Hello, my dear readers! Here's the next chapter of EG! Um… Don't hate me? Yeeaaah. Enjoy!


Chapter 10: Leveling the Playing Field


The next day was a typical Friday at Casper High School. If there was one thing the people in Amity knew how to do, it was to carry on with their usual lives in the mist of supernatural occurrences. And though no one still knew whether the world-wide tremor and the increase in ghost activities were correlated, all they could do was hope that things would return to normal soon.

Valerie was one of them. She was trying to just stay focused on her own daily responsibilities. But she was quickly realizing that it wasn't easy.

It had been a good week since her fight with Danny and then soon after, her break-up with Tucker. And as much as she had tried to deny it, she missed Tucker. It had hurt to break-up with him.

But she had been so tired of that tension between them all because of Danny Fenton. Tucker just didn't understand. He didn't understand what Danny Fenton—specifically Danny Phantom—represented to her. Danny Phantom had brought out the worst in her; and Vlad Plasmius had only fed that side of her and manipulated it for his own evil plans.

And Danny had let it happen. Why hadn't he just told her about it all? At least warn her about Vlad Masters. Sure, at first she and Danny had despised each other; but then the Red Huntress and Danny Phantom had reached a mutual understanding of each other! They had worked together at least twice! Danny could have told her the truth then. She would have understood, or at least would have given him the benefit of the doubt. She would have accepted him, just like she had accepted Danielle.

But he never trusted her. So, Valerie now couldn't trust him, either—especially after their latest confrontation!

Danny had almost attacked her with his creepy ice powers! And worse, he had compared her to Vlad Masters!

Valerie, who had been gathering her books at her locker, readily slammed it shut with a glare. If anyone was like that jerk, it was Danny! He was a manipulative stuck-up traitor basking in the attention of the media! He acted as if he was harmless and all noble! Pfft, yeah, right! Look what he did to Dash and the other guys in the bathroom!

And now, her relationship with Tucker was over because of him. Once again, she lost something she cared about because of Danny Phantom!

"Ghosts…," she muttered bitterly. "I hate ghosts!"

"Valerie?"

The dark-skinned girl jumped in surprise; but then seeing who it was she blurted out, "Danielle!"

The younger girl's eyebrows creased as she asked, "Are you alright?

Valerie sighed sharply before replying seriously, "I'm fine."

Danni frowned when the older girl suddenly turned from her and walked off. But the younger girl quickly followed, saying, "Wait! I… We need to talk, Valerie!"

"Not now, Danni. I gotta get to class," Valerie answered.

"But you've been avoiding me ever since you broke up with Tucker! Are you mad at me, too?" Danielle asked worriedly.

The older girl halted, and looked at the younger girl. She gazed into her blue eyes that looked so much like Danny Fenton's own. Then again, she was his clone. A clone made by that sick older half-ghost.

Valerie shook the thought away and answered, "I'm not mad at you, Danni. I just think it's best that—"

"That what?" Danielle interrupted with a frown. "That we stop being friends? Because of Danny? I don't understand why you're so mad at him!"

"I don't want to talk about it," she replied coolly.

"Well, I do!" the younger girl snapped back. "You need to let go of this resentment towards him! It's not his fault Vlad Masters manipulated you!"

"But he let him!" Valerie growled.

"He was afraid to tell you the truth!" Danielle exclaimed back. But when she saw people stop to look at her, she deflated and said more quietly, "Val, you're my best friend. I owe you a lot. And if anyone knows how you feel, it's me. I know how it feels to be used; and… and I know how it feels to be… angry and even jealous of Danny."

Valerie's eyes widened.

Danielle lowered her gaze. "My own dad preferred him over me. He was so obsessed with Danny that he ended up destroying his own life because of that obsession. He used me the whole time to get to Danny. Just like he did to you…"

Valerie lowered her own gaze. She never thought about how similar she and Danielle were. They both in one way or another had been caught up in Danny and Vlad's feud.

"Now… ," Danielle continued, "I live with the fact that I will always be a shadow of what Danny is." She grabbed her long black hair as she said bitterly, "It doesn't matter how many times I change my look, when I look in the mirror, I just see Danny. There's nothing unique about me at all…"

"Danni," Valerie began sadly.

But the younger girl cut her off again as she said sternly, "But I cannot blame Danny for that. Yes, he's made mistakes, but so have I. So have you, Valerie."

The older girl fell silent.

"You have to let this go, Val—for you own good. Or… Or, you're going to end up alone," Danielle said sadly. "You've pushed Tucker away. You're trying to push me away… And all because of your resentment. What happened is over now. Don't live in the past, Valerie. Stop pushing away those that care for you… Or, you're going to become the very person you say you hate more than anyone else: Vlad Masters."

"I'm nothing like him!" she argued back, but it was weak.

"No, you're not," Danielle agreed with a small smile. "I think you're capable of forgiving. You're a good person, Valerie. I know it more than anyone else."

Valerie smile back. "Thanks, Danielle…" She looked away for a moment before saying with a sigh, "I don't know if I can trust Danny again, but… maybe I could try forgiving him…. I'll think about it."

Danielle grinned and grabbed the older girl in a hug. "I know you can, Val!'

She let go of the older girl before saying, "I… I also wanted to talk to you about the ghost activity lately…"

Valerie nodded. "I've… noticed. But it looks like the Guys-in-White, the Fentons, and Danny Phantom have been controlling it… At least his temporary suspension came in handy," she added with a scoff.

Danielle sighed. "I guess… But we could still use some help, you know… Maybe from the Red Huntress?"

"No, Danni," Valerie instantly answered. "I'm done with it. I'm done with ghost hunting and anything dealing with ghosts. And I need you to respect that. If you really want me to let the past go, then don't ask me to bring back the Red Huntress. That part of me was born out of hate and vengeance and I can't go back to that."

Danielle looked like she wanted to argue about that, but then deflated.

"Have you guys figured out why the ghost activities been picking up?" Valerie asked after a brief silence.

Danielle bit her lip before admitting, "We think Vlad has something to do with it…"

"Vlad Masters?!" Valerie hissed. "He's alive?"

"Danny's sure he is, but… no one has seen him," Danielle replied hesitantly.

"I swear if I see that jerk again…" Valerie growled but let her threat hang.

Danielle frowned with uncertainty, but then said, "I'm not so sure Vlad's behind this, though. At least maybe not completely…"

"Are you kidding me?" Valerie said. "You weren't here, but Vlad Masters almost caused all of Amity to be sucked into the Ghost Zone when he released Pariah Dark! He was also somehow involved with this powerful weather ghost that caused havoc everywhere, and who knows how many more ghost problems around here had been his fault! That creep is always messing with things he shouldn't be! And I wouldn't put it past him to endanger the whole world again just to find a way to get this life back or get revenge!"

"Well, now that you mention it…" Danielle began nervously; but then she caught sight of someone and she blinked in surprise, "Dash is back."

"Huh? What?" Valerie asked with confusion at the abrupt change of subject; but when she saw what the girl was looking at, she answered, "Oh, yeah… Guess he is… Seems he got over his scare with Danny…"

Dash was with his group of friends; but when he noticed Valerie and Danielle looking at him, he became nervous, and stuttered out, "Uh, I gotta go. I'll see you guys later!" The boy then all but ran from Danielle and Valerie as he headed the opposite way down the hall.

"And you want me to trust Fenton?" Valerie asked dryly.

"That was just an accident," Danielle quickly defended. "Danny's been going through a lot lately, and well, he was kinda having this power spike and Dash caught him at a bad moment…"

The dark-skinned girl raised an eyebrow as she answered, "You're not really helping his cause. Just how many more of us need to be 'caught in a bad moment' around him for you to realize Danny can be as dangerous as any other ghost?"

Danielle sighed. "Val, Danny's a good guy… Come on, you've known him longer than me. You gotta at least know he'd never hurt anyone on purpose."

Valerie exhaled tiredly. "I… I better go. Bell's about to ring. Um… I'll see you at lunch?"

Danielle instantly brightened. "Definitely!"

Valerie smiled back before she finally turned and walked off. But as she headed to class, all she could think about was what Danielle had told her. Was she really no better than Vlad if she didn't forgive Danny? If so, she didn't want that. She didn't want to be anything like that man. And… she didn't want to lose Danielle and Tucker because of her resentment…

The girl sighed yet again. Maybe it was time to let this go… She just didn't know if she had the strength to do it, because…. forgiving Danny meant… forgiving herself.


Later that day Danny was sitting on the couch with Tucker and Sam at Fenton Works. As Valerie had said, if anything good came out of Danny's suspension from school, it was that he had the time to focus on all the ghostly problems going on.

Of course, Sam and Tucker had quickly headed to Danny's house to catch up with him after not seeing him all day. And Danny definitely had a lot to tell them.

"So, I went to see Frostbite with Jazz today," Danny said with a smile. "I really enjoyed seeing her freak out!"

Sam smirked, "Jazz surrounded by loud and overzealous ten-feet-tall snow ghosts…. Yeah, I think I'd enjoy that, too."

Tucker laughed. "What did she nickname them? Snow bears? Frosty giants? Bigfoot?"

The three teenagers laughed.

"I'm sure we'll find out soon enough," Danny answered with another chuckle. "Aside from her making a schedule for me for the next five months, she's back to making her own 'ghost files'. I can't wait to see that…"

The trio laughed again, but then the younger half-ghost shook his head as he added more warmly, "In the end, I know Jazz means well. And I don't think I'd want her any other way."

Sam smirked. "She's still a lousy shot, but at least she's not trapping you in a thermos anymore."

Tucker snickered at the memory, while Danny rolled his eyes.

"Well, how did it go? Was Frostbite able to help you out?" Sam then asked.

Danny's smile fell and he shook his head. "Frostbite said he doesn't know why all the ghosts are trying to escape from the Ghost Zone; but he thinks it has to do with the changes in the Ghost Zone…"

"Changes?" Tucker questioned.

Danny's eyebrows creased, "Yeah… According to Frostbite, no one knows why the Ghost Zone is changing, but it is… Things seem to be… shifting. I didn't really notice anything different, but that's what he said. But… there is one thing I did notice. The Ghost Zone feels different."

Sam and Tucker just stared at him in confusion.

The half-ghost rubbed his neck as he attempted to explain, "When I'm ghost, the Ghost Zone has this certain… um, attraction to me. I think it's all the energy in it. Supposedly, ghost cores naturally absorb the ambient energy in it. But when I went in there today, the energy felt off… And all I could think about was getting out of there. It was so strange."

"That is strange…," Sam replied thoughtfully, "But those changes in the Ghost Zone could explain the weirdness here. Remember how the Ghost Zone and the Real World are connected? So, if something changes there, it's possible it might be noticed here, too. I mean, it might just explain the earthquake."

"But it doesn't explain why Danny also passed out or why his eyes were red," Tucker answered. But when Sam glared at him, he defended, "Hey, I saw it!"

Danny didn't react to his arguing friends since he was deep in thought. Maybe Sam was right about the weirdness here having to do with the Ghost Zone's changes; but he just felt this whole thing with Vlad and the Order's Crystal was just too much of a coincidence to not be correlated in all this somehow.

"What if the changes here and in the Ghost Zone are the result of Vlad using the Order's Crystal?" Danny asked as he attempted to put the pieces together. "That spirit relic supposedly has the power to alter the order of things…"

Tucker frowned. "Um, well, nothing's really changed around here… Unless, we don't know things have changed, but really have and we don't really realize or remember it." Tucker paused and placed a hand on his head. "Man, this is giving me a headache."

"Well, if Vlad is still messing with that crystal," Sam continued, "Then why hasn't that Spirit of Order come after him… or you, Danny? Not that we want that to happen, but you know what I mean…"

Danny sighed. "I don't know…" He paused. "Hey, Sam, do you still have that half of the crystal? Maybe we should find a way to return it to its owner?"

"Yeah, I still have it," she answered. "But your parents said its best we keep it away from you until we can figure all this out."

Danny frowned, but didn't protest this time.

"But Danny might have a point," Tucker jumped in. "Maybe the best solution is to find this Spirit of Order and give her back her weird relic."

"But how do we find her?" Sam asked skeptically.

Danny shook his head. "I don't even think we could. Supposedly, the Spirit of Order is one of the Ancients, and no one has seen those spirits since Pariah Dark's time. And the isle where we got the crystal in the first place was almost impossible to find. Actually, without the Ancient Scroll—which Vlad found and then lost when we went to that isle—we would've never found that crystal…"

"Not to mention, would it be smart to go find a spirit who might want to waste Danny?" Sam asked. "And then what? Are we going to give her half of the crystal back and say, 'Sorry, but the other piece is in the hands of some evil ex-billionaire half-ghost?' I doubt that spirit will be too thrilled about that."

Tucker shrugged. "It's better than not returning it at all. She might just leave Danny alone, and just go after Vlad…"

The young hybrid frowned deeply at the thought, and once again, he was reminded of Vlad's calling to him just two days ago…. The teen really wished he had a way to get answers. Niane was out of the question now. His friends and family were completely against it, and Danny couldn't blame them. If he was honest with himself, he also had some doubt about the 'goodness' of Vlad's sister…

But then, who else could give him answers…?

Danny instantly smiled as the answer came to him, and he told his friends, "What if we can get another spirit to help us find the Spirit of Order…?"

Sam smiled. "Clockwork."

"Clockwork," Danny repeated.

"Uh, think he won't be annoyed to have you bother him… again?" Tucker asked, unsure.

Danny's smile widened. "Maybe. But this is important. Besides, it's not like I'd ever be able to show up unannounced."

Tucker smirked. "Well, you're right about that."

"We can go tomorrow," Danny decided. "I'll tell my parents about it."

"Where are your parents, anyways? And Jazz?" Tucker asked.

"Jazz is in her room," Danny replied, but then added more soberly, "She's talking to one of her new professors… She's going back to Wisconsin next week."

"Oh,wow… already, huh?" Tucker said sympathetically.

Danny nodded. "Yeah, but she's gotta look out for her wellbeing now. Anyways, my parents are in the lab. When I told them about how the Ghost Zone feels different, they immediately pulled out their lab gear. I took a sample of the energy with the help of the Speeder. So, they've been working on that."

"Hey, didn't you have that meeting with the school board today?" Tucker suddenly asked.

"How did it go, Danny?" Sam, too, readily questioned.

Danny and his parents had finally had that meeting with Mr. Lancer and the rest of the school board to discuss Danny's unique abilities and what had happened with Dash.

"Well…," Danny began raking a hand through his hair. "They are letting me come back to school again on Monday. But… the school board is banning my use of ghost powers during school hours."

"What?!" Sam exclaimed as she jumped to her feet. "How can they do that? What if a ghost attacks you during school hours?"

"Well, that would be the only exception," Danny replied. "But if I sense a ghost nearby, I can't leave the school grounds." The teen scoffed. "Apparently, the Guys-in-White will be monitoring the school from now on so I won't have to."

"This is so unfair!" Sam answered angrily. "It's like when Vlad Masters kept you from 'going ghost' by putting all those security cameras all over school! What happened to the right of 'freedom of expression and individualism'?! You are not like everyone else, and they shouldn't be forcing you to fall into their mainstream 'ideals of normality'! We all have the right to freely express who we are as long as we don't forget the fundamental moralities that our forefathers taught us!"

But Danny chuckled in amusement at his girlfriend's rant.

Sam glared lightly at her boyfriend and asked, "Why are you laughing?" She then looked at Tucker and said, "Tucker, do you see anything funny about this?"

"Not really…. I mean besides your usual weirdness," Tucker added with a snicker of his own, only to yelp when Sam grabbed his beret and shoved it further into his head.

Danny slightly smiled and said, "Look, Sam. You know I agree with you. And… I'm not exactly happy about this either. But..." His smile fell completely as he added seriously, "...you know, maybe it's all the more reason for me to take a step back from the whole 'ghost hunting thing'. Actually, this has helped me make up my mind about this, and I've decided that once all this stuff with Vlad's over and things go back to normal, I'm putting Danny Phantom on the sidelines, at least to some extent. It's better that way."

Sam just stared at her boyfriend before she shook her head. "After everything, I thought you were past this."

"Past what, Sam?" Danny asked with slight irritation. "I think I have a right to look out for my own wellbeing once in a while! I'm not saying I'm ripping out my ghost half or that I'm giving up ghost fighting for good! All I'm saying is that there's more important things in my life!"

"Like what? Being normal?" Sam answered with a hand on her hip.

"No, Sam, like my family and friends. Like you," Danny replied. But then the boy shook his head as he asked with slight desperation. "What do you want from me, Sam?"

"I want you to be who you are," she answered sadly.

"I know who I am," Danny replied with a frown. "I went through too much to not know that by now. The question is if you know who I am? Or… is Danny Phantom all you care about?"

Sam's eyes widened.

"Um… I should probably…," Tucker began awkwardly

"Don't bother, Tucker," Sam cut him off coldly. "I'm leaving."

"Seriously?" Tucker asked as he watched Sam stomp towards the door. But looking at his half-ghost friend, he added, "Danny? Dude?"

But Danny didn't move from his spot.

Sam opened the door, but as she was about leave, she stopped and looked back at Danny.

"I know who you are, Danny," she replied coldly. "It's you who doesn't seem to know me as well as I thought if you think all I care about is Danny Phantom. It's you who doesn't seem to know me or trust me enough. Otherwise you wouldn't keep hiding things from me! I guess us being friends for so many years suddenly counts for nothing just because I'm your girlfriend!"

Danny just looked away as Sam all but slammed the door on her way out.

Tucker stood there for a moment in shock before suddenly glaring at his half-ghost friend. "I can't believe you just let her leave like that!"

"Why shouldn't I, Tucker?" Danny quickly asked, matching his glare. "Every time I want to make a decision for my own good, she treats me like I'm some bad guy! Why is she so obsessed with Danny Phantom?"

"Maybe because Danny Phantom has brought out the best in you!" Tucker argued back.

"Yeah, and he's also brought out the worst in me," Danny replied bitterly.

Tucker sighed and shook his head. "Look, man. I'm not going to try to change your mind. It's your choice. I just hope you make the right one."

Danny frowned deeply as he replied, "Sometimes there isn't a right or wrong choice, Tucker. Sometimes you have to pick between two right choices…And all that's been happening with Vlad, Valerie, even the Guys-in-White… All the popularity in this past year… I'm finding myself wishing more often than not that things were like before… I don't regret that my parents know, but I wish no one else knew I was Danny Phantom… Tucker, the world thinks of me as 'the world's hero'. How long will it be before I let them down?"

"Dude, why would you let them down?" Tucker asked, confused.

Danny was quiet for a second or two before replying, "I will always be Danny Phantom, but he can't always be around to save the day. I can't save everyone, Tucker. Although I wish I could, it's impossible. So, if I have to choose, I rather be there for my friends and family."

"Then, you should start by telling said family your plans," Tucker said seriously as he stood up.

Danny quickly asked, "Where are you going?"

Tucker shot his friend a disapproving look as he replied, "To do what you should be doing… Looking for Sam."

The half-ghost teen sighed as his best friend headed towards the door. "Tucker…"

The dark-skinned boy paused and turned to his friend. "You know, man… You're not the only one who's sacrificed in these past years. You might have had to carry the responsibilities that came with being Danny Phantom, but Sam and I have been there to help you carry them, too. We've also had to give up normality and… even people we care about," Tucker added with a sad frown. "But we're not sorry for it. I'm not sorry for it, because Danny Phantom has brought us closer and has made us realize the important things in life. And just so you know, Sam had a crush on you before you even got ghost powers…"

Danny just stared at him in surprise.

Tucker sighed. "We'll be back tomorrow to go to Clockwork's with you."

And with that, Tucker left.

Danny leaned forward and pressed his face into his hands. "Just great. Nice going, Fenton," he muttered.

"Danny?"

The teen looked up and saw his sister walking into the living room.

Having heard the last of Tucker's conversation with her brother, Jazz's eyebrows creased with concern as she asked, "Is everything alright?"

"I don't know what to do, Jazz!" Danny replied as he lowered his hands and leaned forward. He rested his arms on his thighs and stared at the ground as he asked himself out loud, "Why is it that when I try to do something right for myself, I end up letting everyone down?"

Jazz sat beside him and placed a hand on his back; but before she could say anything, there was a loud bang from the lab door's being kicked open.

"DANNY-BOY!" Jack hollered excitedly.

Danny looked up just as his father and mother came into the living room.

"Oh, there you are, sweetie!" Maddie exclaimed brightly. "You are not going to believe what—Is something wrong?" Maddie frowned at sensing the gloomy tension around her son.

Danny smiled weakly and shook his head. "No, I just—" But the teen abruptly stopped talking as he saw everything around him blur, and just as quickly, the air felt hot and heavy.

"You guys feel that?" the young hybrid asked as he stood up and looked around. But he unexpectedly felt sluggish and tired. It seemed as if just turning his head was a difficult task; and as he tried to make sense of what was happening, it became impossible. He couldn't even think right.

He blinked a few times as he tried to recall what he had been doing, but as he adjusted his gaze, he noticed something—or, someone—at the top of the stairs.

"Sam?" Danny asked in confusion.

His girlfriend was at the top of the stairs, and the boy couldn't help to suddenly notice how beautiful she looked. She was radiant—almost glowing, actually—more so than at their first high school dance and she had looked so perfect with that dress…

"Come here…," Sam suddenly whispered to him as she beckoned him with a finger.

Danny moved forward without a thought. He didn't even notice how Jazz had fallen asleep on the couch or how his parents were just standing there in a daze.

He didn't even notice that the clock on the wall had slowed down to the point that the second hand was struggling to mark the next second. But even the house seemed affected by the strange force in the atmosphere as its walls, furniture and everything else shifted from looking completely decayed to looking brand new.

Meanwhile, all Danny could think about was getting to Sam.

He walked up the stairs, and yet it seemed like forever before he reached the top. But just as Danny was about to reach out to her, Sam moved again.

"Wait," Danny asked as he followed after her. "I… I didn't mean what I said. Sam?"

But the girl ignored him as she entered his bedroom.

"Sam, please. Can we just talk?" the teen asked worriedly when she finally stopped beside his bed and turned to face him.

"Of course. That's why I'm here," Sam said with a calm smile. "But first… come closer."

Danny hesitated as he tried to figure out why everything felt wrong, and yet, he couldn't understand why. It's like… his mind was working in slow motion, and he couldn't seem to grasp his thoughts. But his feelings remained intact. And right now, he just wanted to be close to Sam.

But then, as if gravity could suddenly be inverted and then placed horizontally, Danny gasped as a force pushed him forward towards Sam. He would have fallen on his face if that same force didn't suddenly shift directions and hold him up.

However, 'the force of gravity' seemed to return to normal when Sam raised a hand and he fell on his bed. And yet, she hadn't even touched him.

Danny tried to get his brain to catch up on what was going on, but all he could do was gasp as if he couldn't breathe. Why was it so hot in here? He struggled to sit up, but all he managed to do was to pull up on his elbows.

"Something's wrong," he whispered, confused.

But Sam was suddenly leaning forward to the point that he had to lean back a bit to look into her eyes. "What are you doing?" he asked with uncertainty.

"I have a gift for you… Will you accept it?" she softly asked.

"A gift?"

Sam nodded. "Yes… A kiss."

Danny blushed. "Um, I thought you were mad at me… Maybe we should… talk first?"

Sam smiled slightly. "So, noble… But you must accept my gift… Do you not want her?"

"What?" Danny asked and shook his head in an attempt to clear it.

"A kiss… from your love… Will you accept it?" Sam asked as she placed a hand gently on the boy's cheek.

"Yes," Danny replied before his brain could even catch up to him.

Sam's smile curved higher before she pulled closer and pressed her lips against the boy's own.

Danny readily kissed her back, only to pull away with a gasp of pain as his lips burned like he had just pressed them against a hot iron. But that wasn't all…

There was something now in his throat.

Danny's eyes widened and he wrapped his hands around his throat as he began to choke on whatever was lodged in it.

Sam stared calmly at the boy before she suddenly dissolved into red energy which abruptly shot forward and into the teen's open mouth.

Danny fell back on his bed with the force and clawed even more at his neck.

In the far end of the room, Serenity materialized and calmly strolled forward. She ignored how the lights exploded in the boy's room and how the paint began to melt off the walls, only for it to return like new at the next instant before it would happen all over again.

She simply looked down at the suffering hybrid, who couldn't even express his pain because he couldn't breathe.

"Easy, young light," she soothed.

Danny felt like his throat was on fire! It was worse than when Vlad had electrified his throat that one time when he had been forced at the man's side, and the man had left him voiceless for days for using his Ghostly Wail!

There was something stuck in his throat but it was slowly forcing its way deeper inside; and the deeper it went, the more it was boiling his insides!

"Shh… Do not fight it, young light," Serenity said as she leaned forward and easily moved the boy's hands away from his throat in spite of his death grip around it. Using spirit energy, she forced the teen's hands to remain still at his sides. She then lightly touched her fingers to his throat which was pulsing with a red energy.

"There…." she said with a small smile as she watched the red glow in the teen's throat finally move all the way down and disappear within his chest.

Danny's blue eyes suddenly fluttered close, the tension in his body collapsed, and his head fell to the side.

"Do not worry, young light," Serenity continued. "I will make this quick. You will not remember a thing…"

She needed to know why Clockwork had given up his Existence for the sake of this mortal. She was certain her counterpart had to have had a powerful reason, and she was sure she would find that answer locked inside this child… She just needed to open him up to find it…

She raised her hands above the teen and a red glow instantly appeared all over his body. Danny's unconscious body rose off the bed, looking too much like the typical horror movies of when people were possessed. But then, no movie could describe what happened next…

The teen's human form began to turn wispy until he was nothing but a silhouette of green energy outlined by a red hue. Sparks of white light shot like brain neurons between each. He appeared much like how his ghost form would look for teleportation.

Serenity moved her hand towards her, and the boy's body rose into a vertical position in front of her. She then moved closer and carefully pinched one of the white sparks and pulled it out of the boy's body.

As if the spark was mere putty, she used her other hand to expand the white spark both horizontally and vertically, just barely revealing its DNA formation. But the double helixes were coated in ghostly green light.

She seemed to study the DNA for a moment, before she muttered, "Hmm… Let's unravel you, crossbreed…."

She just as carefully placed the white spark back where she had taken it from before lowering Danny back down on the bed. But the red glow around his body intensified as she began to unravel his ghost and human halves.

In a few seconds, Danny's ghost half lifted above his human half, which remained on the bed. Serenity moved her hand slightly and the ghostly half levitated sideways and then fell gently to rest on the bed alongside his human side.

Serenity curiously looked at the boy's two halves before waving a hand over them again. As if being viewed under an X-ray machine, both human and ghost halves suddenly showed skeletal structures. Or, at least the boy's ghost half reflected the pseudo equivalent of a skeleton, being that ghosts were only energy.

She waved her hand again but just over the teen's human side this time, and a muscular and circulatory system appeared. Danny's human heart pumped steadily even as he remained unconscious.

"Completely mortal…," Serenity said quietly with a frown. "I do not understand."

There had to be a reason why Clockwork would allow his own destruction. She could not accept that her counterpart would do something so drastic without any logic or motive. All of Existence was falling apart because of Clockwork's foolish decision, and Serenity needed to know why he would put everything at risk for this mere mortal child.

She turned her gaze to the ghost part, and waved her hand over it. There was no real muscular system, but there was a definitive circulatory system; but instead of blood, ectoplasm and energy was flowing through the ghost half's veins.

Serenity stepped closer and locked her eyes on the hybrid's ghostly core. Unlike the human heart, it was directly in the center of the chest cavity. The teen's core looked like a miniature sun. It glowed brightly; yet the bluish-white sphere sparked with green energy while a bluish fog smoked out of it.

Serenity moved her hand forward; and as if the boy's ghostly body was simply water, it rippled when she reached into him and wrapped her hand around the sphere.

In an instant, the boy's core's temperature dropped and a layer of solid blue ice formed around it.

Serenity smirked lightly. Even while unconscious, the boy's core instinctively protected itself.

But her hand began to glow red before a ghostly fire wrapped around the core, dissolving its protective layer. She then easily pulled it out of the teen's body. She paused, however, when she noticed that the human teen's heart began to slow down.

The female spirit almost seemed to hesitate before she turned her focus back on the core in her hand. She levitated it to her eye level. However, she then gently cupped the core within both of her hands before she began to expand it horizontally this time.

As if the core were a young rosebud opening for the first time, it began to spread out into layers until every part of the boy's core was exposed to her eyes.

Serenity studied it for a brief moment before focusing specifically on a shimmering sphere of energy at the center of the core. It was the boy's core energy. Oddly enough, it was clear with a bright white glow. Usually core energy was the same color as a ghost's normal energy. Apparently, hybrids were different.

Serenity reached forward again and plucked the core energy from the layers of the core spread out in front of her. She then began to expand the core energy even further until it was large enough to reveal that the clear energy was not so clear. There were more sparks of energy shooting throughout it; but the sparks were of many different colors. Mainly green and blue; but there were a few red, purple, and even pink, sparks. It almost looked like a map of the constellations; only that the sky was silver and transparent and shimmered with stars of different colors.

Serenity knew that a ghost's—and even a spirit's—core energy was indeed much like a map; but a map which revealed everything about its owner's powers and abilities. You just needed to know how to read said maps.

Luckily, she had such knowledge on the structure of ghostly cores.

Serenity raised an eyebrow as she gently touched one of the sparks and watched it flash white.

"Regenerative abilities… I suppose it explains your unique core, crossbreed… But there must be more to you than that…"

She touched a few more of the sparks and oddly began to notice that some of them were not powers and energies that she had expected to find within such a young core… The red sparks were strange enough. Actually, the only sparks that should be within the boy's core were the green and blue sparks… Those energies were typical of ghosts with icy or normal cores. She wasn't sure how all these other colored ones had developed, especially the red and pink which she had only seen in ghosts with hot cores…

And yet, a certain blue spark suddenly caught her attention. It was strange because it was pulsating. She touched it with a finger, and was honestly surprised when it suddenly turned gold. But at the feeling of the spark, she instantly knew what it was.

Could it be possible?

Serenity quickly glanced at the unconscious hybrid in disbelief, but readily frowned when she noticed his heart was barely beating anymore. Actually, the boy's core was dimmer than when she had first removed it.

She had purposely slowed the movement of the Natural Order to serve her purpose; but it seemed even that was not enough to keep her powers from completely affecting the child.

"How strange that the boy's human and ghost half is so connected; yet his evil future version managed to survive a permanent split from his humanity…"

Serenity didn't give it more thought and just turned back to her discovery. She carefully plucked out the spark and expanded it. In return, her own hue turned gold.

She gently smiled. So, this is what Clockwork had seen in the boy…? This was his reason..?

How interesting… and still so very foolish to put his trust in a mortal child with unstable powers… But much made sense now…

"My dearest Clockwork… Just when I begin to understand you…" Serenity said with a small sigh.

She almost seemed reluctant to return the spark, but knew it was necessary. And she was out of time, ironically.

Putting the spark back in its place, she then condensed the hybrid's core energy again and placed it back in his core. After, she joined the boy's core together.

Serenity walked over to Danny's ghost half and carefully placed his core back into place. But then she tilted her head when it didn't want to respond.

"For all its uniqueness and power, your core is quite sensitive, crossbreed…," she commented before she shot a small spark of electricity to get it working again.

She smiled when the organ instantly froze over again, reacting normally to the feeling of being threatened. But she could also see the boy's heart was beating again. Finally Serenity joined Danny together, but he remained unconscious and now the red glow was back in his throat.

"So it seems I am forced to re-order my plans, and all because of you, young light…" Serenity said thoughtfully before she reached forward and lightly pressed a hand on the boy's cheek.

She smiled calmly again. "Order will still prevail. You will be tested, and I will do things my way this time… But in the meantime…"

The Spirit of Order moved her hand towards the boy's mouth and it opened on its own accord. Slowly, a small transparent crystal came out of his mouth and it was followed by the red energy which quickly absorbed into the crystal.

"….I will be watching, crossbreed…" Serenity finished as she touched the red crystal floating above the teen's mouth.

Instantly, the crystal reappeared back around her neck within a golden necklace. Then, a flash of red light rippled out of it. And sure she had re-ordered the events of what just happened so that the teen would not suspect anything, she vanished in a burst of red fire…

Only then did the thick, hot and heavy movement of time lift, and things returned to normal.


Danny rubbed at his chest for what seemed like the fifth time as he sat on his bed. He thought back to what happened just a few hours ago, and found he was still as confused as ever.

He remembered being downstairs with Sam and Tucker, and then he got into that argument with Sam, and she left upset with him. Tucker than left right after.

What was strange was that he remembered Jazz coming in to ask him what was wrong, but apparently that never happened, and he had just gone to his room. He fell asleep without even realizing it. By the time he woke up, it was time for dinner, and his mother was calling him to come down…

He had asked Jazz about it, but she said she had been in her room most of the day once they returned from Frostbite's. She had come down to the living room, but to read a book. Then again, she didn't do much reading because she had ended up falling asleep. Jazz briefly went on about how odd that was for her because she never fell asleep in the living room. But apparently, she had and she and Danny never talked downstairs.

Maybe he had just dreamed it.

Danny shuddered. Speaking of dreams, he had had the creepiest dream where he was being dissected! He couldn't remember the dream exactly. It was a blur, but he remembered briefly these moments of intense pain. And… Sam was there for some odd reason.

The teen rubbed his chest again. He could still feel as if his core were being ripped out. It was too surreal.

He shook his head and reached for his phone, and quickly dialed Sam's number.

"Pick up… Please, pick up," Danny muttered, but it went to voicemail again.

The teen sighed before leaving a message, "Hey, Sam, it's me again… Look, I'm sorry about what I said. I just…. Can we just talk about this? Please? Call me."

He hung up and quickly texted Tucker, "Hey Tuck. Um, is Sam okay?"

His friend soon replied, "Yeah, I was at her house just an hour ago. She's just mad at you for being a jerk. But you know she cares too much about you to stay angry forever, so just give her some time. See ya tomorrow, dude…"

Danny's eyebrows creased in sadness, but then he suddenly got another text. It was Sam!

"Danny. I got your messages. We'll talk tomorrow. Sam."

The teen's hope quickly deflated at the sight of the short and impersonal message. Still he replied back, "Sam, I'm sorry. I really am. I know I was a jerk, but you know how much I care about you. I was just frustrated, but I shouldn't have said what I said… But if you want, we'll talk tomorrow. Goodnight…"

Danny sent his message before he fell back on his bed; and placing his phone to the side, he pressed his hands against his face and groaned. As if he didn't have enough worries; now he had to add 'his girlfriend being mad at him' to his list again. He suddenly realized they had been arguing a lot lately… ever since Niane showed up and revealed Plasmius was alive and scheming!

Lowering his hands, he said with a determined frowned, "I have to figure out what Plasmius is doing and put a stop to this before he causes another catastrophe… and ruins my life all over again."

He got off his bed and went to his computer. He quickly logged in, but when he checked his messages, he realized he didn't have a response from Annie yet.

"That's weird…" Danny muttered.

Annabelle had been helping him with the research on spirits since they talked; but just yesterday morning, she told him that she was going to be sending him Vlad's ghostly books so he wouldn't have to come to Wisconsin.

Although she didn't say it, Danny had a suspicion that the girl's mother didn't want him going over there. Let alone for the rest of his family to come with him to Wisconsin—which he knew would have been the case if he had gone to pick up the books in person. He could understand why Stephanie wouldn't want that, of course. It would be quite awkward. And it was one of the reasons why he hadn't told even his friends that he was friends with the daughter of Vlad's former secretary and high-school sweetheart.

But it wouldn't surprise him if Stephanie had also prohibited Annie from getting involved in all this ghostly stuff. And Danny couldn't really blame the woman for protecting her daughter; so he had not questioned or protested against it when Annie told him she would sending him the books with that creepy ghost pilot, Jim. Danny was surprised that ghost was still part of the staff, but whatever.

What Danny didn't understand was why Annie had not sent the books yet. Jim was a ghost; so next day delivery was a given. He had written her this morning, but she had yet to answer him. Actually, she had not answered any of his messages since he last spoke with her yesterday morning…

Danny sighed, and quickly wrote another message after checking the girl wasn't online.

"Annie, hey. Is everything alright? I haven't heard from you. Please write me as soon as you can. Danny."

As he waited, Danny turned to the documents Annie had sent him during her own research, and there was a piece of information that caught his interest… It was from the book on spirits Vlad once shared with him. Danny remembered because Vlad had once read to him a part of what was on the page Annie had taken a picture of and sent to him…

"Very little is known about Spirits. However, there are characteristics that distinguish spirits from other spectral entities. Although there is no account for their formation, most agree that spirits were created from the beginning of time to protect Existence. They are often referred to as guardians or angels charged with the task of protecting the grand design of all Existence.

The exact location of their realm is unknown, but it has been agreed that the realm's entrance is hidden somewhere with the Forbidden Region of the Ghost Zone. There are no known accounts of anyone ever finding and exploring the spirit realm, which has been titled 'The Realm Beyond Time', while others call it 'The Timeless Realm'.

The title depicts not only the nature of the realm, but also of the beings that reside in it. The most important trait all spirits share is that they exist outside the paradox of Time. It is theorized that their external placement within Existence allows them to perform their duties without consequence to Time. It is for this reason that spirits are also believed to be immortal. No human or ghost hand can harm a spirit. Spirits, hence, are considered at a higher energy level than ghosts; but because their energy is vastly different, there is no means of comparing it.

Spirits are known for their wisdom and unique powers. The fact that they were created to protect Time and Existence does not permit for obsession or personal pursuits. However, it is that same wisdom and hard-wired conviction that makes them efficient in their duties. In comparison to both humans and ghosts, spirits do not have true feelings. Their wisdom extends further than emotions, and so they are often seen as apathetic.

The most famous spirits are the Ancients. And yet there is only one documented event about them, which is also widely ambiguous. Though many have agreed on the existence of seven Ancient spirits, a further dated document depicts the existence of eight Ancient spirits.

The accounts of spirits are as follows.

The Spirit of Fate (Also known as the Keeper of Fate)

The Spirit of Justice

The Spirit of Life and Death

The Spirit of Love

The Spirit of Order

The Spirit of Souls

The Spirit of Time (Also known as the Master of Time)

The Spirit of Truth

The Spirit of the Elements (Also known as the Keeper of the Elements)

The Spirit of the Realms

The Spirit of the Cosmos

Spirits of Guardianship. (A group of spirits said to serve other spirits.)

Mystical Spirits. (Spirits with magical powers)

The Spirits of Observation. (A developed group and culture of spirits, best known as The Observants.)

Danny continued to read on and found that after the list there was further detail about each spirit; but most only had one or two sentences' worth.

Danny quickly read over what it said about Clockwork just out of curiosity; but not finding anything he didn't know, he turned to what he was looking for: The Spirit of Order.

The Spirit of Order is one of the known Ancients. Believed to be female, her form is both captivating and deceiving. Like most Ancients, the Spirit of Order has the capability to shift forms. Her true form is feministic; however, she is best known for her Ancient and Phoenix form…

"Phoenix," Danny repeated in surprise as he remembered back to when he had gone to the vanishing isle with Vlad… "Was that Phoenix that tried to kill us… the Spirit of Order?"

Danny cringed. "That's not good…"

He read on.

Also as an Ancient, the Spirit of Order has a specific scroll and relic. Spirit relics are made of half of the Spirit's core energy; and therefore, connected to the spirit. The Order's Crystal has only been seen on one occasion according to historical accounts in the Ghost Zone. It is a small gem, the size of a human eye and shaped like an egg."

"Small?" Danny questioned, confused. He had the Order's Crystal, and though it wasn't huge, it was bigger than an eye. It was big enough for him to hold with both hands, especially when it had been attached to the claw-shaped stand….

"Well, the book has that one wrong," Danny muttered as he continued to read.

The Spirit of Order is said to have the power to restructure entire single timelines, alter events, and manipulate the Natural Order, including the natural laws, like gravity. Some abilities are similar to that of the Master of Time as a result of both Time and Order being naturally intertwined.

Danny frowned as he finally reached the end of the part describing the Spirit of Order.

"This is all the more reason to see Clockwork," he realized. "If this spirit's powers are similar to his, then Clockwork might know what I can do to stop Vlad, or at least find that Isle again and just return the Order's Crystal to the Spirit of Order…"

Danny looked at his computer and his eyebrows creased. Still no answer from Annabelle. It was very strange.

Sighing, Danny quickly printed the book page Annie had sent him, and then stood. He needed to show this to his family.


Dan floated with the Fright Knight in the middle of an empty space in the Realm Beyond Time.

"Master, I assure you, this is where I located the Spirit of Order's isle only days ago," the Halloween spirit said fearfully. "It must have vanished to another location again… If you allow me I could locate—"

"Stop talking," Phantom abruptly ordered in a calm yet cold voice. He floated forward a bit and grabbed a piece of floating stone. Actually, there was a lot of debris scattered around. Something had certainly been here, but the evil spirit doubted the isle just vanished to another location this time. It was still here, just floating around in pieces everywhere…

"Relax, Fright Knight. I believe you," Phantom said as he turned to face the ghost with a smirk.

But then he suddenly tossed the piece of stone at the ghost knight, who slightly cringed as the rock hit his helmet with a clang.

"You know, when you told me that whole story about Time and Order, I thought it was just some lore the Ancients made up to keep others away from this place…. It might just turn out that I was wrong." Phantom then laughed at that for some reason.

He turned back around and looked at the empty surroundings with a growing evil smile. When he had taken the Master of Time's power, he did it out of revenge and, well, who wouldn't want to have time powers? But he was beginning to realize he might have just taken more than he originally thought. And the possibility that he really had was becoming pretty appealing…

Destroying the Real Word and Ghost Zone was fun and all… but thanks to Clockwork, he now had the chance to bring chaos to the Spirit World, and if he felt bored later, he'd go mess up other timelines…

Dan could already begin to feel the time powers becoming more and more a part of him. It was normal for powers and essences that he absorbed to take days to blend and fuse into his being. But it always happened eventually.

"Too bad I didn't find the spirit book at Skulker's lair," Phantom spoke out loud to himself. "Could have been helpful… Oh, well… At least I had some fun while I was there…"

Although he wasn't being addressed, Fright Knight lowered his gaze as he thought back to their trip to Skulker's island. As if it hadn't been enough to condemn the Hunter to an eternity in the Realm of Nightmare…

Phantom looked around the area one last time before his thoughts drifted. He lifted his hand and fisted it as it glowed with dark green energy.

He grinned.

He was finally at full strength again. And that meant he was ready to go pay his younger self a visit.

He had hoped to first figure out this whole thing with the Spirit of Order and Order's Crystal. After all, the story behind it all was just too tantalizing to ignore. But it seemed he had reached a dead end…

"So, Fright Knight…" Phantom said in contemplation, but still had his back to the ghost. "We have no spirit book, no vanishing Isle, and no way of finding the other half of the Order's Crystal… Any other suggestion on how else I can find the Spirit of Order?"

"You could simply wait for her to come to you."

Dan briefly tensed. That definitely had not been Fright Knight's voice.

Turning around, Phantom raised an eyebrow as he found none other than Serenity in her humanoid form.

Dan crossed his arms, and answered smugly, "That works, too."

Serenity calmly sized up the other spirit. But Phantom also didn't waste the opportunity to study the female spirit; except, he was more than just sizing her up.

Ignoring the growing devious and lewd smirk on the male spirit's face, the Spirit of Order turned her red eyes to Fright Knight, who looked frozen in terror.

But the moment the medieval spirit saw the female spirit's eyes on him, Fright Knight prostrated in mid-air as he whispered, "Mistress… I am only but a servant."

"Yes….," Serenity replied with an eerie smile. "I remember you, Fright Knight. Or, as you were once known… the Spirit of Halloween. Although I always preferred 'the Spirit of Souls'… It is a true shame that your sins against the spirit realm got you casted out and turned into a mere ghost…"

"Well, what do you know?" Dan interrupted. "The Fright Knight was once a spirit? Yeah… I guess I can kind of see it. Soul Shredder and all…" Phantom chuckled. "But talk about getting the boot."

"And condemned to eternal servitude," Serenity continued as if the other male spirit had not spoken. "The Ancients were merciful to you, Fright Knight. Or, rather, Clockwork was… Thanks to him you were allowed to remain the guardian of the Soul Shredder."

"I find it a burden nowadays, mistress," Fright Knight answered, still prostrated.

"It would not be if you were where I last put you… within the Realm of Nightmare. I cursed you into that pumpkin to keep you safe from yourself… So that…" She glanced at Phantom. "…your power and knowledge wouldn't fall into the wrong hands… Yet, here we are."

She shook her head as she added, "Now I am certain Clockwork's choice to keep you from Oblivion was a mistake…"

"I now believe so, too, mistress," the medieval ghost whispered.

"Oh, I wouldn't worry about the Fright Knight," Dan said as he moved closer to the female spirit. "I'll probably end up getting rid of him myself after I'm bored of him…"

"You reek of chaos," Serenity replied as her lips pressed into a fine line. "Maybe I should just destroy you both now…"

Phantom grinned. "Come and try…" But when the female spirit didn't move or reply, he chuckled. "You can't destroy me, Serenity… You want to know why?"

Phantom suddenly teleported and removed the remaining distance between himself and the female spirit. He then whispered in her ear, "You can't destroy me because I am now your Master."

Serenity didn't even tense; yet her hue and Phantom's own began to glow with a gold hue with their proximity.

The female spirit pulled back just enough to look right into the male spirit's soulless eyes as she answered coldly, "You are the master of nothing… All you have done is stolen something that does not belong to you. I will only ask you once to hand it over to me, or I will see to your complete elimination."

Phantom floated back a bit to pull out the half of the Order's Crystal he had stolen from Plasmius. It glowed a bright gold as he replied mockingly, "Is this what I've stolen?"

Serenity frowned. "That belongs to the light's shadow, whom you have destroyed…"

Phantom blinked. "I have no idea what you just said."

"Of course not," she answered calmly; yet the air began to heat up, as she further said, "You are nothing more than a wildfire, consuming lives and reaping destruction with no path or direction or purpose. But do you know what happens to an uncontrolled fire? …It eventually snuffs itself out."

Dan cocked his head. "Was that whole metaphor about me?" But then he added maliciously, "I like it… And I got to agree, I am pretty destructive."

"Return what you have stolen, abomination," Serenity commanded coolly.

Dan smirked. "And you continue to flatter me. Why would I return this half of the Order's Crystal when I am looking for the other half…?"

Serenity's eyes turned a darker red. She knew that male spirit was taunting her. He knew what she was really after. And it wasn't the crystal in the twisted creature's hand…

"Clockwork's essence," she finally spoke forwardly. "Hand it over to me… I can sense it within you. I will even give you the other part of the crystal in return."

"Oh, you mean that," Phantom answered with fake realization. He pretended to think about it before answering, "It's a tempting offer, but… I can't give you what I've taken from Clockwork… spoils of war, you see…"

But Dan suddenly seized the female by the neck and pulled her close as he then sneered, "And so are you. And the last time I checked, I don't take orders or bargain with my things. I get from them what I want. And the first thing you're going to do is tell your master where he can find the other half of your crystal."

Serenity just stared coldly back at him.

"Am I going to have to force it out of you?" Dan asked evilly. "Fair warning, though... I have a very vivid imagination..."

"Go ahead and try," she challenged back.

Phantom laughed. "You think I don't know why you're really here?"

Although the male spirit still had his hand around her throat, she smiled eerily as she replied, "Do enlighten me…"

Dan squeezed the female spirit's neck harder as he moved closer until he was inches from her face. He then said in a mocking voice, "…Long ago, there were two Ancients created to work together to protect Time and Order. But they were created differently down to their very cores to complement each other and to create a balance in Existence and protect it. While the Spirit of Order held a vast amount of wisdom, the Spirit of Time was given a gentle and guiding core. He was the head of their partnership to make sure her gifts did not corrupt her. But one day, the Spirit of Order got tired of being subjected by the Spirit of Time's judgment and made it so that he could no longer control her. So, she had him exiled as an Ancient. And though the consequences of their broken bond can still be felt within Time and Order and their powers were greatly diminished, they both went their own ways… Like the story? Oh, I know you do…"

He smirked. "The only problem is the ending… You never expected for an 'abomination' to come along and take the place of your more compassionate partner… I know why you want Clockwork's essence. Because whoever controls time controls you…"

"No one controls me. I am the manifestation of Order," she answered calmly.

"And I am the manifestation your worst nightmare," Phantom sneered darkly. "I want you to know that I hated Clockwork. And I hate anything tied to him… So, knowing what you are…"

He grinned maliciously. "Clockwork might have been too weak to tame you, but… I will. And I am going to enjoy every moment of it."

"Will you?" she answered back unfazed.

Dan chuckled before he suddenly moved his grip on the female neck to her face and forced her lips against his; but the instant he did, he hissed and pulled away as he was scorched by her touch. And yet, Phantom's grin only grew.

"Clockwork had good taste… Too bad he won't be around to see me do what he never could…"

"So, you want to force me under your will…? Control me and my powers...?" Serenity suddenly turned into ashes to escape Phantom's grip, but readily reformed behind him.

But before Dan could turn around, she placed a hand on his shoulder, stopping him as she said, "You now hold Clockwork's essence… So, yes, you could try to control me… But know that a fire will always remain a fire no matter who thinks has control over it. You see, Clockwork never forced his authority over me because he did not need to. He held something stronger over me… Have you considered that I wanted to be at the Time Master's side? … He is a part of me. I am stronger at his side…. Perhaps even at… She whispered in his ear, "...your side."

Dan raised a curious eyebrow.

"The only problem is that you still lack the true essence of the Master of Time," she finished calmly.

Phantom turned around to face Serenity. "I destroyed, Clockwork, and I absorbed his staff's power, which held his essence…"

"Half…of his essence," Serenity corrected with a smirk.

"And?" Phantom asked in a bored manner, "I still control his powers."

"Only in part," Serenity said. "You cannot control Time completely unless you become the Master of Time."

"And why should I care to become the Master of Time?" Dan asked dryly.

"Because there must be a Master of Time," Serenity replied. "By your destroying Clockwork, you have begun to unravel Time and Order itself. And you might not care, but you should; because if that happens, all of Existence and everything in it, which includes you, will be wiped out. And even if you could escape the destruction of all Existence, you cannot wreck havoc on a world if there is not one to do it in, hmm?"

Dan rolled his eyes. "And I bet you are going to tell me just how to fix my horrible mistake?"

Serenity raised an eyebrow. "Well, you could just hand over Clockwork's essence to me, and because we were bonded, I can absorb his powers, and fix all this… There will be no need for a Master of Time if I control both Time and Order… I will be their Master. "

Phantom chuckled. "Try again."

Serenity smiled slightly before glancing over at the Fright Knight, who had not moved from his prostrated position. She turned her red eyes back to the evil male spirit as she revealed, "Or… you could absorb all of Clockwork's essence and become the Master of Time. Oh, but you destroyed Clockwork so…. his remaining essence is now no more… That leaves you one final option…. You must prove yourself worthy of becoming the Master of Time. Then, Time itself will choose you and give you what you still lack."

Phantom burst into laughter. "Prove myself worthy? By doing what? Rescuing a cat from a tree and become a hero?"

"It is clear you were part of the mortal world for too long," Serenity answered with slight disgust in her voice. "Spirits do not prove their worth by noble deeds. It is done by proving your power—your ability to hold a gift such as Time in your hands."

Dan sighed and rolled his eyes. He was really getting bored of this.

"And how would I do that?" he asked with irritation this time.

Serenity smiled. "They are simple tasks… I will tell you the first one, and once you complete it, I will tell you the rest…. "

Dan just raised an eyebrow.

"Your younger self. You must eliminate him."

Phantom chuckled. "That's a given…. What next?"

"I will tell you once you have completed that part… You will also find that your younger counterpart has the other half of my crystal."

"Convenient," Phantom replied with growing interest. "But… If you want Danny as dead as I want him, then why not just do it yourself?"

"For reasons a chaotic abomination as yourself could never understand," she replied seriously. "All the same, I am the Spirit of Order, and death and destruction is too… chaotic for me. I do not resort to it unless as a last resort… I cannot say the same for the rest of my clan. So, if you insist on keeping Clockwork's powers, then I would not waste anymore time..."

But when Serenity turned to leave, Phantom teleported in front of her, and darkly said, "Oh, not so fast… Do you really think I'm stupid enough to think you've told me all this without a reason or some benefit to you? For all I know, you've fed me lies."

"I do not lie," she answered evenly.

"I don't really care because you're not going anywhere until I say so," he sneered back.

Serenity suddenly transformed into a monstrous phoenix, and with a flap of her wings, the entire area became engulfed in flames. And though her beak did not move, her voice echoed with darkness around Phantom as she hissed, "I do not belong to you yet, abomination! So, it will be wise of you to not try me… I have shared my knowledge with you for a single obvious reason… I am hoping you and your younger self will destroy each other so I can be there to take Clockwork's essence in the aftermath…. I will be watching closely."

With that, Serenity vanished with a burst of red ashes.

Dan covered his face to protect it from the hot sand. He narrowed his eyes at the empty space before glancing over at Fright Knight, who was finally on his feet, but was clearly terrified.

"Well, it looks like I will be paying my younger self a visit sooner than later after all…" Phantom grinned. "I can't wait…"


Serenity reappeared back at the remains of Clockwork's abode, and her form quickly melded into her humanoid appearance. As she walked forward, the rubble shook with her power. But when she turned and sat down on a broken chair, it instantly repaired itself.

She stared at the destruction around her before looking down at her hands. They were shaking. She did not know what it meant; but she did know why it was happening…

Ironically, she was running out of time.

Serenity looked around her again but then she softly gripped the small gem around her neck. She watched as a wave of energy expanded like a ripple away from her before Clockwork's tower began to reform around her. However, the tower's island expanded further and a beautiful golden temple connected to the clock tower. At the center of the temple, a volcano did not spurt out lava but crystalline water, which ran down its side and created streams around the tower and temple.

As she closed her eyes, reality faded as her mind transported to long ago…

"Serenity, I understand your concern. It is the same concern the Observants and even the rest of the Ancients have," Clockwork spoke soberly. "But I have seen Pariah Dark's timeline. There is still time."

"Time to reap more disorder, Clockwork?" Serenity asked with a displeased frown.

"No, there is still time to let him choose," the male spirit replied with a tired sigh."It is why I asked the Spirit of Souls to help me with the task of instructing the Ghost King, in hopes that his core can be turned from evil."

"And he has failed," Serenity reminded him calmly. "Pariah Dark will become powerful—more so than he already is. He is already showing a greed for power. He must be tested."

"Yes," Clockwork answered. "He must. But it must be a fair test, Serenity. A test in which he will not be set up for failure but will be allowed to choose freely."

Serenity glanced at the viewing orb as she impassively replied, "I suppose ultimately the Ancients decided as one that you would dictate the outcome of the Ghost King… And I am merely your shadow. I am destined to forever follow you."

"You speak as if it was a burden," Clockwork replied with a slight frown. But when the female spirit didn't answer, he added, "Serenity, I have never treated you as my inferior. I have never tried, nor do I want, to control you."

Serenity's eyes narrowed slightly yet her voice was calm as always as she replied, "Maybe you should…"

Clockwork stepped closer. "No… Everyone should have the right to chose, even us spirits."

"Choices mean freewill. Freewill turns to rebellion. And you know what happens to spirits that break their vows…," Serenity warned.

Clockwork smiled slightly. "For all your wisdom... There is so much you still do not understand."

"And for all your foresight, you are blind to the reality of things," she countered.

"Then it's a good thing we work together… We can cover each other's faults," Clockwork replied calmly.

"Then why does it seem that we are always at odds with each other?" she asked gravely.

"Serenity," Clockwork said, also becoming serious. "All I am asking is for you to trust me."

"Trust you over my logic?" Serenity asked, yet a small smile had appeared on her face.

"Sometimes there are more important things than logic," Clockwork answered with a small smile of his own as he reached forward and gently grabbed the crystal around her neck.

It instantly glowed a gold color as Serenity asked, "Such as…?"

"Faith. Hope… Love," he answered, staring at her.

Serenity's eyebrows creased. "Emotions?"

Clockwork chuckled warmly. "No… Powers. Forces. The greatest in all Existence…"

Serenity opened her eyes, and as she let go of her crystal, the tower, temple, and rest of the beautiful island began to blur. The illusion then fell apart and she was once again surrounded by nothing but the remnants of the clock tower.


The next day, Sam was in her room waiting for Tucker. They agreed to meet up before heading to Danny's house. She really hoped that Clockwork would be able to help them, or at least point them in the right direction to fixing this whole mess with the Spirit of Order.

Sam sighed before she went over to the white cat curled up in her bed. She sat on the ground and stroked the cat's head. Maddie purred in response.

But then the goth girl reached under the pillow of the cat bed and pulled out none other than Danny's half of the Order's Crystal.

The half-egg-shaped crystal still glowed with a ghostly hue, but it had now turned transparent. The green energy that had been swirling within it was now gone.

She had been discussing with Tucker last night if they should bring this along on their trip to see Clockwork. But then they decided it was not worth the risk of having it so close to Danny. After all, if Clockwork did ask for it, they could always come back to get it; or just tell the time ghost where it was. They were sure Clockwork could instantly get to her house and take it himself if he wanted.

For now, it was better to just keep it hidden. Sam just hoped there was a way to get rid of this thing soon.

"Knock-Knock"

Sam jolted and turned her head towards her window. But then realizing who it was, she quickly shoved the crystal back under Maddie's bed. The cat yowled in protest.

Sam gave her a quick pat on her head in apology before standing up and heading over to her window. She opened it.

Danny flew into her room and smiled weakly at her. "Hey, Sam…"

"Danny, what are you doing here? We were going to your house, you know," Sam said with a small frown.

"Yeah, but… I needed to talk with you," Danny replied. "Look, I'm sorry about what I said—"

"I don't want an apology, Danny," Sam cut him off with concern in her eyes. "It seems that's all we've been doing lately, but it doesn't help anything. Danny…I thought a lot about us last night, and…maybe we made a mistake."

The boy's eyes widened in disbelief.

Sam turned around away, unable to look at the boy as she further muttered, "You know I care about you, Danny, but I can't help but feel that I liked 'us' more when we were just friends. I-I feel like we're losing what really matters between us."

"Sam," Danny said as he gently grabbed her arm and then coaxed her to turn back around. "Look, I know things have been rough lately. We don't really get to spend a lot of time together because it's always one thing happening after another in my life. But if we were able to get through the hard times when we were just friends, then why not now? What has changed?"

Sam lowered her gaze as she felt her throat tighten. She didn't want to cry in front of Danny.

"I…," she began in a shaky voice. "I'm afraid…"

"Of what?" Danny asked, confused.

"Of losing you, Danny," Sam replied, finally looking at him. "What's change is that when we were just friends, we could argue and we'd always get over it, and we'd still be friends… But now when we argue, I can't get over it, Danny. And I know you can't, either… What if we get to a point where there's so much in between us that it drives a permanent wedge?"

"That's never going to happen," Danny answered seriously.

"You have no way of knowing that. And it's why I rather give up all this between us now, then to lose you completely," Sam answered sadly. "You're too important to me to ruin our life-long friendship over a romantic relationship."

Danny was quiet for a moment before he placed a hand on his girlfriend's face, and said, "I've always been afraid of losing you, Sam. It's a fear that has made me make a lot of mistakes, but it also has kept me from you. It kept me from telling you sooner how I felt. You know I would respect your decision if you really did want to break this off; but I don't think you do. And if there is something valuable I've learned, it's that we can't let fear control us. I don't want fear to keep me from you, and I just ask that you don't let it keep you from me… Sam…" Danny whispered as he pulled closer to her. "I… I love you."

Whatever emotional strength she had fell apart, and she suddenly wrapped her arms around Danny and began to cry.

The ghost boy readily hugged her back, but was internally shocked. He had never seen Sam cry before. Not even when they were younger. She was always the strongest of the three of them. But now, as he held her, Danny realized just how fragile she could also be.

But Danny also realized what it really meant to be emotionally involved with someone. He realized why things were so different between them. Now, whatever he did affected her as much as what she did affected him. That's why it wasn't as easy to get over their arguments or why their negative words hurt more now. Everything they did was no much more significant.

"I love you, too, Danny," Sam whispered back as she kept her face pressed against her boyfriend's chest. "I always have. It has never been about Danny Phantom. But you. I love you."

Danny felt his own throat tighten. They had never said those words to each other before; and though he had also always loved Sam as his friend, he knew his feelings for her now ran deeper and stronger than that. He didn't want to lose her. And especially not because of his own mistakes.

"Sam, I'm so sorry," Danny whispered with sadness as he held her. "I'm such a jerk."

Sam chuckled weakly as she pulled away a bit to look at him. "Just a little; but then, I can be overzealous about my opinions sometimes, too."

Danny smiled back, and wiped away a tear from her cheek with his thumb. "Just a little," he replied. "But we'll figure it out together. We'll get through this, Sam. I promise."

Sam nodded as she pulled away. "I believe you," she answered. But then, she blushed and quickly began to wipe the rest of her tears from her face as she added, "Ugh. I've turned into Paulina. This is so embarrassing."

Danny quickly grabbed her chin and kissed her on the lips. He then smirked and said, "Don't be embarrassed. I kind of like this side of you… The whole damsel in distress is pretty appealing to my hero-complex."

Sam rolled her eyes before punching him in the arm. "Yeah, well, I'd tell your hero-complex not to get too use to it."

Danny playfully pouted and rubbed his arm.

Right then, the doorbell rang.

"That's probably Tucker," Sam said. "My parents invited him for breakfast, and I'm sure they'd be thrilled for you to join us, too. Plus, I bet you didn't even eat before getting here."

Danny blushed.

"I'll meet you downstairs," Sam smirked knowingly; but when her boyfriend just blinked at her, she added dryly, "You can't exactly walk out of my room with me, Danny. My parents would flip."

"Oh, right!" Danny said meekly. He then flew over and kissed her on the cheek. "See you down there."

With that, he teleported and appeared right next to Tucker. "Hey, Tuck!"

The techno-geek let out a yell of alarm at the sudden appearance of his friend.

"Danny! Geez, man! Are you trying to cut down my years of life? Because that's what's happening with your constant scares ever since you learned to teleport! I'm pretty sure I'm down by ten years by now!"

Danny chuckled. "Sorry, Tuck."

Tucker grumbled something about 'ghosts' before looking back at his friend and seeing the grin on his face.

"Let me guess, you made up with Sam."

Danny blushed. "Well…"

But right then, the door opened up and they were greeted by Sam's mother. "Tucker! Danny! Oh, how wonderful to see you boys! Come in! Breakfast is being served!"

The two smiled and went in. Even if it was with Sam's parents, it felt nice to be able to do something as normal as sharing breakfast together after all the craziness lately.


Alone, Phantom stared in a mixture of surprise and disgust at the large statue of Danny Phantom in front of City Hall.

"Well, Danny's been busy…," he muttered with a scoff. He looked around the area briefly as he realized his younger self's timeline had drastically changed.

He flew down and read the plaque beside the statue, which said, "In honor to Danny Fenton/ Danny Phantom for saving the world from the Disasteroid. For his brave efforts, he will always be known as 'The World's Hero'."

Dan's lips curled into an evil smile. "So, everyone now knows the truth… Well, you know how the saying goes… The bigger they are, the harder they fall…"

Phantom raised a hand, and it began to pulse with blue energy. In an instant, a viewing portal appeared in front of him. He might not have complete control of Time, but he was getting better and better at using Clockwork's time powers.

He could now view timelines up to the present time…

And as he pulled up Danny's timeline, he began to watch all that happened with the Disasteroid incident within the past year. And the more he watched, the more his mind churned up a wicked plot against his younger self.

The image suddenly froze on Danny having breakfast with Sam and Tucker at the goth girl's house...

Phantom briefly contemplated what he had just seen before turning his focus on another person's timeline. And with another wave of his hand, he brought up new images.

He chuckled.

"Just who I need," Phantom said evilly.

He dispelled the viewing orb at last, and then turned invisible as he flew above Amity Park, searching for something in specific.

He soon found the small, but comfortable home he had seen in the viewing orb.

It was Valerie's home.

Phantom suddenly appeared, but as he did, he morphed into the exact image of his currently sixteen-year-old self.

"I'm going to destroy your life, Danny… and you won't even see it coming."

With a laugh, he flew inside the Grays' house.


"I can't believe I have to go back to work at the Nasty Burger," Valerie muttered with a suffering sigh.

Ever since she had broken it off with Tucker, she had put in her resignation at City Hall. The staff insisted that she could work in another area. But Tucker had gotten her that job in the first place; so it just felt wrong to be there anymore. And that meant… back to her old smelly, minimum wage job.

She had luckily been able to get re-hired, but they had not scheduled her to come in until today and it was a late shift, too. Valerie had stepped out to take a jog at the park before returning home to get ready for work. Now that she wasn't ghost hunting, she had to return to normal exercising to keep herself fit.

As she finally walked into her home, Valerie thoughtfully said, "Maybe I could ask Dad if I can take karate classes again. I think we can afford it now…"

Ironically, after Vlad Masters had been revealed as the evil villain that he was, Axion Lab had been put up for sale. The Guys-in-White instantly took possession of it; but fortunately, they had offered her father a general manager position; and thanks to that, they were now doing well. They had even moved to a nicer place in Amity.

"Dad?" Valerie called as she walked further in the house. "Dad? Have you eaten breakfast yet? I'm going to make eggs!"

But just as she walked into the kitchen, she froze in disbelief at the sight before her. The kitchen looked like a war zone! There was food and ripped boxes splattered and tossed in all directions! Broken ceramic and glass littered the broken counters, and scorch marks were everywhere… The ceiling, the appliances, the tables and chairs, even the… floor.

Valerie's eyes widened in horror as she finally spotted at the far corner of the kitchen something—or, rather, someone—lying on the ground.

"DAD!" she screamed as she bolted over to him and dropped to her knees beside him.

But as she turned him over from his side, her throat constricted when she saw the bruised and bloodied face of her father.

"Dad! Daddy!" she half-screamed and half sobbed as she gently shook him.

He was hurt bad, especially one of his arms.

Valerie quickly felt for a pulse and was slightly relieved that she felt one. Frantic, she looked around before yelling, "Help! Someone help me! My dad's been hurt!"

"Come on, Valerie… Do you really think someone's going to hear you?"

The girl tensed as she turned her head towards the voice, and found none other than Danny Phantom, sitting on the nearest kitchen counter. The boy looked way too relaxed with his knee raised and an arm draped on it.

But Valerie didn't seem to notice as she gasped in surprise, "Danny?" But then she just as quickly pleaded, "Danny, help me! Someone's hurt my dad! I have to get him to a hospital!"

Evil Phantom, looking just like Danny, smiled calmly as he glanced at the unconscious Damon Gray.

"Yeah, he definitely needs to go to a hospital… But I think I rather just watch him slowly waste away."

Valerie's eyes widened.

"What? Are you just now putting it together?" 'Danny' asked with a chuckle.

"What are you… doing here?" she whispered, but then she looked around and saw the scorch marks again. They were made from ectoplasmic energy!

"No, it can't be. You would never… Why would you….?" she began at a loss for words; but then her mind suddenly snapped, and she screamed, "YOU MONSTER! YOU HURT MY DAD!"

"You wanted an enemy, Val… You should have seen this coming," 'Danny' answered darkly. "Did you really think I wouldn't get you back for all the times you tried to kill me? For all the times you betrayed me? I was just waiting for you to lower your guard… give up ghost hunting… make you trust me…"

"I've never trusted you!" she shouted as she suddenly jumped to her feet and lunged at the ghost on the counter.

But evil Phantom simply teleported and appeared right next to Damon. As Valerie whirled around in alarm, 'Danny' aimed a green energy beam at Damon's head.

"I forgot you weren't much of a talker…," he said darkly. "So, let's end this as it was always intended to end…"

Valerie's eyes filled with tears, "Danny, please. Please don't hurt him. If you hate m-me this much, then just w-waste me…"

"Don't tempt me…," Phantom answered with a growing grin. "But for now, I have a bigger fish to fry… and you're going to help me fry him."

"Please," she begged.

"I know you hate me, Valerie… But I'm going to make you take that hatred to a whole other level…"

"NO!" Valerie screamed as the ghost fired at her dad.

As 'Danny' disappeared through the roof, Valerie ran over to her father and fell beside him, screaming and sobbing, as a puddle of blood began to form under him.


Phantom landed in an alley near Fenton Works before lifting his hand and waving it in front of him. Again, a viewing orb displayed, and he smiled at seeing his younger self was only just leaving Sam's house.

"Perfect…," he said smugly before lowering his hand and allowing the orb to disappear.

As he changed into Danny Fenton this time, his eyes flashed red with evil intent as he walked out of the alleyway and towards 'his home'.

Not even bothering to knock, 'Danny' opened the door, and announced loudly, "Mom! Dad! I'm…" But Phantom's sentence got swallowed up in his gasp of surprise as a black-and-white blur with sharp teeth suddenly lunged at him.

Instinctively, Dan turned intangible, and the snarling Dalmatian flew through him and skid out the door.

TJ whirled around and lunged again with the intention of mauling the intruder; but his attempt was cut short when the door was slammed in his face.

Dan sneered at the growling and barking dog on the other side. Since when did the Fentons have a stupid dog?!

"Danny, is that you?" Maddie called as she quickly walked out of the kitchen; but when she got to the entrance and saw her son, she also heard the snarling dog outside the door,

"Danny, what's wrong with TJ?" she asked in worry.

"Oh, she'll be fine! We're just playin' around!" 'Danny' replied with a wave of his hand.

"She?" Maddie questioned, confused.

But Dan ignored the question, and as he moved closer, he asked, "Is Dad and Jazz home?"

"Of course, they are," Maddie replied with a raised eyebrow. "We're all waiting for you to go see this 'Clockwork'. Your Father is in the lab doing some last minute maintenance on the Speeder, and I asked Jazz and Danielle to grab some weapons from the OP-center."

Dan briefly frowned. He didn't really know who 'Danielle' was, but it hardly mattered. Everyone he came to 'see' was here.

"By the way, Danny, you still need to explain why we're going to see some time spirit," Maddie reminded him. But still hearing TJ barking outside, she added, "And you need to let TJ in."

"No, I think it'll be fine right outside…" Phantom suddenly replied darkly before black rings appeared around his waist and he changed into his real appearance.

Maddie gasped. "How did you…?"

"—Look like your son?" Dan finished as his hands began to glow with green energy. "Because I am your son… Well, was. Technicalities. So, Mom… Call for Dad… Better yet, why don't you scream for him?"

Maddie shouted in alarm as she barely dodged two beams of ghost energy. But she quickly whirled around and pulled out a gun on her belt.

Maddie instantly raised the gun at Phantom; but the spirit just as quickly morphed back into the sixteen-year-old version of Danny Phantom.

"Come on, Mom. Shoot," 'Danny' taunted. "Shoot your little boy!"

But Maddie didn't fire. She didn't know how to react to this ghost who could pass off as her son. Or, maybe it was him! What if…? What if a ghost was overshadowing Danny? Was that even possible?

But then Maddie's face twisted into a dark glare as she realized why TJ was going crazy. The Dalmatian would never attack her son, even if he was being overshadowed. And that meant this wasn't Danny.

"You're not my son, you vile manifestation of post-human-consciousness!" she exclaimed and fired her weapon.

Phantom was actually caught off guard by the attack and he was thrown backwards into a wall. But the spirit just chuckled when he was barely deterred by the strong blast.

"Maddie!" Jack yelled as he came out of the lab at finally hearing the commotion.

As he ran into the living room and entrance area, he didn't realize he was right in the open. But Phantom did.

"Jack, look out!" Maddie exclaimed.

Phantom, who still looked like Danny, quickly fired a ray at the man and sent him flying through the open area of the kitchen.

Maddie's eyes widened with horror as her husband was instantly knocked unconscious.

"JACK!"

But before she could go to him, 'Danny' lunged at her, and she was forced to fight for her life.

Right then, Jazz and Danielle came out from the OP center from the pull-down staircase on the second floor.

Maddie suddenly screamed.

Danielle and Jazz looked at each other, before respectively yelling, "Aunt Maddie/Mom!"

Sure it was a ghost attack, Danielle morphed, turned invisible and flew downstairs. Jazz, on the other hand, dropped the various weapons in her arms, grabbed the strongest ghost gun, and ran towards the main stairway of the house.

But when they finally saw the commotion, Jazz and Danielle both froze in disbelief.

At that moment, Maddie was firing at 'Danny', who easily dodged her attacks and approached her with dark intent.

"Mom! What are you doing?!" Jazz yelled in alarm, unable to understand why her own mother would shoot at her brother.

Danielle was too shock to react, and forgot she was still invisible. But apparently, Dan didn't even notice her anyways. The girl's ghost energy was so low that the evil spirit's ghost sense didn't react to it.

"Jazz! Get out of here! That's not Danny!" her mom screamed back.

"What? What are you…?" Jazz began, only to trail off as 'Danny' turned his eyes at her and grinned in a way that her brother never could.

"My old sister, Jazz…," Dan said with sadistic glee as he raised a hand at the red-head with the clear purpose of killing her.

"NO!" Maddie cried out as she lunged at the evil Specter and rammed him with her shoulder. She managed to push him enough to effectively throw off his deadly attack.

Phantom growled as he changed to his real form. He was growing bored of this.

"No… It can't be…," Jazz gasped in horror at seeing her brother's evil self.

Meanwhile, Maddie wasted no time and back-flipped to put some distance between her and the powerful specter. She just as quickly lifted her gun at the spirit.

But Phantom moved faster; and before she could even fire a shot, he was suddenly in front of her. He then gripped the woman's wrist holding the gun with such force that there was an audible crack.

"MOM!" Jazz screamed above her own mother's scream of agony.

But Maddie's cry was cut short when Dan gripped her by the neck and began to choke her.

Danielle was suddenly glad she was invisible as she immediately flew over to Maddie, turned her intangible, and got her way from the evil spirit before he could harm her further.

But Jazz reacted just as quickly and began to fire blast after blast at Dan with the ghost gun she had brought from the OP center.

Phantom growled as he was shoved back before he raised a shield to keep the annoying attacks from touching him.

Right then, Jack groaned himself awake and wobbled out of the kitchen muttering, "What hit me?"

But he didn't even get a chance to get his bearings when Danielle suddenly placed Maddie in his arms.

"Whoa!" Jack said as he stumbled forward, but still managed to hold onto his wife and keep on his feet.

Danielle flew back over to help Jazz. And just in time, too, because Jazz suddenly screamed as she threw herself to the ground after barely dodging a powerful green ray.

"Hey!" Danielle yelled at Dan, who had been about to fire another attack at Danny's sister. "Leave my cousin alone!"

Dan was more shocked by the ghost girl's appearance than the beam of ghost energy that hit him in the chest.

"Am I in the wrong timeline?" Phantom asked himself, honestly confused. "This has to be a joke!"

"Oh, it's no joke! And neither is this!" Danielle said as she flew closer and then released the strongest blast she could muster.

Dan just turned intangible and raised an eyebrow as he dryly said, "You know what? I don't even want to know…"

Danielle gasped as the bigger ghost quickly fired several attacks at her, which she barely dodged. But before she could do anything else, Phantom teleported and seized her by the neck.

"Danielle!" Jazz yelled and tried to fire at the ghost.

But Dan sent a ball of energy towards the roof above the older girl. She cried out as part of the ceiling came down on her; and in her attempt to avoid getting hurt, she slipped and rolled down the stairs.

Phantom didn't even bother to see if Jazz was still conscious as he turned his malicious red eyes on Danielle.

Meanwhile, Maddie cradled her right wrist close to her body, while she took out another gun with her left hand.

"Jack, the kids! That evil creature is going to kill them!" she cried in real panic.

Jack wobbled a bit and gripped his head. That ghost had hit him hard.

Right then, Dan engulfed Danielle with hot green energy. The ghost girl barely cried in pain before she transformed back and fainted.

"I really don't want to know," Phantom said with a chuckle as he saw the girl turn human and look way too much like his younger self.

As he dropped her to the ground, he smirked over at Jazz, who was still on the ground at the bottom of the stairs and holding one of her ankles.

"HEY, SPOOK!" Jack suddenly yelled. And when Dan looked over to him, the man pulled out a large gun from almost nowhere and further shouted, "NO ONE HURTS MY FAMILY!"

"You stay away from our little girls!" Maddie just as quickly exclaimed, and fired her own weapon at the evil specter.

Phantom easily raised a ghost shield, and rolled his eyes at Jack's wild attacks and Maddie's less-than effective ones.

"I don't have time for this…," he said in thick annoyance. But then he smiled as he realized, "Actually, I do…"

Phantom concentrated and his ghost hue turned blue before a wave of blue energy spread away from him and instantly froze everyone around him.

Dan grinned at succeeding for the first time to freeze others in the timeline.

"Much better…," he said smugly as he looked at all the frozen people around him.

And as he aimed his glowing green hand at Jack and Maddie, he added evilly, "No one is escaping their fates this time."


*Insert Vlad muse's evil laugh*

Ta!