"Stopwatch?" Danny called out as he entered the dimly lit Time Master's lair. A dark colored and well used backpack was slung over his shoulder, filled to the brim with Fenton tech and numerous team Phantom modified thermoses.

The team had unanimously agreed to use the "Ghost Cold" excuse as long as they could and had said goodbyes this morning before going their separate ways. Sam had handed Danny a photo of the group, warning him that if he didnt come back within a few weeks she, Tucker, and Jazz would go into the Ghost Zone to find him themselves. Danny had chuckled and promised that he'd be back soon and gave the group one last hug before opening the portal and disappearing into the swirling green void.

The half ghost floated past the empty entry room and down one of the hallways that lead to the main "viewing room" as he had dubbed it.

The echo of voices greeted Danny as he entered the large room. A dusty taste made itself present as he landed softly on the stone flooring, already missing his family and friends as he walked over to where Clockwork and a pale transparent ghost were chatting, the latter of which becoming more and more aggressive with each word.

"You must be Daniel," the transparent ghost stated harshly as Danny drew near, coming to a stop next to his mentor.

Danny narrowed his eyes. "Who's asking?" He was quickly met with blazing orange eyes.

The ghost looked to be in their late 40's and was dressed in a crisp business suit. Their face sharp, with high cheekbones and narrowed eyes. His voice held a deep tone, and faintly reminded Danny of Vlad in his posture, almost screaming 'I'm rich and I'll ruin you if you cross me!'.

"Beckett Westwood," the ghost responded curtly, "it'll do you good to remember it."

Danny rolled his eyes at the ghost, who had already turned his attention back towards Clockwork.

"Daniel, are you ready to go?" Clockwork asked, shifting forms, his aura of wisdom flaring. A flash of anger washed over the Westwood as Clockwork ignored the being to focus on Danny. His skin taking on a red glint as he glared at the halfa.

Danny nodded, "yeah."

"You're going to be staying with a friend of mine, Steven C. Ashton. He'll be your guardian when you're in Copper Canyon," Clockwork explained, "He'll explain more to you when you meet him. These are your instructions." The Master of Time handed the teen a sealed envelope, which was promptly slipped into the backpack.

Danny nodded again, shifting the shoulder his backpack was resting on, "thanks."

"I shall see you again soon Young Phantom," Clockwork stated as he opened a time portal, the swirling mass glowing a light blue. "Good luck."

Danny smiled, flying through the portal, catching the end of Clockwork muttering "all as it should be."

He ended up on a street corner in a city that was located in what he assumed to be New Mexico or Arizona. Cars raced past on the street as pedestrians ambled down the sidewalks. The air was dry, starkly contrasting to that of Amity's heavy humidity. Quickly shooting a glance at the sky and the suns position to guess the time, he moved to grab the envelope, only to pause when he realized his backpack had gone through an upgrade. No longer was it ratty and dark colored but was now a new looking grey military backpack with ecto green accents and black shoulder straps. It was slightly heavier as well.

Glancing at his feet he realized he was in his human form and in different outfit than the one he'd left his house in. His once red tee was now black with his logo on one of the sleeves and his blue jeans were now a dark green, covering the tops of black converse. Rolling his eyes at the impromptu outfit swap he made a move to grab the sunglasses that were resting in the cup holder of the pack.

"Outta the way!" The shrill shriek of a teenage male echoed down the semi busy street.

Danny raised an eyebrow, pausing his task and turning to look in the direction of the voice before jumping out of the way, yelping as a dark haired teen wearing a royal blue hoodie and jeans raced past, brushing him slightly before weaving in and out of people as a group of large what looked to be jocks yelling obscenities at the teen, quickly followed suit, pushing people out of their way.

Danny rolled his eyes and suck his foot out, tripping the most vocal of the group. "Do you talk to your mother with that mouth?" He asked, "I'm sure she appreciates it. Really, I truly do."

The dark haired teen glared at the halfa as he stood up, towering over Danny. The sleeves of his yellow polo strained against his biceps as he clenched his fists. "Don't you dare mention my mother again or it'll be the last thing you say kid," he growled before running off.

Danny's eyes followed the teen until he rounded a corner. "Great," he grumbled, "another Dash." He grabbed the sunglasses, then the envelope and moved against one of the brick buildings, tearing off the top and grabbing the paper.

Daniel,

As you can tell, your world and the one you are currently in are identical for one exception, T.U.R.B.O. energy. Your Fenton tech will work, as will your powers and abilities. There are heros in Copper Canyon so do with that information as you will.

You are to meet Steven as soon as possible. He will meet you at Denver's Cafe across the street, table in the nearest left corner when you enter.

You will also notice that your backpack has "upgraded" and contains a GZ branded cell phone (no, it's not a trap. Stop being paranoid. Consider it a belated birthday present from the Ghosts), Fenton Tech, and a few things I figured you'd appreciate at a later time.

Your wallet is also included in the backpack and has your updated current identification and papers.

When you meet Steven, mention cronógrafo sent you, he'll know what to do.

Best wishes,

Clockwork

Danielle says hi, she refuses to stop pestering me until she sees that I wrote this

Danny smiled faintly as he finished the letter and looked around, eyes focusing

on the sign across the street, DENVER'S CAFE, BEST COFFEE ON THE WEST COAST.

The cafe's front was covered with windows and held a light and airy feel. Bright colors decorated tables in the forms of napkins, table decorations, and cushion seats. A steady stream of customers entered and exited the cafe, drinks clutched in their hands as they chatted happily with their groups or on the phone.

Danny quickly crossed the street and entered the restaurant. It reflected the outdoor decor, with bright paintings from local artists hanging in free wallspace. A cheery and quiet radio station played in the background, giving each conversation more privacy. He quickly glanced around the restaurant, subconsciously scanning for possible threats before looking for Steven Ashton. The aroma of freshly baked pastries and coffee filled the air, causing Danny's stomach to rumble slightly. It was a nice cafe and Danny made a mental note to stop by again in the future.

"Excuse me," the voice pulled Danny from his thoughts, he turned to look at the voices owner. A red haired teenage girl with a warm smile on her lightly freckled face, waved slightly to get his attention. "How many in your party?"

Danny smiled sheepishly. "Sorry, spaced for a second. I'm uh meeting a friend." His eyes quickly did another scan of the room before landing on a man in his early thirties sitting in the corner that Clockwork described. He turned back to the greeter "In fact, I see them now. Sorry about being a roadblock," he gestured towards the people behind him, "Have a good rest of your day."

Ducking out of the line, Danny made his way over to where the man was. When he was next to the table he cleared his throat, drawing the man's attention from his phone to the teen. "Excuse me."

The man clicked his what appeared to be new phone off, turning to look at the teen and raise an eyebrow. "Can I help you?"

"You wouldn't happen to be a Steven Ashton?" Danny asked, his voice more confident than he felt.

The man, Steven, nodded, "and you are?" His voice held the air of confidence and a hint of suspension.

"Danny Fenton. Cronógrafo sent me," Danny explained.

Steven's light green eyes widened, sparkling in recognition. He held out a hand as he stood, "Call me Steve please. Pleasure to meet you Danny. Didn't think Clocks would send you this soon."

Danny took the moment to really look at the man. His hair was shorter and lightly styled to go with his light blue button up, the sleeves rolled, and grey pants, with dark dress shoes glinting in the light. A silver watch rested on his extended wrist, completing the business casual look.

Danny shook his hand then sat down, "what do you mean so soon?"

Steve chuckled, picking up his mug, "Clockwork mentioned you'd be here soon but I thought you'd be here in about a week and a half." He took a drink of what Danny assumed to be coffee, "because of that, I haven't exactly been able to set up the guest bedroom, or go grocery shopping. Works been crazy and I've been surviving on take out."

Danny nodded then flagged down a waitress and glanced at the menu before ordering, turning his attention back to Steve as soon as he accomplished his 'Get food' mission. "Ok, so I'm gonna be here for a little while, anything I need to know off the bat?"

Steve paused, taking a drink of coffee. "I work as a PR exec. for Global Enterprises, a competitor for Trans-Human Industries, so my work week is pretty set with the exception of company outings and such, or when I'm charged with client snatching. Other than that there's not anything big, I just ask that you're respectful and pick up after yourself and such. Your what, 17?"

"16," Danny stated then thanked the waiter as his food and drink arrived.

"Then yeah, I'll ask for you to do a few chores around the apartment but there's not a lot to do." Steve opened something on his phone and showed Danny a photo of an official looking document. "Legally I'll be your "guardian" but just think of me as a roommate who takes care of situations that require an adult signature and such."

Danny nodded, to him it sounded fair and similar to home. A small pang echoed in his heart, he had been gone for what, three hours and he was already homesick? Lovely. "Sounds good then."

Steve smiled, "fantastic. Clocks gave me this, said to give it to you when you get here." He opened his wallet and pulled out a card, "and this piece of plastic will let you deck out your room and buy plenty of clothes, seeing as you only have the backpack and I'm guessing that if you somehow managed to get clothes in there, it's not a lot."

Danny smiled sheepishly as he rubbed the back of his neck, "thanks."

"Now, I have absolutely no idea how much is on that card, Clocks said you'd know so there's that, but if there is a limit and your semi responsible, I see no problem with working out a funding agreement with you after you run out of the extra change," Steve stated. "Clocks said you'd be doing stuff for him while your here so I'm not sure your gonna have a lot of time for a job."

Danny raised an eyebrow, "what's the catch then? Not that I'm not grateful, which I am, it's just that-"

Steve smiled, "it sounds too good to be true? You can't believe that your being "fostered" by someone who's decently chill?"

Danny gaped at the man. "Yeah," he mumbled, light red dusting his cheeks.

Steve smiled as he shrugged, "glad to hear. Though going back to the catch part, I'm not sure, extra chores or something along those lines I guess. I figured I'd have a bit more time but you kinda caught me off guard." A light blush crossed his face. "And this is what I get for poor Clockwork interpreting skills," he muttered quietly.

Danny nodded in agreement, processing everything that had just been said. "Cool." He took a few bites of food, instantly relishing the non ecto tainted pancakes.

"Now that we've touched some of the basics, tell me about you Danny," Steve asked as he got a refill on his coffee.

Danny paused, "well uh, I'm 16 and a sophomore. My older sister Jazz is in her senior year of high school and wants to be a psychologist so I'm kinda knowledgeable on that stuff cause of her and my friends and I love horror movies and games and hold a world record on the game DOOMED and several others." He glanced out the window, "my parents are inventors and developed a portal to another dimension called the Ghost Zone which is pretty cool I guess."

A clatter came from across the table where Steve had dropped his fork. "Another dimension?!" He whisper yelled. His eyes were wide and Danny could practically see the gears turning in his brain.

Danny nodded, "yeah. Though it's gonna be weird being here and not having to worry about my food trying to wage war on anyone."

Steve snorted, "your joking right?"

Danny shook his head, "nope. There's a reason to why we order pizza on Thanksgiving."

Steve shook his head, "ok then, I'm not thinking about the logistics for that or the fact that your family accomplished scifi levels of reality."

"Yeah, if ya don't believe me ask Stopwatch," Danny stated with a smile.

Steve shook his head, "I'm starting to feel very under accomplished. Life's gonna be boring here if that's what you're used to."

Danny smirked, thoughts of Phantom flashing through his head. "Somehow, I think it'll continue to be crazy. Though the break is welcomed. What about you? Do you have siblings?"

"Well, I have two younger sisters, one of which lives here in Copper. Both love sports so I go to quite a few games with them, which usually aren't migraine inducing, but there are always the lovely exceptions," Steve stated, a fond glint in his eyes before he mumbled the final bit, eyes flashing slightly.

The two quickly finished their meals and payed, leaving the restaurant and walking down the street.

"I have the day off so I can show you around Copper Canyon and give you some quick info so if anyone asks you can respond accordingly," Steve explained as they reached a large modern and newly built high rise that was covered in windows. "We'll start with my place first. Then move onto the oh so glorious shopping trip."

I swear I'm not dead! Living on caffeine yes, but not dead. Thank you for all of the reviews and follows/favs! It means that world to me that this piece is getting some love.

On a penultimate note, anyone wanna beta read this? I wanna throw ideas out and have a different set of eyes and ears look at this cause mine aren't doing as well of a job as I'd like. Just shoot me a pm or review I guess.

Final thing (I promise) I'm rewatching MS and I don't have Hulu (I have Netflix) so I can't watch DP that way and I really don't want to pirate it so I'm kinda guessing what Danny's teenage personality would be...OOC warning here. Enough excuses, onto stuff you care about. Chapter 3 and cover art will hopefully be released by August.

Love your faces!

-Snowfly65