Greetings to you, oh mighty link clicker! This is my newest story, titled From the Beginning! It's an Iambic Prose story (that's the pairing of Ghostwriter and Danny Phantom) that I think you might like! I'll be updating daily, and I hope you guys enjoy the story I've made for you. And if this sounds similar to anything you've read before? Well...

I'm sure it's just your imagination, Dear Reader.

Chapter One - A Fresh Start

::

"Aha...and here I'm always saying that the Master of Time doesn't have a sense of humor! Good one, Clockwork. Really, good joke." The silence stretched and grew, filled only by the gentle ticking and moving of clocks and gears. "Wait...you're serious?! I actually have to go and-"

"Yes, Daniel. You do." Daniel James Fenton, a fifteen-year-old teenager who also went by the name of Danny Phantom, slumped in the armchair he had been sitting in, depressed and surly mood shown with his whole demeanor. "This will be good for you. You'll see."

"Oh, let me guess. 'In time?'" The silence was answer enough, he supposed. "Come on, Clockwork. If I even go near that library, he'll probably animate those stone lions of his and make them eat me! Death by stone lion just sounds pathetic, too…"

"He hardly needs the help of his powers to defeat you, Daniel." The teen perked up at that, eyes narrowed at the blue skinned being that floated a few feet away, the tip of a spectral tail just barely touching the ground.

"Is that- Are you saying he's stronger than me?! Need I remind you that I won that battle!" With the help of most of the Ghost Zone, admittedly enough, but honestly. What else was he meant to do? The ghost he had fought was able to change reality! He was only a simple half-ghost, teenage superhero. He could hardly be expected to face every challenge on his own.

"Mm, the fact remains, Daniel. Apologizing to the Ghostwriter is something I need you to do, even if you don't yet understand why." Having a mentor who was the ghost in charge of controlling time was troublesome, Danny decided.

"But- But- Isn't he still in jail? I mean, it's only been a week since Christmas- In case you forgot, oh Master of Time, Walker has a bounty on my head if I even go near that place!" At the clever smile that was shot his way, Danny quickly felt his excuses meet swift and deadly ends. "He's back at his library, isn't he?"

"Walker seemed to think that jailing a ghost with reality controlling powers for extended amounts of time was unwise. Breaking the keyboard only damaged his connection to his powers for a short while, a week, to be precise." Danny heaved a sigh, realizing that there really was no escape.

"Fine...I'll go apologize to the book nerd- But if I end up stuck in another poem, you're the one who's going to pay!"

"I'll keep that in mind, shall I?" Danny huffed, letting two glowing rings of light wrap around his waist, moving outwards and slowly transforming him into another person altogether. Floating out of the chair he had been sitting in, he lazily flew over to Clockwork, who was staring at a large mirror that was filled with moving images.

"This is some 'for the good of the time stream' thing, isn't it?" The only response his question earned was another smile. "You love frustrating others, don't you?"

"It happens to be one of my greatest joys. Now go, apologize. All will be as it should." Well. There was no getting out of it once that line was used. Sighing, and flying out with as much dignity as he could manage, Danny nervously began his journey to one of the few libraries in the Ghost Zone.

He only saw a few ghosts out, and those he did see seemed to be tipsy and none too there. He supposed parties and celebrations were still going on for the ghosts, just like they were for the humans. It really amazed him, sometimes, just how similar the living and the undead could be, in their habits.

"Okay. Right. Library. Ghostwriter. I can do this." Taking a deep breath, Danny landed on the steps leading up to large oak doors, feet slowly carrying him up as he looked around. He hadn't managed a good look the last time he was here, but this place really was...amazing. He imagined it would be easy to spend days lost inside, never coming out of what must be hundreds of shelves and- Was that humming?

"Stay calm, Fenton. Probably just...background noise. From the Zone. Yeah. That must be it." He was already losing sanity, bit by bit, no need to speed it along by helping. "Here goes nothing, I guess." He gave the smallest, and lightest knock he could manage, immediately taking a step back when he was done. If he was in his human form, his heart would have been pounding out of his chest.

"Welp! Nobody home! Guess I can just say I tried and-" The teen ghost didn't even manage to start turning on his heel before the doors opened grandly, gesturing him inside. Seeing no one around, and certainly not any irate librarian, Danny cautiously took a step inside. A resounding bang duly informed him that he wouldn't be leaving through the front doors. "I...should have seen that coming…"

Nervously looking around the empty library, Danny finally noticed that he didn't feel as worried as he probably should have been. Sure, he was probably going to flee at the nearest opportunity, but the building felt...peaceful. Welcoming. Pushing himself off against the doors he had been pressed against, he floated into the air, looking around the building.

It was much larger than he would have first guessed. Shelves were easily up to twenty feet high and coated the walls. More were arranged and scattered around the carpeted floor, a carpet that he had noticed was soft and springy, and a dull purple color that matched everything else. Books as well, unshelved and open, dominated whatever space was left. It was, all in all, the perfect dream for a book lover.

"Um...hello? Anyone here?" Floating up higher, he noticed a second story that was ringed by white rails, a perfect circle of a level that showed a painted roof that looked like something out of an ancient colosseum. The higher vantage point, as well, showed him the tables and couches that were liberally scattered throughout, as if there was no rhyme nor reason to where they ended up.

Everything was also...covered in dust?

"Vidya, have you seen the set on ancient architecture? I could have sworn I…" Danny flew back to the door in a flash, a part of him hoping the doors would open again. To no luck, it seemed. "How...did you get in here?"

"Um, well, the doors- They just sort of...opened." Danny trailed off, rubbing one arm as he shrugged, Ghostwriter only frowning in confusion. Danny noticed, now that he was looking, that the ghost looked quite human. Minus the sharp teeth, pointed ears, and ethereal glow, he could have passed for a sleep-deprived college student.

"I assume that means they closed behind you, as well?" And thank whatever higher power was out there that the ghost sounded amused, instead of angered.

"Yeaaah. I was hoping someone would be on the other side of the mysteriously opening doors and then, yeah. Bang. Shut. No hope." The amused chuckle caught him by surprise, Danny huffing and glancing away. "It's not that funny. I seriously thought I was about to be killed, and my body dumped somewhere."

"It wouldn't be improbable. There are multiple books in here that would aid in supplying information on how to hide a body."

"See, saying things like that is what is going to make people think you're a serial killer."

"A serial killer is only named so because they slipped, and were caught. What makes you think I would ever allow myself the same mistake?"

"Hm, let me think. Christmas break behind bars?"

"Most would reference spring break, I believe." Danny was surprised to find himself grinning, and even more surprised by how...not angry he was. He had expected to be a little pissed off at seeing the man who had trapped him in a poem and almost destroyed his life, but instead he was...amused. And a little thankful. "So, I take it you are here for something?"

"I...wanted to apologize." Deep breath, Fenton. "It...I shouldn't have destroyed your Christmas Poem, even if it really was an accident! I should have been more careful of just what I was doing...and...I should have apologized right away, instead of what I did do. So, I'm...sorry." The room was silent for a few seconds, Danny finally chancing a glance up to see that the other was smiling.

"Practice that beforehand? Or was it all off the top of your head?"

"I'll have you know that I spent five whole minutes on that!" That got a real laugh out of the ghost, Danny once again surprised to find that he didn't mind the sound. It actually made him happy, like when he heard his friends laugh at one of his jokes. "So, GW, what's with all the books here? I mean, I know you nerds can be messy, but really?"

"Upon my return I noticed just how much dust had collected over the years. I figured it was time to do a little cleaning." That explained why books were scattered across the floor and everywhere else, and why whole shelves were empty. "That, and it seems quite a few of the books became...disorganized." Here the ghost, confusedly enough, shot a glare to the ceiling.

"Tattered, too, it looks like." Danny floated closer to a pile of books on one of the tables, surprised to see how worn they were, almost as if they were falling apart. "Might want to start thinking about changing the covers, to prevent further decay. And maybe retouching the pages and coating them. Rebinding them wouldn't hurt, either- What? What's with that look?"

"Ah, nothing. I just...didn't expect you to know so much about books."

"Heh, well, can't take all the credit. My sister's a major bookworm, and I guess I picked up a lot of stuff from her." Danny paused for a few seconds, hovering closer to the ground as he nervously looked over at the other. "I really am sorry about your book, though. I...I'm not really at my best, around the holidays. Especially when it comes to Christmas."

Ghostwriter looked surprised for a few moments, slowly recalling the scenes he had written in about the young teen's past, and the yearly arguments between his parents. With the way the other's childhood had been, it was little wonder he had hated Christmas as much as he had.

"I...apologize as well." Danny jerked his head up in confusion, Ghostwriter smiling at the reaction. "As you've gathered, I'm rather obsessive over my books, and to see one destroyed, well… I didn't quite expect to carry things so far, but you can hardly deny that you needed the lesson."

"...true," Danny grudgingly admitted. "Although after messing with your obsession, I kind of deserve what happened."

"The blame seems to lie in both parties this time around, so why not agree to forgive and forget on both sides?" Danny nodded, surprised at just how...cool, the ghost seemed. He had expected a raging and raving maniac that looked to have drank one cup of coffee too many. Not someone who seemed to act a lot like Jazz, only with a sense of humor. "The rewrite was better, besides."

"You. You are funny." Danny looked torn between amusement and annoyance at the revelation. "This was something I did not expect."

"I believe the adage 'don't judge a book by their cover' would work well here, yes?" Danny let out a laugh, flying to the other's side, and looking at the shelf he had been working on dusting, a quick breath of icy air harmlessly blowing the dust away into almost nothing.

"When was the last time you cleaned in here? There has to be layers of dust in this place." Seeing the guilty look on the ghost's face, Danny raised an eyebrow in silent question.

"The eighties, perhaps?" Heaving a sigh, Danny looked around the massive room, as well as the floor above it. There were sure to be countless other rooms scattered around the lair, as well.

"We have a lot of work ahead of us…" Ghostwriter looked startled at that, looking over to the teen, who was already working on dusting off the next shelf.

"You have a talent for seamlessly working your way into other's lives, don't you?"

"It's a gift. A very useful, very fun, gift."

The next hour passed between the two in a flurry of jokes, banter, and stupid stories. Eventually, during the conversation, it had moved on to Danny's schoolwork, the teen himself viciously tearing into his English Teacher's work ethic. "I mean- Really?! Who assigns these books?! They don't even make sense, not with what we've been doing! I mean, it's bad enough I miss half of the classes thanks to the ghost attacks that are always happening but-" Danny cut himself off with a sigh, shelving another set of books.

"I know I'd understand what the hell they're all talking about if someone would just take the time to explain it- But, I mean, Sam and Tuck help me as much as they can, and are behind on their own work. And Jazz, well, she's starting to get ready for college, and I don't want to distract her from that, not when she's so focused and needs to start studying even more, and-"

"Have you ever considered the possibility of a tutor? Some students learn better with one-on-one interaction, rather than in a classroom setting." Danny paused at the information, mulling it over before shrugging.

"I mean, it sounds good, but who would tutor the crazy Fenton kid who's always running off and screaming about ghosts? Not to mention the running off thing would probably end a lot of the lessons before they even began."

"And a ghostly tutor?" At the scoff he received, Ghostwriter had to resist the urge to hit Danny with one of the books. Then again...the hit might instill into him some common sense.

"What ghost would tutor me?! I mean, all we do is fight, and the ones I am on friendly terms with are either too busy, or wouldn't understand what I'm trying to ask them! The only ones who remotely fit that possibility is someone I refuse to ask for help, because he's already done so much, and I'm probably starting to get on his nerves as it is, and- And...oh."

"Finally catch on?" Ghostwriter was expecting a clever retort, not the puzzled and confused look he was given.

"But- Uh- You- Um-"

"I was studying to become a teacher before my untimely demise. Who better to help you with your work than someone who possesses the credentials?" To be truthful, Ghostwriter was expecting to be laughed at, not...hugged.

"THANK YOU, THANK YOU, THANK YOU! YOU ARE THE BEST EVER AND I PROMISE TO ACTUALLY PAY ATTENTION AND NOT BE AN IDIOT AND THANK YOU, THANK YOU, THANK YOU!"

"Um, yes, you're, uh, welcome?" Ghostwriter struggled against the hug he was still caught up in, even going so far as to attempt phase out. He had underestimated just how clingy the half-ghost was, however. "Is there any chance you would be willing to let go?"

"Nope."

"No, I thought not…" This was going to be a long few months.

::

"Enjoy your visit with the Ghostwriter?"

"You are a sneaky ghost, Clockwork." Clockwork only grinned over at his young charge, who was once again back in the Clock Citadel. "You couldn't have just said he was meant to be my new tutor, or something? You know, instead of making me panic and worry."

"Panic is good for keeping you on your toes." Clockwork huffed a laugh at the dramatic gesture to the ghostly tail Danny had, something he usually adopted when in his ghost form most days. "Relatively speaking, of course."

"Uh huh. Are there any other secret time things I need to know about Ghostwriter? Or am I just going to be constantly surprised?" The time ghost let out a small smile, visions and possibilities of the future flying through his head so fast he could barely glimpse them. Of course, they all had one thing in common.

"I think I'll let you discover that on your own." Clockwork fondly shook his head at the dramatics the other let out, letting him settle down before speaking again. "And, Daniel? I've never seen you as 'getting on my nerves.' Your company is most welcome, and quite the pleasant change from the silence in the tower."

"...I knew it! I knew you listened in on my conversations!" The ghost only nodded along to Danny's rants about privacy, deciding not to comment on the smile that was on the other's face. If he had to guess however, and he was rather good at guessing, it wasn't just because of his words, either. And to think…

It was only just beginning.

Psst, this is a rewrite, just in case you were doubting reality there. No need to worry, though, as I think you're going to like this one quite a bit more...