Hello again! I'm terribly sorry for the nine day wait... themasteroftime's flashback was harder to write than I thought, and I had to get Danielle's explanation to Danny just right. It's still got flaws, but I feel you've waited long enough.

Cover by my good friend Losteh, who can be found at rainstarlightsky. deviantart. com (remove the spaces!) if you want to give her your compliments.

Danielle's POV

For a long moment that seemed like a century we floated there, just staring into each other's eyes. My instincts were telling me to run, fly, get away from him before he discovers too much. My heart, however, cried out to stay, stay and confide in him. I hovered, torn between them, completely unsure of what to do.

Danny looked uncertain to if he should corner me like a normal ghost or embrace me like a sister. He was obviously trying to place my motives by my facial expression. It didn't seem to work, so he finally whispered, "Danielle?"

I jerked myself out of my thoughts and conflicted emotions and breathed, "Danny."

"What are you doing here? What's going on?" The questions tumbled out of his mouth before he could stop himself. He covered it in horror, but I simply smiled weakly.

"Not now. Meet me at 4013 Raven Ave. after school today and I'll explain. Bring your two friends."

Danny opened his mouth to argue, but thought better of it. He nodded curtly and flew back to the High School, glancing over his shoulder every so often. I stayed floating there, cloak flapping in the breeze, until finally he turned intangible and vanished back inside.

3 ½ hours later…

I waited anxiously for Danny to arrive, fingering my modified medallion Clockwork had given me. Why hadn't I been lectured yet? I couldn't possibly guess. If it'd been me who'd given someone a dangerous task and they let someone else know about it when I'd specifically stated not to, I'd rant to them at first chance. Clockwork's absence just seemed…odd. It worried me the more I thought about it.

I was snapped out of my woes by the doorbell, which I realized I hadn't ever heard before. At supernatural speed I reached the front door and peeked nervously through the peephole. Danny stood there, flanked by the Goth and the techno-geek, all three looking more anxious then I was. I opened the door a crack, allowing my ice-blue eyes to be visible in the fraction of an inch that was permitted.

"Come inside, hurry," I hissed softly, backing away to let them cautiously enter.

I shut the door with a quiet snap and turned to face the trio. My black bangs draped over my eyes, I realized I must look significantly different than our last meeting eight months or so ago.

"This way," I whispered, slipping around the corner into the living room. The couches hadn't been touched in the time I'd occupied the home, and my guests sank onto them gratefully. I plopped onto the sofa-chair alone and watched them in silence. This stretched on for some long moments before the girl spoke.

"Well?"

I brushed my hair out of my face and looked her in the eye. "Ask away. I know you're dying to… no pun intended," I added when I saw Danny's expression.

I gazed expectantly at her for a few seconds, but it was Danny's voice that spoke next. "Where have you been? What's happened?"

Memories began to flow back to me at these questions. I smiled weakly. "It will take awhile to explain, but I will if you have such time."

"My parents don't expect us home until nine," Danny replied. "Please tell."

"Okay," I sighed. My eyes clouded as I immersed myself in the past. "It was six months ago…"

The world was still around me. I walked up to a friendly-looking woman and waved my hand in front of her eyes. Nothing. I stared down at my hands, which, moments before, had been glowing bluish-purple. Had I done it at last? Had I finally stopped time?

A sudden hardness slammed over me so fast it caught me off guard: I couldn't move. Somehow my mind noted that I could still think and move my eyes. I was partway trapped in the frozen time-flow.

Then something odd happened. Odder than what had already happened, I mean.

Two arrows, looking amazingly similar to the hands on a clock, appeared before me. One of them spun around in a perfect circle once, creating a dazzling baby blue portal. A figure appeared in shadow as the portal closed up behind it.

It was a ghost, no doubt, but it still didn't have the same haunting aura as the rest. This ghost wore a purple cloak emblazoned with gears. Watches smothered his wrists. Something similar to the body of an old grandfather clock made up his stomach area. He held a scepter with a tiny analog clock on the tip, with several small buttons covering its sides. I couldn't see his face, for it was hidden by his hood. He looked to be about two hundred years old. Just as I made this observation, his form changed to that of a child, and I would have squeaked in surprise had I not been half-frozen by time.

The ghost held up a necklace with a heavy charm on it: a gear labeled CW, attached to a long black ribbon. He drifted towards me, holding it out. I struggled internally between fear and curiosity. What was going on?

The charm slipped around my neck.

Suddenly, I could move freely again. I stumbled backward, putting a few paces between myself and the ghost, but never taking my eyes off him. To my surprise and slight annoyance, he chuckled.

"Relax, child. I am here to take you home."

"Home? Who are you? Do you work for Vlad?" I growled, pulling myself into a defensive stance.

"I do not work for Vlad, and I doubt I ever will. He is currently roaming space with no home on Earth. As for who I am…I am Clockwork, ghost-master of time."

"Ghost-master of time?" Curiosity got the better of me. I relaxed, staring quizzically at him.

"Yes. I control all timelines, making sure everything is how it's supposed to be. I've had to interfere myself on a few special occasions."

"Really? When?" I asked, awed by this ghost who, to me, did not seem like he would attack any time soon.

Clockwork made a non-committal grunt. "They all had to do with a certain boy…I believe you consider him a cousin?"

"Danny? He's met you? He's messed with time?" My playing with my newfound powers seemed much less mischievous: I'd thought I was going to be told off by the Master of Time himself for messing with time just seconds previously.

"Oh, yes. I must say our first meeting went rather bad…he presumed I was evil, and at that time, I was playing such a part to make sure he secured a better timeline. We're on speaking terms, but only just."

"Are you here to punish me?" I whimpered, taking another step back.

"The Observants wish me to do so. However, I will not. I have millenniums more experience than they do, and I am simply here to ask you to return to my realm in the Ghost Zone so I can help you train your powers." Clockwork pushed his hood back ever so slightly to reveal a blue face with red eyes and a black scar over the left. To make up for it all, however, was a caring, reassuring smile.

I couldn't speak. A real residence of my own? I had never really had a home, minus Vlad's place, which was hardly to be considered a real one. Adrenaline and disbelief coursed through me. One look into that face and I instantly gave him my complete trust.

"Of course I will."

"Excellent," responded Clockwork, his grin broadening. "If you will follow me, Danielle…"

He waved his staff, and another blue portal appeared, spinning once more into existence. Without hesitating, I jumped into the portal, with no thoughts but that my new home was a single leap away.

There was a deafening quiet in the room.

"Clockwork helped you?"

I nodded. "He's become… sort of my father figure now. One look at him and I knew instinctively I could believe him…though I assume I couldn't say the same for you."

Danny chuckled nervously, running his hands through his hair. "Yeah…our first meeting wasn't exactly a tea party."

I found myself laughing despite the circumstances. "But he's helped you."

"Yes, even though I didn't know it at first most of the time," Danny noted. "So if you went to live with Clockwork, why are you here now?"

I clenched my fist around the medallion, which I realized I'd been clinging to the entire story. "Clockwork gave me a mission."

"What mission?" "What's that you're holding?" the girl and Danny asked at the same moment.

Shaking with suppressed mirth, I responded, "I don't know much myself, to be honest. You know Clockwork: he's vague. I just know there's some kind of evil here I'm supposed to stop. As for this…" I held out the medallion for them to see more clearly.

The Goth stared at it. "It looks like a Time Medallion…"

"It's modified," I corrected, showing her where the CW of the Time Medallion would normally be. It was now replaced by the DP symbol. "It hides me from ghost scanners. Though if it really works, I have no idea how your ghost sense found me."

"You'd listened in a good five minutes before it did, though," Danny pointed out. "It delayed it at least."

"I guess," I sighed. "Clockwork's probably going to wring my neck for letting you find me, not to mention Valerie."

"Why can't we help you?" suggested the girl. "You'd stand a better chance." I gave her a look that clearly said do-you-underestimate-me-I-can-do-it-alone.

"In this case, the less people who know, the better," I corrected. "I still have no idea what I'm up against and I don't want anyone hurt because of it." I caught Danny's eye and winced with an apologetic smile. It was unnerving how, after all this time, the fact of me being a clone caught up with me on occasion. I still was as much like him as ever.

Danny laughed. "I know I say that to people a lot, but I'm here to help you on this, Danielle. Has there ever been a pair of people more alike than us?"

"I suppose," I replied dryly. "You discuss it with Clockwork, see how he takes it."

"Whatever," responded Danny with a playful grin. "Just come to me if you ever need me, okay, cuz?"

"Deal," I agreed, giggling. I led the group to the door, bid them goodbye, and fell backwards onto my couch, wondering what else could possibly go wrong right now.

I didn't know the half of it.

So there you have it. Danny, Sam, and Tucker know. I hated writing this scene, but I know it was the one you guys were waiting for. And Danielle has yet to discover what the evil is while she's caught up in all these other problems. Clockwork hasn't lectured her yet. SO MANY CLIFFIES...

themasteroftime, I hope you enjoyed your flashback. It took sweat, blood, and tears, but it got done. Whew.

Hopefully I won't leave you guys for so long next time.

~Cherry