Danny sighed. Ember's realm was a complete mess. It looked like three tornadoes had been through here. He did finally find the map, but only by complete coincidence. He looked at the toy Lamb down on the floor. And it moved for him. The frost giant's realm was that deep in the zone? How the hell was he going to get there in time?

"Use the back door!" Ember's voice came to him. "It's one of my connections. But make sure the thermostat is set to freezing. You don't want to end up in Skulker's personal realm until after you've visited the frost giants."

In the frost giants realm the guards see a door opening and look up. "Tell Frostbite - The troll Freya Liansdottir is coming."

Frostbite rises of his throne. "So she is breaking her word. Not that I am surprised, but she is normally more cautious than to directly break her word rather than sticking to the letter rather than the spirit to get around her promises."

"Hold on that does not look like the former Valkyrie. For one thing he's male."

"Are you certain of that?"

"Yes. It looks like the man who last put Pariah Dark away. Younger than I expected. Powerful magic runs through him."

Danny sighed. "I don't believe I'm going to say this. It's such a cliche, but I'd better go ahead and say it."

"Say what?"

"Take me to your leader."

The frost giants look at each other, but soon nod. Frostbite will know what to do with this one. They take him towards the caverns that are their home. It is important to be cautious here, for they guard a dimensional map.

"So Phantom comes. Of ice-giant blood. Liansdottir would never play this close unless it was both vital and urgent. What's the problem?"

Danny spoke carefully. "The Red hunter got an arrest warrant for Lady Liansdottir which had not been stamped about having served her punishment, and as a result it looks like her third strike."

"Indeed Freya did serve that sentence. But the record would not be physically in Walker's realm. If it was, he would run a greater risk than when he used Wulf to hunt you down, and drive you out of town. As dangerous as that was it wasn't breaking the base rules of his existence, just those laid down by the Observants."

"There's also a time limit. I need the evidence by tonight."

"And we are Lore-keepers, so we should have the original records somewhere. But at the same time it is a unique record of the most elusive of all things-the truth, so the false fire-giant may have pinched it."

"False-fire giant?"

"Skulker. He is powerful though he wears only the shell of a fire giant."

(Clockworks Realm)

"Now, just because you're focused on the wrong time-line, that does not mean you didn't consciously choose to focus there. For, what at the time, you truly believed were good reasons, Valerie. However you need to see where some of your errors came in. You need to see the truth of Danny's hostage taking and his robbery."

Valerie looks at the time from Sam's view, and sees exactly why Sam was so scared. Having never truly seen her partnerships, nor from her view until now. As Clockwork had stated earlier Val's weakness was, as she had always known, her anger and pride. Sam's was a distinct lack of Empathy. It wasn't that Sam was truly unkind. In fact, at the core she was a kind and generous soul, but she just had a complete inability to see things from other people's points of view. Now of course she had that forced upon her. It was a very potent reminder of how she needed to improve.

"Clockwork just made me Tucker. He made me Tucker!" Sam yelled.

Val looked at Sam. "If you find it difficult to see from a long-time friends viewpoint, imagine how much more difficult it would be to even try and see from mine. It's impossible for most people to see their enemy's viewpoint, but not even being able to see a friend's, that is bad."

Sam sighed. "I was becoming Vlad, wasn't I?"

"Depends who Danny chose. If, in the timeline as was, he chose me then yes, you would have. But you've always had the advantage and still do." Valerie stated.

"Me, still have the advantage?" Sam protested. "You have a lot of similarities including being half-ghost, and you finally know his secret."

"I'm a valkyrie, Sam. A valkyrie."

"So?"

"A Chooser of the Slain, remember. Even my ghostly side is a ghost hunter. And don't forget I didn't know Fenton and Phantom were the same person. And I kept trying to kill one of them."

Sam sighed. They'd never be friends with each other, partially because they were very similar, but Valerie had been forced to change when her Dad lost his job. It in the end had been good for her. And only now did Sam realise she was being forced to go through the same evolution Valerie had.

"I have to treat Tucker better." Sam resolved. From now on she would make an effort to see from other peoples view. Jazz was good at ghost hunting in a crisis or with Jack, so why didn't she perform so well outside it? "Nerves, that was it."

"Pardon?" Valerie asked puzzled.

"Just thinking aloud." Sam answered. "Jazz's erratic performance. When operating on her own she is competent. With us a total klutz."

"Nerves." Valerie agreed. "Especially in front of you." Valerie didn't want to mention some of the reasons for that. Sam had had a rather nasty shock, but was dealing with it. And Sam was finally growing up.

"I'll stay Goth. I like this look." Sam glared at Valerie

"Did I say anything?" Valerie innocently asked. A bit too innocently, but she did have a point with the questioning look she had shot Sam earlier. Sam had to decide what was her and what she chose because she thought it was unpopular.

(Skulker's realm)

Danny sighed. This was not going well. He had at least found another sealed copy. But Skulker's traps were delaying him, and even delays would play into Walker's hands. Good there was the exit. And the Fenton portal opened. He rushed out dodgeing Jack's now understandably erratic blasts and headed for Val's as quickly as he could. Pausing only to pick up Ember. "I have the evidence. We need to present to someone."

"Clockwork." Ember stated. "I'll contact him"

Clockwork quickly arrived with Sam and Valerie. He looked at it and smiled. "Now all we need is to deal with the two ghosts who were giving you a hard time."

(Vlad's Mansion)

"Let's try again." Vlad stated. "Let the sword cut the ties of fate, the gauntlet change reality. The medallion alter time, the music alter emotion, and finally the hair of the Valkyrie to bring the new doom."

Time altered and shifted to Vlad's whims for about half a second., before suddenly snapping back to reality. Vlad sighed. He would try again tomorrow.

(Stadium)

Valerie screamed in pain and collapsed while Ember and Clockwork having more experience with this sort of thing gritted there teeth and waited for the reality warp to pass.

"Die, Inviso-bill. Die" came from Sam. Then embarrassed "Now why one Earth did I just say that?"

Danny looked at the now collapsed Valerie. "What happened to her?"

Clockwork and Ember "A Time-quake. Some-one is playing with the very threads of reality. Few people who are that are that ambitious are that dangerous. If not stopped all reality could unravel."

(A/N) I know people who like Sam will probably kill me for this suggestion about her personality. The alternative however is worse. This would mean she was deliberately cruel to Tucker and knew she was being so. However Early Val was deliberately cruel and knew it. But then with her anger and pride, she would be.