Chapter 34: Forgiven

Disclaimer: I own nothing

"When you forgive, you in no way change the past - but you sure do change the future."

Bernard Meltzer

Chapter 34: "Forgiven"

(The musical theme for this chapter is: Sunrise by Our Last Night)

(Monday-January 3, 2011)

Phantom sat down at the large table. He looked around at the other seven people. "So…You know me…And I kind of know you, but…who's who exactly?"

"Well, I'm Death, but you already know that." Death gave him a calming smile.

"I am Destiny." The blind old man wearing a dark robe stated. He had a large book chained to his hands.

"Destruction, but you can call me awesome." The red headed muscular man grunted. His large grey trenchcoat was open to reveal his muscular frame

"Dream…but some people call me Morpheus…" A pale, tired looking man with dark ring rings around his eyes and hair that could only be described as what a person would have after just waking up sighed.

"Oh, don't sound so mopey, Dream." The palest woman Danny had ever seen spoke. She had her black hair pulled up into a pony tail. Her red lips and eyes basically jumped out at him in contrast to her flawless pale skin. Her beauty and body were something that men fantasized about and woman envied. "I'm Desire, hun. Pleasure to finally meet you."

"Don't you do anything to him, Desire." A rather chubby woman with a thick face and dark eyes glared at the other woman. Oddly enough, this woman had red tattoos running all along her body. "Your cruelty knows no bounds."

"And how does my cruelty compares to yours, Despair? How many tragedies are you behind watching in glee? If I remember, when a certain planet blew up, you were smiling. The ultimate despair, right?" The seductress rolled her eyes.

"Oh! Are we talking about personal things in front of him now?!" A strange looking girl with wild hair filled with the colors of the rainbow giggled. Her make up kind of made her look like a bit of clown. "Can I share then? Because I know for a fact that Death has some very strange books under her bed~"

"Delirium!" Death's face flushed. "Stop that!"

"Okay…" Phantom blinked at this interaction. "You're definitely siblings. I can see that much."

"Yeah…We bicker a lot…" Dream gave him a tired look. "It's exhausting...Of course, you know all about exhaustion with the enemies you face. Thanks, by the way, for sticking it to Nocturne. God of sleep my ass…"

"Oh! Are we talking about dreams now?" Desire grinned. "Because I know plenty of Phantom's fantasies that are quite interesting."

"W-what?!" Phantom stuttered.

"Oh, please don't! I don't want to hear what goes through the mind of a teenager!" Destruction groaned. "It would be too much trouble."

"You think everything is too much trouble, Destruction." Destiny mentioned. "That's the reason your element has been so out of control for so long. If you did your job, a lot of tragedies could have been avoided."

"Shut it! You're damn right I don't do my job! No one appreciates it!" Destruction was outraged. "They all blame me for everything! Well guess what, morons! In order for creation to exist, destruction must exist as well! Why do I have to get a bad rep for only one side of my element?!"

"One side?" Phantom questioned.

"The Endless are the elements our names represent." Death explained. "But we're also the opposite, for example, while I take people to the afterlife, I also am there when they are born. I visit people at the beginning and at the end of their lives."

"Yeah! And I control creation just as much as destruction!" Destruction exclaimed. "Yet no one appreciates that! So what if I'm taking a break! You would too if you were cursed and spit at for a millennium!"

"We've all had our critics, Destruction." Dream mentioned. "Every day, people question whether to chase their dreams or live for reality. It's so tiring…"

"At least none of you have rhyming elements…" Desire pouted. "Desire and disgust…Rhymes are so cliché!"

"Don't be so dramatic." Despair frowned. "And you all complain too much. I've heard dying people whine less than you, and they were crying out in anguish."

"I see…" Phantom nodded slowly. "That explains a lot. The seven different elements of the universe that are unavoidable. Destiny and free will. Death and life. Destruction and creation. Dream and reality. Desire and disgust. Despair and hope. Delirium and…sanity?"

"I'm not crazy!" Delirium cried out. "I used to be Delight! But that…that changed a long time ago…"

Phantom watched as the strange woman squirmed under the attention of their gazes. Seeing her discomfort of the situation, Phantom decided to change the subject. "Right…So let's talk about the reason you wanted me to come here in the first place."

"Yes…" Destiny nodded. "That would be for the best. You see, Daniel, unlike other mortals, you have a connection to us in your very core. One that was there since the day you were born."

"I still don't get how that's possible." Despair mentioned. "A new born child has no ability to even communicate correctly, let alone deny the most powerful force in the universe. Death is absolute. Even the so called gods will die one day. This universe may very well die in the future, yet a small babe was able to deny her?"

"Oh! Oh!" Delirium waved her hands around. "That's easy! For who else could deny Death but a person who embodies both her elements at once? One that just came into life, but is soon about to die. In fact, he embodied each of our elements at once! Destined to die, but chose to live! Just obtained life, but about to die. Despair of having a pathetically weak body, but hope that your family will make things better! It's so simple! Embodiment of everything this universe has to offer all at once! Add in the raw selflessness and willpower, and you've got the ultimate champion!"

"…I'm not sure I follow you." Phantom mentioned.

"No one does…" Dream yawned. "But make no mistake, Delirium has the most unique mindset in existence. Her lack of a set pattern of thought makes her see and understand more than any of us. She might even be the wisest person in the universe."

"Crackers!"

"…Or she's just nuts…" Destruction grunted. "Coo coo for Coco Puffs…"

"Hey! I invented that! Don't use it against me!" Delirium exclaimed. "It took hundreds of years before I finally got a human to use the idea, so don't ruin it for me!"

"Moving on…" Destiny sighed at his young siblings' antics. "It is because of this connection to Death…connection to us, that we have an invested interest in you. Because you are literally our avatar to the physical world."

"Wait…aren't you guys all powerful?"

"Even we have rules, hun." Desire shrugged. "If we didn't limit what we could do, one of us could go out of control. Those without limits and restrictions will think that they're a god and fall into darkness."

"It is in that reason that the League is very wise." Death smiled. "Their limits allow them to serve the world without appearing as gods. Some people may question their rules on no killing, but they are needed, and it is far easier to kill than people think. And once you start killing, it only gets easier. And if you eventually can kill to the point that you no longer feel anything, then you no longer value human life. And no one can be a champion of life and justice if they don't value life."

"Yeah…You're right." Phantom nodded.

"It is our rules that prevents us from directly interfering with many events in the physical plain. Because if we abuse our power beyond making sure our natures are upheld, ripple effects will happen." Destiny began explaining again. "Even with events such as the Reality Gauntlet or with the Light's distortion of what should be, we can't interfere. That is the reason we need guardians in the physical world to keep the peace. Normally, people such as the Justice League would be enough…but you complicate things."

"I complicate things? Isn't it that everything around me is complicated instead?" Phantom questioned.

"It's an unusual situation…" Death sighed. "It was written long ago that, in this universe, you would die the day that you were born, but that didn't happen."

"It caused ripples and changes." Despair added. "Many good, but there is the consideration of your alternate future self."

"From what I understand…The war you guys fought in was going to happen, but it was supposed to happen differently. The ghosts were supposed to be wiped out." Destruction crossed his arms in thought.

"Then many different things would have happened…Nyx would have been kidnapped and turned into a monster…The Ghoul Project would have then been a total failure, and Joel would have died…And the backlash of war would have spread to Amity Park and killed everyone there." Dream frowned as he said this.

"Not to mention the consequences with Freakshow still escaping and what the Black Lantern Rings will do…" Desire chuckled.

"Desire! Spoilers!" Death glared.

"Right…You don't like to hear about the future…"

"And neither should Daniel." Death glared at Desire. "Remember that having special knowledge of future events can change the outcome. Many times for the worse."

"Yeah, yeah…" Desire rolled her eyes.

"…So I changed things?" Phantom questioned.

"You did. That's why you are the Fate Changer." Destiny nodded.

"Oh, that? The prophecy thing…" Phantom didn't look pleased. "Don't tell me that BS is real."

"It's not real." Destiny shook his head.

Phantom blink. "Really? Because I've heard a couple of people mention it. In fact, Clockwork talked about it."

"Look at this, Daniel." Destiny raised a large book that was sitting on his lap. "This book is a written record about what was, is, and will happen. Every word in it is true…Except that it changed when you resisted Death. Since then, there has been a point in history where no one knows what is going to happen. That point is now."

"I don't understand." Phantom mentioned. "What does that have to do with anything?"

"You changed things…so I decided to act. Your influence can help people change for the better. You can change things for the better without backlash like the Reality Gauntlet. I knew that I had alert a few key individuals so they can change the universe and what was going to happen."

"What was going to happen?"

"Anti-Life."

"Everyone would die?" Phantom's jaw dropped.

"No…they would be neither alive nor dead." Destiny stated. "But with the help of the people that needed to know about you and what you can do, it can be prevented. That was why I created a fake prophecy and asked Clockwork for help."

"You know Clockwork?" Phantom questioned.

"Are you kidding? He has tea with that guy every other week." Destruction rolled his eyes.

"Why-"

"No questions, hun. If you know too much, then that would be breaking the rules." Desire mentioned. "Like Destiny graciously reminded me, you have to go into this blind, or chaos will rain down."

"…Right…" Phantom nodded. "But why is okay for you to tell me all this?"

"This is a warning." Dream sighed. "Because of the choice you now have to make with the Reality Guantlet."

"Don't worry about that." Phantom shrugged. "I don't plan to use it more than to setting things back the way it was before Freakshow interfered."

"Ah, but the thing is, you don't have to." Despair noted.

"Right! You have good karma. Suffering, trials, good deeds, and an honorable spirit all make it so that you won't have backlash from breaking the rules with the Reality Gauntlet." Delirium giggled and span around in her chair.

"That's right." Death nodded to the mortal that was connected to her. "While it is a crime to break the laws of reality purposefully, it isn't to do so through accident and acts of good will. Through all of your trials, you have proven yourself a strong warrior for good despite all the bad things that happened to you. Thus, you will have a bit of leeway to change what you want."

"I can change reality without consequence?" Phantom blinked.

"To an extent. You can only do it by using the good karma you built up." Destiny explained. "If you go past that, then you might suffer the same consequences as Savage, Scribe, and Freakshow."

Phantom looked at the gauntlet on his arm. "But what do I do?"

"You will need allies. More people that you can trust." Destiny eyed the boy. "From people who used to be your enemies. From people that could have had different endings if you changed some things."

"…I see…" Phantom nodded. "The Reality Guantlet can't bring back souls that passed into the afterlife, but it can do things that will change a ghost into a human…"

"Ah, you know that rule well…" Destiny nodded.

"Alright…I think I can see why you wanted me here. Don't worry. I'll handle things in the future." Phantom grinned.

"Be careful, though," Death warned with concern. "Things will not always be easy…"

"They never are with me…" Phantom stood and began to walk away from the table.

Death quickly followed. "Before you go, I have to ask…how are you doing after everything that happened? It couldn't have been easy on you..."

"I'm great now. Thanks to you and my friends." Phantom gave her a gentle smile. "You saved me yet again. Thank you."

"Oh don't worry about it." Death waved him off. "Things would be boring without you around, Danny."

"Yeah…It sure would be." Phantom chuckled. "Hey, Death?"

"Yeah…" Death paused as Phantom pulled her into an embraced.

"Thank you for taking care of them. All of them." Phantom stated as he referred to his family. "They…they mean the world to me."

"…You're welcome." Death smiled. "Goodbye, Danny."

"Goodbye, Death."

"Woah…" Artemis blinked as the light faded around them. "What happened?"

To the rest of the world, only a second had passed despite Phantom's conversation with Endless. In that time, Phantom changed everything back to normal. The world had returned to how it was before Freakshow attacked. The only difference was that the Ghost Writer and Solomon Grundy were still gone from this world.

"We are outside Amity Park…" Kaldur noted as he over looked the restored city. In fact, all the damage done to the city was completely gone.

Well…Phantom did change a few things apparently…Why else would the city look so good?

"What happened to the fights?" Colossus looked around in confused. "I was just about to crush that titan!"

Young Justice looked over to see that the Justice League, ghosts, and assassins were right behind them. Any damage they received from the battle seemed to disappear. They all seemed confused about the situation but also looked relieved to see have the fight finish.

"Everything's back to normal…" Superman muttered.

"Does that mean you were victorious?" Batman looked over to Young Justice.

"Yeah! We totally wiped the floor with Freakshow!" Kid Flash grinned.

"Then where is he?" Wonder Woman questioned.

"He disappeared." Dusk mentioned. "I believe that there was backlash from the Reality Guantlet."

"Where is the Guantlet?" Plasmius questioned.

"Danny had it on." M'gann blinked. "Where is Danny?"

"Over there…" Red Huntress saw Phantom standing at the edge of the city. He looked towards his home.

"Danny!" Superboy called over.

"Hm?" Phantom looked over his shoulder. "What's up?"

"Dude!" Robing rushed over to him with the rest of the Team. "What are you doing over here?"

"Thinking…" Phantom looked down at his Gauntlet covered arm.

"Did you already release that energy?" Zatanna questioned at Danny's normal appearance.

"I didn't need it anymore." Phantom noted. His eyes were still on the Gauntlet. "It's not a power that should be used without caution…just like this thing…"

The rest of the large group behind Young Justice approached them. They were all eyeing Phantom.

"Danny…" Vision looked at the teen. "What do you plan to do with the Gauntlet?"

"That's what I'm thinking about." Phantom looked over at all the people. "Before, the Ghost King separated the Reality Gauntlet from his power sources and hid them across the planet, right? He did this because he thought the power would be needed again…but I'm not sure that was smart. The Reality Gauntlet isn't a power that should be used…So…"

Phantom raised his arm. The Reality Gauntlet began to glow. Energy whirled around it. The jewels on the side of the weapon glowed and dimmed. The metal of the gauntlet seemed to rust a little. After a few moments, the energy died down.

With glowing blue eyes and energy, Phantom then began to freeze the weapon on his arm. The metal of the gauntlet was soon completely covered and infused with ice. After the entire weapon was covered, Phantom sent out a blast of normal green energy. The Reality Gauntlet was shattered into tiny pieces.

"I decided to destroy it." Phantom let the frozen metal shards drop to the floor where they quickly disintegrated into nothing.

"You used the power of the Gauntlet against itself to make it powerless." The Fright Knight reasoned. "The Gauntlet effectively erased itself from existence."

"It's for the best." Phantom noted as he smiled at them all. "The Reality Gauntlet never caused anything but trouble, and I already changed things back to normal and erased the rest of the world's memory of what happened with Freakshow, so there was no point to keeping it around."

"So you didn't use it to change anything for the batter at all? That's disappointing…" Rocket sighed.

"I didn't say that…" Phantom smirked as he began to walk into the city. "Oh, and here." Phantom threw the Mirror of Memories to Colossus. "Go ahead and put that back in your pocket. Make sure no one gets that…"

"Wait! What?!" Spirit voiced all of their thoughts. "What did you change?!"

"I'll talk about it later!" Phantom called back. "I'm going home for now! I'm super tired…"

"Bro, wait!" Kid Flash ran after his teammate.

"We're not done talking yet!" Superboy and the rest of the members of Young Justice ran after him.

"Huh…" Spirit blinked as she watched them go. "I wonder what he changed…"

"It was probably something significant." Dusk mentioned. "Mentor wouldn't waist the opportunity on something stupid."

"Why not do something stupid?" Nyx threw her arms over the two halfas. "That's far more fun than something smart like world peace…"

"Were you not paying attention to what just happened?" Raven rolled her eyes. "It's using the Gauntlet stupidly that started all this."

"Aye. I believe that be enough adventure for one day." Youngblood walked up to them. He was still in his adult form.

All the kids stared up at him.

"What?"

"You need to change back." Dusk mentioned. "This form does not suit you."

"Yeah! I cannot take you seriously while you're a big bad real pirate." Spirit nodded.

"Is that an insult or a compliment?" Youngblood muttered.

"Take it however you want." Raven shrugged.

"Don't worry, I can go back to normal, but it might take a few hours…" Youngblood shrugged.

"Good." Nyx puffed out her cheeks. "Cause I can't pick on you if you're like that…"

"I suppose his form could be worse." Greta mentioned. "In fact, I'm surprised that you don't have any tattoos…What's with that look?"

"You can talk?!" Youngblood's eyes widened in surprise.

"Oh, right…I forgot that you didn't know…So, yeah, I can say a lot more than secret. I just thought it was hilarious to keep the joke up."

"…Well…It kind of was!" Youngblood grinned. "High five!"

"Okay…Not with your hook, you moron!"

While this was going on, Batman eyed the Mirror of Memories. "So…You tricked us…"

"We did." Vision nodded. "I thought it would be for the best."

"Well, luckily it was." Green Arrow smiled. "Ow! Hey!"

"Not the time." Black Canary elbowed him in the ribs.

"Things did turn out, but how can we trust you if lie to us about things like this?" Superman questioned.

"We could ask you the same thing about several things." Pandora mentioned. "You have your own secrets."

"She does have a point…" Captain Marvel admitted.

"I don't claim to know what's going on…" Colossus looked down at the mirror. "But should I keep it in my pocket or give it to one of you?"

Batman looked at the mirror. "Keep it. It is safest with you."

"…Are yous sure?" Plasmius questioned.

"Perhaps we might not always be truthful to each other, but I believe that we can trust you." Batman reasoned. "Today, we fought side by side and took down a near invulnerable enemy. I think that means something."

"It's true. I definitely prefer you more as an ally than as an enemy." Superman smiled.

"Yes…Our childish grudges have only hindered us." Fright Knight nodded. "If the younger generations can work together like they did today, then why can't we?"

"Yes...If Danny can look past everything so easily…I don't see why we can't." Plasmius chuckled.

"So what is this? A truce? An alliance?" Wonder Woman questioned.

"I think…the beginning of a friendship would be the best way to describe it." Vision spoke up.

"A friendship…" Batman nodded and extended his hand to her. "I can accept that."

"…I think we can as well." Vision took his hand and shook it.

"Ah…" Pandora smiled down at them. "And what of the villains that worked with us?"

Everyone looked to where David Cain, Lady Shiva, and Cassandra were before. They were gone now.

"Oh, them? Torch saw them disappear two minutes ago." Torch shrugged.

"Why didn't you say anything?" Red Tornado questioned.

"Torch thought we were having a touching moment." Torch mentioned. "Torch didn't want to ruin it with details."

"Details…" Red Tornado actually sounded amused. "That is one way to put it."

(Tuesday-January 4, 2011)

In Master Mansion, there was a room that was dubbed the Memorial Room. The room was out of the way and basically bare. The only things that were in the room were simple stones with words engraved on them.

Vortex: The perfect storm

Skulker: The Ghost Zone's greatest hunter

Klemper: A true friend

Agent Z: A worthy foe

Scribe The Ghost Writer: Author, reader, and ally

Solomon Grundy: Born on a Monday

Freakshow: Ringmaster of reality

"Goodbye, Scribe, Grundy…" Dani wiped away some tears. "I'll miss you…"

"…" Joel looked down at the memorials. "Rest in peace, comrades."

Danny place a hand on each of their shoulders in comfort. "They're in a better place. Death will make sure of that."

The three halfas were the only ones left in the room. The other members of the Phantom Family had already paid their respects and left a few minutes ago. Joel, Dani, and Danny remained behind for a bit longer.

"Hey…It's almost time to eat…" Danny noted to his younger companions. "Vision will be mad if we're late."

"Yeah…We can come back later..." Joel noted.

"Right…" Dani nodded. "Come back…"

"You go ahead." Danny mentioned to them. "I'll come downstairs in a minute."

Nodding, the two younger halfas exited the room and headed to the dining room.

"…You can come out now." Danny spoke out after Dani and Joel were gone.

Lydia walked through the wall. "How did you know I was here? I am able to hide my presence from your ghost sense. Fred…Freakshow made it that way when he upgraded my powers."

"You underestimate my family." Danny noted. "Vision knew you were here all day. I'm just glad you didn't attack, because I would hate to have to fight again so soon..."

"I see…" Lydia looked over to Freakshow's memorial.

"Why are you here, Lydia?" Danny questioned kindly.

"I…I wanted to say thank you." Lydia mentioned. "Even though I left Freakshow, I kept one of my tattoos near him to watch. You showed him far more kindness than he deserved. Thank you."

"You're welcome." Danny nodded.

"…Why…why did you make a stone for him…and your other enemies?" Lydia questioned.

"I like to think it's about showing respect." Danny shrugged. "They're bad guys, but...They're my enemies. I think that means something."

"But you don't have your old family's names in here." Lydia pointed out.

"They have a statue dedicated to them." Danny smiled. "This room is for the people who deserve to be remembered, but probably won't be. We will never forget our closest allies, or our greatest enemies."

"…You are a strange person, Danny Phantom." Lydia shook her head. "But…You're a good man as well."

"Thanks…" Danny tilted his head. "Um…What are you going to do now? You obviously don't want revenge, so…"

"I don't know. My whole obsession revolved around keeping Freakshow away from the darkness." Lydia's head fell in shame. "But that's gone now, and I'm still here. I don't know why…"

"When Freakshow upgraded your powers, he changed a part of you." Danny noted. "He made it so that even if he disappeared, you could continue on. That's the reason I didn't take your upgraded powers away. If I did, you would have died."

"How do you…"

"The Reality Gauntlet showed me many things so I could better understand my enemies." Danny smiled. "And I learned that no matter what happened, Freakshow still loved you deep down…Way deep down."

"So…There was still a part in there that cared for me…" Lydia smiled. "I'm glad."

"What will you do now? You're welcome to stay in Amity Park, of course, if you want to." Danny suggested.

"No…I don't think that I can…" Lydia shook her head. "There are too many memories here. I think I will travel and find out what will really make me happy."

"Okay, but be careful out there." Danny stated. "It can be dangerous."

"I know."

"Alright…I hope you find happiness, Lydia." Danny smiled. "I know you deserve that much."

"…Thank you. Goodbye, Danny Phantom." With one last look at Freakshow's memorial, Lydia turned and floated out of the mansion. She was gone.

"Goodbye, Lydia."

"…And then she called me brother." Joel looked over to his family. They were all gathered in the living room, and Joel decided that it would be best to reveal the truth to all of his family…or at least what appeared to be the truth. "I'm not exactly sure what that means, but I think that there's a decent possibility that I am the son of Ra's Al Ghul."

He was met with silence.

Danny let out a loud whistle. "Well, damn."

"That might explain why you could survive to be a halfa while everyone else, even Agent Z, were only partial half-ghosts." Vlad stroked his chin. "From what I understand of the Lazarus Pit, it can revive and reguvinate almost every living creature…with major side effects, of course. Ra's has been exposed to it for centuries. The Pit has probably altered his DNA. It would make sense that it could leave effects to his offspring."

"But I've read the reports of the Ghoul Project…" Vision frowned. "They said you were the least compatible genetically, yet you were the biggest success…Did Ra's change the reports to hide his connection to you?"

"Why would he do that, though, if he excommunicated Joel?" Dani questioned.

"He knew I would survive." Joel stated. "He knew that because of my genetics that I would gain powers. Then, with my strength, I would be accepted back into the Shadows without any objection. Then, even if I was unstable in anyway, the Lazarus Pit could stabilize me."

"Why allow us to take you, though…" Danny wondered.

"They were planning the assault from the start." Vision nodded to herself. "So, either you would accept their deal, and they would gain Joel by extension; or you would reject it, and he would be forced in a situation where he would be forced to kill and forsake his beliefs. Either way, they win."

"Except I didn't kill." Joel mumbled.

"I doubt that will sway your father." Vlad mentioned. "With your show of power and control, he probably wants you as his successor more than ever. And because you are still a young child, he thinks that he can change your outlook on how things work."

"That doesn't matter." Joel said conviction. "You are my family now. I will never turn away from that fact."

"I'm not worried about that in the slightest." Vision smiled at the boy. "What does concern me, though, is Ra's. There's so much left unknown. If you're his child, then why did he leave you in an orphanage for so long? Why hide your lineage? And what lengths will he go to in order to get you on his side?"

"…That stuff doesn't matter for now." Joel shrugged. "I'm a half-ghost and a part of Amity Park now. Nothing's going to change that anytime soon."

(Wednesday-January 5, 2011)

"So the Council's trying to get you to join?" Dani questioned as she took her seat in the stands. A bag of popcorn was in her hands. "That sucks, I'm sorry."

"Ah…Yeah." Youngblood, in his normal child form, gave her a sad look. "I'm getting a lot of pressure from them to join…It's annoying…"

"Rack! I told you so…" Polly grumbled from his shoulder.

"Hey! I'm the one that's supposed to be childish!" Youngblood glared at him.

"Well, I did tell you so…I went on and on about the consequences…" Poly rolled his eyes.

"Whatever…" Youngblood placed his head in his hands.

"Cheer up, Chuck." Victor sat next to his two ghost friends. "It could be worse. My parents have been freaking out since New Year. I don't think they want to move, but they are getting super overprotective of me. I think they want to start training me in self-defense…"

"That sounds fun." Great mentioned from her seat beside Victor. "I should probably practice my combat as well…"

"I still can't get used to the fact that you can talk." Victor gave her an odd look. "It's super weird."

"Ah, you'll get used it." Dani shrugged. "And at least we won't have to deal with the secret jokes anymore, right Greta?"

"Secret." Secret grinned.

"Okay, I should have seen that coming…" Dani admitted.

"Shush! It's starting!" Victor pulled out his video camera and began his recording.

"Okay…I appreciate your agreeing to train me, but I have to ask…" Nyx gave an annoyed look to Jason Blood. "Why are there bleachers here for them to watch us?!"

"Because I thought it would be humorous." Jason Blood shrugged as he walked across the training room he constructed in his home. "The recording was my idea. I would like to reminiscence about your failures and mishaps later on."

"Wow…" Raven rolled her eyes. "Thanks for the confidence in us…"

"I know that you are both talented students, but you have very unstable forms of magic." Jason Blood chuckled. "I'm sure something will go wrong, and that's why I want evidence. Is everything good, Victor?"

"Yeah, Mr. B!" Victor waved over to the older man. "I got this camera, and the other ones you wanted me to install are the corners!"

"Good man. Good man…" Blood nodded.

"But why do they get sit there, eat popcorn, and watch us train?" Nyx frowned.

"They asked if they could." Blood shrugged. "Having you tried saying no to a combination of Dani and Greta's puppy dog eyes. It's impossible I tell you!"

"True…" Raven frowned. "I warned her about corrupting Greta…"

"I can make my own decisions, Doom and Gloom!" Greta yelled over.

"Ha! I taught her that!" Nyx wiped an invisible tear. "I'm so proud of her…"

Raven merely sighed. "Sometimes, I hate my life…"

"No you don't. Not yet at least." Jason Blood grinned. "That comes during training."

"So…There was a reason you didn't wipe our memories, correct?" Lady Shiva glared at the teen that was sitting across from her. They were all in Fenton's Works living room. It had simple couches and chairs that allowed them to sit, but there wasn't much else in the room. It wasn't used a lot after all.

"Yes." Danny nodded to Shiva.

"And I take it there's also a reason you erased the Light's memory of my betrayal." Shiva frowned.

"Yes. Yes there is."

"What do you want, then?" Shiva glared.

"Mother, don't be rude." Cassandra looked up to her mother. "He did help us a lot. Now we won't be hunted down."

"That is true, but there's always a catch." Shiva continued to glare at the teen.

"Oh, relax Shiva." Oddly enough, David Cain was not smoking at the moment. Apparently, he wasn't allowed to in Fenton Works. "It's not like he's extorting us or something. He doesn't have that look in his face."

"Yes." Danny nodded. "I'm not going to blackmail you. All I want in return for allowing you to keep your memories is to keep our secret."

"That's acceptable." Cassandra spoke up quickly.

"Cassandra…" Shiva sighed.

"I do, however, have an offer for all of you." Danny added.

"I knew it." Shiva frowned.

"I want you all to be my allies." Danny stated.

"Allies?" David Cain cracked a smile. "You do realize that Shiva and I have tried to kill you at different times…"

"I know, but some of my closest friends have tried to kill me at some point. Vlad, Superboy, Valerie…" Danny trailed off. "I could name more."

"What are you offering?" Cassandra questioned. She eyed him with admiration. Oddly enough, this made Shiva's mood worse and David Cain's mood swing up in amusement.

"I have the feeling that some of the hardest times this planet has ever seen will happen within a few years." Danny noted. "I need as many allies as possible. And it wouldn't hurt if I had some inside agents in the Shadows…"

"Oh, so that's it." Shiva rolled her eyes. "You want moles."

"You won't have to feed me a lot of information." Danny raised his hands up in surrender. "I just want to know that if something were ever to happen, I would have people on my side."

"That does make sense…" Cassandra noted.

"What's in it for us?" Shiva questioned.

"One, I'd be willing to pay you. Two, I can offer you asylum in Amity Park if you ever need it." Danny explained. "And three…I can offer you all a clean slate if you ever need it. Through Vlad's connection, I can have all your crimes erased from existence."

David Cain gave a low whistle. "That's one hell of an offer…but you do know that I'll never join the Shadows…"

"Then you'll be a free agent. I was planning on recruiting a few others that might be willing to work with me, like Madame Rogue." Danny handed him a piece of paper. "I'll have you as my personal mercenary and intel broker for what's happening in the underground. This will be your base payments."

"…Hot damn…" David Cain muttered. "That's a lot of money…I'm in."

"David!" Shiva snapped. "You would sell yourself just like that?"

"Look at this." David showed her the amount.

"…I see…" Shiva stopped chiding him. She turned to Danny. "I do not want money. I have enough of that. What I want is my daughter's safety. So, if I do this, do I have your word that Cassandra will come out of this safely? She will have money, asylum, safety, and forgiveness for our sins?"

"Yes. You have my word."

"…Very well…" Shiva looked over to her daughter. "I'm in as well."

"You know I'm in." Cassandra actually gave Danny a smile. "I will help anyway I can."

(Thursday-January 6, 2011)

"So you're going to start school soon?" Fright Knight questioned. He sat meditating in Masters Mansion training room.

"Unfortunately." Joel was sitting on the floor as well. Unlike Fright Knight, however, he wasn't meditating because Cujo jumped on his lap, and he was having trouble concentrating through the pit of pain. Nevertheless, he didn't chastise the dog and continued to pet him. "I'd prefer not to, but apparently I should try to live a normal life…"

"You should." The Fright Knight nodded. "You are still part human, and have your whole life ahead of you."

"Still…School sounds boring." Joel sighed. "I would prefer to spend my time elsewhere."

"You and every other child. But it is something you must do…" The Fright Knight stated. He had a distant look.

"…Are you okay?" Joel questioned. "You seem distracted."

"Oh…Yes." The Fright Knight nodded. "I suppose Scribe's passing has hit me harder than I thought. I've known him for so long. It's hard to admit that he's really gone."

"…I feel similarly about Grundy." Joel frowned. "We were so alike in many ways. Both part of the Ghoul Project…We struggled together through a lot. We even escaped together. But now he's gone…"

"Such is the way of life. Eventually, everyone must pass on." The Fright Knight sighed. "And then we are left to deal with the loss. Of course, I've never been one to deal with loss in a regular manner. I've always been a bit of a loner…"

"I heard that there was a gathering in the Ghost Writer's honor." Joel mentioned. "Perhaps you should go? It might help…"

"That might be wise. And what about you? Maybe you should spend some time with Lady Danielle and her friends." The Fright Knight suggested.

"I don't know…" Joel shrugged. "Sometimes I don't feel like I belong in that group…"

"That is how I feel most of the time." The Fright Knight mentioned. "But I've learned that such things are mostly in my head. Your friends are always there for you when you need them, even if you don't deserve it."

"Hey, there." Spirit waved. "Sorry to interrupt, but I got this note saying I should come here."

"Ah, Dani…" Vision smiled kindly to her adopted daughter. "Yes, I believe Poindexter wished to speak with you. He's in Scribe's study."

Many of the members of the Council of the Elite and their friends had decided to have a get together in the memory of their fallen comrade. Poindexter offered to let them do this in the Ghost Writer's library as long as there was no damage to Scribe's beloved books. Everyone thought that this was a fitting location for what could be described as Scribe's wake.

"Yes, he has taken Scribe's death harder than anyone." Pandora sighed. She held a drink in her one of her hands as she leaned on the table. "Well…except for maybe Colossus."

"AAAAHHHH!" Colossus cried into his arms. "Scribe! He was so young!"

"I sympathize…" Wulf patted his shoulder. "But no he wasn't."

"I know! He was ancient!" Colossus roared as his tears fell.

"It will be alright." Frostbite consoled his friend. "Scribe will always live on as long as we remember him. And remember, his writings will go on forever."

"I know!" Colossus weeped. "But I will still miss him!"

"Everything will be alright, old friend." Clockwork stated. Despite his words, the Master of Time seemed saddened by Scribe's death almost as much as Colossus. "Time heals all wounds."

"Ah! That's such a terrible pun!" Colossus yelled out. "But…it actually does make me feel better."

"I thought it would." Clockwork turned to Spirit. He gave her a small smile. The Master of Time wasn't one to join such groups, but Scribe's death merited such a reaction and time of mourning.

"Wow…" Spirit blinked. "I didn't think that he would take it that hard…"

"You would be surprised…" Torch muttered into his drink. "It is the people that hide their emotions the most that have the deepest feelings…"

"Oh…" Spirit nodded slowly. She eyed Torch. "Is that why you're so quiet?"

"Part of it, yeah…" Torch chugged his drink. "Torch prefers to mourn in solitude, but with the prison empty and Ellie slinking around the place…"

"Are you drunk?" Pandora questioned.

"Give Torch a second…" Torch raised his palm. Fire jumped from his palm and covered his face. "Yep…Torch is drunk. Can't control…fire…"

"Yet you are in a library full of flammable books…" Vision rolled her eyes. "I suppose it's my job to stop you from burning anything."

"And on that note, I believe you should go see Poindexter, Danielle." Plasmius noted. "Before we're forced to subdue Colossus or Torch."

"Right…" Spirit nodded and turned to head deeper into the library. As she left, the Fright Knight approached the table and sat with his old friends.

Walking deeper into the library, Spirit came into a door with Scribe's name on it. She could see a dull light from the cracks in the door. It was quiet, though.

Knock! Knock! Knock!

"Sydney?" Spirit called through the door. "You in there?"

"Yes…Yes, come in…" Poindexter's voice sounded out.

Spirit opened the door to find a small office with a desk filled with papers. Like every other room in the building, the walls were lined with shelves, and the shelves were filled with books. Everything seemed to be somewhat messy in comparison to the other parts of the library.

"Woah…" Spirit blinked at Poindexter's appearance. His normal neat appearance was now a complete mess. "What happened to you?"

"I, uh, I haven't been sleeping well…" Poindexter sighed.

"I can see that…" Spirit gave him a worried look.

"Guilt is such a complicated thing…" Poindexter mentioned. "I couldn't help Master Scribe, and I abandoned the fight with Freakshow…"

"No one blames you for not fighting." Spirit mentioned. "Freakshow was too strong for regular ghosts to fight him. Amorpho didn't fight after all."

"It's no excuse…" Poindexter raised his thick glasses and wiped some tears away. "Even if I lacked the strength needed to fight, I was still a coward. Phantom was weakened and exhausted, yet he still fought. I can see why Master Scribe thought so highly of him."

"Sydney…" Spirit walked up to the desk. "You don't-"

"No. I didn't ask you here to console me." Poindexter shook his head. "I will get through my own grief in time. The reason I wanted you here was to give you these."

The black and white ghost handed her two books.

"What are these?" Spirit eyed the books in her hands.

"They are the stories of your, Phantom's, and Dusk's journeys up to this point. Master Scribe did not fish the second one, but I've spent day and night finishing it." Poindexter explained. He then gestured to the large tomb on the desk. "I used the Tomb of the Ancients to get everything right. I had to do it, because this was incredibly important to my master. He wanted you to have these as soon as possible, so I'm giving them to you now. He instructed me to let you handle the very ending, so you'll have to write that. He said that you would need the practice..."

"But why give them to me?" Spirit questioned.

"It was in Master Scribe's will." Poindexter sighed and sat in his chair. "He wanted you to be the keeper of these books. He thought that would be best served in your possession."

"Really? Because I tend to break crap." Spirit noted.

"He made sure that the books were incredibly durable." Poindexter adjusted his glasses. "He went through every precaution to make sure the books survive in your care."

"Why?"

"I'm not too sure about that." Poindexter shrugged. "But Master Scribe often knew more than he let on. If he thought that it was important for you to have these books, than you must have them."

"But…They're his last works…" Spirit gained a guilty look. "Shouldn't you be the one to keep them?"

"I have all the books in this library to remind me of him." Poindexter smiled at her kindness and consideration. "That is enough."

"So…You want me to get back in touch with Dr. Roquette? And you also want me to talk to Technus…Er, Dr. Tillman?" Harriet Chin blinked down at the list Danny gave her. "And all the rest of this stuff…Are you up for it?"

"Yeah!" Danny grinned at her as they walked into his workshop in Axion Labs. "I'm totally re-energized. I feel like I can handle anything."

"…Yeah, I guess, but still…" Harriet stared at him. "It's a lot."

"Good thing I can use duplicates again, huh?" Danny shrugged. "Besides, I have the Stones and Vlad to help."

"Okay…" Harriet blinked. "I've got to say…I don't think I've ever seen you so…upbeat."

"Well, I just feel more alive, you know?" Danny smiled as he walked over to the Stones. "Are you going to stay for a bit? Because if you are, you might need some goggles."

"No…apparently, I have some work to do." Harriet held back a chuckle." And for some reason…It feels good."

"Yeah…It does." Danny waved to her as she left. He then turned to the Stones. "Silas, Elinore! How are you?"

"Er, good?" Silas blinked at the teen. "And you?"

"Oh, I'm great." Danny smiled. "Thanks for sticking around. I know the whole 'Fenton is Phantom' thing is kind of weird."

"Yes, well…" Elinore Stone rubbed the back of her neck. "Victor does seem very happy here, and we do love our work here. Besides…With you and all the ghosts here, this city is still one of the safest cities to live in."

"As weird as that sounds…" Silas chuckled. "Besides, I think that our work here will be incredibly important to the future. Especially with all the projects you have lined up. But I have to admit, this latest project concerns me. I understand why you want to fix the Red X suit and Fenton Exorcist Armor, but why do you want to create a fully functioning A.I.? It's rather risky."

"Oh, I don't think it will be." Danny shrugged. "Not with the personality I plan to put in it. I think the A.I. will be too worried about me and my safety to ever even think about betraying me. Look at this."

He handed them a piece of paper. It had several different instructions and plans on it. That was not the thing that drew their attention, though. What really caught their attention was the name at the top of the page. It was kind of hard to find the right words to fit the anagram, but when looking at the words, Danny couldn't help but laugh. The words fit the personality perfectly.

The Joy Analyzing Zippy Zealot

J.A.Z.Z.

(Friday-January 7, 2011)

"So you're leaving?" Dani questioned as she followed Ember out of Masters Mansion. Ember had already said her goodbyes to everyone. She even gave Danny a short hug and Valerie a firm handshake. It was a short goodbye, but it was enough. "I was hoping you would at least stay until the art show that was coming up. I submitted a drawing as a surprise. I think people will appreciate it. I call it 'Family'."

"Yeah sorry, kid, I have to get back on the road again." Ember shrugged. "Got a concert coming up. Send me some pics, though. I'm sure it will go great."

"Yeah, thanks." Dani frowned. She continued to walk down the drive with Ember. "But I still wish you could stay…It's so rare to have the whole family together…"

"So you think of me as family?" Ember smirked down at her.

"Well, don't get a big head, but…Yeah." Dani rolled her eyes. "You did come help us when we needed it."

"Yeah…I'm such an idiot." Ember chuckled. "My ex calls me for a bit of help, and I drop everything to get here. I can see why he told me to go. If I thought that I was needed here at all, I wouldn't be able to stay away…"

"But that's what family is all about." Dani argued.

"…It is." Ember stopped, turned to the younger girl, and knelt down. "But sometimes, we need to recognize our places. Mine isn't here anymore. My future is out there right now, and everyone else's is right here."

"Yeah…" Dani nodded.

"My purpose is to follow my dreams, and then when they're complete…Maybe I can come back." Ember smiled. "Until then, look after things. I know Danny, and that Joel kid seems to be a bit off as well. Keep them in line, okay? It's a job only a woman can do."

"I will." Dani smiled back.

"Right…" Ember paused. "And before I go…Can I ask you about that Torch guy?"

"Torch? What about him?" Dani blinked.

"I don't know, but something about him seems familiar." Ember frowned. "And whenever I bring it up with Danny, he changes the subject. I think something is up."

"Oh…Well, I can look into it, but Torch is pretty much an open book." Dani mention. "But, I guess…everyone has their secrets. Just look at Youngblood, Raven, and Greta. Who would have thought that they had such strange secrets? Do you want me to do a little digging?"

"No…" Ember shook her head and stood. "I was just curios. It's probably nothing. For a moment, when we were being held by Freakshow, Torch looked over at me like…"

"Like what?"

"Like how Danny looks at you when there's trouble."

Joel sat on a large hill in Amity Park's city park. He had a decent view of a lot of the city. The boy could even see his soon to be school. Part of him dreaded going, but another part of him was excited. This was a chance to create bonds that were uniquely his own.

The ghoul loved his family, but he wanted the chance to branch out. After all, Joel always wanted a normal life. This was his chance to have a little bit of taste of normality. Of course, it might very well fail. Nothing about Joel is normal, and he did have a bit of a problem with talking with new people. Making friends could be difficult to him.

"Mhm…" Cujo whined in his lap.

"Spoiled dog…" Joel muttered as he went back to betting the dog that was disguised to have brown fur.

Cujo seemed to have a smug expression. Joel was right. This dog was spoiled.

"Hello, Joel."

Joel turned to see Great standing near him. "Secret keeper…"

"Oh? Is your pride injured that you never figured out that I could actually speak?" Great smirked as she stood near him.

"…A bit…" Joel admitted. "I should have figured it out, but I didn't. Everyone else just seemed so used to it…"

"I kept up a good act huh?" Greta giggled into her hand. "I think everyone appreciated it in the end."

"…It was funny." Joel admitted with a shrug. "But only a bit."

"Oh, geeze." Greta rolled her eyes. "Would it kill you to lighten up."

"Maybe." Joel looked up at her. "It could cause the universe to collapse on itself for all we know."

"Hahahahahaha!" Greta plopped down beside him. "See! You're a lot more fun with that whit of yours."

"I guess…" Joel looked over at the school. "Do you think other people my age will appreciate it?"

"I'm sure they will." Greta smiled. "You're going to be the most popular guy there."

"Okay, now you're lying." Joel mentioned. "Me popular? I tend to hide the shadows."

"But you're athletic, funny, and have a hard core scar." Greta pointed out. "Kids love that."

"I suppose, but I also forget the small things and can be a bit intimidating." Joel reasoned. "That tends to put people off. You have to admit that, Greta."

"…Maybe a bit." Greta laughed. "But I think that adds to your charm. You're Joel after all. Just be yourself, and I'm sure you can take on anything. Grade school should be a walk in the park for you."

"Well, it can't be any worse than the Ghoul Project." Joel gave a small smile. "Are you going to start going to school too?"

"Oh, no way. One of the benefits of being a full ghost is that I don't have to go to that boring prison if I don't want to."

"Well…That doesn't make me feel better at all."

"Thank you for your hospitality by allowing me to stay in Amity Park." Amorpho noted. "It is much appreciated. I hope I can help you in your endeavors."

"Don't worry. I'm sure you'll be fine." Phantom smiled as he stood at the edge of Lake Eerie.

"Right, but I am a bit worried. I am not used to having so much attention on my true face." Amorpho held his cane tightly.

"You'll get used to it." Phantom paused and looked off to the side. "Hey, Amorpho, could you head back to Amity Park? I need to do something."

"Er…Right." Amorpho nodded. "Perhaps I shall blend into the crowd in Amity Park. There are a few tricks and pranks I want to try out."

"Make sure to ask Spirit and Nyx for help." Phantom suggested. "They'll be mad if you leave them out."

"Right, of course." Amorpho turned and began to fly away.

Phantom did not move. He gave the other ghost a few minutes to get clear of the area. When the halfa was sure that the shapeshifter was gone, Phantom turned to the nearby trees. "I came like you told me to."

"You did…" Vandal Savage walked out of the trees. He was followed by Jinx. "Who was that?"

"A friend. I have a lot of them. But you've already learned that lesson." Phantom smirked at him.

"I did…" Savage nodded. "Things did not play out the way I planned."

"I bet they didn't." Phantom snorted. "But I tend to mess up the big bad plans of the villains."

"That you do." Savage acknowledged.

"So why did you call me here?" Phantom questioned. "You going to try and control me again?"

"No." Savage shook his head. "I only wished to speak. Although, I am a bit surprised to see that you are talking to me alone…"

"I think I'll be alright. You don't want to kill me after all, and I can hold my own." Phantom noted. "You want me on your side, right?"

"I do." Savage eyed Phantom. "You still are the example of how far humans and ghosts can go…"

"I don't know about that…" Phantom rubbed the back of his head. "But I do know that I've seen what happens when humanity comes together. We're unstoppable. If you really wanted to make this planet better, you would work to promote the Justice League. Evolution will happen when it happens."

"You're naïve." Savage frowned. "A coddled race is a doomed race. We need to prepare ourselves from the threats out there. You don't know what the rest of the universe is capable of."

"I think I have an idea, but pushing the Earth's evolution won't get us anywhere. Especially because your idea of improving mankind is by hooking up a couple of teenagers." Phantom snorted.

"Danny!" Jinx snapped. Her face was red. "Don't talk like that…"

"Don't be embarrassed." Savage looked over to his daughter. "Sex and reproduction is the most natural thing in this universe. It's been going on since the beginning of time. It's not something to be ashamed of."

"Dad…Sometimes you embarrass me…" Jinx placed a hand on her face. "And besides, I'm too young to be thinking about such things…"

"Please, you're sixteen. If you were alive merely 500 years ago, you would already be wed and have children by now." Savage scoffed. "But enough about that. I didn't come here to talk about that."

"Then why did you bring Jen?" Phantom questioned.

"I thought that her presence would make sure you were less hostile. I was correct. You haven't attacked yet after all." Savage grinned.

"Okay, so let me hear it. You still want me to join the Light." Phantom sighed.

"That won't change, Phantom." Savage explained. "You are too valuable of an asset and too big of a threat to go unchecked."

"Well, too bad." Phantom glared at him. "I will never join the Light."

"You're young." Savage shrugged. "You'll mindset will change over time. I've seen it happen thousands of times. That's why Ra's and Klarion haven't given up on Joel and Nyx yet."

"Stay away from them!" Phantom snapped. "You can't have them!"

"That decision is up to them. As is yours. But I will do all I can to change your mindset set to meet ours." Savage chuckled. "In fact, there are plenty of people in Amity Park that have potential."

"You can't have any of my family. Not Joel. Not Nyx. And especially not Raven." Phantom glared. "I won't let you kill an innocent girl."

"She may be innocent, but she will bring an end to this world." Savage noted. "If she lives until her sixteenth birthday, then Trigon will enter this world. And no one wants that uncontrollable tyrant in this dimension."

"Dad…She is just a little girl." Jinx argued. "I know she's a threat, but still…"

"I know you have a soft spot for children, Jennifer, but the only options are her death or the end of the world." Savage frowned.

"No, there's another choice." Phantom glared at him. "We stop Trigon by kicking his ass."

"You speak like that will be easy." Savage scoffed. "He is a being that is more powerful than you can imagine."

"I think I've fought worse…" Phantom thought of Freakshow.

"No. You haven't." Savage shook his head at the teen's naivety. "You haven't seen what true evil is yet. You have yet to look a being in the eyes that lacks any concern for anything or anymore. You haven't fought someone that's only goal is complete and utter destruction. You have not faced true gods of death."

"I'm sure I will someday." Phantom grinned. "And they may be too much for me alone, but I'm not alone I have my friends and my family to stand by me. And as long as that's true, then there's no threat I can't stop."

"And what if those people disappear?"

"Is that a threat?" Phantom glared.

"No…It's an observation." Savage sighed. He then turned and began to walk away. "Life, bonds, and alliances are such fragile things after all…"

"…" Jinx watched him walk back into the forest. She then quickly approached the halfa. "I'm sorry about that."

"It's not your fault." Phantom smiled at her.

"I know, but…He's still my dad, and he can embarrass me." Jinx flushed.

"Forget about it." Phantom placed a hand on her shoulder. "Even if he's my enemy, I still think of you as a friend."

"...Hahahahahaha!" Jinx burst out laughing. "I see you took my advice. You haven't changed at all, you know that, Mr. Nobody?"

"Actually, I have. It's just been a positive change." Phantom grinned.

"Yeah…you seem happier." Jinx gave him a smile. "For what it's worth…I hope you can hold onto that joy for a long time."

"That means a lot to me." Phantom nodded.

"So…" Jinx elbowed him. "Does your having a girlfriend mean we can't hang out anymore?"

"It might. But even if it didn't, wouldn't your dad have a problem with us meeting?" Phantom questioned.

"Danny…Do you know that guy? He would think that it's a good way to get you on our side." Jinx mentioned.

"…True. But I think we'll be chaperoned if we do hang out." Phantom shrugged. "By your father, by the League, and especially by Red Huntress. She'll be there every time we see each other from here on out."

"That's okay." Jinx shrugged. "It will be nice to have a lot of friends. It will be like that I'm normal."

"Jennifer!" Savage called out to her. "It's time to go!"

"…I got to go." Jinx smiled at her friend. "It was good seeing you. Stay safe, Danny."

"You too, Jen. You too."

It was getting late, but Danny didn't care. He had a meeting he had to attend, and he couldn't risk missing it. After all, he didn't want to anger Clockwork. Considering that it was the Master of Time, though, he would probably get over it pretty fast. He had all the time in the world after all.

"Ah, hello Daniel." Clockwork smiled as Phantom slipped into the seat in front of the time ghost. "Right on time."

"Really? I thought I was late." Phantom mentioned.

"Not by my watch..." Clockwork chuckled.

"And yours is the only one that matters, I guess." Phantom laughed as well.

"Yes it is. Tea?" Clockwork offered the teen a cup of steaming liquid.

"Thanks." Phantom took the cup and sipped the drink.

"Is there a reason that you wanted to visit, Daniel?" Clockwork questioned.

"Nope." Phantom shook his head. "Just felt like talking with a friend."

"Oh? And here I thought that our conversations always confused you..." Clockwork changed from an old man into a child.

"They do, but I think it just helps me learn more." Phantom stated.

"So you have been paying attention..." Clockwork seemed happy.

"Of course. Had the lessons hammered into me." Phantom knocked on his own head for emphasis. "Took a while, though."

"But you got it. That's all that matters." Clockwork mentioned.

"Yeah..." Phantom nodded slowly and sipped his tea. "So...The First Prophesy, huh?"

"Yep." Clockwork sipped his own tea.

"You had something to do with that right?" Phantom questioned.

"Yep." Clockwork nodded.

"I see." Phantom paused. "So how much of it is BS?"

"Almost all of it." Clockwork admitted. "It was all made up based on the fact that fate is uncertain around you. Destiny wanted to get people to pay attention to you and your family when the time is right."

"Oh...Can I hear it?"

"Sure, that won't hurt anything, but just so you know, every other interpretation of it is wrong. So people will look at you like you're nuts if you quote me on this..."

One day a there will be born a child that is weak beyond reason

Despite this, he will grow and flourish under the support of others

His great struggles will bring him unimaginable pain, but will inspire those around him

Through his sacrifices, new champions of cheer, endurance, and love shall be born

The components of life can come together around him to free everyone

Or Anti-life shall reign down on the universe under his thumb

He will deny death three times and ascend to absolute power

Beware the Phantom that can change fate, for his decisions will bring great change.

"..." Phantom paused. "That...is the cheesiest thing I have ever heard."

"It is." Clockwork nodded.

"But does come from Destiny...Even if he did make it up." Phantom sipped his tea. "That has to mean something."

"It does." Clockwork agreed.

"Damn, my life is always complicated." Phantom snorted. "Even the normal moments. I'm having tea with the Master of Time, and that's the most normal thing I did this week."

"That's a little sad, Daniel."

"It's very sad, Clockwork." Phantom grinned. "But not as sad as the guy that doesn't have anything better to do than focus on what I'm doing. There has to be laws about that sort of thing."

"Hahahahahahaha!" Clockwork roared out in laughter as he shifted into an adult. "Good to see you haven't lost your sense of humor, Daniel."

"Lost? I'll have you know, Clockwork, I never lost my sense of humor. After all, what's life without the witty banter?"

(Saturday-January 8, 2011)

Recognized: Danny Phantom B04, Red Huntress B10

Red Huntress walked hand in hand with Phantom into the Cave. "I'm looking forward to actually getting a tour of the Cave. Last time I was here, it ended badly."

"Yeah…Don't expect that to change too much." Phantom snorted. "Things get pretty chaotic around this Team."

"Sounds fun." Red Huntress grinned. "I can't wait until our next mission."

"Me neither actually." Phantom smiled. "It will be nice to test my full powers again. I mean, it's not like you let me use them in our spars."

"It's hand to hand training, Danny." Red Huntress elbowed him lightly. "I don't use my guns, and you don't use your powers."

"That's what you say, but I think you just like winning." Phantom noted. "You know, one day I might get better than you."

"In your dreams, spooks." Red Huntress laughed.

The two walked up to the middle of the Cave's main hall. The rest of Young Justice was on the other side. They were going to join them, but they were stopped.

"Uh hem…" Batman stood in front of them. "Can I speak with Phantom please?"

Red Huntress looked at Phantom to see what he wanted. He nodded at her. "Alright. I'll go check up on the Team." Her visor slid down, and she kissed him on the cheek before walking off.

"Hey, there Batman." Phantom grinned at the Caped Crusader. "What did you want to talk about?"

"I had some questions about the events surrounding Freakshow's attack." Batman mentioned.

"I bet. I came back from a pretty bad spot, didn't I?" Phantom shrugged.

"You did. And the Team went through a lot in a short amount of time." Batman stated. "That's why I gave you all so much time off."

"Thanks for that. We needed it." Phantom noted.

"Yes, but now we have to move on." Batman nodded. "But before that, I wanted to ask you a few things that I don't understand. How did you come back when Young Justice technically failed to save you?"

"I can't tell you that." Phantom sighed. "It's a very personal spiritual thing."

"…Alright." Batman conceded that. There were different events that he couldn't talk about in his life. "What about when you obtained the Reailty Gauntlet. You said that you changed some things."

"I did. But I did leave your memories, so I'm sure that you figured them out." Phantom gave the Dark Knight a knowing look. "Undergrowth was formed in barren village in Africa instead of New York City. It was a place that would greatly appreciate his efforts. This allowed him to gain a positive opinion on humans before he discovered the pollution of the planet. Instead of violence, he's now trying to peacefully fix the problems."

"I see…" Batman nodded.

"Penelope Spectra never died." Phantom stated. "Instead, she lived through her car crash and was never sent into madness by the events of her death. Now, she's a well-known psychologist that has developed several theories and techniques to combat depression."

"Hmm…"

"And Nicolai Tillman, AKA Technus, was never betrayed by the woman he loved. That's a fact that existed before I changed anything." Phantom explained. "She was being blackmailed and threatened with her family. Nicolai found this out before anything happened and helped her. Thus, he never went into a craze and killed himself in a drunken accident. He now lives happily with his wife while working close with S.T.A.R. labs and Axion Labs."

"…You changed small parts of their backstories." Batman noted. "By changing these small things, you reshaped their entire lives."

"Exactly." Phantom noted. "If the origin of a superhero is a fragile thing, then so is the origin of the villain."

"…Will there be backlash?" Batman questioned. "I was told that there were consequences to using the Gauntlet in such ways."

"It's been handled." Phantom smiled. "I used all the good karma I had built up. There shouldn't be any problems."

"…Why choose them?" Batman inquired. "Out of everyone in the world, why change them?"

"The Guantlet revealed a lot to me." Phantom explained. "I learned more about all of my enemies. Those three were the only ones that could be redeemed with such small changes."

"I see." Batman seemed to understand. "But why did you leave so much left unchanged? You could have reshaped anything."

"I couldn't go crazy with the stuff. I couldn't end world hunger or stop all the murderers in the world without consequences." Phantom stated. "There were a lot of things I couldn't change without ripples spreading out and changing everything."

"Is that why you let the Black Lanterns disappear?" Batman asked.

"Those guys are complicated." Phantom shrugged. "The Gauntlet can influence them, but only if you're close to them. They disappeared as soon as I beat Freakshow. They must have hid in an alternate dimension or something because I couldn't find them."

"I see…" Batman sighed. "Then there's nothing we can do about that."

"Nope." Phantom agreed. "We'll just have to deal with them when they show up again."

"True…" Batman nodded. "But at least we won't have to worry about the Light for a while. Queen Bee and Luthor were released and Jinx escaped before we took everyone at Santa Prisca into custody. But besides that, all the villains and assets that were involved during the events of the New Year are in custody."

"I heard you were going to transfer Walker to the Ghost Zone prison." Phantom mentioned.

"The League had a vote. The Ghost Zone can better contain ghost criminals." Batman answered. "Perhaps someday Belle Reve can hold such beings, but right now, we're still trying to clean up the mess that Hugo Strange and the Light's conspiracy made."

"I wouldn't count the Light out yet." Phantom frowned. "They are an influential group. They may be licking their wounds, but they'll be back. Just like the Black Lanterns."

"Yes…" Batman had a frown of his own. "Until then, we'll just prepare the best we can."

"No use worrying about it now." Phantom mentioned as he walked by the Dark Knight. "Nothing we can do but rest up and get ready. But I'm sure that if the Council of the Elite and the Justice League work together, then the bad guys will never win."

"And Young Justice?" Batman questioned.

"…We'll be here to fix things whenever they go wrong." Phantom grinned.

"Hey, Danny!" Artemis's shout drew the halfa's attention over to his teammates. "Hurry up!"

"Art, he's talking to Batman." Kid Flash muttered and rubbed the back of his head.

"So what?" Superboy crossed his arms. "It's been five days since we saw him. Can't he just say hi first?"

"Oh? Are your feelings hurt?" Robin elbowed the clone.

"No, Conner's just excited." M'gann giggled and grabbed her boyfriend's arm. "He's been looking forward to seeing his best friend all day. You should have seen him earlier. He was almost jumping off the walls."

"M'gann!" Superboy gave her a betrayed look.

"Oh! Please tell me you recorded that." Zatanna pleaded.

"I have a memory I could show you." M'gann mentioned.

"That's good enough." Rocket chuckled.

"Perhaps that is not a good idea." Kaldur came to his friend's aid. "Conner gets angry enough without teasing in the picture."

"Oh?" Red Huntress raised an eyebrow. "So would you prefer it if we made fun of you instead?"

"…" Aqualad paused. "Alright. Make fun of Superboy."

"Traitor!" Conner snapped. "Can't we just make fun of Wally like usual?"

"Hey! Don't turn this on me!" Kid Flash raised his hand up in surrender. "I haven't even done anything too stupid yet. I wanted to get through at least a week before Artemis and I had our first argument."

"And how did that go?" Rocket questioned.

"It's…been a struggle." Artemis threw an arm over her boyfriend's shoulder nonetheless.

"Hey! Don't start the party without me!" Phantom called over. "I'll be there in a minute!"

"Hmm…" Batman glanced between the halfa and the rest of Young Justice. "I heard that you fixed all of your power problems. I was wondering if that would become a bigger issue, but I'm glad that it didn't. This Team is better with you in it."

"Thanks." Phantom smiled.

"For that reason, I'm glad you rejected our offer to join the League." Batman noted. "Are you going to tell them about it, or will you keep it a secret?"

"No more secrets, I think they already know." Phantom mentioned. "They're not stupid and Superboy does have great hearing after all…"

"I see…" Batman nodded. "But I do have to ask…will the power issue ever pop up again?"

"No it won't." Phantom shook his head. "I've learned that I can't kill myself with guilt if I ever want to protect what matters. Forgiveness isn't just for others. Sometimes, the hardest thing to do is to forgive yourself."

"…That I know." Batman admitted.

"But if I continue to focus on what's gone, I'll never be able to live for today." Phantom noted. "So, I let go of my past mistakes. I have a clean conscious, and it's all thanks to my friends. With their help, I managed to forgive myself and let the failures I thought I made go away. Because of them, I remembered something that I let myself forget."

"And that is?"

Phantom looked over to his Team. They were still laughing and joking with each other. Every one of his friends were giving the halfa gestures to come over and join them. It was then that Phantom turned back to Batman and gave the Dark Knight the most serene look Batman ever had seen.

"No matter what happens and what is lost, there's always something that matters enough to let go of the past and keep fighting for the future."