Chapter 37: Last Stand Part lll

"Let's end this!" Slade snarled as he flew forward, thrusting his hands out, the flames shooting towards Danny, who quickly created a green shield to block them. But Slade was faster. Just as the blasts finished hitting against the shield, he flew forward, pounding his fists against it, the shield shattering at the blow, driving Danny back.

The boy shook his head and glared back at Slade, who was now stretching his hand down to his side. Suddenly, a long silver sword with deep black etches in the blade appeared in his hand. Danny narrowed his eyes. "New toy?" He asked. Slade smirked. "Just another gift from the gem." He growled darkly as he lunged forward, slashing the sword down on the spot Danny had been seconds ago.

Leaping out of the wary of the attack, Danny righted himself and delivered a hard kick to the man's chest, driving him back only a few inches. He narrowed his eyes and fired a large blast right at the man's head, creating a plume of smoke around them. As the smoke cleared, Danny saw that Slade's head was now crooked and bent at a gruesome angle. Suddenly, the man twisted his neck and straightened his head, a resounding crack echoing through the air.

Danny felt his heart start to beat faster. This is SO not going to be easy. He thought as the blade in Slade's hands began to glow. The etches in the metal started to become red hot as they coursed through the sword until the blade was engulfed in flame. Not easy at all! He screamed at himself as Slade charged.

Danny tensed and dove down to the ground, Slade hot on his tail. Pulling up at the last second, Danny twisted around and became intangible, Slade passing right through him. Quickly becoming tangible again, Danny fired a shot at the man right as he turned around, hitting him in the shoulder.

Slade roared in anger and raised his free hand, a ball of fire erupting from his palm, hitting Danny in the chest, sending him flying through one of the buildings. Glass and brick flew everywhere as Danny landed roughly on the other side of the building. He groaned as he pushed himself up slowly, gasping as a shadow covered him. Leaping out of the way right as Slade's sword pierced the ground, Danny quickly flew into the air. Twisting around, he focused on the burning cold in his core, shooting it out straight at Slade, engulfing the man in a block of ice.

Sighing, Danny flew back down to the ground, warily taking a step closer to the ice. Suddenly, red cracks began to form in the pavement, shooting out from the icy confines. Danny gasped as a crack formed in front of him, exploding with fiery light, sending him flying backwards and into one of the nearby cars. The sound of sirens and flashing lights filled the air as Danny stood once more, his body now singed from the blast.

The ice around Slade exploded as the man soared into the air, firing a steady stream of attacks at the boy, who flew back into the air, twisting and turning to avoid the various attacks. Danny narrowed his eyes and created a green dome around him, the attacks harmlessly shooting off the shield. Slade growled and flew forward, intent on striking the shield himself. Danny kept his gaze straight on Slade as the man flew forward, drawing his fist back, ready to demolish the dome.

As soon as the man was a few paces away, Danny dropped the shield and shot a large blast at the man's open chest, sending him shooting backwards and into the pavement below. Flying back down, Danny hovered in the air, fists clenched as green energy swirled around them. Slade stood back up from the rubble, glaring hard at the boy. "Alright, Daniel. Let's see how well you handle my pets." He snarled as he snapped his fingers and a line of creatures appeared in front of him.

Danny paled as the creatures snarled and roared, lunging straight for him.

Robin gazed upwards momentarily, watching as Slade and Danny continued to battle in the air, only to be brought back to his thoughts as a roar filled the air. He leapt out of the way right as the manticore's tail pierced the ground near him. The creature snarled and lunged forward.

The boy twirled his staff and slammed in down into the creature's shoulder, sending it skidding sideways across the pavement. He reached int his pocket and pulled out three ice pellets, hurling them straight at the shaken creature, exploding on contact, encasing the animal in ice. "NOW!" He yelled upwards, Starfire flying past, shooting a barrage of starbolts at the ice, shattering it into nothing but crystals and ashes.

Flying back down, Starfire shot a bolt right over Robin's head, hitting the wolf right in the chest, sending it flying. Nodding his appreciation, Robin pressed a red button on his utility belt and began to run forward. Not even five seconds later, the R-cycle rounded the corner and automatically sped towards Robin, who leapt into the air, grabbing the handles as he came back down.

Twirling his staff with his free hand, Robin leaned down towards the ground, extending his staff as he did so. Various creatures were send crashing hard onto the pavement as Robin's staff knocked out their legs as he sped past. Reached for his belt, Robin pulled out all his ice pellets, hurling them one by one at different creatures, each becoming encased in ice.

Finally, once he was out of pellets, Robin sped towards the largest gathering of creatures. Narrowing his eyes, the boy leapt from the cycle, the vehicle speeding towards the group until it exploded on impact, taking the creatures with it.

Suddenly, the ground began to shake slightly. Glancing back at the others, who mirrored his look of confusion, Robin took a step backwards, bringing the small group together. "What the heck is that?!" Beastboy asked as he tried to stay balanced. "Uh-oh. I think we may have some company!" Dani shouted as she flew into the air to get a good look at what was causing the rumbling.

Hundreds of more creatures flooded towards them. "Come ON!" Tucker shouted as he readied his whip once more. Just then, a red blur zoomed past, encircling a large group of creatures in a vortex. Speeding back, Flash appeared in front of them. "Yeah...we got the dragon. But then it turned back into these guys." He said, pointing a thumb behind him at the creatures.

"We noticed. "Robin said as he narrowed his eyes and twirled his staff. Suddenly a large wave of water crashed into a large section of the creatures, sweeping them away. Aqualad rounded the corner, riding a tidal wave himself. "We brought backup!" He shouted, Bee, Speedy and Mas and Menos racing over, Wonder Woman, Manhunter, Lantern and the others joining them as well.

"Where's Daniel?" Superman asked as he gazed over the group. Robin turned his head upwards, the others following his gaze. They watched as Danny defended against a horde of creatures, Slade watching from not too far off, seeming to enjoy the show. Lantern narrowed his eyes. "He can't take him on by himself! We need to help!" he shouted, flying into the air, only to be blocked by a large group of snarling creatures. "We tried. The monsters won't let us get close!" Cyborg shouted.

Batman narrowed his eyes. "Then we'll just have to take them down." He growled as he reached down and grabbed a group of batarangs. The others nodded as they turned to face off against the horde of creatures. The monsters snarled and scratched at the ground. Not able to hold themselves back any longer, they lunged forward towards the heroes.

The two forces collided, each blowing the other back at the battle commenced.

Leaping forward, Robin pointed the end of his staff down on the ground, hoisting himself up into the air, connecting his foot with a centaur's chest, sending the creature tumbling across the pavement. Reaching into his belt, Robin pulled out a handful of explosives, hurling them at the centaur, the devices exploding on impact, shrouding the creature in smoke.

Just as the smoke cleared, a loud screech filled the air. Robin glanced up to see a chimera charge him. Grabbing his grappling hook, Robin shot it at the nearest traffic light, shooting over the creature's head. Tightly gripping the pole, the boy swung around and shot himself towards the creature, sliding under its outstretched claws, taking out its back legs as he slid.

The creature roared as it fell to the ground. Twisting back around, it glared hard at Robin. Letting out a cry of rage, the creature charged towards him, only to receive a blue blast to the side, sending it tumbling across the pavement.

Turning his head, Robin saw Cyborg and Starfire racing over, a large bear quickly following. Robin narrowed his eyes and twirled his staff. The two teens glanced at him, watching as he gave them a silent command. Nodding in understanding, the two continued to lead the bear closer, splitting off right as they got to Robin. The bear didn't even notice the boy until it was too late and the staff was already swinging towards its nose.

A resounding crack could be heard as the staff connected with the end of the bear's nose, the creature roaring in pain. Starfire flew over, firing a continuous blast from her eyes, the bear turning tail at the attack. "Finally! I thought we'd never get rid of Yogi!" Cyborg sighed, placing his hands on his knees as he tried to catch his breath. Robin sighed as well as he finally allowed himself a moment to breath, glancing around at the others as they continued the battle.

Aqualad raised his hands, the water surging forward as it engulfed a pack of lions, Hawkgirl swing her mace at the ones that escaped the watery confines.

Dani, Valerie and Raven flew through the air as they were chased by flock of eagles. Twisting around, Dani dove under the birds, Valerie shooting a barrage of blasts at the creatures as they were distracted, Raven encasing the blasted birds in a bubble of her magic, slamming them down into the ground.

Beastboy transformed into a gorilla as he wrestled the manticore, doing his best with his injured arm. Eventually, the manticore slammed its wings down onto the boy's arm, the gorilla roaring in pain. Taking the opportunity, the monster pinned the gorilla down to the ground, the creature transforming back into Beastboy. The manticore snarled as it raised its stinger, intent on striking down on the young boy, only to be distracted by a red blur as it zoomed by. Shaking its head, the manticore leaned down once more, only to find that his prey was gone. Twisting around, the manticore watched as it was engulfed in a vortex of flashing red and yellow as Flash zoomed around it.

Batman hurled a handful of ice pellets straight at the chimeras, the objects encasing the creatures in solid blocks of ice. Lantern flew forward as he held his arm out in front of him, a large hammer materializing out of thin air as it slammed down onto a large group of the frozen creatures, completely demolishing them while Manhunter flew through the frozen creatures, smashing them down into small crystals.

Jack and Maddie fired from the Fenton RV, aiming for whatever monster they could. Sam, Tucker and Jazz rode on top of the large vehicle as it barreled through the streets, firing their own weapons at the creatures as they passed.

Bumblebee, Speedy, Mas and Menos worked to destroy a large group of skeletons, the creatures drawing their weapons as they charged the teens. Bee flew up into the air, raining down her stingers as she zoomed over the army. Speedy fired a barrage of his explosive arrows, the devices detonating as they made contact with skeletons, taking out a few at a time. Mas and Menos zoomed through the crowd, knocking soldiers off their feet as they went by.

Wonder Woman grabbed her lasso, wrapping it around a large group of monsters as she flew past, hoisting the creatures up into the air, slamming them back down into the pavement as she dove forward. Superman flew past her, freezing the tangled creatures with his breath as he zoomed past.

Turning back to Cyborg and Starfire, Robin gasped as his gaze traveled past them. "Don't get too comfortable. Yogi has friends!" He shouted to the two as a group of wolves rounded the corner. "Zarbags!" Starfire shouted, turning back to the boys, her cheeks blushing slightly. "Pardon my language, friends." She sighed as the wolves approached. "I'm right there with you, girl." Cyborg growled as he fired a blast from his sonic cannon at the ground of monsters, only to have them dodge and continue to charge.

"Oh, Zarbags!" He muttered as one of the nearest wolves tackled him to the ground. Cyborg growled as he reared back, ramming his fist into the wolf's snout, sending the creature spiraling backwards, only to be replaced with another monster as the rest surged forward.

Danny cried out as he was shot out of the air, crashing hard into the pavement. He sat up slowly, placing a hand to his head, quickly retracting as he felt warm liquid running down his hand. Great. He cursed to himself as he pushed himself back up right as the manticore stabbed its tail forward, the boy leaping out of the way right in time.

Narrowing his eyes, Danny grabbed the tail and swung the creature around in the air, sending it shooting back into the group of other monsters. Suddenly, Danny felt a strong force ram into his back, sending him crashing to the ground. A screech filled the air as he was grabbed by the ankles and hoisted up into the air.

Glancing up, Danny saw a pair of hawks above him, their talons digging into his ankles. "I'm really getting tired of you guys!" He shouted as he focused on his core once more, his body coursing with ice, sending waves through the birds, freezing them solid. He gasped as they started to plummet down to the ground, breaking free of their grasp right before they hit the ground, shooting back up into the air as the birds shattered on the street below.

Letting out a sigh of relief, Danny turned back around, coming face to face with a chimera, wings flaring as the creature dove for him. Eyes widening, Danny turned intangible, the creature harmlessly passing through him. He grit his teeth as he flew side by side with the creature, firing a large ecto-blast, ramming the creature, sending it tumbling through the air.

Suddenly, he felt something wrap around his waist, yanking him out of the sky and back down to the ground. He groaned as he struggled to escape the snake's grasp as it began to squeeze the air out of his lungs. Danny gasped as the snake continued to constrict. Hands glowing, he placed his palms down onto the creature's scales, firing a blast into the snake, driving it off of him.

Taking in mouthfuls of air, Danny struggled to sit up, groaning as the snake hissed ferociously, slithering back quickly. "These things can't take a hint, can they?!" He shouted to himself as he flew into the air, firing a barrage of blasts at the snake, the creature twisting and turning on the pavement to avoid the attacks. The monster let out one final hiss before it leapt into the air, teeth bared as it lunged for the boy.

Danny gasped and dove under the snake's teeth, the fangs catching his foot as he dove, sending him crashing into the ground. He let out a cry of pain as he placed weight on the ankle, kneeling back on the ground. His eyes widened as the loud hissing of the snake shook him out of his thoughts and back at into the task at hand.

Narrowing his eyes, Danny placed his hands together, a large blast of ice forming in between. Glaring back up, Danny raised his hands, hurling the blast straight at the creature's open mouth, the blast traveling deep inside the monster. The snake ceased its movement as the ice began to crawl across its body, turning it to crystal. It glared at the boy and lunged one final time, Danny raising his arms to shield himself, only to feel no pain.

Glancing back up, Danny saw that the snake had been frozen solid a few inches from him, mouth open for one final blow. Danny let out a sigh of relief as he twisted around and realized there were no more creatures around him. He lowered his head and closed his eyes, taking in large gulps of air, grateful for a few moments of peace.

Suddenly, a roar filled the air. Danny glanced up just in time to see the boot connect with his chest, a loud crack filling the air as he was thrown backwards and into one of the nearby cars. He groaned as he slowly pushed himself up, slower than usual as he turned to glare back at Slade. "You're strong boy. I'll give you that. But you're not strong enough." He growled as he pointed the tip of his sword towards the ground, the blade letting out a horrid scraping sound as the man dragged it across the pavement slowly as he walked towards the boy.

Danny narrowed his eyes and slowly rised to his feet, placing an hand on his chest as he tried to ease himself of the sharp pain in his chest. "Let's finish this, Slade." He growled. Slade said nothing as he raised the sword up, running his fingers slowly across the cold metal. "Very well. I shall make your end swift!" he snarled as he lunged forward.

Robin grit his teeth as he pushed up with all his might, his staff the only thing between him and the chimera's jaws. The creature stood on top of him, bending down as it tried to sink its teeth down into his shoulder, his staff now lay pressed up flat against the creature's chest as Robin pushed upwards with it, trying to shove the creature off of him.

His eyes widened as he saw the dragon head rear back and open its mouth, an orange glow appearing from inside its open maw. Giving one final shove upwards, Robin gained enough space to roll out of the way right as the blast of fire scorched the pavement underneath.

The monster roared in anger and flared its wings, whipping around, ramming its tail into Robin's side, sending the teen tumbling. He shook himself as he tried to clear his head of the ringing and pushed himself back up, gripping his staff tightly as the chimera charged. He grabbed the staff with both hands, blocking the swipes and slashed of the creature's claws as it advanced.

Suddenly, the creature flared its wings once more, throwing Robin off balance as he blocked, a particular slash making its way through his defenses, cutting through is already bleeding shoulder. The boy cried out as pain exploded in his arm. The chimera took the opportunity to knock Robin off of his feet, digging its claws into his side as it leaned over him.

Robin winced as the hot claws dug into his flesh, kicking out with his back legs, knocking the creature off him. He scrambled onto his feet, wincing at the pain from his side and shoulder, he didn't even notice the chimera rearing back once more until it was too late and the blast was mere inches from him. The fireball rammed right into his chest, sending him crashing backwards into one of the already demolished building.

Robin cracked open his eyes as he struggled to move, glass and fragments of metal pierced his skin as he struggled to sit up, blood now trickling down the side of his body. He tried to prop himself up onto his elbows, only to fall back down to the ground at the strain. The chimera growled as it slowly advanced towards him, wings low to the ground as it scratched at the ground in anticipation.

Robin shifted his hands and tried to reach his belt, hoping to at least find a few explosives left to defend himself with. Only he knew there wouldn't be enough time as the chimera snarled once more, the dragon head rearing back one final time as it opened its mouth, ready to fire another blast of flame at the boy.

Robin closed his eyes as he prepared himself for the intense heat, only to gasp as a black figure leapt down and scooped him up. The man dragged a long black cape out from behind him and covered himself as well as the teen in his arms as the blast hit. Robin's eyes widened as the flames harmlessly passes around them, the flame-proof cape keeping them from harm, a cape Robin knew only one other man owned.

Gently placing the boy back on the ground, Batman leapt towards the chimera, sliding under the creatures claws as he placed a handful of explosives under the creature's body. Leaping over the creatures head, he grabbed Robin once more right as the blast hit, shielding the boy from the large wave of heat as the creature was destroyed.

Letting out a small sigh of relief, Batman turned back to his former-apprentice. Silence engulfed the pair as Batman wordlessly reached into his belt, puling out a small roll of gauze as he began to wrap Robin shoulder into a makeshift cast. Once he was finished, he lifted his gaze to look at the boy. "Are you okay?" He asked quietly. Robin gazed at him for a short moment, then nodded.

Batman nodded as well in understanding and stood up, slowly helping the boy to his feet. A large explosion could be seen from the sky, catching the attention of both mentor and apprentice. Suddenly, a loud growling filled the air as a large group of lions stepped out from behind cars and buildings, slowly approached. "Whatever your friend is doing, he better do it fast." Batman growled as he reached into his belt and pulled out two batarangs as he stepped in front of Robin, watching the lions with narrowed eyes as he waited for their first move.

Robin glanced back up to the sky. "Come on, Danny." He whispered to himself. "Bring him down."

Danny groaned as he pushed himself out of the crater he had made in the ground. Injured was not enough to describe the condition he was in right now. His ankle was on fire, the skin around it burned and charred, along with his arm and left side of his torso, and he was pretty sure he had a few cracked ribs. His uniform was torn and bloodied from the various cuts around his body, not to mention he probably had a major concussion, considering his head was still bleeding.

Flying back up into the air, Danny faced off against the man once more, who ran his fingers over the blade of his sword once more. Danny couldn't be sure, but he thought he heard whispering. But out wasn't coming from Slade. No...it was coming from the gem. Was it communicating with the man? Danny narrowed his eyes as he tried to remain focused. He had to get that gem away from him.

Flying forward, Danny dove under the man, firing an icy blast at him. Slade smirked and sliced his blade through the air, deflecting the blast completely. Narrowing his eyes, the man shot forward, slashing and flinging his blade towards the boy, who dodged and deflected the sword with small shields and blasts of his own.

Suddenly, Slade kicked out, his foot connecting with Danny's burned ankle. The boy faltered as he cried out in pain, Slade seeing his chance as he thrust his sword forward, the fiery blade piercing Danny shoulder. His eyes widened as he screamed in pain, blindly firing his ecto-blasts, one hitting Slade in the chest, driving him back as he retracted his sword.

Danny gasped in pain as he placed a hand to his bleeding shoulder, the skin around the wound now blackened and burned. He groaned as he glared back at Slade, who smirked slightly as the sword in his hand disappeared. Raising both hands, fire sparking a the palms, Slade fired a continuous orange and red stream of fire from his hands straight towards Danny.

His eyes widened as he raised his hands as well, firing his own ice blasts to counter Slade's attack. The two streams met head-on as they began to push against each other for dominance. Danny groaned as his arms began to shake at the strain, while Slade looked like he was barely breaking a sweat. Suddenly, the blue blasts began to be overpowered as the fire began to gain more ground until they shot forward, engulfing Danny in continuous heat.

The boy screamed in pain as his body was lit in fire, the force of the impact sending him flying towards the ground. A loud boom could be heard as Danny hit the pavement hard. He groaned as his body protested at him to stay down, while his mind screamed at him to get up, to continue fighting. Black dots swam at the corners of his eyes as he slowly crawled out of the crater and gazed back up at Slade, who smirked behind his mask as he flew higher into the air.

Danny groaned as he raised a hand to hover over his chest, then flew up into the air as well. Slade extended his arm to motion over the scene below them. Danny turned and gasped at what he saw. The others were know being driven back by the large mass of creatures. They all looked burned and beaten as they slowly backed up as the creatures continued to advance towards them. Slade flew down and hovered over his army, Danny doing the same with his friends. "You're doomed, Daniel, and so are your friends." He growled at the boy as the fiery army continued to advance.

Danny narrowed his eyes, realizing there was one attack that might save them, but it would be costly. Glaring back up at Slade, Danny felt the energy building up in his center. "They're not my friends." He said softly. "They're my FAMILY!" He snarled. "And I'm not going to let you hurt them! NEVER AGAIN!" He screamed as he took a deep breath and released his Ghostly Wail.

The group behind him placed their hands over their ears and knelt down to the ground as they tried not to be blown back by the powerful attack. They opened their eyes and watched in amazement as the wail blew the creatures backwards, driving some back while completely destroying others. Even Slade was driven backwards as the attack powered through, blowing him into one of the buildings, the structure crumbling down on top of him.

Finally, the attack began to die down. The creatures that had before filled the streets with their numbers only had a few handfuls left, the others now nothing but black ashes that littered the roads. Danny gasped for air as the attack ceased, struggling to remain conscious at the great expanse of energy, barely able to keep himself in the air.

All of a sudden, a loud rumbling filled the air, the others below Danny turning towards the noise. Slade broke through the large pile of rubble, fury evident in his eyes as he surged forward, silver sword appearing in his hand as he shot towards Danny. The dazed boy didn't even hear the cries of warning from his friends and family before he opened his eyes, Slade mere inches away from him.

Danny's eyes widened as he felt a sharp jab in his chest. Glancing down, he saw the hilt of the sword protruding from his chest, Slade's hands firmly grasping the weapon.

Robin's eyes widened and his breathing hitched at the scene above him. "Danny..." Was all he could whisper as his body started to shake.

Slade narrowed his eyes as he kept his hands on the sword's handle as he glared at the boy in front of him. Danny's body started to shake as he started to cough, blood now beginning to trickle out of the corner of his mouth as breathing became harder and harder for him. Suddenly, he heard whispering once more. His eyes widened as he stared at the gem, becoming lost in the black depths.

He shook his head as he cleared himself of the clouding thoughts the gem was trying to distract him with. He knew now might be the only time he'd be this close to the gem. Now was his only chance. Reaching out, he placed a hand on the gem, Slade's eyes widening at the quick movement. "What are you doing?!" The man shouted as Danny's hands closed around the gem and he began to pry the gem away bit by bit. The cracks around Slade's eyes began to spread farther throughout his mask as Danny continued.

A blinding white light began to pulse from the center of the gem as Danny gripped it, the cracks in Slade's mask now glowing a bright red. Danny narrowed his eyes and glared back up at Slade one last time. "I think you two should spend some time apart." He snarled as he ripped the gem away.

"NOOO!" Slade screamed as they were both engulfed in a blinding white light that expanded over the others as well as the rest of the city.

Blinking open his eyes, Robin glanced at his surroundings. The remaining monsters were now gone, as well as the ashes from the others. The fires that had been burning around the city were now out, and the damage from them was now gone. The Titans glanced around, then back at the others. "So...is it over?" Beastboy asked. "Were we victorious?" Starfire questioned the others.

Before anyone else could answer, a ball of green light flew past over their heads, crashing down hard into the pavement a few paces away, a resounding boom echoing through the city. They glanced at each other for a moment, then hurried over to the crater as fast as they could. Inside the crater, a bloodied and burned Danny lay motionless, the black gem still tightly gripped in his hand. Burns ran up and down his body, his shoulder and chest leaking blood onto the pavement, the crimson liquid trickling out of the corner of his mouth and down his head as well.

"Danny!" The Titans yelled as they jumped forward, sliding down the sides of the crater to the bottom, Jack, Maddie, Valerie and Dani doing the same, the others staying at the top as they watched the others crowd around the boy. "Danny, Danny! Can you hear me?!" Robin shouted as he tried to get the boy to open his eyes. "But...where's Slade?" Cyborg asked.

Raven glanced around until her eyes fell upon the glistening gem in Danny's hand. "Exactly where every other wielder is. Inside the gem."

Suddenly, Danny's body shuddered as his eyes flickered open. "Danny?" Robin called, the boy's eyes drifting over to him. Maddie placed a hand on the boy's uninjured shoulder, tears steaming down her face. Sam and Jazz crouched down next to her as they tried to wipe away the tears that rested on their cheeks.

"Do...does anyone else...have a m...major he...headache...or is it...j...just me?" Danny whispered hoarsely to the group. Robin smiled slightly and shook his head. Leave it to Danny to place a smile on his face, even in a state as bad as his. "Just you, buddy." Robin sighed. "Just you."

Danny groaned and rested his head back onto the pavement, his eyes beginning to droop. Robin felt his body tense as he snapped his fingers in front of the boy's face, his eyes opening slightly. "Hey! I need you to focus on me, okay? I don't need you dying on me, ya' big dork." He said firmly, even though his heart was pounding a million miles a minute.

Danny sighed. "Alright...you jerk." He whispered.

Beastboy turned to Raven, his eyes frantic. "You can heal him, right Raven? You...you can save him?" Raven lowered her gaze. "No...nothing this serious." She whispered, tugging her hood farther over her eyes as her grief overwhelmed her, a mailbox farther down the street becoming engulfed in her magic as it exploded, mail and papers flying everywhere, but nobody seemed to notice.

Tucker leaned forward. "Hey, Danny...we're all here, okay?" He called to his friend, whose gaze seemed to become more and more distant. Sam scooted closer. "Yeah..besides, I still have...have to kick your butt at Doom, remember." She asked, her voice faltering as she gazed at her friend. Danny smiled slightly at the girl's voice.

A sob escaped Jazz's lips as she buried her head into her father's shoulder, the man placing a comforting hand on the girl's shoulder. Danny's body tensed as another spasm of pain coursed through him, tightening his grip on Robin's hand, but the boy didn't seem to mind. Danny turned his head to glance back up at Robin. "Hey, Rob? Wh...who's turn is...is it on the sparring machine?" He asked.

Robin felt his eyes start to water slightly, the boy roughly wiping them away. "It...it's yours, D." He said with a small smile. Danny mirrored the smile as he closed his eyes. "Totally gonna...kick your butt..." He said, with a small smile. Robin shook his head as he continued to mirror the small smile. "Don't count on it." He replied. Danny weakly glared at him. "Jerk..." He sighed, his voice trailing off as his head lolled off to the side and his tightened grip on Robin's hand suddenly disappeared.

"Danny?" Robin called. "D...Danny...?" He whispered, his voice faltering as he lowered his gaze and raised a hand to pinch the bridge of his nose as a tear trickled down the side of his face, the boy not even trying to fight it off.

"Is...is he..?" Flash stuttered as he gazed back at his teammates. Wonder Woman placed a hand on the man's shoulder, lowering her gaze. Flash tightly shut his eyes and dropped his head, a sigh escaping his lips.

Cyborg placed a hand to the human side of his face as Starfire cried into his shoulder, Beastboy sitting on the ground next to him, eyes staring off blankly into the dirt. Raven's hood shielded her eyes, but it didn't shield her now wet, glistening cheeks. Somewhere around them, several car alarms went off as they were all thrown into the air by black forces. Sam buried her head into Tucker's shoulder, the boy hugging her tightly as he ducked his head from view. Jazz continued to sob into her father's shoulder, now being joined by Maddie, her husband gently rubbing her back as tears streamed down his face as well. Dani's lip trembled as she tightly hugged Valerie, the girl burying her face into the ghost girl's shoulder.

Robin vaguely felt a hand placed gently on his shoulder as Batman approached, the man gently comforting his young ward. All tension between the two faded away, the fight now long forgotten.

Suddenly, a dull flashing caught Robin's eyes as he glanced up. He gasped and quickly stood up, the others glancing at him in confusion as they followed his gaze. The gem in Danny's hand continued to flash dully, becoming more and more vibrant with every flash until it glowed a constant white light. "Move!" Robin shouted as they quickly raced out of the crater right as as pillar of white light shot into the air.

Raising their hands to block the intense light, the group gazed into the beam of light that continued to shoot high into the air. A small black shape could be seen as it was raised up into the air, a tiny black orb floating up above it as it began to spin. "What's happening!" Cyborg yelled as the dirt around them began to swirl and blow in different directions. Nobody seemed to have an answer as the body began to glow with a harsh white light.

The others groaned and ducked away as a flash of light exploded over the area, slowly dying away as the figure was slowly brought back down to the ground, the pillar of light shrinking thinner and thinner until it faded away, revealing the gem as it slowly lowered itself back down to the ground. The group glanced at each other for a moment, then raced back to the crater, the Titans leaping back in.

Robin rushed forward, sliding on his knees towards Danny's still form. He reached out, hesitating for a moment, fearful of the answer, then gently placed his fingers onto the side of Danny's neck. The others held their breath as they waited for his answer.

A small gasp and laugh escaped from Robin's lips as he gazed at his brother for a moment. "Y..you got to be kidding me!" He shouted as he turned back to the others. "He's ALIVE!" He yelled, a smile crossing his lips.

"WHAT?!" They all shrieked as they rushed forward.

"I...I don't understand." Maddie stuttered as she gazed around at the others for an explanation. Suddenly, Raven's eyes widened and she pulled her hood back. "I...I understand." She whispered. The others glanced at her for an explanation. "My book, it said the gem had the ability to cheat death. To bring the user back to life, right?"

The others nodded, remembering when they had figured out everything the gem could do. Raven continued. "Well after Danny ripped the gem away from Slade and placed it in his own hands, he became the new wielder." She explained. "And when he died, the gem's powers kicked in. The gem reversed it. It cheated death."

Robin blinked in shock and turned back to Danny. Shaking his head, he automatically reverted back into Leader Mode, or at least, that's what Danny always called it. "Come on. The gem might have brought him back once, but he'll die again from blood loss if we don't get him help, and I'm pretty sure that was a one-time deal." He said, glancing at the gem as it lay still on the ground.

The others quickly snapped back into focus. Jack and Maddie rushed off to fetch the Fenton RV, Raven using her magic to gently lift Danny out of the crater and into the back of the RV. Cyborg and the rest of the Titans piled into the T-car, the Titans East agreed to meet back at the tower while the Leaguers went to go check on the rest of the ghosts and escort them back to the ghost zone, A.K.A. make sure they didn't try any funny-business.

Robin rode in the back of the RV as it barreled down the road. He tapped his foot nervously on the ground as he stared off into the corner of the vehicle, occasionally stealing a glance at Danny. He shook his head as he gazed at the ceiling. Only his brother would be able to find a way to cheat death. A small smile made its way onto his lips.

"Dork."

Man! That was a long chapter!

SOOOOOO much fighting over these past three chapters, I don't think I can even look at the words punch and kick for at LEAST a month! Anyway, I'm pretty happy with this chapter. Poor Danny! Don't worry, the next chapter will probably wrap up any more questions.

Anyway, find out what happens next on...The Ghostly Titans