Disclaimer: I do not own Danny Phantom. Butch Hartman does. I would never dream of making money off his work, this is but one fanatic's homage. So please don't sic the rabid lawyer hordes upon me, there's not much for them to sue out of me.

Author's Note: Wow. This is the second-to-last chapter. This chapter was tough to write for a variety of reasons. Unlike everything else, this chapter has no equivalent in Lament. Partly because this chapter reaches beyond what the poem talks about, and partly because it diverges just slightly from the poem's story. It also fills a plot hole from TUE. As always, reviews and commentary are very much appreciated!

Chapter 13: Out of Time

"Time to fly, time to touch the sky.

One voice alone, a haunting cry.

One song, one star burning bright,

May it carry me through darkest night."

-"The Soft Goodbye" - Celtic Woman

"Danny, wait! Don't go-!" I sat bolt upright, adrenaline immediately conflicting with the pain from my left arm and my midsection. I was dreaming, I thought. Of Danny, of ten years ago, running away. Had all that been just a delusion? Some sort of twisted nightmare dredged from my memories?

"Well, you're awake I see, my dear."

I jerked my head to look at the source of the voice. "Wha-? Vlad Masters? What are you doing here?"

The old geezer chuckled dryly. "Perhaps the more accurate question would be what are you doing here?"

I took in my surroundings as my adrenaline charge subsided. It seemed to be a rough subterranean cave, littered with equipment and a scattering of green and gold Packers memorabilia. Wait, how did I get from Amity Park to... wherever this was? I assumed it was Wisconsin, probably under the ruin of Vlad's castle.

"What happened?" I demanded. "How'd I get here?"

Vlad settled his thin frame into a chair. "Now that would be the million dollar question, wouldn't it?"

I stared outright at the man. "You don't know?"

The ex-villain shook his head. "My equipment here indicated a ghost was nearby. I assumed it was Daniel come to tie up loose ends. But a moment later it was apparently gone, and I found you unconscious and injured right in front of me. What on Earth happened to you?"

"Phantom, that's what." I snapped, checking myself over to find that my ribs had been taped and my arm set in a makeshift cast. I decided to leave out my delusions of the younger Danny. I still wasn't sure what to make of that. "I don't know what happened after I blacked out."

Vlad raised an eyebrow at me. "That certainly is strange, my dear. I would have thought that he would make certain he finished you off."

I decided to change the subject then. I didn't want to talk about Danny or Phantom or the fact that by all rights, I should have been killed. I surveyed Vlad's crude accommodations, seeing I had been tucked away in an alcove, lending some slight semblance of privacy. "Nice place you've got here."

"Yes, well most of my available funding went to you, Valerie. And your defense force, which I gather didn't fare well against Daniel?" Vlad eyed my battered suit. I slumped.

"We held him off for awhile." I frowned, thinking about all the people I knew who had met their demise at the ghost's hands. "The first time ten years ago we actually could damage him. The second time we managed it, we drove him off. The third time... he was just so powerful. It was all the Patrol could do to just hold him off until everyone was safe under the shield. And then the fourth time..." I clamped my eyes shut at the memory of that dark day. Six months later and I could still recall every moment of that awful event, the day Amity Park died.

"Yes, the third time was about when I lost contact with you, hm?" Vlad asked.

"Yeah. That shield stopped him... until six months ago, but he pretty much destroyed everything outside the barrier. It was like a siege, all communication was cut off." My frown deepened.

"And then he disappeared for awhile, correct?" Vlad grinned without humor. "He must have been trying to find me."

"How the heck do you know that?" I raised an eyebrow at the man, while trying to fend off the return of my earlier exhaustion.

"The castle was not my only residence." Vlad sighed. "I had a rather impressive vacation house in Colorado. I kept some of my more unusual research there."

"Unusual research?" I really didn't like the sound of that. Coming from him, "unusual" could mean just about anything, and most of it unpleasant I would bet.

"Mm. Yes. A cloning project, actually. It never went very far, but I still had a lot of it there. Imagine my surprise to wake up one morning and find the computers there no longer reporting. I can only guess that Daniel destroyed it like he did my castle." Vlad explained, deriving some minor amusement from my absolutely disgusted expression. "And Madison not two miles from here was blown to pieces shortly thereafter."

I raised an eyebrow at the man, stifling a tired yawn. "Wait, Phantom came here, but didn't find you?"

"He didn't check the ruins of my castle. You see, I took great care to ensure that from outside, it looks as though these ruins haven't been inhabited for years. Daniel would know and likely assume with my wealth I would have rebuilt or moved elsewhere." Vlad's gaze swept his simple quarters. "But you ought to get some rest. To be frankly blunt, my dear, you looked half-dead when I found you."

I didn't want to admit it, but between the mental shocks and my injuries, coupled with the fact I hadn't been able to eat much or very well in six months, I had very little stamina left. I suspect that had I not been shocked out of my insane state of mind by whatever the heck had happened in that last fight, I probably would have run myself to death from sheer exhaustion. A long nap and food sounded like absolute paradise, even if it meant accepting more charity from a man I didn't particularly like. "Rest... yeah. That's probably a good idea."

Vlad helped me settle back against a pile of old pillows. "If you need anything, don't hesitate to shout." With that, he pulled a rough curtain over my alcove. I confess that I passed out from exhaustion almost before he finished doing so. Heck, I didn't just fall asleep, I was pretty much dead to the world, a marked contrast to how lightly I usually slept, especially since the shield fell. Even while I slept, I worried about Phantom. I had been snapped out of insanity, but the ghost still had to be on the loose in Amity Park, and my revenge was still unfulfilled. Then there was also the unresolved issue of that past-Phantom. What was he? Or those two teens that looked like Sam and Tucker ripped right out of my freshman yearbook? My dreams yielded no answers to these strange questions.

I awoke some time later to voices in the cave. I was stiff and groggy, I had probably been asleep for a number of hours, likely the most sleep I'd gotten in months. When I was prowling the ruins, I could only catnap, snatching a few minutes of sleep here and there, fitful and largely useless in refreshing my tired body. That lack was taking its vengeance on me now as I slowly swam back to consciousness, struggling to make out the words being spoken beyond the curtain. One voice I knew had to be Vlad's; the other wasn't so obvious, the voice hovered just on the edge of recognition in my halfway conscious state.

"The Ghost Gauntlets? Yes, I still have them. Why do you ask?"

"Do I look 24 years old?" Came the tart reply, tinged with sarcasm. "It's a long story. I'm from ten years in the past, I ended up here because of a ghost named Clockwork."

No... It can't be him, can it? That second voice finally triggered my memory at the mention of ten years ago and I listened to the conversation, hardly daring to breathe. I wasn't delusional in that last fight? Danny really had come from the past, from a time before it all went down the toilet?

"I see." Vlad's tone carried a slightly surprised edge to it. "And what do you have in mind?"

"I ran into myself." Danny retorted, his tone clearly indicating he was talking about Phantom. "He took my time medallion and did something with it and now I can't remove it, so I can't go back to my time."

"Is that so?" I listened to Vlad rummaging around, apparently looking for the aforementioned devices. I stayed hidden in that little alcove, the ex-villain probably thought I was still sleeping, which suited me just fine. I peered around the curtain, biting back a gasp at the sight of Danny standing there in ghost form, a worried look on his face. For whatever reason, I decided not to show myself. I don't think I was ready to confront this specter of my past, not yet.

The ghost clenched a fist, obviously agitated. "I need to get back there, Vlad. He somehow went back in time. I've got to stop him. If I don't, then everyone will-!" He looked pained by the incomplete thought. The explosion, the deaths of everyone he cared for. This past-Phantom knew about what happened? Maybe Vlad had explained it while I was still asleep.

I felt my eyebrows shoot up at that horrible thought. Phantom, ten years in the past? Before the explosion? Before the Patrol? That monster, free to roam an utterly defenseless city? I didn't even want to think of the implications of the time travel, but it wouldn't take an idiot to realize that this was extremely bad news. Amity Park of ten years ago wouldn't stand a chance! I could guess by events that Danny must have lost that last fight back in Amity Park, he had to know that Phantom was more powerful than he was, yet he was still determined to fight to protect his friends. That determination was absolutely inspiring, a balm on my weary soul.

I watched Vlad preparing the metallic gloves from where I was hidden. "So you're saying there's a medallion lodged within you, keeping you rooted in this time period?" He sounded mildly stunned or disbelieving as he checked the gauntlets over.

"Yes, and I can't reach it." Danny tapped his hand briefly over his chest, presumably where this medallion thing was. He sounded annoyed and frustrated by the fact, his entire stance radiating his intense urge to be gone from this time. I could only imagine what a shock it had to be, coming from the relative calm of ten years ago to the wasteland of the present. I was at least able to adjust to the gradual descent into ruin, it must have been a hammer blow to Danny's conscience to know that in some sick and twisted way, this ruin was his fault.

Danny walked over to Vlad, who now had both the gloves ready for this operation. "But I'm guessing if you could reach into me and rip out my humanity-" The ghost paused then, a disgusted look on his face, tone shifting to match. "Which, by the way sounds totally gross-" His tone returned to its serious state after making that vital statement. "-you can get the medallion out too. Then I'll pop back to my present like Tucker and Sam did."

Vlad raised his hands, the Ghost Gauntlets powering on and surrounded with a sickly green aura. The old man's tone carried the barest trace of madness as he stepped toward Danny. "Or I could just destroy you now and prevent this future." The painful looking claws protruded from the fingertips of the metal gloves. "Didn't think of that, did you?"

I should have known. Once a villain, always a villain. Not that I could blame Vlad. It would probably be easier to just take out Danny now, before he could become the monster that caused so much damage. But I had a gut feeling that it wouldn't change anything; besides, this Danny might not end up like the Danny I knew. He now knew what would happen because of the exam, he knew about the explosion and events leading to Phantom's creation. Heck, he said outright he wanted to stop his evil 24 year old self.

Vlad raised one arm, swiping the gauntlet at Danny before the ghost could respond. I reacted out of reflex, I admit. Seeing that young innocent face, seeing Danny being threatened like that set off my guilt from ten years ago and spurred me into action. In an instant I was on my feet and bodily tackling the old man with an angry shout. "Don't you dare, you crazy old fruit loop!"

Neither of them were expecting my appearance, barreling out of the alcove and knocking Vlad to the ground. His swing thankfully only clipped Danny's arm, though the teen yelped long and loud with pain from the claws biting through his jumpsuit, etching nasty looking green gashes into the flesh. Or... whatever ghosts are made of, I guess.

After that initial moment of confusion ended, I glared daggers at Vlad, who was sporting a nasty bruise on his face. I didn't even remember punching him, but I apparently managed to knock the guy unconscious, so I climbed back to my feet, my good arm clutching at my aching ribs. Danny was clutching his injured arm, gawking at me.

"Valerie-?" He squeaked through clenched teeth, surprise clear in his voice despite the lingering ache from his injury. "What-? How-?"

"Are you okay?" I cut through his flabbergasted questions, gradually straightening as the ache from my ribs subsided.

"Uh... yeah. It's not serious, it just stings." Danny rubbed the injury absently, confusion all over his face. "You saved me... but why?"

"Now we're even." I managed a wry smirk. God, it was awkward. What do you say when you come face-to-face with your past? What can you say across that impossible gap of ten years of suffering? "So... you're really from the past then? From before the accident?"

The ghost nodded. "How many times do I have to explain it?" He glanced at the unconscious ex-villain. "Look, Valerie, thanks for stopping him, but I have to get back."

I nodded slightly, placing one hand on my hip. "Right. It's real noble that you want to go fight Phantom, but think about it. He beat you the last time, right?"

My words stung him, I could see that. He winced, green eyes downcast. "I don't care, I've got to try. I can't just let him win!"

"Trust me, Danny." I walked over to him. Geez, it was weird, having to look down. "I've been fighting him for years now, you've only tangled with him once. If you go back the way you are, you're not going to change anything."

The use of his name seemed to mildly surprise him, he finally looked up and met my gaze. "You said my name? That's a first... usually it's-" His voice shifted into a passable mockery of how I acted ten years ago. "'Where's the ghost-kid?' and 'I'm gonna destroy that ghost-boy!'"

Now I couldn't meet his gaze. I probably wouldn't get another chance like this, no sense in lying. "Yeah, about that." I began slowly. "Danny, you told me everything. The day after the explosion, you told me your secret."

"Wha-?" Danny yelped. "Then you know-"

I nodded, slightly amused in a dark sort of way at the reverse of that confession ten years ago. "Yeah, I know that you're actually Danny Fenton, half ghost and one of the good guys." I felt my old guilt welling up in the face of that earnest look of surprise. "And... Danny, I'm sorry."

"Eh... there's no reason to- I mean I didn't take it personally or anyth-" Danny stammered. It was heart-wrenching how familiar and yet how alien his mannerisms seemed after ten years of the nightmare.

"Not about that." I sat down, mindful of my ribs. "About how I reacted when you told me. I chased you off, caused this all to happen."

"Oh." Danny frowned as it sank in what I was telling him. That frown turned into a determined glare. "I won't let it happen, no matter what. I promise."

He meant it too, I could see that clearly in his expression. He was ready and willing to go and take on my nightmare, all by himself. I wanted desperately to help him, but even if I had some way to go back in time ten years, what could I do? I was injured, my weapons were proven to be barely effective on Phantom. But from what little I could gather from that last fight, Danny wasn't much better equipped to fight that monster either. I got up and walked across the room, taking a moment to kneel next to the unconscious Vlad and tug the Ghost Gauntlets off his thin hands, studying the devices.

"Valerie-?" Danny asked.

"What? You think I'm gonna let this old nut handle getting rid of that medallion thing?" I inquired as I busied myself to rummaging through the relatively sparse cavern and my own supplies. "I'll do it, but not until you're prepared to take that monster on."

"There's no time!" Danny protested, clearly anxious to be away. "If I don't get back, Sam and Tucker and everyone will- ACK!"

He was cut off by a slender silver and green band flying across the room and landing over his head. "Mm-hmm. You're time traveling, right? So in theory, don't you have plenty of time to prepare before you go back?"

"The Specter Deflector-?" He grabbed the inactive device from where it landed over his silvery hair. "How'd you get it-?"

I tossed a Fenton Thermos in the air idly. "I was in charge of the defenses." I offered by way of explanation, tossing the thermos to the young ghost. "I ended up with most of the stuff in your parents' lab."

Danny stared at me as I continued to rummage through equipment. "It's been really bad for you, hasn't it?" He broke the awkward silence, green eyes downcast.

I paused, feeling a ghost of my hatred flare up. "Let's just say you aren't the only one who lost everything."

"Wow... Valerie, I'm sorry." Danny shuffled his feet, obviously finding the conversation awkward. What do you say across that ten year gap, in the absence of more pressing dangers and threats? What could you say, after learning that terrible truth? Sure, I had my guilt that I had chased him off and caused him to turn into that hateful demon, but he came from the past and discovered he himself was that demon. I don't think I could live with myself if I met my future and found out something like that. "I mean, it is my fault. I won't let it happen again."

I found an old backpack amid the clutter and stuffed whatever gadgets I thought would help into it. "You didn't know what was going to happen. I think most anybody with your powers and all the stress would have been tempted to do the same thing." I began slowly, not quite believing what I was admitting to this past incarnation of the ghost. "The C.A.T. was a big deal... heck, with my ghost hunting, I was worried about my score, too."

"I'm guessing your score didn't matter in the end." Danny observed dryly as I walked back over with the pack. Even I had to grin slightly at his tone.

"Guess not. How's that arm?" I set the pack down and peered down at Danny.

"It's fine!" The teen insisted, wincing slightly as he crossed his arms to emphasize the fact he was in no need of medical attention. I admit I suddenly felt old, nagging my former classmate from my vantage of ten years older than he was.

"Yeah, right." I was already fishing through my stuff for my first aid kit. "With all that noise? Do I look stupid? Let me get a look at it."

I didn't have much left in my kit, half a roll of gauze and a little bit of disinfectant spray, but I figured it would be enough. Danny actually looked mildly weirded out by the demand. I noticed the blush on his face. "Um... it's kinda a one-piece jumpsuit-"

I raised an eyebrow at the ghost's embarrassed expression. Only he would be fretting about something as silly as that in the present situation. "Danny, you dropped your pants in front of the entire school." I had to smirk as the reminder made him blush more. He really did look adorable when he was flush with embarrassment. And to be honest, it felt absolutely wonderful to be remembering such silly, trivial things from the past, all the memories I kept locked away so that I could fight Phantom without being hindered by those pleasant thoughts. "You don't have to take the suit off, just shrug out of that sleeve so I can get at that gash."

I watched with a sort of bemused smile as Danny grumbled but complied, peeling his left glove off and partly unzipping the front of his black jumpsuit. Funny, I never noticed it had a zipper before. I guess it was well-hidden against the black spandex. He winced as he tugged his injured arm from the sleeve of his jumpsuit, revealing the thin green wounds. I grabbed my first aid gear and sat next to him to start on the injury. "Um... This might sting." I frowned as I sprayed a cleaning cloth with the disinfectant. Could a ghost even get an infection? This was my first time tending a wounded ghost, so I really didn't know.

I gingerly grabbed Danny's arm to hold him still while I cleaned the gashes, still slightly in shock from the impossibility of it all. I heard him take a few hissing breaths, I guess the disinfectant did sting. But he kept still, though I could feel the lean muscles in his arm tensed up while I mopped the green... blood? What is that stuff anyway? Ectoplasm or something? In any case, after a minute of careful scrubbing I got most of the gunk cleaned away as we sat there in awkward silence.

"It doesn't look like it's very deep." I noted as I grabbed the gauze and started wrapping Danny's arm.

"Wow... when'd you get so good at first aid?" Danny asked, surprised. I glanced at his face and noted again that intense expression of his.

"Six months in the wasteland." I replied simply. "Without a lot of help, and playing tag with that monster." I couldn't keep all of my anger out of that statement.

"Oh."

We were interrupted by Vlad's groan as the man returned to consciousness. He sat up slowly, one hand immediately massaging his impressively bruised face. "Ooh... Valerie, I didn't realize you were up."

Danny and I both shot glares at the ex-villain, who got an almost amusingly surprised look on his face upon realizing he was unarmed and in the company of two people who were extremely displeased with him. "Ah... and... Daniel. So glad you two are getting along..."

"Cut it out, Masters." I growled. "I'll take care of Danny. You go and... I dunno. Whatever it is you do by yourself in here."

"Got a cat yet?" Danny quipped. Vlad's eyebrow twitched at the remark, leaving me to wonder just how intense the rivalry had been between the two years ago.

"I don't want a cat!" Vlad growled under his breath before he turned to me with a sympathetic expression. "Honestly, Valerie, think about it! With your ghost hunting skills as refined as they are, just imagine! This entire awful chain of events could be prevented entirely. He can't become that evil version you hate if he's... dealt with... while he's vulnerable."

Danny had one eyebrow raised at the ex-villain's pitch. He had a slight concern in his expression as he glanced from Vlad to me, likely wondering if I would suddenly agree to Vlad's harebrained idea. It wouldn't be the first time I'd tried to kill him after all. "Could you stop talking about me like I'm not even here?"

Maybe even just a few days ago, I would have thought along the same lines as Vlad, that killing this past-Danny would change the present. Now that I was back from my six-month vacation from sanity, I could think clearly. It was just like ten years ago, before I knew that the boy I liked was dead and the monster was but a pale shadow. I couldn't even consider raising a weapon against him. Unlike that monster, this really was Danny, whole and determined to do the right thing. I ignored Vlad while I finished wrapping Danny's arm. "There, that should do it."

"Uh... thanks." Danny flexed his arm once or twice, testing the bandage briefly before he tugged his jumpsuit back on.

"As for you, Vlad." I spun to address the man. "You're going to tell me how to use these gauntlets so I can send Danny back to the past."

"Are you insane, Valerie?" Vlad stared at me, well aware of my long-standing hatred for Phantom. "Suppose Daniel goes back in time and fights his present-day self. Do you really think he can change the course of history?"

I glanced at Danny, who was back on his feet and shooting Vlad all sorts of dirty looks. It was a valid question. The odds were certainly poor, if that last fight had been any indication. Heck, it could even end up worse, with Phantom rampaging in the city long before the Patrol's existence, long before my abilities were so finely honed. Then again, how much worse could it be? The city was gone, I was alone, and the few survivors were scattered to the wind. The only way it could be worse that I could think of was that I could end up dead. Oddly enough, that didn't actually seem much worse in my mind. But there was a chance things could change for the better. Danny swore to me that he wouldn't let this terrible world come to pass.

The realization hit me so hard it was nearly a physical blow. I believed him; no, I believed in him, in his promise. No matter what the results of his pending battle would be, there was no way he would let himself repeat the chain of events that ruined the world. If only I had believed in him ten years ago, then none of this would have happened.

I straightened as I stared Vlad Masters directly in the eyes, surprised to myself at how certain I sounded. "Yes. Yes, I do. I believe Danny can change the past, and that he will."

Vlad opened his mouth to say something, but shut it with an audible click as it became apparent that I was not changing my mind. I'm sure that if he still had his ghost powers, he would have done what he wanted with the situation; but in his weakened state, it was obvious that he couldn't fight both Danny and I, even with my injuries handicapping me. The billionaire slumped, almost seeming to deflate. "Very well."

Danny gawked at me, mouth hanging open slightly. Heh, I suppose he really didn't expect that from the girl who used to hunt him relentlessly. I guess the day was full of surprises all around. I slid the Ghost Gauntlets on, looking over the clunky metallic gloves.

The operation was actually remarkably simple once Vlad explained how the gloves worked and what I would need to do. We lacked the equipment to properly operate, but Danny did an admirable job of bracing himself to go under the claw without any anesthesia. I will admit, it was profoundly weird and more than a little gross or disturbing to use the gloves to reach into Danny's chest. Similar and yet not to what intangibility had felt like the very few times I had experienced it. Danny cringed, but remained conscious and largely still as I got hold of the strange little medallion and wrestled it free.

"Got it-!" I held the medallion for just a second, quickly thrusting it into Danny's hands. He caught it, slightly dazed while I quickly tucked the gauntlets into the pack with the other equipment. Danny took the pack and slid it over his shoulders, already shaking off the daze and apparently mentally revving up for the battle he would be fighting soon. Vlad muttered something and excused himself, leaving the two of us alone on the brink of goodbye. At least the ex-villain had the decency to know when to just give it up.

"I guess this is it." Danny looked up at me, then down at the medallion in his hand. "Thanks for your help, Valerie. I mean it."

"Before you go, Danny..." I frowned, pondering how best to word what I wanted to say. "Don't tell me your secret. Not yet at least. It's just... Gah, how do I put it? Be careful about it or something. I know I freaked out but... give me a little time. I'll come around pretty quick."

Danny nodded slightly. "I'll remember that. I'll stop him though. I will change all this. Somehow." He lifted into the air, floating so we were eye-to-eye.

There were no more words. I threw my arms around Danny in a tight hug, smiling slightly through my sudden melancholy when I felt his cool arms return the gesture. "God, I'm going to miss you, Danny. So much."

I heard the clink of the medallion hitting the ground, and saw a strange blue aura encompass Danny's form. "Hey, it's not like we're never going to see each other again. I'll see you ten years from when I get back... and I won't be evil."

With that, he was gone, vanished into thin air.

Closing Note: Hard to believe the next chapter is it. One more chapter after this, and then my prolonged encounter with Valerie's mindset and point of view will be over. After that, it's all about Dan in Anathema. I do hope you'll give it a read, since it ties in to Jeremiad.

See you for the finale!

-Firefury Amahira