GLE - hi all! Sorry for the lateness of this chapter. Life's been pretty busy with competitions and some major changes occurring that I'm trying to keep up with, not to mention my failing attempts at not being sleep-deprived. I also somewhat had writer's block half way along in this chapter, but now I've worked through it and it's done! I'm very pleased with the result! I hope you all enjoyed RT. I know I did! And the best part is, most of the stuff I have planned for this fic works with what happened in RT! I guess the only thing I got wrong (which you'll see later) was some people's reactions, but it's not that big of a deal. I'm particularly excited about the Guys in White, who will be showing up in a few chapters.

In terms of reviews, you guys are amazing! Thanks very much to everyone who's reviewed/faved/alerted etc this story! I'm sorry I didn't get around to replying to any reviews this last chapter (eh, I tend to procrastinate on that sort of thing and it usually ends up not getting done...).

Anyways, something else I wanted to mention, since my roommie, Esme, has told me a few times about it, I know this idea is being done by many people. I mean, the "Danny's secret revealed" plotline (and also in the latest ep, no less). I just wanted to say that I haven't really been reading anything for a few months (with the exception of one shots, Esme's stories, and stuff that's been on my alert forever -cough-BlueOceans-cough- (that's a HA! fic).), so in terms of what's going on in the fanfiction world, I'm more or less clueless. I just know what Esme and Fey tell me. That said, I hope that this stuff is original enough for your appreciation.

And now on with the show!

-(-)-

Do Superheroes Exist?

Inner Conflict

The Nasty Burger was humming when the African-American girl arrived shortly after school let out. She quickly slipped into the back room to put on her uniform and put away her backpack. She checked in with her boss as she headed to her register -- she was on cashier duty today. Flipping around the sign overhead from "closed" to "open", she smiled in greeting at her first customer.

"May I take your order?" said Valerie.

"Ah yes. I'd like a Nasty Burger combo, please, with onion rings instead of fries," said a round balding man in his forties.

"Will that be all, Sir?" Valerie asked politely.

"Yes, thanks," replied the man.

"That'll be $4.79," announced Val as she rung it up.

The man handed over a bill, Valerie returned his change, and she gathered his meal quickly before serving her next customer. She continued this routine smoothly for the following couple of hours, after which point, the gossip that was reaching her ears from the line became interesting. Very interesting.

"Yes, the Ghost Kid," said a woman with glasses to her friend.

"You don't say?" her friend commented in awe.

"I wouldn't have believed it, but I saw it with my very own eyes!"

"Just now?"

"Yes, right before we met!"

The two women abruptly stopped talking as they approached the counter. Valerie tried to hide her curiosity with a warm, friendly smile as she took their orders. Something seemed to have happened to Phantom, but she couldn't leave to find out just now -- this job was her income and she didn't want to lose it. Over the next quarter of an hour she caught more snippets of conversation and rumors being spread among the customers.

"Did you see him transform?"

"Who would've thought?"

"Awesome fight. Weird outcome."

"He's a student at Casper High."

"The Ghost Boy is half human!"

They always quieted down when they reached her to order. Frustration began to build within her as her desire to understand what was going on grew larger. Could this be true? Could one of her classmates possibly be Danny Phantom? If that was so, she had to find out who it was. Who had she really been chasing all this time? Knowing where to find him would make it easier to confront him, but knowing he was part human... well she couldn't destroy him then, could she? Woah, slow down girl, she mentally checked herself. You don't even know what really happened yet, don't jump to conclusions. Even so, confusion and anxiety were now present inside her, and she accidentally let a bit of it seep out in a somewhat harsh tone as she asked a girl, "Would you like to make that a Nasty Meal?"

She spent the last fifteen minutes before her break administering great amounts of self-control and demonstrative patience. Everyone followed ettiquette and spoke to her only about food. Then came one strange guy who appeared to be in a bad mood. He looked roughly twenty and was carrying a clipboard with the local college's emblem on the back. Before making his order, he complained dejectedly to Valerie, "Some people are so unappreciated."

Valerie, eager for information, though not completely trusting that this guy would tell her what she wanted to find out, played along and asked him, "And why's that?"

"You're in the middle of creating a work of art, and they turn on you!" he expressed.

"Mmhmm," mumbled Val. Great, I guess I'm in for a sob story now...

"We were working on our project for film class, and then those ghosts decided to show up..."

Ok, I'm listening, thought Valerie as her ears perked up.

"... and instead of letting them go about their business as we went about ours -- we had a schedule to keep! -- she films the ghost fight instead!" he said in outrage. "And to top it off, once Channel 4 News arrived, they gave her an internship on the spot for her 'excellent camera skills'. Does no one care about the director?"

The guy followed his rant up with his order. Luckily for Val, he was her last customer and she hurried off to the back room. She found one of her co-workers, also on break, watching a news report on the tv. At the sound of the word "ghost", she knew this was what she was searching for.

"The Amity Park News crew has just confirmed moments ago the secret identity of our ghostly citizen," spoke a dark-haired woman from the tube.

Moments ago?" Valerie raised an eyebrow.

"They like to exaggerate," agreed her co-worker. "Must be at least half an hour by now."

Valerie nodded then made a hushing noise, not wanting to miss the story.

"Who was once thought to be an ordinary boy, is anything but," continued the reporter. "We take you live to the scene with Lance Thunder."

"For the last time, I'm a weather... er, thanks Harriet!" said the blond man as the screen cut to his location. "I'm here in Casper Park where today's biggest event occurred. With me is one of the witnesses." And turning the microphone towards another man, Lance asked, "Tell me, Mr. Stevens, what did you see?"

The man pushed back his shoulders and lifted his chin, excited to be getting his moment of fame. "I was on my jog through the park when I stopped for the ghost fight going over head. There was already a crowd of people watching and I joined in. The Ghost Boy, or Phantom, or however you call the kid, started to fall and by the time he hit the ground, he wasn't no ghost no more."

"Thank you," said Lance briskly, cutting the guy off. The camera zoomed in on him, leaving Mr. Stevens out of the frame. "And we have footage of this very incident, which we bring you now..."

The tv flashed in the scene change and images of a ghost fight lit the screen. Phantom was in the air, struggling by the looks of it. His face was contorted with concentration, but the shallowness of his breaths gave him away. He was about to faint. And then he did. In the blink of an eye as he fell, his white hair turned black, his black suit turned white, and, though no one could see it from the footage, his green eyes became blue. Lance replaced the boy on the tv once more, but Valerie was no longer listening. Her eyes were wide and wild. Her mouth was slack, a hand half way up to greet it. Her heart was beating quickly... too fast... She started to hyperventillate.

"D-Da... Da-Danny...?" she muttered in disbelief.

Her co-worker turned to face her and noticed the panic attack. "Val? Are you alright? Hey, Valerie? Do you hear me?"

Omigod,omigod,omigod... Danny is Phantom? Danny is the Ghost Boy? Danny? Danny?

Valerie's co-worker called out to the on-duty manager.

"Yes? Oh my, Valerie? What's wrong?"

The manager walked over to the girl and put a hand to her forehead.

"We were watching the news and then... this," supplied the other.

"He's in my class..." came the only coherent thing Val could utter.

"Ok, we're sending you home," said her manager. "Can't work in your state, and it might do you some good to recover from the shock, rather than forcing you to stay. Come on now, time to go. I'll even get you a cab so that you get there fine."

The rest of the day passed by in a blur of rushed emotions and thoughts till she just couldn't take it anymore and shut down to succumb to the sleep she needed.

Valerie was gazing out her window, without really seeing anything. It had been a day and a half since the incident had occurred, and she was a little more calm now, though nowhere near any of the answers she wanted. Danny's disappearance, while understandable given the circumstances, deterred her from getting so much as a "hi" from him. Intruding on her thoughts, her father's voice called for her to come to the living room. Valerie obeyed and got up off her bed without glancing back at the window. She found Damon Gray holding their appartment door open for a small group of people.

"Yes, we were about to set it up just now," said Damon. Turning and spotting his daughter he commented, "Ah, here she is."

Valerie stepped forward to greet her guests. There was a woman in a blue-grey sweater, her hair neatly tied back in a bun. There was a man in a suit carrying a suitcase. And there was Jazz Fenton, Danny's sister. Right, remembered Valerie. She's coming to stay. Valerie hadn't been completely paying attention earlier that morning when they received a phone call. Her dad had asked her about Jazz and then told the person on the other end of the line that they'd love to.

Jazz was fidgetting uncomfortably now, not wanting to impose herself upon the Grays, but having no choice otherwise. She had wanted to stay with Sam and her family (the social worker told her to stay at a girlfriend's house), but the Mansons wanted nothing to do with the Fentons and had hung up on her rather rudely. So, to avoid being put in foster care, Jazz called Valerie's dad. She knew that Danny, in his human form, got along well with the girl, even if as ghost he did not. And she also wanted to be close to a ghost hunter, because she thought her chances of talking to Danny before anyone else found him might be better with one. Once introducing herself to Damon over the phone, she had handed the receiver over to Ellen, the social worker who was setting up this arrangement. A few minutes later, everything was set and Jazz had to pack the belongings she felt most necessary. A man from the government (she supposed he was there to try and smooth anything over should the situation call for diplomacy) had helped to carry her stuff. He was now standing behind her looking bored.

"Hi," said Valerie to the three people in her entrance, her eyes lingering on Jazz.

"Hi," acknowledged Ellen. Then facing Damon once again, she continued, "Well, then that only leaves one more thing to do. For all the legal stuff, I need you to sign some papers, please."

Damon glanced at the clipboard the woman was holding and smiled, "No problem."

He led her to the couch and they sat down beginning to work out the details. The man in the suit brought Jazz's stuff just inside the door, dropped it, nodded to Ellen, and left. Jazz stood awkwardly on the threshold to the room, rocking slightly on her feet as if trying to decide whether to take a step forwards or not. Val smiled and took Jazz's arm, leading her inside. "Come on, we can set up your sleeping area."

Sam was drumming her fingers on her desk, staring at a poster on her wall. "Ok, that's it," she sighed, "I'm officially out of ideas for this afternoon." She leaned back in her chair. "Guess I'll just have to wait for the night. Darkness is my ally, after all." Still, there was nothing else to do, so she stood and paced around her room for the fifth time, trying to plot a new strategy.

When she had attempted to sneak back into her house that morning, her parents were one step ahead of her. She was caught like a deer in a headlight. She convinced them that she'd only seen Tucker ("I don't know where Danny is - no one does - so it'd be pretty pointless for me to go looking for him, especially since he's probably invisible right now!"), but they still grounded her. No, Sam thought, they didn't ground me - they locked me in a room and threw away the key! She knew she was exaggerating, since technically they still had the key, but confiscating all her forms of communication with the outside world was outrageous! They took away her cell phone and laptop, and her radio and tv ("we don't want you worrying over the news, so it's best we take these for now, too"). They wouldn't let her leave. She'd finished her homework for the week in one hour, to say the least of how bored she was. It wasn't bad enough that she couldn't talk to either of her friends, but she had nothing to do. Well, nothing that her parents approved of her doing. Which meant that her scheming had been turned on full blast. Her first three escape attempts may have been a bust, but she thought this fourth one just might do the trick. However, it would have to wait till the dead hours of night.

For escape number one, she tried to leave the usual way, via her bedroom window. She made it as far as the ground before turning around to run directly into her family's gardener.

"Miss Manson," he said. "And just where do you think you're going?"

"Um... out?" Sam tried in a pleading voice. But seeing the look in his eye, she knew he was in full cooperation with her parents, and a few moments later they were standing over her, displeased. Pointing a finger to the front door, they ordered her back into the house and to her room.

Escape attempt number two, while untraditional for her, was still anticipated by her parents.

Sam slowly opened her bedroom door an inch, peaking into the hallway. Coast clear? She thought so and ventured out a bit, making as little noise as possible.

"Miss Manson, I'm afraid you're not allowed to leave your room." It was the maid.

Sam gritted her teeth and tried to force her lips into a smile. "I'm not going anywhere," she said. "Just to the bathroom. I can't hold it much longer!"

The maid appologized as Sam rushed towards the washroom, thankful that this excuse may have saved her and may have created the golden way out! She locked the door with satisfaction - she was the one in control now. And instead of sitting down on the toilet, she used it to step up to the window, tying a couple of bath towels together to use as rope for her escape.

This time she made it to the sidewalk before the chauffeur caught her and brought her back inside.

Attempt number three was a disaster, alright. With the window and the door out of the way, she decided to try the ventillation system, like they do in the movies.

Sam used a metal rular as a screw driver, and unscrewed the bolts on the vent near the head of her bed. She pried it off the wall and looked in. It was a dark and dusty passage. In a second thought, she ripped the pillow case off of her pillow and tied it around her face, covering her nose and mouth so to provide a mask to breathe through. Then, closing her eyes and taking a deep breath, she plunged inside the small space, slipping downwards nearly immediately. She reached the ground floor and started to crawl along, not exactly sure where in the house she was. Her skirt got caught on an uneven edge, and she let out a muffled sound of surprise when it pulled back on her. A light shone in from the vent next to her and the cook's face appeared at the grate. She wanted to hurry it up and keep moving, but her skirt was still stuck, and in no time, her parents were there, the vent cover taken down, and the cook yanking her out. Her parents were livid and lectured Sam for an hour before sending her back to her jail. Sam knew better than to try that route again, but she had other plans.

"If all goes well, later tonight I'll have my freedom..." Sam thought. Then her mind floated to the topic that had been lurking near the surface for the past couple of days; how was Danny? Where was he? Was he getting along ok? Had someone found him and caught him? Hurt him? Was he floating somewhere nearby, invisible, unwilling to let himself be seen again? Was he trying to find some way to prove to everyone he was always their hero, that he'd never intentionally done anything bad? Would he be coming to her? This was why she needed to leave the house. She had to do something! She wanted to find Danny or at least find some way to stick up for him, wherever he was.

He probably wouldn't be coming to her, and that was a good thing. She'd been visited around lunch time by the FBI agents who'd shown up at the Fentons that morning. Of course they wanted to question the ghost kid's best friend. With her parents looming over her, Sam was very reluctant at saying anything. She didn't want to reveal much about Danny to the creeps and she didn't want to let her parents in on how involved she was with his ghost powers. When Agent Collins asked her about his accident, Sam lied, telling him that Danny had confided in her after the fact. No, thought Sam, it would be better if Danny didn't come here. Those FBI agents probably have the place bugged, and it won't be long till the Guys in White make an appearance. Still, a part of Sam wished she could see Danny, if only for a moment.

The house was quiet. Uncomfortably quiet. It felt like an empty void. The laughter of children was missing, and the general bustle of activity that the family usually displayed had evaporated. All within a moment, their lives seemed to come crashing down, spiraling into a chain of bad event after bad event. Their kids were both gone -- one runaway, one forcefully taken -- and their work stolen from them. It wouldn't be long till they were under surveillance as well.

Jack and Maddie Fenton sat on the couch in their empty living room, not having moved much from their positions since the morning. Neither said a word to the other, though speech was not needed. They both felt the despair of their loss as a pang on their hearts. They felt useless. Danny had ghost powers because of their work, and they couldn't protect him now when he needed it most.

Jack clutched a newspaper clipping in his hand and was staring at it sadly. The headline was from some months prior, announcing another of the many appearances of the Ghost Kid. Jack's eyes bore into the picture of the boy he now knew to be he son, but they weren't really focusing anymore on the white hair, black hazmat suit, and frown of concentration Danny was wearing. His mind wasn't really focusing anymore either.

He and Maddie had been there when it happened. They'd witnessed Danny's public transformation first hand. They were a part of it. One moment, there was Phantom, fighting that other ghost. And the next... the next his son, Danny, raven hair a mess, blood dripping from his wounds, his small frame falling from the sky...

Jack shook his head and shuddered, trying to hold back the wave of emotions that suddenly overwhelmed him; guilt, sadness, love, the shock of it all, a need to save his son from harm...

If only they hadn't caught it on film the second time. Then, maybe, they wouldn't be hunting Danny right now... witnesses, yes, but no actual proof that he was half ghost... not until they caught it on video when Danny had completely run out of energy...

Jack sighed and then blinked, starltled as his wife stood up.

"I'm going to get some water, maybe make a sandwich..." she said without enthusiasm. "Do you want something, dear?"

Jack shook his head sullenly, returning his gaze to the piece of paper in his hands.

Danny and his "cousin" were back at her home, outside in a bit of a clearing where Danny had set up a shooting range. His targets were pop cans and glass bottles that came from a public recycling bin he'd randomly swiped on his return. He threw them into the air, then fired perfectly aimed blasts, causing little explosions of metal or showers of shattered glass. He was angry and letting off steam, but the destruction still wasn't satisfying him. How could they all forget the good stuff he'd done for them? How could they blame him for all their problems when he was out there every day risking his neck to save them? Why'd they look so mad on that tv, those Amity Park citizens? Didn't they realize he was one of them, that he'd always been on their side?

Danny's momentum began to slow, and he held onto the bottle in his hand longer than he intended. Where did he really belong? The question now plagued him, the burried feelings of exile slowly creeping back into his mind. He let the bottle drop and it rolled away. He wasn't human and he wasn't ghost. He was both and he was neither. He was stuck in limbo, a place in between humanity and the monsters he battled. A part of him was just like them. As much as he didn't want to admit it, he wasn't immune to the obsessive nature of ghosts. His obsession was to get rid of them. Hypocrite. And in the human world, he was abnormal, an unnatural freak. He didn't belong anywhere. And all of those efforts he had made to protect the people... none of it seemed to matter now that they knew who he really was. What was his purpose, then? Why did he fight ghosts on a daily basis? Was it worth it anymore?

Who had he become?

Second-guessing himself began to weigh heavily on his heart and he eventually had to sit down. He found a place on a log and buried his face in his hands. A headache was growing and he didn't want to think anymore.

Dani stood leaning against her house, watching him without knowing what to say or how to say it. When Danny's anger had flared up, she decided it would be best if he dealt with it on his own, in his own way. Firing at those cans was harmless, too. But now he looked really sad and confused, his shoulders hunched and his head hanging. She began to reach out towards him, thinking of giving him a hug...

Simultaneously, cold air escaped the mouths of both kids. Danny, already in Phantom mode, took to the air to see who it was. Danielle transformed and joined him a moment later. Neither were given much time to dodge the flailing tail of the large, black dragon.

"Miss me?" growled the ghost.

"Aragon!" exclaimed Danny. "But, how--?"

"--did I get my amulet back?" the prince interrupted. "Well, that's for me to know," he laughed.

"Fine," said Danny in exasperation. "Look, I'm really not in the mood right now--"

"Having a bad day?" the dragon interjected again. "I know. I heard all about it and had to see for myself! You really do try to fix things that don't want to be fixed."

Danny was puzzled for a moment before questioning, "And what's that supposed to mean?"

"Oh, you know, my kingdom that used to be in the Dark Ages. Your hometown, that doesn't want your help in driving out ghosts. That sort of thing."

Danny stiffened as the ghost struck a nerve. "Enough talk," he yelled. "Let's get this over with."

"If you insist," replied Aragon then he shot fire at the two halfas in front of him.

Danielle went intangible and Danny blocked it with a shield. Then they flew in opposite directions in attack formation, Danny going in from the right, Dani from the left. The boy attacked first, aiming at the dragon's belly, the girl following up with a shot at the head. Aragon was thrown backwards, but he caught the air in his wings and came to a stop, propelling himself forwards again. He swatted at the two kids, catching them and throwing them to the ground. He flew towards the town, bringing the battle closer to a populated area. The Phantoms pursued him and were caught off-guard by a sudden blast of fire aimed their way. They dodged it and Dani turned invisible. She reappeared above Aragon's head, and Danny tried to create a distraction.

"Think fast!" he yelled at the ghost, shooting directly at him. The dragon swerved to the right, and Dani followed, trying to get her hands on the amulet. Aragon caught a glimpse of her, but continued in the direction he was headed, until he suddenly leashed out at her, hitting her hard across the stomach. Dani fell backwards, letting out a small ectoblast on instinct which hit Aragon square in the forehead and left him blinking water out of his eyes. Danny raced down to catch Danielle before she hit the ground too hard, because she'd lost control. Her limbs were beginning to mist, and when Danny had her safely on the ground, a small puddle of goo was forming below her. Dani changed back into human mode and stood up again.

"I'm sorry, Danny," she said, seeming to beg forgiveness. "I... I can't anymore."

"No, it's ok," Danny reassured her. "I understand."

The Ghost Boy took off again, leaving Dani to watch the fight from the ground. Aragon had recovered from the blast to his head and snarled at the halfa in front of him, smoke coming out of his nostrils. Danny shot a series of ectoblasts at his enemy before turning invisible and diving below him to come up and punch him in the chin. Most of the shots he'd fired had glanced off of Aragon's tough scales without scratching him, and those near the end of the barrage were swallowed up by a trail of flames that escaped Aragon's mouth. The ghost, however, didn't notice the teen's trick and was therefore quite stunned when the punch to his jaw had come and had hurt him. He sailed backwards and crashed into a fence that announced their arrival into the residential area of town.

As the dragon's head was still spinning, a small group of people who had been attracted by the sound joined Dani to see what was going on. They stood below where Danny Phantom was floating.

"Hey!" one of them exclaimed to the others. "It's that weird Fenton kid!"

His friends all took on expressions of excitement, but something in their looks made Danny feel uneasy. The kids were around his age, maybe a year younger, and by the way they were standing, they sort of reminded Danny of a gang.

"Freak!" One of them yelled as another shouted, "Show off!"

Danny was startled by the insults, and began to narrow his eyes, but Aragon's movements caught his attention again, and he blocked out the taunts to focus on his battle.

Aragon flew into the air and drew level with Danny, blowing a stream of fire to Danny's left, obviously missing him, though coming close to grazing his arm. Danny retaliated with a blast of energy that Aragon lazily redirected towards the ground, forcing Danny to race downwards and form a shield to block it from hitting the humans.

"Ghost powers!" the youngest of the kids exclaimed, trying to sound mean, but revealing some feelings of awe as well.

"I see you're busy with your admirers," said Aragon playfully to Danny. "I'll leave you be then. There's more about this world that I'd like to see, and I've had my fun here."

With that, the dragon took off at top speed away from the town, and Danny, distracted now by the gang, didn't chase after him.

"See, I told you guys he was a show off!" said the largest kid. He appeared to be the leader. "Did you see the way he assumed we wanted a hero to save us? And he used the dragon to bounce his own attack towards us just so he could block it!"

"Hey!" said Danny, not liking the kids much or the fact that they were talking as if he couldn't hear them. "I wasn't trying anything like that!"

"Sure, that's what you want us to believe!" said the leader maliciously, with a glint in his eyes. "What other things can you do, freak?"

"Leave him alone!" yelled Dani, stepping between where the kid was standing and where Danny was floating.

"Oh right, sorry, Phantom," mocked the leader. "That's what you like to call yourself, right? Ghost!"

"Didn't you hear me?" shouted Dani in frustration. "Leave him alone!"

"Stay out of this, pip-squeak!" replied the leader harshly.

"Stop."

That was Danny. He landed next to his friend and spoke to her. "This is about me, not you."

"But they were--"

"I've thought of somewhere for me to go, something that I can do. And I won't be a bother to you or anyone else here anymore."

"But Danny--"

"No, this really is best," he interrupted again, feigning a smile. "Thanks for everything you've done for me. I'll... I'll see you around."

And with that he took to the air once more, turning invisible before heading in the direction of his destination.

The kids that were left behind all stood as statues for a moment, till Dani broke the stillness. The gang gave her a puzzled look as she ran off into the forest, becoming invisible once in the cover of the trees in case they decided to pursue her. She hoped Danny would be alright.