A/N: Well, everybodee, *sniff*, this is the end! I hope it ties up some loose ends for you. Here is the Epilogue. Enjoy!

Gold Tested in Fire—Epilogue—Aftershock

Maddie Fenton was slowly recuperating from her bout of the ecto-bends thanks to her husband's help. Nevertheless, the woman had also insisted on addressing their unfinished business; namely: to rescue the Mansons, Foleys and Grays.

For once, Sam and Tucker didn't worry about having the elder Fentons help their families. After all, they had to admit that Danny's folks had done a bang-up job of curing them of ecto-acne over a year back. Besides, the Fentons had also assured the two teens that their method of helping their loved ones would not include spinning them around that gyrating table!

Instead, Jack—with Maddie's inpute since she couldn't actually do that much yet—carefully administered that antidote for the 'sleeping sickness' that Jack had made while the Mansons, Foleys and Grays were still in their Ghost Zone 'cocoons'. That way, the Fentons felt that they would recuperate faster, since the antidote was made out of ghostly materials.

Danny's parents had been particularly worried about Sam's grandmother at first, but thanks to a quick decision to pump her with fluids via intravenous therapy—and then taking her to the hospital—the old woman began to respond satisfactorily. In fact, Sam had told them that Millie would be released within the next few days.

Finally, all of Sam's and Tucker's families and the Grays finally began to rouse and their 'cocoons' were dispensed with before they could fully waken. The Fentons knew it would still take quite a bit of time for them to fully recuperate since they had been without food and water for so long. In fact, once Sam's and Tucker's families and Valerie and her dad were aware enough to try to make some sense of things and they had found out what day it was, they had convinced themselves that they must have been suffering from some kind of bug—even though that was really hard for them to believe because not only did they feel completely rested, but had voracious appetites!

But what they didn't know was that Jack's antidote had actually given them a much needed burst of energy as well. So, except for Sam's grandmother, all of them had nearly miraculous recoveries.

In the meantime, of course, the Fentons had also checked over their still unconscious son. They had to give him fluids intravenously as well; otherwise, they concluded that he was alright except for the fact that his brainwave patterns were slightly askew. They hoped it would be because he had been completely exhausted and not because of any mental scars.

They had also placed their son in his own 'cocoon' created by an out-pocketing of the Ghost Zone similar to the ones they had placed the Mansons, the Foleys and the Grays in. Maddie and Jack knew that Danny would heal much faster by drawing directly from the energy within the Ghost Zone. And during that time, it also had the bonus of nourishing him through a sort of ghostly osmosis process…

The citizens of Amity Park had also fully recuperated from being overshadowed by Vlad's silhouette duplicates and had amnesia from it—as all humans had after being overshadowed by any ghost.

Of course, the people couldn't figure out why Central Park was in such a mess; but then again, they knew that being in the most haunted town in the world did come with its share—really more than its share of—the very bizarre. The town immediately set to work at cleaning up the area—even without the direction from an obviously missing mayor…

In the meantime, Sam and Tucker had almost fully recovered themselves after getting some nutrition and sleep—though for Sam, at least, it wasn't all that restful, especially since Danny had virtually been in a coma for the past three days from utter exhaustion. So, to keep from going crazy with the wait, the two teens set to do some work while their half-ghost friend recovered…

One of those things was to review a lot of the tapes of Danny's trials and tribulations that Vlad had recorded—a creepy habit that the creep made sure that he did in all of his dealings with their best friend. Tucker had extracted all of that from the computer shortly after Vlad had been defeated.

Tucker had also easily figured out that the microchip that Spirto had removed from behind his best friend's ear had been used to sync Danny's brainwaves with the simulation room so that Danny had actually thought everything that had happened to him had been real—even when it wasn't for the most part.

The two human teens had no idea just how much punishment Danny had taken and how long he had to endure it until they went through almost all of the files, most of which took place while they had been poisoned.

Their heart really went out to him.

They had also found out the name of the poison that Vlad had used on them: Formula 286 psi-1A, as well as other bits and pieces of the billionaire's master plan that had been completely foiled.

In addition, Tucker filled Valerie in with the details soon after that. He had invited her to come wait with him and Sam until Danny woke up, but she felt she needed a few days herself to fully recuperate and make sure her dad was okay. After making sure she was okay with his going, Tucker made his way back to Fenton Works.

Finally, Sam and Tucker went to work painstakingly analyzing and dismantling the phone devices that Vlad had installed in all of the homes of the people that Vlad had poisoned before he had even captured Danny.

The two teens had already dismantled similar devices on the Manson, Foley and Gray phones before those families had stirred; and they were now working on the final one in the Fentons' living room…

"Wow," Tucker breathed out as he studied the readings his PDA was reporting on the phone device. "I have never seen parameters like this before! The technology behind it must almost be as futuristic as my, heh-heh, PDA!"

The boy pushed a few more buttons as his PDA scanned the phone device.

"How many times are you going to say that, Tucker?" Sam growled as she watched on.

Tucker smirked goofily and quipped, "Well, technically, this will be the last time since we've already gotten rid of the other ones—even though it was sweet figuring that all out no matter how long it took!"

Sam glared at him slightly and replied, "Okay, then. Then, I'm going to say for the last time that I don't care about how much technology Plasmius has or uses or whatever! All I care about is getting rid of this spyware and then seeing how Danny's doing!"

Tucker glanced up briefly and caught that glare. He gulped a bit before saying, "You know I'm worried about Danny, too, Sam. But can't a guy admire another guy's cool stuff?"

Sam scowled a bit before crossing her hands over her chest in annoyance.

This time, however, Tucker didn't cringe even when he could swear she was looking right through him yet again. He knew she was just worried about Danny; and really, so was he. But then, he jolted a bit at his next thought. Not only did he know she was upset, but he sensed that she wouldn't carry out the threat that her body language was seemingly conveying to him. Then he did swallow a gulp at the next strange sensation. She wouldn't carry out her threat this time, at least. He didn't know why he knew this just from glancing at her, but he somehow knew.

But then he shrugged and continued to run a scanning program on the device like he had done with the others before he would disable and remove it from the phone.

A few minutes later, when he was through reviewing his PDA's conclusions about the phone device, he wryly said to his female friend, "Even though I know you don't care, Sam, I'm going to tell you that this is some of the most sophisticated stuff I've ever seen. I'm not even sure if I will be able to figure out the technology for quite a while, even with the help of my just-as-sophisticated-but-much-cooler PDA."

Sam just frowned in disapproval of his seemingly flip—and repetitive—remark.

Once again, Tucker ignored her as he said, "Still, it's a shame that Vlad used this kind of technology to help keep Danny. Just think of how much money he could have made putting it to good use."

"Knock it off, Tucker! That creep put it to his own kind of 'good use'," Sam sarcastically said. "Do I have to remind you that he did use that 'sophisticated stuff' to keep people like Jazz from finding out what was going on? Not to mention that he was keeping Danny and his mom hostage and playing cruel mental games on our best friend—and bent on bumping us and our families and friends off?"

This time, Tucker did cringe. He had to agree with her. At the time, he had also sensed that, somehow, even if the feeling was somehow dulled and distant. "Yeah, right, Sam. Okay. Enough said about the technology. Now what are we going to do?"

"Wait for Danny to wake up," Sam worriedly said as she plopped down on the living room couch.

Tucker immediately frowned when once again, he could sense her apprehension. She had no idea what kind of mental shape Danny was going to be in once he woke up….

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Jack and Maddie Fenton were sitting at their new dining room set drinking hot coffee when they heard some moaning!

They both turned to the device.

Though Maddie had originally objected to the idea, she was now glad that her husband had suggested their using Danny's old baby monitor so they would be immediately alerted when their son finally stirred.

Jack could feel the pit of his stomach tighten in worry. After all, Sam and Tucker had told them about the tapes and had showed them a few clips. And there were those upsetting brainwave scans…

"Danny must be getting up!" Maddie excitedly said just as she reflexively shot up from her chair, only to groan in wooziness.

Jack was already at her side and steadying her when he insisted, "Hold on, sweetcakes! You're still weak too, ya know. Besides, don't you remember that we both agreed that it was better for Danny to have his friends there when he first woke up?"

Maddie bit her lower lip and regretted her decision momentarily. She had wanted to be the first one there when Danny woke up, but she was only feeling better herself just since this morning. But she knew her husband was right. She wasn't strong enough for her son's sake to take whatever reaction he might have after everything that had happened to him...

Especially when she had only been able to stomach watching just a few of those 'trials' that her son went through thinking he was protecting her. It had deeply upset her—and it was still gnawing at her. She just couldn't believe all of the horrific things her son had endured. And so, she knew deep down that she didn't want to be there when Danny first woke because she didn't know how she would react to how he might be. After all, she had to admit that he didn't need someone becoming hysterical if how he reacted was badly…

Still, the woman was hoping that all would turn out fine with her son as it had been with his friends' families and the Grays. Her wonderful husband's antidote was actually more effective than the formula that Tucker had found in Vlad's computer files.

Nevertheless, Maddie's heart fluttered in both anxiety and anticipation even as she walked with difficulty to the door connecting the kitchen to the living room and gently called out to Sam and Tucker.

The two teens hadn't even heard the rest of what the woman had said as they darted up the stairs after she had informed them that she thought that Danny was waking up.

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Danny frowned when he heard…nothing! Yet, he could tell that he was lying on something soft and had something draped over him. He shifted a little; and though he felt as if for once in his life since he had become half-ghost that he had had a good night's sleep, he groaned again before he began to open his blue eyes.

And then he gasped when all he could see was green and black swirling all around him. Was he in the…Ghost Zone?

The thought threw him into a slight panic. Maybe his nightmare wasn't over!

Suddenly, however, he startled slightly when the green and black atmosphere dispersed instantly after Tucker deactivated the protective bubble in which Danny had been placed when his father and friends had gotten him home.

"About time you got up, sleeping beauty," a familiar female voice dryly said.

Though Sam seemed to say that in her usual goth persona, underneath, she was both relieved and worried that her boyfriend was finally awake. She could already feel conflicting emotions stirring within him. Still, she didn't say anything else for the moment.

"Yeah, dude," Tucker began, only to slightly snicker, "Your snoring could wake the dead!"

Sam rolled her eyes but said nothing.

Tucker then teasingly added with a weak smile, "And you're beating me in the record of how many hours slept in a row and I don't think I'll ever be able to match that!"

Though Tucker was trying to be light-hearted; underneath, he, too, was anxious about his friend.

After all, both of Danny's friends had seen enough of the recorded encounters he had with all the ghosts in the Ghost Zone to know that his reaction could very well be totally off the wall. Not only that, but they could plainly see that their half-ghost friend's eyes weren't focusing well yet.

Danny tried to blink the blurriness out of his eyes. Hearing his friends' voices had momentarily calmed him. And then he realized that though he was still very groggy, overall, he felt very rested. In fact, he now remembered having a gazillion dreams—even up to the time he finally awoke—but he couldn't remember any of the details, especially when all of the dreams seemed to bleed into each other…

However, he suddenly gasped in panic again when he thought he did remembered one of his vivid dreams—something about his friends being in danger….and imagining lots of other things.

His voice cracked a bit when he suddenly bombarded them with lots of frantic questions. "S-Sam? T-Tucker? A-Are you for real? Where am I? Why are you here? What happened? Are you all right? Are you really for real?"

Tucker waved his arms to signal his friend to calm down as he replied, "Whoah! Slow down, dude! We know you've kinda been in another world, especially being totally out-for-the-count for the past three days, but…"

"I've been sleeping for three days?" Danny gasped in disbelief and alarm as he jumped to sitting position. But he immediately felt dizzy and uttered, "B-But, I feel…well, okay, I guess…Uh, are you really for real? And you're not kidding me about the 'three days thing' like the last time, are you, Tucker?"

Tucker genuinely shook his head before he glanced at Sam. When their eyes met, he smiled and nodded his head at the same time in understanding before she threw her thoughts to her boyfriend. They had already discussed how they were going to handle this…And they knew it was the best way to be absolutely clear on things…

Danny jolted a little when he felt a slight pressure in his head before he heard the reassuring voice of his girlfriend only in his mind.

"You're not dreaming, hallucinating or the victim of any cruel Plasmius mind games, honey. We have a lot to tell you; but right now, we're just happy that you're awake and…"

"And not acting all spazzed out right away!" Tucker unexpectedly chimed mentally in.

Both Sam and Danny startled a little at their friend's sudden telepathic comment and Sam mentally and physically frowned and said, "Tucker!"

"Well, I am glad," Tucker defensively said. "Besides, Spirto said…"

"Spirto!" Danny blurted out loud in slight panic yet again as a flood of memories seemed to envelope his mind an instant later. "N-Now I remember, a least a little bit!"

Tucker and Sam jolted slightly at their friend's outburst, but they waited to see what their friend would do. They were not relieved when Danny closed his eyes and suddenly fell completely quiet.

As the young hybrid's mind wrestled with the emotions that had immediately kicked in shortly afterward, his two friends immediately saw the change in his face.

Sam could also feel the radical and frequent shifts in his mood…

Though she reflexively wanted to help him, she and Tucker had already agreed not to rush him in these first crucial moments after he had awaken.

But then, Danny opened his eyes and his two friends couldn't hide their own sympathy when they could see that they reflected a different kind of blueness than their color.

Nevertheless, Sam managed to quietly say, "Hey, let's go tell your parents that you're up, okay? That is, if you want."

His parents!

He hadn't seen them in what seemed like forever! But when he was suddenly aware of feeling worried more for his mom, he anxiously blurted out, "Are they all right?!"

"Their fine and our families are fine, too," Tucker began. "In fact,…"

"Something was wrong with your parents, too?!" Danny anxiously interrupted his friend.

Sam's eyes threw darts at the dark-skinned boy; but Tucker hurriedly said, "Well, uh, kinda! But not anymore. Everyone is okay and so is everyone in Amity Park…" He suddenly smirked and almost crowed, "Except for Vlad, that is!"

Danny frowned in confusion. Why did his male friend say it like that?

"What do you mean, Tucker?" he finally asked.

Danny was now certain that he clearly didn't remember all that much. He frowned in concentration; and in the very next instant, a flood of some very bad yet vague memories—including some evil things that he had done—filled his mind.

But his thoughts were interrupted by his male friend.

"Don't sweat about that right now, okay, dude?" Tucker added as he weakly smiled and assuredly and sympathetically placed one of his hands on his best friend's shoulder. "We're going to tell you everything. But for now, how about if we go see your parents?"

Danny thought about it a moment and then slowly nodded in agreement. He started to get up; but he immediately lost his balance.

But he didn't fall.

His two best friends were immediately at each of his sides supporting him.

"Thanks, guys," Danny humbly said. "I really don't deserve to have friends like you. I mean, after all, you don't know what I've done, even if…"

He suddenly stifled himself. He was too ashamed to admit not only of the failures he remembered, but the evil he vaguely sensed he had done. He suddenly startled when his mind cleared a bit more. He hadn't even realized that he had thrown his friends off balance for a second with his startle before all three were stable again. But he was especially upset when what Tucker had said earlier about Vlad riveted his mind. He had been in a fight with the older hybrid, but now he couldn't remember what had happened!

"V-Vlad!" he stuttered in a panic, now afraid that he had committed the worst of tragedies. "D-Did I-I…?"

"No, you didn't, Danny, because you couldn't," Sam assuredly and softly replied. "And we know everything that happened to you, Danny. But if you don't want to talk about it right now, we understand."

"Yeah, we're cool, bro," Tucker sympathetically piped in.

Danny sighed. He did and didn't want to talk about it. At least, not now. Though he felt that he had essentially recuperated physically, mentally, however,…

But then the young half-ghost's mind radically shifted gears and he pulled slightly from his friends and almost yelled out, "You said I was out-of-it for three days, right?"

Both of his friends nodded.

Danny then continued, "Then I don't understand it. I don't remember when I ate the last time and yet I feel as if I haven't missed a meal, either!"

"How about we let your dad explain it, okay, dude?" Tucker softly suggested. "And like we said, we're going to tell you everything that you want to know—when you're ready."

Danny reluctantly nodded his consent and the trio of best friends finally made their way downstairs and to the kitchen….

Maddie Fenton's heart fluttered in both anxiety and anticipation as the multiple footsteps she had heard were obviously drawing closer to the kitchen.

Finally, her amethyst eyes met his crystal blue ones and she relaxed a bit. She could tell in that quick glance all that she needed to know since she—like all good mothers—seemed to tap into that special bond that they shared with all of their children. She could tell that even though her son wasn't completely himself, he would be all right in the end. At least, that was what she hoped.

Nevertheless, she didn't jump up to embrace him just yet even when her motherly instinct wanted her to, but she also didn't want to cause any kind of a scene right now in case she lost her balance again. After all, she was still weak. But more importantly, how he was doing far outweighed any of her desires at the moment.

Jack, however, was already on his feet and approaching his son. He stepped back a bit, however, when he realized he wasn't having to crook his neck downward as much whenever he looked at his son.

He immediately said, "Say, Danny, I know we haven't seen each other for longer than I would have wanted…But, uh, have you grown, son? You seem taller or something."

Danny abruptly froze when another memory seemed to slam right between his eyes….

Vlad was talking to him…

"No, son, you weren't losing power. You were having a growth spurt during that time, which ended shortly before your encounter with Pariah Dark and you became a full ghost. Your ghost-half's growth spurt was, of course, happening at a more rapid rate than your human-half's growth spurt. But since your human-half's growth couldn't keep up with your ghost-half's rate, your ghost-half would at times go 'off line' or dormant for a lack of a better word until your human-half spurt could catch up. In a way, that did result in a power loss, but it was only temporary and seemed to be brought about whenever you were straining to use your ghost powers. But since you're different now, you won't have another growth spurt again."

The young half-ghost stumbled over his next words, "Y-Yeah, something…and different."

He really didn't know how he felt about it. After all, he had experienced all kinds of 'growing pains'.

The group fell silent for several moments. Danny's family and friends had hoped that Danny wasn't going to have any permanent mental scars from this whole thing. But from how he had just made that comment, they weren't so sure…

Finally, Maddie finally broke the silence.

She addressed her son, "How about something to eat, sweetie? It's nearly lunchtime anyways. And of course you know that Sam and Tucker are welcomed."

Tucker grinned since he was very hungry because Sam hadn't let him eat anything since they had gotten up and met here.

"Here, sweetcakes, let me get lunch started for everyone…Uh, so that you can sit and talk to Danny without any interruptions, okay?" Jack hurriedly said just as his wife was beginning to stand.

Maddie's eyes widened when she understood that her husband was warning her about trying to stand without his help. She sat right down and replied, "Thanks, honey."

Jack smirked slightly and hurriedly began to fix some sandwiches.

She turned to her son and asked, "So, sweetie, I'm so glad you are feeling better, uh, aren't you?"

"I'm fine, mom. How are you?" he automatically replied.

Maddie hesitated for a moment. She could tell that he must not have known that she was Vlad's prisoner, too. That worried her because she also knew that he wouldn't have gone through what he did if he didn't think she was a prisoner…But he did think she had been a prisoner…of the Observants.

Still, she didn't want to bring that up and—more importantly—didn't want to upset him. But she had to say something…

Finally, she simply—yet nervously—replied, "I'm fine. So, I hope you were comfortable in your Fenton Wraith Wrap, uh, were you?"

Danny scrunched one side of his face and cluelessly asked, "The wah-wah, whatta?"

Maddie's face lit up when her son's reaction was more 'normal' that it had been when he had first come into the room and she excitedly repeated, "The Fenton Wraith Wrap!"

She then proceeded to bombard him with all the details on how she and his father had devised the invention…

In the meantime, Jack, who was still working on preparing lunch, could tell that the conversation had gotten better—especially since he was always 'all in' when it came to his and his wife's inventions. In fact, he had reflexively tuned in so completely that the next thing he knew, he was slathering mayonnaise on his other hand!

The large man grunted in slight irritation and promptly washed his hands and returned to making the sandwiches without his hand as a garnish!

But then, Jack was almost through when he stopped. He was going to fix Sam her sandwich…when he could see...

He pulled away from the countertop, and went over to the girl. He could see that his son actually looked a little interested in his mother's explanations and was glad that he wouldn't distract them from the moment.

He bent slightly over to his side and discretely whispered to the girl so that only she could hear, "Uh, I'm sorry, Sam, but we're out of peanut butter. But if you want, I can…"

"A cheese sandwich with lettuce and tomatoes will be just fine, Mr. Fenton," Sam whispered back with a weak smile.

It was high time that she had a more sensible diet—just in case she should need a reserve in strength. She now knew all-too-well that any shift in balance away from the strict regimen of vitamins and supplements that she had to take on her ultro-cyclo vegetarian diet to keep her healthy meant that her endurance and strength would be as useless as it had in helping her boyfriend in a dire situation like he had just endured. She never wanted to worry about that again.

The man smiled gingerly and went back to finish.

Finally, all were eating a hearty lunch of sandwiches, potato salad, fruit, and brownies.

But oddly, they all ate in silence.

Danny ate the most, but it wasn't because of any growth spurt like he was having before. He ate because he was very hungry!

After they were through, they all went to the living room.

Danny didn't notice that his father had carefully hid the fact that he was actually supporting his mother. Instead, the man looked like he just had his arm around her waist as they sat down as one unit on the couch.

The three teens took up the remaining seats and all of them lay back slightly and remained silent as they enjoyed the 'comfort of a full-stomach' moment.

But then, the phone rang and Jack hurriedly answered it.

The rest of room tensed because they could easily tell by the look on the man's face that it was an unexpected call…

"Yeah, Maurice, he's here…"

Jack's face twisted to all kinds of interesting positions as he reacted to what Tucker's father was telling him. In fact, Jack barely got another word in within the next several moments:

"S-Sure…Oh, I didn't know…Yeah, we like….S-Sure…All-right….Are you sure you and Angela are…Oh, okay….Oh hi, uh, Ang—S-Sure…Uhm, I'm not sure…Well, if you insist…tonight….at six? Oh, okay…Bye!"

Now a bit worried, Tucker immediately asked, "What did my dad say, Mr. F? Is he okay?"

"Oh, is he! He sounded downright hyperactive! And your mom kept interrupting him and adding her two cents every few seconds," Jack replied with a perplexed look on his face. "And they told me that there's a big football game scheduled for tonight. They are really hyped about it and they knew we were fans, too; and so, they insisted on coming over and having a tailgate party here without the tailgate, of course."

"But why didn't you just say no, Jack?" Maddie mildly protested. "It's not because we don't want to see them, it's just that Danny may not be up to it right now."

Jack scratched the back of his head in slight embarrassment before he replied, "Well, sweetums, I did try to get out of it for Danny's sake, but Maurice was just so excited and, well, I just didn't get a chance to even ask Danny, much less, say 'no'. Gee, I can tell that the antidote to that poison worked a whole lot better than I had hoped! Hmm…wonder if it'll give you more zing than ghost coffee, then?"

The man gasped and covered his mouth when he realized his gaffe. If he hadn't been more in a 'food comfort' mood than the others, he might have been more careful.

But as it were, it was too late.

"What poison? They were poisoned?" Danny suddenly asked in worry.

At first, no one said anything.

But then, Danny continued with a little irritation in his voice, "Look, everyone, you can tell me what happened. I'm not going to break…"

He suddenly stifled himself. He had been broken…hadn't he? And he almost…

But his thoughts were interrupted when Tucker excitedly chimed in, "That's great because I've been wanting to spill it ever since you got up!"

Jack, Maddie and Sam held their collective breath in worry until Danny actually smirked slightly at his best friend's response. He could always depend on Tuck to be square with him in the end.

That, however, was enough of an ice breaker for everyone to start telling the young hybrid what had happened to them while he was Vlad's prisoner…

But as Danny listened, he felt his heart constrict with conflicting emotions yet again…Vlad had stopped at nothing in this recent scheme of his. Why? And why had he had crossed the line? Didn't he know…

The boy shook his head with both frustration in and incomprehension of the man's actions. And when the others saw that, they grew quiet, especially since they really didn't think about how Danny might respond to what they had been talking about. But they could soon see that the young hybrid had actually tuned away from the conversation…and he was nervously wringing his hands….

In the meantime, Danny was indeed lost in his thoughts and didn't even notice that the conversation had trickled to an end.

He still couldn't understand why the man was still obsessed with him and his mom, especially to be willing to do such hateful things all in the name of 'love'. He suddenly felt that the least the man deserved was what Spirto had done to him—if not more…

Yet, the boy suddenly regretted the evil intention behind his last thought…He had no right; after all, he wasn't much better since he almost...

He tried to throw the thought away and another thought crept into his recovering mind.

Tucker had said that he had wiped out Vlad's computer files and memory chips and had stored their contents in his futuristic PDA. And his best friend had even showed a few snippets of those recorded encounters that Danny had remembered too vividly…

Though a part of him was relieved that they weren't real, Danny was still as upset at seeing them as he had when he had been 'living' them. After all, Vlad had succeeded in breaking him—even if it were temporary. And the man had almost succeeded in getting an evil son…

Danny felt his throat tighten with guilt again. Though he didn't remember most of it since he really was out of his mind at the time, he knew that he had a strong desire to kill Vlad when he had him in his power….He frowned…but something stopped him…His mind was still blurry about that…

He sighed when he could feel a headache come on, so he tossed away any further thoughts about it. After all, he really didn't want to deal with the disappointment in himself and with his anger, and hurt…

"Are you alright, sweetie?" Maddie finally asked her son. She couldn't stand the fret in his face.

His parents and friends had been getting more worried the longer Danny remained disengaged. And they could plainly see that he had never stopped wringing his hands.

"I'm alright, Mom. But I also hope that you're okay. Vlad was such a jerk!"

Everyone tensed again because Danny had growled that out and they could feel the anger and resentment in his words.

But then, Danny finally felt the group's tension. He also realized that he was probably giving off painfully obvious vibes that he still was not all that well…in fact, he really didn't want to talk about it anymore.

Nevertheless, he sighed, "Look, everyone, I'm sorry. I guess I'm still kinda tired…"

And wanting to radically change the subject and move on, he added, "Uhm, shouldn't we start getting ready for the football game, Dad?"

His companions got the message right away that they were through talking about what had happened to the young hybrid.

Jack hurriedly glanced at the clock and saw that his son was right. He excitedly replied, "Yes! I can't believe that we've been talking for hours! And, oh, my! Your parents will be here any second, Tucker! Time to get our snacks ready."

The man promptly left the living room and headed toward the kitchen.

"I'm all in!" Tucker chimed in. "I'm sure my mom is going to bring my favorite dish: food!"

Everyone but Danny chuckled softly as Tucker left to follow the man.

And even though, the Maddie and Sam had been uncomfortable with the radical change in conversation, they and Jack and Tucker had all agreed to let Danny be in control of it for now. Besides, having at least two of the males act more normally might help Danny out; and in the end, the game might be even a better distraction for the young half-ghost.

Suddenly, the doorbell rang. The Foleys were right on time and since Sam knew that Danny's mom wouldn't be able to get up without help, Sam quickly let them in.

As the Foleys and Sam made small talk, and they steered toward and then into the living room, Danny continued to sit with his hands clasped and on his lap.

Underneath, Danny was already regretting seeming to be interested in watching football because he really didn't want to do that—or do much of anything else for that matter.

Maddie looked briefly at her son with worry; but then, she smiled, greeted the Foleys, and motioned for Angela to sit next to her and chat.

While the adult women talked and Tucker's father turned on the television to search for the correct channel, Sam finally sat down next to her boyfriend.

He looked up and when their eyes met, Sam sensed something.

A heartbeat later, Danny heard her ask him mentally. "Want to talk?"

"Well, I know you don't want to watch football," he quipped back to her mind.

"Duh!" she telepathically replied. But then she quietly added, "So, do you, uhm, want to go up to the Op Center? The sky is supposed to be clear tonight and I'm sure the star gazing will be great."

"Sounds good," he quietly replied.

Just then, Jack and Tucker came in with extra snacks and the other adults roared in approval.

Sam took that as their cue. She grabbed Danny's hand, and they silently skirted out of the room and slinked up to the Op Center and to the outside deck attached to it.

There was a slight chill in the air. Since she could feel the heat behind the door, she shut it, sat down and leaned against it.

Danny sat down right next to her.

At first, neither of them spoke and just gazed up at the stars. The twinkling heavenly bodies seemed to wink right back at them.

Finally, Danny turned to her and softly said, "I don't know if I'll ever be the same, Sam."

Sam could feel a hint of sadness in his voice. She looked right into his blue eyes and quietly replied, "Yeah, I know. And I'm all right with that. And just so you know, I can understand that a little because I'm not going to be the same, either."

Danny frowned. "What do you mean, Sam?"

Sam could have popped her forehead. They were talking about his problems, not hers right now. She didn't want to start telling him how much trouble she had had controlling herself and her emotions since she had woken up from being poisoned —and that she was still having some problems with that since she hadn't figured out how to control them and her empathic abilities that had awakened with this ordeal. She was especially worried about the fact that her empathic abilities seemed to be too automatic right now. She hoped that once she had fully recovered, she would work on trying to train herself to bury them away under her goth persona once again—for her own sanity.

She hurriedly said, "How about we talk about that later, okay? Right now, I'm willing to listen to whatever you want to say, okay?"

He smiled weakly. He already knew that but it was still good to hear it from her again. And he could depend on her to help ease his turmoil, even a little.

"Thanks, Sam," he simply replied.

But then, he looked back up at the stars and didn't say anything else at the moment.

Though that surprised Sam, she wasn't going to rush him…

Both of them knew that they weren't this awkward, but then Sam could feel that he wasn't quite ready yet…She suddenly wrinkled her forehead in concentration…She had to start practicing controlling her empathic powers now….

When she had some success, she took in a slow breath and quietly asked, "So, what will you do about it?"

He knew she was referring to his first comment to her and he truthfully said, "I don't know. I guess it'll take a lot of time to think things out."

"Sure," she softly replied before they were silent yet again and resumed gazing up at the stars.

After a couple of more minutes, Danny —still staring up at the stars —hesitantly continued, "You know I did some bad things. But worse than that, I wanted to do some bad things."

Before she could respond, he twisted to face her while scooping up her hands in his. He firmly yet gently squeezed them and looking straight into her amethyst eyes, said almost pleadingly, "But you don't think I would ever want to…to hurt or…"

He could not finish his thought, but Sam did.

"Kill me?"

Of course Danny knew that she had seen the recordings of his encounters, he was almost afraid to tell her that she was right to assume that.

Fortunately, however, his girlfriend continued, "No, Danny. I believe with all my heart that you'll never be able to kill me or anyone else. It's just not who you are. Otherwise, you would have killed Vlad when you had the chance and when you were…beside yourself. Try to focus on that, okay?"

He nodded slightly and found himself uttering, "I promise."

Those two simple words seemed to echo within his entire being, right down to his central core, right down to his soul….He had always taken promises very seriously, and he had promised not to become evil….But he had still done some evil things…

Sam could tell that he had fazed out of the conversation again, but she didn't mind this time.

Finally, she could see his eyes focus back on her before he inquired, "But how can you be sure, Sam?"

"I just am," she simply replied.

After all, she had felt his soul several times during his last ordeals…

But then the girl felt she had to reassure him a bit more and she added, "As I told you before, you're not evil, Danny, and you'll never will be. You're a good person and better than most…But, like all of us, you'll always have to struggle with the good and bad. Yeah, sometimes you failed, like we all do. And you had a harder time trying not to fail in what Vlad did to you. But most of that wasn't your fault because it was a big set-up all along."

"Thanks for giving me an 'out', Sam," Danny quietly replied.

She was quick to counter him, "I'm not. Some of the bad stuff was your doing. But what's important is that even when you…did the wrong thing, you've always learned from those mistakes and haven't repeated them. Not too many people can say that. It's all part of the deal, Danny." She then smirked wryly and added, "Still, sorry to break it to you: you're not perfect…except for your kisses, that is."

He smiled crookedly. In her own way, she was comforting him. He pulled her closer and gave her a gentle kiss.

The girl immediately knew he had relaxed a bit and that gave her more joy than she knew what to do with.

When they parted, she continued a bit more seriously, "I'm glad I got you to smile a little. I'm so used to that smile that things seemed empty without it, especially for the last few days and since you woke up."

"I-I'm sorry…" he began; but she immediately put her finger on his lips and said, "Don't. It's okay."

Of course, Danny knew that. But, he used to be able to shake off things that bothered him so quickly and easily; and he couldn't do that right now. Still, he was going to have to try; and one way to do that was to also make sure that he focused on doing what was right even more than he usually did.

He smiled crookedly again at that thought; and then sat back against the door and put his arm around his girlfriend's shoulders.

He was surprised when he finally noticed that she felt cold. She hadn't complained.

He smiled again. He was very lucky…and he felt the weight shift slightly off his heart…

Just then, however, the door behind them bumped into them and shoved them forward a little.

The young couple quickly got up and the door fully opened this time —so quickly, in fact, that it banged loudly against the outside wall!

"Sorry!" Tucker sheepishly blurted out, as he gingerly shut the door. "I was hoping I'd find you two out here. I thought the door was stuck at first, and so I gave it a good shove this last time."

"So we noticed!" Sam dryly quipped.

"Hey, Tuck, it's okay," Danny said with a weak smile. "You're not going to watch football?"

Sam teasingly added, "Or eat?"

"Nah! Your parents and my folks are beginning to act as crazy as the fans in the stands," he said with a grin. "And it was getting embarrassing!"

The beret-wearing boy was also very happy to see his best friend smile a bit more in response. He so knew that Sam was instrumental in that.

Still smiling, he turned to Sam and added, "And don't worry, Sam. You know that I ate more than my share!"

Sam smirked and Danny actually chuckled slightly.

Tucker didn't miss a beat. "Besides, I'd rather hang out with my two best buds any day. How's the star gazing?"

At first, neither Danny nor Sam replied because, in all honesty, neither of them had actually been paying attention to the stars during the entire time they had been up here.

Nevertheless, Sam replied, "Why don't you find out for yourself?"

She immediately sat down against the closed door as before and Danny did the same before he wrapped his arm around her once again.

"Okay," Tucker replied as he plopped down next to his best friends.

The trio sat in silence and really did study the stars this time, since all of them could oddly sense that just being with each other helped comfort their still slightly restless hearts….

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

The scene with the trio of best friends suddenly seemed to shrink in size until it was captured within a large glass orb —which, in effect, it was, since their scene was framed within Clockwork's Time Viewing Orb; and was being watched by Clockwork….and Justeco and Konsilisto!

"I still cannot believe that Vlad Plasmius sank so low as to make us the villains again, Clockwork!" Justeco huffed indignantly as he anxiously floated back and forth in the time spirit's Focal Room of Chronology.

"Agreed! And it is definitely not fair play," Konsilisto piped in.

The advisor had been wringing his bony green hands in anxiety while the events surrounding the Ghost Boy had unfolded before him and his brother.

Clockwork, who was in his adult form, kept his poker face on and dryly replied, "All is fair in love and war' as the humans say."

Justeco's eye wrinkled in continued irritation as he quipped. "And Vlad Plasmius certainly did that with a twist! He really cannot understand that love does not mix with war as he tried to do with the younger half-ghost."

One of Old Man Clockwork's eyebrows shot up in surprise but he said nothing.

"And Vlad Plasmius almost succeeded, Clockwork!" Konsilisto fretfully began, only for his twin brother to complete the thought with his eye also conveying apprehension.

"That concerns us, Time Master."

"Why should it?" Clockwork the Child nonchalantly said, "The boy didn't become evil."

"True enough," Justeco agreed, though he was not appeased. "But the torture that Danny Phantom endured was dangerously great. We fear that he will never be the same."

"And will he then be more likely to become his evil self after all?" Konsilisto added with his knotty hands still clasped in worry. "Danny Phantom almost fulfilled the same destiny as his evil alternate self. It was too terrifyingly close, Clockwork!"

The adult Clockwork didn't answer the two Observants right away. Instead, he looked intensely at winding his Time Staff just as the Time Viewing Orb darkened completely.

Justeco's eye twisted slightly, which suggested embarrassment, as he acknowledged, "Of course, we know that you cannot say either way, Clockwork; but I cannot help but be…concerned."

This time the oldest form of the Time Master turned toward the two spirits, smirked slightly and dryly replied, "Don't tell me that you have a soft spot for the boy?"

"Of course not!" Justeco huffed.

"Ridiculous!" Konsilisto quickly added as his green pupil narrowed in indignation.

Justeco continued, "It is just that….you know, we still have to guard against any possible threats to Existence just as you protect the Time stream from the same."

"Indeed," the young Clockwork simply said.

The trio was quiet a few moments more before Justeco just about busted out, "I still cannot reconcile that Vlad Plasmius used our images to do his evil bidding!"

"Plus, the older half-ghost continues to have Okulo's Orb, Clockwork!" Konsilisto protested.

"I don't know why you two keep repeating yourselves," the adult form of Clockwork sighed. "You know that I'm not going to do anything about it."

The Time Master suddenly morphed into an ancient version of himself and floated to a wall. But on his way to it, he sidetracked slightly and grabbed a couple of his Time Medallions from off their display board. He proceeded forward; and the faint outline of a door became evident and glowed more and more brightly the closer and closer he got to it. But he didn't go into it. Instead, he floated over to one of the large windows that adorned his Focal Room of Chronology; and the door's glimmer dimmed more and more the further he got away from it and closer to the window.

Justeco, of course, had been eyeing the Time Master the entire time and he immediately queried, "Where are you going, Clockwork?"

"Nowhere in particular… It is time for my rounds to inspect the time stream to make sure there are no holes in it caused by any calamity," the now young-looking time spirit casually replied.

"I see," Justeco commented, though he was still suspicious.

But just as the youngest form of Clockwork raised his Time Staff and opened his mouth in anticipation to call out the command to go, Justeco hurriedly interjected, "Please tell him that we are still friends, all right, Clockwork?"

"And that we…believe in him," Konsilisto nervously added.

One of Clockwork's eyebrows arched slightly, though the Observants could see that the time spirit's reaction was clouded in mystery as usual.

Nevertheless, the adult Clockwork didn't say anything in response to Justeco's comment, though he couldn't help thinking, "Sometimes I forget how observant those two are!"

All the same, he kept mum, raised his staff, pushed the top of the small clock on top of the staff, and commanded, "Time Out!"

In a split second, the Time Master disappeared within a swirling circle that had an embedded clock hand whirling clockwise.

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Skulker stood just outside his abode deep within his lair. His eyes were glued to the distance.

Kablam!

Another target pulverized.

Boom!

Still another blown to smithereens.

The cyborg ghost had come here not only because the Spectre soldier had let him go, but he had to blow off some steam…And the only way he could do that effectively was to practice hitting targets. After all, a great hunter had to force himself back into focusing after getting upset about…things.

But as he aimed at the next target, Skulker wasn't feeling any more focused…or better.

Nevertheless, he pulled the trigger…only to growl in irritation when he had completely missed this time!

Blast it!

Though he hated to even think about it, Skulker had to admit that he wasn't anywhere closer to thinking of himself as a ghost worthy of any kind of respect after his deliberate refusal to help his only friend—and from the almost sadistic cruelty he had dished out to the Ghost Boy. He had been just as guilty as Plasmius in causing all of that mental anguish and near destruction of the boy's personality and…character. Granted, his special detection power did hold true once again: for Danny Phantom didn't fail in the end, when it really counted….and proved himself to be a true hero…

The Hunter shot at another target and this time, it clipped the outer edge…

Not good enough!

He grunted in irritation and checked his site, just as his mind wandered again…

He had even gone so far as to talk a little to Ember about it. Not that it really helped…She was more interested in planning her upcoming concert…Why did he even bother? True, they weren't dating anymore—at least in this phase of their relationship—but they were still sort of friends. His face puckered in dissatisfaction. He guessed he must have been desperate! After all, he usually talked to Plas—

He stifled himself as his mind refocused on the task he was actually doing. The site on this weapon was aligned perfectly!

But then he grumbled to himself again in irritation and made himself say it: he usually talked to Plasmius about his…challenges…But in reality, he couldn't do that anymore because he had betrayed him…

He hadn't let the older hybrid's computer help the man when it looked like he was in huge trouble and then, on top of that, he didn't interfere with the possibility of the whelp killing his only friend, either.

That thought troubled him even more…If he couldn't even be loyal enough to the only ghost— or, half-ghost—friend that he had, then how could he be loyal to anyone or…anything worthy?

He aimed and shot at another target, only to miss again.

The Ghost Hunter grumbled at his sloppiness. But it wasn't because of his shot….

Before his encounters with the Ghost Child, he hadn't ever had any conflict about any of his decisions...

But that was then and this is now….

He couldn't blame his decision not to help Plasmius on impulse because at the time his instincts were screaming at him to help his friend.

He paused and reloaded his ghost weapon as his mind continued to hunt for any kind of rationalization to calm him…

He really had made the right choice in not helping Plasmius. After all, Vlad had really stepped over the line. He was all-too-willing to put 'stipulations' on their friendship in order to get his way…That was no way to treat a friend.

Friends should treat friends like….like Danny Phantom treated them. The cyborg snorted at his next thought. Even how the Ghost Child treated his enemies was better than how Plasmius had behaved toward him and how he had treated the whelp during this entire scheme of his...And in the end, the cyborg ghost's special detection power was right and the whelp did the…right thing and didn't do or become…evil…

The robotic ghost's eyes widened at the realization. Did that thought just come from him? Did it actually cross his mind that Danny Phantom was better than Vlad Plasmius?

The Ghost Hunter tried to shake the thought out of his head. He couldn't think that because Danny Phantom was his enemy. He aimed and shot blindly at the target and missed. He grunted in frustration and re-inspected the sites on his weapon.

But, if he was truly being honest with himself, he would know that thinking that Danny Phantom was as good a hero as he had smelled was the truth—and so then, at least the boy was worthy of his admiration. After all, how could he not have softer feelings toward the pup when he still could not reconcile the fact of how….despicable the man had been to all of those he claimed to care about?

Skulker frowned. Did Plasmius really understand what it was to care for someone?

Suddenly, Skulker didn't want to think about it any longer. He had not helped Plasmius because for once, he had given into his own obsession over the older half-ghost's own obsession. Plain and simple. After all, he was a ghost and that's what ghosts did: give into their obsessions. And he could admit to himself that finding out if his unique ghostly power was still…unique and accurate was the most important thing to him at that time—and always.

The ghost hunter shot at another target and it exploded into smithereens this time. But it didn't make him feel any better…

He flew over to the end of the range and began to mount new targets. His thoughts were still not boding well in his mind…

If only Plasmius hadn't concocted this lamebrain scheme of his…if only the man hadn't been so obsessed with having the pup as his son and the whelp's mother as his wife…if only Vlad hadn't demanded him to do his bidding…if only he hadn't lay aside the cyborg ghost's feelings and wants…then maybe he would have acted on instinct when Vlad had been attacked and…killed the Ghost Child…

But that thought of the possibility that he might have killed the whelp actually mortified him. The Ghost Child wouldn't have acted as he had done if he hadn't been so stressed out on many levels —physically and mentally—and all by Plasmius' doing. No other human could have survived having no food, water and even REM sleep for as long as the whelp. Most ordinary humans would have gone insane—or even died—within a few days of having at least no REM sleep. It was that vital to the health of a human mind...But then again, the pup was no ordinary human…

The Ghost Hunter finally paced out his distance turned, aimed and fired. He hit two targets, but each was definitely not a bull's-eye…

But that was because the cyborg ghost still didn't have his mind on that task…

And Danny Phantom was no ordinary ghost, either. Most ghosts would have caved in long before the pup would have; and even that didn't happen in the end, because the Ghost Child never really did break—and probably would never have even gotten to that point during that crisis if Plasmius was playing a fair game.

Fair.

Skulker swallowed a ghostly lump. Neither he nor the older hybrid had given the Ghost Child a fair fight. They had purposely stacked the odds heavily against him so that the whelp would break and become the puppet of the man in the end…It was indeed a dastardly thing to do…and not worthy of a true hunter…

After all, the game was the most important part of the excitement. If hunting were just a matter of coming up to a prey that had been tied up the entire time, then…it wouldn't be…fair.

The Ghost Hunter frowned in disappointment—self-disappointment. That is exactly how his and the pup's encounter had gone down. The Ghost Boy had been beaten nearly to an inch of his after-life by Walker and then he was tied down in that helpless state and completely unaware that he had just been made secured enough for Skulker to arrive. True, the part about being so abused by Walker was not in the plans. But to go on and agree to face the pup when the whelp couldn't possibly win, that was below being unfair…

Skulker bit his lower lip at the realization. Not only had he been unfair to Danny Phantom, but —worse than that—he, the Ghost Zone's Greatest Hunter, had allowed himself to hunt the way that would please only Plasmius!

Suddenly, however, the cyborg ghost grunted in irritation and he impulsively shot at two more targets and completely missed them.

But then, other thoughts took over…Even if he had told Plasmius the truth about what he had detected about the whelp the very last time he had smelled him, the older hybrid wouldn't have listened. Skulker had seen the wildness in the man's eyes on that last day—or maybe even before—and he knew by that look and his smell that the man wouldn't have accepted the truth until he had driven the pup completely mad…or killed him.

That thought also didn't bode well with the cyborg ghost…Maybe it would have been better if he had been wrong about what he smelled about the Ghost Child…Plasmius would have deserved to be…

The Ghost Hunter unexpectedly stifled himself and let his weapon fall to his side for a moment. For some odd reason, he felt he shouldn't feel that way about the older hybrid. It would also be…wrong…

Especially after all they had gone through for all those years when they had been friends.

Friends.

His thoughts came full circle. Was he still friends with Plasmius? He must have been since he did go back and check on the man after he had been attacked by the Spectre…And he made sure to give orders to his ghost staff to look after him until he could come back to his senses…because Vlad had extended that privilege to him…

Instead of pondering on that, Skulker suddenly reached into one of his pockets and pulled out the Fantomos Ecto-Scale list of ghosts. He had already scribbled in 'The Spectre' on the bottom of the list. After all, except for a couple of small casualties on the Spectre's part, Plasmius and his shadow clones had been no match for those…spirits.

Spirits. They were certainly one-of-a-kind…

One-of-a-kind…

Danny Phantom was…one of a kind…even more unique than Plasmius…and—more importantly—more worthy of his…loyalty.

He grunted and suddenly threw the list down, aimed and shot at one of his targets…and missed.

Now…he wasn't so sure how he felt about Plasmius—and even Danny Phantom—or himself…

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Danny, Sam and Tucker were still on the outer deck of the Op Center gazing at the stars. Except for a few exchange of words, they had remained silent for the most part.

Tucker then asked, "Hey, Sam? Why don't we tell Danny…?"

Danny frowned when Tucker stopped so abruptly. And Sam didn't seem to have noticed that he had stopped. He knew she had to hear their friend, and she would have said something right away about his stopping in mid-sentence.

But then, when he turned to ask Sam, his eyes widened. She was frozen in place even when it was obvious from her look that she had noticed what had happened to Tucker and had tried to respond.

Danny then quickly turned to Tucker and saw that his mouth was open, as if someone had taken his picture in mid-sentence.

Suddenly, however, Danny felt a rapid cold rush up from his central core before a frost of cold breath was visible from his mouth. In that same instant, he was also aware that a level nine ghost—or spirit—was near.

He quickly searched for the source when a circular blue portal quickly appeared before a clock hand spun around it.

A split second later, the adult Clockwork appeared in front of the young hybrid.

Danny reflexively jumped to a stand and wasn't at all aware that he had fisted his hands as the last memory of the spirit—though underneath he understood that it had all been contrived by Plasmius—shot through his brain. He immediately noticed that the large CW medallion was now swinging on its chain around his neck from his violent change in position. He felt the tears already forming from all the hurt he had felt in that encounter—even if it wasn't real. But it felt real…especially when…

But then, the boy slowly relaxed his hands when he realized that he had tightened them so much at one point that they had been shaking.

At first, neither of the two spoke.

Finally, old man Clockwork remarked without emotion, "I see that you have recovered, Danny."

That seemingly callous remark grated on the boy's nerves all of the sudden and all of the hurt he had experienced and felt swelled anew. He tried to squelch his emotions but still felt the beginning of his tears form. Nevertheless, he managed to tersely reply, "No thanks to you, Clockwork. I hope I gave you and the Observants hours of entertainment."

The youngest form of Clockwork bit the inside of his lip when he could hear the bitterness in the boy's voice. But before he could reply, Danny stepped closer to the spirit and continued.

But unfortunately, the more Danny talked, the harder it was for him to stay off his emotions... "Why didn't you help me, Clockwork? You knew how unfair everything was…Y-You k-knew that what happened to me was t-t-too much…I-I almost, I almost…"

The boy couldn't admit how much evil he had done nor how he had almost committed what would have been his most tragic decision. He didn't want to admit that he could have become Evil Dan after all…

Suddenly, Danny lunged toward the spirit. But instead of striking Clockwork, he fell against his mentor before embracing him and crying unashamedly into the spirit's gown.

Old Man Clockwork could feel a tear form in the corner of the scar under his left eye as time ticked on. And the spirit realized at that moment that it had been a very long, long time since he had felt for another being…

The spirit hesitantly yet slowly hugged the boy back, and his embrace was one of comfort, though he did so in silence. He knew how much this entire ordeal had affected his young protégé. In fact, that was exactly the reason why he had come…

It seemed as if the boy had cried for hours but it had only been minutes when the boy's heart-breaking sobbing had finally ebbed to a soft whimpering.

The youngest form of Clockwork knew that what the boy needed was more than just a mentor—he needed a sympathetic and encouraging one...

Finally, Clockwork said with a tinge of tenderness in his voice, "Yes, Danny, you almost, but more importantly, you didn't…And you should know by now that I didn't need to help you. You did it yourself, as I knew you would."

Danny pulled himself completely away from the spirit and looked up at him.

The adult version of Clockwork was barely able to put on his poker face when he saw the continuing turmoil in the boy's still-moist eyes just as Danny asked, "How did you know?"

Clockwork simply replied, "Because you promised."

Promised.

The word seemed to jump from Danny's ears to his heart before it then swirl around his mind and soul, soothingly caressing them and yet also gently reminding him how bound he was to it and, more importantly, how loyal and true he was to it.

"I did promise," Danny quietly admitted, though he couldn't look Clockwork in the eyes.

"And heroes always keep their promises," the young Clockwork softly added.

"Yes," Danny was barely able to acknowledge because he was still upset.

The two paused again for a few moments before Danny finally looked right into the spirit's red eyes and quietly asked, "Please tell me one thing, Clockwork. And I don't care if it is true…Am I destined to become…Evil Dan? I-I mean, this was the third time that I had to face that putrid destiny. Will there be more?"

At first, the mature Clockwork didn't answer the teen.

Danny frowned in disappointment and said, "I understand that you can't tell me, though it would have made it easier for me to…get over this crud that I went through."

Old Man Clockwork replied, "Yes, it would be easier, Danny. But really, unfair."

Danny blinked with confusion before young Clockwork continued, "You —and every human and even ghost —are here for a purpose that even I am not privy to. And part of the plan for our purpose is for us to understand that each and every one of us has an 'Evil Dan' within us that is always eager to lure us toward our doom. But we don't have only evil choices to face every day of our existence. We cannot forget about the good choices always presented to us at the same time. It might be tough, but we always have to be on our guard against evil and be ready to counter it with our good choices. So, you see, Danny, the struggle will always be there until each of us stands alone and has to answer how we measured up to the task at the time when we phase to another level of existence."

Just as Clockwork morphed into his adult version, he floated closer to the boy and added, "But what makes you different, Danny, and therefore, really makes it easier for you, and therefore a bit unfair to others, is that you have the pure heart of a true hero."

Danny shook his head in denial because he still felt guilty about all the bad things he did before Clockwork actually poked him in the chest and said more firmly, "Don't get me wrong. You aren't perfect; but you have a quality anchored within you that you have honed well from your desire to do good above all else. It has already proven that it will sustain you and prevent you from giving into evil willingly—and help you make amends if you do." He then allowed a tiny smirk on the edge of his lips to escape and added, "And I know that you will never forget your promise that you would not become evil."

The fact that Clockwork's words mirrored Sam's helped calm Danny more.

The young Clockwork smiled a bit mischievously and continued, "Besides, you still have not lost the ability to let things slide and move on without forgetting the lesson. That's pretty good for a teen, you know."

A slight corner of Danny's mouth raised briefly in reply.

But then, the adult Clockwork reached into one of the hidden pockets of his cape and pulled something out before he said, "However, if you still think you might need some help…."

Danny's eyes widened and he blurted out, "That's Okulo's Timeless Magic Orb!"

Clockwork lazily twirled it in his hand and replied without emotion this time, "Yes. I…re-borrowed it back from the other half-ghost. You also know that it could help mend any mental scars that you still might have."

Danny smiled weakly and replied with a shake of his head, "No, thanks. I'll just have to think things through, that's all. After all, I don't want to forget the lessons, you know…"

The twinkle in young Clockwork's eyes betrayed his delight but he said nothing.

After another brief pause, and even though he really felt the urge not to care, Danny quietly asked, "How is Plasmius?"

The spirit smiled underneath. Indeed, the boy had a very kind heart in spite of all the hurt it was still suffering from. He replied, "Still very confused about a lot of things, which is why there was no opposition from him for my taking Okulo's Orb back. After all, it doesn't belong here. It belongs in the Realm Beyond Time."

Realm Beyond Time.

Danny felt a bit of flutter of pain in his heart when those memories rushed at him yet again at the sound of those words.

Clockwork morphed from his adult to his elderly side and noticed the change in the boy's face. He casually remarked, "By the way, Justeco and Konsilisto were a bit beside themselves over this whole affair."

Danny's eyes brightened as he blurted out, "They were?"

Clockwork couldn't help but smirk as he answered, "They wanted to let you know that they found this whole thing very improper —especially when they were portrayed in such a bad light."

Danny smiled crookedly and replied, "I'm surprised you would do that for them, Clockwork…But tell them thanks, okay?"

One of young Clockwork's eyebrows hitched slightly. He did slip on rare occasion. But he was glad he did because he could tell that the boy was feeling better.

The spirit's form quickly melded into a mature one before he said, "It is time for me to go. I have dawdled too long. Tell Sam and Tucker hello for me."

But before Danny could say, "I will", he froze in mid-word…

"…about our telepathic link? He didn't seem to notice earlier," Tucker finally said, completing the sentence and thought he had started before Clockwork had arrived.

But then, since the bespectacled boy had to look across Danny before he would see Sam, he noticed right away that Danny didn't look right. He frowned in confusion and asked, "Uh, dude?"

Sam lifted up the CW medallion that was now around her neck to show Tucker and said instead, "Clockwork?"

Both teens turned to their front and spied the spirit right away.

The trio said nothing at first; but then, the young Clockwork said, "I will not take much time to say what I came here to say. I have already talked to Danny. Now it's you two's turn."

The two teens looked intensely at the spirit and didn't dare ask any questions at the moment. Not that they didn't want to; it's just that they felt they had to wait to see what Clockwork would say.

When the spirit saw that he had their undivided attention, he continued, "I know I really don't have to say this, but I wanted to make sure I told you both by yourselves. It's important for you two to be patient and more understanding with Danny for at least a little while. He will need to depend on you two more than ever."

"Will he be okay?" Sam dared to ask.

"All I will say is that it might seem very hard in the near future, but you will know what to do." He purposely turned to Tucker and added, "Now that all three of you share that gift, that is."

Tucker grinned but before he could comment, Clockwork commanded, "Time In!" before a portal formed, a clock hand turned, and the spirit disappeared within it.

As soon as the last sparkle of the portal poofed in the air, Danny said, "I will."

But then, the young half-ghost blinked in confusion and blurted out, "Clockwork?"

"He's gone," Sam quickly replied.

"You saw him?" Danny asked.

"Yeah," Tucker replied. "He told us he talked to you."

"But you know Clockwork…He didn't tell us anything," Sam piped in. She didn't want her boyfriend to think that the spirit had talked to them about what he and Danny had discussed and she didn't want Danny to think he had to tell them.

"Except that he knows about what I wanted to talk to you about," Tucker continued. He, too, understood what Clockwork's real message was. He and Sam were to be very supportive of Danny —as they always were —and keep each set of conversations only between the respective parties and let Danny lead when it was time to talk about the specifics.

"What's that?" Danny asked.

Tucker and Sam proceeded to tell Danny in more detail about the discovery of Tucker's telepathic ability and how it had helped them to find him in the end.

Danny was awed by the story since he had been so upset that he hadn't even noticed that fact when he first saw his friends. Not only that, but his friends had never discussed it with him and his parents when they had talked earlier in the day. He understood why, of course, since they, like normal teens, didn't necessarily want to discuss everything with their parents.

Nevertheless, his friends could tell that Danny was obviously pleased with the news as he mused to mostly himself, "How about that? So it seems that Tucker now has some of this telepathic stuff, too, huh?"

Of course, his friends heard his musing and Tucker replied, "Yeah, kinda neat, though it doesn't look like I have as much of that as you two do. I'm glad of that."

Then the bespectacled boy gasped, "But then, does that mean that Sam will be able to pick up on my secret, wild thoughts? Definitely against the 'dude code'!"

Sam and Danny laughed before they looked at each other briefly and slyly smiled when they were aware of the same thought.

"Hey, how about a video game?" Sam mentally asked Tucker with a smirk.

"Yeah, the Revenge of the Dead Zombies, three," Danny added with a slight chuckle.

"Uh, sure — hey, wait!" Tucker began before he realized that his friends had just 'invaded' his brain. "That's against the dude code! Er, maybe the dudette code, too, okay?"

The threesome laughed again before they went inside and headed to Danny's room with the hope of finally being able to begin to return to their lives…

THE END

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

A/N: Wow, I can't believe that we're through! I sure hope you enjoyed the ride!

And I want to thank each and every one of you—especially each of my reviewers—for your support! It means a lot to me!

I would also like to thank my beta, pearl84, for her priceless help in keeping this story believable and actually making sense as far as grammar and the like are concerned!

And to : sorry, girl. Danny still wins in the end even when you get in control of the computer at times! He wins because of he's a hero through and through!

MsHyde: Pfft, dearie! I will still get another chance in your next story!

truephan: Sssure you will!

So, where do we go from here, gang? I do have another story in mind to continue with the way I perceive the Danny Phantom world. But I haven't written much of it yet, so it's very hard to say exactly when I will start posting. But it won't be for quite a while, I think.

But I hope you look out for it since I already know what its title is going to be: Entanglement. I also have a few more stories after that which are still in the sketching stage. But once I finish with Entanglement, you'll know more about those. I will tell you that Entanglement will definitely NOT be as long as Gold Tested in Fire but it won't be a super short one, either. I also have a couple of one-shot or two-shot stories that I might post before Entanglement, but that is just musing on my part.

Anyhoo, it's time to say good-bye for now. And I hope all of you mystery readers will take advantage of this last chance to send me your thoughts on this story via that box down below. I really thrive off of your thoughts, but since I don't have telepathic powers, you'll have to write them down! LOL!

Again, thanks for the joy you give me from reading my stuff and I hope I hear from you soon!

truephan