork an errand boy to the Observant council. A debt for stepping out of line to assist a child. Being an Ancient, his over protectiveness of Danny not only upset the Observants off, but it went against the common behavior of the Ancients. Clockwork knew that whispers of ulterior motives were common towards his bond with Danny.

Danny's safety and upraising had almost become an obsession to Clockwork, and he himself didn't like it, even more then the Observants and his fellow Ancients combined. As beings forged by the unknown forces of the ghost-zone, the Ancients had no obsessions, just godlike powers far superior then most ghosts could ever dream of. Powers for the purpose of doing the ghost-zones will. Whatever that was, many of the Ancients had lost touch with the ghost-zone, and thus they lost touch with their purpose.

Clockwork sighed, "The things I will do, for an old friend..."

-I figure that if any DP character was an Ancient, Clockwork would foot that bill.

SO. SHORT. Sorry, but now exams (and school in general) are all done for. My parents are making me take the SAT's, and we're going to a week-long festival. We take off next Saturday, I think. No promises on length this month guys; June's a busy month! My birthday's coming up soon, and some friends of ours are expecting their first child any day now!

PLEASE REVIEW, and leave costume suggestions for Sam, and Tucker. I need lots of suggestions. Not just a concept (like Goth princess, or mad scientist) but a character from movie, book, etc, that goes along with Sam and Tucker's basic aspects. I think it will be fun!

On a funny note, yes, I actually went back and watched a few DP episodes specifically to see if Clockwork blinks. As a matter of fact, he does not. He can close his eyes, but he does not blink. Everyone else does. I assume that, being the ghost of time; if he does blink, he just does it too fast for anyone to notice. Haha!

…I'm also setting things up for the next book (If there's going to be one.)

But until then, I'll still see you Sunday!