Clockwork sighed, fiddling with the clocks on his wrist, as was his habit.

Danny Phantom had come perilously close to becoming Dark Danny. Clockwork knew that intervention was needed. Vlad was constantly manipulating him, playing up his temper and other emotions that could easily throw his over the edge.

Clockwork smirked. Luckily for him, he knew just the girl for the job…

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Thursday 22, April 2058, Amity Park…

Sam Manson was blasting hard rock on her headphones as she did her homework, nodding slightly to the beat.

And if I could just be there with you

And ask just what you meant

Then maybe we wouldn't be alone

Tonight…

She felt a chill and then velvet ribbon sliding around her neck. The music had silenced. She sighed and slid the headphones off her ears and around her neck. "What is it this time, Clockwork?" She inquired.

Clockwork smiled. He found her impudence refreshing. She and Daniel were a lot alike in that way. "Samantha, I have another project for you."

"I told you to call me Sam." She growled. Sam then sighed and pulled the headphones off of her head. "Please tell me it's some time in the 20th century at least. I don't think I can stand one more stint in the days before plumbing."

Clockwork chuckled. He did enjoy watching his wards suffer in the Middle Ages, but that was beside the point. "Actually, this time your project is in your century."

Sam raised an eyebrow, interested. "What's the catch?"

Clockwork smiled slightly. "Well, it involves a guy…"

Sam slid her silent headphones back on her ears. "No." she said, turning away.

Clockwork groaned. This was what he had been afraid of. "Samantha, I am not asking you to romance the boy, just deal with him for a few weeks." He inwardly smiled.

Sam turned her back to him. "We both know how this works, Clockwork. You send me out, I end up making a really good friend or find a boyfriend and then you make me come back here." She gestured to her lavishly decorated bedroom. "I hate the pattern, but at least when you give me female charges they don't become interested in me." She shuddered inwardly. The Gregory incident was brought to mind.

"Samantha, I need your help. And think of it this way," he said. "It's three weeks out of this hell hole."

Sam sighed and slid the phones off of her ears. "Fine. Where am I going and what will I need?"

Clockwork grinned, elated about his victory. "Well, you actually aren't going anywhere…."

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May 5, 2006, Amity Park…

Danny Fenton had had a pretty good day at school. The lab test in Science was going okay and tucker was his partner. The History essay was going well; he had found the perfect article about Watergate. His English teacher wasn't being as heinous as usual. He had even managed to avoid Dash all day. Paulina had waved to him in the halls.

He was walking home from school, smiling. He breathed in deeply, sighing with happiness as the warm spring air enveloped him. It was just so-

"Beware!"

Danny growled his eyes flashing green. He dropped his backpack and ran into an alleyway. The ghost's resident super hero flew out.

Danny Phantom sighed and crossed his arms. "I'm not feeling particularly merciful today, so let's skip the parts with me chasing you and kicking your butt and go right ahead to sucking you into the thermos." He grabbed the soup container out of his shoulder holster.

The Box Ghost shifted his eyes back and forth before shouting, "Beware!" and disappearing.

Danny sighed and floated down to the ground, changing back about a yard above the sidewalk. He grabbed his backpack and was about to continue his walk home, when he heard a voice say, "Well, well, if it isn't the halfa…"

A girl walked out of the alley he had just run out of. She was wearing black cargo pants and a short black and purple top. Her short black hair brushed her shoulders and framed her face. Danny was drawn to her purple eyes; so vibrant they almost seemed to glow.

She looked at him skeptically. This scrawny thing is the "great power" Clockwork was going on about?

The two teenagers stood there on the sidewalk, sizing each other up.

Danny asked cautiously, "Who are you?"

Sam smirked. "I'm not feeling particularly nice today, so let's skip the part of me explaining and you rebelling and go right to you telling me what the hell your problem is."

Danny backed up, getting suspicious. "I don't have a problem." He spat out. "Are you a ghost?"

Sam rolled her eyes. She stuck her hands on her hips. "Do I look like a ghost to you?" She asked.

"Not really." Danny said warily.

Sam took a step forward, her hands held up in front of her as a gesture of peace. "Look, I know who you are and what you are. Clockwork sent me to help you with something. I'm not leaving until I do. There's nothing you can do about it." She took another step forward and Danny took a step back.

Danny changed into Danny Phantom form. His eyes narrowed and he grinned. "Watch me." With that, Danny shot off. He flew long and hard, away from the creepy girl who knew so much about him. He landed in the park, and looked around panting. It was deserted, which wasn't surprising for a Monday night. He relaxed as he saw she wasn't there. How could she be? He just flew halfway across Amity Park.

"Way to keep a girl waiting, Danny."

He jumped and spun around. Sam was leaning against a tree, smirking at him. "How did you get hear so fast?" He exclaimed.

Sam knelt down and pulled up a bit of her pant leg, to reveal a black shiny boot underneath, that was giving off a faint green glow. "Clockwork gives all sorts of little goodies to his helpers." She said in a false sugary voice. She stood up again.

Her words sunk in. "Clockwork?" Danny asked.

"Yeah. How else did you think I would know so much about you?"

Danny scratched the back of his neck. "Plasmius?" He guessed.

Sam's forehead crinkled. "Plasmius? Who…. Oh, Masters. No, he's way before my time and way too loopy."

Danny's turn to be confused: "Wait. What do you mean, 'before your time'?"

Sam sighed and put a hand on her forehead. "Look," she said. "I've got a lot of explaining to do and if you could just cooperate-"

"No." Danny said vehemently. "I'm not going to help you. Go away and leave me alone!" He took off again.

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Danny shifted his backpack on his shoulders and opened the door to his house. He had had to zigzag all across Amity Park, but he had finally lost the girl.

"Mom? Dad?" He inquired. Usually his mom was there to meet him.

"In here, honey!" His mom called from the kitchen.

Danny dropped his bag near the front door and walked into the kitchen. He backed up a little when he saw who was sitting at the table. "No way."

"Honey, this is Samantha. She is going to be an exchange student at your school, and her host family went on vacation. She'll be staying here for three weeks."

Sam smirked at Danny over her shoulder. Danny was still in shock over the fact she had in fact beaten him.

"It's so kind of you to take me in, Mrs. Fenton." Sam gushed. "I really don't know what I would have done. I mean, it was only today at the airport that I realized the Reggers were gone and Mr. Lancer told me what responsible parents you too are." Danny snorted, disgusted over her sugary monologue. Sam continued. "And when my ghosts are on such an important ghost expedition…"

That was all Jack Fenton needed to hear. "You, Sammy are going to be my assistant all your time here. You can even help me rebuild the ship-thing Danny's friend trashed."

Sam smiled warmly at them and then yawned. "Excuse me. Jet lag must be catching up with me."

Mrs. Fenton switched to maternal mode. "Oh, no, dear. It's quite all right. Danny, how about you show our guest up to your room? She'll be using your old bathroom and Jazz's room." She turned back to Sam. "Danny's older sister is studying at NYU in psychology."

Sam stood up and smiled. "Thank you again!" She grabbed the duffel sitting next to her chair and followed Danny up the stairs.

Danny showed her Jazz's room and then snapped. "What are you playing at?" he hissed.

Sam grinned and plopped the duffel down. She sat on the edge of the futon and said, "Listen up. I'm from 2058 and I work for Clockwork. I do work when powerful people stray from their positions. I work for him because I have the Sixth Sense, which means I can see ghosts and touch them and my life pretty much sucks. My job here is to help you in some way. I really don't know how or why, but apparently you do need help." She smiled even wider. "Clockwork told me I'm supposed to basically baby-sit you until any problems show up. So," She said. "Are you a morning shower type person, or an evening shower type person?"

Danny stood there with his jaw dropped. Then he shook himself and narrowed his eyes. "I take showers in the morning. And tomorrow, I'm going to talk to Clockwork about you and get you out of here." He walked out of the room grumbling.

Sam rolled her eyes. Boys. Always so predictable.