Chapter Text
Dan had just finished beating Danny into the ground, the few ghost gadgets the Halfa brought were only enough to stave this off in the long run.
“What makes you think you can change my past?" Dan questioned, the clones he created remerging with himself.
Danny managed to get up on all fours, craning his neck up towards his future self. "Because I promised my family!"
“Oh, you are such a child.” Dan laughed. "You 'promised?’"
"Yes!” Danny stood. “I PROMISED!"
His shout became a Ghostly Wail, which took Dan by surprise as he was blasted away and dug a trench in the ground as his body skidded along it.
"That power, ugh, it's not possible!” Dan voiced, stunned. “I won't get that power until ten years from now!"
"I guess the future isn't as set in stone as you think." Danny answered as he landed before his downed opponent.
The Halfa then unleashed another Ghostly Wail, blasting through the street with power as it demolished the building Dan crashed into. Danny ended up running out of power, seeing him slump forward while reverting to human.
Dan burst free of the rubble, severely weakened. "Well, that's it, isn't it?"
Danny narrowed his eyes. "Time's up!"
He opened a Fenton Thermos and began to absorb Dan. "Too weak to escape, but you're too late to save them!"
Danny capped it before he realized what else he needed to do, seeing him turn towards the destroyed Nasty Burger. “Oh no.”
The heat to the vat was critical. Danny booked it towards what remained of the building, all the while trying to will his powers out. He had to save his family, friends, and teacher. Only his rings appeared before they faded.
"I can't go ghost!" He then tripped forward. "Noo!"
Merely shouting couldn’t stop what came next. The entire place erupted in flames, with the shockwave blasting the Halfa back. In the timeline we are all familiar with, this is where Clockwork intervened. Sadly, this version of Danny didn’t inhabit that timeline.
Amity Park: Outside the Nasty Burger
His parents, sister, two best friends, and teacher were gone. Danny could only now look at what remained of the Nasty Burger as tears formed in his eyes. The first thought that came to mind was something future Vlad told him.
“If it’s any consolation, they went so quickly without feeling any pain.”
While he could find some consolation in them not having to feel any of that, Danny’s mind almost immediately turned to another point. “Why didn't Clockwork save them?”
As Danny was about to fly home at top speed, failing that run, and enter his family’s portal to the Ghost Zone, time froze. Pale blue energy converged around Danny before pulling him into a portal. When he vanished, the world began to move again.
Ghost Zone: Clockwork’s Lair
Clockwork floated before a still frozen Danny as he shifted between baby, adult, and old man. He frowned since he knew this misfortune could have been prevented, but said misfortune was needed to secure a brighter future. The ghost let out a heavy sigh before collecting himself.
He took the Fenton Thermos containing Dan and put it away with as much protection as he could muster. Once Dan was secure, for the time being, Clockwork returned to Danny and inserted one of his medallions into him like Dan had done prior.
The medallion negated Clockwork’s time powers on Danny, so he came to look around until his gaze settled on the time manipulating ghost. In that moment, nothing else about his current situation mattered because the one who could undo all of this stood before him.
"Clockwork, you need to help me.” Danny begged. “Please, turn back time to save my family, my friends, and even my teacher."
"I am sorry, but it cannot be done." Clockwork stated, gravely. “Rather, I will not nor will I ever undo what has happened.”
"W-What do you mean?" Danny asked, stunned.
"The Observants wanted you dead, but they look at time as though it were a parade. One thing after another passing in sequence.” Clockwork explained. “I see that same parade from above. All the twists and turns. What may or may not happen.
I know this is not what you want to hear but losing those close to you is for a better future. One day, far in the future, someone more powerful than Dan or I will appear. This loss will set you on the road to potentially be a match for that being.”
"Y-you knew this would happen, everything, and you let it happen.” Danny shook his head. “No. No! NO! I refuse to accept that.”
If he accepted everything Clockwork said, Danny would never again hear his mom and dad banter about their latest ghost gadget, or what they'll do once they capture a ghost. Never again will Jazz be his overprotective older sister, nor will they get into sibling arguments again.
Lancer will never again give him detention for being late, swear using book titles, or try to be 'hip'. Tucker wouldn’t discuss how meat is better than veggies, or his latest tech he treats like a child. As for Sam, she was special. Danny recognized he’d missed what was right there.
Even his goof of a dad knew before he did. Danny wanted nothing more now than to give her the ring engraved with her name. The Halfa couldn't imagine his life without her, and if Clockwork had his way, she’d remain dead like everyone else.
Dany stared at Clockwork with all the rage and determination he had. “I won’t accept your reality.” The familiar ring, which signified him going ghost, appeared around him. “If you won’t reverse what has been done, I’ll make you.”
Clockwork, despite how bad he felt being passive in this instance, was firm in what should be. “Even if you could beat me, which you are nowhere near strong enough to do, it will achieve nothing. I will not reverse what has been done.”
Danny said nothing as his hand glowed with green ectoplasm while Clockwork summoned himself from multiple eras. The current one grabbed his scythe while Danny shot out two beams, only for them to sail into blue portals.
“Long range is useless, Danny.” Clockwork declared. “The Time Medallion in your body loses its effect once anything leaves you.”
Danny floated into the air. “Then, I’ll stick to close range!”
He flew at the original Clockwork, but two others flew at Danny. One kicked him low while the other punched the Halfa in the face. They did not let up as the Clockworks shot out their beams or hit Danny with their variety of weapons. The halfa was outclassed in every sense of the word.
His recent loss kept him from using arguably his most valuable asset, his mind. The devastation weighed heavily on Danny, making him an easier opponent for the calm, collected Clockworks. A group of Clockworks came together and blasted him into a nearby wall.
When the plasma ceased, Danny collapsed to the ground, but he wasn’t finished. He forced himself to his feet and faced all the Clockworks before letting loose a Ghostly Wail. The original Clockwork opened another portal that the wail harmlessly entered.
Danny fell to all fours as he reverted to his human form, panting. “Please, undo it.”
All the Clockworks vanished as the original came to float before Danny. “In one timeline, I did, but this timeline isn’t that one. The fate of the Ghost Zone and earth rests on your shoulders.”
“Why can’t you trust my friends and I to handle it?” Danny looked up at him. “Why leave me alone?”
“You’re not alone, are you?” Clockwork turned away from the Halfa and opened a portal beneath him. “Keep that in mind as you decide what to do next.”
While it was true Clockwork couldn’t affect Danny with his time powers, due to the medallion within, he could still impact Danny’s space. All he needed was for the Halfa to be sufficiently weakened. As Danny fell, Clockwork imparted him with some of his own energy.
Fenton Works Basement
Danny flew out of the light blue portal before hitting the ground of his family's basement. He immediately got to his knees while turning to stare at said portal as it closed. As much as he wanted to fly through his family’s portal and force Clockwork to undo this, the ghost was firm.
Danny knew he had to go somewhere, but where? Well, he knew who he didn't want to go to. Vlad Masters, aka Plasmius, was an evil fruit loop and his arch nemesis. His house was the last place Danny wanted to be. Especially since ending up there would result in Dan Phantom.
No matter what, the Halfa refused to go anywhere with the chance of that happening. As if to answer that wish, Danny remembered his father mentioning a family member other than his mom's sister, second to last place he wants to go, in a conversation a while back.
Flashback
Danny had walked down into the basement to find his father working on some gadgets. "Hey, dad?" his father stopped and turned his attention to Danny with a huge grin. “Can I ask you something?"
"Sure-o Danny-o! Is it about ghosts? Oh, I can go on for hours about ghosts!" His father’s smile grew wider at the thought his boy was interested in learning his old man's line of work.
Danny shook his head. "No, that's not it.”
His father looked a little disappointed, but his smile quickly returned. "Then, what is it you wanted to ask?"
"I'm curious about grandpa.” Danny stated. “I mean, he died before I was even born.”
The Halfa had stumbled across a few pictures of the guy, which made him curious enough to ask.
Jack grabbed Danny in a bone crushing hug. "Your grandpa was an inventor, like all Fenton's. It’s in our blood, Danny-o." Jack's face suddenly became serious, which rarely occurred. “Just after Jazz turned a year old, my uncle Jerry came over from California.
He told us my pops died because an invention of his blew up. Man, I haven’t spoken to him or that part of the family in years. I wonder if he still runs his bed and breakfast out in Beverly Hills?” Jack grew excited. “Perhaps we could make a family trip out there sometime!"
"Wow, I had no idea." Danny stated, amazed.
Jack patted Danny on the back. "Did you know my fascination with ghosts came from your grandpa?" The Halfa shook his head. "When I was just a boy, younger than you are now, dad told me stories of secret ghost hunters who used gadgets."
"B-But how did you know they were real and not just stories?" Danny recalled the first time his parents saw a ghost was when he fought The Lunch Lady.
"Good question, son!” Jack declared. “Strange things happened at home. You see, Uncle Jerry and dad would disappear and appear out of nowhere all the time, so it had to be ghosts. Such thoughts were only cemented by me discovering gadgets in a box within my old man’s closet.
I recognized them from the stories he told me, so I knew that meant ghosts weren't just fiction. I've been trying to capture a ghost ever since." He nodded. “In fact, the gadgets you see today were derived from those gadgets I found.
Now, I know you like astronomy and space, but I think you could make your own gadgets one day. Whether that’s for ghost hunting or not will be up to you, but I bet they’ll be gadgets grander than mine or your gramps.”
A blue wisp escaped Danny's mouth, but his dad was oblivious to it. “Oh, I just remembered I was supposed to meet Sam and Tucker for a study session.” He ran for the stairs. “Sorry dad, but I got to go!”
Present
“Dad's Uncle Jerry!” Danny thought hopefully. “It’s a long shot, but I must try; otherwise, I'll become Dan under Vlad. Dad said Jerry has a bed and breakfast in Beverly Hills, California.”
Danny forced himself to move away from the portal as he started packing clothes alongside pictures of his family and best friends. He then grabbed his school backpack and loaded it with ghost gear, just in case. Lastly, he approached a jar with the word Fenton on it.
It was the family's emergency funds. Considering all that happened, this certainly qualified as an emergency. If his great uncle didn't pan out, at least he would be set for a while. Danny pulled out a necklace he had which held the engraved ring he now wanted to give Sam.
He rubbed a finger over the ring and tucked it away. The halfa then went ghost before floating above his home. He silently said goodbye to all he knew before flying off towards California with fresh tears in his eyes.
Ghost Zone: Clockworks Lair
Clockwork watched Danny fly away from Amity Park with two Observants.
“You manipulated that boy and influenced his choice.”
“That’s a direct violation of temporal displacement.”
“In other words, you’ve cheated.”
Clockwork turned to face them. “The choices he made and the things I’ve done are for a better future. Even if Danny can’t forgive what I’ve done, I don’t need him to. Having the earth and Ghost Zone standing will be all I need.”
“You realize the boy is now your responsibility.”
“As is his evil self now that he exists outside of time.”
“I am aware, but time is not as constant as you two seem to think.” Clockwork floated away. “Think about that as events unfold.”
On the Road: Night…
Danny bought some food from a gas station, and ate it, before traveling another six hours. He then stopped at a cheap hotel for the night since he needed to regain his strength. He made sure he was Danny Fenton before putting on a simple dark hoodie to hide some of his features.
If the Nasty Burger incident weren’t on the news, it would be soon, and he didn't want to be recognized. Danny walked up to the desk clerk. He was a man that looked like his teacher Mr. Lancer, which made him think of things he didn't want to.
The Mr. Lancer look-alike narrowed his eyes at Danny, who was doing his best to seem unassuming. “Where are your parents, kid?"
Danny flinched at the mention of his parents, but he was quick to recover. "They’re at home, celebrating their anniversary. I decided to give them the night alone, so I’m out looking for a place to stay.”
"What's your name?" The man asked, not entirely convinced.
"Johnny, Johnny Box." Danny took the names from Johnny 13 and the Box Ghost.
"Okay, Johnny, I'll let it slide tonight, but I don't want to see you here again without a guardian.” The clerk stated. “A room will be fifty bucks or you're not staying." Danny sighed in relief as he took out fifty dollars from his bag and passed it to the man. "Room 13."
What a coincidence? The room he got was 13 after he’d just used Johnny 13's name. Once he got into the room, Danny instantly fell asleep, but his rest wasn’t peaceful. All night, he would see that awful event and couldn't sleep because of it.
Morning…
Danny woke with tears staining his face. Despite the terrible nightmare of that night, the Halfa at least felt rested enough to travel until he reached his destination. He took a shower before making sure he had everything. Danny then grabbed a glazed donut from the hotel’s breakfast.
After eating it, he quickly checked out and found an area with no people. Once Danny was alone, the Halfa transformed and started flying. Even with his speed, it would take half the day to reach Beverly Hills, California.
Beverly Hills: Jerry’s Bed and Breakfast, Evening…
Danny, as Fenton, spent a couple of hours looking for the building. After getting some helpful directions, he found himself before a hotel that looked 20x better than the place he stayed at last night. The Halfa walked inside and approached the receptionist desk.
“Excuse me.” Danny voiced, getting the attention of a woman whose blond hair was up in a ponytail. "Is Jerry Fenton available? I really need to talk to him.”
The woman seemed surprised he was asking for the owner but smiled after a few seconds. "Sorry, Jerry isn't here right now. Should I leave him a message?"
"Please, I need to talk to him.” Danny pleaded. “I'm actually his great nephew."
The woman was taken aback by the sudden revelation. She looked at this boy closely and noticed the bags under his eyes. She also noticed he seemed rather desperate to talk with Jerry, and there was something about this boy that made her want to help him.
"Okay, I'll call him.” The woman stated. “I'm sure he wouldn't mind if you are family."
WOOHP HQ: With Jerry
Jerry had just gotten back from arresting an archaeologist who’d wanted to become immortal. He’d just sat at his desk when his wallet phone rang. The ID showed it was Jerry's Bed and Breakfast, which exists as a cover for people who don't know he works for WOOHP.
Wondering what it could be about, Jerry answered. "Yes?"
"Sorry to bother you sir, but there is a boy here claiming to be your great nephew.” The clerk explained. “He wants to speak with you.”
Jerry was surprised. Of all the things he thought she might say, this wasn't one of them. He did have family through his deceased brother but hadn’t spoken to them since his death. Sure, he kept tabs on them, but he had no idea why his great nephew was here.
“Sir?” The clerk asked, concerned.
"Oh, please forgive me.” Jerry stated. “Learning my great nephew is here was a bit shocking. Tell him I’ll be over in five minutes to hear what he has to say.”
"I'll go ahead and tell him. Bye Jerry." The clerk hung up.
Jerry started the short walk over. He purposely had the hotel close to WOOHP in case his mother dropped by or something else came up. As he walked, Jerry couldn’t help but feel bad for not keeping in better touch with that part of his family.
Being a WOOHP agent made you rather busy. Another possible reason was when his brother died, he became more and more distant from them. He had been the anchor that held them together. Without him around, they had all drifted to live their own lives.
Jerry’s Bed and Breakfast
Jerry had arrived at his cover place, finding a black haired boy sitting on one of the couches while looking rather melancholic and tired.
“If that is my great nephew, I can see a resemblance.” Jerry noted.
As he approached, the boy’s head shot up. "Are you, Jerry?"
"I am, and I hear you are my great nephew.” Jerry stated. “Who might you be?”
"Danny. Danny Fenton." The boy replied. "Jack Fenton was my dad."
That ‘was’ put a bad feeling in Jerry’s stomach. "What is it you wanted to speak with me about?"
"Yeah, I…" Danny struggled to get his words out.
"Perhaps we could talk somewhere private.” Jerry suggested. “Would that help?"
Danny nodded. “I think it would.”
Jerry’s Office
Jerry closed the door to the office he kept here before addressing his great nephew. "This is my office, Danny. No one will hear our conversation, so whatever you have to say, I'm all ears."
"There was an accident." Danny’s eyes watered. "My mom, dad, and sister, along with three others, died just yesterday. Besides my mom’s sister, who I don’t want to stay with, you're the only family I know of."
Danny broke down, putting his face in his hands while Jerry visibly paled at what he heard. "Wha-What happened exactly?"
Danny took a few minutes to compose himself. "E-Explosion…I'm the only one who survived." He cried. "After that happened, I knew I was going to be sent to live with Vlad, but I like him less than my mom’s sister. That’s why I came to find you.”
Vlad? It clicked in Jerry’s mind. He remembered Jack went to college with Vlad Masters, who was actually a person of interest to WOOHP.
“That must mean Danny left as soon as the accident happened.” Jerry briefly wondered if anybody knew he was still alive. “Probably not, given Amity Park is quite the trip from Beverly Hills.”
That did beg the question of how Danny got here this fast? Jerry could travel rather quickly when needed, but that was because of his occupation.
"So, you're asking me to be your guardian?” Looking at this broken teen, Jerry knew just how much he’d really lost. “How old are you?"
"I was hoping you’d be my guardian, and I'm fifteen." Danny replied.
“Very well.” Jerry didn't have experience taking care of a kid, yet Danny wouldn’t be happy with those he didn’t want taking care of him. “I'll take you in, but there are calls I must make. For one, we can't have people think you're dead. I assume you left before anybody saw you were okay."
The Halfa nodded. “I got out of there as soon as possible.”
"It's going to be difficult, but I'll help you as much as I can. " Jerry stated reassuringly. “For now, come with me. I’ll show you where you’ll be staying.
Jerry’s Apartment
Jerry led the Halfa inside an average sized, two-bedroom apartment. "Have you eaten yet, Danny?"
"Not since this morning, and only a single donut." Danny replied.
"Please, help yourself to whatever you want from the kitchen.” Jerry stated. “This will be your home from now on." After Danny ate, Jerry gave him a quick tour before showing him the guest bedroom. "This will be your room. Soon, we'll go shopping to get anything you may need.”
Danny sat down on the bed. “Okay.”
"Once you're settled, you'll be going to Beverly Hills High." Jerry was sending Danny there since he hoped the girls would try to befriend him, and he could use the support. "If you ever need to talk, I'll be here."
Danny nodded before looking at him with uncertainty. "Oh, um, Jerry?"
"You can call me Uncle Jerry if you want." Jerry stated after seeing his hesitation.
"Okay, Uncle Jerry." Danny smiled for the first time since the incident, slight as it may be. “I just wanted to say, thank you.”
"You're welcome Danny." Jerry grinned back before taking his leave.
Once he was alone, Danny laid back in the bed and took the engraved ring into his hands lovingly. "Sam, I'm going to need all the strength you can give me."
The continuity(When this starts/What it comes after):
Danny Phantom-Season 2 Episodes 8 & 9 "The Ultimate Enemy"
Totally Spies-Season 2 Episode 1 "A Spy is Born Part II", Season 2 Episode 2 "Starstruck", and Season 2 Episode 3 "I Want My Mummy"
Additionally:
Danny Phantom-Season 2 Episode 17 "Kindred Spirits" happened prior to The Ultimate Enemy in this continuity while Season 2 Episodes 4 & 5 "Reign Storm" have yet to happen. Danny also never gave Sam the ring to hold onto.