Teen Titans: Haunted Destiny(Crossover)

[Funkatron]

Hey. I'm sorta new at this. Haven't written a fanfic before, so this is a new experience for me.

This story is called "Haunted Destiny" and the idea has bee floating around my head for quite a bit. Its a crossover with Butch Hartman's Danny Phantom. I hope you non-crossover fans give it a chance, however. Both Canon's are equally represented here. If you are not familiar with DP universe, let me know. I'll try to explain the best I can

I originally posted and started this story over at FF.net and so far I've gotten some good reviews. So I decided to give it a try here. I may change a few things for those not familiar with DP. And feel free to criticise. can't learn without getting burned.

OK, Timelines.

This story takes place post Season 4. Prologue takes place during "The End" and the rest of the story is 1 year later. in the DP timeline, prologue is a few weeks after "Reality Trip".

Rated T

Hope you enjoy.

Prologue
The gem was born of evil's fire.
The gem shall be his portal.
He comes to claim. He comes to sire.
The end of all things mortal!


With those last words said, Raven began to ascend into the air. The other Titans watched in terror as their friend and fellow teammate accepted her fate. The markings on her body began to take on a life of their own as they circled around her. He hand, which was desperately grasping a penny, the lucky penny given to her by Beast Boy, relaxed as the penny fell to the ground below. And with one final gasp, a blinding light engulfed her.


Beast Boy, Cyborg, Robin and Starfire shielded their eyes as the portal was formed. They looked back again to see the stone hand, which had been the centerpiece of the lair, was destroyed and in its place, a real one reached for the sky.


Trigon was free.


“The Earth is mine!” he roared, declaring his claim on their planet.


DPDPDPDPDPDPDPDPDPDPDPDP


“Amazing!”


Danny Fenton and his friends, Sam Manson and Tucker Foley, could barely hide their amusement at the way Jazz was acting. Danny couldn’t even explain how the heck his sister had talked him into giving her the grand tour of the Ghost Zone, the dimension where most ghosts inhabited. Though he, Sam, and Tuck had been there dozens of times (many times by the seat of their pants) Jazz had never been, and she decided that it was high time that she did.


Danny smiled at the fact that his sister, who had at one time rejected ghosts and their parent’s crazy, almost illogical obsession of them, was now just as obsessed. He figured it was probably cause of her discovery that her little brother had been for almost a year now as the hero Danny Phantom, fighting them and keeping them from wrecking their town of Amity Park. He looked on as Jazz stared out of the window of the Specter Speeder, wide eyed like a kid in a candy store. He then began to chuckle as she pulled out a notebook and began taking notes of what she was witnessing. ‘Just like Jazz’ he thought.


He made sure that he avoided many of the usual haunts of his known enemies, and was again grateful for the fact he had made a map of the ghost zone; it had helped him out in more than one occasion.


While he navigated the craft, he looked over at the other passengers: Tucker was next to Jazz, once again using the Fenton Phones as wireless headphones for his PDA. He was swaying to the beat of whatever song he was playing, oblivious of everything around him. Sitting between Tucker and Danny was Sam. She was in charge of keeping the map, and making sure Danny was headed in the right direction. She nodded her head toward Jazz and Tucker, and gave a knowing grin at the pair’s antics. Danny smiled back, then looked down at the time on the console.


“Ok, ladies and gentleman of Fenton Ghost Tours!” said Danny, mimicking a cheesy tour guide. “We are now making our way back to the ghost portal. Please fasten your seat belts and return your trays to their upright position.”


“Wait! I’m not done!” yelled Jazz as she began to write faster on her pad.


“Not done with what? We’ve been out here for hours already”, her brother asked.


“We have to stop! I wanted to interview a ghost or 2,” Jazz answered. Both Sam and Danny looked at her like she had grown another head.


“Jazz, you’re my sister and I love you dearly but are you trying to get us killed?” Danny hollered.


“I’m doing research on the habits of ghosts in their natural habitat,” Jazz stated matter of factly, like she was talking about wild animals instead of supernatural beings.


Sam rolled her eyes, thanking who ever was up there that she was an only child. Tucker was oblivious to the exchange, still dancing in his seat along with the music from his PDA.


“Jazz, as much as I’d love to get attacked and eviscerated by ghosts, I agree with Danny. Its already late and we don’t want your parents wondering where we are. Isn’t that right, Tucker?” Sam said as she nudged her oblivious friend.


“Huh? What? What’s going on?” Tuck asked in bewilderment.


“Never mind. I guess your right. But next time we run into a ghost that I could have easily helped pass on today, don’t blame me!” Jazz told Danny, firing her last verbal salvo at her brother before continuing to write in her notepad. Both Sam and Danny rolled their eyes while Tucker looked back and forth, still clueless over what just had happened.


DPDPDPDPDPDPDPDP


The ride back was uneventful as they made their way back to the Fenton’s Ghost portal. Landing the Speeder in its usual spot, they made their way out of the craft and began to head upstairs.


“At least Mom and Dad weren’t the lab. I’d hate to think what woul…” Danny paused abruptly as he stopped at the top of the stairs.


“You’d hate to think what? What were you…” Sam also stopped mid-sentence behind Danny.


“What’s going on up there?” Jazz questioned as she and Tucker finally made it up the stairs. She gave a sharp gasp as her mind finally registered what was in the Fenton’s kitchen.


In front of them were 2 stone statues, resembling the likeness of Jack and Maddie Fenton. Their faces twisted in expressions pain.


For a few minutes nothing was said. Danny was the first to move. He slowly walked up to the statues, with a look of dread on his face. The others joined him, still not quite sure what they were looking at.


“What happened?” Sam asked meekly.


“ Ghosts,” Danny said matter of factly. His head hung low and he was clenching his fists.


“Danny, we don’t know if it was ghosts,” Tucker replied to his friend.


“How can it not be ghosts? We live in Amity Park! Ghost central. Some ghost took advantage of me being gone and got back at me through my parents.”


Jazz finally spoke up, “We don’t know anything for sure. We have to figure out what’s going on first before we jump to conclusions.” Jazz already decided she was going to be the calm, collected one of the group and try to prevent any hysteria from breaking out.


Danny reached out to touch his mother’s face, then pulled back, afraid that he might damage her. He clenched his fists again, anger flaring. Meanwhile Sam walked into the living room, noticing something. She then realized what was nagging her: there was a big hole in the wall where the windows used to be. What was beyond the wall shocked her even more. Her eyes went wide.


“Danny? Guys? You better come over here. Now would be nice!”


The others ran quickly to her side and found they were equally awestruck: Their town was sporting a facelift.


The sky, which should have been deep blue and riddled with stars by now, was crimson red. The buildings looked like they were in the middle of a war zone. Rubble littered the streets. Statues, like in the Fenton’s kitchen, were everywhere on the streets. They all seemed to be starring at the sky, their faces full of fear and pain, like they were being tortured.


Danny’s fists began shaking. His eyes flashed green with anger as he looked at the carnage left behind in the city. His city. The one he promised to protect.


“I- it’s my fault. Damn!” Danny’s outburst knocked everyone else back into reality.


“Danny,” Jazz began.


“No, Jazz its my fault! I - I should have been here! Should have done something to stop this! I should have...should have,” Danny stopped, unable find the words to continue.


“Danny, you can’t blame yourself for this. You can’t be everywhere at once! And besides, you don’t know what would happen even if you were here. You could have been turned to stone just like everyone else.”


“Are you trying to say I’m not strong enough to protect the city? Thanks a lot, Jazz”


“That’s not what I meant. Danny!” Jazz defended, trying her best to calmly reason with her brother, but he wouldn’t let her finish. He flew upwards, phasing through the ceiling leaving the 3 other teens behind.


‘Oh no,” Sam exclaimed, realizing something. “Mom! Dad!” For the first time ever, she was worried about what happened to her parents. She quickly pulled out her cellphone and dialed her home number. Tucker did the same, calling his house to see if his parents were all right.


Meanwhile, Danny looked out to what was left of his city. The devastation seemed to go on forever. From his vantage point in the sky, he could see the bay, now filled with lava instead of water. He wondered his mind what ghost could be powerful enough to do…this?


Was it Plasmius? Pariah Dark? Dan? A new ghost he’d never met before? He pondered over the list in his mind, all the while feeling the mountain of guilt piling up on his shoulders. He had failed them all: his family, the city. He failed to protect the city from whatever threat caused all this destruction. And what Jazz had said added to his guilt. ‘Would even have been strong enough to stop it?’
His mood deflating, he floated back down phasing back into the house. He returned to the living room, landing on his feet, then dropping to his knees, defeated.


Tucker and Sam’s calls confirmed their suspicions; there had been no answer at either of their houses. Were their parents all right? Were they statues like the Fentons and everyone else in the city? Both of them saw hope fading fast.


“Its my fault,” He repeated it like a mantra over and over, like a person
possessed. Jazz realized her brother had returned and ran to him. She dropped down on her knees and began to hug him.


“You listen to me, Danny,” she said, “You can’t beat yourself over this. Everything is going to be ok, little brother. We’ll get out of this, somehow.”


Sam soon joined Jazz in hugging Danny and eventually even Tucker began to hug his friend. They all tried to comfort him and each other. Danny was now sobbing his eyes out into his sister’s shoulder, no longer being able to take the pressure. She calmly held him; stroking his hair much his mother did when he was small. She was going to be strong for Danny; that’s what big sisters did.
Everything was looking down for Amity and the rest of the world.


TTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTT


Jump City


“AZARATH METRION ZINTHOS!”


Trigon stepped back as his Raven uttered her signature magic phrase. She was now cloaked in white instead of the usual Dark blue robe and leotard she normally wore. As she uttered the magic words, a giant white bird, seemingly made of light rose from her and headed towards the demon.


Trigon was shocked at what was about to happened. His own daughter, the portal, his tool that brought him to Earth, had turned on him. He wondered where this power came from that was quickly engulfing him.


The other Titans averted their eyes as their city was once again was plunged into brightness…


DPDPDPDPDDPDPDPDPDPDDPDPDP


The 4 teens in Amity Park were still locked in an embrace in the Fenton’s living room when they felt the ground rumble. They all looked up just as a light overtook them and the rest of the city. They all were disoriented from the glare, which seemed last only a few moments. As they rubbed their eyes, all of them did a double take: everything was back to normal.


The wall was once again whole. The morning sunrise was shinning through the blinds illuminating the living room. They suddenly heard groans and moans coming from the kitchen.


“Mom? Dad?” Danny quickly ran into the kitchen. In front of him were Jack and Maddie, back to flesh and blood. They obviously looked disoriented and a bit out of it. Danny literally almost knocked them over (no small feat, considering Jack’s size) as he hugged them both. They both looked perplexed at their son’s reaction, as he held on to them both, almost afraid they’d disappear if he let go.


“Danny? What’s going on? “ Maddie asked her son.


“And why do I feel like I just spent 20 rounds wrestling an elephant?” Jack Fenton wondered.


Danny couldn’t reply. He was just so overjoyed that his parents were ok. He felt the tears once again flow from his eyes, but this time they were tears of joy. He heard another ‘umph’ from his parents and when he looked up he saw Jazz had joined him in hugging them.


“Dad! We were so worried about you guys!” Her roll of big strong older sister now over, she let her own tears flow. Her father gently patted her head, still confused on what was going on.


“Jazzypants, why are you two so worked up all of the sudden!”


“You mean you guys don’t remember anything.”


Maddie thought for a moment. “All remember was that I was stopping your father from having another late night snack. Then I felt pain. Next thing I knew Danny had almost knocked us over!”


Danny looked up with a worried look on his face. “ You mean you guy didn’t notice any ghost attack?”


“Ghosts!” Jack looked around suspiciously. “No, I would have noticed any spooks attacking us. But now that you mention it: Maddie! To the lab! We have to see if there was any ghost activity while we blacked out!” And with that, the bear of a man ran down the stairs to the lab, with his wife not to far behind.


Sam quickly rushed in, with her cellphone in hand. “My parents! They’re ok!” she cried with relief.


Tucker came in with the same look of happiness on his face as he confirmed his parents were ok as well. “Hurry up!” he yelled, “There’s something on the TV about it!”


They all ran to the TV to see what was going on. The bottom of the screen read ‘Live! From Jump City’ as a familiar reporter composed himself before reporting on their top story.


“This Harriet Chin reporting live from Jump City, as the world is still reeling from the near end of life as we know it! If you confused on what just happened last night, stay tuned as we interview the now world famous Teen Titans as talk about how they stopped a massive demonic invasion from taking over the world!”


“You see, Danny? It wasn’t ghosts after all!” Tucker exclaimed as he patted his best friends shoulder. Danny hardly registered it as he starred at the screen as they began to interview the Titans on their defeat of some demon named Trigon.


Though he was happy his family and his friends were ok, he couldn’t help feel … helpless. He wasn’t able to anything for them. To help. The last time he felt this helpless was at the Nasty Burger incident, when he thought he had lost his family in the explosion. He looked down at his hands. He saw them shake. He didn’t hear his sister call out his name, or when Sam and Tucker rushed to him as he collapsed to the ground. The last thing he heard before he slipped into a shock-induced unconsciousness was a voice, his voice saying he wasn’t strong enough…

[Funkatron]

Ok, here is Chapter 1. Hope you enjoy.

1 Year Later

Jump City: 7:00am

It was a peaceful morning in Jump City. The sun was rising across the bay, starting another day for the people in the city. People were getting ready for work and the streets were beginning to fill with cars. Kids were preparing for the last day of school, thinking about their plans for their summer vacations. Jump City was coming alive with activity, responding to the new day.

In the bay was an island, a landmark for the city. On the island stood a tower. A tower shaped like a giant T. In this tower lived five teens, whose job was to protect the city from crime, destruction and whatever monster or freak looking for trouble. They each had extraordinary powers and had saved the city from certain doom many times over. They were known as the Teen Titans.

The leader of the Titans, Robin, had just woken from a good nights sleep. The city had actually been quiet for a change, so all of the Titans were able to get some shut-eye that night without being woken up by the alarm.

Robin finished putting on his signature red, green and black costume, and was headed to the training room for some morning practice, when he stopped. He sensed a pleasing aroma in the air, and smiled when he recognized the smell: pancakes.

Cyborg, the tech expert and muscle of the team, was known for his big breakfasts, which normally included his world famous (or tower famous anyway), buttermilk pancakes. Robin suspected the smell meant Cy was cooking up a big morning meal for the team. With his thoughts of training gone and his stomach growling, Robin made his way down the corridor to the kitchen.

“Robin!” yelled someone from behind.

Robin could recognize that voice anywhere. He turned around and found himself being tackled by fellow teammate and girlfriend, Starfire. The alien girl from Tamaran had a big smile on her face as she hugged her boyfriend, and gave him a big kiss on his cheek.

“Good morning to you too, Star,” Robin as he struggled in the girl’s strong embrace. Despite her appearance, the girl was many times stronger than he was.

“And what a glorious morning it is,” Starfire beamed, finally letting go. Robin smiled. He always loved how she was so cheerful and happy about life. He wrapped his arm around her waist as they continued to walk toward the kitchen.

“Looks like Cyborg is making breakfast again,” Robin said.

“Oh, yes! I do enjoy when he cooks the breaking of fast in the morning.” Star replied, ready to eat the big meal Cyborg had prepared. “I do hope we have enough mustard for this morning.”

Robin hid a silent chuckle. Starfire’s choice in food was always very interesting, especially her love of the yellow liquid known as mustard.

As they continued their way to the source of the delicious smell, they bumped into Beast Boy. The green shape shifter still was rubbing the sleep out his eyes.

“Morning, love birds,” the jade trickster teased, though he was sleepy, he gave his trademark grin at the two. Robin glared at him, and slightly blushed. He didn’t necessarily like the attention over his relationship with Starfire.

“And a glorious morning to you, Beast Boy! Have you slept well?” asked the still cheerful Starfire.

“Still am,” Beast Boy replied, which was followed by a yawn. “ But that awesome smell woke me up. Hope Cy made some non-lactose pancakes for me.”

They all arrived at the door of the living room/ops center/kitchen. Beast Boy turned around to face Robin and Starfire.

“Alright boys and girls! Are you ready to fill your stomachs and bust your guts with the famous chef Cyborg’s breakfast of champions?” he asked, mimicking an announcer from a TV show.

“Let’s eat!” announced a voice from behind them. They all turned to find Cyborg standing, with a big grin on his face.
They stood for a stunned moment, turned to look at the door, then looked back at Cyborg, who was still sporting his grin.

“Wait a sec. If you’re not cooking breakfast and none of us are, that means-,” Beast boy stopped as his eyes bugged out over the implications of the situation.

Beast Boy, Starfire and Robin all ran through the door and looked into the cooking area. There stood a familiar cloaked figure with their back turned toward them. On top of the dark blue head of hair was a white chef’s hat. The mystery cook turned around to reveal the fifth Titan, Raven. She was wearing Cyborg’s signature “Kiss the Chef” apron. In her hand, was a spatula, which she had been using to flip the hotcakes. Realizing her friends were all there, she put on a nervous grin.

“Surprise,” she exclaimed warily, knowing what was coming next.

Beast Boy and Robin just stood there, their jaws hanging open. Memories came flooding back from last year. Raven had tried to cook breakfast for them before with less then edible results. They remembered how nauseous the experience was. They slowly began backing away from the kitchen till they both bumped into something. They turned around to see Cyborg with a serious look on his face, but with a playful glint in his eye.

“Now where do you think you’re going?” Cy asked in amusement.

“Uhhhh, I just remembered I have some training to do this morning,” Robin replied quickly, looking for an excuse, any excuse. “And some research on…. crime reports! That’s it!”

“And I gotta go clean up my room,” said Beast Boy hastily. He never cleaned his room, but was willing to do so to get out of breakfast.

“Now, now. Not so fast you guys. Don’t you want breakfast?” asked Cyborg innocently, pushing the two back toward the kitchen table.

“That’s ok. I’m on a diet,” Beast Boy responded weakly. Raven raised her eyebrows and couldn’t help but smirk. Starfire, who actually liked Raven’s cooking from last year, was overjoyed.

“How can you be on a diet? You’re skinny as it is,” Raven quipped sarcastically.

Robin and Beast Boy sat down, defeated. They then realized something about the pancakes Raven was currently flipping; they actually looked normal. The monstrosities they remembered were burnt, runny and sticky. These looked like actual pancakes. They stared in awe as Raven flipped them expertly until they were golden, and then pilled them onto a plate.

“Wait a sec. When did you learn how to –,“ Beast began, but then stopped himself, realizing finishing the sentence might not be a good idea.

“Learn how to cook?” Raven finished the changeling’s question. She smirked again, a sight Beast Boy still wasn’t quite used to. “I had a good teacher.”

“You have done well, my student,” said Cyborg in a cheesy Chinese accent as he bowed toward Raven. Raven smiled at Cyborg’s antics and returned a mock bow back to him. The other 3 Titans were once again shocked that Raven was willing to ask someone for help. She normally was someone who would rather do something herself.

“So, what’s the special occasion?” asked Robin.

“Yeah! The world isn’t ending again, is it?” asked Beast Boy jokingly. Cyborg and Robin glared at Beast Boy slightly.

Raven looked at all her friends, then looked down at the food she hand finished preparing. “I just wanted to thank you guys,” she said, feeling moisture forming in her eyes. “I’ve been so lucky to have you guys as friends.”

“Oh, friend Raven!” Starfire squealed as she flew over and hugged her fellow Titan. “It is us who should be truly thankful for having you here.” The others smiled, voicing similar sentiments. Last year had been a tough year for them all, and they were happy they were able to survive through it.

Raven began serving up their breakfast. She gave Cyborg a large stack of blueberry pancakes, scrambled eggs and sausage. He began to drool and then dug in. To Robin, she gave chocolate chip (his favorite), and a glass of orange juice. Beast Boy got a plate of soymilk pancakes. His eyes became as big as saucers as he thanked Raven for respecting his vegetarian beliefs.

She then came to Starfire, who had a strange look on her face.

“Friend Raven, I am happy you have learned the cooking, but I wondering if-“ she began to ask until Raven interrupted her.
“Already way ahead of you, Star,” Raven replied, revealing a plate to Starfire. On it were pancakes similar to the one she made last year, in all their burnt, runny glory. Starfire squealed with delight.

“You have made them how I remembered them,” she said, and then with a fork in one hand and a bottle of mustard in the other, she began to slather the malformed food in yellow liquid. The other titans only stared, thankful to have been served something more palatable. .

Raven turned off the stove, and poured herself a cup of tea, then sat down at the table, to sip her beverage. She looked around at all her friends as they ate her cooking, which they all thought was delicious. She soaked in all the sights and sounds like a sponge happy that she was able to share this moment with them.

After her very filling breakfast, raven decided to head to her room for some meditation. Her teammates volunteered to clean the kitchen area as thanks for the meal, and once she left the room, the other Titans huddled together at the kitchen table.

“You know, no matter how many times I see it, I’ll never get used to it,” said Beast Boy.

“What do you mean, friend Beast Boy?” asked Starfire.

“Raven smiling! She used to be Ms. Doom and Gloom. Now she’s all smiles. It’s so weird,” answered the green titan.

“She sure is different now. Though I definitely like the new her,” Cyborg chimed in.

“Do you blame her for being happy? She’s got a whole new lease on life now. She doesn’t have to worry about the curse anymore,” said Robin. Out of all the titans, he was probably the one who was closest to Raven. During her ordeal last year with Trigon, he had made her realize she had a life beyond the prophecy; that she could choose her own fate.
Robin’s expression became serious as he looked around at the other members of his team.

“All right, we got a lot of work and preparations to make. Everybody knows what to do today?” Robin asked the group. They all nodded in agreement.

“I am to do the distracting of Raven today,” Star stated.

“Cy and me are headed out the buy the decorations later today,” explained Beast Boy.

“And my special all new 10-layer ice cream upside down cake recipe has been perfected and is ready to be made!” Cyborg proudly declared. “It’s gonna be 3 times better then last year’s cake.”

“Good, then I don’t I need to remind you all of this has to be kept under wraps. We don’t want Raven finding out before the big day tomorrow,” their leader explained. “We’ll meet together here at 2200 hours.” They all nodded in agreement.

“Operation Birthday Bash is a go!”

DPDPDPDPDPDPDPDPDPDPDPDPDPDPDPDP

Amity Park, 12:30pm

Sam Manson sighed for the tenth time that day, as she sat next to Tucker Foley during an assembly at Casper High. It was their last day of sophomore year before summer vacation and the school was giving them one last lesson about summer and ghost safety. The kids were excited about the next two months of freedom, and many were planning summer trips and visits to the beach. Unfortunately, vacation was the last thing on the minds of Sam and Tucker.

Sam looked worriedly a couple of rows in front of them. Sitting there was their friend, Danny Fenton, or their former friend. They weren’t sure anymore.

It all began at the end of summer last year at the beginning of their sophomore year at Casper High. They hadn’t seen much of Danny after his mental breakdown. Much to Jazz’s chagrin, Danny had sworn them to secrecy about the whole ordeal. He didn’t want his parents worrying about him. Sam also figured that he was pretty embarrassed about collapsing that day. Jazz wanted him to at least talk to her, but he remained very tightlipped about it.

Sam and Tuck hadn’t seen Danny for about two weeks after that. They were pretty worried about their friend, but Jazz told them he wanted to be alone. Sam tried to ease her own worries, thinking that Danny would bounce back to his normal self by the time school started. So when classes did begin again, they were happy to see Danny. Unfortunately, things didn’t go back to normal.

Danny had become even more reclusive. Though he hung out with them, he hardly spoke to them, especially about ghost hunting. Whenever they tried to ask him about anything ghost related, he either quickly changed the subject, or just didn’t respond at all. Whenever a ghost did show up, he’d disappear to take care of it before they noticed.

Sam noticed the bruises that appeared frequently on Danny. Though they knew Danny was prone to injury due to his ghost hunting, the fact that he never talked about it had worried her even more. He never said a word about how he received his injuries, or whether it was ghost related, or anything else entirely. Along with the injuries, however, came muscles. Danny seemed to have lost his scrawny physique overnight.

As the year went on, Danny’s friends saw less and less of him. He’d disappear in between classes before they could even catch up to him. Lunchtime he was nowhere to be found. He’d often make up excuses whenever they asked him to hang out. He was always busy with something, though they never knew what. It was obvious he was trying to avoid them.
They both questioned Jazz about the changes in Danny, but unfortunately, she was even more clueless than they were. She tried constantly to get her brother to open, but was met the silent treatment. Jazz wanted to do more to try to help her brother, but didn’t have the time, as she was busy preparing for college.

So finally, they decided to confront Danny. They watched him from the back rows, hoping they would be able to catch him before did one of his disappearing tricks again. The assembly finally ended, freeing all the students from school, and they watched Danny walk out the side door of the auditorium. They quickly followed.

Danny was almost out the door of the school when he heard someone call out his name.

“Danny!” he heard Tucker yell. He turned around to face them.

Sam had a worried look on her face. She found herself speechless as the questions she wanted to ask froze on her tongue. Luckily for her, Tucker had plenty to say.

“We need to talk, dude,” Tucker stated matter of factly.

Danny sighed, like he was expecting this moment to come.

“What the heck is going on with you, man? We never see you anymore!” Tucker began.

“Everything is fine. There’s nothing to worry about,” said Danny, saying more now than he had the entire year.

“No, its not alright,” yelled Sam, now a bit irritated. Watching Danny just dismiss the situation as ‘fine’ had stirred up her anger. “We’ve been worried sick about you! You don’t talk with us, and you don’t hang out with us. You don’t even let us help you with your ‘hobby’. Why are you ignoring us?” She was now trying very hard to hold back her tears.

Danny looked down to the ground, no longer able to look his friends in the eye. He sighed again, as though was deciding something. He finally looked at them.

“Maybe you guys can’t take a hint,” he said coldly.

“What?” Sam asked, not quite believing what she heard.

“I said you guys can’t take a hint. Maybe I’m happier fighting alone. Maybe I’m sick and tired of babysitting you all the time. Maybe I’m sick and tired of you!” he shot back. Tucker and Sam were in shock as they listened to Danny’s tirade. A look of betrayal and rage flashed across Tucker’s face. He quickly closed the gap between him and Danny, grabbing his shirt bringing him face-to-face.

“You ****ing dick! We’ve been worried sick. Sam has been worried sick! And this is how you thank us?” Tucker vehemently spat at Danny.

“No one asked you to care. I can take care of it all on my own. I don’t need you. I don’t need anyone else,” Danny replied viciously. The temperature around them seemed to drop several degrees. A crowd of students began forming around the three. Not a word was spoken among the students as they watched the events unfold.

“Do yourself a favor. Get yourself some new friends,” Danny said as he pushed Tucker away from him. He turned around and began to walk away. Tucker couldn’t contain his anger any longer. He clenched his fist; he walked toward Fenton, raised his fist and pulled it back, ready to deck Danny.
Everyone gasped at what happened next. Danny, without even looking, easily dodged the punch. He then grabbed Tucker’s fist while it was still in midair and flipped him over. Tuck hit the floor hard, his breath knocked out of him. He wondered to himself when the heck Danny had gotten so fast, as he lay there on the ground he heard a loud slap.

Danny now wore a large red mark on his face where Sam slapped him. She could no longer hold back her tears as they began to fall from her face. She just looked at him, not sure who he was any more. She knelt and helped the still dazed Tucker from the ground.

“You’re a ****ing jerk,” she said simply and then walked away. Tucker followed behind her without a backward glance.
And that was it. Every spectator who had watched the fight unfold was speechless. Even Dash had nothing to say. Danny just shrugged, and walked through the crowd. As he made his way onto the sidewalk he once again heard his name being called. He turned around and was suddenly face to face with his sister, Jazz.

Jazz was there to pick her brother up from school, hoping to have a brother/sister moment on their way home. She ended up witnessing the whole confrontation as it took place in front of the school. Danny had expected her to be as angry as Tucker or sad like Sam, but the look on her face told him something different; Disappointment.

“Why?” was all she asked? He simply looked back at her, and then tried to walk around her car.

“Why, Danny?” she asked again. She was sick of playing nice. The kind therapist mask she normally wore melted away and was replaced with the look of a very po’d sister.

“I had to,” he simply replied.

“Danny, you just threw away the most important thing you had going for you! What the heck was going through your head? Why are you pushing them away?” she yelled, looking into his eyes, trying to read his expression.
He looked back at her, his face devoid of any emotion. He averted his eyes from her piercing gaze, feeling very uncomfortable.

“ I did it for their own good,” he replied, as if that was the only reason he needed, and he began to walk away again.

“Is that it? Is that all you can say? You think you can take on the whole ghost zone by yourself?” she asked.

“Like I told them, I can do it by myself,” he said defensively.

“Danny, don’t you see we want to help you? You can’t handle the ghost hunting on your own. No one can take that stress, that burden,” Jazz told him.

“I have to!” he said, yelling without realizing it. “Every time one of you tag along, you are in harms way. The closer you are to me, the more danger you are in!”

“So you are protecting them by hurting them? What kind of twisted logic is that?” she asked.

“Better to be hurt by me and alive than to get hurt or worse,” Danny answered his sister.

“But we chose this! We have chose to put ourselves in danger to help you,” she shot back.

“It’s not your fight!” he said, his temper flaring. “It’s mine. I’m the freaky kid with freaky powers. I’m the one who can fight them. It’s my responsibility. If I lost you or Tucker or Sam…” His voice softened, “I can’t take that risk. I can’t take that burden.”

“And taking the burden of fighting every ghost out there is so much better,” she spat sarcastically.

“I don’t have time for this,” he said, no longer willing to listen anymore. “I’m walking home. Don’t follow me. And let me handle all the ghosts.” And with that he left.

“Danny! Daniel James Fenton, you come back here this instant!” Jazz yelled, sounding very much like their mother. He ignored her cries and continued to walk. She looked on, no longer knowing what to do. She wanted to help him realize that what he was doing wasn’t helping, but she knew time was running out; Jazz had just graduated from Casper High and in two months would be moving away from Amity Park to go to college.

She felt worry overtake her as she realized that all too soon she wasn’t going to be able to watch over her brother like she always did. She feared that his current outlook was going to get him seriously hurt, or worse.

She sighed. This was going to be a long summer.

[Kraven]

Very well done in terms of remaining in continuity; the characters (from both shows) are nailed and I can almost picture them actually saying those lines.;) This tale had a creepy tone to it (somewhat overboard for Danny Phantom types, but it was done excellently nonetheless) with the nice little comedy thrown in at just the right moments.

Aquagirl15 is a huge fan of Danny Phantom. You should consider giving her a ring to let her know about this fic. I'm sure she'd enjoy it.:D

-Kraven

[Funkatron]

Very well done in terms of remaining in continuity; the characters (from both shows) are nailed and I can almost picture them actually saying those lines.;) This tale had a creepy tone to it (somewhat overboard for Danny Phantom types, but it was done excellently nonetheless) with the nice little comedy thrown in at just the right moments.

Aquagirl15 is a huge fan of Danny Phantom. You should consider giving her a ring to let her know about this fic. I'm sure she'd enjoy it.:D

-Kraven

Thanks. I basically marathoned both shows for a while to get a better feel for the characters.

I'm just a big sucker for well written crossover fanfics. love seeing how different characters from different universes react. And I love adding a extra dose of angst to the mix. and there will be angst. Lots and lots of it. Whats a good Superhero story without angst?

Thanks a bunch for the kind words. Next cappy should be in a week or 2..hopefully

[Funkatron]

Haunted Destiny
Chapter 2: Broken Reflections

Fifty-Five
Fifty-Six
Fifty-Seven…

Danny counted silently as he executed his sit-ups. After his altercation with Sam, Tucker and Jazz, he headed straight home. His mind was abuzz with the events of that day and he needed to clear his head. And the easiest way he knew how was to train. Glad that his parents were gone somewhere, he had quickly changed into a clean shirt and gym shorts and started his normal routine. Unfortunately, today it wasn’t working in easing his mind.

He stopped halfway into a sit-up and sighed. He kept thinking back on whether he made the right choice. The emotions that had played themselves on the faces of his friends and his sister were still fresh in his mind. He shook his head, as if to make them disappear, but they were still there every time he closed his eyes; their looks of betrayal, anger, and confusion. He knew it would happen and had tried to prepare himself for it but it still shook him.

He wished he could explain it to them, but he knew that it was better this way. Pushing them away like this was the best way to protect them. Like he had told Jazz, the farther away they were from his life, the better off they were. He knew that Sam and Tucker were both tough. They’d soon forget him and move on with their lives.

Danny thought back to that fateful day almost two years ago. The day that altered his life forever. How one push of a button changed him from a goofy teenage boy into a hero; the ghost-boy Danny Phantom. If he had known of the weight that had haunted him from that day, he would have never walked into the unactivated ghost portal. What had started out as “cool powers” quickly grew into a responsibility that stuck and wouldn’t let go. It was his job to keep his town safe from ghosts. His job to keep the specters in line. His job to protect his loved ones, friends, and family.

Though he made it through life merely by surviving, it wasn’t until the incident last year where he realized one thing: he wasn’t strong enough.

He remembered how helpless he felt when found his parents in the kitchen that day, frozen in stone. His city, in ruins. Though finding out it had nothing to do with him or Amity Park should have brought him relief, he felt even more helpless than before. He had all this power given to him and he couldn’t do a thing to help his city.

This wasn’t the first time he had felt this way. His memories came back to his older, evil future self. How even when he barely had defeated him, he couldn’t stop the explosion from happening. He couldn’t stop that future from coming. Danny remembered his heart almost stopping as he watched the Nasty Burger explode; the heat and the force of the blast knocked him back. If it weren’t for Clockwork, his future self would have won anyway.

He thought about all the times he had won with pure dumb luck or with help from his friends and allies. How he managed to hold back and outsmart Vlad Master, aka Vlad Plasmius, still baffled him. And he was only able to defeat Pariah Dark the ghost king with his parent’s Ectosuit and even then, he wasn’t able to stop his other enemies from taking advantage of the situation. Time and time again he barely made it by the skin of his teeth. Last year made him realize that fate and luck wouldn’t always be on his side. So he began to train.

After his collapse, he scrounged up all he remembered from gym class in school and started a training regiment. He knew from his 1 year of experience that his ghost form and human form was connected, so he began with training his human side. Sit-ups, push-ups, and running were now a part of his new routine. Finding he needed more, he researched weight training and bought himself weights. Though he saw progress, it wasn’t enough for him. He needed not only to become strong, but faster and more focused as well. So he turned to the one person who could help: his mother.

Danny was actually rather surprised that his mother agreed to train him. He had told her that he wanted to get into better shape (which wasn’t so far from the truth). He assumed she was eager because he was showing interest in his parent’s profession (also not far from the truth). They started almost immediately the next day. She started teaching him basic stances and moved on to basic moves, such as punches, kicks and blocks. Everything he learned from his lessons he practiced in his personal training sessions and on his nightly ghost patrols. He soon found that ghosts that were once a challenge for him in combat were getting easier and easier to defeat.

Physical improvement wasn’t the only thing he focused on. He also wanted to get a mental advantage over his enemies. So Danny brushed up on his knowledge of ghosts by reading. When he wasn’t training or ghost hunting, he was reading books on the paranormal. He’d often borrow from his parent’s personal collection of texts, manuals and reference books on ghosts, ghouls, and anything related to the supernatural. He read up on theories about ghosts, many of which were way off, judging from his own experience. There were however many which made sense, which he hoped would give him an edge.

His studying actually had an unexpected side effect: many of the study skills he learned transferred over to his schoolwork. His grades, which were abysmal the last year steadily increased once he got back to school. Many of his teachers, Mr. Lancer in particular, were surprised at his sudden change. Though he still did disappear on occasion.

Though he did improve so much in the past couple of months, he still felt it wasn’t enough; that he wasn’t enough. The memory of his parents frozen in stone still haunted him, as he drove himself further. The fact that he could lose his friends and family kept him going in his training. And helped him to become stronger. The more danger he saw, the more he realized: he wasn’t safe. His powers were like a double-edged sword. They helped him protect those he loved. But they also put them in danger. Ghosts were drawn to the halfa like a moth to a flame, constantly challenging his claim as protector of the city. And his friends were often in the crossfire.

When school started again in the fall, Danny decided to keep Sam and Tucker out of his ghost hunting. He knew it was going to be hard thing to do. Both were eager to help him out and tag along with him. Whenever a ghost would appear, he’d disappear before either of them noticed to deal with it. He avoided talking about ghosts whenever they mentioned or asked about the subject. They were obviously worried about him, but he’d always play it off, saying he was fine. They became more and more insistent until he just found it easier to avoid them. He stopped talking to them at school and they never saw him outside of school, except for a fleeting sighting here and there of the ghost boy.

He knew he was upsetting them, but he had no choice. The further away from him they were, the safer they were. He eventually knew that avoiding them wouldn’t be enough; that they’d sooner or later confront him. Danny wished he could explain why he was doing what he was doing, but he knew they wouldn’t understand. The more he thought about it, the more one solution made more sense: he had to pushed them away.

He knew that they probably would hate him for doing what he did; he hated himself for doing it. But it was the only way. He loved them too much. Being near him would only get them killed. It was better them hating him than having their deaths on his conscience. Wasn’t it?

TTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTT

Jump City
Late Afternoon

The doors made a swooshing sound as Raven entered her room, clearly exhausted. Starfire had decided to drag her to the mall for shopping and the “bonding of friends”. Following around the hyperactive alien girl was always an arduous experience to say the least. She was dragged around through almost all the stores inside the mall, while Star marveled at the wonders of Earth culture and merchandise. As the red headed girl literally flew around the mall, Raven was in tow, using her levitation powers to carry the growing pile of shopping bags her friend was amassing.

Raven fell onto her bed, feeling fatigue taking over. She was too tired even to meditate, though she didn’t that much anymore. She looked over to clock on the wall that read five to seven. She then glanced over to the calendar underneath and slightly smiled: the next day was circled.

It was her sixteenth birthday.

She sighed and thought back to before she even thought to celebrate her birthday. She remembered when not to long ago her birthday brought her nothing but dread and despair. The very though of the day used to leave her locked in her room, hoping the day would end.

Her childhood was anything but normal. She lived in a completely different dimension, in a city called Azarath. Azarath was a grand city of wonder, sites and most of all peace. To them magic was a way of life. It was a safe haven for all those who wanted to live peacefully.

Though she lived there, she never saw much of the city. Raven spent most of her time in the main temple of Azar, amongst the mages that protected and guided the city. She was isolated from the outside world, though she didn’t mind – mostly. She almost never saw any kids her age or anyone else for that matter except for the mages who raised her. Her mother, Arella, was an important person in the city and rarely came to visit.

Everyday Raven was tutored and taught to control her abilities. Her telekinetic powers were directly linked to her emotions, so it was constantly stressed that she control and even suppress her emotions. The mages gave her rigorous training exercises that though helped her gain control, left her almost emotionless. Between her sessions you could find her hidden in library under the complex, reading one of the various books and manuscripts. Without any children to play with, she favored the written word over people any day, the smell of old musty pages always welcoming her back like an old friend.

Even at a young, she was aware of her unofficial status of an outcast. She was only let out of the Temple only on rare occasions. Everyone around her acted differently, even the mages and her own mother. Though she knew her mother loved her, Raven could always pick up that she always kept her distance emotionally. And then there were the whispers and the stares. The way the people of the city would look at her whenever she caught a glimpse. The hushed whispers of the mages in the hallway, as if they were talking about her. It wasn’t hard for an empath such as herself to pick up on these type of things: she could feel their emotions: some of them felt disgust towards her while others anger. The one emotion that distressed her the most was the one she saw was most common: fear.

Raven never really did anything on her birthday, celebration or otherwise. Celebrating ones birthday normally involved extreme emotion, which the mages were trying to avoid. That of course changed on her thirteenth birthday. The mages decided she was old enough to tell her the truth about her origin: that her father, her real father, was one of the most feared beings in the galaxy.

Trigon the Terrible was a name feared throughout the universe and even across dimensions. Wherever he went, destruction and terror followed. He’s conquered many civilizations and destroyed countless others that have defied him. For hundreds of years he roamed free to do as he pleased until finally one-century prior he was banished to a pocket dimension by the mages of Azar of that time. He’s been imprisoned there ever since up until thirteen years ago, when his followers was able to temporarily bring him back to normal reality. It was then where he chose and impregnated a young woman named Angela Roth. That woman was Raven’s mother. They then told Raven of the prophecy that told of her fate: that she was the one that would bring him back to their reality. She was the portal: his foothold into the domination of their universe. And it was to happen on her fifteenth birthday.

Raven could only stare in horror as they explained who and what she was. She could feel all her training, all the control leave her as she felt a wave of emotions sweep through her like a raging torrent. Fear, confusion, pain and disgust all made their way through he mind. She tried to hold it back but they slipped through her hands like water through a net. Cracks began to form in the pillars of the building as her powers gained a mind of their own. Black waves of energy spread though the floor and crackled through the air as doubt filled her mind. She didn’t want to be evil. She didn’t want to cause any pain, any destruction. But unfortunately for her, fate had played a different hand. In the end, it was the embrace of her mother, Arella, who calmed her down. Tears fell from her eyes as she passed out in her mother’s arms.

When she woke up, she realized things could never be the same. Her display of power only enforced the fear in both mages and herself. She realized just how powerful and dangerous she really was. She tried desperately to shut out her fears, her pain, and her emotions by throwing herself into her training and meditation. She didn’t want to feel cause feeling would lead to her hurting others (and herself). But it wasn’t enough. The fear was still there, under all the calm, just waiting to surface. The fear she would destroy. The fear that she was nothing more than a tool for her father or even worse, a monster. That she would hurt her city and be its downfall. So she did the only thing that made sense to the mind of a teenager: she ran away.

She had found a teleportation spell that would take her away from Azarath. Anywhere, it didn’t matter. As long as she was away from the stares and the whispers. Once she found enough ingredients and courage, she said goodbye one last time and was whisked away.

She arrived in a strange city in the dead of night. Gone was the peacefulness of Azarath; in its place was constant state of unrest. She could feel the minds of the city bustling around, people going about their business. It was busy and noisy, both audibly and mentally, but at least they weren’t staring at her. They didn’t know who or what she was. The name of the City was Jump, on a quaint little planet known as Earth. A place she only read about.

Of course, fate once again had a way of intervening. That night her life would intersect and entwine with the lives of 4 others. They were all different: The noble detective Robin, the laidback Cyborg, Beast Boy the jokester and the always-exuberant Starfire. They all had something that made them unique among other people. And yet all shared the same goal: they wanted to protect the city. Eventually they teamed up and formed the team known as the Teen Titans.

Raven never quite understood what brought them together; let alone why she joined them. She just knew that they were doing the opposite of what she was destined to do. Help instead of hurt. Building instead of destroying. They were making a difference. Though she isolated herself from the rest of her teammates, she somehow she found herself bonding one way or another with all of them. As the next two years rolled by they became more than just teammates, more than even friends. They were family.

But even with that, she always kept a part of herself hidden from them: her past. She was always afraid of what they might think if they truly knew what her future held. She hoped what she was doing was enough atonement for what she might do in the future, though in the back of her mind she knew it probably wasn’t. She hoped that somehow, someway she would be able to run away from that fate. So when that day, her fifteenth birthday, finally did come, she locked herself in her room, hoping the day, and her destiny, would pass her by.

Her father had other plans, however. Trigon, wanting to secure his return to the mortal realm, chose a representative to deliver a message to his daughter. Slade was one the Titans most cunning and dangerous foes. And he just happened to be dead. But things like death meant nothing to Trigon. He raised Slade from the dead, supplied the assassin with an array of supernatural abilities sent him to remind his daughter of one thing: that the prophecy will be fulfilled and she would be the doorway to the world’s destruction.

Eventually she had to tell the other Titans the truth about her past and her legacy. She knew she owed them that much, even it meant risking them rejecting her. They didn’t shun her like she thought; quite the contrary. They wanted to help her. They had hope even when her own hope was failing. She realized that she couldn’t let her friends; her new family sacrifice themselves to protect her. Trigon was too powerful to be stopped; his will was too strong for her to resist. So when the day of his coming arrived, she stopped running away and gave in. The others could only watch in horror as she accepted her fate and became the key to Trigon’s ascension.

After that was a blur to her. All she could remember was being lost. She found herself underneath the city, alone amongst the ruble. She couldn’t remember who she was, only bits and pieces of her memory floated in her mind. She wandered aimlessly until someone found her: Robin. She was afraid at first, not remembering who he was but she knew somehow he was a friend, someone she could trust. He helped her find her way back to the surface to the other Titans, whom even after everything never gave up. They kept fighting against Trigon, knowing there was no chance of winning. They defied the towering giant, who only saw them as insignificant pests. Raven saw how her friends still pressed on, despite the odds, despite the enemy. In the end it was their courage that inspired her to fight back. Her memories returned to her as she made a final stand against the demon that would be her father. And she won.

Though the others were amazed at her display of power, but she knew that it was their strength that saved them all. Their courage and hope was what encouraged her and helped her to win against her father. And thanks to them she was now free.

Now almost one year later she marveled at all that’s changed. She never would have thought she’d live past her fifteenth birthday and now she had her whole life ahead of her. She was free to live her life helping people and saving lives. She was now also free to feel. Over the past couple of months she has been more open with her feelings. Where there once was a scowl or a look of indifference was now a small smile (or an annoyed look when it came to dealing with Beast Boy). Her birthday was no longer a curse to her: it was a blessing she was ready and willing to celebrate with her friends.

TTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTT

Jump City, Warehouse District
7:30pm

They say crime never sleeps and for the city of Jump it was no different. Eight shady figures lurked towards their target on the east side of the warehouse district. There had been rumors of a shipment of artifacts and treasures come in the night before for storage. The items were to be delivered the next morning to the Jump City Metropolitan Museum. Malone and his crew were ready and willing to take the artifacts off the museum’s hands. Malone had an inside man who worked at the warehouse who would let his men in. It was the perfect time for them to strike.

They all knew they had to work fast: not only did they have to worry about the police showing up, but the Teen Titans as well. Lucky for them, they knew where their target was located and they had a plan. There was a truck ready to load and drive off in a hurry if need be. They made sure they memorized the schematics to the building. It was an in and out job. Easy money.

They made their way to the side entrance, which was conveniently left open to them by Marcus, their guy on the inside. Two men stayed at the door to keep watch while the others made their way to the goods. They made there way silently, each gripping their laser rifles, ready for anything. Everything was going perfectly. Until all hell broke loose.

The first thing noticed was the eerie glow coming from the doorway of the room they were suppose to hit. Malone motioned his men to stop, and then ordered Drake, his right hand man, to take a peak. Drake crept to the doorway, and then ducked his head in to see. He was quiet for a few seconds, until he suddenly replied on his radio.

“Boss, I think you need to see this!” he exclaimed nervously.

Malone ordered all his men to follow him to the large doorway. They all stopped at the threshold, their tongues tied and their eyes wide in awe at the site in front of them.

Every single box in the room was floating midair. They all seemed to be surrounded by a mysterious blue energy as they floated aimlessly. In the center of the room was a man, who was also afloat. He had blue skin, which was covered with weird tattoos. He was dressed like one of the workers there; he wore a shirt, overalls and a skullcap. He seemed to be looking for something amongst the floating boxes. They watched as his hands seemed to go right through each container, as he was looking for something inside each.

Suddenly, the strange floating figure noticed he had company. He turned towards them, a sinister grin plastered on his face as he found some new prey. His eyes were on fire with an ominous orange glow. Malone’s men backed up, realizing they were in danger. The floating man uttered one word that sent shivers up their spines as he muttered it viciously

“Beware…”

Outside the warehouse, screams could be heard.

[Dragon]

Hmm, a very interesting fiction. I myself am a large fan of Danny Phantom, but feel, sadly, that you have misrepresented both Danny and Raven. I do not know if you know, but after "The End", Raven was not miss smiles, but rather, herself with a bit more emotion. As for Danny, he would most certainly not be working out, whatever happened to him. His parents, in both Ultimate Enemy and your fic, survived, so theoretically it should have had no result whatsoever. Unless, of course, pushing Sam and Tuck to the side plays a major part in your fiction, I would suggest a bit of editing.

A most well written part is the warehouse scene. I have narrowed the list down to two plausible ghosts. I believe that it is either Skulker, or most probably, the box ghost. (Beware... I am the Box Ghost!) to only mention part of a catchphrase would work very well, leaving the intuitive readers going ohh, and the other fans going, "Why didn't I get that???" Very well written part, I cannot help wondering, who is the Ghost though. I look forward to reading the rest.

[Funkatron]

Hmm, a very interesting fiction. I myself am a large fan of Danny Phantom, but feel, sadly, that you have misrepresented both Danny and Raven. I do not know if you know, but after "The End", Raven was not miss smiles, but rather, herself with a bit more emotion. As for Danny, he would most certainly not be working out, whatever happened to him. His parents, in both Ultimate Enemy and your fic, survived, so theoretically it should have had no result whatsoever. Unless, of course, pushing Sam and Tuck to the side plays a major part in your fiction, I would suggest a bit of editing.

A most well written part is the warehouse scene. I have narrowed the list down to two plausible ghosts. I believe that it is either Skulker, or most probably, the box ghost. (Beware... I am the Box Ghost!) to only mention part of a catchphrase would work very well, leaving the intuitive readers going ohh, and the other fans going, "Why didn't I get that???" Very well written part, I cannot help wondering, who is the Ghost though. I look forward to reading the rest.

Thanks for the comments.

In terms of OC, I've tried to make sure it wasn't completely out of the blue: I see both characters taking that route, with the right motivation and time. In Danny's case, he's exibiting a classic emo-hero/Batman complex: pushing his loved one away while trying to get stronger to protect them all the same time.

For Rave, heck she deserves to be somewhat happy after all that crap happening to her. I'll be showing later on that she is still the same old Raven, just a bit more open with her emotions and with a much better outlook on life. If you notice, both of them have been reversed: Danny is more dark and Raven is more positive. I hope you like the interaction of when they finally do meet (it is a crossover afterall).

And on who is the ghost? Floating boxes. Nuff said ;P

[Mandi-chan]

Awesome fic!

I'm a mild fan of both TT and Danny Phantom, and think your fic is great so far.

I like how you write Raven and Danny, I can see them both walking the paths you've chosen for them.

I'm looking forward to Chapter 3!

[Dragon]

The Dragon blinked, sat bolt upright, and said "Ahh," intuition kicking in at last.

Beware! I will empty you of your useless contents! (Box ghost, DP episode.)

Same old Rae, eh? good job, and while she has been through a lot, I'm just glad you didn't stick her in a tutu (That's for Cyborg alone.) :D (see "bunny Raven , the miraculously regenerating tutu bit)

[Funkatron]

Here is Chapter 3, fresh off the presses. Hope you guys enjoy it. Let me know if I screw anything up :p

Chapter 3: Boxed In

“Danny…”

He woke up with a start to sound of someone calling his name. Danny’s eyes slowly adjusted to the sunlight that was blaring in through his window. He looked around his room, wondering what it was that woke him up. He yawned, slowly getting out of bed as got ready for another day. He was about to begin stretching when he heard it again.

“Danny…” the voice echoing voiced called. Danny was fully alert now, looking around his room for any possible dangers. His ghost sense wasn’t going of at all, but her felt the hair on his neck stand on end. “Why, Danny?” the voice asked. Danny finally realized whose voice it was: Jazz.

“I hope you have a good reason to annoy me, Jazz,” he started as he opened his bedroom door, expecting Jazz to be on the other side. But no one was there. All he found was an empty hallway. He scratched the back of his head, wondering if he was imagining things. He had been on edge lately. He made his way to her bedroom door; ready to knock when he heard it again.

“Danny!” said Jazz’s voice, sounding frantic and afraid. Not thinking twice, he phased through the door to find … nothing. Her room and her bed were empty. He looked around to make sure everything was all right. He couldn’t find any signs of a struggle or foul play. He sighed and walked out to the hallway again. He wondered where his sister was this morning. “Probably downstairs drinking coffee,” he thought to himself. The last thing he wanted was another confrontation with her. But his stomach was telling him he needed food, so he dared to venture down to the kitchen.

“Danny! Help!” another voice exclaimed, this time his mother’s. It sounded like it was coming from downstairs. He dashed down the steps, taking two at a time. He finally made it down to the living room and headed towards the kitchen. He barged in, slightly out of breathe. He paused as his eyes went wide and he uttered one word.

“No,” he whispered silently. His parents and his sister were standing there, frozen in stone. “NO!” he said, yelling this time. “Not again!” He slammed his fists onto the kitchen table, denting it slightly. He couldn’t look at them, the sight causing him to flinch. He just couldn’t see them in this condition. His fist hit the table again with a loud thud.

“Danny…” Jazzes voice wailed once again. Danny looked up hopefully. What he saw made him gasp and step back. All three statues were staring at him. Their eyes were filled with sad misery. “Danny, why?” asked she wailed again. Danny took a step back again, unable to speak.

“Why what,” he asked meekly. But he had a feeling he already knew the answer.

“Why, Danny? Why couldn’t you protect us,” Maddie Fenton asked as her face distorted, almost in agony. Cracks began forming along her face as her lips and face moved.

“Why?” Jack moaned. “Why couldn’t help us?”

Danny took another step back in fear. As he did so, all 3 statues tried to reach out for him. Unfortunately, stone wasn’t made for bending. Cracks immediately formed on their bodies, first in their joints, which quickly spread. He watched in horror their bodies just broke apart piece by piece. Fingers, then limbs disintegrated until finally there was nothing but 3 piles of rubble. Danny looked down at the remains of his family and ran as fast as he could out the front door.

He didn’t make it that far. In front of house were the statues of hundreds of people. He could make out faces of teachers, classmates, people he saw every day. Even Sam and Tucker were there, petrified in place. They all stared at him.

“Danny! Help us!” they called out in unison, over and over like a mantra. They all tried to reach out for him, but all met with the same results: each one of them began to crumble as they tried to move.

“No!” he called out. He failed all of them again. There was nothing he could do, nothing he could say that could help them. Tears fell from his eyes as he sank down to his knees, defeated again. He didn’t notice that the sky had suddenly turned blood red and filled with dark storm clouds. He abruptly heard someone cackling loudly. He looked up as a dark figure descended from the dark clouds in the sky. Danny stood up once again, with a look of pure fury on his face. Whoever this was, he was going to pay dearly. He closed his eyes, trying to focus on the power that would transform him from Fenton to Phantom. But there was one problem; it wasn’t there.

He tried to transform to his alter ego, but found that he couldn’t. That familiar power that always hid inside him seemed like it wasn’t even there. He tried several more times to transform, but each time was in vain. He looked up at the figure who was a mere few feet away from him. Lightning struck through the air, illuminating the area and revealing the mystery figure. It was none other than Pariah Dark, the Ghost King.

“You couldn’t save them, could you child?” he sneered. “All that power and you couldn’t do a thing.” Danny stepped back as the ghost moved towards him, his eyes emitting an evil red glow. Suddenly, something odd occurred. His body seemed to blur and morph for a moment. Danny blinked in surprise: instead of the Ghost King was his archenemy, Vlad Plasmius. His vampire like teeth displayed in a malevolent grin.

“You’re weak, Daniel,” he stated. “Be a good halfa and just give up already. You know you can’t win.” He walked around Danny like he was a specimen to be examined from all sides. Danny could only stand there, afraid to move, afraid to even breathe. “You can’t stop the inevitable.”

The figures features morphed again. The horns of hair turned into fiery white flames. The costume changed from primarily white to a somewhat familiar mix of white and black. On his chest was a symbol. Danny Phantom’s symbol. When the shifting was done, there stood one of Danny’s worst fears: his alternate future self.

“You can’t stop it from coming. Can’t stop me from coming,” he said, taunting him. He gave a ghastly hiss, wiggling his forked tongue. He leapt at the helpless Danny, who couldn’t do a thing to stop him….

DPDPDPDPDPDPDPDPDPDPDP

Danny woke up with a start and a scream. He was covered with sweat and was breathing heavily. He ran his hand through his hair nervously as he tried to calm himself down. He looked at the clock next to his bed, realizing that only a half an hour had passed since he went to bed. He had come home early after an uneventful patrol. He squinted at his hands in the darkness of his room, as they shook incessantly.

He’d been having this same dream for months. Every time they got more and more intense. He’ had tried everything to try to stop them but they only got worse. Well, not everything. He could always talk to Jazz about them. She obviously knew he had them; she had asked him about them on more than one occasion. But he couldn’t talk to her. It’d only make her worry about him. He was perfectly capable of handling this, just like any other threat in his life.

His heart finally slowed down and his stopped shaking somewhat. He placed his hands on his lap and took a deep breath, trying to calm the rest of his nerves. Without warning, he felt moisture fall onto his hands. He reached to his own face and found a trail of tears. He was crying.

“When did I…” he thought to himself as he felt more tears fall onto his lap. He began to wipe them off his sleeve relentlessly, but they just kept coming. He cursed himself; he had made a vow never to cry like this again. He couldn’t afford to. He had to keep it together. He couldn’t protect anyone if he was a blubbering mess.

Could he protect them? The images from the dream still haunted his short-term memory. His body shook and convulsed as he began sobbing uncontrollably. He hugged his knees and tried to flush them out. He couldn’t be like this. He had to take control! He couldn’t – he couldn’t let them down.

He cried himself back to sleep as he whispered the words “I’m sorry” over and over again.

DPDPDPDPDPDPDPDPDPDPDP

Jazz had her ear to the wall as her brother finally fell asleep again after his nightmare. She was used to it now, even though his screams still woke her up at night. He was lucky that his room was far enough that it didn’t bother their parents.

She wised Danny wasn’t so stubborn and brick headed. She smiled softly, knowing it was a trait that both was a blessing and a curse of her family. She wished that Danny would just let someone, anyone in. What he was doing, pushing everyone away, was definitely not healthy and would eventually tear him apart, if it wasn’t doing so already.

She sighed and tried to get some sleep herself, though she knew she probably wasn’t going to get much. Worry was rooted too deeply in her thoughts for her to sleep well. Tomorrow was going to be a “three cups of coffee” day.

TTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTT

Jump City
8:37pm

The Titans had gotten the call ten minutes ago from the police. A robbery was in progress in the warehouse district. Some of the Titans were both happy and slightly annoyed over their latest mission. For one, they were quite happy to break the monotony that was the lull in crime in the city. It had been a while since any of them had gotten any action and they were eager to enter into the fray. But on the other hand, they were busy with other plans.

The T-Car roared through the streets on their way to their destination. Cyborg was driving his “baby” with Beast Boy in shotgun and the girls riding in the back. Robin was ahead in his R-Cycle as it maneuvered the road. The ride to the crime scene was a silent one, until Cyborg decided to break the silence in the car.

“Who’s ready for some butt whupping!” he exclaimed. He was excited that they were once again back in action. He knew all of them were getting a bit rusty and was hoping to pep everyone up.

“I am ready for the whupping of the bottoms!” Starfire happily chimed in to her comrade.

“As long as it isn’t ‘you know who’,” said Beast Boy from the passenger’s side. The rest of the Titans gave BB dirty looks, hoping he didn’t jinx the whole thing. They all knew whom he was talking about: Slade. The mere mention of his name sent Robin in an obsessive tizzy. Cyborg made sure Robin wasn’t listening in to their conversation over the comm. The last thing they needed was their leader in overprotective mode. Raven, using the book she was reading, promptly whacked Beast Boy over the head. He rubbed his head and grinned sheepishly.

By the time they arrived to the warehouse in question, the police was already there. Both vehicles stopped near a familiar unmarked police car. Robin stepped off his R-Cycle and hung his helmet on the handlebars. The other titans exited the T-Car, heading towards their leader. Cyborg made sure to set the alarm to his prized car before joining the others.

Detective Dick Wolf stepped out of his car, drinking a cup of coffee. He was the leader of the city’s special crimes unit. He had coordinated with the Titans many times in the past and became friends with the teenage crime fighters, especially Robin. They greeted each other as the detective prepared to brief them on the situation.

“One hour ago the silent alarm was tripped in warehouse B-3. More specifically, the part that contains certain items belonging to the museum,’ started the weathered detective. Robin nodded for him to continue. “The SCU arrive here 10 minutes after the alarm. Since then, something weird has been going on.”

“Such as?” started Robin.

“Such as a weird glow coming from the windows. And screams. We heard several of them coming from inside. Problem is we can’t tell who its from. We know there were at least three guards guarding the place. At least one is accounted for the other two are probably still inside,” explained Wolf.

“Hostages?” asked a concerned Raven.

“Likely, but we’re not sure. Other than the screaming, we haven’t heard a thing from them. No demands, no ransom. Not a thing,” said the exasperated police officer. “That’s why we called in you guys. Thought you guys did a good job with the hostage situation two months back. Think you can work your magic again?”

“We’ll do our best, sir,” said the boy wonder. Suddenly they heard a howling scream coming from inside the building. Starfire grabbed Robin’s arm. A green cat was clawing at Cyborg’s head, hissing, with its fur standing on end. Cyborg, unfazed, looked up and scowled at the cat. The feline promptly jumped off his head, transforming back into Beast Boy on his way down. He grinned sheepishly, scratching the back his head. Raven eyed him with a raised eyebrow.

They suddenly noticed movement to the side of the building. Gunfire could be heard and a window shattered. All the officers on the scene immediately ducker behind their cars and readied their weapons. The Titans did the same: Robin readied some exploding discs. Starfire’s hands began glowing with starbolt energy while Cyborg’s arm transformed into his signature sonic canon. Raven was ready with he magic and Beast Boy transformed into a wolf. They all watched intently ready for any criminals to open fire.

Three figures suddenly bolted from the building. They all wore black clothing and one wore a black mask. They made a b-line straight to the cops, who all trained their guns at them. Their faces looked terrified. They almost looked relieved to see the police there.

“Please!” one of them exclaimed. “Take us! We give up! Get us away from here!” His face was ashen and his eyes were bloodshot. Robin took this opportunity to grab him by the collar and glared straight into his eyes.

“Where are the guards?” Robin asked menacingly. The thief stared back wild-eyed and full of fear

“G-Ghost!” He exclaimed, pointing towards the building. “Please, don’t take me back there! The ghost – oh, god, it killed Rico…”

One of the other men began throwing up on the pavement. Robin looked away in disgust. Knowing they weren’t going to get much more from the hysterical men, he handed them over to the police and regrouped with his teammates, with a grim look on his face.

“What the heck spooked them?” asked a somber Cyborg. He wasn’t entirely sure he wanted to know the answer.

“Whatever it is, we have to go in and stop it,” answered their determined leader. Robin turned towards Wolf. “Get your men ready for anything. This may get ugly.” With that, he motioned the other titans to following to the entrance the would-be thieves had come out of.

Inside the warehouse was quiet. Too quiet. Each Titan didn’t dare utter a word, for fear of being caught by whomever or whatever was terrorizing the place. They needed the element of surprise in order to bring it down. BB was once again an alley cat, using his big eyes to see in the dark. Cyborg was using infrared mode in his artificial eye to find any heat signatures. He then spotted a number of them in a corner.

“Hey, Rob. I think I found something,” he radioed in. He slowly moved towards the heat mass till he was able to see four men huddled together in the corner. They all had the same petrified look as the men outside. Cyborg was surprised to see that 2 of them were the missing guards, who were just as terrified. The others converged on Cyborg’s location. One of the men just stared and pointed at a nearby box. BB turned around and then jumped back at the sight: two pairs legs were protruding out from under a rather large crate.

“I think I found Rico,” said a slightly woozy Beast Boy as he resisted the urge to gag. The other Titans looked away as well, their stomachs fairing no better. Even Raven, who normally was neutral faced on the job was showing signs of being disturbed.

“Raven, teleport these men out of here,” ordered Robin. “The rest of us will find this sicko. Ghost or no ghost, he’s going down.” Robin smacked a fist in his other hand as emphasis. All the titans nodded, while Raven engulfed the men and herself in her dark aura. She and the scared men disappeared from site and the rest of the team ventured further.

Cyborg suddenly noticed something on his heat scope. “Rob, the room temp is dropping pretty quickly,” he warned Robin.

“I have noticed the chilliness myself,” responded Starfire as she shivered slightly. She moved closer to her boyfriend, partly do to the temperature, but also to make sure he was still by her side.

“You don’t think they left their fridge open, did they?” asked Beast Boy jokingly. The others didn’t respond. They knew he was just trying to lighten the mood, but now wasn’t the time.

The closer they moved towards the center, the chillier it got. They then began to notice the glow. An odd blue-skinned man was floating high up, surrounded by boxes. The boxes seemed to empty themselves of their goods as the man inspected them. The most distinguishing thing about him was the tattoos that littered his body, as they gave an orange aura that offset his blue skin. He then noticed he had more guests and turned his attention towards them.

“Who dares once again to interrupt my search,” he said in a menacingly, not so goofy way.

“Who are you?” Robin asked defiantly. “And what do you want?”

“Foolish mortal! You dare question the Box Ghost!” he exclaimed. “I only answer to my master and my master alone! Anyone who stands in the way of my master must perish!” With each word his eyes glowed brighter and brighter. Suddenly every single box and crate began floating high into the air.

“Uh… this can’t be good,” said BB, stating the obvious.

“Titans, GO!” Robin yelled. At the sound of their team battle cry, the other leapt into action; and out of the way of a number of boxes as they crashed down onto where they stood just moments before. Starfire took to the sky, dodging boxes left and right. Robin and Beast Boy jumped from crate to moving crate, hoping to get close enough to the self-proclaimed poltergeist. Beast Boy continuously transformed into small agile creatures, hoping his size and agility would prevent him from being squashed. Cyborg was still on the ground, blasting at the crazed Box Ghost with his sonic cannon and at the same time, dodging the rainfall of square containers. Unfortunately, boxes that seemed to move in at just the right time blocked each one of his attacks.

Robin finally was able to maneuver close enough to the ghost to attack. He launched a volley of discs, birdarangs and boas at the blue man. Starfire, who also was able to dodge her way close enough, joined in the attack. She fired a number of her starbolts at her foe and finished off with a beam attack from her eyes. They watched as every single one of their attacks …

…Seemed to go right through him harmlessly. Distracted by their failure, they didn’t notice a box that knocked Starfire out of the sky. Cyborg managed to catch her below. Robin was still mid air, his momentum carrying him towards the enemy. He extended his bo staff and swung at him with all the energy he could muster. Unfortunately, his staff also went right through and another box knocked him away from the grinning ghost.

Beast Boy, as a squirrel, finally reached behind the ghoul. He jumped and as he did so, morphed into a gorilla mid-air. He hoped to catch the ghost in a surprise tackle. But instead of catching him, he hit face first into a rather large shipping crate, which promptly fell along with the changeling to the ground. He reverted back into human form, slightly dazed.

Meanwhile, both Cyborg and Starfire were trying desperately not to become flat as a pancake as they held up a growing pile of boxes. One after another a box was added on to the stack as they struggled not to get squished. Both their immense strengths were holding for now, but that was soon about to change. Beast Boy ran to his friend’s aid, transforming into an elephant and knocking away boxes off of the pile with his trunk. He then was pelted with containers big and small as he tried to stand his ground. Robin was making good work of his agility, dodging the rain of boxes as he tried to make it closer to his team. They had to regroup and find a way to stop this guy.

Suddenly, all the boxes just stopped all motion. A black aura seemed to cover them all and stopped them in their tracks. Raven suddenly appeared, eyes black as night with magic. She chanted her signature magic words.

“Azarath Metrion Zinthos!” she cried. Two black claws of magic sprang to life and they raced towards he surprised poltergeist. They grabbed his from the air and pinned him to a nearby wall. As the other Titans breathed a sigh of relief at their friend’s arrival, Raven flew towards their enemy. The ghost seemed unable to escape from her grasp. She was about to ask him a question when he said one word that seemed to freeze her in fear.

“Skath…”

[Dragon]

Well, that was a very interesting chapter, I must admit. Box Ghost being tough, and killing a guy? Box Ghost is usually pretty mild, and easy for Danny to take down. and, seeing as old 4 eyes is back, that explains the tatoos, because the last time I checked, (today) box ghost didn't have them. Though, the fight scene was inadverdently humorous. Danny would have beaten BG (pardon the nickname) easily. Danny's nightmares remind me of Rae's visions, foretelling 4 eye's return. Also, BB kind of did curse it. It may not have been Slade, but BG is working for the exact same person that he did for a while. I could definitly see Rae taking down the box ghost as easily as scaring Doctor Light, as her powers are most similar to Danny's. All in all, very well written, yet in some areas, a skilled reader can very quickly spot the foreshadow. a few words wold make all the difference, telling you exactly what's going to happen. Judging from Box ghost in Jump, I'm guessing that Slade, assuming that, if your set timeline follows correctly, is set right after "Things Change", He is the only villian capable of giving Danny a real fight. If Slade is working for four eyes again, then he most certainly has some special powers, and he would most certainly adjust his tactic to fight Danny. Forgive me for the thoroug analysis, it is simply my way. oh, and by the way, after you finish this tale off, I would recommend a TT/Pokemon crossover. That is a story with a lot of potential, and the chance for many laughs(Team Rocket chasing BB, thinking he's a Pokemon) I believe that you could easily pull it off, as you have a knack for making even the most outlandish story believable. All in all, good luck on the rest, I will be interested to see where this story goes.

[Funkatron]

Author’s Notes: Another chapter for my fans :D. These are becoming easier and easier to write, so hope I’ll be updating a lot more frequently, depending on time, work and school. This one is a shorter chapter showing the aftermath of Boxey’s (yes that was the Box Ghost) rampage. I think it might be rushed a bit, so let me know what you think.

Chapter 4: The Call

“Skath…” the ghost wailed. Raven floated there, her body paralyzed with fear. Did she hear correctly? The ghost looked her straight in the eye, as if he recognized something. He suddenly sported a large, evil grin as the answer popped into his head.

“You are the lost gem,” he stated. Raven’s eyes went wide as the words from the old prophecy echoed in her head again. She backed off as her emotions flared inside of her. She lost her otherwise cool composure as her powers flickered. The boxes, which she had taken control of just moments before, lost their black aura as they tumbled to the ground below. The other Titans ran for cover as it was once again raining large objects. The ghost, using this opportunity, escaped from the grasp of her magic as it wavered. Not looking a gift horse in the mouth, the ghost makes a hasty retreat, but not without giving a final “Beware!”

The others ran towards Raven as she descended slowly towards the ground. She began to hug her shoulders. Her teammates called out her name as she landed on her knees and began to shiver.

TTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTT

Ten minutes later, the Special Crime Unit was busy inspecting the mess caused by the battle. Many of the criminals involved were either hospitalized or incarcerated. The bodies found were taken by the CSI unit for autopsy, though it was pretty clear what killed them.

Outside, the Titans were still coping with the situation. Raven was sitting on the sidewalk, drinking a cup of water to calm her nerves. Starfire was sitting right next to her, with her arm around the empath for comfort. Beast Boy was being looked at by ambulance workers for a head injury while Cyborg was coordinating with some officers. Robin watched the two girls from a distance, not sure on what to do. He had been close enough to hear what the ghost said to Raven and frankly he was worried about her. He knew she wasn’t quite ready to talk yet about it.

“Hell, looked like you detonated a nuke in there,” said an exasperated Detective Wolf. He walked toward the boy wonder while lighting a cigarette. “Please tell me you at least know who did it.”

“You wouldn’t believe me if I told you,” replied Robin, not sure if he believed it himself.

“Try me,” Wolf dared.

“It was ghost,” answered Robin in the straightest face he could muster. The detective just stared at him, not sure if he was joking or telling the truth. His cigarette fell out of his mouth.

“You’re joking, right? Please tell me you’re joking,” he practically appealed. Robin shook his head. “Damnit, Rob, at least give me something to put in the report! Bad enough half the criminals in the city can level a city block without moving a finger. I can’t start putting crud about ghosts!”

“We saw what we saw,” Robin replied. “We do have a few leads to look into. Speaking of which, is the museum curator here yet?”

“Just came in 2 minutes ago,” Wolf stated, lighting another cigarette. “He’s over there. Name’s Prof. Marcus. Just don’t go into interrogation mode, alright?” And with that, the officer headed back towards the crime scene, puffing away.

Robin walked up to the middle aged man the detective alluded to. He seemed to be surveying the scene of any damage. He noticed the titan walk towards him and turned to greet him.

“Professor Marcus?” Robin asked. The man nodded.

“Professor Julian Marcus, at your service,” he stated in a rather thick British accent. “Pleased to make your acquaintance,” he said while holding out his hand. Robin shook hands with him.

“I’m going to have to ask a few questions about the contents of the crates,” Robin stated. “The ‘perp’ in question was looking for something and we’d like to have an idea what it is.”

“Of course! As a matter of fact, we were going to notify you in the next couple of days on the matter,” the Professor said. Robin looked at him quizzically. “It’s artifacts and books we found excavating the old library.” Robin’s eyes went wide. He didn’t mean that library, did he?

“I thought the city warded that off indefinitely?” Robin asked. Raven was definitely not going to like this news.

“The city lifted the ban two weeks ago. We were going to ask for your consultation, of course. We know many of the items are probably magical in nature,” the curator explained. Years of living in this city had taught the professor never discount things such as magic. Robin only nodded.

“We’re going to need an inventory as soon as possible,” Robin stated matter of factly.

“Of course! We’ll let you know if anything’s lost,” assured Prof. Marcus. Thanking him, Robin walked towards his team. He had a feeling things were going to get worse and very soon.

TTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTT

“Are you feeling better, friend Raven?” asked a very worried Starfire. Starfire’s heart always seemed to grow 3 sizes whenever her friends’ wellbeing was involved. Raven nodded, still sipping the cup of water she held.

“A little, yes,” the empath replied. She never liked her friends to see her in such a weak state. She was, however, grateful for Star’s comforting embrace. She looked up and noticed Robin was returning. She could feel the overwhelming concern coming from him wash over her. As if on cue, Cyborg and Beast Boy joined the others as well. They all looked at her, the unasked question floating in the air. She sighed.

“I’m fine. Just a little shaken up,” she said in her usual monotone voice. She didn’t want them worrying about her, especially in this situation. She looked over to their leader, hoping to change the subject. “Spit it out already, Robin. I know you found something.” Robin fidgeted a bit.

“It’s about what was in the warehouse,” he started. The others looked at him expectantly. He paused, preparing himself to the grave news. “It was artifacts and books they dug up from the old library.” Everyone’s faces dropped two shades of color as they took in the news. Even Raven, who was pale enough as it is, was almost a deathly white.

They all had reason to be in grim spirits. The library in question was built over a complex belonging to the Order of Skath, a cult who worshiped and followed Trigon, Raven’s father. It was there last year where the Titans had heard of the prophecy involving Raven, the gem of Skath. It was also there that Raven was used as the portal to bring the demon to Earth. The City had labeled it off limits after Trigon was defeated.

“He knew,” Raven said meekly. The others stayed silent, waiting for her to continue. “He knew I was the gem. He knew by just looking at me.”

“Doesn’t mean a thing, Rae,” Cyborg replied, trying to ease her mind.

“It’s not only that. Those tattoos on his arm were Ararian,” Raven explained.

“But why would a ghost be interested in Trigon?” asked Beast Boy curiously.

“He was working for someone,” Robin explained. “He said he had a master. Who ever is this master, has ties with Trigon.”

“Or is Trigon,” Raven stated.

“But friend Raven, you were the one who defeated the evil Trigon,” asked a concern Starfire. “Surely, he is gone for good, is he not?”

“I’m not sure,” Raven replied looking down. “I’m sure I destroyed him. But what if he’s able to come back?” Doubt was clouding her mind. She felt the cruel hands of fate and destiny once again weighing her down.

“Don’t worry, Rae,” Beast Boy said enthusiastically. “Whoever it is, we can handle it.”

“Wow,’ replied Cyborg. “The grass stain is right for a change.” BB stared at him indignantly.

Raven couldn’t help but smile ever so slightly at her friend’s antics. She knew they were trying to help her feel better and she was probably happier it was working more then they were. She was glad that her friends cared about her this much, despite all the baggage she came with. Robin gave a reassuring nod then addressed the group.

“Alright, lets head back to the tower. The professor from the museum is going to contact us with an inventory on the artifacts. Whatever the ghost wanted, we can’t let them have it.” All the Titans nodded and started to head towards their vehicles. Cyborg fell behind the rest along side Robin.

“So, what’s the real plan?” Cyborg asked. He knew the boy wonder long enough to know how he operated. Robin looked up to his tall second in command.

“I need you to do a favor for me, Cy,” the boy detective started. “I need you to do some research. Anything you can find about ghosts.”

“Think we’re gonna run into them again?” Cyborg queried.

“The more we know the better. Their weaknesses, how to fight them, the works. We couldn’t do a thing against one. Only Raven’s powers seemed to affect it,” Robin explained. “We can’t put that on Raven’s shoulders if more show up.” Cyborg nodded as they caught up to the others.

TTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTT

The ride back home was a quiet one. Raven was clearly tired; her eyes were closed the entire trip back. The other titans were silent, not wanting to disturb her. Once they got home she disappeared into her room. The others met together to discuss their plans.

“Maybe we should postpone the partying for Raven’s day of birth,” said Starfire sadly. “She seems not to be in the mood for celebration.” The others surveyed all the hard work they had done to the living room: streamers and balloons decorated the room while a big “Happy Birthday” sign was hanging in front of the main window.

“Yeah, Star is right. She seemed pretty bummed out, to say the least,” Cyborg agreed.

“That’s why we should have the party,” Beast Boy piped in. “She needs some cheering up!”

“But won’t she just get mad like she did last year?” countered Cyborg.

Robin had stayed silent throughout the exchange. He knew Trigon was still a sensitive subject for Raven and didn’t want to push her into anything. But at the same time, he saw Beast Boy’s argument.

“Can’t I have a say in this?” asked someone from the entrance. All the titans turned to see Raven. Beast Boy ineffectively tried to hide the cake on the table, forgetting the fact the entire room was decorated.

“Rae! Why are you up so late?” he asked, trying to distract her. It clearly wasn’t working.

“I knew you guys were gong to try something this year,” she said matter of factly, ignoring the green changelings attempts of hiding the obvious.

“And you are not mad?” asked a perplexed Starfire.

“Just because tonight has been less then stellar doesn’t mean we shouldn’t celebrate,” Raven replied. “I think I need to be with my friends tonight.”

“Glorious! I shall fetch the meat hat of celebration!” exclaimed the orange alien. The others made faces.

“You did remember the ice cream, didn’t you?” Raven asked Beast Boy. He grinned widely.

“Coming right up!” he said, running to the fridge. Raven smiled, the prospect of being with her friends on her birthday comforting her as thoughts of her uncertain future buzzed under the surface of her mind.

DPDPDPDPDPDPDPDPDPDPDP

Danny woke up groggily the next morning. After his ‘dreams’, he always had a hard time staying asleep and last night wasn’t any different. He rubbed the crust out of his eyes and yawned. Turning his head invisible and intangible, he phased it through the floor into the kitchen. He could see his mother preparing breakfast and his sister at the kitchen table. He heard an explosion coming from the lab, indicating his father was working on some new invention. He breathed a sigh of relief, glad that everything was normal – or as normal as it normally was. He did his morning stretches and went to the bathroom for a quick shower.

After his shower, he felt a bit more refreshed. He headed down the stairs to the kitchen. He sat down in a chair with a grunt. His sister looked up from her psychology book with a concerned look. Danny felt uncomfortable and averted his eyes. His mother placed a bowl and a box of cereal in front of him and smiled warily.

“Morning, sweetie,” she said, worry creeping up in her voice. “Sorry we missed you last night. Your father and I had an emergency call last night.” The shoe was on the other foot as Danny felt worry well up.

“Everything turn out ok?” he asked, trying to hide his concern. Maddie smiled.

“It was just a false alarm. There hasn’t been a real ghost sighting in quite a while,’ she answered. “We are still trying to figure out why and where all the ghosts have gone off to.”

Danny was wondering the same thing. He hadn’t seen any ghosts in weeks. Even the Box ghost, who seemed to be there whether you wanted or not, was noticeably absent. Danny could feel deep down that something was going to happen. Something big. He knew that this was just the calm before the storm. He had to be prepared for anything.

“How was your last day at school?” Maddie asked. The question seemed to catch Danny off guard. He paused for a moment before replying.

“It was ok. Nothing big really happened,” he answered. Jazz looked up from her book again with a look that said she knew better. She shook her head in disappointment before raising her book again.

“That’s nice. How are Sam and Tucker? I haven’t seen them around the house in ages,” asked Maddie.

“I’m not sure. Haven’t seen them in a while,” Danny answered coolly. Jazz coughed, and then sipped her coffee. Maddie looked at her son with a wary face.

“Danny, did you have a fight with them?” she asked.

“Mom, everything is fine,” he said. “I’ve been busy, they’ve been busy. We’ve just lost touch is all.” Jazz was surprised just how easily Danny had lied to their mother. He finished his breakfast, and then headed back upstairs.

Maddie was now sure something was wrong with Danny. He had lied to her. He’d been lying to her for months, though recently had been more and more blatant. It was like he was a totally different person. He was so…distant.

She was worried that he wasn’t hanging around with Tucker or Sam anymore. The three were inseparable for years. They always hung out and they always seemed to be there for Danny. She wondered what had happened between them to cause such a drift amongst the trio. What had caused them to separate?

When Danny had asked her for training months ago, she was ecstatic. She was glad that Danny was finally interested in something she did. She hoped that they would become closer and she would finally be able to understand her son. They had drifted apart over the years and she saw this as an opportunity to renew the mother/son relationship.

Nothing could be farther from the truth, however. Danny never really opened up during their sessions. He never even seemed to really enjoy them. He trained constantly like a man possessed. Though he learned the moves and the stances of karate (at a rate she’d never seen anyone advance at) Danny never seemed to grasp the philosophy of it: that of balance. As a matter of fact, it seemed to her that he became more unbalanced as he trained. It was like he had lost his way and the more he fought, the farther he got.

Maddie glanced at her eldest child and saw the same worried look that she wore. She wondered if Jazz knew why Danny was acting so strange. Jazz was always known for being perceptive. Maybe she knew how to get through to Danny. Before she could speak up, however, the phone rang. Jazz got up to answer it, while Maddie decided to ask her later.

“Hello, thank you for calling Fenton Works, where we provide all services involving removing, exorcising and otherwise ripping apart of ghost, ghouls, apparitions, poltergeists, spooks and other ethereal spirits!” said Jazz, reciting the greeting Maddie had them all memorize. “How can we help you?”

“Hi! I was wondering if you can help me and my friends with a ghost problem,” said the voice on the phone. Jazz noticed it was a young man who was speaking.

“Sure! We’ll be glad to help,’ Jazz replied. ‘What seems to be the trouble?”

“Well, we ran into what we think was a ghost last night. We think it might be haunting our friend,” replied the young man. “We scared it off but we think it might come back.”

“Was it floating? Pale grey, blue or green skin? Translucent? Any otherworldly abilities?” Jazz asked, questioning the man on what he saw.

“Yes, blue skin, sort of, and does causing things to fly around count?” he asked. Jazz wrote down the answers on the pad next to the phone. “We’re hoping to hire you for some consulting work.”

“Alright, where did you see this ghost?” probed Jazz.

“Yeah, about that. Do you do long distance work?” he asked. “I think we’re considered out of town.”

“How far away?” asked Jazz, her interest piqued.

“Jump City too far?” he asked hopefully. Jazz could have sworn she heard of that city before. She was surprised someone from out of town would even consider calling them.

“I’m not sure,” she answered truthfully. “I’m just the secretary. I’d have to see if Mr. and Mrs. Fenton are willing. You name?”

“The name is Cyborg,” he replied, “of the Teen Titans. Maybe you’ve heard of us?”

Jazz just stood there, not quite sure she heard correctly. She remembered where she heard of Jump City, home of the teen crime fighters, the Teen Titans. She slowly lowered the receiver.

“MOOOOOM!!!!”

[Mandi-chan]

One word describes that chappie: Awesome!

They're gonna team up soon, how cool!

Keep it up!:D

[Funkatron]

One word describes that chappie: Awesome!

They're gonna team up soon, how cool!

Keep it up!:D

Thanls a bunch, Mandi-chan

[Funkatron]

Author’s Notes: Another Chapter off the presses. Thanks to everyone who posted reviews on my last chapter. Glad to see my story actually has fans. You like me! You really, really like me!

So what do have for you today? Lots of humor, shenanigans and some more emo-ness :p And the 2 worlds finally meet. Sort of.

Haunted Destiny Chapter 5: Travel Plans

It was barely morning the next day. Inside one of the many rooms of the tower the day was starting for one of the Titans. This room was quite different from the others, however. It looked more like a workshop than a bedroom. Various machines and computers littered the tables, many of them current projects. A rack of computer servers linked to the systems of the tower hummed quietly, lights blinking every so often to show activity. In the center of the room was a simple lift table. Sleeping on it was the titan’s semi-robotic member, Cyborg.

He was attached to the terminal next to the table. The terminal served as his charging station, as well as a filtrator for his fluids, both organic and artificial. On screen was the current time of 6:59AM. Underneath was a number indicating the results of the search he initiated last night. He had sent search bots across the net in search of anything involving ghosts, as per Robin’s request. He found it easier to do it this way rather than to do it himself, like he knew their leader liked to do.

The time on the screen changed to 7:00am, launching various activities in the process. The table automatically pivoted till it was standing upright. Cyborg’s mechanical eye, which had been dormant, lit up as various systems in his body booted up. His natural eye fluttered open and he uttered a very loud yawn. He stepped off the table as cables that were attached to him disconnected from his body. He checked his battery levels to find he was at 100%: he’d have to thank his friend Fixit for the new fast charging cells.

Even with his batteries charged, his human side still needed a few hours of shut-eye. He and the others titans had spent the early morning hours partying, reminiscing and otherwise having fun celebrating Raven’s birthday. The party had turned out better than he expected despite all the bad news from earlier in the night. Though he loved a good party, he was one of the first ones to turn in. He knew he’d have a lot of data to sort through this morning, hence why he was awake so early in the morning.

He turned to the terminal, which still read the amount of search results the search bots had discovered. He groaned slightly: he didn’t think there’d be that much information on ghosts on the net. He linked wirelessly to the terminal and started to peruse through the info at a fast pace. Though he preferred to read the old fashion way, beaming the info to his processing unit was the quickest way to sort through it all. He noticed obvious patterns, especially in recent studies and surprisingly in news articles. Various names kept being repeated throughout the search results. He indexed them, marking them as important. Those would definitely be shown to Robin.

He then plowed his way through various theories on the existence of ghosts, why they exist, what they were made of, etc. He once again found some of the same names, more specifically the name Fenton. While doing this, he heard his stomach, one of the few organs he had that were still real, growling, ready to be filled. He headed out towards the hallway, with the intent of making a large, hearty breakfast. His door swooshed open as he almost collided with Raven. She gave him a curious look.

“Morning, Rae,” he said, slightly nervous, but keeping a straight face. “Why are you up so early?” He knew it was a stupid question; Raven was almost always the first one up every morning. She didn’t need much sleep due to meditation.

“I could ask you the same question,” she said in her signature monotone voice. She raised her eyebrow and gave him her famous ‘I know you’re up to something’ look. Cyborg suddenly became very nervous; Robin gave instructions not to let Raven know about the research. He quickly tried to think of an excuse to give to her.

“Gotta start early for…waxing the T-Car!” he stated a bit too enthusiastically. Raven’s eyebrow rose a little bit higher. This time she had an ‘I don’t believe you for a second, but I’ll humor you anyway’ look. Cyborg grinned sheepishly as he tried to head for the kitchen. Raven was close behind, deciding to continue the torture.

“So, what did you find out?” she asked, with a slight smirk on her face. Cyborg stopped and turned around, not able to hide his shock.

“Wh-what do you mean, Rae?” he replied back, not to sure he wanted to know where this was going.

“Whatever research Robin had you do,” she relied smugly.

“Re-research? Have no idea what you’re talking about, ” he said, trying to save himself from the train wreck. He was failing miserably.

“Cy, you do know you’re not fooling anyone, don’t you?” she replied. “I knew Robin would want to find out more about our enemy. And since he promised Star he wouldn’t lock himself in room doing research again, I figured he’d pass it along to you.” Cyborg cursed himself mentally. Raven was way too perceptive, second only to the boy wonder himself. He nodded in defeat, knowing it was useless to argue. So much for keeping it a secret.

Claiming victory, Raven headed towards the kitchen to get her morning herbal tea, with Cyborg close behind, a cloud of shame hanging over his head. On their way, they passed the room of Starfire. The door opened as they passed, but instead of the orange-skinned alien girl, the found none other than Robin, trying and failing to sneak out of Star’s room without being detected.

There was a long moment of silence as they all stood there starring at each other. Finding his wits, Cyborg took several shots with his electronic eye, saving the incriminating images for blackmailing later. Raven’s eyebrow shot up to its peak. The boy wonder began blushing profusely.

“This isn’t what it looks like,” he said in a remarkable straight face. His hair was disheveled, his uniform ruffled and he was missing a boot. The looked their leader up and down before Raven replied.

“What is it supposed to look like?” she asked. A smug smirk was once again creeping up on her face. Cyborg was fighting to keep his composure as a fit of laughter threatened to erupt from his lips. Suddenly, Robin was tackled from behind by Starfire. Her arms wrapped around him as a seductive grin spread across her face.

“Robin, it is still much too early,” she cooed, something Cyborg didn’t even realize the normally naïve alien girl could pull off. “Please, comeback inside so we may…” she stopped mid sentence when she realized they weren’t alone. She spotted Raven and Cyborg in the hallway. She gave a rather loud “eek!” and hid behind Robin’s cape. She was a bit less dressed than normal. Robin was now doing a good impression of a lobster, as his face was now four shades more crimson than before.

“Friend Raven and Cyborg! What a glorious surprise,” she said, trying to act innocently. “What brings you here this morning?”

Cyborg couldn’t take it anymore. He burst into laughter at the compromising scene. Raven faired better, but still sported a devilish grin, which she tried to hide under her hood. Starfire face was a matching shade of red as Robin as she ran back into her room, dragging Robin by his cape. It took Cyborg several minutes to regain his composure.

“That was awkward,” Raven stated, putting it mildly. She continued her trek to the kitchen, while Cyborg followed, wiping a tear from his eye. He definitely had to tell Beast Boy about this.

They finally made it to the kitchen. Raven filled her kettle with water while Cy prepped the oven for eggs and bacon. The decorations were still hanging around the living room from the night before. As he began cooking, he continued to sort through data at a breakneck speed. He so caught up in doing two things at once that he didn’t notice his foot hitting something soft on the ground. This was followed by a yelp and a growl as a green dog was so rudely interrupted from his slumber. He eyed Cyborg for a moment before transforming into Beast Boy. Cyborg chuckled, noticing that Beast Boy didn’t quite make it back to his room last night.

“Trying to sleep here,” he said groggily. His eyes went wide when he saw what his teammate was cooking. “Bacon?! You know I can’t eat this stuff! I’ve been a pig!”

“Better than that tofu crap you eat,” replied the mechanized teen. His eyes glinted with mischief. “You’re lucky I’m not eating green eggs and ham.” Beast Boy blanched slightly. Raven rolled her eyes. This happened every time they ate. It had become tradition in the tower for the two to bicker about whether meat was on the menu.

Raven turned her head as the doors swooshed open. Robin came in, his uniform in proper order and spiky hair back in place. He tried looking authoritative, but under the knowing gaze of Raven and amusing leering of Cyborg, he was failing miserably at it. Starfire came in seconds later, also in full uniform. She was wearing a nervous smile as she entered.

“Heard you had a rough night, lover boy,” Cyborg joked. BB’s ears perked up, curiosity getting the better of him.

“Nothing happened,” Robin replied coolly. Starfire’s face fell somewhat.

“Last night was ‘nothing’?” she asked in hurt tone. Robin paled, realizing his bad choice of words.

“No, I didn’t mean it like that Star!” he exclaimed, trying to stop the bad situation from becoming worse.

“I don’t know. Looked like something happened,” Raven muttered quietly. Cyborg chuckled.

“If last night meant nothing to you then maybe we should not be doing the dating,” Starfire said with an indignant huff.

“Star, that’s not what I meant! They think we…” he said, continuing the explanation with a whisper in her ear. Starfire immediately began to blush.

“Oh no, dear friends! We are not of age to do such things!” she exclaimed. Robin sighed in relief. “We only kissed. And did the cuddling,” she continued. Robin’s face turned red on the descriptions of last night. “And I asked Robin to do the thing with his mouth.”

Everyone’s face turned beet red, his or her minds imagining what the ‘thing with the mouth’ meant. Raven coughed uncomfortably while Cyborg stood in shock and Beast Boy fainted.

“What is wrong, friends?” Starfire asked innocently. “Is the nibbling of the ear considered taboo on Earth?” Everyone breathed a sigh of relief; everyone except Robin. He definitely didn’t want their romantic activities to be known by the rest of the team. He knew Cyborg and Beast boy wouldn’t let him live it down.

Raven cleared her throat, catching the attention of everyone.

“If you’re all done, I think Cyborg has some research he’d like to share,” she said. Robin looked at Cyborg questioningly as he merely shrugged.

“Don’t look at me! She figured it out on her own,” Cyborg said, pleading his innocence. The talk of research caught Starfire’s interest as she once again focused on Robin.

“What is this research Raven is speaking of, Robin?” she asked. Robin laughed nervously. “Did you not promise you would not be the brooding and obsessive?” Robin paled, realizing his troubles were far from over.

TTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTT

After the lovers’ spat and breakfast, everyone gathered on the couch in from of the main screen in the living room. Cyborg was going to brief them on the information he’d found. He hooked himself up wirelessly to the screen.

“All right, everybody, settle down,” said to the group as he prepped himself for the presentation.

“Tell us, fiend Cyborg! What did you find about our foe?’ inquired Starfire. Raven herself was interested in what he found. Though she was versed in magic and many things paranormal, she didn’t know much about ghosts. She planned on doing some research of her own in her own collection of books and at her favorite bookstore.

“Well, I did a lot of searching through the web, various news archives and even some web forums,” he started, now all business. “And in most of my results, a number of names kept showing up. The most prominent one was this.” The screen changed, showing a map of the USA. A target reticle appeared and pointed to somewhere in the state of Oregon. The screen magnified a few times until it reached the city level. The reticle pointed out a small town, labeled as Amity Park.

“The name sounds familiar. Has anything happened there recently?” their leader asked.

“Try every other week. This town is like the capital of ghosts,” replied Cyborg. “There seems to be a constant stream of ghost activity. Some speculate it’s the most active point of ectoplasmic activity in the country. Sightings, hauntings, you name it. There have even been at least two ghost invasions.”

“Obviously the town is still there. How did they fight off the ghosts?” asked Robin, taking all the information in.

“The first invasion was supposedly fought off by these two,” Cyborg replied as the screen changed to show a man and a woman. The man was rather large with graying hair. He wore an orange and black hazmat suit. The woman wore a matching jumpsuit, in blue instead of orange, and had reddish-brown hair. “Jack and Maddie Fenton: the local ghost hunters of the town. The ghosts seemed to cause mayhem and even kidnapped the mayor. Also supposedly, the leader of the ghost was this guy.” The screen changed again to show a young man in mid-flight. He wore a black hazmat suit with white gloves, boots, belt and collar. His hair was snowy white and his eyes in the shot shone a bright neon green.

“Wait, I’ve seen that face before!” exclaimed Beast Boy. “On the news. Inviso-Bill or something like that.”

“Right and wrong, BB,” remarked Cyborg. “He went by that name for a while until the second major ghost attack. He now goes by Danny Phantom.”

“Is this Phantom person an enemy?” asked Starfire.

“That’s the weird part. During the second attack he actually helped save the town. Fought against some ghost claiming to be the king of all ghosts. Town literally disappeared from off the map for a few days,” explained Cyborg. On screen showed waves of ghost skeletons walking the streets. In a separate window showed a crater where the town once stood, then another one time stamped on a later date showed the town returned to its original state.

“Why help the town if he attacked it earlier?” Raven wondered out loud. She found his behavior very perplexing.

“Not sure. But ever since then, Phantom has been spotted at almost every major ghost attack fighting against other ghosts. He’s actually pretty popular there. Fan club and everything.” Cyborg showed a “WE LOVE PHANTOM” fan site onscreen, with various pictures of the ghost onscreen. There was also a picture of a Hispanic girl on the bottom of the screen who was labeled as being the President of the club.

“Maybe we can get some help from this Phantom guy?” asked Beast Boy. Robin shook his head.

“He seems like a wildcard. We don’t know if he’d even want to help, let alone know how to even contact him,” the boy wonder explained. “What about those ghost hunters. The Fentons.”

“They seem to know their stuff, I think. They definitely have more experience than we do on the subject,” Cyborg answered. “They do seem have to a few interesting theories on ghosts and ghost hunting. Plus they are the closest ghost hunters on the west coast.” Robin nodded.

“Give them a call. See if they can do some consulting work for us. I’ll talk to the city to see if they can provide compensation for anyone that we hire,” Robin ordered. He then looked over at Raven. “Don’t worry, Raven. We’ll find a way to fight back.” Raven nodded, appreciating the sentiment. The last thing she wanted were other people invading their privacy but if it was the only way to protect themselves, it was a risk she was willing to take. She watched as Cyborg dialed the number on his communicator.

DPDPDPDPDPDPDPDPDPDPDP

“MOOOOM!” Jazz called as loud as she could. Cyborg winced at the volume level of the scream. Maddie Fenton raced to her daughter as she looked questioningly at her.

“What is it, sweetie?” she asked in a confused tone. Jazz shoved the phone in her hand, shock written all over her face.

“It’s f-for you! He says he’s a T-titan,” she barely mumbled. Confused, Maddie took the phone and placed the receiver on her ear.

“Is anyone there?” the young man on the line asked.

“This is Maddie Fenton. May I ask who this is?” Maddie asked. She heard a soft chuckle on the line.

“You may want to sit down before I tell you. Sounds like I shook up your ‘secretary’ a bit,” he replied. Maddie decided to take his advice and sat down at the kitchen table. “My name is Cyborg and I’m a member of the Teen Titans here in Jump City. We’re calling to see if you can help us with a ghost problem.” Maddie blinked a few times.

“The Teen Titans?” she asked in disbelief. She looked at the caller ID and it did indeed show a ‘City of Jump City’ phone number.

“Yes, ma’am, those Teen Titans,” Cyborg replied. “Glad to hear you are taking this better…”

“JACK!” Maddie hollered, forgetting to cover the microphone of the phone. Cyborg found himself once again covering his ears. Jack Fenton bound up the stairs from the lab in a huff.

“What is it, Mads? You’ve seen a ghost?” asked the paranoid father.

“No, Jack. We’re getting a job offer from Jump City! From the Teen Titans!” Maddie exclaimed excitedly. Jack’s face was blank, the news not quite registering. “You know, Jack. The superheroes!” His face lit up and a goofy grin was plastered on his face.

“Really?” he asked. His wife nodded. The grin grew wider. “Hot dang! Say yes, say yes, say yes!” he exclaimed like a schoolboy with a new toy. Maddie, realizing the phone was still in her hand, placed the phone back on her ear.

“Sorry, about that, Mr. Cyborg,” she apologized over the phone.

“No problem. People get excited over us all the time,” Cyborg replied. “And its just Cyborg.” Maddie apologized yet again, and then went straight to the business at hand.

“What kind of ghost trouble are you experiencing?” she asked in a professional manner.

“We’ve only had one ghost so far, but we have a hunch there might be more. That’s all I can say over the phone,” Cyborg answered. “You guys seem to be the best around in this part of the country. We hope you’ll consider…”

“We’ll take the job,” Maddie interrupted. Cyborg noticed she accepted all too quickly. “We can be on our way in two hours.” She and Cyborg exchanged and concluded the transaction. After hanging up she punched the air in triumph: they finally had business!

“I’ll load up the Fenton Ghost Assault Vehicle,” Jack exclaimed as he headed to fill up the RV with ghost weapons galore.

“We’re going?” Jazz asked.

“We’re going!” Maddie responded.

“Going where?” asked a confused Danny. He had gone downstairs to see what all the commotion was about.

“We’re going on a trip to Jump City, dear!” his mother exclaimed. “We got a call from the Teen Titans themselves!”

Jazz watched her brother as he took in the news. His face showed the shock of the unexpected news. It then twisted to an emotion Jazz couldn’t quite decipher. It only lasted for a second before he once again sported a disinfected, neutral face.

“Whatever. I’m going out,” he replied.

“No, you’re not, mister,” Maddie replied, putting on her ‘listen up or else’ face only a mother could make. “You need to pack for the trip.” Danny did a double take.

“Wait, I’m going?” he asked in disbelief. “I can’t go. I have stuff to do. I have to…” he stopped mid sentence. He couldn’t claim he was hanging out with Sam and Tucker. And he couldn’t say what he really was thinking: that he could risk leaving the town unprotected. His mother stood there, waiting for a response. She wanted to here what excuse he was going to give. When none came, she spoke up.

“Danny, its not everyday we get a job out of town, especially in a big city like Jump City,” she reasoned. “And we can’t just leave you two alone in the house. Now go help your father pack the RV, young man.” Danny remained silent, knowing she had made up her mind. He skulked down to the basement to help his dad not break anything.

In truth, Maddie was hoping this trip would help her reconnect with her son. She was worried about extracurricular his activities. Something had caused her son to change so suddenly over the past year. She shuddered to think if it was drugs or drinking or worst. She hoped time away from whatever it was that took up his time would be good for him.

Jazz was actually glad for this unexpected trip. It’d be easier to keep an eye on her brother, which she suspected was her mother’s intention as well. Maybe she would be able to reach him if he was away from the city and ghosts. Then again, if there was a ghost problem in Jump City, he would still be occupied with his obsession.

She was also excited about meeting the Titans in person. She definitely had a long list of questions to ask them. She could finally have fresh material for her new thesis paper on the psychological impact of crime fighting on the teen psyche. Despite his recent behavior, she still considered her brother a hero. She hoped that being near other teen heroes his age would rub off him and somehow change him into something better.

DPDPDPDPDPDPDPDPDPDPDP

The Ghost Assault Vehicle aka the Fenton RV was packed and ready to go by 1:00pm. Jack, with the help of Danny, had loaded the vehicle with every ghost catching gadget they could think of. They made sure it was ready to handle anything any ghosts would throw at them. Each of the Fentons had brought along personal items as well: Jazz had brought along notepads for her planned interviews of the teen heroes of Jump city, books on psychology, a tape recorder and her digital camera; she was going to take lots of pictures. Danny had taken his laptop, an mp3 player full of depressing songs, books on the paranormal for ‘light reading’, and various hidden ghost gadgets of his own. Better to be prepared.

They made their final preparations and started off on their trip south to sunny California. Danny looked out the window to the receding city line. He hoped that it would still be there when he came back. At least he’d be able to protect his mom and dad in case of any problems. And if there was a major ghost situation, he would be ready to handle it. It could have been entirely possible the ghosts were gone from the city cause they were cause trouble elsewhere.

He actually smirked to himself at the fact the Teen Titans were asking for help about ghosts. Maybe he could show them a thing or two. Ghosts were his thing and he’d be damned if he let some rookies mess it up. Of course that would only matter if he were jealous. Which he wasn’t. Was he?



-Your Favorite Neighborhood Funkatron

[Mandi-chan]

*claps!*

I can't get enough of this fanfic!

The anticipation of Danny meeting the TT's is wonderful, I can't wait to see how this plays out!

[Funkatron]

Thanks, Mandi-Cchan. You and Dragon seem to be the only people enjoying it, however. Everbody else must think it sucks, appearently.

[SilverKnight]

>flick< Just because a few reply doesn't mean 'everyone else thinks it sucks'. It means they're not replying. Just so you know, I've been keeping an eye on this, and I'm enjoying it. It's not War and Peace, but then, War and Peace was boring. :)

If you have fun writing it, keep it up; screw what other people don't say. :D

[Funkatron]

>flick< Just because a few reply doesn't mean 'everyone else thinks it sucks'. It means they're not replying. Just so you know, I've been keeping an eye on this, and I'm enjoying it. It's not War and Peace, but then, War and Peace was boring. :)

If you have fun writing it, keep it up; screw what other people don't say. :D

Thanks a bunch. Just a little nod that I'm not writting for the void of the internets is appreciated. Chapter 6 should be up by the end of the week.

[Funkatron]

Finally got this one cranked out. Hope you enjoy.

Author’s Notes: Alright, I’ve decided a few things location-wise. I know both Jump City and Amity Park are fictional cities, so location is sort of tricky. I did some thinking and this is what I got:

Amity Park, Oregon, USA: I’m borrowing this from another FanFic. To me it makes the most sense. According to Wikipedia, in “Fanning the Flames” Mr. Lancer mentions Northwestern Standardized Testing, so Oregon is as good a guess as any. It also makes it relatively close to: Jump City, California, USA: From the final season and the movie, Jump is definitely located on the West Coast. California is most probable. Having the cities in located bordering states makes it easier for the trip between the two.


Now, on with the story!

Chapter 6: Green Eyed Phantom


The journey from Amity Park to Jump City was going to be a long one; the Fentons were going to be stuck together in the Ghost Assault Vehicle, aka the Fenton RV, for sixteen hours. Maddie and Jack took turns driving, much to the Jazz’s dismay. Unfortunately instead of relaxing in between her turns, Maddie spent her time trying to convince her Jack not to drive so fast. They were extremely lucky that they weren’t stopped by the highway patrol. When it was her turn, Maddie would talk with her husband about how excited she was about their first big high profile job outside of Amity Park. Business had been unusually slow recently, partly due to Phantom’s sudden increase in activity over the past year, which had left them with very few ghosts to hunt. By the time they arrived at the scene of a ghost sighting, Phantom would have already been gone, with their potential capture in tow.

Maddie was curious about what drove the unusual ghost. She and Jack both knew and subscribed to the textbook definition for ghosts: manifestations of ectoplasmic energy and post-human consciousness. She believed that contrary to popular belief, ghosts were not always the spirits of the dearly departed, though a few were. Many times, they were just the intense emotions of a person that manifested itself into a being of energy. The seed of their creation was normally connected to their ‘unfinished business’ as it was commonly referred to. The reason, the motivation that kept them from simply disappearing? Their obsession.

Maddie couldn’t quite figure out what Phantom’s obsession was. Most, if not all ghosts she and Jack encountered were malevolent. Their aim seemed to be to terrorize and frighten the living and create chaos; the constant ghost attacks up until know were proof of that. But Phantom seemed to be different. Apart from the unusual situation when he had kidnapped of the mayor a year and a half ago, Phantom seemed to be actually helping, fighting off the other malevolent spirits He certainly was doing a better job than they were. He always seems to show up and do the job before they even get the call from the city’s Ghost Watch line. She would love to the reason why he fought his own kind.

The lack of work was even more prevalent during the past two weeks. There had been no ghost sightings, no ectoplasmic readings, nothing. They hadn’t even seen the annoying ghost obsessed with boxes, who had a habit of appearing where you’d least expect him. The only activity they had seen was from Phantom himself, and from what she gathered from his behavior, he noticed the inactivity as well. She thought that maybe the new sighting in Jump City was related. She had an uneasy feeling about it, but at least they had found work.

While the parents were occupied absorbed with driving and each other, Jazz and Danny found ways to occupy their free time. Jazz spent her time reading books on the teen psychiatry, stealing concerned looks at Danny during the whole trip. The silence between them was unbearable for her. She thought fondly of the trip they had taken to Wisconsin for their parent’s high school reunion. At least back then, they were talking to each other, even if it was just typical brother and sister bickering. Danny hardly even acknowledged her presence now, barricading himself from her emotionally and mentally.

Danny was all too aware of his sister’s attention. He tried to ignore it as he contemplated his immediate plans. This trip was putting a damper on his plans training and his patrols. He also had to investigate the lack of ghost activity recently. He knew a major attack was imminent and he was worried that he wouldn’t be there to prevent it. Unfortunately, his current situation couldn’t be helped. His parents were insistent that he join in their little trip and he wasn’t at liberty to refuse.

Danny for the life of him didn’t see why everyone thought the Titans were so great. He had saved his town countless times. While they had numbers on their side, he had faced impending doom time and time again on his own; and yet they were the heroes and he was considered a nuisance. He was just as much of a hero as they were. He wondered how severe the ghost trouble was that the Titans had to call for outside help, let alone his parents. If they couldn’t handle a few ghosts, then he’d just have to show them how it was done.

TTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTT

“We must hurry, friends! Our guests shall be here very soon!” exclaimed an exuberant Starfire as she rallied her teammates for a most daunting task: cleaning.

Despite being superheroes known worldwide, the Titans were still five teenagers living together unsupervised. Needless to say, certain areas of the tower were in various stages of neglect and disorder. With adults present in the tower temporarily, Robin had ordered the Titans to engage in an impromptu cleaning spree. Starfire, in her usual bubbly way, rallied the troops on clean up duties throughout their home. She and her pet, genetically-altered killer moth caterpillar named Silkie, were taking up the task of cleaning the fridge, which was home to many forgotten leftovers from weeks and even months past. Much of the food was covered in strange colored fuzz, which Starfire and Silkie were disposing of by eating. Her fellow teammates, though a little disgusted, weren’t worried. They had seen her cook and eaten much worse.

Beast Boy had won the unlucky task of cleaning the bathrooms throughout the tower. It was the last job he wanted, but he lost at drawing straws (which he suspected was rigged), so he was stuck. He gave a mock salute, hands donned in yellow gloves, head in a shower cap and toilet bowl cleaner held up high. He faced his first opponent (the downstairs bathroom) with a grim look on his face and began his rigorous task.

Cyborg was doing the heavy lifting. He moved various items and gizmos that were lying around, out of the way and into storage. The storage room itself wasn’t organized very well, so he was forced to move various crates around to make space. Meanwhile Raven was in charge of making the guest rooms livable. She used her telekinetic powers to make the bed, dust and vacuum. She felt like a maid more than anything else, but she knew the work had to be done, so she didn’t complain.

While everyone else was cleaning, Robin was making the necessary arrangements with city hall by securing payment for the Fentons if and when they completed their job. The treasury was being tight-fisted about allocating the funds. Although the city was no stranger to paying for combating the supernatural, they had a budget to keep. They also were reluctant and skeptical about dispensing money to so called ghost hunters. After much negotiation, the boy wonder was able to come to an agreement with the city that he hoped would please the Fentons.

By the time the tower was in decent shape, the Titans were all pretty worn out. It was late and they were lucky that no emergencies or return appearances from the ghost they encountered earlier had arisen. Thinking they had a few hours left before their guests arrived, they decided to get some sleep. They all mumbled their goodnights as they shuffled to their respective rooms. That is, had they tried to until an alarm sounded stating someone was at their entrance.

DPDPDPDPDPDPDPDPDPDPDP

“Ha! Told you I’d find it!” exclaimed a very excited Jack Fenton. Maddie didn’t know how he did it (actually she had a sinking suspicion it was his haphazard driving) but the Fenton clan had managed to arrive ahead of schedule. The Ghost Assault Vehicle was now making its way through the streets, with Jack at the wheel and Maddie beside him, brandishing a map of the city.

“Do you even know what we’re looking for, Dad?” queried a semi-conscious Jazz. She rubbed the sleep out of her eyes as she woke up from her nap. Danny was already wide awake, his nose stuck in a book on the paranormal.

“Of course, I do, Jazzy-pants!” Jack replied boisterously. “Ghosts!” Jazz shook her head as Maddie gave Jack an exasperated look. She referred to her map again, trying to find her bearings. It was difficult, however, due to Jack unwillingness to slow down much since exiting the highway.

“I’m no genius, but I think that big giant T over there is our stop,” said Danny, speaking for the first time the entire trip. The others looked in the direction he was pointing at to see a rather large tower shaped like a giant T standing on an island in the bay. Blaming fatigue for not noticing it earlier and ignoring Danny’s sarcastic tone, Maddie instructed her husband to head towards the bay. They reached the entrance of a tunnel going underground toward Tower. There was a gate blocking the passage, obviously to ward off intruders. They drove up to a panel and pressed the call button.

To tell the truth, Jazz was getting pretty excited. They were mere moments from meeting the Teen Titans. Apart from her brother, these were the first heroes not related to ghosts she’d have met and she had Danny to thank for her interest. After finding out her brother’s secret, she had done quite bit of studying on not only teen psychology, but the psychology of superheroes as well. The problems of the average teen compounded by the weight and responsibility of being a hero were an extremely interesting topic. Originally a side project to delve into the mind of her brother, it became somewhat of her main focus of study, especially after Danny’s sudden change over the past year. She was even preparing a thesis paper on the subject. She was hoping to take advantage of this opportunity to get some insight from the teen heroes on the matter.

After a minute or two of waiting, the panel came to life with activity. They heard a slight yawn from the speaker (it was quite late at night/early in the morning) and a familiar face appeared onscreen.

“Titan’s Tower. How can I help you?” asked a fatigued Cyborg.

“Ghost hunters Jack and Maddie Fenton here, ready to kick ghost butt!” and enthusiastic Jack answered. Cyborg was slightly taken aback by the older man’s energy. He gave the most welcoming smile he could muster in him sleepy state.

“Hey, y’all! Welcome to Jump City!” Cyborg greeted. A click and a whine were heard as a scanner scanned their faces and RV. The lights on the panel changed from red to green and the gate rolled up, revealing the tunnel leading to the island. “Just follow the lights to the garage. We’ll be there to meet you.” The screen went blank as Jack floored it into the tunnel.

TTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTT

“They’re here,” Cyborg said with a yawn. The other Titans were all sleepy eyed; their rest having been interrupted by there expected guests arriving unexpectedly early. Well, most of them. Starfire was giddy, as always, eager to meet new faces.

“I thought they weren’t gonna be here for another four hours?” complained Robin tiredly.

“Hurry! Let us go and meet our guests!” Starfire exclaimed, floating up a few inches while doing so. She flew towards the elevator, giggling the whole way. Robin smiled at his girlfriend’s unending cheerfulness (a trait he loved about her). He and the other titans followed her to the elevator down to the basement garage.

DPTTDPTTDPTTDDPTTDPTTDP

As soon as the RV came to a stop, Jazz jumped out, thankful to be on solid ground. Her father’s driving always disturbed her. How a grown man could drive like he did and never get caught by the police was beyond her. But, she had to admit traveling with her father at the wheel was a lot faster than any other method. Maddie followed after her daughter, taking in her surroundings warily. Jack jumped out of the RV right after, brandishing a rather large bazooka. His eyes darted right to left, surveying the area for any threats. Danny was the last one to leave the vehicle. He also looked around, albeit more discreetly than his father. A door at the far end of the garage dinged, and then opened. The Fenton family turned their attention to the sight of the five Teen Titans walking out to greet them. Starfire flew ahead, a big smile on her face.

“Greetings, friends!” she began. “Welcome to our…” She wasn’t able to finish, as Jack pointed his bazooka at the floating figure.

“GHOST!” her cried as he pulled the trigger before anyone realized what was happening. Fortunately for everyone, the gun was of the non-lethal variety as Starfire was now covered in ecto-foam tm. She gave a shriek as she flew behind Robin’s cape for protection.

“Jack Fenton, you put down that Ecto-Foamer this instant!” fumed a rather flustered Maddie Fenton.

“But Maddie, it’s a ghost! Its flying and everything!” Jack replied, pointing towards the now hiding girl.

“Jack, you just shot one of our clients,” Maddie answered, trying to keep calm. “They’re superheroes, dear. Of course they can fly.” Jack looked back and forth between his wife and the girl still covered in Ecto-foam. The other heroes still had looks of shock written all over their faces. Realizing what he had done, Jack dropped the weapon and gave a sheepish grin.

“Uh, sorry about that,” he apologized. A smack could be heard as Jazz’s hand met with her forehead. Danny just shook his head. Raven surveyed the situation and wondered what the heck Cyborg had gotten them into.

“I’m extremely sorry about that,” Maddie said to Robin. “Jack gets a little…excited when it comes to ghost hunting.” She held out her hand. Robin took it in greeting. “Maddie Fenton, at your service.”

“I’m Robin. Welcome to Titan’s Tower,” the leader of the Titans replied. Jack stepped up and also shook Robin’s hand, nearly crushing it in the process. Robin wiggled the circulation back into his fingers as he glanced over to the two teens standing behind the ghost hunters.

“I hope you don’t mind, we brought our children along to help,” Maddie explained, answering Robin’s unasked question.

“Yup! Ghost hunting is a family affair for us Fentons,” Jack continued. “This is our daughter, Jasmine and our son Danny.”

“Dad, please. It’s Jazz,” Jazz said, exasperated. She shook hands with Robin. Danny just shrugged, not saying a word. Maddie frowned slightly at his rude silence.

“This is my team,” Robin began, pointing toward his fellow heroes. “You’ve already met Starfire.”

“Greetings?” Starfire said meekly, her usual energy replaced with caution. She waved from behind Robin, keeping her distance from Mr. Fenton.

“And you’ve talked to Cyborg over the phone,” Robin continued. Cyborg walked and shook hands with the couple. He then turned towards Jazz.

“So, bow’s that secretary job coming along?” he asked mischievously. Jazz blushed at the question, slightly embarrassed.

“Glad to see your hearing is back,” she said jokingly. “Sorry about the yelling.”

“It’s no problem. It takes more than that to take me out,” he boasted cockily. Jazz giggled. Danny wanted to gag right then and there. Was Jazz actually flirting with him?

“To tell you the truth, I’ve really wanted to meet all of you. What you guys do every day is really amazing! It’s great to meet some real live superheroes” Jazz exclaimed. Danny’s expression darkened at that remark. Robin coughed to get everyone’s attention then continued with the introductions.

“And that’s Beast Boy,” he said pointing toward the emerald titan. At the sound of his name, Beast boy sprang to life in full court jester mode. He was a jokester at heart and he was ready to try out some new material on their guests. But before he could utter a word, he suddenly realized that Mr. Fenton was standing in front of him. In his hand was a notebook, which he promptly handed to Beast Boy along with a pen.

“Could I have your autograph?” the large man asked the teen, who was dumbstruck by the request. The green boy quickly shook himself out of his funk and signed the notebook. Jack Fenton sported a big grin on his face as he walked back towards his wife, exclaiming, “I got his autograph!”

“And Raven,” Robin finished. Raven nodded to the new arrivals. She was doing her best to hide the fact that her interest was focused elsewhere.

Her first impression of the Fentons was definitely mixed. The father, Jack was a big bumbling oaf who was too hyper for his own good. He reminded her too much of Beast Boy, which explained the autograph scene. Maddie Fenton seemed capable enough. She seemed like an intelligent woman who knew what she was doing. She wondered how two people so different had ended up together.

Their daughter, Jazz seemed like an intelligent person, albeit a bit too perky for Raven’s tastes. She did notice something, however about her. An emotion that seemed to waft from not only her, but the mother as well, though it wasn’t as strong: worry. An overwhelming wave of worry could be felt coming from both the women. It was hard for her empathic senses not to notice. It wasn’t their job that had them worried, however. Their thoughts of concern seemed to be directed at the last member of the family, Danny.

Danny was the most mysterious of the four Fentons. He hadn’t said a word the entire time and seemed to give off an air of indifference, but at the same time Raven noticed he was all too aware of his surroundings. She observed that as Robin introduced each of the Titans that Danny had looked at each of them up and down, as though he were assessing their strengths and weaknesses with a glance. It was almost as if he saw them as a threat. When it was her turn for introductions, she could feel the chill of his attention as his intense glare bored through her. His electric blue eyes examined her only for a moment, but it seemed more like hours.

She stayed composed, not allowing the unsettled feeling that was gnawing at the pit of her stomach show outwardly. She glanced at Robin from the corner of her eye to see if he had picked up anything from Danny and found Robin’s eyes were furrowed slightly, a sign he had suspected something, but he wasn’t sure what. He escorted the guests to the elevator to take them to their temporary quarters, keeping up a cheerful demeanor, not letting on that he was troubled in the slightest.

“Let’s see if we can get the foam out of your hair, sweetie,” Maddie said to Starfire in a motherly tone as they walked through the hallway. Starfire smiled at the older woman’s kindness. “We’re not sure what long term exposure to living tissue would do.” Starfire’s smile faded as she turned slightly pale and gave a muted ‘eep’. Raven couldn’t but smile as she followed, observing from behind.

TTDPTTDPTTDPTTDPTTDPTT

Raven volunteered to escort the Fentons to their rooms so she could observe Danny a bit longer. Mr. and Mrs. Fenton shared one room, while Jazz and Danny shared another, much to the chagrin of Danny and the delight of Jazz. Raven could tell he wasn’t happy about the living arrangements, but he kept silent. She let them know that breakfast would be served at 9:30, and then left the family to settle in. As soon as Raven was gone, Jazz began gushing about meeting the teen crime fighters.

“I can’t believe we’re actually in Titan’s Tower, with the Teen Titans!” she exclaimed excitedly. Danny just rolled his eyes, then plugged his ears with ear buds and turned up his mp3 player. Truth be told, he felt somewhat betrayed by Jazz’s remarks. Real superheroes? Was what he had to go through everyday not important? Wasn’t he a hero? He felt his disdain for the Titans grow even more as he replayed the events of the night in his mind. He drifted off to sleep, drowning himself in dark gothic rock music.

As Raven made it to her room, her thoughts drifted back to Danny. There was something about him that troubled her deeply. She thought back to intense manner he had stared at all of them. She knew that the Titans, despite their almost celebrity status, weren’t welcome by all and she could handle a kid who wasn’t a fan. No, there was definitely more going on. Raven couldn’t shake the feeling he reminded her of something, or rather someone. It wasn’t just the stare, though, but his rather dark attitude, as though he felt the whole world would end any minute. It then dawned on her that his grim demeanor had reminded her of herself.

AN: Finally done with this one.

-Your Friendly Neighborhood Funkatron (Now with more FUNK!)

[Dragon]

Hello! and Sorry for the absence. This story is shaping up really well! I'm impressed. Your "Dark" Danny, as I will call him, though he may not be evil, he is certainly growing closer to that path. And also, there were a few well written parts in there. " Starfire flew ahead, a big smile on her face.

“Greetings, friends!” she began. “Welcome to our…” She wasn’t able to finish, as Jack pointed his bazooka at the floating figure.

“GHOST!” her cried as he pulled the trigger before anyone realized what was happening. Fortunately for everyone, the gun was of the non-lethal variety as Starfire was now covered in ecto-foam tm. She gave a shriek as she flew behind Robin’s cape for protection. "

VERY well written! It has just the touch of humor that this story needed. although, I think that Jack might start hunting "a medieval ghost in a blue cape" simply because Raven's powers are very ghostlike. Some of the similarites are: both can fly/hover; both can become intangible; both can move things with their powers(see Prisoners Of Love). I can see why you wrote that bit at the end
"As Raven made it to her room, her thoughts drifted back to Danny... It then dawned on her that his grim demeanor had reminded her of herself."

He does remind me of raven, a bit.

Keep up the good work! things are about to get messy... (And I don't mean the Ecto-Foamer)

[Funkatron]

Hello! and Sorry for the absence. This story is shaping up really well! I'm impressed. Your "Dark" Danny, as I will call him, though he may not be evil, he is certainly growing closer to that path. And also, there were a few well written parts in there. " Starfire flew ahead, a big smile on her face.

“Greetings, friends!” she began. “Welcome to our…” She wasn’t able to finish, as Jack pointed his bazooka at the floating figure.

“GHOST!” her cried as he pulled the trigger before anyone realized what was happening. Fortunately for everyone, the gun was of the non-lethal variety as Starfire was now covered in ecto-foam tm. She gave a shriek as she flew behind Robin’s cape for protection. "

VERY well written! It has just the touch of humor that this story needed. although, I think that Jack might start hunting "a medieval ghost in a blue cape" simply because Raven's powers are very ghostlike. Some of the similarites are: both can fly/hover; both can become intangible; both can move things with their powers(see Prisoners Of Love). I can see why you wrote that bit at the end
"As Raven made it to her room, her thoughts drifted back to Danny... It then dawned on her that his grim demeanor had reminded her of herself."

He does remind me of raven, a bit.

Keep up the good work! things are about to get messy... (And I don't mean the Ecto-Foamer)

Thanks a while bunch, Dragon. Glad someone is reading this. For you, I give a cookie!

Yeah, I did it on purpose. Both Danny and Raven are now oposites of what they were: Raven is now a bit more cheerful with a more optimistic view on life, while Danny is dark and broody and sees the world through black, black sunglesses. Ironically, their opposites are what the other's was. I'll definately build on this later on in the story :D

[Dragon]

No problem! I enjoy commenting! I ceratinly hope that this is one of the stories that gets completed. most authors write a part, then get bored and leave in the middle of a story. I know I am trying to make sure that doesn't happen with my own tale. keep up the good work! I cannot express my enthusiasm with mere words. and so, i tip my hat to you, or would, if I had one. So I'll have to settle with tipping my wing instead!

P.S could you take a look at my story? It's the Wolf's Return. I'd greatly appreciate it.

[Mandi-chan]

That was a great chapter, I loved your humor too (I could see Jack's reaction with fantastic clarity in my mind :p...poor Star.).

I love the Raven/Danny stuff (starting to think you may hook them up or make them close friends due to the similarity they share).

I can't wait to read chapter 7!

[Funkatron]

That was a great chapter, I loved your humor too (I could see Jack's reaction with fantastic clarity in my mind :p...poor Star.).

I love the Raven/Danny stuff (starting to think you may hook them up or make them close friends due to the similarity they share).

I can't wait to read chapter 7!

Thanks, Mandi-chan New chappy hopefully later this week

[Funkatron]

Author’s Notes: I am soooo terribly sorry. I made you guys wait a whole month for a new chapter. I really apologize to my fans. School work came up and work and…well, a little something called “Gears of War” showed up and got my immediate attention for quite a bit. Now that I’ve made more time I was able to come out with a new chapter. Next one might not come for another two weeks, since finals are almost upon me (my online courses have a weird schedule).

What’s in this new chapter? Well, the title says it all. Not only that, we get a glimpse at the main villains and a very familiar ghost. Questions get …more questions, Jazz gets attacked by something pink and Starfire steals the show at the end. Now on with the show!

Chapter 7: Breakfast with the Fentons

The hunter flew through empty green space known as the Ghost Zone, with his recent capture in tow. He observed his surroundings as he passed by. This part of the infinite space was even more desolate than others. The glow that seemed prevalent in this dimension seemed to change its hue the further he flew; from the normal green of common ectoplasm to an ominous, fiery red. His destination, a lone land mass, finally came into view. Rivers of magma flowed through spiky, jagged rocks that covered the landscape. Fire pits spewed flames in regular intervals into the air. In the center of it all was a castle, carved of the same black volcanic rock that surrounded it. He landed and promptly entered the building.

Even with his advanced armor protecting him, the ghost could feel the heat emanating from the center chamber. He knew that if he spent too much time here, he would go insane. Even the flame on his own head was nothing compared to the flames within. He arrived at the center chamber, to his master. The hunter kneeled down immediately. In front of him was a wall of flame, concealing his master from view. Even with this, he could feel the piercing glare, which seemed to raise the temperature even further, if that was even possible.

“Do you have him?” a voice behind the flames asked. He nodded, placing in front of him the cage which he had been carrying. Inside it was none other than the Box Ghost, who was cowering in fear.

“You failed me, Box Ghost,” the voice proclaimed ominously. The Box Ghost shook in fright before he tried to defend himself.

“It was not m-my fault, M-Master,” he stuttered. “Someone stood in my way…”

“I sent you to do one simple task,” the voice interrupted, its volume rising with every word. “I gave you the power to complete this task. Who was it that was strong enough to stand in your way?!” As his anger rose, so did the flames that concealed him. The Box Ghost tried desperately to get as far away from the fire as possible. The heat was unbearable as he huddled in the far side of the cage.

“The gem,” he answered meekly. The flames, as quickly as they flared up, died down to their original height. The Box Ghost wasn’t sure he was happy or scared that he was still in one piece.

“The Gem is in the city?” the malevolent being asked. The box-obsessed specter nodded. The voice was quiet for a moment. He didn’t have to search far for her after all. The silence didn’t last for long as the chamber was soon filled with maniacal laughter. Both the hunter and the Box Ghost shuddered at the sound.

“Very well. Free him,” he commanded. His servant obliged and soon the Box Ghost was free from his bondage. He was glad that he wasn’t punished for his failure. That is, until he heard the next sentence. “You services are no longer required.”

His eyes went wide as made a break for the exit. Unfortunately, it was already too late. A column of fire sprang forth from the wall of flame and quickly overtook the fleeing ghost. His screams echoed the castle before they suddenly ceased. With that out of the way, the master turned his attention to the hunter, who witnessed the event without uttering a word, for fear that he would suffer the same fate.

“His mission is now yours,” he stated simply. “Find me those items. And in addition, I want you to test the gem for me.”

“You don’t want her captured?” the hunter asked carefully. He didn’t want to anger his master any further.

“Not yet. I want to see how powerful she is,” the voice answered. His servant nodded and flew off to capture its prey.

“You think Skulky will be able to handle the task?’ another voice, very feminine in nature, asked. A column of smoke and fire appeared in the chamber. All that could be seen through the billowing cloud was a large smile, like that of a Cheshire cat.

“I want you to be there if he can’t,” the master answered. “It’s of little consequence if he does fail. I have many more where he came from.”

“As you command, father,” she replied as the cloud dissipated into nothing.

TTDPTTDPTTDPTTDPTTDPTT

Morning came too quickly for many of the inhabitants and visitors of the tower. For some, however, it couldn’t come soon enough. Jack Fenton was one of the first to wake up. Bright-eyed and bushy-tailed, he was ready to face a day of ghost hunting and trying out new gadgets. He pried his sleepy wife out of bed, wanting to start their hunt of the ghosts haunting the city immediately. His priorities changed, however once his stomach spoke up, loudly. Not one to say no to food, Jack exited the room into the hallway and went in search of food. Maddie followed, rubbing sleep out of her eyes, not wanting her husband to get lost in their unfamiliar surroundings.

The kitchen wasn’t hard to find, as the smell of breakfast was already wafting in the air. The couple followed their noses till they arrived at the source. Cyborg, along with his recent pupil turned assistant, Raven, were preparing a breakfast large enough to serve nine people. Any and every type of breakfast food was being made to feed their guests. While Raven was scrambling eggs, Cyborg was flipping his famous flapjacks and was sizzling bacon. Maddie offered a helping hand to the two teens.

“It’s alright, Mrs. Fenton,” replied Cyborg. “We got it covered.”

“I insist,” the older woman answered, her motherly instincts kicking in. She donned a matching apron and proceeded to help them in making the meal. Jack, while no one was looking, tried to sneak in a taste. As soon as his hand got closer, it was slapped promptly by his wife, who swiftly shooed him away from the busy kitchen.

Robin and Starfire came in, hand in hand. Maddie and Raven both smiled, a knowing look in both their eyes as the young couple stare at each other intently. Cyborg feigned disgust as he cooked, hoping to tease them after he was done with the preparations. Robin and Starfire headed towards the table, until Star realized Mr. Fenton was in the room. She timidly stepped back behind Robin, placing him between her and Jack. Robin chuckled under his breathe at the recent phobia of his girlfriend.

“It’s alright, Star,” Robin said, trying to ease her discomfort. “He’s not going to hurt you.”

“I do not with to be covered in the green foam again. It was most disgusting,” Starfire squeaked from behind him.

“Don’t worry about Jack, dear,” Maddie chimed in. “He’s just one big teddy bear.”

“Are not bears large, ferocious creatures on this planet?” Starfire asked, even more wary. Jack’s shoulders drooped slightly.

Danny came in to the kitchen next. Unlike everyone else, he seemed unaffected by the lack of sleep. He was used living of very little sleep due to his late night activities. As a matter of fact, he woke up quite early that morning. As Phantom, he mapped the Tower, noting all the bathrooms and other places he could transform without being seen or caught on camera. He also made note of all the Titan’s rooms and various points of interest. ‘Know thy enemy’ as the saying went. He sat at a seat apart from everyone else, reading the ‘Almanac’s Guide to the Supernatural’. Maddie’s eyebrows crinkled slightly while Raven glanced quizzically.

Raven knew whatever problems Danny was having was none of her business, but he still intrigued her. He was an enigma; a mystery that strangely enough seemed all too familiar to her. The fact that his behavior was so similar to her own a few months ago seemed to increase her curiosity of the boy. She wondered what could have caused him to act the way he did. Contrary to their unusual occupation, the Fentons seemed to care for their son, if the worrying still emanating from the mother and Jazz were any indication. She wondered if he had any friends at all. She couldn’t imagine what her life would have been like if she had never met the other Titans. If she even would have a life. The Titans were the only family she had left.

“Hey Rae!” called Cyborg. “The eggs are burning!” Cyborg’s warning woke her from her reverie as she tried to save the eggs from result of her neglect. She glanced over at Robin. He, too, was keeping an eye on the younger Fenton. There something he couldn’t quite pinpoint about him. Just then, Jazz came in yawning and scratching her stomach.

“Has anyone seen…” she started until she spotted her brother in the corner. “Never mind.” She was alarmed this morning to find his bed empty and was relieved that he was alright. She walked over to the kitchen table with her father. She was a bit startled to see her mother helping out with the cooking: her mother had a tendency to mix food with ghost hunting, which led to leftovers attacking them literally. She was relieved to see that none of her mother’s ecto-enhanced cooking equipment was in the kitchen.

A green bloodhound was the last to enter the kitchen as it sniffed its way to breakfast. It morphed into a famished Beast Boy, who stumbled into the kitchen, until he realized what was being cooked.

“MEAT?!” he cried, outraged. “Come on, Cy. That’s disgusting!”

“What’s disgusting is that tofu crud you’re always eating. Meat is part of a balanced breakfast, especially when there’s lots of it,” Cyborg countered, while he sizzled some bacon. Beast Boy looked ready to continue the argument until he realized Robin was glaring at him menacingly. Remembering what Robin said yesterday about being polite in front of their guests, he backed down. Raven promptly plopped down a tofu-centric breakfast in front of him. Any outrage he had was now overtaken by hunger as he began to ingest his meal.

Danny flinched visibly from the argument. It was overly reminiscent of the arguments Tucker and Sam would have over food. Sam being an outgoing ultrarecyclovegatarian and Tucker being a meat lover, they would but heads during every meal, usually with Danny in the middle. Danny shook his head, trying in vain to disperse the waves of nostalgia and regret. Jazz glanced at her brother, seeing the conflict on his face. She felt torn watching his face contort slightly. She wished she could help him but at the same time was relieved he showed regret for isolating himself. Danny quickly straightened out his face, showing as little emotion as possible. He had to focus. The sooner he figured out whatever was happening here, the sooner he could return to and protect his city.

As everyone finished their meal, Jazz jumped slightly from her seat. Something soft and small had rubbed up against her leg during the meal, startling her. She looked down to see who or what it was. She suddenly let out a blood curdling scream as she jumped up, falling back along with her chair. A caterpillar the size of a cat was latched onto her leg, making happy noises as it rubbed against her.

“GHOST!” Jack Fenton screamed as an ecto-blaster was already in hand. Maddie Fenton was next to her husband, weapon also in hand, ready for anything.

“Please, don’t shoot my little Silkie!” cried and exasperated Starfire. She flew over to the creature and outstretched her hands. Upon seeing her, the caterpillar squeaked in delight and jumped into her waiting arms. “Are you alright, my little bumgorf?” she cooed as she rubbed its belly. Its stubby legs wiggled in delight. All four Fentons watched the scene unfold in morbid curiosity.

“Wha-what is that?” asked Jazz, finally shaking off her initial shock.

“This is my little bumgorf, Silkie,” Starfire said nonchalantly. “He is a genetically modified mutated killer moth larva. Isn’t he adorable?” she explained as if it was completely normal to dote on a mutant larva. Cyborg and Beast Boy glanced at each other with silly grins on their faces, trying desperately to hide their amusement. Raven hid a smile at the reaction of their guests. She tried suppressed a chuckle when someone let one out of their own, albeit discreetly. She turned in the direction of the quiet laughter to find Danny, who was just moments before brooding, was now chuckling at the plight of his older sister. She was glad that at least he had a sense of humor, albeit a morbid one.

“Now that we’re done with breakfast,” started Robin, interrupting the commotion. Everyone stopped what they were doing and focused their attention at the boy wonder. “We can get down to business.” Maddie nodded, her facing turning serious.

“We are going to need a detailed account on the ghost you encountered,” Maddie said, pulling out a notepad and digital voice recorder. The titans looked at each other warily as Robin began recounting their meeting with the ghost in the warehouse. The Titans had decided before hand to leave out any connection between Raven and Trigon. They never told the city government or the media that Trigon was Raven’s father. Despite her growing openness, Raven was still probably the most private of the team and they all respected her privacy, especially when it came to her parentage. They did, however, explain how the artifact was related to Trigon. The Fentons listened intently to the encounter. Danny was sitting in the corner, pretending to read his book.

“The ghost attacked using crates from the warehouse,” Robin said halfway through his description. Jazz suddenly began spraying the coffee she had been drinking out of her mouth in surprise.

“He used boxes? What did he look like?” she asked fervently. Danny’s eyebrow rose from behind the book her was reading.

“Looked like a warehouse worker. Skullcap, overalls, boots,” Cyborg described.

“And he said ‘beware’ a whole lot,” chimed in Beast Boy. Both Jazz and her mother had confused looks on their faces while Jack’s face lit up.

“Sounds like that annoying ghost from back home!” Jack bellowed excitedly.

“But that can’t be right,” Jazz responded. “It doesn’t sound like him.” It was the Titans’ turn to wear confused looks. “Box Ghost is a regular spook in our town. He’s annoying but mostly harmless.”

“Tell that to the two guys he flattened,” Cyborg interjected. Jazz blanched at the mental image.

“If it is the same ghost, what could have caused him to change so much?” Maddie questioned.

“He did mention a master. We think someone else is controlling him,” Robin answered. “Whoever it is either connected to or is at least interested in Trigon and the order of Skath.”

“First thing we need to do is examine the scene of the crime, so to speak,” Maddie stated.

“That’s actually a good idea. The curator called this morning. He has the inventory of the warehouse,” Robin agreed. “Raven is our magic expert. She and I are going. You should come as well, Mrs. Fenton.”

“I’m coming!” Jack called, bazooka already in hand.

“You stay here, Jack,” Maddie disagreed. Jack’s face fell. “If anything happens here, you can hold up the fort. Besides, you can teach the rest of the Titans about ghosts and our weapons.” Jack’s face gleamed once again.

“I can blab on and on about ghosts!” he exclaimed. Cyborg and Beast Boy shared worried looks. Jazz looked highly embarrassed, hiding her face behind her hands. Starfire floated over to Robin.

“May I come with you, Robin? I do not wish to be…” Starfire began, nodding involuntarily to Jack. Robin smiled understandingly.

“Sure, Star. You can come along too as back-up,” Robin agreed. Starfire squealed and hugged her boyfriend tightly while he blushed. Raven rolled her eyes at the lovebirds’ open display of affection. The four of them headed towards the elevator leading to the garage. As they headed out, Jack pulled out a large suitcase that seemed to come out of nowhere. With a glint in his eye, he opened it, revealing a slew of various ghost hunting equipment. Cyborg and Beast Boy gulped as the large man began his blabbing about his many inventions.

Jazz looked on at the scene, extremely embarrassed at her dad’s behavior. With everyone busy, she found this her chance to try and talk to Danny and hopefully help him. She turned to see what he was doing, only to find he was nowhere to be found. She sighed. He wasn’t going to follow them, was he?

DPTTDPTTDPTTDPTTDPTTDP

Danny Phantom flew overhead as he followed the Fenton RV to its destination: the warehouse district. When the vehicle parked, he became invisible and phased into the warehouse they entered. He kept his distance so he wouldn’t trigger his mom’s ghost hunting equipment. Landing on the rafters above, he thought about the Titans description of the ghost attack. Although it was definitely the Box Ghost they were describing, it made no sense.

Out of all the ghosts Phantom had ever faced, the Box Ghost was the least threatening of all. Like most ghosts, he had an obsession, which was evident by his name. Though he did haunt a few places, he never really hurt anyone. He was more of a nuisance than anything else. His normal MO would be to haunt box related locations (warehouses, Post offices, etc). When confronted he would normally monologue his intentions of ruling a world where boxes were in control. Though he provided some problems when Danny was just a rookie, it didn’t take more than 30 seconds to defeat him nowadays.

The way the Titans described him was different. They alleged that he was actually dangerous, and vicious. He wanted to attribute their account to their inexperience with handling ghosts. They admitted they couldn’t handle just one measly ghost, and the Box Ghost no less... When it came to ghost hunting they were the rookies and he was the pro. The Box ghost could never do the things they said he did… Not the current Box Ghost. Danny’s mind wandered back to that other timeline where he met a more hardened Box Ghost who probably would have no qualms killing anyone. In that same timeline where Danny was evil…

Images of his evil self flashed in his mind again. “I’m not gonna turn into that!” he mumbled to himself, trying to find comfort in his own words. He had to focus on his mission. He had to protect his mom while she was on the field just in case any ghost did appear. His mind now focused he thought back to the meeting that morning. After giving lies to cover his tracks many times before, he had a good feeling the Titans were hiding something. He could tell there was some information they weren’t telling his parents about their fight and about what they knew about Trigon. Finding out what it was they were hiding was going to be his top priority. He looked down as his Mother and the three Titans, Robin, Raven and Starfire met with someone below.

TTDPTTDPTTDPTTDPTTDPTT

“Professor Marcus!” Robin called. The professor was busy directing the movement of the museum’s boxes inside the warehouse. Various workers were moving the delicate artifacts, some by hand and others by forklifts, and followed the commands of the British curator. Upon hearing his name being called, the professor turned to his guests.

“Robin! So glad you can make it,” he greeted as he shook hands with the boy wonder. Robin turned to the rest of his party.

“You know Starfire and Raven,” Robin introduced. Starfire gave a heartwarming smile while Raven just nodded. “And this is Maddie Fenton. She’s a paranormal investigator we called in to deal with our little problem.” Maddie and Prof. Marcus shook as they exchanged hellos.

“I hope you can help us. The bugger left quite a bit of a mess,” Prof. Marcus stated, pointing towards the yellow tape that still closed off a section of the warehouse. A dried blood stain could be seen from behind the boundary.

Maddie nodded, her face suddenly turning serious. She already had a spectral analyzer in hand, ready to get to work. “Can someone show me where the ghost attacked?” she asked. Robin nodded to Starfire, who motioned Maddie to follow her. He then turned back towards the Professor.

“You said the inventory was finished?” Robin asked the curator.

“Yes, right this way, then,” the middle-aged British man replied. “It took my boys quite a bit of time getting things in order. Hopefully you can find out what the spook was looking for.”

“So do I,” Raven muttered as they entered another section of the building. Her eyes grew wide as she saw the daunting pile of books that lay in front of her. On the side were crates filled with various artifacts.

“Hope you can make heads or tails out of it,” the doctor hoped. “Half these books are in languages I never knew existed.”

Raven took a deep breathe and began to skim through the literature. She found there were indeed a vast variety of languages included, ranging from ancient Cimmerian to Latin. And that was from the man-made languages. Many of the tomes were in languages she barely recognized, most likely from other planets and dimensions. Though some were books on ancient history, many were spell books. Each one had the potential to wreak havoc and destruction if left in the wrong hands. Finding the one the ghost was looking for was going to be near impossible: like looking for a needle in a stack of needles.

She continued to browse, finding the search more and more futile until something caught her eye. One of the books stood out from all the rest. From out of all the books, this was the first one she saw that was written in a language she knew all too well: Azarian. The language of her dimension. It was leather-bound and simply had the title “Book of Spells” written on the cover. She opened the book only to find however blank pages.

“Find something?” the boy wonder asked, breaking Raven’s reverie. She nodded, holding up the book in her hand. He walked over next to her.

“This has to be it,” Raven imposed. Robin frowned upon seeing the blank pages.

“You know I trust you judgment, Raven, but why would he be looking for a blank book?” Robin queried.

“The cover is in Azarian, just like the tattoos on the ghost,” Raven answered. “And the book isn’t blank. It’s just hidden.” She placed her hand over the book and extended her powers out towards it. She felt a tingle of magic coming from it, confirming her suspension. “They used magic to hide the writing.”

“I had a feeling it might be that one,” interjected Prof. Marcus. Both Titans turned towards him. “That one is cursed.”

“What do you mean by that?” asked Robin curiously.

“The excavators found it in a wall of the lower levels of the Library. Once they found it there was a cave in that blocked the lower levels. Only one man and that book made it out.” Robin and Raven cringed. “It gives most of us the willies. So if you’re planning on taking away that thing, be my guest.”

“You really think this is all he was looking for?” Robin asked discreetly.

“I’m almost positive this what he wanted. I can’t tell if it was the only thing, though,” the sorceress answered. “Everything here is potentially dangerous. If anything, it’ll slow down whoever is looking for it.”

“Let’s see what Mrs. Fenton and Star found, then,” Robin declared, satisfied they accomplished something. They thanked Prof. Marcus and headed off to the scene of the ghost attack.

Meanwhile Starfire watched in fascination as Maddie Fenton scanned the area for any clues. Her hood and goggles were now over her head, a sign she was focused and determined. As she continued her survey, Starfire spotted her friends coming to join them.

“Raven, Robin! I trust your search yielded results?” asked the orange alien girl. Raven held up the book they had found.

“We think this is what he was looking for,” Raven answered.

“Glorious! We shall be able to solve this mystery soon, yes?” exclaimed Starfire jubilantly.

“We’re not sure about that yet, Star,” Robin replied. “Have you found anything, Mrs. Fenton?” Maddie pulled off her hood and frowned.

“I was able to get plenty of readings. But they’re baffling to say the least,” the older woman replied.

“How so, Mrs. Fenton,” asked Starfire curiously.

“Have a look,” Maddie replied, showing them her instrument. “This is a Spectral wavelength analyzer. Jack and I invented it a few months back. It measures the distinct ectoplasmic pattern of a ghost. It helps us to identify which ghost is which.”

“So it reads ghost DNA?” Robin deduced.

“You can say that. Actually according to Jazz it’s more analogous to brainwaves,” Maddie explained. “Which if you think about it makes perfect sense. A ghost is normally created by strong emotions of a person imprinted onto ectoplasm. So it’d make sense a ghost’s ‘DNA’ would be brain waves.”

“So there’s something weird about this ghost’s patterns?” asked Raven. She had a bad feeling about where this was going.

“Yes. It’s almost as if there were two signatures here,” Maddie answered. “Are you sure there was only one ghost?” The Titans nodded in reply.

“So there were two ghosts that night?” Robin asked. Maddie shook her head.

“Normally I’d say yes but the way they are interacting is what troubles me,” she clarified. She pointed to the screen where two wave patterns were on screen. One was colored orange while the other blue. “They’re overlapping. This orange one seems to be almost overshadowing and influencing the other one. I’ve never seen anything like it.”

“So it was being controlled by another ghost?” Raven asked, her face blanching slightly. Could it have been the ghost of her father?

“It’s the first time I’ve heard of such a thing, but it looks like it. I’ll need to confer with Jack to see what he thinks,” Maddie answered.

“We should head back to the tower,” Robin declared. “Whatever is in that book is the key to this. We’ll also need a battle plan incase we bump into another ghost.”

“Jack and Jazz should already be starting demonstrating our weapons to the others,” Maddie concurred. They all headed back to the RV.

TTDPTTDPTTDPTTDPTTDPTT

The ride back to the tower was a quiet one. Robin sat in front with Mrs. Fenton, exchanging theories and ideas on their next plan of action. Meanwhile, Raven and Starfire sat in the back. Raven had an anxious look on her face, as she mulled over the mystery they were trying to solve.

“A copper coin for your brain activity?” asked Starfire. Raven had to smile at Starfire’s misuse of Earth idioms.

“Its ‘a penny for your thoughts’, Star,” Raven replied. She sighed before continuing. “I think its Trigon. It has to be.”

“But there is no proof to prove that assumption,” Starfire countered. “You defeated him.”

“But you heard what Mrs. Fenton said. It was another ghost controlling that one we fought,” she said wearily. “What if he came back as a ghost? What if he’s stronger and I can’t stop him?”

“We will defeat him or whoever it is we shall fight,” Starfire reassured. “We’ll win because we are stronger together than we ever could apart.” Starfire tried to put extra emphasis on ‘we’. The last thing they needed was Raven trying to do everything on her own.

Before Raven could respond the lights in the RV suddenly flashed green. A voice sounded from the speakers of the vehicle, “Proximity Alert! Ghost detected!” Everything suddenly became chaotic as the van lurched to the side. Loose items tumbled around as the RV began to flip over. The Fenton RV finally skidded to a stop, upside down.

“Is everybody ok?” Robin asked. Luckily, everyone was wearing their seatbelts: they were all hanging upside down from their seats.

“I am unharmed,” Starfire replied. She looked over to Raven. “Are you undamaged, Raven?”

“I’ll live,” Raven replied. She unbuckled herself and used her powers to float safely to the ceiling (now turned floor). They were all able to open the doors and climb out of the vehicle.

“What hit us?” Robin asked Mrs. Fenton. Before she could reply, Raven pointed towards the street.

“I think you should ask that,” She said in a sarcastic tone. Various tentacles protruded from the street in front of them. Whatever they were attached to began rising from underground. In a few moments they were confronted with a very large green ghost octopus. It gave a deafening wail as it eyed the four menacingly.

“I believe the correct term for this situation is ‘oh ****?” Starfire asked. The others looked at her, dumb founded.

“I think that’s pretty accurate, Star,” Raven agreed.

Authors Notes:

See you next chapter!

[Dragon]

I just have a couple questions about this chaptr.

1) what happened to Box Ghost? I doubt we've seen the last of him.

2) Much more random Question here: Do you have any OC's (original Character) or clones?

I tried not to interfere to much here. your tales are getting much more cryptic, harder for even the most riddle obsessed Dragon to decipher.

Speaking of riddles

I am never out of bed, yet I always run
I have a mouth thats always open
I babble, murmer and roar, but never say a word
I leap and race, but I have no feet to speak of
What am I?

Sorry, I'm a dragon. and you know dragons and riddles.

Well, I have to sweep my cave clean of brimstone (do you have any idea how hard it is to find an isolated cave with plenty of prey these days?)

Ta Ta for Now

[Funkatron]

I just have a couple questions about this chaptr.

1) what happened to Box Ghost? I doubt we've seen the last of him.

2) Much more random Question here: Do you have any OC's (original Character) or clones?

I tried not to interfere to much here. your tales are getting much more cryptic, harder for even the most riddle obsessed Dragon to decipher.

Speaking of riddles

I am never out of bed, yet I always run
I have a mouth thats always open
I babble, murmer and roar, but never say a word
I leap and race, but I have no feet to speak of
What am I?

Sorry, I'm a dragon. and you know dragons and riddles.

Well, I have to sweep my cave clean of brimstone (do you have any idea how hard it is to find an isolated cave with plenty of prey these days?)

Ta Ta for Now
1. Boxey? His purpose has been fulfilled in this story. His services are no longer required *sends flaming fireball at said ghost* He'll probably be back in a later story...maybe....

2. My villains are OC's through and through. They have a connection with Raven that I'm quite pleased I thought of. Stay tuned to find about thier origin

[Dragon]

Thanks for the answers. I have all the answers I needed. I asked one question, and got the outcome I was hoping for. I tip my wing to you.

And my riddle is a river.

Sorry, I'm a dragon!

Though I don't have an Amulet Of Aragon (which, for any who need it, is the proper spelling.

Being a intuitive dragon is fun! (casts mind reading power about, settling on the author.)

Ta Ta for Now!

[Funkatron]

Rough around the edges and a little bit late but it's done! Chapter 8



Chapter 8: Friend or Foe?

“And this is the Fenton Ghost weasel! It captures ghosts with its Fenton patented suction system!” explained an excited Jack Fenton as he showed off another invention to his audience. Cyborg and Beast Boy we stuck between a rock and a hard place as they forced to listen to the man’s rantings about ghosts and ghost related fighting equipment. Jazz stood in the sidelines, trying desperately to tone down her father’s excited behavior, but to no avail.

“Isn’t that just a vacuum cleaner with the word ‘Fenton’ on it?” asked Beast Boy, finding the courage to speak. Both Jazz and Cyborg looked back and forth between Beast Boy and Jack, not sure on how Jack would react.

“That’s what we want the ghosts to think!” he answered nonchalantly. Jazz smacked her forehead for the umpteenth time. She looked at Cyborg apologetically and shrugged. He smiled at the sentiment as the elder Fenton continued his fervent and proud explanations of his (and his wife’s) various creations. In truth he found some of their ideas and concepts to be fascinating while others to be completely off the wall. Mr. Fenton’s almost childlike behavior didn’t help the matter much. Finding the nerve to speak, he finally decided to do something about it.

“Uhh, Mr. F?” he asked. “Your inventions are really interesting and all but could just have a short break? It’s been almost 2 hours.”

“You can never learn enough about ghosts,” Jack said matter of factly, baffled that his audience wanted to take a break from such a fascinating topic.

“You know, dad,” Jazz stepped in. “I think mom left some fudge in the kitchen.” Jack’s eyes glazed over slightly at the thought of his wife’s home made fudge.

“Class dismissed!” he hollered as he rushed to the kitchen to claim his prize. Cyborg and Beast Boy watched the man move faster than any person his size should have moved. They turned back to Jazz, who had a satisfied smirk on her face.

“You could have that done a lot sooner, you know,” said Cyborg. Her smirk grew even wider.

“Could have. But I was having too much fun seeing you guys squirm,” she replied.

“I don’t know about you but I’m outta here,” Beast Boy declared as he made his escape before Jack Fenton returned. Transforming into a ferret, he climbed into one of the air ducts, leaving Jazz and Cyborg alone in the main room. They were silent for a few moments before Jazz spoke.

“They do work, you know,” Jazz said suddenly. Cyborg looked at her questioningly. “Their inventions, I mean. I saw that look on your face when my dad was off on his ghost tangent. Well, actually, they mostly work. Some of their stuff still has a few kinks in them.” Cyborg chuckled at the last part.

“Your dad seems very…energetic about ghosts,” Cyborg put it lightly.

“He gets like that sometimes. He really is a genius, though,” Jazz replied. “Both my parents are. Though I question their sanity sometimes. It’s ironic, actually. I spent most of my life trying to distance myself from my parent’s wacky ideas about ghosts. And yet here I am, helping them.”

“What changed?” Cyborg asked thoughtfully.

“Ghosts actually showed up, what else?” she answered. “It’s hard to dispute the existence of ghosts when they are trying to attack you. It was actually a good thing, really. I’ve been able to help them a bit recently.”

“Sounds interesting,” Cyborg said, finding himself quite fascinated by Jazz’s perspective. He wasn’t sure if it was the topic or the speaker he found more interesting, though. “What kind of stuff have you been working on?”

“Well, I’ve been trying to get my parent’s to see ghosts from a psychological perspective,” she answered, excited someone was actually interested in what she had to say. “I was able to help them find a new way to track and study ghosts through their spectral signature.”

“Spectral signature?” Cyborg queried.

“Well, the basic theory of ghosts is that they are imprints of a person’s psyche or strong emotion in energy form, ectoplasm,” Jazz began explaining. “So their ghost consciousness should have a signature similar to brain waves. It stronger as the ghost gets stronger and should be unique for every ghost. Sort of like their DNA. So not only can you get a better understanding of a ghost’s state, you could also tell which ghost is which.”

“That could come in handy,” Cyborg commented. “That was pretty smart to make the connection.” Jazz blushed.

“Oh, no it was nothing,” she stammered, embarrassed. “I’m majoring in psychology this fall so I had a unique perspective. We’re still trying to figure out whether there is any correlation with a spectral signature and a ghost’s abilities. I think if we understand them better, it’ll make stopping them a lot easier.” Cyborg nodded intently, captivated by Jazz’s words. Jazz continued her explanation, worries of her brother now long forgotten.

TTDPTTDPTTDPTTDPTTDPTT

The ecto-pus roared again, its voice rattling windows and setting off car alarms. Innocent bystanders, long since used to emergencies such as these, made their hasty retreat, leaving the monster for the Titans to battle. The four eyes of the beast focused its sights on the three Teen Titans and one ghost hunter who were poised and ready to attack.

“Titans! Scatter!” Robin called to his team as they followed his orders. They jumped out of the way just as numerous tentacles smashed into the spot they had just occupied. Raven and Starfire (who was holding Maddie Fenton) took to the air while Robin somersaulted backwards till he landed on top of a nearby car. Starfire placed Maddie behind the same car, and then floated next to her beau.

“How do we defeat such a creature?” Starfire asked warily, their defeat in the last attack still fresh in her memory. Maddie, ecto-gun already in hand, placed a hand on Starfire’s shoulder.

“Don’t worry, dear,” she answered in a motherly tone, “I’ll handle this,” she finished, the tone now replaced by a serious one. Training her gun on the massive ghost, she flipped over the car they were hiding behind and began shooting. The other Titans were shocked for a moment by the woman’s bravado, but quickly shook it off.

“Raven, back her up. You’re the only one who seems to have any effect on the ghosts,” Robin ordered.

“I’m on it,” she answered as she went off to provide some support. “Lucky me,” she muttered under her breathe. She watched as Maddie fired at the ghost while deftly evading its tentacle attacks. Raven was impressed on how the woman moved so fast. As it missed her yet again, the ghost hit a car, detonating it on impact. Seeing an opportunity, Raven used her dark powers to levitate the flaming wreckage and hurled it at the beast. The impromptu projectile, still incased in her dark magic, hit the creature, causing it to wail and retreat slightly. Raven was satisfied with her success as she confirmed a theory. Her powers seemed to have an effect on ghosts, so as long as she kept the influence of her dark magic on any object when it hit, she could hurt them.

Maddie was also impressed by Raven’s attack. She planned on asking Raven a few things on her powers and to study how much an effect it had on ectoplasm. But the battle wasn’t over yet. The monster, now even more enraged, advanced once again, flinging its tentacles around menacingly. Raven looked around, looking for anything that would dent the beast. She spotted a tall light post that had fallen due to the attack. Surrounding it in dark energy, she lifted it high into the air and straight down onto the ghost. The lamppost cut through the specter like a hot knife through butter, splitting it into two quivering masses of ectoplasm. Raven sighed in relief. She flew down towards Mrs. Fenton. She suddenly heard a gasp from Starfire’s direction and turned to where she was pointing.

The two blobs of ectoplasm were quivering violently. Tentacles began sprouting from both until there were not one but two ecto-pusses glaring menacingly.

“Is it supposed to do that?” Raven asked sardonically. Before Maddie could answer, one of the newly formed ghosts lashed out. Raven couldn’t react in time as she was knocked out of the sky by a green tentacle. Maddie ran towards the fallen Titan, bazooka in hand. She tried to drive them off with a few shots, but it only served to irritate the beasts. Starfire flew at breakneck speed to her friends, trying to get there in time.

Raven tried shaking off the shock of her sudden unexpected landing. She looked up to see the ghosts readying an attack. She tried focusing her powers to form a shield to protect her and Mrs. Fenton but her recent fall still left her in an unfocused daze. She closed her eyes as numerous tentacles leapt forwards like missiles, closing in on her. She waited for the strike…

And felt nothing. She waited a few moments more, wondering why she hadn’t felt anything. She opened one eye, daring to peak. It took a few moments to register what she saw. She and Mrs. Fenton were surrounded by the eerie glow of some sort of green energy shield. The shield was what was currently keeping them safe from the giant specters as they began to beat on it incessantly. Her attention, however, was focused to the figure that shared the shield with them.

She recognized his features instantly: jet black jumpsuit, accented by white gloves, boots and collar. The wild snowy white hair. It was the ghost boy that she had seen in briefing the Titans had a few days ago. Phantom. But he looked different. The picture that she had seen was that of a young teenage boy. The figure that floated in front of her was much different. His frame, though still lean, was more defined than the picture she had seen. He also seemed to be much taller than she had imagined.

His hands were raised as he maintained the shield that kept them safe from the ghosts outside. He turned his head to her as he continued to protect them. His neon green eyes seemed to burrow holes into her soul. The intensity of his gaze left her speechless for a few moments.

“You ok?” he asked suddenly. The abrupt question left her hesitant. The girl who always seemed to have a sarcastic remark at the tip of her tongue had nothing to say. She simply nodded.

“We’re fine,” Maddie Fenton replied. Raven, remembering she wasn’t alone, turned to Mrs. Fenton. The older woman eyed Phantom reluctantly. It had been a long time since she had been this close to him. He had been unusually reclusive the past year. Maddie and Jack had long since agreed to an unspoken ceasefire with the ghost boy, as long as he was helping in driving the other ghosts away. She too noticed the difference in him. Ghosts’ changing their appearance wasn’t unheard of, but it was very uncommon. Most times it happened when a ghost reached a certain level of power. But for Phantom, it seemed he was actually growing like a living person. It only made Maddie even more curious of the ghost.

Phantom only nodded, and then focused his attention back on the threats outside. The Ecto-pusses were still bashing on the shield, hoping to find a weak spot to exploit. Raven noticed only a hint of discomfort as Phantom stood his ground. His hands suddenly grew brighter with emerald ghost energy as the shield that protected them unexpectedly expanded. It spread in all directions, taking the spirits by surprise and knocking them back several blocks. Starfire and Robin hid behind a car as the wave of energy damaged everything in its wake. Several windows and lampposts shattered under the onslaught. The energy finally dissipated, leaving broken glass and cracked concrete in the aftermath.

Starfire and Robin, seeing they were relatively safe for now, left their hiding spot and advanced towards the others. Starfire immediately wrapped her arms around Raven in one of her signature bone-crushing hugs.

“Raven!” she squealed. “I am so happy you have not purchased the land of agriculture!”

“Star… can’t breathe,’ Raven was able to mutter. Starfire let go apologetically. She then turned towards Phantom.

“I thank most wholeheartedly for protecting my friends!” Starfire exclaimed cheerfully. “I hope that we can be allies in the fu…” She stopped abruptly as Phantom held up one finger. He glanced towards where he had blasted the enemy. Turning back to the Titans, he looked at Robin and simply uttered the following:

“Just stay out of my way.” And with that he shot like a bullet towards the enemy.

“Real friendly,” Raven said, her monotonic voice dripping in sarcasm.

DPTTDPTTDPTTDPTTDPTTDP

Danny had been careless. After his mom and the Titans left the warehouse, he decided to have a look around of his own. During his mom’s sweep of the building, he felt something. He couldn’t quite place it, but his ghost sensed a familiar presence that wasn’t completely the same. By the time he had a chance to investigate further, the feeling disappeared as quickly as it had appeared. After coming up empty, he went to catch up with the Fenton Assault Vehicle.

He was relieved that he was able to show up in time to protect his mother. When he had arrived, the Fenton RV was overturned and he found two larger than normal Ecto-pusses attacking his mother and that dark girl, Raven. But even with their larger than normal size, he was able to hold them back and add some distance.

At the moment he was speeding towards where he has blasted them off to. He could see the ghosts were not too happy that their meal was interrupted. As they shook off the effects of the attack, one of them was suddenly slammed into a nearby building by a small white and black blur. The blur had hit it right in the eye, which caused it to bellow in pain. Danny stopped in mid flight and turned towards the other ecto-pus. He held out his hand and motioned for it to come get him. The ecto-pus was glad to oblige as it shot its tentacles at the ghost teen.

Unfortunately, it hit nothing but air. Phantom had deftly dodged the rapidly moving appendages. It tried again to attack its new prey, but its effort was met with the same result. The ghost boy simply dodged each attack, without even breaking out a sweat. He mocked the large beast by yawning, which infuriated it even more.

“Is that the best you got?” Phantom teased. He dodged left as another tentacle sailed passed him. He performed a backwards flip as another one tried to swipe him from the right. Backing up, he smirked, and then motioned the ghost to once again to attack. Its eyes went red with rage but surprisingly, it didn’t attack. Behind him, the first ghost he had attacked was now ready to pounce, its eye pulsing in pain. It lunged forward, hoping to catch the ghost-teen by surprise.

It was the ecto-pus who was caught by surprise as Phantom simply went intangible, anticipating the creature’s moves. Phantom grabbed a tentacle before the creature flew out of his reach and began to spin him around at high speeds. He finally let the disoriented ghost go, sending it towards its octopodal brethren. Both ghosts slammed into another building, causing the two to once again melt into one ecto-pus. It glared at Phantom in contempt and then simply phased through the ground.

TTDPTTDPTTDPTTDPTTDPTT

Raven, along with the other Titans and Mrs. Fenton watched as the battle unfolded between Phantom and the larger ghost creature. They all had the same question at the back of their minds: why was he here and why was he helping them? Raven could feel a wave of emotion and thought hitting her all at once from the others as they observed the two ghosts clash.

From Robin she felt suspicion and an air of caution. Phantom was a mystery to decipher; he could be either friend of foe. She knew he was analyzing the ghost, assessing his fighting abilities and powers. She could tell Robin was impressed by Phantoms speed and agility; he seemed to be a very skilled fighter. But the ghost definitely didn’t seem like a team player. Robin’s overprotective behavior towards his team took over as he tried to figure out whether Phantom could be trusted.

Raven could also pick up Starfire’s usual state of glee. Raven knew Star was always overjoyed to meet new people and make new friends. The alien girl saw Phantom as a potential ally and possible Titan. But at the same time, Starfire also shared Robin’s caution. The Titans had been betrayed by allies before. She wished that history did not repeat itself in this case.

Maddie Fenton’s thoughts intrigued Raven the most. Maddie was fascinated by Phantom’s change from when she last saw him battle. He was much faster than before. A ghost like him shouldn’t be this powerful. He also looked different, as if he was actually growing like a human. Mrs. Fenton’s stray thoughts interested Raven. She wasn’t sure if it was a good thing that Phantom had so much power.

“Is the battle over?” Starfire asked as the spectral creature vanished into the ground.

“Not sure, Star,” Robin replied. “Something doesn’t feel right. Raven, see if you can track its movements.”

Raven nodded, and then filtered out all the mental noise around her to try and track the ecto-pus. As she extended her reach, she accidentally brushed the mind of Phantom. She could feel his determination to protect…Mrs. Fenton? That can’t be right. Why did he want to protect her so earnestly? And what was this pain she felt from him, almost like a gaping hole in his mind. She could feel that he had been through a great deal of pain and trauma. The pain was so much that she quickly broke the link.

She shook her head and tried once again to track down the ghost. She searched the area with her mind till her mind was hit with another wave of emotion, except this one was more raw and animalistic. She could feel the rage and bloodlust as the creature readied itself to attack its unsuspecting prey. It was going to make that meddlesome boy pay for interfering with its hunt.

It’s thoughts of retribution were so strong that it caused Raven to falter. Her eyes opened with start as she broke the connection before it drove her mad. Robin, seeing her disorientation, caught her before she fell. She tried to calm herself down, but the thoughts of that ghost still echoed in her mind. She had to warn Phantom. Finding the strength in herself, she donned her hood as she proceeded to fly in the direction of the ghost Teen,

“Raven, wait!” Robin called out in vain as the girl sped off.


DPTTDPTTDPTTDPTTDPTTDP

Danny had the ghost right where he wanted him.

He smirked as he prepared for the next attack. He feigned ignorance over the ecto-pus’s behavior, but he knew exactly where it was. During his training, he not only focused on speed and strength, but on his ghost sense as well. His ghost sense was one of his most handy powers. It worked as an early detection system for ghosts. The blue mist that escaped from his mouth alerted him whenever a ghost appeared in the vicinity. He found that if he focused hard enough, he could not only tell where a ghost was, but how powerful they were as well. He’d often compare his ghost sense’s accuracy with that of his parent’s ghost tracker during his training. Even if a ghost was invisible, he was able to track their every move.

Even now, he knew that the eco-pus was still under the street, waiting to catch him by surprise. Danny was ready to surprise him instead. He had played around with the larger ghost long enough. It was time for the last strike. Just as he readied himself, someone called out his name.

“Phantom! Watch out!” the Titan named Raven called. She was headed towards him at breakneck speed and showed no signs of stopping. Danny was annoyed that she had not heeded his warning not to interfere. Before he could chastise her, she rammed into him, pushing him out of the way right as the ecto-pus struck. Danny tumbled in the air briefly before righting himself. He looked over to Raven to find her wrapped rather tightly in the ghost’s tentacles. She struggled as the grip tightened, slowly caused asphyxiation. The ecto-pus roared in triumph, as it finally caught its former prey.

Phantom cursed under his breath as he shot forward. He encased his hand in glowing green ectoplasm as he launched an attack. The ecto-pus, seeing it coming, swung his unoccupied limbs at the ghost boy. Instead of dodging them, however, Phantom swung his arm out in a karate chop, his hand still charged with emerald energy. His hand cut through the tentacle quite easily, shocking the large ghost-beast. He bellowed in pain, launching even more limbs in anger. Each and every one was stopped or severed by a flurry of ecto-charged punches, chops and kicks. Phantom finally managed to severe the one that was slowly crushing Raven. He caught her before she fell to the ground, and flew her to the others. Starfire and Maddie helped her to her feet as she cleared her head.

“I thought I told you to stay out of it!” Danny exclaimed. Just stood there in shock, and then crossed her arms as she stared down the ghost with a dark gaze.

“You’re welcome,” she replied derisively.

“I had it under control,” he replied to her sarcasm. “I didn’t need any help.”

“Didn’t look like it,” she shot back, annoyance dripping from her words.

“Uh, guys?” Robin tried to interject. As they argued the ecto-pus was advancing. It had regenerated more tentacles and was even angrier than before.

“I don’t need any rookies getting in my way,” Danny yelled. As he did, his hand shot up, charged in ectoplasm. He shot at the advancing ghost, stopping it in its tracks.

“Rookie?!?!” Raven replied in disbelief. A vein in her head popped up as she gritted her teeth. A bolt of dark energy smacked the ecto-pus, knocking it into a nearby building. It righted itself in the air, albeit befuddled and disoriented.

“I’m only going to tell you this one last time. Stay out of my way!” Phantom declared. He charged up a final attack in his palm before finally releasing it. The ball of energy collided with the ecto-pus and detonated, blinding everyone with green light. When the smoke cleared, the Titans found the street covered in ectoplasmic goo. Starfire, Robin and Maddie just stood there in awe at the strength of the attack and the resulting damage. Even Raven, who was still fuming, had to admit Phantom was powerful. He was still a jerk, though.

Phantom immediately unhooked a silver cylinder from his waist, something Maddie immediately recognized as a Fenton Thermos. He uncapped it, and then used the device’s blue beam to clean up the still twitching ectoplasm that decorated the street. He turned to the group, who were unsure on how to respond to him.

“Just a word of advice,” he began. “Leave the ghost hunting to the professionals.” And with that he flew off into the sky, turning invisible mid-flight.

At that very moment the two light posts that seemed to survive the onslaught were suddenly encased in black energy and exploded, showering the street in glass. Robin and Starfire backed away slowly as Raven’s shoulders shook in rage.

“Why that little,” she began, shaking her fist at the sky, until she realized she said it in unison with someone else. She turned to find Mrs. Fenton’s face mirroring hers, full of anger.

“Is he implying I’m not a professional?” Maddie Fenton asked fiercely. “When I get my hands on him…”

Robin shook his head in frustration. The ride home was not going to be pleasant.

DPTTDPTTDPTTDPTTDPTTDP

A lone figure watched the entire battle from a few blocks away. He grinned as the implications of the battle ran through his head. He had released his pet as a way to gauge the Gem’s power. He wasn’t expecting Phantom to show up. This was an unexpected surprise, but could work to his advantage. He could mix business with pleasure after all.

“You seem to be in a good mood for someone who lost, Skulky,” a voice called out. A pillar of smoke and fire appeared beside him. As the smoke cleared, a feminine figure revealed itself. She wore a dark red bustier with a low-cut neckline that left nothing to the imagination. Long, fingerless gloves covered her hands and arms. Her skirt reached down to her feet, but had a slit that reached up to her waist, revealing her legs, which were encased in long leather boots. Her wavy red hair framed her seductive face. But her most noticeable quality was her smile, as she flashed her teeth like a Cheshire cat who had eaten a canary.

“What do you want, Valera,” Skulker, the Ghost Zone’s Greatest Hunter, replied in annoyance. She pouted mockingly at Skulker’s sour mood.

“Oh Skulky, don’t be so mean,” she said, her grin returning. She somehow managed to pinch Skulker’s metallic cheek, which irked the hunter even more. “I’m only here to check up on you, that’s all. Daddy doesn’t like to be kept waiting.”

“The master will get his things soon,” Skulker answered. “The Gem has them, which will make it a challenge. Plus there is that whelp and his idiot hunter family…”

“Who was he, anyway,” Valera asked. “I’ve never seen him in the ghost zone before.”

“That was Phantom,” Skulker replied. “That whelp will soon be dealt with, I assure you.”

“So that’s the halfa?” she asked, with a seductive tone to her voice. She licked her lips distractedly. “Mmm, magnificent, isn’t he. Don’t damage him too badly. He may be useful to us.”

“I doubt it,” Skulker scoffed. “He only protects humans. My last employer failed many times to corrupt him. What makes you any different?”

“Oh, I can be very persuasive,” Valera purred. “And don’t underestimate my father as well. Phantom should be easy to tame.” She winked at Skulker and began to ascend into the sky. “I’ll leave you to your plans, Skulky.” After blowing him a kiss, she vanished in a puff of smoke.

Skulker grinned as he went over his next move. He needed to prepare for an all out assault on the enemy’s stronghold. He would please his master with not only the items he desired, but also add on the halfa as an added bonus. He activated his jet pack and flew off to his temporary base. His pets were going to have a feast very soon.

[RavensDragon]

Hey your good at writing storys, so I rated you 5*****!
Cant wait until the next one!:raven:

[Mandi-chan]

Goodness, it's been ages since the last chappie..but it was worth the wait!

Very nice, and once again you have me begging for more! Can't wait to read more!

[RavensDragon]

Goodness, it's been ages since the last chappie..but it was worth the wait!

Very nice, and once again you have me begging for more! Can't wait to read more!
The same with me!:raven:

[Funkatron]

Thanks to both of you guys. I really appreciate your comments. Halfway through typing chapter 9. Will probably have it out on Friday...hopefully.

[RavensDragon]

I hope too. Cause your a great writer!

[Funkatron]

Here it is: chapter 9 of Haunted Destiny. Enjoy

Haunted Destiny Chapter 9: No Help Wanted

A rather loud, boisterous laugh and a higher pitched giggle could be heard echoing the halls of the Titan’s Tower. Cyborg was telling Jazz how he and the other Titans had once been captured and turned into animals by one of their weirder enemies, Mumbo the Magician.

“And BB got turned into a lamp!” Cyborg said, chuckling once again. Jazz joined him, enjoying herself for a change. She had almost forgotten what it felt like to laugh and smile. Constantly worrying about her brother’s mental state hadn’t left much time for her to have a social life. She found Cyborg easy to talk to and a good story teller to boot. Their original talk about ghosts had evolved into many different subjects, until finally turning into Cyborg telling her some of the Titan’s more humorous moments as a team. She welcomed the distraction he provided, as it took her mind off her more worrisome thoughts.

“Did someone mention me?” Beast Boy asked as he entered the main room, making sure to look out for Mr. Fenton. He wasn’t eager to be on the receiving end of another ghost-related lecture.

“Naw, BB. Just telling her how bright you are,” Cyborg replied. Jazz couldn’t help herself as she erupted in a fit of giggles. Beast Boy looked momentarily confused until his face turned stiffened.

“Dude, thought we agreed not to mention the lamp story,” Beast Boy exclaimed, his ears drooping slightly and his cheeks reddening. Cyborg was about to reply when the main doors opened. Raven walked in the room; with a face Cyborg and Beast Boy knew all too well. Beast Boy quickly moved out of the way, as to not incur her wrath. She made a beeline to the kitchen, grabbing her favorite kettle to brew some tea. Cyborg and Beast Boy glanced at each other, wondering what got Raven in such a foul mood.

The doors opened again as Rabin, Starfire and Maddie Fenton entered the room. Jazz recognized the fuming look in Mrs. Fenton’s eye as she stormed in. Jazz hadn’t seen her mother this angry since the last time they tried to catch Danny. Wait, he didn’t…..

“Jazz, honey,” Maddie asked. Jazz was alarmed by the furious tone still in her mom’s voice. “Where is your father?”

“I think he’s in your room, working on something,” Jazz replied hastily.

“Thank you, dear,” she replied. “Jack!!” she yelled as she exited the room, muttering something about dissection. All the Titans watched her leave the room. A sudden sharp whistling caused everyone to jump. Taking the kettle off the stove, Raven poured herself a cup of herbal tea, and then emulated Mrs. Fenton as she stormed out of the room.

“Dudes, what happened?” Beast Boy asked, finally breaking the silence that had fallen on the room.

“Yeah. I haven’t seen Raven that ticked off since BB dyed her cloak pink,” Cyborg chimed in.

“We ran into a little ghost trouble on the way back,” Robin replied. Jazz’s eyes went wide as her interest was piqued.

“Wait, another ghost attack? Why didn’t you call us?” Cyborg queried.

“No time. Raven and Mrs. Fenton were trying to fight the ghost, but didn’t have a lot of luck,” Robin explained. “And then Phantom showed up.”

“Hold on a sec,’ Beast Boy interjected, unexpectedly full of energy. “Phantom’s here? Did you get an autograph? Was he cool?”

“He was ruder than a rampaging snoodlebam!” Starfire replied. “He defeated the ghost but said some not very nice things to Raven and Mrs. Fenton.” Jazz’s worried look returned to her face as she listened in. She stood up, and then rushed out the door.

DPTTDPTTDPTTDPTTDPTTDP

After making sure the Fenton GAV made it back to the tower, Danny phased through the walls with ease till he arrived at one of the bathrooms. After doing a sweep of the Tower before hand, he had discovered that the bathrooms weren’t monitored, unlike the rest of the building. Turning visible, he focused on transforming, as rings of light appeared around his waist and passed over his body, turning Danny Phantom back into Danny Fenton. He stepped out of the bathroom…

To be met face to face by his sister. Jazz had concern and anger painted on her face. They stared each other down for a few seconds before Jazz dared to speak.

“Where have you been?” asked in her most parental voice. He simply shrugged.

“Getting some fresh air,” he replied. He jumped onto his bed, grabbed a book and started to read.

“Danny…” she said in a warning tone.

“It’s not like its any of your business, Jazz,” he shot back from behind his book. “I was just doing my job.”

“Does your ‘job’ include insulting mom and the Titans?” Jazz asked. Danny looked up from above his book.

“I didn’t insult Mom. The Titans on the other hand…” he replied enigmatically. Jazz huffed in frustration.

“Danny, what exactly did you say to them?’ she asked. “Raven didn’t look too happy.”

“I told them the truth,” he responded. “That they were rookies and they were better off let me handle the ghosts.” Jazz stood there, flabbergasted.

“Why do you insist on doing this all by yourself?” she asked fervently. Her normally calm approach was lost as she felt her ire rise.

“Cause I’m the one who can!” he exclaimed, as if the answer was obvious. “It’s my responsibility and no one else’s. I’m sorry I’m not a ‘real’ hero in your eyes.”

“Where did that come from?” she asked. She then stopped, remembering what she had said to Cyborg a few days ago.

“Danny, I didn’t mean it like that,” she defended. “You’re as much of a hero as any of the Titans. I just think sometimes you need to ask for help…”

“I. Don’t. Need. Help!” he shouted loudly. Jazz was taken aback by his volume. “I don’t need yours and I definitely don’t need theirs. So just quit it.” And with that he left the room.

“Danny, wait!” Jazz called out as she chased after her brother. She bumped into something big, however, and landed squarely on her bottom.

“Sorry about that. You alright, Jazz?” Cyborg asked. He offered his hand and helped her up. “I heard shouting coming from your room.”

“Oh, it was nothing,” assured Jazz. She looked around to find that Danny had already done his usual disappearing trick. “Just some sibling rivalry, that’s all.” She giggled nervously.

“Yeah, about that. Your brother seems to be on the grumpy side,” Cyborg admitted. Jazz sighed deeply.

“It’s just a phase…I hope,’ she answered. “He’s just so stubborn sometimes.”

“Sounds sorta like Raven,” Cyborg observed. “She was like that a lot when she joined us. Maybe she could help?”

“No, that’s alright,” she declined. “It’s sort of a family thing.”

“Alright, then,” Cyborg shrugged. “Anyway, your parents and I are gonna start working on some weapons in my workshop to help us fight ghosts one on one. Care to join us?” he held out his arm, which she graciously accepted.

“Sure, why not,’ she said as he lead the way.

TTDPTTDPTTDPTTDPTTDPTT

Beast Boy was bored out of his mind.

It wasn’t that there was nothing to do in the Tower. He had a backlog of comics to finish and he had at least 5 levels of Mega Ninja Hyper Munkies 4 to complete. He just didn’t have anyone to do things with. Cyborg, his normal video game compatriot was off building weird gadgets with their guests. Robin, who occasionally played games, was off being Robin, planning their next strategy. He was afraid to even ask Raven; she usually said no, anyway, but in her current mood BB wasn’t going to take any chances. And Starfire was probably in the kitchen making another one of her alien recipes.

Beast Boy sighed as he headed off to the main room for some prime lounging. If he was bored, might as well be comfortable. He entered and surveyed the room. Starfire was in the kitchen area, humming to herself and mixing strange ingredients (some of which BB thought were probably still alive). He looked at the couch and found one of their guests on the couch, reading a book. What was his name? Donnie? Randy? Oh, yeah: Danny. Grinning from ear to ear, Beast Boy walked over to his new “playmate”.

“So,” he began, using his friendliest smile. Danny’s book lowered slightly, revealing only his eyes. His left eyebrow shot up in annoyance.

“Yes?” he asked in an irritated tone. Beast Boy couldn’t help but think he’d how his tone was so much like Raven’s.

“I was wondering if you weren’t busy, if you wanted to play any games.” Beast Boy asked, holding up a controller as emphasis. Danny’s book moved up, once again obscuring his face.

“No,” he said simply. Beast Boy’s ears drooped slightly, but he was still determined.

“We got mega Munkies 4, Extreme Space Race and Doomed,” Beast Boy prattled. Danny winced slightly upon hearing Doomed, which used to be one of his favorite games to play with Tucker and Sam. His impatience grew exponentially.

“I said no,” he replied, a threatening edge in his voice.

“Come on, dude,” BB pleaded. “I’ll let you win a few rounds.”

“Listen, kid,” Danny began, his tolerance long since gone now.

“Kid?!” Beast Boy repeated in shock. The conversation had caught Starfire’s attention, who was now listening in, paying no mind to her cooking.

“I don’t do games,” Danny continued, not paying any attention to Beast Boy’s words. “I have better things to do than to play any stupid games. So stop bugging me.” His concentration on his book lost, Danny left the room. Beast Boy and Starfire were left standing there, with a mortified look on his face.

DPTTDPTTDPTTDPTTDPTTDP

Danny needed release and fast.

Both his argument with his sister and his little confrontation with the green Titan had gotten Danny extremely agitated. He needed a way to misplace his pent up aggression. Remembering his scouting mission earlier that morning, he proceeded to is destination: the Tower’s training room.

He inspected the area to make sure he was alone and couldn’t be interrupted. He was actually a bit impressed by the equipment they had. Weight machines, treadmills, training robots. His training corner of his parent’s lab simply had a few weights. He stopped looking and made a beeline to his equipment of choice: a large punching bag.

Finding some bandages, he wrapped his hands and began to tap the bag as a warm up. He began to think of the battle earlier that day. He chided himself for the close-calls. He should have been there faster. He should have defeated that ghost a lot sooner that he had. He struck the punching bag more fervently now as his thoughts swirled around in his head. He had to prove that he was strong enough. He had to win there was no room for error. He had to win or else…

The image flashed in his mind again. The blue face, the flaming hair, the forked tongue. That twisted, corrupt older version of himself sneering at him. Taunting him.

“You think any of this will make a difference?” he could hear him say. “You can’t stop the unavoidable. Sooner or later you’ll loose them all. Your family, your friends. You’ll try to protect them and fail. And then we’ll have so much fun together…” By now Danny was showering the bag with a flurry of punches and kicks. Everything else around him seemed to disappear.

TTDPTTDPTTDPTTDPTTDPTT

Robin was on his way to the kitchen to see how Starfire was doing. He felt that he was kooked up in his ‘office’ for far too long and he needed a break. He was no closer to solving the mystery which was plaguing his mind at the moment. That mystery involved the enigmatic ghost known as Phantom. Something was familiar about him. His face, the voice, his attitude. He couldn’t help but feel he had met him before. He could feel the answer was at the tip of his tongue, but seemed to elude him as soon as he got too close. He hoped to talk to Raven to see if she had felt anything during the battle. When she cooled down, that is. Phantom seemed to push all the wrong buttons with his teammate.

Just he was passing Raven’s door, it opened as the sorceress was on her way to get another cup of tea. The two paused for a second. Robin held his breath, hoping not cross her in anyway. He may have been the team leader but even he was a little afraid of Raven when she was angry.

“I’m not going to bite, you know,” she said, breaking the ice. Robin began to breathe again, relieved that Raven was calmer.

“Feeling better?” he queried cautiously. Raven nodded.

“Sorry about that. I shouldn’t have let my anger get the better of me,” she replied. Robin smiled.

“It’s no problem,” he assured. “You’re not the only one.” Robin had been known to get furious at times, especially when it came to their more serious enemies, like Slade.

“I swear, he infuriated me even more than even Beast Boy could,” she confessed. She sighed. “I can’t help but feel sorry for him, though.”

“What do you mean?” Robin wondered, surprised to hear Raven say that.

“During the battle, I touched his mind,” she began. She looked down at the ground as they walked. “I felt so much pain from him. He seemed almost desperate to protect Mrs. Fenton in particular.” Robin’s eyebrow arched.

“Why would he want to protect a ghost hunter?” he wondered out loud. “Aren’t they his enemies?”

“I’m not sure,” she conceded. “It may be connected to how he died, if that makes any sense. We might want to talk to the Fentons about it.” Robin nodded in agreement.

“Speaking of Phantom, have you noticed anything about him?” Robin asked, deciding to ask for the dark teen’s advice.

“You mean the fact that he’s a total jerk?” Raven joked.

“Not what I meant,” he replied seriously. “It feels like I’ve met him somewhere.” Raven paused for a second.

“Actually, I’ve been noticing the exact same thing,” she agreed. “Something is familiar about him. I can’t quite place my finger on it.”

“We should…” he started, as the walked by their training room. He stopped as he heard the sound of someone pounding on his punching bag. He walked inside and stopped abruptly at the sight before him. Raven, wondering what was going on, also came into the room. She too was brought to a standstill as she mirrored Robin’s look of shock. They watched in morbid curiosity as Danny Fenton was literally beating the sand out of the bag. His moves were fast and powerful as he delivered punch after punch and kick after kick, driving it to swing backwards more and more while doing so. Raven didn’t think she’d seen even Robin move that fast.

Robin noted two things as he watched the youngest Fenton move. First was that Danny could fight. Though his moves were somewhat erratic, his form and execution of his motions were well done. He definitely had some training, probably in karate. His second observation was that he was fighting for a while, in something other than karate sparring. Danny had experience and lots of it. Robin wondered where he got it, however. Danny seemed to isolate himself from the rest of his family, so it couldn’t be from ghost hunting, could it?

Robin’s inner questions were cut short as Danny gave one final punch. It was all the chain that held the bag up could take as it broke, sending the bag into the nearby wall. They both watched as Danny just stood there, and then bent over, breathing heavily. Sweat was dripping down his face and hit the mat. Robin began to advance towards him, wondering if he was alright. He placed a hand on Danny’s shoulder…

And suddenly found his back hitting the ground, knocking the wind out of him. Raven could barely make out Danny flipping Robin, which she never imagined was even possible. Robin was trained in various forms of martial arts and his reflexes were extremely sharp. Little could catch him off guard like Danny did just then.

Robin broke through his hazy vision to find Danny, crouched above Robin’s lying form, with he fist cocked back, ready to strike. His face wore a mask of determination and fury. They stared each other down for a few moments, till Danny broke out of his spellbound state. His eyes widened when he realized what he had done. Danny stood up, muttered an apology as promptly walked towards the exit.

As he walked past Raven, their shoulders brushed. Raven froze as everything around her faded to black. She wondered where she was, looking around in confusion. She squinted as light suddenly filler her eyes again. It was then that she realized she was no longer in the tower.

The sky was a blood red and was slowly being filled by smoke coming from the town below. The streets were cracked, burning carcasses of cars strewn everywhere. The buildings were in no better shape, as many of them were on the verge of collapse. Raven didn’t recognize any of the buildings, so she knew she wasn’t in Jump City anymore. It seemed to be a much smaller town from the looks of it.

Raven’s examination of the area was cut short as a laugh filled the air. It was deep and literally seethed of evil. She could feel a shiver crawl down her back as the laughter continued. “Who’s there?” she asked as she struggled to find the source. Her search was short as she could make out two glowing red eyes piercing the darkness of an alley. As the mysterious figure came closer, she could make out more features: pale, blue skin, white flames for hair, sharp pointy teeth displayed in a toothy smirk. The most distinguishing feature was the symbol on its chest: the logo for the ghost known as Phantom. The creature hissed, its forked tongue darting out of its mouth as it pounced towards Raven.

Raven collapsed onto her knees, gasping for air. Robin ran up to her as she took a moment to collect herself.

“Raven? What happened?” he asked, his face filled with concern. She looked in the direction which Danny had headed towards and shook her head.

“I’m not sure.”

TTDPTTDPTTDPTTDPTTDPTT

“Ladies and Gentlemen!” a very enthusiastic Cyborg exclaimed. He waited expectantly, and then cleared his throat. “I said ‘Ladies and Gentlemen’.” Remembering his cue, Beast Boy transformed into a lemur and began patting his belly, giving Cyborg the drum roll he needed.

“As I was saying,” he began once again. It was late in the afternoon and everyone in the tower was gathered in the main room. Cyborg had called a meeting to ‘unveil’ the new weapons he designed with help from Jack and Maddie Fenton. He was in his element as he tried psyching up the crowd. “It is now my pleasure to introduce the future in Titans ghost hunting gear.” Starfire gave a cheer from the couch while Jazz giggled at Cyborg’s antics. Raven rolled her eyes.

“Enough with the theatrics already,” she snidely remarked. Cyborg frowned for a moment before continuing. Off to the side, Danny was watching everything from behind a book.

“Ahem. Thanks to help from the Fentons, we’ve been able to modify our gear to kick some major ghost booty,” he raved. Jack slung an arm around Cyborg’s shoulder.

“Couldn’t do it without you, C-man!” the large man bellowed. The two shared a love of technology, which made them fast buddies. Maddie smiled at the two.

“Now, boys, I think we need to show off the weapons before the crowd gets bored,” she interjected, playing along. The bad mood she was in was now gone, the energy spent on inventing. She always did her best work when properly motivated.

“Let’s start off with the arsenal of our big cheese, Robin!” said Cyborg, continuing his showcase. He threw over to Robin one of his signature bo-staffs. Robin examined it for a bit, and then looked back puzzled.

“I don’t notice anything different,” he stated.

“Give it a twist,” Cyborg said, grinning. Robin did so and was surprised to see both ends of the staff suddenly glowing with ecto-plasmic energy. Robin nodded approvingly.

“Your staff, your birdarangs, discs, ropes, and grappling hooks have all been enhanced with ectoplasm,” Maddie explained.

“Yeah, and your lines are coated with our patented Fenton anti-ghost resin. Designed to catch any ghost!” Jack chimed in.

“Next up are these lovely bracelets for Starfire,” Cyborg announced, holding up a pillow. Lying on the pillow were two silver bracelets, each one with glowing green trim. Starfire squealed in delight, but paused for a moment.

“Would not Robin become the jealous?” she asked? Cyborg grinned nervously.

“They’re special ecto-converters, Star. They absorb your starbolt energy and convert it into an ectoblast,” he explained, much to the relief of both Starfire and Robin. Raven stifled a laugh.

“And for you, BB,” Cyborg said, revealing metallic gloves and boots. Beast Boy eyed them questioningly.

“What do these do?” he asked, not sure of what to make of them. Jack smiled from ear to ear.

“They're special version of our Ghost Gauntlets,” he confessed. “They let you tussle with a ghost one on one with an added bonus for you. Try transforming into something with claws.” Beast put the boots and gloves on, then complied as he transformed into a grizzly bear. Looking at his claws, he found that the boots and gloves morphed along with him. Flexing his claws, he also found them glowing green.

“Cool!” Beast Boy called in approval after transforming into a number of different animals to try them out further.

“And last but not least, moi,” Cyborg proclaimed. His hand transformed into his signature Sonic Canon, except it how glowed green instead of its normal blue. “Ecto-sonic Canon, ghost seeking missiles and built in ghost tracking equipment. Booyeah!”

“Great Job, everyone” Robin congratulated. Cyborg grinned at the compliment. “With these new weapons, we should have no problem stopping any threat that comes along.”

From his corner, Danny cocked an eyebrow. This was not good. Their new weapons made the Titans more threatening than before. He didn’t think his parents could work so quickly. He definitely needed to find a way to solving the mystery behind the ghost attacks before the Titans did.

DPTTDPTTDPTTDPTTDPTTDP

Skulker’s preparations were complete. He grinned to himself as he successfully made it to the basement of the tower without being detected. He was now ready to retrieve his master’s belongings. He first, however, needed a distraction to keep the Titans and the whelp busy. He pulled in a rather large cage. Various limbs could be seen flailing out of the sides.

“Time to feast, my pets,” he said as he opened the cage…

[RavensDragon]

Not bad, keep it coming! Your not bad at writing storys, your just pulling me in!:raven:

[Dragon]

Hello! I am sorry I haven't been replying as of late! I have, however, been reading your story, and following it on fanfiction.net. I have discovered a wealth of stories on there, and have had them in the forefront of my mind of late. So, even if you don't here from me for a while, I am still reading it.

So far though, your story is really good! you may want to take a look at writing a story of your own and publishing it.

A funny image greeted my eyes during a certain part of the last chapter, though. Raven should not be stuffed in a ghost Hunter's net. it is just too funny. still, no objection here!

CyxJazz= one bunch of overprotective people, some of whom have superpowers. (Beware the overprotective brother, Jazzmine Fenton, Beware...)((sorry if that sounded box-ghostey))

[Funkatron]

Author’s Notes: A little later than promised, but chapter 10 is finally up. From this point on, it’s all meat. Lots of shockers, revelations, angst (like there wasn’t enough already), character development, etc, etc. The new villain reveals himself in a few chapters so get ready for that. I hope I can wow you in future chapters.

Now on with the show!

Haunted Destiny Chapter 10: Witch Hunt

“Booyeah!” cried Cyborg, marking another victory against his nemesis, Beast Boy. They were both in front of the living room’s large screen, playing Ultra Project X Racing on their Square Station 720 Game System. After Cyborg’s presentation, the Titans and the Fentons went off to do their own things all about the Tower. Cyborg and Beast Boy decided to pass the time pursuing their mutual hobby. At the moment, Cyborg was winning, as usual whenever they played against each other. Cyborg noticed, though, that Beast Boy was acting different. Normally during their playing sessions, a long string of ‘dudes’ and accusations of cheating would come from the green changeling. Tonight, however, he was noticeably silent and actually looked more into the game than usual.

“Yo, BB!” Cyborg called to is green friend. Beast Boy was fully focused in the game, not hearing his partially mechanical friend. “BB!”

“Huh, what?” Beast Boy replied, being thrown back into reality.

“What’s going on with you?” Cyborg replied. “Not that I don’t mind the silence, but coming from you, it’s getting me worried.” Beast Boy blinked.

“It’s that Fenton guy,” responded Beast Boy. “That guy is big fat jerk!”

“You mean Mr. Fenton?” Cyborg asked in disbelief. Sure, he was a little obsessive but he knew his stuff and Cyborg respected that.

“No, the son,” Beast Boy corrected. “What’s his name?”

“Danny?” Cyborg inquired. “You annoy him or something?”

“I was not annoying him!” Beast Boy cried, defending himself. “Everyone was busy so I asked him he wanted to play a few video games. And he totally blew me off!”

“Yeah, I could see that as being jerk like,” Cyborg replied sarcastically.

“Dude, he didn’t have to be rude about it,” Beast Boy said, clearly agitated. Cyborg had never seen his teammate so worked up over something. “He called me a ‘kid’ and said he had better things to do. Actually…” Beast Boy paused for a second. “He actually reminded me a whole lot of how Raven was before.”

“Don’t say that in front of Raven or else she’ll drop you in the ocean again,” Cyborg warned, suppressing a chuckle. “Though you are right. He is a bit grumpy.”

“Grumpy doesn’t begin describe it,” Beast Boy assured. “Of course, you’re too busy making out with his sister to notice it.”

“What was that?” Cyborg asked, not sure he heard correctly.

“Come on, Cy. Its sooo obvious,” Beast Boy insinuated, raising his eyebrows knowingly. “The googly eyes, the sighs. And you’re trying so hard to make her laugh. You totally dig each other.’

“I do not try…wait, you think she likes me?” Cyborg asked mid sentence.

“Dude, she totally likes you,” the green teen replied, wrapping his arm around Cyborg’s shoulders like he was giving advice. “Just make sure to name one of your little toasters after me.”

‘That’s it!” Cyborg called, fuming over Beast Boy’s ribbing. He tried to grab the younger, smaller hero, but he was too quick. Beast Boy was already in the form of a cat, making his escape. Cyborg, however, was in hot in pursuit, chasing the small animal around the room. Beast Boy evaded him, his small size making him quick and hard to catch. After evading the mechanical teen for a good five minutes, he stopped abruptly. His fur stood on end as he hissed loudly. Cyborg stopped as well, wondering what had gotten into his teammate.

Beast Boy returned to human for, shivering. “What was that?’ he asked himself.

‘What was what?” inquired Cyborg.

“Something’s not right,” Beast Boy replied. “I sensed something when I was a cat.”

“And?” Cyborg asked.

“Animals can sense danger before humans can,” responded the changeling. “Something’s not right.”

And if on cue, the lights in the Tower suddenly ceased to function.

“That was totally not my fault,” stated Beast Boy.

As their eyes began adjusting to the lack of light, they began to hear a low, feral growl.

“BB, is that you?” Cyborg asked cautiously.

“Nope,” replied the other titan. They both gulped as they turned to find a large, glowing, three-headed bear looming over them.

TTDPTTDPTTDPTTDPTTDPTT

“Retribution must be sought!” Starfire declared, standing up with her fist held high.

She and Robin were on the roof, gazing at the sky together. They had gone to the roof an hour ago to watch the setting sun, as they often did at the end of the day. They were now sharing the view of the stars, enjoying the peace and quiet while they could. That is they were until Robin had divulged to her his encounter with one Danny Fenton. Needless to say, she did not take the assault on her significant other lightly.

“Star, seriously, I’m fine,” Robin tried to reassure his girlfriend and teammate. “I just bruised my back, that’s all.”

“But he was most inhospitable,” she stated, fire still burning in her eyes. “He was rude to Beast Boy earlier to day as well. He is more unpleasant than a rampaging maladunk!” Robin deduced a rampaging maladunk was pretty unpleasant.

“It was mostly my fault. I shouldn’t have interrupted him,” Robin said. “There is something off about him. I can’t quite place it.”

“What troubles you, Robin?” she asked tenderly, her rage noticeably diminished.

“The way he moved and how easily he took me down. He’s definitely had some fighting experience,” Robin explained. “I also can’t shake the feeling I’ve seen those moves before.”

“I am sure you shall figure it out,” she said. She sat down again, next to her boyfriend, as she placed her hand onto his and laid her head on his shoulders. “The stars are glorious tonight, are they not?”

“Not as much as the one next to me,” Robin answered. The alien girl giggled and blushed, not knowing what to say. She always enjoyed spending time with him. She lifted her head and stared into the eyes of Robin. Robin leaned in closer, as she closed her eyes, awaiting a kiss in anticipation. She suddenly yelped in surprise as she felt something wrap around her waist. Robin watched in horror as Starfire was pulled into the roof with an “Eep!”

“Starfire!”

DPTTDPTTDPTTDPTTDPTTDP

Jazz was bored.

None of the books she brought along with her for the trip had caught her interest. Neither did any of the music she had on her MP3 player. No, she needed human interaction to quell her boredom. She couldn’t talk to her parents. They couldn’t spend more than five minutes without even mentioning ghosts. Danny was being Danny. He hadn’t shown up since their fight earlier that day. The only person who could help her was the titan known as Cyborg.

She smiled as she remembered her time with him that day. It was nice talking to someone her age about things other than ghosts. She had spent most of her academic life focusing squarely on her grades, so she didn’t make friends easily. Then, when she had discovered her brother’s secret, she had spent countless nights worrying and covering for him with his parents and his teachers. His recent personality shift had compounded her concern even more so.

It wasn’t that she liked him liked him. No, that wasn’t it. Sure, he was smart; most of the technology in the tower was made by or maintained by him. He actually reminded her of Tucker, though he wasn’t as obsessed as him. Except when it came to his car, which he affectionately named his “baby”. And he was funny as well. And he had a nice smile…

So maybe she did have a crush on him. That made their discussions and their flirting all the more interesting. It wasn’t like anything serious was going to happen, was it? She shook her head. Quit overanalyzing! Just be spontaneous. She could be spontaneous, couldn’t she?

Jazz spontaneously decided that she was thirsty and needed to go to the main room’s kitchen area. And if she happened to spot Cyborg on the way, no harm done. She started her journey, her pace faster than normal. Half-way towards her destination, however, the lights suddenly extinguished. “Just great,” she sighed as she tried to find her way in the dark.

She arrived at the doors of the main room, finding them slightly ajar. She all of a sudden saw various flashes of green and heard a familiar voice grunt as something big hit the door.

“Cyborg?” she asked as she saw his head sticking out of the opening of the door. He pried the doors open as he slowly rose up. “Are you ok?”

“Yeah, just fine. Just that there’s a really big 3 headed bear ghost in the room with…BB!” he cried, realizing he left his comrade to fight alone. He ran back into the room, to find Beast Boy, as a bear himself, locked in an eternal struggle with the ghostly beast. His paws were lined with the silver ghost gauntlets as he tried to wrestle the other bear into submission. He was having a hard time; however, as he had to constantly dodge the three heads, which took turns snapping at his own.

Cyborg’s hand transformed into a sonic canon; which was now modified by the Fenton’s technology. He took aim, waiting for the right moment to attack. He never got the chance as another blast zipped by him, knocking back the ghostly grizzly. He turned to find Jazz holding a still smoking mini-ectogun. She winked at Cyborg’s disbelieving gaze.

“Runs in the family, remember?” she stated. A green ferret scurried along the floor till it reached behind Cyborg and transformed back into Beast Boy.

“I think it’s angry!” he called out as the bear stood up to its full, intimidating height. Jazz and Cyborg took aim and fired at the behemoth in unison.

DPTTDPTTDPTTDPTTDPTTDP

“Can you hand me the ecto-analyzer, dear?” Maddie Fenton asked as she worked on another of her and her husband’s inventions. Jack complied, grinning at is wife. He always loved to see her work. He loved how they worked together; he had the wild ideas and she made sure he didn’t kill himself making them. He was extremely lucky to find such a smart and beautiful wife.

They were in Cyborg’s shop, calibrating and improving a few of their weapons for any future attacks. They were amazed by the level of technology the metallic titan had at his disposal. It helped their progress immensely, though that wasn’t the only reason. The encounter with Phantom had left Maddie in a rather agitated state; which Jack had learned caused her to work up a storm in the lab. It was a quality he secretly found quite sexy about her.

His silent admiration was cut short by the rapid beeping of one of their ghost trackers. He bound for it and read the display. It was picking up at least a dozen of blips in the immediate area.

“We got multiple bogies, Mads!” he declared with glee. This was the best part. He brandished a pair of Ghost Gauntlets, while Maddie grabbed a bazooka. The lights suddenly flickered before finally switching off completely. That didn’t hinder the Fentons, though; Maddie lit the built in light on her firearm, using it to survey the room.

“Jack, are you alright?” she asked, trying to locate her suddenly silent husband. She heard a large crash and turned the lights in the direction of the noise. She witnessed her husband, rolling on the ground, wrestling with a large ghost that seemed to be in the shape of a mythical Gryphon.

“Looks like I got a live one!” he said in between grunts. “Or a dead one. Get it?” Maddie smiled at her husband’s antics, despite the immediate danger. Finding enough leverage, he managed to launch the ghost into a nearby table. Maddie immediately took aim and fired at the ghost. He gun created a temporary dimensional hole into the ghost zone, pulling the ghost inside before the hole closed in on itself.

“Nothing can stop team Fenton!” he cried triumphantly. “How many more do have to catch, Mads?”

“There’s a few more in the area, Jack honey,” she replied. She pointed the light in the direction of the door “There should be some more a few rooms down.”

They both headed towards the door. Maddie tried a few buttons, though none were responsive.

“Let me give it a go!” he asked as he tried to pry it open. When that didn’t work, started to bang on the door numerous times, all with negative results. “Suffering Spooks! We’re locked in!”


TTDPTTDPTTDPTTDPTTDPTT

After watching his girlfriend being pulled into the building tower, Robin ran immediately for the door that led inside. Jumping down the stairs, he hoped that he would be able to find her. He observed that the lights were out and none of the emergency systems had kicked in. Luckily for him, he was able to make out her cries for help.

“I wish to be let go of, please?” she asked almost politely, albeit loudly, as she struggled within the grip of a large, white ghost snake. It hissed as it squeezed tighter upon the alien girl.

“Leave her alone!” Robin cried as he leapt into action, Bo staff already in hand. It glowed with green fury as it smashed into the serpent, stunning it. It loosened its grip, allowing Starfire to escape. She flew towards Robin. “Are you alright?”

“I am fine, Robin,’ she replied. The snake lunged forward, baring its fangs. Both titans dodged in opposite directions. Robin readied three exploding discs and threw them at the specter. Each one hit its mark, causing the ghost to hiss loudly. I swung its tale out more quickly than Robin could dodge, launching the boy wonder into a nearby wall.

“You shall not harm him!” she cried as her eyes began glowing green with righteous fury. Her new bracelets also began glowing as it began glowing as it converted her starbolt energy into ecto-energy. With a battle cry, she launched a volley of ecto-enhanced starbolts at the creature, knocking it back. She sped to Robin’s side as he struggled to get up. The collision with the wall had aggravated his previous back injury.

“Robin! Are you damaged?” she asked, her voice full of concern. He slowly got back on his feet.

“I’ll live,” he muttered with a smile. They both faced off against the ghost. Robin, who had lost his staff in the heat of battle, produced two of his birdarangs. He smashed them together, forming a sword. Being enhanced by the Fentons, its blade shone with energy as he readied himself for battle. “Let’s do this.”


TTDPTTDPTTDPTTDPTTDPTT

Raven was running out of ideas. She had spent the last two hours pouring over the leather-bound manuscript she had found, trying to find a way to reveal the text that was hidden in its blank pages. Around her were a variety of open manuscripts and books of spells she had in her collection, which she had been researching to find a way unlock the secrets of the journal. Unfortunately she had been met with various obstacles. Everything she tried ended in failure.

She had tried numerous spells and incantations from her readings. She was exhausting many of her ingredients, many of which were rare and would be expensive to replace. Each attempt was as useless as the last. The pages stayed blank. She had come to a conclusion: either the mage who had done this was good or she was wasting her time with a blank journal.

Furrowing her eyebrows, she sighed and decided to take a break. She reached over to her cup of tea, which had been neglected during her endeavors. She took a sip, only to find that the tea had gone cold a long time ago. Had she been working on this for that long? She sighed as she stood up and stretched her legs. She readied herself to get some more tea from the kitchen when the lights flickered out. Letting out a groan, she opened her communicator.

“Cyborg, are you messing with the electrical system again?” she asked in an annoyed tone. She was replied with nothing but static. “Cyborg? Robin? Anyone?” Now she was worried. Even with the power out, the communicators would still work. Something was going on in the tower. She closed her eyes and spread out her psychic reach all the way to the corners of the tower. She could feel her friends all in the heat of battle. She chided herself. She was so focused on her work that she didn’t sense the ghosts that were now invading her home.

“So, I’ve finally found you,” she heard a voice say. She turned to the source suddenly, taking a defensive pose. All that greeted her was air. “And feisty, too. You will make excellent prey.”

“Show yourself,” she demanded. Her eyes narrowed as she tried to prepare herself from any sneak attacks. A moment later her enemy appeared from thin air. He was a large ghost, his skin made completely of hi-tech armor, similar to Cyborg’s. He wore a black military style pants, a black tank top and black steel tipped boots. Fiery orange flames burned on his head and chin as his metallic teeth shone in a devilish grin. What Raven noticed the most were the tattoos that littered his body, much like the tattoos that covered the Box Ghost. They glowed the same orange as his blazing ‘hair’, giving an eerie glow that permeated the room.

“So you are the Gem,” he stated, eyeing his quarry. Raven froze for a moment, but continued to stand her ground. “The one who defeated the mighty Trigon the Terrible. You don’t seem all that powerful, though.”

“Looks can be deceiving,” she spat back vehemently. “And who are you supposed to be?”

“I, witch, am Skulker. The Ghost Zone’s greatest hunter,” he replied proudly. He ginned again. “I believe you have something that belongs to my master.” Raven stood in between the book and Skulker instinctively.

“Don’t see his name on it,” she retorted, with a smirk of her own. “Who is your master? And why does he want this book?”

“Wouldn’t you want to know?” he replied. “You don’t back down easily, do you. Just like the whelp. No wonder the master has an interest in you.”

“Whelp?” she asked in confusion. Who could he be referring to? And who was this mysterious master of his?

“The ghost child,” he answered. “I believe you’ve met him before.”

“Phantom?” she asked after realizing whom he meant. “How do you know him?”

“He and I go way back,” the hunter responded. “Though the master gave me permission to play with you a bit, you’re just the appetizer. Phantom is my real main course.”

“Lucky me,” she snapped cynically. She was going to show him that she wasn’t going to be taken lightly. “Azarath Metrion Zinthos!” she cried her signature spell, as bolts of black energy sprang to life and shot to the ghostly hunter. He smiled, not even flinching as they met their mark…

And had no effect. She blinked, not understanding why it didn’t work. She tried grabbing onto him with her magic once again and found she couldn’t get a grip on him. It was as if her magic just slipped off of him. He smirked smugly, the pointed to a bracelet on his right arm.

“A gift from my master,” he said, answering her unasked question. “It repels that dark magic of yours. I see it came in handy after all.”

Raven suddenly became conscious that she was in a lot of trouble. He magic was basically useless against this new foe. He friends were unable to help her at the moment, no thanks to him. She only had one option. Grabbing the journal, she encased herself with her dark energy and phased through the floor. The hunter couldn’t be any happier.

“Now the hunt truly begins.”

DPTTDPTTDPTTDPTTDPTTDP

He found him.

Danny felt it. The same signature he had felt earlier that day was here, in the tower. He couldn’t quite shake the fact that this ghost was familiar to him, yet it was different at the same time. It was also very powerful. He hadn’t fought a ghost that powerful in a long time. But he knew he was ready for the challenge.

Phantom was making his way through the tower, tracking the ghost in question. He had already defeated half a dozen ghosts along the way, trapping each quickly and efficiently into his thermos. He had also locked the door to the lab his parents were in, welding it shut with his ghost ray. He didn’t want them getting in the way of the upcoming battle. He was planning on stopping the leader head on. The other ghosts were just the small fry. He could handle them later. The big fish was all his.

He followed the signature as it moved through the tower. It was as if it was looking for something; or hunting for it. Wait, it couldn’t be…

Before he could finish that thought, he found himself in a hallway, phasing through a wall next to a certain green titan. Beast Boy yelped in surprise and jumped into the arms of Cyborg, who let his friend fall unceremoniously. Beast Boy’s cry had distracted Phantom, causing him to loose his focus.

“Dan- Phantom!” Jazz cried out tensely, stopping herself before she revealed her brother’s identity. “Wh-what are you doing here?” He ignored her question as he looked around, trying to pinpoint the ghost he was tracking.

“Dude, wassup …!” Beast Boy greeted, holding out his hand. Phantom snubbed him as well. For the second time today, Beast Boy was rejected. He was just about to give up his attempts at friendship when Phantom held out his hand, which suddenly ignited with green energy, and pointed it straight at the titan. Beast Boy managed to duck just in time as the blast slammed into an invisible ghost, forcing it to become visible. The ghost fled, flying back into the wall from which it came from. Phantom followed; this would be good enough for now. Before continuing, however, he stopped and turned towards the others

“Stay here,” he said simple, then he turned intangible and flew through the wall the ghost escaped into.

“That was pleasant,” Cyborg sarcastically mumbled under his breath. Beast Boy nodded in agreement when the smell of something burning caught his attention. Looking up he saw his hair was smoldering from the previous blast. The changeling began patting his head furiously, trying to put out the smoking hair. Jazz gave an apologetic sigh. This was going to be a long night.

TTDPTTDPTTDPTTDPTTDPTT

Raven fled as fast as she could. She had phased through several floors and rooms already, but she knew it wasn’t going to slow her pursuer down one bit. As a matter of fact, she hadn’t seen him chasing her at all. She stopped and wondered where he had gone to. She scanned the area for his presence.

“Boo,” she heard from behind her. She jumped out of the way just as a glowing green net whizzed by her. She looked in the direction of the blast, only to find nothing.

Why couldn’t she sense him? That was twice he had caught her off guard. Her psychic senses didn’t register him at all. Without them to guide her, she was clearly outmatched. He could see her but she couldn’t see him. She had to keep moving or else she’d be a sitting duck. She went for the nearest wall, but felt something strike her side. She hit the wall with great speed, knocking the wind out of her. She tried to move, but found that she was trapped; she was covered in one of his nets.

Skulker made himself visible again, advancing towards his prey. “That was short,” he stated. “I was sure you’d last a little bit longer than that. No matter. Now, about that book.” Raven struggled to free herself of her bonds but it was no use. “Allow me,” Skulker offered as an energy blade emerged from his forearm. She definitely didn’t like where this was going. A blast suddenly came out of nowhere, smashing Skulker into a wall.

“What’s the matter, Skulker?” a disembodied voice asked. “Are you so pathetic that you have to beat up on little girls?” Phantom appeared with a smirk on his face.

“Phantom,” the hunter remarked. “It’s about time you got here. Now I can have some fun.”

“Funny, I was thinking the same thing,” Phantom shot back. He frowned for a moment. “What the heck happened to you?” he asked, noting Skulker’s tattoo’s and change in ‘hair’ color. “Isn’t your hair supposed to be green?”

“I’ve changed a lot since we’ve last met, whelp,” he replied. “My new master has made me a stronger and better hunter.”

“Master?” Phantom questioned. “Vlad is having you call him ‘master’?” Skulker then did something that took Phantom by surprise. He started to laugh.

“You think I’m still working for that weakling?” he snorted. “My new master has more power than you can even imagine. Not even Plasmius can stand against him.” Phantom’s interest was now piqued. If this wasn’t Plasmius, who was it then?

Raven was just as confused, if not more so. She wondered who this Vlad person was and even more importantly, who was this ‘master’. She continued to struggle against her bonds, but to no avail. She could only watch as Phantom and Skulker circled each other.

“Enough talk, ghost child,” Skulker insulted. “It’s time to show you the full power my master has given me.”

“And its time to show you I’m not a child anymore,” Phantom shot back as he took a stance, ready to strike. They then both launched themselves at each other. Raven could only watch helplessly as the battle between the two commenced.

[Mandi-chan]

That was friggin awesome, I was on the edge of my seat at the end!

Update as soon as you can!!!!!!!

I really got to print this fanfic out, I love it!

[amelia_tomashi]

I really am enjoying your story~! I am particularly picky...and this is one of the very few that are worth reading. Your characters are actually believable and the story line lacks nothing...it has perfect amounts of comedy and seriousness...I. am. in. love.

I truly hope you finnish it.:p
:robin: - such a dork...I loved it when Danny flipped him~!

Amelia Tomashi

[Funkatron]

I really am enjoying your story~! I am particularly picky...and this is one of the very few that are worth reading. Your characters are actually believable and the story line lacks nothing...it has perfect amounts of comedy and seriousness...I. am. in. love.

I truly hope you finnish it.:p
:robin: - such a dork...I loved it when Danny flipped him~!

Amelia Tomashi

I thank you very much, Amelia. Welcome to TZ, by the way.

[amelia_tomashi]

:sweat:
Thank you~
You are most polite!

*giggles*

*sigh* Yes, I have a giggling problem...:o

[Funkatron]

:sweat:
Thank you~
You are most polite!

*giggles*

*sigh* Yes, I have a giggling problem...:o

Go ahead. Giggle away :p

Anything in particular you like about the story? Any complaints? I can only learn with feedback, whether good or bad :D

[amelia_tomashi]

Well, lets see...about the only thing that kinda sticks in my head at the moment, would be the cursing. I would never expect it from either of the shows...Normally, I'd complain about that...but you haven't done it that often and, oddly enough, it compliments the story.

Question: Danny's mood seems to be getting worse by the minute (loving the Emo side by the way...) is he going to find relief for the angst soon? Or is it some plan your working with...? I just ask, cause normally, even though distant...He would still have some nice thoughts...He seems REALLY angry at Jazz...angrier than usual... Also...When do you estimate the next chapter release? *pulls out hair* No rush...

OMG...I hate you. I was thinking about this durring choir today and it nearly got me into serious trouble durring my solo...:o lol. Twas funny though!

Thats it for now...lol:D

[Funkatron]

Well, lets see...about the only thing that kinda sticks in my head at the moment, would be the cursing. I would never expect it from either of the shows...Normally, I'd complain about that...but you haven't done it that often and, oddly enough, it compliments the story.

Question: Danny's mood seems to be getting worse by the minute (loving the Emo side by the way...) is he going to find relief for the angst soon? Or is it some plan your working with...? I just ask, cause normally, even though distant...He would still have some nice thoughts...He seems REALLY angry at Jazz...angrier than usual... Also...When do you estimate the next chapter release? *pulls out hair* No rush...

OMG...I hate you. I was thinking about this durring choir today and it nearly got me into serious trouble durring my solo...:o lol. Twas funny though!

Thats it for now...lol:D

The only really bad cursing really is the first chapter where Sam uses the F word. I tend to push it a little, but in good taste.

In terms of Danny and Jazz, he's not angry at her per say. Jazz is trying to be the voice of reason, something Danny doesn't want to hear. She's trying to get him to see the path he is taking is destructive and will eventually kill him and hurt everyone around him. He has a major inferiority complex. He's Batman x 1000. He feels that he's week, so he's obsessed with getting strong. He wants to protect everyone, but he feels like he can only do it alone, so no one else will get hurt. He doesn't understand why Jazz doesn't understand, cause in his mind it makes complete sense.

Poor Danny, so complicated, so confused, so emo :p

[amelia_tomashi]

The only really bad cursing really is the first chapter where Sam uses the F word. I tend to push it a little, but in good taste.

In terms of Danny and Jazz, he's not angry at her per say. Jazz is trying to be the voice of reason, something Danny doesn't want to hear. She's trying to get him to see the path he is taking is destructive and will eventually kill him and hurt everyone around him. He has a major inferiority complex. He's Batman x 1000. He feels that he's week, so he's obsessed with getting strong. He wants to protect everyone, but he feels like he can only do it alone, so no one else will get hurt. He doesn't understand why Jazz doesn't understand, cause in his mind it makes complete sense.

Poor Danny, so complicated, so confused, so emo :p

Sigh* Ahh the terrible compexities of teenagerdom...
Your explaination makes sense, ( :p loves batman*) Danny just seems Uuber depressed...There usually is at least a tinge of a sliver lining with him...But, this is different somehow...I like it, but its sad at the same time.

I do enjoy the Raven/Danny role switch though...interesting...

I have a good feeling I know who the "master" is...but, I'll just wait till it unfolds...so suspenceful! (Okay, I know I didn't spell that right.)
Man I type too much...(you will come to realize, I am one of the fangirls from your very worst nightmares...)
lol!
p.s.
You know, this fic seriously remindes me of Welcome to the Black Parade by My Chemical Romance....

[Funkatron]

Sigh* Ahh the terrible compexities of teenagerdom...
Your explaination makes sense, ( :p loves batman*) Danny just seems Uuber depressed...There usually is at least a tinge of a sliver lining with him...But, this is different somehow...I like it, but its sad at the same time.

I do enjoy the Raven/Danny role switch though...interesting...

I have a good feeling I know who the "master" is...but, I'll just wait till it unfolds...so suspenceful! (Okay, I know I didn't spell that right.)
Man I type too much...(you will come to realize, I am one of the fangirls from your very worst nightmares...)
lol!
p.s.
You know, this fic seriously remindes me of Welcome to the Black Parade by My Chemical Romance....
No, you don't know who the master is. bwahahahahaha!!!!

The role reversal thing is there for a very good reason...now, lets see if I remember that reason :p

Fangirl? Are you a fangirl of my story or just a fangirl in general?

[amelia_tomashi]

No, you don't know who the master is. bwahahahahaha!!!!

The role reversal thing is there for a very good reason...now, lets see if I remember that reason :p

Fangirl? Are you a fangirl of my story or just a fangirl in general?


Now, now...Wouldn't you like to know?:p

[Funkatron]

Now, now...Wouldn't you like to know?:p

Thats why I'm asking, silly.

[amelia_tomashi]

Thats why I'm asking, silly.

My, my! We've almost taken up a whole page! :D
I told you...fan girl from hell!

[Funkatron]

Just to let everyone know, I'll probably have the next chapter out by either tonight or tomorrow. I'm so psyched that I've been typing nonstop. just a page or so to go.

[Funkatron]

Author’s Notes: All new chapter in about under a week! Huzzah! I just got so excited that I was able to squeeze out this chapter for all my fans can enjoy.

I still think my writing of action scenes stink, so please be gentle. :p I hope you enjoy this and I’m sorry in advance: this ends in a cliffy. Bwahahahah!

Haunted Destiny Chapter 11

“Booyeah!” a very enthusiastic Cyborg exclaimed as Jazz sucked the last ghost in the area into a Fenton thermos. They, along with Beast Boy, actually made a pretty good team capturing smaller ghosts. Cyborg flipped open a panel in his arm and did a scan of the Tower. Unfortunately, due to whatever interference that had caused their COM links to malfunction, its range was severely limited. “I think that’s it for this area. Looks like the rest was taken care of by Phantom.”

An indignant Beast Boy harrumphed at the sound of the name. His hair was slightly singed do to one of Phantom’s blasts, so he was quite resentful at the moment. Jazz gave an apologetic smile, extremely embarrassed by her brother’s behavior.

“Where do we go now? Jazz asked, walking over to Cyborg. She clearly looked like she had been in battle: hair disheveled, a few tears here and there in her clothes. Her ecto-gun was still in hand, ready to take out any surprises. Her eyes had a fire of determination that shone brightly. Cyborg found her current appearance, well… man that’s hot!

“Head in the game, Cy,” he muttered to himself as he tried to focus back on the task at hand. He looked at his scanner again. “There is so much interference that I can’t get a lock on any ghosts.” Suddenly an explosion rocked the tower, causing the floor to tremble and various loose objects to rattle.

“If I had to guess, we should go that way,” Beast boy said, pointing in the direction of the explosion.

“My tower!” Cy cried out. “They’re blowing up my tower!” Jazz giggled at the fact Cyborg looked like he was about to cry. “That’s it! Those ghosts are going down!” They all started to run towards the series of smaller explosions that followed the first larger one.

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Robin and Starfire launched themselves at their opponent. Starfire fired another cascade of her starbolts, giving Robin to opportunity to move in. He dodged a swing from its tail as he swung his weapon. The snake hissed loudly once again as Robin’s sword swung true. The gash that it caused spewed ectoplasm in every direction. Starfire, seeing her chance, launched a large starbolt at the wound, causing even more damage. Finding itself outmatched, the serpent turned intangible and fled through the floor.

Robin and Starfire stood there back to back, waiting for the ghost to attack again. Starfire’s fists glowed with fierce green energy, while Robin stood ready with sword in hand. Robin gritted his teeth as he fought back the pain in his back, the anticipation as thick as pea soup. Seconds became like hours as they didn’t dare to drop their guard.

A hiss gave the ghost’s position away. In an instant a flurry of ecto-bolts and exploding discs rained down on the location, making the serpent visible again. “Starfire!” Robin cried out. She nodded, knowing exactly what he was planning. She grabbed his arm and using her strength, swung him around. Gaining the needed momentum, she let go, launching him at the serpent. He once again swung with his sword, this time cutting all the way through their enemy. It cried out in pain, then disintegrated in a green mist.

“We have vanquished our enemy!” Starfire cried as she gave Robin a bone crushing hug. He winced and cried out in pain, causing Star to let go. “Robin! Are you well?” Robin bent over, the pain overwhelming his senses. “Allow me to help,” she said. Before he could even protest, she was already behind him. She grabbed his shoulder with left hand and placed her right palm in the small of his back. In one sudden motion, she straightened his back, a cracking noise echoing the halls. She stepped back to survey her work. Robin surprisingly enough, no longer felt any pain.

“How did you…?” he half asked as she grinned.

“That, Robin, is a secret,” she replied with a wink. Starfire always managed to surprise him with something. He grinned himself, then cleared his face, focusing on the task at hand. A rumbling could suddenly be felt underneath them. Robin recognized it instantly as an explosion. He narrowed his eyes. Starfire’s face had a look of resolve in them as she stood by her boyfriend’s side.

“Let’s go, Star,” he stated as they went off to find the cause of the explosion.

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“Almost got it,” Jack said as his shoulder once again connected with the door that kept them trapped. The results were the same as the other two dozen times he tried before; the door just would not budge. He tried prying it open again, but that, too ended in failure. Not one to give up, he continued to slam the door with his fists.

“I think you need to get of the way, dear,” Maddie called out. Jack turned around, then ducked for cover. Maddie held in her hands a rather large bazooka, which was now aimed at the door. It hummed into life, the muzzle’s glow growing in intensity. It finally fired, hitting its mark. The door buckled under the deluge of ghostly energy. She held on to the trigger for as long as she could, as she struggling to keep the beam steady. The blaster finally gave up, its energy cells now depleted. As the smoke cleared, Jack popped his head from his hiding spot. The door had given under the pressure of the blast, the metal still smoking and bent outwards towards the hallway. Maddie held up the bazooka in her shoulder and smiled in triumph.

“Let’s go, Jack,” she ordered as she sprinted towards the exit. Jack could only watch with a sheepish grin.

“Man, that’s hot!”

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Danny fell down several floors in a matter of moments. Or rather, he smashed through the first couple of floors. He was able to turn intangible so he wouldn’t get any more damage. He finally was able to loose enough speed to stop his descent. Unfortunately, he had already reached the basement garage. He shook off the blow he had just received. Damn, when did Skulker get that powerful? He was sure he was able to take the hulking hunter. Right as they struck each other, Skulker had moved faster than Danny had ever seen him move. Was this the power that master had given him?

Sensing danger, Danny deftly dodged to the right. Just then, Skulker descended onto where Danny was moments earlier. His strike left a small crater in the pavement, launching dust everywhere. He stood up, grin still plastered onto his face. Angered by Skulker’s cockiness, Phantom launched himself at the ghost hunter. Skulker immediately opened fire from a shoulder mounted gun. Danny dodged each shot by zigzagging. He finally reached his destination, sending a devastating kick in Skulker’s direction. Skulker blocked, but was pushed back a few feet by the blow. Pulling back from the kick, Danny followed with a low punch that pushed Skulker back even further.

Skulker, not satisfied with just defending, went on the offensive, swiping at Phantom with blinding speed. Danny barely dodged the hit, backed up a few feet before stopping. Skulker ignited two ecto-powered blades, one on each arm, then took a number of swings at Phantom. Danny focused as much ectoplasm as he could into his hands as possible, causing them the glow. This trick not only allowed his hits to cause more damage than they normally would, but allowed him to handle Skulker’s blades, which he now either blocked or parried. Sparks flew as the blades connected with his hands. Knocking the blades out of the way, Danny found and opening and took it; with his fist still glowing, came in low and delivered a powerful uppercut into Skulker’s chin, knocking him into Cyborg’s T-Car.

Skulker’s head was now bent in an unnatural angle. Danny watched in disgust as Skulker proceeded to straighten it with a metallic crack.

“Now that’s more like it,” he said. “But still lacking something.” Four canons suddenly appeared from various places on his body. All taking aim at the halfa, they fired beams of orange energy. Danny quickly put up a shield, blocking the blasts in the nick of time.

“Is that the best you can…” he began before realizing a rather large missile was headed his way. “Aww, sh-!”

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“Looks like we’re here,” Cyborg called out as they made it to the location of the explosion. They could already see the concentration of smoke thickening as Cyborg’s shoulder light tried to pierce through it. A door leading to a storage room was ajar and severely dented.

“Dude, looks like an army came through here,” Beast Boy marveled. Jazz nodded in agreement. She was certain her brother was in the middle of it all.

“Cyborg!” some one called out. They all turned to find Robin and Starfire coming from the other direction.

“Is everyone unharmed?” Starfire inquired. Everyone chimed in their relative health.

“Wait, where’s Raven?” Robin asked with concern. Nobody had seen her recently. “I knew it. The ghosts are probably after her. We have to hurry. Cyborg, see if you and Star can open this door.”

“Will do, Rob,” Cyborg replied. E and Starfire, being the strongest two titans, began pulling on each door, trying to pry them open. They eventually managed to make an opening large enough for them to enter. All the titans, along with Jazz, barged in, ready for a fight. The room seemed to have met a lot of damage. Smoke was thick in the air and many of the crates were covered in soot. In the middle of the room was a large gaping hole in the floor.

“Ahem!” a familiar voice called out. They all turned to find Raven, still stuck to the wall, in a rather agitated state. Her face had a thick layer of black soot covering it. “A little help, please?”

“Raven!” Starfire exclaimed. She fired a few well placed starbolts which freed Raven from her web prison. Not ready for her sudden descent, Raven unceremoniously landed on her bum with an “oof”. This elicited a few chuckles from the boys, which were quickly silenced by a glare from her.

“What happened?” asked Robin.

“A ghost caught me off guard,” Raven replied and she dusted herself off. “He was going to take the book, but then Phantom appeared.”

“We saw him early, too,” Beast Boy chimed in. “Boy, does he have an attitude problem.”

“What did the other ghost look like?” Jazz asked with curiosity. Raven turned to her.

“He was in some weird armor,” she replied. “He kept going on and on about being the best ghost hunter out there or something or rather.”

“Wait, Skulker’s here?” Jazz queried in surprise. Everyone else focused their attention on her.

“You know about him?” Cyborg asked. She nodded.

“He normally chases D-err Phantom around,” Jazz explained. “Something about making him a pelt or something.” Everyone made a disgusted face.

“So, where did they go?” Beast Boy asked. Another explosion rocked the Tower that very instant. The blast seemed to come from the bottom of the building.

“I think they’re in the garage,” Raven said sarcastically.

“Oh, no! My Baby!” Cyborg cried, afraid that his car would be damaged. He had just finished waxing it, too.

“Let’s get down there before they damage the tower any more,” Robin commanded. Starfire nodded, as she placed her arm under both his arms and flew him down the hole in the floor. Beast Boy followed, turning himself into a hawk as he dove down below himself. Cyborg turned to Jazz.

“You should stay here, where it’s safe,” he said to her.

“But I want the help!” she protested.

“It’s too dangerous, Jazz,” Cyborg said. “The way you describe this guy, he sounds like he’s pretty tough. Plus with Phantom getting into things, it could get pretty hectic.”

“But…” she began. She sighed in defeat. “Just be careful, alright?”

“No prob,” he said with a grin. Raven, who had been waiting for him, created a disc of black energy for him to ride on. He jumped on his awaiting ride. “We’re the Teen Titans, remember?” Raven descended along with Cyborg down to the ensuing battle.

DPTTDPTTDPTTDPTTDPTTDP

Skulker flew through the hole his missile had created to survey his handiwork. He could see Phantom still flying from the blast and land just a few miles away into the ocean. Phantom may have been a challenge before but now he was no match.

Skulker decided to follow and finish the fight when he was suddenly hit in the back by a powerful blast. Looking down, he could see a very much irate Cyborg, sonic cannon cocked and ready.

“Hey, you!! What did you do to my baby?!” he called out in fury. He fired off a few more blasts which Skulker dodged.

“I have no time for you, pest,” Skulker growled. He hated being interrupted, especially by prey with no ability. He was hit again, this time from above by a number of exploding discs. He looked above to find Starfire, holding on to Robin. She let go of her boyfriend, letting him drop right above the hunter. Glowing bo staff in hand, he swung down, using the momentum of his fall to amplify his strike. Skulker barely blocked in time as he actually lost his altitude from the attack. He pushed him away, only to be assaulted by a barrage of starbolts. Raven created a dark platform for Robin to land on safely.

Meanwhile, a hawk, which was flying above suddenly broke into a steep dive. Building up its speed, it strangely began to grow in size and shape. The green mass took a different and more massive form. A green elephant took its place, trunk sounding loudly as it slammed into the unsuspecting Skulker. They fell sharply into the awaiting ocean, causing a large wave that hit the shore. Shortly later, a green seal jumped onto the rocks and transformed back into a grinning Beast Boy.

“Hey, I wanted to do that,” Cyborg called out as he ran up to his teammate. “That bucket of bolts has to pay for messing with my T-Car!”

“Bucket of bolts?” a voice asked in amusement as Skulker rose from the ocean “Only one is I see is you and your outdated hardware.”

“Outdated?” Cyborg seethed. “Why you little…” Cyborg’s shoulders opened up, firing a dozen mini-missiles at the ghost. Each one struck its target with pinpoint accuracy as Skulker didn’t even bother to dodge. Beast Boy shielded his eyes as the shock wave from the blast overtook them. As the dust cleared, both Titans stood there in awe as they saw that Skulker was surrounded by an orange shield. He smirked.

“Now it’s my turn,” the ghost said as a missile launching system sprang to life on his back.

“Where the heck does he fit all that?” Beast Boy asked as he and Cyborg ran for their lives. A hail of missiles rained done upon them, sending debris everywhere.

“You shall leave my friends alone, please!” Starfire roared as she descended on him, starbolts flying. She flew at him at her top speed, tackling him into the ground. He managed to kick her off, further annoyed. Holding out his wrist, he fired one of his nets, binding her arms and legs together. She yelped in surprise as she hit the ground, unable to move. He advanced to her, intending to put her out of her misery when he was once again struck by a volley of exploding discs.

Robin was running towards him at full speed, bo staff swinging. He brought the staff down from above his head, hitting Skulker’s arms as he blocked it. Robin pulled back, spun around and swung again, this time low. He swung again and again, and each time he was blocked, though he did drive the ghost back. Skulker’s blade sprung to life once again, slicing the bo staff clean in half in the middle. Not fazed by this, Robin simply twirled each half around like a pair of batons. He began his offensive again, trying to find any weak point in the robotic ghost’s defense. The ghost hunter, tired with just blocking, lunged forward, catching Robin by surprise. He grabbed him by the throat and slammed him into the ground, knocking the wind right out of him.

“I’ll admit, you are an impressive adversary,” Skulker admitted. “But this has to come to an end.”

“Stop!” Raven cried out as a flying kick connected with the ghost. Unfortunately, it didn’t have that much power behind, so Skulker easily shook it off. Raven landed on her bum for the second time that day, as she cursed under breath. Raven had never been that much of a hand to hand fighter. She always relied on her powers to fight in the Titan’s many battles. With her powers not effective against this new foe, she was desperate to try anything.

“Ah, witch. So glad you can make it,” he leered. “I have some unfinished business with you.” Raven stood up and took a basic fighting pose, ready to make her last stand. She looked on at her friends, who were either knocked out or otherwise unable to move. She gulped as fear overtook her body.

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Danny cursed under his breath as he came to underwater. He leveled himself out and then rose to the surface as he found his bearings. The blast of the explosion not only knocked him outside but a good number of miles away from the tower as well. He could see a number of detonations at the base of the tower, signifying a battle was raging. Without him.

Danny cursed again at Skulker’s cheap shot. He was going to pay for that. He shot like a rocket towards the signs of war. He poured all of his speed into it, leaving a large wake of water trailing him.

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Skulker was now a mere few feet away from Raven, as she didn’t budge an inch. She couldn’t decide whether it was from courage or from fear that she didn’t back up. Probably a mixture of both. She unexpectedly felt something headed their way at top speed. She jumped out of the way, just as a black and white blur slammed into Skulker, knocking him into some nearby rocks. Raven was somewhat impressed at the speed at which he hit the robot.

“And that was for the cheap shot!” Danny quipped as he dove in again, his fists flaring. He slammed them into Skulker’s chest, denting it in the process. “And that was for calling me a whelp all the time!” He hit him many more times, each hit causing a mini-crater in the hunter’s armor. Danny jumped back, dodging a kick that was meant for him. Skulker stood up again, almost unfazed by the attack. Phantom watched in horror as each dent disappeared with a metallic pop. Raven noticed that the bracelet that Skulker had attributed to her unable to touch him was glowing brightly.

“You can’t win, whelp,” he said, launching another volley of missiles. Danny took to the sky, outrunning and dodging each missile as they tried to incinerate him. He began blasting them as they threatened to get close. As the last one exploded, he turned around just in time to block a blow from Skulker, who had been trying to catch him by surprise. Danny pushed him back and then sent a kick his way. As Skulker was sent flying, Danny powered up and fired an ecto-blast which accelerated him even further. Skulker fell with a thud into the shore of the Tower. Phantom proceeded to pelt him with a deluge of ecto-blasts, causing even more debris to fly. He waited in the sky for the smoke to clear, hoping to see his enemy beaten to a pulp.

What he got instead was an energy discharge to the face. Danny was temporarily blinded and thrown back by the sneak attack. Skulker swiftly closed the gap between them, swing down his blade once again at the seemingly unsuspecting Phantom. He met resistance, however, when his blade hit Phantom’s shield, which he had erected to protect himself until his eyesight came back. Sparks flew as Skulker applied more pressure, trying to crack the shield like an egg.

“I don’t think so!” Phantom declared as he performed the same trick he had done with the Octopus ghost earlier before: he focused on expanding his shield until it became a powerful blast that threw Skulker back. Back on the offensive, Danny approached Skulker and bombarded his body with kicks and punches. Putting his fists together, he launched Skulker back to the rocks down below. When Skulker touched down, Danny planted an ecto-powered punch into his gut. He jumped back, hoping that was the end of it.

“Is that all?” Skulker asked as he stood once again, the damage on his suit already healing itself.

“Damn,” Danny cursed. He should have ended this fight already. Skulker just wouldn’t stay down. That regeneration trick was getting real annoying.

At that moment, number of ecto-beams whizzed by the two combatants, who turned to see who else was interrupting their fight. Jack and Maddie Fenton, along with Jazz, were advancing towards them, bazookas in hand.

“Ha! Told yah they’d be here!” Jack cried out in triumph. “I almost hit one, too!”

“Your aim is really improving, dear,” Maddie complimented. Her face turned stern as she eyed the two ghosts in front of her. “You ghosts aren’t going anywhere!”

“Oh, please,” Skulker exclaimed. “You’re in our way!” He fired a salvo of missiles, which instead of heading towards Phantom, made a beeline towards the Fentons.

Everything seemed to go in slow motion for Danny as he tried to react. He kicked off, trying to desperately to reach his family in time before the warheads hit. Would he make it? Could he save them? He watched in horror as he got his answer; ever missile met their mark, creating a cloud of smoke in their wake.

“No!” he cried out, not believing what he had seen. He wasn’t fast enough! He couldn’t… he couldn’t… The halfa fell onto his knees, grief clouding his mind.

Through the smoke, he could hear coughing. Could it be? Did they make it?

Raven sighed in relief as she dropped the shield she had used to protect the Fentons. Keeping the shield up was a task in and of itself, due to then power bang of the missiles. She also didn’t have enough time create an entire dome; only a partial wall, which protected the her and the Fentons from the initial blast, but not from any stray debris from the sides. She turned around to see whether everyone was alright. Jack was able to use himself as a shield to protect his wife from stray debris. Other that his jump suit being torn, he and Maddie were fine

Jazz, unfortunately, wasn’t so lucky. She held onto her bleeding shoulder as she gritted her teeth in pain. Blood had trickled down her arm, pooling on the rocks underneath her. Maddie, seeing her daughter’s injuries, rushed to tend to her wound.

Danny froze at the sight of his hurt sister. He could feel it; a feeling of white hot anger well up as he pointed an accusatory finger at Skulker.

“YOU!” he cried as he began to see red. Skulker actually began to back up, as he had never seen Phantom so filled with rage. Attacking the whelp’s family was probably not a good idea. He didn’t back off fast enough as Phantom was on top of him before he could even blink. A single punch sent the hunter flying across the harbor into the docks n town. Phantom, his rage still burning, followed, intent on making him pay dearly.

[amelia_tomashi]

Great job! *ARgh!* CLIFFHANGERS!!!! NOOOO!!!!
:eek: :eek: :eek: :eek: :eek: :eek: :eek: :eek: :eek: :eek: :eek: :eek: :eek: :eek: :eek: :eek:

[Mandi-chan]

You're probably getting tired of my compliments...oh well!:D

Once again, awesome chappie!:)

[Funkatron]

Thanks. I'm so psyched that my next chapter is coming either later today or tomorrow. It's a special occasion, since I've hit 200 reviews at FF.net and My next chapter should bring my story over 50,000 words. huzzah!

[Funkatron]

I’d like to thank everyone who took the time to read, review and praise my story. I’m glad you’ve enjoyed so far and I hope I won’t disappoint in incoming chapters.

In this chapter, we have the end of the fight, plus a guest appearance by the new villainess, as well as some angsty psychotic breakdown. Shall we begin?

Chapter 12: Hot and Bothered

Skulker had made a grave miscalculation. Just moments earlier, he had attacked the ghost child’s parents in hopes of finally ending their meager existence. What he had not bet on was the fit of rage his prey, Danny Phantom, would be sent into due to his actions. Even now, Skulker was traveling at a great speed away from his intended targets, propelled by the attack of Phantom. He tried desperately to decelerate and regroup to form a new plan of attack. He finally stopped and righted himself, ready to fight back.

Or so he thought as before he could even blink, Phantom was upon him again. The ghost child’s eyes filled with malice and spite. Skulker had never seen that look on his face before and frankly it disturbed him. A lot. He barely had time to register Phantom’s appearance when the ghost teen went on the offensive, showering Skulker with a flurry of punches to the gut and followed up with a kick to the head, sending him back towards Titan’s Tower. The kick had such force behind it that it sounded like a clap of thunder. The hunter could feel himself skipping across the water like a rock across the pond, each bounce shiver wobbling his senses even further. Just when had the whelp gotten this strong and this fast?

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Robin moaned as he tried to sit upright. His back injury had returned, sending waves of pain through his body as he tried to get up. He finally managed to get on his feet, surveying the damage done to his team. Spotting Starfire, who was still trapped inside a net, he ran towards her. Using his birdarangs, he managed to cut her loose.

“Oh Robin, are you well?” she asked, noticing his wincing face. She wanted to hug her boyfriend, but she knew it would only agitate his injuring more. “Our enemy was most formidable.”

“He sure was, “Robin mumbled back. He never liked to admit defeat but that ghost had really done a number on them. They fought best as a team, but without Raven’s help, he knew they had a disadvantage. Starfire graciously offered the boy wonder support as she helped him walk towards the others.

Cyborg was just now coming to, a headache coming at him in full force. Groaning, he did his normal system check up and damage assessment. He was dented and dinged all over his body and some systems were running at a lower efficiency, but other than that, he would live. He heard something scurry next to him. As he turned to look, he found a green rat, which had revealed itself from a hiding spot in between the rocks. The rat transformed into Beast Boy, who was now dazed and confused.

“Did anyone get the license plate of that submarine that just hit us?” he asked. He fell flat on his face as Cyborg chuckled slightly. With a few squeaks and grinding noises coming from his various joints, Cyborg was able to stand up, albeit a bit slowly. He slung BB over his shoulder as he made his way to where everyone else was.

Raven was exhausted. Holding up that shield against a blast that strong had really taken a lot out of her. She was currently on her hands and knees, trying desperately to catch her breath. Upon seeing her friend in distress, Starfire floated her self and Robin over to her fellow titan. Cyborg was there moments later.

“I see everyone is still breathing,” the mechanical titan said rather jovially. Raven glanced at him, slightly exasperated at his crack as she sat up on her knees. An incoherent giggle could be heard from Beast Boy, who was still rather out of it. Cyborg froze when he noticed the Fentons surrounding their daughter, who looked like she was hurt and in serious pain. Unceremoniously dropping Beast Boy, he hurried towards them.

“Jazz! You alright?” he asked, concern heavy in his voice. She smiled at his worried tone and then winced as her mother tightened her makeshift bandage.

“I’ll live,” she replied, smiling again. Cyborg breathed a sigh of relief. He was beginning to like Jazz. A lot. He was happy the injury wasn’t that serious.

“What happened to the ghost, anyway?” Robin asked. They were definitely not in shape for a rematch.

“I think you should ask Phantom,” Raven replied. Just as she spoke, the sudden sound of thunder cracking echoed the bay. Turning, they saw something skipping across the water at tremendous speeds. They all ducked as the object in question slammed into the shore, sending debris flying in its wake. As the smoke cleared, they could see the cybernetic ghost that had attacked them earlier, rising from the crater his landfall had created. He looked up and they could see his eyes well up with terror. The titans looked up to where he was looking only to find Phantom, looking rather pissed off, building up a rather large ball of ectoplasm. Seeing where this was going, they all ran for cover as he sent the energy ball spiraling towards Skulker. The explosion rocked the entire island, as the Titans and the Fentons all hugged the ground, trying not to be blown away by the shockwave.

Skulker had barely managed to erect a shield in time to block the blast. He ran through a number of attack scenarios in his mind, trying to find one that would be most effective in this scenario. Only one was a viable option, however: retreat. Everything around him jerked as something hit his shield with great force. Phantom was now in front of him, smashing into the barrier incessantly, fists lit with energy and eyes lit with rage. Skulker could feel his energy cells wavering as the integrity of the shield decreased until there was nothing left that separated him from the enraged teen. Danny’s fist pulled back and slammed into Skulker’s face, cracking the metal and sending the hunter reeling. Phantom grabbed his arm, stopping him from going any further and punched him again. And again. And again, each time more powerful as the last. Not even Skulker’s regeneration trick could save him, as the ghost teen’s assault damaged him faster than his body could heal. The Titans watched in horror as Phantom viscously beat the hunter down to a metallic pulp.

Raven had seen enough. Though she was more than happy to see the ghost, which had threatened her friends’ lives, beaten to an inch of his li-err, after-life, this would get them nowhere. He had information they needed. Raven decided to step in and stop this massacre before it went any further. She extended her powers, using them to bind Phantom’s limbs, stopping him in his tracks. He struggled ferociously against his dark binds, growling almost inhumanly. Raven suddenly found herself trying not to faint from the strain of containing him.

“Let go!” he howled, wanting frantically to continue his onslaught. Sweat dripped down her face as the exertion took its toll. She was re-evaluating her decision of even intervening. “Let GO!” Phantom bellowed again, staring at his prey, who was struggling to back away slowly. Seeing his chance was disappearing quickly, Skulker hastily activated his rocket pack and launched into the sky.

“NO!!” the ghost boy cried, using all his strength to resist. Raven finally gave in, no longer able to hold him back. She fell back in exhaustion, being caught by Cyborg before she hit the ground. Phantom, meanwhile, had caught up to his fleeing enemy, stopping him in his tracks. He took a deep breath as he faced his foe. On the ground, Jazz’s eyes went wide, the realization of what was about to happen hitting her.

“Everybody down, NOW!” she bellowed as loud as she could. Everyone wondered what the cause for alarm was, but obeyed obediently as they ducked for cover. They all watched as Phantom let loose with his most power attack: the ghostly wail. The waves of ecto-enhanced sonic energy hit Skulker instantly, knocking him back as if a building had hit him. He could feel himself falling apart literally as his metal skin buckled and deteriorated. His Right arm was the first to go and without the charm that had protected him before, everything else quickly followed. Random parts of his body began breaking off under the pressure.

Though Phantom, in his current state of mind, had the foresight of focusing his attack on just Skulker, the after effects still had a devastating effect on the area. Large waves were forming in the waters around them, beating on the shoreline with ferocity. The windows on the lower half of the tower cracked, some even shattering, unable to take the stress. Even the Tower itself seemed to groan under the pressure. The shockwaves threatened to blow everything away, including the young heroes who held on for dear life.

As quickly as the attack began, it stopped. Everything slowly began to settle. The Titans one by one began to stand up to survey the damage. Cyborg, who had been using his body to shield Raven, helped her get up and gave a low whistle as he saw the level of carnage. Robotic pieces scattered the sea line, many of which were merely small parts. Up above, Phantom floated, panting from the energy he just expelled. He landed, the same rage in his eye, marching towards Skulker’s head.

“What the heck is he…?” Cyborg questioned as Phantom picked up the hunter’s severed head. Phantom, using his intangibility, reached inside and pulled out a quivering mass of ectoplasm that was Skulker’s true form. Everyone gawked as the small creature hollered in a miniature version of the menacing voice they had heard earlier.

“Please! Stop!” he cried, trying to sound commanding, but failing miserably. “Don’t do it, Phantom.” Danny just looked down and grinned wickedly. Skulker’s eyes went wide as the ghost teen raised his glowing hand.

Suddenly, Danny felt something at the corner of his mind. He looked back down in his hand to find Skulker had vanished from his grasp. Looking up, he was shaken out of his murderous reverie to see her. The ghost girl in red grinned, with Skulker in hand.

“Can’t have you destroy poor old Skulky, now can we?” she said playfully. Everyone, including Phantom, wondered who in the world she was. She gazed over at Phantom, looking the ghost boy over from head to toe, smirk growing wider with every passing moment. She licked her lips, like a lioness eyeing her next meal in Africa. “Aren’t you a piece of work,” she said to him. Phantom could inexplicably feel the temperature rise, his yearning for revenge long gone.

“Valera, what took you so long?” Skulker cried in outrage. “He was going to destroy me!”

“Now, now, Skulky,” Valera replied. “I was just enjoying the show. You do make a good punching bag,” she teased. Skulker was shouting even louder now, but she ignored him as she continued to visually undress Phantom. She created a bubble of fire that encased Skulker and then touched down, advancing towards Phantom. The white haired ghost teen receded, not sure what to make of his current situation. She sauntered towards him daringly, hips swaying with ever step. He hit something solid and realized he had hit the tower. Forgetting he could even go intangible, he waited with foreboding as she stopped in front of him.

“Tell me, boy,” she began to ask enticingly. “Would you like to be mine?” Before he could stutter a reply, she pulled him into a kiss.

Everything seemed to stop as the Titans and the Fentons watched, flabbergasted. Only sound that was heard was a single “dude” that was uttered by Beast Boy. Danny could feel the air around him spike in temperature as he could feel himself begin to sweat profusely. His state of confusion wearing off, he hastily pushed off from her, shock still plastered on his face from her bold actions. She smiled again, finding his reaction amusing.

“I’m not going to bite,” she said. “Much.” Danny struggled to find courage to do something. A number of his rogue’s gallery were women; Ember, Spectra, Desiree. And he had never had any problems fighting with them. Of course, none of them ever made a pass at him. Or kissed him. Shrugging it off, he grew a back bone and took a step.

Only to find she was gone again. He had hardly seen her move at all. Even his ghost sense had a hard time keeping track of this new ghost. He looked up to find her once again flying overhead, holding the orb that held Skulker in hand. She blew Danny a kiss.

“See you later, lover boy,” she purred. Her boots flared, a flame lighting each heal as she sped away. He should have followed, but she was going much faster than he ever though he could. That and his jaw was still hanging from his face. The realization that he let Skulker get away finally set hold as he cursed under his breath at the turn of events. He turned to see if his family was safe only to find Raven in his face. She stared at him with a face full of anger and annoyance. The other Titans took a step back, not daring to get in between them. Not only because of Phantom’s recent display of anger, but they knew all to well that Raven’s temper was something not to be messed with.

“What do you want,” he began, irritated that she was in his way. Before he even comprehended it, Raven had drawn back her fist and punched him right in the jaw. He faltered, the punch not powerful enough to knock him out, though it did catch him by complete surprise. The Titans were once again shocked into silence.

“You jerk,” she barked, once again catching him off guard. “Were you trying to get us killed?” she continued, arms pointing towards the destruction around him. He looked around, as if he had seen the damage for the first time. Had he done all this?

“Not only did you almost trash everything, you let the bad guys get way!” she kept going, poking her finger into his chest with every word. She was actually pushing him back with each poke, as if he weighed mere ounces. He backed up to evade her finger and looked away to avoid her gaze. He looked over to the others and was shocked at what he saw: Fear.

They all looked at him cautiously, as if he could easily explode in their faces. The Fenton’s usual bravado for ghosts was gone as they eyed him carefully, not sure what to think. Both Maddie and Jack blocked his path to Jazz, as if he would just lunge after her like the monster they thought he was. Even Jazz, who knew who and what he was, couldn't look him in the eye, her face filled with dread. They were all afraid and leery of him, as if he was…

“As if you were me,” he could hear the voice say. Danny could once again here Him jeer. “Didn’t I say it was a matter of time?” The laughter echoed in his head, causing a sharp pain. He grabbed his head as the laughter only got louder.

“Stop!” he said out loud, surprising Raven. He backed up again, terror seizing him. “Leave me alone! I’m not like that!” The others had confused looks on their faces as they watched the white haired ghost just break down. He flew like a rocket towards the sky, until he just disappeared from view.

“Danny,” Jazz whispered under her breath as she reached her hand out after him. The mixture of pain and worry overtook her as she fainted.

“Dude, you broke him,” Beast Boy said in awe. Raven turned towards him, growling in anger, which caused BB to shut up. No one else said a word as she marched back towards to the entrance of the tower.

After a moment, the Fentons quickly followed, with Jack carrying Jazz in his arms. Cyborg decided to escort them to the medical bay of the Tower. That is, if there a medical bay left. Starfire half-carried Robin inside as well, to tend to his wounds. Beast Boy brought up the rear, not wanting to be left behind.

TTDPTTDPTTDPTTDPTTDPTT

The damage to the tower was extensive to say the least. Broken windows, holes in ceilings and walls, a gapping whole leading to the garage were on the growing list of things that needed repair. Cyborg still was trying to figure out how to get the power and security systems up to full power. Not that it would have mattered if another ghost attack arrived, but it was the perfect opportunity for their more human adversaries to launch a sneak attack. He finally was able to route some power to at least the medical bay, which relieved him.

The team was just as ragged as their home. Cyborg was completely involved with getting the tower back up and running, ignoring his own wounds and damage. He only took breaks to check up on their ‘patient’, Jazz who was comfortably resting in their medical bay. Beast Boy only had a few cuts and bruises, which didn’t bother him too much. Starfire had declined healing from Raven for Robin, which he vigorously objected to, until Starfire whispered something in his ear about a back rub, which quickly shut him up.

Raven had spent sometime in her room alone before finally coming out to see who she could heal. She used her powers to patch up Jazz’s shoulder, for which Maddie and Jack were extremely grateful. As she was doing so, Maddie came to the sudden realization that she had forgotten something.

“Where is Danny?” she asked with motherly concern. She had not seen her son since before the attack and at the moment, worry was creeping up her mind at an alarming rate. She had been so worked up with catching ghosts and helping Jazz that she had completely forgot about her youngest child.

“Mmm,” Jazz groaned as she conveniently woke up from her slumber. She opened her eyes, squinting at the fluorescent lights which blinded her momentarily. She glanced over to her mom, who was now having a nervous breakdown about the well being of her son. “Mom?”

Maddie glanced over to her daughter, relieved she was awake. He mind jumped back to Danny, parental instinct taking over with a vengeance.

“Jazz honey, have seen your brother recently?” she asked, trying not to sound anxious. Jazz froze up for a moment, but then relaxed as her mind went to work on a convincing lie. Raven noticed her tensing up while she was still healing her shoulder.

“I saw him before I went to find you guys,” she lied deftly. “I told him to stay inside our room. He’s probably still there.” Finding Jazz’s answer satisfactory, Maddie calmed down, her worries abated. Raven’s eyebrow rose knowingly. Why was she lying? Raven once again felt she was being sucked in to the mystery that was Danny Fenton and the effect he had on his family. If he wasn’t in his room, then where was he during the attack? And was he really alright?

Raven finished her job, which Jazz thanked her for. Jazz felt much better, as if she had never hurt her arm in the first place. She was eager to get back to her room and hopefully to find Danny. Raven finding nothing else wrong with her, discharged her from the medical area, sighting that she needed plenty of rest in bed. Jazz agreed and headed out to search for her brother.

Raven’s mind was in a flurry as the events of the day repeated themselves in her mind. Phantom’s attitude was, to put it mildly, highly erratic. His sudden rage when the Fentons were attacked was mystery enough but his breakdown afterwards was even more perplexing. She wondered, despite herself, what was going on inside his head. She actually felt somewhat sympathetic of him, despite his rude behavior.

She actually considered herself very lucky. The level of power he showed during his moment of fury was just frightening. She was exhausted as it was, and he could have easily attacked her when she foolishly confronted him. At the time, she was pretty angry herself and it clouded her better judgment.

Her anger was what made her even more sympathetic for him. She had a temper herself, which she continuously kept in check due to her emotionally-triggered powers. It was something she grudgingly admitted inherited from her father, Trigon. Get her angry enough and her dark side took over, making her anyone who was in her way wish they had never been born, literally. What confused her was why he had gotten angry. It was as if he had an unhealthy obsession in the Fentons and their well being, which left her befuddled. Why did he care?

DPTTDPTTDPTTDPTTDPTTDP

Jazz hurried a long towards the living area of the tower, slowing down with every step. She stopped abruptly and reconsidered to whether or not she truly wanted to find her brother at the moment.

She had seen him fight many times, sometimes without him ever knowing. He always had an air of playfulness whenever he faced off against another ghost, often letting witty banter fly along with his blasts. Of course, that was one when Danny was still happy. But she had never seen him fight like how he fought today. Or at least not the Danny she cared about.

He was vicious, almost animal like. He attacked Skulker without mercy, even after the hunter had given up and pleaded for mercy. His eyes were so empty, and yet at the same time full of rage. She was scared of him. She didn’t even know little brother anymore. She wondered if anything she said would ever bring back the old Danny; the lovable, playful Danny that everyone seemed to miss. She wondered if he was so far gone that he’d never return.

She found herself in front of their room without even realizing it. Calming herself down, she opened the door, to find the room pitch black.

“Hello?” she called back. She could see something move in the corner. She put a firmer tone in her voice. “Danny, is that you?” As her eyes adjusted she could see that it was him. He was huddled in the corner of his bed, arms wrapped around his knees in a fetal position. He was rocking back and forth, mumbling incoherently about something she couldn’t quite understand. He looked up at her, his eyes full of confusion and sadness.

“Go away,” he simply said, so quietly that Jazz could hardly hear him.

“Danny, we need to talk. Now,” she said firmly, trying to channel her mother’s motherly authority. Danny looked down again, focusing on nothing in particular.

“Just go, please,” he pleaded. All he wanted was to be alone.

“Danny,’ she started again.

“Keep away from me!” he screamed, startling her. She backed up away a few steps. “Just...please,” he continued earnestly. “I’ll hurt you again. Just go.” He held his head in his hands as he felt another wave of pain sweep through his head. “Stop! I’m not like you!”

Jazz’s worry for her brother grew exponentially, fearing the worst for him. He was having another breakdown, but this one seemed more severe then the last one over a year ago. She wanted so sincerely to help him, but he always kept himself barricaded. She needed to break through his barriers and quickly.

“Danny, please. I just want to help,” she soothingly said, trying to relieve is anxiety. The look on his face was frantic.

“Leave me alone!” he screamed at the top of his lungs as he transformed and bolted through the ceiling of their room. She wanted to follow, but had no clue where he was headed to. She sighed as fell onto her knees and began to sob into her bed.


Will the next chapter come out as quickly? Maybe, Maybe not. Right now I’m pooped and I still have an essay to write for class. I hope you enjoy the fruits of my labor. See you next time.

-Your Friendly Neighborhood Funkatron (Now with 10x more funk than ever before!)

[DeathscytheVII]

I'll just say that I've read 4 chapters of this, and so far, its a pretty good fic! Your writing is easy to follow, pacing is good, and descriptions are top notch. Having recently become a Danny Phantom fan :D i decided to try this out.

Though a few things abotu characters. It was hard imagining Danny or any of the characters from the show swear, but i suppose its artistic liberty, or writer's liberty w/e you call it.

Another thing that made me think was danny getting so serious. Danny's behaviour is justified in how he wanted to protect his friends by pushing htem away, but i've always thought of that as a 'Robin' move. But either way, the images of his family frozen in stone and his inability to help does explain some of it.

Anyways, can't wait to see what else you got when i have the time to read (exam week :(), lol and i love the box ghost, but i was so surprised that he killed someone. Oh well...i'll keep track of this whenever i can.

[Funkatron]

I'll just say that I've read 4 chapters of this, and so far, its a pretty good fic! Your writing is easy to follow, pacing is good, and descriptions are top notch. Having recently become a Danny Phantom fan :D i decided to try this out.

Though a few things abotu characters. It was hard imagining Danny or any of the characters from the show swear, but i suppose its artistic liberty, or writer's liberty w/e you call it.

Another thing that made me think was danny getting so serious. Danny's behaviour is justified in how he wanted to protect his friends by pushing htem away, but i've always thought of that as a 'Robin' move. But either way, the images of his family frozen in stone and his inability to help does explain some of it.

Anyways, can't wait to see what else you got when i have the time to read (exam week :(), lol and i love the box ghost, but i was so surprised that he killed someone. Oh well...i'll keep track of this whenever i can.

Yay, new reader!!

Glad you like it. Like I've said, this is my first story. First couple of chapters are shaky, but now I think I've hit my stride. The later chapters should be a treat for you to read.

[Atoragon]

Despite the fact that I loathe Danny Phantom, I have found this story quite interesting. I just finished the first page. (1st 7 chpts, i think.). I add seconds, thirds, fourths, etc. on all praise made to this story.

[Funkatron]

Despite the fact that I loathe Danny Phantom, I have found this story quite interesting. I just finished the first page. (1st 7 chpts, i think.). I add seconds, thirds, fourths, etc. on all praise made to this story.


Thanks a bunch, Cypher. I hope you like what you read. Fell free to add any comments and concerns. I always love input, whether it be good or bad. Even saying it sucks makes me happy; at least you are responding :p

[amelia_tomashi]

Wow. Now, that was some intense emotion!
:ack:

[Funkatron]

Another Day Another Chapter

Another one fresh off the presses. I hope you enjoy this one. I got myself real depressed writing up the first scene. Writing for a depressed character really takes a lot out of you, because you’re pretty much channeling their emotions and have to put yourself in their shoes to get it sounding right. Overall I sorta like the result. Makes me feel sorry for putting Danny through the ringer. Almost. Bwahahahahahah!!


Enjoy the emo angst and all the craziness in this chapter!


Chapter 13: Through the Looking Glass

He was lost, confused, and alone. His way, his purpose, his reason to live was lost in the shuffle of his life. What he had thought he had lived for, what he had thought was right was now mixed up. Left was now right. Up was now down. He didn’t know what to do anymore.

That other voice had silenced itself, its laughter still ringing in his ears. He was wet and cold. He didn’t realize till now that he was outside and it was raining, so lost in his thoughts that the outside world didn’t matter much to him.

He had failed them. He couldn’t protect them. No matter how strong he got, no matter how fast he flew he couldn’t get there fast enough. Fate was always one step ahead. The image of the explosions that had almost ended tier existance still flashed in his mind. They almost died because he wasn’t strong enough. Jazz almost died because he wasn’t strong enough.

He had tried so hard. Trained so much. He pushed himself as far as he could physically go and then some. He tried to turn them away, for their own good. His life was one of many dangers. But, despite all of his efforts, despite all of his sacrifices, he was still going to fail. He was going to loose them all. They would all die and then he would be all alone. And be just like Him, with nothing but pain and sadness to keep him company.

He wondered how they could do it. How they could save the world, save their city and not bat an eye. How they could be worshiped, be so perfect. They could never understand what he had gone through. Of course they couldn’t. They were heroes. They had made it. They passed all their challenges, achieved all their goals, crossed over all their hurdles with flying colors. He was just a freak, a loser who dared to be one of them and had fallen by the wayside.

They were all gonna die. And it was all his fault. His fault for existing. His fault for bringing them pain, for bringing them danger. His fault for being alive.

They feared him. It would have been better if they had just been angry. Their fear had hurt him even more than their hatred of him. Why couldn’t they understand? Why couldn’t they see he was trying? Instead, they feared what he was. He was a freak, a loser. And soon, he would be their end.

NO! He couldn’t. One side of him pleaded for him to continue, to strive to be something he was not. To do good. To protect. But the other side of him told him to just give and wait patiently because the end was coming soon. They would all die. He would be alone.

And it was all his fault.

TTDPTTDPTTDPTTDPTTDPTT

“Valera, please!” the diminutive ghost known as Skulker cried. He was still trapped inside the flaming globe that was his prison. Valera was currently taking him to her father to report Skulker’s failed mission. “Let me go back! I can’t go back to the master empty handed.”

“And what do we send you in, Skulky?” Valera asked mischievously. “You certainly can’t retrieve Daddy’s things looking like that.”

“We can go see Technus! He’ll make me as good as new,” he proposed. “Heck, I’d rather face Phantom like this than to see the master. He doesn’t tolerate failure.”

“That’s what makes it so interesting to watch,” she replied, which caused him to gulp. His future wasn’t looking so bright.

They once again arrived at her father’s portion of the ghost zone, its orange hue clashing with the rest of the area. She entered her father’s chamber and then bowed, presenting Skulker.

“I have a present for you, Daddy,” she said gleefully. Skulker cowered in his prison, much like the Box Ghost had one day before. The irony of the situation was bashing his mind like a jackhammer He could feel the gaze of the master bearing down upon him.

“Do you have anything to say before I pass judgment upon you, hunter?” he asked, a hint of peril in his voice. Skulker was too scared to even answer.

“If I may, Daddy,” Valera stepped in. Snapping her fingers, a ring of fire appeared, the middle replaying the day’s events. Their master’s eyebrows arced at the appearance of Phantom, as he intervened. He also noted the ghost child’s display of power.

“So, we have a new player,” he said.

“Yes! If it wasn’t for him I’d have already secured the book for you,” Skulker explained and pleaded.

“Skulker?”

“Yes Master?”

“Shut up.”

“We may be able to use him, Daddy,” Valera suggested.

“Indeed,” he replied thoughtfully. “He seems to have much potential. He could be very useful in my future plans.”

“May I be the one who persuades him?” she asked, trying to hide her enthusiasm. The figure behind the fire actually smiled at his daughter’s fowardness.

“Very well then, my daughter,” he answered. “He seems to be a suitable mate for you.” She blushed, surprised that her father easily saw her true motives. She bowed, and then headed out to execute her plan. “Now, as for you, Skulker…”

As she left the castle, screams of pain echoed the halls, followed by a demented cackle.


TTDPTTDPTTDPTTDPTTDPTT

Raven couldn’t sleep. She glanced over at the clock beside her bed and sighed. It was well past 2 o’clock in the morning. The night was quiet. No criminal elements had caused in trouble in the past few days. Robin and Cyborg were taking turns guarding the Tower the old fashion way by patrolling the perimeter. She had herself put a warning spell around the tower, which would let her know of any harm before it reached tem. They were, for all intensive purposes, relatively safe.

Even with those safeguards, she couldn’t shake off the aura of foreboding that seemed to weigh her down. The feeling that haunted her right before her father made her purpose known to her. Something bad was going to happen.

She thought back to the two mysteries that both seemed to have the key to this feeling of dread. The mystery behind Danny Fenton, the quiet boy who had the bad attitude and the sad eyes. Just like hers. And the mystery of Danny Phantom, the tortured soul that seemed to be troubled by a dark and lonely past. Also like her. At a passing glance, both their similarities to her were almost eerie. She knew there was something in common between them, something that would make it easier to solve their dilemma.

Danny Fenton seemed to fear Phantom. She wondered why. The image that Danny had in his head was still fresh in her mind. Was that what Phantom really looked like? Was that how Danny saw Phantom? As a monster?

And why was Phantom so preoccupied with the Fentons? The endangering of them seemed to drive him mad with rage. He seemed to see it as a duty but took it such a degree that bordered on obsession.

Why did she care? Why did she want to help? She kept asking herself that over and over. Maybe it was because they were so much like her. She had felt the same emotions that seemed to permeate the being of those two. The same sadness. The same despair. The same feeling of helplessness. She had felt those before and she’d be damned if she let someone else feel the same way. Not if she could help it.

She sighed as she looked up at her ceiling, no closer to the answers she hoped to find. She was unsure if there were any answers to find. As she lay there, she could feel it. A wave of emotions washed over her. Sadness, pain and despair, all of which she was all too familiar with, was assaulting her mind. The only problem was that these weren’t hers. She could feel them coming from many floors above her. They were so strong that they threatened to overwhelm her. It took all of her training to keep her own emotions in check and to filter out the incoming ones. Grabbing her cloak, she phased through the ceiling towards the source, hoping to reach there in time before something terrible happened,

TTDPTTDPTTDPTTDPTTDPTT

Raven’s search led her to the Tower’s roof. Rain was pouring down heavily, as if to wash away the damage caused earlier today. She canned the rooftop till she saw him. He stood there, near the ledge, looking out at the city, having not yet notice her. She began to advance slowly towards him, so she wouldn’t startle him over the ledge. As she got closer, she could make out the raven hair that was now limp and wet on his head. His fists, which were curled up into balls, were shaking ferociously. The closer she got to him, the heavier the emotions were. As soon as she felt she was close enough to catch him if he fell (or decided to jump), she chose to try and talk to him.

“Danny?” she asked cautiously. His head shot up immediately, as he looked around for the source of the voice. He finally spotted her, his eyes full of fear.

“Stay back,” he replied. She stopped advancing, hoping to make him feel not threatened. She tried to muster her most soothing voice, hoping to calm him down.

“It’s alright, Danny,” she said. He looked at her and sighed.

“No, it’s not alright,” he replied sadly. “It’s never alright. Not with me.”

She kept receiving strange whispers of thoughts coming from his mind as he spoke. “It’s not all right…they’re all gonna die…my fault.” She frowned at these thoughts; they were definitely not healthy.

“Maybe I can relate?” she offered sincerely. “I can listen, if you want.” He snorted a laugh.

“How could you relate? You’re one of them,” he pointed out accusingly. She cocked her eyebrow incredulously. What did that mean?

“Try me,” she challenged. “I might understand more than you know.”

Danny looked at her. “Tell her,” a voice in the back of his mind said. The voice seemed so familiar, like he hadn’t head it in a while. The truth was, ever since he made the sacrifice of pushing his friends away, loneliness nearly consumed his being. He missed talking to Tucker and Sam and even Jazz. He had a sudden urge to just tell this stranger, this person he never gave a second thought, all his secrets, all his fears, all his pain. All he wanted was release, for someone to talk to. Should he? Could he trust her? Would it even matter?

“Hello, Phantom,” a new voice purred. He looked wide-eyed.

“Who are you?” he asked out loud. Raven frowned slightly at this new turn of events. Who was he talking to? She hadn’t heard any voice but she was beginning to feel another presence,

“Don’t you remember me?” the new voice asked. He could tell that she was smiling. “I told you I’d come see you again. Would you like to come out and play?”

Raven watched as Danny held onto his head, howling in pain. She rushed over to him quickly, trying to reach him before he fell of the wrong side of the ledge. She reached out with her powers and was able to grab him just in the nick of time. He screamed again and just as quickly as it began, his screaming ended as he passed out on the roof.

She looked at the troubled teen as he lay there. His eyebrows were furrowed and his teeth gnashing. She bent down, holding a hand out to his clammy forehead. She could definitely fee another presence. Someone else was invading his mind. She wondered who and why would anyone want to violate this already tortured soul. She wondered if it was Phantom. Was that the connection between them?

Finding that this was not the place for wondering, she used her powers to levitate Danny, then phased through the ceiling to her room. Once they arrived, she removed her wet cloak and Danny’s soaking outer clothes, using her powers of course. She blushed as she performed her task, looking away as to not see anything inappropriate. She used a clean sheet to cover his body and keep him warm.

Finally making him comfortable, she sat next to him Indian style. She normally didn’t like entering into other people’s minds. She normally respected people’s privacy when it came to thoughts and memories. But at the moment she needed to save Danny from whoever was invading his mind first. She closed her eyes, chanting her signature magic phrase. A few moments later her soul-self, or her spirit form, emerged from her body. It turned towards Danny and dove in to parts unknown.

DPDPDPDPDPDPDPDPDPDPDP

Danny didn’t know how long he had been falling. He didn’t know if he would even stop. He should have tried to fly but at the moment he didn’t care. So he just kept falling.

He eventually came to an abrupt stop, hovering in empty space. He lazily looked around, wondering where the heck he was. Wasn’t he outside just moments ago?

“Oh Phantom,” she called out. He struggled to find the speaker, but saw only darkness. “Where are you, my dear Danny?” He blinked and swiftly found that the space wasn’t so empty anymore. His eyes were flooded by the sudden influx of red. He was in a room, to be precise a bedroom. Every piece of furniture, every wall and even the bed was in a diffrent shade of red. Occasionally, there was a black or brown here or there that accented the red. Red candles were lit throughout the room, providing the lighting. Danny rubbed his eyes, not quite sure whether what he was seeing was real or not.

He also observed that the room was extremely hot. It was as if someone had left the heater on high and broke of the knob. He pulled on his collar, the heat causing him to perspire profusely.

“Oh there you are!” her voice cried. He turned around to look at the bed that was previously empty to find her; the ghost girl who had rescued Skulker just hours before. His body tensed up as he readied himself for battle. She watched him curiously and then giggled.

“I thought I told you already,” she cooed. “I don’t bite.” She patted the spot beside her invitingly. “I just want to chat.”

“I think I’ll stand here, thank you,” he replied cautiously. Valera pouted.

“Don’t be like that,” she playfully whined. Danny blinked; and found himself suddenly sitting next to her on the bed. He looked around, confused as to what just happened. She took advantage of his disorientation by grabbing on to his arm.

“I’m so glad you changed your mind,” she said, her voice dropping down an octave. Danny gulped, feeling his temperature rising once again. She placed a hand on his cheek. “Do you feel better now?”

“What?” he asked in bewilderment.

“I heard my poor ghost boy crying, so I had just had to make him feel better,” she explained, drawing closer. As she squeezed, she pressed her breasts into his arm, causing his face to get redder by the second. “Is it working?” she asked as if she was clueless of the discomfort her actions were causing him. She smiled with fake sweetness.

“Don’t worry. Valera will make it all better.”

TTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTT

Raven’s eyes opened slowly as she shook off a wave of dizziness. She sat up, remembering the reason why she was there in the first place. Mindscapes were the mental representation of a person’s psyche and they varied from person to person. This was actually the first time she visited someone else’s mindscape other than her own. Dealing with her own complexities was bad enough. She rather she had not invaded the privacy of Danny by entering his mind, but the situation was dire. She looked around her new surroundings with curiosity.

She was in the middle of a city that was unfamiliar to her. The buildings were smaller and everything wasn’t as big as they were in Jump city. She recognized it instantly as the city she had seen in that vision in the gym. The city wasn’t as decrepit as the one in the vision, but it did look like it had seen better days. She speculated that it was Amity Park, Danny’s hometown.

What caught her off guard was not the city’s decaying state, but the sky. Instead of blue or red like in her vision, the sky was swirling mass of green, giving the city an eerie emerald glow. She gawked as she noticed that doors littered the sky, instead of stars. She wondered what the significance was of the unusual sky, as it probably had an important part in Danny’s psyche. She also observed that the buildings stopped abruptly at a certain point. Taking flight, she came to the realization that there was nothing else beyond the city line, not even ground. The city was literally floating in green space.

She began her search, looking to find anything that would help her find the intruder. Unfortunately, she seemed to be unsuccessful with her investigation. She did notice that the buildings on the edge of the city were in worse shape than the buildings were in the middle; it was as if the City was being corroded from the outside in. She definitely didn’t like the implications of this new development.

She wondered why she hadn’t met anyone yet, if there was anyone to meet. In her own mind, her mindscape (which was affectionately dubbed by her as “Nevermore”), was inhabited by her emotions, each of which were multi-colored versions of herself. She contemplated whether Danny’s mind was the same. They would be the most likely candidates to help her find who and what was the cause of all this.

She was interrupted in her thoughts by a sudden cackling. She distinguished the source immediately. It was him. The twisted version of Phantom she had seen in that vision. He appeared before her much in the same way he had before, appearing from the shadows. His red eyes regarded her in amusement, wondering what to make of her. A toothy grin adorned his face while is hair flared in the night. She was unsure of why he looked so different than the Phantom she had met before. Was that his true form?

“Looks like we have an uninvited guest,” he sneered. “How exactly did you get here again?”

“I could ask you the same,” she replied, trying not to show she was intimidated. He took her by surprise when he began to laugh loudly at her reply.

“Silly girl,” he answered sinisterly, “I live here. Do you like what I’ve done to the place?” He proudly pointed to the city around them. “I do enjoy making this mine.” Raven glared at him.

“Yours? Last I checked, this belonged to Danny,” she said, disputing his claim.

“You would think that, wouldn’t you?” he said. “I see you haven’t quite figured it out yet.”

“Figured what out?” she inquired. His smirk grew even larger.

“Not that you’d live long enough to find out,” he answered as his hands came to life with green energy. Before she even knew it, she was reeling back from a blast and fell down to the ground below with a thud.

“That hurt,” she said to no one in particular as she rose up to her feet. Phantom was coming in for another attack, his laughter echoing in the night. She didn’t know if she could take another blow from him, as she was still weak from her trip. Just then, she felt someone tackle her, knocking her out of the way before another green energy beam hit her. She and her mystery rescuer tumbled for a bit before finally coming to a stop. She opened her eyes to find that she was saved by none other than Danny Fenton.

Except that he was much different than the Danny Fenton she had met. He was much scrawnier and his hair was a lot neater than the wild mane she had seen him with. He also had a pair of glasses sitting precariously on his nose, which he pushed up to keep from falling off. He helped her up, grabbed her hand and pulled her along as they ran for dear life.

“This way,” he said as he led them away from the psychotic ghost that was now chasing them. She followed without question as they weaved their way through back streets and alley ways. She observed they were now headed straight for a strange building that was much different from the ones around it. Two things about the building were quite unique: a giant flashing sign that read “FentonWorks” hung from the side of the building, as well as a large, UFO-looking attachment that sat on top. They both made a dash for the door, which Danny promptly locked behind him. He then pressed a button on the panel next to the door. Raven watched in fascination as a glowing shield sprang to life around the building, blocking the path of their pursuer.

The stopped to catch their breath inside, both of them very much exhausted. She looked around what seemed to be a normal living room, though it seemed like it hadn’t been used for a long time. Sheets covered much of the furniture and thick layer of dust covered everything else. She was started as Danny abruptly grabbed her by the shoulders and looked her straight in the eye.

“You’re here!” he cried out with a bit too much enthusiasm. “Finally, someone who can help.” Realizing what he was doing, he let go, blushing slightly. “Sorry about that. I got a little carried away.” He straightened his glasses again.

“It’s no problem,” Raven replied. “You’re one of Danny’s emotions, right?” she asked. He stared in surprise.

“How did you know?” he asked.

“I have some experience in the matter,” she simply stated he nodded in approval.

“That’s right. You’re an empath. I read your file,” he said knowingly.

“File?” she asked. She wanted to know what that meant.

“Err…Danny likes to do … research before he meets people,” he said carefully. His finger was once again pushing his glasses back, which she deduced was something he did when he was nervous.

“Oooo K,” she replied. “Which emotion are you again.”

“I’m sorry, where are my manners?” he said, as he held out his hand. “I’m Danny’s Wisdom. Pleased to make your acquaintance.”

[amelia_tomashi]

I love nerdy Danny! Keep the story commin'! :D
Man, it sure is taking Raven a bit longer than usual to put the pieces together...but that just makes it all the more interesting!:raven:

[Mandi-chan]

Oh, that was just awesome!

I do hope Raven figures out Danny's secret, and that she'll understand everything...I don't know if it's your intention or not Funkatron, but I'm loving the idea of Danny and Raven as a couple! I have since the fic started :D. (Raven's FAR more intersting than Sam and Val combined! :p).

Can't wait to read more!

[Funkatron]

Oh, that was just awesome!

I do hope Raven figures out Danny's secret, and that she'll understand everything...I don't know if it's your intention or not Funkatron, but I'm loving the idea of Danny and Raven as a couple! I have since the fic started :D. (Raven's FAR more intersting than Sam and Val combined! :p).

Can't wait to read more!


hmm....Danny and Raven? naaawww, never will happen...or will it?

[amelia_tomashi]

*scratches head*

I dunno...The two "together" thats just kinda creepy...:sad:

[Atoragon]

I'm loving the idea of Danny and Raven as a couple!

... no comment...

okay, yeah. i just caught up with you in your story. something that has come across my mind... if this master guy is Trigon, and that valera lady keeps on callin him "daddy' and rae in trigon's daughter... would that mean Valera is Raven's slutty ass sister?

[Funkatron]

... no comment...

okay, yeah. i just caught up with you in your story. something that has come across my mind... if this master guy is Trigon, and that valera lady keeps on callin him "daddy' and rae in trigon's daughter... would that mean Valera is Raven's slutty ass sister?

Except


It's not Trigon

[Atoragon]

interesting. the ENTIRE thing screams trigon. every nook and cranny. yet its not trigon. you definately had me fooled. very good.

[amelia_tomashi]

Wooh! Tomorrow is my Burthday! CAKE!:D
*cough cough*:sweat:
Anyway...So, Danny's psyche is the Ghost Zone?

*confused*

[Funkatron]

Wooh! Tomorrow is my Burthday! CAKE!:D
*cough cough*:sweat:
Anyway...So, Danny's psyche is the Ghost Zone?

*confused*


I'm gonna explain it in chapte 14, but basically Danny's mind is split up between his 2 sides: his ghost side and his human side. His ghost side is represented by the ghost Zone, his human side is represented by Amity Park. So Amity Park floating smack dab in the middle of the Ghost Zone is a perfect representation for Danny. Only problem is because of his mindset at the moment, his human side isn't doing so good. So the amity in his mind is falling apart.

[amelia_tomashi]

I'm gonna explain it in chapte 14, but basically Danny's mind is split up between his 2 sides: his ghost side and his human side. His ghost side is represented by the ghost Zone, his human side is represented by Amity Park. So Amity Park floating smack dab in the middle of the Ghost Zone is a perfect representation for Danny. Only problem is because of his mindset at the moment, his human side isn't doing so good. So the amity in his mind is falling apart.

Woh. Deep man, I'll be interested to hear the full explaination. (I have further questions regarding this topic still yet...but I'll just wait till chapter 14 to see if they answer themselves...);)

Loyal Fangirl,
Amelia.

P.S. Lovin' the new pic by the way...

[Mandi-chan]

Happy B-Day, amelia_tomashi!

As for the fic, I can't wait for chapter 14! I think the setup of Danny's mind is very interesting and look forward to exploring it more.

[amelia_tomashi]

Thank you so much!!!:anime:
Yeah, I agree...Danny is a lot more complicated than I thought he would be...
(I still love the nerdy Danny...)

[Atoragon]

i guess it would be polite to add in my 2 cents

'happy birthday amelia_tomashi'

agreed, danny's mind is way more complicated than expected, but, it is to be expected seeing how he is alot more complicated than others cause the ghost thing.

[Funkatron]

Oh, the coincidence! The irony! Chapter 14 falling so near to Valentines Day (2/14). Not only that but this chapter has the lovely Valera trying to make Danny her love toy. Uh Oh.

In terms of future updates, I’ll try to do weekly chapters. I’ve got a busy workload this week and the week afterwards. I will finish this story for you guys, so don’t worry. Plans for the next one are already churning in my teeny little head. <Insert evil cackle >



And I almost forgot. From this chapter on, Valera’s name is now Valara. Year, its minor but some people were getting her name confused with Valerie, so I changed it. I’ve already switched it out in the earlier chapters.



And now on with the show

Haunted Destiny Chapter 14: Dream Girl

“I’m sorry, where are my manners?” he said, as he held out his hand. “I’m Danny’s Wisdom. Pleased to make your acquaintance.” Raven accepted the hand.

“So where are we exactly?’ Raven asked as she continued to look around.

‘This is home,” he replied. “Or rather a representation of Danny’s home back in Amity Park. It’s not much, but its home.”

“Any reason why everything is covered up?” she asked curiously. She noticed him fidgeting and pushing up his glasses yet again.

“This place hasn’t been used much recently,” he replied carefully. Raven only nodded, not wanting to pry. But he was definitely hiding something.

“How can I help exactly?” Raven inquired. “And where are the other emotions? Can’t they help us?” He fidgeted again.

“There aren’t many of us left,” he replied sadly. “The ones who are left are in hiding. The rest have been either captured or…absorbed by Dan.”

“Dan? You mean Phantom?” she asked. “Is he the one changing the mindscape?”

“Yes. And no,” he replied, fingers adjusting his glasses once again. Raven was getting a bit irritated. He was dancing around an issue that could probably help in this situation. She watched him pace a bit, as he struggled to find the right words to say.

“Do you at least have a plan to kick him out?” she asked irritably. “Or do I have to do all the work?”

“Dan isn’t the issue here. At least not the big issue here,” he replied. Raven’s annoyance turned into confusion.

“Isn’t he the one who is invading?” she questioned in incomprehension. “I thought he was the problem.” She noticed he was fidgeting yet again.

“This was harder than I thought,” he mumbled to himself. He began pacing again. Raven’s patience was wearing thin.

“I know this isn’t any of my business or anything,” she began, letting a little bit of her impatience slip in her voice. “But if there is something that could help me help you, please explain it. I can’t stay here forever, you know.”

“Dan is… a little tricky to explain,” he finally answered. “Dan is a conglomerate of Danny’s negative emotions. About a year ago something… happened which caused them to gain a foot hold in here. They’ve been taking over ever since.”

“That actually is eerily familiar,” she said. She noticed something about his story. “So why does he look like that?”

“He’s… taken on the form of Danny’s most rooted fear,” he explained. Raven couldn’t help but feel he was still omitting something.

“So Danny is afraid of Phantom?” she asked.

“He’s afraid of that Phantom,” he replied. He was getting even more nervous by the second.

“So, there’s more than one Phantom?” she asked, trying to get things straight.

“That’s not the point!” he exclaimed. “The point is he’s not the invader. There’s someone else inside, other than you. They’re probably using a dream as a hiding place. We need to get them out before they cause any more damage.”

“Why would anyone want to attack Danny?” she asked.

“I’m not sure exactly,” he lied. She glared at him.

“That’s it, I’m leaving,” she stated.

“What? Wait! Why?” he asked fearfully. “We need you help!”

“I can’t help if all you are doing is lying to me,” she shot back. “You haven’t given me a straight answer since I’ve gotten here.” He massaged his temples furiously.

“He’s going to kill me for this,” he said to himself. He sighed heavily, headed for the kitchen. “Follow me.” She complied, following him into the kitchen and down a flight of stairs. They arrived into what seemed to be the basement. Except it looked more like Cyborg’s workshop more than anything else. The floor, walls and ceiling were covered with metal plating. Tables were littered with gadgets. But the most interesting thing was something that was covered by a cloth on the far wall. Wisdom uncovered it to reveal a large, metallic doorway. Two metallic doors blocked the path to whatever was on the other side. Wisdom planted a thumb into one of the panels, activating the doors.

Raven’s eyes widen as she was met with the sight of a swirling green portal. It looked very similar to the sky of the city above them. She was about to ask if there was any significance to that when she saw that he was already at the opening, beckoning her to follow him inside. He jumped in. Raven shrugged and followed suit.

She looked around her new surroundings. They were what appeared to be the same “space” that currently occupied the sky of Danny’s mindscape. They were floating in the vast green space, which was littered with a vast variety of doors. They varied in shape, size and color as they floated around them.

“Welcome to the Ghost Zone,” Wisdom announced. “Or rather a mental representation of the Ghost Zone. It’s the dimension where ghosts live.”

“And your parents have a portal there in your basement?” she asked incredulously.

“They’re…eccentric like that,” he replied with a sheepish grin. Raven was slightly taken aback, since had yet to see the real Danny smile at all. “Anyway, in here, each door represents a different memory or dream,” he explained.

“And we’re here why?” she asked impatiently.

“Yes, right, well,” he began. “There is a memory here I need to show you that’ll clear up a few things. I’m going to get into a whole lot of trouble for this, though. Can’t be helped. Now where is that door again…?”

He began looking from door to door, trying to find the right one. Raven sighed at this little detour, but took the chance to look around. She marveled at how far the ghost zone stretched. She was interrupted by Wisdom declaring he had found the desired door. She flew up to where he was. The door in question was black with a white frame. In the center of it was the symbol of Danny Phantom.

Wisdom Danny turned to her before opening the door. “What you see here might be a bit shocking. Please any questions till after it’s over,” he explained. And with that he gave a tug. He grabbed her hand and before she could protest they were already through the door.

DPRADPRADPRADPRADPRADP

She was once again disoriented as a blinding light flashed around them. She rubbed her eyes as her vision once again returned. Once the spots cleared her sight she found herself once again in the Fenton basement/ lab. A look from Wisdom quelled any questions that began to bubble up within her. She noticed that there were footsteps and voices coming from the stairway that led to the lab.

“So which one of your parents’ kooky inventions are we looking at again?” a feminine voice asked.

“They called it a ghost portal or something like that,” said a voice Raven recognized as Danny. “It’s supposed to open a portal to the dimension ghosts live.” The sources of the voices finally made it to the bottom of the stairs and into Raven’s field of vision. The first to come down was Danny, but this one was much different than the Danny she had met these past few days. He was much younger not as trim as the modern day Danny, though he wasn’t as thin as Wisdom. What threw her off was how happy he seemed to be. His lips were displaying the same sheepish grin that she had seen Wisdom use and his eyes seemed to be livelier compared to how she first met him.

The second person to come down the stairs was the female voice who had spoken earlier. She was Danny’s age and wore nearly all black, accented by purples and green: black shirt with purple logo, plaid skirt, and purple stockings. Black combat boots completed the ensemble. She had an odd mini-ponytail at the top of her head and amethyst eyes that were similar to Raven’s own eyes.

The final person of the group was an African-American boy, also at a similar age. A red beret adorned his hat as well as a pair of glasses, which Raven noticed matched Wisdom’s pair. He also wore a yellow shirt and green cargo shorts. He followed Danny and the girl as Danny showed off the currently in-active ghost portal.

“Dude, this is pretty cool,” the boy exclaimed.

“Yeah, but it doesn’t even work, Tucker,” memory-Danny replied. “Like any of their other inventions work. Everybody knows there’s no such thing as ghosts.”

“I don’t know, Danny,” the girl replied. “Stranger things have happened.”

“Yeah, you’re right Sam,” Danny agreed. “Stranger things happen. All the time. In my house.” Sam giggled.

“It’d be cool, though. Going into another dimension, I mean,” she continued. “Maybe they just forgot something. Your dad is pretty absent minded.”

“Yeah, maybe we can fix it,” Tucker agreed. “I’m pretty good with tech. Maybe I can help”

“More like obsessed,” Sam commented. Tucker glared a bit while Danny chuckled.

Raven smiled at the banter between them. It was a change from the reclusive, quiet person Danny was currently. She wondered what had happened to make him change so much.

“You know what, you’re right,” memory-Danny said. “It would be pretty cool. Plus my parents would be pretty happy if we got it working.” Memory-Tucker nodded in agreement.

“It’s settled, then,” memory-Sam replied. They began examining the portal, looking for anything out of the ordinary. Memory-Danny meanwhile was headed to a storage cabinet. He pulled out a hazmat suit that seemed eerily familiar to Raven. It was primarily white with black collar, belt, gloves and boots. Wait, where had she seen something like that before. Didn’t Phantom wear something like that? He slipped into the suit, zipping it up the front. He then proceeded to the opening of the inactive portal, preparing to enter.

“Hold on!” memory Sam called out. Danny looked back at her questioningly as she approached. She pulled off a sticker which had been attached to the front. It had the face of Mr. Fenton on it. Giving an approving nod, she beckoned him to continue. He entered, looking to see if he could find anything wrong with his parents’ invention.

Raven watched with a feeling of foreboding at the pit of her stomach. As she observed, all the pieces slowly fell into place. How Danny Fenton and Phantom looked amazingly similar. How the jumpsuit Memory-Danny was wearing was an inverted version of Phantoms. How Danny was never around whenever Phantom showed up. And the names were so similar. She turned to Wisdom, who only gave a knowing nod.

“Why would anyone put an on-switch inside of here?” memory Danny asked from inside the portal. Then all everyone could hear was screaming. A bright, blinding green light erupted from the circular device. Raven physically flinched as she helplessly viewed. Danny’s friends shielded their eyes from the light, calling out his name in fear. The light subsided, reduced to only a dull green glow. Tucker and Sam looked on, hoping their friend was alright. They could make out a figure stumbling out of the portal. Raven held her breath, waiting along with them to confirm her suspicions. Memory-Danny finally came into view, though radically different. His raven hair was now snowy white, and his hazmat suit was now inverted in color. His friends rushed over to him, trying to grab his arms for support. He fell through their grasps, however, when he involuntarily went intangible.

Everything came to an abrupt stop at that moment. Raven blinked, realizing the memory must have been over. She turned her attention back to Wisdom. “I think now would be a good time to answer some questions,” he said.

“How did…? Why…? What…?” Raven stuttered. For another time these past few days, Raven was rendered speechless, a feat that was very rare. She paused to collect her thoughts, and then spoke again. “The best he could come up with was ‘Danny Phantom?’” Wisdom smirked.

“That was definitely not my idea,” he replied. “At least it was better than the ‘Inviso-Bill’ crap they tried to tag on us.”

“So are you…is he dead?” she asked with care. Wisdom shook his head.

“No, at least I don’t think so,” he answered. “From what we could tell, his DNA was altered by the massive surge of ectoplasm that was caused by the formation of the portal. The other ghosts call us a halfa; half ghost, half human.”

“Does it have anything to do with how he is now?” she asked.

“Yes and no. It’s a long story,” he started. “Basically something… happened afterwards. Something happened that was so traumatic that it almost tore his mind apart. I don’t remember who started the trouble but Danny’s negative emotions started to join forces to take over his mind. They eventually merged into Dan. And then the break down happened.”

“You mean of the buildings?” Raven observed. Wisdom nodded.

“You see, Danny’s mind is a mix of his ghost and human halves,” Wisdom explained. “The Ghost Zone in the sky represents his ghost side and the city represents his human side. The problem is his ghost side is taking over, disrupting the balance between the two. It’s because of his ghostly obsession.”

“Ghostly obsession?” she inquired.

“Every ghost has one. An obsession with something that keeps them bound to their existence. Danny has one, just like every other ghost,” he continued.

“He wants to protect his family,” she deduced. Wisdom nodded again.

“For a ghost obsession is normal. But because he is human as well, it’s literally driving him mad. He needs someone help keep his obsession in check.”

Raven soaked all this information in. In a way most heroes went through this as well. She remembered the many times Robin obsessed over certain villains and trying to keep his team safe. She remembered how ever she had tried to distance the prophecy away from the team to try to protect them. Her empathy for grew even more. More questions sprung up in her mind, but the look on wisdom’s face halted their surfacing.

“I know you have a lot more questions, but now isn’t the time,” he explained. “It’s better that he explain it to you. The invader is trying to gain a foothold in Danny’s mind and we have to stop her before she does even more damage to him.”

“Her? Wait, you mean that ghost from before?” Raven asked.

“Yes her. Her method of persuasion is quite…unique,” he said with a blush. Their surroundings were engulfed in light as they found themselves once again in the ghost zone. “She’s in one of these doors. I’m sure you can find her with your powers.”

“You’re not coming?” she exclaimed.

“I have to keep Dan busy so you have enough time to help Danny,” he said. He paused before continuing. “Just do me a favor. What Danny needs most right now is a friend. He hasn’t had one of those in a while. He needs someone that will keep him…human. If you could just talk to him and listen…” Raven nodded her head, understanding completely. He smiled. “Thank you. I think you’d make a great friend for him. It was nice to finally meet you.” He grabbed her hands, shaking them furiously, then flew off to buy her some time.

With her mission now clear, Raven began her search. She closed her eyes, stretching out her reach to each door around her.

DPDPDPDPDPDPDPDPDPDPDP

“Don’t worry. Valera will make it all better.”

Danny was at the moment stuck and wasn’t sure if that was good or bad. He was currently in the clutches of the female ghost known as Valara. That is, if being in her clutches meant her hugging him and not letting go. He tried to remember how he had even gotten there, but he was drawing a blank. He tried to break through the haze that began to blur his vision. His head began buzzing as he actually started to enjoy her…assets pressing onto him. Shaking his head to clear it, he gently tried to disengage from her embrace. Succeeding, he scooted over a few feet away from her on the bed. She eyed him with a smile.

“Are you afraid of little old me?” she asked. In any other situation Danny would have been fine having women throwing themselves at him, but something wasn’t right with this. Trying to distract her, he decided to change the subject.

“You said you wanted to talk. So talk,” he said. “What do you want?” She frowned.

“Oh, so we’re playing hard to get, are we?” she asked. “Alright, then. Let me explain, my dear. My father and I have developed an…interest in you. We were impressed by your strength in your last battle.” Danny fidgeted.

“That was an accident,” he said quietly. Valara grinned at his shyness.

“It’s nothing to be ashamed of, my dear boy,” she reassured. “You have potential. We could use you on our side.”

“For what?” he asked skeptically. “You tried to kill my family.”

“Skulky tried to kill your family,” she corrected. “He gets carried away sometimes. Something you wouldn’t do, I’m sure. We could make you into something great. I could make you into something great.”

“You don’t have anything I want,” Danny replied.

“What about power, hmm?” she posed. “You want power to protect the living, don’t you? We can give that to you. That and more.” She made her way back to his side. “I can give you more.”

“Uhhh, no, really that’s fine,” Danny stuttered as he retreated once again. This time, however, Valara wasn’t taking no for an answer. As he withdrew she was hot on his heels.

“I can make you very happy,” she began. “I can fulfill your every fantasy. Or be the girl of your fantasy. Maybe that Paulina girl you were so smitten with.” Danny watch as her features changed. Her skin became tanner and her red hair turned a silky black. Her yellow eyes turned aquamarine in color. Danny stared as she took the form of Paulina Sanchez; a very scantily clad Paulina Sanchez, who was wearing nothing but pink bra and panties. Danny gulped as the form of his former high school crush and president of the Danny Phantom Fan Club sauntered towards him.

“I’ll do anything for you, ghost boy,” she said in Paulina’s Hispanic accent. “Or maybe you prefer…” she said as her features changed again. He watched as she became more curvaceous and her skin became much darker. With the transformation complete, Valara, now in the form of Valerie Grey, stalked even closer towards her prey. She was as equally undressed as her form before, her lingerie this time in red.

“Or maybe that Goth girl you used to like,” she cooed as her form transformed once again until she looked like Sam Manson. Her black underwear fit Sam’s Goth personality to a T as her amethyst eyes looked deep into his. Danny couldn’t move as he guiltily gawked. He felt like he was going to have a heart attack as she smiled just like Sam. A certain area in his pants felt very tight and sweat poured down his face. He could feel the haze forming in his head again, this time stronger than ever.

“Or maybe you like her,” Sam said. “Yes, I can hear it in your thoughts.” Her skin became a pale grey and Sam’s short black hair turned blue. Valera, in the shape of Raven, cupped his face in her hands. “Just say yes and I’ll be yours.”

“Am I interrupting something?” another voice questioned. Both Valara and Danny turned to see the real Raven, her arms crossed and with a curious look on her face. Danny looked back and forth between the two and turned another ten shades of crimson. The haze that was clouding his mind was completely gone. Valara cursed under her breath

“You!” Valara hissed, turning back into her original self. “How did you get in here?”

“I had a little help,” Raven replied. “And why the heck did you look like…wait, don’t answer that. I don’t want to know.”

“You’re already too late, witch,” Valara declared triumphantly. “You can’t have him. Just leave and I won’t have to hurt you.” Raven ignored the ghost’s raving and focused her attention on Danny.

“Danny, whatever crap she’s been feeding you, it’s a lie,” she began. “None of this is real. This is nothing but a dream inside your mind. She’s trying to control you. You don’t have to listen to her” Danny was frozen in shock, taking all of this information in. Valara was trying very hard to hide how vexed she was.

“Don’t listen to her,” she tried to reassure. “She’s lying. You can’t trust a witch like her. You don’t know who she really is.” Raven frowned at that comment, her craving to shut up Valara growing by the minute.

“Danny, I know,” the dark Titan said, emphasizing the last word. “I know how hard it is to do what you do. You can’t just give up, Danny. Your family is worried sick. Jazz is worried sick.” Danny looked back and forth between the two women, unsure of what to do. He closed his eyes and took ragged breaths as he contemplated his next move.

“Get out,” he simply stated. He pointed to Valara, to her displeasure. “Get out. Now!” The room around them began to crumble and fade away. Valara began to scream as her body started to disappear along with the surroundings. In a flash, the room vanished.

Raven’s eyes shot open as she let out a grown. She scanned her surroundings to find she was once again in her room. She heard rustling in her, indicating Danny was waking up as well. He regained consciousness and looked confused.

“Where am I?” he asked. He looked down at his current state and blushed. “And why am I in my underwear?

“We’re in my room,” Raven responded. Danny yelped in surprise. Raven grinned at his jumpiness. “You fainted on the roof, so I brought you inside. Your clothes were wet so I had to remove them.” His face blanched at the thought. “Don’t worry, I didn’t see anything.”

“I had the weirdest dream,” he stated as he rubbed his eyes. “Something about you in…” His face began to blush again.

“I don’t think it was a dream,” she replied. He gaped.

“So you were really in my head? And so was that ghost?”

“Yup,” she said matter of factly. “I think we need to talk.”

“About?” he said nervously.

“About your secret identity, Danny Phantom.”

DPTTDPTTDPTTDPTTDPTTDP

On the roof of a building across the bay, Valara’s eyes drifted open as she was thrown back into consciousness. She was disoriented for a moment before the events poured back into her mind.

“That *****!” she hollered as her eyes crackled with energy. She had come in between her and Phantom. The witch was going to pay for interfering. She huffed as a cloud of smoke and fire engulfed.

[Atoragon]

...Cool.

Well, that definately answered a lot of my questions. Can't wait for the cat fight of the century (Rae v. Valara).:D

[amelia_tomashi]

That last scene were Danny is in his underwear...Hilarious! OMG!:eek:
'Bout time Raven got to see Danny not so "moody."
A very good read! I eargly await the next chapter! (seven days, yes?)


:anime: Amelia,

[Funkatron]

...Cool.

Well, that definately answered a lot of my questions. Can't wait for the cat fight of the century (Rae v. Valara).:D

What kind of questions? just curious

[Atoragon]

like

what the hell is up with danny? hes no like that in the one episode of the show i watched

does raven have a purpose in danny's mind? or is she just a tourist?

there were others, but, in my infinite brain fart, i forgot them by now

[Mandi-chan]

Once again, awesome chapter!

[amelia_tomashi]

(Best. Cake. Eva!)

*laughs* I'm sorry man...I'm still seein' Danny in his underwear...*falls on floor*

[Funkatron]

Chapter 15: Confessions

Time seemed to stop as Danny stared at Raven for what seemed like forever. A million thoughts ran through his head as he tried to find any excuse to get out of his current predicament. Raven crossed her arms and raised one eyebrow as she waited for Danny to react. She hid her amusement as she picked up a few of Danny’s excuses as they formed in his mind. Danny sighed in defeat when he realized that there wasn’t any way out.

“How?” he asked meekly. He looked down into the sheets of the bed.

“Wisd….uhhh, your mind sort of showed it to me,” Raven replied, choosing her words carefully. She didn’t want to get into explaining mindscapes and similar topics. “I saw when you had your accident.”

“Oh,” he sighed. “So are you going to ream me for being such a jerk to you?”

“No,” she replied simply.

“No?” he asked in confusion.

“Unless you want me to,” she answered. “Cause I’d be more than happy to chew you out.” Danny flinched. “But, that wouldn’t help. There’s probably a good reason why you act the way you do, isn’t there?”

“Maybe,” Danny sullenly replied.

“I just thought that maybe you’d want to talk about it,” she explained. “I know for a fact the superhero thing isn’t quite that easy. Sometimes talking helps.”

“I’m no hero,” Danny uttered dejectedly. “If I was, I wouldn’t have let Jazz get hurt. If I was a real hero, I wouldn’t have lost control like that.” Raven frowned.

“The fact that you want to protect your family tells me otherwise,” she disagreed. “You’re just going about it the wrong way.”

“It was so easy when I didn’t have to think about it,” he sighed. “When you just went out and just did it because it was the right thing to do. When you didn’t have to worry about the consequences.”

“What happened exactly?” Raven inquired. “Did it have to do with Dan?” Upon hearing the name Danny’s body stiffened up. His face wore a look of someone haunted, but just as quickly changed into suspicion. He eyed her carefully.

“Where did you hear that name,” he exclaimed, anger seizing his voice. Raven was taken aback by the vehemence of his response. It looked like she had hit a nerve.

“From you,” she replied. “I saw him when you brushed past me in the gym. The vision was so strong that it almost knocked me out cold.” Danny relaxed slightly, but was staring at her. “I know you are afraid of him. I could tell that even without my powers. Hell, I’m afraid of him and I only saw him a few times. What I want to know is why? What did he do to you? Who is he?”

“I-I don’t want to talk about him,” he said with a shaky voice.

“Not good enough,” she replied sternly. Her patience was running thin. “I’m not going to sugar coat it. What you are doing, it’s not benefiting anyone, especially you. Jazz, you mom, even you dad; they’re all worried sick about you. I want to help, but I can’t help if you won’t help yourself.” Danny sighed.

“You don’t understand,” he responded. “You have no clue what it feels like to have a fate you don’t want looming over you.” Raven froze, finding his response hit way to close to home. “You don’t know what its like to see your future and not know whether you can even stop it from happening.”

Raven didn’t say anything for a few moments. “Is that what Dan is to you?” she was finally able to ask.

“He is me,” he stated. “He’s what I could be. What I’ll probably be by the looks of things. All because I can’t protect them.”

Raven was getting a migraine from the confusion. She didn’t know whether or not Dan was a real entity or just figment of his imagination. How he described him was so close to her own past that it gave her the chills. Danny looked up at her and he could see it; her uncertainty. She didn’t understand. She didn’t know anything about what he went through. He wondered if anyone would understand. “Then explain it!” He could hear a voice call out. It was much louder than when it called him to open up to Raven earlier that night. “Make her understand,” it continued, its volume increasing with every word. He sighed once again.

“It started last year,” he began. “A couple of months before school let out. I had been catching ghosts for about eight months. Sam and Tucker had been with me along the way helping me out in tough spots.” Raven noticed he sounded almost wistful as he talked about his friends. “Jazz knew, but I didn’t realize it till later. My parents had no clue about me. They thought of Phantom as a menace and I always had to keep one step ahead of them to keep them from capturing me. It was hard to juggle school and ghost hunting, but I made it by. It was all fine, or so I thought.

“All of the sudden I started getting attacked by these really powerful ghosts. The weird thing was that they were from the future. They were sent by a ghost named Clockwork. He had been ordered by some other ghosts to destroy me. I couldn’t understand why they wanted me dead until I saw it for myself, when he decided to show me the future. The destruction was complete and total. There wasn’t a building left standing among the rubble and ash. I hardly saw even a person there. They were either in hiding or worse. And it was all done by Him and only Him. He did it all by himself. He was the most powerful ghost on both Earth and the Ghost Zone. No one could stop him. It was like it was a game to him, the way he demolished everything.”

“How did it happen?” Raven asked quietly. “Do you know how you became…like that?”

“It was because,” he paused. Raven watched as his hands curled up into fists and his knuckles turned white. “It was because they all died. Mom, Dad, Jazz, Tucker, Sam. They all died in some freak accident. They all died and I- he couldn’t protect them. I found out it was going to happen in only a few days. That they would die and he…he couldn’t take it. He was in so much pain that he decided that he couldn’t be Phantom anymore. So he had his arch nemesis remove his ghost side.

“I’ve been separated before. Whenever it happened, aspects of my personality get split up between my ghost and human sides. And because of the way I was at the time, all of my negative emotions were a part of his Phantom side. He knew it; that’s why he had it done. But it was the worst mistake he ever made. Because when they did it, they pulled Him out. “

“All that negative emotion,” Raven whispered. Having s creature with all that negativity and nothing to balance it. And with that much power…

“It wasn’t enough that I knew, though. Because when I was in the future, He found out about me. He couldn’t risk that he wouldn’t exist. So he trapped me in the future and went back to make sure the accident still happened. I almost didn’t make it time. No, that’s not it. I didn’t make it in time. I fought him and I managed to somehow lock him away. But by that time I was too tired. I couldn’t transform anymore from the exhaustion.” Danny’s hands were now shaking with emotion. “I saw them die. I could feel the heat from the explosion as it detonated. If it wasn’t for Clockwork they would have died.”

“Afterwards Clockwork backed up time so that they wouldn’t remember anything and he took Dan back to his lair. He still is there, even to this day. I vowed to not let anything like that happen and I tried to forget the whole thing. But I couldn’t forget. The nightmares wouldn’t let me. I kept seeing the explosion in my mind over and over. The looks on their faces when they realized they were going to die. I could hear them calling out to me. I couldn’t sleep for days, but I managed to after a while. I didn’t tell any of them, not even Jazz I was afraid she’d start to psycho-analyze me or something. I didn’t want their pity. I had enough to spare.” The sense of déjà vu hit Raven like a ton of bricks. Just like the prophesy that defined Raven for so many years, Danny too, had his own prophecy of sorts. She also began to get that same unsettling feeling she had earlier that night. It was as if something terrible was going to happen soon.

“After that, everything was fine again. I found out that Jazz knew and she got to be pretty good at covering for me whenever I disappeared. After school let out she begged me to show her around the ghost zone. I didn’t see any harm in it; Sam and Tucker and I had been there dozens of times before. We knew where not to go and what to do if we got into trouble. We were there for a few hours. I didn’t have a clue that day was going to change my life forever.

“When we got back, we didn’t know that anything had happened. It wasn’t until we got upstairs that…,” he choked. “It was like hell on earth. Fires everywhere. The buildings were in shambles. The lake was filled with lava. And everyone was…s-stone.” Raven froze, her eyes getting wider with every word.

“No,” she whispered under her breath. It was THAT day…

“I thought… I thought it was him. I thought that he had comeback and decided to pay me back for capturing him. I had never felt so helpless. I thought I failed them. That I wasn’t strong enough to protect them.” Tears flowed freely from his eyes now, as he looked down into his lap. “Even after I found out what really happened; that it was Trigon who did it, that feeling of helplessness didn’t go away. I couldn’t handle it. I couldn’t handle the fact there wasn’t anything I could do to protect my family, my city.

“Jazz said that I was unconscious for two days after that. I don’t even remember fainting. I knew that things needed to change. So I started to train. I did everything I could so I could become stronger and faster. I started to patrol more. The more I trained the more I realized that everyone was in danger because of me. I realized that the only way I could protect my friends was to keep them away from me. I had to push them away or else they would be in harms way.”

“I’m sorry,” Raven suddenly blurted out. She clasped a hand to her mouth. She hadn’t planned on speaking but her mouth seemed to move on its own accord. It was her fault. All the guilt that she thought she had dealt with and buried all those months ago had piled on her shoulders once again. The reason he was like this was because of her.

“What?” he asked after he was interrupted. Raven was now fighting back tears as they began to sting her eyes.

“I’m sorry,” she repeated, her voice croaking from the emotion. “It was my fault. If had only…”

“It wasn’t your fault,” he assured. She shook her head.

“You don’t understand. I...I,” she stuttered. The sorceress couldn’t bring herself to look into his questioning eyes. “Trigon. He came because of me.”

“What?” he asked in disbelief. His brain was trying hard to comprehend what she had just said. Raven struggled to keep her emotions in check. She had to tell him. He had a right to know what she did to him.

“When I was born, there was a prophecy about me that was discovered,” she began solemnly. “The prophecy said that on my fifteenth birthday that I was going cause the end of the world. They called me the Gem of Skath. I was supposed to be a portal bring that would bring the end of all things mortal. To bring my father. To bring Trigon.” She paused to gauge Danny’s reaction. He hadn’t moved an inch since she began. His eyes were as wide as dinner saucers.

“I was raised by monks in another dimension known as Azarath. They kept me hidden from everyone. They trained me to control my emotions so that I could control my powers. I didn’t know about the prophecy then but what I did know was they were all afraid of me. No one would look me in the eye, not even my own mother.”

“Your mother?” he finally spoke. Raven knew exactly what he wanted to ask.

“She was human. From Earth, actually. His followers were able to bring him here as a human for a short time and he…raped her. He used her so that I could be born. When the monks found out they brought her in until I was born.

“I found out about the prophecy when I was thirteen. I didn’t even know how to react them. I was scared of myself for what I really was. I was angry at Trigon for putting that burden on me. So I did the only thing I could do: I ran away. I ran from Azarath to Earth. I just kept on running, hopping to just escape from what my father had planned.

“I would have kept on running still if it wasn’t for the other Titans. I had helped them fight off an alien attack of the city and then suddenly I belonged to something. I thought that maybe if I could just do enough good that it’d be enough to counteract what would happen. I also tried my hardest not to get attached to them. I knew if I got to close and formed any emotional bonds that it would be difficult once they knew what I was.

“It didn’t work like that, however. I don’t know when it happened but somehow we became more than a team. All the villains we stopped, all the people we saved. In there somewhere we became closer than a team; closer than even friends. We became family. Something that was completely foreign to me. I never had a real family in Azarath. They were all too afraid to get close to me. But the Titans accepted me despite my dark appearance. They accepted me even when they found out about my father and about the prophecy. And that became a problem for me.

“As that day grew closer, I felt more and more trapped. My father kept reminding me that what was going to happen was inevitable. I knew exact how the Titans would react; they would fight it out to the very end. They would sacrifice themselves to protect me. For a while, I dared to believe that we could win. But as time went on, I lost faith. We were no match for him. He was as powerful as a god and we were mere insects to him. I could stand there and watch them risk themselves for me. So I gave in. I gave up and accepted my fate.” Raven shook her head a moment after saying that. “No, it wasn’t giving up. I was running away again. I tried to detach myself from them. I didn’t want them fighting for me; I wasn’t worth it. I guess a part of me still had hope, because I was able to protect them from being turned to stone like the rest of the world.

“And then they did something that still put me in awe. They still fought. Even after knowing it probably wouldn’t matter. Even after knowing they would probably die, they still fought on. For the world. For me. It shouldn’t have surprised me one bit. That’s what brought us all together. Seeing what they were doing brought me hope again. It showed me I should just give up and I shouldn’t just run away. That I should stand up and fight. I defeated Trigon that day not because of what I can do, but because of their faith in me. They lent me their strength, even when they didn’t even know it.

“That’s why you have to stop what you are doing,” she stated, looking into his eyes. “That’s why you have to stop pushing them away. That’s why you have to stop running away!” Danny looked away from her gaze, guilt washing over him.

“I’m not running away,” he whispered unconvincingly.

“Yes you are. I know because I did, too. You think you’re protecting them by pushing them away. It’s not even about them, though. You’re actually trying to push away the guilt. You’re afraid of the guilt you’d feel when you lose, so you push them away to lessen it. You’re not doing them any favors. All you’re doing is hurting them and hurling yourself.”

“NO!” he screamed, holding his head. It felt like a battle was being waged inside his mind. His face was full of distress and pain. “It’s not true! I’m not running away.” Wasn’t he? Images of the past year flashed before his eyes. It was his only option, wasn’t it? Hadn’t he pushed them away to protect them? Because he wasn’t strong enough to protect them? Or was it because he wasn’t strong enough to take the guilt.

“You can train all you want, but you won’t gain any real strength from that,” she continued. “Your family and your friends; that’s what true strength is. They are the ones who give you true strength to climb over any obstacle. I thought I could do it alone as well, but that all changed when I met the Titans. They became my family and they are who make me truly strong.”

“Oh, my God!” he whispered in between sobs. “What have I done?” His shoulders shook as the truth hit him. He was afraid. He tried to hide it through his training and through being alone, but the fear never truly left. He was afraid of what he would become. He was afraid of what he couldn’t do. He was afraid of loosing them and went so far as to throw them away to soften the pain. But the pain remained anyway. The pain that would torture him at night. The pain that threatened to drive him mad at times. In fact, the pain grew worse when he threw it all away.

Tears began to flow freely now as he body shuddered. Raven’s empathy for the boy grew even further now. She was glad she was able to reach him in time. She suddenly felt a drop of moisture fall into her lap. Reaching up to her own face, she realized that she too was shedding tears. She had resurfaced many old wounds when she left herself vulnerable. She told him things that she didn’t feel comfortable telling even Starfire. But for some reason, it felt right. She knew that he understood her like she understood him.

She used her arm to reach out and give him a comforting embrace. He accepted and went a step further as his armed latched around her, as if she were a deeply rooted tree during a hurricane. He sobbed and bellowed into her shoulder, as all the emotion that had accumulated in his heart found their way out. She was surprised at first, but then brought him closer as he continued to sob.

His cries subsided after what seemed like forever, his sobs now just mere sniffling. He looked up from her shoulder, instantly becoming conscious of how suggestive his current position was. He jumped back, his face now a dark shade of crimson. She coughed and looked away, her face equally red.

“Sorry,” he apologized. “I got carried away, there.”

“No problem,” she assured. She could hear him sigh.

“What do I do now?” he asked. “I mean, what if they don’t want me anymore? What if I ruined the best friendship I ever had? What if they hate me?”

“It may sound a bit cliché, but if they are your real friends, they’ll understand,” Raven replied. “It may not be immediate, but I think things will be alright for you.”

“I’m sorry,” he blurted out. “For being a jerk to all of you. I guess I was jealous.”

“Understatement of the century,” Raven quipped. Danny chuckled quietly.

“I just never thought there’d be someone like me,” he explained. “I mean, we both have this weird destiny thing going.”

“It’s like what Robin told me after we defeated Trigon. That we choose our own destiny.” Raven smiled at the memory. “I think that applies to everyone, especially you. You make your own destiny. The future isn’t set in stone.”

“Thank you. For everything,” he expressed. “I think you saved my life. I don’t know what I was going to do up there.”

“It’s what we do,” Raven grinned. “You may want to thank me while dressed, however.” Danny blushed as he once again took into account that he was still in only his underwear. He turned invisible instantly. She watched as his clothes began seemingly to float on their own accord. The clothes suddenly turned translucent blue as moisture seemed to just fall off of them. The clothes, just as their owner had moments before, disappeared as Raven deduced he was probably putting them back on. Danny was now once again visible, this time fully clothed.

“I gotta get back,” Danny said as he prepared to leave. “Jazz is probably worried sick about me. I have a lot to make up to her.” Transforming into Phantom, he phased through the wall and out of sight.

Raven yawned as exhaustion began to set in. She changed the sheets of her bed and then touched down as she fell into a blissful slumber. Her last waking memory, much to her chagrin, was the well toned chest and abs of one Danny Fenton.

DPDPDPDPDPDPDPDPDPDPDP

Danny made it safely back to the room he shared with his sister. His heart almost broke as he took note of the scene before him: Jazz had fallen asleep bent over her bad. It looked like she had been crying. A lot. He sighed as he identified himself as the object of her pain. He gently picked her up as to not wake her and set her down on her bed. Finding some covers, he placed them protectively onto his slumbering sister. He lightly kissed her in the forehead. Feeling sleep overtake him, his head fell into her lap. She murmured something in her sleep and a smile formed onto her face.

[amelia_tomashi]

That was SOOO Sweet! I think i'm gonna cry! Poor Danny! That was such a Lifetime moment! :p *regains composure*
Man, It's gonna kill me all week!

Be patient Amelia! LoL.


In all seriousness though, Great Job.

[Funkatron]

That was SOOO Sweet! I think i'm gonna cry! Poor Danny! That was such a Lifetime moment! :p *regains composure*
Man, It's gonna kill me all week!

Be patient Amelia! LoL.


In all seriousness though, Great Job.

Lol. Thanks, girl. I try my best

[Mandi-chan]

Oh Raven, don't hesitate! Keep on thinking about "the well toned chest and abs of one Danny Fenton"!:D

And Danny, go ahead and dream about Raven in her undies!:D

I LOVE this pairing!

Once again, awesome fanfic!

[KPTitan]

Chapter 15: Confessions

Time seemed to stop as Danny stared at Raven for what seemed like forever. A million thoughts ran through his head as he tried to find any excuse to get out of his current predicament. Raven crossed her arms and raised one eyebrow as she waited for Danny to react. She hid her amusement as she picked up a few of Danny’s excuses as they formed in his mind. Danny sighed in defeat when he realized that there wasn’t any way out.

“How?” he asked meekly. He looked down into the sheets of the bed.

“Wisd….uhhh, your mind sort of showed it to me,” Raven replied, choosing her words carefully. She didn’t want to get into explaining mindscapes and similar topics. “I saw when you had your accident.”

“Oh,” he sighed. “So are you going to ream me for being such a jerk to you?”

“No,” she replied simply.

“No?” he asked in confusion.

“Unless you want me to,” she answered. “Cause I’d be more than happy to chew you out.” Danny flinched. “But, that wouldn’t help. There’s probably a good reason why you act the way you do, isn’t there?”

“Maybe,” Danny sullenly replied.

“I just thought that maybe you’d want to talk about it,” she explained. “I know for a fact the superhero thing isn’t quite that easy. Sometimes talking helps.”

“I’m no hero,” Danny uttered dejectedly. “If I was, I wouldn’t have let Jazz get hurt. If I was a real hero, I wouldn’t have lost control like that.” Raven frowned.

“The fact that you want to protect your family tells me otherwise,” she disagreed. “You’re just going about it the wrong way.”

“It was so easy when I didn’t have to think about it,” he sighed. “When you just went out and just did it because it was the right thing to do. When you didn’t have to worry about the consequences.”

“What happened exactly?” Raven inquired. “Did it have to do with Dan?” Upon hearing the name Danny’s body stiffened up. His face wore a look of someone haunted, but just as quickly changed into suspicion. He eyed her carefully.

“Where did you hear that name,” he exclaimed, anger seizing his voice. Raven was taken aback by the vehemence of his response. It looked like she had hit a nerve.

“From you,” she replied. “I saw him when you brushed past me in the gym. The vision was so strong that it almost knocked me out cold.” Danny relaxed slightly, but was staring at her. “I know you are afraid of him. I could tell that even without my powers. Hell, I’m afraid of him and I only saw him a few times. What I want to know is why? What did he do to you? Who is he?”

“I-I don’t want to talk about him,” he said with a shaky voice.

“Not good enough,” she replied sternly. Her patience was running thin. “I’m not going to sugar coat it. What you are doing, it’s not benefiting anyone, especially you. Jazz, you mom, even you dad; they’re all worried sick about you. I want to help, but I can’t help if you won’t help yourself.” Danny sighed.

“You don’t understand,” he responded. “You have no clue what it feels like to have a fate you don’t want looming over you.” Raven froze, finding his response hit way to close to home. “You don’t know what its like to see your future and not know whether you can even stop it from happening.”

Raven didn’t say anything for a few moments. “Is that what Dan is to you?” she was finally able to ask.

“He is me,” he stated. “He’s what I could be. What I’ll probably be by the looks of things. All because I can’t protect them.”

Raven was getting a migraine from the confusion. She didn’t know whether or not Dan was a real entity or just figment of his imagination. How he described him was so close to her own past that it gave her the chills. Danny looked up at her and he could see it; her uncertainty. She didn’t understand. She didn’t know anything about what he went through. He wondered if anyone would understand. “Then explain it!” He could hear a voice call out. It was much louder than when it called him to open up to Raven earlier that night. “Make her understand,” it continued, its volume increasing with every word. He sighed once again.

“It started last year,” he began. “A couple of months before school let out. I had been catching ghosts for about eight months. Sam and Tucker had been with me along the way helping me out in tough spots.” Raven noticed he sounded almost wistful as he talked about his friends. “Jazz knew, but I didn’t realize it till later. My parents had no clue about me. They thought of Phantom as a menace and I always had to keep one step ahead of them to keep them from capturing me. It was hard to juggle school and ghost hunting, but I made it by. It was all fine, or so I thought.

“All of the sudden I started getting attacked by these really powerful ghosts. The weird thing was that they were from the future. They were sent by a ghost named Clockwork. He had been ordered by some other ghosts to destroy me. I couldn’t understand why they wanted me dead until I saw it for myself, when he decided to show me the future. The destruction was complete and total. There wasn’t a building left standing among the rubble and ash. I hardly saw even a person there. They were either in hiding or worse. And it was all done by Him and only Him. He did it all by himself. He was the most powerful ghost on both Earth and the Ghost Zone. No one could stop him. It was like it was a game to him, the way he demolished everything.”

“How did it happen?” Raven asked quietly. “Do you know how you became…like that?”

“It was because,” he paused. Raven watched as his hands curled up into fists and his knuckles turned white. “It was because they all died. Mom, Dad, Jazz, Tucker, Sam. They all died in some freak accident. They all died and I- he couldn’t protect them. I found out it was going to happen in only a few days. That they would die and he…he couldn’t take it. He was in so much pain that he decided that he couldn’t be Phantom anymore. So he had his arch nemesis remove his ghost side.

“I’ve been separated before. Whenever it happened, aspects of my personality get split up between my ghost and human sides. And because of the way I was at the time, all of my negative emotions were a part of his Phantom side. He knew it; that’s why he had it done. But it was the worst mistake he ever made. Because when they did it, they pulled Him out. “

“All that negative emotion,” Raven whispered. Having s creature with all that negativity and nothing to balance it. And with that much power…

“It wasn’t enough that I knew, though. Because when I was in the future, He found out about me. He couldn’t risk that he wouldn’t exist. So he trapped me in the future and went back to make sure the accident still happened. I almost didn’t make it time. No, that’s not it. I didn’t make it in time. I fought him and I managed to somehow lock him away. But by that time I was too tired. I couldn’t transform anymore from the exhaustion.” Danny’s hands were now shaking with emotion. “I saw them die. I could feel the heat from the explosion as it detonated. If it wasn’t for Clockwork they would have died.”

“Afterwards Clockwork backed up time so that they wouldn’t remember anything and he took Dan back to his lair. He still is there, even to this day. I vowed to not let anything like that happen and I tried to forget the whole thing. But I couldn’t forget. The nightmares wouldn’t let me. I kept seeing the explosion in my mind over and over. The looks on their faces when they realized they were going to die. I could hear them calling out to me. I couldn’t sleep for days, but I managed to after a while. I didn’t tell any of them, not even Jazz I was afraid she’d start to psycho-analyze me or something. I didn’t want their pity. I had enough to spare.” The sense of déjà vu hit Raven like a ton of bricks. Just like the prophesy that defined Raven for so many years, Danny too, had his own prophecy of sorts. She also began to get that same unsettling feeling she had earlier that night. It was as if something terrible was going to happen soon.

“After that, everything was fine again. I found out that Jazz knew and she got to be pretty good at covering for me whenever I disappeared. After school let out she begged me to show her around the ghost zone. I didn’t see any harm in it; Sam and Tucker and I had been there dozens of times before. We knew where not to go and what to do if we got into trouble. We were there for a few hours. I didn’t have a clue that day was going to change my life forever.

“When we got back, we didn’t know that anything had happened. It wasn’t until we got upstairs that…,” he choked. “It was like hell on earth. Fires everywhere. The buildings were in shambles. The lake was filled with lava. And everyone was…s-stone.” Raven froze, her eyes getting wider with every word.

“No,” she whispered under her breath. It was THAT day…

“I thought… I thought it was him. I thought that he had comeback and decided to pay me back for capturing him. I had never felt so helpless. I thought I failed them. That I wasn’t strong enough to protect them.” Tears flowed freely from his eyes now, as he looked down into his lap. “Even after I found out what really happened; that it was Trigon who did it, that feeling of helplessness didn’t go away. I couldn’t handle it. I couldn’t handle the fact there wasn’t anything I could do to protect my family, my city.

“Jazz said that I was unconscious for two days after that. I don’t even remember fainting. I knew that things needed to change. So I started to train. I did everything I could so I could become stronger and faster. I started to patrol more. The more I trained the more I realized that everyone was in danger because of me. I realized that the only way I could protect my friends was to keep them away from me. I had to push them away or else they would be in harms way.”

“I’m sorry,” Raven suddenly blurted out. She clasped a hand to her mouth. She hadn’t planned on speaking but her mouth seemed to move on its own accord. It was her fault. All the guilt that she thought she had dealt with and buried all those months ago had piled on her shoulders once again. The reason he was like this was because of her.

“What?” he asked after he was interrupted. Raven was now fighting back tears as they began to sting her eyes.

“I’m sorry,” she repeated, her voice croaking from the emotion. “It was my fault. If had only…”

“It wasn’t your fault,” he assured. She shook her head.

“You don’t understand. I...I,” she stuttered. The sorceress couldn’t bring herself to look into his questioning eyes. “Trigon. He came because of me.”

“What?” he asked in disbelief. His brain was trying hard to comprehend what she had just said. Raven struggled to keep her emotions in check. She had to tell him. He had a right to know what she did to him.

“When I was born, there was a prophecy about me that was discovered,” she began solemnly. “The prophecy said that on my fifteenth birthday that I was going cause the end of the world. They called me the Gem of Skath. I was supposed to be a portal bring that would bring the end of all things mortal. To bring my father. To bring Trigon.” She paused to gauge Danny’s reaction. He hadn’t moved an inch since she began. His eyes were as wide as dinner saucers.

“I was raised by monks in another dimension known as Azarath. They kept me hidden from everyone. They trained me to control my emotions so that I could control my powers. I didn’t know about the prophecy then but what I did know was they were all afraid of me. No one would look me in the eye, not even my own mother.”

“Your mother?” he finally spoke. Raven knew exactly what he wanted to ask.

“She was human. From Earth, actually. His followers were able to bring him here as a human for a short time and he…raped her. He used her so that I could be born. When the monks found out they brought her in until I was born.

“I found out about the prophecy when I was thirteen. I didn’t even know how to react them. I was scared of myself for what I really was. I was angry at Trigon for putting that burden on me. So I did the only thing I could do: I ran away. I ran from Azarath to Earth. I just kept on running, hopping to just escape from what my father had planned.

“I would have kept on running still if it wasn’t for the other Titans. I had helped them fight off an alien attack of the city and then suddenly I belonged to something. I thought that maybe if I could just do enough good that it’d be enough to counteract what would happen. I also tried my hardest not to get attached to them. I knew if I got to close and formed any emotional bonds that it would be difficult once they knew what I was.

“It didn’t work like that, however. I don’t know when it happened but somehow we became more than a team. All the villains we stopped, all the people we saved. In there somewhere we became closer than a team; closer than even friends. We became family. Something that was completely foreign to me. I never had a real family in Azarath. They were all too afraid to get close to me. But the Titans accepted me despite my dark appearance. They accepted me even when they found out about my father and about the prophecy. And that became a problem for me.

“As that day grew closer, I felt more and more trapped. My father kept reminding me that what was going to happen was inevitable. I knew exact how the Titans would react; they would fight it out to the very end. They would sacrifice themselves to protect me. For a while, I dared to believe that we could win. But as time went on, I lost faith. We were no match for him. He was as powerful as a god and we were mere insects to him. I could stand there and watch them risk themselves for me. So I gave in. I gave up and accepted my fate.” Raven shook her head a moment after saying that. “No, it wasn’t giving up. I was running away again. I tried to detach myself from them. I didn’t want them fighting for me; I wasn’t worth it. I guess a part of me still had hope, because I was able to protect them from being turned to stone like the rest of the world.

“And then they did something that still put me in awe. They still fought. Even after knowing it probably wouldn’t matter. Even after knowing they would probably die, they still fought on. For the world. For me. It shouldn’t have surprised me one bit. That’s what brought us all together. Seeing what they were doing brought me hope again. It showed me I should just give up and I shouldn’t just run away. That I should stand up and fight. I defeated Trigon that day not because of what I can do, but because of their faith in me. They lent me their strength, even when they didn’t even know it.

“That’s why you have to stop what you are doing,” she stated, looking into his eyes. “That’s why you have to stop pushing them away. That’s why you have to stop running away!” Danny looked away from her gaze, guilt washing over him.

“I’m not running away,” he whispered unconvincingly.

“Yes you are. I know because I did, too. You think you’re protecting them by pushing them away. It’s not even about them, though. You’re actually trying to push away the guilt. You’re afraid of the guilt you’d feel when you lose, so you push them away to lessen it. You’re not doing them any favors. All you’re doing is hurting them and hurling yourself.”

“NO!” he screamed, holding his head. It felt like a battle was being waged inside his mind. His face was full of distress and pain. “It’s not true! I’m not running away.” Wasn’t he? Images of the past year flashed before his eyes. It was his only option, wasn’t it? Hadn’t he pushed them away to protect them? Because he wasn’t strong enough to protect them? Or was it because he wasn’t strong enough to take the guilt.

“You can train all you want, but you won’t gain any real strength from that,” she continued. “Your family and your friends; that’s what true strength is. They are the ones who give you true strength to climb over any obstacle. I thought I could do it alone as well, but that all changed when I met the Titans. They became my family and they are who make me truly strong.”

“Oh, my God!” he whispered in between sobs. “What have I done?” His shoulders shook as the truth hit him. He was afraid. He tried to hide it through his training and through being alone, but the fear never truly left. He was afraid of what he would become. He was afraid of what he couldn’t do. He was afraid of loosing them and went so far as to throw them away to soften the pain. But the pain remained anyway. The pain that would torture him at night. The pain that threatened to drive him mad at times. In fact, the pain grew worse when he threw it all away.

Tears began to flow freely now as he body shuddered. Raven’s empathy for the boy grew even further now. She was glad she was able to reach him in time. She suddenly felt a drop of moisture fall into her lap. Reaching up to her own face, she realized that she too was shedding tears. She had resurfaced many old wounds when she left herself vulnerable. She told him things that she didn’t feel comfortable telling even Starfire. But for some reason, it felt right. She knew that he understood her like she understood him.

She used her arm to reach out and give him a comforting embrace. He accepted and went a step further as his armed latched around her, as if she were a deeply rooted tree during a hurricane. He sobbed and bellowed into her shoulder, as all the emotion that had accumulated in his heart found their way out. She was surprised at first, but then brought him closer as he continued to sob.

His cries subsided after what seemed like forever, his sobs now just mere sniffling. He looked up from her shoulder, instantly becoming conscious of how suggestive his current position was. He jumped back, his face now a dark shade of crimson. She coughed and looked away, her face equally red.

“Sorry,” he apologized. “I got carried away, there.”

“No problem,” she assured. She could hear him sigh.

“What do I do now?” he asked. “I mean, what if they don’t want me anymore? What if I ruined the best friendship I ever had? What if they hate me?”

“It may sound a bit cliché, but if they are your real friends, they’ll understand,” Raven replied. “It may not be immediate, but I think things will be alright for you.”

“I’m sorry,” he blurted out. “For being a jerk to all of you. I guess I was jealous.”

“Understatement of the century,” Raven quipped. Danny chuckled quietly.

“I just never thought there’d be someone like me,” he explained. “I mean, we both have this weird destiny thing going.”

“It’s like what Robin told me after we defeated Trigon. That we choose our own destiny.” Raven smiled at the memory. “I think that applies to everyone, especially you. You make your own destiny. The future isn’t set in stone.”

“Thank you. For everything,” he expressed. “I think you saved my life. I don’t know what I was going to do up there.”

“It’s what we do,” Raven grinned. “You may want to thank me while dressed, however.” Danny blushed as he once again took into account that he was still in only his underwear. He turned invisible instantly. She watched as his clothes began seemingly to float on their own accord. The clothes suddenly turned translucent blue as moisture seemed to just fall off of them. The clothes, just as their owner had moments before, disappeared as Raven deduced he was probably putting them back on. Danny was now once again visible, this time fully clothed.

“I gotta get back,” Danny said as he prepared to leave. “Jazz is probably worried sick about me. I have a lot to make up to her.” Transforming into Phantom, he phased through the wall and out of sight.

Raven yawned as exhaustion began to set in. She changed the sheets of her bed and then touched down as she fell into a blissful slumber. Her last waking memory, much to her chagrin, was the well toned chest and abs of one Danny Fenton.

DPDPDPDPDPDPDPDPDPDPDP

Danny made it safely back to the room he shared with his sister. His heart almost broke as he took note of the scene before him: Jazz had fallen asleep bent over her bad. It looked like she had been crying. A lot. He sighed as he identified himself as the object of her pain. He gently picked her up as to not wake her and set her down on her bed. Finding some covers, he placed them protectively onto his slumbering sister. He lightly kissed her in the forehead. Feeling sleep overtake him, his head fell into her lap. She murmured something in her sleep and a smile formed onto her face.

:anime: What's up dudes, KimPossibleTitan here, and I am new. I have been reading the entire story for the past two days, and it is the most ultimate bad-guy-butt-kicking story ever! Funkatron, please reply to this by telling me if you're still planning on writing new chapters on this or not as soon as possible. May the Titan/Phantom force be with you!

[Funkatron]

:anime: What's up dudes, KimPossibleTitan here, and I am new. I have been reading the entire story for the past two days, and it is the most ultimate bad-guy-butt-kicking story ever! Funkatron, please reply to this by telling me if you're still planning on writing new chapters on this or not as soon as possible. May the Titan/Phantom force be with you!


Of course I will..once I get this essay for composition class done, I'll finish the next chapter. Hopefully will be done by the end of this week.

[KPTitan]

Of course I will..once I get this essay for composition class done, I'll finish the next chapter. Hopefully will be done by the end of this week.

:anime: Thanks a whole bunch for the information. I understand how it feels with doing school work, as a matter of fact I just got done doing a persuasive essay for english, which TOTALLY SUCKS!! About this story, I am a big fan of both shows, and I think it's hilarious about Beast Boy's and Jack Fenton's reactions when the two teams met. If I was your english teacher I would give you an A+++ for imagery and descriptive writing because I saw the image of the story like I was watching it on my tv. In the imortal words of Cyborg, Booo Yaaah!!!

[amelia_tomashi]

Ugh! Aren't Persuasive Essays the absolute worst?!

So, Funkman... The "master" has connections to Azarath? (Read that somewere...)

[KPTitan]

Ugh! Aren't Persuasive Essays the absolute worst?!

So, Funkman... The "master" has connections to Azarath? (Read that somewere...)

:D :robin: I am still wondering about that. After the "master" told Skulker to test Raven's powers so he can see how powerful she is, it kinda made me cross off Trigon off my guessing list, since he already knows how powerful she is. The visions and meeting up with Dan Phantom in Danny's head also kinda makes you wonder, doesn't it??:cool:

[Funkatron]

Thank you for waiting. I'm still working on the next chapter. I just added a nice scene that will probably give you the creeps and make you hate me sorta kinda. This chapter is coming along nicely. Hopefully I'll get it out before Friday.

[amelia_tomashi]

Thank you for waiting. I'm still working on the next chapter. I just added a nice scene that will probably give you the creeps and make you hate me sorta kinda. This chapter is coming along nicely. Hopefully I'll get it out before Friday.

Ah, come on Funkmiester! We can't hate you! :anime: (''The creeps?" I'm afraid to ask...)

Just keepa doin' that voodoo that you do so well...! *breaks into song*

[KPTitan]

Thank you for waiting. I'm still working on the next chapter. I just added a nice scene that will probably give you the creeps and make you hate me sorta kinda. This chapter is coming along nicely. Hopefully I'll get it out before Friday.

:eek: That's way awesome to know, especially that it's going to happen during Winter Break. Talk about a HUGE sundea from Dairy Queen, with extra cherries and hot fudge!:D

PS: I've said it once, and I'll say it again. IN THE IMMORTAL WORDS OF CYBORG, BOOOYAAAHH!!!

[amelia_tomashi]

Winter Break? May I ask were you are from chicka?

[KPTitan]

Winter Break? May I ask were you are from chicka?

:) Wyoming. For winter break this week, we get out of school early at 1:00 (2 hours earlier than 3:00, which is when we get out normally), and we have no school on Friday. What's so ironic is that when we have winter break this week, it's going to be almost 60 degrees.:cool: Better than windchills of -40 degrees!!!:ack:

[amelia_tomashi]

Dude. Woh! I'ma in Kentucky myself...we never really get snow. Except for the ocasional freak of nature thing. (Kinda sucks cause I'm actually from Detroit...)

[Funkatron]

Since I've got your attention:

Chapter 16: Morning After

She had failed.

Valara flew through the Ghost Zone with a dejected look on her face. She had failed in her mission to persuade Phantom and bring him back to her father. She knew there were dire circumstances to failure when her father was concerned. She had been witness to her father’s wrath many times before. His tolerance for failure was non-existent. Defeat meant you were no longer of any use to him.

She could run. She could disappear into the void of the Ghost Zone and never return to him. But she knew it would be in vain. He would find her, no matter where she went. There wasn’t anywhere she could run to where he couldn’t follow. He’d know where she went. He knew how she thought. He was a part of her, both figuratively and literally.

Every ghost her father had ‘recruited’ had essentially a part of him inside of them. He had injected them all with a sample of his ecto-plasm. A very painful process indeed, but one with amazing results. Not only were they subservient to him, they all had inherited his viscous demeanor. They all thought like him: like a devious, bloodthirsty psychopath. Along with his personality, they also gained strength and power far beyond their former selves. So if any of them failed, it only meant he had failed. And he never failed.

The castle came into view as she sighed. She squashed the fear that bubbled up inside of her. She wouldn’t give him the satisfaction of seeing her crumble. She was stronger than that. She was his daughter after all. She made her way to his chamber, which was eerily quiet, despite the fires that roared around her. Her usual confident swagger was now gone. She knelt down in front of the wall of fire that always shielded him. She didn’t dare to look up, the shame overwhelming her.

“Daddy…Father. I have returned,” she forced herself to say. She could feel his gaze burning through her.

“My dear, back so soon?” he inquired. He was playing with her now. He knew very well why she was back.

“I’ve failed in my mission, Father,” she replied. “I was unable to bring back Phantom. The gem…”

“Interfered. Yes, I know,” he interrupted. “It seems I’ve severely underestimated both of them. This could pose a problem to my master plan.”

“I’ve…I’ve failed you, Father,” she confessed, though he already knew. “It was inexcusable. I should have been able to sway him to our side…” She could feel the heat subside slightly. She knew what that meant: the barrier of fire had been extinguished. She could here his footsteps advancing towards her. She continued to stare at the ground, unable to move.

“Those two are an interesting pair,” he began, acting as if he didn’t hear her. “A boy who walks on both sides of life and death. And the daughter of Trigon, the bringer of death. Both have the power to do so much; and yet they waste it. Waste it to protect the weak. The helpless. The living.” The last word he spat in disgust, as if it were poison. “They squander their power to extend the lives of those who will succumb to death anyway. Life is such a useless existence. The truth of the matter is that we live in order to die.

“Death is the true test,” he continued. “Only the strong of will become like us. Become ghosts. It is by strength of will alone that we even exist. And with this existence comes power. Power beyond any normal mortal. The same power that was given to me when I left that mortal plain. The same power I gave to you when I gave you the gift of death.” Valara flinched at the mention of her demise. “You mustn’t forget that, my dear.” She felt his hand pat her head.

“Yes, father,” she replied. She heard something hit the ground next to her. She glanced over to find a whip of pure fire dangling. She knew what was coming. She closed her eyes and braced herself.

The first hit was swift, flooding her senses with a great deal of pain. She stifled her wails of pain. She didn’t want him to see her cry out. The next one came shortly after, the searing sting licking her back. She lost count soon after as one after another she was struck again and again. Tears flowed freely from her eyes as she tried desperately to take it silently, to show her father she wasn’t weak. Time seemed to blur for her as she couldn’t tell how long it lasted. Finally, with the last strike it was over. She was breathing heavily, trying not to focus on the painful welts that littered her back. Her vision was swirling. She heard him advance towards her once again. As he reached her, he kneeled and gently cupped her face.

“I’m only doing this for you,” he said quietly. “You must become stronger, my dear. That is the only constant in this existence. And you can only become stronger through pain. Do you understand?”

“Yes…Yes Father,” she replied in between her pants. He smiled as his hand moved away.

“I’ll give you time to get ready,” he stated. “I think it may well be time to take matters into my own hands. I’d like to meet the boy that has you so smitten.” And with that he disappeared in a column of fire.

With him now gone, Valara finally collapsed onto the ground. Her tears began to flow faster and faster as the sobs wracked her body. She wouldn’t fail him again. She wouldn’t fail either of them again. Phantom would be hers. And she will show her father that she wasn’t weak.

TTDPTTDPTTDPTTDPTTDPTT

Robin was exhausted.

He had spent the last couple of hours patrolling the city and the area around the tower. Late night patrols weren’t alien to him. His time in Gotham had taught his body to be able to make it with little or no sleep. Unfortunately he was now paying the consequences as exhaustion crept upon him. It was a small price to pay, however, in order to protect his team. To protect her. He smiled as her image once again entered into his mind. Her fiery red hair. Her emerald eyes which shone her innocence and naiveté one moment, and her warrior spirit the next. That smile that sent shivers down his spine whenever it was directed at him. She was his ray of hope. She was what made it all worth it to him.

Seeing as it was close to dawn he finally threw in the towel and headed back to the tower. He could see that the perimeter lights were back up and running. True to his word, Cyborg was able to bring power back to their home. He’d have to thank his friend later for his hard work. He knew that Cyborg probably got as little sleep as he did.

Robin stifled another yawn as he made his way to the elevators. Nothing would bring him more joy than to fall into the sweet embrace of his awaiting bed. But he had one more thing to do before he could seek rest. He pushed the button that would take him to the top floor of the tower. He hoped that she had remembered their normal morning ritual. Though not done everyday, Robin and Starfire would often view the sunrise together. Though Raven sometimes joined them, he enjoyed it more whenever it was just him and Starfire. The dawning of a new day always brought them hope, especially when hope was hard to find. Hope that the new day would be better than the last. Hope that they would survive like they did the day before. He smiled in anticipation as the elevator made it to the top floor. He made his way up the stairs leading to the roof, hoping to find his love waiting for him.

Instead, he found that the tower’s roof was in a busied state. He watched as Cyborg and the Fentons were in the process of working on a project. Cyborg and Jack were carrying various pieces of heavy equipment to different areas of the tower, while Maddie Fenton was inspecting some blueprints, instructing the two on where to deposit their cargo. Robin looked on in bewilderment, as Cyborg never mentioned any project to him. The mechanical titan, spotting his leader, headed towards him, a grin on his face and a gleam in his eye. Robin knew that look. It was the same look he had when he first built the T-Car.

“You look like crap,” Cyborg stated playfully at the ragged boy wonder.

“You’re no prize yourself,” Robin shot back. Indeed, Cyborg was covered in soot and motor oil in various places. Many of his parts still needed maintenance from their last battle. “I see you got the power working again.”

“Was pretty easy, actually,” Cyborg stated triumphantly. “Afterwards I couldn’t stop thinking of ways to make the tower ghost proof. I talked to Mr. and Mrs. F and they mentioned something about a ghost shield. Figured we should start early on it.”

“Ghost shield?” Robin asked curiously.

“Yup!” a very peppy Jack Fenton chimed in. Robin gasped at the sudden appearance of the man. Despite his girth, Jack Fenton had a knack of sneaking up on you without anyone even noticing. “The ghost shield will be able to stop any ghost in its tracks! We had some spare parts in the RV.”

“What about any power issues?” Robin asked. He wasn’t an expert, but he figured that something that would cover the entire tower would consume a lot of energy.

“Not a problem, Rob,” Cyborg reassured. “I was planning on using one of the backup power generators to supplement the power. I was going to dust them off and connect them to the power grid after we finish setting up the emitter array up here.”

“Good. Keep me informed,” Robin nodded with approval. With his plans now dashed, the boy wonder turned to head back downstairs to his room. His journey was abruptly halted as he collided with someone moving at high speed. They both landed on the ground with a thud. Robin opened his eyes, only to find them staring into the worried gaze of his girlfriend, Starfire.

“Robin!” she cried in relief. “Was your patrolling uneventful?”

“Everything went fine, Star,” he said comfortingly, as he was lost in a sea of green. She smiled.

“That is good. I thought I would miss you for the sunrise,” she explained.

“I wouldn’t miss it for the world,” he replied as he cupped her face. She blushed and giggled, moving in closer to continue the kiss they couldn’t quite finish the night before. Their faces were mere inches from each other when something grabbed her and pulled her away. She yelped in surprise as Cyborg separated the couple.

“Not that I’d like nothing more than to puke while you two smooch and ogle at each other,” Cyborg began. “But bird boy here needs some beauty sleep before he passes out. And I need you to help me move the spare generators downstairs, Star.” Starfire gave a disappointed pout as she complied with Cyborg’s wishes. Robin grumbled at yet another distraction, but Cyborg’s words rang of truth. He needed to rest so he could do what he did best: lead the team. He yawned yet again as he made his way back downstairs.

DPTTDPTTDPTTDPTTDPTTDP

Jazz’s eyes fluttered open as two things caught her interest. One was that she was in her bed, which she didn’t remember getting into. The second was that there was something currently sleeping on her lap. Jazz sighed as she slowly moved her gaze towards the lump. Starfire’s pet worm, Silkie, had taken a liking to her and always seemed to appear when she least expected it. She was pondering in her mind how to move the mass when her saw that it wasn’t Silkie, but her brother’s head who was snoring soundly on her lap.

She blinked twice, not sure what to make of the scene in front of her. She deduced it must have been he who had moved her into bed. It had been over a year since Danny had shown even an inkling of brotherly concern towards her, so she wasn’t sure how to react. She smiled as she looked over his face. He almost looked peaceful. She had sneaked into his room a few times after his patrols over the past year. His face always looked distraught then. As if he was lost and couldn’t find his way. She could only imagine what he dreamed about at night. The contrast to how he looked now was striking.

She placed a hand over his head as she smiled. The look he had on his face mere hours before had her worried. He seemed to be truly terrified of something. Of what she could only guess. She wondered if something had changed in him recently. The recent events that took place the last few days could try anyone’s psyche. With someone as fragile as her brother, it could drive him mad. Would he open up to her?

Her pondering was interrupted as a moan came from his sleeping form. His eyes fluttered open as rubbed the sand out of them he looked up at her face, realizing she was staring back. She then saw something that she was worried she’d never see again: he smiled. It was different than any smile he’d given before. It was subdued and not so obvious. But despite the difference it was genuine. He got up and stretched out the kinks in his body.

“Morning,” he said under his breath. Shock and curiosity overcame her once again. He definitely was different. He would have never uttered a word to her in the morning. His usual response to her inquiries would be a simple grunt. He stopped when he realized she was staring at him yet again. “What, did I grow an extra head or something?”

“Who are you?” she suddenly exclaimed. “And what have you done with my brother?” She said it half-jokingly, yet in her family’s line of business, she couldn’t rule out the possibility that her brother wasn’t who he said he was.

“Jeez, Jazz,” he chuckled. “It’s me, Danny. And no, my brain was stolen by ghosts or aliens or whatever.”

“You know exactly what I mean,” she began to shout. Danny was taken aback by her sudden vehemence. “You spend the last year ignoring and making me and everyone else worry about you and your sanity and you just expect me to think its ok that you suddenly realize I exist?” Danny’s smile faded as his shoulders tensed up. He knew this was going to happen. He hoped that he could just pretend everything was fine. The truth was his actions had hurt a lot of people. He sighed as he turned towards her.

“About that,” he replied solemnly. “I want … I want to apologize to you. I shouldn’t have done that to you. It’s just that…’ he faltered as he tried to find the right words. “I was a big idiot, alright? I thought I was trying to protect you. I thought that if you weren’t near me that you’d be out of harms way. But it was pretty stupid of me. I was hurting all of you guys, something I was trying to prevent. I know now what I did was wrong. I’m sorry I made you worry about me.” He was now looking down at his feet, unable to look back at his sister. Did she hate him? Would she forgive him? His questions were answered when he felt two arms wrap around him. His sister began sobbing into his shoulder.

“You idiot!” she cried. “We were so worried about you. I thought it was my fault! I thought that I didn’t do enough to help you. I thought…” her words devolved into crying. Danny returned her embrace as his own tears flowed freely.

“You did more than enough,” he replied. “You never gave up on me, even when I almost gave up on myself. I was just too stupid to realize it. You always had the right thing to say whenever I went into a fight. I could always count on you and Sam and Tucker to have my back whenever it came down to it. You guys are the reason I do this in the first place. Without you…I don’t know what I’d do.”

“I’m not going anywhere, little bro,” she answered with a grin. “What changed?”

“Hmm?’ he asked.

“I mean with you. What changed your mind?”

“Let’s just say some things were put in perspective for me last night,” Danny explained. Jazz’s eyebrows furrowed.

“You’re not telling me?” she stated in shock. “After all the bonding?”

“Hero has to keep his secrets,” he grinned. “And besides, you’d want to psychoanalyze me or something. Or am I wrong?” Jazz was about to launch a rebuttal but paused. “Thought so.”

“Can’t blame me for being curious. This could help me on my research on hero psychology!” she asserted.

“Jazz,” he sighed. Some things never changed. “I’m going to take a shower before you hog the bathroom.”

‘Hey!” she called out as he made it through the door, locking it behind him. Undressing, he turned on the shower and stepped into the stream of steaming hot water. He felt as if it was cleaning off all the guilt and all the pain of the past year. He had made the first step. He was able to reconcile with his sister. That was the easy part, however. She was family. He knew the hard part was coming soon. Sam and Tucker. He wondered how they would react to his apology. The last time they spoke face to face, both sides said some things that shouldn’t have been said. Was their friendship too far gone? Would they ever forgive him? He remembered Raven’s response to his inquiry but he still wasn’t sure. They had every right to be mad at him after what he did.

Trying to ease his mind, he thought about Jazz’s questioning on what happened. Or rather whom happened. He smiled at the thought of the sorceress. He had done so much for him. He never thought that he’d meet someone so much like him, with so much of the same worries. He remembered how he had foolishly thought that none of the titans would have understood what he was going through. They were celebrities, after all. He had fallen into the publics hype about them being perfect, which was far from the truth. They were all human, after all. Well, mostly human. He bet that all of them felt he felt at one time or another during their careers. He was stupid to think they were untouchable.

He exited the shower, feeling refreshed. He had two years to make up for. He hoped he was up for the task.

TTDPTTDPTTDPTTDPTTDPTT

Raven moaned as she woke up, stretching her arms lazily. Last night had taken a lot out of her. Entering into Danny’s mind was exhausting enough, but that confessional they had took a lot out of her emotionally. The memories of the night before flooded her senses suddenly. She was glad she was able to help him see the mistake he was making.

Last night was the first time in a long time she had spoken about the incident that happened last year. She had thought she had put that whole thing behind her, but even now it haunted her. She normally wasn’t that open about her past, especially to a total stranger. But last night that didn’t seem to matter. She felt like she had to tell him. It was partly her fault that he turned out that way.

In a way, their talk was just as therapeutic for her as it seemed it was for him. She had released a lot of baggage that she thought that she had left behind last year. It was as if a great weight was lifted from her shoulders. She still felt responsible for him, but not as much as before. It hadn’t felt strange at all for her to tell her life story to him. It was as if there was a connection between them. All she could think about was how so alike they were. His supposed future had just as strong an impact on him as her prophecy. She, too, felt trapped for a time. If it wasn’t for her friends, she wouldn’t even be alive today.

She couldn’t help but think there was something noble about Danny. The fact that he felt so strongly about protecting his family was actually quite admirable. She felt she had only scratched the surface when it came to him. Now that she knew his secret, she thought that her curiosity would have been satisfied. Quite the contrary, however. She felt even more curious than ever. She wanted to know more about him. She wanted to talk to him again, to see what else they had in common. And more importantly, she wanted to rip off his shirt and see that chest again.

“Wait, where did that come from?” she said out loud as she could hear a giggle from inside her head. She sighed. Her emotions were playing tricks on her again. A blush quickly spread across her face as a sculpture on her bookshelf was suddenly encased in black energy and exploded, showering her room in clay. She shook her head to drive out that memory from last night. Sure, she didn’t complain when she saw him shirtless (and pant less to boot). But that didn’t mean anything. She definitely didn’t think of him THAT way. If anything, they were just friends. Nothing more, nothing less.

“Sure, ruin our fun,” she heard one of her emotions say. She heard another one giggle and a third one sigh. She mirrored the sigh she then slipped into her daily meditation ritual to calm her emotions down a bit. This definitely not what she needed today.

DPTTDPTTDPTTDPTTDPTTDP

Jazz got out of the shower feeling more awake then she had in a while. Changing into her usual attire, she exited the bathroom. There she found her brother staring at his cell phone, which was in the middle of his bed. He looked at it with fear, as if it were to suddenly attack and bite him. Every few moments or so his hand would hover over it warily and then return to his side, as if scared away. He sighed as he continued staring.

“Still haven’t called them yet?” she asked. He jumped up in surprise, unaware that she was done in the bathroom. He looked back towards the phone and sighed again.

“I want to call,” he explained. “But I’m scared. I don’t know what to say to them. I don’t know if they’ll even answer the phone if I try to call them.”

“I can solve your problems,” she replied as she placed her own cell phone in his hand. He stared down at it, his eyes suddenly widening when he realized that Tucker’s number was already dialed and connecting. “Better answer that,” she said with a smirk as she left the room. Danny was about to protest when he heard a click signifying that Tucker had answered the phone. Danny quickly put the phone to his ear, the choice now out of his hands.

“Hello?”

[amelia_tomashi]

This is going to be one seriously interesting phone call!

[Atoragon]

Raven's little thing with her emotions was hilarious to say the least.

[amelia_tomashi]

Raven's little thing with her emotions was hilarious to say the least.

fo shizzle~!
*eats lollypop*

Man, Starfire needs to meet Danny's "dog" Kujo. To quote Sam: "Ah, a boy and his dog...Somehow...it isn't supposed to be this creepy..."

[Atoragon]

fo shizzle~!

Que? Can someone tell me what in hell that means? Some people may sat I'm "Slang Illiterate".

[Funkatron]

Que? Can someone tell me what in hell that means? Some people may sat I'm "Slang Illiterate".

For sure.

Glad you guys enjoyed.

[KPTitan]

:anime: Once again, really, really awesome chapter Funkatron. I can't wait till the next chapter, and I'll try and be patient as much as possible. Sweet!!:D

[Jave]

Okay, what the heck just happened here?

This thread has been massively cleaned up due to an overload of spam. Please take the chit chat to AIM or whatever and leave this thread to just comment on the fanfic.

Thanks.

[Funkatron]

Okay, what the heck just happened here?

This thread has been massively cleaned up due to an overload of spam. Please take the chit chat to AIM or whatever and leave this thread to just comment on the fanfic.

Thanks.


Uh, yeah.

Sorry, Jave. Should have reigned this in before it got outtahand.

Guys, I'm glad you like my story and all, but kep it on topic. That is, talk about my story and any related plot points.

Off-topic: how big did this thread actually get?

[Atoragon]

bout 210 posts

[KPTitan]

I'm really sorry, and I honest-to-god-cross-my-heart-and-hope-to-die mean it. I hope I did't discourage you from further writing the story.

[amelia_tomashi]

*shrugs*
Ah, well.
To be fair...we were kinda on subject. *smiles*
Well. I'm outa here...a little too upitty for me. ;)

*peace*

[The Guitar Slayer]

Now that we're done with apologies and walk-outs and the like, let's get back to the ficcage good time, yes?

[amelia_tomashi]

*laughs*
I didn't walk out silly! I just went to a different board for a while.
*looks up*
Now that I read it again...kinda does sound like I was leaving...lol.

No worries bloke...It's always a good time in here!:D

[KPTitan]

:D Hey, Funkatron. I was wondering, would it be okay if I did a sequal to this story? I'm already writing the first chapter on a piece of paper as we speak.

PS: Do you have any plans for the 17th chapter of your story, and how do I start my own thread for the story that I'm planning.

I ask nicely: PLEASE respond.

[Funkatron]

:D Hey, Funkatron. I was wondering, would it be okay if I did a sequal to this story? I'm already writing the first chapter on a piece of paper as we speak.

PS: Do you have any plans for the 17th chapter of your story, and how do I start my own thread for the story that I'm planning.

I ask nicely: PLEASE respond.

Hmm, ell I have at least 3-5 sequel ideas in my head at the moment. This story is the first of a saga, involving TT, DP and maybe some other supernaturally-based anime/cartoons. I'm thinking about a crossover with Hellboy. Basically, by the end of the story, they'll be a mysterious new organization that shows up. I won't stop you if you want to do anything yourself, however. If I can inspire new stories, its all good

[amelia_tomashi]

A crossover with Hellboy hmm?
Sounds, oddly, interesting...I'm kinda into an X-Men sorta thang though.
(Don't know why...Prolly wouldn't even go together...Just sounds fun...:anime: )

[Atoragon]

It seems odd writing a reply without dodging kunais or starbolts.

Really now, Funkatron. When's the next chapter coming out? I hope its soon. I don't think you want all your readers banned for having another turn-based battle.

[amelia_tomashi]

*looks up from sharpening kunai*
Oh, leave Funkyman alone...He's workin' on it. (lol). Besides...He doesn't have much time to write
Now that he's cleaning up Razgriz blood from all over the thread...
If it comes to a battle...we'll handle it on myspace... :D

[Mandi-chan]

Once again my friend, awesome update.

I love the villainess and look forward to whatever else you have cooked up for her and the others.

I think it's awesome that you're planning on doing sequels with more crossover goodness!

I can't wait!

[Funkatron]

It seems odd writing a reply without dodging kunais or starbolts.

Really now, Funkatron. When's the next chapter coming out? I hope its soon. I don't think you want all your readers banned for having another turn-based battle.

Should be out sometime this week. Been doing some planning on it. Basically, as you can guess, Danny/Sam/Tucker interaction, some awkward moments and the villains make themselves known. Duh Duh Duh.

The chapter afterwards is Flashback time. Basically, I finally reveal the origins of Valara and her father. It shall be sad and twisted. It'll be either big and long or 2 chapters long.

Chapter afterwards is big epic battle. That too might be either big and long or two chapters long.

I estimate another 8-10 chapters left on this puppy. Like I mentioned above, I have lots of story ideas ready for the sequals. not one, not 2 but 3 big bads working in the background going after not only Danny, but Raven as well. Lots of angst between the characters.

Just a question: should I name these stories? I was thinking just calling it the Haunted Destiny Saga, though I'm open to suggestions.

Anywho, glad to see you guys are interested. I do of course have school, but I'm hoping for at least 1 chapter a week.

[KPTitan]

Should be out sometime this week. Been doing some planning on it. Basically, as you can guess, Danny/Sam/Tucker interaction, some awkward moments and the villains make themselves known. Duh Duh Duh.

The chapter afterwards is Flashback time. Basically, I finally reveal the origins of Valara and her father. It shall be sad and twisted. It'll be either big and long or 2 chapters long.

Chapter afterwards is big epic battle. That too might be either big and long or two chapters long.

I estimate another 8-10 chapters left on this puppy. Like I mentioned above, I have lots of story ideas ready for the sequals. not one, not 2 but 3 big bads working in the background going after not only Danny, but Raven as well. Lots of angst between the characters.

Just a question: should I name these stories? I was thinking just calling it the Haunted Destiny Saga, though I'm open to suggestions.

Anywho, glad to see you guys are interested. I do of course have school, but I'm hoping for at least 1 chapter a week.

:anime: Right on, dude! This is gonna be goooooood!:D

[amelia_tomashi]

"Haunted Destiny Saga" sounds really good!
Some of the other music majors and I really like your story...so (lol) we've started writing you a theme song...Prof. thinks it's hilarious...:D

[amelia_tomashi]

It appears 2.0 still hasn't kicked in yet...Why Ted? WHY?!?!?!

[KPTitan]

Dudes, I can't wait until we find out the history of the bad guys, and I wonder what Valera might do next to make Danny her "boyfriend." I also wonder what Raven might find in the blank page of that journal.

It's stiiiilllllll aaa myyyssterrryyyyyyy!

[amelia_tomashi]

Dudes, I can't wait until we find out the history of the bad guys, and I wonder what Valera might do next to make Danny her "boyfriend." I also wonder what Raven might find in the blank page of that journal.

It's stiiiilllllll aaa myyyssterrryyyyyyy!

I know right?!
I have a bit of a bet going with a freind of mine about the bad guys...*crosses fingers* Mama needs a pair of new shoes!! haha.
N E hoo...I'ma gonna shut up now!:D

*Hits button as hard as possible*
Wadduya know Cipher!? The button was on the table!!!

[Funkatron]

I know right?!
I have a bit of a bet going with a freind of mine about the bad guys...*crosses fingers* Mama needs a pair of new shoes!! haha.
N E hoo...I'ma gonna shut up now!:D

*Hits button as hard as possible*
Wadduya know Cipher!? The button was on the table!!!


What bet would that be?

HW got in the way. Once I get it done, new chapter in a few days. Flashback chapter a few days later. Sorry for the delay

[KPTitan]

What bet would that be?

HW got in the way. Once I get it done, new chapter in a few days. Flashback chapter a few days later. Sorry for the delay

No worries, man. I know how that whole homework thing goes. I officially declare that homework is evil and should be band from school FOREVER!!!

[Atoragon]

So Funkatron 2.0 kicked in, or the original survived the strike, but either way, it doesn't matter. The story shall continue. *jumps up an down with joy*

[The Guitar Slayer]

Ok, moderator poke in this thread.

1. Don't harass the author and ask for chapters. He'll get to it when he can.

2. Don't spam this thread. Provide critique and have dialogue with the author, but it's not the place to play hangman, tag, or have conversations that are better suited for an instant messenger.

Please keep this in mind and reread the rules for this board. Consider this a fair reminder.

[amelia_tomashi]

:crying: So much anger!!! WHY?!?!:crying:
I love your story man...but, this is getting to be a little much.

[Funkatron]

Hmm?

This isn't my doing. The mods are just making sure the thing that happened before doesn't happen again. I don't think you are annoying me. Just be patient. New chapters shall come

[RavensDragon]

Not bad! Its coming along!

[Funkatron]

Sorry to make you all wait. The next chapter of "Haunted Destiny" is upon you!


Chapter 17: Reconciliation

Sam Manson was miserable.

Ever since her confrontation with one Danny Fenton a few days ago, she had barricaded herself in her room. The day of the incident, she went straight home, leaving specific instructions to the various servants of her family that she not be disturbed. Not by anyone, not even her parents. She gave the order with such ferocity, that the servants complied without hesitation. Even her parents decided to stay clear of her room, fearing her wrath. They decided to let her cool down a few days before venturing off to see what had set her off.

The truth of the matter was Sam was sad. She spent the last few days crying in her room, drowning her sorrows with gothic tunes of bitterness and despair. The images of that day were still fresh in her mind, repeating over and over again, threatening to drive her insane with grief. She couldn’t help but feel betrayed by the incident. Danny had simply dismissed them, throwing them away as if they were used goods. Apparently, they were no longer worthy to be in the presence of Phantom.

Even with that betrayal, Sam felt something that surprised her: Guilt.

She and Tucker knew that something was bothering Danny. Even before that day their town was turned to stone, Danny had not been his usual self. They always knew that the stress of being the town’s hero was hard on him. They tried their best to always be there for him and back their friend up whenever things got dicey. Sam always admired how brave Danny was to face the insurmountable odds to protect their town from the hoards of ghosts that threatened it. It made her feel special to think she was part of something by helping him through the tough parts.

She couldn’t help but feel there was something more she could have done for him. In a way, she felt it was her fault for not paying attention to him enough. If they had only been helping him more, he wouldn’t have been fed up with them. Or they could have helped him with whatever problems he seemed to have. Her mind went in an endless loop for hours, cycling from guilt for not doing enough to grief of the demise of their friendship to anger at Danny himself for being such a prick. She hardly ate, only nibbling on salads her grandmother would bring over (she was the only one in the house not scared away by Sam’s threats).

She woke up that morning with the same mixed up feelings as the night before. She stared at her ceiling for a few moments, trying to forget the pain that swam just underneath the surface of her mind. Finally sick of her view, she got up and headed for her personal restroom. She stole a glance in the mirror and winced at the sight that stared back. There were streams of mascara still left over on her cheeks, tracing the path of her shed tears. Her eyes themselves were red and poofy. Her hair was disheveled from neglect. In short, she was a mess. But it didn’t matter at the moment. It wasn’t as if she was going out anywhere. In the back of her mind, Sam knew she’d have to come out of her hole eventually.

Her attention was caught by the familiar sound of her grandmother’s electric wheelchair whizzing down the hallway. Sam made a run for the bed, quickly scurrying under the covers, hoping Grandma Ida wasn’t planning on trying to talk to her. Her Grandmother was the only person at her house she could truly talk to without being judged for her individuality. Sam, however, wasn’t in the mood, content with lying in her own laziness and self-pity. She sighed, hearing the wheelchair whir to a stop in front of her room. She pulled the covers to her head, hoping her feigned slumber would deter her guest. She heard her lock click, confirming that Grandma Ida was indeed coming in. She slowed her breathing and stayed as quiet as possible.

Sam heard her door whoosh open and heard her Grandma enter. Sam also noticed there were footsteps as well. Sam could only guess who it could have been. Her mom, wanting her to try another pink dress? Her father, wanting her to suck it up, glad that she wasn’t associating with such riffraff? Her guessing game was cut short as her covers were suddenly pulled off. Her curtains were also abruptly opened, the sudden sunlight catching her off guard. She squinted as her eyes as she tried to make out who was disturbing her cave of solitude.

“Wake up, sleeping beauty,” a familiar voice called out. She groaned, knowing exactly who it was. “Actually, cross off the beauty part. You really look like crap.”

“What the heck are you doing here, Tuck?” she growled under her breath, trying to find something to cover her eyes. Tucker Foley grinned at his handy work. “And what the heck would have happened if I was naked?” The comment caught Tucker by surprise, causing him to blush slightly.

“Don’t blame me. Your Grandma was the one who called me,” he replied. As if on queue, the door of the room closed, signaling Ida Manson’s departure. Realizing everyone was against her, Sam sat up and rubbed the remaining sand from her eyes. “How are you holding up?”

“You have to ask,” she retorted. “Our best friend decided he was too good for us, so he threw us out like yesterday’s garbage. How do you think I feel?”

“As bad as you look,” he remarked. He ducked as a pillow flew in his direction.

“I’m not in the mood, Tucker,” she snarled. “I just need to be alone, that’s all.”

“No, you need to be with a friend,” Tucker insisted. “Staying kooked up in here isn’t healthy. We’re gonna go and hang out and we’re gonna talk about what happened.”

“What if I don’t want talk about what happened?” she erupted. “What I want to be alone? What if I’m happy staying here pretending nothing happened?”

“Damn it, Sam!” Tucker shot back heatedly. “That’s exactly what Danny did. And I’d be damned if I lost another friend that way.” Sam sat their, speechless. She looked down into her lap.

“I’m sorry, Tuck,” she finally managed to mumble.

“I know you were hurt,” he began. “But you weren’t the only one. That’s even more reason for us to stick together. We were always able to deal a lot better as a team.”

“What if…” Sam started reluctantly. “What if we bump into him? What do we say?”

“We won’t have to worry about that for a while,” he replied. “The Fentons all went on a business trip to Jump City a few days ago.”

“Wait, all of them?” she asked. The news definitely caught her interest. “Even… wait a sec, did you say Jump City? THE Jump City?”

“Yeah,” Tucker began before he was interrupted by a ring in his pocket. Pulling out various gadgets from his pockets, he finally reached the source of the noise: his cellphone. He glanced at the caller-ID to see who it was. “I need to take this.”

“Who is it?” Sam teased, a little bit of her old self creeping back. “Can’t be a girlfriend.”

“Ha, very funny,” he responded. “It’s Jazz.”

“How do you know its Jazz?” she asked curiously. “Unless you’ve talked to her before. Now why have you been talking to Jazz?”

“We talk about stuff, alright!” Tucker said, his voice cracking in his flustered state. Before he could even blink, his phone was out of his hands and in the hands of Sam, who was smiling devilishly. Tucker made a dash for his phone, which Sam was easily able to dodge with no trouble at all. To Tucker’s chagrin, she pushed the talk button and placed the phone over her ear, preparing to embarrass him.

“Hello?” she heard the voice say. It most definitely did not sound like Jazz. Sam froze, knowing exactly who it was on the other side.

“Danny?” she whispered. She never thought she’d ever speak to him again. She couldn’t find anything to say to him at all, neither in anger or in sadness. She just sat their thunderstruck.

“Sam?” Danny said in an equally surprised tone. “Is that you?”

Sam shook her head in an attempt to get herself back into reality. She wasn’t going to let know how sad and depressed she was. “What do you want?” she said, mustering up all of her usual Goth indifference she could.

“I…I wanted to talk to you,” he stuttered. “To you and Tucker. About the other day.”

“So what, you can rub it in our faces?” Sam exploded. “We get it already. You don’t want us to be your sidekicks anymore.”

“No, that’s not it,” Danny replied. “I wanted to apologize to you guys. And I wanted to explain why I was such a jerk.” Sam was actually taken aback by the sincere and humble tone Danny was using. This wasn’t the ******* that had rejected them earlier in the week. This actually sounded like the old lovable, goofy Danny they used to love. That she used to love. She glanced over at Tucker, whose face was just as conflicted as hers. She put the phone on speakerphone so that they both could listen in.

“So, go ahead. Talk,” Sam stated. “You have five minutes before we hang up on you.” She heard a sigh on the other end.

“I know it probably doesn’t mean much to you right now, but I’m sorry for the other day,” he started. “Actually, scratch that. I’m sorry for the whole year. I’m sorry I ignored you guys and I’m sorry for what was said. I didn’t mean any of it. It’s just that… I was scared. Scared to loose you and Tucker. Scared I wouldn’t be strong enough to protect you. I’ve always been scared of loosing you guys, but it never dawned on me till the whole future thing and the thing last year where everyone was turned to stone. It was the first time since I got my powers that I actually felt helpless.

“And then that fear just became like a cancer, eating away at me. The it just became bigger and bigger until it just started to take over my life. I kept thinking I was a failure and that I was too weak to protect you. I started to train like I was possessed thinking it was enough. And then I had this stupid idea that it was too dangerous for you guys to hang around me. I tried to push everyone away, thinking that it would keep you guys safe, so you wouldn’t get hurt. But instead of protecting you, it hurt you. All I was doing was setting it up so that if I did fail, I’d be cushioning the blow.

“The truth is I was a coward. You guys are the best thing that ever happened to me. You were always there for me, even when I was an idiot. I was trying to become strong without you when you guys were my strength. You’re the reason I fight. You’re the reason I keep going when all hope is gone. I tried so hard to become strong when all I was doing was weakening myself.

“I’m sorry I put you through that. I’m sorry I was such an ass to you guys. I’m sorry it took me so long to see how much I hurt you.” Danny paused for a moment to catch his breath. He was about to continue when he was interrupted by the stifled weeping of Sam.

“You idiot!” she exclaimed between sobs. “You should have come to us! We could have helped you! You-You made us worry so much…” Danny flinched at her cries, all too aware at the fact he was the reason she was shedding tears.

“I know,” he replied. “I should have come to you guys about how I felt. I should have done a lot of things differently. And I know that after all I’ve done to you guys, you probably don’t want anything to do with me anymore. I just wanted you to know what I don’t hate you guys or anything. And I’m sorry for being an idiot.”

“You really are clueless, you know that?” Tucker said, finally making his presence known. He had held back his tongue during the whole conversation. “If you weren’t so boneheaded, you would already know that friends don’t give up each other so easily.”

“You mean, you guys aren’t mad at me?” Danny asked in shock.

“Hell no!” Tucker replied. “We’re still pretty pissed at you. And we’ll probably wail on you after you get home. But we understand.”

“Don’t you ever put us through that crap again!” Sam abruptly butted in, her signature temper flaring up again, “Or so help me, I’m so gonna kick your ass.” The halfa chuckled, finding his mind at ease.

“Don’t worry, I won’t,” he answered.

“So,” Tucker began, “What’s it like to meet the Teen Titans?” Danny could only smile at his geeky friend’s fan boy question.

“I’m not the one to ask, considering I’ve been a complete jerk to them the whole time”

“Danny, you didn’t,” Sam said in disappointment. “Don’t tell me you did the whole emo thing to the Titans, did you?”

As they continued to talk, Danny couldn’t stop smiling. He was finally reunited with his friends. Thankful for the second chance, he hoped that he didn’t screw it up again.

TTDPTTDPTTDPTTDPTTDPTT

After an hour or two of meditating to calm her emotions down, Raven finally made her way to the common room for her morning cup of tea. She found Beast Boy there, scarfing down a bowl of cereal, since no one had made breakfast yet.

“Morning, Raven,” Beast Boy greeted. “You’re up pretty late. Had trouble sleeping?”

“Had to meditate a bit,” she said tersely, not wanting to clarify. The last thing she wanted was her emotions to start acting up again. “Where is everyone?” she asked, wanting to change the subject.

“Cyborg is up on the roof with the Fentons building some weird ghost doohickey. Star was helping them carry a few things around. Robin is in dreamland after pulling an all nighter patrol. And I’m here having breakfast.”

“Have you seen Danny or Jazz anywhere?” Raven asked carefully.

“Like I care,” the changeling replied with a huff. “That Danny guy is a big fat certifiable jerk.” Raven hid a smirk at Beast Boy’s response. First thing she had to do once she found Danny was to have him apologize to the rest of the Titans. That is, if she wanted to find him. Though she wanted to be just friends to the ghost boy, her emotions had other plans it seemed. She definitely had to sort her thoughts out before she faced him again. She wasn’t exactly sure what she felt about him now that her mind had brought up an unexpected angle into the equation. Did she actually like him like that? Was she even allowed to have feelings like that? Of course, that was beside the point. It’s not like he would go for a girl like her anyway. Would he?

“Earth to Raven? Yo, Rae, can you hear me?” Beast Boy called out, bringing Raven back to reality. “You ok? Spacing out is something normally I do.”

“Just fine,” Raven replied coolly, though she wasn’t so sure. The doors to the common room opened as Cyborg walked in. He yawned as last night caught up with him with a vengeance.

“Man, I’m starving,” he exclaimed hungrily as he reached for the refrigerator to get some regular milk. After finding the cartoon, he sat next to his green friend and began to chow down on Sweety-O’s with him.

“I thought Starfire was with you?” Beast Boy asked his metallic companion.

“She went to see how Robin was doing after she helped me move the generators downstairs,” he replied with a devilish grin. “They’re probably making out even as we speak. If she managed to wake him up, that is.”

“So what exactly were you working on?” Raven interrupted. The last thing she needed was romantic descriptions that would give her mind fodder to work with.

“Ghost shield,” he replied in between spoonfuls of cereal. “It should repel any ghost that comes within one-hundred yards of the tower. Plus we added some ghost sensors so we can know when their coming in advance. Those ghosts won’t know what hit’em. Any luck on your end?”

“No, unfortunately,” she answered. “That book I can’t figure out what the key is to unlocking that book.”

“Whatever it is, they sure went to a whole lot of trouble in trying to snatch it yesterday,” Cyborg commented. “We should be able to keep it safe in the meantime. You remember the safe room we made to keep you safe from Trigon last year? We’re putting anti-ghost emitters into the walls. Just in case the ghosts get through the shield. That should keep the book safe.”

Raven simply nodded, glad some things were going right this morning. She was about to say something else when the doors once again opened revealing Danny Fenton. Beast Boy glanced over and upon seeing Danny, stopped and stared. His spoon fell out of his hand and into his bowl with a splash. He nudged his elbow into Cyborg and pointed, unintelligible babbling leaving his lips. Cyborg glanced into the direction Beast Boy was pointing to and he, too, was frozen in shock. For the first time they had begrudgingly met him, Danny Fenton was smiling.

Raven was the last one to notice the change in the once troubled teen, but she was equally surprised; his smile was truly rare and Raven found that she actually liked it. His smile evolved into a full grown toothy grin once he spotted Raven. Before she could even blink, he was advancing towards her. Cyborg and Beast Boy’s eyes never left the teen as he moved. But what happened next was something that truly freaked them out. Danny, upon reaching Raven, wrapped both his arms around her in a bear hug. He lifted her up and spun her around a number of times; all while chanting “Thank You!” over and over.

The two titans who witnessed the event were no longer in their seats, but now hiding behind the couch, their heads peaking over the top and their eyes threatening to jump out of their sockets. Though their reaction seemed extreme to some, they had very good reason to act this way. Raven, despite her newly found openness, was still by nature a person who enjoyed her privacy and personal space. In other words, she didn’t like to be touched very much, especially not by surprise. Doing so was usually met by her tower famous rage. Beast Boy knew this from experience; he had been the brunt of Raven’s wrath a number of times. So Cyborg and Beast Boy knew they were mere moments away from Raven blowing her top and doing something rather unpleasant to the unsuspecting teen that had her in his grasp.

Their patience was met with disappointment as Raven just did nothing. She was surprised, sure, as her eyes were as wide as saucers from the contact. But instead of her yelling or someone being flung out the window into the awaiting bay (something else Beast Boy was all too familiar with), she just stood there and did nothing. After a few spins, Danny had put her down and oblivious to her state, turned and walked out again.

Time passed as the spectators looked back and forth from the still frozen Raven and the door to which Danny disappeared into. They both gingerly moved out of their hiding place, walking slowly towards their petrified teammate.

“You ok, girl?” Cyborg asked cautiously, hoping not to incur her delayed fury. His words seemed to have knocked out of her dazed