This takes place long after Phantom Planet and Danny, Sam, and the gang have grown up. I'm messing with the timeline a bit here, so Phantom Planet didn't occur until the gang was 19 or so, so Sam and Danny didn't actually become a couple until afterwards. I'm guessing there were a lot of awkward moments before PP…

Dream A Little Dream

Clockwork watched the time portal, having already checked the time stream. The Observants were out for the day, ruling over another ghost' case for the time being. He allowed himself a small smile, and opened a time portal, knowing his friend had requested it. Now, he was entering, stepping through, coming down…

3…2….1…

"Clockwork!" Danny's voice called from down the corridor. Two pairs of footsteps, strong, confident ones, and then daintier, more hesitant ones, sounded from down the hall. Clockwork allowed the small shield he held over the entrance to be broken, and the two figures entered the room.

Danny bounded into the room, grinning like a fool. Clockwork smiled warmly at his visitors, knowing exactly what had happened the previous night. Jazz, he was sure, would be smiling as well, if it wasn't for the small fact that she was currently in awe of the building. She seemed to recognize some of the antiques that littered his castle, and she stared at them in awe.

"The preservation of these paintings are flawless..." Jazz murmured in admiration, not daring to touch.

"In a castle where time had stopped, preservation is never truly required. Everything stays fresh and new, or, if it came that way, old." Clockwork said, his voice tinged with amusement. Danny came closer.

"If only we had a fridge like that." He grinned even wider and greeted Clockwork, hugging the old man without reservations. Clockwork still felt a bit of surprise at this, even though his charge had long ago started doing it. He had grown incredibly fond of the boy, something he had known would happen and yet liked to experience all the more.

"Hello Jasmine." He said, feeling himself switch into his young man form. Jazz realized she was staring at his home, and blushed a bit in embarrassment, shaking the man's hand as he changed to a child. If she was surprised, she did a good job of hiding it. Clockwork nodded in approval.

"It's nice to finally meet you." Jazz said, smiling sweetly. He smiled back. "Likewise." He turned, now addressing the both of them.

"Now what brings you here? Shouldn't you be making plans, hmm?" He was awarded with a bright flush on Danny's face, and he saw Jazz smirking as well. There was one thing they shared; a love of teasing her younger brother.

"Yeah, well, ahem," He coughed nervously into his hand, blushing.

"I was, I mean we were, wondering, well, would you like, I mean, could you, well I'd be honored if-" Clockwork watched his stumblings with a twinkling in his eyes. Jazz look at him, squinting, but with an amused smile.

"Don't you know what he's going to ask anyway?" Clockwork shrugged.

"I'd rather give him the experience. And I'd be more honored to here the words come from his mouth then my own." Jazz looked at him with a new sense of respect.

"Clockwork, will you be the ring bearer?" Danny suddenly shouted, hands clenched and looking like he might explode from stress and embarrassment. Clockwork chuckled and nodded.

"I'd be delighted. Though I'd have to change a bit I suppose." Without warning, he morphed in front of them, becoming a young man around Danny's age, with a scar going from the top of his eyes and continuing from the bottom in a lightning bolt fashion. His pupils were red, and his hair was a light brown. He was fair-skinned. Danny blinked and smiled wider, if possible. Jazz looked a little stunned, then quite happy.

"Phew! I was afraid we'd have to invite only close friends, but now this will work great!" Clockwork smiled, glancing down at himself. It had been awhile since he had last disguised himself. He was wearing a dark, navy blue suit with a pale blue shirt underneath and a black tie. He supposed he was lucky it hadn't been purple, sticking true to his color scheme. However, he could not change his eyes nor the scar on his face, and neither could he remove the small burn scar resting on his chest of a circle with a jagged line going through it. It was these things that were meant to remind him at all times he had a duty.

"Well, I shouldn't keep you here any longer. Go on." He shooed them off with a kind, grandfatherly look about his face, and Danny hugged the man one more time, Jazz and him exchanging polite nods before walking back.

"Ah, Daniel, if you don't mind," Both Danny and Jazz stopped, turning around to face him questioningly.

"May I speak with Jasmine alone for a moment?" Jazz blinked, but, after assuring her brother she'd be fine, he went on ahead, and she came back towards him.

"Umm, you wanted me?" Clockwork chuckled, and waved his hand in front of him. A time screen appeared, and Jazz gasped, watching Danny as he made his way down the hall.

"I'd hate to have you get caught in the crossfire." Jazz looked at him confusedly.

"What-" Clockwork put a finger to his lips in a shushing motion, an impish smile playing on his face. Jazz smiled, in a 'I-don't-understand-but-for-now-I'll-play-along' kind of way, then turned back to the screen in time to watch her brother step into a time portal.

A time portal. Not their time portal.

"Wha-It was the one on the left! I told him to remember!" She said angrily, then anxiously,

"Where is he going? I mean, when?!" Clockwork gestured for her to continue watching, and she turned to the screen.

---

5 Years previous…

Sam groaned, listening to Tucker go on about the lecture they had had in his college. They had come back together to hang out again, not to talk all about their colleges. Danny would be arriving pretty soon on his train, and they had to hurry up if they planned on meeting him in time with his family.

"I gotta tell you Sam, I am loving college! All the parties-"

"That you haven't been invited to." Sam finished with a smirk. Tucker glared at her.

"I have been invited, thank you. My roomie has made it into an art form, and he's promised to introduce me to a few hot seniors, if you know what I mean." Tucker wiggled his eyebrows in a suggestive manner, and Sam smacked him on the head.

"Ouch! What did I-?!"

"Tucker, it's summer. We're back in Amity Park. I'd like to relax, hang out with my friends,-"

"Hang out with Danny you mean." Tucker said, still wiggling his eyebrows. Sam looked at him dryly.

"I missed both of you." Tucker looked at her in mock-shock, then got all teary-eyed.

"I can't believe it! Sammy, our little goth, actually admitted she missed me! I missed you too Sammmmmy!" Tucker wailed, throwing his arms around Sam who tried hard to keep a straight face. Her lips turned up at the corners despite her best efforts.

"Hey Tuck, I hope you aren't making a move on my girl!" A familiar voice shouted teasingly. Both Tucker and Sam went rigid with shock, as they turned around. Danny grinned at them.

In Clockwork's tower…

"That idiot! Granted, Sam back then and Sam now haven't changed much, but, but, that idiot!" Jazz ranted, as Clockwork chuckled. She turned on him with a look of rage on her face.

"And you! Shouldn't you be stopping this, or interfering or something?! He's not in the right time! What if he reveals something, I mean, he practically has!" Jazz was close to tearing her hair out. Clockwork, put a hand on her shoulder, bemused with how accusatory she was acting with him.

"Jasmine, all will be fine. Why don't you continue to watch?" Jazz looked at him suspiciously, then turned back to the screen.

5 Years previous…

Sam stared. It had only been a few semesters since she last saw him. The gang had got back for Christmas, but still, he looked...different!

Danny had gotten muscular since his ghost fighting, but now he seemed even more in shape. He seemed even taller than before too! Not to mention he was wearing a shirt…with his Danny Phantom Emblem on it! Did he want to just go shouting around, "Hey, I'm a ghost!"?

That wasn't the only thing wrong, though, she thought. He was back before he was scheduled to arrive at the station. Had he decided to surprise them?

And then the largest piece of her confusion, he had called Sam his girl! His girl! Sometimes he'd be teasing and call her his Sammy or Sammy-kins, but he had said it like it was nothing out of the ordinary this time! What was going on?!

"Danny?!" He must've seen her shock (it was pretty apparent) and he frowned.

"What, not expecting to see me so soon?" He grinned at Tucker.

"I guess you heard the news, or you wouldn't be putting your arms around her. At least, for your sake, I hope not." He seemed half-serious, half-joking, and he even narrowed his eyes and flashed them green. Tucker, slowly recovering from the same shock as Sam, removed his arms as she gasped and checked the area.

"Are you nuts?! What if someone had seen that?!" She hissed, punching him in the arm. Danny blinked, then grinned.

"Oh, I get it. You want my eyes all to yourself, huh Sammy?" She looked at him confusedly as he approached her. Had she missed something here?! Tucker was gawking in open disbelief as Danny wrapped his arm around her waist in a casual manner, pulling her to him. Sam went red. Was he flirting?!

"No! I didn't mean it that way! I mean, ugh! Let go of me!" She squirmed out of his grip, instantly missing his warmth. She blushed. She was in love with him, that much she knew, but suddenly he was acting all weird. They hadn't seen each other in months for god's sake!

Danny looked at her, slightly hurt. She gaped, as did Tucker, who was shaking his head.

"Did I miss something here?!" He asked, looking at each of them repeatedly, searching for answers.

In Clockwork's tower…

"Stupid, stupid, stupid!" Jazz banged her head against the wall next to the time portal. Clockwork laughed softly. She glared at him.

"You think this is soooo funny, wait!" She blinked, then stared at him as if suddenly realizing something.

"You do think this is so funny!" She gaped at him as he allowed himself another chuckle or two.

"As a time-keeper, you do have to allow yourself a moment of entertainment now and again." He admitted, smiling softly. She gazed at him in wonder, now realizing his cunning, and turned back to the screen to watch the rest of the show, subdued.

5 Years previous…

Danny glanced between Tucker and Sam, and then smiled.

"Oh. You haven't told him yet, huh?"

"Told him what?" Both Sam and Tucker asked together, Sam nearly shouting with annoyance at not knowing what in the world he was talking about, and Tucker in a suspicious yet weary tone.

Danny grinned, taking Sam's shouting as her nerves to announce her engagement to her best friend. He took her hand.

"Do you want to do it?" Sam looked at him in disbelief. What in the *bleep* was he talking about?! She shook her head.

"You tell him." She said, clearly giving up. Danny smiled, squeezing her hand.

"Tell me what?!" Tucker nearly screamed, receiving stares from many a passerby.

Sam, remembering her water bottle in her bag, took it out, took a long sip, to relieve her dry throat from both the sight of Danny and her screaming. She wanted to calm down, and figure out what was going on.

"We're engaged." She spat out the water, coughing, and Danny glanced down at her in worry and amusement.

"WHAT?!" Tucker shouted, not caring about the stares, but now completely thrown for a loop.

"WHAT DID YOU SAY?!" Danny blinked in surprise, having not expected this large of a reaction.

"Well, what did you expect Tuck, we've been dating for like 5 years now." Sam coughed harder and he patted her on the back, asking her if she was alright.

"YOU'VE BEEN WHAT?!" Danny looked at him, clearly puzzled, and opened his mouth to reply when Sam put up a hand, done choking, and silenced him.

"Okay, let's get this straight. First of all, Danny, I have honestly no idea what you're talking about, and Tucker, we have not been dating, so I don't know where you got that idea." Danny looked her in shock. She could tell she had hurt him, but she didn't understand why. She had only told the truth. Sure, she wanted to maybe go out with him, but engaged?! Where did that come from?!

It gave her a little thrill to think about it.

Tucker stared at them with the largest look of doubt on his face, and then slowly, a sly smile appeared.

"Ohhh. I get it." Sam looked at him.

"Get what?! There's nothing to get!" She shouted. Danny looked at both of them, clearly puzzled.

"You guys are in on this, aren't you? You decided it'd be fun to trick me, and now you're making it seem like you're a couple when you're really not!" He declared, glowing with triumph at his discovery. Sam opened and closed her mouth like a fish, and Danny stared at him as Tucker's eyebrows scrunched up.

"Or, that's what you want me to think! You actually pretended to be a couple when you're not but that's all part of the pretending too and in fact you actually are together!" Sam just stared at him.

"Are you an idiot?" However, Tucker was no longer listening.

"Wait, but Danny's far too clueless and not-in-tune with his own feelings for you guys to have been dating for so long-"

"Hey, I resent that! I'll have you know I got past that quite a while ago!" Sam now stared at Danny, face going red at his announcement. Danny, though he currently had no idea what was going on, felt that he should at least set the record straight for one point.

Tucker smirked.

"Then prove it! Kiss her!" He pointed at Danny and issued the challenge with a dramatic flourish. Danny glared and Tucker grinned, confident that here he had outwitted his two scheming friends.

"Tuuuucker…" Sam growled, preparing her fist for a pounding. Imagine her surprise when Danny grabbed her by the shoulders, and firmly pressed his lips to hers!

Sam stared at his closed eyes, feeling herself go rigid. This was, without a doubt, no fake-out make-out, and she began wondering if this was the same Danny from a few semesters ago. This one had almost outright declared a love for her she hadn't known existed, then went as far as to completely fabricate a relationship she had never before known existed as well. And she was very well aware that when they were 14 they had been nothing but the best of friends, if not with some hidden feelings on her part.

And now he was kissing her, and she felt light-headed, but she was determined not to give in, even as his arms wrapped around her waist. She didn't kiss him back though she felt him trying to get her to, and she glanced sidelong at Tucker, who looked as if he had gotten strapped to an electric chair and been zapped. She smirked into the kiss, then noticed he was looking at her with something akin to betrayal.

Now he though Danny was telling the truth, and they had been lying to him this whole time!

Managing not to groan in annoyance into the kiss (that was either a very long one, or she was thinking too hard), she noticed his hands were roaming. Her face was heating up yet again, and she was in no position to slap him.

And then the cheerier, less dry side of her put forth a comment. The guy she had loved for possibly 5 years was, albeit while a bit delusional, kissing her. Why not enjoy it for a bit, that is until he pulled away and they got the whole thing figured out?

And then she realized Danny was a great kisser. Just, really great. Like he knew exactly what he was doing, and what she liked. Or maybe he was ecto-blasting her body. But she wasn't incinerated, so, why not?

She kissed him back.

In Clockwork's tower…

"Holy-" Clockwork put a hand over her mouth as Jazz cursed. He then removed it as she thanked him politely, then she continued to stare at the time screen. Clockwork didn't blame her.

Jazz was in hysterics. Literally, she didn't know whether to stress out or burst out laughing. Her brother was kissing the love of his life from five years ago without even knowing it! Did that count as cheating? This thought made her giggle. Then laugh.

"Oh lookie! Now she's kissing him back!" Jazz pointed, and this brought forth new peals of laughter. Clockwork was still smiling wryly, a look she never would've thought could be placed on the Time Master's face.

Quietly he placed her hands on his shoulder. His human form hands were slightly chilly, but they brought her back from her happy place. A few tears escaped her eyes, then she turned around and slapped him. If he was surprised, it didn't register on his face, which infuriated her all the more.

"What were, are, you thinking?! Look at that!" She gestured at the time screen. She grabbed him by the front of his shirt.

"She's kissing him! This is wrong! It's messing up the way things are supposed to be! You're supposed to regulate the timeline, not-"

"Destroy it?" Clockwork finished, raising an eyebrow. He smiled slightly and Jazz's cheeks colored.

"There are bumps in the timeline Jasmine. It will never be a smooth path, that is a guarantee." Jazz glared balefully.

"I doubt you're supposed to be the one putting in the bumps." Clockwork smiled.

"You're correct." He waved his hand at the screen. A clock's hands appeared over the scene, slightly transparent so you could still see what was going on behind them. The hands wound back, and with it the whole thing they had watched rewinded, farther and farther back. Finally it came to a stop as Clockwork pressed a button on his time staff.

"Time in." He said softly.

5 Years previous…

Sam's Bedroom…

Sam jolted forward, hand going to mouth. A red blush stained her cheeks. She turned around, startled, almost shocked, to see herself in bed. She collapsed against the mattress, black sheets clutched to her chest, knuckles turning white. Slowly she licked her lips, her brow furrowing, as if to catch something too far gone.

"I could've sworn…" She muttered, pressing her finger against her lips. She rubbed her forehead. She couldn't understand it. She was sure she had gotten over him! And yet…

"He looked hot." She admitted, a shy smirk appearing on her face. She could just imagine his face going red if he heard that. That suave, smooth man…ha! A thought occurred to her, and she quickly reached for the drawer of her bedside table, pulling out her cell phone. She quickly went to her messages, and found it.

A month ago. A picture of him and his friend. Sam smiled. Same old Danny. The old one, not the weird, new one her mind had somehow created. She shook her head, which, for some reason, was hurting. She made a mental note to take an aspirin later. She sighed, pressing her head to the pillow.

She traced his face with a finger. Still the same Danny. Still the same Danny she was crazy about.

"Come on Sam." She rubbed her face.

"You're seeing him today. Get…that-" That, being the declaration of marriage, and so implied, love. Avoiding the word seemed to be of no help as her face turned as red as a cherry. She groaned.

"Get that out of your mind-" Easier said than done, and she had a hard enough time saying it.

"And meet him with a happy smile. Make him feel welcome. You missed him, you're happy to see him, you…" Her face morphed to a gentle sadness.

"You love him." She whispered, looking in a different direction. She groaned again, hid under the sheets and cursed quite unladylike. Then she sat up with a grin.

"Well I feel better. Come on Gothgirl, get up!" She jumped out of the bed. So what if she still cared about him?! It didn't make her weak, it made her stronger, and she would not let herself become so upset and emotional over this! She had a reputation to uphold. She grabbed her clothes and headed for the bathroom, stomping as if to grind out the last bit of tingling out through her toes.

---

Still 5 Years previous…

Tucker's Bedroom…

Tucker shot up, hitting his head against the attic while screaming.

"WHAAAAAAT?! Ouch!" He cursed vividly as he rubbed his head, looking at his low ceiling with hatred.

"For God's sake child, Keep it down!" His grandmother's reprimanding voice wafted up to him. He blinked and looked around.

He was in his attic, his relocation after his room had been converted into a work-at-home lab. Tucker's mouth dropped open, a few more curses emptying from his mouth.

"It was a dream?! B-B-But!" He stuttered to the boxes of clutter.

"Darn it! That had been so good too!" He fell back, putting his arms behind his head.

"So much potential. I almost didn't mind that they would've been lying to me for so long." He smiled.

"Man, Dan looked happy. Overconfident maybe, but really happy." He whistled.

"They should be together." Sitting on that bed, Tucker nodded and reswore an oath to get his best friends together. This was the only precious time they shared together, himself included, and they needed to experience it to the fullest. And that was going to include them making out on the couch so he could take embarrassing photos, or his name wasn't Tucker Foley!

In Clockwork's Tower…

Clockwork smiled at Jazz's face, and uttered his infamous line. It infuriated the Observants and even brought an annoyed twitch to Danny's own face.

"Everything is as it should be." Jazz gazed at him, staring at him long and hard. He met her gaze solidly.

"Sam admits to herself she still loves Danny. Tucker decides he wants his friends together." Jazz nodded, though whether it was to herself or Clockwork, it wasn't clear.

"You did it for the sake of their relationship?" She asked, though it was more like an uncertain statement. Clockwork chuckled as he held out his arm. She took it hesitantly and he slowly walked with her.

"I'd like to think of it as killing two birds with one stone, actually." She looked at him quizzically as he escorted her to the correct time portal.

"After all, even the Master of Time needs a little entertainment here and there." He winked at her, and Jazz found herself blushing furiously, amazed at this ghost.

"Err, well, goodbye then." She shook his outstretched hand and stepped through the portal, greeting a groaning achey Danny lying on the couch in the living room.

Clockwork let loose another soft chuckle.

"Goodbye Jasmine. I look forward to us meeting again." He closed the portal, seeing in his mind's eye already the wedding that would take place.

And the dance he would snag with the bride's maid/wedding planner.

Because, after all, he knew it would happen.

It was only a matter of time.

This can be interpreted as JazzxClockwork (though I've never really taken a liking to that pairing) or it can be considered just the beginning of a blooming friendship between the two. I really don't care how you guys interpret it, as long as you read it! R&R please!