Danny typed on his laptop, finishing the last of the days school work at the dining room table where Jazz allowed him to work.

He's been visiting his sister a lot, but his parents hardly noticed.

Despite his assurances to the League, Danny is still very uneasy around his parents. And the scar from the anti-ghost scalpel mixed with blood blossoms, long story short, it left a nasty scar that had him thank his lucky stars he went online for school.

It'd be a bigger hassle than he felt like dealing with when he would have had to try and hide it while he was in the boy's locker room changing for gym.

Just as he finished the last assignment of the day, he already got a good head start for the next, Danny stretched out his cramped back from hunching over his school work for so long.

"I'd say that's a good place to end for the day.", Danny sighed.

That's when his communicator beeped, Danny answered it by audio, not video.

"Phantom.", he answered formally, knowing the caller was Batman

"We have a problem.", Batman states no nonsense, as per usual.

"When don't we?", Danny said with a roll of his eyes, "Shoot."

"Lex Luthor and Ultra-Humanite have escaped prison together, causing quite a lot of chaos in doing so. Now there's a hostage situation", Batman explained, "Something bigger is happening, we could use the extra help. These two are Geniuses, we are going to have to be careful when approaching this."

"Got it.", Danny said firmly, his transformation already washing through him, "Where is my destination?"

"Sending coordinates now."

"Got it.", Danny said, looking through the coordinates on his communicator, "Be there as soon as I can."

"Make that soon."

…...

"Humanite, let the hostage go and I'll give you one of my men in return.", a police man said with a megaphone.

Danny floated invisibly closer to the on guard... evolutionist? The Humanite, just sticking with that.

"What do you take me for?", demanded Humanite, "A troglodyte? No deal!"

Panicking, Danny lunged forward, snatching the hostage from Humanite's grasp, although something in his gut told him that something about this was wrong. And it was more than the fact that the hostage was limp in his arms, but he could her feel muscles tensed as if ready to pounce.

Humanite went to aim the gun at the now visible Danny, having dropped his invisibility in his panic, but before he could try and shoot the two, a green light encompassed his hand, taking the gun from his grasp.

"What!?", exclaimed Humanite.

Danny looked up smiling widely at Green Lanter.

"Drop the weapon McGilla.", Green Lantern ordered.

Superman flew in and tackled Humanite, breaking the other half of the door, and Batman landed next to Danny.

Green Lantern flew above them.

"Look for other hostages.", Batman ordered.

"Right."

He flew in and began to sweep the building while Superman and Ultra-Humanite brawled in the middle of the main floor.

"How's the hostage?", he asked as he approached the two.

"She's fine.", answered Danny, "But something's not right. She's limp but her body feels tensed."

"Probably didn't want to resist.", Batman said as he placed a hand on the hostage's shoulder.

"Your safe now.", he reassured her.

"But you two aren't.", she said, revealing her face to have golden fur, black spots, and fangs.

With a hiss she swiped at the two heroes. Batman's armor protected him, but Danny received three jagged marks on his cheek, ectoplasm dripping down the side of his face. Luckily, they weren't deep and he was in ghost form.

The feline woman's eyes narrowed as she looked at the green fluid that acted as blood on both the teen's cheeks and her claws.

"What are you?", she hissed.

"Dead.", Danny said bluntly.

She smirked, not even realizing he meant it literally.

"You will be!", she snarled lunging forward.

The two jumped back, dodging another swipe, Danny's cheek healed and he wiped off the ectoplasm that remained on his face over the sealed wound.

The woman, Cheetah, Danny recognized her from the news, shed off the wig and coat. With a roar, she leaped at the two with two swipes, Danny knocked one aside and Batman dodged the other, but her claws managed to rip through the ends of Batman's cape.

Danny heard a hiss from behind, his instinct turned him intangible, the tail that came his way went through his body while Batman threw the man in a copper snake outfit through the air, landing next to Cheetah.

The two stalked forward, each snarling and hissing.

"Which one you taking?", Danny asked nervously.

Batman didn't have time to answer as Cheetah lunged at the two, Danny just barely managed to make a ghost shield in time. But she was quick to adjust, springing off and over the shield, which Danny than prematurely dropped to face the feline woman.

He and Batman going back-to-back.

The snake man, Copperhead Danny managed to remember, lunged forward viper quick, but Flash was quicker,

"Down boy.", Flash quipped, knocking the guy aside.

Taking advantage of Danny's distraction, Cheetah lunged forward, but was held back by a familiar golden lasso fastening itself around her waist, keeping her harmlessly in the air.

"Let. Me. Go.", Cheetah demanded with a grunt.

Danny smiled up at Wonder Woman who had Cheetah secured.

"Don't worry lady, it'll be over before you know it.", states Flash with a smirk before speeding off.

Danny saw Grundy try to lunge for the, still recovering, Superman. But Danny speed forward and tackled him down.

"You know, I've fought the dead before, but fighting the undead would be interesting.", Danny quipped.

Not answering, Grundy growled and lunged forward slamming a fist into Danny's middle, sending Danny flying back a couple feet.

"Okay.", coughed Danny, "Not the talking type"

He bursts forward flying straight for Grundy, dodging under one swing, and with a flying flip, Danny kicked Grundy in the chin sending him tumbling back. But Grundy grabbed Danny's leg and began waving him around like a rag doll. He hit the floor, a column, pretty sure he hit the low section of the ceiling at one point. Until he was final tossed through the wall.

I say through because he managed to go intangible at the last second and literally fly through the wall.

Grundy looked around scratching his head in confusion.

"Where did glowing boy go?"

"Right here ugly!", Danny shouted, landing on Grundy's back, arms wrapped tightly around his neck.

But holding onto the Zombie proved to be more difficult than Danny anticipated thanks to his size in strength. So in hopes to gain the upper hand, Danny's form split into four different Dannys. Two grabbed Grundy's flailing arms, one a leg, while the original kept his hold on Grundy's back.

Grundy ran around slamming his back against multiple walls, swinging his arms wildly in the air or into columns, and kicked his occupied leg, stomping it hard on the ground, in hopes to free himself from Danny and his three duplicates. The Dannys grunted with each impact, stomp, and swing but they all managed to hold on just long enough to gain the right leverage for the original to flip Grundy over and throw him to the ground.

The Danny's flew in the air, merging back into one, about to go back down to Grundy, but he felt himself get tackled to the ground.

He heard a hiss behind him, Danny quickly went through the floor and popped up behind Copperhead who tried to bite Danny's shoulder before he fell through the ground.

"Hey fang face.", Danny called.

Copperhead turned to Danny with an angered hiss, but instead he got a face full of Danny's fist, sending him stumbling back a foot or two.

Danny ducked under the tail swipe and shot an ectoblast at his chest, sending him tumbling to the ground, but he made no other move to get back up, having fallen unconscious.

The halfa was about to approach Copperhead's prone body when darkness overtook Danny's vision. Despite his enhanced eyesight, he couldn't even see his hand inches from his face if it weren't for the natural white glow that his body projects.

Barely even a minute later, a bright green light pushed back the darkness, revealing the villains to have all disappeared.

"They're gone.", Hawkgirl stated tiredly.

"Look here.", Flash points to Copperheads still body, "Still got one of them."

Danny looked to the side to see Batman on the ground, unmoving.

"Over there.", Danny said worriedly as he flew to the Dark Knight, Superman ahead of him.

"But they got one of us.", Superman said somberly.

He rolled Batman to his back, the man groaned as he did so. Danny bit his lip in worry as he took in the sweat rolling down Batman's face and how he was paler then normal. The rest of the league stared, just as worried, behind him.

…...

Wonder Woman, Superman, and Flash all had to practically force Danny to leave the tower. His pacing, grumbling, and continuous questions on Batman's wellbeing were no help to anyone and their own worries.

So, after much shoving, shouting, and persuasion, Danny left the Station to try and clear his head. He didn't want to go back home, it still very hard to be there, and he didn't want to detransform just yet. He wanted to be ready to answer the communicator right away when they inform him of Batman's final condition.

So, he flew down back to Metropolis, where the fight at the mall took place and sat on top of an unused chimney of an old abandoned building.

Then he just let himself think.

Despite Danny's part in the team, he knows that sometimes they just see him as a kid.

Honestly, Danny isn't sure how he feels about that.

Jazz has always seen him has her little kid brother, she practically raised him when their parents weren't there. So even though she realizes he takes care of both himself and the entire city of Amity Park, now the entire world ever since he became a member of the Justice League. But even with all that, Jazz will always see him as her baby brother rather than a responsible teen.

Valerie has saw him as a friend that needs as much support as she can give since he has taken even more responsibilities as a hero. She respects his dedication just as he respects hers. But neither of the two saw the other as a high ranking 'adult', face it, with all the crap Danny has done and has to face he might as well be an adult at this point, nor a kid with extra-ordinary abilities or tech/advantages. They both just saw each other as people that need the other to rely on in the chaos, they call their lives.

And his parents, Sam, and Tucker... Well, they just saw him as an oblivious idiot, his parents, or a high and mighty no-good teen with powers that he keeps to himself. Only good as an human shield against the bullying.

Enough said about those four.

But the Justice League, they always switch between the mindset of him being a kid, which he resents by the way, he's sixteen thank you very much, and as a capable a Leaguer along with the rest of them.

It's like they forget sometimes. Sometimes they forget he's just a kid, or they forget that he is a part of the team as well.

And honestly, Danny can't really blame them. He acts like them, especially during missions, at times. But then when he suddenly acts his age, it's like a curtain been pulled aside revealing another side of him, and no not his human one.

Speaking of his human form, will he tell the League? It is it lying when he lets them think he's full ghost when he's only a ghost as phantom and has a secret identity like the rest?

Maybe not. Sure, people like Green Lantern and maybe Hawk Girl might be disgruntled at having to learn he never corrected them and never told the full truth. But Danny feels like, if he explained it properly, they'll understand and see he was just protecting his secret identity. If anything, Batman might understand the most, if he doesn't somehow figure it out on his own. C'mon, he's Batman, if anyone would figure it out, he would. Superman feels to be a 50-50 chance and Wonder Woman and Flash may both be disappointed, but Danny felt they would understand.

At least, that's what Danny can deduce in a best-case scenario. Worst case they see him as a freak, or worse, a monster that endangers the Earth.

Danny sighs.

Maybe it's time he put a little more effort on his end. Give in a little more and stop avoiding the League unless he's needed. Only now admitting to himself that's exactly what he's been doing throughout the last couple of months.

Because, honestly? Danny never came to the Watchtower for social visits. He knows some of the league like to hang up there, either to keep Martian Manhunter or each other company. They all know the hardships of hero life, only they can sympathize with the others, having to hide it from their loved ones in their civilian lives.

Despite their support and how grateful Danny is for it, the League understand the positions he finds himself a little more than Jazz and Valerie. And maybe that is something he needs.

Maybe he needs to talk more, bare himself more to the League. Not all at once of course, God no.

God no. Danny may just have heart-attack, or would it be a core-attack since he would be in ghost form? Either way, Danny would find his half-life ending and he would become a full ghost if he tried telling the League everything all at once.

Baby steps.

They are slowly getting small hints and clues already about the kind of hero life he lives. Their little adventure in Atlantis made sure of that.

Let's just say, after they told Flash and Hawkgirl what happened, and they didn't leave out anything, it took a lot of convincing to keep Hawkgirl from flying off, despite not knowing the where and who, and beating the crap out of the ghost hunters that dissected Danny, his parents.

And when he says convince, he means Martian Manhunter, Superman, and Wonder Woman all had to hold her down so she wouldn't leave the tower and go on a manhunt.

Flash was still in too much of a shock to help and Green Lantern respected Danny's wishes and didn't try to leave as well, but that didn't mean he had to help hold back Hawkgirl.

It was the most Danny has ever seen Green Lantern smile, not to mention the number times he would chuckle at how much of a struggle it took to hold Hawkgirl back.

He rubbed his chest where the scar remained as a permanent reminder, his mind flashed to the worried looks the League had when they found out he was fighting while he was hurt.

Danny rubbed the bridge of his nose in slight frustration of himself.

He's so worried his mind can't focus on one thing. That's honestly not a good mindset to have.

Danny sighed again before looking up, his toxic green eyes glinting in the moonlight.

Baby steps, right? Well, he did need a distraction.

Danny checked his communicator, and it's been a while since he had gotten the message from Martian Manhunter reporting that Batman was okay but he went off by himself to search for more clues on the Injustice League on his own.

Again, Danny needed a distraction.

And the best distraction from hero and ghost work is doing something normal. Like, say... homework.

Like Danny mentioned before. Baby steps.

First stop, a quick trip to Jazz's dorm.

Sadly, that's when his communicator began to buzzed urgently. The alert was sounded back at the Watchtower.

Some other time then. But Danny promised himself that it would be the first thing he did, the next chance he got.

…...

Danny flew into the hangar and noticed the League's jet parked perfectly fine. Leading him to conclude the League, at least most of them, were already there.

Worry churning in his gut, Danny turned intangible and speedily flew through the walls, having no patience to wait for the doors to open.

First, he checked the main deck where all the monitors were, a quick scan and flyover told him that no one was there. He looked next was the medical bay.

He was lucky that his search was short. He found the entire League par Batman in the Medical Bay surrounding Martian Manhunter who lay in one of the beds unconscious.

"I got the alert.", he says in a way to announce his presence, eyes never once leaving Martian Manhunter's form, "What happened to J'onn?"

"We don't know.", Flash answered, sighing in frustration, crossing his arms.

"Batman is also missing.", Superman informed the League's ghostly teammate, "You wouldn't happen to know where he is, would you?"

"Not exactly.", Danny answered, "When I was kicked out, I asked Martian Manhunter to keep me updated via my communicator. A while ago I was told that he was well and left to investigate for more clues on Luthor's and his lackey's where abouts. I assumed you guy's knew."

Green Lantern nodded as if this confirmed something.

"The shuttle's gone too. He must've took it when he left.", said Green Lantern.

Suddenly the phone in the medical bay began to ring, causing all League members to flinch in surprise because of the tense and worrisome situation.

"That must be him.", Wonder Woman said in relief as she picked up the phone.

"Hello?"

The group waited as Wonder Woman listened to the other end.

"I beg your pardon!?", her voice rose an octave with underlying panic, "Where!? Hello? Hello!?"

"What did he say?", Superman asked, straight to the point.

"It wasn't Batman.", Wonder Woman said in a rush, "It was someone saying there's a bomb up here."

"Must be some kind of joke.", Flash assumed.

"Do you really want to take that chance?", Danny said pointedly with a raised brow.

"No.", agreed Superman, "This is serious, that's a secure line."

"Then what are we waiting for?", Green Lantern exclaimed incredulous as he flew through the air, covered in his green aura from his ring, "Spread out and find it."

The entire League flew out the medical bay except for Flash who ran with his super speed.

Being in an obvious hurry, Danny turned intangible and merged his legs into a ghostly tail for extra speed and flew quickly through every room. Not even taking the time to use the door and turn intangible, flying through walls ceilings and floors to the next room in his frantic search for the bomb.

Danny barely heard the others announcing the areas they've searched through his ear piece. Focused on finding the bomb.

"I found nothing in the sleeping areas, lounge, kitchen, and dining area.", Danny listed as he spoke though the comms.

Having gone through the smaller areas of the Watchtower, just in case while everyone else took the bigger ones.

"Keep looking.", Green Lantern ordered.

Danny was just on his way to check the multiple labs when Green Lantern's voice, freezed him in mid-flight.

"Wait. I've got a thermal pattern.", Green Lantern's voice brought hope to Danny.

He quickly changed his destination, heading to the hangar where Green Lantern was searching.

"It's faint but- Flash!"

Danny flew through the ceiling just in time to see flash speed into the hangar, grabbing a yellow briefcase.

"I'm on it!", he cried without needing Green Lantern say anything else.

He speeds to the hangar doors while Superman flew to the controls slamming his hand down on a certain button. The doors opened and Flash skidded to a halt, throwing the brief case out the doors, allowing the suction of space to suck it out and into the safety of space.

Flash was almost pulled out as well if it weren't for Danny quickly flying to his side and catching him from underneath the arm pits. Closing his eyes while Flash shielded his own just as the bomb made a large explosion right next to the Watchtower. Causing the giant space station to shake from the shockwave.

You'd think the explosion would last longer from what Danny has seen in the movies. But he's learned a long time ago that explosions last about as long as a blink of an eye. It's the destruction afterwards that lasts a while.

The two panted as they stared at the now empty space where the explosion just was.

Superman then closed the hangar doors with a loud bang. Flash looked up to Danny with a grateful smile.

"Thanks.", Flash says breathlessly.

"No prob.", Danny replied, not even glancing in Flash's direction.

That could've been them if they were just a couple of seconds too late.

Flash having noticed this tried to bring Danny from his dazed state.

He poked Danny's cheek with a teasing grin, "You can put me down now."

This successfully snapped Danny from his thoughts as he shook his head and swiftly brought Flash's feet back to the floor.

"Sorry.", Danny apologized his gaze still flickering anxiously back to the hangar doors now and then.

"Let's go back and check on J'onn.", Flash said as an distraction.

It worked.

"Good idea.", Green Lantern agreed while both Superman and Danny nodded as well.

It seemed the rest of the League had the same idea. Wonder Woman stood by Martian Manhunter's side while Hawkgirl was dialing on the Medical Bay phone just as Superman, Green Lantern, Danny, and Flash entered, all standing, floating in Danny's case, around Martian Manhunter's bed.

Hawkgirl sighed in frustration, hanging the phone back up.

"Batman's still not answering.", she reported back to the others.

Danny crossed his arms as he thought out loud.

"Who do you think did it?", he asked the question they were all thinking out loud.

"It was Star Saphire, Grundy, and the Shade.", J'onn's voice caused everyone to jolt in surprise as they looked down to the now awake Martian, "I saw them coming, then everything went black."

Having said his piece. J'onn closed his eyes, and fell unconscious once more.

"How could they have gotten in?", Wonder Woman asked.

"Only with one way.", Green Lantern said, "With Batman's transmitter."

Danny huffed irritably, "Now explains why he's not answering."

…...

Don't ask how, everyone else think it a little odd as well, but Danny was pacing in mid-air as he wondered if he could call on a favor from any of the ghosts from the Ghost Zone. He could always call for Wulf or Cujo again. But he had nothing of Batman's that could have his scent.

He really doesn't want to find himself in Technus's debt. The favors that guy called for are weirder than Danny feels like dealing and he likes to bargain a lot, losing time that the team may need.

"I know where he is.", Martian Manhunter said urgently, quickly sitting up.

The entire League were quick to pile into the jet and it speed off to an abandoned theater in Metropolis.

"There.", Martian Manhunter pointed, "Batman is definitely inside, and so is the rest of them."

"So it's a hostage situation.", Green Lantern observed, "They may try to use him as a shield."

"Not if I can help it.", Martian Manhunter said determinedly already starting to density shift.

"Wait!", exclaims Superman, but the Martian ignored him, already sinking through the roof.

"Should I go in too?", Danny asked, "They don't know that I'm a ghost and they don't have the tech that could catch or detect me. They wouldn't even know that I was there."

Superman just sighed with a nod.

"Keep a sharp eye out.", Green Lantern instructed sternly.

Danny gave a two-finger salute.

"Aye-Aye Captain.", he said mockingly, but his eyes were hard, focused.

And he turned invisible, causing the League to immediately lose track of him. Even Superman since Danny had no heartbeat to listen for.

Danny crouched on top of a sparking machine that hung over Batman, Humanite pacing several feet in front of the trapped Dark Knight. Danny's gotta admit, Luthor was not taking any chances.

"Batman.", both Batman and Danny heard.

Their heads snapped to the far corner of the room.

"J'onn don't!", Batman shouts just as the Martian lunged for him.

But Humanite was fast, wiping out a baton and stuck it through Martian Manhunter and electrocuting him despite the fact he was still in the middle of a density shift.

He collapsed to the ground unconscious.

At first there was silence before Danny finally spoke up, unworried.

"You'd think that would work on me?"

Humanite gasped as he searched the room for where the voice was. But no one was visible, and its natural echo, because the room wasn't right to be the cause, made him unable to locate the voice's origin by sound.

"I mean, I don't density shift, but there's still a small chance that thing could work.", Danny spoke, crouched casually on the sparking machine.

"Where are you?", Humanite shouts as he kept spinning in circles in vain to try and find him.

"Eh.", the voice replied, sounding unbothered, "How're yah doing Bats?"

"Fine.", Batman answered.

The floor shook and rumbled from above.

"Sounds like the cavalry has arrived.", Danny commented lightly with a grin.

"Go up and help.", Batman ordered the teenaged ghost.

"But what about-"

"Now!", Batman shouted, leaving no room for argument.

Danny sighed and flew up to the floor above, remaining invisible while everyone fought. He heard Flash scream along with explosions and whirled around to see Flash flying through the air, the Joker stalking over to where he landed with a wide grin.

Danny immediately flying over, tapping Joker on the shoulder.

"Wha-?", he turned, confused to find no one there.

There was another tap, but when Joker turned again, stepping away from Flash, he got the same result. One more tap, and Joker, turned frustrated to still find no one.

"Where are you!?", he shrieked in frustration.

"Here.", Danny said with a wide grin as Joker flew several feet back from a punch that he seemingly received from thin-air.

Danny reappeared, hands on his hips with a triumphant grin.

"Always wanted to do that.", Danny said smugly while Flash stood up from behind him, rubbing his aching head.

Danny raised his hands, which both his hands and eyes are now glowing blue as a bright blue beam shot at the Joker, who let out a yelp in surprise. When Danny stopped, his hands no longer glowing blue, and eyes when back to their toxic green glow, he smirked as Joker struggled uselessly, trying to stand up on the large, very slippery, piece of ice that now decorated the floor beneath him.

"Wow, good work kid.", Flash praised, eyebrows raised in surprise at the extra power that he was unaware of, "Keep forgetting about that trick or yours."

Danny shrugged casually, "Not something I use all the much honestly. I gained it later on a couple months after the accident."

Flash lingered for a moment at the mention of the cause of Phantom's death, but he was quick to catch up with the others. They both followed the others to a hole in the wall where Superman, Humanite, and an unconscious Luthor were Located.

"Freeze!", shouts Green Lantern.

Humanite tossed his baton to the ground and raise his hands without a fight.

"I surrender.", he said monotonously.

…...

Danny stood next to Batman as the group of villains were led by the police, properly secured, to the back of a truck, Humanite, being among one of the last to be led out, stopped in front of Batman.

"Wait.", he called out, before leaning towards Batman with a serious look on his face, "You'll keep our bargain?"

"Yes.", Batman said, "Double what Luthor was paying."

Humanite nodded with a wide smirk before being dragged off to the truck.

Flash tilted his head in confusion.

"What was that all about?", he asked.

Batman only smirked.

"Wow.", Danny shook his head with a light smile, "You sometimes scare me Batman, remind me to never get on your bad side. Something tells me that if not now, soon you'll find quite a bit that'd make my half-life miserable."

Danny didn't notice the small, but crucial slip. But Batman, Flash, and Superman all heard. Flash just thought he meant his death, Superman was confused, but decided to question his wording later, Batman wouldn't let it go, and knew he had some research to do on the Bat computer that night.