The Infinite Realms

by DarkFoxKit

Based off of the ending to My Brother's a Ghost. What if Danny wasn't able to save Andy from falling into the Void? What if the world had been changed due to the Reality Gauntlet? What if a different kind of threat arrives in Amity Park? Read on to find out. WARNING: Rated M.

16. Chapter 16: A Light of Hope

DarkFoxKit: It's been a while since I last updated this. A lot's been going on, and it was easy to forget about updating this. ^^'

Darkzdragon: New stories, my computer dying, having to get new pieces for it, and stuff like that… Posting this story has been on the backburner's backburner.

DarkFoxKit: We decided to update on a whim, and it has been a while since the last one. Well, at least the chapters are long, so you guys get plenty to enjoy before the next update.

Darkzdragon: And who knows, maybe rereading parts will let you pick out details that you missed the first time. There were a few instances where, when writing, we did try to slip in subtle details.

DarkFoxKit: Alright, we'll let you guys get into the chapter now. Enjoy.

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Chapter 16: A Light of Hope

Echo didn't know where he was going, he just needed to move around before he did something he would've regretted. Echo wished Juliette hadn't stepped into the Void when she did, he was very tempted to hurt her after what she did. If Echo hadn't had enough self control, who knows what he would've done to her right then and there. Echo, still cloaked in Foxfire's fire, ran around Amity Park. Trying to escape from everything. Trying to escape from Juliette's betrayal, trying to escape from the fact that Danny is now aware of him, trying to escape from the possible reality that he would one day end up in the world of the living.

While Echo did admire the world outside of the Void, he never really wanted to leave. The Void was all he knew, it was familiar, it was comforting, it was where he belonged. Anything that ended up here no longer deserved to go back to the world of the living. It was the law, the balance of the Void. Echo had just played along with Juliette's fantasy of getting him out, he never truly thought she would possibly succeed. The future visions Echo had of Juliette's success were unlikely paths, and even then, he usually couldn't see anything but a fuzzy picture whenever he looked, so he figured it wasn't possible. Lately, however, most of Echo's future visions had become blurry and fuzzy, then they become darkness, and it scared him. Echo was now thrust into uncertainty, and felt exposed and in danger. The only other time Echo felt this way was when Amity Park was plunged into the Ghost Zone by Pariah Dark, and when Danny's evil future self almost destroyed everyone Danny loved. Echo hated this feeling.

Echo let out a frustrated roar, not caring if he startled any Void Hunters or Void Spirits nearby, he just kept going. How was he possibly going to face anyone, what would happen if Juliette succeeded, and how would he react if Danny finally saw him face to face?

Echo finally stopped running, and looked around. He was surprised to see he was inside a building, and not just any building, he was standing in the living room of Fenton Works.

"I'd be careful with where you roar," A familiar voice said from nearby. "Those new Void Creature hunters running around town might think you're a strange colored Void Creature."

Echo looked up, seeing Andrea standing on the stairs, she was currently in her human form. Echo let out a growl.

"Calm down, Echo,"Andrea stated. "You're just going to lure Void Creatures to this place if you stay in that form."

Echo hissed and started to walk around, still upset about everything, he was still too fired up to dissipate the cloak.

"Don't make me make a fire extinguisher," Andrea chuckled.

Echo didn't think her words were funny, if anything he was even more irritated at them. He lashed out his fiery tail.

"Alright, alright, no jokes, got it," Andrea responded as she raised up her hands.

Echo turned away from her and was about to bolt it, when suddenly he heard Danny's voice. "Are you there?"

Echo stopped and looked at the front door. Danny walked in, looking a little awkward.

"Um… I don't know if you're there, but… I just wanted you to know that I wish I could see you, and maybe even talk to you for a bit," Danny said, seemingly to nobody in particular.

Echo knew that Danny was attempting to talk to him. Echo had no idea how to feel about this, on one hand, he was terrified that Danny was actually trying to talk to him, on the other, Echo also found it endearing that the hero of the world of the living and the world of the dead cared enough to try.

"This feels awkward…" Danny admitted, rubbing the back of his head. "I wi- I mean, I would like for there to be a way for us to communicate…"

"Danny?" Jazz spoke up, looking surprised. "Who are you talking to?"

"J-Jazz… hey…" Danny nervously chuckled.

Jazz approached Danny, giving him a look of concern. "Are you okay? Were you talking to an invisible ghost?"

"Um… no, not exactly…" Danny hesitated.

Jazz looked at the couch before gesturing him to sit down. Danny let out a sigh before he sat down on the couch, and Jazz sat next to him. Echo knew he should've left, but something was keeping him rooted on the spot.

"I know something's been bothering you for almost a week now, Danny," Jazz stated. "But I'm worried that you haven't tried to talk to me about it. You know how unhealthy it is to keep it bottled up. You know that I won't judge you, so please at least talk to me, Danny."

Danny frowned a little. "I… don't know… this is kind of… different than what I usually talk to you about…"

"It might be different, but I still want to hear about it," Jazz supportively urged. "Please, Danny, tell me what's been going on in that mind of yours."

Danny gave a sigh, seeming to be debating with himself if he should tell Jazz or not. Danny knew that Jazz was always supportive, even before she discovered he was half ghost, although there were times where she thought he wasn't in his right mind, like when Youngblood was trying to make him look crazy. Still, Jazz likely learned from that experience, and to trust Danny more. Danny decided to take the chance.

"Um… well… have you ever felt like something… or maybe someone was missing from your life?" Danny slowly questioned.

Jazz raised a brow. "Would you mind elaborating? I get the feeling it isn't just missing someone who is no longer here like Grandma and Grandpa."

"Well…" Danny gave his words some thought, likely not sure if he should explain the Void to Jazz. "It's kind of like… you thought you had… say another brother, instead of just me. Maybe you feel like there should've been two of us instead of one. But there is only one. The other was likely either never born, or he just… stopped existing. Do you ever feel like that?"

Jazz gave a thoughtful look. "I've never thought of you possibly having a twin before, and I don't think there was supposed to be another brother."

Danny frowned before remembering what Juliette had told him about what happens when someone falls into the Void. Until Juliette straight up told him, Danny never really thought about having a twin brother himself either. Danny looked even more troubled about this.

Echo, who had been watching, finally calmed down enough to dissipate Foxfire's cloak. He just gave a tired, anxious, and sad look at the two siblings. They were talking about him, a subject he never thought he would ever hear.

Danny finally decided and leaned in to Jazz, whispering something to her.

Jazz had a neutral expression for a few seconds as she thought over what Danny whispered to her before she frowned. "Now… that you mention it… I actually do think you were supposed to have… a twin. But what happened? Why couldn't I remember until you said that name?"

"I think it's because anything that was tied to him was lost when he…" Danny paused. "Have you ever heard about the theory on the Void?"

"Yes, yes I have," Jazz answered. "I wrote an essay for physics last year about the Void and how it may act like a glue and it helps to hold the worlds together as it is believed to be everywhere from here to the Ghost Zone and beyond."

"Well, that's actually correct," Danny stated. "But there's more to it. If someone who was supposed to be born was never born, they end up in the Void supposedly. That seems to be the most common way to end up in the Void. But another way is to lose your existence in this world, which isn't an easy thing to do, but it's not impossible I suppose. If you do end up in the Void that way, all your ties, your links, your memories, all of it will be erased. Nobody will remember you, and you wouldn't remember who you were either. Nobody can see you or interact with you in any way. You're just stuck there, alone, watching as the world goes on without you."

"So… the person you were talking to… is the twin brother you were supposed to have that ended up in the Void?" Jazz surmised.

"Yeah," Danny confirmed. "I should say, you can't say his name out loud as it could have disastrous effects on him. That's the reason I whispered it to you."

"What do you think would happen if you do say his name to him?" Jazz asked.

"I'm not sure, but names do have power," Danny replied. "I don't know too much about the Void, or what effects it could have on him. I don't want him to get hurt though, that's why I'd rather not take that chance."

"Is there… a way to get him out of the Void?" Jazz inquired, looking concerned, she knew she would try anything in her power to bring Danny out of the Void if he ended up there.

"There may be a few possible ways…" Danny started before he sighed. "But someone I know… the person who actually told me about all this, asked me to let them handle it as it needs to be done in a certain way otherwise they could cease to exist or lose their minds or the world could explode."

Jazz raised an eyebrow at that last part. Echo didn't know whether to laugh or cry at this point.

"It could happen," Danny grumbled, noticing Jazz's raised eyebrow.

"Well, if this person thinks it's best to handle it in a certain way, we should trust them," Jazz finally said. "If they knew this much about the Void, it would be better to let them do it as they know what they're doing better than we do. But if it helps any, I did manage to get the cure for Danielle from Mom and Dad today."

"YOU DID?!" Danny all but shouted. "Did you already give it to her?!"

"Yup, she's already feeling a lot better." Jazz smiled. "Come on, she's waiting to see you."

Danny jumped off the couch and booked it up the stairs.

Andrea chuckled when Danny ran through her, before she looked back at Echo. "Feeling calmer now?"

"No." Echo frowned. "Just… mentally tired."

Echo sat down on the floor, running his hands through his face and hair. "Great, now Jazz knows. Danny knows way too much already. I wouldn't be surprised if there's a god of the Void, who's going to strike me down right now after that conversation."

Echo suddenly felt a hand on his shoulder. "There is no god of the Void, if there was, I doubt they would've let me keep all my powers and essentially break their world."

"It doesn't matter. I'm still going to get in some kind of trouble," Echo groaned. "Thanks to Juliette, Danny knows about my existence. And now I… I don't know what's going to happen to me. It would be easy to say that this wouldn't change anything, but… strange things are happening to me now. I had this sudden weird heavy feeling in my chest that I never felt before, and I'm just seeing… I can't help but get the feeling my future is just darkness, as in oblivion darkness."

"What if your future is darkness because you can't see yourself as anyone else but you?" Andrea offered. "The darkness could simply be you no longer being Echo. Or perhaps no longer being in the Void. You might be actively blocking out those futures because you don't want it to happen."

Echo paused to look at Andrea for a moment. Does she know I can see the future or does she mean my imagination of the future? "I… guess that also scares me… no, terrifies me. Who was I before I ended up in the Void? Do I want to be that person? Could I handle being that person now? Was I anything like Danny back then? I just don't know…"

"If you're anything like Danny, then wouldn't you want to be that person?" Andrea asked. "If you were that person, you would be able to help him and Amity Park. You would be able to fight ghosts and rescue damsels in distress. You could take some of the pressure off Danny that is crushing him more and more every day."

"If I was anything like Danny, then that ties in to my other question like 'could I handle being that person now?' I've seen the stress and the crap Danny had to go through. And as much as I want to help him, in a more direct way, I don't think I'll be able to handle it. The only reason why I haven't lost it now is because I'm a Void Walker, we don't die or go insane just from stress alone. Though I guess being corrupted is one way to lose it. This Void has been my whole world, being part of the living is already scary enough, but also having to be the brother of a hero, and expected to be the same kind of hero as that hero, is deathly terrifying. Whether I remember who I was or not, that itself is already repelling me away from wanting to come back from the Void, let alone returning to being the person I once was, whoever that was," Echo explained.

"Echo, there is no saying you have to be who you were before you entered the Void," Andrea pointed out. "You get to decide if you want to be a hero or not. You get to decide if you want to help take some of the stress off Danny. Nobody is saying you have to be the exact same person you were. After all, you've lived in the Void for two years, nobody would expect you to not change. Not to mention, people are more than likely going to be supportive of you and help ease you back into living."

Echo sighed, rubbing his head for a moment. "I know… I know this, and yet… I guess I just… I don't know, I feel like I don't think I would be able to just ignore Danny. I wanted to leave earlier, but when I heard Danny trying to talk to me, I just froze."

Echo looked back up at Andrea. "But what about you? If I do end up leaving the Void, wouldn't you want to do the same?"

Andrea chuckled. "I think Juliette has her hands full trying to get you out of the Void right now. She can help me out afterwards. Besides, I'm content with where I am now, it allows me to ensure Dani's safety."

"I'm the same way, that's why I was freaking out earlier," Echo grumbled. "Wouldn't it be better for Juliette to help the Void Hunters find a way back to the world of the living? They have people who remember them and miss them after all, we don't… or at least I used to not have anyone who missed me."

"The Void Hunters still have people who miss them?" Andrea asked, blinking.

"They ended up in the Void through artificial means. They never ceased to exist, they just got transported into the Void," Echo informed. "So their situation is different from our own."

"Yeesh…" Andrea remarked. "I think that might be harder then… besides, Juliette seems pretty set on getting you out as soon as possible, so they might be next."

"Yeah… Juliette said the same thing to me. But I guess I just never… believed her until very recently. I never thought she would possibly succeed…" Echo admitted. "I guess that was rather foolish of me to just dismiss it so easily. I just couldn't see myself being anywhere but in the Void, so the whole notion was ridiculous to me."

"Like I said, that could be why you're imagining darkness in your futures," Andrea chuckled. "Because you can't actually wrap your mind around the idea of being outside the Void or being more than you currently are right now."

"Do you think I would… imagine more of my futures if I did though?" Echo questioned. "I don't like just seeing darkness in my futures, it honestly scares me. Heh… a lot of things are scaring me today."

"Perhaps if you did try to accept the fact that Juliette will be getting you out of the Void, you might have an easier time picturing the future," Andrea agreed. "But that's only if you can truly accept it. Simply saying you accept it, without actually believing it and accepting it in your heart and mind, won't work."

Echo started laughing. "That was so cheesy, not to mention weird. Other than taking out the hearts of Void Creatures, I never really thought about having a heart or mind of my own. At least not in the same sense as the living."

"Heh… seems you've gotten pretty cynical during your time in the Void," Andrea noted, giving a humorless chuckle. "While I'm in the same boat as you, I can't help but feel sorry for you. At least I'm able to really feel happy and accept myself as being a Void Walker who can have things of the living. You just see yourself as a Void Being and nothing more."

"It's easy for me to just see myself like that," Echo replied. "It makes it easier to distance myself from the living and the dead, to remind myself that I don't truly exist."

"Except, Juliette has already proved you wrong," Andrea stated. "You do exist, you did exist, and you will exist in the living world again."

Echo looked down at the floor he was sitting on. "I know. Juliette, that crazy kitsune, just decided to barge into my non-existent life, and decide to change it forever. Constantly proving me wrong, observing me a few times, making me actually think about what it's like for a living, and showing me that I actually did exist at one point. I guess I should've known things would never be the same from the moment I saw her step out of the Void."

Andrea gave a concerned look. "Do you… wish you had never met Juliette?"

"No… yes… I don't know…" Echo sighed. "I mean… she has become someone I enjoy being with, and being able to talk to, she has helped me prevent what could've been bad futures, and she has been helping Danny with his stress levels. But right now I can't say I'm too particularly fond of what she has done."

"Does that mean you're going to stop talking to her?" Andrea questioned. "That you're going to leave her alone to preserve the… existence you have?"

Echo frowned and decided to look into the future of what would happen if he stayed away from Juliette. There wasn't any darkness in this future, but he wouldn't see Juliette anymore. Juliette would leave Amity Park at some point. And Echo would continue on with his current existence as normal. The Void Hunters would stick around for a while, but eventually they'd find a way out of the Void, leaving Echo all alone. Danny and Jazz would eventually forget about him and his name, likely due to the fact the Void erased whatever connection that Juliette started. But while this was a comfortable future, Echo couldn't help but feel lonely. He had gotten used to having interactions with other people, and the fact he couldn't have those anymore, and that his little connections to the world of the living faded away, Echo could see more futures where he had given up, and turned into a Void Creature himself.

Echo came back to the present, and shook his head. "No, I won't leave Juliette alone. I… I don't think I could go back to just being… alone… and forgotten again…"

"Then what are you going to do?" Andrea asked.

"I don't know, okay!?" Echo snapped. "I don't… know. I only know to observe, not act. I react to Void Creatures attacking, but I don't act on my own."

"Then maybe it's time you start to learn?" Andrea suggested.

Echo didn't give a verbal response to that.

---

Echo had stayed with Danny despite wanting to get as far away as possible. Echo didn't know what kept him there, but he stayed. Danny and Danielle were happy to see each other, Danny was relieved that Danielle was better. Jazz promised to take the Fenton Controller away at some point.

When Danielle left later, Andrea went with her. Andrea told Echo she hoped that he'll be fine the next time they meet. Echo watched Danny as he went about his day, doing homework, talking to Hope, fighting ghosts, getting attacked by his parents, it was a usual day for Danny.

But later that night, after Danny had finished with his patrols, he began to look around in his room. Echo was sitting near Danny's bed, having expect Danny to sleep as soon as possible since ghosts tended to attack at night, and Danny would like to get as much rest as possible. Hope was sitting on Danny's bed, also wondering what Danny was doing.

Danny finally cleared his throat and spoke up. "Hey uh… so I'm just going to assume you're here, so I'll start talking."

Hope suddenly felt alarmed, likely thinking Danny might be on to her. Does he know?! Oh gosh, how does he know?! Did I mess up at some point and reveal myself!?

"Relax, Hope, I don't think he's talking to you," Echo sighed, despite knowing Hope couldn't hear him.

"I probably should've asked if Juliette gave you a nickname…" Danny frowned. "So maybe I should call you… uh… Bro? Yeah, I'll call you Bro. So, Bro, what's it like being in the Void? I know you can't answer me, but just a question for your thoughts. You're probably wondering what it's like being a living… well, a living and a dead, since you've likely seen me transform at least a hundred times by now."

Danny let out a chuckle, and Echo raised an eyebrow.

"Um… so, is what Juliette said true? Are you also able to use ghost powers and turn into a ghost like me? If that's so, then that's cool. I mean that would mean there's another half ghost who's just like me. I have Danielle of course, but she's always on the move, she doesn't like staying in one place too long. And then there's Vlad… ugh, Vlad… I'm sure you know about the Fruitloop, so I'll spare you the details with him. While I'll admit, it would be nice to have someone teach me how to better use my powers, I'd rather it's not from a crazy Fruitloop who's trying to steal my mom and me away from Dad," Danny grumbled.

Hope was now starting to get confused and concerned for Danny. Who is Danny talking to? Is there someone else here that I can't see?

"Yup," Echo answered.

"I've always wanted Danielle to be a partner in ghost fighting," Danny continued. "But since she doesn't always stay, I usually have to do it on my own. Sure, I have Tucker, Sam, and occasionally Jazz helping me out, but they can only do so much. They can't fly with me, they can't go through walls, and if they get disarmed, or they didn't bring any ghost weapons with them, they can't really fight either. Not to mention the Ghost Zone. Tucker and Sam use the Specter Speeder to follow me there, but I usually go alone. I don't feel safe having Tucker and Sam stay in the Ghost Zone for too long, ghosts tend to get grouchy when humans enter their world. I'm not sure if you're able to follow me in the Ghost Zone, but if you're not, you probably don't know too much about it."

"I could follow you, I just… don't, because the Ghost Zone kind of repels Void Beings," Echo finally answered to Danny, despite Danny not being able to hear him.

What in the world is Danny going on about? Hope questioned. Has all that stress finally gotten to him? Did he… make an imaginary friend?

Echo laughed at that. "Yeah, sure, I'm his imaginary friend… or I guess his imaginary brother."

"Would you like to hear some of the ghost culture, Bro?" Danny asked. "I don't mind telling you about it. It'd be nice to teach someone else about what it's like being half ghost for a change."

"I… will admit, I am curious about the ghost culture," Echo admitted.

Although Danny couldn't hear him, he gave a smile, as if knowing that Echo wanted to know about ghost culture.

"Well, the ghosts are naturally more aggressive and stronger than the living… well, some of them. Ever since we got anthros and chienthropes in this world, it's a little hard to generalize it, but at least with humans, they are more naturally aggressive. They are also more naturally chaotic. They have rules and laws, but they don't always follow it, then again neither do us living," Danny chuckled. "But they do have three very important laws that should never be broken, they call them 'taboos'. Clockwork told me that these taboos had been decided since the Ancients. They're a bit complicated to get into, but a simple way of saying them is… the first taboo is to never destroy a ghost's form completely. If you do destroy them, you should consume their core, otherwise you're seen as a mindless beast who needs to be dealt with right away. The second taboo is the mind. You should never mess up a ghost's mind. Mind control is fine, but completely messing up the ghost's head is seen as taboo. Desiree almost got sent to court over it when she messed with my memories. The third taboo is… never talk about how a ghost dies. If you force them to talk about it, or relive it in any way, you will be sent to court, and you will be punished."

Echo gasped as he remembered the Fenton Mortifier, the very thing that would force Danny to relive how he 'died' in the accident. That Mortifier… if Maddie and Jack ever uses it on him, they could get sent to ghost court!

"I uh… once nearly broke the first taboo," Danny admitted. "I once went on a rampage due to… something that I don't entirely remember. And I was killing ghosts and eating their cores. Thankfully Clockwork was able to turn back time and stop me from actually doing that. So while I didn't actually do it, I still remember doing it."

"Hmm?" Echo frowned. "You going on a rampage? … I don't think you're talking about Dan, your evil future self… what are you talking about?"

"Of course, nobody but me and Clockwork seems to remember that incident. Most of it is blurry for me though," Danny sighed. "I don't know how that happened, why it happened, or what I was doing besides turning people into halfas… and failing. I feel like I was doing something important, but I don't remember what it was. I'm starting to think maybe it had something to do with you, Bro, and that's why I don't remember."

"Me?" Echo blinked.

Danny shook his head. "I guess you can't really say. But moving on. I've never been to ghost court myself, but from what I've heard, it's not always very organized. The ghosts can never seem to agree with how to sentence or trial someone. But if they really needed to, they would bring in the Ancients. Oh, I should probably explain. Ancients are ghosts who are powerful and had been around since the dawn of time. Clockwork is one of them, so is Pandora, the Fright Knight, and so on. They usually know what to do, and are always just in their decisions. The Observants, these ghosts with big eyeballs, are supposedly part of a faction that runs the Ghost Zone, while also keeping an eye on it. They… don't like me very much as they consider me a 'fluctuating anomaly'."

"Heh… I've never met these Observants, but I have seen the trouble they caused you when you thought about them." Echo nodded.

Danny gave a small chuckle to himself. "Maybe one day, if you ever come out of the Void, I can show you around the Ghost Zone. Take you to meet some of my ghostly friends. You'll love Frostbite, he may look like a big scary yeti, but he's a big softie, and he's got surprisingly soft fur to hug. Though… according to Juliette, you have some kind of fire element power… perhaps I should see if there is someone in the Ghost Zone who could possibly mentor you in using that fire."

"Fire element?" Echo repeated. "Other than Foxfire, I… oooh, that's probably what Juliette told him. Come to think of it, you always seemed quite comfortable in the snow."

"As you probably know, I have an ice core. I like cold environments, I can sit on an ice cube without feeling too cold, especially in my ghost form," Danny stated. "But it does come with its weaknesses. I can't stand the heat very much, if I go somewhere hot, it starts to hurt my core. I could keep myself cool with my inner ice if I have to, but it drains me if I have to constantly use it."

"Yeah, I figured as much. You always seemed more tired whenever you get hot," Echo noted.

Danny gave a small smile, and was about to say something else when a blue mist came out of his mouth. "Awww, come on! I was just having a nice conversation too… even if it feels one-sided."

Danny sighed and shook his head. "Sorry, Bro, I guess we'll have to talk later."

Danny looked out the window before he began to summon his ghostly powers. "I'm going ghost!"

Echo watched as Danny transformed into Danny Phantom and flew out through the window. Echo watched as Danny flew through the night sky.

"A nice conversation… huh… I guess it was kind of… nice," Echo slowly admitted to himself.

---

Was this all a big mistake? Juliette thought to herself as she lay in bed, staring at the ceiling. Was I wrong to help Echo? I mean… I was forceful… and that's usually never good. I hope he doesn't hate me forever… but I would understand if he does.

Juliette rolled over on her side, trying to get comfortable, but her worries wouldn't let her sleep. She still remembered how distressed Echo looked before Foxfire's cloak came on him and he ran off somewhere.

Maybe I should go find that enchanted sleep mask… Juliette frowned as she tossed over to her other side. Or… maybe I should just leave Amity Park.

Juliette sat up from her bed, trying to decide on what to do.

Suddenly a notepad came flying through her wall, and went through her so suddenly that she flinched despite it not touching her, and fell to the ground.

Juliette sighed before she went into the Void to grab the notepad. She opened it to see Echo's handwriting on it.

'Juliette, are you awake? If you are, am I allowed to talk to you in your room? If not, write down where I should meet you at. I'm waiting for your response. Toss the notepad back through the wall it came from when you write your answer. -Echo'

Juliette shook her head with a small chuckle before she walked over to the wall and leaned through it. "Come on in, Echo!"

It took about a minute before Echo flung himself through her wall. "Oof! … You know, you have a hard floor, Juliette."

"I'll ask Anise if she can install some carpeting," Juliette chuckled as she walked back over to her bed and sat down, of course only after making it a solid object with Void Barriers. "So… what did you want to talk about?"

Juliette was relieved that Echo had come back to talk to her, but she wondered if he was still mad at her.

"I wanted to say that the next time you want to make a big decision that involves me like that, you should talk to me first," Echo stated firmly. "I don't like it when someone makes a big decision about me behind my back, the living doesn't like it, the dead doesn't like it, and I certainly don't like it."

Juliette gave a nod, staying quiet in case Echo wanted to say more.

"That being said… I can't stay mad at you for doing what you thought was right," Echo sighed. "I'll admit, it did freak me out when I found out you told Danny about me. I'm still very uneasy about that. But… Danny actually… talked to me. I don't mean that he could see or hear anything I would've said back to him, but he just talked… to me. Telling me about ghost cultures, and about other subjects that he thought I'd be interested in. I thought he would've stopped after a while when he couldn't hear anyone answering back to him, but he kept going, and acted like I actually was listening to him. It… actually felt… kind of nice."

Juliette gave a soft smile at that. "Think of how nice it'll be when you two can actually converse face to face in the living world."

Echo sighed at that. "I don't know if I'm ready to face him, let alone have an actual conversation with him. Heck, it surprised me that he even tried to talk to me in the first place."

"Echo, when… if I get you back to the living world, I would want to do whatever makes you most comfortable," Juliette said. "If you don't want to face him right away, you can stay here with me and hide yourself until we build up your confidence a little."

"Thanks, I appreciate that," Echo replied gratefully before he held up a notebook. "But there is… um… I do have a favor to ask of you."

"What is it?" Juliette asked.

"Could you… give this to Danny the next time you see him?" Echo requested, handing the notebook to Juliette.

"You want me to take this back to the living world?" Juliette raised a brow. "What's in it? Can I peek?"

"Um… yeah, sure, if you want," Echo hesitated, looking a little embarrassed.

Juliette gave a nod before she opened the notebook.

Juliette saw Echo's words, seeming to be written specifically for Danny.

'Yeah, I was there when you talked to me last night. I was interested in what you had to say. I was always intrigued by the ghost culture, but I never followed you into the Ghost Zone. It's not because I can't go in there, but that place repels Void Beings like me, I don't like it there. But I do get to see some of the ghost culture in your mind sometimes. I would like to hear more later tonight if you're not too busy with other things. -Bro'

Juliette smiled at the writing. "You sure you want to take this big of a step, Echo?"

"Honestly it can't be any bigger than Danny finding out my existence, so I thought 'why not?' and see where it goes," Echo answered. "I didn't look into the future for this. This is… something I want to see unfold myself."

"Really?" Juliette raised a brow, legitimately interested that Echo wanted to see how something naturally played out.

"I… wanted to leave this one up to fate. I worry if I did look, I'd cower out at the last second," Echo admitted. "Danny wanted a way for us to communicate, and… I think this is the best way to do it. You could talk for me, but I think it'd be better if he could see my own words. And… well, after seeing how dedicated he was to talk to me, I feel it's only right I respond to him in some way or form."

Juliette smirked. "I've wanted to test this ever since I got it."

Juliette pulled her smartphone out of her pajama pocket. "I want to take a picture in here of what you wrote and see if it transfers over to the living world. I also want to see if there are any cell signals in here."

Echo watched with interest. "I never thought about what a smartphone could do in the Void."

Juliette took a picture of Echo's message, as well as the other couple pages of comments Echo had written for Danny. She then typed up a new message to Danny before she attached the pictures and hit send.

"Come on, please work…" Juliette said as she held up the phone, secretly taking a picture of Echo before adding it to a new message and hitting send. "Woah… it's… actually sending. That's cool!"

"It is?" Echo blinked, surprised.

"Yeah, and the pictures didn't mess up or anything," Juliette noted.

"Huh… a cell phone that no longer exists can still send messages to another cell phone…" Echo said, intrigued.

"Perhaps that explains all those ghost calls that people get from numbers that are no longer in service," Juliette remarked before she noticed three bubbles at the bottom of the text screen, showing that Danny was typing back.

'Busy right now, can't look at messages. Will respond when I can.' Is what Juliette read on the text.

"What did it say?" Echo asked, since he wasn't looking at Juliette's cell phone.

"He says he's busy right now and will get back to me when he can," Juliette relayed.

"I can't believe I feel so nervous about this. It's like sending a text message to your favorite hero… actually, that's exactly what it is for me," Echo remarked, looking a little jittery. "How's he going to respond? Would he think it's just from you trying to help him feel better about talking to the 'air'? Or maybe he would think it's weird he actually got a response from someone who doesn't exist. Or maybe-"

"Echo… calm down…" Juliette shook her head, laughing a little. "We'll find out when he does text back. For now… I'm gonna see if I can exit the Void. The amount of time between going in and out of the Void has been decreasing. Last time it was like 35 minutes instead of the hour it was when I first got to Amity Park."

"Oh? Why is that? Are you getting… better at it or is the Void… weakening?" Echo asked.

"More likely I'm just getting better at it," Juliette responded. "After all, I was going in and out of the Void a lot during the training weeks."

"I guess that's true." Echo nodded.

Juliette took a deep breath, before she stepped out of the Void, returning to the world of the living. She placed her cell phone down on a night stand next to her bed.

"I take it you're going to sleep for now?" Echo asked.

"Yeah," Juliette answered as she got rid of the Void Barriers on her bed. "If you'd like, you can stay in here, so long as you don't watch me in my sleep."

"Nah, I think I'll go do something more practical, like training. I need to prepare for more masked Void Creatures," Echo stated.

"You don't want to wait here for Danny to respond?" Juliette asked.

"Honestly, if I did that, I'd be too anxious. I need to keep myself distracted," Echo sighed.

Juliette nodded. "Makes sense. If you're going to train, don't push yourself. Perhaps you can go downstairs and work with the guys who are still making plans for the masked Void Creatures."

"Yeah, I'll go do that," Echo agreed before he started walking towards the stairs. "Have a goodnight, Juliette."

"Night, Echo…" Juliette yawned before she turned off the lights. "I'll come get you if Danny responds during the night. I have notifications on loud, so it'll wake me."

---

Juliette was having a peaceful sleep. After patching things up with Echo, it had been much easier for Juliette to fall asleep. Then a loud noise caused Juliette to jolt awake in her bed.

PING PING

Huh… guess Danny finally responded. Juliette thought with a yawn as she sat up.

PING PING. PING PING. PING PING.

Wow… he is spam messaging his responses… Juliette observed as she turned the lights on.

Juliette reached over and grabbed her phone, turning it onto silent as another wave of notifications began.

Juliette then put her phone back down on the nightstand before she stood up completely and stretched out so she wouldn't fall back to sleep. Juliette then started to walk towards the stairs, glad she had chosen regular pajama pants and a pajama shirt instead of the footed PJs she wore before. She was also glad she no longer had to wear a diaper to bed after proving to Anise she wasn't having night time accidents.

Juliette opened the door and walked down the stairs, seeing a few of the Void Hunters were laying down on the floor, sleeping. Heh, it's nice to see some of them sleeping despite the fact they don't need it.

Juliette then looked around before she went over to the 'war room' which was a room that had a detailed map of Amity Park and some boards which Juliette had written rules and schedules on. It was also the room where wall the planning and conversing took place at night as to not disturb Juliette or anyone else in the opera house as night hours were quiet hours.

Juliette gave a smile when she saw Echo was talking to Cobra, Kim, and a few other of the Void Hunters who were still up and not on the lookout points.

"Hey, Echo," Juliette greeted. "Hey, everyone. I know I'm usually not up at this time, but I need to grab Echo for something."

"That's fine, we haven't had much luck with our discussion right now anyways," Kim said.

"Yeah, I guess we'll continue this later," Echo replied before he walked over to Juliette.

"Just a tip, don't think of it two dimensionally," Juliette suggested. "Try and think outside the box."

When Echo and Juliette walked back to Juliette's room, Echo gave a look at Juliette.

"It's like 4 in the morning, you should get back to sleep soon," Echo said in concern. "I'm surprised Danny is still up at this hour, I guess there were a lot of ghosts tonight."

"It's 4:17," Juliette informed. "And I'll get back to sleep after we look at Danny's responses together."

Juliette held up her smartphone, and clicked on Danny's responses.

'Whoa, is this what I think it is? Did Bro actually respond back?'

'He actually did! Oh wow, I can't believe he found a way to get a message to me! I mean I guess I should since you're able to talk to him, but still, I didn't expect him to actually respond!'

'Heh, so he does know a little bit about ghost culture, but not much. He can apparently hear my thoughts?'

'Is this what he looks like? Huh… other than the gray, he really does look like me. You didn't photoshop this, did you? I don't think you know how to do that anyways…'

'I'd like to talk to Bro some more if he's still here. Though I guess he's with you right now since you were able to send these messages.'

Juliette quickly typed a response. 'His name is Echo, but you can call him Bro if you want. And… what's photoshop?'

Danny's next response was quick. 'Wow, 'Echo', huh? Nice nickname. And… nevermind about photoshop. This is exciting, to think I actually do have a twin brother somewhere!'

Echo was trying to look over Juliette's shoulder to see the responses himself. "Wait, what picture? Did you take a picture of me?"

Juliette scrolled up through the messages to find the picture of Echo before her eyes went wide in feigned surprise. "Oh… crap, apparently I did…"

"Juliette…" Echo groaned.

"I swear I didn't mean to!" Juliette responded. "I'm still trying to get used to this phone."

"Remind me to never stand in the same room as you the next time you decide to send messages to Danny," Echo remarked.

Juliette just gave a sheepish grin.

Echo decided to ignore her little 'slip up' and look through the rest of the messages. Echo looked a little embarrassed at Danny's excitement over having a twin brother.

"He's uh… really excited about that," Echo commented.

"Yeah, he is," Juliette chuckled before she turned the screen off as there were no new messages. "I get the feeling he'll start asking me if you're around us and for me to relay your messages to him…"

Echo gave Juliette a mischievous grin. "Good, that would serve you right for telling him about me. You dug this hole yourself, Juliette~"

Juliette waved it off before she walked over to the bed and collapsed on it. "For now though… I'm gonna sleep." Juliette reached over and flipped the lights back off. "Have a few more hours till I gotta get ready for school."

"Maybe you'll get lucky and Danny will be too tired to ask you about me too much in school," Echo stated as Juliette closed her eyes.

It had been a few years since Panda came into the castle with us. She was a great maid, but she was also a great teacher. She was patient with me, and taught me more things than Dusk had been able to. Panda would often lick me to wake me up every morning, before either taking me to go eat in the kitchen, or bring breakfast to me. I really grew to like Panda, she has been really awesome, and adorable.

I had grown as well over the years. I had begun magic training with Panda as well, though I'm still learning the basics of magic. Today, however, Panda was cleaning the castle. So I decided to explore at my own leisure.

I stopped when I came to a door that would lead into Dusk's office. It was a place I hadn't stepped foot in despite how long I've been here. Dusk didn't seem to want me to go in for some reason. I was curious now, what was in this room that Dusk didn't want me to see? I knew I shouldn't do it, but I was too curious. Dusk wasn't in here right now, so I decided to take a peek.

I pulled open the door slowly and slipped into the crack between the door and the frame before I began to look around at the giant room. Oooh… all of this is really cool… I wonder why Dusk didn't want me to see.

I walked over to a chair near a desk and started to climb it to get on top of the desk. When I managed to get on top of the chair, I stretched myself up to see the top of the desk. I saw some cool things, mostly ancient relics I would see in books. Then I saw a picture on the desk, it was framed with gold and jewels.

There was a human boy in the picture. I only knew what a human was from the books Panda showed me. This looked like a young one, he had unusual colorful spiky hair that was black, with red edges, and golden streaks, as well as long golden bangs. His eyes were a crimson red, kind of similar to Dusk's eyes. The boy wore some kind of fancy robe, along with gold armbands on his arms. The expression looked to be one of curiosity, probably looking at the camera in curiosity.

"Who… is that…?" I asked out loud, feeling a small tugging in my mind like a memory trying to form.

"Artemis?" I jumped when I heard Dusk's voice suddenly spoke up. "What are you doing in here?"

"I… was exploring?" I hesitantly replied.

Dusk frowned a little as he approached me. "But you know you're not supposed to be in here."

"But I was cuuuuuuuuuurious!" I whined.

Dusk sighed as he picked me up. "Of course you were. I can never keep anything hidden from you for long."

"So who is that boy?" I questioned.

Dusk frowned a little as he looked at the picture. I noticed some pain in his crimson eyes as he looked at the boy. Dusk sat down on the chair, still holding me.

"That boy…" Dusk began.

"I feel like I know him," I quickly stated. "There's a tugging in my mind when I look at the picture."

Dusk closed his eyes for a moment. "He's our child."

"Our child…?" I tilted my head.

"That's right," Dusk confirmed, opening his eyes again. "We were lovers in your… past life. We were in Ancient Egypt. The Pharaoh requested that I helped give birth to and raise a child who would take over his throne. I couldn't have a child with a human, so… we ended up having a child together. You gave him the name Atem… because he was your… our little light."

I smiled at that. "Atem… That's a really nice name."

"It was…" Dusk agreed somberly.

"But why is he human? Wouldn't he be a dragon or a kitsune?" I questioned.

"I had to turn him into a human so he could become the next Pharaoh. I gave him human DNA from the Pharaoh, so he would technically be his son as well," Dusk explained. "The DNA activated Atem's shapeshifting ability, so he would look human. His real form is that of a dragon kitsune fairy, that's why his hair looks like that, it was a remnant of his true form."

"Ohh…" I frowned, hearing the sadness in Dusk's voice. "What happened…?"

Dusk suddenly started tearing up when I asked. I felt worried, whatever happened to Atem really affected Dusk badly and I myself felt bad that I was making Dusk feel bad.

Dusk sniffled a little. "I… I don't want to go into details… but… he died… his soul was stripped from him. He was still so young..."

I turned around and laid my head against Dusk's chest, hugging him as best I could. "I'm sorry, Dusk… I didn't mean to make you cry…"

I felt Dusk's wings wrapping around me.

"I really wish I could remember him…" I frowned. "It hurts my heart to know that I can't even remember my child."

"Don't force it, Artemis. I didn't want you to know about him until you remembered more… that's why I told you not to come in here," Dusk replied. "But what's done is done. I don't know if I'll ever see Atem again, but… at least I still have you, Artemis. Maybe one day… we can set our little light's soul free."

I had a strange feeling in my head and my heart. "I think… I think we will see them one day in the future. I have a strange feeling of hope… and assurance."

"I hope you're right. You always had very accurate instincts with these things," Dusk noted, rubbing my head a little.

I gave a soft smile before I let out a yawn. "I think I need a nap… I've explored nearly all the rooms on this floor during this week… and I explored 5 rooms just today."

"Heh… yeah, you do need a nap," Dusk agreed. "Just close your eyes. I'll take you to your room."

"Before I do, Dusk… can I ask why you've been working on that helmet again?" I asked, having seen the helmet Dusk used to give me back my memories on the far side of the desk.

"It's so I can improve on it, so it can give you back your memories safer, easier, and quicker," Dusk answered. "It'll also help you remember our little Atem as well."

I gave another smile at that. "I hope you can get the upgrade working soon then."

"Yes, me too," Dusk agreed softly before I let out another yawn, quickly drifting off to sleep.

Juliette woke up to someone chatting. She blinked open her eyes, looking to the side, seeing Echo talking to Anise.

"-ure that you can't help us with trying to pierce through their armor?" Echo asked.

"I'm not a hunting goddess. I can help once in a while, but not all the time," Anise stated. "The armor isn't that strong though, you just need to find someway to remove the armor, or make something that can pierce through rusty metal."

Echo sighed. "Fine, we'll figure something ou- oh, hey, uh… good morning, Juliette."

"Morning…" Juliette greeted back as she sat up. "So… I had another dream, Anise. This is the first time I've had those dreams back to back."

Anise gave a worried look at that. "Oh? I… see. What was this one about?"

Echo gave a curious look.

Juliette told Anise the details of what happened in the dream. "It wasn't as long as Sunday night's dream."

"You didn't sleep as long, that's probably why," Anise pointed out. "So you found out about Atem…"

"These dreams, are they Juliette's memories?" Echo questioned.

"My memories?" Juliette questioned.

"W-why would you say they were her memories?" Anise nervously asked.

"They sound like memories to me," Echo answered. "I mean from what I've heard about how memories could return to someone, sleeping and dreaming is one of the ways someone experience their buried or lost memories. It's too coherent and vivid to just be the run of the mill dreams. They also have common characters and themes in it, don't they? All set in the same place with essentially the same people?"

"Yeah…" Juliette confirmed.

"They could just be having visions of the past of someone, like you have visions of the future," Anise pointed out.

"Why would she have visions of the past with someone she's never met? Unless what she's seeing is herself, which would be memories, not visions," Echo retorted.

"Echo, there are some things better left unsaid," Anise warned.

Echo frowned, before sighing. "I mean, what do I know, right?"

Juliette pouted. "Is this part of the thing you plan on telling me when I get Echo out of the Void?"

"Yes, hence why I don't want him talking too much about it right now," Anise answered.

"Hold on, did you two make a deal again? And the deal is you tell her more about those dreams if she manages to get me out of the Void?" Echo inquired.

"Yup," Anise said.

"A lot of decisions involving me are being made quite a lot behind my back," Echo grumbled.

"Sorry," Juliette chuckled.

"You shouldn't be sorry, Juliette~" Anise smiled. "After all, you are pretty dead set on getting Echo out of the Void, so this is just an added reward for succeeding."

Echo grumbled to himself.

"Well, anyways, you should get ready for school now, Juliette," Anise remarked. "Don't want to be late after all~"

"Breakfast ready downstairs?" Juliette asked as she walked to the bathroom.

"Not yet, it'll be ready when you're done showering and getting dressed," Anise answered.

"Good luck with school, and dealing with Danny," Echo waved with a small smirk.

"You better not be in my room when I come out of the bathroom, Echo," Juliette warned before she closed the door to the bathroom.

---

Juliette walked into homeroom, Echo was standing beside her. Tucker and Sam were already in the classroom, but there was no sign of Danny.

"Hey Juliette, glad to see you're on time," Sam waved.

"I'm never not on time," Juliette chuckled.

"While you were early yesterday, you were technically late after you went to talk to Danny," Tucker pointed out.

"Speaking of Danny, where is he? I hope he's not late. He's been getting better with getting to school on time this year," Sam remarked. "I hope he didn't get caught up by a ghost."

"I didn't see any ghosts while I was coming to school," Juliette informed.

"Ghosts can be anywhere, they can also be invisible," Tucker pointed out.

Then suddenly the door opened, and Danny rushed to his seat before the late bell rang.

"Whew, made it in on time!" Danny cheered.

"Barely," Juliette responded with a chuckle. "Why were you running late?"

"Overslept," Danny admitted. "My stupid alarm clock stopped working, Jazz had to get me up."

Echo looked at Danny, wondering if he'll ask Juliette to talk to him, or if he would say anything about his messages. Echo looked at Tucker and Sam, then thought maybe Danny wouldn't want to talk about him in front of them.

Juliette noticed Echo's curious look. "Hey, Danny, did you think any more about those texts I sent you?"

"Oh yeah, they're kind of the reasons why I couldn't sleep last night, well that and the ghosts," Danny answered before he lowered his voice. "Is… is he here right now?"

Juliette gave a small nod before she casually pointing to the spot Echo was talking about, not wanting to be too obvious.

Tucker and Sam blinked.

"Who are you two talking about?" Sam asked.

"It's something private, sorry guys," Juliette responded. "I may be able to tell you later." Only if you let me, Echo.

Echo shrugged. "Danny and Jazz already knows, might as well let those two into the mix. I doubt Danny would want to keep it from them for long."

I'll have to do it when you're not around as there are serious risks to me saying your name without you being ready. Juliette informed.

"Right, well, just let me know when you want to tell them. I'll leave the area," Echo replied.

Danny looked at Juliette curiously, before whispering to her. "Are you talking to him now with your thoughts? From what I've gathered, he can read our minds."

Juliette gave another nod. I can tell them right now if you would prefer they find out now.

"Yeah sure, like ripping off a bandage, I'll give you about ten minutes," Echo said before he walked out of the classroom.

Alright! Juliette replied before she looked at Sam and Tucker. "He told me that we can tell them now. First I want to preface this by saying you two cannot repeat his name aloud or to anyone else. Outside of me telling you, you are to refer to him as 'Echo' like the sound thing."

"Oh? What's this about?" Sam asked, intrigued.

"Yeah, who is it you two are talking about?" Tucker added curiously.

"He's not here right now, is he?" Danny asked, worriedly.

"Nope, I already sent him away for now," Juliette answered. "And we're talking about Danny's supposed-to-be twin brother, Andy Fenton."

"What?" Both Tucker and Sam blinked in confusion at that comment.

"Danny was either supposed to have, or did have, a twin at some point. His name was Andy Fenton, Andy being short for Andrew," Juliette reiterated.

Tucker and Sam blinked again. Danny and Juliette waited for them to say something.

"Just give it a minute," Juliette remarked. "It always take a little bit."

"Andy… Andy… why does that name sound familiar yet unfamiliar?" Sam questioned.

"Didn't we used to know an Andy? Wait… Andy Fenton? Danny, did you actually have a twin brother and never told us?" Tucker asked.

"No!" Danny grumbled. "I didn't know I had one either. Juliette did say that I was supposed to have one, or I did at some point…"

"Right… can you two explain this to us, people who aren't in the know about this 'supposed twin brother'?" Sam inquired.

Juliette explained how Andy was in the Void and had been there for the last two years. Juliette told them about how she had found him without a name and gave him the name Echo.

When asked how she found them, Juliette sheepishly chuckled before she revealed that she was half of the Void and could go back and forth between worlds.

"Wow, so you're kind of like Danny." Tucker smiled.

"I… wouldn't say that," Juliette responded. "Unless you're literally talking about being a 'halfa'."

Danny raised a brow at that.

"Echo told me about how you and Vlad were known as Halfas," Juliette informed.

"Right, I guess he would know about that," Danny noted.

"And since he probably thought you were a Void Being like he was, he didn't see any reason to keep it a secret from you at the time," Sam added.

"But… how do we know all of this is true?" Tucker asked, skeptical. "I'm not saying you'd have a reason to lie, but how are we sure any of this is real without any proof?"

Juliette then pulled out her smartphone and showed Tucker and Sam the picture she had taken of Echo.

"Juliette isn't familiar with technology enough to photoshop this," Danny stated. "So unless someone else did that, I'm pretty sure this picture is genuine."

"Whoa… he really does look like you Danny, only… gray," Sam said in an intrigued and awe tone.

"It's kind of weird to see another 'Danny', it'd be like he perfected his duplication technique, which he's still working on," Tucker snickered, making Danny glare at him. "H-hey, just saying!"

"Everything in the Void is usually a shade of gray, black, or white," Juliette explained. "That's why he looks gray."

"But the fact he's in the Void… what happened to him?" Sam asked, concerned.

"Wait… you said two years?" Danny questioned.

"Yeah, he has been aware of his existence for two years," Juliette confirmed. "Surprised I didn't tell you that before."

"Huh… I assumed he's been there since I was born, but only 2 years?" Danny remarked, intrigued. "Well, I don't know for sure what happened to him, but if he came to in the Void 2 years ago, then it might have something to do with…"

"What?" Tucker prompted when Danny paused.

"Something… big happened 2 years ago. It happened a few days after the Freakshow incident, but before the whole Desiree changing our memories thing," Danny explained. "I… I don't know how or why, but I seemed to have turned into a twisted dictator. I remember taking over the world, mind controlling everyone, and turning them into ghosts. I don't remember why I did that, just that I thought it would bring peace to the world."

Tucker and Sam were surprised at hearing this. Danny hadn't told them about this story.

"I… remember time being reversed to before I had… turned into that. I had just assumed it was Clockwork's doing, but… now that I think about it… maybe it wasn't Clockwork. I mean if it was Clockwork, why did I never see him until the whole evil future me came about?" Danny questioned. "What if… what if the one who actually turned back time was my twin brother? And maybe… that's why he fell into the Void."

"Hold on, this happened after Freakshow but before the whole Desiree thing? If this did happen, why don't we remember it?" Sam asked.

"Because, like I said, time was reversed to before I turned into that twisted dictator version of me. Nobody would've remembered it, because it technically never happened," Danny pointed out. "I… don't remember all of it, but I think that because I was in the middle of the whole thing, I kept some memories of the incident. It's not something I'm proud of… so I've been treating it as just a nightmare that never happened. I had no reason to bring it up… until now."

Echo has time powers outside of having visions? Juliette pondered, curious about the possibilities. I wonder if that means he has like… all of Clockwork's powers…?

"So… perhaps Echo had to sacrifice himself in order to turn back time?" Juliette suggested. "After all… that does sound like something a Fenton would do."

"It definitely would sound like something Danny himself would do," Tucker agreed.

Danny pouted, not sure if he should take that as an insult or a compliment.

"If only we knew more about that… mysterious incident," Sam remarked before looking at Danny. "And about how and why you turned into that twisted version of yourself."

"It's not as bad as Dan," Danny huffed. "I didn't destroy or kill anyone… well… not without reason anyways… and I just wanted peace for the most part."

"The implication that you killed kind of worries me," Tucker responded.

"I told you I wasn't proud of what happened, can we please drop it now?" Danny grumbled.

Sam turned to Juliette. "So you're the only one who can see and talk to Echo, right?"

"Yeah," Juliette confirmed. "Well, at least the only person who can do both. He can hear people's thoughts, so if you want to direct something at him, you just need to think it."

"He can hear our thoughts?" Tucker's eyes widened. "Even the private ones?"

"Unless you know how to shield your thoughts, most likely, yeah," Danny chuckled. "I've met some mind reading ghosts before, so I know there are ways to shield your thoughts. But it only works if you're aware that someone's reading them."

"There are actually very easy ways to shield your thoughts," Juliette informed. "You can imagine simply building a house or walls around your mind and if you want, you can let certain thoughts get out if you want Echo to hear. I have a large castle around my mind with a small hole I can open and close to let thoughts out to Echo."

"You'd let us know if Echo is here, right?" Sam questioned. "I'd like to test out being able to talk to him with my mind."

Hey! Echo! You can come back in now! Juliette called out. "Just remember that you can't say his actual name as it could cause him to cease to exist, lose his mind, etc."

"Man, this Void stuff sure is delicate," Tucker remarked.

---

Just moments after Echo left the classroom, he saw a familiar white naked mole rat running down the hallway.

"Rufus?" Echo blinked.

Immediately after Rufus ran past him, Echo turned to see two large masked Void Creatures coming at him.

"Oh, come on!" Echo groaned before he ran after Rufus, and away from the Void Creatures.

Echo caught up to Rufus, and grabbed him. "What are you doing out here?"

"I was supposed to be scouting, but these Void Creatures suddenly showed up and started chasing me!" Rufus answered. "They tried shoving some kind of iron mask on me."

"Ugh, I'm going to need to talk to Ron about letting you go patrolling on your own," Echo groaned before he put Rufus in his coat pocket.

"He doesn't know I went out," Rufus admitted. "He wanted to stay at the opera house all day and chillax."

"So you went off on your own?" Echo frowned.

"Yup," Rufus answered.

One of the masked Void Creatures jumped and landed in front of Echo, making him stop. Echo turned to run in the other direction only to see the other masked Void Creature was there. Echo was about to jump through the wall, but when he took a step, he hit something solid.

"WHAT!?" Echo shouted, rubbing his forehead. "Void Barriers? When could Void Creatures make Void Barriers!?"

"Have… they been learning?" Rufus theorized. "They are different from other Void Creatures after all."

"Well… this is quite a predicament…" Echo frowned, looking at between the two Void Creatures.

The Void Creatures were holding a fox mask, and a mole rat mask.

"Ooooh… I do not want to wear that mask," Rufus gulped, ducking himself in Echo's pocket.

"Neither do I," Echo created two bombs. "Looks like we'll have to fight back."

Echo dropped the two bombs, causing them to explode two projectiles at the Void Creatures. The Void Creatures jumped back before the projectiles could hit them.

Echo ran up to one of them with a staff, and smacked the Void Creature with it. The Void Creature hit its own Void Barrier. Echo was about to make a break for it, but the other Void Creature managed to grab his leg and pull him back. Echo yelped as he fell face first to the floor, being pulled by the Void Creature.

"Do you have your Void Spirit with you?" Rufus asked.

"Well, it's not a Void Spirit exactly…" Echo frowned. "Rufus, I'm going to need you to stay calm, okay?"

"Yeah, fine, just do something," Rufus quickly replied.

Echo began to cloak himself with Foxfire. The Void Creature that had its grip on Echo's leg let go, as Foxfire's cloak burned its hand. Echo then created a sword that appeared on his back. Echo did some private training with Foxfire, creating weapons that he could use while cloaked. With these weapons, he can control them with his mind, so he wouldn't have to use his hands to move them.

The two Void Creatures jumped at him. Echo's sword moved, and slashed the two Void Creature's legs, causing them to lose their balance. Echo moved quickly, jumping on top of one of the masked Void Creature's back and began to chomp down on its armor. Foxfire's sharp and fiery teeth was burning through the armor. The Void Creature tried to buck Echo off. When Echo felt the armor was weakened enough, he made the sword stab forward, piercing through the armor and stabbing into the heart.

The Void Creature dissipated into mist. Echo turned his attention to the other Void Creature.

"Woah! This is cool!" Rufus laughed before looking at the other Void Creatures. "You're going down!"

The remaining iron masked Void Creature let out a growl before a few Void Barriers appeared around Echo before it began to run down the hall, making a retreat. Echo hissed before his sword began to glow blue, fire started to surround it, then he let it fly at the Void Barrier in front of him, piercing through it, and shattering it. Echo ran after the Void Creature. But when he turned the corner to follow it, he didn't see a thing.

"Dang, can these things teleport?" Rufus commented.

Echo sighed before he dissipated Foxfire's cloak, and the sword, before standing back up on two feet. "At least it's gone."

"How did you turn into that blue fiery fox creature that you usually ride on?" Rufus asked curiously.

"That creature is called Foxfire, she allows me to use her powers by taking on her form. She does that by cloaking me with her fire and energy. I can call a representative of her to allow me to ride on, I can make them smaller or bigger, so that helps," Echo explained.

"She isn't a Void Spirit, is she?" Rufus questioned.

"No, she's not," Echo sighed. "I'm… not entirely sure what she is, but she's definitely a spirit of fire of some kind."

Rufus gave a nod of acknowledgement. "That's really interesting. Why haven't you been using her like that with the others though?"

"Because I didn't want them knowing I could use Foxfire like that. Although if I do have to, I won't mind showing them either," Echo shrugged. "I mostly wanted them to see me as 'ordinary' when we were training."

Rufus gave a thoughtful look. "Were those skull blaster things a few weeks ago yours then?"

Echo chuckled before he snapped his fingers, and a fiery fox skull appeared in front of Rufus, startling him.

"They're a quick way to blast away Void Creatures whenever there are a lot of them around," Echo explained before dissipating the fox skull. "I use them for long range too, but now I can use other things for long range like guns and bombs."

"Perhaps you could incorporate those blasters into your weapons then?" Rufus suggested.

"Yeah, I'm still training with Foxfire with these new weapons," Echo admitted. "Now, I should get you back to Ron."

Echo heard Juliette calling out to him suddenly. Hey! Echo! You can come back in now!

Echo blinked when he heard Juliette. "Huh… I guess Juliette's done introducing me…"

"What?" Rufus questioned.

"I guess you'll have to stay with me a little longer," Echo sighed. "Juliette's been telling others about me in hopes of helping me get out of the Void."

"I don't mind sticking with you," Rufus responded with a chuckle.

---

Juliette was waiting for Echo to show up. Danny, Tucker, and Sam were anxiously waiting as well. Every few minutes they would ask if Echo was back yet. Juliette was starting to wonder if Echo was delaying on purpose.

"Look, I'll tell you when he arrives," Juliette grumbled after their 5th time asking if Echo was there yet.

"Sorry, we're all just a little excited," Sam apologize with a chuckle.

Finally, Echo entered the classroom, looking a little messy.

"Hey, Juliette, sorry I was a little late. Had a run in with some masked Void Creatures, and picked up a little naughty mole rat," Echo explained.

"He's here now," Juliette informed. Why is Rufus at school?

"Apparently he left Ron to go on patrol on his own and got chased here," Echo stated. "He's-"

Echo stopped when he was suddenly bombarded with loud thoughts.

"One at a time," Juliette said as she saw Echo's face scrunch up in pain. "And you don't need to yell it. Simply think it in the same tone you would talk to me in."

"Sheesh, you'd think they were meeting with someone they knew," Echo grumbled, rubbing his forehead.

Can you hear me? Sam asked curiously.

"Tell Sam I can hear her just fine," Echo said to Juliette.

"He can hear you just fine," Juliette relayed.

Sam gave a smile at that.

"Okay, my turn," Tucker said. So is there any technology in the Void?

"Really, Tucker? You don't have anything in the Void unless you had it on you when you fall in," Echo answered, which Juliette relayed.

"Oh… my… that is just horrible!" Tucker yelled dramatically.

"Calm down, Tuck." Danny sighed. "The whole school doesn't need to hear you."

Tucker just pouted, but he was still horrified by the fact there wasn't any technology in the Void.

So, Echo… do you mind if I call you bro? Danny asked. I mean we are apparently twins after all.

Echo gave an embarrassed expression at Danny's question. "I don't mind you calling me bro, Danny, though I will admit… I have a hard time seeing you as a twin…"

"He doesn't mind you calling him 'bro' but he finds it a little hard to see you as a twin," Juliette remarked.

Danny blinked at the answer. "Why is that?"

"Is… that for me or for Echo?" Juliette questioned.

"I mean if you already know the answer…" Danny paused.

Juliette looked at Echo. What do you want me to say?

Echo frowned, seeming unsure how to answer himself. "... It's because… I mean, you're Danny, you're just… you're you! I can't really imagine myself being the twin to someone as great as you!"

"He can't see himself being related to someone so great," Juliette stated. "He… has some self esteem issues."

Danny blinked, before Tucker and Sam slowly look at him.

"Well, sounds like someone had a secret admirer~" Sam teased.

"I wonder if I actually had a brother or a sister I never knew about who's my own secret admirer~?" Tucker grinned.

Danny blushed before he hissed at them. "Not helping you two!"

"You don't," Juliette said definitively. "At least, if you did they aren't around here." She didn't want to tell Tucker that most babies that were born in the Void ended up as Void Creatures as they were defenseless and had super strong base instincts.

Homeroom ended all too soon for the trio, though Juliette was glad for a break of having to relay messages.

I need to make a limit for how much I will relay… Juliette grumbled to herself.

---

Over the next few weeks, Juliette began to put her student council president campaign into action. Juliette, with the help of Tucker, Sam, and Danny, had created quite a great campaign schedule and plan. From inviting opposing candidates to debates, to putting up posters all over school, to having Juliette stand out in the halls between classes to share her campaign promises.

When Juliette wasn't working on classwork or doing other parts of her campaign, she was going around to everyone in school, introducing herself, explaining her campaign and her promises, and asking them for what they would like to see changed in the school. She also made sure to ask everyone what they didn't want to see.

Juliette made sure to take notes of every conversation she had. Who people were, what they wanted, and what they didn't want or were against. Due to all her effort and positivity, Juliette began to gain a little bit of a following within the school, quickly climbing the ranks to B-List.

During this, Echo had been watching her and Danny. Sometimes Danny would talk to Echo alone, other times he would ask Juliette to relay Echo's messages. Rufus began to follow Echo as well. Ron didn't like going on patrols, so he let Rufus go with Echo whenever Rufus was feeling restless. There was something about Rufus that intrigued Echo, and Rufus seemed to be just as interested in Echo.

Echo was still awkward having any actual conversations with Danny, Tucker, and Sam, so even when they had Juliette to relay his messages, he didn't say much to them. Echo preferred just watching them without being noticed, so sometimes he'd tell Juliette to lie and say he wasn't there.

It was the end of the third week of Juliette's campaign when there was an announcement over the PA system.

"Attention all students, attention all students. On Monday morning, instead of homeroom, you are all to report to the auditorium for an assembly. I repeat, on Monday morning, instead of homeroom, all students are to report to the auditorium for an assembly. After the assembly, certain students will be receiving new schedules. I repeat, after the assembly on Monday, certain students will receive new school schedules."

"Huh… I wonder what the assembly and new schedules are about?" Tucker asked.

"Perhaps they're adding in a new class?" Juliette offered.

"Or readding in a class," Sam replied. "After all, they've had to suspend the magic class for the past few months as the teacher has been absent."

Echo frowned a little when he had heard the word 'assembly'.

"It's not the assembly, is it?" Echo wondered in concern. "No… it can't be… the Fenton Mortifier was still broken last I checked…"

"What's a… Fenton Mortifier?" Rufus asked from Echo's coat pocket.

"You know how Danny's half ghost, and his parents can make all sorts of gadgets that affects ghosts in different ways?" Echo questioned.

"Uh-huh." Rufus nodded. "I think I remember seeing them when I was with you a few days ago."

"It's something that causes a ghost to relive their death," Juliette softly said to Rufus. "That's how Echo explained it to me at least."

"Oh… what's so bad about that?" Rufus asked.

"It's one of the taboo laws in ghost culture that should never be broken, according to Danny," Echo informed.

"Rufus… tell me, how do you think it would feel for someone who was electrocuted to death to be forced to relive that moment without any relief of death or unconsciousness?" Juliette questioned. "That ghost would be forced to experience every agonizing moment of their death without any way out."

"Not to mention that a lot of deaths tend to be quite painful," Echo added.

"Oh… I see what you mean." Rufus frowned. "But wait… you almost act like you know something more than just Danny possibly getting hit by the Fenton Mortifier would happen at the assembly. I mean you don't even know for sure Danny would get hit by it, he and his sister could've gotten rid of it before it becomes an actual problem. So why are you so worried about it?"

Echo frowned as he looked at Juliette, wondering if he should tell his little rodent friend about his future visions. Foxfire was one thing, but there was a reason why Echo didn't go around announcing that he could see the future to others. If people knew, Echo's visions would start to take drastic changes, the paths would become more and more unclear, and more unstable, it would be harder to decipher which future would have the highest chance of happening. The less people know, the easier it is to see what future to look out for in Echo's opinion.

"Do you…" Rufus began to say before the bell suddenly rang.

"I already got rid of it once," Juliette informed with a sigh. "But the inventors of it have rebuilt the thing better than before."

"Is it possible that by breaking it… we just created an even scarier version of it?" Echo whispered in worry.

"Um… maybe I should meditate on that," Rufus remarked before ducking deep into Echo's pocket.

It is possible… Juliette grumbled as she left the classroom to go put her things in her locker and head home. Perhaps I should go over to Danny's house today in the Void and see if I can spot it or overhear any of their plans?

"Yeah, that might be a good idea," Echo agreed.

Echo had been hesitant on looking into the future lately, considering that he's been seeing mostly fuzzy pictures and darkness lately, and that they had Rufus with them.

I could also go over there in the living world and ask if they would show me or teach me about their technology. Make it seem like an attempt to get along with them better. Juliette proposed.

"Oh, yeah…" Echo hesitated, remembering an earlier vision of Juliette getting along with the Fenton family, and when Vlad would strike.

They've mostly been staying out of my way when I go over to do some studying with Danny. Though they have made it clear that if I ever want to talk to them or get to know them better, I can come over at any time. Juliette stated.

"You still haven't really met Jazz yet, have you?" Echo asked. "I mean, I know you've seen her in school a few times, but you haven't really talked to her." Should I warn Juliette about Vlad's plan to strike when she starts getting close to the Fentons? Or should I let it happen? Even if Juliette doesn't get close, Vlad may try to catch her when she's alone anyways… at least if she's closer to the Fentons, she would be with Danny.

I talked to her a bit while I was doing my whole meet and greet session at lunch yesterday. Juliette mentally answered.

Juliette was walking past Paulina, who noticed Juliette.

"Hey, Juliette," Paulina suddenly said, catching Juliette's attention. "I just want to say good luck with your campaign. You've been getting a lot of people's attention, you might even win this election this year."

"Thank you, Paulina." Juliette smiled. "I really do hope I win, but I wish the best of luck to my competitors. And it means a lot that you're wishing me good luck, Paulina. I am just a B-lister after all, so it's an honor to talk to an A-list."

"Why should that matter? You're no better or worse than anyone else in this school, and neither am I," Paulina replied.

Juliette raised a brow at that. "Really? Wow… that's honestly really touching to hear coming from you, Paulina."

"I'm… still trying to change my outlook on the whole school system thing. It's difficult, but someone once told me that it doesn't matter to them if they were an outcast or an A-list, they just want to be happy and be with the people who really cares about them," Paulina stated.

"That person sounds wise beyond their years," Juliette chuckled. That person sounds like it possibly could've been you, Echo~

"Oh please, that doesn't sound like me," Echo grumbled.

"I will admit, I did hate them before." Paulina sighed. "We really didn't like each other. I also think he was the only boy who didn't fall head over heels for me, which was unusual. But I guess… if he did anything for me, he did get me to really think about my life and the school ranking system. It either needs a serious overhaul or needs to be replaced."

"What about it just being gotten rid of altogether?" Juliette questioned. "That way instead of students having to worry about a ranking at all they can spend the energy and time onto improving themselves and preparing themselves for the future."

"That sounds promising, though I'm not sure about getting rid of it altogether. A lot of us worked hard to get into the A-List, and to keep up that image. I doubt a lot of the students would just want to get rid of it," Paulina pointed out.

"Can I ask a question, Paulina?" Juliette requested.

"You're free to ask whatever you want, Juliette," Paulina replied.

"Besides popularity…" Juliette began. "And some perks, what does being an A-list give you? Does it set you up for life outside of school at all? Does it give you better access to tutors or anything? Or… is it mostly just for social life stuff?"

Paulina paused for a moment, then gave a sigh. "You… really remind me of him. He would ask those same questions to a lot of us, me, Dash, Star, and especially to Valerie. Honestly, I don't really know at this point. I used to think that every high school kid would be defined by how popular they are, and that being at the top is the most important thing in life. Because if you're at the top, everybody would respect you, they would give you what you want, you don't have to do well in class, and well… what student wouldn't want to be popular, right?"

Paulina took a breath before she continued. "But after two years of being on top, and watching, wondering, how someone like him, a lonely outcast, still made friends with someone like Dash and Valerie, and still be happy being an outcast. I looked at the people around me, and realize they weren't really my friends. I don't just talk to them about anything, about my personal life, or my insecurities, or just laugh because I was having a good time. Instead, I have to talk about beauty because I was known to be the most beautiful girl in school, and make fun of those lower than me and laugh at them, to show that I'm on top."

Paulina shook her head. "But seeing that the outcasts were just happy being themselves with each other, not having to worry about keeping their images, and how close they were. I guess… I started becoming jealous, and going to the school therapist to talk about why. Although… I could've sworn we had another school therapist after Ms. Spectra but before Mr. Carbon… maybe he left too."

Juliette gave a thoughtful expression before she looked at Paulina. "Would you prefer I leave the ranking system as it is? Or would you like for me to get rid of it? Because… I was thinking about either overhauling or getting rid of the ranking system from school altogether if I become student body president."

"Maybe you can try to overhaul it first, and see where that goes," Paulina suggested.

"Hmmm… if I do overhaul it, I may need help from someone who has been at the top for a long time," Juliette said before smiling at Paulina. "So how about this… if I become student body president, would you like to help me overhaul the ranking system, Paulina?"

"Really? Even though I was a little nasty to you before?" Paulina asked, surprised by the offer.

"Yes, really," Juliette confirmed. "I'm going to need the guidance of someone who has been at the top and has ideas on how the system needs to change."

Paulina gave a smile. "I'd be happy to help with changing the system."

"Awesome!" Juliette smiled before she took a few steps forward and hugged Paulina. "Thank you, Paulina."

Paulina stiffened a little at the sudden hug, but eventually relaxed and hugged Juliette back. "I'm… glad I could help."

Juliette backed off from the hug. "I'll see you next week, Paulina. I gotta get home and get to my homework so I can take the time to practice my campaign speech for the official debate. Then after that I gotta go to work, then come back home and do more homework after work."

"Okay, I wish you the best of luck," Paulina responded. "Try not to overwork yourself, that's really bad for your health and your skin."

Juliette smiled. "Don't worry, Paulina, I promise not to push myself."

Juliette went over to her locker and put away her books. So, should I head over to Fenton Works after school in the Void or the living world, Echo?

"Hang on, I'm still shocked that just happened. Did you just make friends with PAULINA of all people?" Echo questioned, looking surprised.

Yes, yes I did~ Juliette responded, smirking at Echo. Looks like you had a really big effect on her when you were alive, Echo. Because Paulina only changed after I told her your name.

"... What the heck did I even do?" Echo furrowed his brows in confusion.

Sounds like you were just yourself. Juliette chuckled. Sounds like you were a Fenton.

"What does me being a Fenton have to do with it?" Echo questioned.

Apparently all Fentons have the power to change the world. Juliette mentally remarked.

"Oh joy, there's more to look forward to I see," Echo grumbled sarcastically.

Danny literally did change the world. Maddie and Jack make inventions that help to change the world into a better version of itself every day. And Jazz has the potential to change the world when she leaves school. Juliette stated. I wonder what your potential was and what you contributed to the world while you were alive.

Echo sighed. "Can we please stop talking about that? And anyways, just give me a moment to see which course of action you should take…"

Take your time. Juliette said as she closed her locker.

Echo began to look into the future, trying to see which paths Juliette should take for this visit at Fenton Works. Echo could see Juliette just observing the Fentons along with him in the Void, they would hear Jack and Maddie talk about their assembly having been pushed back another month, but they will be ready by then. Still nothing on the Fenton Mortifier.

Echo then looked at the path where Juliette went as her current self, she could go alone or with Danny. Though with Danny, she had a better chance at talking to Jack and Maddie, as they wouldn't talk to her much otherwise, due to their first impression with her. There was also a high chance Juliette would finally truly talk to Jazz, and the two would bond over books and nerd out. Echo couldn't help but laugh at that part of the vision.

Something amusing? Juliette raised a brow.

"Oh… nothing that should concern you," Echo answered, still chuckling a little.

And you say I'm the terrible liar… Juliette rolled her eyes.

"Both paths seem to lead to the same if not similar results, but I think it would be better if you went in the world of the living than in the Void. You'd be able to bond with the Fentons that way… and be sure to talk to Jazz, like actually talk to her, instead of just greeting her." Echo grinned.

Juliette gave a nod. Should I go with Danny or on my own? I mean I could wait until he's home and show up or catch up with him and walk home with him, telling him I want to meet the rest of his family. That I want to have a better introduction to his parents.

"You can go alone, but you'd have a much easier time bonding with Jack and Maddie if you go with Danny," Echo answered.

Wait until he's home or catch up with him now and talk with him on the walk back to Fenton Works? Juliette inquired.

"You could just go with him now," Echo pointed at Danny, who was by his locker.

I… thought he went ahead… he said he was going to, but I guess he changed his mind? Juliette mentally shrugged before she began to walk towards Danny.

"Look at him for a moment, Juliette," Echo suggested. "See his hair looking a little messy? And his arms a little roughed up?"

Ahh, ghost fight? Juliette questioned. Or bullies?

"I'd say both, seeing how wrinkled his shirt looks too. He wouldn't get wrinkles in his shirt if he was in his ghost form," Echo pointed out.

"Hey, Danny," Juliette spoke up as she walked over to Danny. "What's happened? Why do you look like you got hit by a train? Or a linebacker."

"Ugh, you noticed? I was trying to smooth everything out…" Danny groaned as he shut his locker door. "Some of Walker's soldiers decided it was a good idea to try and 'arrest' me while I was still in school. And not long after I took care of them, some of the football team decided to rough me up. I don't even know why, they just kept saying something about how it's my fault Dash had been acting so weird lately. I haven't even spoken to Dash in a few weeks!"

"Ahh… that may have been my fault," Juliette hesitantly admitted. "I did tell you how I tested Echo's name on Dash and Paulina first. That's why Dash was acting off and down."

"I don't get it though. If Echo was my twin, then Dash probably bullied him as much as he bullied me, why would saying Echo's name to him have any kind of impact at all?" Danny inquired.

"Perhaps Echo looked passed the bullying and befriended Dash," Juliette suggested. "From what Paulina just said, Echo befriended Dash and Valerie despite them being A-list while he was just an outcast."

Danny blinked, and was about to reply to that, when a shadow suddenly towered over him.

"Hey Fenton," Dash said, making Danny cringe before turning around.

"Uh… yes… Dash?" Danny gulped.

"I just wanted to say that I think you've been a great help with Juliette. You and your friends' campaign ideas have all been really good, even I have to admit that there were some really great ideas," Dash complimented. "I… also wanted to apologize for my years of bullying. I guess in my own twisted way I was thinking that if I bullied you, I'd make you grow a backbone and be able to stand up for yourself. But all I did was hurt and torment you… and you just took it. I see now that you did have a backbone, and that's why you just took all the bullying."

Danny was staring at Dash, his mouth opening, but no words were coming out.

"Hello, Dash," Juliette greeted before she stepped out from behind Danny.

Dash blinked before smiling. "Hey, Juliette! I'm sorry about that, I didn't see you there."

"It's fine," Juliette chuckled before she looked down, seeing her still developing breasts, which were now B cups. "I have been growing lately, but I haven't been growing any taller. I think I'm doomed to permanently be a 5'2 runt."

"Heh…" Echo gave a small laugh at that.

"I think you're fine just the way you are," Dash replied. "I also like that you've been sticking with Fenton, Manson, and Foley. Despite their status as being outcasts, you really have brought everyone's attention to them, in a good way of course. You've technically made them B-listers just like you without them having to do much of anything."

Danny was still staring, not believing what he was seeing and hearing.

Echo was laughing, he could hear Danny's confused thoughts. What the heck is going on? Am I dreaming? Did Nocturne come and put everyone to sleep again? Did I pass out from being hit too many times? Did a ghost mess with my head despite the taboo?

Juliette reached forward and put a hand on Danny's shoulder. "Earth to Danny? You okay?"

"Ummm…" Was all Danny could say.

Dash sighed. "Yeah, I know… I was pretty messed up. It wasn't just because I was trying to toughen you up. I also felt the need to bully you to make myself feel better. I… was always, always have been, under a lot of pressure from my parents and teachers and coaches, but that was no excuse to make your life miserable for it. Honestly, if my dad wasn't so insistent that I keep winning the student body president, I'd let you take the win right now."

"Dash…" Juliette spoke up. "You shouldn't run for student body president because your dad wants you to. That should be something you do for yourself or for the school or the students. You're becoming an adult, meaning your dad will stop being able to make decisions for you in the near future. You should start trying to make your own decisions, and if your dad can't accept that, then perhaps it is time to stand up to him and explain that you are your own person and your life isn't his to control."

"I wish it was that easy. But I guess stranger things have happened," Dash shrugged.

"If you'd like, I could come help you," Juliette offered. "Meet your parents at some point, sit them down for a talk, and give you the chance to talk to them about everything that you've been pushing onto others. I'm sure my mom would do that as well."

"You probably shouldn't meet my parents…" Dash frowned.

Juliette gave a kind smile. "Dash, I would be more than willing to meet your parents no matter what kind of people they are. I for one don't have a standard family. I have a single adoptive mother who has like… every PhD in kinks possible and no father."

Dash gave it some thought. "We can talk about it later then. For now, I have to get to football practice."

"Good luck, Dash," Juliette responded. "Make sure to stretch out and try to have fun on the field."

"Heh, you almost sound like my coach. Oh, and Fenton…" Dash began, turning to Danny. "I… hope you'll forgive me someday. Good luck with your parents, and tell your sister I said 'hi'."

Danny was still staring as Dash walked away.

"I think Dash just broke Danny," Echo remarked.

"Danny?" Juliette waved her hand in front of Danny's face. "Did Dash just break you? Should I go get some water to splash on your or something?"

"Water… yes! Ice cold water! I need to know if I'm dreaming!" Danny all but begged.

"You aren't dreaming, but alright, stay right here," Juliette instructed as she quickly headed to the cafeteria to get a cup of ice water to splash on Danny.

After a couple minutes, Juliette returned to Danny and held out the cup of ice cold water.

"Splash it on you or let you drink it?" Juliette asked.

"Let me," Danny said before he took the cup and poured it on himself, drenching his body and clothes in cold water, though Danny didn't seem bothered by the cold. "... I'm awake… I'm awake, and I still think I'm dreaming."

"You're not dreaming, that actually did just happen," Juliette informed before she reached out and pinched Danny's skin a little.

Danny flinched a little from the pinch. "But how? I mean Dash was being… nice, to me, without being a part of the A-list or a judge or anything! The last time we saw him, he stuffed me into my own locker!"

"Even I have to question the big change in Dash. Surely I couldn't have had that much of an impact on him, especially if I was Danny's twin brother, I'd just be a second target to Dash, wouldn't I?" Echo agreed.

Echo, didn't you hear Paulina? You befriended Dash and Valerie. Juliette reminded.

"I just thought she was still delusional," Echo replied.

"I think it was because Echo had befriended Dash and had a big impact on Dash's life," Juliette presented her theory. She definitely wasn't being delusional as I could see you possibly doing that.

"Well I can't," Echo pouted. "Watching them and seeing their thoughts for the past two years makes that hard to believe…"

"I… really need to ask how the heck Echo did that if he ever remembers," Danny decided before looking at Juliette. "Oh, was there a reason you approached me in the first place? Did you need something? Did Echo wanted to talk?"

"I wanted to ask if I could go with you back to your home after school today for a reason other than tutoring," Juliette explained. "I think I'm ready to try and talk to your parents and have a proper introduction with them and I would like to talk to Jazz more if that is possible."

Danny gave a nod. "Heh, I was wondering if you'd ever want to just meet my family the proper way. Although, admittedly, they have trapped Tucker and Sam before, thinking they were being overshadowed. So don't feel bad about being the only one they accused of being a ghost."

"They won't trap you this time at least," Echo assured. "Just as long as you don't accidentally bring a Wisp home with you."

"I don't feel bad about it," Juliette assured. "I was just a little shaken up by it. So, would you mind if I came to meet them with you? You could properly introduce me to them. Maybe they can explain to me some of their gadgets and we can bond that way. I have been getting better at science thanks to you."

"Yeah, that sounds like a great way to bond with them. Dad especially loves to blather on about what he made," Danny chuckled. "It's also good for me, so I know what they made, and gauge how dangerous they are to me. If they're too dangerous, Jazz and I usually get rid of them. Of course, sometimes… Mom and Dad might make a new one, but they usually move on to different gadgets."

Danny and Juliette walked out of the school, Echo followed them.

"There is something I'm worried about… that I will admit I had destroyed once before for very good reasons," Juliette brought up, she looked at Echo for a moment, who gave her a gesture to continue. "They built something called the Fenton Mortifier… and from what Echo explained, it makes a ghost relive their death."

"The Fenton Mortified…?" Danny blinked.

"Mortifier not Mortified," Juliette corrected. "I destroyed it once… because I had a premonition that your parents used it on you and something bad happened. … I sometimes get premonitions about the future when really bad things could happen."

Echo gave an interested look at Juliette. "Huh, not a bad way to explain that…"

"I don't control when I get them, they just suddenly come up on their own from time to time," Juliette added. That way Danny can't ask me to have a premonition about something.

"Huh…" Danny mumbled thoughtfully. "So you're kind of like Clockwork in that sense."

"Well… not really… I get very tiny glimpses," Juliette responded. "Small scenes or pictures or dialogue. Not full visions. The biggest vision I have had so far was your parents using the Mortifier on you at an assembly… and it caused a dimensional rift of some kind."

"What?" Danny frowned. "That… that's going to happen?"

"It was going to happen," Juliette quickly assured. "But I destroyed the Fenton Mortifier… at least the first model. I've been having a gut feeling they made a new one… and will be bringing it to their rescheduled Ghost Defense assembly."

"Did you see any visions of them still using it on me?" Danny questioned.

Juliette shook her head. "I haven't seen anything about a new Mortifier, just a simple sensation."

"Hmm… well if they do show you the newer model, let me or Jazz know," Danny stated.

"Perhaps you should also try finding out about it after you leave," Juliette suggested.

"I'll do what I can, but no promises," Danny sighed. "If they want to keep an invention secret, they'll make sure nobody find it, whether they're human, anthro, chienthrope, family, ghost, or otherwise."

"Juliette… could you ask Danny that if Jack and Maddie were to break one of the taboos, would the ghosts try to arrest them for court?" Echo requested.

"So, Danny, Echo wants me to ask you a question," Juliette informed. "If your parents broke a taboo, would ghosts try to arrest them and bring them to court?"

Danny blinked before thinking about it. "I've never seen any living being brought to ghost court before, but if they break a taboo, they are very likely to get hunted down and taken to court. Ghosts take taboo breaking very seriously."

Echo frowned as he looked at Danny.

Danny then frowned himself, as if realizing something. "Oh… oh no… if they do use that Fenton Mortifier on me or any ghost, they could get taken to ghost court!"

"That could be what I had seen before, when everyone was in the Ghost Zone after that future…" Echo mumbled.

"They could… or something else could happen…" Juliette frowned, thinking back to when Danny explained his powers. "What would happen to the fabric of reality if you used a Ghostly Wail at 120%? If you screamed out in pain and used a Ghostly Wail above max… could you open a hole in the universe?"

"What? I don't think so, I mean, I know my Ghostly Wail is powerful, but not powerful enough to tear open a hole in the universe," Danny shrugged.

"Because you tend to be in control of it when you use it," Juliette pointed out. "But what if you used it on accident while in absolute agony?"

"I wouldn't know to be honest. It's never come up before," Danny answered.

"Perhaps you should ask Clockwork," Juliette recommended.

"Um, I guess I could," Danny said as they continued to walk to Fenton Works. "It's not something I really think about though."

Echo wondered if warning Danny had any impact on the future. Echo tried to look ahead, he could see the assembly with the Fentons still taking place, but the rest was too fuzzy to make out. Echo frowned, wishing he could see more of that future to ensure that it was truly stopped.

"Perhaps we should try our best to make sure you don't go ghost whenever your parents finally do their assembly," Juliette suggested. "Try to handle things as us instead of having to rely on Danny Phantom."

"Sounds good to me. I should work on trying to fight ghosts more as Fenton instead of Phantom anyways," Danny chuckled.

"Perhaps we can borrow some of your parents gear," Juliette remarked.

They finally made it to Fenton Works. Danny opened the door.

"I'm home! I brought Juliette too!" Danny called out.

Juliette stood beside Danny, waiting for any reaction. Maddie and Jack didn't come to greet them like before, however, they did hear Maddie's voice calling from the kitchen.

"We're in the kitchen, sweetie!"

Danny looked over at Juliette. "If you want to talk to them, you can go into the kitchen. I think Jazz is in her room right now. Would you like for me to stay with you or would you rather talk to them on your own?"

"I… think you should come with me and tell your parents I'd like to talk to them," Juliette responded. "I think your parents are apprehensive about talking to me."

Danny nodded. "They still feel bad about how they treated you."

Danny walked with Juliette into the kitchen. Maddie was working on something, while Jack was eating some fudge.

"Hello there, Mr. and Mrs. Fenton," Juliette greeted.

Both adult Fentons stopped what they were doing and looked up at Juliette.

"Mom, Dad, Juliette wanted to talk to the two of you," Danny explained.

"Oh?" Maddie pulled down her hood. "What did you want to talk about, Juliette?"

"I wanted to have a proper introduction to you two and try to get to know you better," Juliette explained. "I'd rather not have my only memory of you two being you trapping me and I'm ready to make new, positive memories."

"You want to get to know us better?" Jack repeated, looking like a big timid teddy bear.

Juliette gave a nod. "I would like that, if you two don't mind."

"What should we talk about?" Maddie asked, still looking a little uneasy.

"Maybe you two could tell her what you're making," Danny suggested. "She seemed interested in your inventions."

At that, Maddie and Jack both perked up.

"Is that true?" Maddie asked.

Juliette gave a nod. "I've been struggling a bit with the basic science taught at school, but I am interested in more advanced sciences. I'm also a little into engineering." Another thing I somehow have quite a bit of knowledge of without studying.

"That's great!" Jack spoke up cheerfully. "There's a lot we can teach you."

"How about we start with what we're making right now, Jack. We don't want to overwhelm her after all," Maddie suggested.

"What are you working on currently?" Juliette questioned.

"Which current project, Maddie?" Jack hesitantly asked.

"Ah… well, we're working on a healing one using nanotechnology," Maddie answered. "We haven't really made anything that healed, but thinking about it, it would be useful during ghost hunting. There's a good chance we could get hurt out there after all, and we can't always rely on first aid kits. It would be nice to be able to just heal a wound right away instead of just letting the ghost get away."

"How does it work?" Danny inquired, looking intrigued himself.

"I'm guessing the nanotech is either sprayed or injected into the spot of the wound," Juliette began. "The nanotech would have some kind of diagnostic programming to identify the wound or wounds and then it would begin to heal by closing up wounds and replacing the damaged flesh with nanobots which would take on the color and texture of the flesh it is replacing. It would be there until the body healed itself, in which the nanobots would go into the bloodstream and deactivate to be safely disintegrated by the body. It could also be used to heal broken bones if it was able to alter the strength of bonds between nanobots."

Juliette saw all three Fentons, as well as Echo, staring at her.

"At… least that's my guess…" Juliette meekly added, looking down a little.

"Your guess? You don't just guess when you answer like that!" Danny pointed out.

"That's how I imagine it would work…" Juliette replied. "And that's how it works in most sci-fi books I've gotten the chance to read…"

"Well… you're actually correct," Jack said. "Wow, a smart girl, just like our daughter."

Maddie gave a smile. "Maybe once we're done, we can show you a demonstration later."

"I'm not that smart…" Juliette blushed, her silver cheek fur getting a tiny bit of pink to it. "After all, I'm struggling with basic science classes…"

"Not everyone is good at everything, Juliette," Maddie pointed out. "You don't have to be good at basic science to be incredibly intelligent."

"Perhaps you could show me a demonstration later," Juliette chuckled. "Perhaps I could come up with an idea or two for you… I already have one in my mind that relates to nanotech. But for now, what else are you working on?"

"We're also working on the Fenton Purifier," Jack proudly stated. "It expunges all things ghostly from an object or a person."

"Isn't that the Fenton Ghost Catcher, Dad?" Danny questioned.

"It's a long range, mobile version of the Fenton Ghost Catcher," Maddie answered. "But with a little tweak. If used on an overshadowed person, it will separate them and then the ghost will be pulled into a mini Ghost Portal attached to it which will send the ghost to the Ghost Zone where they can no longer cause any problems."

"We came up with that due to your and Jazz's insistence on your mom and I making more humane inventions that simply send the ghost back to the Ghost Zone," Jack informed. "Though I would still like to catch a ghost to examine it."

Danny gave a nervous chuckle at that. "So uh… what else are you two working on?"

"Well, there's a less conventional way to capture ghosts other than with the Fenton Thermos and the Fenton Fisher," Maddie spoke up. "Since kinks are becoming more and more accepted, we figured we could use some to our advantage. We're making the Fenton Wrapper."

"Honey, I thought we were calling it the Fenton Diaper," Jack pouted.

Maddie sighed. "That's too straight forward, and it would get people to raise a few eyebrows at us."

"Um… what does it do?" Danny asked, raising an eyebrow of his own.

"Well, it is to be either set up as a trap, or launched out of a gun," Maddie responded. "It will automatically seek out the nearest ghost and wrap itself around its waist. When around the ghost's waist, the Fenton Wrapper will then drain all independence that ghost has. It will make it so the ghost is unable to take off the Wrapper, make them forced to use the Wrapper, and make them rely on someone. The ghost can't get it off even if they turn intangible or blast at it. That will hopefully keep ghosts from coming to our world."

Juliette, Danny, and Echo all blinked at the weird way to catch a ghost.

"We are working on more unconventional means to catch a ghost, it's a lot more fun than just blasting them." Jack grinned. "I still like blasting them though. It's just nice to try out something different."

"We're of course making a non-ghost version as there is a community in the world for people that want diapers that render them incontinent while wearing diapers," Maddie informed. "The diapers meant for people will only temporarily leave them incontinent and they will be able to change themselves."

"The diapers will bring in a new source of income so we can aim for bigger and better inventions," Jack added.

"We're thinking that with how kink accepting the world has become, we may start making a line of kinky inventions to help fund our more serious, ghost hunting inventions," Maddie remarked.

Juliette nodded, smiling a little, seeing how they weren't just inventing things for ghost fighting.

"So what about that?" Danny asked, pointing at what appeared to be an unfinished robot that was leaning against the wall near the lab's door.

"It's a servant robot that we are currently working on," Jack answered. "When it's done, it'll be able to serve the user however they want."

"Will it look like that when it's done?" Danny questioned.

"Well, we plan on putting a nice shine on it when it's complete," Maddie replied.

"What if…" Juliette began but stopped herself.

"What if what, dear?" Maddie asked.

"Perhaps you could implant it with the ability to create nanobots as well as coat it in nanobots," Juliette suggested. "Coating it on the outside would allow it to change its size and appearance for whatever the owner prefers. That would help the owner feel more comfortable with a robot around. Giving it the ability to create nanobots would also allow it to create whatever the user wanted or needed. They need an umbrella because it just started raining, the bot could give it to them by programming the nanobots to become an umbrella. Need a new toothbrush or tube of toothpaste? The robot can create it. At least… that's just an idea I had just now…"

Jack and Maddie looked at each other, then at Juliette.

"You know, that is a really good idea," Jack admitted. "We should add that to the robot, Maddie."

Maddie nodded. "It'll take longer to complete, but it'll definitely be worth it."

Juliette chuckled. "I have a ton more ideas like that floating around my head… I'm not sure where it comes from."

"You must be a natural genius." Maddie smiled. "By the way, how long are you staying today? Would you like to join us for dinner?"

"I could," Juliette answered. "I have today off from work, so if it gets too late, I can stay over for the night."

"That's great! It'll be nice to finally have someone to fill that empty chair for once!" Jack grinned.

Danny frowned a little as he looked at the fifth chair. Echo noticed Danny's look and gave a small sigh to himself.

"I was hoping to meet Jazz today as well," Juliette informed. "I only got to speak to her for a little bit the other day and was hoping to get to know her better."

"Jazz will be thrilled to talk to you." Maddie smiled. "Jazz is upstairs in her room right now."

"If you're going to meet Jazz, I think I'll go to my own room. Jazz tend to get… talkative when she meets someone new," Danny remarked.

Juliette gave a nod. "I'd like to meet her first, talk to her for a bit, and then perhaps I can take a look at some of the other inventions your parents are working on."

"Dinner will be around 7," Maddie informed. "7:30 if I'm running a little behind. Until then, we'll be downstairs in the lab working on our inventions. You are free to come down there whenever you like, Juliette."

"Thank you." Juliette smiled. "Now, I'm going to go talk to Jazz." "Hey, Anise, just so you know, I might be staying the night at Danny's house. I'm at least going to be staying here for dinner."

"You go have fun with that," Danny chuckled.

"Oooh, staying at a friend's house? Never thought I'd see the day~" Anise giggled.

"I'd like to get closer to Danny's family so I can keep a better eye on Danny's parents without it being suspicious," Juliette explained as she headed for the stairs. "I'll try my best."

---

Son Sandy: DarkFoxKit: Thank you. I see you in a lot of my stories, so I appreciate it. Imagining alternative scenes for characters I like, that's how I create fanfiction scenarios. It's a lot of fun.

Yeah, well at least it shows one interpretation as to what would've happened if Danny hadn't been able to rescue Andy at the end of My Brother's a Ghost. We may have done another story using that ending as the base. After rewriting some things, I can't help but cringe at how we handled some things in this story now. It's like seeing an old drawing you did years ago after improving your skills since then, it's hard to look back at it. Also, your comment about Danny remembering Andy before Echo does, that definitely gave me some ideas, though unfortunately not for this story, as all of that has been written out a long time ago.

Writing out Danny like this was when I was making him more of an angsty boy. But I can believe that he would be stressed out without the right help, and without having someone who could really understand him that isn't Vlad. And Andy being even more of an angsty boy. Uugh, I made him too angsty though when I look back on it. In the newer story we've been writing, Andy/Echo isn't anywhere near that angsty. But yeah, the idea is the Echo suffers from being in the Void for a long time, and watching his brother going through all of this crap.

Darkzdragon: Yeah, Echo getting out of the Void and Juliette helping was definitely one of the most fun arcs we wrote. There's gonna be a rollercoaster of feelings, emotions, and maybe even dark deeds. Hopefully you enjoy the route we went on to free Echo from the Void.

Zanuk: Darkzdragon: We wanted to have a story where we could do pretty much anything, so the M rating was kinda necessary as a precaution. Having it cameoed in We Are Phantoms was kinda just a spur of the moment idea we had that honestly was pretty fun.

DarkFoxKit: I'm glad you're enjoying it, but yeah, it's M rated for a reason. We pretty much did anything that came to mind.