Okay, after about a week of pushing this story as hard as I dared and battled valiently against the evil Writer's Block monster, I have emerged victorious! (For a general concept of the battle, I recommend the poem "Jabberwocky.") So here at long last is chapter 4, and the story is once again moving the way I want it to! Ha Ha!

O.O Wow. Ummm...(DEEEEP Breath) Thanks to: Arabic Blessing, ShiroAndFubuki, BarnOwl93, cordia, nathow111, xheartkreuzx, Queen S of Randomness 016, Tornada Silverwind, Harm Marie, DP fan, Horselvr4evr123, Chaos Dragon, AirGirl Phantom, Meagainsttheworld, The Fluff Ghost, Epona Harper, Rakahn, Funkatron, Diamond Raider, and Pieling. I think that's all of you. My e-mail is not getting reviews again, so I've had to use this site, which is a bit...meh. If you haven't recieved a response, please accept this slightly more generic but every bit as sincere love and gratitude. I hope to hear from you all again!

Right, well here is the fourth chapter, wherein there are many funny misconceptions, confessions, and general "WHAT" moments.

Much love,

HiddenAuthor

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Chapter 4 – Barriers

Valerie nodded at the stunned ghost boy smugly. "You shouldn't seem so surprised, Phantom. It's really obvious when you think about it. Ghosts are born from the energy-stuff of the Ghost Zone all the time, and Danny's pain when the accident happened was probably powerful enough to create you seconds after the portal opened. That's why he knew you first, that's why you two seem so much alike, and that's why you live in his closet." She leaned back, daring him to deny the truth.

"Oh wow." He said, sitting back and rubbing his head. "This just got really weird." Valerie raised an eyebrow. "Uh, why exactly do you think I'm a copy of Danny again?" The other girl shrugged.

"You look like him, and you sound like him. And he did have that weird accident with the ghost portal. I remember because Mr. Lancer gave some big speech on irresponsible lab safety a few days later, and wouldn't stop talking about him." Danny rolled his eyes. "And later on, Danny would always spazz out and disappear whenever a ghost attacked, and you'd show up a few seconds later. What, was he calling you or something?" The ghost boy stuttered a bit at the awkward question.

Then coughed as his cobbled explanation turned into a light blue mist.

"Um, hold that thought." He said nervously, and flew back out into the night. Then froze in midair at the sight before him. Floating above the shadowed street was a large metal spirit on jet wings, glaring viciously at his quarry.

"Greetings, ghost child." Skulker growled. "Do you like it? We call ourselves Skulktech 1.0." Danny blinked a moment, and took in Technus leering from the front body plate.

"Oh boy." He moaned, floating in midair. "Serious Déjà vu." His fused opponent raised two sets of eyebrows.

"What are you talking about child? We have never appeared before you like this." Skulker stated, confused. Suddenly, twin cables shot out and wrapped him tightly in its grip. Danny's midsection began to contract far more than was safe for a human. Despite his best efforts, the ghost boy could neither phase through the lines nor break their hold.

"No matter!" Technus called out. "You shall pay for your insolence, Phantom. You're finished!" Laughing, the technology spirit sent high volts of energy through his cable-like arms.

"Ahhhh!" Shrieking in pain, Danny thrashed back and forth in the snakelike grip, half trying to break free and half spasming uncontrollably. Suddenly, screams and laugher were both cut short as a red and green disc flew through the air and sliced through the cables. Losing life immediately, the coils relaxed and slid off of Danny's stunned body to fall to the floor below. Coughing slightly, he righted himself in midair and flashed a grateful smile at the Red Huntress, who was making a second pass with her glider, trying to cut off more of the thrashing green tentacles.

"Got your back, Phantom!" Firing off a flurry of shots from her ecto-weapons, Valerie swooped back around behind Skulktech and sent off a blast to the back of his head. "Take that ghost!"

Howling in rage, Technus turned his shared body towards the annoyance while Skulker recovered in his control center. However, in doing so, he exposed his back to a very angry Phantom. His blast knocked the two part villain into the concrete below with enough force to make the surrounding roadwork ripple. Groaning, Skulktech turned and began trying to pull himself out of the smoking crater.

"Watch it!" Valerie called out as the two flew in to finish their dual opponent off. "It's stuff like that that gave you a bad name in the first place!" Danny turned to retort, but suddenly a stray cable shot out from the fallen creature and slammed him down into the crater beside him, pinning his exposed body firmly against the ground. Skulktech slowly climbed to his feet, casually blasting over his shoulder to knock Valerie backward off her jet board, which immediately altered course to catch its missing rider.

"Please, child. You were barely a threat to us when we weren't working together. Now?" The two laughed together. "You were never much of a ghost anyway. You or Masters. But maybe we can change that. Yes, lets make you all the ghost you can be."

Losing air, Danny let his memory fall back on that morning, and his accidental trip to the ghost zone. Focusing desperately, he let green energy flow out of him to envelop him and his foe. The world around them flickered momentarily, first showing the shadows and lights of the Amity Park street then the swirling green limbo of the Ghost Zone. But in the end, the two battling spirits found themselves right back in the concrete where they started. Danny groaned and begged his head to stop spinning. Judging by the wet sensation on his lip, he also had a nosebleed. The powerful spirit laughed throatily.

"Learn a new trick, ghost child?" The nasally voice of Technus filled the block. "Perhaps you should learn your limitations before you try something so foolish." The cable pressed down with greater force and constricted. If Danny had to have bones all of the time in this form, he'd have passed out from all of his ribs breaking. Fortunately, ghosts were a bit more flexible. Not that the flexibility helped much as Skulktech sent another wave of powerful current through his body. Phantom screamed.

"Phantom!" Came a loud call from several yards away. "I can't get to you! Something's blocking me!" Valerie flew back and forth above a shining blue dome. Skulker laughed.

"You didn't think I gave everything I stole from Axion to Plasmius, did you?" The hunter grinned viciously. "This shield will give us all the time we need to finish you off. Say goodbye, ghost child." As the terrible spirits readied a devastating finishing attack, Danny cast his eyes around desperately, hoping to see some way out through the haze of pain caused by the electric coils wound around his waist.

"Electric." He mumbled, eyes resting on a possible source of salvation. Only a yard or so to his side, an exposed water main was leaking into the rubble of the street. "The experiment. Ectoplasm can conduct electricity." As Skulker raised his hand high and revealed a gleaming purple blade, Danny reached across the distance, using the extra body material the squeezing coils provided and just managed to touch the growing pool of water. He had half a second to pray his parents were right before the electricity coursing through his body increased tenfold.

"Ahhh!" All three ghosts screamed together as a vast discharge of power rocketed out of Technus's coils through Danny's body and into the city water system, a natural ground. Over their heads, the blue dome began to flicker and die. Shouting in triumph, Valerie leveled her most potent weapons. Hybrids of her original suit's automation technology and the Fenton's superior weapons, her cannons shot twin beams of green and red into Skulktech's exposed back. The large ghost tumbled back down to the ruptured pavement, barely maintaining its hold on Danny.

"Power at fifteen percent! Weapons' efficiency decreasing." Technus warned loudly. With a grunt of pain, Skulker began pushing off the ground. Valerie swung around and prepared another volley.

"Phantom! Get out of there, I need a clear shot." But Danny was struggling in the severely dimmer coil, spasming under the charge and…laughing? "What's wrong with you, ghost? Get out of there!"

"I…haha…can't!" He called up as loudly as he could, gasping for breath. Screaming in rage and frustration, Valerie swooped down and activated her Fenton bazooka. The coil loosening as the large spirit tried to grip something nearby; Danny pushed himself out and blasted the creature into the temporary ghost portal. Still chuckling, the ghost boy landed on the ground nearby, swaying slightly back and forth and rubbing his aching sides. It was a testament to just how strong those cables where that he actually couldn't reform his usual shape for several seconds. Valerie landed and gave him an annoyed shove. In his uneven stance, he fell back a few steps but managed to keep standing.

"What's the matter with you, Phantom? Between the crater and that coil fiasco, you might have been siding with the ghost! And we still have a lot to talk about! How does Danny know you? What are you, really?"

Phantom grinned, still swaying slightly, and chuckled. The ghost shot the confused huntress a narrow look, though there was still a small smile on his face.

"You know what your problem is?" He asked, words slightly slurred. "You're really uptight, Val." The girl gasped at him using her real name in public and quickly looked around. The alley seemed abandoned. "And I don't think I'll tell you what…what I am. You wouldn't like me." He continued, not even noticing her distress. "I'm a freak. A weirdo." Somehow he was still smiling, though he seemed a bit teary. "I want to be human, Val, I really do. I'm just not. Why does that have to be a bad thing?" Phantom ambled over, walking very carefully up to the bemused girl. Suddenly, he was giving her a hug. "I'm sorry that I can't tell you. But like you said, you're not into dead people. And I want to stay friends." With that, the ghost boy flew off, bobbing slightly in the air and holding his head as he headed towards the Fentons'. Valerie stared after him for a moment, then sat down on a nearby curb.

"I don't get it." She said to herself. "What did he mean? Phantom wants to be human? And what about that other ghost?" The girl shook her head, and remounted her jet sled. Scowling towards Fenton Works, Val started off on patrol. "I'll cover for you tonight, ghost. But you owe me." Thinking of all the ways she could ask him to repay her, information at the top of her list, the Red Huntress flew off into the shadowed streets of Amity Park.

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Danny phased through the uncoated outer wall of his bedroom and settled down on the bed. The room seemed to be spinning slightly, but it wasn't really bothering him for some reason. Still, he felt it should have been bothering him, so he sat back for a few moments and took some slow, deep breaths until things settled down a bit. The second he changed back into human form, the world reasserted itself with an abrupt snap, and he fell back onto his bed, wincing.

"Ughh. What was that?" He mumbled, massaging his temples slowly and apparently futilely. He'd never felt so sick in his entire life. Looking back at what he'd said and done for the last few minutes, the only description he could come up with was blatant stupidity. It was almost like he'd been…

"Drunk." He spoke quietly to his ceiling, with a hollow laugh. "Duh. I should have remembered when that shock started tickling. Dad said low current makes ghosts drunk. Ow." Rolling his eyes, and then wincing at the slight ache that caused, the ghost boy made his way across his bedroom and headed towards the upstairs bathroom, trying not to look at any bright lights. After five minutes of agony looking around for whatever medicine he needed, he went downstairs and found his parents playing checkers in the living room.

"Uh, guys?" He said hesitantly, wincing as his mother shouted in victory. Both older Fentons turned towards their son, Jack sulking slightly, and shot him a questioning look.

"Danny, what's going on?" Maddie asked curiously. "I thought you were supposed to take a patrol tonight so Valerie could get some sleep." In truth the older woman would have liked it if neither of them had to do this as it interrupted normal sleep patterns and interfered with their lives, but since Phantom was supposed to be able to patrol whenever and Valerie wasn't about to be the weak link in their relationship, it just couldn't be helped. Danny plopped down on the sofa and looked blearily at his parents.

"I wasn't up to it." He said slowly. "Look, I'll explain everything in a sec. First, could you guys get me something? I don't know what I should take; I've never had a hangover before."

"WHAT?" Danny clapped his hands on his ears and moaned. "Daniel Fenton, You Have NOT Been Drinking!" His mother shouted. Blinking away the pain, Maddie's terrified son held up his hands as if to ward her off.

"No. No, no no. I got into a fight with, um, Technus. Sort of. He shocked me. I was out of it all the way home, and I guess changing my form took me straight from drunk to hung over. And it hurts." He rubbed his head again and shot her a pleading look. "Please, get me something to make the room hold still, and I'll tell you guys everything."

Jack nodded, remembering his earlier discovery, and went off to the kitchen to make some strong lukewarm tea with lemon. Maddie just sat with her son on the couch, quietly asking questions about the strange new two-part ghost and just how much Valerie might know.

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The next day, much to Lancer's visible displeasure, found Valerie snoring into her text book. Wincing under an accusing glare from Tucker, Danny gently nudged the girl in this side, finally managing to jolt her from sleep. With a grateful smile that stung worse than the glare, Val turned back towards her work and managed to stay awake enough to avoid detention. Mr. Lancer cleared his throat loudly to warn her she wasn't off the hook yet, and turned to address the class.

"Alright students, it is time to begin our section on journalism. To accustom you to the writing style we will explore, your first assignment is to write a reactionary piece on any locally written article. We will be working in groups of three. Please group up." Tucker and Sam immediately moved their desks closer together, but Lancer's hand stopped Danny mid-slide.

"Danny, you've been doing very well in this class so far. I was wondering if you'd do me a favor." Trying to keep a sour look off his face, Danny looked over at his teacher and nodded. "Good. I'd like you to team up with Miss Gray and Miss Sanchez. Miss Gray's work seems to be declining of late and Paulina…" The older man rubbed the bridge of his nose. "Let's just say she could use the help." Shooting his other friends an apologetic look, Danny moved over to join Valerie and watched impassively as Paulina shuffled over, looking squarely at her face to avoid her perfectly-too-small Phantom t-shirt. Healing powers aside, his ears still hurt from the last time Sam caught him looking at the gorgeous Hispanic.

"Alright you two, I'm sure we'll have lots of fun together. I even have an idea on what to write about!" She said in a cheerful tone, warning them with her eyes to obey on pain of death by jock. Still smiling, she pulled out a Spook paper. "This paper has been saying the most horrible things about Phantom." She said, pouting slightly. "I'd like to write a paper on how someone as cool and perfect as him would never fall for that awful huntress girl or that Goth geek Manson. I even have a ten page list on all the horrible things about them!"

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By the time the four of them were at their table, Valerie looked much more awake, even if the force behind her new energy was Paulina-induced rage.

"Why so down, Val?" Sam asked, confused. "I thought it was D-Phantom's turn to patrol last night." The girl shot her boyfriend a sideways look, which he refused to meet. Though she now had her answer, for the sake of security she turned expectantly towards her friend.

"It was." The exhausted teen answered shortly. "We fought this new ghost together. It looked like Skulker and Technus put together." Sam and Tucker looked very alarmed at this, but kept quiet. "After that, he acted kind of…different. He said some stuff, and left. I figured I should take the night. Still," she said, shooting Danny a triumphant if slightly predatory grin, "at least I figured out his secret." Sam immediately blanched and Tucker coughed on a half-swallowed French fry.

"Huh?" They both asked, looking back and forth between a very satisfied Valerie and a wide-eyed Danny.

"You know?" Sam asked breathlessly. Val nodded, smiling.

"It wasn't hard. Danny and Phantom look the same, sound the same, act the same, and Phantom showed up after that accident. Way too much of a coincidence." Tucker had started grinning about halfway through.

"Well it is obvious I guess, but nobody's figured it out on their own before. Well, except Jazz." He said thoughtfully. "But this is great! You're really cool with it? I knew you would be! Man, I've been trying to get Danny to tell you for months!" Val cocked an eyebrow at that.

"That doesn't seem fair, Tucker." Her boyfriend shrugged. Danny kicked the floor right next to his leg and nervously pulled his foot back to try again without gaining attention.

"Well I guess I could have let him tell you when he was ready, but I was sick of leaving you out when we talk about stuff." Tucker grinned over and pulled his girlfriend into a sideways hug, inadvertently blocking Danny's shot.

"That's not what I meant." She said sternly. "It was Phantom's secret. Danny had no business telling me Phantom was made when the portal copied him." Tucker froze mid-endearment and pulled his hand off of her as if burned, face going through about five different shades.

"What?"

"What?"

"What what?" Val looked from Sam to Tucker, confused. Something had definitely shocked them. Danny hadn't said a word the entire time, and now seemed to be studying his shoes with a great deal of enthusiasm. The girl's eyes narrowed dangerously.

"Fenton. You know something." Danny flinched slightly, but didn't look up. "Spill it! Why does Phantom want to be human so much? Why does he look like you? What is he?" The boy stood brusquely and pushed away from the table.

"I'm not feeling so great." He said shortly. "I'm going to the office." Without a word or second glance, he marched slowly towards the dish disposal area and left the cafeteria.

"Did he really say that?" Sam asked quietly. "That he wanted to be human?"

Valerie nodded slowly, shooting her distressed friend a strange glance. "Yeah. Why?" Sam didn't answer. With a sigh, Val grabbed Sam's hand. "Look. I can tell you like him. But Danny doesn't deserve this Sam. You need to decide who you want to be with. Otherwise you're going to hurt both of them." With that, Valerie walked off and headed towards the office to talk with Danny. Tucker just sat there for a second.

"Does she think Danny left because of you?" He asked incredulously. Sam nodded. After a few seconds of silence, the two friends cracked up. Finally, wiping a tear from his eye, Tucker grinned across the table at his friend. "Oh man. And you said Danny was clueless. She thinks…and we…" Gasping again, he leaned back and let out a deep sigh. "That was really close." He said seriously. Sam nodded again, still silent. "You know, I think this is the part where you say something."

"I asked him to tell her." Sam said finally. "I know I've said no for months now, and I know how mad you got at me, but I think you're right now. Val deserves to know. After all this time working with him, she deserves to know all of who Danny really is. But I don't think Danny wants her to know." Tucker stared at her for a moment. "I think he's afraid to tell her. I don't know what happened last night, but he's scared now. He must have let something huge slip. She might not know yet, but whether he likes it or not, she'll know soon."

Somehow, even though he'd wanted it for months, Tucker couldn't bring himself to be happy about it.

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Danny had just been cleared to go home when he saw Valerie walking into the office. With a quick scan for witnesses, he turned invisible and walked out through her. He was five feet from the outside door when the floor opened up beneath him and he fell into a swirling green emptiness. As the hole closed above him, he quickly switched into his ghost form and turned to punch whatever had grabbed him.

"Calm yourself, Danny." Clockwork looked over at his friend soberly. Calming marginally, Danny allowed himself to relax and shot the ancient ghost a narrow look.

"Okay. You I trust, but anything that would make you pull me out of a school hallway in the middle of the day can't be good." His friend nodded with a brief smile.

"So you have benefited at least somewhat from the last few months." He said, heading off away from his castle. "Good. The future is about to become the present." Danny puzzled over that for a few minutes before it clicked.

"That future you've been talking about! It's happening?" Clockwork nodded solemnly.

"Yes. I cannot tell you anything Danny. I'm as bound by law here as always. But try and be strong. I have faith in you." Danny scowled over at him.

"Couldn't you…bend the rules? Just one time?"

"Now," Clockwork said hesitantly, "might not be the best time to do that."

The two wandered in silence for a long time until they came upon a familiar door. Danny drew up immediately, confusion and no small amount of fear flashing across his face.

"The Ghost Council chambers? Why are we here?" Clockwork didn't meet his gaze.

"We have a trial to attend." He said shortly, leading Danny into the large, dimly lit chambers. Four of the five councilors were the same, but the one in Clockwork's usual seat was new. Or perhaps old. Danny had no idea how this place usually worked. As the two doors closed loudly behind him, the ghost boy looked up nervously at the center ghost. Putting down his heavy old book, the ancient spirit looked back, eyes locked with Danny's.

"You are Danny Phantom, who in another timeline would have become the creature known to us as Dan Phantom, the being who destroyed much of our home?" Understanding dawning, Danny gulped and nodded.

"Yes. If you have to put me on trial, I'll do it. I didn't do those things, but I might have." The ghost blinked at that, and shot him a look of mixed confusion and approval.

"While your sense of responsibility is to be admired, Mr. Phantom, you are only a witness." Turning slowly, the spirit spoke again.

"Clockwork, spirit of Time. You stand accused of reckless endangerment of the entirety of the Ghost Zone, first by creating the time paradox which allowed for Dan Phantom to exist, and then by allowing his escape after he was placed in your charge. Please take the stand."