Author's Notes: More Chapters! I just might finish this week! Please enjoy, and review.
(Back with Jazz and Valerie)
(Present day)
"So how did it go?" The Box Ghost as they dropped on the floor before him.
"He's alive!" Jazz exclaimed racing out of the room.
"Jazz wait!" Valerie goes to chase after her, but The Box Ghost stops her.
"What about me?" He asked.
"You did good ghost." She told him; pulling out the Fenton thermos from earlier. "So, I promise not to put you back into the Ghost Zone until we fix this mess." And with that she sucked him up into the thermos, and to her surprise The Box Ghost didn't fight her.
Instead he smiled and said, "Thank you."
Valerie found a smile slipping on her face before she remembered- "Jazz!" She raced after her and managed to grab her just seconds before she was about to burst into Dani's Hospital room.
"What are you doing?" Jazz said. "I have to tell them."
"Tell them what? That Danny is helping them!" Valerie whispered harshly.
"For a good reason!" Jazz added.
"It does matter!" Valerie said. "Look I'm still kind of angry at Danny." She admitted. "How do you think they will feel."
Jazz froze, Valerie had a point.
"Besides what if the Ghost King finds out because they try to reach out to him." Valerie added. "For this to work they have to believe he's the enemy. Including Dani."
Jazz sighed she knew she was right but still. "I don't know if I can keep this from them."
"We'll tell them some of it, just not all of it." Valerie assured her as she opened the hospital door. "Just follow my lead." She whispered as they entered the room.
"How did it go?" Sam asked. "Did you find answers?"
Jack Maddie and the twins looked to them hopefully. Tucker, and Abby were also with them, and Valerie gave him a hopeful look of her own.
"Your dad is stable." Tucker told her as he embraces her. "The doc says he needs to sleep, but he'll make it."
Tears spilled down Valerie's face as Clockwork's promised proved to be true. "Thank goodness." She said.
"What did you learn." Dani asked grabbing their attention. "Was I right?" She asked them to sit up in her hospital bed.
Jazz looked at Valerie knowingly, and Valerie began to explain with a shaken breath. "We interrogated the Box Ghost." she told them. "He gave us a few answers." She looked to Jazz.
Jazz nodded. "Box Ghost says the white Knight is the Phantom Knight. He defeated Fright Knight and replaced him."
"Can we convince him to join us?" Sam asked. "Fright Knight helped us stop the ghost knight last time."
"Maybe." Valerie said. Remembering that Clockwork had said that Danny would defeat the Ghost King. "But it may not be easy to convince him."
"The Box Ghost says he's cruel, and loyal." Jazz added. "But it may be out of fear just like Fright Knight had done before. It's hard to tell."
"So we know nothing?" Sam asked.
Jazz bit her lip, the way she did when she was lying and Sam notices.
"You're not telling us something." She says. "What is it."
"I…" Jazz began but Valerie gave her the look, and she said. "I want to tell you, but I don't want to get your hopes up." She said looking at the kids.
Sam seemed to understand. "DJ, Lilith, Abby why don't you keep Damion company, he'll be less afraid if he wakes up to a familiar face."
"Okay." Abby said, and the twins followed her.
Jazz watched them leave, once they were gone she continued. "We asked the Box Ghost if he could tell us anything else about the Phantom Knight, and he said no."
"But he told us Clockwork might." Valerie cut in. "But he's gone now."
"So, without much thinking I used the Boomerang to find Danny in the past." Jazz went on. "To a time, I knew Clockwork would be there."
"You mean you went time traveling without me?" Tucker asked.
"Tucker, honey now is hardly the time." Valerie told him.
Tucker seemed to gather his senses. "Oh right, of course go one."
"We found Clockwork and-." Jazz said. "and..." She stopped looking to Valerie.
Valerie gave her a nod.
Jazz smiled "And Dark Dan was there too!"
"Wait Danny's evil future self?" Sam asked.
Valerie nodded. "Only we found out he was now working with Clockwork."
"Clockwork let him out?" Maddie asked. Of course, she didn't remember the original story with Dark Dan, but Danny had told her and Jack about all of his adventures as Dany Phantom including the one about his almost evil future.
"But he told Daniel he'd keep That Thermos safe." Jack added.
"He did." Jazz assured him. "Dad Dan is a good guy now and Clockwork says he'll help us fix all of this."
"Really?" Tucker asked. "Dark Dan is going to save the day?"
"I know it's hard to believe." Valerie backed Jazz up. "But Clockwork has never stirred us wrong before."
"So, what we find Dan and form a plan?" Dani asked.
"I Don't think Dan is a kind of guy we should be seeking out." Tucker added.
"No, you're right." Valerie added. "Besides He'll find us." She said remembering Clockwork's promise to Jazz. "We'll see him again soon."
"So, we wait until then?" Sam asked.
"Yes." Jazz said as she took a seat on the hospital bed beside Dani.
"So, it wasn't him?" Dani asked her. "The white Knight I mean."
Jazz looked into her big blue eyes, so much like her brother's in every way. Looking up at her with fear in her eyes. And it is then in this moment that Jazz understands. Valerie wanted everyone to remember Danny as the hero he was. Not as the monster he was pretending to be. "No." She told her. "He was just messing with you." She assured her. "Box Ghost said the new Master of time is in league with them. Maybe they showed the Knight your training sessions and he copied Danny's moves to get to you."
Dani seems to sigh in relief that made more sense. "I can't believe he's gone." She cried.
"He's not." Valerie told her suddenly.
"What!" Maddie cried racing over to her. "My baby boy is a live."
Valerie nodded.
"What!" Sam was equally surprised. "How?"
"Clockwork didn't say." Valerie told them. "Only that we would see him again as well."
"So, we'll see them both again?" Tucker asked. "But how will we know who is who? They look the same now."
"Clockwork says Dan is still learning how to be good." Jazz finally found her voice. "So, he'll still be sort of a jerk."
"And he won't know the twins." Valerie added.
"Oh right." Tucker realized and suddenly his PDA beeps. He takes it out of his pocket, and sighs. "Well I knew this was coming."
"What?" Valerie asked.
"The press wants us to discuss what happened today, Ghost are still attacking outside of the shields." Tucker explained.
"What will you say?" Dani asked trying to get up.
"You're still injured." Tucker told her.
"We can still fight." Jack said. "We can go out and save as many as we can."
Maddie nodded. "Wherever Danny is we need to buy him some time to fix this." She told them. "Whatever it takes."
Jazz nodded. "That's exactly what Clockwork told us to do." She confirmed.
"Then we'll do it." Jack said. "It's like Valerie said. He's never steered us wrong before and he won't now."
Jazz smiled her parents had come so far from believing all ghost were evil. It made her proud knowing that they had changed for the better.
"I'll go with you." Valerie to Tucker.
"We all will!" Jack added.
Tucker nodded looking grateful and he was facing an angry crowd as the mayor (AKA the guy who's supposed to solve all their problems) never got easier.
"Will you be okay?" Jazz asked Dani.
She nodded. "I'm fine now." She assured them. "Go ahead and buy Danny some time."
They all nodded and left the room, but Jazz grabbed Valerie once they were in the hall.
Valerie stopped and waited until the others had gone on ahead.
Jazz waited too, and once they were gone she asked. "Why did you tell them our Danny was still alive too?" She asked. "I thought that was dangerous."
"It is." Valerie said. "But I couldn't take the desperate looks on their faces." She admitted. "Besides they don't know everything. So as long as we keep our mouths shut his royal majesty won't either."
Jazz nodded understanding completely. Somethings were better left unknown, yes, some answers were too dangerous to know. She realized as she and Valerie continued to follow the others.
They existed the Hospital and was met with the Press already waiting for them along with a mob of towns people.
"Mr. Mayor." A News lady putting a microphone to his face said. "Ghost are terrorizing our neighbor towns and cities. We have families on the outside that are in trouble. What do you plan to do?"
"It's her fault!" A man in the crowd said pointing at Sam. "The ghost only wants the half breeds!"
"Get them!" A woman shouts.
"Yeah!" The mob yells and charges.
Valerie pulls out her blasters and aims them at the oncoming mob, they stop in their tracks.
"How dare you." The first man spoke again.
"No how dare you!" Jazz shouted as she took the microphone from the News lady. "My brother sacrificed himself for all of you, and you would threaten us, his family!" She screamed. "The Ghost King plans to kill them! And do you really think he'll stop there?"
Tucker took the microphone from her and added. "We stood up to him today." He said. "We beat him, we wounded his pride, and his army proves that by attacking our neighbors." He sighed. "I know your scared for distant relatives and I am too. But giving Dani and the twins up will not stop him."
"You don't know that." The woman from earlier pointed out.
"And now that the ghost King is angry you don't know if giving them up will save us!" Valerie snapped. "All you care about is yourselves. Those twins are children no older than 10 years old. You make me sick! What if they were your children!" Her words seem to snap them out of it, and they backed off.
"Everyone please, we have protected you this far." Tucker said. "And we will continue to do so."
"How?" The first man asked.
"By going out and saving anyone we can." Tucker said. "Write down the names of your love ones and their addresses, with pictures if you got them. Do that and we will try to find them and save whoever else along the way."
The mob seems satisfied with this answer because they begin to search for paper on their person, while others begin to shove wallet size pictures into their hands. Desperate to see a love one, come home to them safely.
And they would all get their wish soon.
'Don't take too long little brother.' Jazz thought. 'We need you now more than ever.'
(One Year into the future…)
[Location: Clockwork's Tower]
"You gave them false hope." A voice said from behind him.
Clockwork turned around to see the silhouette of an old friend. "Daniel come to see me?" He laughed. "Already need my help?" He joked.
The Dark figure doesn't take the bait. "You lied to them." He growled. "The room rumbled with his words. "You made them believe I was coming back to them."
"I told them what they needed to hear." Clockwork assured him.
"And I had to break the news to them just now!" The figure snapped back.
"I know your angry Daniel, but it was better for them to hear the truth from you then me." Clockwork reasoned. "Besides I told you that saving me was impossible." He said with a smile. "And you did. Maybe you will find another way to stay with them as well."
"For your sake I better." The figure growled.
Clockwork smiled as he took his leave, He knew the threat was empty. "Remember what I taught you." He said. "In less you wish to make the same mistake as your predecessor."
The figure paused and sighed. "Be firm, but not brutal." He rolled his eyes. "I know."
"Just checking." Clockwork mused.
"Stupid old crow." The shadow said half-heartedly, and Cockwork's smile grew.
"I know you don't believe me now, but this was always meant to be your destiny."
The shadow known as Danny said nothing, instead he took his leave.
Clockwork shook his head as he turned his attention back to the Past rift before him. He couldn't do much good for them now, so instead he fast forward 11 months ahead. He knew his long silence would worry the Phantom Knight, but Lady Time was aware of his meddling, and would be on her toes.
Because of this it was best that he moved ahead in time, where she has hopefully let her guard down by now. Or better yet get sidetracked.
He smiled. "He told you focusing on him too much would be the end of you…." He laughed.
She should have headed his warning…
-To Be Continued