We're coming to the end, my dears. The next few chapters will tie up this story and a final edit will be done to fix up plot holes, take out unused pieces, and generally just polish it all up. You know what the greatest prank I've pulled on April Fool's today? Uploading ten chapters and having them all be real.
Chapter Seventy
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Danny was going to admit that using all his energy up at once like that hadn't been the best idea since he passed out right after, but he got to wake up in Andrew's arms and watch as someone, probably Tucker and his family, got the lights back up and running. Ghosts were quickly being taken care of, the machines were being taken care of, Randy was patching up Valerie, and everyone he loved was close by.
"Yes, Danny, everyone's okay," Andrew reassured him - again - and held him even closer. "Every ghost and clan is accounted for. The agents that are alive fled, though, and we didn't find any trace of Walker."
"Hopefully that means he died," Elle mumbled, trying not to grin as Vlad fawned over her and carried her around on his back, micromanaging everything even more than Maddie did. "Valerie? You okay?"
Valerie didn't respond beyond a nod, utterly quiet as Randy wrapped the bandage around her arm, speaking quietly, "You shouldn't have any negative side effects from the vine besides the obvious wound. With your great shape, it should all heal within a few weeks." Randy tied it off, patting at Valerie's arm. "Thank you." There hadn't been time to say much, but Danny made sure they knew how she got that wound.
"You shouldn't thank me." Valerie's voice was rough and worn, Danny sighing as he looked away from the tears streaming down her cheeks. They both looked up from where they were sitting on the ground when Elle moved to stand in front of Valerie.
Danny almost wanted to stop her from whatever she was about to do before Elle dropped to her knees, watching as Valerie looked away in what was no doubt shame. Instead of what he expected, Elle darted forward and pulled Valerie into a hug, holding onto her tightly. "Thanks for letting me go and saving Danny."
That, it seemed, was the last thing needed to make Valerie well and truly break, Danny smiling sadly as she clung onto Elle just as tightly. She would be alright, but right now… Sometimes crying was needed.
Randy carefully moved away from the two to sit beside Andrew, Danny startled when he was pulled into Randy's arms and kissed absolutely senseless. Startled, but definitely sure as hell not arguing. "How apt your name is," Andrew muttered, Randy parting from Danny with a choked laugh which, wait, what?
"How does- No, you know what, nevermind, C'mere, you jealous idiot." Danny grabbed Andrew's shirt and pulling him over, grinning when the man kissed him at once. "God, you have no idea how much I missed you two."
"I think we can guess." Randy's arms locked around him tight, Andrew resting their foreheads together and giving a shaky sigh. "You're grounded and never allowed to leave our side again."
"For forever?" The arms tightened and Danny gave a quiet laugh. "I think I'll be okay with that." After everything, being by their side for a while sounded great. "Guess everyone knows who I am by now, huh?"
"Those who don't are gonna figure it out quick enough," Randy said, kissing at the back of Danny's head. "It'll be okay."
"Yeah. Yeah, I think it will." Kissing Andrew again, Danny squirmed out of Randy's grip and floated up into the air. "I need to talk to Clockwork."
"Just stay in our sight, please." Laughing, Danny pushed Andrew over into Randy's lap, enjoying Andrew's swearing and Randy's startled yelp as Danny quickly flew up to where Clockwork was talking to Vlad a dozen feet away.
"Aren't you supposed to be resting?" Vlad asked, raising an eyebrow as Danny moved to hang off of Clockwork's shoulder, grinning when Clockwork adjusted so he was more secure. "Why do I bother? I'll see it done, Clockwork."
"Thank you, Vladimir." Watching Vlad nod and fly up to the second floor, Danny knocked his head against Clockwork's. "A simple question goes a long way, you know." Squirming, Danny tapped his hand against Clockwork's chest. "I'm having him deliver the news to the Observants on Randall's behalf."
"Shouldn't you do it? I mean, they're probably going to want to yell at you over all this." At the silence, Danny frowned, startling when something came into view. "Oh, my glasses."
Dropping down, Danny didn't even touch the floor before Clockwork's energy was wrapping around him, Danny not minding as he put his glasses on and oh, that was so much better. No wonder everything had been a little blurry- Ah, Clockwork had a disappointed look on his face. "Please do remember you were shot in both legs."
"Oh, right." Ah, Clockwork's expressions were always so fun. Snuggling down in the cloak he was still wearing and considering keeping forever, Danny grinned. "So, come on, why don't you go bother the floating eyeballs?"
"I doubt they'll be very happy to see me, at the moment, considering what I've done." Oh, big whoop, Clockwork broke the rules again. He always did!
"So they'll yell at you, give you a few lectures, and be extra annoying for a few years. I'm sure they'll-"
"Daniel." Clockwork wasn't smiling. "Daniel, my powers- My powers work differently. A true timekeeper's powers work differently than what you can do."
"I- Can they take your powers away?" Danny watched as Clockwork pressed a hand over his shirt- His shirt. His blank shirt. "Your clock…"
"It's a symbol. Once you take the Oath of Time you are granted the symbol and your mastery over time. The oath is to protect the greater good and never risk the life of the one for the life of the many. It repeats quite often, of course, but that is the general-"
"Clockwork." Danny swallowed, reaching a hand out before dropping it. "Clockwork, what did you do?" The life of the one… Oh, no.
"I am no longer Master of Time." Clockwork smiled, the expression full of… Jeez, Danny didn't even know. He saw heartbreak, but Clockwork also looked happy. "I can no longer control time, I can stop time no longer than a few minutes, I cannot see what the future holds, and I'm just as ordinary as any other ghost."
"You gave up everything for… For me?" The energy floated him closer and Danny tried not to cry at the hug he was pulled into. "You'll never be as powerful as you were, will you?"
"No, and I find that I'm rather thankful for that." The clock was gone and looking closer Clockwork himself looked more human, white hair falling gently over his face with red eyes- Red eyes that had pupils. "I was just a placeholder for something to come."
"Wha- Placeholder?" Brimming with questions, Danny frowned as his mouth was covered. Moving the hand, Danny huffed. "Let me guess. I'll find everything out in time." The last two words were said by both of them at the same time, Danny giving a reluctant smile. "Are you going to be okay?"
"Daniel, I'm going to be just fine. Besides, a relationship is rather poor when there's such a large power imbalance."
"Oh, please, Jazz had you beat even then." The dopey smile told Danny way too much. "Alright, enjoy your sappy cliche mate things, I'm going back to Andrew and Randy and wow. I'm a hypocrite."
"Yes, you are, but we love you anyways." Delighting in the hug, Danny blinked as he was suddenly in Randy's lap and oh, yeah, Clockwork was good at teleportation, too.
"You're so bad for my heart." Randy was clutching at his chest and breathing deeply, Danny choking on a laugh as he rubbed the back of the man's neck and kissed him on the cheek. "Doing alright?"
"Better. Valerie?" Following the nod to where Valerie was talking quietly with Elle, Danny smiled and cleared his throat, trying not to laugh at the startled expressions on both their faces. "Val, you asked me how all this happened. How it got this way. I told you it was a long story. You… You wanna hear it?"
The nod was enough, Danny smiling and leaning back into Randy's chest. "Well, it's a long story, but it's about a kid who was trying to help. He was kind of a brat and kind of cocky, but his heart was in the right place. He wanted to help, and so he pressed a button."
Danny told her everything. Sam, Tucker, and Jazz came and settled by their sides as he told the story and it was all the secrets pouring out. The past three years and everything that had happened since Danny had stepped into the portal on that day.
"And you know the story from there, I think." Danny leaned back with an exhausted sigh and it must have been hours they were talking because it was quieter in the building and much more calm. "I mean, there's probably-"
"No more." Looking back to Valerie, Danny's eyes widened at her look. "No. More." A half forgotten dream tumbled through his head, Danny sitting up as Valerie shook her head. "I'm going to fix this- Danny, please, you have to believe me just one time, but I'm going to fix this."
It wasn't all of them in that moment. It was Danny and Valerie and an understanding that only the two of them would understand. Danny had his friends, but he knew what was it to fight alone and patch up horrible wounds in the dead of night and so, it seemed, did Valerie. "Val…"
"I started fighting for revenge because I was a stupid kid in over her head, but then it changed to justice. I fought because others were being hurt and those who were hurt deserved justice for what was done to them." Justice, not protection. Different, but he understood. "That's what I'm going to do, now."
"You think Walker is still alive." Valerie nodded, and Danny gave one of his own. "I do, too." Walker wasn't weak and they both knew that.
"I can't protect you, but I can get you justice for what he's done to you." Valerie swallowed, eyes misting over again. "You won't be able to forgive me, but I can make it at least a bit better. I'll get him and I'll fix this, I promise-"
Sliding out of Randy's lap, Danny crawled forward and clasped Valerie's hand tightly, leaning their foreheads together and looking her in the eyes, "You won't fight this alone."
"Danny. Danny, I can't let you take this fight from me." Typical Valerie. Always so selfish. Well, Danny couldn't say that he wasn't the same.
"Then think of it as a substitution." Because this was his fight, too, and he couldn't let her fight him alone. "You can fight, but I'm going to be right by your side."
"No more running away from it all, huh?" Valerie laughed even as more tears slipped past, Danny wrapping her up in a hug. For as much as they were bruised and banged up, they paid none of their injuries any mind and just held on tight. "No more secrets."
"Yeah." All of Amity Park would know everything, now. "The time for secrets is over."
::
The sun was starting to rise by the time Danny finally made it home and into bed, already half-asleep even as Randy kept fussing and fixing up the dressings on his wounds. As much as he wanted to sleep, there were way too many people in his room and Danny had sort of become the leader of this mess. He hated that he loved it.
"Alright, we don't know if Walker is alive for sure, but we can probably bet that he is, so who's ready to take orders from an idiot kid." Tucker and Elle both raised their hands, Sam and Vlad lowering them respectively. "Ouch."
"Just tell us what you need, kiddo!" Yeah, his dad was the best. "As long as you stay in bed and rest for the next one- Two weeks! Two weeks." And Maddie and Vlad were terrifying when it came to glaring.
"Okay, first we need to soothe the Observants' egos. Vlad, Clockwork, think you can do that?" Danny mostly looked at Clockwork, knowing how hard it was going to be to go back to them.
"I believe we can figure out something." Clockwork smiled and Danny felt Randy relax slightly and good. That meant Clockwork wasn't as afraid. "Rest well." With that, Clockwork, Vlad, and the cloak was gone.
"Man, I really liked that cloak," Danny mumbled, ignoring the comments and laughter and focusing. "Okay- Okay, we need to make sure the ghosts are all okay."
"Me and Val got it!" Elle was changing and picking up a yelling Valerie in a second, flying out of the room with a cackle.
"I like her more and more," Sam said with a grin. "She's got spirit." A beat of silence and Danny cracked, laughing even as Tucker and Jazz groaned loud enough to near drown him out.
"The humans of Amity Park need just as much reassurance after all of this," Andrew interrupted, trying to ignore them. "Tucker, Sam?"
"Consider us on it, GW." The two were heading out at once, Tucker already sending out calls and texts.
"Maddie, Jack, do you think you can go through the information we got from those databases? I don't want any nasty surprises." At Randy's words, Jack was beaming as he headed for the stairs at once, Maddie sighing and shaking her head.
"What do you want me to do, baby bro?" Jazz, who had been hovering by his bedside in her usual manner, jumped when Danny slapped her arm.
"Go wait at Citadel, duh. Clockwork's gonna need someone to talk to when all the Observant mess gets settled out."
"You're so nasty when you don't get your sleep." Jazz pinched his cheeks and Danny whined, trying not to laugh and grinning wide when Jazz hugged him close. "I'm glad you're alright, baby brother."
"Hey, it's gonna take more than a crazy ghost to take me out." The hug tightened, Danny returning it just as much. "Randy?"
"Be right back." Randy gently took Jazz's hand, giving her a smile. "If it helps you can count to three and tap your shoes together."
"Yeah, yeah, let's go, Toto." Randy laughed as he teleported them away, Danny looking up when Maddie moved to smooth his hair down.
"I won't ask if you're alright, but tell me you'll get better."
"I'll be okay, Mom. I always am." That… That was the best Danny could give, but it seemed to be enough as Maddie managed a bit of a smile. "I mean, ghost healing. How cool is that?"
"Speaking of. Andrew, dear, can you make sure Randy takes you all home when he gets back? Danny will heal better in the Ghost Zone and he needs quite a bit of sleep, at this point. He always sleeps better with you."
"Oh, ah, yes, Mrs. Fenton." Andrew looked ready to salute, Danny trying not to laugh as Maddie gave a small pat to his cheek before leaving the room. "She's terrifying."
"Yeah, she is." Danny loved her. Sighing and sitting up, Danny didn't even get a foot on the floor before Randy was scooping him up, energy still swirling around him from his teleport. "Ghost Zone. Mom orders."
"Well, I'm never one to argue with a mother." Closing his eyes and opening them after a few seconds, Danny saw he was in the master bed at Vidya and would have collapsed backwards if not for Randy laying him down gently. "It's okay. Just us."
No, no, no, Randy couldn't do that, because if Randy did that then Danny would have to stop smiling and pretending he was okay and- The covers were pulled over his face and there was warmth on either side of him, complete darkness wrapped around him as two hands settled over his chest.
"Break all you need to, mon cher. We'll put you back together." Just as he had in France, Danny let himself completely break down, knowing the two would keep him safe. It wasn't okay- God, he wasn't okay by a fucking longshot, but he was going to be.
Just one night of breaking down and suffering from what had happened to him, to Valerie, to the ghosts, to Clockwork- One night of crying over his mistakes and his lost secrets. And if he needed more than one night? Well, these two would be here for him. Of that, he was certain. For now, though…
Everyone was safe. Everyone was safe, Walker couldn't hurt them anymore, and Danny was safe and hidden away with the two people who knew him better than he knew himself.
It was going to be okay.