I couldn't wait to post this chapter! I am a little scared though... Writing Clockwork is something that really kinda makes me nervous...
More at the end of the chapter!
Chapter 8 - Wraith
Clockwork turned away from one of his many screens, each showing a different timeline, with a grim chuckle.
"Wraith, what are you doing?" he asked quietly. Not that he ever really needed to ask anything, for he knew the answers they would give long before the questions were asked. Sometimes he liked to say such things anyway; it amused him.
He looked at the clock atop his staff, watching the last few seconds tick by before-
"Clockwork! What was that?" The ghost of Time turned with a sigh to the Observant who had so rudely intruded into his lair.
"What was what?" he asked in reply.
The Observant, obviously frustrated already, said, "You know what I am talking about, Clockwork."
Clockwork smirked. He knew.
The one-eyed ghost continued, misreading the master of Time's silence. "The ghost child's brief mental snap. What was it? Will it happen again?"
Clockwork wanted to say something, but he would only be interrupted.
"And the female ghost's prevention of the ghost child's entrance of the Ghost Zone. His purpose was to find you, correct? Why did she lie and prevent him?"
Clockwork felt that he should at least defend his ward, just a little. "For one, Danny is no longer a child. That much is obvious. He hasn't been said child for a long, long time, relatively speaking. You should have noticed. Don't you Observants pride yourselves on being just that? Observant? Of course you do. Now, I know you have your oath, to watch, but never to act. That is why come to me, or other suitable ghosts to do your dirty work."
Knowing that the Observant's normally acid green complexion would soon redden in anger, as it was tinged pink already, he softened his words.
"Yes, I will answer your questions in due time, but for now, let's see how it all plays out. There are a million and one different ways this whole situation could go, and the count is growing. Why, you ask? All things will become clear soon, very soon. For now, I will say this: the timelines are, in a way you would understand, merging, and Danny will find things quite difficult in the coming times."
--
Back in the realm of Earth, the half ghost, being the subject of much gossip among other ghosts, rolled over in his bed. He had shown Wraith the guest bedroom, but he didn't know if she had someplace else to sleep, much less if she slept at all.
Sitting up and getting out of bed, he wandered down the hall to the guest bedroom, now Wraith's room, if she had chosen to accept it.
Pausing by the door, he listened for the sound of her breathing. Ghosts didn't need to breathe, but many relatively 'young' ghosts still felt more comfortable clinging to some old habits. Another was eating. Many still occasionally eat.
Sure enough, the soft noises reached his well trained ear. He cracked open the door, hopefully slowly enough that it didn't-
CREAK!
He froze, alarmed eyes watching the sleeping figure. She stirred a little, then was still.
Danny released the breath he hadn't realized he had been holding; it left him quietly. Standing in the half open door, it struck him how familiar she looked. He knew her, yet he didn't, and she looked a lot like some older friend…
Sam.
At the last moment he realized that the barriers he normally held around his mind weren't there; he had forgotten to hold them in place.
Wraith stirred again, then sat up, rubbing her eyes as she croaked, "Yes?" in a voice husky with sleep. She looked up, seeing Danny standing there, and, realizing her slip up, stiffened.
He swallowed. "Is it really you?" he whispered.
Fully awake now, she murmured, "Shit!" under her breath. She then looked down at her feet and said, "Yes…"
His eyed widened. "I though you were dead," he said.
"Danny, I am dead," she replied.
"I thought it would be best if you didn't-"
"Sam, I thought I had lost you. For good. You saw how devastated I was after it happened."
"I didn't know how to tell you. What was I supposed to do? The first day you came back to Amity Park, should I have just popped into your mind with a 'Hey, Danny, it's Sam! I'm a ghost now! Yay!' You're a different person now. I didn't know how you would react, either."
Danny shook his head. "Sam, you're my best friend. I would have been happy."
She looked away. "But I'm a ghost now. You hunt ghosts."
He walked across the room to her, thinking before he said, "I don't care. You know that there are ghosts that are good. And you know that I know that. I fought with my parents time and time again for that very reason."
Standing right in front of her now, he pulled his very best friend in for a tight embrace. He grinned into her silky black hair.
"Besides," he laughed, "I leave most of the 'hunting' to Skulker."
--
A few hours later, also to be known as the next morning, Danny woke up smiling. He then frowned.
Had that been a dream? No.
Grinning like a child on Christmas morning, he quickly got out of bed and dressed. He practically flew down the stairs, which was possible, considering. He purposefully stopped before entering the kitchen. He then took a deep breath, and, nonchalantly, walked in.
There she sat, absentmindedly eating some organic wheat cereal. Hearing Danny come in, she looked up, a smile graced her features.
Danny found it hard not to stare. He wondered, Does it really take ten years of believing a person is dead to really appreciate said person?
He was careful not to let those thoughts past his mind wall to let her hear those, of course.
Aww, come on. You guys know I could never kill Clockwork! Anyway, it's kinda impossible, unless he knew it was his time.
I was asked for a few answers, and hopefully, I delivered, while creating a few more questions. I really hope I did ok writing Clockwork... I'm still a little, no, very scared. Clockwork is pretty much sacred to many. Ummm... I'm gonna go cringe in a corner... (Unless the reviews aren't too bad. Then I might just come out :P just kidding :)
I'll come out -eventually- :)
-Flaming Water