Chapter Text
“We have time. At least a couple hours until we have to meet your parents for dinner.” Bruce said.
“Where do I even start?” Danny asked, mostly himself.
“All done.” Dr. Thompkins said. “I’ll head back to Gotham in the morning to run the tests and will be back before the end of the week.” She packed up all her stuff and put them away in her stuff before taking a seat to join the conversation.
“Start with before we met her. With the Bedsheet Clone.” Sam suggested.
“Bedsheet Clone?” Bruce asked.
“Okay, so, we were at the mini golf course and my ghost sense went off.” Danny started.
“Ghost sense?” Dr. Thompkins asked.
“I can tell when a ghost is nearby. Doesn’t work for halfas like Vlad and Dani.” Danny said.
“I’d love to see it.” Bruce said.
“After the story, B.” Dick said.
“Sorry, Danny. Please continue.” Bruce said.
“So, my ghost sense goes off and this ghost covered in a bedsheet shows up. I pull off the bedsheet and there’s this upper half of a skeleton who tells me to change back.” Danny said.
“Then he totally freaked out, trashed the ghost and most of the golf course with a ghost ray and left us to clean up the mess.” Sam said.
“Sam, I’ve been apologizing for years!” Danny blushed.
“We know, we just like to make sure you remember to appreciate us.” Tucker said.
“You know I appreciate everything you’ve done for me. Can I tell the story?” Danny asked. Tucker and Sam shrugged so Danny sighed and continued. “I was on the phone with them, apologizing for leaving, when I got to my room and this kid,” Danny tickled Dani, “was hanging out on my bed all nonchalant.”
“Should have been chalant.” Wally grinned, earning him an elbow from Dick.
“Ignore him, continue.” Dick said.
“Well, she introduces herself as Danielle, my third cousin once removed. Said she ran away from home and asked for food. After eating a ridiculous amount of food for her size, I told her we had to talk to my parents. She refused and disappeared. I flew out of my window and looked around but before I could go very far, my ghost sense went off again.” Danny said.
“Who was it this time?” Dick asked, seeming to be enthralled with the story.
“Well… he kinda looked like a cross between me and Frankenstein’s monster with a mohawk?” Danny said.
“That’s an image.” Dick grimaced.
“Anyways, before either of us could really attack, Dani showed up again and transformed, showing herself to be a halfa. We kicked the dude’s butt and she fainted before we could talk to my parents.” Danny said.
“Actually, fake fainted.” Dani shrugged.
“Dani!” Danny scolded.
“What? Vlad would have been pissed if your mom found out about me! And that was before I knew he was evil!” Dani defended herself.
“Fine.” Danny pouted.
“So, what happened next?” Dick asked when Danny didn’t immediately continue the story.
“I hid her in the guest bedroom in the Ops Center and she was gone before I left for school the next morning.” Danny said.
“Ops Center?” Bruce asked.
“The big thing on the top of the building. It detaches too and can be a blimp or a jet.” Danny said. “At lunch Dani showed back up and we left the cafeteria to fight another ghost. Before I found the ghost though I ran into Vlad.” Danny tightened his hold on Dani. “I asked Dani for help and she shot me in the back.”
“Which I did eventually apologize for. I was just trying to be a good daughter.” Dani said.
“You are. Vlad is just an awful father.” Danny said, blushing when his friends and Dick snickered. “Anyways, Vlad had me tied down in a cloning tube and had to go on his bad guy monologue about how he made his first million with a series of invisible burglaries and overshadowing enough millionaires to make him the richest man on the planet. Which just isn’t true. He’s not the richest. But the two ghosts I’d fought were failed clones of me.”
“Mistakes.” Dani whispered.
“Not a mistake, Dani.” Danny said. “There was one more failed clone. He looked like a little ball of ectoplasm but could grow into regular size and he looked like me… but green… and melty… It wasn’t pretty. Vlad said he needed a DNA sample of me mid-morph to complete his work and make a ‘perfect half ghost son’.” He said, finger quotes and all. “The clone overshadowed me and tried to force the transformation from within which I tried to fight.”
“The containment pod exploded and the clone dissolved. I had overheard what Vlad said and confronted him, asking if I was a mistake.” Dani said quietly. “The newest clone, one that actually looked like Danny fell out of his pod and dissolved. Vlad convinced me that he wanted Danny’s DNA to stabilize me, his ‘greatest creation’.” Tears started down her cheeks and Danny wiped them off.
“Dani came after me and I told her I didn’t want to fight since every time I fought a clone they turned to goop. Her feet were melting as we talked.” Tears started down Danny’s face too. “I tried to convince her that Vlad was using her but she didn’t believe me and blindsided me, knocking me out. I woke up back in a pod.”
“Don’t tell Conner this part of the story unless you want a raged half Kryptonian to fight Vlad.” Dick said.
“I won’t.” Danny nodded. “Vlad snapped at Dani and like any 12-year-old, she immediately did the opposite of what her parent wanted and released me. We fought him together and I used my ghostly wail to damage his computer systems to take the place down. Took all my power but before Vlad could retaliate, Sam and Tucker showed up to save the day.” He grinned at his friends.
“Dani punched Vlad in the face and told him to stay away from her cousin. It was awesome.” Tucker said.
“After getting home and getting grounded for skipping school, which was totally unfair, I was kidnapped, the adults all just changed their minds. Mostly because Dani overshadowed Mom and Mr. Lancer.” Danny said, tickling her again to make her giggle. “The three of us went outside where Dani showed herself and goes ‘Don’t worry, you’ll see me again.’ And flew off dramatically.”
************
“That obviously wasn’t the last time you saw her.” Bruce said.
“No, she came back a few months later totally wiped and barely able to keep her form. My dad isn’t the best scientist, he was working on something called Ecto-dejecto that was supposed to take a ghost’s power and shrink it until the ghost is basically dead. It didn’t work and kept making them bigger and stronger.” Danny said.
“After getting captured by Vlad and his goon, Danny used it to stabilize me. So now I’m all good. No melting even when I use my powers.” Dani grinned.
“Who’s his goon?” Bruce asked.
“Dick, do you remember the girl from the Nasty Burger who first said we looked alike?” Danny asked.
“The one who called you cute?” Dick grinned.
“Her. She’s also a ghost hunter named Red Huntress. She’s not the best and only really goes after me and Cujo.” Danny said.
“She was also being manipulated by Vlad.” Dani added.
“Of course, when I dated her, it was, ‘Oh Tucker, don’t date one of Danny’s enemies!’ but when Danny dates her, it was ‘Oh Tucker, you and Sam worry too much!’” Tucker pouted.
“You dated a ghost hunter?” Wally asked.
“To be fair, I was being manipulated by Technus so he could take over Axion’s satellite while the two of us were distracted.” Danny blushed.
“Did he?” Dick asked.
“Yeah.” Danny blushed deeper. “But we quickly got him out of the satellite.”
“Have you had any contact with Vlad since being stabilized?” Bruce asked Dani.
“No. I’ve managed to avoid him every time I visit Danny and Danny would never tell him I’m here.” Dani said. “If he got me again, he might try to melt me again.”
“That’s scary.” Bruce said.
“Is there a reason you’re asking her?” Danny asked. “I know more about Vlad than her.”
“This isn’t an interrogation, Danny.” Bruce said.
“It feels like one.” Danny glared, tightening his hold on Dani again.
Dick had enough. He stood up and looked at Bruce, “Bruce, unless there’s something specific you’re looking for, stop scaring Dani and making Danny defensive. He’s my twin and she’s his clone. I trust them both. Now, either ask something specific or drop it.”
“I’m sorry, Dick. I really wasn’t trying to do that.” Bruce said.
“You’re so used to being Batman all the time that sometimes you don’t turn it off.” Dick said, settling back down.
“I’m sorry Danny and Dani.” Bruce said.
“I’ll answer any questions you have about Vlad when Dani isn’t around. It’s not fair to keep bringing up her abuser.” Danny said. “Was there anything else you wanted to ask about?”
“I’m sure Dick has mentioned the Team he’s on. A Team of young heroes who do mostly covert missions.” Bruce said with a quick glance at Dick and Wally.
“He did.” Danny nodded, finally loosening his hold on Dani.
“One important thing the Team does is train. Both to use their powers correctly and how to work with others.” Bruce said, ignoring the glare Dr. Thompkins sent his way.
“Who do they train with?” Danny asked.
“Various members of the Justice League but mostly Black Canary.” Bruce said.
Danny looked thoughtful for a moment before talking, “I think I need her help.”
“Canary’s?” Bruce asked.
“Yeah. I have a power that’s similar to her’s that I’ve had for years but even after having it for almost 3 years I can’t control it. Once I start, I can’t stop until I’m out of power and revert back to human.” Danny explained. “I haven’t met another ghost with it and Dani hasn’t developed it. At least, not as far as we know.”
“Frostbite has me try sometimes when I visit about my ice powers.” Dani said.
“That’s good.” Danny nodded. “He knows all my powers so going to him is helpful.”
“Who’s Frostbite?” Bruce asked.
“He’s a ghost with a similar core to mine and he helped me control my ice power when it manifested. He’s kinda like my ghost doctor.” Danny smiled.
“He calls Danny ‘The Great One’ or ‘Savior of the Ghost Zone’.” Tucker snickered.
“Why?” Dick asked.
“Cause he saved the whole Ghost Zone from Pariah Dark.” Sam said.
“And our world.” Tucker added.
“Our world?” Bruce asked.
“Well yeah, once Pariah Dark had reconquered the Ghost Zone and regained all his powers, he was planning on taking over the whole world so he could control both our world and the Ghost Zone.” Sam explained.
“Oh, well, thanks Danny.” Dick said, making Danny blush.
“I had help. Wouldn’t have been able to beat him without the Fenton Ecto-Skeleton.” Danny said.
“Ecto-Skeleton? Not Exoskeleton?” Bruce asked.
“Ecto is more ghost-y of a name.” Danny shrugged.
“What’s it do?” Wally asked.
“Increases the user’s natural abilities 100-fold.” Jazz said.
“Vlad stole it and forced Jazz to wear it and we blew it up.” Danny added.
“Well, I can easily get you in touch with Canary but the main reason I brought up the Team is, I’m wondering if either or both of you would like to join it.” Bruce said.
“Even if you don’t join the Team, you’re welcome to come to the Cave and meet everyone and train with us.” Dick said.
“If would also give Dani a place to stay where it’s safe from Vlad and she could train.” Bruce added.
“We could get a zeta tube nearby so you guys can see each other on a regular basis and I could see you regularly too.” Dick added.
“She wouldn’t be confined right? She could leave whenever she wanted, come and go as she pleased?” Danny asked.
“Of course. We could get her set up at the local high school so she can get some schooling but we would never keep her there like a prisoner.” Bruce said.
“What do you think, Dani?” Danny asked.
“You’d get to meet Black Canary, Artemis, and Zatanna.” Wally said as an incentive for the girl.
“And the Justice League has a space base you could both visit.” Dick said as more incentive for the pair.
“I could go to space?” Danny asked excitedly. “Could I meet Superman or Manhunter?”
“Of course he’s a Superman fan.” Bruce sighed to himself. “Just like his brother.”
“You’re a Superman fan too?” Danny asked Dick.
“He’s great. Won’t tell you his real name but he’s like an uncle to me.” Dick said. “So you’ll definitely get to meet him and Manhunter.”
“Dani?” Danny asked.
“It would be cool to at least check it out.” She agreed.
“We could also give you a communicator so you can keep in contact with everyone including Danny.” Dick grinned.
“I don’t want a phone. They’re so lame.” Dani said.
“It’s not a phone. It’s a communicator.” Dick said.
“Maybe.” Dani said, making Danny smile.
“That’s the closest I’ve ever seen her to agree to a communication device of any kind.” Danny said.
“Now that that’s mostly settled, can you show us your ghost sense or some of your other powers?” Bruce asked.
“Sure.” Danny said.