DISCLAIMER: All rights to characters, places, etc. belong to the respective owners of DC Comics, and Nickelodeon/Butch Hartman. The author of this story owns nothing; this is merely for fun, not money.

Chapter 3: A Knight in Gotham

Several months had passed since Danny's adventure with Hawkman and Hawkgirl in Midway City. Last he heard, Gentleman Ghost was still locked up in Walker's jail in the Ghost Zone. Danny had actually become friends, of sorts, with the Hawks. They had even worked together on a couple of cases together! They taught Danny a lot; including how to be a better detective, and he, in turn, shared what he learned with Tucker and Sam. Turns out, the two Hawks were law enforcement officers on their homeworld of Thanagar. Since then, Danny had several adventures of his own.

He had stopped Technus from taking over Amity Park (again); he, Tucker, and Sam had freed a kingdom in the Ghost Zone (Danny still couldn't believe he was friends with a dragon!); Tucker had been taken over by a crazy mummy ghost named Hotep Ra; unfortunately, Vlad was back to his evil ways. He had infected Tucker and Sam with Ecto-Acne, in order to force Danny to find a cure, and then, he tried to make a clone of Danny! The clone came out as a girl named Danielle, or Dani-with-an-'i', who also had ghost powers. She was currently exploring the world, with the promise of coming back. This worried Danny very much, but he couldn't have stopped her if he tried.

And then, oh, ho-ho, then came the incident with Freakshow. The nutty ringmaster had gotten hold of a mystical relic called the Reality Gauntlet. He kidnapped Danny, Sam, and Tucker's families, and tried to alter reality to his whim. Thankfully, Team Phantom stopped him, and destroyed the artifact, and Freakshow went to prison. For all of two weeks.

Somehow, Freakshow had fandango-ed his way into getting an early release. Now, he was taking his circus train, and leaving Amity Park. According to the destination manifest he and Tucker had hacked into, the circus train was headed for Gotham City, way out on the east coast. What in the world would that nut want there? Danny had decided he needed to follow him to Gotham, and stop whatever twisted schemes he had planned.

As luck would have it, Danny and Jazz's parents were in London at the World Paranormal Investigator's convention. It was month long convention for all things paranormal, something his parents had been planning for for over a year. It was the middle of summer, so Danny didn't have to worry about school, and Jazz would cover for him, as she had been left in charge.

Sam and Tucker would be his support over the Fenton Phones. Jazz loaned him her credit card, and he had built a utility belt with all the Fenton gadgets he would need. Secretly, he was looking forward this! Maybe he would get the chance to throw the ringmaster into Arkham Asylum, or maybe he would get into a fight with Killer Croc! Or beat up Two-Face!

He also had prepared for a possible encounter with the Dark Knight himself, Batman. Danny had an idea about who the man behind the bat was. According to Sam, a couple years ago, her parents and she were at some rich to-do gala that billionaire Bruce Wayne had thrown. Every rich jerk in the world was there, even Lex Luthor. Then, when the Riddler and Penguin attacked a bank down town, Bruce Wayne had suddenly disappeared, and was gone for the rest of the night. While this alone didn't prove anything, Danny generally trusted Sam's intuition. She was easily one of the sharpest people he knew.

But that was not something he was dwelling on at the moment. Gotham was such a busy place, Batman likely wouldn't even know he was there. Or, maybe he would. He was the world's greatest detective, after all. As Freakshow's creepy black and green train left the station, Danny flew the Specter Speeder, keeping it invisible, and began to trail the train. Thankfully, he could recharge the Speeder with his own ecto-energy, so he didn't need fuel.

Maybe Danny underestimated how far Amity Park was from Gotham. The train slowly made it's way through Keystone City, and only stopped every other small town over night. Danny was exhausted by the time they reached Fawcett City, which was just outside Metropolis. He had been gone for near of a week. Next stop, Gotham City...

Gotham wasn't quite as creepy as Danny thought, as the train arrived at around 7:30 at night. Rainy, yes. But honestly, Danny was expecting more creepy gothic architecture. It was actually not too bad. 'Yeah, right,' Danny thought. If it wasn't that bad, the city wouldn't need Batman. The train stopped at the train depot, and Danny set the Specter Speeder down on the roof of a nearby abandoned warehouse, leaving it in cloaking mode.

Danny put on his new white cloak Sam had made for him. He actually based the design on the Spectre's cloak, only white; a billowing ankle length cloak, with a large hood that curved down to a point over his forehead, leaving most of his face in shadow, with only his glowing green eyes visible, while the inner lining of the cloak was black, matching his jumpsuit.

Danny turned invisible, and crouched down on the roof. Danny pulled out a pair of Fenton Binoculars, and saw Freakshow leave the train yard, with his ghost assistant, Lydia, wearing her trademark cloak. Freakshow was as pale and creepy as ever. He still wore the black leather trench coat over his Halloween-orange shirt, and matching bowler hat and boots. The two managed to wave down a taxi cab. Lydia and Freakshow climbed inside. Evidently, he didn't want Lydia drawing attention to the fact that she was a ghost, yet still wanted her nearby.

Danny took to the sky, following the cab over head. Eventually, the cab pulled up in front of the Gotham Royal Hotel, and the two went inside. Danny landed on a nearby roof top, crouching down, watching for any sign of Freakshow or Lydia. 'Quite a ritzy joint,' he thought. How could Freakshow afford to stay in a place like that? More importantly, why? He had his whole personal train car to himself. Danny pondered these things for several moments.

"Hey, Danny," came Sam's voice over the Fenton Phones. "What's going on now?"

Danny put his finger to his ear, and answered back, "Hey, not much. Freakshow just went into the Gotham Royal Hotel. Not sure why, though."

"Think he's meeting some other super criminals?" asked Tucker.

"No clue," Danny replied. "Maybe he just wants a taste of luxury for the night. But that doesn't answer where he got the money for it, though. I'll call back when I find out more." He cut the transmission, before considering his options. He could fly through the hotel, invisible, until he found Freakshow. But he didn't want to risk Freakshow somehow knowing he was there. If he or Lydia sensed him, then he would risk putting other people in danger if things turned violent. Then, he would also be to blame. He didn't want Batman or the GCPD coming after him.

The rain had finally let up. Danny turned himself intangible to dry himself off. He also let up his invisibilty, deciding he was safe enough for the moment, but he remained crouched down. Then, a dark shadow appeared silently behind him. Danny wouldn't have noticed, but he saw the shadow's refection in the rain puddle next to him. 'As if on cue,' Danny thought to himself.

The Batman had arrived.

The Dark Knight stood silently, observing the mystery person in front of him. Danny sighed, containing his excitement, and decided to play it cool. He slowly stood up, and faced the Caped Crusader, floating at eye level with him. Danny noticed that, in person, Batman wore a long black shiny cape with blue inside lining that flowed several feet behind him, gray kevlar spandex, a yellow utility belt, and a black bat symbol on his chest, surrounded in a yellow oval.

In short, he was every bit as cool and intimidating as you would imagine. Batman's eyes widened slightly at the sight of the being in the white hooded cloak with glowing green eyes floating in front of him, but otherwise made no expression. The two stared each other down for a long moment, neither making a move. "I suppose this changes things," Danny said, coolly.

Batman scowled. "Not really," he answered, his voice growled like ice. Moving so fast, Danny barely registered the movement, Batman handcuffed him. "Your coming with me," Batman said. "I have some questions for you." Danny looked down at his shackled hands. He turned them intangible, and the handcuffs phased right through, clattering on the ground. Again, Batman's eyes widened. Danny smirked, and punched Batman, sending him flying back into the wall! Batman grunted as he landed on his feet.

Danny walked past him. "What," he teased, coyly. "You look like you've seen a ghost." Batman through a bolas at Danny's feet, tripping him up. Batman was immediately on top of him, grabbing Danny by the cloak, his hood falling back.

"I'm not superstitious," Batman said.

Danny used his incredible strength to haul them both off the ground to their feet. "No," Danny said. "But you are paranoid." Danny then launched them both towards the fire exit, knocking it off it's hinges. The two plummeted to the ground. Batman landed on his feet. Looking around, he saw the kid running around the corner. Narrowing his eyes, Batman launched his grappler.

Danny rounded another corner, knowing full well he hadn't lost Batman. This was fun! 'Holy crap,' Danny thought. 'I just punched Batman!' Suddenly, Batman landed in front of him, stopping Danny dead in his tracks. "You're fast," Batman said. "I'll give you that." Rather than running away, Danny grinned and flew up into the air, fast. Batman narrowed his eyes."He can fly, too," Batman said to himself. "Great."

Danny was grinning as he flew above the city. "Oh, man," he said. "How awesome was that? Hmm?" Danny heard an engine behind him. He glanced back to see the Bat-wing coming up fast. "Alright," he said. "Let's see if you can keep up." With that, Danny pushed ahead, speeding up.

The Bat-wing sped to catch up. Inside the cockpit, Batman narrowed his eyes. 'He's toying with me,' he thought. 'He's not trying to get away.'

Danny Phantom flew in several tight maneuvers, the Bat-Wing following suit. Danny decided to take a risk. He dove towards the city, flying in between buildings. Smiling, Danny flew straight at the side of a skyscraper, and turned intangible. Batman watched in shock as the kid flew through the wall. He turned the Bat-wing on it's side, skimming the side of the skyscraper.

On the other side, Danny held back as he came out of the building. He watched, proud of himself, as the Bat-Wing rocketed past, flying away from Danny's location. Chuckling, Danny flew away. He thought he was in the clear, when a large net caught Danny from above! Danny was surprised, and crash landed in a nearby park.

Danny shrugged the net off, and stood up. He scanned the skies, but saw no trace of the Bat-wing. Turning around, he found himself once again face-to-face with Batman! "I can do this all night," Batman growled, throwing a punch. Danny turned intangible and invisible, causing Batman's punch to miss.

"So can I, dude," Danny's dis-embodied voice replied.

"So it would seem," Batman said. "But why waste time?" He spun around to see Danny floating in front of him, white cloak billowing. "Who are you?" demanded Batman.

Danny looked the Dark Knight dead in the eye. "My name is Danny Phantom," he said. "I'm one of the good guys, just like you, Bats."

"That remains to be see," Batman replied. "You're the one who threw the first punch."

Danny shrugged. "And you're the one who handcuffed me," he said. "I don't take well to that sort of thing."

Batman continued to glare at Danny. "Understandable. What are you, exactly? Density shifting isn't easy. You fly like Superman, but his legs don't merge into a tail when he flies. And your eyes glow green; his don't."

Danny shook his head. "I'm no alien," he said. "I'm a ghost."

Batman looked skeptical. "You expect me to believe that?" he asked.

"It doesn't matter if you believe it or not," Danny replied, shooting Batman a glare of his own. "It's the truth!"

Batman returned the glare. "Fair enough," he said. "But forgetting what you are for a moment, why are you in Gotham?"

"I'm tracking a very dangerous criminal, called Freakshow," Danny replied. "I've followed him and his circus all the way from my city of Amity Park. Unfortunately, I'm kinda at a loss of what to do next."

Batman sized the small hero up for a long moment. "You're telling the truth," he said, finally. Batman could read most people like a book. He could see the kid wasn't lying. "Come with me."

Danny looked at the Dark Knight, bewildered. "Where?"

Batman pressed a button on his utility belt. "My place," he answered. Suddenly, a loud engine roared around the corner. Probably the most impressive, sleek black vehicle Danny had ever seen pulled up. "Get in," Batman said, heading toward the Batmobile.

The vehicle was as black as a starless night with red trim, with wheels that looked like they were used for climbing mountains. On the back where the trunk should have been appeared to be a rocket tail-pipe. The head lights were bright, blue LED's, and the grill looked vaguely menacing. On the back of the roof, a large wing-shaped fin sailed along the back half of the car. Danny grinned, as he climbed into the passenger seat.

"Nice ride," Danny said. Batman said nothing. Danny noticed he couldn't see out of any of the windows. "Uh," he said uncertainly. "How are you seeing the road?"

Batman glanced at his passenger. "Computer auto-drive," he said. Batman gestured towards the dash board. "Internal sensors see the road, so I don't have too. I don't want you to see where we're going until we get there. Still not sure I can trust you."

"Cool," Danny said. Batman raised an eyebrow, confused. "Uh, not cool that you don't trust me; cool that the Batmobile can drive itself!" Batman said nothing in response. The ride back was very silent, and very uncomfortable. For Danny, at least. On one hand, he was ecstatic to be working with Batman! On the other hand, he was very concerned that Batman didn't like him very much.

After what seemed like a half hour, the Batmobile came to a stop. "We're here," Batman said, exiting the car. Danny followed, looking around at nothing but darkness. "Lights," Barman said. Suddenly, the room filled with light, revealing the Bat-cave!

"Whoa," Danny said in wonder. "I can't believe I'm actually in the Bat-cave!"

Batman sat down at his computer console and began typing, as Danny looked around in awe. "So, this criminal, Freakshow," Batman said, calling Danny's attention. "What's his story; what do you know about him?"

Danny floated over next to Batman. "His full name is Frederich Isak Showenhower," he said. "He owns and operates a circus called 'Circus Gothica'. He's also it's ringmaster. He was arrested about six months ago for bank robberies in Amity Park, as well as child endangerment. He escaped about three weeks ago, when he, well... Let's just say I caught him."

"Here he is," Batman pointed to the screen, showing Freakshow's mugshot. "Strange," he said, rubbing his chin. "It says here that he was released on good behavior, but with the charges against him, as well as escaping prison, he shouldn't have been eligible for any kind of early release..."

Danny nodded. "I know," he said. "That's why I followed him here. It's painfully obvious he pulled something to get out, but why come to Gotham, of all places? I mean, I know it's the creepiest, most crime-ridden city in America, but come on!"

Batman had no answer for that. "Did he try to set up his circus in any of the cities between Amity Park and here?" he asked Danny.

"No," the young hero said. "At most, he stopped to resupply and rest, but he didn't set up. Barely even left the train yards. He hardly even stoped, too. Sped right through Midway, Keystone, and Central cities. He stopped in a few smaller towns like I said, and once in Fawcett City."

"So he made a bee line here," Batman said. "Meaning he was planning to come here all along." Batman didn't like when criminals from outside Gotham came to his city. It meant he had learn everything about them in a very short period of time; plus keep track on the criminals who already lived here.

"Hey, uh, Batman," said Danny. "Why did you bring me here. From what I've read, you're not exactly the trusting sort. Yet, you seem to trust me, at least enough to want to help me." Batman didn't say anything for a moment. Then, he stood up from his seat and faced the young ghost.

"You're right," he said. "But you followed a criminal half way across the country because you knew he was up to something, but couldn't put your finger on it. You followed him to make sure he didn't harm anyone. To stop him if he tried. Not because you felt like it; not because it was easy or not. But because you knew it was the right thing to do. That's what I would have done. Any other hero would have let a criminal like him go, happy that he was out of their city, and hope the police or another hero would stop him. But you didn't. And that's enough to let me know you're to be trusted."

Before Danny could say anything, another engine roared into the cave. It was a red motorcycle. On it was two figures. They also wore costumes, and appeared to be the same age as Danny. One was a boy, wearing a red, green and yellow outfit with the letter R on his chest, with a black and yellow cape. He had black spiky hair and wore a domino mask over his eyes.

The other rider was a girl, wearing a purple outfit similar to Batman's. Her shirt was long, and came down in a skirt over matching purple tights with tall boots. She had a yellow utility belt, and the Bat symbol on her chest was also yellow. Her cape and mask were jet black, as were her gloves and boots. She also had red hair coming out behind her mask. The two jumped off the bike, and were talking with each other, neither noticing Batman and Danny Phantom watching them.

"I told you those Penguin's goons would try run when they saw us," the girl said.

"Yeah, right," the boy replied. "Because you're so intimidating."

The girl glared at her partner. "Says the guy dressed like a street-light. At least I'm dressed the part!"

"Hey," the boy shot back. "Don't mock the colors! These are my family's colors! Have been for years!"

The girl held up her hands, realizing she crossed a line. "Sorry," she said. "At least we won! Left Penguin's goons tied up for the cops, just like the big guy told us! Thank goodness for the Bat-Wave he loaned us, or else we wouldn't have found them!"

"Ahem," Batman said, drawing the pair's attention. They stared at Batman and his company, like kids with their hands in the cookie jar. "Uh, hey, Batman," the girl said. The boy looked between Batman and the floating guy. "Uh, Bats," he said. "Who is this?"

Batman gestured to the figure in the white cloak. "This is Danny Phantom," he said. "He's tracking a criminal called Freakshow from his city of Amity Park. He needs our help finding out why Freakshow is here in Gotham." He turned to Danny. "These are my proteges, Batgirl and Robin. And they're late."

Danny nodded to the two. "Uh, hi," he said.

"How are you floating?" Batgirl asked.

"He claims to be a ghost," Batman said.

Batgirl gasped, "A ghost?!"

Robin laughed. "Yeah, right! If you're a ghost, prove it!"

Danny sighed. "Fine, but you asked for it." Danny suddenly vanished.

The trio glanced around the Bat-cave. "Where did he go?" Batgirl asked.

Danny then silently re-appeared behind Robin. Leaning in, he said, "Boo." Robin yelled, and jumped several feet in the air. Batgirl covered her mouth as she tried not to laugh.

"Impressive," came a new voice. An older gentleman in a butler's suit stepped out of the elevator, carrying a plate of sandwiches and cookies. "And here I thought I was the only one who could sneak up on young Master Robin."

"Who are you," Danny said.

The older man nodded. "My name is Alfred, sir," he introduced himself. "I assist the Batman and his young friends, when needed. I also keep the Bat-Cave tidy, and wash the capes."

"Batman has a butler?" Danny asked. "Cool!"

Alfred smiled. "Indeed, sir. And, I thought some sandwiches and cookies were in order, after a long night of fighting crime."

"The nights not over yet, Alfred," Batman said sitting back down at his computer. "We're working on a new case."

Alfred sighed. "Of, course, sir," he said, setting the tray on a nearby console. "I'll just leave these down here. I'm sure the young master and lady, as well as our new guest, would like to eat before going back out. And do try to eat, as well, sir. It would do no good for Gotham's Dark Knight to have his stomach growl while beating up criminals."

"I'm sure I'll be fine, Alfred," Batman said, typing on his keyboard.

Batgirl and Robin dove into the food like they hadn't eaten for a week. While in his ghost form, Danny didn't need to eat, so he wasn't hungry. "So," Robin said between bites. "Who's this Freakshow guy?"

Danny cast his gaze to Freakshow's mugshot on the monitor. "He's a deranged ringmaster," Danny explained. "He once tried to control me with a creepy staff. Luckily, I broke free, with some help, and destroyed his staff. He's wanted revenge ever since."

"That still doesn't explain why he's in Gotham," Batgirl said, swallowing a cookie.

"No," Batman said. "But he's checked into the Gotham Royal Hotel. We need to find out why."

Robin looked at Danny, who was floating nearby. "If you're a ghost," he said. "Couldn't you just fly in to his room invisibly and find out what he's up to?"

Danny shook his head. "No," he said. "Freakshow has his assistant with him. Her name is Lydia. She's a ghost, too. She would sense me long before I got into his room."

Batman stood up, and walked over to the trio. "Which is why we're going in instead," he said. "Phantom, what can this Lydia do? Do all ghosts have the abilities you exhibited earlier tonight? What can we expect?"

Danny nodded. "Yeah," he explained. "All ghosts can over-shadow people, turn invisible, fly, and turn intangible; meaning we can go through anything. And I mean anything."

Batgirl looked confused for a moment. "Over-shadow?" she asked. "You mean like, possession? Taking over someone's body and stuff?"

"Exactly," Danny confirmed. The Bat family looked unnerved by that information. "Also," he continued. "Certain ghosts have abilities unique to them. Meaning, Lydia can control her tattoos. They come to life, so to speak, and do her bidding. I can't do something like that."

Okay," Batman said. "What can you do that she can't?"

Danny smirked. "Well," he said. "I can shoot ghost rays out of my hands." To demonstrate, he raised his hand and shot a green ray out of his fist at the floor several feet away."

"Cool," said Robin. "We know what Freakshow looks like," he said. "What does Lydia look like?"

"She's green and has lots of piercings," Danny explained. "She has pure red eyes, and her hair is gelled out into long spikes. She wears a black leather bikini and tall boots. But she almost always wears a long, red cloak that covers everything, even her face. And she never talks. Ever. Still not sure why."

"Alright," Batman said. "Let's not waste anymore time. Phantom, I want you as a look-out from the same building we met on earlier tonight. You're going to be our back-up. If something happens, and we can't fight against either of them, it'll be up to you to stop them. Here." He handed Danny an ear communicator. "We'll contact you for back-up."

"Wait," Batgirl said. "What floor is he staying on?" Gotham Royal was a huge hotel, after all.

"14th floor; room 1408, which means it's going to be hard to get to." Batman had already hacked into the Hotel computer files. With that, the heroes jumped into action. Batman, Robin, and Batgirl took the Bat-wing, while Danny flew easily beside them.

Batgirl was watching Danny out the window, unaccustomed to seeing someone flying under their own power. "Wow," she said. "I wish I could do that."

Robin glanced over at her. "Ooh," he said teasingly. "Got a crush on the ghost kid? Maybe you two should get a room while we're there!" Batgirl stuck her tongue out at Robin.

Batman sighed. "Settle down, you two. We're almost there."

They arrived on top of the hotel, and Danny flew off to the building across the street. The plan was to have Robin and Batgirl move through the vents, while Batman would be forced to go through on foot. Danny hated this, being the back up, but he didn't want to alert Freakshow to his presence. Sighing, he crouched down on the rooftop, pulling his cloak closer around him. The more he was in Gotham, the creepier it felt.

As they crawled their way through the vents to the 14th floor, Batgirl and Robin were speaking softly. "So," Batgirl said. "Do you trust this Phantom guy?"

Robin shrugged. "Sure," he said. "Batman seems to. That's good enough for me. Why?"

It was Batgirl's turn to shrug. "I don't know," she said. "Do you think he's a real ghost?"

Robin shook his head. "Nah," he said. "Seems too far-fetched, to me."

"Well," Batgirl said. "There's a first time for everything." They both stopped. "Wait," she said. "Do you hear that?"

Robin froze, and listened. "No," he answered. "What?" Then he realized. It was silent. Dead silent. Even for an air vent. Then he noticed Batgirl wasn't moving. Or breathing...

Suddenly, Batgirl swung around, and faced Robin. Faster than humanly possible, and before Robin could react, Batgirl lunged at him, hissing, her eyes glowing a bood-red...

Batman quickly, and silently, made his way through the hotel. He had a device that shorted out security cameras nearby, only long enough for him to slip by unnoticed. He hadn't noticed anything out of the ordinary. Yet. Finally, he made it to the room. It was a large suite, large enough for several people to hold a meeting.

Listening closely, he heard several voices. He heard one voice he didn't recognize. Must have been Freakshow. He then heard other voices. One was a slightly muffled, mechanical voice. 'Mr Freeze,' Batman thought. Another voice. A deep, Spanish accent. 'Bane!' Those were the only voices he heard. How did Bane and Mr Freeze get inside the hotel? They definitely stood out in crowd. They must have used the service elevator.

The fact that Bane and Freeze were here confirmed that Phantom had right in suspecting Freakshow was up to something no good. He listened closer. While he couldn't make out everything, he could make out certain things.

"- certain that this ghost technology will help my research to save my beloved wife, Nora?" Freeze asked.

"-guarantee anything; I'm no scientist," Freakshow replied. "Even so, any advance, not matter how small, is worth looking into," Freeze said.

Bane's voice was very easy to hear. "I do not care about your wife, Freeze. But I am willing to listen if you genuinely believe this 'ectoplasm', as you call it, can boost my Venom, Freakshow. Any advantage I can get over the Bat is worth a little dirty work." Batman scowled. This wasn't good. Bane was deadly enough as it was. He didn't need to get any stronger. Freeze was just in it to help his frozen wife, as usual.

"-you're voice down," Freakshow hissed. A long pause followed for several minutes.

"Ah, Lydia," Freakshow finally said. "-were right, dear man. We have visitors! So wonderful of you to catch the two brats, my dear!" Batman's eyes widened. Wasting not time, he kicked the door down. He rushed into the room to see Freakshow, Freeze and Bane with who he assumed was Lydia floating next to them.

Freeze was expecting this, and blasted Batman with a freeze ray from his gun, freezing him in a block of ice from the neck down. "Ha, HA!" crowed Freakshow. "Victor, Bane, my friends! You were so right! The Dark Knight Come-eth! You're reputation precedes you! And I'm so pleased to see you and I share a fondness for dark and creepy attire!" He took off his hat, and bowed dramatically. "Allow me to introduce myself. I am Freakshow, ringmaster, owner, and proprietor of Circus Gothica!"

"What exactly are you doing here in Gotham?" Batman asked.

Freakshow grinned. It reminded him of the Joker's grin. "Oh," he said. "I'm so glad you asked, because I wanted to waste all of our time explaining my evil plot! And you have such good timing! We just found your little brats sneaking around the air ducts!" He snapped his fingers, and Bane stepped aside, his massive frame moving to reveal Batgirl and Robin standing behind him. The two weren't tied up; they were just standing there, a dull gaze in their eyes. Their eyes... They were glowing red!

"What have you done to them?" asked Batman.

"I haven't done a thing. Yet," answered Freakshow. "It was my lovely assistant, Lydia. For a ghost, she can work wonders that will send shivers down your spine!"

Batman narrowed his eyes. "That's how you got out of prison so quickly," he surmised. "You had your assistant... posses the judge so you would could get released early. And you somehow got into contact with these two for some reason, and set up this meeting."

Freakshow applauded. "Bravo, Dark Knight," he said. "You're abilities as a detective are not to be scoffed at." He then turned to Bane. "Bane, my large friend," he said. "Would you please escort our caped crime-fighter to the service elevator?"

Bane grunted. "Why not just kill them now?" he asked.

"Bane," Freakshow said. "If we kill them here in the hotel, with all of our DNA at the crime scene, the GCPD will be after us all! While I love an audience, I'm not suicidal. We should get rid of them in a more... discreet manner. We'll take them back to the train yard. We can rid ourselves of them there, and be on our way to Amity Park tonight."

Bane shrugged, and leaned over Batman. "Soon, Bat," he growled. "Soon, I will break you once and for all."

"Don't count on it," Batman replied. In response, Bane slammed his huge fist at Batman's head, knocking him out. Bane picked up the block of ice, and lead the way to the service elevator, Freeze, Lydia, Freakshow and the two junior crime fighters in tow. Outside, Bane's henchman had a large delivery van waiting. Climbing inside, they signaled to the driver, and pulled away from the hotel.

After driving for what seemed like an eternity, even in Gotham traffic, the three criminals thought they should have arrived at they train yard by now. "What is taking so long?" asked Freakshow. "I've never been to Gotham before, but Lydia and I got to the hotel in less time than it's taking us to get back."

Then, the van pulled to a stop. The driver peaked through the window into the back, removing their Bane-gang mask to reveal a woman with chalk-white skin and hair that was died jet black on one side and blood red on the other. "We're right on schedule, honey-pops!" the woman replied in a high-pitched voice.

"It's that clown witch!" shouted Freeze. Before anyone could react, the van filled with gas, causing everyone to pass out, except Lydia and Freeze, who looked around in confusion. Bane then flopped over, pinning Freeze to the floor of the van. "Gah!" grunted Freeze, who couldn't budge Bane's prone form. "Get off me, you gargantuan oaf!"

The back of the van opened, and several armed thugs in clown masks pulled everyone out and tied them up. Lydia frowned, and prepared to attack. "Ah, ah, ah," came a voice from the crowd. "I wouldn't if I were you!" A man wearing a purple, green, and orange suit walked up, with a chalk white face, deranged eyes, green hair, and a sickening smile.

"You try anything, and your ring master will get a bullet in the skull," the man said, pointing a pistol at the passed out Freakshow. "Hmm, not sure why the gas didn't affect you, but hey, that's comedy! Right, Harley?"

Harley Quinn stumbled out of the van, woozy. "Yup," she slurred. "I don't know what ya put in that gas, Mistah J, but, MAN! Does it work!" She spun around once, and promptly face-planted on the ground.

Freakshow felt someone slap his face. He groaned as he woke up. "Where am I?" he asked. As his vision cleared, he saw a man with a sick smile on his face.

"Where are you?" the man said, before bursting into a fit of laughter. "You're in my world, now, ringmaster."

"The Joker," spat Freakshow. "I don't recall inviting you to my little get together. Why have you captured me?"

Joker just laughed harder. "Hello!" he exclaimed, gesturing to himself. "I'm the Clown Prince of Crime! You think a creepy circus roles into my town without me noticing? That's my thing! You're the pretender!"

"Please," Freakshow said rolling his eyes and sounding insulted. "I'm a ringmaster, not some lowly clown. You should be working for me! Of course, you'd have to change you're look. Too many bright colors. How does basic black leather sound?"

"That's where your wrong, Freaky," Joker said, smirking. "I make my audience smile. You just make them sick! Besides, there's only room for one anemic, homicidal nut-case at the top. Me!" Laughing, Joker turned to leave.

"Wait!" Freakshow shouted. "Where is Lydia? Where is my assistant?"

Joker waved him off. "Don't worry," he said. "No one's touched her. No one can, for some reason! But she won't try anything, not as long as there is a chance you'll be killed! Which, in all honesty, is probably going to happen anyway! Toodle-Loo!" With that, he laughed like a mad-man, leaving Freakshow with his thoughts, noticing two heavily armed guards walk in.

"Time to wake up, sweet prince."

Batman heard the Joker's voice, bringing him back to reality. He noticed he was still half frozen, yet. He still couldn't move his arms. "Joker," he growled. "I should have know you'd be in on this, somehow."

Joker laughed. "Hardly," he crowed. "I'm just awesome at taking opportunities when they arise. I heard about some creepy circus train roll into town, had Harley follow the owner to the Gotham Royal, and, BOOM! Here we are! Really, Bats, I thought you knew me so well!"

"Don't think you're going to get away with this," Batman said.

"Oh, put a sock in it," Joker spat. "Like I have anything to worry about. I have you, and you're two little Bat-brats."

Batman looked around. "Where are Bane and Freeze?" he asked his arch-nemesis.

Joker shrugged. "Freeze left. I had no reason to keep him around. No sense of humor on that guy! Bane, on the other hand, is still here; snoozing like a 500 pound baby! I've mixed some of my knock-out formula in with his Venom. He'll be out for hours!" Joker started laughing, slapping his knee. "I've even got one of my guys filming it, streaming it live on Youtube!"

Batman didn't share the levity. He was about to ask about Batgirl and Robin, when a loud scream came from another part of Joker's hideout. "Mistah J! Mistah J! Mistah J!" Harley came running into the room, disheveled and trembling, her comically large hammer snapped in half.

"What? What? What?" asked Joker. Harley pointed out into the main area of the compound.

"There's a ghost out there," she whimpered, hiding behind him.

"A ghost?" he asked, chuckling. "Really, Harley. You expect me to believe our hide-out is haunted? By whom? The snitch I killed last week?"

Harley shook her head. "I don't know," she said. "But he's got snow white hair and glowing green eyes! And he looks like a kid!"

"So you're telling me we're being haunted by a ghost kid with old-man hair?" Joker asked. "I think all that gas in the van may have been too much for you, Harley." He then suddenly slapped her hard, knocking her down. "Luckily, I know the cure."

Before anymore could be said, gunfire sounded, followed by yells of, "Ghost! Run!"

"Oh, for Heaven's sake," Joker sighed. "How's a homicidal maniac supposed to enjoy killing his arch-nemesis around here?" He turned to Batman. "Be right back!" As Joker left the room, Harley looked up at Batman, before she lost consciousness, and saw something she never thought she'd see. Batman smirked.

Danny grinned as he watched as Harley Quinn ran screaming out of the main part of the compound. Danny had followed the mysterious van after it pulled out of the Gotham Royal. Batman had left his communicator on when he busted into Freakshow's hotel room. Danny heard everything that was said. When he heard Freakshow tell Bane to take Batman to the van, Danny realized he needed to follow them, rather than start a fight in a busy hotel.

He was confused when the van took an unusual route, not heading for the train yard. When the van pulled into a seemingly abandoned warehouse, Danny knew something was wrong. He hung back, invisible, to watch the seen unfold with Joker and Harley Quinn. Once the prisoners were hauled away by Joker's men, Freeze left, not seeing any profit in staying. Danny formulated his plan. He saw several guards around Lydia, who was floating, looking unsure about what to do. She didn't want to put Freakshow in danger by trying to attack. Harley Quinn was still trying to regain her senses from the gas filled van.

Danny remained invisible, and quickly sucked Lydia into the Fenton Thermos, startling the guards. Danny then quickly knocked them out with two straight fists. Harley got up, and rubbed her head. "Oh, boy," she muttered. "What a night..." She was definitely dangerous, and Danny could sense through her aura that she wasn't in her right mind. Definitely a psychopath, like her boss.

With that in mind, and not wanting to hit a girl, (Ember and Spectra not withstanding), Danny decided to take it easy on her. He floated in front of her, his hood up, and his white cloak billowing. His ghostly aura lighting the room in an unnatural white glow. Harley jumped at Danny's sudden appearance. She pulled out a massive hammer seemingly out of nowhere.

"Hey," she shouted. "Who the hack are you?"

Danny pulled his hood down, revealing his glowing green eyes and white hair. "I'm Phantom," he said, his voice echoing. "And I'd run, if I were you."

Ignoring his comment, Harley said, "Nah. I'm just gonna whack ya like a mole!" She swung her hammer as hard as she could, but it just passed harmlessly through him. Harley blinked several times, and swung again. And again. And again. Nothing! "Wha-? Why can't I hit you?"

Danny chuckled her comment. "You can't hurt a ghost," he said.

Harley squeaked at his explanation. "A gh-gh-ghost?" she stammered.

Danny nodded. "And you can't hurt me, but I can hurt you!" He grabbed her hammer from her, and broke it in half over his knee with a large CRACK! He tossed the pieces back to her. Harley screamed at the top of her lungs, her hair standing up on end, as she bolted from the room.

Danny covered his mouth, laughing hard. After a moment, Danny heard Batman over his ear piece. "Phantom, Joker's heading you're way. Be ready. He likes to talk; don't let him get to you."

Danny turned invisible. "Oh," he said. "I'll be ready."

As if on cue, Joker burst into the middle of the room, looking around. Seeing nothing, he shrugged. "Huh," he grunted. "A ghost, my left butt-cheek." He turned around to see Danny Phantom floating before him, causing him to jump, slightly.

Joker pulled out a gun, but Danny swatted it away. Danny then blasted Joker in the chest with a ghost ray. Joker fell to the floor, groaning. Standing up, he said, "Who do you think you are?"

Danny shrugged. "I'm the Phantom that's gonna bring you down, Bozo."

Joker's smile left his face for a moment. "Don't call me that, you impudent brat," he spat. "Dead or not, if it's a whuppin' you're-a-wantin', it's a whoopin' you're-a-gettin'!"

He pulled out a razor, and charged Danny, who simply caught his arm, and kicked Joker between the legs. "Oof! What are you... doing?" the clown groaned.

"Fighting dirty," Danny said simply. "I do that from time to time!" He then pushed Joker away.

Joker rubbed his aching groin, while his smile returned. "Funny guy," he growled.

"Honestly," Danny said. "I couldn't say the same about you. You're pretty lame for a clown!"

At that Joker lost his smile again. Scowling, his charged Danny who turned intangible. "Little creep," Joker shouted. "Who do you think you are?"

Danny floated several feet way. "Oh, I don't know," he said, smiling. "Someone who's way better at making puns and witty banter than you."

Joker had had enough. He pulled out another gun. "Shut your trap!" Firing his gun at the ghost, Joker watched as the bullets said right through Danny, who turned intangible once more, floating higher in the air.

"I'm guessing you and Batman don't have that many long conversations, huh?" Danny commented. "Maybe that's why you're so fixated on him." He shot another ghost ray at Joker, knocking the gun from his hand.

Joker snarled. "Don't bother playing psychiatrist with me, Casper!"

Danny shrugged. "I honestly don't need a degree in some boring field to read you like an open book!" Danny had learned a lot from his big sister, Jazz. She was studying to become a psychologist, and Danny had to listen to plenty of boring things from her. Danny then vanished, leaving only his voice to be heard. "The real reason you keep doing what you're doing is because you can't make Batman, or anyone else, for that matter, smile."

The Joker began searching for the source of the voice. "I'm not hearing this," Joker said, worry creeping into his voice.

"Get a clue," Phantom said. "Batman has no sense of humor. He's called the Dark Knight, not the Smiling Fool! I don't think you could even make someone laugh if you payed them too!"

Joker gasped at the insult. "Shut up, SHUT UP," he began yelling. He looked around frantically. "Show yourself, brat" he ordered.

"Actually," Phantom continued. "You make me laugh a little. But only out of pity. You're kinda pathetic, for a super-criminal!" Danny then began laughing, mocking the Joker.

"Stop that," Joker screamed. "How dare you laugh at me!"

Danny continued his laughing, and said, "Why? I thought evil clowns like you wanted to make the good guys laugh!"

"You're not a good guy!" Joker howled.

"Oh, I beg to differ," Danny said. Returning to the visible spectrum, Danny whispered behind Joker's ear, "Boo!"

Joker shrieked, and spun around, only to be introduced to Danny's fist. The clown dropped like a sack of potatoes, unconscious. Danny rubbed his wrist. "That was so cool!"

"Impressive." Suddenly, Batman walked into the room, and unconscious Harley Quinn slung over his shoulder. Behind him were Batgirl and Robin, both still shaken from being over-shadowed, with a handcuffed Freakshow in tow. "I've never seen anyone get inside Joker's head like that before," Batman said. "Nice work."

Later, the GCPD arrived to take the criminals into custody. Batman explained that Freakshow spilled the beans about his plot to take Bane and Freeze back to Amity Park with him to take out Danny Phantom, in exchange for ghost-based weaponry, and that Joker and Harley Quinn were being taken back to Arkham, both rambling on about being haunted by a phantom. Freakshow was facing an even longer prison charges, as was Bane. Mr Freeze was still at large, but Batman would catch him soon enough.

The four heroes were on the roof where Danny's Specter Speeder was still cloaked. "Thank you for your help, guys," Danny said.

"You're welcome," said Batgirl and Robin. Batman just nodded. "So where are you going now?" the Dark Knight asked. "Back to Amity Park?"

Danny nodded. "Yup, I've got a long flight."

"Why did you want us to meet on this roof, specifically?" asked Batman.

Danny grinned "Well," he explained. "You have the Batmobile; I have the Specter Speeder!" He pressed a button on his belt, and the vehicle canceled out it's cloaking mode. "With this baby, I can go anywhere. In the air, underwater, and even outer-space! Well, maybe space. I haven't tried that, yet."

"Whoa, cool," said Batgirl.

"Wait, why does a ghost need a vehicle?" Robin asked.

Danny shrugged. "Why not?" he replied, not wanting to go into greater detail.

Batman stepped forward. "Have a safe trip," he said.

"Thanks," Danny nodded. "Be safe here in Gotham!" With that, he climbed inside the Speeder, waved to his new allies, and took off, heading for home.

"I so want one of those," Batgirl commented.

"No," Batman said.

"Aw, why not?" she whined. Batman glanced in the sky, seeing the Bat-signal shining. The three sighed. Some nights just wouldn't end. Without another word, the trio jumped back into action.

The trip back was uneventful for Danny, thankfully. He didn't need to go so slow getting back, so he managed to get home in under two days, bone tired. After telling his friends and his sister, Jazz, about Gotham, he all but passed out for a day and a half. When he finally rousted himself out of bed, feeling refreshed, his parents busted through the front door, grinning.

"Oh, MAN, what an awesome convention," stated Jack Fenton, Danny and Jazz's overly excitable father. "Too bad it got cut short because of rain, so we had to scurry on home! Boy, did you kids miss out, being stuck house-sitting!" Danny and Jazz exchanged a nervous glance.

Maddie Fenton, their mother, was equally excited. "London is such a nice place," she said. "But in all seriousness, kids, your father and I felt bad about making you guys stay cooped up here while we went to that convention. So, we've decided to take you kids on a trip!"

Jack held his fist up in excitement. "YES," he exclaimed. "Pack your bags kids. Road trip! We're going to Metropolis! Let you kids get a taste of big-city life!" Danny groaned, and Jazz put a sympathetic hand on his shoulder. "And, hey, Danny," Jack continued. "Maybe we'll get a chance to meet you're hero, Big Blue himself, Superman! Would that be cool, or what?"