AN: K. So. Here's the thing. I may… have started another story and it may have caused me to maybe, just maybe, neglect… this one. A little. Maybe.

I'M SORRY! I knew this would happen! The other story is labeled as 'terrible idea' in my files because I knew that if I started a new story my other ones would suffer! And I did it anyway! And my other stories totally did suffer! Ah, I'm so ashamed.

Well, I'm back now. Hopefully I'll be able to divide my time between stories more wisely now. Hope you guys like the new chapter!

I don't own Danny Phantom or Young Justice. Jeeze, it's been a while. No more neglecting my stories! (haaa… that would be nice… )

Danny huffed. He was bored. Which was technically a good thing, considering he was on patrol. It was better for everyone if the local vigilante didn't have anything to do. Though he wasn't technically a vigilante anymore. At least, he didn't think so. That's what it meant when you were officially registered as a hero with the Justice League, right? But a lot of people still called heros vigilantes, so maybe it was more of a symbol. Except, the League worked with the UN, so obviously they were official. On the other hand, he wasn't technically part of the League, so did that mean-

A gust of cold air cut off Danny's rambling thoughts. He froze at the feeling. He hadn't felt it in years.

His ghost sense.

Danny hesitated, uncertain. The odds of it being an actual ghost were quite slim. Ghosts very rarely made it into the human world unless there was a stable portal for them to get through. With the Fenton portal shut down and GIW gone, there weren't really any of those around anymore. Of course, it could be a trap. Danny had learned the hard way that it was possible to fake the signals ghosts gave off.

Still, he couldn't just ignore it. If there was a malevolent ghost around, he was the best suited to deal with it. Of course, that didn't mean he had to be careless about the situation.

He tapped his earpiece, turning it on.

"Shade?" Nightwing's voice came through the earpiece. They usually split up for patrol unless they were going after a specific target. "What's up? Things are pretty calm around here."

"Yeah, same," Danny said distractedly, already doing his best to try and track down whatever had given off the signal. "Except… my ghost sense just went off."

"..."

Nightwing was silent, obviously processing the news.

"Is it legit?" He finally asked.

"Not sure," Danny admitted. "I'm trying to find it now. Just thought I should tell you, considering what happened last time."

"I'm headed your way." Nightwing obviously remembered it just as clearly as Danny did. "Be careful until I get there."

"Yes sir." Danny said sarcastically. He turned his earpiece back off, rolling his eyes. He wasn't a teenager anymore. He was perfectly capable of taking care of himself.

That didn't stop him from being cautious as he honed in on the signal. If it was a trap, then whoever had set it would definitely have anti-ghost technology.

He settled on the roof of a nearby building, looking around. He knew that the signal had originated somewhere around here, but he wasn't sure where exactly.

He was considering his next move when a voice startled him.

"Phantom?"

Danny jerked around, hands lighting up. No one had called him that since he had escaped the GIW. In theory, there shouldn't be anyone left who could connect that name to him. He was sure that Dick and Batman knew, but besides that, he had never told anyone who he was before he joined the team.

A figure appeared on the edge on the roof. They were just outside of the light Danny was making, leaving them in shadow. He glared at the figure, keeping his guard up.

"Who are you? How do you know that name?"

"I can't believe it." The voice was hauntingly (haha, pun) familiar. "We thought you were dead."

Danny frowned, lowering his hands slightly. It couldn't be.

"Ember?"

The figure stepped forward into the light, showing that it really was the punk rock ghost he had fought back when he was a teenager. She looked different, older, more worn, but it was definitely her.

"Heya dipstick." She said with a grin. "It's been a while, hasn't it?"

Danny blinked. He slowly raised a hand… and then punched himself in the face.

"Oww…" Danny clutched his nose. That… may not have been his smartest idea ever.

"Well. Clearly you are very excited to see me." Ember said wryly. Danny gave her a baleful glare.

"I've had a really strange week, alright?" He muttered. It was true. First, he went and partoled in Gotham for the first time in like, forever. Then they met that weird guy, who also seemed really familiar for some reason. Then Batman came to his house, and now this. It was ridiculous. It really seemed more likely that this whole week was actually some prolonged nightmare than it being reality.

Ember chuckled. "Glad to see that you're still you. Even after… everything that happened."

The mood plummeted at her words. Danny looked away, clenching his fist. He didn't want to think about that.

"What are you doing here Ember?" He said quietly. She sighed, running a hand through her hair.

"I dunno." She admitted. "It's just nice to see someone from… before, I guess. There aren't many of us left you know."

Danny frowned, looking back at Ember. "What are you talking about?"

Ember's eyes widened. "You don't know?"

At Danny's blank look, she frowned.

"No, I guess you wouldn't." She mumbled. She looked conflicted for a second before sighing again.

"Things… things changed after you were taken. I don't think any of us ever realised how important you were in keeping the peace. With you gone, Amity became a war zone. The GIW… they went almost insane. Without you to focus on, they were able to grab any ghost that even stuck its nose out of the Ghost Zone."

Danny felt sick. He knew that there had been other ghosts in the lab with him, but he had never really considered where they had come from.

"Did they… did you…"

Ember looked away.

"They took the portal." She whispered. "The broke it almost immediately, the morons. They had no clue how to work it. But after it broke, we were stuck. Anyone who was on this side, they couldn't get back."

"Vlad-" Danny started, but Ember shook her head.

"Plasmius completely cut himself off. He put a ghost shield up around his house, never let anyone in. Last I heard, he hadn't left the place in years. Your mom… that broke him."

Danny closed his eyes. He hadn't thought about Vlad in a long time. Hearing what had happened to him… he wasn't sure. The man had hurt him, had hurt his whole family. But he couldn't help but remember a different Vlad, one who had also witnessed his mother's death. Could this Vlad have turned out like that one?

Danny shook his head. It didn't matter. Vlad wasn't his problem anymore.

"Why were you all over here in the first place?" He asked, forcefully pushing the issue of Vlad from his mind. Ember gave him a dry look.

"You were gone, remember? We all kinda assumed you would escape in a couple of days, so we wanted to take advantage of the time to go nuts."

She laughed bitterly. "It didn't work out that way."

Danny almost didn't want to ask, but he had to know.

"Who did they take?"

Ember shrugged. "Everyone. It would be easier to list the ones that got away honestly. The only ones that remained free were the ones who were in the Ghost Zone."

"And…" Danny hesitated. "Who's still alive."

"Well, me." Ember said with a slight smirk. It was gone almost instantly. "I'm pretty sure Technus is still kicking. I saw Kitty a few years back, but I doubt she's still around. Johnny… he never made it out of the labs. She was barely hanging on last I saw her. She's probably faded by now."

Ember took a deep breath, trying to look unaffected, but Danny could clearly see the loneliness hanging off of her.

"Besides them… I don't know. We were sent all over. I've been looking since the labs shut down, but until I found you, I was pretty sure I was just hunting for people who weren't around anymore."

Danny was quiet. He didn't know how to feel. He hadn't been friends with any of the ghosts from back then. Far from it. But, they didn't deserve to go out like that. No one deserved that. And the idea that he was one of the only ones to survive the GIW… it was hard.

"I could rebuild the portal."

The words were out before Danny could stop them. Ember gaped at him. She clearly hadn't been expecting that.

"I mean," Danny tried to backtrack, to explain. "I doubt that you want to be here. The Ghost Zone is your home, right? If I rebuild the portal, I can get you home. Then I'll just destroy it again, and it will be fine."

"You would do that?" Ember had tears in her eyes. "After everything I did to you?"

Danny smiled humorlessly. "Trust me, nothing you ever did to me was even close to the worst thing I've experienced. I'm pretty sure I can it behind me."

Ember let out a watery laugh. "I can't help but agree with that."

"It will take me awhile to build it," Danny said, thinking out loud. He glanced at Ember. "Think you could hunt down any other survivors you know of? The more ghosts we can get back through the better."

"I've got a few people in mind." Ember said with a grin. "No one you know, but I've kept in contact with a few friends who survived the labs with me. They probably have some people as well."

"Awesome!" Danny smiled. "Alright. Give me three months to rebuild the portal. Take the time to gather everyone you can find. Meet me here on August 23rd, and I'll get you all home."

Ember gave him a thumbs up, and started to fly off. She paused at the edge of the roof, rushing back and giving Danny a sudden hug. Danny stiffened, but relaxed when he realised that Ember wasn't attacking. He hesitantly put his arms around her.

"Thank you." She whispered. Before Danny could respond, she was gone, phasing out of Danny's arms and flying off. Danny stared after her. He was still having a hard time believing she had been there. It was only the throbbing of his nose that convinced him the conversation had actually happened.

"Shade!"

Danny wasn't sure how long he had been standing there when Nightwing finally arrived. When Danny didn't respond, Nightwing panicked.

"Shade! Are you okay? What happened to your face? Did someone punch you?"

Danny blinked, coming back to the present. He waved Nightwing's hand away from his face.

"I'm fine Wing. I punched myself."

Nightwing raised an eyebrow. "Right. You punched yourself. Why was I worried? That is clearly the behavior of someone who is completely fine."

Danny snorted, then winced as pain shot through his face.

"Yeah yeah, laugh it up. It was a bad decision, alright? I was just surprised."

"Hm." Nightwing leaned up against a nearby air conditioning unit. "And what could have surprised you into punching yourself?"

Danny's face fell. Nightwing frowned, straightening.

"Shade?" He asked, concern written over the parts of his face that Danny could see.

Danny took a deep breath, turning toward Nightwing.

"I think it's time we paid the Team a visit."

AN: Who saw that coming? Not me, that's for sure!

I know that this seems like an abrupt shift in the story, but it is important. Danny rebuilding the portal is a BIG DEAL and it is going to launch the story forward, so I needed a reason for him to do it. Plus, it's kinda cool to see the aftermath of the GIW's reign of terror.

Oh, and in case it wasn't clear, Ember was freed when the GIW was shut down. That all happened in Double or Nothing, so I didn't want to go into it again.

Anyway, sorry again for the wait. See you guys next time!