GOOD NEWS! IT'S THE EPILOGUE!

Jazz sighed and leaned back against the chair she was sitting in, trying fruitlessly to read her book. She was at Fenton Works, on summer break from university, but she was wondering why she was even still in school, when most of her time was spent trying to figure out where her brother was.

It had been two years since Danny and Vlad had seemingly vanished from the face of the Earth, and absolutely no sign of them surfaced in that time. Jazz, Sam, and Tucker had searched the Ghost Zone for them (mostly Danny), but either nobody knew, or nobody was talking. After about a year, Sam and Tucker stopped looking to focus on school, but Jazz and her parents didnt give the search up.

Her parents had accepted some time ago that it was THEIR fault that Danny and Vlad were half-ghosts. Her father especially felt the most guilty, since he lost both a best friend and a son from the same damn mistake he made. After about a year and a half, both of them shut the Portal down and dissassembled it, and took a new philosophy on ghost fighting; battle against the bad ghosts, and leave the good ones alone. Still, their old enthusiasm for ghost fighting was completely gone.

Jazz rubbed her eyes and looked at her watch; it was nearly six-thirty and time for dinner. She put her book down and prepared to go make something in the kitchen that WOULDNT come to life and attack anyone, when she heard an explosion in the distance, across town. "What was THAT?" she asked herself, walking over to the window. Sure enough, there was smoke coming up from somewhere in the town. "I hope no one got hur-." Before she could finish that sentence, another explosion shook the windows; it was a little closer this time. "What is going on?"

The phone rang, and Jazz picked it up. "Hello?"

"JAZZ!" It was her mother. "JAZZ, GET THE FENTON PEELER AND HURRY OUT HERE!" Jazz nearly dropped the phone running down to the lab and grabbing what she needed.

"Mom, what's going on?" she asked urgently, running outside to get in her car.

"SOME GHOST!" Maddie shouted back, and Jazz could hear several small explosions through the phone. "I've NEVER seen anything like this one! He's...he's a MONSTER!" Jazz started up the car and didnt bother with the speed limit as she tore down the streets toward the explosions and airborne cars. She finally spotted her parents, who were huddled behind a building, and jumped out of the car.

"Mom, Dad!" she called, rushing over, activating the Fenton Peeler en route. "Who is it?" she asked.

"I dont know," Maddie replied, recharging her weapon. "But I've never seen another ghost as powerful as him! He...he..." She broke off when a shadow loomed over them, and Jazz looked up, her eyes going wide when she saw white, flame-like hair and red eyes staring down at her.

"...You...!"

"Well..." the ghost said, leaning forward, his arm propped up on one bent knee. "Jazz. It's been awhile, hasnt it? I'm touched you still remember me..."

"Who ARE you?" Maddie demanded, shakily arming her weapon up at him. "And how do you know Jazz?" The ghost gave her an evil grin and in one quick motion, zapped the weapon out of her hands.

"It's rude to point things at people," he replied. "At least, that's what you used to tell me..." He looked back at Jazz. "Where is he, Jazz?"

Jazz controlled her fear and took the defensive. "Not here," she replied, aiming the Peeler up at him. "How did you get out of the Thermos, Dan?"

Dan laughed, shaking his head. "Do you honestly think that primitive ghost containment could hold ME forever? No..." He stood up and stepped off of the roof to land in front of her. "If you would have seen what I could do in MY timeline, you would understand." He deftly raised his hand and summoned up a shield in time to block a shot from Jack, then turned to his one-time father. "Dont interrupt me when I'm TALKING!" He flicked his hand at Jack and Maddie, and the two of them were frozen in green ecto-energy.

"Who are you?" Maddie asked again. "And what do you want with Danny?" Dan crossed his arms and leaned against the wall of the building.

"Me? The name's Dan, though I was known in my time as 'Dark Phantom'." He pointed to his chest, where a very familiar DP insignia still adorned. "I come from a future. Give you three guesses whose, and the first two dont count."

Of course Jack and Maddie recognized the insignia, but they didnt believe it. "You're NOT our son!" Maddie shouted through the ecto-energy. Dan rolled his eyes.

"Of COURSE I'm not," he replied. "MY parents perished fifteen years ago. YOU are still alive. Timelines are funny that way, arent they?" He turned his attention back to Jazz. "I'm not going to ask again, Jazz. Where. Is. DANNY?"

"I TOLD you, he's not here!" Jazz shouted back. "He went missing with Vlad two years ago! There's no sign of them!" Dan scowled, thinking to himself.

"...Could they be dead...? No...that's not it...they must still be here..." He looked between his parents, then Jazz. "...Well. They know, dont they?" he asked his 'older sister' nodding to Jack and Maddie. Jazz scowled, and Dan smirked. "...I'm just guessing they didnt take it as well as Danny thought they would. He went to Vlad, didnt he?" Jazz gave him an ugly look, and Dan began laughing. "Oh, this is TOO perfect!" he said happily. "Perhaps I DO have a future in this timeline, after all!"

"Danny will NEVER become YOU!" Jazz shouted, shooting at him with the Peeler. Dan shifted out of the way in time and held out his hand, a burst of green fire flaring around it.

"Dont count on it, sister dear," he drawled. "Ghosts hold onto grudges much better than humans do...and as much of a moronic cheese-head Vlad was, he cared for Danny, and would hold an even BIGGER grudge against them. And together, they make ME." He practically preened as he made the fire in his palm flare up hotter. "I COULD just leave now, and wait for the inevitable to happen...but why put off for tomorrow what you can do today, hm? Maybe I'll see the three of you on the other side someday." He pulled his hand back in a motion to throw the fire at her, but was shot down by something behind him. "WHAT THE HELL?"

He whipped around to see Sam and Tucker standing behind him, Sam holding up what looked like a bazooka, and Tucker holding what looked like a sleeker model of the Thermos. He growled and picked himself up, dusting his chest off. "Sam and Tucker...been awhile, hasnt it?" He leered up at them. "My, how the two of you have grown up..." Sam sneered at him and shot at him again, but this time he jumped out of the way and flew up over them. "Oh, come now, Sam, is that any way to greet an old friend?"

"YOU'RE not my friend!" she shouted up at him. "You're just an asshole!" She balanced the bazooka on her shoulder and pulled a smaller handheld weapon from her black cargo pants and shot up at him, one of the shots actually catching his arm. Dan hissed in discomfort, then threw ecto-fire down at her.

Sam and Tucker jumped out of the way, then Sam pointed to Jazz. "JAZZ! FIRE THE PEELER AT YOUR PARENTS! IT'LL DISSAPPATE THE ECTO-ENERGY!"

Jazz nodded and did as she was told, and her parents were freed. Dan laughed at them, staring down at the small group with mirth. "You think your little ragtag team can stop ME?" he asked, his fists flaring up with green fire energy. "I destroyed the Earth and the Ghost Zone ALONE in my time! NO ONE was a match for me, even in my adolescence! What makes you think YOU can fight ME!"

"Try THIS reason!"

Dan was hit from behind with an admittedly painful ecto-shock that knocked him several yards from the air. He growled, his eyes burning red, as he whipped around to see Valerie hovering over him with her jetboard, a large ecto-gun in her hand. She glared down at him with disgust in her eyes. "...Danny turns into YOU?" she spat. "I STILL dont like ghosts, and I DONT believe that!" Dan straightened his back, the sizzling holes in his cape closing up.

"Valerie..." he practically purred, sliding a forked tongue over his lips. "...Still looking as lovely as ever...though you dont hold a candle to what you'll look like five years from now..." Valerie gave him another disgusted look and shot at him again.

"As IF you have a chance with me, creep!" she shouted back at him. Dan dodged or blocked her shots easily-more easily than he really should have-and then waited until she had to recharge her gun before bracing himself and inhaling.

"VALERIE, GET OUT OF THERE!" Sam shouted, but spoke too late when Dan let loose a massive Ghostly Wail, right at the Red Huntress. Everyone covered their ears to block out the sound, but Valerie was hit head-on right out of the air. She crashed to the ground, knocked out cold. Dan cut off the Wail and stepped over to her, kicking her a small distance away.

"...And she was so beautiful," he mused to himself. "No matter." He loomed over her, one hand poised for a strike, then he froze-almost literally-when something incredibly sharp and painful penetrated his abdomen from behind. He numbly looked down to see a large ice spear sticking out of his abdomen, his ectoplasm covering it. He stared at it in shock for a moment before heating up his core and making it melt down before healing himself. "WHO DARES!" he shouted, whipping around. That was a ghost power. Another GHOST had dared to attack him!

"I dare."

Dan froze when he heard a voice very similar to his own coming from above him. He looked up to see a figure hovering over him, and growled, levitating up to be at the same level as this stranger.

This ghost was wearing a hooded cloak similar to Clockwork's, only it was pure white on the outside with red lining in the inside; the hood was pulled over his head, concealing his face. His arms were crossed over his chest, and Dan could see he was wearing a black suit with white gloves and boots. He seemed to be around the same height and build as Dan, but somehow with a more sinister air to him. Dan growled again and clenched his fists; this new ghost bothered him for some reason.

"Who the hell are you?" he growled. The hooded figure let out soft laughter from beneath the hood, and for some reason, Dan felt an icy chill run down his spine.

"Fascinating insignia you have there," the ghost said, pointing to Dan's chest. "I believe I've seen it somewhere before...whatever does it stand for?"

Dan looked down at his chest, beginning to get annoyed, and feeling like he had to teach this new ghost some manners. "'Dark Phantom'," he replied with a growl to his voice. He went from annoyed to pissed when the ghost laughed again.

"Dark Phantom...how quaint..." Dan's fists burst into green flame with anger.

"You DARE to mock me!" he shouted. The figure before him only laughed harder.

"Oh, fire...how frightening!" he mocked. "Never thought you were one for theatrics...DANIEL." Dan felt his eye twitch, his fire dying down slightly.

"...What did you call me?" he hissed venomously. The figure ignored him and instead uncrossed his arms.

"...'Dark Phantom'..." he mused. "Interesting choice of name to fit the insignia. I'm afraid it doesnt quite match with my own..." He reached up and pulled part of the cloak away...also revealing a DP insignia. Dan's eyes widened fractionally, and the figure reached up to pull his hood back.

Dan and everyone else below was graced with the face of the new ghost...who looked almost exactly like Dan, if not slightly older. Only, this ghost had lightly tanned skin, long black hair that was tied back at the nape of his neck, and pure green, glowing eyes with no whites and no pupils. He even had a small black goatee like Dan. The ghost spread his arms out as though to present himself. "I suppose I should say that in a way, I DID become you," he said, his voice sounding like Dan's, only with an aristocratic tone behind it. "But you can call me Dan Plasmius."

Dan stared at the figure for a moment before bursting into laughter. "What did I TELL you?" he laughed, crossing his arms. "You DID become me afterall, didnt you, Danny?" The other Dan smirked and shook his head.

"Not at all, DAN," he retorted, mirroring the other ghost's stance. "I...or, rather, WE...are quite different from you. We exist as two separate beings, two separate minds, fused within one body. We work together in perfect sync, unlike yourself, who is only the sorry product of a forced fusion gone wrong."

"WHAT DID YOU SAY?" Dan shrieked, his fists flaring up again. The other Dan only cocked an eybrow.

"Temper, temper, Daniel," he said, his voice leaning more to the 'Vlad' side. "I'm only speaking the truth. YOUR Phantom and Plasmius were completely uncompatible, and THAT is what set your sanity off-kilter. You were a little boy trying to take over a grown-up mind and body, and instead you veered off-course and became...this." He gestured to Dan with hand. "WE, on the other hand, are in perfect harmony. We are equal in power and mentally on the same page. And because of that, we are able to channel both of our elements into this one body." He held out both hands to his sides, his left hand glowing with reddish-pink fire, and his right hand glowing with blue ice. "And quite frankly, there can only be ONE Phantom/Plasmius hybrid. We would much rather it be the one who can separate back into two beings, rather than the mixed-up failure of a hybrid YOU call yourself."

Dan was shaking with rage by this point; his entire body seemed consumed by a white-green fire. "SHUT UP!" he screamed. "YOU DONT KNOW WHO I AM! YOU DONT KNOW WHAT I'M CAPABLE OF!"

"Of course I know!" the other Dan said, this time sounding a little more...teenager-y. "I faught you, remember? Duh. Besides. You ARE us, idiot. Of COURSE we know what you're capable of!" He clenched his fists, and suddenly a reddish sword of fire and a sword of ice appeared in his respective hands. "Besides, if you had bothered to figure your OWN damn powers out, you'd probably be an ice elemental, too. But instead, you stole Plasmius's power and you're only a fire. Sucks, doesnt it?"

Dan let out a shriek of fury and dove at them, whipping his arm out and creating a green chain of fire to strike them with. Dan Plasmius countered with his firey sword and then turned his ice sword into an ice spear and lobbed it at Dan. The Dark ghost shot at it with a sharp ecto-shot and made it shatter, then flew up close and personal with the other Dan and threw a firey punch to his face.

Dan Plasmius moved his head out of the way and countered with a punch of his own into the Dark Dan's gut. Dark froze in shock; that had actually HURT! BAD! Before he could react, Dan Plasmius's fist drew back and punched him in the face, actually making ectoplasm come out of Dark's nose. Dan Plasmius stood back in midair, crossing his arms.

"This is pathetic, Daniel," the more 'Vlad' personality coming forth. "I cant even see where Plasmius's personality comes through in you. Not even truely Daniel's. You've become a dark mockery of both of them." Dark Dan snarled and threw a razor-sharp ecto-beam at them, which Dan Plasmius swatted away as though it were an annoying fly.

"I AM MYSELF!" Dark Dan shouted. "They were BOTH weak! I MADE THEM STRONG! I MADE ME STRONG!" He inhaled and let out a Ghostly Wail right at Dan Plasmius, who only summoned a shield and blocked the full force of it. "...Impossible!" Dark Dan breathed when he had cut the Wail off.

Dan Plasmius lowered the shield, then looked down at the gaping assembly below him before swiping his hand and covering all of them in a pink-and-green-swirled dome. "Cover your ears and brace yourselves!" he called to them before turning his attention back to Dark Dan. "I do believe that THIS is how it goes, dear boy." He inhaled deeply, and then let out not a Ghostly Wail; but rather, a Ghostly Roar.

Buildings shook, glass shattered, car alarms went off, and the street pavement cracked as pulses and tremors pounded through the air in every direction from the one causing it. Dark Dan covered his head with both hands, feeling like a battering ram was bludgeoning every inch of his body from the inside out. He couldnt tell left from right, or up from down, and that caused him to fall right out of the air and into the street in a disorientated heap.

Under the protective dome, Sam, Tucker, and the Fentons were reeling from the awesome magnitude of the attack; Valerie was still unconscious. Jazz gaped up at the Dan Plasmius figure, not believing that half of that powerful ghost was her little brother. The dome vanished as the Ghostly Roar diminished, and Dan Plasmius lowered himself to the street and walked up to Dark Dan, turning the disoriented heap over with his boot.

"You still dont get it, do you, Dan?" the 'Danny' side asked, kneeling down on one knee to get closer to his ex-future. "Did Vlad's knowledge inside of you never tell you a very important fact? It's the reason why I'm more powerful than you." He reached down and snatched the other ghost by the front of his suit and hauled him up easily. "It was something you pondered about when you were a halfa. It was something we BOTH pondered about when both of our sides were young halfas. Something Vlad Plasmius figured out, and why he never became full ghost."

Dark Dan's eyes widened slightly with realization. "...You...you're not a ghost!" he finally managed to bite out. Dan Plasmius smirked in the evil way only Vlad Plasmius could pull off. "You...you two are still...HALFAS!"

"The boy finally gets it!" the 'Vlad' side said. "And you are correct, Daniel. Danny Phantom and Vlad Plasmius are still halfas, and they are fused together to make me, Dan Plasmius. And what is that one point we were speaking of, hm?" He slammed Dark Dan into the ground hard, causing the ghost to cry out in pain. "That's right. HALFAS. ARE NATURALLY STRONGER. THAN GHOSTS." He let go of Dark Dan and put his boot down square in the middle of the ghost's chest, right over the DP insignia. "You are merely a hybrid of two ghosts, Daniel. I am a hybrid of two halfas. You are at war with your personalities. I have come to terms with mine. You are strong. I am stronger." He raised his hand, and an ice spear flaring with dark red-almost black-fire appeared in it. "But most of all, you are a defect of time infecting MY timeline, and you have to go. Clockwork sends his regards."

That said, he slammed the bi-elemental spear right into Dark Phantom's core.

The pure ghost hybrid screamed in pain as his ghostly core imploded on itself, then he faded into nothing more than a puddle of ectoplasm. Dan Plasmius stared at the puddle for a moment before shooting it with a dark pink flame, any remnants of Dark Phantom's ghostly DNA erased from the face of the Earth, and the timeline.

Everything was deadly silent in the area, then suddenly twin rings appeared at Dan Plasmius's midde-one black and one white-that ran over the body; when they vanished, two ghosts instead of one stood chest-to-chest for a moment before stepping away, and everyone got a look at the Danny Phantom they hadnt seen almost four years.

Phantom's hair had grown out to between his shoulderblades, and he kept it tied back and out of his face, which hadnt changed much in shape; it still held a boyish look to it. He had grown to Plasmius's height of about six-one, and his suit consisted of a tight-fitting white hoodie with the DP insignia on the chest, and black jeans with heavy black boots and black fingerless gloves on his hands.

Plasmius hadnt changed much, except his outfit. He still had a cape, though he foregone the upturned collar, and instead of a white tunic over white pants, he had a plain white top and black gloves with black pants and white boots. Unlike Phantom, Plasmius hadnt aged at all.

Both ghost sides looked over at the gaping allies staring at them. Plasmius nodded to Phantom, to transformed back into Danny, who was wearing a plain black hoodie over blue jeans. The hair was the same, only black. He walked over to all of them, just as Valerie was waking up. "You okay, Valerie?" he asked. Valerie looked up, blinking when she saw Danny.

"...D...Danny?" she murmured. Danny gave her a smile and offered her his hand. She took it, blushing slightly when she stood to her full height, and Danny was STILL much taller than her. She glanced over Danny's shoulder and saw Plasmius standing a small distance away, his arms crossed and a glare right in her direction. She instinctively reached for her ecto-gun, but Danny caught her wrist.

"He's a friendly," he said softly but firmly. He turned to Plasmius and gave the ghost a pointed look. Plasmius rolled his eyes and transformed back to Vlad, who was dressed in a white button-down shirt untucked over black slacks. His long silver hair had grown even longer, about to Danny's length.

"...Mister Masters...?" Valerie gasped. Danny gave her a smirk.

"I'll explain later, Val," he said, then turned to his friends and family. "Hey," he said. Jack stared at his son for a moment before fainting. "Um...Okay." He turned to his mother and gave her a hint of a smile.

Maddie could only tear up as she recalled the very last time she had seen her son.

"I...am your son! I'm your son...I'm Danny!"

And she had nearly killed him. She had shot the first shot at him. She had missed out on nearly four years of his life, and he had changed so much...

Before she knew what she was doing, she had launched forward and threw her arms around her son, sobbing into his shoulder. "Danny!" she sobbed, holding him like she was afraid he would disappear again and this time it would be forever. "Oh, Danny, my baby...I'm so sorry, Danny! I'm so sorry!"

Danny hugged his mother back, his blue eyes tearing up. "...Mom..." he choked out. Maddie only cried harder. "Mom...dont cry...it's okay...!" He took a deep breath. "...I forgive you, Mom. I forgive you and Dad...for everything...!" He hugged his mother tigher, and was joined by his crying older sister, who hugged his shoulders from his right side.

Valerie stood next to Sam and Tucker, confused. "...What's going on?" she asked Sam, who was also near tears. Sam wiped them away quickly.

"...About four years ago...his parents found out that he was Danny Phantom," she said, keeping her voice even. "...They didnt think that it was possible, and thought that Phantom was just possessing Danny, or even just pretending to be Danny...they attacked him, and he went to..." She pointed to Vlad, who was standing stoically by himself, staring possessively and protectively at Danny, his muscles tensed as though ready to defend his boy against anyone or anything. "...Because Vlad's a half-ghost, too."

"Half...ghost..." Valerie repeated numbly. She looked back at Danny. "...I'd been fighting DANNY for two years?" She lowered her eyes to her hands. "...No wonder he never wanted to fight back..."

"It's okay, Val," Tucker said, putting a hand on her shoulder. "It was his choice to keep it a secret, and he liked you too much to ruin any friendship you two could have by revealing that he was a ghost, too."

Everyone stood in silence for the longest time before Vlad stepped up to everyone, checking his watch. "Daniel," he said seriously, "it's about time."

Danny sighed and pulled away from his mother and sister to turn to Vlad. "...Already?" he asked. Vlad nodded. "Damn..." He turned and hugged his sister, then walked over to Sam, Tucker, and Valerie. "...It's been great seeing you guys again," he said, giving them a sad smile.

"...You have to go?" Sam asked. Danny nodded. "But why? Isnt...isnt everything alright now?"

"It IS, Sam," he said, reaching out to touch her arm. "...But me and Phantom have to go back with Vlad and Plasmius to the Ghost Zone to plead our case with the Observers."

"...Those freaky eyeball-head guys?" Tucker asked, grimacing. Danny snorted.

"Yeah, Clockwork hates them, too." He sighed. "You saw how powerful Dan Plasmius is...the Observers are concerned about how powerful we are...it's bad enough that Vlad and I are freaks of nature in both the human and ghost worlds, but to plead our case for reason to exist...well...you know."

Sam let out a sob and hugged Danny tightly, missing the flash of red possessiveness in Vlad's eyes. Danny gave Vlad a warning look and hugged Sam back.

"It'll be okay, Sam," Danny said. "Me, Phantom, Vlad, and Plasmius have forgiven everyone for everything, and even though Plasmius can be a real possessive asshole sometimes..." He flashed Vlad a smirk. "...None of us have any evil inside of us anymore. Clockwork said that as long as we stay 'good', the Observers cant do anything to condemn us. In fact, we just helped our chances by destroying Dark Phantom just now. We might be back in time for Christmas!" Sam only cried harder as Danny pulled away and clapped a hand on Tucker's shoulder. "It's been good seeing you, man." Tucker put his own hand on Danny's shoulder in return and gave his best friend a sad smile. Danny turned to Valerie. "...Guess you know now," he said.

Valerie nodded, brushing one of her braids out of her face. "...I'm sorry for hunting you all those times," she said.

"No harm done," Danny said, shrugging. "Trust me, Plasmius has done a LOT more pain, and that's just during sparring sessions." He held his hand out. "Bygones?" Valerie smiled and took it.

"Bygones."

Danny let go of her hand and stepped back before transforming back into Phantom. Phantom looked at Sam and Tucker again. "...Now," he said, his voice sounding different; JUST like Dark Phantom's but without any of the malice and evil. "...I think I can truely call you three friends." He put up two fingers in a salute to them before turning to Vlad, who transformed back into Plasmius. "See you guys later!" He held out his hand and summoned up a natural Portal midair before jumping in.

Plasmius kept it open for a moment while he walked over to the Fentons, including Jack, who had just woken up. He stared at all three of them for a moment, the old evil glare in his eyes absent and his menacing aura gone. "...I too forgive all of you for hurting Daniel and Phantom," he said softly. "You have my word that I will protect him from any and all harm." He turned to Jack and held out his hand. "...Vlad says...'From one father to another'."

Jack stared at the black gloved hand for a moment before taking it. "Thank you, V-Man," he said. Plasmius grinned.

"You know, Vlad absolutely ABHORS that name," he said. "But I find it quite charming." He turned to Maddie and took her hand and brought it up to his lips to kiss it. "You should feel lucky; I have NO intentions for you." Maddie didnt know whether to take that as a relief or an insult. "But Vlad says that he's given you up. Be happy with Jack." He let go of her hand and turned to Jazz. "I do promise to take care of your little brother, Jazz."

Jazz blinked; Vlad had never called her 'Jazz' before; then she remembered that this was Plasmius she was talking to; the one who was more inclined to nicknames. "You'd better," she warned. Plasmius smirked and turned to the three nineteen-year-olds.

"You are good friends for Daniel, and Phantom," he said. "...Valerie dear, do keep up the good work, wont you?" He laughed at the look on her face and turned the Portal before jumping in. The Portal vanished just seconds later.

Everyone stared at the empty air were the Portal just was before quietly picking up their equipment to leave the area. Sam was the last one to leave; she stared into space, recalling the entire battle in her mind's eye.

"...He said he'd come back," he murmured to herself. She absently fingered the leather spiked wristband Danny had bought her for her sixteenth birthday. "...He'll come back." She smiled to herself, and picked up her ecto-bazooka. "He'll come back."

Plasmius pulled Phantom close to him and caressed the younger ghost half's shoulders. "Are you alright, my Phantom?" he asked. Phantom nodded, his eyes downcast.

"I'm just anxious about our trial," he replied truthfully. He grabbed Plasmius's hand and laced their fingers together. "I know that our time together, and Clockwork's help, has purged most of the evil out of you...but I still fear for you." Plasmius leaned forward and kissed Phantom's forehead.

"You neednt worry about such things," he replied. "We'll both get out of this, and we'll go home. Like you said, you wanted to have this over with by Christmas, yes? I would very much like to spend many more Christmas Truce parties with you under the mistletoe..." Phantom smiled sadly and put his free hand over his partner's core, feeling the firey heat under his hand.

"I am incomplete without you," he said softly. "Without you, I'll freeze completely..." Plasmius reached up and lifted Phantom's chin slightly with his long fingers.

"Then either we both go, or we both stay," he said firmly. "Vlad feels the same way. Does not Daniel?" Phantom nodded, and Plasmius pulled him closer before kissing him.

"A-hem."

They pulled apart to see a bemused Clockwork a small distance away. "The Observers are ready to see you now," he said. "Keep the PDA to a minimum; they're SUCH prudes about that sort of thing." The two halfas snorted and followed Clockwork into the deepest regions of the clock tower, and through a door into yet another completely dimension. "Good luck, boys."

As they left his sight, Clockwork couldnt help the smile that quirked on the corners of his lips.

They'd make it to Christmas.

END STORY! -dies- Urgh...well, that's it for that one! Next comes the last of my list-Danny/Dan. Rejoyce. REJOYCE, DAMN YOU!