AN: HOLY. MOTHER. OF. GOD. This took WAYYYYYY too long. Aheheh ^^; But, uh, hey again! Not dead! -dodges rotten fruit- Hey, i got a chapter at least, eh!? Well, it's kinda a fill-er-ish chapter...-dodges knives- HEY! It's got some solid friendship feels, at least!

But also. i think my beta got it right when he said 'i am beyond sorry this took so long' dude. i was on vacation. w/o a computer. T_T BUT, i have a new com, BRAND new, 1.5 tb hardrive! that doesn't have the program i used to use...and all my files were corrupted...and i had to convert EVERYTHING. ONE. BY. ONE... but the speed is SO worth it. XD

ANYWAY, enjoy the new chappie! (And I'm very sorry for the people who thought/wanted Danny in for the long run. he'll come back, it's imperative he does...but not for like three chapters. MAYBE two.) Crappy chapter name is crappy(The scheme I am/was trying to use isn't helping. XD)

Disclaimer: I have nothing witty to say, but i do not own.

Chapter 5

Preperations

Considering how fast Danny could fly, and the fact he didn't have to deal with traffic, they made it to the obnoxiously obvious statement that was Fentonworks in pretty good time. Of course, the Fentons were probably tipped off that they weren't human, and would come after them now, not to mention they would probably shoot on sight. Oh well, better than staying there to be interrogated and/or experimented on.

"What is that?" The Doctor couldn't help but be a little bit surprised that the Fentons practically had a spaceship sitting on top of their house. He wasn't sure, but that monstrosity must have defied a few American zoning laws.

"Oh, it's just the Emergency Ops Center. It's Fentonwork's ghost defense system, I guess," Danny explained. "Its got a ghost shield generator that could cover half the town in an emergency, and a bunch of other anti-ghost and anti-human gadgets."

The Doctor let out a whistle as they got closer and he could actually see the Ops Center. Clockwork wasn't kidding when he said the Fentons were years ahead of their time with technology.

As they got close enough, Danny flew towards the roof and tried to go intangibly through the building. Needless to say, 'tried' does not mean he succeeded. No, they hit the gravel covering the roof at a solid speed that sent them flying apart. Danny skidded for a few feet forward as the Doctor and Clockwork were thrown to either side.

"Daniel," Clockwork drawled, picking himself up an brushing off the gravel.

"Yeah?" The boy asked slowly, standing up as well.

"Do you think that maybe your parents turned on the main house's ghost shield before they left?"

"Yeah, yeah, I get it, sorry," Danny mumbled dryly. "That wasn't the smartest move."

The Doctor got to his feet as the exchange took place, dusting himself off. "Well, shield or not, we're here aren't we? Besides, I've had worse scrapes." Spying the door on the roof that led to the lower floors, he smiled and dashed over. He was getting a bit excited again- these people were brilliant! Oh, he'd love to ask them about the Ops Center and how it worked, with the given that they wouldn't shoot anybody. But still, this was advanced technology for the year! "Come on, men! Allons-y!"

Danny walked over to the now-standing Clockwork, eying the Doctor suspiciously. "Is he always this…weird?"

"Unfortunately," Clockwork grunted, following the Doctor to the door. "Besides, Daniel, you are in no position to be calling other people 'weird'."

"Point," Danny huffed, changing back.

Clockwork paused at the door, watching the Doctor give a quick look around at the bottom of the stairs. "You need to turn the shield off so I can get in."

"Wha-" Danny paused for half a second before sheepishly rubbing the back of his neck in that habit of his. "Oh, right, that." He dashed down the stairs, past the Doctor and towards a control panel on the wall. That was lacking shield controls.

"Jazz!" He called out, still looking at the controls, the Doctor watching over his shoulder. "Did Dad move the shield controls again!?

"Yeah, why-" Jazz came out of her room and locked eyes on the Doctor, who turned to her, a friendly smile blooming on his face.

"Oh, 'allo there, are you Danny's sister? Wonderful to meet you, I'm the Doctor." He held out a hand and took note of how she immediately put up her guard and eyed him warily.

"Danny, why's there a strange man with you?" She paused, not taking the proffered hand. Soon, she realized something else. "And why do you need to put the shield down if you're already in here?"

"Uh…" Danny fumbled, glancing between the two of them, the Doctor dropping his hand with a small frown.

"Can this sibling argument wait? There really could be a better time for this," Clockwork told them from the top of the stairs. "Doctor, go check the fridge for the switch."

"The fridge?" The Doctor spun to look up at him. "Why put a control switch-"

"Just trust me."

With a moment of hesitation, the Doctor shrugged and ran off for the stairs down to the main floor. Jazz moved to stop him, but Danny got in the way.

"Listen, Jazz, this is important. He's a friend…I guess." Danny hesitated the last part, but added it anyway.

"You guess?"Jazz nearly yelled. "Danny, you can't trust people on a hunch, not with…you know, what you do." She was going into protective mode now. "How do you know he's not here to turn you in or something?"

"Because I trust who he's with, and since he's okay with the Doctor, so am I," Danny protested, walking after the Doctor.

Jazz grabbed his shoulder and spun hi around. "Who?"

"Me." They both jumped a little when Clockwork appeared at the foot of the stairs. "Seems like the Doctor found the shield controls. Hello Jasmine," He said conversationally, walking past them and down the stairs.

He found the Doctor standing in the kitchen with one piece of Jack's fudge in his hand, chewing another. "Mmh, I figured Jack had a whole plate labeled for him in there-" He swallowed. "He won't miss a couple pieces."

Clockwork chuckled, taking the other piece before the Doctor could eat it. "Oh, he will," He popped the piece in his mouth. "But not for a while."

"Could someone please explain to me what the heck is going on!?" They turned to see Jazz standing in the door frame, more than a little angry and confused. Danny was behind her trying to calm her down with little success. "Who are you two and what the heck are you doing in our house?!"

"Jazz, come on, they're-"

"One of them's a ghost, Danny-"

"Yeah, but-"

"Quiet!" Clockwork commanded, silencing the siblings. "Both of you. I know you're brother and sister, but now is not the time. I'd prefer to get out of here before your parents come back. Jasmine-" He caught her attention, and she was only barely holding back another argument or interrogation. "I am Clockwork. I was the one that helped Danny during the C.A.T. incident."

A look of recognition passed over her face as she relaxed slightly. "What? I mean, Danny told me about you but, why are you here? What's the problem?"

Clockwork only looked pointedly at the Doctor, who blinked before smiling again. "Ah, right, that'd be me I suppose. Bit of a mix up with-"

"I suppose some explanation is needed," Clockwork interrupted, going down to the lab, the other three following. "The Doctor is a being from an alternate universe. Somehow, he broke through the barriers between universes and ended up here, and cannot get back by his normal means."

"Right, I was- Oh!" He stopped at the entrance of the lab, looking around in awe. "Oh, this. Is. Brilliant!" Then he was dashing around the lab, studying the tables, barely pausing a beat before moving on. "For humans to have this kind of technology at only the 21stcentury- how is it possible? They must be geniuses! And what powers some of these? Is that a hover-car? That is brilliant!"He was now looking over the Spectre Speeder, grinning like a kid in a candy store.

Caught off guard by his eccentricities, the kids were watching him warily from the foot of the stairs. Clockwork only smirked and took the keys for the Spectre Speeder from a counter nearby. Already on high alert, elder sibling didn't miss this.

"What are you doing?" She snapped, marching over to him. She looked nearly ready to grab the keys and give them the boot, if not for her brother's trust in him. "If from what Danny's told me is anything to go by, you shouldn't need the Specter Speeder to get anywhere, let alone use our portal!"

Clockwork looked at her calmly, unlocking the doors to the machine. "Normally, your assumptions would be right, but at the moment I can't use my powers," Completely ignoring the flabbergasted teen, he continued. "The Speeder will be back before the end of the day, at most. And no, Daniel, you cannot come along."

Danny, who had been just about to jump in the Speeder froze, the Doctor peeking out form the passenger seat. "What? Why not!" He let go of the door handle, turning to them. "Whatever it is I bet I could help! And-"

"Daniel," Clockwork stopped him, giving him a stern look. Danny shifted under his focus, recognizing now the no-nonsense tone in his voice. He'd gotten it enough times before, when he'd talked to Clockwork on other occasions. "You can not come. Do not push me, and do not try to follow. There's many reasons why not, the least of which being your parents."

"But Jazz-"

"Could convince them you are safe, yes, but the fact you are the only person in the house that would even think to touch your father's sweets, they were disturbed, and the Speeder is missing in the time both of you were gone, would leave your mother at least suspicious." The boy was speechless for a moment, working the logic through his head. "Not to mention they are on high alert what with the fiasco at the Nasty Burger." Jazz gave the two of them a worried look as Clockwork got into the driver's seat.

"What-"

"I was in the building as they pulled up with a scanner." Clockwork interrupted, yet again.

She scowled at the ghost, who had started smirking again. "Would you-!"

"Ask Danny."

Jazz huffed and raised an eyebrow at her little brother. Danny frowned and sighed. "That's Clockwork for 'No'."

Both the passengers of the Speeder could help but laugh at their expressions. The Doctor glanced at the annoyed teens and couldn't help but decide to give them a little revenge.

With a smirk and a laugh, he dished it out. "Tend to be rude to the kids, Clocky-boy?"

Clockwork immediately lost all semblance of a smile as Danny physically had to restrain himself from laughing. There were poorly-contained snorts as the Time Ghost glared at the Doctor, eyes going red again. "Don't call me that," He warned.

"Oooh, using the 'scary eyes' again, are we?" The Doctor threw back, unable to stop a chuckle. "It didn't really work the first time, Clocky-boy, and it's not working now. I've seen scarier things than you, Clocky-boy." He stressed the name, grinning with every sign of the ghost's annoyance.

"Doctor," Clockwork growled, now focusing on starting the Spectre Speeder to distract himself. "Don't. Tempt. Me." He was not going to snap, he was not going to throw the Doctor out of the Speeder on his butt, and he was certainly not going to plot a way to get back at him some time soon. …Eh, two out of three won't be that bad.

Danny had lost it at the second usage of the nickname and was trying to laugh as quietly as possible from the Doctor's side of the vehicle. Clockwork was a very respectable, powerful figure, and Danny was generally respectful to him, save the occasional poorly executed joke. Hearing someone as unfamiliar with the being call the Ghost of Time 'Clocky-boy' so off-offhandedly was admittedly hilarious. It also said something about the Doctor: either he was cocky as hell, or had little-to-no self-preservation instinct. Or it could've been both. Danny apparently misplaced his self-preservation skills too, since he wasn't doing such a good job of keeping quiet. He looked up in time to see Clockwork shift his glare to him over the Doctor's shoulder. It served the job of sobering him up very well. He hid the last of his giggles with a cough before turning red and rubbing the back of his neck with a nervous chuckle.

"Ahem, uh, yeah." He stuttered, backing away.

Clockwork sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose as the Doctor just kept grinning next to him. "Anyway, we need to be going before your parents make an entrance." He gave Jazz a pointed look. "Please don't let Danny follow us, I know he'll try. The Doctor is enough of a problem to deal with."

"Hey!"

Jazz merely glanced at the Doctor, and then back at Clockwork. "Fine. But the Speeder-"

"Will be back in perfect condition before the night is out." The corner of his mouth twitched in threat of a smile, but Jazz pushed past her annoyance quickly. There were some things she wanted to know before they left. Grabbing onto the still open window, she caught Clockwork's attention again.

"How long have you known this Doctor guy?" She asked quietly.

Clockwork, taken by surprise for once, cocked an eyebrow. "Only since this morning. He didn't even exist in this universe before then."

Jazz blinked glancing back at the Time Lord, who was saying something to Danny. "Then why do you act so close to one another?"

"…What?" Clockwork did not like being surprised, and frankly, this day alone was meeting his quota of 'surprised and/or confused' for the whole millennium. It took him only a moment more to process what she had said, but Jazz was already elaborating.

"I know Danny's the one that knows you better, but…You two seem very similar- you have a lot of confidence and pride, carry yourselves like you own the place, and choose your words pretty carefully," She frowned for a moment before barreling on. "And yet, for knowing each other for what could only be a few hours, you're innately comfortable in the other's presence and bicker and fight like siblings, and are open with and to each other more than you are to us, so far as I've seen- your expressions, your word choice, your tone of voice, all of it seems less guarded when talking to each other from what I caught. Also, you two like showing your generous intelligence when it suits you to confuse people, and use it to your advantage when needed- not to mention, you both…" She paused, looking him in the eye for one of the few times since they came, glancing at the Doctor as well. "You're both…I don't know how to explain it. Your eyes- when I caught it- it's like the look Danny gets after a really bad fight but ten-fold and it never leaves, it only hides when you think someone's watching, and sometimes it doesn't when looking at each other." Clockwork only stared at her. The psychologist in the girl was trying to find the right term, the right word, but PTSD wasn't quite right and nothing she could name came close, and she hadn't really seen it, just caught the impression, but it was there.

Clockwork sighed. She was perceptive. Or he was slipping. He was half surprised she saw it, and half really confused. Not about what she said- he had seen too, but had hoped if he ignored it, it would turn out to be just his imagination. But no, that was not the case. Had she seen it, whatever it was that was happening, because she was a budding psychiatrist, or because they were both slipping off the masks they wore around each other more and more, and she was just quick enough to see them shift? Either way, it was not something to confront right now, and certainly not with Jazz. But as he looked back up he knew she needed some sort of answer.

"Time is a heavy burden, Jasmine," He murmured, not looking at her. "We need to go," He said a bit louder, catching the others' attention. "Your parents have had plenty of time to-"

There was a loud sound of banging doors before Jack Fenton's voice reverberated through the building, crystal-clear. "Kids, stay calm, there might be a ghost in the house!"

There was a sigh between the Fenton kids as the Doctor leaned out the window to glance at the staircase.

"I suppose that would be our cue to leave, eh?" He muttered, leaning back in the cabin.

"The saying 'speak of the devil' comes to mind, but yes."

"Well then," He said, giving the kids a wave as the Speeder edged towards the portal. "Time to go to the Ghost Zone! Allons-y!"

"Are you going to ride the whole way there with your face pressed against the glass like a 5-year-old?" It was maybe the third time he had asked the question in varying ways since they lost sight of the Fenton Portal. And every time, he'd get a response similar to-

"Well, can I help it? This is absolutely brilliant! No, I mean, really, look at what this is! A bubble dimension connected to the physical plane of Earth and practically reversing physics on humans and ghosts! Well, for all intents and purposes that's it I'm guessing. And I can see why you were unimpressed with the TARDIS's dimensionally transcendental technology if every door is a lair- not to mention the portal itself- So, no, wait, it's dimensions inside of a larger dimension attached to the- the- What do you call the normal one?"

Clockwork rolled his eyes. "The Human World, or the Mortal World, mostly. Some other ghosts have more…creative names, but that is what is generally used, along with just saying Earth occasionally."

"Okay, so is it the Human World is attached to the Ghost Zone or-"

"Neither. The Ghost Zone has existed as long as the Human World has," Clockwork interrupted him, but the Doctor didn't mind. It actually was convenient that Clockwork didn't care about interrupting him since he tended to ramble if left to talk. "If either were to be destroyed, the other would quickly follow suit. The two worlds are heavily influenced by each other- Major changes in either world affect the other. If part of Earth was destroyed, a part of the Ghost Zone would be destroyed with it. If a war broke out in the Ghost Zone, the Human World would suffer war as well- And vice versa."

"Co-dependency, but even going so far as to copy ecological happenings like war. Oh, that's brilliant, can't have one without the other, so it keeps them from destroying each other!" The Doctor praised, smiling again.

Clockwork paused and corrected him. "Not so much."

"What?" The Doctor cocked an eyebrow. "Why?"

"Even though the signs are obvious to most paranormal scientists, humans absolutely refuse to accept that our world is natural- that ghosts are supposed to exist," He sighed and shook his head. "Most think ghosts and the ghost zone are an anomaly in nature, insentient unnatural clumps of matter, the Ghost Zone a mistake that needs to be erased. They're very thick about anything outside of those beliefs."

"Because it would mean they've been hurting what could be acquainted to another human being," The Doctor added, nodding as he realized this.

"Essentially, yes."

They lapsed into quiet. It wasn't a bad quiet, like an awkward pause when something needs to be said but no one would talk. It was actually a fairly comfortable silence. The Doctor didn't usually have times like that, when he was quiet and it wasn't because he was sad or tired or angry, when he was perfectly content, since he usually thought out loud or had to fill his thoughts with info to keep them from drifting. To keep the memories catching up. But this time, it was nice- like a breather.

The Doctor glanced at Clockwork. Would it be rude to ask- Wait, when did he last care about being rude? Well, he did like Clockwork fairly well, and didn't really want to upset him. He'd already done enough of that. And there went the breather of content silence. Screw it, now he needed to talk about something."What is your life- well, after-life-"

"You don't have to worry about the semantics of it, Doctor," Clockwork corrected, glancing at him with a smirk.

The Doctor smiled, before getting back to his question. "Right, okay then. What is your life like?"

"What?" Clockwork cocked an eyebrow at him, caught off guard.

"Well, you're -well, important, obviously. Powerful, and old, but you don't- you don't seem to be the adventuring type, and the Observants sound like they're not too much fun to work with," The Doctor said, not really explaining.

"Believe me, they're not." The ghost said, half jokingly.

"Yes, well, I just mean…you don't really live your life, do you?" He paused, then suddenly got flustered when Clockwork gave him a soundless, questioning look. "Sorry if that's a bit personal, or rude- am I being rude? I usually can't tell if I am, and then I start to ramble, but ah…" He decided he was rambling again, and it would just be best to be quiet and wait for an answer. Or more silence.

Clockwork didn't look at him for a few seconds. He seemed to be choosing his words again. Finally, he sighed, looking at the Doctor again. "…Doctor, that is a complicated thing to think of. I don't know if I'm even able to die- by age obviously not, by human ways wouldn't work either, and ghost hunters couldn't catch me if they tried, and they have. Nearly everyone in this universe, I know- their past, present, and possible futures. The happiest road for one person might not be the best in the world's long term. I have had to let bad things happen for the good of the whole world. I can't become close to anyone, because I know how horrible that idea would be in the long run." Clockwork finished by turning away, not looking at him.

"What about Danny? He seemed pretty comfortable around you," The Doctor suggested, frowning.

"Danny is…complicated," Clockwork started slowly. "I interfered in his time stream in a way that wasn't to the Observants liking- the boy would have grown up to be the most powerful and evil ghost in history. They wanted me to kill him, so I showed him his future and saved him and his family, therefore he is now my responsibility if he goes down the wrong path. I guide him, but there will still be a time when he will die, and I can't let myself become attached. I'm sure in your travels, you've lost people you love, Doctor. I can't worry about my own wishes when I watch over the time stream."

The Doctor looked away, and they were quiet again for a minute. The Doctor didn't look up as he started again. "I…I've lost many people in my time, Clockwork. Most of my companions were human. Some of them left me, some of them I had to leave behind, and…yes, some died. My people are gone as well, dead because of me. But I know, I can't let myself get cold. I help people, all the time. I keep someone with me to remind me of all the good in the world and how it's worth saving- even though I know I'll probably lose them later. Because as bad as it is to lose them, it would be worse to have no one at all."

"Better to have loved and lost than to never have loved at all," Clockwork supplied.

"I suppose so," The Doctor murmured.

Clockwork was quiet for a moment. "Like Rose?" He ventured.

A beat of dead silence.

"How did you-" The Doctor started, Clockwork quickly stopping him.

"I heard her name," That psychic incident again. "I didn't bring it up because I saw that there was a lot of sadness and guilt over her- you loved her, didn't you?"

The Doctor didn't say a word, and when Clockwork looked he saw a blank face. He was trying not to break. He gave a sad smile, looking away again.

"For an alien, you act very human sometimes," He joked. The Doctor didn't say anything. "I'm not trying to hurt you, Doctor, I'm only making a point. Getting close to someone will only hurt me, and might even tempt me to twist things to my will- which shouldn't ever happen. Besides, even if I wanted to become friends with someone, the Observants would take it as a breach of contract. I would be affecting the time stream in a way they couldn't predict, since their powers don't work on me, as mine don't on them."

The Doctor grunted shortly in understanding. After a moment, he perked up, his whole posture coming back to that happy manic spark. He turned to Clockwork with a smile. "Well," He drawled. "Their powers don't work on me, do they?"

"…No?" Clockwork answered cautiously. "What are you getting at, Doctor?"

"And, I'm not part of this time stream, am I? Not human, and I don't think they ever accounted for aliens." He kept going, smiling like he'd just solved a great puzzle.

"Doctor, what-"

"Well, why can't I be your one friend?"

"What?" Clockwork didn't even know how to respond otherwise. He was shocked and confused, and, if he was perfectly honest with himself, just a little tiny bit hopeful about the Doctor even bringing this up.

"Come on now, it's a bit unfair to you," The Doctor started, giving him a sympathetic look. "You've got this huge responsibility and the Observants on your back, and not one friend in the world to count on. But I'm not from this world, am I? Besides, nobody deserves to be totally alone forever, no matter what they've done or what they'll grow into. At least, that's what I'll believe."

The Doctor waited for a reply, a small smile on his face, but Clockwork almost looked like he'd froze.

The Doctor's smile dropped, turning into a bit of worry. "If you don't like me, you can just say so, I can handle it. And if it's these Observants, they sound very rules-oriented, and I don't really think I apply to the rules of this world since I'm not from here. Not to mention, I'm not scared of them. I've dealt with my fair share of unfair councils, I'm perfectly capable of dealing with them." He paused again, but the ghost still wasn't moving. "I've lived 900 years, I'll live for quite a bit more. You don't have to worry about affecting my time stream, it's complicated enough as it is, and I'm sure it'll go through a heck of a lot more." Still nothing.

"Clockwork," His voice was actually stern, now. The time ghost looked at him now, saw his face melt from stern and worried, to hopeful and caring. "Just because you've got a lot of responsibility, doesn't mean you have to tackle it all alone- no matter what anyone else says. Now!" He had been leaning down a bit, to be at his eye level since the Doctor was a good four inches taller, but now he straightened up, getting that 100-watt grin again. "I will be your friend, from here on out. No complaining now, you're stuck with me." His smile turned compassionate now, getting Clockwork to straighten up. "We're friends, you got that? And nothing anyone says is going to make me change my mind."

Clockwork gave him a tired but happy chuckle, shaking his head at this impossible man. "Fine, Doctor. If you insist."

But he didn't have to.