Chapter Text
Ghost Zone... Zero Universe.
Amidst the realm of the dead, the spiritual dimension, where restless ghosts and wandering spirits roamed in the afterlife, was the ghost of time...
His domain was a massive dark tower, resembling a castle, with a grand pendulum clock adorning its structure. The place floated through the endless dimension, just like everything else within it. The gears floating around it might have been mere decoration, or a fundamental piece of its mysteries...
Inside the main hall of that tower, Clockwork, the ghost of time, now observed a current scene unfolding on Earth in his mystical mirror. Behind him stood three ghosts of strange and distinct appearances. Known as 'The Observants,' these identical spirits had a large eyeball in place of a normal face, and wore generally identical clothing according to their hierarchy. They were currently the law in the Ghost Zone, with countless of them acting as a strict society that maintained order throughout the dimension, and also dealt with those who caused extreme trouble outside of it, if they were ghosts like them.
"Clockwork, why are you observing this boy so intently?" one of the one-eyed spirits asked, as the ghost of time watched a teenager sit with his two friends at a cafeteria table in a school.
"I'm just having a brilliant idea," he replied, without taking his eyes off the vision.
"And what idea would that be?" another of them asked curiously.
"It's time to turn the gears of destiny, and nothing will ever be the same..."
___
Amity Park...
It was another ordinary day at old Casper High, the largest school in the small town, considered the most supernatural municipality in the United States. During a break between classes, young Danny Fenton, the boy who had recently acquired ghostly powers due to his parents' invention and was trying to live a double life as a hero, saving the city from malevolent spirits, was now sitting at a table in the cafeteria with his friends, Sam Manson and Tucker Foley.
The inseparable trio of friends since childhood were having lunch, chatting amongst themselves, but Danny seemed lost in the conversation. His eyes were glazed over, fixed on a table further ahead, because there sat Paulina Sanchez, the most beautiful and popular girl in all of Casper, his platonic crush, and in a way, his ex...
Sam and Tucker were so engrossed in their own conversation that they didn't notice how Danny had momentarily set his food aside, while he admired Paulina from afar with a faraway look in his eyes. The girl's stunning beauty and delicate demeanor completely mesmerized him.
There was no chance of him being with her again. Their short relationship had been thanks to a restless ghost named Kitty, who at the time had merely overshadowed the girl and pretended to like Danny to get revenge on her boyfriend. But after everything was resolved, things went back to normal, and Danny could now only lament having been so deluded, and dream that he might one day truly have a chance.
...
The ghost of time appeared amidst the cafeteria. Invisible, completely undetectable. He was there only to fulfill a simple mission he had planned himself: to alter a mere situation and trigger a domino effect across all of reality, which would change the future completely.
He positioned himself behind Danny and, with the slightest influence of his supernatural powers, made Paulina look in his direction. At that instant, her eyes darted directly to Danny, who was still admiring her. And that's when it all began... As their gazes met, feelings and thoughts flooded Paulina's mind, as if a light had cleared everything, illuminating a room full of possibilities and options. Nothing in her mind was Clockwork's influence; it was merely her own desires, inner thoughts, memories that were capable of piecing together a puzzle, an idea, something that arose spontaneously, just by looking at that shy boy, whom she secretly found cute.
Danny quickly averted his gaze, a huge blush on his face. He tried to play it off by returning to his meal, hoping she hadn't really noticed his eyes on her, but it was too late for that.
Paulina had no memory of her previous relationship with Danny; she had been possessed by Kitty at the time, so the memories weren't hers. In her mind, there was nothing but blurry fragments of some scenes from those past events. However, there was still something she remembered, something that had happened even before Kitty appeared and caused all that confusion. And just that small memory, now at this opportune moment, was enough to finally awaken in her an extra curiosity about who that boy really was...
...
1:00 PM...
Danny breathed a sigh of relief when the bell finally rang, signaling the end of classes for the day. As always, he was about to head home with his two friends, but the lines of his new destiny were finally beginning to be drawn. Paulina, now with her best friend Star, the second most popular girl in school, was waiting for the boy at the exit. After much thought, Paulina felt she should take a leap of faith, as a doubt lingered in her mind, something she needed to discover at all costs.
"Hi Danny!" the girl blocked the trio's path as they exited the school. Star stood beside her, arms crossed, a little impatient.
"Paulina!" he replied, sounding nervous. "Hello..." he said, bringing a hand to the back of his neck.
"What do you want, girl!?" Sam quickly stepped in front of him. "Can't you save the teasing for tomorrow? We all want to go home now."
"It's nothing like that," Paulina said, putting her hands on her hips. "And it's none of your business either. I just want to talk to Danny, we need to talk..."
"With me!?" Danny asked nervously. "Really? Okay, sure..."
"I have to be home earlier today, can you walk me there?" the girl asked next.
"No! He can't!" the goth retorted.
"It's okay, Sam," Danny reassured her. "I'll talk to you guys later." He said goodbye to the duo and followed the girl down the road. Star just gave him a doubtful look, arms crossed, which the boy didn't dare to return.
"Call me later, Paulina," the blonde said goodbye before her friend got too far away.
...
For a long time, until they were halfway home, neither of them dared to say a word. Curiosity had been gnawing at the halfa for some time. After all, did she really want to say something? Or was she possibly just leading him into a trap to play a mean prank? Maybe Dash, Kwan, and the other bully athletes were waiting for them in a dark alley?
"So, Danny..." she finally broke the silence as they walked. "I need your help with something..."
"Really? About what?" he asked, confused.
She abruptly stopped on the path, near a narrow alley, turning completely to face him. "Why don't I remember what we had?"
"What do you mean? You mean about our dating? Well... How would I know... Amnesia, maybe?"
"Hmph, amnesia... Right..." She looked deep into his eyes for a moment, as if trying to peer into his soul. "So... do you want to be with me again?..."
Danny looked perplexed, caught off guard by the question. "What!? What do you mean!? Didn't you say you needed my help with something?"
"Ah yes... I need you to help me teach Dash a lesson," Paulina replied, determined.
"Oh... So that's it," the halfa averted his gaze for a moment. "You want to pretend to be with me again to make him jealous or something?"
"Not exactly," she pulled his face to look into his eyes once more. "I don't just want him to realize what he lost, I want him to see that he won't have me anymore..."
"I... I don't know if that's necessary."
"Let's not pretend, if that's what worries you, I want you again, I think you're cute, you know?"
Danny's face instantly flushed. "I don't believe you," he replied suspiciously. She just smiled back and leaned into his arms, kissing him intensely on the lips.
The action certainly surprised him. Paulina seemed determined to go through with it, but what did he have to lose, after all? He had the chance to be with the girl of his dreams once more. He hugged her back, and brought a hand to her nape, his fingers slipping beneath her long hair, sending a shiver through her entire body.
When their lips parted, Paulina's expression seemed quite different. She looked at him with passion and desire. "You still don't believe me?" she asked, slightly breathless.
"I don't know..." the halfa replied, a little tense. "You don't have to pretend if you want to use me for this, I can help..."
"Danny..." she rolled her eyes for a moment. "You don't understand... Alright, let's do this. Tomorrow at school, we'll be together. I'll prove to you that I'm not playing."
"But, why me?" he asked. "Why now?"
"Because I want to," the girl replied in a sterner tone. "Just trust me, I'm sure you want this too. It's only for a while..."
The halfa sighed, a little thoughtfully. "Okay, let's see about this tomorrow..."
"That's the spirit," she pulled him by the hand. "Will you walk me home? It's great that we live so close, see? It's destiny..."
___
Almost an hour had passed when Danny finally arrived home after walking the girl. The halfa went upstairs to his room, completely distracted, when he bumped into Jazz on the steps. "Hey! What's up with you?"
"Sorry," he replied, continuing to climb. But the redhead held him by the shoulder to get his attention again. "What are you thinking about, Danny? Is it about Star?"
"Star? Why would I be thinking about Star?"
"Oh, I don't know, maybe because she mentioned to me today how you seemed a bit cute... But she made me swear I wouldn't say anything, or she'd kill me, so please don't say anything."
"Seriously?" Danny raised an eyebrow in confusion.
"Yeah, we were talking and we ended up on this topic, but anyway, I think you're cute too," she winked at him. "Just so you know..."
Danny just rolled his eyes with a smile. "Alright, Jazz," he went back to climbing the steps to his room.
...
Finally in his private sanctuary, he locked the door and threw himself backward onto his bed, his mind a whirlwind. He still didn't trust what Paulina was planning, but still, he wanted to see how far this would go. Perhaps there was a plausible reason for her to choose someone like him for her revenge against Dash, and this could be mitigated by a memory he had of a time long before the events with Kitty.
___
Several months ago...
It was time for Lancer's first class of the morning, the bell had already rung. He was in the hallway in front of his locker, grabbing the necessary books. The place was becoming increasingly empty and quiet as students went to their classes. Paulina surprised him when she called his name, coming towards him. Fortunately, she was alone, and seemed more animated than usual.
"Hey Fenton, going to be late for class again? I can give you a better reason this time," she approached him in a completely invasive manner.
There was something strange about her. The boy shivered when she touched his shoulders, and her face got too close. He was sure she was trying to play a trick on him, but he wasn't sure how to react. She had never been so close, so accessible, so attentive. "Paulina... you have a boyfriend..." he said, somewhat nervously.
"Oh, come on... Why does that matter now?"
She glanced left and right down the hallway, making sure no one was in sight, and then went for him, leaning over his shoulders and kissing him on the lips for the first time.
Danny no longer knew if he was dreaming or in real life. This seemed more like a twist of fate. He gently placed his hands on her waist and relaxed. Trying not to look like an idiot, he made an effort to kiss her with the same intensity, and let his instincts respond.
Apparently, the girl liked the firm grip. She brought a hand to his nape and pressed her lips with even more intensity, letting out a small groan. Perhaps it was then that she discovered that this boy wasn't exactly what they said about him. Perhaps then, she truly fell in love. It was when the seed was truly planted, to bloom later.
Danny was just enjoying the moment, even though he still didn't understand what was happening. He thought now that Paulina probably wanted to vent her anger at Dash for something stupid he had done, but who would care? He was kissing Paulina Sanchez...
...
The girl then broke the kiss, a little breathless. "Don't tell anyone about this, or I'll kill you..." she whispered. And then she ran to class.
Danny was even later than her, as he stood there for at least another minute, still not believing what had happened.
But after that, they didn't have any more contact of that level, just the usual tasteless jokes and crude comments, due to their huge difference in hierarchy at school. And then a few months passed, until the ghost Kitty caused all that confusion, uniting them once more.
___
Knocks echoed on the halfa's bedroom door, pulling him out of his memories for a moment. "Danny! Are you in there?" his mother Maddie's voice echoed from outside.
"I am!" He quickly got up and went to the door to unlock it. The beautiful woman in the blue spandex jumpsuit stood there with a hand on her hip. She leaned in to gently kiss his cheek for a moment, her warm lips touching his skin, giving him a pleasant shiver all over his body.
"There's a casserole of lasagna in the oven, dear. Come down to eat when you're hungry, okay?"
"Of course," he replied. "Thank you."
"You're a cutie, you know?" she winked at him with a hand on his face. Before turning around and going to her own room. Danny's face instantly flushed. This beautiful day seemed to have no end.