Chapter 27: Advice

Disclaimer: I own nothing

"Learn from yesterday, live for today, hope for tomorrow. The important thing is not to stop questioning." Albert Einstein

Chapter 27: "Advice"

(Thursday-December 23, 2010)

Tick-tock!

Tick-tock!

Tick-tock!

The sound of the clocks didn't bother the ghost as he sat in a cushioned chair that was seated in front of a table. The blue skinned man wearing a purple cloak took a sip of the tea on the table. His red eyes turned to the huge space of mirrors and clocks before him. Idly, the man scratched his chest, right above the space that appeared to be the inside workings of a clock.

The man's form suddenly shifted from that a man in his prime to an elderly man with a long white beard. He turned to face the entrance to his home. "Hello, Daniel."

"Clockwork." Phantom spoke as he faced the man that saved him from becoming a monster. Without Clockwork, Phantom would have become Dark Dan, a future evil version of himself that destroyed the world once already. "It's good to see you. How have you been?"

"I've been fine." Clockwork shifted from an old man to a young boy with buck teeth. "And you?"

"Not all that great." Phantom sighed. "It's been a very trying couple of months."

"I know." Clockwork gave him a look of sympathy. "I am sorry that I couldn't help, but…"

"Being the Master of Time means that you can't interfere whenever you want." Phantom nodded. "I know. I don't blame you. That's why I haven't come to you. Even for advice. Because I knew you wouldn't be able to tell me too much. Now, though…I need to at least try. There's too much at stake for me not too."

"Yes…there is, isn't there?" Clockwork once again aged into an adult man. "Savage's group and Freakshow…Those are some mighty big threats."

"Yes, and my powers are getting worse…" Phantom held up a glowing green hand. Now, though, the ectoplasm was dull and fading away. It was barely visible. "I can't fix it, and my ectoplasm boosts aren't helping as much anymore."

"I suppose they wouldn't, would they?" Clockwork sighed. "They aren't fixing the root of the problem. You just keep dancing around it all…"

"That's because I don't know what to do." Phantom looked desperate.

"I know." Clockwork nodded knowingly.

"Please…I need help." Phantom stated. "I need some assurance and some guidance"

"Come…" Clockwork gestured to the seat across from him. "I have already prepared a cup a tea for you."

"Of course you would…" Phantom chuckled lightly as he walked to the table.

"Exactly." Clockwork smiled. "That's because I know everything."

"This is going to be a problem…" Vision frowned at the giant dry erase board in front of her. On it, was all the details of the two biggest threats the ghosts and Amity Park has as of right now. "I have absolutely no idea how to deal with these two threats at the same time."

"That is a huge problem." Plasmius sighed. "They will both be moving at the same time and will act soon. I know it."

"It doesn't help that we don't know what they will do for certain." Fright Knight sighed and leaned back away from the table.

"But we have to stop them!" Spirit argued. "If either of them wins, it will be a disaster."

"What do you suggest then?" Dusk turned to the female halfa.

Vision's meeting hall was their current location. The large space gave them a lot of room to work, but nowhere to go with what they knew. A meeting of the Council of the Elite would be held soon, but they would first need a strategy to work with. It might be strange that two children were there for this, but they had an invested interest in this.

"I don't know!" Spirit glared. "But we have to something."

"Let's just go over everything again…" Plasmius rose from his spot at the table to approach the board with all the information. "Our most recent issue…Freakshow has learned how to fully utilize the Reality Gauntlet, but has yet to do so."

"Why, though?" Dusk questioned. "Did Mentor's information fail him?"

"No." Fright Knight stated with upmost certainty. "Lord Phantom's knowledge would not fail Freakshow. Especially with the way Freakshow reacted to it. He just hasn't had the chance to use it."

"That leads to the question of what the information was." Vision frowned beneath her veil. "What did Danny know that could unlock the full power of the Reality Gauntlet?"

"Is it possible to look in his mind and see what's missing?" Spirit suggested. "I mean, the Martian uses a mind link all the time."

"That's only in the top layer. Messing with memories can be dangerous. If Freakshow wanted to, he could have shattered Daniel's mind. Luckily, he decided against it." Plasmius was grateful for that at least. "He wants Daniel to see his potential victory…"

"That won't happen." Fright Knight shook his head. "We will stop him. Maybe we can jump My Liege's memory?"

"The memory was stolen. It's no longer there." Vision sighed. "That means, that we have no idea what the information was. It could even be the Mirror of Memories."

"The what?" Dusk questioned.

"Oh, that…It's a mirror created a long time ago that can bring the memory of a deceased person to life." Spirit remembered her adventures surrounding the mirror. "We faked its destruction, and Vision hid it."

"That means he would have to get more information out of Vision…" Dusk rationalized.

"If that was an option, he would have done it already." Vision stated. "He knows that I'm always prepared. Besides…even if he found out where it was, he would never, and I mean neeeeeeeeeeeever be able to get it. It's an impossibility where I hid it."

"Then that's out of the equation." Plasmius stroked his chin. "Without that, though, we have no leads."

"We have one…but that's the second problem." Dusk noted. "Ra's Al Ghul and his allies."

"Freakshow is definitely an enemy of everyone." Fright Knight nodded. "They'll be feeding us information through Danny Fenton, but at the same time, they're blackmailing Danny Phantom."

"They threatened to attack if any information is revealed to the League, right?" Spirit questioned.

"Yes, but I get the feeling that if we don't intervene, there won't be a Justice League after this." Vision sighed. "And despite our difference, they are good people."

"That leads to the second threat…" Plasmius pointed to all the information they had on Vandal Savage's group. "Considering everything we know, they are completely ready to attack Amity Part in an all-out assault."

"Very true…" The Fright Knight looked unhappily at the board. "Assassins, super villains, dark wizards, failed ghouls, advanced technology, whatever it is that Ivo, Klarion, and the Brain made…plus, Dusk's Matter Make ability."

"I'm sorry." Dusk bowed his head in shame.

"No one's blaming you." Spirit shrugged. "But it's a fact we have to deal with."

"But my ability is far from perfect." Dusk rationalized. "They can't make living thing and they can't make weapons that would need a long time to use. My weapons decompose quickly when not in direct contact with me."

"Nekromancers won't need a long time to do a massive amount of damage. During the war, we outnumbered them by more than 10 to 1 and we still lost a lot a lot of people." Vision noted. "And this time, we won't have the number or raw power factors to take care of them. There is no way to convince all the ghosts to risk their lives for one city, and that includes the Spectre. And we need Colossus and the Ghost Writer in the Ghost Zone to scare away any other threats. If what Freakshow wants is in the Ghost Zone, then we need to be prepared."

"So, we lack an army and we lack our top aces." Plasmius sighed. "Who do we have?"

"Pandora, Torch, and Frostbite will definitely fight." Spirit stated. "As long as we leave their followers out of it. Wulf and Cujo will fight no matter what. Then there's the five of us plus Danny…"

"That's eleven." Fright Knight noted.

"And your friends?" Dusk questioned. "Then the Red Huntress and Solomon Grundy…"

"Can we completely rely on them, though?" Plasmius questioned. "Your friends are young, Miss Gray has quit before, and Solomon Grundy has never fought with us before."

"That is a tough question to answer…Dani, what do you think?" Vision turned to her adopted daughter.

"I…don't know what they'd do." Spirit frowned. "But I can find out."

"I think that you're going about your power problem all wrong." Clockwork mentioned as his form shifted into an old man.

"I know, but how should I handle it? What can I do to make it better?" Phantom questioned after taking a sip of tea.

"Now that's the question, isn't it?" Clockwork chuckled. "Unfortunately, it is a question that I cannot answer directly."

"What can you tell me?" Phantom asked.

"I can remind you of what you know." Clockwork stated.

"Joy…"

"What originally had your powers on the fritz. Way back during our conversation in June?" Clockwork inquired.

"My powers were reacting the choices that I made. My inner conscious thought that I had abandoned my obsession when I sacrificed so much to end the war." The halfa answered. "And it only got worse when I decided to join Young Justice. I was distancing myself from everything that matters to me, but when then Young Justice grew to matter to me, and everything got better until…"

"Until?" Clockwork shifted into a young child again.

"The training simulation…I lost everything." Phantom sighed. "Or…I thought I did, and my subconscious is reacting to it."

"And how have you tried to make it better?" Clockwork questioned.

"The ectoplasmic boosts have helped; but they're influence on my powers have stopped working, and the sides effects have become even more terrible." Phantom clenched his stomach. He could remembering throwing up terribly the last time he used the boosts. He felt like he was dying again.

"So you used physical means to try and fix a mental and emotional problem?" Clockwork raised an eyebrow.

"No, it was meant to buy time for me to find a way to fix everything, but…" Phantom closed his eyes. "Nothing has worked. I've tried everything I could think of. Hell, I even looked into different religions. But there's been no progress."

"Indeed…" Clockwork shifted into a fully grown man. "The road to mental recovery is a long and tiresome one. It often takes years to fix. Many people have spent their entire lives seeking the forgiveness and redemption you seek."

"Forgiveness…" Phantom rubbed the back of his head. "That's as good of word as any, I guess. I just want to forget that I've failed so much."

Clockwork shook his head. "That is not something you can just forget. You must reach deep within and find the true problem."

"And how do people do that?"

"Years of meditation, counseling, and prayer." Clockwork sipped his tea.

"I don't have that kind of time for all that…" Phantom noted. "I'm in life and death situation every week. If I can't use my powers, I'm going to die…or worse, get someone else killed."

"I know…" Clockwork nodded. "But…there is another way people can reach their inner soul and search for themselves. In fact, it is a way that you are very familiar with."

"And that is?"

"Deep and powerful emotional suffering that would shake your very core."

"Er…What the hell is this?" Nyx questioned from her spot in Vision's garden. "Why are we all here?"

"Secret." Greta spoke up.

"…I'm officially sick of that joke…" Nyx sighed.

"Quit complaining." Raven mentioned as she continued to read. "It's not like you had anything better to do."

"Yes, I did! I was planning to pain 'Nyx rulez' on the left side of my house." Nyx frowned.

"Wouldn't that tip off your mom about who would do it?" Youngblood questioned.

"Yeah, well…Shut up. What was your plans for today?" Nyx glared at the ghost with a parrot on his shoulder.

"I was going to learn the ancient art of Bushido." Youngblood stated. "That means way of the samurai."

"…I have corrected you on the stupidest things people could ever think of, yet when you start speaking Japanese, you get it perfectly." Polly sighed. "Why?"

"Cause it's a funny word!" Youngblood grinned. "Bu-sheeeeeeeee-dooooooooowwwwwwwww! It's fun to say."

"Sometimes I hate being your parrot…"

"Gah…" Solomon Grundy grunted. "Grundy finds this funny, but Grundy doesn't know why they are all at Grundy's spot."

"I agree." Red Huntress turned to Spirit. "Dani, why are we all here?"

"…Mom asked me to talk to you." Spirit stated.

"Oh?" Red Huntress frowned. This was strange. Vision was the kind of woman that liked to handle things herself. Why would she send her adoptive daughter to talk on her behalf? The teenage girl doubted that it would be good news. "And why is that?"

"I…I wanted to talk about what's going to happen." Spirit noted.

"About what's going to happen?" Raven slowly lowered her book.

Spirit explained what was happened. She went over every little detail. How Freakshow could attack any day. How Vandal Savage's group was responsible for so much of their strife and were threatening to kill them all. How all this was likely to happen at the same time and there was a good chance that things wouldn't go well.

"…Holy hell…" Nyx muttered.

"That…is a lot to take in." Raven mumbled.

"I know. But that's the truth and you need to hear it." Spirit sighed.

"…So, we're like literally going to be in a fight we most likely won't win?" Youngblood questioned.

"Yeah…In some ways, this may even be worse than the war." Spirit acknowledged. "The threat is really only threatening Amity Park. The regular ghosts won't care enough to help. As of right now, we have about eleven people willing to fight in the upcoming battle."

"And you want to see if we'll help." Red Huntress reasoned.

"Yep, that about covers it." Spirit gave them a sad smile.

"Secret…" Greta looked down at the ground. She trembled in fear at the thought of the threats ahead. This wasn't like with her brother. These people wouldn't be frozen in fear by her mere presence.

"So…Sister wants Grundy to help her fight?" Grundy questioned.

"Yes…"

"That a stupid question!" Grundy jumped to his feet. "Of course Grundy will help Sister and her family!"

"Grundy…"

"Sister and Phantom were the ones that saved Grundy!" Grundy acknowledged. "Without them, Grundy would still be trapped and suffering! That means Grundy owes Sister and Phantom everything! If they ask Grundy to fight, then Grundy will fight!"

"But…It could cause you to be captured and taken into custody by the League. They would take you to Belle Reve, and we think that Savage's group is in control of that prison. If you're captured…then you could be taken and brainwashed." Spirit rationalized.

"It would be worth it!" Grundy shouted. "Grundy will protect something for once! Grundy is tired of crushing everything! Grundy wants to be a hero too!"

Spirit gave him a smile. "Thank you, Grundy…"

"Secret." Greta walked over to Spirit's side and gently took her hands. "Seeeeeeeecret. Secret."

"…" Despite only saying one word, Greta's words rang clear. 'I may be scared, but I'm with you until the end. Let's fight.' "Thank you, Greta."

The halfa girl then looked at the others. "Well?"

"…You're asking a lot here, Dani." Raven stated. "I mean…We've faces our fair share of danger, but this is almost certain death. Most of us need to talk to our parents first."

"That's why I asked Wulf to bring them here. Wulf?" Spirit looked to the side.

Wulf walked into their field of vision. Behind him were three figures…

"Valerie Gray!" Damon Gray, a tall African American man with broad shoulder and glasses, shouted as he walked up to his daughter. "You are not going to let you join this suicide mission! I let you do this Red Huntress thing because I saw how guilty you were, but I can't let you throw your life away!"

"But, Dad…"

Raven was also having similar problems. "Mom…"

"Rachel…" Angela Roth sighed and looked down at her daughter. "Please…I know you're a headstrong girl, but please…don't do this. I thought Amity Park was safe, but it isn't. We need to leave. Let's return to Azarath."

"Azarath…" Raven's eyes widened. She missed her home dimension, and truthfully was terrified over the thought of fighting Savage's group. After what happened when the adults disappeared, they probably knew about her heritage and would try to kill her to avoid the end of the world.

Seeing what was happening to her friends, Nyx looked up at her own mother. "So…are you going to forbid me from fighting?"

"Nyx…Klarion will most likely be there. He will try to kidnap you and take you away from me." Pandora rationalized and knelt down so she didn't tower over her daughter. "I can't let that happen. I may have to fight, but I can't risk you. You are my greatest treasure."

"Well…Fighting in death match doesn't sound very fun anyway…" Nyx frowned.

Turning to his friend, Youngblood confusedly asked, "Why did you bring their parents? Isn't that counterproductive? Now, they won't be allowed to fight."

"I needed to do this. I need to know who is with me completely, and who isn't." Spirit eyed her friend. "So…are you, Chuck? Are you willing to risk your secrets?"

"…" Youngblood looked away in shame.

"Rack…You're asking him to give up his obsession." Polly stated. "That's more than you can ask from any ghost."

"I know…" Spirit smiled. "That's why I'm giving him a chance to back out."

"…I'm sorry…" Youngblood began to step back. "But I have a promise to keep to Mommy…"

"I see…" Spirit nodded sadly.

"…We got two…" Wulf mentioned.

"Secret." Greta smiled.

"Yes…" Grundy sat next to the halfa girl and tried to comfort her. "Grundy will help. That is all sister needs."

"I know, and…thank you." Spirit gave him a small smile. "I…I was just hoping that my friendships were more than just trivial things. This was the final test, but it seems that they all failed…I guess Raven was right after all…people don't really change."

"Ah…Savage's group…" Clockwork stroked his long white beard. "I remember that caveman…"

"That's right…you've been around a long time…" Phantom blinked. "Oh…sorry, I didn't mean to insult you…"

"Hahahaha! It's fine! I was formed a long time ago." Clockwork smiled at the memory. "I was the first ghost formed after all...Right before the Reaper."

"Huh…" Phantom didn't know that. "So…you know a lot about Savage, then?"

"I do. I can give you his entire history if you want." Clockwork shrugged. "There aren't a whole lot of points in history that he wasn't a part of in some way. Telling you about all that wouldn't be interfering really, so I can tell you a story or two if you want. I don't think they will help all the much in this situation, though."

"It's fine." Phantom rubbed the back of his head. "Truth be told, if I learn too much about this guy, I'll probably sympathize with him…like with Agent Z. I can't let that happen while I'm fighting him. I need to fight him with everything I've got…which is not much, really…"

"I see…" Clockwork shifted into a child once more. "But you do know that understanding your enemy is important to defeating them?"

"I do, but…pitying them will only get me killed." Phantom noted.

"Perhaps…" Clockwork hummed. "But that has not stopped you from learning more about the enemies that are in Torch's prison."

"…That's different." Phantom frowned. "They aren't an immediate threat, and they aren't threatening to kill everyone I love."

"Not now, but they once did." Clockwork rationalized.

"Fine! I probably made a mistake." Phantom growled. "I decided to sympathize with my enemies. It was just hard to get over Agent Z's death. I mean…I could have easily turned out like him…"

"I know, Daniel." Clockwork sighed. "But what you did wasn't a mistake. There are multiple sides to a story. Trying to learn them is admirable."

"Thank you…" Phantom nodded slowly. "…Tell me…If those ghosts had different circumstances in their stories, would they have turned out differently?"

"Of course." Clockwork answered. "It is a lot like you."

"So…we're all just products of circumstance?" Phantom gained a sad look.

"No, no, not at all." Clockwork shook his head. "Many times, it's how we react to circumstances that mattered, but if those ghosts had different circumstances, they definitely would be different right now."

"I see…" Phantom looked at the cup of tea in his hands. "So…Maybe understanding Savage and his group more would help?"

"Maybe…" Clockwork shifted into an old man once again. "Or maybe it is someone else you need to understand better. Look more into their pasts and who they are."

"I don't understand? Who do I need to understand more?" Phantom blinked.

"Everyone."

Dusk had to admit…he was a strange opponent to combat against. This was not a thought of pride. No, it was a thought of fact.

"Gah…" Dusk grunted what appeared to be his twin attack him. The clone looked like him completely. This included his new cloths.

Dusk's upper body was now covered in a white zip-up hoody with black lining and stitches and a black shirt underneath. On the left side of the hoody was the famous flaming DP the Phantom Family was known for. The boy's pants were the opposite of the hoody. It was black with white lining that went down to his black and white shoes.

The force of his twin's last blow knocked down the boy's hood to reveal his short white hair with green highlights. "Damn…"

"Are you done, Dusk?" Jason Blood questioned. He stood outside of the magical circle he drew around the halfa. The purpose of the magic circle was to create a copy for the original to fight.

"No…" Dusk shook his head. "Not yet…"

The clone lunged forward. Burst Gauntlets were blazing as he moved. The original Dusk managed to dodge the blow. He then placed his hands on the side of the Burst Gauntlet that was sent at him. He then focused his energy and tried to deconstruct the Matter Make weapon.

He failed.

"Gah!" Dusk grunted as he was punched back by the other Burst Gauntlet. "Crap…"

"Are you alright, Dusk?" Fright Knight questioned.

"Yes." Dusk answered.

"Hmm…"

After the meeting at Vision's domain, Dusk asked to speak with Jason Blood. Despite not knowing much about magic, the halfa knew that Jason Blood was quite knowledgeable in the subject. Thus, he requested that Blood use his magic to help him train.

When asked what the training was for, the ghoul answered simply. He needed to practice against his own power. If he could learn how to decompose Matter Make weapons that weren't his directly, then he could fight off the Necromancers made through his abilities.

Jason Blood was quick to agree.

"You know…we could use your help, Sir Blood." Fright Knight noted as they watched the boy continue to fight off the copy.

"I know…" Jason Blood sighed. "But I don't think that I can help."

"Why?" Fright Knight questioned.

"…You have seen only a small fraction of the demons I have contained." Blood mentioned. "If Savage's group, or any other villain, managed to get a hold on all of them, they'd be near unstoppable. It would take an army to defeat them all."

"But won't Amity Park's destruction hinder your mission to keep them captured?" Fright Knight questioned. "You could no longer hide under the ectoplasmic signal this city sends out."

"I would just return to Gotham. I have seen many cities fall. This is nothing new." Blood mentioned.

"You are a cold man, Blood." Fright Knight stated. "Do you care nothing for your students?"

"Of course I do, but…I have learned not to get too attached to mortal things and people anymore." Blood mentioned. "I am cursed to walk this world forever, but others are not. I cannot afford to grow attached."

"I see…" Fright Knight turned back toward the boy that was training.

"…Please don't judge me too harshly." Blood sighed. "It brings me no joy to watch things rot away and die…"

"Then that's all the more reason to fight for them." Fright Knight mentioned. "Even if things look hopeless, my new family will fight, and we will win because we look out for each other and never give up. That is what it means to be a member of the Phantom Family."

"That's an odd name for it…" Blood snorted. "You named your family after a child?"

"He was the one that brought us all together, and he is the one that shall get us through this trial." Fright Knight responded.

"You have a lot of faith in one boy." Blood noted.

"I do." Fright Knight eyed Blood. "As I'm sure you once had in King Arthur."

"…You really know how to pluck at the heartstrings, my friend." Blood sighed. "But my answer is still the same. I'm sorry."

"So am I…"

"And what about Freakshow?" Phantom questioned.

"What about him?" Clockwork changed into a child.

"What can I do about him?" Phantom asked.

"Absolutely nothing." Clockwork stated before sipping his tea.

"Nothing?" Phantom raised an eyebrow.

"Nope." Clockwork nodded. "You can do nothing to prevent him from acting."

"Yes I can. I just need to learn what knowledge he took." Phantom answered. "Please…I need a hint."

"I cannot give you a hint…Or I should say that it would not matter if I gave you a hint. If that way was taken away, he would just find another way." Clockworck shrugged.

"So…This is meant to happen?" Phantom questioned.

"…It is hard to explain, Daniel." Clockwork sighed. "You see, there are consequences for meddling with reality, time, and universe. Remember, Nekron and the ghosts are a consequence of the Reality Gauntlet's use. Tell me, did you think that my intervention with your future was consequence free?"

"But…the war…"

"That was going to happen no matter what. That was not the consequence of my actions." Clockwork changed into an adult. His features actually showed worry. "My actions saved the world from utter destruction. That is not something that can be forgotten so easily. There must be compensation…"

"What do you mean?" Phantom frowned. "What's going to happen?"

"That's the wrong question, Daniel." Clockwork aged into an old man. "The right question is…What's not going to happen?"

"Come on, Valerie…" Damon Gray mumbled as he dragged Valerie to Wulf.

"Go home?" Wulf questioned with a raised eyebrow.

"Yes, take us home, please." Damon nodded.

"We're coming too…" Angela Roth spoke up. "I will need to prepare for our journey home."

"And I believe it is time for us to go home…" Pandora sighed. "Let us return home, Nyx."

Spirit looked away as they left. She didn't want to watch this. The halfa girl already had her answer to who would stand by her, so she would leave. It was time to tell Vision-

"No!" Red Huntress escaped her father's grasp. "I won't leave."

"Valerie!" Damon frowned. "This is not up for debate. I am your father, and-"

"No, Daddy! This is my decision, not yours!" Valerie's visor fell to reveal her face. "Every day, I regret not helping in the war. I abandoned the only people who had my back no matter what. I can't make up for that, but I can make sure that I never do that again."

"Valerie…"

"It may not seem like it, but I'm not a little kid anymore!" Valerie argued. "I can make my own decisions. This may be dangerous, but it's something I have to do. If I don't, Amity Park, my friends, and…Danny will be killed. I can't let happen to him. I love him, and I will do whatever I can to protect him."

"…You really love him?" Damon questioned.

"I do." Valerie said with certainty.

"Well…Damn…" Damon sighed. "You don't know how much you sound like your mother…And I could never say no to her either…"

"Daddy…"

Seeing this, Raven turned to her mother. "Mom…I don't want to go back to Azarath."

"W-what? But it will be safe." Angela argued.

"Maybe, but I'll be miserable." Raven's hood hid her eyes, but for once her monotonous voice trembled. "I see how people look at me. They think I'm a monster. I miss the peacefulness of Azarath, but…At least here, I have friends that accept me for who I am. They may be super annoying, but they don't judge me for things I can't control. I can't give that up and let them die without trying to help."

"Rachel…" Angela teared up.

"So please…" Raven looked up to reveal tear of her own. This strong emotional response…the first real one she had allowed herself to feel in a long time besides annoyance and anger… caused a bit of magic to burst out and kill a few of the plants. The girl quickly wiped her tears and gained control of her emotions. "Please let me help them."

Pandora frowned at the scene and turned to Nyx. "No. I won't allow it."

"…I don't think I'm that good of a person." Nyx crossed her arms. "I'm annoying, chaotic, sarcastic, patronizing, and can be pretty stupid. I think that's where Klarion's influence comes in. But…I do know that I don't want anyone to die. Especially my friends…"

"But you could die!"

"I could." Nyx shrugged. "But there's nothing you can do to stop me from going. I will escape and go to Amity Park to help my friends. I've never been the type of person that can be contained."

"…I see…It is good to see that you do have at least a little bit of me in you…" Pandora smiled lightly.

"Wait…So…" Spirit blinked at the three of them. "You'll help."

"Of course." Red Huntress smiled.

"Yes." Raven nodded.

"You couldn't stop me if you tried." Nyx smirked.

Spirit smiled at her friend. She was grateful for their loyalty.

"That's three more." Wulf noted.

"Rack! Nope, it's four." Polly's voice rang out as Youngblood stepped forward.

"Chuck?" Spirit questioned.

"I…I'm pretty selfish, huh?" Youngblood rubbed his arm and looked down in shame. "I just…I promised my Mommy…But I don't think that the promise is worth it if I lose what I care about…So I'll fight, and hopefully…I won't have to go all out…"

"I see…" Spirit smiled. "And…Is this your final answer, right? Because I don't think Vision will let you bail out later."

"…I think the kids have made their choice." Pandora noted. "I shall support it."

"Yes…I will let my daughter fight…" Angela wiped away her tears. "I can't stand in her way…"

Damon stared at his daughter. "Are you sure?"

"I have never been so sure about something in my life." Red Huntress's visor slid up once more.

"…Okay…" Damon nodded. "But promise me you'll be safe."

"I promise."

"You have me worried, Clockwork." Phantom sighed and sat back in his chair. "I was looking for more hopeful answers."

"I apologize, but what I speak if truth." Clockwork turned into a child. "The thing is…the truth hurts."

"I know." Phantom closed his eyes in thought.

"But…the truth also sets you free." Clockwork mentioned. "Keeping secrets from you allies will never help you."

"…And what secrets should I reveal." Phantom opened his eyes and frowned. "After all, there is a mole connected to Young Justice. How do I know that Savage's group won't get a hold of that information as well?"

"You don't. Just ask yourself…who do you trust most? Who do you think deserves to know the secrets you have worked so hard to keep hidden?" Clockwork noted.

"…I trust all of my teammates." Phantom stated.

"Then why don't you tell them?" Clockwork asked.

"Because it's personal, and it hurts me to think too much about it." Phantom admitted. "Besides, it's not like all of them go through their own personal tragedies with me either."

"Very true…" Clockwork turned into an adult. "But perhaps it's because you haven't been paying enough attention lately."

"Huh?"

"Your mission to Bialya…Thanksgiving…Your mission to trail Sportsmaster…Did you really listen to the needs of your teammates. Did you hear the pain and struggles in their hearts?" Clockwork asked.

"I…"

"And what of the mission your team is on right now? Did you pay attention to that?" Clockwork questioned.

"I was kind of busy with the threats against Amity Park." Phantom argued. "Besides, they can handle themselves."

"Very true." Clockwork nodded. "In fact, they've handled the Parasite right now."

"What?" Phantom blinked.

The Master of Time pointed to the screens, clocks, and mirrors. On these reflective surfaces appeared different angles of what appeared to his team…defeating a pink skinned man with dark eyes. The enemy appeared to be very strong, but he was quickly taken down by the use of fire.

"The Parasite…He can absorb powers through skin contact…" Phantom realized. "Was that the guy behind the circus and thefts mission?"

"Correct. Luckily, Young Justice handled him very well." Clockwork smiled.

"…I see…" Phantom smiled as well.

"And, it seems that Red Arrow is convinced that none of the people on the mission was the mole." Clockwork added.

"Oh?"

"Yes…I wonder who his attention will turn to next..."

Dusk was meditating above Fenton Works. He still hadn't managed to get complete control of Matter Make deconstruction. The ghoul knew he could do it, though. He would just need time to train and study his Matter Make ability more.

When asked, the Fright Knight said that one of the best places to be alone and meditate was above Fenton Works. Dusk had to admit that the knight ghost was right. The view from on top of the Ops Center was stunning. That didn't matter too much right now, though. Dusk had to focus on the task at hand.

Apparently, the annual truce was going to happen from Christmas Eve until after Christmas. Thus, he wouldn't be able to train as much as he wanted. He needed to get as much done as possible. In fact, that was probably what everyone was doing. No one would put it past Savage to attack on Christmas. They just hoped that he didn't actually attack.

With his eyes closed, Dusk focused on the Pendulum Nunchucku in his hands. He needed to study the make up of his weaponry more in order to decompose the enemies weapons.

"Well, it's nice to see that that some things don't change. You still meditate just like you always did." A voice behind Dusk shook him out of his meditative state. He recognized that voice.

Jumping to his feet, Dusk glared. "Talia Al Ghul."

"It's good to see you, Joel." This woman appeared to have Arabian heritage. She had high cheekbones, green eyes, and long dark hair. Her leather outfit was revealing, but not overly so to the point that it would hinder her movement. "And Happy Birthday, you just turned eleven, correct?"

"Why do you always remember such useless information?" Dusk questioned with a scowl.

"Still not a birthday fan, huh? Oh well, I don't suppose you told your new family about it, then?" Talia questioned.

"No, I didn't. And don't try to get me distracted…" Dusk held the Pendulum Nunchucku tightly in his hands. "Why are you here, and how did you sneak up on me?"

"Please, I've had decades to learn the art of ninjustu." Talia chuckled. "The only one with more practice is my father. And the reason why I'm here…It's simple really, I want you to come back to the Shadows."

Dusk had to fight back his laugher. "Come back? I was excommunicated and turned over to the Ghoul Project? Why would I want to come back?"

"You brought that upon yourself with your foolish ideals." Talia mentioned. "You refused to kill even animals. It's a disgrace as an assassin and as a man."

"I'm eleven." Dusk deadpanned. "I don't think I qualify for the second one yet, and I sure as hell don't want to be the first one. Your father tried to kill me with the Ghoul Project."

"Did he?" Talia questioned. "If he wanted to you dead, he would have just killed you. That's what the tradition of the Shadows demands for traitors that refuse to follow orders. Instead, he sent you to a place he knew you would survive."

Pause. Blink. Pause.

"What?" Dusk lowered his weapons.

"There are two people that can replace him. One is the Batman, but he chosen his side. The other is you, Joel."

"…My name is Dusk now, and I will never go back to the Shadows…" Dusk stated.

"Reconsider your decision. Your parents would want you to join the Shadows. They would want you to ascend to greatness." Talia encouraged.

"My parents were drunken fools that crashed a car, got themselves killed, and gave me a scar that has yet to fade." Dusk rolled his eyes. "I don't care for them."

"Are you sure that's the truth?" Talia questioned. "That's what the orphanage told you, but the story…it seems so generic."

"…What do you mean?" Dusk questioned carefully.

"I knew your parents. They were certainly not drunks…" Talia frowned. "And if I were not sworn to secrecy, I would tell you about them right now."

"You're obviously lying to peak my interest. I don't care even a little bit about who my parents are. Now, I have a real family…I have a new name…I have a new life, and all I want is to forget my past and look forward to the future." Dusk stated.

"You keep telling yourself that." Talia shrugged. "But the curiosity will get to you eventually. Besides, I'm sure your new 'family' has told you that this city is now a sinking ship. I doubt Phantom will be cooperative, so this city shall soon burn to the ground. I implore you to get on the safety raft that I'm providing."

"Shut up." Dusk glared. "Even if what you said was true…I would rather die than rejoin the Shadows."

"You'll change your mind…" Talia threw smoke pellets down. She instantly disappeared from the ghoul's sense. Her voice still echoed around the boy, though. "They always do…"

"Well, like usual, visiting you has left me completely confused with more questions than answers." Phantom noted as Clockwork led him back to the entrance of his domain. "And you wonder why I don't come by much."

"I make good tea at least." Clockwork shrugged.

"Hahaha…Yeah you do…" Phantom chuckled. "Good enough to postpone the headache at least. It will come later, though."

"Of course it will." Clockwork nodded. "But it won't be because of me."

"I hate that, you know. The stupid hints about what's to happen…Just enough to keep me guessing." Phantom sighed.

"I need to have some fun too," Clockwork smirked.

"At my expense…" Phantom rolled his eyes.

"Indeed…" Clockwork couldn't contain his laughter. "Your confused face is hilarious."

"I really hate talking to you sometimes."

"Yet you keep coming back." Clockwork gave him a smile.

"Yeah…I guess I like to be kept on my toes." Phantom sighed once again.

"Good. Then you should come back soon…After New Year, though, I think you'll be busy until then." Clockwork stated.

"I'll agree to come back, but only if you agree to come to some of the events I invite you to. I still remember that you never showed up for the Thanksgiving feast." Phantom mentioned.

"I lost track of time." Clockwork said almost gleefully.

"A pun?" Phantom had to laugh. "Guess I've had some influence on you after all."

"Indeed…Now you should get going." Clockwork gestured to the door. "You have a lot of work to do, and I believe Plasmius and Vision wish to speak with you."

"Yeah…" Phantom headed for the door. "I bet they do. See ya, Clockwork."

"Goodbye, Danny Phantom." Clockwork stated as he left. "…You can come out now."

Two beings that looked like floating eyeballs with green bodies covered in white robes. These were two of the Observants. "Clockwork, you need to be careful about what you say to the boy. If he knew what the future holds…"

"I was only encouraging him. That is no crime." Clockwork scowled.

"You know our laws…"

"Your laws? Just because you write down a few of the laws of the universe doesn't mean that the laws are yours." Clockwork frowned.

"Regardless." One of the Observants spoke up. "If you're not careful, you could cause more harm than good."

"I appreciate your concern, but I know what I'm doing…" Clockwork aged into an old man. "I see more than you do. Just because you think you know what's going to happen, doesn't mean that you're accurate. Things are more complicated than what you think."

"Do not think that you should speak that way. We were given the title of Observants for a reason." The second Observant mentioned.

"The Ghost King gave you that title in order to predict how the future will go. But you refused to tell him about the betrayal of the Ancient Six." Clockwork mentioned. "With Pariah Dark's fall, the titles he bestowed are meaningless. Instead of focusing so much on the past and future, you need to look at the present."

"The present is fine. You trust Phantom, so we will do the same. But the future…" The first Observant squirmed. "We can no longer see it. I think you know what that mean…"

"Ah…So that's what got you so worked up." Clockwork stroked his beard. "Do you fear death so much?"

"Everyone fears death. Even you." The second Observant mentioned.

"…That is the single most correct thing you have ever said. Even I fear death, but not for myself." Clockwork looked back to where Phantom had left. "I fear the death of the legacy I will leave behind."

"It seems that we have plenty of allies to help us." Vision noted as they all sat down in the living room of Masters Mansion to discuss their plans. "Tell me, did speaking with Clockwork help you any with your plans, Danny?"

"No and yes," Danny shrugged. "For some reason, I feel more ready for what's to come…but I'm more confused than ever."

"I didn't think he would give straight answers." Vlad rubbed his chin. "But that's fine. You had to try at least."

"With that out of the way, we can focus on the attack." Fright Knight mentioned. "Even if we had an army, there's still a problem of the civilians."

"A lot of shelters have been built after the GIW War was finished." Dani stated. "Is there a way to quickly get them there?"

"Perhaps…And we can reinforce the shelters too. Make sure they would survive almost anything." Vision seemed to like where this is going.

"We know that Savage's group won't attack until after they've spoken to me. I can use the annual truce as an excuse to postpone it until at least after Christmas." Phantom suggested.

"That's good, and when you do meet with them, we can move all the civilians to the shelters." Plasmius nodded. "With them safe, we can go all out."

"Half the city will probably be destroyed…but as long as no one is killed..." Fright Knight nodded.

"Wait…I know it's good to prepare, but I thought you were going to have Danny try and trick the enemy into thinking he would ally himself with them." Dani spoke up.

"I'll try, but they might want me to do something my honor won't allow." Danny sighed. "They'll probably want a test of loyality, one that I won't be able to pass."

"So we'll just act as if this fight is going to happen no matter what…" Joel spoke for the first time.

"Are you alright, Joel?" Danny questioned with a frown. "You seem distracted."

"I'm just having some problem with training. Sorry, I'll pay more attention." Joel apologized. He didn't want to reveal what happened on top of Fenton Works just yet. First, he didn't know what to think about it. Second…It didn't seem relevant. It was all lies anyway.

"Yes, Joel will try and interfere with the Necromancers." Vision stated. "That will free up some of them. Then there's the problems of the ghouls, assassins, and supervillains…"

"That last one is a big problem." Danny frowned. "According to Artemis, Ivo was with the Brain and Klarion making…something. I don't know what they made, but I do know that Ivo's presence means something is going on in Belle Reve. And considering that both Agent Z and Grundy were taken from the prison to the Ghoul Project…Savage's group might be in complete control of the place."

"An entire prison's worth of supervillains…" Vlad actually paled.

"We will need to learn everything there is about everyone in there." Vision noted. "We need a plan for every one of them…"

"The numbers are going to be against us no matter what, though…" Fright Knight mentioned.

"Having Red X fight could help number-wise, but…Joel will be needed on the field and we don't have an A.I. ready yet." Vlad mentioned.

"…There's still the League." Dani looked around at the other ghosts. "They could help if we asked…"

"We would have to swallow a lot of pride…" Fright Knight obviously didn't like this.

"But do we have a choice? It's between that and bringing more ghosts out of the Ghost Zone." Vlad sighed. "And I don't think it would be wise to bring in ghosts that aren't used to fighting like Vision's servants."

"I will keep the League idea in mind. Our pride means nothing if we're all dead, but…If all else fails, there's still our ace." Vision noted. "It would weaken the Ghost Zone's defenses for sure, but it might be necessary to bring in Colossus."

"Yeah…" Danny nodded. "That would definitely even the odds."

(Friday-December 24, 2010)

"Are they not back yet?" Phantom questioned as he and his friends waited in the Cave for the rest of Young Justice.

"Nope. Apparently, the 'Daring Dangers' wanted to do one more job." Wally shrugged and threw a handful of candy into his mouth.

"I wish I could have gone on that mission." Zatanna mentioned. "But I don't think my powers would have helped them blend in all that much."

"I believe that is the reason none of us were selected to go on the mission." Kaldur stated.

"Still, I think it would fun to be in the circus for a while." Zatanna chuckled. "Or at least in show business. Imagine me on stage pulling a rabbit out of my hat."

"Psh!" Wally rolled his eyes. "That would be the worst secret identity ever, though. I mean, a magical hero performing fake magic on stage for a crowd's amusement. The bad guys would figure it out in a second."

"Well…Some secret identities are more obvious than others." Kaldur stated.

"Like yours?" Phantom questioned.

"…I don't know what you mean…" Kaldur frowned.

"He's got a point, man. Your disguise in public is a turtle neck." Wally mentioned. "I mean, at least my mask covers my freckles. Your face is always on display."

"In fact…most of our faces are in the open." Zatanna noted. "I mean, it's not like my private life is high profile, but I always asked my dad why we don't need to wear masks. His answer was pretty good though."

"And why's that?" Phantom questioned.

Zatanna gained the biggest grin on her face. "Magic."

"Hahahahahahahahaha! And what's Kaldur's excuse? Gills?" Wally questioned.

"…I do not enjoy being the butt of the joke…" Kaldur frowned.

"Now you know how Wally feels." Phantom smirked.

"Dude!"

Recognized: Robin B01, Superboy B05, Miss Martian B06, Red Arrow B07, Artemis B08

"Sorry, we're lat, guys!" M'gann called out as she flew to her friends. "The show went over…"

"It's fine, although, I was wanting to see you guys in your Daring Dangers outfits." Zatanna spoke up. "I bet you were styling."

"Yeah, well, I prefer my regular clothes compared to tights." Superboy grunted.

"You don't like 'monkey suits'?" Wally smirked.

"…Huh, you know what, I don't." Conner cracked a grin at that.

"Did we miss anything while we were gone?" Artemis questioned.

"Nothing at all." Kaldur shrugged. "I believe we were all terribly bored."

"Yeah…" Phantom nodded. "Bored…"

"Anyway, let's get started before I pass out." Robin stretched his limbs. "M'gann, what did you want to do again?"

"I want to do all the Earth traditions for Christmas!" M'gann beamed. "We need to drink eggnog, go caroling, open a present, watch specials, bake cookies, play games-"

"Okay, M'gann." Artemis laughed. "Okay, we get it. We better get started if we want to get through everything, though. I still want to spend some time with my Mom."

"Yeah, my parents will kill me if I don't get home in time for dinner." Wally chuckled.

"Then it's a good thing I got started on the cookies and Elf is on right now." Zatanna smiled.

"Great!" Robin nodded. "Let's get started."

Watching them go, Phantom smiled. It was nice to spend some time with his new friends. But before he could do that, he had to deal with one problem. Turning to the one member of Young Justice that stayed back and watched the exchange, Phantom questioned. "Are you too much of a big boy to spend time doing 'kiddie' stuff?"

"I don't sing, so no caroling, but besides that…" Red Arrow looked to see the others disappear. "I'm game."

"Oh?" Phantom pursed his lips. "What changed your mind?"

"I realized something on the mission." Red Arrow stated. "M'gann, Conner, and Artemis can't be the mole."

"That's good." Phantom noted.

"You would think so, but that's not all I realized." Red Arrow got up close to the halfa.

"Oh?"

"If they aren't the mole, and the original partners to the Leaguers aren't the mole. Then that leaves one person." Red Arrow glared.

"Santa Clause?"

"Stop being a smartass!" Red Arrow grabbed the halfa's collar. "This isn't a game!"

"Then quit treating it like one." Phantom retorted.

"I know that you're the mole…" Red Arrow growled.

"Am I now?" Phantom raised an eyebrow.

"Yes, yes you are." Red Arrow glared. "And I'm going to prove it."

"And how are you going to do that, Roy Harper?" Phantom questioned.

"You…How do you…"

"GA called you Roy more than once. Didn't take all that much after that to realize that the adopted son of the blond haired Oliver Queen and Speedy were one in the same." Phantom stated. "GA isn't as good with secrets as Batman, eh?"

"You…" Red Arrow snarled.

"But just so you know, I'm not a mole." Phantom mentioned.

"And I'm supposed to just believe that?!" Red Arrow scowled. "You used Young Justice, and now you're going to use your position as a Leaguer to feed info to the enemy."

"There's only one problem with that logic." Phantom gave him a bored look.

"And what's that?"

"I turned down the League's offer."

"W-what?" Red Arrow did not expect that.

"I don't want to be a Leaguer. I want to be with my friends for as long as possible." Phantom explained. "Unlike you, I'm not in a huge hurry to grow up."

"You…"

"I care about this Team. I was the one that was with them from the beginning. I was the one that was with them through their hardest times. I was the one who was willing to sacrifice everything for them." Phantom stated. "Believe what you want, but I'm not the mole, and I would do anything for this Team."

"…I…" Red Arrow released Phantom's collar. "I'm sorry. I didn't know. I thought…"

"It's fine. You wanted to protect them. I can respect that." Phantom noted. "We're alike in that way."

"…So…there is no mole?" Red Arrow questioned.

No, there was a mole. Phantom knew that for certain. Savage knew too much for there not be. But he wasn't going to say that. "There's no mole."

"…Okay…" Red Arrow nodded. "Then…I guess I was wrong. I'm man enough to admit that. What do I need to do to make up for it?"

"Nothing." Phantom rolled his eyes. "You're a member of Young Justice too, genius. That means you're just as much my friend as the others. Friends forgive eachother."

"Friends, eh?" Red Arrow gave a small smile. He extended his hand as a sign of a truce. "I can live with that."

Phantom shook the hand. "I can to."

(Saturday-December 25, 2010)

"Joel, wake up!" Dani, dressed in red and green pajamas, shouted as she rushed into his room. "It's Christmas!"

"I know. What's your point?" Joel questioned without opening his eyes. He wasn't in his bed sleeping. No, he was sitting in the middle of his room meditating. The boy was an early riser. It was habit from practically being raised by the Shadows.

Unlike everyone else's room in the house, Joel's room was almost completely empty. The large room had a bed, fan, and even a small television, but the walls remained bare. The youngest halfa lived more like a Spartan than a young boy.

"Idiot! Aren't you excited?!" Dani was practically bouncing up and down.

"Not really. This is just a commercialized holiday that was originally a religious holiday that took the place of a pagan holiday." Joel mentioned.

"But…presents!" Dani argued.

"Really? Well, that changes everything." Joel opened his eyes.

"It does?" Dani blinked.

"Of course, because as you can see, I'm all about material items." Joel stated.

"You do know that I will kick you in the face, right?" Dani questioned.

"I know, but my Numbing ability will make that moot." Joel shrugged.

"…You know what, you need to smile more. It's Christmas!"

"What are you doiiiiiinnnnnnnnnga…" Joel's words were slurred as Dani pulled at his cheeks to form a smile.

"There! That's better!" Dani beamed.

"Wet wo of wy wace…" Joel slured out.

"Only if you come down stairs~" Dani sang out.

"Wine…"

"Awesome!" Letting go of Joel's face, Dani grabbed Joel and began to drag him downstairs.

"You know…" Joel massaged his sore cheeks. "We don't even have a tree. I don't see…Holy crap, that's a big tree…"

"I know right! I chopped it down last night! I couldn't sleep!" Dani was still bouncing. "Then I decorated and helped Mom and Dad put the presents under it."

"…How much chocolate did you have last night?" Joel asked.

"Ten…large bags of candy and ten cups of hot chocolate." Dani's eyes were sparkling. "And I'm still not tired!"

"I'm surprised you didn't throw up yet." Joel mentioned.

"I did…twice."

"Oh…"

"Dani! Joel!" Danny cried from the bottom of the stairs. "Or I'll take your presents!"

"NO!" Dani dragged Joel down the stairs so fast, it would have caused Kid Flash to do a double take.

"…" Joel looked around the main hall of Masters Mansion. It was filled with members of the Phantom Family happily unwrapping presents. Although, it appeared that Wulf and Cujo were enjoying the wrapping paper a little bit more. "I don't understand…"

"Understand what?" Dani asked as she was busy trying to figure out what was in her next present without opening it. She liked to drag it out as much as possible. It made the present so much sweeter.

"Secret."

"I wasn't asking you, Greta."

"I don't get…why we are doing this." Joel mentioned. "There is an invasion coming, and we're sitting around celebrating."

"Why not?" Dani questioned.

"Because we need to be preparing." Joel stated. "If we don't, we will lose."

"You're right, we do need to prepare…But we also need to live." Dani mentioned.

"Huh?" Joel blinked.

"Look around." Dani pointed. "For a brief moment, people are forgetting their troubles and are coming together in peace. Isn't it nice?"

"…" Joel looked around.

Wulf and Cujo were rolling around in wrapping paper while Grundy was throwing wads of paper at them.

Nyx and Raven were arguing as their mothers tried to calm them down.

Colossus and Frostbite were laughing and drinking with the Fright Knight.

Youngblood created a fortress of boxes and was trying to convince Greta to play castle.

Torch was at the top of stairs yelling out his greatness for all to hear.

Scribe and his apprentice Poindexter were talking to a blue skinned ghost with a clock staff…Wait, who was that guy?

And Vlad and Vision…

"I thought we were supposed to be relaxing…" Vlad sighed.

"We are. We're planning the wedding." Vision looked at the massive blueprints in front of her. "We won't get a chance for a while, so we need to get started. This is my wedding, so it's going to take years to plan it to be perfect."

"But it's Christmas…the truce…"

"Be silent, my fiancé." Vision hugged his arm. "I shall make it up to you later."

"…" Joel smiled at all the people around him. "I see…We need to live in order to make it all worth it. We need to enjoy it. You know, you're a lot smarter than I thought, Dani…Dani?"

"Zzz…" Dani had fallen asleep. Her sugar rush ran out.

"Never mind." Joel rolled his eyes.

"I'm surprised to see you here, Clockwork." The Ghost Writer mentioned while sipping his cup of coffee.

"I could say the same thing to you, old friend." Clockwork mentioned. "You were always one to hide from people behind your books."

"Things change." Scribe shrugged.

"Very true…" Clockwork turned to Poindexter. "You took an apprentice."

"Yes! Master Scribe has helped me a lot! Now, I can stand up to bullies!" The black and white ghost puffed out his chest proudly and adjusted his thick glasses.

"Remember what I told you, the techniques that I have shown you are not to be used over trivial matters. It is alright to teach a lesson, but never use such powers for punishment." Scribe glanced to the nerdy ghost. "Let the universe fix such things. Karma shall deal its punishment."

"But I can't let the injustice go!" Poindexter exclaimed. "I didn't receive justice until after my death!"

"That is how things work out sometimes." Scribe explained. "Sometimes, there is no justice in this life, but I guarantee that every crime will be punished at some point."

"But…" Poindexter was disappointed.

"Do not think like Pandora. We are not the dealers of justice and fairness." Scribe stated. "We are the ones that merely record what happens."

"But you've taught me how to alter dimension and space…" Poindexter pointed out. "What's the point of having power if you don't use it?"

"To make sure that others don't try and break the rules of reality." Scribe stated. "We only have such power to make sure that it is never used in the wrong way."

"…Okay…" Poindexter did not look happy, though.

"I'm sorry, child." Scribe sighed. "Why don't you go and speak with the others. I'm sure you'll enjoy that more than speaking with old farts."

"Yeah…" Poinxdexter nodded and walked over to the other ghosts.

"…He'll understand one day." Scribe noted after the nerdy ghost was gone. "There are always consequences for using powers like ours."

"Yes…" Clockwork nodded. "There are."

"But who am I to complain. I least I don't have to be careful about what I say…" The Ghost Writer gave Clockwork a small smile.

"And I wasn't the one that saved thousands of lives in a recent war." Clockwork added.

"Oh? And what about that whole fiasco with Phantom a year ago?" Scribe questioned.

"Touché, my friend." Clockwork chuckled. "Perhaps we've both doomed everyone for what is to come."

"Yes…I think about it daily." The Ghost Writer frowned. "I haven't slept well lately, especially with the Reality Gauntlet being lose…"

"It has given you more time to write, though." Clockwork mentioned.

"Yes…I have indeed." Scribe reached into his jacket and pulled out a book. He handed it to Clockwork.

"…Obsession…" Clockwork smiled.

"I was going to do a sequel, but the story isn't over yet." The Ghost Writer noted.

"And here I thought that Tome of yours recorded history on its own." Clockwork mentioned.

"That book is objective. This book gives perspective." Scribe mentioned. "I think that will be needed later on."

"Indeed." Clockwork handed the book back. "And do you plan to write the sequels?"

"I was trying to, but I decided to begin writing something else." Scribe smiled. "Perhaps I will let Poindexter work with me on the sequels. It will be good experience for him."

"Your dad would kill me if he knew we were alone like this…" Danny noted as he and Valerie leaned against the railing of the balcony that overlooked the backyard. Despite the cold, they were both comfortable with watching the snow fall.

"I doubt it." Valerie shook her head. "I think he's getting used to you."

"Oh?" Danny questioned.

"Yeah." Valerie nodded. "I think he trusts me with you."

"…Shouldn't it be the other way around?" Danny questioned.

"Not with me." Valerie chuckled as she took his hand and held it.

"Right…" Danny looked away.

"…You okay? I thought you were over your Grinch complex." Valerie stated.

"I am. It has nothing to do with the holidays. It has to do with what comes next." Danny held her hand tightly. "What if things go really bad? Everything could be destroyed because of my choices."

"Idiot…" She flicked his forehead. "It's not all about your choices. We all have will of our own, you know? Don't get such a big head."

"You know what I mean…" Danny sighed.

"I do, and I'm telling you to relax because everything's going to work out." Valerie leaned onto him.

"How do you know that?" Danny questioned.

"Because our family is strong. We can stand against anything." Valerie stated. "And I will always stand by you. This time, I'll protect you."

"Really?"

"Yep, and that's why I'm joining Young Justice." Valerie stated.

"…So you accepted their offer?"

"Of course, someone has to look after you." Valerie smiled. "And I think I can handle both the Team and Amity Park. You do it after all. How hard could it be?"

"Oh, thanks for the vote of confidence." Danny grumbled.

"But together, we'll protect both Young Justice and Amity Park." Valerie turned and kissed her boyfriend.

"Yeah…We will." He kissed her back before pulling away. "Merry Christmas, Val."

"Merry Christmas, Danny."

Bonus Scene: Shopping Day

"Oh! I love those shoes on you!" Megan clapped her hands together as she looked down at Artemis' feet.

"Are you sure? I think I have enough green stuff." Artemis peered down at her feet.

"No way, it's totally your color." Zatanna smiled.

"Yeah, you work green like no one else, girl." Valerie, who decided to go out with her new teammates to do some shopping, noted.

"I know, but still…Maybe I should get another color for variety sake?" Artemis questioned.

She was met with sounds of agreement.

"Kill me…" Conner groaned as he held up the bags of cloths that M'gann bought.

"Oh shut up…" Phantom, who was disguised in a hat and glasses, mumbled. "You're the strongest one out of all of us. Those bags aren't heavy to you."

"That's not why I want to die…" Conner gritted his teeth. "I'm so bored."

"Well, that's the price you pay for having a girlfriend." Phantom shrugged.

"Dude! Why the hell am I here then?! I don't have a girlfriend!" Wally argued.

He was met with blank expressions.

"What?!"

"And people say that I'm clueless…" Phantom mumbled.

"Well…What about Rob?" Wally questioned. "He and Zatanna are practically dating. Why isn't he here?"

"He used a ninja trick…lucky bastard." Conner grunted.

"Zatanna will make him pay later, though." Phantom shrugged. "Besides…He'll miss out…"

"Miss out on what?" Wally asked.

"The benefits…" Phantom mentioned.

"What benefits?"

"Danny!" Valerie called over to her boyfriend. "How do I look?"

She was wearing a red dress that hung to her curves very well. The sight was very pleasing to the halfa.

"Gorgeous as always." Phantom smirked.

"I don't know…Do you think that the skirt is too short?" Valerie questioned.

"No." There was no pause for his answer.

"Oh…Okay, I'll get this one too…" Valerie walked back to the girls.

"See?" Phantom elbowed his guy friends.

"Okay, I'm hating this less…" Superboy admitted as he thought of M'gann modeling for him.

"My attitude has completely changed." Wally grinned.

…On the other side of the store…

"And that, Zatanna, is how to make sure that the boy doesn't run off to play video games." Valerie noted as she approached her newer friends.

"Does that really work?" M'gann looked over to the now smiling guys.

"Apparently…Guys are stupid." Artemis noted.

"Yes, they are, but with them here, we get free compliments." Valerie smiled.

"Not me…" Zatanna frowned. "Robin disappeared as soon as I went shopping…"

"Please, girl, you act like it's the end of the world." Valerie shrugged. "You have three guys to compliment you over there. That way, you get both praise and a jealous Robin."

"Wow…You're good." Artemis noted.

"I know." Valerie smiled. "But don't worry, I can teach you all I know."