I do not own Danny aww Phantom or X-Men Evolution.

Chapter One

The paramedics had found me after my sister died in my arms and I'd passed out in the ambulance. Next thing I knew, I'd woken up in a hospital bed with an oxygen mask over my face. I was in the hospital for three days—during which time I was questioned by the cops (I was as honest with them as could be without mentioning Phantom)—before Vlad came to get me. Apparently, he was my legal guardian. I was not happy.

Neither were the doctors, at first; they insisted I needed to be in the hospital. Vlad told them he preferred to have his own physicians look after me, and they'd reluctantly agreed. (In reality he was bailing me out because being a halfa meant I would be fully-healed within two more days, and such a thing was just not possible for a human.) After a month of living with the man—all while planning my escape—he let me go.

"Daniel, I know you're not happy here."

"Whatever gave you that idea?" I huffed. He ignored me.

"Daniel…here," he handed me a credit card. "Go somewhere safe."

"You…why?" was all I could ask.

He sighed sadly, "Maddie's death…it's changed me. I didn't really expect you to stay here. However, when you go, I have a few conditions. You are, after all, all that's left of her. One, you are to call me at least once a year—no less! Two, you are to use that money reasonably and responsibly. Three, no more ghost hunting." I opened my mouth, but he held up his hand. "Before you protest, I will get the ghosts to leave Amity; I do have some power, after all."

I was at a loss for words. "Thanks, Fruitlo—Vlad." He nodded, I stuck out my hand (It felt like we were having a moment, but I was not hugging him), and he shook it.

That was three years ago. Age seventeen and I still hadn't found a place to stay. I mean, I'd found plenty of places, but nothing I could call home. I never stayed anywhere for more than three months (except for my lair in the Ghost Zone), but I'd been all over—Europe, Asia, South America…pretty much every country in the world. I'd made some friends here and there, but it wasn't…I was just too different.

I'd been staying in the Ghost Zone for almost a whole year. I'd originally come to visit Clockwork. He had some...troubling news. Apparently, because I'd defeated Pariah Dark, that made me the most powerful ghost in the Zone—the new king. I still wasn't entirely used to that fact. Pariah's Keep had, well, morphed to "reflect the new king." Phantom's Keep was a white castle with black accents.

I'd spent a lot of time moping around my castle. I hate to admit it, but I'd fallen into quite the depression as soon as I'd stopped moving around. I understood now how Dan could be so overtaken with grief. I understood, but I would never turn into him. I'd promised. And Danny Phantom never breaks a promise.

Clockwork told me three days ago that he was sending me to a different dimension. The stop-watch said it would "help with my healing," but I'd been doubting more and more if I'd ever be happy again. He said this dimension was nearly identical to my Earth, but instead of ghosts there were mutants.

Only some people were mutants, and the normal humans apparently had a general mistrust or even hatred of them. Why can't people handle differences? Clockwork didn't tell me much else, just the basics I'd need to not be totally lost.

So here I was, flying through the sky on some strange Earth to a place called Bayville. I hoped I could finally find a home there, but it was a small sliver of hope. I sighed and landed on the ground just outside of Bayville, checked for onlookers, and switched back to human form. No sense advertising my strangeness. It got my blood boiling, though, that people were so close-minded towards mutants.

I knew what that was like—to not be accepted—probably better than many. I didn't like the idea that what happened to me could…happen to someone else… I put my hands in the pockets of my jeans, grateful for the dark red jacket I wore over a navy shirt in this chilly weather. My ratty red sneakers thumped against the ground and the wind blew my long-ish hair in my face.

I was fingering the Ring of Rage that hung on a chain (along with a mini Time Medallion) around my neck—apparently, it "marked me as the new king" and even if I tried to get rid of it, it would just come back to me—when I heard the growling. I whirled around and came face-to-face with a wolf.

"I so don't have the patience for this," I grumbled. I cracked my knuckles, smirked, and green ectoplasm lit up my right hand. I teleported—yes, teleported, Clockwork sent me into combat training with Frostbite during my year in the Ghost Zone (kings must learn to fight properly, you know), and I'd gained a few new powers—behind the wolf and blasted it. "Simple."

I heard a rustling in the bushes behind me and dodged an on-coming attack. I turned to the man; he was wearing an orange and black jumpsuit. Weird.

"Whoa, what's your problem?" I asked.

"My problem is you, bub!" he yelled at me. I didn't back down.

"Who are you?"

"I'm with the X-Men, and I'm taking you down!" the man continued to yell. I just sighed and kept dodging his attacks. "Jean, I need some help here!" Jean? The man ran into the woods and seconds later a girl about my age came out. Why didn't they attack together? I dashed in the opposite direction, hoping to avoid a fight if possible.

"Logan, get him!" the girl called. There was a pause and the man appeared again, slashing at me. I shot off a few ecto-blasts and hit him right in the side. He fell and I continued running.

"Wait!" I heard a woman's voice. I stopped and turned. "The X-Men…they got me too," a woman with blue skin and red hair was holding her side in obvious pain. "Follow me," she said. It was curious that she was hit in the same place where I hit that strange man, but I followed her. I had to know what was going on, and who these "X-Men" were.

-o-

The woman—Mystique—introduced me as the newest member of the "Brotherhood" and said I would be a "unique addition to the team."

"Wait a minute," I protested. "Who said I was joining your team? No offense, but I have no interest in teamwork." Not since they…I still couldn't say it.

"Don't be silly! Of course you want to join," Mystique insisted—like it was obvious, "where else will a poor mutant like yourself go? We try to live in peace here." She thought I was a mutant. Huh. I mean, I suppose I'm like a mutant, but I don't have this "X-gene" Clockwork was telling me about. Then again, it'd be easier to explain away "mutant" than "half-ghost from another dimension." I decided to roll with it.

I was still pretty wary about everything, but I let Mystique brief me on the Brotherhood and the X-Men. She said the Brotherhood was trying to live in peace, though the humans wouldn't let them. They didn't like humans—which I could understand, but mutants are human, too. She told me the X-Men were the bad guys, "mutant hunters," she'd called them. For some reason, all of this just didn't sit right with me. I had no reason to doubt her, but I had no reason to believe her, either. She reminded me of Spectra.

Personally, I didn't like this place. It wasn't homey, it just seemed off…I don't know, I'm just tired from traveling, I guess. I brought some of Vlad's money with me; if it was the same currency, I could just buy my own place. Maybe a shop or something so I wouldn't have to keep depending on the Fruitloop, reformed though he was (okay not entirely reformed, but at least he wasn't trying to kill me or make me his evil apprentice anymore, right?).

And suddenly, it seemed like a great idea. A house above a book shop/café. I just hoped I could find a suitable shop with an owner who'd be willing to sell to a seventeen-year-old. For now, I just needed to get out of here. So I did just that.

"Where are you going?" Mystique asked me.

"'fraid I'm not at liberty to say," I smirked at her before turning back to leave, "I'll think about your offer, though." Well, probably not. I waved.

Sorry it's so short after making you wait! I hope you enjoyed it, though. I've currently written the first draft through to chapter 7, so I can say for sure that this story will be far longer than any of my others! I'm pretty proud of it. I'm guessing maybe around 10 chapters for the full length, but since I haven't quite worked out the ending (I ended up putting in unplanned twists), I'm not entirely sure. Next update should hopefully be up by Wednesday, just depends.

Thank you very much for the reviews, favorites, and follows! :D And an additional thanks to my awesome unofficial beta, Lost-Lovegood!

-Vi

She really was just making you wait, it's just been sitting here for days, she's horrible like that. Am I going to be thanked each chapter? Because I could get used to this x3
~L