Here we go. I had hoped to get more than just a few chapters written before I started posting this but I think it's time. This is the third fic in a series of stories I started over 10 years ago, (the first being Escape from Fear Island, followed by Making the Grade) but I think you'd get by without reading the other two. My writing style definitely changed between my first and second stories (I'm hoping for the better) so it is a little jarring. Feel free to read before you jump here, or just read the small recap below:

- Escape from Fear Island took place at the beginning of May Freshman Year. Making the Grade in July right before the beginning of sophomore year. We are now in April – Trio is 15, Jazz is 18, graduating and debating over her options for next fall.

-3 level of ecto-energy. Base (everything between invisibility – ecto-blasts), Core energy – obsession base but can also be based on how you died and raw energy – rare that combines energy surrounding your death with any type of offensive attack drawn from your core.

- Fentons know about Danny after MtG. Season 3 (apart from PP) has happened with some tweaks in the episode plots. Perhaps I might write a companion story one day to help bridge the gap, but I think this works on its own.

- Danny has a power that lets him split his consciousness when his core believes they need fixing. Sometimes can have conversations in different forms or in their mind.

-The Ecto-storm is basically a hurricane power than uses Raw energy. Since Danny's "death" was from the Fenton Portal, he holds the power of the entire ghost zone within his core, which makes this power unstable.

-Maddie knows about Vlad. Danny doesn't know she knows.

-Ethelwulf is a shapeshifting ghost, a mentor introduced at the end of Making the Grade. Ethelwulf has been training Danny at Clockwork's behest and also doubles as his ghost doctor. Frostbite and Ethelwulf are friends.

-Canon pairings established in season 3. If you want to read into anything pairing wise, be my guest, but my intention is usually clearly stated.

Thank you to everyone taking time to read this story - I honestly am so grateful to be a part of this wonderful community. I can't promise regular updates, but I promise I will update when I can.


The screens of time all lit up at once around the old time ghost. Clockwork watched as past events adorned the screens, flashes of battles of Danny Phantom and various ghosts over the past year displayed. One moved to a ghost with curled purple horns with a black body adorned with stars. Clockwork turned to that screen as the ghost started to speak.

"His dreams are becoming more Clockwork," Nocturn told the ghost, frowning in the implication of what this might mean. "It's no longer just images from his subconscious, it's almost prophetic."

Clockwork frowned worriedly. "I was afraid of this," he replied, moving into his adult form. "The future, any form of it, in the hands of mortals is troublesome. Time is fickle; when it senses a paradox, it loses its patience with its Master."

Nocturn gave the Time Master a wry smile. "Interesting," he said, "That the King of Dreams and the Master of Time were brought down by a 15 year old mortal who toes the edge of death."

Clockwork chuckled in spite of himself. "Danny Phantom might have bested you but he has not defeated Time." Clockwork gave Nocturn a searching look. "At least, not yet. Are you sure that these visions that he's started to see are not fears being manifested and combined with elements of the future?"

Nocturn nodded. "These are not his own thoughts," the dream ghost assured. "What will we do?"

Clockwork's eyes moved the one screen showing what's to come. "Seven," he murmured, "It's getting closer." The time ghost shifted forms again before moving back to Nocturn. "My grasp on time is slowing. I cannot stop what is to come. Once the paradox starts, I will become irrelevant. We'll need to trust that he is ready."

Nocturn nodded, disappearing from view. Clockwork let the screens play out behind him as he floated down to wear he kept his Time Medallions. There were only a few left. Grabbing them, he turned back to the empty Clock Tower sadly, before turning his gaze to the cracked thermos of the table. You realize, the boy is your responsibility now. As is his evil self, now that he exists outside of time. Clockwork remembered solemnly. He replied that he knew everything. Unfortunately, that came with a price.

"Good luck."

:-=-:

Head propped up by his arm, Danny sat hunched over his open homework with a look of intense concentration on his face. He tapped his pencil absently, reading the question for what felt like the hundredth time. This would have been a whole lot easier if he was actually in Lancer's class when they talked about the Shakespeare text. Stupid Box Ghost. And Skulker for distracting his parents, making him miss class for said stupid ghost.

"You should tell her."

Danny closed his blue eyes as he breathed out in frustration at the intruder. "I'm not having this conversation right now," he replied, not turning around. "Right now, I'm reading… wait… what are we reading?" Danny sat up quickly, dropping the pencil as he flipped the book forward and read the title again. "Macbeth."

The voice snorted. "Yeah, sure you are," he said drily. "So focused that you managed to split your consciousness without realizing it. Again."

With a heavy sigh, Danny spun his chair around and glared at his ghost half. It had been almost a year since he discovered this aspect of his powers, and while it came in handy from time to time, he was often annoyed at the frequency his ghost core seemed to talk to him about topics that were off limits. Like the one he's been nagging Danny about for months.

"You should tell her," Phantom urged again, a smug smile gracing his lips as he floated at the foot of Danny's bed, arms crossed.

Danny put his arms on his knees and looked at the ghost glumly. "I'm not telling her," he said tiredly. "It's –"

"The perfect time," Phantom argued. "After all that's happened -Nocturn? Undergrowth? Gregor? Walker? You know exactly what will happen. What's stopping you?"

"Everything," Danny admitted, letting out a shaky breath. "I can't tell Sam I like her. It'll change everything."

Phantom rolled his eyes. "That's the point Fenton," he said sarcastically. He gave his human half a pointed look. "You want things to change, don't you?"

Danny was about reply when his sister burst into his room, throwing open the door mid-sentence. "Danny, Mom told me to- Oh," she stopped, blinking at the two versions of her brother in front of her. She smiled wryly. "Again?"

"Shut up Jazz!" both Dannys replied automatically.

"You say that now," the girl said, coming into the room, hands on her hips. "But at least I'd rather talk to other people than myself. Besides, you and I both know you'll tell me eventually. What is it this time?"

Phantom, to Danny's dismay, told the girl readily. "I'm trying to convince him to tell her," he told Jazz, elbowing her slightly.

Danny groaned, putting his head in his hands. "Dude," he bemoaned, "Not cool."

Jazz perked up at her brother's annoyance as she realized what they were talking about. "I'm all for this," she said, making Danny's face flush red beneath his hands. "Sam's amazing and has liked you for ages. You liked her too, even if you've been too clueless to see it."

Still red, Danny peeked his face out his hiding spot. "I hate you both," he said bitterly. "Seriously, I'm done talking about this. She's my best friend. I'm not doing anything to wreck that. I'll just ignore it and we'll all move on."

"Uh-huh," Phantom said sarcastically. "Remind me again how repressing your feelings when you have a power that literally makes you talk about them is going to help you move on." Danny let out a frustrated groan as Jazz just laughed at his plight.

"Oh right," Jazz said, wiping tears from her eyes. "Mom told me to remind you that they're handling patrol tonight so you don't have to worry about holding back with Ethelwulf. Or your homework."

Danny cringed. "I almost forgot about that," he said, jumping out of his seat. Left eye turning green for a moment, Phantom disappeared, returning to the teen instantly. Danny wasted no time, transforming himself into his ghost half and floated in the air in front of his sister. "Tell them thanks and –"

"If there's an emergency, they'll call you," Jazz said seriously. "Danny, it's been months, we know the drill. Besides, the Ghost Getters are a pretty good B team."

"Team Phantom," Danny corrected with an eyebrow raised. "And I know, still doesn't make me happy about it."

"Of course you not," Jazz retorted, a sly smile appearing on her face. "It's cause Sam –"

Danny made a string of noises that were a combination of high pitches and coughs. "Not going there Jazz!" He yelled, blushing slightly as he flew through the floor, the kitchen and down to the lab. It had changed significantly since Danny revealed his secret back at Vlad's mansion in Wisconsin over the spacious lab now had multiple extensions that lead to a proper armoury, a medical wing (at the insistence of his parents), and a large computer console with multiple screens connected to cameras across the city. The lab was still pretty spacious (for training purposes his Dad said) and housed many prototypes that were all waiting to not key into him anymore.

Danny eyed the ghost gabber evilly at the top of the pile as he flew across the lab in front of the Fenton Portal shining across from him. "Here's hoping Dad finally gives up on that one," Danny muttered, pressing the genetic lock on the portal. Its yellow and black doors opened, and Danny flew into the swirling green vortex of the Ghost Zone.

:-=-:

Danny stood, looking around determinedly as waiting for the attack to come. Sensing movement, Danny flipped into the air, narrowly missing the wave of ice sent by Frostbite. Danny rolled in the air, eyes turning blue as he sent icicle spears toward the yeti. Danny then teleported, missing the blast sent from Ethelwulf. The wolf ghost ran at the spot Danny was just in, before skidding to a stop. Gnashing his jaw widely, he turned to Danny, who had two large ecto-blasts at the ready.

"Very good Danny," Ethelwulf praised. Danny unleashed the blasts in succession, causing the ghost to block it with his leathery black wings. "Glad to see you've got a handle on teleportation."

Danny smiled at the praise, before dodging a flurry of attacks from Frostbite. The large yeti brandished a large club of ice, swinging wildly at the teen. Danny created an ice shield, block Frostbite's attacks. Seeing Ethelwulf charging an ecto-blast, Danny stood his ground. Arms outstretched on either side, his right eye turned blue as he started to shield on both fronts, ice on one side, ecto-energy on the other.

"Keep going Great One!" Frostbite told him, watching Danny struggle slightly. "Remember that using both Core energy and Base energy together is difficult but necessary if you want to get to your Raw energy."

Danny pushed back against both of his shields, sending a blast of energy toward both of his mentors. Ethelwulf and Frostbite both skidded across the floor, blocking the attack. Danny's emblem appeared at his feet as bluish white electricity appeared at his fingertips. His eyes, still holding both colours, shone brighter still as he held a ball of it in his hands. Frostbite charged again. Danny dodged each attack, managing to hit the yeti with a strong jolt of electricity, throwing him backwards. Danny charged at him, throwing large discs of electricity toward him. Frostbite held up a shield as the discs hit the shield, pushing him back some more. Danny landed on the ground, staring down his opponent before hearing a crash of thunder. Gasping in surprise, Danny turned to see Ethelwulf launching a large hurricane of ecto-energy toward him. Danny waved his arm, sending a series of sparks into the air to block the attack. He yelled in exertion as he not only blocked the onslaught but started to absorb the power sent in his direction.

"Unleash it!" Ethelwulf yelled through the roar of the energy.

Danny didn't need to be told twice. With a yell, Danny created waves of white electricity out towards both set of ghosts. He felt his powers solidify as he felt the current of the electricity flow through his core and outwards. Danny flew up slightly, bringing the electricity with him and threw all of it in the direction of Ethelwulf. Unfortunately, the wolf ghost teleported, sending the attack to nothing.

"Up here," Ethelwulf called to him. Danny whirled around quickly, only to be hit with a stray ecto-blast. He fell to the ground hard, all electricity leaving him and his emblem fading. Danny laid on the ground for a few moments before he sat up, groaning as the two ghosts floated over to him. "I think that's it for today."

"What?" Danny asked dumbly, shaking his head to clear it.

Frostbite and Ethelwulf turned to each other, amused. "Thanks for joining us Frostbite," Ethelwulf told the Far Frozen leader. "It was good practice for him to use these attacks all at once."

"Don't mention it," Frostbite replied. He smiled thoughtfully. "It was good to see the Great One having more command over his Core powers. My people may let him come back to train again!"

Danny groaned in annoyance as he stood up slowly. "I mess up one time and then I'm suddenly banned from all arena events!" he cried out angrily.

Frostbite raised an eyebrow at the young boy. "You sent icicle spears to the audience. On multiple occasions."

Danny winced. "Right. To be fair – I did have bigger things on my mind."

"Ah yes," Frostbite said wistfully at the memory. "Undergrowth. Besides, you have since come into your own. Shame we couldn't test your Ecto-Storm Great One."

Danny turned to Ethelwulf, confused. "I can keep going," he told the ghost earnestly.

Ethelwulf eyed the boy before he frowned. "Not today, Halfling," he said sagely. Ethelwulf bowed his head to Frostbite, who did the same to the wolf and then to Danny. Danny nodded awkwardly at his friend before Frostbite flew up and out of Ethelwulf's lair. Ethelwulf then turned his attention to the young ghost in front of him. "Come," he said, leading the boy further into his lair.

Danny followed, observing parts the lair in mild interest. The area around them was normally pitch black when training, but as Ethelwulf walked, it transformed, the green vortexes of the Ghost Zone started to peak through the darkness. His main lair was further away; a large green mansion that Sam reckoned was from the late 1800s. Now that the glow of the zone shone down at them, he noticed more of the ghost plants blooming under the… ghost light.

"Hey Ethelwulf?" Danny called out. The ghost hummed in response. "Why stop? I was on a roll that time."

Ethelwulf chuckled at the boy's insistence as they came up towards the main lair. He raised a paw to the door, signalling it to open, before floating inside. "Your powers have improved, but I see your mind is as forgetful as ever."

Danny frowned at the jab, but followed Ethelwulf towards an open area with two red arm chairs. Ethelwulf flipped in the air before landing on his back legs. He looked more like Frostbite now, but still had his black fur and yellow eyes. He gestured to Danny to sit, doing so himself. Danny looked at him expectantly, but Ethelwulf merely stared back, slightly amused as he waited for something. Danny's brow furrowed. "I was fine," he replied adamantly, trying to reassure his teacher.

"Were you?" Ethelwulf asked mysteriously. Danny looked at him quizzically while the wolf ghost continued. "Remember that your raw power interacts with your core powers – if there's something bothering you, your core will know and it will cause you to be unbalanced. In using your raw energy like you were, you should have sensed my presence above you. So why didn't you?"

Danny flinched slightly at the accusation, looking away from his mentor. "I thought I was fine," he mumbled thoughtfully. "I could feel the electricity from the accident awaken with the cold iciness from my core. It felt right, strong."

Ethelwulf's yellow eyes watched the boy carefully, reading his body language. "Has your core reached out to you?" Ethelwulf prompted. Danny turned back to Ethelwulf with wide eyes, giving him the answer. Ethelwulf sighed. "Danny, When you split your consciousness-"

"My core is trying to tell me what's blocking me, I know," Danny finished, annoyed. Ethelwulf raised one of his eyebrows , again trying to prompt Danny to admit what was going on. They sat in silence as Danny chewed on his lip in thought, almost fighting with himself to admit why his consciousness split the last time. "I really don't think…" he started before he sighed. Danny put his hand to the bridge of his nose and closed his eyes. "It happened earlier." Danny opened his eyes. "Apparently, I need to be honest about… a thing… only… I'm pretty sure it'll change things for me."

Ethelwulf chuckled. "You mean your friend Sam, right?" the wolf asked. Danny sputtered incoherently and blushed furiously. Ethelwulf laughed at the boy in front of him. "I don't know much about humans and potential mates, but I trust you'll figure it out in the end. I doubt it'll change that much for you. Is that truly the only reason?"

Danny frowned in thought. "It's the only reason we seem to split. Kinda annoying really."

Ethelwulf looked at him searchingly. "Nothing else?" Danny shook his head. They sat in silence, Ethelwulf still looking at Danny expectantly while the boy just looked at him confused. Realizing there was nothing left to say, Ethelwulf sighed. "Very well," he said, dismissing the boy from his interrogation. "Let me make you some tea before you head back to your world."

:-=-:

It was dark, just like it always was. He could hear the old ghost talking again – he could wait to destroy him when he escaped…

They were fighting now, parrying blows…. a scream… or was that his scream? The pain was getting almost unbearable. It was almost as if his core was imploding…

The wails collided, bouncing off each other as they were locked in combat. He felt himself fading but there was no way of knowing for sure. Suddenly, Ethelwulf was joining the fray… and Clockwork was there? But how?

He was tired… run ragged from the battles. Whatever he managed to heal was definitely not healed anymore. The raw energy in front of him flowed through his veins as it battled against the dark red eyes of his worst enemy. It intensified now, all consuming. He couldn't take it….

He let his powers flow through the thermos again, sensing another weakened part of the wall. Good, it was getting easier to sense the outside world now. He couldn't wait until he saw this 'new' world. His younger self was going to pay…. After all… he was inevitable.

Danny bolted upright in bed, gasping drastically. His palms were clammy as he breathed hard, trying reassure himself that he was fine. Every so often, he dreamed of his fight with his future self, reliving those particular fears and worries. However, they had lessoned since his time on Fear Island and gaining the Ecto-storm.

Shakily, Danny looked down at his hands. Why does this feel so real? he thought. Danny's breathing slowly became normal, yet he couldn't stop shaking. It was almost like – no, that couldn't happen. Danny sat in bed for a few moments, glancing briefly at the alarm clock under the mini ghost shield. It was midnight.

Realizing he wouldn't get back to sleep right away, Danny decided to get out of bed. He stretched quickly, vaguely noticing that he was stiff from his training session with Ethelwulf. I wonder if Mom and Dad are back.

He walked out of his room quietly, hoping that he wouldn't alert Jazz, and made his way downstairs. While he was grateful to her for listening, he didn't want to bother her with these dreams again. She was graduating this year, and while he didn't want to admit it, he needed to figure out how to manage his own issues. Besides, Jazz still needed to pick her college and Danny had a sinking feeling she was trying to choose one close by for reasons other than her own. Reaching the bottom of the stairs, he noticed the light on in the kitchen and smiled slightly. Sure enough, Danny met his ghost hunter parents at the kitchen table. "Hey," he greeted softly.

Maddie and Jack both looked up at their son's voice. "Danny?" Maddie asked, concerned. "What are you doing up so late? Was it your ghost sense?"

Danny shook his head. "Nah, just needed a glass of water," he said, making his way to the cupboard for a glass. "How was patrol?"

"Just that hooligan moto-kid and his shadow," Jack said, a little glumly. "I didn't even use the thermos!"

"Remember Jack, that's a good thing," Maddie reassured gently, sharing a knowing smile with her son. "Ghost attacks have been relatively low now that Danny is getting a handle on more of his core powers and making some great allies."

Danny frowned slightly at that as he filled the glass from the tap. He always felt uncomfortable when people brought up how much power he possessed; it was a constant reminder of what might happen if he went dark. He shuddered in remembrance as the dream came to mind again.

"You okay sweetie?" Maddie asked him, bringing him out of his dark thoughts. He turned to his Mom and she pointedly looked down to his hand. Following her gaze, he realized his hand was not only shaking…but freezing the glass and all its contents within.

Danny sighed heavily and after a brief pause, made his way to the table. "Not really," he admitted, sitting down to face his parents. "Just a bad dream, nothing to worry about."

Jack and Maddie looked at each other with a frown before turning back to the teenager in front of them. Since finding out their son's secret, Danny had shared so much about his life as Phantom, and they started to become closer. However, in moments like this, where Danny seemed older and yet more concerned or worried about something personal, he would often distance himself, falling back into familiar patterns of hiding it away. It was distressing to both parents, but they accepted that as long as he confided in someone (usually Sam, Tucker and Jazz) and wasn't in over his head during a fight, that they'd let him be. This however, seemed like an invitation for them to be in on the conversation.

The family sat in silence, waiting their son to speak. "Do you want to talk about it?" Jack coaxed eventually.

Both parents watched Danny frown in thought as he debated his options. "It was kinda strange," Danny said, surprising both parents at his openness. "Do you remember when I told you about the C.A.T.?"

"That was the time you met Clockwork right?" Maddie probed.

"Yeah," Danny confirmed quietly. He let out a long breath. "Also, the time where I faced an evil version of myself."

Maddie nodded, frowning as she watched Danny's face cloud in regret and unease. "And won," she added, trying to reassure him.

"I think he was there," Danny said quietly, ignoring his mother's attempt of comfort. "In the dream. Only… it was disjointed. We were fighting I think? But then I was in the Fenton Thermos? And Clockwork and Ethelwulf was there. It just felt so vivid and real."

"It's just a nightmare Danny," Jack comforted. "That ghost is locked away in a Fenton Thermos and you are certainly not going to become evil. There's too much good in you for that."

Again, Danny ignored the attempt of support. "I don't think so," he replied. "When I woke up, I thought I heard him speaking. I could almost feel the battle wounds I didn't have. I think …" Danny paused for a few moments, trailing off in thought before he shook his head. "It's stupid. You're right – he's locked away. It's just a nightmare." He stood up slowly. "I should really be getting to bed. Thanks for listening."

"Anytime," Maddie said, smiling at her son. He bid them goodnight and went back upstairs, leaving the two adults at the kitchen table. Maddie stared at the kitchen entrance and waited until she heard the faint click of his bedroom door. She sighed worriedly. "Jack…" she started.

"I know," Jack replied, also concerned.

"That's the third nightmare in two weeks," Maddie turned to her husband, frowning.

"I'm actually surprised he admitted it this time," Jack said. "Jazz said he wouldn't even tell her about them anymore. Should we ask Sam and Tucker?"

Maddie paused in thought for a moment before answering. "Let's talk to Jazz," Maddie suggested. "If Sam and Tucker know more, they'll be likely to tell her- not us. Maybe they can convince him to tell Ethelwulf. Or Frostbite."

"I know we're worried… but they're just nightmares." Jack assured. He frowned at his wife's silence. "They are just nightmares, right?"

Maddie sighed tiredly. "I hope so."

:-=-:

Ethelwulf sat patiently, waiting for evidence of his visitor's arrival. Right on time, Clockwork's clock portal appeared, slowly revealing the time master in his old man form. Yellow eyes met red as Clockwork settled into the arm chair in front of the shape shifter, the sitting room only illuminated through the green light of the Ghost Zone.

"He hasn't said anything yet," Ethelwulf said, breaking the silence. "How many timelines left?"

Clockwork said nothing. Instead, he reached into his cloak and pulled out a few more of his time medallions. "This is the last of them."

Ethelwulf frowned, but nodded. "I see – we're close. Does he realize it yet?"

Clockwork shook his head. "Nocturn has been keeping an eye on his dreams since confirming the visions in their fight. They're definitely glimpses of a future, but we're still not sure if it's the future. He's starting to feel aspects of them now too."

Ethelwulf nodded again. They sat in a comfortable silence before the wolf ghost spoke again. "Should we tell him?" Clockwork said nothing and Ethelwulf's patience started to wear thin. "Where's your 'Everything is as it should be' Clockwork? We've been training this boy for what exactly?"

Clockwork smiled softly. "You care for him," he said. Ethelwulf glared half-heartedly. Clockwork sighed. "Not yet. We need to confirm it's started before he knows. We must wait for the right time."

"Which is when exactly?"

Clockwork's old, weathered face looked into Ethelwulf's, bearing the true weight of what was to come in his words. "I don't know."


Hoped you liked it! Leave a review or a follow if you did. See you next time

MATW