First of all, I would like to say how surprised and pleased I am at the attention this story has garnered. I want to thank everyone for reading, reviewing, and adding this story and me to your assorted lists. I offer cyber chocolate chip cookies and milk in thanks.

Disclaimer: I do not own Danny Phantom or X-Men.

Chapter 4

Danny came back to the living room, turned human, and plopped into a chair in a mild state of shock. "I… I can't believe it. I just…"

Jazz got up and put an arm around him. "What's wrong, Danny?"

Danny looked at the professor, then back at Jazz, and said, "There was this guy, a Mutant called Magneto, and…" No one noticed that Charles sighed sadly.

"And… he fought with Skulker and beat him. They seemed to be evenly matched, so I didn't get involved. But…"

Jazz shook her head. "But…" She had to concentrate to not refer to that particular ghost as 'Ghost X'. "Normally Skulker is your enemy. Why would this Magneto beating him bother you?"

Danny had to juggle his emotions, as he was frustrated with his sister for interrupting him, panicked about the conversation he overheard, and confused about how the professor was involved.

Rolling his eyes, he huffed, "It's not like I fight these ghosts for fun, Jazz. (Well… except the Box Ghost, sometimes. He's just that annoying and a perfect target for me to vent misplaced aggression. But that's different.) I'm usually suspicious of Skulker, 'cause he has this annoying habit of hunting me for a trophy…"

Charles heard the conversation outside, but it was still shocking to not only hear the ghost Skulker claim to want the boy's 'pelt,' but to see the boy respond to the concept. When Danny spoke, such words were not spoken with fear but with boredom. There had to be an interesting story behind this reaction.

Danny continued, "And he often works for Vlad. So I'm not uncool with him getting defeated, but mostly… When ghost fights are over, they're over and the ghost involved gets captured or moves on. But this Magneto guy asked about me." The panic was back. "Jazz, this guy made Skulker tell him that both Vlad and I are half-ghosts."

Jazz hugged her brother. Danny shivered. "He seemed especially interested in hearing about me, and when he got Skulker to talk about Vlad, he said that Vlad potentially has a claim on me. I mean, we know that…" He looked at the professor and decided that if the professor knew that Vlad was a half-ghost, the rest of Vlad's secrets paled in comparison. He took a breath and began again. "We know that Vlad's been trying to get me to be his son, or evil apprentice, or whatever, since we discovered each other."

Danny's face hardened. "That's not going to happen. Vlad's a crazed-up Froot-Loop, and I promised that I'd never become evil."

Charles raised his eyebrows. 'Another interesting story lies therein,' he thought.

Danny narrowed his eyes. "But this Magneto seemed to… He seemed to think that Vlad has validity in his claim on me. Kinda." He shook himself. "Professor, it seemed like you knew he was out there."

"I did. The helmet he wears ensures that I can't hear his thoughts, but I can hear the thoughts of the people with him and around him."

The half-ghost cocked his head. "Professor, this Magneto dude treated Skulker… not in his battle suit, but the puny green ghost inside, like a… a pet. But when he spoke about me, he sounded like… I don't know. He sounded impressed, but also… I don't know. Something."

The professor smiled enigmatically. "I imagine Magneto was very impressed. I know I am."

Danny still had too many emotions to define. "Uh… thanks, I guess, sir. I kind of get why you might be."

Jazz smirked. "Danny, besides the fact that you're a hero, you are very impressive, both as a very powerful ghost – who is only getting stronger and developing more powers all the time – and as a kid who has vowed to never turn evil. How do you not see that?"

Danny shrugged. With Hotep-Ra, Technus, Youngblood, and Prince Aragon still fresh in his mind, Danny knew he couldn't afford to get too cocky. "That's not really the point. I saw the look in his eyes when he talked about me. Sam pointed it out to me, last time we went to a Ravens basketball game. She noticed the talent scouts that had their eyes on Dash and Kwan. Magneto had that same… I don't know. It was like he liked what he saw." He looked up at Charles, and the professor wore an expression Danny couldn't read. "Professor, what do you know about this?"

Charles sighed. "Your impression of Magneto as a talent scout isn't far off the mark. He is very interested in recruiting you to his cause."

Jazz was worried about the suspicion in her little brother's eyes. She asked, "What would that cause be?"

Peaking his eyebrows, Charles explained, "Magneto heads an organization called the Brotherhood of Mutants. It was initially formed to protect Mutants from persecution from average humans who fear the collective power Mutants have."

"Doesn't sound too bad," Danny observed.

"If that was all it was, you would be right. But the motivation behind the Brotherhood became more of an effort for domination of average humans."

Danny's eyebrows shot up. "Not cool."

"Indeed."

Cutting his eyes up and to the left in concentration, Danny nodded to himself as he processed all of this. "Okay. So what does all of this have to do with me?"

"Danny, because of the way you became a half-ghost, you are not only a Mutant in your own right, you have more powers than a demon who joined the Brotherhood decades ago. With experience and training, you will outstrip Azazel in the power department, and if I've read you correctly, only Vlad is more powerful in the multiple power department than you."

Danny put a hand on his forehead. "It's not bad enough that Vlad wants me as his… whatever, but now it sounds like Magneto wants me in his world domination scheme."

"Unfortunately, that is the case precisely."

"And… Now Magneto is taking Skulker to Vlad in the hopes of recruiting him, and… If he can get Vlad on board, he thinks the way will be clear to get me on board, because of this claim he thinks Vlad has on me."

Charles sighed. "Yes. It was an unfortunate side-effect of your parents' lecture on possible mutagenic effects."

Jazz hugged Danny again. "Don't worry, Danny. You don't have to do anything you don't want to do."

When she released him, Danny ran both hands through his hair. "Great. This is just great. The Froot-Loop wants me because I'm a half-ghost. Magneto wants me because, apparently, I'm a Mutant. It's not enough that I have to protect Amity Park from obsessive, rogue ghosts. It's not enough that the local ghost hunters, including my own parents, want to destroy my ghost half molecule by molecule because they're convinced that – despite my heroic efforts – that all ghosts are evil, me in particular. But between Vlad, Magneto, and his Brotherhood, they want me to join their own causes that would only prove all my detractors right. Why can't they just leave me alone and let me be normal?"

Jazz hugged him again. As much as she wanted to comfort her little brother, she didn't know what to say. She always tried to get Danny to express himself, and now that he laid all of his cards down, she wasn't sure how to help him. No matter how she looked at this, it all came down to one fact: it wasn't fair, and the deck seemed stacked against Danny.

The professor observed both children and cocked his head. He could offer a solution, but with the boy in his current state of mind, it could just as easily backfire. Because Danny was in such emotional tumult, Charles could not get a reading on him, and couldn't predict Danny's reaction.

He nodded to himself as he decided to offer Danny as much normalcy as he had available for any Mutant. "Danny, you are in a difficult situation, I can see that. You desire a chance to be left alone to exist as normally as you can. I have a suggestion that may make your situation somewhat easier."

Danny peaked his eyebrows, desperate for any semblance of hope. "Oh? What?"

"My school offers shelter, hope, and normalcy for many."

Frowning, Danny protested, "But, Professor, your school offers a high level of academics for gifted students."

Charles explained gently, "Danny, Xavier's School for Gifted Youngers is almost exclusively for Mutants."

Danny's mouth hung open. The professor continued, "Besides excellence in education, we have what we call the Danger Room, where students and other Mutants train and practice using their powers."

Jazz opened her mouth to offer her opinion, but Danny jumped out of his seat, balled his fists, and shook his head. "I… I can't believe this! Vlad wants me to join him, Magneto wants me to join him, and your solution is to have me join you? I can't… Arg!" He turned ghost.

Jazz held her hands up soothingly. "Danny, no!" He was beyond listening as he launched himself through the ceiling.

The professor shook his head sadly. "I was afraid that might happen. There were only two outcomes I could foresee, but Danny was in such turmoil, I couldn't guess which it would be. The other option was accepting my invitation and coming to my school."

Jazz tilted her head. "Professor, when the students finish your school, what are they expected to do?"

Charles smiled. "Whatever they like. Like any other, my school is a place where students learn, and with effort and guidance, they can reach their full potential. Some alumni stay on to become teachers. Some alumni go out into the world, perhaps going to university, taking whatever profession suits them." He shook his head sadly again. "Some students never truly find their niche and join Erik's Brotherhood."

Jazz snapped to attention. "Erik?"

The professor expelled a breath of mirthless laughter. "Erik Lehnsherr is the name Magneto was born with. We started my school as friends and fellow visionaries. But his own harsh experiences made him bitter and helped him to make his own choices. I'm of the firm belief that there is no reason Mutants and average humans can't live together, or at least, along side each other in peace and harmony." He closed his eyes. "Erik has a different opinion."

Shaking his head disappointedly, he opened his eyes. "In any event, at my school, we give the students a safe place to be themselves, without fear and without ridicule for being different. We give them support that they may or may not get otherwise." He nodded at the boy's protective sister. "We aim to enhance our students' IQs, EQs, and control of their powers. What they choose to do with that knowledge and power is entirely up to them."

Jazz looked at her clasped hands in her lap for a long moment before raising her eyes to meet those of Charles. "You know, Professor, what you're offering sounds very reasonable."

Charles smiled. "I do try, my dear girl."