A/N: And so we reach the end, finally! After eight months, this story is now finished! I hope all you reading had a fun time reading this, like I had a fun time writing this - I'm just a bit sad that now I've got to close it out. But then again, maybe not, since this winter story is now finished in the middle of summer!

Well, let's finish this, shall we? The final chapter is now here for your enjoyment.

Chapter 20 - Falling Snow

---The Ghost Zone---

Somewhere in the dark reaches of this endless abyss was a realm. In this realm, there wasonly one person that lived there, a man that barely anyone knew. One could make that judgment to say that he was a forgotten soul, a ghost just trying to cope with his afterlife.

However, he was quite the opposite. He was not a ghost at all, but some type of special spirit that resided everywhere. His essence could be found in all parts of the universe. The only reason that no one seemed to know about him was that he was too ingrained a part of everyday life, and no one ever seemed to give him a second glance. He was taken for granted; but then again, he would always be taken for granted, until that time when people would suddenly try and reach him, which was an impossibility.

Why he decided to take up residence in the Ghost Zone would forever be a mystery. He was one of the most powerful beings of all. The reason? He had the ability to see everything.

He was the Master of Time, Clockwork. He knew of all the events and all of the twists and turns that could have been made and what would have been done to either enter them, or avoid them. And it was all controlled by a simple staff.

Clockwork usually spent most of his days alone, and for some reason, he liked it that way. But if he knew that there could have been a better event that could have taken place, that would be the time when he had to meddle. He would often stop time and often change one or two things, often helping making the situation for the better.

He, of course, had to do it in secret. Being seen was something that he knew could almost never risk, because although he lived on his own, he was always carefully monitored.

This was the reason very few beings knew of his existence as the one that controlled all time. There were but five in total. Half of them were ghosts, while the other half were humans. The math, of course, seems impossible, but it was to be kept in mind that one of these beings was a half-ghost, and the two humans happened to be this half-ghost's best friends. The two ghosts that knew about him, the Observants, were the ones that were forever watching over him.

Clockwork was looking into glimpses of the future when someone tapped him on the shoulder.

"I've been waiting for you," he said, not facing his guests. "Is there something you want with me?"

"Clockwork," said one of the Observants. "what was that all about?"

"What was what?" the Master of Time asked nonchalantly, winding one of the many knobs on his staff.

"The boy has taken a terrible loss and we have been watching for most of the time. He seems to be blaming himself for the most part."

"I can assure you that things will eventually return to their normal state," said Clockwork.

"Normal state? What I don't understand is why the sister of Danny Phantom had to perish so unexpectedly. Why is it that you're not telling us the reasons? We still cannot figure out the motives here, Clockwork." The Observant who spoke then folded his hands across his chest.

"Don't worry, you won't have to," said Clockwork, starting to wind another knob on his staff.

"What I'm worried about now is what the boy's choices will now be now he is without his sister," said the other Observant. "I continues with these fears that these choices could forever be the ruins of the future." As he spoke, peered nervously with his one large eye at a thermos kept under Clockwork's forever close watch. "What is another one is created...?" he said, his voice trailing off.

"I've told you before," said Clockwork, his staff finished from winding and his form changing into an old man. "Her death is something that both parties have learned to accept -"

"What do you mean by 'accept'?" said of the Observants, interrupting. "You know very well that nothing outshines death in the matter of negative issues..."

Clockwork sighed.

"Once again, you both cease to understand the finer points," said Clockwork, a bit of agitation in his voice. "A death and a sacrifice are two completely separate things. The girl did not merely die, but she allowed herself to be placed in that position. This, in itself, is the true reasoning behind all of it. The boy has learned of her notions and is attempting to work the best of it, although they are now separated."

"How are you sure that he is not going to turn back on it?" asked one of them.

"Because," said Clockwork, pausing for effect. "I can trust him."

"You're putting risk into all of mankind into just a matter of trust?" asked one of the Observants incredulously. "This is outrageous! Unbelievable! Unthinkable..."

"And understandable," said the Master of Time, interrupting, and changing into his boyish form. "Jazz and Danny have this strong bond that I have always been sensing between them. I know for fact that this bond will never be unbroken between the two of them."

"What are you saying, Clockwork?" asked one of the Observants.

"Jazz does not merely exist as one of the dead, but as a guardian for Danny," he said simply. "I have seen the glimpses of the future with this connection in mind, and I have already seen that the unfinished business here is the factor that will keep the future from turning bleak. Both will have to eventually understand each other's notions, and this can be accomplished."

"You mean, she can still help him?"

"Of course," he said, grinning. "Until that time comes, yes, as a spirit, she can still help him."

The idea was almost unheard of. Was Jazz suddenly going to obtain powers and help Danny in this way? If so, how?

"Is there ever going to be a way for them both to ever find each other's paths?" asked one of the Observants.

"What do you mean?" asked Clockwork.

"What I'm asking is, will they ever see this happening sometime in the near future, or will they just continue wondering about all these events? What if this future is something that may not be reached?"

Clockwork slightly grinned, before he changed back into his adulthood. "You two are called the Observants. I shall let you carry on your names by letting you observe and then see what I am somewhat implying."

The statement left a bad taste in each of the Observants' mouths (considering if they had one). Furious, they stmped away before floating back to their own lair, leaving the Master of Time alone once again. However, he seemed to be a bit relieved that he was once again free of theri presence.

Turing aside to himself, he smiled, looking at a different future that only he currently knew about. The problem was that it would take a lot of hardships to get to that future, and there was one thing that would have to be done in order to get where it was supposed to be. And he knew quite well that Danny was still the stubborn type; if he could allow the triggering event to take place, then he would have to establish what was foresaid.

But Clockwork once said himself that he was the Master of Time; not the person who could come up with intentions with certain happenings. They just occurred.

He had that undying faith in him. Ever since he knew that he was responsible for Danny, he knew that he would have to trust his actions. But as things were currently turning out for him, it seemed like a bright future ahead.

The Master of Time sighed, as he now peered into the present. He laughed a bit, as he saw Danny starting to fall asleep, his head resting on a table. Typical teenager.

Clockwork internally grinned, as he thought of Danny's new power. Having faith and believing...no wonder those tears suddenly became that way...

He had come so far, shedding so many of them. He was actually quite proud that he was able to get through it all. It really had been a difficult part of his life.

Clockwork had only one last bit of advice for him, as he started thinking to himself.

"Be careful, Danny,"said Clockwork, finishing. "For us both, be careful..."

---Amity Park---

"Huh?" asked Danny to no one in particular.

His head got up from the table, where he had started to take a nap. He quickly rubbed his eyes and made a quick glance of his surroundings.

Was someone talking to him? He searched, but there didn't seem to be a soul around.

He was in the Nasty Burger, which was open for Christmas Eve, which happened to be today. He was out of the hospital after having recovered from his wounds, and Sam and Tucker were out of there, too, where she made a full recovery and was out of her wheelchair, yet Tucker had to continue using his crutches.

Now he remembered. He was waiting for them to meet him here. They were probably still getting ready.

For some reason, when he woke up that day, he, for the same strange reasons, didn't feel like himself at all. He decided to just walk straight to the Nasty Burger and keep his promise right there.

Besides, he would have been late. He usually got a ride from Jazz.

Her name almost made him shiver. It had been a couple of days since she died, and it was still like a never-ending nuisance that wouldn't disappear.

But he knew that he had to stop thinking that way. This isn't what Jazz wanted; she wanted him to be as strong as possible. And now that they were apart, it looked like that things would eventually have to be that way.

But he remembered that bond - the one he instantly realized that night when her spirit was free. He found that confidence that he desperately needed to feel...and ending up saving Sam's life.

Jazz would forever be helping him, and he knew that. She would always be there, even if she wasn't around...

Danny's thoughts suddenly turned to light, as he then visited flashbacks. They would be moments that he would always remember.

And finally, the rest of his guilt was finally let free into the cold air. No longer did he feel that the entire situation was his doing.

"Thank you..." he said softly, hoping that she would hear. "Thank you..."

"Thanks for what?" said a voice behind him.

Danny instantly opened his eyes and looked behind him. It was Valerie, dressed in her Nasty Burger outfit.

"Valerie?" he asked. "What are you doing here? I didn't know you were working today."

"I just got off shift," she said. They gave me an early morning shift to clean up one of the grills."

"Ouch," he said.

"Yeah, but at least I'm finally finished. I've got the rest of the month to myself, though. I finally got that vacation that I have been asking for."

Danny laughed slightly under his breath.

"Anyway, Danny, what are you doing here? I thought you'd be out with Sam and Tucker right now."

"Oh, I was just waiting for them here," he said. "They'll be coming down shortly, for all I know."

"But why here? Why not wait at one of your houses, or something?"

"Well...we like to hang out here," he put simply. "We usually eat a little lunch before we do all that stuff."

"Ah," she said.

Valerie watched as Danny put his head back down and continued waiting for his friends. It was almost as if he did it in a sad manner. She had to ask.

"Danny? Are you OK?" she asked.

"Huh?" he said, his head jerking back up.

"Is it Jazz?" she asked.

He laughed again. "No," he said. "Why do you ask?"

"You still don't really act like yourself," she said. "I still hope that you're not blaming yourself."

"Of course not," he said. "It's...just taking me a while to recover. I mean, if you had a sibling, wouldn't you feel this way?"

"I guess," she said.

Both teens remained silent for a few moments, until...

"She did care a lot about you, Danny," she said.

"I know she did," said Danny. "I'm grateful that she was always there, and still is,"

The sentence sort of hurt Valerie inside, because once again, she felt that same kind of feeling that she experienced when she saw the ghostly brother and sister hugging each other the night he found a new power.

"Danny, I envy you," she said.

This was a first. "What?" he asked.

"I wish I could have had a sister like that," she answered. "Your bond with Jazz...I just...always wanted something like that. But I never had any siblings. She's with you until the end."

He smiled internally. Danny could feel her jealousy, but he decided not to say a word about it.

Instead, there was something else that was bugging him. That night in the hospital...

"Umm...Valerie, speaking about the hospital, what happened after I passed out? The only thing I remember is...blackness..."

And worse, he also felt some kind of strange coldness going up and down his body as he was falling...

And then it hit him. It was his de-transformation. Did the hospital staff know about his secret now? He felt like he was going to panic.

Valerie rubbed the back of her neck, yet somehow maintained a straight face. Maybe...they didn't?

"Well, Danny," she said. "After that little light show that you put on for the hospital staff, you were falling towards the ground. Dr. Alan caught you, but something weird happened."

"Did I de-transform?" he asked.

"Well, no, not yet," she said. "You powers went sort of haywire, and then for some reason, you went right through his hands and ended up falling through the floor."

"My intangibility?" he asked. "But...I didn't feel it happening..."

"Well, I'm not the one that knows about your powers," said Valerie. "But what I remember is that Alan and the others tried to go after you, since you fell outside. They never found the ghostly you, but then I came across your own self."

"What?" asked Danny. "I don't get it."

She smiled. "I found you lying face-down next to that rose bush you fell on top of," she said. "I made sure that you weren't hurt, then I called the staff over, claiming that I found you. They rushed over, and that's when the rest of the story takes place, after you woke up."

Danny still couldn't believe it. He thought for sure that he was going to be seen...

How did he suddenly become intangible at that perfect moment? It didn't make any sense at all.

But all he knew was that he was going to be all right. His secret was still safe, at least, for now...

Valerie was about to say something else, until she heard a door open behind her. Peering into the light, she instantly recognized the faces of Sam and Tucker.

"Valerie!" shouted Tucker, trying to get over to her on his crutches. "What's up?"

"Not much," she said, walking over to him. "What's up with you, Sam? You're looking a lot better."

Danny had to agree. She looked like she was never in an accident at all, despite the scars on her face. She was already out of the wheelchair and was walking. Simply amazing.

"I'm good, Valerie, thanks," she said. "I would be a lot better if i didn't have to give Paulina that gift just now."

"Oh," said Valerie. "You were her secret admirer? I'm sorry."

"Nah, don't worry about it," she said. "Besides, she didn't want to take it anyway. Paulina accused me of booby-trapping it somehow if she ever put it on, so she made me keep it."

"Ouch," said Valerie. "I'm sorry."

"It's not your fault," she said. Then she noticed the person behind her.

"Danny!" she exclaimed. "You OK? You haven't spoken a word!"

"Oh yeah, I'm fine," he said, starting to get up and walk towards her. But then his legs almost buckled beneath him, for he was still kind of weak. Sam rushed over and caught him in time before he fell to the floor.

"Ugh, thanks Sam," he said.

"Don't mention it," she said, a bit of laughter in her voice. "Consider us even."

Danny also laughed a bit slightly.

Valerie watched the pair again, and looked over at the clumsy Tucker now starting to hobble over towards them. She knew that she'd been there a while, and knew they probably had a lot to talk about. She didn't want to interfere.

"Well, I'd better get going," she said to the trio. "I've got some things to take care of,"

Tucker looked behind him in surprise. "Valerie? Hey, wait a second!"

She stopped. "Huh?" she asked, turning around.

"Hang out with us," said Sam. "We can always use a fourth member. Besides, you should take a day for yourself. You're always working."

"Oh no," she said. "My dad got his bonus at Axion and we're doing some remodeling on the apartment," she said.

"You can do that another day," said Danny, suddenly remembering something else. "Besides, I still haven't given you something."

He put a hand underneath the table and pulled out a wrapped box.

Valerie was now caught off guard in surprise. All this time...him...?

"Merry Christmas, Val," he said, standing up and walking her Secret Santa gift over to her.

"Danny..." she said, accepting the gift. "It was you?"

"Yes," said Danny. "I'm actually kind of glad you didn't look under the table. I almost forgot all about it!"

"That's pretty typical of you, Danny," said Sam, laughing. "That sort of reminds me of the time when you left my surprise birthday present in the open."

Valerie tore off the wrapping paper and tossed the bow into the trash. Then, on top of the box was a note.

I heard you didn't have one of these yet, so I decided to get one for you. Hope you enjoy this.

Danny

"What is it?" she wondered. She then opened the box and peeked behind some extra tissue paper.

And there lay a photo album. It was the exact same one that she had been trying to save up for, because it was terribly expensive. She had a lot of photos that she had been trying to find a place for, but she could never find the time to buy an album. She was hunting ghosts all the time.

Valerie looked at her gift for a while. It was one of the best a friend had ever given her.

Opening it, she saw there was already a photograph inside. It was a day that the four of them were hanging out, before all of this ghost nonsense became a part of all their lives.

"Thank you, Danny," she said, walking over and giving him a hug. "It's great."

"Heh, I knew you'd like it," said Danny, hugging her back.

After breaking away from each other, Valerie put the album in her backpack. "Well, I'd better go," she said.

"Oh, come on!" said Tucker. "Why won't you hang out?"

Valerie looked at him in wonder. This was extremely strange to her. After spending a while by herself, it felt odd to be asked to hang out by people. She had been doing it for so long.

"Besides," said Danny. "There's that movie currently playing that we were all going to see. It was called -"

But, he never finished. Instead, he felt a chill run down his spine.

"Danny?" asked Sam behind him. "What's wrong?"

Her answer was an ectoplasmic smoke that came out of his mouth, followed by a shiver.

"HAHA!" yelled an all-too familiar voice behind all four of them. "BEWARE! I am the Box Ghost!" He floated down to the package that once held Valerie's present.

"Now that it is void of its contents, its marvelous squareness shall be mine!"

"Oh man, not you again," said Danny, rolling his eyes.

"Don't you have anything better to do?" asked Sam.

"I am the Box Ghost! There is nothing better to do!"

"Wow, is that sad," said Tucker, taking out a Fenton Thermos and throwing it to Danny. "Get rid of him, Danny."

"No problem," he said, jumping out of his seat. "Going GHOST!"

His arms raising in the air, the two blue rings of ectoplasmic light appeared and transformed him back into Danny Phantom.

"YAH!" screamed the Box Ghost. "Uhh...BEWARE!" He phased out of the building before something could be done to him.

"HEY!" he screamed. "Get back here!" He quickly phased through the building after the blue specter.

"Hey Danny!" yelled Valerie, turning into her ghost hunter mode. "Let me have a piece of that guy!" Then, running out of the building, her jet-sled came out of her shoes and she started flying the the same direction.

Sam and Tucker laughed on the ground at the Box Ghost's fate as they ran outside to watch. He had two to worry about now.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

"Some things will never change," she thought.

Far up in the clouds, someone was watching them with a smile on her face. It was the person that had made a promise that she would always be there, and she was beaming down on him proudly, almost like his very own guardian angel.

No, she was his guardian. But she was currently just beaming down on him, looking at how much fun he was having, and still thinking about how proud she still was of him.

"I knew you could do it, Danny..." she said. "And all it took was a little of my own help..."

She was the one who had made him intangible out of the sight of the hospital staff. She felt great that she was now getting used to her abilities.

As she continued watching, something floated by her face. It looked somewhat like a puff of white.

Looking up, she saw that there were now tons of them right above her head. She instantly knew what it was.

Instead of the rain that had been falling for the past days, things had now changed for the better. It was the symbolic snow.

A warm feeling passed through her. She knew that the future was looking brighter than before.

"Merry Christmas, Danny," she said to herself, a smile forming on her face.

And off she flew in her free form, waiting for that very time, when she knew that he'd need her again.

Because even as a ghost, she would always be there...

THE END

A/N: And it comes to a close. Thank you to all that took the time to read. Heh, if I write another story, I'd better make a promise to myself that I'd better not let it take this long in the future.

SPECIAL THANKS TO: Evilevergreen, Anne Camp aka Obi-quiet, A. Nonymous, Spongewolf, SummersSixEcho, InsanePirate, WingsOfMorphius (thanks for the C2), definenormalAB, Leppers, silvermoonphantom (thanks for the C2), crystal, The Person Who Rights, Crazy Billie Joe Loving Freak, Miss Selarne, Laryna6, Zarz, Sasia, evilchik, Pieling, xheartkreuzx, Mistress of Darkness, Diamond-Wind, Nikki, TheDashLikes, animegurl088, Mizuki hikari, Jayne, Ryo Hoshi, zombie-rodeo-frog, darkmoonwriter13, dramaqueen07, Ginger Guardian Angel, Fuzzy, fang 50, The Fatalist, Straying Life, DraconWolf88, Jodi Crystal, Katrina Kaiba, TayloWolf, CrazyCosmoFan, alboc, Ari-Griffin

To those I forgot, I thank you all as well. And more thanks to those who either faved this or kept a watch on it, once again, thanks.

Until then, see you all later - it's been a fun ride.

BlackShadow875