Disclaimer: I do not own Person of Interest or Danny Phantom. I'm just borrowing their characters.

AN: I'm using Bailee Madison as the face claim for Danielle.

AN2: So, I lowered Dani's age from 17 to 14. I want her to be legally underage for the majority of this story. And with her being 17 she'd only be legally underage for like the first couple months to the first year of the story {depending on when I decide her birthday is}. So having her be 14 instead meant she'd be legally underage for most of the story while also giving her at least 2 years between the start of this story and when Vlad created her. I also changed her height from 5'2" to just 5', mostly because that's how tall I have her in the other stories in this series and I want to keep it that way for all the stories for consistency. Also, I just have this head cannon that Dani's growth/height would be stunted because of having been an unstable clone and not having her genetics fixed for some time. So the poor girl is going to be short/shorter than everyone else for the rest of her life.

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Phantom of Interest

Chapter Eight: An understanding

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Third Person POV

The next morning

"Morning Finch," Reese stated, setting the take out boxes on the table next to Finch.

"Morning Reese," Finch replied, not looking away from his computer.

Reese sat down in the seat across from Finch and started eating his pancakes. The two men sat in silence for a while, each eating their food. Both where almost done with their food when Reese glanced towards the row of bookshelves that lead towards the back room where Dani was sleeping. He thought she would have come out by now, having smelled the food he'd brought in.

"Have you seen Dani at all this morning?" Reese questioned, eyes narrowing.

Finch paused in his typing to look up at the row of bookshelves that Reese was looking at.

"No, I haven't," He said, shaking his head.

Reese stood up and moved to the back of the library. He rounded the corner that lead to the back room and was standing in the small room within seconds. He cursed when he found the room completely empty. He moved back out into the library, searching every inch for Dani, but couldn't find her. He cursed again and moved back into the main room of the library where Finch was waiting for him.

"She's not here," He stated, coming to a stop next to Finch.

Finch turned back to his computers and pulled up the video feeds of the street cameras around the building for the past 12 hours. He quickly went through the feeds but didn't find Dani on any of them.

"None of the cameras caught her leaving," Finch muttered, shaking his head with a frown.

Somehow this child had been able to circumvent his camera's multiple times now since they've met her. And he would very much like to know how she was doing it! And he would also like it very much if she would stop!

"She probably went back to that warehouse," Reese stated, heading towards the door.

It took him thirty minutes to get to the warehouse. But as he walked inside he got a bad feeling. Something just didn't feel right. He picked up his pace and rushed to the back of the warehouse where the office Dani slept in was. He skidded to a stop in the doorway of the room and stared into the room with wide panicked eyes. He could see the sky through the large hole at the back of the room.

And lying on the floor in a pile of ruble was Dani. Her clothes where soaked through, from last night's rain, and he could see blood running down her face from a cut by her hair line. He couldn't help but think just how damn small she looked, laying there underneath all that rubble. He shook the thought away and rushed through the room, and to her side, kneeling down next to her. His hands went to her neck, and sighed in relief when he found a pulse. He tapped his ear wig connecting him to Finch.

"Finch, get the car and get over to the warehouse. Dani's hurt. The roof must have collapsed in on her at some point last night," Reese stated, gently lifting one of the beams off of her chest and tossing it to the side.

"I'll be there shortly," Finch replied, panic in his voice.

Reese pulled the other beam off of Dani's leg, tossing that one to the side as well. There was dry wall and bits of concrete scattered all around and on her. He carefully uncovered her from all the debris she'd been lying under, trying to be gentle so as not to injure her further. He frowned when he felt how cold her skin was, and he quickly pulled off his suit jacket and laid it over top of her. She groaned, her head shifting to one side as her eyes fluttered open. She stared at him blearily for a few moments, her eyes unfocused.

"Reese?" She asked, blinking up at him.

"Yeah, Dani it's me," He said, pushing her hair out of her face.

She groaned and attempted to sit up but let out a shout of pain when she put pressure on her left arm.

"Don't move," Reese ordered, laying a hand on her shoulder.

She scowled but didn't attempt to move again.

"God my head hurts," She muttered.

"Anything else hurt?" Reese asked, moving the last of the debris off of her.

"Besides my head and arm, my leg. Think it's broken, and my chest kind of hurts a bit too," She replied, her words slurring slightly.

Reese eyed her, worried about how bad her head injury might be. He could also hear a slight wheeze to her breathing, which couldn't be good.

"Mr. Reese I've just pulled up outside," Finch exclaimed over his earwig.

"I'm going to pick you up, alright," Reese said, kneeling on Dani's right side.

She nodded, and put her good arm around his neck as he slipped his arm around her back and under her knees. She stifled a scream of pain as he pulled her up off the floor and into his arms. She took several deep breaths, trying not to black out from the pain. After a few moments her head rolled back to lie on Reese's shoulder as he moved through the warehouse and outside. Finch was parked not too far from the front door. The second he saw Reese step outside Finch was out of the car and moving to open the back door. Reese gently slid Dani into the back seat then climbed in beside her. Finch climbed back into the driver's seat. The car lurched into motion and Dani groaned as the movement jolted her injuries.

"fika fiulo," Dani grumbled.

"We're about twenty minutes from the nearest hospital," Finch stated.

Dani's eyes went wide at that. She couldn't go to the hospital. She wasn't normal. Her body temperature for one was way lower than the average persons. And her DNA was all kinds of screwed up, and her blood had a slight green tinge to it that she couldn't really explain away. Plus, she healed faster than normal people. Not to mention they'd call social services more than likely. And like hell was she going to be put in some group home.

"No! No damn hospital!" Dani shouted, attempting to sit up.

Reese attempted to gently push her back down, but she fought him.

"No hospital, I'm not going to no hospital," Dani panicked, using her good arm to try and shove Reese's hand off.

Black spots appeared in her vision as pain shot through her from her movements.

"Dani, calm down. You need a hospital. You're injured, but I'm not sure how bad. You need a doctor," Reese stated.

He could see how much pain she was in, but she continued to fight him, a wild frantic look in her eyes.

"NO! No hospital! I swear you take me to a hospital I'll tell them about that damn library," Dani threatened, wincing as another flash of pain shot through her.

Reese sighed and caught Finch's eye in the rearview mirror. Finch nodded his head, and changed direction, heading towards one of their safe houses. He pulled out his phone and dialed up the number of one of the doctors they had waiting on standby to help them out if either of them got injured.

"Alright, no hospital. But you do need a Doctor. We're going to take you to a safe house and have one meet us there to look you over," Reese stated.

Dani eyed Reese for a moment, distrust in her eyes, then she groaned, and flopped back onto the seat. Everything hurt, and her struggle with Reese hadn't helped. But at least she had talked them out of taking her to a hospital. She could deal with one lone doctor looking her over. It took them ten minutes to reach the apartment building that Finch owned and used as one of their many safe houses. And they quickly brought Dani up to the third floor to an empty apartment. Reese set her down on the bed in the only bedroom of the apartment, then moved back out to the living room where Finch was.

"Girl's stubborn, I'll give her that," Reese muttered, shaking his head.

Honestly, the amount of panic he saw in her eyes didn't match up with the situation. Yeah sure being brought to the hospital would get social services involved. But she'd proven multiple times that she was an amazing escape artist and sneak. She could easily slip away from social services if she wanted to when she able to. No, that panic in her eyes was for something else. But he just couldn't figure out what.

Before Finch could reply, there was a knock at the door. Reese opened the door, letting the doctor into the apartment. He was a middle aged man, of middle eastern descent who they saved some time ago. He'd agreed to help them out with any serious injuries either of them would get while helping people in return for saving his life. Reese brought him back to the bedroom, explaining to him about how he'd found Dani. He watched the doctor look Dani over. Listening as she tiredly snarked at the man whenever he asked her a question. After doing a cursory exam of her injuries he motioned for Reese to follow him back out into the living room.

"How is she?" Finch asked when he spotted the two of them walking into the living room.

"Not too good. She's got a mild concussion, a broken arm and leg. And I'm pretty sure she's got some broken ribs, though I can't really tell cause she won't let me touch her sides. What's worrying me is that wheeze to her breathing and how cold she is. I'm worried she might have pneumonia, but again she's not really cooperating with an exam. I can put a cast on her arm and leg since the bones don't appear to be out of place. Although that is a guess based off how it feels since I don't have an x-ray," He answered, pinching the bridge of his nose in frustration.

Both Reese and Finch sighed, and Reese looked heavenward for a moment. This would go a lot better if they could just take her to the hospital. But the both of them knew that Dani was serious about telling about the library if they took her to the hospital.

"Do what you can please," Finch requested.

The doctor nodded his head, and moved back into the bedroom. Reese and Finch sat in silence in the living room for over an hour. They could hear Dani's muffled voice coming from the bedroom for a while, before she eventually went quiet. And then finally the doctor came back out of the bedroom.

"Well, I got the casts on her arm and leg. And she finally let me look at her ribs long enough to get them wrapped up. And yes she definitely has several broken ribs. She passed out shortly after I got her ribs wrapped up, honestly I'm not really sure how she was able to stay awake as long as she did. I'm going to give you guys a prescription for antibiotics, painkillers, and an inhaler for her. She should be out for a while, just keep an eye on her breathing and her temperature. And keep the heat turned up and her under the blankets. Call me if her condition changes at all," The doctor stated, shaking his head as he handed over the prescription slip to Finch.

And with that the doctor left. Finch left to get the prescriptions filled, and Reese sunk back into the couch once more. He closed his eyes as his head fell back against the couch. He could already see it, this kid was gonna turn the rest of his hair grey. He drifted in and out of sleep for a while, before a sound from the bedroom woke him. He glanced down at his watch to see that it had only been half an hour since the doctor and Finch both left. Which means Dani should still be asleep. He stood up, hand reaching for his gun as he made his way back into the bedroom. Just as he reached the door there was a thud, and Dani cursed loudly. Reese rushed into the room, gun in hand, only to find Dani lying dazed on the floor next to the bed. She stared up at him from the floor with hazy eyes. There wasn't anyone else in the room, so Reese put his gun away with a sigh, and moved to help Dani up off the floor.

"You should still be asleep," Reese stated.

Dani stared at him for a moment, seeming to processes his words. Her face had a slight green tinge to it, and then she gagged.

"Bathroom!" Dani exclaimed, trying to lurch to her feet.

She would have hit the floor once more, after trying to put weight on her broken leg, but Reese caught her and gently pulled her up into his arms. Then he rushed towards the bathroom. He got her in front of the toilet just in time for her to start throwing up. Reese held her hair away from her face and rubbed her back. After a minute she slumped back against the tub next to the toilet with a quiet groan of pain.

"This sucks," Dani muttered, attempting to stand up on her own.

But her broken arm and leg wouldn't support her weight and she slumped back against the tub again.

"fiku!" Dani swore.

Reese picked her up off the floor, and carried her back to the bedroom. Dani grumbled in his arms, annoyed at needing someone to carry her. Reese settled her back into the bed, pulling the covers over her.

"You have a broken arm, and leg. A concussion, broken ribs, and possible pneumonia. You are going to stay in this bed, and not move. If you need something, call for me or Finch, we'll get it for you. If you need the bathroom or if you actually really need to get out of bed for something, call for me and I will help you. Finch is currently getting your meds that the doctor prescribed you. But you really need to be resting," Reese stated.

Dani frowned up at him, her eyes still hazy due to her concussion.

"I'm fine," She uttered, the words coming out in a wheeze.

"That building collapsed on you, and it could have killed you. You can not walk on your own. And you can't be on your own anymore, at least not until you're healed up. So, you are going to stay in that bed, take your medicine, rest, and let us look after you," Reese ordered, staring her down.

She stared at him for a few moments, looking as if she wanted to keep on arguing with him. Which she really wanted to. She didn't like the idea of letting anyone take care of her. It just didn't feel right. But she really couldn't walk on her own at the moment. And her concussion would make it hard for her to be able to fly straight as well. She wasn't sure exactly how long it would take for her injuries to heal. Most injuries she sustained while in her ghost form healed within hours to days. But she'd noticed whenever she got injured in her human form she would heal a little slower than normal. It would still be pretty fast for a human, but slow for a ghost. But until she was fully healed and could walk on her own again she was going to need some help. Dani sighed, and slumped back into the bed.

"Fine," She wheezed, her eyes fluttering shut.

Reese nodded his head, glad they'd finally come to some kind of understanding, and silently left her to sleep. Finch returned not to long later and Reese filled him in on what happened while he was gone. The two both agreed that someone would have to be with her at all times, which was going to make working the numbers difficult, but they were determined they'd find a way to make it work. All they could hope was that Dani would cooperate with them this time…

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Ghost Zone

Deep in the ghost zone, in a small room inside a tower shaped like a grandfather clock, floated a very old and very powerful ghost. He floated alone in the room surrounded by small mirrors, each one showing different points in time. But the one he was currently fixated on, was the mirror showing the timeline of one Danielle Phantom. As Clockwork observed her timeline he shifted from the form of an old decrepit man to that of a very young child. He frowned as he watched Danielle's timeline play out.

The girl had been through so much in her short existence. Locked away in a lab by her creator. Made to think she was nothing but a failed experiment whose only worth was to help her creator find a way to create a 'better' clone. And then spent two years alone on the streets, searching for a place to belong. A place that she had finally found. He could see her timeline playing out before him. How happy she'd be with this new family that she had found. And how it would only end in tragedy if one thing wasn't changed. And this one thing wouldn't only affect Danielle's future, but the future of all ghosts who lived on Earth. Clockwork turned away from the time windows just as another ghost floated into the room. The ghost nervously glanced around the room before looking up at Clockwork with wide eyes.

"Ugh… it is I Te…Technus, I received this letter telling me to come to this part of the ghost zone," Technus stuttered, holding up the letter in question.

"Right on time. I have a task for you. A task that could see to the prevention of the destruction of the ghost zone and all ghosts within it," Clockwork stated, his form shifting to that of a young man.

Technus' eyes went even wider at his statement.

"What would you have me do?" He asked, his usually loud voice practically a whisper.

Clockwork pulled out another piece of paper and handed it over to Technus.

"On that paper is the location of a bank and the number of a specific safety deposit box. You will go to that bank, and find the safety deposit box. Inside that box you will find two hard drives. On those hard drives is an AI that could bring about the destruction of the ghost zone if ever let out. I want you to use your powers to wipe the hard drive of the AI programming. Then I want you to put a virus on the hard drives that will destroy any computer the drives are plugged into. Once you've done that replace the hard drives back in the safety deposit box and place the box back where it belongs," Clockwork instructed, his form once more shifting back into that of an old man.

Technus nodded his head staring down at the paper that Clockwork had given him. Once he was sure of where he was going, and that Clockwork had no more to say to him, he took off for the closest portal out of the ghost zone. He had a mission to accomplish and nothing was going to stop him. Not when that mission was given to him by the ghost of time. Clockwork smiled as he turned back to the mirror showing Danielle's timeline. He could already see events shifting for the better. Yes the timelines where finally looking good…

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AN: So Technus might seem a tad bit out of character but that's just because he was summoned by Clockwork. I have this head cannon that Clockwork is kind of like a cryptid among cryptid's. Like he's this very old ghost whose been around since the creation of the ghost zone and he can see through and control time. And not many ghosts actually see him. He mostly stays hidden away in his tower watching over the timelines. The only ghosts that ever see him are The Observants and Danny. So, for Technus he was basically being summoned, meeting, and being given a ghost zone saving mission, from a ghost who had essentially become like a myth or fairytale to the ghosts of the ghost zone. He was kind of freaking out a little bit. And honestly when you're told accomplishing a specific task means the difference between yours, everyone you knows, and your homes continued existence, you don't have much to say other than I'll do it and not fail at it.

AN2: Clockworks job/obsession is to basically ensure the best possible timeline for the timelines he watches over. So, I just couldn't see Clockwork letting Samaratin become operational. Cause not only would that affect Dani and Team Machine. But it would also affect Danny and all the other ghosts. Because Samaratin would find out the existence of ghosts and Danny just like The Machine did. And then Danny and all other ghosts would become targets of Samaratin because they would be considered threats to its existence. So, Clockwork decided to take out Samaratin before it could become a problem. This is going to change so much later on in the story as you can imagine.