Chapter 27: Discords of Time
For what seemed the hundredth time, Jazz paced past Danny's door. She'd been debating on knocking, toying with waiting till the morning or just dealing with it now. But pacing once more down the dark hallway, she bit her lip. This couldn't wait. Her brother's abrupt change was beyond bizarre. Something must have happened today.
The Danny this morning had slunk out in his usual foul mood, a new bruise on his forearm hinting of a nightly battle. Jazz had tried to bring up her concerns about his ghost fights, saying she'd pick him up after school to discuss it. But he phased through her grip, snapping at her to stay out of his business. He avoided Mom's attempt at a hug and disappeared from the Fenton Works before Dad could rave about his next spook-catching device. Yet… the Danny she'd found after school had been a completely different brother. She couldn't even remember the last time Danny had ever been this… happy.
Jazz halted in front of the door, staring at the lamp glow underneath. Softly she pressed an ear against it, listening. It wasn't that Danny was suddenly happy that worried her. Secretly she was relieved to see a side of him not seen in years. What worried her was the strange behaviour. The sudden interest in Dad's work knowing it endangered Phantom. The clinginess to Mom with the risk of her figuring out his secret. None of it made sense. And the fact his friends were weirded out proved that it wasn't just with his family.
Lightly Jazz knocked and waited for a reply. But nothing came. Sighing she gripped the handle and opened it a crack to peer inside.
Danny was gone. His made bed showed he never entered it. In the middle of the room sat his chair, its owner nowhere to be seen.
Alarm was starting to grow. Stepping inside Jazz immediately spotted his phone, charging abandoned on his desk. The fact Danny had left it behind was another thing to add to the list.
Unplugging it Jazz let the screen turn on. So many missed calls, all from Sam and Tucker. There was no doubt in her mind something happened to her brother.
She swallowed, remembering when Danny stood at Nasty Burger to glare at her, the way he had spoken to her in the car… It hadn't been the first time that a ghost had pretended to be him. All too vividly the events of three days ago replayed in her head, of that other evil Danny tricking her in this very room.
Knowing that he was going to chew her out later for barging into his personal life, Jazz unlocked his phone and called Sam.
She picked up immediately. "Danny! I've been trying to-"
"Sorry, Sam. But it's me, Jazz."
"Jazz!?" At once she could hear the panic. Then her tone changed into suspicion. "What are you doing with his phone? Where's Danny?"
Jazz hesitated. She might have revealed she knew her brother's secret, but his friends still didn't like her meddling. " He's not here… I think something's going on with Danny. He's been acting strange all evening."
Sam paused. "…Same at school. He's acting like-"
"-Acting like a different person." Jazz poked her head out of his room. Their parent's door was closed and silent, except for the odd snore from Dad. " If… If you contact Tucker I can pick you guys up. We'll find him faster if we drive."
Jazz could hear her debate the offer, probably going through all other options that didn't involve her. Finding a half ghost would be easier with a car, but Sam likely didn't want her around. It didn't matter. Jazz had already made up her mind. She was going to sneak out and find Danny with or without them.
"… Be in front of my house in five. I'll call Tucker."
"Right." Hanging up she quietly left his room, avoiding the squeaking stairs. Grabbing her keys off its hook, she paused. Her gaze towards the closed lab door, a thought coming to her. It would be a smart idea to grab some gear just in case. At least a Fenton thermos for emergencies…
###
"Well; I'm waiting!"
Danny swallowed against the arm pinning him, trying his best not to freak out. Plasmius's sneer was growing by the second, energy spiking around them. He knew he didn't have much time until an enraged Vlad started attempting to waste him. Yet he didn't even know where to begin!
"I… I- Um, I'm not… sure I exactly know what's going on here-"
"- Oh I think you do know! It's written all over your guilt-ridden face!" The pressure on his chest increased and Danny winced. "Tell me, Danny, did you honestly think you could fool me again?"
Plasmius was letting off static, a warning his stinger was being charged. Danny instantly spoke to stop the impending attack, while at the same time madly thinking of a way to escape his grip.
"It's true! Look; I now know what happened at Hogwarts, I'm not lying about that… But I'm also just as confused as you as to why- Whoa whoa w-wait! Don't zap me! I… I don't understand why you're this angry with me Vlad. I…Okay; I totally understand that you're mad I left Hogwarts without telling you. That's the truth! I stupidly didn't realise the mistake. But I didn't-"
His words had only seemed to enrage Vlad further, his glowing aura flaring. "-Don't understand!? It's been years since you disappeared without a trace. No one knew how far you'd gone, no matter who I asked. Then suddenly- what a surprise! I bump into you years later. Yet what's funny is that you pretend that we never met?!"
He felt the tingling burn shudder down his spine. Vlad was moments from zapping him, seething with fury. Quickly realising he might not survive the direct hit Danny kicked Plasmius in the stomach. As Vlad went to counter, Danny let out a small blast from his hand, hitting the guy in the shoulder. The blast wasn't strong enough to hurt him, but the shock was enough for Plasmius to let go. Using the brief window he tore away, twisting into the air.
" I know why you're angry with me Vlad. But you need to let me explain all the details instead of trying to waste me on the spot!"
Below Plasmius sneered, drifting up into the air with a flip of his cape. Though thankfully made no move to blast him this time. " Fine. Enlighten me with this incredible plan!"
Swallowing again Danny lowered his hands, hoping it showed he wasn't asking for a fight. "So… back in the past… That Danny, the one you met at the reunion party wasn't exactly me. It's…confusing to explain but before today, any Danny you met wouldn't have any memory of what happened in the past. Because before today I hadn't gone back in time to Hogwarts yet. That's why I had no memory of you. Because I only left and returned a few hours ago."
At his words Vlad froze, staring at him. "Gone back in time?"
"Yeah. Um… I'll try to keep this simple. Today I went back twenty years into the past. To the moment you were there too. Remember Vlad? When Luna… and Voldemort tried to get the stone. That's why before this day I didn't know what happened in the past. It hadn't happened yet. So… What I'm trying to say… I travelled back in time to save Harry from the shade, then today I returned from the past back into the future. To this present."
He had thought telling Vlad this would… partly clear things up. He would relax learning the truth and they could talk without trying to kill each other. Plasmius seemed to take a moment to process this new information before he snapped.
"YOU TRAVELED BACKWARDS THROUGH TIME!?"
Red sparks crackled from his fingertips, his roar thundering out. Danny had little time to react as Plasmius raised his arm and fired a bolt. With a yelp he dodged, feeling the heat burn passed. That wasn't one of the usual attacks he sent him. That one had meant to hurt.
Seeing that he was rapidly falling into danger Danny made a shield, preparing as Plasmius flew level with him. "Wait! There's more that I need to-"
"Why you little- How dare you!" Hissing Plasmius shot out a red ray and Danny didn't dare let an attack that strong hit his shield. Making his spectral tail he lurched to the side, placing distance between them. " You dare travel through time!? After everything you told me… Everything that you did, you just - you hypocrite!"
"What? - Ah!" Before Danny could say another word a burning bolt of crimson rushed him. It collided with his shield, shattering it immediately. Thrown backwards he was slammed into a wall, hearing the concrete crack behind him. Wincing at the hit he forced himself to dart away, just as a ball of ectoplasm smashed into where he'd been.
" I just knew you were only thinking of yourself! Lying to me! But I'm not as stupid as you assumed I was!" With a crack! Plasmius teleported in front of him, a punch rushing to his face. Swiftly Danny bent back to dodge, kicking out his leg and shooting a ray from it at the same time. His attack was avoided easily, Vlad using that chance to grasp his ankle. At once immense pain ran through Danny's body, a strong electric stinger coursing down his leg.
He cried out, momentarily stunned by the shock. Plasmius used that to throw him, sending him crashing into the ground. Groaning from the hit Danny pulled himself to his knees, shaking his head to push away the dizziness and forced his rings closed. Landing next to him Plasmius raised his hands, energy building in them.
"But this time… Oh, this time I'm not letting you push me around. Not anymore! You see Danny, all these years I've made sure to grow stronger. Made myself to be stronger than you've ever been! Now this time it's you that's going to regret disobeying me!"
Danny swallowed, throat suddenly dry. Seeing the pure, utter hatred on Vlad's face he knew that this wasn't going to end well…
###
"Keep heading down here Jazz, the readings gone haywire!"
Tucker held his device high, it beeping like crazy. Jazz just focused on driving through the downtown district, hoping that they weren't going to get in trouble going through a private work zone. In the back seat Sam was preparing a blaster, making sure that it was charged and ready.
"Sound's like Danny's in a ghost fight. Is it the Box ghost?"
"No way! This guy's signature is too strong for him. It's… one of Danny's stronger foes."
Jazz swallowed, but didn't say anything. Already she was pushing her luck. They weren't thrilled she was here, nervous to say too much about her brother's ghost-hunting history. But it was best not to argue with them when Danny could be in danger.
Sam leaned over the gap in the seats, studying the PDA's screen. "Then it narrow's down the list… Let's hope it's not Walker again. That jerk's been weirdly quiet."
As they drove, a flash of green lit up the sky. Jazz slammed the brakes so hard the car stalled, the engine quiet at once. There was a faint rumble in the silence, another flash flickering across the window.
"Looks like we found him." Sam breathed in her ear, raising the blaster. "Let's leave the car here so we don't reveal ourselves too quickly."
Nodding Jazz turned the lights off, her nerves starting to spike. She wanted to help Danny with his ghost hunting, try and give him more support. But suddenly the whole thing seemed crazy. Even as Sam grabbed another weapon and Tucker clicked a Fenton Thermos to his belt, it seemed stupid that they were going to get in the middle of a fight by themselves.
Keeping behind them they jogged through the dark warehouses, letting the sounds and lights guide them. They rounded the corner- and Jazz got the first clear look at Danny's ghost fighting firsthand.
Phantom was shooting two green blasts, deep in concentration. The balls of green did nothing to a pink shield, the ghostly foe rushing towards her brother. In response, he made an emerald shield, but the ghost in the white cape disappeared, reappearing behind him. Danny didn't have time to react and received a powerful punch to the jaw, sending him reeling. Before he could defend Danny was punched twice more; one in the chest and another in the face again. Grabbing the front of his suit he threw Phantom down onto the roof, Jazz hearing a sickening thump of the impact.
Her heart leap into her mouth, stifling a cry at seeing her brother get hit so violently. For a horrid moment she thought the ghost was about to end him. But Phantom lashed out with a vicious kick to the gut, twisting out of the grip to dash away. Jazz saw the green drip from the corner of his mouth, the flicker of panic on his face as his foe chased after him.
"Great. It just had to be Plasmius…" Tucker's voice sounded annoyed, but his body showed his dread. The mood of the other two had swiftly changed.
Jazz inhaled to calm herself, tightening her grip on the blaster. "Plasmius… isn't that the Wisconsin ghost?"
"Yeah. Sadly that guy is a bit… Well, he's a little Fruitloopish." Tucker cringed, unbuckling the thermos from his belt. "He's got some weird beef with Danny. Like, bizarre beef. Not to mention all the crazy talk about-"
"-Something's wrong." Sam cut off Tucker, frown creasing her nose. " He hates him, but I've never seen Plasmius fight Danny so… aggressively before. They usually fight insulting each other. But they're silent. This…Something feels wrong."
Jazz felt herself grow cold. If his friends were worried, then it must be bad. Sam turned off the safety, staring at her to make up her mind.
"Okay. Let's try and deal with that Fruitloop before he notices us. Jazz, stay behind us but keep that blaster ready. Plasmius is annoyingly unpredictable, so watch out for anything." Without another word, Sam started running in the direction Danny had gone.
Charging up her blaster Jazz followed, staying close to Tucker. As they jogged he abruptly grinned, speaking between panting breaths.
"You should know Plasmius is a half-ghost like Danny."
"W-What!? That's- Really?!"
"Yeah," Seeing her disbelief Tucker's grin faded, uncapping the thermos. " Total Fruitloop. But also mega dangerous! He's low enough to attack you to hurt Danny, so you've got to be careful around him, Jazz."
"But if he's a half ghost too… Why is he attacking Danny?"
Tucker chuckled. "We've been asking the same thing! All we know is that he's been trying to defeat Danny since they met. Always ambushing him at the worse times… A real piece of work. But he's nuts! Always talking about ending him before he hurts anyone else. We've tried to work him out but… No idea."
That instantly made Jazz nervous, jumping at another flash of green. She knew some of the enemies he fought didn't like Danny, but she hadn't realised that some of them wanted her brother dead. Clasping her weapon in both hands she debated on calling their parents. Maybe… maybe it was time to tell them the truth before Danny got himself completely killed…
###
He needed to keep his distance, Plasmius's attacks were becoming more and more vicious. What was worse he wasn't listening, attacking him with a strength he'd never seen the half ghost use against him. Danny grunted as he landed heavily on the ground, summoning a dome barrier to block another hot bolt from turning him into a crisp. Annoyingly his core was starting to hurt from the energy use. With dread, Danny knew he'd become rusty at Hogwarts.
His shield shattered, Danny lunging to the side to avoid Plasmius as he thundered where he was. He had to try and break through to him. "Vlad! You need to stop! Please, you've got to listen-"
"-Oh no you don't!" Plasmius snarled, twisting around to face him. " I know what you're doing! You think shifting to look like your old self will make me trust you. Make me fall for your old tricks. Well, I'm afraid it's not working this time!"
Plasmius kicked off to rush him. Danny didn't bother to try to fight back and used his speed to bolt away. High in the air he twisted around, palms raised. " I don't know what you're talking about Vlad!"
Below Vlad glared, smirking darkly now. "Just drop the act Danny. I'm not playing your little games tonight." The smirk fell, gaze narrowing. "I already figured out long ago that you were deceiving me for your own gain. Using everyone else to get what you wanted. To think that I once thought you might understand. I was a fool to think that I could trust you!"
With that he fired a pair of rays from his eyes, Danny having to twist out of their way so that he wasn't run through. Danny was starting to panic. None of this made sense! Sure, Vlad would be furious that he had left him at Hogwarts suddenly. But this didn't feel like that. It felt more… more personal than a grudge against him leaving halfway across the world. But Danny didn't understand what was going on. And he knew if this continued, Plasmius could waste him for real.
As he went to run Vlad teleported again, a punch smashing into his face. He was happy that he wasn't using his duplicates, but the power level of his attacks was jarring. A level that only his strongest foes used.
Wincing from the blow Danny made a barrier between them, using that moment to clear his head. "I'm not fighting you Plasmius!"
"Oh, aren't we? Always the high and mighty Phantom, right? The one that can do no wrong!" Plasmius skirted his wall and grabbed the front of his suit, his face furious. " You might think what you did was right, but your selfishness cost them everything! I knew I shouldn't have left… Now, look what's happened!"
"What's happened?"
"W-what!? Is that all you can dare say!? Don't you understand, you idiot! Harry's still dead!"
Danny froze, all but forgetting that they were in the middle of a heated battle. "That's impossible-"
He didn't get a chance to say another word. With a snarl, Plasmius zapped him with a strong stinger, the energy burning through his system. Danny screamed in pain, his rings threatening to return him to normal. Struggling to stay conscious he felt himself start to fall, Vlad letting go of his suit. Snapping out of his daze he caught himself, softening the fall just enough as he crashed into the hard concrete.
Shaking his pounding head, the revelation of what he'd just been told hit him. It couldn't be true! He'd saved Harry from the shade and protected the stone from Voldemort. No way could he be dead!
With panic, he knew that Plasmius was coming up behind him and sharply turning Danny fired off a blast. Yet instead of his green ectoplasm, a wall of blue ice rocketed from his palm. It creaked forward in a rush, spikes shooting up uncontrollably in all directions. Plasmius leapt aside, the sheet sailing past.
This new power's cold terror returned, and Danny immediately cut off the attack. He gasped as the icy chill surged, his arms coated in frost. He couldn't lose control now! Inhaling in the hope it would stop the shaking Danny tried again.
"Listen to me! I seriously don't understand what you're telling me! Harry can't be dead, we both saved him from the shade! The stone was safe!"
Plasmius drifted closer, though he was now obviously wary of his ice. " Oh please! Don't try to confuse me-"
"-I'm the one confused!? The last thing I remember was you leaving to explore the castle! After we protected Harry from Luna, remember? Look; I'm sorry if you're angry with me for leaving you alone at the castle. It wasn't on purpose! I didn't have a choice as I had to return to this present. But if you stop for one second Cheesehead, I can explain why I was at Hogwarts twenty years ago!"
At his frustrations Plasmius floated down, eyes narrowed as he studied him. Slowly he broke his glare to stare at his wall of ice. Danny refused to look away, hoping that his serious expression would make him understand he was telling the truth. Something had happened to the timeline, and he needed to know what as quickly as possible. If Harry was somehow dead… then he needed to know what had gone wrong.
Vlad stared at his ice for a moment longer, his brow furrowing. " That pillar is pathetically formed, your worst… You haven't done that since…You truly have no idea?"
"No, I don't! Why is Harry dead Vlad? Did Voldemort come back and kill him after I left? I thought Albus had the stone destroyed, so the shade couldn't have come back to kill him. What happened!? How did Voldemort kill him?"
"Voldemort!? Typical that you want to try to pretend…that you weren't…" He slowly faded off, Vlad's words only making his frown deepen. Thankfully he seemed to have finally started listening, the fight leaving him briefly as he pondered over something. Suddenly his pupil-less eyes widened, inhaling sharply through his nose.
"Cinnamon rolls! That's what he meant! Why he became so obsessed about his death…Blast it, Why didn't I see this sooner, it all makes sense now!"
"What… do you mean?" When Danny spoke, it seemed to remind Plasmius that he was there. Vlad stared at him expressionless, before he glared suspiciously up at the sky. At least Danny was relieved he wasn't attempting to waste him anymore.
After searching above Vlad drew his attention back, now highly guarded. "I'm not… exactly sure yet if my theory is correct… But if you are that Danny, then… It's possible you might be in danger. Don't you even think about lying to me anymore! You'll regret it if you do! Have you seen-"
But suddenly there was a loud click! and a blur rushed behind him. To Danny's utter amazement it was Tucker, a Fenton thermos raised high in his hands. With a whirling noise Plasmius was caught in the pull, being torn backwards into the device. The half ghost roared in fury, twisting to see who dared try and contain him. But he was already trapped in the thermos's pull. With a swirl of blue smoke, Plasmius disappeared into the device, and Tucker swiftly capped it shut.
The silence that rang afterwards was deafening, Danny dumbfounded. Tucker himself looked equally shocked that the plan had worked, slowly uncurling his fingers from the cap. Then abruptly he grinned, holding the thermos in the air.
"I caught Plasmius!… Oh crud, I caught Plasmius…" Immediately his grin vanished, holding out the device as far away as he could. "He's going to kill me for that!"
Danny swallowed, knowing that he should say something. But his mind was a chaotic mess. This timeline was different. Harry might be still dead. Something had gone wrong between then and now. But what, wasn't clear yet. All he knew was that Plasmius had seemed to have still turned evil and now hated him even more than usual.
Suddenly Jazz and Sam ran up to join them, panting from the effort. Sam spotted the thermos and smirked. " Nice one Tucker! Finally caught that creep!"
"Yeah, you can say that! I'm the one that's going to be burnt alive once he's out."
"If he gets out." Chuckling Sam took the thermos from him, giving it a good shake. " I think he deserves a… timeout from all the trouble he's given us. Maybe we should leave it here? Or maybe even better we leave it at the bottom of the lake-"
"-No!"
The three jumped when Danny suddenly cut in. He instantly realised that was weird. " Err, I mean! I think a day in there should be enough…"
Sam's eyes narrowed, placing her hands on her hips. "Okay. What's going on Danny?"
"Nothing's… going on."
"Oh Really? First your acting weird at school and the next thing Plasmius appears to beat you up!"
He rubbed the back of his neck, seeing three pairs of eyes locked onto him. Of course, he was going to tell them about Hogwarts! But right now… finding out how bad time had been torn to pieces was more important. "Seriously, my weirdness… isn't a big deal-"
"Then Dude, what's with that?" Tucker thumbed at the towering wall of ice. Shards were breaking off and crumbling to the concrete, but it was still pooling off a chill.
"Um… Surprise! I have a new ghost power!"
"Danny-" Jazz had tried to say something, but Tucker cut in.
"Whoa! You can make ice now? Since when!?"
"Since… today?" Danny was getting nervous, staring at the thermos. All he could think of was Vlad's theory that he might be in danger. And if time had changed, then it was a high possibility. What if the timeline of the war, the destruction of the world was still about to happen?
As angry as Plasmius would be, he needed that thermos. " Well… Um, awesome catching him Tucker! I'll just kick him back out to his portal-" As Danny had reached to take it from Sam she stepped back, holding the device away.
"Nope, no way! You're not getting this until you explain what's happening, Danny! Because I know something's happened. And you're hiding something. Why was Plasmius trying to waste you more than normal?"
" Because he's a jerk." Danny frowned, annoyed as to where this was going. " Look, guys. You're right. Something has happened. But it'll take all night to explain it, and I promised I'll tell you tomorrow. And… it's not that urgent I tell you- I hope."
"But Plasmius has something to do with it, right?"
"Yeah." Sighing Danny let his hand drop to his side. Suddenly he was feeling drained. Fighting Plasmius at full strength had taken it out of him, and he wasn't used to this level of battle. Abruptly his rings summoned themselves, reverting him to normal. Once his ghost form was gone all his aches and pains surfaced and he winced, feeling the sting of his torn lip.
Jazz saved him, stepping between him and Sam. " I think Danny should get home, he's exhausted. We can… discuss this in the morning. But I think I should get him to bed."
Normally he'd be angry with Jazz butting into his business. But this time he was grateful and nodded in agreement. Sam bit her lip, then relented.
"Fine. Tomorrow. But I'm keeping this." Scoffing she attached the thermos to her belt, strolling off the way she'd come. Danny sighed again. Looks like talking to Vlad would happen later.
He followed Jazz to where her car sat waiting. Tucker strolled beside him, completely ignoring his glum mood. "So when did you realise you could make ice? That would have been a useful power to have with Pariah Dark."
"Like I said, today. It's… I haven't got the hang of it yet."
"You should try to do a demonstration tomorrow. That is if you don't get attacked by a ghost before then."
That's right, ghost hunting. He'd forgotten his sleepless nights would be coming back. He'll need to get these powers under control immediately. But now he wondered whether finding Clockwork would come first.
The ride home was eerily quiet, Sam wasn't talking to him and Tucker didn't want to take sides. Jazz hadn't said a word, driving each of his friends back home. Danny watched Sam sneak off to the back of her house, shaking the thermos as a reminder of his promise. Then they headed home, parking a little's ways down so their parents wouldn't hear the car.
He helped Jazz sneak into the house unseen but swiftly retreated to his room to avoid questions. Once inside, his gaze fell onto his computer and a thought came. If time had changed… then that could mean other things about his past had changed too.
Nervously he logged in, quickly finding his ghost report files. All the names were there; Skulker, Johnny, Ember, Spectra. There weren't any new ones he didn't know nor was Luna's name added. But curiously he opened up Plasmius's file and his heart sunk with what he found.
It was different. Whoever Danny had been before him, the entry they had made was something he never had written. All the basic information was the same. They had met at the reunion party, his annoying powers no different to what he remembered. But the journals of his experiences with him had changed. Slowly, Danny read it softly.
" Vlad Plasmius -a.k.a- Vlad Masters. Also a half ghost. Though it would have been nice to have some help, sadly this guy is nuts. A complete Fruitloop! First encountered at my parent's college reunion party, his mansion/lair, Wisconsin. Weirdly this guy must have already known I was a half ghost as he freaked when he first saw me. I have no idea what his problem is, he hates me. Went on about this guy "Harry" -Dead? Another ghost?- and how he's furious I just left everyone and did nothing?… I've got no idea what he was talking about, but he acts like we've known each other for a long time.
Asked Dad about him, but he doesn't know that much. This guy had an accident like my portal while they were at college, but after that he just disappeared for years. Mom and Dad have no clue as everyone thought he was dead. Then just randomly showed up again a few years later at their doorstep. I might need to investigate more on that.
The weird thing is, he knows all my moves. Can block everything. Need to figure out a strategy to avoid this. But also claims I can do things I can't. Like make ice, wail or teleport. Also stupidly thinks I can shape-shift and demands I stop looking like myself? I think the old man's gone senile and is confusing me with someone else. Need to watch out for him, I'm sure he seriously wants to waste me.
Update! It looks like this guy knew about my Ghostly Wail before I knew it. Could Plasmius have known I'd meet my future self? Jazz has told me my evil self shape-shifted into me to trick her, so I wonder if Vlad's been confusing me as him all this time? I'm not sure, but I'm going to confront him about this…"
Danny swallowed, reading briefly through the powers he'd listed to confirm there were no changes. That was nothing like he'd written in his reports. There was nothing about his parent's history with him, his revenge scheme to get with his mom and kill Dad. It was all the proof he needed. He was now in a new timeline, which was very different from what it was before.
Slowly he leaned back on the chair, chewing the inside of his cheek. Crud. Maybe Harry was dead? But if that was true… then why did Clockwork tell him that everything was fixed!?
He needed air. Turning invisible just in case Danny made his way up to the Operations centre. Outside on the balcony the night's air was cool, the signs that winter wasn't far off. He flicked back into sight and slumped down to sit against the railing, his legs dangling over the edge.
What did he do wrong? Vlad had still turned evil, but his reasons for hating him made no sense at all! And other than Plasmius's odd words, nothing else seemed strange. His friends were normal, Mom and Dad were their same old wacky selves. Though… it dawned on him that the night was strangely peaceful, missing his usual ghost ambushes. Danny looked up into the night sky, familiar constellations staring down at him. Maybe a patrol would make him feel better-
"-I knew it!"
Danny yelped as Jazz's head shot up from the ladder, eyes narrowed. " I just knew something was going on with you!"
"W-What! Jazz! What are you doing!?" He scowled as she stomped to the level, crouching beside him.
" You always come up here when you're worried. That means something's bugging you." Ignoring his glare she sat down, leaning against the railing. "Talk to me."
He flashed his eyes green, but sighed when it did nothing to scare her away. He had wanted to tell Sam and Tucker first, they deserved it from the worry he'd given them. But there was a jumbled mess in his mind, so much so that he doubted he would sleep unless he sorted it out. " I've… well something has happened today. Kind of today… You remember that Time ghost, Clockwork?"
"The one that helped you stop your evil future?"
"Yeah… Well, he showed up in class today. And… He might have sent me back into the past for a while."
Jazz sat up straight. "How far into the past are we talking about?"
"Err… Twenty years into the past… For… For about nine months."
Her jaw dropped, staring at him in stunned disbelief. He supposed that knowledge would be difficult to process. Even he thought it strange saying it out loud. But suddenly Jazz slammed her fists together, scowling. " I knew it! I wasn't going crazy!"
"Wha-?"
"Stand up." Jazz jumped to her feet, dragging his arm with her. Danny pushed himself up, frowning as his sister glared at him intensely.
"I was right! You have gotten taller!"
"What!?" Instantly Danny freaked, taking a step back from her. But Jazz nodded, quickly turning around and gesturing for him to do the same. Reluctantly he did, feeling Jazz's hand on the back of his head as they pressed their backs together.
"It's not by much, but I noticed it when you stood at Nasty Burger. I thought I was going crazy because I swore you weren't that tall this morning! But you've grown half an inch."
Danny turned back to her, swallowing. Clockwork had changed his hair and clothes back, but that must not have meant everything had changed. Looking at Jazz he realised it was true, it was such a small detail he hadn't noticed. But of course, his sharp sister would have.
Feeling a little lightheaded from the news he sat back down, Jazz joining him. "So you've been in the past… that explains the bizarre behavioural change. But… why? Why on earth did he send you back?"
With a sigh, Danny rested his head against the railing and told her. Told her a simplified version of everything about Hogwarts, the shade, Harry and Vlad. What had happened in those nine months that now seemed like such a long time ago.
Jazz listened without questions, her lips thin as he spoke of his emerging ice powers, fighting with the shade of Voldemort and about the magic and wonder he'd seen. And most importantly, his mission to protect them from dying in a broken future.
Once he'd finished, Jazz wrapped her arm around his shoulders, pulling him close. " Oh Little bro, all this time… No wonder you were acting clingy with Mom and Dad; you've been gone from us for so long."
Danny chuckled, " Well, suppose it was a break from all the ghost fighting, I guess. It's one way to look at the whole thing as a positive."
That didn't seem to please Jazz at all. " But… you've been on the other side of the world! With no one to help you…" Her voice trailed off, and suddenly something came to her. " The other half ghost. Vlad."
"Yeah. At the time I hated being stuck with him, but Vlad ended up being a key to winning. Without him, I wouldn't have won." As he said it he frowned, the night returning to him.
"That's why you were worried? You're upset he attacked you tonight?"
"It's not just that. It's… because the timeline has changed. I thought that by allying myself with Vlad in the future we would become allies now, I might have a powerful ally in case another Pariah Dark event happens later on."
He sighed again, feeling embarrassed admitting it. "Just the thought maybe the only other half ghost out there would help me instead of wanting revenge on Dad. Made me…hopeful. That maybe… he'd get a second chance. But instead, he's evil again and now hates my guts…" He paused to look at her. "I'm upset the future is different. But nothing like I thought it would be. If Vlad was right tonight… even after all that hard work Harry might have died anyway. And that means the future where we lose each other might still happen…"
Jazz's worry mirrored back. It wasn't a lovely thought; that time might still be spiralling out of control.
"Danny… don't worry about that now. You've gone through an extremely stressful trauma these past months. Both with your evil future and spending time in this… magical adventure. What you need to do now is reground yourself. There's nothing you can do about it tonight anyway. Sam's got Vlad sealed in a thermos, he's not going anywhere."
"That's why I'm worried. Vlad was about to warn me of something. And if that something has anything to do with Lucrezia or Tam, it can't wait long. I need to be careful of this future and what it might have become from the changes I caused. Who knows what else might be wrong with it…"
Jazz sighed, then smirked at him. " Wow. I never would have dreamed you'd be worried about putting yourself in danger. You've finally matured a little. The Danny before would have pushed me away and told me to mind my own business."
"And this Danny still wants you to mine your own business!" He chuckled as Jazz punched him lightly. " When you've got the fate of the future on your shoulders you've got to take things seriously! But you're right… there's nothing I can do until tomorrow."
That seemed to ease her mind, relaxing when she saw that he was feeling better. Wishing him a goodnight Jazz retreated into the depths of the warm house. But Danny remained sitting there, studying the familiar star constellations that he had missed for so long.
AN: ... Woo, I'm back, finally! I had hoped that after only a few weeks I could get right back into posting. But other than personal stuff getting in the way I quickly realised that I needed to do some deeper planning. A lot of planning. Probably too much planning. Especially the following four chapters. Way back when I first published this story, I had an outline of the ending if it continued on from Book 1. So I thought it was full steam ahead. But I quickly realized I needed to flesh out some key parts and the ending for these time shenanigans to work. So that's why it took so long. Though this means that I've got a bank of chapters drafted, and hopefully will update this story weekly again!
Thank you so much for reading, and all your favs, follows and reviews! Now strap yourself in, because these following few chapters will be a bumpy ride! (I'm excited about these ones.)