AN: Woo, kicking off the weekend with a new chapter! It's official, my standard word count is rising, and there's nothing I can do about it. I suppose you all are happy about that. Well, I think that it's about time this story be updated. Eyyyyyyy, that wasn't funny. Hope you enjoy this chapter more than that terrible pun!

Disclaimer: No matter how much I wis-... want it to be true, I do not own Danny Phantom.

He grinned at the sight of the purple cloaked ghost. "Clockwork." He hugged the time master, to the shock of the humans, and Ember. The ghost smiled, as Danny pulled back and asked, "Hey, listen, Clockwork, l was wondering..." He looked up at him expectantly, and he chuckled.

"Yes, Danny, you all may spend a night. Either way I wish to speak with you. In the meantime," He opened the doors fully, and with a flourish, let them into his lair, "Please, come in." Danny could hear a quiet sigh of relief, yet no one else had seemed to notice. He picked up his things and entered, at ease. Everyone else, including Team Phantom, was more cautious about entering the ghost's lair than Danny was. Sam and Tucker still weren't sure if they trusted him, after how he attacked Danny. Ember stared at the ghost with disbelief. They walked in to a room like a living room.

There were several couches set out, and what appeared to be tvs on a wall. Everyone slowly spread out, sitting down on the couches. Valerie cleared her throat, turning to ask, "Who, exactly, are you? And how do we know you can trust you?" He smiled enigmatically, looking to Danny.

Danny sat up, and began to explain, "Clockwork is the Master of Time." A scoff from his mother interrupted him. He paused, looking towards her, a merciless look on his face. "Something you wish to say, mother?"

She sat up straight, a sneer forming on her face, "It is impossible for it to be a master of time. One individual being can not harness all the powers of time. It's just not possible." He took a breath and glared at her grimly.

"Two things. One, ghosts are not 'its.' They think and speak and behave as we do. That would be like calling someone back home an 'it.' Second, I know for a fact that he is the Ghost of Time. In fact, he's helped me a couple of times." He coughed in to his hand, "Ecto-acne."

Maddie out right laughed, "You mean to tell me that this... this ghost helped you cure Vlad's and your friends' ecto-acne? How did he do that?"

Clockwork calmly replied, "Mrs. Fenton, being the Master of Time, I am able to show others points in time. Or, I can explain to the person what it is they need to know. It is not uncommon for Danny to seek my council. So when I say you are safe, you will be safe." Danny nodded affirmatively.

She crossed her arms, raising an eyebrow, asking, "Well, if you are who you say, why not give a demonstration of your 'oh so amazing' powers?" She paused, waiting for him. In that brief pause, James sneezed. Danny glanced up at Clockwork, to see his reaction.

"Danny, medallions for Sam, Tucker, Jazz, and yourself." The boy nodded and went across the room, tossing medallions to the named people. He put one around his own neck, waiting to see what his mentor would do.

After a moment of silence, Maddie laughed, "See? No powers at all! What did I say? It's impossibl-"

"Time out." Clockwork clicked a button on his staff, and they watched as everyone around them reversed, even James sneezing in reverse.

Clockwork smirked as Maddie asked, "Well, if you are who you say, why not give a demonstration of your 'oh so amazing' powers?" After James sneezed, she shook her head, putting a hand up to it. "Whoo, déjà vu." Sam snickered at her reaction, tossing her medallion back to Danny. Maddie watched confused as he hung them back up. She hadn't remembered them having those before, or him being all the way over there. "What are you laughing about?"

Sam turned to address her, "Mrs. Fenton, 'déjà vu' basically means 'I feel like all this has happened before.' Clockwork has the power to reverse time. That means he reversed everything in the room."

The woman looked at the ghost with a sort of scientific awe and curiosity. Seriously, Mrs. Fenton? Danny did a double take, holding his head as it ached again. He had heard Sam, and yet her lips hadn't moved. He took a breath, turning to Clockwork to ask about it, when a voice called out in a sing-song tone from upstairs. "Clo~ckwo~rk! There's a lot of people here! Not only that, but- Oh. I see you already know. Hi there!" Danny blinked.

There was a young girl with green skin, red eyes, long white hair, and a red cloak. She smiled sweetly at them. He glared, recognizing her, "You! You're the one who made us crash! What are you doing here?!" He got in to his stance as if he were about to transform.

She bit her lip, looking sheepish, "Sorry about that. I didn't mean to make you guys crash. I was just increasing your bond. I don't think we've formally met. I'm Spirito de Menso. That means Spirit of Mind. But you can call me Spiri!" She cocked her head, smiling again. Suddenly, she gave them a deathly serious look, "Call me my full name, it'll be the last thing you say."

Sam muffled her laughs at the similarities. Danny renewed his glare, "Okay, but that doesn't explain what you did! And what you're doing here!"

Her head tilted back to the side, confusion running across her features, "Wait, you three haven't figured it out, yet?" She glanced at the trio, pausing. "Guess not. Weird."

What?

Figured what out?

The hell is she talking about?

"Ah!" Simultaneously, Sam, Tucker, and Danny cried out, holding their heads. "I'm surprised you're having this much trouble with it. Maybe your bonds aren't quite as strong as I suspected... Oopsie."

Maddie rushed to her son examining him thoroughly, "What have you done to my baby?!"

"Oh, everything is fine, Mrs. Fenton. I've simply added another link between those three. A mental link."

Jazz quietly gasped, "A mental link? You mean their minds are linked? Does that... does that mean they can read each others' minds?"

She nodded, a childish grin on her face, "Yep! Just about! Surprised you didn't figure it out earlier! I'm sorry that it hurts, but the more used to it you are, the less it'll hurt. Kinda like those first few months after the accident!" The trio stared at her.

The time ghost quietly cleared his throat, "Spirito."

She looked down at the ground. "Sorry, Unca Clockwork. Ooh! I almost forgot, I have water boiling upstairs!" She quickly flew back upstairs, leaving everyone to stare at him.

He pinched the bridge of his nose, "I swear, that girl. There is no familial relation whatsoever, she however has seemed to think it a name she is allowed to call me, which I have told her, I do not like to be called that!" He ended his sentence calling up the stairs, giggles floating downstairs. "She is here because, unlike you prefer to think, I can not read minds. That is what she is here for. To save me time. Now, your rooms are upstairs. I hope that Spiri will help show you to them."

After they had put their things upstairs, everyone settled in to their groups, talking, comparing perspectives. Danny and his friends stood in a tightly knit circle. After a minute of silence and nervous tics, Tucker coughed, "So, mind reading. Didn't see that one coming."

Danny rolled his eyes, Gee, thanks, Tucker Obvious.

Who did?

Agreed. So... what now?

They all thought to themselves, their thoughts not being overheard by the others. Danny snapped his fingers, "I've got it! It could be a bit risky, but..."

"What is it?" All three were cautious after he mentioned risk. He thought out his plan to them.

Tucker shook his head, "Wait, what? I thought you said you beat him quite easily? Why do you need to check on him?"

Sam nodded, "Tucker's right, Danny. You specifically told us that you beat him. That means he shouldn't give us any trouble. Why do we need to check?"

He sighed, "I haven't told you guys the full story. Hang on, I need to get Jazz and Dani." He walked over to a small group of Jazz, Ember, Valerie, and Dani. "Hey, Jazz, Dani? Can we talk to you guys real quick?" Dani looked back to Valerie, confused, before following him, Jazz not far behind.

"What is it, Danny?" He sighed.

"I kinda need to tell them about how you found out I wasn't... me."

"Oh. Oh, Danny, it's okay. Alright, I'll do it, if you don't want to."

"No, it's fine, Jazz. Alright, Dani, so once a year or so ago, I took a big test. I almost cheated until I went to the future. A restaurant had blown up, and... and these guys died." He gestured to Jazz, Sam, and Tucker. "Some things led to another, and this really bad ghost was made. He... he kinda destroyed the world. He put me in to the future Ghost Zone and came back here tricking people in to thinking he was me. Jazz helped me escape, and I fought him, and barely won." At this point, he had turned to his two best friends, "It was him all the way up until during the test when I turned in the answers. Jazz was the only one who knew it was him, and that was because he revealed himself. We had this big fight, and even though I put him in the thermos, I... I almost lost you guys." I don't wanna lose you. They hugged the young halfa.

"It's okay, Danny, you aren't gonna lose us any time soon." Sam comforted him.

"Yeah, dude, we'll always be here for ya." Tucker ended with a chuckle before they pulled away.

"I don't get it, why are you telling me?" Dani looked up at her original, puzzled.

"Because I don't want anything like that to ever happen to you. To anyone."

"I still don't understand, why do you need me here?"

He bit his lip, rubbing the back of his neck with his right hand, "Because we're going to go check on him."

AN: So, did you guys like that? Some mysteries are starting to be unveiled. What do you all think of Spiri? I actually am a fan of her. I think it was an actual accident that she made the Speeder crash. It was still fun to write for her! And ooh, they're gonna check on Dan! Why did I write it as such a cliffhanger? It shouldn't be that big a deal, right? Maybe, maybe not. Remember, reviews make me smile! Kasena, out~!