Astronomer Always: All will be answered soon.

No one had heard from Danny in two years. Slowly, but surely his friends and family had moved on. Jazz had gone to Princeton University, and Sam and Tucker were looking for colleges already. Sam had even found a boyfriend. She first meant him when he shyly asked her to Prom, and she said no, believing she was betraying her best friend. However, she realized that Danny would have wanted her to be happy and she tearfully accepted his invitation. But then another video was sent out. One was sent to the Fenton household, a DVD to the Manson Mansion, Jazz's apartment, and Tucker's house. One by one each film was pressed into the player. "Hi guys," a man with graying black hair smiled, "If you can't tell it's me, Danny. I know it's been such a long time since I last contacted you, but I really needed you to move on, before I came hurtling back into your lives. I have found that my rate of aging is exponential, so I am probably nearing my late fifties now."

Tears poured from Maddie and Jack's eyes, for their son was older than they were. But they listened intently as Danny continued to speak. "The main reason I contacted you, though, is because I have a message. Vlad is dead," the aging hero blinked back tears, "now why does this concern me, you may ask. Well, I talked to him maybe a year, to a year and a half ago, and he said I could tell you his secret once he was gone. Sam, Tucker, and Jazz, before you go into a frenzy we put aside our differences when I talked to him. Mom, Dad, Vlad was a half-ghost too."

A gasp escaped the scientists' mouths as they heard the news. But Danny wasn't done talking, "You may also have known him as Vlad Plasmius, the Wisconsin Ghost. It was from the portal accident in collage. And I wish I could say he understand that it was an accident, but Dad, he was furious. He blamed you for making him that way and was distraught over the fact that he lost mom to you. Mom, he loved you."

Emotions went to war with each other in Jack's mind. Anger, betrayal, sorrow, remorse, and pity all battled behind his eyes. "Now, what's probably going through your minds, especially you, Jazz," he smiled, "is how Vlad lived as a halfa for 22 years until his death and I probably won't even see my third year this way. As most of you know, Vlad got hit in the face with a highly condensed flow of ectoplasm for a brief period of time, but as I said, it was only his face. That is why he first developed ecto-acne and then gained his powers. However, seeing as how my entire body was struck with the electrically charged ectoplasm I gained my powers immediately. The truth of the matter is, Vlad was a naturally weaker half-ghost then me, and only appeared more powerful because he had much more time to practice. This being said, Vlad still aged quicker, but not as fast as I am aging. Didn't you ever notice how he had a full head of gray hair in his forties? Or how Dark Dan took years to develop his ghostly wail, while I got mine pretty quickly. I was fused with Plasmius then so his ghost energy weakened mine. Sorry Mom and Dad that you don't understand that last part. Sam, Tucker or Jazz can explain later. It's a long story. So, I'm sorry if you got your hopes up about a cure. Once again, I love all of you. Goodbye."

The video ended.

Everyone who received a video met up the next Saturday to talk, cry, try to find a way to save him, and cry more. There was nothing they could do. Danny was going to die soon, too early for his time. "I wish I could see him again," sobbed Maddie, "hug him, tell him I love him and that I'm sorry for all he's had to go through and all I put him through."

"We all do, Mrs. Fenton," said Sam, wiping a tear away from her face, "I wish I had told him how much I liked him."

"I wish I told him how much I appreciated all he did for the town," Ticker sighed.

"I wish I could tell him how proud I am of him," whimpered Jazz.

"I wish I could tell him that I love him no matter what," Jack continued with the chain.

"I wish I could tell him that he is my hero."

All eyes turned to the one who had spoken. In front of the group of sobbing people and old man with blue skin and a purple cloak sat solemnly. "Cl… Cl… Clockwork," stuttered Sam.

"Hello," the ghost said as he changed into a child. Deep in his mind he thought of Danny, wishing that it was the halfa who could change from old man to adolescent.

"Clockwork! Thank goodness you're here! You can fix Danny."

"I'm sorry, friends of Phantom, there's nothing I can do."

"But you can go back in time, like with the Nasty Burger explosion."

The two Fenton parents got out of the daze they were in from seeing a ghost with such a calm demeanor. "The Nasty Burger exploded!" Maddie proclaimed, "When?"

Clockwork held up his hand, symbolizing that they would know later and answered Sam. "Samantha, all of which has happened before was meant to be in this main timeline. Daniel had to learn that lesson from Dark Dan or else, as I have seen in the 'what-if-timelines' Daniel would have taken out his emotions through some other means at another time. All of what is happening now is what has to be."

"Then why are you here?" she sobbed.

"I came to give my condolences and to help ease the blow of what is to come. The halfa has to die this way. There is no other option. He will join Vlad and Danielle in the afterlife."

"Danielle is… is dead too," she whimpered, "But she was only twelve!"

"As all of you know, half-ghosts are freak occurrences. Danielle was an anomaly, created by an anomaly, based on an anomaly. Things were bound to go wrong. Unfortunately for her as soon as her aging starting going above human standards it was too much for her unstable core to take. She passed two months after being stabilized."

Sam gasped and her hand shot up to her mouth as more tears poured from her violet eyes.

"Who's Danielle?" asked Jack Fenton.

"A clone of Danny," Tucker answered nonchalantly, by now used to the idea.

"What?!" Maddie shouted.

"Smooth Tucker, real smooth," sighed Sam, "as if they didn't have enough crazy news to deal with right now!"

"What is all of this? We thought Danny being a half-ghost was weird enough, but a time ghost, explosions that we have no record of, clones, alternate futures and selves. What is going on?!" shouted Maddie.

"The half-life of Danny's was a pretty crazy one," Sam smiled through her tears, recalling all of her fondest memories.

8 months later…

One more film showed up at the appropriate houses, each showing an almost unrecognizable Danny. His midnight hair had faded into a light gray that had thinned out over his entire head and his bright blue eyes that had always shone brightly, no matter what trouble, were downcast and dim. He coughed for almost a minute before he could speak. "Hi," he croaked, "it's me, Danny. Can you believe it? I haven't even been on this earth for twenty years and I'm about to die of old age, you can tell the town my secret, that is, if they haven't figured it out yet. Although after that first month of powers, I think Amity will let any oddity go undetected," he started laugh, showing how he had finally come to terms with his untimely end, but that once again broke into more choking coughs, causing all of the viewers' eyes to water. He looked exhausted by just this short conversation, but he continued, "This is it for me guys. No more videos. No more breathe from my body. No more heartbeat. It's dark, depressing, but true. By the time you get this, I'll already be dead. It's like sending something into the future, but it's just snail mail. You'll find my body at 2803 West Lakeshore Dr. in Emerson. I decided to come close to home to save you an extensive trip, but I did send the letter to two different towns so that I would be sure that it would get to you after I died. I know you would have probably wanted me to visit you this past month that I've been just one town away, but I also know it would be too hard for you. Besides, Mom and Dad, I don't even know if you've accepted me as a half-ghost. I sure hope you have, but I love you either way. I love all of you. Goodbye."

The video clicked off.

Epilogue:

They made the announcement at his funeral. There was no way they could explain how Danny was an old man without sharing his secret. Of course no one believed them at first, but once they showed the videos no one could deny it. Their hero was their punching back and that was the first time anyone had seen Dash or Paulina cry. But just after everyone else left and only the hero's family and two closest friends remained a cold chill passed through the air. "Hi," a voice whispered from nowhere.

"Danny?" Tucker choked out.

"Yeah, it's me," his form become visible, but still flickered in and out of sight. However, elation filled everyone's heart when they say him still as a teenager.

"You're back," Jazz smiled.

"Only for a short while. Clockwork said that I could only stay in this world for a few minutes."

His parents reached out to try to hug him, but they only received goosebumps as their arms passed right through his shimmering form. "Danny," they cried, "we love you and accept you. No matter what."

"Thank you," he smiled as a silver tear slid down his cheek, but disappeared as it left his face, "and goodbye."

"Danny," Sam sobbed, "this doesn't have to be goodbye. We can still visit you in the ghost zone!"

He tried to brush off the tears on her face that poured from her eyes, but his hand stopped short, realizing that he couldn't. "Sam, I've moved on past that point. But don't worry; I'll see you there someday. And I can be patient."

"Oh Danny!" she bawled into her hands.

His form started to fade again, and just as it disappeared into nothingness the wind whispered his last words.

"I love all of you. Goodbye."