Ah, sorry guys. Wrote this a few days ago but forgot to update here. It's just a short transition chapter or so...and I was sort of half out of it when writing it so...sort of a surprise chapter really.

Enjoy.

Age Fourteen, Later

::

Andrew Riter sighed and tiredly leaned back on his family's porch swing, right leg hanging over the side and kicking up an absent rhythm that had him swinging back and forth in a gently and soothing motion. With the cool night air blowing across his overly warm and tightened skin he sighed in relief, slowly drifting off.

"Hey, Future-boy, what are you doing?"

There was bright white light and a flash of black and green and Andrew was terrified. This was not his world. Running, running, he had to get away he had to escape the monsters that were after him but nothing, there was no use. He was there. He was always there. Always following. Always guarding. Always protecting. Always watching.

The fourteen-year-old boy twitched in his sleep, flash of unease upon his face as he tried to get comfortable. His movements only jerked the swing erratically until he was on the ground, darting up on a startled yell. Hearing the front door open he blinked up at his mother, who was looking down at him with concern.

"Are you alright, mon petit?" Sylvia Riter frowned worriedly at her son when he only nodded and headed inside, looking as if the hounds of hell themselves were on his trail. "I do not believe fleeing is an answer."

"I'm fine, Mother. Just a few nightmares," Andrew smiled, or at least tried to. He rather failed but he figured he should at least get praised for trying. "It's nothing to worry about, I promise."

"...Are you sure?" Sylvia may have been a busy mother, something she often regretted, but she adored her son, and she loved doting on him. To see him this upset, it worried her. "You've been acting strangely for a few months now." Andrew mentally corrected her that it had been six.

The exact number of months since his friend from the future had disappeared.

"Just worried about my schoolwork, that's all," Andrew backed his way towards the stairs, wondering how fast he could get up them. Judging by his mother's flowing silk gown he could certainly beat her up the stairs and lock himself in his room if it came down to escaping. "Finals will be soon and I've been studying harder than usual, I suppose."

He managed to get up three steps before Sylvia's voice stopped him. "Andrew...emotions are not a bad thing." Looking back to his mother's kind eyes he opened his mouth to deny it only to shake his head. It wasn't like he had ever succeeded lying to her anyways.

"It's...complicated, of sorts. Do not worry, Mother, it is merely a crush I will grow out of."

"Are you sure?" Was he? He had only met his time-traveling future-boy three times, and two of them he could barely remember. And yet...even without him having written everything down about those encounters he still remembered every detail. It was embarrassing, really. "Andrew?"

"I..." Shaking his head Andrew cut himself off, heading to his room and conveniently falling deaf to his mother's worried calls. It wasn't like he could get away with a lie, and voicing anything else would just make things worse. Entering his room, and seeing the grandfather clock in the corner that read after midnight, he sighed and pulled himself into his bed.

"You have the terrifying ability of lingering on the mind, future-boy" Rolling over he pulled one of his pillows to his chest, glaring at the wall. Half of him wanted all memories of the time traveler gone from his head and the other half...the other half just wanted...

He was older and far from home again and he was learning and that was fine. Learning was what he did. He always studied and read and wrote and learned. It was different now though. Something had changed. He hadn't seen him for almost two years and then here he was again, laughing and joking like always. But it was different now. There was a change. One second jokes. One second frowns. Next second fear. Next second horror.

Final second dead.

The sound of ticking and a chiming clock sounded inside Andrew's room, the teen too deep in his nightmares to even stir at the sound or sight of a ghostly being appearing in his room. The newcomer touched down on the carpet gently, looking as if coming out in a random place was second nature to him.

Looking around icy blue eyes took in the sight of the room, studying the contents and it's occupant. Seeing the crying and shivering teen he smiled sadly and slowly flew over, carefully pressing a cool hand over the other's eyes. It took a few more minutes of crying and muttering but when Andrew fell silent the ghost removed his hand, checking to make sure he was okay.

"You are a surprisingly heavy sleeper, you know," the eternal teenager chuckled, fingers tugging lightly on a few strands of the sleeping boys' hair. "...You can't be older than fourteen or fifteen right now, can you?" Seeing the sleeping teen was still dressed the ghost chuckled, phasing off shoes and a jacket, and slipping off a pair of glasses, before pulling the blanket over him, wiping any lingering tears away after doing so. "It seems I always find you when you're sleeping now..."

Flying over to the desk he looked at some of the notebooks and papers that were scattered across it, many pages crossed out or crumpled. Seeing familiar words he raised an eyebrow before pulling the notebook into the center of the desk to be seen later by it's writer. The book was going to be fantastic once it was published, no use in Andrew giving up yet.

Seeing another notebook, written half in English and half in French, and most of it frantic or shaky scribbles, the teen frowned curiously and began reading. "Oh, so you did write it down!"

Blinking after a few seconds the ghost sighed heavily and rolled his eyes, looking annoyed as he pulled out a blue journal with six raised squares on the cover. Setting it on the table he looked fondly exasperated, "Clockwork you little sneak. You had this planned all along."

In hindsight it was probably his fault for making so many Doctor Who jokes and references while time traveling. He just knew it would have come back to haunt him. Eventually. Okay so really he hadn't but still.

"Nn...Danny..." Flinching at the name spoken the ghost's head snapped over towards Andrew, who had rolled over and was facing him, still uneasily asleep. "Don't...go..."

"Stop that," the ghost floated over to the sleeping teenager again, hand hovering over his head. "I can't stay...you should already know that at this age. So stop. Stop making me want to stay and take care of you like you did for me." Not getting a response the ghost sighed before bending over and pressing a light kiss to the top of the other's head. "Andrew Riter you are an absolute menace."

"Je t'aime, mon cher." At the words the ghost looked shocked before smiling sadly. He was never able to stay like he wanted. He had to go back. And words like those just made it harder.

"You've been trying to say those words to me for years, figures you only get to do it when you don't even realize what's happening... At least not yet." Turning his back Danny Phantom waved his hand, blue light wrapped around it before he glanced back. Chuckling softly at the sight of the teen grinning like a dork he shook his head. "I love you as well, my precious writer."

Once again the room was silent except for soft breathing and gentle ticking of an old clock.

Ahahahahahaha the more chapters you read the more you understand and the sadder it gets. Just like season 6 of Doctor Who.