Epilogue: Clockwork

Time out.

I appear in Vlad Masters's living room, where he and Danny are locked in an embrace, frozen with the rest of time in this room. I slip a Time Medallion around Vlad's neck and watch him blink back to life.

"Clockwork?" He wiggles out of Danny's arms then squints in confusion when the boy continues to stand there hugging nothing. "What's going on?" Vlad then notices the object dangling from his neck and examines it. He asks suspiciously, "What is this?"

"A Time Medallion," I explain. "It allows the wearer to exist outside of their timeline. Or, in this case," I add with a meaningful glance at Danny, "to move freely while time is frozen around them."

Vlad absorbs this then glares at me. "Does this have something to do with my 'progress' and how interesting am I to you?"

"They don't call me the Master of Time for nothing. I can see infinite timelines, infinite paths each person can take. For instance, there are timelines where Danny imprints on you and sometimes one other person." Vlad's eyebrows shoot upward at that. "There are also cases where neither one of you becomes a ghost until you are old and gray. Personally, the one that amuses me the most is the one where you cause an asteroid to hurdle toward Earth."

"W-what?" Vlad sputters. "How would I even manage that?"

I shrug and don't tell him. "On occasion, however," I point to Danny's frozen contentment, and Vlad follows my gaze with a dawning realization, "there are timelines that are so unlikely that even I cannot see them until certain events fall into place." My lips curl into a grin. "I like these ones. They are humbling, reminding me that, for all of my knowledge and power, I am only a ghost."

After a moment, Vlad asks, "How is this less likely than me sending an asteroid hurtling toward Earth?"

Again, I don't answer. "Of course, sometimes an extra push is needed in order for necessary events to play out. Sometimes, I must…place certain objects where they wouldn't normally be."

Vlad figures it out quickly. "Daniel's note. The one where he mused about forgiving me." He points at me. "You put it in my bedroom! But…but, why? I don't understand."

I swallow a chuckle. "Do you know why this timeline was so unlikely, Vlad?" I point to him. "Because of you."

He places his hands over his chest. "Me?" he repeats with wide eyes.

"You might be surprised to hear just how few possible timelines include your atonement. And, even less where you are successful."

Vlad hangs his head in shame. "I'm not surprised."

"Exactly," I reply. He lifts his head, curious now. "The moment you chose to protect Amity Park while Danny was away, this timeline was set in motion."

"That's it? That was nothing! According to Daniel, I wasn't even that good at it!"

I shake my head. "I'm sure you are familiar with the butterfly effect. In which," I hold the palms of my hands as close together as I can without them touching, "the smallest thing can have the biggest impact." I hold out my hand toward Danny. "A boy cheats on a test." I move my hand toward Vlad. "A man helps a sickly child in the only way he can think of."

"S-so…so…" Vlad stammers as he struggles to piece it all together. "My 'progress' was toward…what? Daniel telling me about Dan?"

"That was part of it. Part of your path to atonement, which is what I was actually referring to. You've come a long way, and I'm proud of you. Now, let's see you continue on this path. I'm going to return time to normal." I nod toward Danny. "Resume your position so Danny isn't too confused. And, no, you can't keep the Time Medallion."

Vlad almost laughs and retreats back into Danny's arms. "Thank you, Clockwork."

Ah, yes. Everything is as it should be. "A lot of people have given you another chance. High time you gave yourself one."

Vlad's eyes fill with tears, but his smile is genuine as he nods his head.

Time in.

This went on longer than I expected, but I'm happy with it! I used to think that "Lights, Camera, Phantom!" was my favorite in this series, but I might have a new favorite. Or, maybe a very close second.

"The Reckoning" was sort of a Season One finale. This is one can be considered the end of Season Two, I think. I plan to slow down on this series to work more on other fics (I've said that before, but this time I mean it), but I'll be back with Season Three soon enough. See you then!