Chapter 29: Cat Out of the Bag

"Just chug it." Vlad stared for a long moment at the disgusting drink held under his nose. As his frown deepened, a low chuckle finally escaped from his tormentor.

Danny leaned back, a grin plastered on his face, and took the drink in both hands.

"Come on, it's not that bad." He tried to suppress another chuckle for Vlad's sake...and failed.

Vlad gave him a dark look, then glanced away. "I'd prefer an Earl Grey tea."

Danny's grin widened slightly. "Well…I can heat this up for you."

Vlad's stomach churned at the thought, and after a moment he held his good hand out. "Well, come on then." Danny quickly sat up and gave him the drink.

Vlad did chug it, in only four gulps- though he had to pause after the first one in order to fight down his gag reflex.

"Keh." The glass was quickly replaced by another filled with water, and he took several more gulps to banish the taste, swishing each time. "Vile." Swish, swish, swish. "Absolutely vile..." He broke off to cough slightly, which made everything ache. Then he handed the glass back.

There was a quiet moment.

"There. All done until six tonight." Vlad just rolled his eyes. Daniel's voice was entirely too chipper. In fact, everything about him was annoyingly light hearted at the moment.

Another long moment passed. The climate grew uncomfortable, as Vlad's mood went further south.

He hated being in the dark, and he hated being powerless. And only a little while ago Vlad had awoken to find that he was bed ridden for the next two days (or was supposed to stay in bed, at least, and had a "guardian" who could easily -and apparently cheerfully- overpower him right now if need be). He also couldn't remember much of anything last night, after the struggle to stay conscious while waiting for Dr. Schueller to arrive.

Apparently he hadn't succeeded at staying conscious. That meant trouble; Schueller must have dealt with him as a human, thus now likely knew both of his identities. Of course, his cover had already been effectively blown by Spectra, so why worry? Vlad's jaw clenched slightly. Now she and Bertrand were yet another complication he needed to deal with. But right now…

Last night, Vlad had fallen unconscious in the lab. With Daniel by his side, and a slew of video surveillance feeds conspicuously open nearby.

Vlad glanced surreptitiously at his self proclaimed guardian. He just didn't understand Daniel's good mood, and it was beginning to put him on edge. What, exactly, was there to be so happy about? He scowled again.

Well. He didn't feel like tiptoeing today.

"Well…I suppose you can at least make yourself useful to me, if I'm trapped here until I've got enough strength back to defend myself against you." Vlad adopted a business tone, to veil his lingering uncertainty. "I need you to send off a few things to Samantha for me, for Nathaniel. You'll find them down in the lab."

He waited a moment, then glanced over, maintaining a distant look.

Daniel still seemed congenial enough. "No problem. Another playpen, a wrist band…is that it?"

Vlad continued to watch him carefully. "No. I think Nathaniel could use a ghost shield, after last night's events. I happen to have one in the lab as well."

Danny paused for a long moment. Some part of him was still a little angry about the spying, but after everything that had happened…he really needed to let that go.

He grinned lightly. "You know, if you didn't have those video cameras, who knows where Nathaniel would be right now."

"True."

Danny's grin turned lopsided. "I guess I should be…thankful."

Vlad narrowed his eyes. Despite the fact that you have no right, and were probably planning something rotten. Daniel didn't have to say it. Vlad knew he was thinking it!

He bristled. "It's not kind, or thoughtful, or nice." Vlad snorted softly. "But it is practical. And I could've done much worse, Daniel." It irked him on many levels, to deal with this after yesterday's events. Right after he had permanently given Nathaniel up.

Danny frowned, caught a little off guard by Vlad's bitter tone, the veiled accusation. He brushed it off, and smiled again, laughter in his voice. "Well Nathaniel's safe, so I'm still grateful…"

"Would you shut up about Nathaniel!" Vlad looked away suddenly, hissing out his next words. "As if you are ever going to be a part of his life."

Danny was silent for a moment. Yesterday had been the first time he'd ever held his son. Ackowledging that it might be the last had been very painful. He watched Vlad, who was glaring daggers at the wall, refusing to meet his gaze.

"Maybe you're just upset your little scheme got discovered? Vlad?" Danny scowled, angry at himself as soon as the words were uttered. He didn't want to fight! Vlad had nearly died last night. He wanted to, to…enjoy his company. However lousy it was right now…

Vlad glanced over to see the scowl on Daniel's face, and grimaced in return. "How long have you been snooping in the lab, Daniel?"

Danny stared, considering what to say. "Since…we discovered New Age Technologies."

Vlad's eyes widened slightly, then he looked away, snorted softly. "I see…you're quite the snoop."

Danny couldn't stop himself. "Who's calling the kettle black now, Vlad?" Resentment was rising, after the incredible shock last night of almost losing this cheese head. Vlad should be grateful to be alive, instead he was sitting here trying to pick a fight! Better yet, he shouldn't have gotten himself injured in the first place!

Something stopped Danny from going off on him- probably the wish for them to just get along.

Vlad was steaming at the ears. He was injured, bed ridden, and had lost his last chance at a half ghost son, a family -because, oh yes, he knew Maddie would never be his- and for what? Some altruistic nonsense, silly sentimentalism! An attachment to people who hated him!

And he was left with this freak from the future with Daniel's face, who somehow felt he had the right to judge him in any way, when he was the one who had assaulted Samantha, he was the one who had wreaked havoc in another dimension, and he was the one who had overpowered Vlad's own ghost half and somehow forced a merge, stealing his power, his identity…!

"Daniel, get out." They stared at each other. Danny's eyes were wide with surprise. Then he narrowed them.

"No."

"Get out! I'm tired of looking at your face!"

"Give me a better reason!"

"Fine! I'm sick of being around an impostor, a…thief!" Vlad's face twisted into fury. "Get out!!" He shifted, pushing himself up one handed. It still hurt. He ignored it, throwing his legs over the edge of the bed.

Danny was up in an instant, his hands on Vlad's shoulders to keep him sitting. "Stop! You'll just hurt yourse…"

"Don't touch me!!" Danny reeled at the vehemence there. He let his arms drop, and stepped back a little. He couldn't keep the resentment from his face, and stared down at Vlad, refusing to move further.

"Then get back in bed." They glared at each other.

Danny dropped his voice a little, trying to hide the hurt he felt, trying to deflate the situation. "What do you mean, impostor?" He knew he wasn't his younger self.

Vlad's face darkened further, and Danny wasn't so sure he understood what he was angry about any more. "You didn't tell your entire story, did you Daniel? Hmmm? Didn't leave out a few life altering moments, perhaps?"

"Of course I did! Or it would've taken…" Then Danny got it, and flinched slightly.

"I thought I survived, Daniel?" Vlad's voice was soft, but harsh. "How could I survive, if…." His face twisted into a bitter grimace. "All this time I've helped you, knowing the truth, and you have the gall to talk down to me!!" Vlad pushed himself up, fury spiking, suddenly intent on taking a swing at Daniel's head…

Instead he collapsed on legs that were useless, his strength almost entirely gone.

Danny stopped his fall. His face twisted as he rested Vlad, who didn't even have the strength to try and resist, on the bed again. "I didn't kill you, Vlad." He gripped both of Vlad's shoulders tight, staring him in the face, his own face a kaleidoscope of shame, fury, and hurt. "But you nearly died last night, you freaking idiot!!"

Then he left.

Danny came back to let the doctor in later that afternoon, but didn't stay. That was rather convenient, because Vlad wanted to talk with Schueller, alone. After his wounds had been administered to, and his general level of strength ascertained, Vlad asked the doctor to sit.

"Doctor Schueller. Last night's events have yet to be recounted to me in the level of detail you know I appreciate…"

Daniel returned again at six, to give Vlad another vile drink of the healing serum. Vlad took it silently, followed by the glass of water to clear his throat.

Danny finally spoke, voice polite but distant. "Is there anything you need?" He stared at the wall as he talked.

"I'm…hungry." Vlad answered quietly. Meekly.

Danny's distant gaze slowly softened, and he finally looked Vlad in the face. He looked back, an apology in his eyes.

This wasn't easy to do. Vlad wasn't a naturally open person.

Danny looked startled, and for an instant, embarrassed. "Er, right. Of course." But more importantly to Vlad, Daniel was talking almost normally again. "I'll be right back."

Fifteen minutes later Vlad had a tray with steaming French onion soup, bread and cheese, and a cup of Chamomile tea sitting on his lap. Danny sat nearby, silently watching as he ate.

Vlad tried the bread roll. It was also French, and very tough. If his right arm wasn't so sore, he'd tear it into smaller pieces for dipping in the soup. He set it back down instead, and took a sip of tea.

Danny was by his side a moment later, tearing the bread into pieces. Vlad stared.

"That's…not…"

"It's no problem. I want to." Danny finished after a few moments, and sat back down again. Vlad looked at the bread for a long moment. Then he picked up a piece, dipped it in the soup, and ate it. For once, he didn't know what to say.

Then Danny started speaking, slowly and painfully. "I…thought I was overshadowing you. But we…merged instead. Everything back then was just..." He sighed. "But I know I didn't mean for that to happen…"

"Daniel." Vlad looked up, into pain filled eyes. "I want you to know that if we didn't share…some genetic material, you may not have been able to share your energy with me last night. I might have died. So…thank you. For saving my life." Vlad looked away. "And let the past stay there, I say."

A long moment passed, then Vlad startled slightly as a hand fell lightly on his good shoulder. He looked up into Daniel's face. It was tense, but happy. Daniel gave his shoulder a gentle squeeze.

"You scared the hell out of me last night, Vlad. Don't ever do that to me again, okay?"

Vlad just smirked back.

Something about venturing into the Ghost Zone at night was inherently creepy. It wasn't that it changed at night; the entire realm had a permanent, garish green backdrop. But back home it was dark and silent, and everyone was asleep. And that mattered. A lot. Of course, that was also the entire point...

Jazz sat up a little straighter, and glanced down at the Specter Speeder's map to make sure she was still on course.

Okay, so she was a little creeped out right now! It was a perfectly natural psychological response, given the situation. All she needed to do was think the right kind of positive thoughts.

I'm going to see a strange ghost I have never met before, who I know to be more powerful than even Danny.

Okaaay! That was not a helpful thought.

Come on Jazz, you're a human, nothing can touch you here!

Well no, that wasn't actually true. There were exceptions; talismans that could make a human tangible, like the crown Prince Aragon had forced Sam to wear. And even if they couldn't touch you, that didn't mean their powers couldn't effect you. What about the Ghostwriter guy? They hadn't even been in the Ghost Zone with him, but he had still messed with them!

And this Clockwork ghost controlled time. Getting stuck in the previous Ice Age did not sound like fun...or maybe he could age her really, really fast...

Jazz bit her lip, and gripped the steering wheel harder.

Oh geeze...

This was safe. Jazz sighed softly. Relatively speaking, anyway! Clockwork was safe. So why was she working herself up like this? Only last night they were all on their way to ask him for help in finding Nathaniel, right? And no one had protested.

Except Danny. He hadn't said anything per se, but Jazz could read her little brother, and the plan to visit Clockwork had, well…it had deeply upset him.

Based on what Danny had told Jazz about Clockwork a few years before, he was the obvious person to ask for help, and Jazz had jumped at the idea. She had simultaneously blown off Danny's distress, assuming it was probably his fear for Nathaniel surfacing, or because Dan had suggested it.

In other words, she had compartmentalized Danny's fear, and set it aside.

Jazz sighed. It was natural, under the circumstances, but she still felt guilty. At least her mind had turned things over, and raised a red flag a little later on.

And Danny's reaction aside, Dan had suggested Clockwork. How strange was that? The ghost who had kept him prisoner for...years?

Supposedly. Jazz wasn't so sure what was true anymore.

She did know that Danny had disappeared for three days right after his fight with Dan last winter, three days that he refused to talk about.

Jazz hadn't forgotten how shattered her brother was after that. Danny wouldn't leave his room. If he was sleeping, which she doubted, it wasn't restful, judging by the smudges under his eyes. And she was sure he had nightmares. He would also forget to eat, or forgo eating if it meant being with the family. And all the time, he had been trapped in some private hell that Jazz couldn't help him with.

That was why she was out here, in the middle of the night, alone. Even Tucker couldn't be included this time. This was too private. Jazz didn't know what she might find out...but whatever it was, one person prying into it was enough. As Danny's older sister, she was that person.

For years, she had taken the guardianship role her parents couldn't out of sheer ignorance. It wasn't that they weren't there for him. They were; for Danny Fenton. But not Danny the halfa, Danny the ghost kid.

But Jazz was going behind Danny's back, and she hardly had the right to invite one of his best friends to join her. Yet she also had the responsibility to look out for him...even when it meant poking her nose in his business. At least when Danny first became a halfa, Sam and Tucker had been there for him. This time, whatever he was dealing with, he was going it completely alone.

This time, Jazz needed to be there for her little brother.

And Clockwork had the answers. He was the one who had been charged with keeping Dan in check a few years ago, according to Danny. But two days ago Dan, who was clearly free, had eagerly sought Clockwork out for help. And meanwhile Danny's response was a poorly hidden panic attack. Yeah. This guy knew something.

And...she had just arrived at his home.

Jazz squinted at the floating island in the distance, double checking the map. A thrill of nervous tension went through her, but the fear was mostly gone. She was here for a reason, and she wanted answers, darn it! No one messed with her little brother and got away with it!

Besides, she really was intangible here. She wouldn't even have to get out of the Specter Speeder; she'd just ghost through the place until she found Clockwork...and make a quick get away if necessary.

As she got closer to the island, it started to loom. It wasn't a small place. And...it was...

Jazz took her foot off the gas pedal and squirmed forward to get a better look, letting the Specter Speeder coast forward. It was clocks! Clocks inside clocks poking through clocks, tall and thin, fat and square, twisting around...

"Oh!" Jazz blinked, feeling a little dazed. She had been slammed forward, and had fallen back into her seat. And now she sat, staring at the wall in front of her.

She…she had hit the wall.

Her second thought was that her parents were definitely going to notice something different about the Speeder.

Jazz quickly returned to her initial thought, and all the fear she had successfully quelled immediately rose up again. She had hit the wall of the...castle, or whatever it was. That wasn't supposed to happen.

Then a temptation rose up: forget the whole thing and turn around now. Jazz frowned at herself. She refused to waste her time sneaking all the way out here, just to turn back around! And she needed to do this, for Danny.

That was right.

Jazz let out a little groan of fear, face tight with worry, and reversed the Speeder. Well, she'd just have to park this thing and walk in, that was all. No problem. None whatsoever. Jazz began circling the castle, and soon something resembling a courtyard came into view. She maneuvered the Speeder up, over the outer wall, and down, landing it carefully inside the open space. She could see an entrance into the castle proper up ahead. She turned off the motor.

Then she sat.

Jazz, you are not a wimp! Maybe she would just...bring a few gadgets along. She turned around, to look through the bag of ghost hunting tools still in the back seat from yesterday. She'd take a Fenton thermos and the Fenton Peeler, only to be used as a last resort, of course. Her hands only trembled slightly, as she zipped the tools up into her jacket.

Jazz opened the door, and awkwardly stretched one leg down, down...yes. She was solid. Well, of course she was. If the Speeder was solid, so was she. But there was no need to take chances. She got out, closed the door, and started toward the castle proper.

It was the most frightening walk Jazz had ever taken.

Danny had always been there before. Someone had always been there. Walking into a ghost's den, in the Ghost Zone, by herself? This was straight out of her nightmares. And this place, like most areas in the Ghost Zone, wasn't natural. No sane architect would build something like this. More than anything it resembled a drawing by M. C. Escher, with clocks forming semi familiar shapes, to form pieces of clocks turned sideways, which were made up, if you looked again, of more clocks...it was one huge optical illusion, and turned her stomach sideways.

So Jazz tried to keep her eyes locked on the huge double doors up ahead, and after what felt like an eternity, she reached them. She knocked several times, then stood waiting for a response.

She found herself thinking of old fairy tales. This was an enchanted castle, like in Sleeping Beauty, or Beauty and the Beast. Jazz snorted as an image of an over sized Cogsworth greeting her suddenly popped up, and before she knew it she was laughing out loud.

Jazz recognized that it was because she was so freaked out, and laughter was a coping mechanism, and part of her was desperately trying to get under control again. But the thought was insanely funny, actually, and she couldn't help...!

Her laughter turned into a brief shriek as the door opened inward, to reveal a pint sized ghost. He was carrying a large walking staff that looked far too heavy for him. He also had a clock, ticking back and forth. Inside his...chest.

Jazz stood staring at him, panting as adrenaline roared through her system.

He stared right back.

She finally squeaked something out. "Are you Clockwork?" No, no, no, he can't be more than ten! This can't be him!

"Yes."

"Oh! You're so young!" Jazz's brain did a flip flop. No! Yes! Danny had said he could control his age, that was right! Oh Jazz, you're so stupid...he has a clock in his chest! This is him!

Clockwork (if this really was Clockwork, Jazz's frazzled mind still pointed out) just smiled.

"Er..."

Then he aged. It was like watching a time lapse video of a flower opening up or of the clouds passing overhead, except that this was an order of magnitude more bizarre. It took several seconds, as he grew and stretched, shooting up from a little twerp to a towering adult. The staff he held made sense now.

"Is this better?" His voice had changed too.

She just stared. It was surreal, unbelievable. He was a young man now; late teens, maybe early twenties. Jazz almost wanted to reach out and touch him to make sure he was real, but that was precisely what frightened her. She was tangible, and probably could reach out and touch him.

He floated backward, pulling the door further open, and beckoned her inside. "Please..."

Jazz swallowed, and gave into temptation by putting a hand inside her jacket so that she could finger the Fenton thermos. I can't believe I'm doing this. Then she followed him inside.

Clockwork started sedately forward. Jazz kept up with him, staying to his left. Unlike most ghosts, he wasn't bothering to form feet or even legs, letting nearly half his body remain incorporeal.

Jazz's mind, meanwhile, was still wrestling with the incredible phenomenon she'd just seen. Many strange things had happened over the years, but tonight's events crossed a new boundary. Her mind was temporarily...stuck.

She had come to the Ghost Zone alone, at night- which was already a new and unpleasant experience- only to discover that in Clockwork's home she was somehow solid. So she had been forced to leave the comfort of the Specter Speeder and make her way by foot to a giant clock castle, where she had encountered a ghost who proceeded to age himself ten years right in front of her...!

And now they were walking side by side through his castle, as though she were an expected guest...

Although he wasn't walking, since all he had was that wispy tail. Jazz realized she was staring at it, and began to look around instead.

Her mind had gone strangely blank, refusing to form a specific question, as the surreal nature of the stranger gliding next to her sank in further. How had she thought she could talk about Danny with this ghost? Who knew what he really knew? How would he react to her questions? And what if he was an enemy? She could even be putting Danny in danger, by giving away private facts about him!

So Jazz's eyes wandered over the scenery, avoiding him, as a panicked part of her wondered desperately how to extricate herself from this strange, and likely dangerous situation.

They were moving down a large, long hallway, which branched on either side every dozen feet or so. The entire place was too dark, and seemed to be deserted. The ceilings were twenty feet up, making the place feel over sized, particularly given that it hadn't seemed quite so large on the outside. The clockwork motif was also continued, with a myriad of different kinds of clocks, or pieces of clocks built into the walls, and occasionally set against them as a grandfather clock would be in the human world. It seemed messy, and too random, and only unsettled Jazz more. She let her eyes focus down on her feet instead. Then they were drawn to the right, back over to his wispy tail.

Jazz froze for instant as Clockwork laughed. The sound was shocking, and for an instant she expected him to say something nefarious about how foolish she was to come here, how his evil plan was coming together perfectly...

She forced herself to stare up at him, and he fell silent, leaving behind a smile that could be either benevolent or cruel. His eyes were unreadable.

"Is this better?" He gestured downward.

Oh.

The tail was gone. He was standing now, on his own pair of perfectly solid legs, the belted, dark purple shirt he wore now matched by a pair of pants and dark boots. His laughter suddenly made sense, as Jazz finally recognized the look in his eyes for what it was: bemusement.

His lighthearted, strangely accommodating reaction managed to flip the switch in Jazz's mind that had been stuck in neutral for the last few minutes. Her purpose for coming here returned in a rush, and the questions she couldn't form moments before were clear again.

She frowned up at him. "No. I mean...that's not important to me. Though I'm sorry I stared, that was rude," she added conscientiously. Then she scowled, angry at herself for wasting even another moment on nonsense. "Look, aren't you even curious who I am?"

"You're Jazz Fenton. Danny's older sister." Clockwork spoke quietly.

She stared.

"Follow me a little further. I'll show you." Show her what? He turned to the right and stepped toward a door Jazz could've sworn hadn't been there a moment ago, and threw it open. He stepped back, holding an arm out to invite her inside, smiling slightly.

Her questions were put off a little longer as Jazz walked, wide eyed, into the very room Danny, Sam, and Tucker had fallen into several years ago. Her eyes were quickly drawn to the center piece of the room- a view screen of sorts, with moving images. She walked toward it.

As she got closer, everything else fell away completely. Shock spread through her. This was...

"Yes, that's you." Jazz leaped straight up, doing an impromptu pirouette in midair to land facing Clockwork, who had followed her in. "A few hours from now, in fact." His gaze moved to the view screen, and she turned too, almost involuntarily.

Her future self was in the process of climbing out of the Specter Speeder, which was parked back in her parents laboratory.

Jazz stared for a few moments. Then her fists slowly clenched. If he was trying to…make her feel better by showing that she would be safe and sound a few hours from now, he had failed miserably!

Everyone had suffered through Sam's disappearance, especially Danny. And this ghost had been in a position to help find her! It was hard for Jazz to think of life without Nathaniel now, but…Sam had been put through so much! They all had!

"No, I'm not doing this…" Despite everything, part of her wanted to brush it aside, listen quietly while this ghost calmed her down. Well, that wasn't happening. She turned to face him abruptly, every protective instinct firing off.

"Okay, start talking mister! Why did you disappear when Danny needed you the most? Why did you let Dan out? Exactly what are you trying to do- make Danny as miserable as possible? Because if that was your goal, you've succeeded!"

Jazz glared up at Clockwork for a long moment. Then she went on. "I've got a better question. Why is Danny terrified of you?" She stared at him, eyes narrowed. Part of her told her she should be afraid, but it was overruled by the anger, the protectiveness, the sheer indignation that this person thought he could hurt her brother deeply and think nothing about it.

"I told him some…painful truths. About himself." Clockwork was still calm despite her open anger, and it threw Jazz off.

She crossed her arms, still frowning. "What 'truths'? And why would you know more about Danny than he does?"

"I know certain things Danny will fully understand and accept…in time. Every time is the present for me, Jazz. I know his life story."

Jazz just stared. She didn't know what to say, or think. Either this ghost was some powered up version of the Ghostwriter, with megalomaniac tendencies….or he was really…

He went on. "Danny is my responsibility. My charge. As he must be. He is a powerful force in this world, the changes he causes in it so all encompassing I can't afford to simply…observe."

Finally, a hint of remorse showed through. A ghost of regret tinged his words. Jazz stood quiet for a long moment, letting his attitude, and what he was saying sink in.

Somehow, she wanted to believe him. But it was like believing in God. You had to have faith. And hopefully you had some intuition to work with too…

And it hurt! So many things had happened to Danny because of this ghost! He was even openly admitting to messing with Danny's life! Yet Jazz couldn't see any feigned contriteness, any hidden maliciousness, anything sneaky or conniving or just plain evil about him…

Jazz crossed her arms more tightly. She started speaking, and suddenly realized how close she was to shedding tears. "I don't know about Danny being too…important to leave alone, or whatever. But I do know that he's my brother, and he's been suffering. Because of things you've done. Why? Why is that necessary? How does that help anyone?" She waited, her mouth forming a thin, trembling line.

Clockwork didn't answer immediately. Instead his eyes went to the view screen, and Jazz turned a little to follow his gaze. Alien images played out on it of a strange, futuristic city covered by a huge shimmering dome of energy. She watched, waiting for it to relate somehow to the pain in her chest, the pain her brother had gone through. Then a building caught her eye: Casper High.

She was looking at Amity.

Clockwork spoke behind her. "Sometimes a person needs to experience the worst in order to appreciate the best. And sometimes…they need to be the worst, so they can understand the slippery path that leads down that road. So they can live to do everything they can to build a world up, instead of tearing it down."

The view began to pan out. City blocks became city sections, then Amity became entirely visible, encased in its huge bubble. The surrounding landscape became visible, until Amity was only a central point…

Jazz gasped, as she took in the view. Her Amity was surrounded by a forest of tall, straight trees that reached up forever, with many small creeks running throughout. The land surrounding this Amity was a war zone, pockmarked and ugly, with entire sections turned to the brown of dirt where the trees had been blown away. And as the view expanded, her eyes were drawn to a single point, where brilliant flashes of light were going off over and over. As she began to wonder at it, the scene closed in suddenly.

It was Dan. He was forming an ecto blast with one foot, then the other, each time twisting in the air to rocket it toward the southwest edge of what she now recognized as Amity's shield.

Dan's blasts- thrown with the same attitude a kid would practice soccer kicks for a game, namely without the best concentration and hardly with a serious attitude- would ricochet off the shield to haphazardly hit somewhere behind him and add another pockmark to the land. Jazz realized a few small fires had broken out behind him.

He was younger here, maybe sixteen years old, and looked more like Danny did when he first got his ghost powers. Something about seeing him like this was…

Jazz's throat ached. Tears were in her eyes. She couldn't look away, as Dan kept blasting at the shield. Fear was clawing its way up her throat. Why show her this?

"That's not Danny." She turned to look at Clockwork, eyes wide, and glittering with unshed tears. Her voice was breaking with the strain of talking through the lump in her throat. "That's not Danny." Jazz stared up at him a moment longer, then closed her eyes, letting the tears fall. She cried deep in her throat, slow hiccups of tone stretched into a low keening.

Several long moments passed by. Jazz couldn't speak. She could only hug herself, and turn away completely from the view screen, hiding from it.

She couldn't ignore Clockwork, though, who stood only a few feet away, silently waiting. Her tears gradually slowed, though the pain still ran through her almost like a physical wound. Jazz finally brought her eyes up to his again.

Compassion. His eyes overflowed with it. He was still and quiet, but his eyes were on fire, more powerfully emotive than she thought someone could be. Yet as she looked it was clear as day; he suffered with her. He felt for her. And he was deeply sorry for her pain.

After a long moment, a sad, ironic little smile touched her lips. But it was still half grimace, and her eyebrows were still drawn down in deep pain, as she searched for answers.

"How?"

Clockwork closed his eyes for a moment. When he opened them his mantle of detached calm had returned; the strong emotion from a moment ago hidden away. "A few years ago Danny accidentally split himself in two; his ghost and human bodies were separated. Each had a distinct personality, distinct goals and mannerisms." His tone turned slightly droll. "The ghost fancied himself savior of Amity, possibly the world, while the human preferred mindless entertainment. Do you remember?"

Oh yes. Actually, Jazz had thought she was going crazy at the time. Danny had explained things to her later, when things were back to normal and their parents weren't around. It had seemed outlandish, but…no more so than a dozen other things in their lives at the time. Now the entire thing seemed sinister, holding a darker meaning.

"You still considered them both...to be your brother."

Jazz's mouth twisted at the implications. Clockwork was…right. She couldn't deny they were both Danny.

The letter Dan had sent floated in her mind, and the phone call.

"But he's from the future…"

"Yes." She stared at him for several moments. Jazz couldn't pretend she understood any of this, but…

"But, he…then do we all have doubles? Aren't there…two souls, or something, wouldn't it be…" She didn't know what she meant. It just didn't make sense. But having two Dannys around, one with a super hero complex, the other a complete slacker…that hadn't made sense either.

Clockwork spoke, raising an eyebrow. "What about the people who died in one time and not the other?"

Jazz stared. That was a good point! But Clockwork wore a half smile on his face, his eyes gently laughing.

"There is only one time line, if you want to call it that…and each person in the timeline is unique. Danny could split himself a thousand ways, then go a thousand places in time, and he would still have a single soul. You and your family died in an explosion a few years ago…yet you also didn't. That reality has been unmade. But there is an echo of that memory, somewhere in you."

He paused, tilting his head thoughtfully. When he spoke, it was slower, his words holding more gravity. "The soul cannot be destroyed, and conversely, it can't be duplicated. It can, however, reside in more than one body simultaneously. Ultimately, that is always a…temporary condition. Even if the bodies don't merge back together, one or both will age, die…and the soul moves on."

Jazz stared down at her feet, feeling scared. That…was a lot to take in. If what he said was true, Jazz couldn't ignore what it meant for Danny…and Dan.

Jazz had never been strongly religious. She was a mediator, and having parents who fought tooth and nail over the very existence of God tended to push her into a careful limbo on the subject. But it was important to her dad, and he had said some similar things. The soul was…immortal, and unique. Impossible to destroy. From that standpoint, what Clockwork said made sense.

And…maybe she'd just have to have faith, and trust her intuition.

It was terrifying, though.

No wonder Danny didn't want to come here. His implied connection to Dan…that was what had been tearing him apart. The self loathing, the refusal to be near Sam, his belief, for a while, that she just had to hate him…

Oh Danny. Jazz started tearing up again, and delicately wiped at her eyes, trying to get it back under control. She let out a long sigh. How horrible! It explained everything, though. His extreme behavior. He had been suffering even more than she realized. Jazz suddenly wanted to go straight home and give him a hug, to let him know everything was alright! But then she might have to explain herself…

And now there was Dan, irrevocably placed into their lives. Jazz couldn't ignore him anymore, as she had when she encountered him a few years ago. Back then he had been shoved into the category in her mind labeled "dangerous ghost!" She couldn't pretend that was all he was anymore.

It was why his letter had been so upsetting, along with the realization that he had been talking to her on the phone…

She swallowed. He…really was her brother.

Jazz put both hands to her face, covering it, and gently rubbed her eyes. After a long moment she slowly lowered her hands, a frown on her face. Everything was so complicated now. And she wasn't exactly sure what Clockwork had implied about Danny and Dan's future, but it was twisting her stomach in knots at the thought of thinking about it.

Jazz looked up again, feeling ridiculously tired, and weirdly on edge. "Clockwork…if Danny…and Dan…share the same…"

He interrupted quietly. "Jazz. I want to show you something…" Clockwork's eyes were focused behind her, at the view screen. She turned, with some trepidation, to follow his gaze.

She didn't look away for a long time.

Later, Jazz returned to the Specter Speeder, immersed in her own thoughts, and made her way home.

Author's Note: I like this chapter's title. :D It's the little things in life that bring joy sometimes. :P What did Clockwork show Jazz??? Hmmmmmm. Ahahahahaaaa. Your reviews are, as always, greatly appreciated. :)