Little longer and more angsty this time round - but some good sibling bonding in this fic.

This one will have mentions to events from Escape from Fear Island and plot points mentioned in Out of Time. Set between Boxed Up Fury I and Frightmare I.

…Danny's back slammed onto the ground hard, looking up in surprised as Dan's duplicates surrounded him…

…They were fighting now, parrying blows…. a scream… or was that his scream? The pain was getting almost unbearable. It was almost as if his core was imploding…

"You're time is up Danny," he drawled. "It's been up for ten years."

…He tried fighting back, but they overpowered him easily, throwing him into a lamp post. Muffled screams found his ears as he fought to stay conscious. He needed to keep going. He pushed himself up, glaring up at his future self…

…"Look at you," Dan jeered. "You're a pathetic excuse for a ghost and a human. How would our family like it if they knew you abandoned them to fight against a ghost? To try and 'save them' - Ha! They think you're a freak; why should you care if they die? Because you're human? You think anyone cares about you? They're scared of you, no matter what they say or what you do. Why should you even care if they die?"…

…"What makes you think you can change my past?"…

…The wails collided, bouncing off each other as they were locked in combat. He felt himself fading but there was no way of knowing for sure…

…"I promised my family," he felt himself say…

…Dan laughed, red eyes shining brightly. "What family?"…

A shout escaped Danny's throat as he bolted upright in bed. He gasped for breath, wide-eyed as he looked down at his shaking hands. He winced, core energy buzzing deep within his core. Just a dream.

"Danny?"

He flinched heavily as Jazz entered his room. Sighing, he unravelled himself from the blanket and threw his legs over the side of the bed. He didn't acknowledge his sister as she sat down beside him. They sat in the silence, Danny's hands shaking still.

"You still have an hour before your alarm," Jazz told him quietly after a few minutes. "Do you… want to tell me about it?"

Danny exhaled loudly, looking toward the calendar on his desk. "It's been a year," he said softly.

"What?"

He finally turned to his sister, feeling older than he was. "Jazz, I know Lancer asked you do the assembly again."

Jazz's eyes widened in horror, then softened. "Danny, I thought you -"

"I'm not," Danny interrupted. "I'm not afraid of him anymore, and I haven't been getting these nightmares often." Blue met teal as he frowned. "I need to tell Mom and Dad. About… about what happened."

Jazz stared at him searchingly, studying him for anything he may let slip. "Are you sure?" she asked tentatively. "This is a big step - if you're not ready you should wait. At least until you have breakfast."

Danny shook his head. "It's been months Jazz. They weren't ready before, but with the truce I think they can handle it." He broke away from her gaze, starting to get dressed.

"But can you handle it?" Jazz countered.

He stopped midstride, shirt in his hand at Jazz's question. The last time he told someone this story he broke down and then had to fight off his fear of his future self. Could he do it? He didn't look behind him, pulling the shirt over his head and continued across the room.

"Danny, I'm serious," Jazz said worriedly. She caught up to him and a put a hand on his shoulder. He shrugged it off. "You're right that Mom and Dad need to know about Dan but you don't need to force this. They've been patient - uncharacteristically so. You control the narrative here; you're the one that decides when you tell them what."

"And I want to tell them now," he replied, a slight bite in his tone.

Jazz bit her lip, following her brother out of his room. "Why today?" she pressed.

Danny growled. "Jazz," he warned.

"Don't get testy, I'm just curious."

As they reached the bottom of the stairs, their parents' voices became louder. Danny made way to the kitchen, but Jazz ran in front of him and grabbed his hands.

"What are you -"

"Danny," Jazz said forcefully. "Your hands are still shaking."

Blue eyes grew wide, looking down at their joined hands; Jazz was right. Danny's eyes hardened, focusing on his hands to will them to stop. "I -"

"Danny." Jazz's eyes narrowed, her older sister instincts flaring into overdrive. "I'm worried about you - just tell me. Why tell Mom and Dad today? Right now?"

He looked up, holding her gaze for a few tense moments before he sighed deeply. "Jazz, it's been a year. You know where I was a year ago this morning? I was stuck in the future knowing that he was trying to kill you all." Danny shuddered slightly. "I couldn't tell anyone afterwards because I didn't want to deal with it. Then Fear happened, then Mom and Dad found out… they're the only ones who don't know Jazz. And they should - they should know what I'm capable of."

Jazz's eyes widened. "You're trying to prepare them if you …"

Danny sighed tiredly, cutting her off. "I just… I need them to know Jazz. You're headed to college next year - if I have nightmares or if I want to talk to talk to them about this, I don't want it to be for the first time. I need to know if they can accept this." He looked up at her imploringly. "I want to move past this - the only way is for me to start now."

"Okay." Jazz gave him a soft bittersweet smile. "You're growing up."

Danny pulled away with a slight scowl. "Don't remind me."

"I thought I heard your voices!"

Both teens jumped. They turned as their mother poked her head out of the kitchen, surveying the two quickly before frowning. "What's wrong?"

Jazz glanced at her brother before nodding at him. "Danny had a nightmare," she replied. "Is Dad in the lab?" Maddie's frown deepened, nodding as Jazz walked past. "I'll go grab him."

"Thanks Jazz."

"Danny?" Maddie asked confused. The boy's eyes darkened slightly, looking more haunted than she had seen him in a long time. She closed the gap between them, giving him a small hug. She knelt down, looking up into his troubled face worriedly. "Want to tell me about your dream."

Danny shook his head. "I want to tell you what caused it."

Maddie stiffened, looking at her son with pressed lips. They held each other's gaze for a few moments before Maddie nodded. "I'll make the coffee," she told him gently.

He nodded, walking to the table wordlessly. As his family gathered, he felt the dream flutter back into his mind, along with memories of his fight with Dan and his events on Fear Island.

"Danny?"

He blinked, the memories disappearing as he looked at the worried faces of his family. He swallowed heavily, shaking hands finally turning steady as they curled around the coffee mug in front of him. Here goes.

"It started with the C.A.T. …"

:-=-:

Clockwork watched as the Fenton family discussed alternate futures with a frown. There was something different about Danny's dream; something that made time falter so violently that the Time Master nearly fell out of the air. The looming paradox ahead caused more pathways to dwindle; it was getting closer.

He raised his staff in the air, waving it across the time glass with care. "Nocturn," he called. "I have a favour to ask."

He needed to know - the future of time was at stake… as was Danny's life.

I have a difficult ask in my tumblr (it's actually pretty great, just hard) so you'll have another one soon-ish. The next chapter of Out of Time will also be out shortly. I had wanted to give you something fluffy... to give you some contrast but it didn't work out that way. Thanks for reading, feel free to leave a prompt, review or a follow/fav and I'll see you in the next one!