Archive of Our Own

Chapter Text

Lay down your sweet and weary head...soon your tears will pass away.

"The best of houses glittered and reeked and ran with blood."

~Beowulf

Titans Phantom

Chapter 15: Finding Him

Parts One through Six

Part One:

"You guys look really strong," the child said, sitting up on the monkey bars.

"Thanks, you're really strong too you know," Robin replied, but his mind wasn't really focusing on Danny's words. Instead he and the team were having a hard time not being drawn in by the child's presence. For Danny seemed to radiate. His blue eyes so bright they looked like glass had captured the ocean, his pupils holding the waves that crashed around in childish innocence. It was so cliché, but the Titans all thought he looked like a fallen angel.

"What are you guys staring at? Is there something on my face? Jazz says there is, but I can never find it," Danny said his eyebrows scrunching up, Beastboy chuckled.

"Nah, you're fine."

Danny sighed, "Good."

"Why are you here on the bar of monkeys alone, little friend Danny?" Starfire asked walking forward. Suddenly, the innocent face fell.

"Because no one wants to play at this time of day. But Mommy says it's the only time she can get off work down in the basement," Danny answered the reply sounding distraught and well practiced, or perhaps he had just gotten used to stating the facts. Raven stepped forward, her team mates all trying to hide their looks of pain from the child, so he wouldn't pick up on their emotions.

"Then perhaps we could play with…" Raven was cut off when the sound of someone trying to climb caught theirs and Danny's attention. Everyone looked down to see another small boy with mocha colored skin and hazel blue eyes trying to reach Danny.

"What are you doing?" Danny asked no longer paying any attention to the Titans. The boy looked up and frowned.

"What does it look like I'm doing? Tryin' to get to you of course!" the little boy said as he vainly tried to jump.

"Why?" Danny asked bewildered the new boy who let out a puff of air.

"I want to play! Mommy got me a new game, and I want to show you or someone for that matter!" the boy said sitting down on the tiny pebble rocks pouting, his big glasses slipping down his nose.

"O.k.!" Danny yelled, excitedly jumping from the bars and landing on the uneven ground in a thump. His arms failing while he tried to situate himself next to the boy who started laughing.

"What was that? You look like a fish out of water, and I've seen what those look like on TV!"

Danny blushed. "Shut up, at least I can climb."

"Yeah, and not get down. I'm Tucker Foley by the way, which means I'm too fine," Tucker said puffing out in pride while Danny smiled.

"My name's Danny Fenton which means…ugh what should it mean?" He asked and both boys contemplated but eventually gave up. And the Teen Titans watched as Tucker pulled out one of the very first Gameboy systems and a game chip called Doom.

"Oh my gosh, that's the original version of Doom, so cool!" BB exclaimed rushing forward.

"I wanna play!" he yelled excitedly, but Cyborg nabbed him before the changeling could reach the boys.

"Remember, we're here to help Danny, not play video games with him, you little grass stain," he scolded.

"Ah," BB said, but it was at this point the team noticed that the children no longer seemed to know they were there.

"Why does little Danny no longer speak with us?" Starfire asked walking forward and waving her hand in front of the children who kept passing the game back and forth, never once hogging the toy like most might.

"Because this is one of Danny's memories, and we're not a part of it," Raven answered, her hair fluttering in the wind.

"So we could speak to him earlier because Tucker hadn't shown up yet, therefore the memory hadn't started," Robin clarified which Raven nodded.

"For some reason Danny wants us to see this. This moment is important to him, and we need to figure out why."

"Well, he did just make a friend," Beastboy said looking back to the boys who screamed in delight as they reached level three.

"And little Danny did say that his mother's work prevents him from making friends," Starfire added.

"But how will this help us find the real Danny?" Robin asked, a hint of desperation entering his voice. Because none of the Titans could figure out what their friend was trying to show them. Suddenly the wind stopped, and both children looked up from their game in anxiousness.

"Did you hear that?" Danny asked his blue eyes confused.

"It was just the wind," Tucker stated his little voice small and timid, sending all of the Titans on high alert for whatever was about to happen. The noise came again from behind one bush at the edge of the playground. Its sound grating to the ears. Danny suddenly stood, his frame shaking in fear, but he was determined to find out what it was.

"Come on," Danny said to Tucker whose eyes were wide as saucers.

"Over there? Nuh uh, no way, no!" He said, but Danny just grabbed his hand and pulled him along. Tucker, while protesting, never let his friend go, or tried to resist. The children where almost to the bush when the noise stopped, and hesitantly, Danny reached forward and pulled the underbrush away. The crow standing at the base of the tree let out a screech along with the children and the Titans.

"It's a crow?" Robin asked as the team looked to each other in confusion and watched as the boys slowly inched forward.

"Dude, why isn't it moving?" Tucker asked while they stared at the bird that was knee deep in autumn leaves just staring right back at the children. Black eyes calmly surveying them.

"Maybe he's hurt?" Danny suggested moving forward on hands and knees while Tucker stood behind him.

"What are you doing?" Tucker whispered frantically.

"Well, we can't just leave him. Mommy says it's bad for birds to stay on the ground," Danny answered stretching out one tiny hand.

"Hey little bird, do you want some help?" the child asked. The crow only stared before lowering his head. Letting Danny's fingers thread through the sleek black and oil blue feathers. Both kids awed, and the Titans were in shock.

"No bird in its right mind would ever let a human touch him!" Cyborg said his voice painfully loud. Watching as Danny stroked the crow, who waited patiently as the little boy ran his fingers curiously across the silky black wings, until blue eyes spotted something underneath the leaves. Brushing them away, revealed a plastic six pack soda holder wrapped around the crows feet, ensnared on a tree root.

"Tucker, the birdies stuck! Here, help me get him loose," Danny said and quickly Tucker knelt down beside his friend all fear lost, both gently began untangling the crow that never attacked. Even when Danny had to lift him up slightly, or when Tucker had to hold a clawed foot so Danny could rip the plastic apart. It was only a couple of minutes. But for the Titans it felt like hours watching the children work for what they were doing was…impossible. With one final pull, the plastic came free and the instant the crow was free, he soared high in the sky cawing in delight. Circling the boys one time before disappearing into the forest. Danny and Tucker beamed at each other.

"That was awesome!" Tucker screamed.

"I know, I can't believe I got to pet him!" Danny said back, both jumping up and down. Pretending they could fly, when their mothers' voices caught their attention.

"Coming!" Both boys yelled running back to the monkey bars to grab Tuckers small backpack and his red knit hat that had fallen off from the wind. As Danny ran off, Tucker picked up his game on the ground and stared at it for a minute.

"Tucker, come on!" Danny called from the edge of the park, their mothers standing on the hill.

"Just a second!" Tucker said and pulling out the game chip of Doom, the little boy met the Teen Titans eyes.

"Here," Tucker said handing the chip to Beastboy, who could only stare in disbelief.

"W-what why?" He stuttered, and Tucker beamed up at him through his big square glasses.

"Because you said you liked it earlier, right?" the child asked. Beastboy hesitated, wondering how Tucker had heard him.

"Well yeah, but…"

"Good!" Tucker said turning around to head to Danny but as he ran the little boy turned and called back. "Cause you'll need it later!" And with this he met up with Danny and both boys disappeared, leaving the Teen Titans alone in the park. Beastboy spun to face Raven.

"I thought you said Tucker was a memory? Then how the heck did he know to give me this!" BB shrieked waving the chip around. Raven was just as stunned.

"I don't know, but that definitely was a memory. So Tucker shouldn't have been able to see or hear us, let alone give you something." She said.

"Are you sure that was a memory, Raven?" Robin asked looking over to his friend.

"After all, that crow, what Danny and Tucker did is impossible," he finished, but Raven shook her head.

"I'm sure, everything we saw was a memory. It's ironic though," she added, trailing off staring at nothing in particular.

"What is?" Starfire asked but strangely, Cyborg was the one who answered.

"In most legends, crows are believed to be the carriers of spirits, and the guardians and harbingers' of death."

Everyone was silent, Beastboy gazing down at the Doom game in his hand before pocketing it. Everyone jumped when they heard the sound of a school bell ring and looking up the Titans saw a middle school across the street.

"Anybody up for school?" Robin asked, and the team headed forward and through the doors of Spectral Middle School, home of the spectral black cats.

The school was circular in design. All diverging hallways would eventually lead back to the main path. As the Titans waded through the crowds of students who were off in their own worlds, some people seemed to stick out more than others until they spotted Danny. Quickly, the team made their way over to him as he placed books in his locker and again the Titans found themselves staring. For the halfa was twelve and scrawny, wearing baggy blue jeans and red converses, a long light blue shirt fell over his frame, slipping past his shoulders making him appear fragile, his raven black hair messy and unruly. Yet his eyes still held innocence. Danny closed his locker and pulled out his schedule as Tucker joined him from the crowd.

"Hey man, how was your weekend?" Tucker asked his frame slightly broader than Danny's, but instead he wore baggy cargo pants and a red knit sweater, his hat having been ordered off his head much to the adolescent's displeasure.

"I don't know, Tuck, what did we do this weekend?" he asked sarcastically as his friend yanked out his PDA.

"Well, first we kicked some major butt at Doom, and then we watched the horror movies marathon down at the theater for twenty hours straight…"

"My back is still sore from that," Danny cut in.

"Then we settled in and had some of my mom's good old fashioned home cooking!" he finished as the two headed down the hallway towards the cafeteria.

"Tucker, that's all you care about, food."

"Exactly!" The boy said as they sat down with their lunch trays, both teens jumped when they heard a girl scream.

"Run, it's the anti-establishment freak!" a cheerleader yelled and both boys looked up when a girl with ink black hair walked through the cafeteria doors. She was strange, her skin was pale, but not sickly, and she wore black baggy pants with purple lace down the side and a long sleeve black shirt with a skull on it. Her hair was in a high ponytail, and her combat boots were steel tipped, but what most people failed to notice were her eyes, which were the color of amethysts. The girl glared around the room before stalking off to a secluded table with her lunch box to eat.

"Whoa, she could be your sister, Raven," Beastboy said to the girl, whose eyes were wide in shock.

"Man, no wonder Danny was so hostile when he met you, Rae," Cy said. But the team's attention turned back to the boys when the halfa gasped.

"Hey, Tuck, doesn't she seem familiar?" Danny asked never looking away from the girl who was eating quietly in the corner.

"Dude, everyone is familiar, we've probably been with the same people our whole lives and never known it! After all, this town is pretty small," Tucker said eating his ham and Bar-B-Que sandwich.

"Well there's that, but I just know, I got it! We met her in second grade remember? You threw up in that girl's lunch box and told her Rickey Marsh did it!" Danny exclaimed. Tucker who had been taking a sip of his chocolate milk spat it out.

"That was her! She totally pushed him off the monkey bars for that!" he screamed drawing attention to himself from several passing students. The Titans chuckled at the look of terror on his young face.

"C'mon, let's go say hi!" Danny said enthusiastically, grabbing his friend's wrist. Tucker stayed firmly in his seat.

"Meet her? Nuh uh, no way! Did you not see her steel toed boots, she'll totally kill us, and I don't want to add 'got beat up by a girl' to our all ready low social standing. Or to the list of things that happened to me before I kicked the bucket!" Tucker said catching his breath. Danny merely rolled his eyes.

"Oh lay off it, Tuck, she's eating all by herself. Plus, we had a social standing?" Danny asked in amusement. His friend let out a sigh.

"Fine, but only if you promise to never tell her I did that. And yeah dude, our social status is right up there with band geeks*," Tucker said standing up and following Danny who was making his way over to the girl.

"Um hi," Danny said shifting nervously on the other side of the table. The girl let out a frustrated sigh.

"For the last time I'm Goth, not Emo!" she said, nearly yelling at the boys who backed up, palms raised in surrender.

"We never asked that, we only wanted to say hi!" Danny said taking a seat along with Tucker, the girl merely looked shocked.

"Uh, o.k. who are you?" she asked blushing slightly from her outburst.

"I'm Danny and this is…"

"Tucker Foley as in to fine," he said. Both Danny and the girl balked before they burst out laughing.

"Oh, man that's just….ha! I'm Sam Mansion by the way, nice to meet you," she said while Danny got himself under control. Tucker merely smiled unaffected by his friends. The three teens sat in a comfortable silence before Danny could no longer resist asking his question.

"Hey Sam, you wouldn't have happened to be in Mr. Cobb's class in the second grade?" he asked, Tucker visibly paled at his side.

"Yeah, I was the girl who had to wear those dumb pink frilly dresses ugh…" She shuddered while both boys laughed and just like that, the three became friends.

"So, you guys excited about seventh grade?" Tucker asked fading out of existence, the scene before them beginning to shift and bend.

Part Two: 

"Ugh, what's happening?" Beastboy asked feeling dizzy.

"Danny must be moving onto another memory," Raven said stepping forward. Colors and sounds filling their ears until a big burly man's voice echoed around them.

"So Danny, you and your little friends want to hunt ghosts," he boomed, and the Titans found themselves standing in a basement lab. Danny, Tucker and Sam sat in chairs while the big man with black and white hair in an orange jump suit turned to face them.

"Uh, actually, Dad, I want to be an astronaut," Danny said, now fourteen his face thinning out, beginning to lose its baby fat. Showing the workings of a defined bone structure underneath. The Titans moved forward drawing closer to the teens. His frame was hidden in a big white T-shirt with a red oval on it which hung past his shoulders and light wash blue jeans, the infamous red converse still on his feet, his black hair spiky and unruly.

"That man is Danny's Dad? Whoa," Beastboy said in amazement, looking up at the six foot five tall man.

"Sorry, Mr. Fenton, I was into ghosts, but they're so main stream now, kinda like cell phones," Sam said, her hair now in a bob cut pulled into a half ponytail, her shirt cropped above her bellybutton showing toned muscle, she wore a mini thigh black and green stripped skirt with purple stockings and the same style of combat boots, her lips a delicate shade of violet.

"Waste these looks and all this charisma hunting ghosts? Criminal," Tucker stated dressed in a red beret, his black glasses now fitting perfectly, his long sleeved yellow turtle neck shirt hugging his slim frame, green cargo pants being held up by a black belt, his tan army shoes laced up and well used.

But Jack didn't seem to mind the teens disinterest on the subject matter. He merely turned to a lab table and began sorting through the piles of equipment and beakers.

"Well, if you do feel like hunting ghosts, there are a few things you need to learn," he said, and Danny was looking at the floor sighing dejectedly when a blue fog emerged from his mouth.

"What was that?" Star asked watching as Danny sat up straighter and turned to a giant portal.

"It's a ghost portal!" Cy exclaimed the Titans just noticing it as the device opened and from its swirling depths emerged two eco-pusses. Immediately, they grabbed Sam and Tucker preventing them from screaming, while dragging them from their chairs. Danny leapt up and transformed in a flash to fight, leaving the Titans unsure whether to watch Danny, or Jack who began to speak.

"Sure, I've never seen a ghost, but when I do, I'll be prepared and so will you, whether you want to be or not. It all starts with your equipment," Jack said as Danny threw one ecto-puss across the lab, making Sam and Tucker fall back in their seats right as Jack turned around holding out a mechanical thermos. The Titans stared in shock, their mouths hanging open.

"Sam, Tucker, this is the Fenton thermos, it's supposed to trap ghosts," he said turning back around to the table, "but since it doesn't work yet, it's just a thermos." Danny kicked an ecto-puss across the room, back to the portal. "A thermos with the word Fenton in front of it!" Jack said, his son hurtled the other ecto-puss towards the portal. Both ghosts dazed and confused retreated inside of it, the green energy shutting off. Danny transformed back into his human self and jumped ten feet across the room to stand by his friends, panting in exhaustion, when Jack turned and pointed towards the portal.

"And that, that is the Fenton portal. It releases ghosts into our world if I want it to or not and someday, I'll figure out how that works too! Now, who wants to hunt some ghosts?" Jack asked, walking up to Sam and Tucker, who were visibly shaking. Danny vainly trying to catch his breath.

"You kids, look at you! You're too excited to speak, so, I'll just go on speaking," Jack said oblivious to the whole situation, and as the man continued to talk, Robin, Cyborg, Raven, Starfire, and Beastboy didn't know whether to laugh, cringe or just turn away from the hilarious, but oh so wrong events. The images began to shift, and suddenly the Titans were standing on a stairwell, the large window overlooking the front of the school.

"Casper High School, home of the Ravens," Cy said looking at the sign.

"Is everything here about ghosts?" Beastboy asked when the sound of people approaching caught their attention. Danny, Sam and Tucker all began climbing up the stairs.

"I'm telling you guys, I've only had these powers for a month because of the accident, and I still barely have any control. And on top of that, my parents' inventions won't leave me alone!" Danny exclaimed at the top of the stairs right next to the Titans.

"So, you still haven't told them, have you?" Tucker asked, the teen sighed.

"No. But I think I should," Danny said. Sam let out a huff, her mind having been elsewhere.

"Why? Parents won't listen, and what's worse, they don't understand? Why can't they accept me for who I am?" She screamed both boys stared.

"Sam, I'm talking about my powers, my problems. I promise me and Tuck will hear yours in say about the next thirty seconds."

"Oh, right, sorry Danny." Sam said flushing.

"And what's worse, if someone finds out I go from geek to freak around here," Danny continued not noticing he was beginning to sink through the floor.

"Kinda like what you're doing now?" Tucker observed, Danny let out a scream as Sam and Tuck grabbed his arms and pulled him up.

"Ugh, darn it!" He groaned annoyed and began stomping up the rest of the stairs ranting, Sam, Tucker, and the Titans all following.

"If my Dad could invent something that made me half ghost, why can't he invent something that turns me back to normal?" Danny asked looking down at his shoes while turning intangible, walking straight through a soda machine before turning back.

"Danny, your powers make you unique, unique is good," Sam said trying to cheer her friend up. Looking for a subject change, she suddenly smiled.

"That's why I'm an ultra recyclo-vegetarian." Sam stated.

"Which means what?" Tucker asked walking up, Danny rolled his eyes.

"It means she doesn't eat anything with a face on it."

"Aw, who cares about that stuff. Danny, two words, meat coinsure," Tuck said, bending over and taking a sniff of his friend, "last night, you had Sloppy Joes."

"Impressive," Danny said. Sam gagged.

"Meat heightens the senses, and my all meat streak is fourteen years strong," Tucker said proudly.

"And it's about to end. The school board finally agreed to try a new cafeteria menu, I wore them down," Sam said much to Tucker's horror.

"Wait, what did you do?" Tucker asked. Beastboy snickered, and Cyborg reflected the same look of horror, the bell rung.

"Time for lunch," Danny said and the three walked off, Tucker twitching anxiously. Walking into the cafeteria the Titans saw why, for the entire week the school wasn't going to serve any meat as the three friends took a seat. Danny and Tucker stared down at their lunch.

"Uh, Sam, what is this, grass on a bun?" Danny asked.

"What have you done!" Tucker screamed.

"Tucker, it's time for a change," she said as Danny picked up a forkful of the, well, he didn't really know what to call it.

"Don't you think this is a little extreme Sam?" he asked, before she could reply, an elderly man in his late fifties: bald, overweight, and wearing gray pinned stripped pants, placed his hand on her shoulder.

"Ah, Ms. Manson, the school board wanted me to personally thank you for ushering in this welcome experiment to our cafeteria."

"Thank you, Mr. Lancer." Sam replied, but when Tucker sniffed the air and moved forward, his eyes narrowed dangerously at the teacher.

"Meat near…" Mr. Lancer shifted nervously.

"No, no, the rumors about the new, all steak buffet in the teacher's lounge are completely untrue. Thanks again, Sam." Mr. Lancer said before walking off. Tucker was glaring daggers at the Goth.

"Yeah, thanks again for making us eat garbage, Sam." The Goth girl glared back.

"It's not garbage it's recyclable organic matter," she said. This time Danny agreed with Tucker after having promptly taken a bite and spitting it back out.

"Its garbage," they both said in unison.

"Friend Tucker and friend Sam remind me a lot of Cyborg and Beastboy," Starfire said chuckling.

"Only Sam's much scarier." Raven stated watching as Sam and Tucker started bickering. None of the group noticed the missing lunch lady or the ghost who replaced her. Danny suddenly gasped, a blue mist escaping his mouth.

"Uh, guys, I've got a problem," he said, both friends instantly straightened.

Mud then slammed into the back of his head an angry voice yelling "Fenton!" Danny turned around, scared.

"Make that two problems," Danny stood staring up a jock with bleach blood hair and a body build that could rival the Terminator.

"Ugh, hey, Dash," the raven haired teen said. The Titans not believing that Danny could act so nervous. Especially since, well, he could probably have beaten the living daylights out of this 'Dash' person.

"I ordered three mud pies. Do you know what they gave me? Three, mud pies! With mud! From the ground! All because of your girlfriend." Dash yelled.

"She's not my girl friend!" Danny said in disbelief.

"I'm not his girlfriend!" Sam shot back, but Dash wasn't listening. Instead he grabbed Danny by his shirt and pulled him off the ground.

"These are the best years of my life, after high school it's all downhill for me."

"Well, at least he's a realist," Cyborg said cutting in.

"How am I supposed to enjoy my glory days eating mud?" Dash yelled.

"Actually, it's topsoil," Sam corrected.

"Not helping, Sam," Danny hissed shooting her a look saying 'I-can't-believe-you-unintentionally-got-me-into-this.'

"Whatever!" Dash snapped, throwing Danny back onto the table. He pushed the tray over to the halfa and glared.

"Eat it, all of it," Dash demanded, and scrunching up his nose, Danny raised the spoon to his mouth, when his ghost sense went off and scanning the room the Titans followed his gaze to a lunch lady with green skin moving behind the counter.

"Uh… garbage fight!" Danny screamed throwing the pile of mud in Dash's face.

"I can't believe he did that!" Beastboy howled in laugher, as the students quickly joined in while Danny and Tucker dropped to the floor and began to crawl away.

"It's not garbage, it's…" Sam yelled, but Danny yanked her down and together they moved to the lunch room door. The sigh reading 'no students allowed' they were almost there when Dash yelled.

"You're gonna pay for this, Fenton!"

"Oh great, I'm still his favorite," Danny groaned while Tucker snickered.

"So much for high school being a new start."

The three pushed open the door and looked at the ghost lady floating by the table holding the green salad.

"She doesn't look so bad, she looks a little like my grandmother," Tucker observed, and the three walked in. The Lunch Lady looked up at the teens standing close to the door, warily gazing at her.

"Shouldn't she be haunting a bingo hall?" Danny whispered. The Lunch Lady placed the salad on the counter and floated over to them.

"Hello children, can you help? Today's lunch is meatloaf, but I don't see the meatloaf. Did someone change the menu?" she asked sweetly, smiling at them from where she floated.

"Yeah, she did," Tucker said pointing to Sam.

"You changed the menu?" The Lunch Lady screamed, eyes burning red,  her white hair turning to flames. Danny, Tucker, and Sam all gasped, and the Titans jumped as green fire erupted around her, casting the kitchen in hues of blue, as wind began to whip around them.

"The menu has been the same for fifty years!" she screamed and green energy began swirling around the ceiling. The ghost started preparing to attack.

"Get behind me!" Danny ordered, eyes never looking away from the Lunch Lady as Sam and Tucker hid behind him.

"Wow, I feel safe," Sam said sarcastically, Danny ignored her.

"I'm goin' ghost!" he said throwing his arms up as pure white rings formed around him and traveled across his body. The Titans watched in awe, Robin in disbelief, Cyborg had said Danny's transformation was amazing, but this was unreal. Once finished, Danny knelt down and kicked off, flying high in the air stopping in front of the still fuming mad ghost.

"Uh, I command you to go away! Please?" Danny asked nervously.

"How can that be the Danny we know?" Beastboy said pointing up to the teen who looked determined, yet unsure of himself. For this definitely wasn't the Danny they knew, both sides of him. They watched as the Lunch Lady raised her hand and made the dishes rise, flinging themselves at Danny who gasped and turned intangible his outline only visible. The dishes flew through him and crashed into the wall, shattering. Visible once again Danny smiled, but hearing Sam scream he flew into action, legs morphing into pure a black tail, stopping in front of her as dishes soared. He caught them all, balancing them in his arms as the Lunch Lady sent a new wave at Tucker. Danny soared over and caught those and some cups too while his friend smiled. The halfa raced over to the counter top and placed the high stacked dishes back where they belonged. He looked at them for a second before shrugging.

"Well, if this superhero thing doesn't work out, I could have an exciting career as a bus boy," Danny said before jumping as the room began to shake. The three ovens bouncing up and down, the Lunch Lady flaming green.

"I control lunch. Lunch is sacred, lunch has rules!" she screamed. "Anybody want cake?" she suddenly asked, losing her demonic appearance, Sam and Tucker nodded. "To bad! Children who change my menu do not get desert!" And with this the oven doors opened and shot green flames at them, charging forward preparing to crush the teens. Danny grabbed hold of Sam and Tucker, and concentrating, he spread his power out making all three of them intangible. They fell through the wall right as the ovens made contact. The three teens fell into a hallway and stood, the Titans joining them by walking through the same wall.

"Cool, laws of chemistry don't apply to us!" Beastboy said.

"It's physics, dude," Cy stated as Danny smiled broadly.

"Hey, it worked!" he exclaimed.

"This is the thanks I get for thinking like an individual?" Sam screamed. The lights began to flicker as the power cut off and the Lunch Lady appeared, glaring at them madly. Locker doors burst open as meat flew past the teens and stuck onto the ghost's body, covering her until it no longer looked like separate food items, but one entity.

"Where did all that meat come from?" Tucker asked before glaring "Lancer!" he said. The Lunch Lady moved forward, now standing eight feet tall, eyes glowing green and shining through the meat.

"Prepare to learn why meat is the most powerful of the five food groups!" She screamed pointing to Sam. "Cookie?" she asked sweetly, Sam refused. "Then Perish!" the ghost screamed. Danny jumped in front of Sam.

"Oh no, the only thing here that has an expiration date is you!" He yelled pointing to her. Two white rings surrounded his arm, then his body, changing him back to Danny Fenton in a flash. Danny looked to Sam who, stared back.

"Oops, I…uh, didn't mean to do that."

"Ya think?" She said upset as the Lunch Lade threw Danny and Tucker into the locker lined wall, covering them in papers. The ghost grabbed Sam and disappeared down the hallway. Tucker pulled Danny up off the floor.

"C'mon change back! We gotta go!" he screamed in panic. Mr. Lancer suddenly grabbed both boys by the collar.

"You two aren't going anywhere!" he said as Dash walked up behind them, covered in food or possibly mud.

"Told ya you'd pay, Fenton," Dash sneered. The Titans followed as Mr. Lancer led the three teens to one of the discipline offices and sat them down in two chairs. The football jock guarding the door. The overweight teacher went over to the filing cabinet and pulled their records.

"Mr. Foley, tardiness, talking in class, repeated loitering by the girls' locker room." Tucker smirked at that one.

"Danny Fenton, thirty-four dropped beakers in the last month," three guesses why, the Titans thought, "banned for life from handling all fragile school property, but no severe mischief until today. So gentlemen tell me, why did the two of you conspire to destroy the school cafeteria?" Mr. Lancer yelled causing Danny and Tucker to flinch.

"Dash started it, he threw…" Danny tried.

"Four touchdown passes the last game and is thereby exempt from scorn," Mr. Lancer said. "You two, however, are not. I'll map out your punishment when I return. Mr. Baxter, watch the door," the teacher said before leaving. Danny and Tucker stood.

"We gotta find Sam, for some reason I feel like I got her kidnapped," Tucker said. Danny glared at him.

"Maybe because you told the ghost she changed the menu, how 'bout that?" he replied as his techno geek friend began to sniff the air.

"That steak is still in the building, two hundred yards tops," Tuck said watching as Danny walked up to the six different TV's displaying the school grounds.

"Check it out, meat trail in the basement…we have a basement?" Danny asked transforming as Tucker walked up and rolled his eyes.

"Dude, sometimes you're so clueless," he said while Danny grabbed his wrist and phased both of them through the floor, the Titans falling through as well.

"I don't think I'm gonna get used to that," BB said as all of the teens landed in the basement. Tucker and Cy gasped at the box's of frozen meat lining the walls.

"Sweet mother of mutton! I dreamed of it, but I never thought I'd live to see it!" Tucker exclaimed hugging one of the boxes in worship. Danny gave him a funny look.

"How is it I have the ghost powers and you're the weird kid?" he asked when they heard the Lunch Lady laugh. Poking their heads around the corner, they saw Sam trapped in a pile of meat, the ghost holding a chicken leg.

"My dear child, meat is good for kids, it helps them grow, it makes them smile. Why won't you eat it?" She asked the Goth girl who was struggling to get free.

"We don't need meat, that's fat," Sam stated.

"Silence! You need discipline, manners, respect. You know where that comes from: meat!" The Lunch Lady screamed before her demeanor changed once more, and she smiled kindly.

"Now chicken, or fish?"

"I'll take care of the ghost. You just find a way to get Sam out of that pile of meat!"

"Dude, I'm way ahead of you," Tucker replied holding up a knife and fork. Danny looked at him.

"I'm not even gonna ask," he whispered to himself, and with this the teen took off after the Lunch Lady, slamming her into the far brick wall as Tucker worked to free Sam.

"I don't get it, why didn't he just blast her?" Beastboy asked watching as the ghost threw him into the wall as he dodged shish kebobs.

"He's not much a fighter," Robin observed as the Lunch Lady roared and all of the meat in the basement flew up towards her, freeing Sam, while creating a ten foot, half ton monster. The ghost grabbed Danny.

"Helps on the way, buddy!" Tucker screamed brandishing his silverware like weapons. The ghost threw the teen through the building leaving the Titans alone with Sam and Tucker who gazed up at the Lady in fear.

"Run?" Tucker asked.

"Run," Sam agreed and both took off screaming. The Titans racing behind them, they headed for the exit, the ghost blocking it with a fist of meat. The teens turned around, sprinting through the labyrinth of boxes, while Danny phased through the wall dazed and confused, holding his head when he heard his friends scream, the monster about to crush them. He shot forward and grabbed both by their waists turning them intangible. They flew through the wall and out of the school. The Teen Titans only had to jog to keep up with Danny flying a few feet off the ground still carrying both his friends.

"Gee Danny, fighting meat monsters, flying through walls, you must be exhausted," She said.

"What? Of course not, what would give you that idea?" Danny said, tail disappearing the three of them hit the ground. Two white rings beginning to emerge, while the memory began to fade into blackness.

"He must have passed out," Cyborg explained as the images began to shift, and suddenly they were in a room painted soft blue, looking around, it was covered in posters of space and NASA. The star charts all mapped out, a rocket sitting on a dresser, drawers pulled open, clothes hanging out of them from not being folded properly, and pictures, one of his family and the other of his friends. Looking out the window, they saw the afternoon light flittering in, clouds making the sun look blue and black instead of fiery orange.

"Wow, he wasn't kidding about wanting to go into space," Beastboy said when Danny appeared on the bed sleeping. Sam and Tucker standing over him. Groaning, the teen jolted awake.

"Where am I? What's going on?"

"You passed out, we took you home. You've been asleep for four days!" Tucker said. Danny shot up from his bed.

"Four days!" he screamed as his friend laughed.

"Naw, it's only been a couple of hours," Tucker answered. Sam glared at him as Danny shrunk back on his pillow, afraid of her wrath.

"Knock it off Tucker, this is the second time today your carelessness almost him killed," she said. Tucker snapped.

"Me? I almost got him killed, the only reason this happened is because you had to be unique, you took the meat away. And I'm gonna get it back," he said walking out of Danny's room, both friends no longer paying any attention to the halfa sitting frozen on his bed.

"You want to change that menu back? You're going to have to go through me to do it!" She screamed, slamming Danny's door closed, storming out of his house. After an awkward moment of silence, Danny sighed and pressed his hands against his eyes.

"I'm sure everything will be back to normal tomorrow," he said and turning over on his side, Danny buried his face in the bed and fell asleep. Robin's eye twitched.

"I don't get it. We've gone from seventh grade to ninth grade. Obviously, Sam and Tucker are his closest friends, he's only had his powers for a month, but why won't Danny show us how he got them? Or why his parents don't know?" he asked.

"Maybe friend Danny wishes to show us this first?" Starfire asked.

"Yeah, I mean we've watched him destroy buildings with only a flick of his wrist. Perhaps he wants to tell us that it wasn't always like that," Cyborg suggested as the image began to blur, Raven shook her head.

"I think it might be something more than that," she said, but didn't elaborate when Danny walked past them to school where two protests were going on. One was a cook out, dancers on stage dressed as meat, while the other was a grass roots moment, people sitting on blankets playing music, a van that read 'vegetation' painted in green on it. But when Sam and Tucker emerged on their sides and screamed into their mikes, both groups sparked to life to support their different causes.

"Or not, maybe it'll be worse," Danny deadpanned.

"Dude, talk about passionate!" Beastboy said as Sam and Tucker approached their friend. Danny looked at them in disbelief.

"You guys put together two protests in one night?" he said more shocked than confused.

"Meat eaters, Danny, always ready to fight and our high protein diets gives us the energy to do it quickly," Tucker stated matter of factly. Sam countered, glaring at the techno geek and the Titans now knowing where Danny learned to glare so fiercely.

"Ultra- recyclable vegetarians are always ready to protest, and because we don't have to waste time cooking our food, we can move even faster."

Danny looked like a mouse cowering between two angry cats, "Don't you guys think this is a little extreme?"

"No choice buddy, you're either with me…" Tucker said.

"Or you're against him," Sam finished both friends glaring Danny down.

"So whose side are you on?!" They yelled. The teen shrinking back, and in that instant the wind turned violent whipping around the school and protestors as dark black clouds shimmering in green filled the sky and a roar resounded. The meat from the cook off, and who knows where, was gathering until a twenty foot Lunch Lady dressed in meat stood, her acidic green eyes the only visible part of her true form.

"It's Lunch Time!" She yelled, people screamed and tried to escape, and through the chaos Tucker cried, "Meat, why have you betrayed me?" Danny ignored him, his shoulders seeming to square his eyes intensifying.

"Guys, time to make up now!" he hissed, Sam and Tucker came together in a hug, hiding Danny's transformation. The only clue that something was different was the temporary flash in between the two friends, and when they moved away, Danny Phantom stood in Fenton's place.

The Titans watched as Danny dodged the meat monsters attacks, flying around her arm he aimed a kick at the base of what looked like the things neck, and sent it to the ground.

"That's more like it," Cy cheered, smiling as Tucker looked to Sam a grin on his face.

"You know, he really is getting better," he said. Danny, who had been smiling down to them, looked up and frowned when he saw the fist heading towards him. There was loud slap and the teen was flying higher in the sky, disappearing into the clouds Sam ran forward in panic.

"I sure hope he can take a punch!" she said. The group waited, the seconds ticking by and right when the meat monster turned its gaze on the school Danny emerged, barreling towards her fast as a bullet. He slammed into the creature's stomach and the monster exploded, leaving behind a smoking crater.

"Holy!" Beastboy said, unnecessarily dodging the flying meat. Starfire's eyes widened.

"I understand! Friend Danny wishes to show us how his powers came to be!" she realized as they watched the teen drag himself out of the crater.

"How? All Danny's showing us is how his powers are uncontrollable. We don't even know how he got them?" Robin asked scowling.

His arms shaking, the Lunch Lady floated up to Danny, her meat suit destroyed.

"Oh dear, what a mess, are you alright?"

"Yeah," Danny said, rotating his shoulder, winching from the strain of the muscles pulling against bone, "I think so." The Lunch Lady's aura flared.

"Tough! Because you being o.k. is not a part of my balanced diet of doom!" Four miniature meat monsters came together. Snapping Danny back to reality as he sliced them a part with the heel of his shoe in a round house kick. The Titans watched as the monsters reformed, Robin's mind spinning.

"Star, you said we're watching how Danny's powers came to be, but so far all I've seen is the fact that he can turn intangible, fly and has a super strength," he stated, but Star wasn't listening. Instead, she and the others were focused entirely on the battle as the monsters raised their claws.

"Wasn't expecting that," Danny said as two white rings separated his body turning him back to Danny Fenton. "Or that," he added. The monsters grabbed him, and shot high into the air. Danny struggled in their grasp.

"Let me go!" The teen screamed, they continued to climb.

"Danny!" Starfire screamed, the Titans raced after him, rounding the corner of the meat covered school, watching as the meat monsters turned Danny upside down, his blue eyes shining in fear, the ground forty feet below.

"What'll happen if they drop him?" Beastboy asked his voice high, cold sweat running down his temple. The teens stopped running, when up ahead they spotted Danny's parents and a girl with long flaming red hair. They watched in horror as Jack threw the thermos into the air, oblivious to it hitting his son. Then Danny fell. Beastboy panicked, he didn't want to see this.

"What'll happen if Danny falls?"

A small chuckle made the entire team jump, and time seemed to slow down until it froze and turning around, sitting on a picnic table, was five year old Danny. His face filled with innocence.

"What kind of question is that?" Danny asked his baby cheeks turning red from holding back his laughter. At the Titans looks of horror, the little boy clarified.

"I'd die silly, like everyone else," he answered, swinging his tiny legs back and forth. Robin wondered if he too once looked that small, that fragile. Raven calmed her racing heart first and stepped forward, nothing stirred.

"Danny, I will ask you a question. The crow, was that real?" The blue eyes darkened.

"Everything is true."

Robin shook off his fear. "Then are you showing us how your powers came to be?" he asked. The little boy stared at him in confusion before he burst out laughing. Robin couldn't keep the scowl off his face, even though it only seemed to encourage Danny.

"Hahaha, I'm-sorry, haha! It's just, I'm from the wrong time," he finally managed to choke out.

"But you're here man?" Cy said in bewilderment, his heart beating frantically.

"Well…" Danny said his blue eyes holding a spark of sad mischievousness. Moving off of the table, past the Titans, looking straight at his older self still frozen mid air, falling to his doom. The little boy looked back to the five Titans who weren't sure who to look at, him, or the older Danny.

"Danny thought you'd need a little help," he said and in a flash, the little kid disappeared in a gust of wind, and everything came rushing back, the fear tangible as the fourteen year old boy clenched his eyes closed. Desperately holding onto the Fenton thermos.

"Change back, change back!" His eyes began to glow green, and Danny changed. As he phased through the ground, he hastily thanked his father. The Titans felt the ground shift underneath their feet and they were pulled back to the other side of the school where the Lunch Lady floated, Danny glared at her.

"No! Soups not on today's menu!" she screamed, he unscrewed the cap.

"I'm changing the menu, permanently!" Danny yelled before looking at the inoperative device. "Please work," he whispered, before pointing it at the ghost. "I hope I'm right!" And with a burst of white power, Danny engulfed the containment device and pressed the 'on' switch. It hummed to life, before absorbing his energy and firing. The Titans watched as the Lunch Lady screamed, being forcibly dragged into the thermos, and Danny capped the lid smiling, two white rings travelling up and down his body.

"There, it only needed to be charged," he said when Sam and Tucker ran up to him.

"What happened, where's the ghost?" she asked, Danny sighed fondly.

"My parents have their moments," Danny said when a female robotic voice sounded in the distance.

"Ghost, directly ahead, you'd half to be some kind of moron, to not notice the ghost directly ahead," she said, out of the tracking device pointed directly at Danny. His parents looked at him, and he smiled sheepishly.

"Oh, sorry Dad, you just missed him."

"We got a runner!" Jack screamed and both parents took off still covered in meat, leaving behind a very disgruntled Jazz.

"Great, back to square one," she said storming off. Tucker looked back to his friend as Danny let out a sigh.

"So, you're not going to tell them?"

"Nah, I think I might have finally figured out what these powers are for, they make me…"

"…In a world of trouble," Mr. Lancer cut in from behind the teens, he motioned for them to follow. Sighing, the three trailed behind him, leaving the Titans standing in the meat filled grass. Finally, Robin couldn't take it anymore.

"Starfire, what did you mean when you said he's showing us how he developed his powers?" he asked, a twitch in his left eye.

"When you, Cyborg, and Beastboy were taken by the Puppet King and friend Danny lost all of his powers, he explained to us how unlike us, his powers developed out of necessity."

"And that his powers were tied directly to his soul," Raven finished. Robin let out a sigh, and Cy scratched his head.

"So, when he needed to move through the walls and his super strength, everything develops as he grows and fights."

"And why Danny didn't use his glowing green blasting rays," Beastboy chimed, while his friends glared at him.

"But it has to be more than that," Robin said his face scrunching up in contemplation, "even if his powers surface through necessity, it doesn't mean they just randomly appeared. His powers were probably lying dormant. It would explain why each ghost is different."

"Whoa, you guys are smart," Little Danny said cutting in, and the Titans whirled around to see him staring at them with admiration.

"I thought you said you didn't know anything?" Cyborg said annoyed. Danny smiled.

"I don't. I'm from the wrong time, but you guys sure sound smart. And I'll give you a hint, you're on the right track," Danny whispered smiling, eyes alight like an imp.

"So this is all some kind of game, dude? ‘Cause it's not fun," Beastboy snapped his hand brushing against the game inside his pocket, the blue eyes flashed in anger.

"There's more going on here than just memories. You need to find me and…" The little boy froze his eyes panicked.

"And what? Danny, what's wrong?" Robin asked bending down, resting his palm on the side of Danny's face. The little child resurfaced and pulled away like the Titan had burned him.

"I have to go," he said quickly and in a flash, he was gone leaving behind five stunned teens.

"What… just happened?" BB asked.

The world began to violently spin and Tucker's voice boomed around them. "Dude, is that a new power?" Colors were bleeding together, and it started making everyone sick.

"What's going on?" Beastboy said his forest green skin turning ashen grey.

"Man, I'm gonna puke!" Cy said before he gagged and forced the bile back down. When from the smoke Danny emerged, his form shimmering until he came into focus, blue eyes warily studying a large glowing green dream catcher, everyone jumped when Danny placed his arm through it, splitting it in two.

"Whoa, this one works, a little too well. I'm filing this under must avoid," Danny said, his parents voices boomed around them as the fourteen year old teen went up in smoke.

"It expunges negative ghost energy."

"Yeah, it's like an Indian dream catcher, only it expunges ghosts instead of dreams you see," Jack explained before he sneezed and the Titans feet hit solid ground. Everyone took a moment to breathe.

"O.k., that invention works, so I'm assuming Danny was telling us that all of his parent's devices work," Cyborg stated, Robin was about to reply when Starfire cut him off.

"Robin, do houses usually have the large signs of neon green?"

Part Three:

The teams' mouths dropped when they looked to the two story brick red house: three levels, if you counted the giant op center bolted to the roof, four and a half, if you counted the basement and the weapons vault. The washed out blue door opened and Danny sprinted down the stairs, his backpack carelessly thrown over one shoulder, a CD in his hand.

"Bye Mom, bye Dad!" Danny yelled running down the street, not even stopping to wait for a reply.

"Wait till Sam gets a look at this!" The Titans chased after him. Down four streets, two fences, which he jumped with relative ease. All the way to a giant three story mansion.

"Holy!" BB said, but Danny didn't even give pause. Instead he simply opened the backdoor and walked into the kitchen.

"Hey Sam, I got you those anti- youth CD's you wanted!" Danny said excitedly. It was then he noticed her pristine parents and one tripped out Grandma. There was an awkward silence as Sam winced, and her parents glared.

"What? Have you heard My Parents Reek? That cut rocks!" If it were possible, her parents' scowls darkened. As Sam argued with them, Danny wandered over to Grandma Ida who was watching TV. It was a commercial for Circus Gothica, and suddenly everyone's voices began to grow distant as the ringmaster spoke.

"Is this like before?" Beastboy asked, but just like that everything snapped into focus and Danny and Sam were outside her house.

"Will you stop messing with my parents, that's my job," Sam glared, her voice hard edged.

"What? Sorry Sam, must have gotten a little spacey. I was up pretty late last night," Danny replied running a hand threw his raven hair. The Titans all sucked in their breath. Sam looked at him with understanding.

"Just watch what you say around them, they already think I'm on the road to troubled teen hood," she said walking down the street.

"Where are you going? School's this way," Danny said pointing in the opposite direction, and Cy had to jump out of the way in order to avoid a hand passing through his chest, everyone chuckled.

"The Circus Gothica train pulled in last night. I'm cutting first period to watch the opening ceremonies."

"Sam."

"Take it easy," she said breezily, "Tucker's got first period free, he's covering for me."

"How…never mind. Don't blame me if you get caught!" Danny yelled affectionately, he waved goodbye as Sam dashed down the street, and Danny turned the other direction. Presumably the one to school. A blue mist escaped his mouth, right before a ghost ran down the street, zooming past them holding a large bag of cash.

"Speaking of getting caught," Danny said and the teen transformed. Instantly taking to the sky along with the dwarf ghost, the sounds of police sirens erupted in the background. And when Danny shot the gold out of the ghosts hand and onto the cop car causing it to crash, the team tried very hard not to laugh at the name Inviso-bill.

"Dude, that's a horrible name!" BB said clutching his stomach out of pain from laughing.

"Obviously, Danny's alter ego's not very popular," Robin stated as Danny mumbled something about needing to get a Publicist .

"He is also beginning to experience the control of minds," Starfire stated.

"And he's shown us his ability to sense ghosts," Cyborg added.

"His powers have progressed as well," Raven finished as they soared through a billboard with Danny.

"He's giving us the information, but without the proper context, there's no way we can understand what it is he's trying to show us," Robin said sighing as they gazed down at the giant black tent, and teens of all ages with the same pallet of clothes and colors were walking about.

"Terrific, the crooks got away, I'm late for school, and…I've never seen so many Goths out in broad daylight," Danny stated. BB snorted, and Raven punched him in the arm as a whole bunch of umbrellas opened.

"Well, look who decided to slum it with the troubled teens," Sam called, Danny joining her on the ground.

"What? I'm not in trouble," Danny replied defensively, the sirens were heard and the halfa promptly turned invisible.

"Oh, yeah, you're an upstanding citizen. Need to hide from the law?"

"No," Danny embarrassingly said as he jumped behind the barrels and transformed back, him and Sam whistling as the cops ran by. None even caring that two teens were apparently skipping class.

"Thanks, Sam."

She smiled at Danny, and the doors to the train opened and Freakshow emerged.

"Greetings, fellow outcasts!"

The opening ceremony went by in a flurry of amazing displays, until Sam's parents decided to boycott it as an, 'offense to the morals of our children.' And the last thing the Titans heard was Freakshow's voice, "Show them your true colors, and when I say colors, I mean all black! Make them see you for who you are." And the only thing Danny and the Teen Titans could see was the glowing red orb balanced on the bat.

"Danny's been sucked in to Freakshow's commands!" BB said, his voice sounding small and timid.

"Is this what it was like? To be controlled?" Robin asked looking over to his green friend and he watched as the changeling shuddered.

"But, Beastboy only turned into a drooling mess. So why is this important?" Starfire asked.

"Maybe Danny's just tellin' us that he can relate," Cy answered, but the blackness around them shuddered and a sense of foreboding overcame all of them, and the next words they heard were from Sam.

"I'm looking for my friend."

There was a muffled reply and a half crazed laugh.

"What are you doing, you dolt? Get out there and do your encore!"

"Sam?" Danny asked and everything snapped into focus, and the team gasped at their friends' appearance.

"Whoa, and I thought you looked scary Rae." Beastboy said. And for once the girl could agree. For Danny was dressed in a long pitch black robe, the giant scythe resting ominously, his glowing aura surrounding him like the god of Death.

"Danny?" Sam breathed in relief, it was short lived.

"What is that? Is that free will? Obey me, minion!" Freakshow commanded and as the world began to blur, they watched as Danny's eyes turned blood red. The hood coming around his face, letting only his eyes show.

"What, you're controlling him?"

"Get her." Through the haze they watched as Danny raised his scythe, Sam screamed.

"This is horrible! That monster can command friend Danny!" Starfire exclaimed, everything beginning to spin.

"Danny, don't do this!" Sam pleaded.

"I want you to rob this bank for me, my pets," Freakshow yelled laughing.

"Oh and Danny, bring me something flashy," the clown added as an afterthought. Cyborg closed his eyes and turned his head away from the image of that monster's face. The world stopped spinning and everyone was on the roof of a train. Tucker pinned, Freakshow growling, and Sam, standing on the edge of the train as Danny gazed at her while he held the staff in one gloved white hand.

"Bring me my staff, come on. Che, che," Freakshow cooed, calling Danny like a dog. Sam cut him off.

"I saw you on that high wire. You were fighting him the whole time. Fight him now, Danny. You're not just a ghost, fight him!" she pleaded. Phantom clutched his head painfully, red eyes burning.

"Quiet, all of you! I need to think!"

"Stop her! Now!" Freakshow commanded and Danny's form trembled at the order. The train was crossing a canyon, the river far below.

"Well, it's the crystal ball, or your friend, Danny. Your choice," Sam said as two of the ghosts approached her, Sam's foot slipped off the edge.

"I didn't mean that to be so literal! Ahhh!"

"Sam! No, Sam!" Tucker screamed as she fell.

"Sam…Sam!" Danny cried, and he flew after her letting go of the staff to catch his friend, and when the crystal smashed at the bottom, the Titans watched as red eyes, turned glowing green.

"Danny, are you okay?" Sam asked clinging to him desperately, but her relief was clear.

"I think so, it's all a blur. I did some bad stuff, didn't I?"

"Nothing you can't fix."

The image shifted and Sam, Tucker and Danny were all sitting in his room around the computer screen watching the news stream live. The reporter's voice filtering through.

"…And in other news, all the valuables stolen from two museums and three banks by Inviso-bill are finally being returned." Danny shut off the monitor and slammed his head on the desk.

"Dude, you really need a publicist."

"That's not the point Tuck. Thanks to Walker, I was framed and made Public Ghost Enemy No.1, and now thanks to Freakshow, I just proved all of them right!" Danny said growling in frustration. Sam placed a hand on his shoulder.

"You'll make it right, and you heard Tiffany, everything stolen is being returned."

"Yeah, you'll be fine, plus if you're ever short on cash…" Tucker wiggled his eyebrows suggestively.

Sam hit Tucker in the back of his head, Danny smiled lightly.

"Thanks guys, it's getting pretty late."

With a silent nod he bid his friends good night and closed the bed room door with a soft click. The team surrounded him, as Danny just stood there, letting his head rest on the wood, a hand still on the brass doorknob.

"Slave! Center ring."

"I'm so glad you could join us, not that you had much of a choice! Haha!"

Danny shuddered his blue eyes piercing. He turned away and disappeared into smoke, the metal door knob dented. The team was silent, standing in the room until finally a thought occurred to Robin.

"Sam said Danny was different, she must have meant that he is half ghost. But how is that possible?"

"We need to list what we know," Raven said taking a seat on the desk. Cyborg began.

"One, Danny's only half ghost. Two, his powers are tied directly from his soul, and so far he's shown us his first fight with the Lunch Lady and now Freakshow."

"But friend Danny has changed. He was much more in control of his powers," Starfire said. Robin walked forward and picked up the calendar.

"That's because he was, this happened months after the battle with the meat monster." Robin said.

"But how does this help us?" Beastboy asked. Robin let out a sigh.

"It doesn't, like I said earlier, Danny is giving us all the facts, but without some sort of structure we have no way of understanding and interpreting what he's trying to tell us."

The group slumped in defeat. Beastboy's ears drooping, shoving his hands into his pockets, he felt his hand brush against the game. Quietly, he pulled out the little chip labeled Doom, the changeling's eyes widened.

"We do have an outline!" he screamed waving the game back and forth.

"Here, move over Rae!" Beastboy said, shoving her off the desk to look for a plug in place on the computer.

"Beastboy, I don't think…" Robin started, but right then the chip found a port, and the computer screen hummed to life. BB grinning like a maniac. The content screen popped up.

"Okay, it says here were on level twenty," BB said scanning through the levels.

"Geez, a lot of them are labeled fruitloop," Cy said, looking over B's shoulder.

"We'll figure that out later. Right now, take us to level one," Robin said. Beastboy scrolled up and clicked. The screen flashed and the Titans found themselves sitting at the computer screen down in the lab.

"What?" Cy said, "we're practically back where we started!" he screamed.

"Guys!" Raven cut them off, before the yelling started. Everyone looked at Sam taking a picture of Danny standing by the portal holding a white and black hazmat suit.

"Okay, I showed you the portal. Can we get out of here now? My parents could be back here any minute," Danny worriedly said as Tucker and Sam walked up to him.

"Besides, they say it doesn't work anyways," he offhandedly added. Sam moved to stand in front of it. The steel mouth looked like it was trying to swallow her whole.

"Come on, Danny, a Ghost Zone, aren't you curious? You gotta check it out," she said, Danny looked up to the portal as well, a smile crossing his face.

"You know what, you’re right. Who knows what kind of awesome, super cool things exist on the other side of that portal," Danny put on the white and black suit, zipping it up. Jack Fenton's face blazing across his chest.

"Hang on a second," Sam said walking forward and tearing off Jack's face. "There…well… wait, I got it!" And both boys watched as Sam ran off and grabbed one of Jack's suits cutting off the black sleeve and styling it into a letter D a smaller P on the inside.

"Here, trust me. It looks better than having that on your chest," she said slapping the symbol onto Danny's chest and throwing Jack's face in the trash. The Titans watched as Danny headed into the portal, it was then the realization hit them.

"No," Beastboy whispered. Everyone heard a click. Green ectoplasm and electricity blasted free, and Danny screamed, covering the up the voices of his panicking friends. The memory of the theater when Phantom got his powers back, it was the same blood curtailing sound. And horrified, the Titans watched as Danny stumbled out of the portal cradling his left hand: black hair turned white, crystalline blue eyes now glowing green, and the white and black jump suit now black and white.

"Danny, you're a ghost." Sam breathed.

"What? But that means I'm dead!" Danny screeched his eyes bright with panic, but when he threw up his arms, two white rings formed and before they knew it, Danny was human once more.

"Dude, that was awesome!" Tucker screamed in excitement getting over the shock. But also checking to make sure his friend did indeed, have a pulse. It was as the two boys were talking about what had just happened that Sam ran over to the screen and looked directly to the Titans.

"You need to hurry. Danny can't maintain this place for much longer," she informed them, her form beginning to flicker.

"What do you mean?" Robin demanded the team running up to her.

"You said you needed to know what Danny is, in order to understand everything he's showing you, well cognates, you figured out how he got his powers. But Danny can't maintain this all access pass to his memories forever. And there's still so much you don't know," Sam said, hurriedly scrolling through the levels typing in cheat codes.

"What do you mean?" Cyborg asked. Sam turned her glare at them, amethyst eyes burning.

"Look, all you need to know right now is that Danny is what's called a halfa. He's half human, half ghost. And he's unheard of in the Ghost Zone and unimaginable in the Human Zone. What he is, is impossible."

"Yet he exists," Raven said, to this Sam nodded.

"Yes, but it's more than that. And there's more going on here. Please save him, time isn't on your side," she finished and with this she pressed the enter key, and the screen flashed the second she disappeared into smoke.

Part Four:

"Danny, this is becoming a problem," Mrs. Fenton suddenly said, as Danny looked at his feet trying not to disappear into the couch. The same red head girl from earlier sitting in the chair next to him reading a giant text book.

"You're shirking all your chores," Jack added leaning over a giant green, half completed machine.

"Your grades are slipping," Mrs. Fenton stated.

"You're shirking from your chores," Jack chimed.

"You already said chores," Danny cut in.

"I know, but when you don't do them, I get stuck with them," Jack deadpanned.

"Look, I'm under a lot of pressure. You two have no idea what it's like to be a kid these days." All of the Titans silently agreeing.

"Come on Danny, that's the oldest excuse in the book. There's nothing you’re going through that your father and I didn't go through when we were your age," Mrs. Fenton said not noticing as her sons arm turned intangible and fell through the couch before he managed to get control of his powers.

"Yeah, well I beg to differ," Danny muttered in defeat. It was then the red head snapped her book shut.

"The reason Danny doesn't think you can relate to him is that you never take the time to tell him about your childhood."

Danny flinched at the very psychiatric approach.

"Jazz," Danny growled out.

"Have you ever told them how you two met, or your first date, where you went to college?"

"Jazz!" Danny nearly yelled his eyes temporarily flashing green while their parents pondered over their daughter's words.

"You know Jasmine that's a great idea!" Jack exclaimed.

"It is?"

"What is?" Maddie asked.

"This is!" Jack yelled holding up a piece of paper that read 'twenty year college reunion' in Madison, Wisconsin. Danny face palmed, while Jazz looked horror stricken.

"You can come with your mother and me to our college reunion. Our old pale Vlad is throwing a huge shin dig there. We'll take the RV so the whole family can go together. You can learn more about your mother and my college days and while we drive, I can blabber on about ghosts!"

"Ugh," Danny shuttered and trudged up to his room, whipping out his cell phone to dial Sam and Tucker.

"Hey, Danny."

"What's up, dude?"

Danny closed his door and flipped on the lights.

"Hey guys, we have a small problem. My Dad's dragging the whole family to his and Mom's college reunion, and I can't get out of it."

"So you need us to cover you on the ghost patrols this weekend," Sam stated.

"Yeah, do you still have that extra Fenton Thermos and small ecto wrist rays?"

"Yeah, we're cool, so why are you even going? Were you late getting home again?" Tucker asked. Danny groaned, flopping down on his bed.

"Yeah, to make a long story short, these three vulture ghosts were messing around, apparently lost, they asked me for directions to find and 'peck to death,' get this,  my Dad."

"What!" Both teens exclaimed on the other lines.

"Yeah," Danny said pulling out a torn picture of his father from his younger days.

"They didn't say why, but it doesn't matter. I kicked them out of town. Oh, and there Transylvanian accent really stunk," he added before a blue mist escaped his mouth.

"Hey, I gotta go," he said, and with goodbyes, he hung up and grabbed a Thermos from underneath the bed. Everything shuddered as Jack's voice echoed around them.

"Get some rest everybody! I want the entire Fenton clan bright eyed and bushy tailed when we meet Masters tomorrow."

"Wait, Masters? As in Vlad Masters, who was named Affluent Magazines second billionaire of the year next to Bruce Wayne?" Jazz said in disbelief as the Titans landed in the Fenton RV where Danny and his family were trying to sleep.

"That's the guy, in college Vlad was my best friend. We were very popular guys, roommates, lab partners, we did everything together. Until, the thick fingers of fate stuck them right in Vlad's eyes. We were working on a proto portal, and when I turned it on, the thing over loaded and Vlad got blasted right in the face. He was hospitalized with a horrible case of ecto-acne. It devastated him, and killed his social life. We haven't spoken since that day. But the good news is after all these years, I think he's finally forgiven me," Jack said before he turned over to sleep.

The image shifted and suddenly Danny was standing right next to the Titans as Vlad Masters opened the door to his gold and green castle. Every one of the Titans cringed, all of them remembering the pure look of hatred in Danny's eyes. Only now, none of that was present.

"What did Vlad do to make Danny hate him?" Cyborg asked.

"We're about to find out," Robin stated as the silver haired billionaire opened his arms and smiled.

"Jack, and Maddie, you've never looked lovelier my dear. Please, please come in." The Titans, Maddie, Jazz and Danny all walked in, and the door slammed shut in Jack's face.

"O.k. harsh," BB said and Danny looked questioningly to Vlad.

"What's with the green and gold, you're a billionaire. Surely you could afford an interior designer," Jazz remarked all the guys in the room sighed.

"Jazz, hello? Football helmets, jerseys, cheese heads, this guys a Packer's fanatic," Danny said. Vlad placed a hand on the teen's shoulder, and the group waited for him to tense. Nothing happened.

"Hello?" Jack called from outside, the family suddenly remembering he was not in the room.

"Oh fanatic is such a negative word but yes, I am," Vlad said walking further into the house.

"But I don't understand, you have billions of dollars. Instead of buying this stuff, why don't you just buy the team?" Jazz asked.

"Because the Packers are owned by the city of Green Bay, and they won't sell them to me!" Vlad snapped before his calming demeanor returned once more, and he looked longingly at Maddie.

"One, of two things my wealth has of yet, been able to acquire."

Maddie smiled and mumbled something about letting Jack in. Jazz looked disinterested, and Danny and the Titans looked a little grossed out.

"Is he hitting on Mom?" Danny asked to his sister.

"As long as he's got working toilets, and Mom says no, who cares," Jazz said walking away.

"Oh, that's just wrong!" Cyborg yelled forgetting they couldn't hear him.

Danny was about to head upstairs when a signed football caught his eyes.

"Whoa, cool!"

"Indeed," Vlad said joining him, picking up the football, "this ball was autographed by the legendary Ray Nitchky himself. It's my prized possession."

"Heads up, V-man!" Jack screamed before barreling into the gentleman and knocking him to the ground.

"Ha, I see you still got the old moves!" Jack said standing up with the ball. Vlad glared before he snatched it away.

"Give me that! I never had any old moves. All those years in the hospital robbed me of that!"

Dead silence. Vlad sighed.

"Yes, well it gave the time to chart out a course for my life. Make some decisions that helped to make me very wealthy, very quickly, and it never would have happened without you, Jack."

"Uh, yeah maybe we should go," Maddie said picking up on the strange atmosphere, but soon Vlad put her and Jack at ease. He showed them to their rooms. The images began to blur and soon the team landed in Danny's room as he woke up to blue mist pouring from his mouth.

"Ah, just what I need, a working vacation," he said transforming and flying through the hallways. Soon he saw the three vultures, and his Dad sleep walking. Danny pulled his father through the floor before rejoining the birds, who were staring at the carpet in confusion.

"Hi guys, remember me?" Danny said, his voice echoing. The birds took one look at him, screamed, and flew away.

"Okay, that was almost too easy."

"Ah, bright boy," A ghost sneered, the team gasped when Plasmius appeared, and they got there first true look at the evil ghost. His skin was ice blue, his eyes blood red and his hair black and spiked, just like his tongue. The man's white cape floated around him. Broadening his shoulders and making him look like a dark, white king. And he easily swatted Danny away like a fly.

"My vultures were supposed to bring the big idiot to me, but you'll do. Danny Phantom, right?"

Danny stood and gazed up at the still floating ghost who hadn't moved a muscle.

"You, you know me?"

"Of course I know you!" he said disappearing into the wall. Danny followed him into the musty library.

"You're the ghost boy who uses his powers for good. Oh, quaint. Aren't you going to try and shove me into your ridiculous thermos?" Plasmius sneered, and the Titans shuddered as Danny realized what he truly was up against.

"I-I don't want to fight you."

"No, no you don't," he smirked and the ghost attacked, throwing a plasma ray right in the center of the teen's chest.

"Get away!" Danny screamed throwing a green ecto-blast. A simple shield absorbed the attack, and the ghost smirked.

"So, year one. Tell me child, can you do this yet?" he said multiplying into four.

"No. I can't. How are you doing all this?" Danny asked backing away as the four ghosts loomed over him.

"Years of practice, which you unfortunately have no time for," they said and fired. Danny fell through the doors and transformed back, the world turning black.

"He must have passed out," Robin said.

"No, get away!" Danny screamed jolting awake in bed the bruises and scrapes having already healed. The teen looked around in confusion.

"Where am I, what happened?" Danny asked as the door to his room opened.

"I was going to ask you the same question, dear boy," Vlad said walking in with concern on his face. A slight tilting of his mouth showed otherwise. Danny didn't notice.

"I must have been worn out from the long car trip. I'll be fine in the morning. Sorry for the scare."

"Oh, what's a little scare between friends? Sleep tight, little badger," Vlad said leaving the room. Danny smiled before going back to sleep.

It was the night of the reunion and guests were pouring in while Danny sulked at a table watching old people do the pogo. Vlad joined him.

"Well, son, you're looking much better. I was wondering if you could do me a huge favor?"

"Oh, sure Mr. Masters. But call me Danny, son is what my Dad calls me."

"Oh, yes, yes of course. Now could you go to my lab, second door on the right upstairs. There's a present in there for your father that I'd like you to bring down."

"Okay," he said happily and with this Danny left. The Titans following him silently, the metal door sliding open.

"Present, I don't see a present." Danny mumbled, glancing at a picture on the desk. Dread swept through all of them as he lifted it up. It was one of Vlad, Maddie and Jack, only completed when Danny added the missing piece the vultures had forgotten.

"No way," Danny denied until a blue mist escaped. Transforming, the teen fought off two ecto- pusses.

"Those ghosts were some of the very first ones I fought."

"And there not alone, punk!" A giant mechanical ghost with flaming green hair said. The Titans immediately recognized him.

"Skulker? How did you get back in your ecto-skeleton? What are you doing here?" Danny asked.

"All excellent questions, catch!" Skulker said rolling a black box across the floor. It expanded and trapped the teen to his neck.

"I can't phase out of this, it's disrupting my powers?"

"And that's not all it does," Skulker pressed a button, and Danny screamed as volts of electricity tore through his body turning him back. The mechanical ghost walked forward and grabbed the teen by his raven hair, a machete sliding free from his other arm.

"Uh, heh, the glowing blade is new," Danny said nervously, Skulker smiled excitedly.

"You like it? I've had some upgrades! Now…"

"Enough! I didn't free you to kill the boy, Skulker. Your work is done," Vlad ordered walking in.

"Yes, well I…ugh, I've got to…go check out a book on the purple back gorilla. Again!" The ghost exclaimed before disappearing leaving the two humans alone.

"Skulker, the ecto-pusses, I…I don't understand?" Danny said bewildered.

"Of course not, you're like what, fourteen? Too young to drive and not in college yet. I sent those ghosts and others, to test your fathers' skills. Imagine my surprise when I find you. The second ghost hybrid his foolishness created," Vlad said.

"Second?"

As Vlad transformed, the Titans understood, and Danny screamed,

"Let me out!"

"Why? So you can go back to stumbling through your adolescence, desperately trying to gain control of your powers? Powers, by the way that I've had for twenty years. I have experience my child, and the money and power obtained through using those powers for personal gain, you see. I could train you, teach you everything I know and all you have to do is renounce your idiot father," Vlad Plasmius said, his fangs glistening.

"Dude, you are one seriously crazed up fruitloop, that is never going to happen," Danny stated, and the Titans now knew who the teen meant when he said fruitloop.

"Yes, well once your father is out of the way, we'll see how you feel," Plasmius said disappearing in a swirl of green energy.

Everything seemed to move in double speed, the appearance of the Dairy King, letting Danny go, to him knocking Plasmius out of his father's body, throwing them back into the library.

"Daniel, stop. Think of the things I could show you, the doors I could open for you. You, Danny Phantom, and I, Vlad Plasmius, together we could rule."

"Forget it pal, your money can't buy my mom, it can't buy the Packers, and it can't buy me," Danny said firing again. Plasmius redirected the blast and a shield formed around Danny.

"That shield is the one Danny used to protect me and Raven!" Starfire exclaimed.

"This must have been the first time he needed it," Cyborg said.

"I know who you are, I'll tell my father, I'll tell everyone."

"And so will I. Honestly, if you expose me, you expose yourself," Vlad stated, and it was then the honking of the Fenton RV could be heard as it came barreling into the library sending stone, and books flying.

"Mind if I cut in?" Vlad said snatching Maddie.

"Let go of me!"

"Never again, woman."

"Maddie!" Jack screamed, and everything moved faster, Danny driving the RV. Firing until Vlad was drenched in ectoplasmtic goo and when he overshadowed his father in order to save his Mom. It made the Titans heads spin.

Danny walked up to Vlad in Jack's body a smirk on his face.

"How's it going V-man?"

"Ooh, you've overshadowed Jack. Ooh, I'm so sacred now what's next? A card trick?"

"Listen to me, I swear I'll walk out of my Dad right now and expose us both unless you agree to a truce."

"You're bluffing," Vlad spat. Danny sat him on the ground.

"No, I'm not. My parents will accept me no matter what, but if I expose you, well what will my Mom think of you?"

Vlad flinched and bowed his head. "You'll be miserable and alone for the rest of your life unless you call a truce."

A malicious smirk came across Vlad's face.

"Using your opponent's weaknesses against him. I am teaching you something after all very well, truce. Eventually, you will join me by choice, you and your mother, but for now…"

And with a cough, Vlad flew high in the air and screamed.

"Curse you, Jack Fenton, your world renowned expertise of all things ghosts, has defeated me! Until next time, son…Ahhhhh!"

The scene shifted and Danny was standing off to the side glaring at Vlad as the man bid the Fentons goodbye from his mansion. Jazz, though, looked up to the Titans a pleading look in her eyes before everything went up in smoke.

The team landed in Danny's room with Tucker and Sam sitting on the bed, Danny by the window.

"I just want to know where Valarie got all that ghost hunting equipment."

"I don't know, but she looked pretty hot," Tucker said dreamily, Sam punched him in the arm, before she spoke.

"That's not the point, Tucker. Valarie's the Red Huntress now, and she's hunting Danny Phantom because of her misguided notion that he ruined her life, and that he's evil incarnated. He doesn't need another person to hate him! The entire town already thinks he's a villain thanks to Walker and his goons, and all the other ghosts he has to fight day and night. Or have you forgotten also that Danny's own parents are planning on ripping him apart molecule by molecule?"

Tucker looked ready to argue when Danny turned around his eyes flashing green.

"Guys enough, we don't need this. Look, I understand you're worried for me, but don't worry. I can handle Valarie, I'm just worried about her. She has no idea what she's getting into."

"Do you think Vlad has something to do with it?" Sam asked.

"I don't know. I haven't seen him since the reunion," Danny said before turning back to the window.

"You guys should go, it's getting late. Thanks for helping me patrol," Danny said smiling his goofy smile. Tucker placed a hand on his shoulder.

"No problem dude, and hey, call us if you need anything," Tuck waved goodbye, Sam gaving him a quick hug whispering in his ear 'you know we'll always be here for you.’

The images began to shift and Vlad's voice surrounded them, "I'll give you a five minute head start."And suddenly they were in a forest, Danny running desperately through the trees.

"It's called the Plasmius Maximus. It has just short circuited your powers for the next three hours. That's midnight."

The teens' foot caught on a knot in the ground. Danny let out a yelp as he tumbled down the hill and landed in a small clearing, but he quickly rose. The leaves crutching underneath his feet and sweat trickled down his face. It was so dark. None of the group could see ten feet in front of them. Danny let out a breath.

"Calm down, Fenton. Mom set up camp underneath Cancer's constellation, I just have to…"

The air grew colder, and Danny froze, anxiously looking around. The leaves became cast in a green hue. In less than a second Danny turned around, bear claws were coming towards him. It was pure instinct to defend, instead of dodge. But the Titans knew Danny couldn't move quickly enough. So they watched as the teen flinched and raised his arms to protect his face and chest. One of the bears’ claws tore through his flesh from elbow to wrist in his right arm. Flinging him twenty feet back and into an old oak tree. Danny screamed as he held his arm and rolled, avoiding the bear that was barreling towards him. The thing smashed into the tree. Its scream echoing, and the tree fell. But the halfa was long gone, and the Titans were running beside him.

"These are my latest experiments, what do you think?"

Danny's blood looked black in the light, and his feet kept slipping on the leaves. The ghost wolves started howling in the night.

"Oh, that's right, who cares what you think."

"There's no way he can escape these ghost animals!" Robin screamed, unnecessarily dodging a tree.

"He's bleeding to heavily, his scent is everywhere," BB said his nose twitching. Just then Danny came to the edge of the tree line. It gave way to a ditch and large creek, the water flowing freely. The pounding of claws reached their ears, and Danny didn't hesitate, he jumped, and tumbled down the muddy and rocky edge. The Titans followed as he waded out into the freezing cold water. Hastily washing the blood off, letting it run with the current. The howling grew louder, and Danny sprinted to the other side. Pulling off his muddy no longer white shirt and wrapped it around his arm covering the gash. He hid behind a fallen tree just as the green glow reached the tree line. Danny didn't even breathe. The earth went up in smoke and the Titans lost their footings. They all screamed until they landed back in Danny's bedroom, hard.

"Ugh, what happened?" Beastboy said rubbing his back.

"Everybody okay?" Robin asked.

Sam, Tucker, and Jazz, opened the door, carrying Danny.

"Guys, I'm fine," Danny said protesting weakly.

"Dude, you just fought an entire army of ghosts and you've been dragging civilians into the ghost shield for the past four hours, you need to rest," Tucker said worriedly before he went to the computer and logged onto Amity Parks emergency broadcast.

"Tucker's right, Danny. You and Valarie both need to rest," Sam said.

"And speaking of Valarie, did you three figure out why she was wearing that strange ring?" Jazz asked as Danny collapsed onto his mattress.

"It's called the Ring of Rage. It belongs to Pariah Dark, king of all ghosts. Before the Ancients sealed him away into the coffin of forever sleep. Vlad, being the fruitloop that he is, wanted its power for himself, but the ring only works with the Crown of Fire. So, he woke the king up, couldn't defeat him, hid the ring by giving it to Valarie who now thinks Vlad's a good guy, and now I need to go tell him to stop this mess because he's putting innocent lives in danger," Danny ranted standing up.

"No, Danny, what will you gain by talking to Vlad?" Jazz asked pleadingly.

"I have to try Jazz. Besides, the quicker we solve this mess the quicker he can get out of this house. I can barely think, knowing that he's sleeping in the next room."

"Well, whatever you do, you need to do it fast," Tucker said looking out the window at the dome covered city.

"How the heck did we never hear about this?" Robin said as he looked at the terrible sight of the ghost soldiers frozen right outside the dome. Danny walked to the window and Sam joined him, intertwining their fingers solemnly.

"Man, this Vlad guy sounds worse than Slade," Cyborg said.

"He is." Everyone jumped when Jazz spoke, and the group turned to see her sitting on the bed, her gaze unwavering.

"Look, I don't know who Slade is, but you need to understand exactly how dangerous Vlad really is. He's ruthless, and he's not afraid to use anyone as his pawns. He used Valarie, and he's used me," she said her eyes pained.

"What do you mean?" Raven asked.

"At this fight, Danny fought Pariah Dark with our parents' ecto-suit. It increases the wearer's strength onehunderdfold, but it disappeared right after the fight. My baby brother nearly died saving our town and cleaning up Vlad's mess. The man stole the suit, and then later he forced me to wear it with bloodstream nano-bots in my system, and ordered us to fight to the death. If Danny refused, I died, and if I didn't fight, Vlad would still destroy me," Jazz's voice shook, but she continued.

"He places you in the impossible situation. It was the main reason why Danny never told our parents that he was half ghost. Why he let the bounty stay on his head, why he let Valarie, the GiW, and our own parents hunt him. Because if they found out, there wouldn't be any reason for Vlad not to outright kill Dad and me, and force Mom and Danny to live with him."

"And how do you know that for a fact?" Robin asked his gaze stern, but Jazz smiled.

"Well, let's just say Danny bent reality once, and even though Mom and Dad accepted him…Sam, Tucker and I, we all knew. And so did Danny, Vlad won't stop."

The ground shook between their feet.

"What's happening?" Starfire screamed as the buildings outside collapsed.

"Danny can't keep this up anymore. C'mon, I have to get you to the next level!" Jazz screamed as her form began to flicker. And as she typed furiously, Robin couldn't help but look to the three friends standing by the window talking, oblivious to the danger around them.

The back wall blew out then and pitch darkness howled around the Titans, trying to suck them in. The computer screen hummed to life, and Jazz pressed enter. The memory trying to load, she turned to them with tearful eyes.

"Please…save….brother….get to…" But the wind was too loud and in a flash the Titans were gone, falling through the ceiling of Danny's bedroom into his apartment at Jump City.

The Titans were gasping for air.

Part Five:

"What just happened?" Robin asked standing up, noticing that Danny was asleep in bed.

"I don't know. It was like his memories were falling apart," Raven said, and the team grew silent.

"Is that even possible?" Cyborg asked.

"Friend Sam did say that this 'all access pass' was very hard to maintain," Starfire said. Robin frowned.

"It doesn't matter, we need to go back. We're too far forward and there's no way…"

"But what if we can't go back?" Raven asked her violet eyes hard.

"Remember, we're not here to shift through Danny's memories, we're here to find him. Prying into his life is not helping us."

"But if that's the case, why is Danny still willing to show us all this?" Cyborg asked.

"What are you five doing in my room?" A cold voice sounded, and the team froze, whirling around to see Danny sitting up in his bed glaring at them.

"Danny, is that you? Have we finally found you?" Starfire exclaimed, but as she ran forward, Robin held her back.

"No Star, that's not him. Look at his wounds."

And it was then the teens looked down and noticed red stained gauze wrapped loosely around his torso and left arm. The halfa stood, and they noticed one foot was wrapped as well.

"His injures are consistent to when I found him at his bookstore, right after the fight with the fire monster," Raven said.

"I said what are you doing here?" Danny snapped again taking a menacing step forward, Robin met his gaze.

"We don't have time for this. Look, we know you’re Phantom."

Danny froze for half a second before he laughed.

"I'm sorry, but I have no idea what you're talking about."

"You have to listen to us. We know how you got your powers, we know about Vlad, and right now, we're doing are hardest to save you!" Robin said the urgency in his voice stopping Danny cold. Silently he appraised the rest of the team before his eyes widened at the realization that they were telling the truth.

"Alright, what are you trying to save me from?" Danny asked shifting his weight off the burned leg. Robin sighed in relief.

"We were fighting Slade down in his lair. He'd black mailed you and me into serving him. Everyone," Robin gestured to their friends, "came to stop him. Slade was going to kill them. I asked you to defend me as I infected myself with the same bloodstream nano-bots. I didn't realize that what I asked had hurt you," Robin said bowing his head as Danny shuddered, blue eyes hardening. The leader turned his gaze back to his friend.

"By the time we realized what had happened, you were half catatonic. Raven's pulled us into your mind, into your memories, and if we can find the real you…"

"I'll be able to wake up." Danny answered factually, his posture relaxing.

"Look, I'm sorry for what I did and…" Robin tried to say, but Danny cut him off.

"Don't be, you had no idea this would happen, and right now, we need to focus on getting you guys out of here."

"We're not going anywhere without you," Beastboy said walking forward. "You're our friend, and I don't care if you hate me or us for the rest of your life, but you're going to accept our help, and we're all leaving here together, got it!"

The Titans were shell shocked, and Danny couldn't seem to stop staring at Beastboy's outburst.

Danny let out a huff. "Fine. Now, how have you been going through my memories?"

"With this," Robin said taking the game chip out and handing it to the halfa. Danny stared at it before he abruptly turned and walked out of his room.

"Hey, wait up!" Cy yelled and the Titans followed him past the library and into the new lab.

"So, this is where it was," BB said.

"What?"

"Nothing."

Danny shrugged and plugged in the device to his computer, the screen clicked on and his fingers began flying across the keys.

"Huh, well you appear to be on the right path."

"What do you mean?" Robin asked.

"What I'm saying, is that eventually you would have gotten to what it was I was trying to tell you. The problem is: messing with memoires is complicated. One thought, can lead to an entirely different memory. It's sort of like playing pick-up sticks, you might be trying to go for blue, but instead you move green and then you're stuck with it. It's a roundabout way, but sooner or later you would have gotten to the right memory."

"So what went wrong?" Raven asked looking at the screen codes. Danny pulled up the main frame and thousands of levels appeared. Some bright blue, others blood red.

"My memories started collapsing. Most non-essential things, easily forgotten throughout the day, but see these dark red ones. These indicate that my mind is now locked, and the neurological path ways cannot recall or send the memories to me or you of that matter," as the teen explained this, five more blue levels turned red.

"So?" BB probed.

"It means Danny's mind is beginning to shut down, that his hard drive is crashing. If you think of the mind as a computer system, that is," Cyborg said helplessly, and the Titans all looked to Danny who wasn't paying any attention. Instead he was typing away, entering new codes.

"Aren't you freaked out? You're practically dying!" Beastboy said.

"Um, technically I'm half dying, and I can't afford to panic right now. Look, I'm pretty sure I know what I wanted you guys to see. I can't send you back to that particular level, but I can send you to some memories that might trigger that line of thought," Danny said before pressing enter, the bar began to load.

"How do you know all of this? And what about Sam, Tucker, and Jazz, they knew how to work this too."

Danny looked to Robin and smiled kindly, he looked fourteen again. "Safe guards, all the memories you were in were probably on the verge of collapsing. They were there to keep you guys safe. I'm probably the same. For whatever reason you guys really must have made an impression on me."

The Titans smiled sheepishly. "Thank you, friend Danny," Starfire said. The screen began to glow, when Danny looked to them again his face fell.

"Just be ready, you won't like what you find," he said and the screen flashed.

The Teen Titans were standing in front of a plain white door labeled room four-nineteen, the florescent lights humming quietly, and the smell of sick and the dying filled there noises.

"We're in a hospital," Cyborg spoke solemnly, the Titans walked through the door, and sucked in their breath. For there, sitting on top of the bed sheets was Danny. His skin black and blue. Bandages wrapped around his throat and arms, his messy black hair utterly disheveled. But what killed the team were his eyes, which were empty and hopeless. The door clicked open, and Vlad stepped in. His face was drawn and tight, his back rigid and stiff. Danny didn't even acknowledge him.

"I just finished speaking to the lawyers. With Jack and Ma…Maddie gone, I'm now your legal guardian."

Danny shifted away, blue eyes watching the sunset.

"I guess you must be happy. I willingly get to join you 'cause of a damnable piece of paper," Danny whispered bitterly, his voice horse.

"That's not true, little badger."

"I'm not staying with you. I don't care if I have to kill you, I won't stay with you," Danny hissed his eyes steely, but the Titans could see fear. Yet Vlad growled, his patience spent.

"After everything I…look here, child, who would take you in? A freak with powers? Because of what you are, you'll always be feared, always be hunted. And your deranged sense of morals will always put you in the impossible situation. And Daniel, I warn you now, you will always be betrayed," Vlad hissed his eyes burning red. Danny's remained ice blue.

"No. You're wrong Vlad, someone will…"

"Someone will what, Daniel? Save you? Please, don't be so naïve," the man sneered. "No one will even be able to understand you. How could they? That your powers are born from you very soul, that by being dead you are alive. You can't even begin to comprehend what will happen to you! That not every power you gain will be easy. It will most likely tear you apart through pain and suffering! And when will you wake up, and see that I'm the only one who will ever understand this? Daniel, I…"

"Get. Out."

It was a demand.

"Daniel?" Vlad stuttered.

"Get out, get out, get out!" Danny screamed the entire room began shaking. Waves of energy pouring from the teen, and Vlad stumbled back to the door before he fled the room. Danny collapsed into dry sobs, blood trickling down his chin. The sun rays hit the room and cast everything in orange, and suddenly they weren't in the hospital room. But on a street, and everything was on fire.

"W-where?" Starfire asked. But she couldn't finish her sentence for there, lying on the pavement in front of a burning hell that used to be the Nasty Burger, if the charred sign was anything to go by, was Danny. Everything was silent. Even when the fire trucks pulled up and the firefighters desperately fought the blaze that was consuming everything. The Titans watched a man pull Danny away even though the teen began to struggle having woken from his daze. It took three firefighters to keep Danny at bay. To pull him away from the debris still raining down, the earth gave a violent shake, and the rest of the building caved. The Titans looked away from the inferno, the one thing the halfa couldn't look away from. Until the firefighter pulled Danny into a hug and his muffled voice broke through.

"It's alright son, there was nothing you could have done. It's alright," the man kept whispering the mantra over and over as other noises steadily grew louder. The blaring of sirens, the orders from other firefighters, yelling to control the fire, that they didn't want another explosion.

"I read in the papers that six people died in an explosion at the Nasty Burger, that Danny was the only one to survive," Robin spoke softly, his voice dead. Cyborg didn't know what to do, so he said the only thing that came to mind.

"An explosion. It makes sense, if Danny was close enough to the blast, he might go temporarily deaf. If only for a moment," he said, but as the sirens wailed, the team knew that that moment hadn't been enough.

"It's going to be alright," the firefighter whispered. Only the voice grew deep, and reminded the team of a gravel road. Danny and the firefighter disappeared, and there, standing in their place was a ghost. He had pale blue skin and blood red eyes, a scar running across his left eye. He was clothed in purple robes as if he were an archer, a grandfather clock placed inside his chest, and he held a staff in one hand a stopwatch suspended in the middle. The ghost merely chuckled at the Titans' gawking faces.

"Well, are you just going to stand there, or are you going to come in?" The man asked, his form shifting to that of a child. And it was then the Titans realized they were no longer standing in the scorched parking lot, but in front of two giant carved doors. The team walked in, following the ghost as he travelled through the corridors, clocks of every kind floating around them—frozen— green sun filtering in from the stain glass windows.

"Who are you?" Robin asked finally finding his voice. The ghost shifted once more, his smile nearly concealed in his long white beard.

"Introductions, very well: I am Clockwork Master of Time, and I am the reason Danny was forced to lose the ones he loved."

"What!" The Titans yelled immediately forgetting that they were about to fight a guardian in Danny's mind. Clockwork merely sighed, his form shifting once more.

"You see, I was charged with the task of eliminating Daniel's time to prevent the destruction of the worlds."

"What do you mean?" Robin snapped not backing down from his fighting stance. Clockwork floated over to a swirling portal and from it he showed them.

"Ten years from now, Danny Phantom would grow up to be the evilest ghost of all time. No one could stop him, and eventually the worlds would be destroyed. The Observent's ordered me to take away his time. But they only see time like watching a parade. I see it from above and the twists and turns it might or might not take. I brought Danny here through these twists and turns. Until he chose to go into the future, it was there he met Dan Phantom. And it was there he learned how this future came to be, in order to prevent it."

"But if that's the case, why did his family die?" Raven asked, Clockwork closed his eyes.

"You must understand. The decisions Danny makes are greater than you know, the same goes for you five. A simple test, the C.A.T, resulted in his demise. The Nasty Burger exploded and with it, it took the lives of Jack, Maddie and Jazz Fenton, his best friend Tucker Foley, his girlfriend Sam Manson, and Mr. Lancer. Danny was forced to live with Vlad and when the man offered to take away the pain and suffering, to take away Daniel's humanity.

"He took away Danny's morality. A part of his soul."

"Not just a part, Robin, all of his soul, and when Daniel's evil self ripped out Plasmius's ghost self and merged them together the result was this."

"But Danny's family still died. If you sent him to the future through a series of unfortunate events, how?" Beastboy asked hurtful anger in his voice.

"Dan Phantom left Danny in the future and came to the past in order to make sure his timeline was assured," Clockwork said the portal swirling, showing Dan hovering above the very people he once loved strapped to an overheating boiler, Danny bravely fighting. "Danny defeated his evil self but at a price, he wouldn't have the strength to save his family. This was absolute."

"Then how, man?" Cyborg screamed and Clockwork met there gazes.

"You were," Robin breathed.

"Yes; I was. Danny deserved a second chance, but the Observants interfered and that was a twist the road might take. Daniel lost everything from their ignorance and my arrogance."

"Then please tell us, how do we save friend Danny now? We cannot bring his family back," Starfire said her eyes red from the tears she'd been able to keep at bay.

Clockwork shifted into his middle form.

"First, you must discover Danny's fear, then his enemy, and why such events are playing out as we speak, and I will take you there," the Ghost of Time disappeared.

"Ah, great, I hate riddles!" Beastboy screamed.

"We just need to think through this logically. First, what does Danny fear?" Robin asked.

"Vlad," Cyborg said. "He didn't want to go with him. Danny was afraid he'd lose his soul, and you heard Jazz, Vlad isn't the type of person to take no for an answer."

"Two, then if that's the case, who's his enemy?" Robin countered.

"Himself," Raven stated.

"Think, if friend Danny's fear is losing his soul, then wouldn't his enemy be himself for giving in to Vlad."

"Now why?"

It was this question that stumped all of the Titans. Beastboy scrunched up his face in concentration when a thought occurred to him.

"Hey, what did Timey mean when he said 'such events are playing out as we speak?'"

"I don't know," Cyborg said.

"We're in Danny's memories, he's catatonic, so there's no way he'd be fighting himself right now," Raven answered calmly, Robin's head snapped up.

"That's not necessarily true, we're in Danny's memories, but Danny isn't in any of them. Instead he sends us a game, protects us with guardians, while he's fighting to keep us on the right path to finding him. Because Danny isn't in his memories, he's in a dream."

"The reason Danny's memories were falling apart…" Cyborg realized.

"Was because the real Danny's fighting in his dream. He couldn't simultaneously maintain both," Raven said, Beastboy looked at them in confusion.

"So wait, let me get this straight, while we've been wandering on the wrong side of the road the entire time, Danny's been fighting himself?"

"Not on the wrong side, you were merely on a converging path," Clockwork interjected reappearing. Robin stepped forward.

"We know where Danny is, we know he fears himself and we know his enemy is Dan. Now take us to him!"

"I can't."

"What!" The Titans screamed. The Master of Time looked at them with young eyes.

"You have yet to figure out why?"

The teens yelled in frustration. Raven felt like smiting the ghost, but as she looked to her friends she remembered Danny mumbling in the Spectra Speeder as Skulker chased them, "together, we made six."

"Danny's afraid of losing us, just like he lost his family. That's why he's fighting, now take us to him!" Raven yelled, causing the team to jump. And with a smile Clockwork held up his staff and pressed the stop watch.

"Time, In!"

The team landed in what used to be a city, but the only thing blacker than the destroyed buildings, was the grey overcast sky.

"Okay, this is creepy," Beastboy said looking at the ruins.

"It doesn't matter. Titans, spread out. Danny's here, and we're going to find him," Robin ordered. Everyone began to separate when an explosion shook everyone as one skyscraper fell.

"Titans, go!"

The team tore off, heading towards the plume of smoke. They rounded the corner in time to watch as Robin's neck was snapped, before he was thrown to the ground. No more than a broken rag doll. Dan laughed.

"What's wrong, Danny? Can't scream anymore?" Dan mocked to the boy underneath his boot. Dan pressed down and crack, three ribs were broken. Danny didn't even whimper. Desolate ice blue eyes only staring straight ahead.

"Danny!" Robin screamed and red eyes snapped up to the Titans, a maniacal smile contorted the ghosts face.

"Well, it looks like you've brought some new friends along to play," Dan said his deep baritone voice sounding insane. Robin glared.

"Let him go, now!"

Dan laughed and forced Danny to his knees, clothes torn and tattered. The halfa wouldn't even meet their eyes.

"Why, so you can save him? Please, you can't fight destiny boy. Little Danny here has already figured that out," Dan said gesturing around them, and the Titans, who had been so focused on saving their friend never bothered to look at the hell around them. Robin's death had been merciful. Nothing like the bodies surrounding them, blending in to the blood stained rubble. Cyborg couldn't even recognize his own body. Beastboy gagged, and Starfire and Raven could only stare in horror. But what was worse, were the bodies next to theirs; charred but still recognizable.

Dan lifted Danny high off the ground, and the teen choked as his windpipe was crushed, the ghost prepared to snap his neck.

"You will always become me."

"Azarath Metrion Zenthos!"

Black energy encompassed Danny, and Raven yanked him away from death's embrace.

"Titans, go!"

No one hesitated. Cyborg fired every chance he got, giving Beastboy an opening, and the green tiger tore through the ghost's shoulder with ease. Raven and Starfire pounded away at him until Robin leapt in and kicked the thing into a building three streets away. The team stood there panting, enraged, until they remembered their friend.

"Danny!" Robin breathed as they ran over to him. His now white hair matted in grim and blood, his green eyes wide with shock.

"Danny, it's us. Your friends, remember?"

"What are you doing here?" Danny choked out as the team knelt down around him.

"Saving you, dude," Beastboy said placing a hand on the halfa's shoulder to reassure not only Danny, but himself as well. Danny could only stare in confusion.

"But how, this place is always the same, they die, you die, and Dan begins to snap my neck, then… I don't know."

"You wake up. This place is a nightmare Danny, it's not real," Raven said her violent eyes hard, desperately trying to convey this to him. The halfa's eyes widened.

"If that's the case, then why not let Dan kill me. I'll just wake up?"

Cyborg cut him off, "Because you’re catatonic. If Dan kills you now, you'll stay dead."

"You can't let him win," Robin pleaded. "We didn't come into your mind so you could give up."

A yell resounded hollowly throughout the town and the sounds of buildings falling reached their ears.

"Friend Danny, please, we know you are afraid of losing us. But know this, we are also afraid of losing you," Starfire said, fat tears finally rolling down her cheeks. Danny felt his heart constrict in his chest. He looked back to Robin.

"Please, Danny. I know what I did hurt you. And I'm so sorry, but I'm begging you now, don't make us go through the same pain you went through. I know it's a selfish thing to ask. But, you just started being a part of the team. You finally started calling us your friends."

White hot fire shot towards them, and Raven barely had time to shield them as it pelted into her black wall until she collapsed in Beastboy's arms.

"Raven!"

"You really think you can defeat me, you pathetic Titans!" Dan screamed, storming towards them. Blue fire all encompassing. Danny stood then, and he took a step forward, all the injuries on his beaten body disappeared. And two glowing green eyes met burning red.

"No, they already have."

The halfa looked down to them for a moment. "Cover your ears," he instructed before he let out a wail. It was focused, the dense waves only striking Dan. But the noise: the cries like the voices of the dammed, the power, consumed everything. And at that moment, Cyborg was glad he could at least mute one of his ears. In seconds, Dan was destroyed. His form turning to black smoke as his molecules were ripped apart until nothing was left. Danny collapsed on the ground transforming back into his human self.

Everyone was stunned into silence, and Danny turned beet red before smiling sheepishly.

"So um, I'm apparently catatonic."

"Friend Danny!" Starfire cried before she lunged at him and pulled him into a bone crushing hug. Raven woke shortly to Danny trying to claw his way towards freedom. But the big goofy grin on his face told her the teen probably didn't mind.

"Rae, you're awake!" Cy said helping her stand.

"I am. What happened?" She asked.

"Not much," Beastboy said dismissively, "just some major mind blowing butt kicking!" He screamed, before launching into a full explanation of the events. Everyone other than Raven tuned him out, and Robin looked over to his friend.

"So, how much do you remember?"

Danny rubbed the back of his neck. "I remember collapsing down in the lair, and hearing you guys calling me. But I was too weak. Still, when I was falling I thought I heard…"

"Danny, you promised!" Sam screamed. "A friend call me out on one of my promises I was about to break. And I made that video game from my memories hoping you'd find me. Or that I could at least find a way out. I didn't exactly expect to fall in here," he said gesturing to the land around them, green grass slowly growing from the rocks as the sky began to clear.

"Well, all that matters is you’re back," Robin said.

"Thanks."

The Titans leader nodded before he looked over to Raven.

"Raven, take us home."

She nodded and a pure black bird engulfed them all.

Part Six:

The group slowly came to. The candles having long burned down the wick. The sun was filtering in through the windows. Beastboy sat up and held his nose.

"Ah, man, it smells like a burned dumpster truck." he whined while Danny chuckled and Raven punched him in the arm. Starfire shot up and clapped her hands together.

"Please friends, we must celebrate this now joyous occasion! We must make Glor pudding and five finger crisp…" Danny cut her off hesitantly.

"Thanks, but I really should go. I've been missing for a couple of days now and Fixit's probably debating on if he should hunt me down." Or go into the Ghost Zone…again, the halfa thought fondly.

"Oh, well you will return later, yes?" she asked and the group all looked to him expectantly, Danny hummed nervously.

"S-sure."

"Great, see you soon man!" Cy said clapping him on the shoulder before promptly yelling "I need to take a whizz!" and running off to the bathroom. Beastboy fled soon after.

"Boys," Raven said disgusted. Danny chuckled and headed to the door before he paused and looked back to the three remaining Titans.

"That reminds me, I remember feeling you walking around in my memories up to the parking lot when I was fighting Dan, but after that it's all a big blank. So, how did you get into my dream?"

"You gave us guardians," Robin said before continuing. "Every time a memory was about to collapse, you'd send us one. Clockwork was the last. He said if we could answer his, or your questions, then he'd take us to you."

A knowing smile came over Danny's face. "I see. Well, thanks again," Danny called, the living room door closed.

 “I need to rest." Raven said.

Starfire and Robin bid her goodnight. It was only as the sunlight illuminated the red and yellows in the room did a thoughtful expression cross Robin's face.

"What is wrong?" Starfire asked.

"Nothing's wrong," Robin replied giving her a reassuring smile, "I just remembered something."

"What?" Star asked, waiting patiently for her friends answer. Robin turned to her with a small smile on his face.

"I just hope Beastboy didn't insult the Master of Time by calling him Timey," he said and with this he walked away, leaving Starfire to process what he meant. She dissolved into giggles.

"Yes, that would be most upsetting."

AN: Read & Review

If you read through this you will discover that Danny's guardians (a.k.a. Tucker, Sam and Jazz) only talked to the Titans after a memory and Danny was always in the background. Even the older Danny was a part of a memory as was little Danny even though he was from another time.

Clockwork was the only guardian who didn't follow the sequence, he was alone. Also just because I'm evil, what if the two Danny's weren't Danny at all, but a certain meddling ghost, maybe?

*At my high school we we’re called Band nerds. Not geeks. Then it's: Choir freaks, and Orcha dorks and of course Drama queens.

~Rin