A/N:

Oops, I did it again. But good news this time! It's a bit difficult for me to keep the chapters the length I want them (at least 6,000 words) so I've decided to decrease my literary floor to 3,000 words. It certainly does mean many more frequent updates but also more cliffies! MWUAHAHAHAHA! *cough*hack*die*

Oh well, and if you are interested, I am writing other stories too but waiting to post until I get done with their fifth chapters. I have their summaries on my info page...my summary page...my PROFILE, yeah, profile page...that's it!

Story A) Profiling the Dead. Criminal Minds/Danny Phantom

Story B) The Brethren. Danny Phantom

Story C) The Mark. Danny Phantom

Story D) Unfamiliar. Justice League/Danny Phantom

Story E) That's No Ghost Portal. Stargate SG-1/Danny Phantom

And Collaboration A) Some Amazing Title We Haven't Come Up With Yet. Inuyasha/Justice League written by me and Night!

Yeah! Stay tuned fellow fanfiction lovers!

Mandatory Shameful Disclaimer: I do not own Day-Glo...nor Danny Phantom...nor Teen Titans or Justice League or DC Comics or Doctor Who...the last bit's not in there but since I'm already wallowing why not throw in my biggest love.

Chapter 6

Lifting the silver spoon to his mouth, he saw the bright green chives floating in the thick chicken broth. It tasted strongly like onions, fresh chicken, carrots, and roasted peppers. The entire meal was flavorful, more than most he had had before or he had made. The dining hall he was in was colorful and bright, vibrantly buzzing with a lively façade. Airy music played through the halls from some unseen source. Light shone gently through the stained glass windows, coloring the room. It was all quite distracting for Danny but not enough to make his mind forget about the throbbing of his hand.

"Ssssss," Danny hissed, immediately stopping reaching for the glass of water. Wa-water?

"Daniel, I told you not to stress the wound," a voice emitted from across the table. "Now eat only with your left hand until the burn has regenerated."

Danny's head shot up at sudden sound, gasping slightly at seeing Vlad of all people across from him. "Vlad? What are you doing here?" Wasn't I just…?

Vlad's movement stuttered at Danny's question. He quickly looked up at the boy and searched his face. After his assessment, he looked away—disappointedly?—and sighed, "It seems that your hand wound may have indirectly affected your state of mind as well…or is it just that your thoughts are otherwise preoccupied that you forgot that you came here of your own volition to wrap your wound and get some sustenance?" Vlad calmly placed his spoon down on the rim of his bowl and dabbed his mouth lightly with a cloth napkin.

Wound? I don't…, Danny was thinking before he was cut off by an annoying twinge in his right hand. "That's…right." He was slowly starting to remember what had brought him there: his walk, the glade, Bella…Bella! The deer bit him! But why did—Why did Vlad say this was a burn?

Danny coughed as he attempted to regulate his thought pattern, trying to make heads or tails out of this weird situation his was in. "Right…the burn. T-thanks, Vlad, for the fix up." This diversion resulted in the happy smile of Vlad and his continuing his meal.

"It is no problem at all, my dear boy," the man enthusiastically replied, making Danny slightly cringe and slightly grimace in distaste at the saccharine quality. "Just making sure that you are well cared for. Now, you should finish your broth. It's cooling and you were quite taken with it when it was introduced to you."

Vlad, with a new gusto, dived back into his soup only to be interrupted by Danny saying, "I'm—I think I'm good Vlad." He placed the spoon on a napkin to his left and stood, slowly moving under the sharp gaze of Vlad. "It's already," he started, looking at his watch, "6-o'clock!" He squeaked, drastically surprised by the hours and hours that had passed without him noticing. What could he have been doing for nearly five hours that he couldn't…could barely remember? "I have work to do at home and I'm sure you have some business to attend to."

Danny's head raised as he looked to Vlad's face at the end of his statement. Until then, Danny was moving to leave the man but was stopped by the cold waves of anger that seemed to radiate from Vlad. Danny thought he imagined it but could swear that the man's eyes flashed a deadly red for a millisecond before Danny schooled his expression from slight fear to a reaffirming smirk. "Wouldn't want me to get behind when I've come so far, now would we, Vladdie?"

The older man blinked in mild surprise, thinking about this statement in reference to another situation. "No, Daniel, we would not." Vlad raised from his place and motioned for Danny to follow him out of the dining hall and into the hallway. The seemingly long walk allowed Danny's mind to wander.

He tried to remember what had happened after Vlad had led him to the smaller mansion. He thought he remembered Bella escorting them to the front door and then returning to the forest. Vlad had lead him through the house to an upstairs lab that looked more like a chemistry laboratory stocked with beakers and fluids and bubbling experiments. Vlad had wrestled a first-aid kit from a drawer filled with graphs and data charts. He had told Danny to recline on a nearby chair, a plush piece of furniture made of black cured leather and shining silver metal. Vlad had gotten a helmet-looking contraption from atop a lab table. Danny worried about its use but his elder told him it was to monitor brain waves to see how the pain was affecting him.

Danny let the older man put the helmet on his head and watched him approach a machine on a nearby wall that seemed to put out data from Danny's condition. The young halfa would have thought it was cool, in a geeky kind of way, if he were not distracted by the increasingly uncomfortable tingling and throbbing of his right hand. After Vlad was satisfied with whatever tests he had done…Danny couldn't completely remember…nor was he necessarily sure about what he did remember. But he knew that Vlad had taken care of his hand and fed him, evidence being the bandage wrapped tightly around his hand and his now full stomach. He was still lost in his thoughts as Vlad addressed him to say that they had reached the front door.

"Daniel…Daniel!" Vlad abruptly called his attention. He worriedly scanned the boy for signs of any…lingering effects.

"Yeah, yeah, I'm right here," Danny grumbled, upset by his derailed train of thought. He stepped through the open door and paused, thinking about what he should do. "Vlad?" He asked, turning around after he had decided to figure out what the hell was happening.

"Yes?" Vlad's right eyebrow raised prominently as he looked nearly eye level at the boy, shocked that Danny hadn't ran off immediately.

The man's closeness and searching gaze deterred Danny from what he really wanted to was definitely not the right time to interrogate the man. "Thanks," Danny whispered, barely loud enough for Vlad to hear, as he shuffled his feet. "You know, for patching me up and the food." Danny let the air settle after he was done, deciding it was better to leave whatever happened alone…for now…and leave while he could. He turned quickly and ran off before Vlad could say anything else and skyrocketed across the man's yard, running towards the city.

After Danny felt he was a significant distance away from the mansion, the edifice's outline in the background of the landscape, he slowed down to a jog, then a walk, and then stopped. He was on a major highway that connected more eastern cities to Amity Park; very few cars were passing. It was an early Sunday evening and not many people went out of town then. As Danny's heartbeat slowed, he tried to organize his thoughts from the more than disappointing morning, to the walk, the inner mental struggle, the run, the music change, the glade, the deer, Bella, Vlad, the wall, the house…it was all blurry. His memories reminded him of the aftereffects of strong electrocution or drugging. However, Danny couldn't feel any lingering shocks or drowsiness that would have been evidence of either two.

But what doesn't make sense the most? Danny wondered, grasping at straws that crumbled as soon as he glimpsed at them. He had no physical evidence of anything…nothing from Vlad's house on him that he could strictly understand was real except for the remnants of the meal in his stomach and the gauze wrapped about his hand.

"The wound!" Danny's yell would normally have alerted those around him but he was a good forty minutes from the city so he was in the clear. Still feeling a stinging ache from his right hand, Danny slowly unwrapped the dressing. He belatedly noticed the slight green color of the bandages, wondering whether Vlad infused it with pure ectoplasm and if that truly accelerated the healing process.

I remember…Bella biting me, Danny thought, still slowly undoing the bandage. Is this amount usual for a minor bite? Danny's head shook as he told himself it wasn't; that it was too much. His hand was fully exposed now. Usually, bruises would have started out red then would have turned purple and blue. In the final stages of healing, it would have been a sickly mixture of green and yellow. This wound, on the other hand, was just an angry, irritated red. Instead of a jaw imprint, the red irritation looked like a splotch, almost like a hand. Danny guessed it was exactly the same size and shape of the hand of a certain millionaire cheese-head.

Anger and confusion surged equally through Danny as he fought the urge to go back to the mansion and teach the old man a lesson. But the anger quickly dissolved as confusion reigned in his mind. How had a bite wound from a more than opinionated deer turned into a burn wound…most likely ectoplasmic…from an old creep. This is just too weird…It's not like I don't have enough on my plate at home and school to deal with. Now Vlad's being loopy again? There's only so much a 16 year old halfa can handle.

With the new disturbing revelation, Danny turned to his left, letting go of the bandage and letting the burn wound heal in the open air. He shoved his hands in his pockets, making sure his keys, wallet, phone, and ear-buds were still there. Reassured, he placed his ear-buds firmly in his ears and cranked the black metal radio on Spotify, drowning out his thoughts and lingering suspicions in the wild growls, melancholic opera, and heavy instrumental of Dimmu Borgir.

When Danny had finally returned home, his phone read 7:25. His return walk had taken longer than he had thought. The entire trip had taken longer than I had thought. He honestly just wanted to sleep the day off but he vaguely recalled an important test Monday in his math class and Mr. Felucca was very adamant in demanding their attendance and full attention. He unlocked the front door and entered the house, not fully expecting the sight that greeted him.

No one in Amity Park nor around the world could ever claim that the Fentons were a picturesque family. In fact, they were nowhere near normal. But the image Danny faced contradicted all of that. It was a glimpse into a normal, loving family settled around a dinner table in a warm kitchen. A loving wife was taking a normal but crispy and tender ham from the oven and placing it on a table that already had mashed potatoes, green beans, corn, and bread rolls on it. Her daughter, parentage unmistakable from the fiery red hair, laughed at something her hulking father had said as she looked up from her book. The father and husband laughed boisterously at his own joke and exclaimed loudly as the warm centerpiece of dinner was placed before him. The loving atmosphere reminded Danny of the time, a simpler time, before the Ghost Portal, before all of the secrets and lies and fear and disappointment and ambition that drove the family apart—well, him apart from the family.

He would have had it last forever, with him in it of course, but the sound of the door closing alerted the other residents of Fenton Works of the newcomer. At the sight of Danny, that loving image shattered. Jagged frowns broke out across the faces of the Fenton elders and the smiles waxed off all of their faces. The warm air quickly turned colder and awkward even with the heat coming from the recently cooked dinner.

No one spoke for a minute until Danny decided the silence was too thick for him to stomach. Jack had something else in mind, on the other hand.

"Danny," the Fenton patriarch called, slightly calm. "Can you come here...please?" He added after Danny hadn't moved near them. The sincerity and lack of loathing caught Danny completely off guard. Instead of ignoring his dad, he decided it was best to hear him out for whatever reason they had wanted him.

Maddie had placed down the ham and Jazz her book. The mother was standing slightly behind Jack as she was making her way to sit down but stopped to hold the shoulder of her husband. She looked towards Danny a bit forlornly and a tad ashamed.

"We got a call today from two of your teachers," she started, gesturing for him to sit down. Danny was prepared for the worse, nevertheless, as he took out his designated chair and scooted it out as reasonably far from the table and family as he could. Jazz did her best to send him a reassuring glance and made to reach out and pat his hand when she realized she was too far away.

"It's alright; it was just Mrs. Ahmed and Mr. Felucca." Jack looked directly at Danny, giving the still growing boy his full attention. "They gave us a...a..."

"Performance report, honey," Maddie supplied.

"Ah, yeah; that!" Jack exclaimed, looking almost expectantly for fudge Maddie normally gave him whenever he learned something new or fixed a mistake. She glared at him playfully a bit and told him to wait until after dinner to which he fake pouted.

"...And?" Danny asked, still peeved about Vlad and the wasted day.

"And, they told mom and dad about your near miraculous improvement," Jazz answered for the adults. "I didn't even know Felucca had a congratulatory bone in his body." The quip startled Danny a bit seeing as how Jazz was supposed to be the ultimate teachers' pet and kiss-up. But, then again, no one really liked Felucca.

"Jasmine!" Maddie mildly admonished before she turned back towards Danny. "But, yes; they did tell us of the increasing quality of your grades and your improved involvement in class."

She elbowed Jack to signal that it was his turn to continue. "That's right! And, of course we didn't believe them at first, knowing your track record but they said you were the best they'd ever seen you!"

The double edged compliment only made Danny grimace at his dad. They still hadn't said anything he hadn't already knew and he had other things he wanted to do, wanted to think about, at the moment. But, what happened next completely eliminated the thought of either.

"We're sorry, Danny-boy."

What?

"He said that we're sorry, Danny," Maddie said, affirming that Danny had just thought out loud.

"Oh...," he muttered, still kind of confused.

"We were so caught up in the past that we couldn't see how you were striving fervently to improve the present. We're not proud of what you have done...but we are proud of what you are doing and trying to do," Maddie relented as she sat down between Jack and Danny.

"You have a long way to go, buddy-boy," Jack stated, "but you're on the right track!"

"And that's what the dinner's for," Jazz inputted. "It's sort of a...what did you call it again, Dad?"

"A FSA: Fenton Supreme Apology!"

"Yeah...that," Jazz shook her head at her old man's antics.

That's it? Danny thought as his family continued to laugh and talk around him. That's all? Not that I'm not grateful or anything; I'm on speaking terms again with them...but that's it?

Jack reached for the food as soon as they were done apologizing formally but was quickly sidestepped by Jazz as she exclaimed that if he got it first, there would be none left for the rest of them.

They're not going to ask—?

"So what'd you do today, sweetie?" Maddie asked, breaking Danny's thought process, and handing him a ham slice.

"Hmmm?" He replied, weakly pushing his chair back up and raising his plate to meet the meat. "Oh...nothing much." She continued to stare at him until he continued to answer. "Just a run and walk around town is all, Mom."

"Oh," she nodded in mild approval. At least he wasn't doing anything shady or delinquent. "Well, you must have left fairly early since you weren't here when your father and I got up around 11."

I was asleep with Bella then...maybe.

"Yeah, I headed out pretty soon after I got up." He reached for the mashed potatoes after he talked to avoid any more immediate questions he wasn't sure he had any answer—honest or not—for.

Unfortunately, he had reached out with his right hand which, because the wound was ectoplasmic in origin, was not fully healed. He couldn't completely grasp the serving spoon without a grimace crossing his face as his hand twitched around the utensil.

"Dann-o, you okay?" The for once ever-astute Jack asked, bringing all attention to the mildly in pain Danny.

"Yea—"

"Oh, honey! You hurt your hand!" His mother doted on him, quickly grabbing a less injured area of his appendage to assess the damage.

"It's no—"

"Nonsense, Daniel," Maddie scolded a bit harshly. "Now what were you doing to cause you to get such a bad burn?"

If you think it's bad now, you should have seen it half an hour ago. "Nothing, Mom," Danny answered, quickly coming up with an excuse. "Mrs. O'Hara dropped a pie out of her window accidentally and I caught it."

"Good man!" Jack exclaimed, proud of his son saving the delicious sweets of the world over his own personal comfort.

Danny of course snorted at Jack's one-track mind, causing Jazz to laugh as well. She had thought she caught a glimpse of a tell that Danny was lying but she waved it off as hyper-vigilance.

As the night progressed, the air in the Fenton house just got warmer and warmer. Danny couldn't believe his luck! His family was his family again. No more awkward silences. No more harsh glares. No more active avoidances. But, as he sat there with his family, Danny's stomach curdled at the thought that this was just the calm before the storm...an even bigger one as the remnants of a halfheartedly eaten soup sloshed around his stomach.

Through the week, Maddie and Jack started to talk to Danny again and, much to Danny's unfortunate luck, involved him more with Fenton tech and ghost weapons. Jazz had even talked to him the days she was at the high school working as an interim guidance counselor and school psychiatrist. Mikey and the geeks and nerds had opened themselves a bit more to Danny, even going as far as to invite him to a Wizards' Dungeons & Dragons Chess match which he had no idea what it was. Valerie even started to smile at him even if it was from a distance. She voluntarily paired up with him once for an in-class group project in English class for which Lancer, to everyone's surprise, had given them an A due to its in-depth analysis and well-written conclusion.

On the Samantha and Tucker front however...well, can't you tell from them being called Samantha and Tucker?

They hadn't spoken to Danny at all. Wouldn't have even been in the same room if they could have helped it. Any sign of progress at the diffusion of anger between them was that instead of talking bad about Danny, they completely ignored his existence. Danny had thought that this was better than their aggravated assault on his name but came to the conclusion that being ignored was nowhere near better than being talked about. People have to actively care to love or hate you. But ignore you? No work needed.

Because of their still strained relationship, Danny found himself exploring different ways to get back with them and not back at them. None of the ideas he came up with though seemed to have any merit. Any and every time Danny made any mental or physical leeway in building up the courage to talk to Samantha or Tucker, his confidence was demolished either by a "polite" reminder of the nosy busybodies of Casper High or the annoying voice in the back of Danny's head which only grew as the days passed on. He gave up on the idea that their friendship could be rekindled immediately and just decided to wait on chance and circumstance. Knowing his luck, they would either be best friends forever in two weeks or no longer in each other's lives at all.

It was coming up on the middle of the following week that the entirety of Amity Park decided to shift their attention from the "Fenton Fiasco" and Danny Fenton at all to the upcoming preparations for Halloween. The spooky holiday brought in an abundant amount of revenue for the town; and, even with the decrease of spectral visitors, the mayor was promising very, very special festivities that no single person could forget. As was custom, all of the locals were planning for parties all around town: the adults at their clubs, the kids at their care facilities, and the teenagers at the populars' houses. Even Casper High joined in the revelry with their annual Haunted House that normally ran from 5 P.M. until the fireworks that would start at 11 P.M. Halloween night.

Even though it was just Wednesday and the holiday was not until Friday, the whole town was buzzing with excitement. Neither students nor teachers could focus on lessons or homework. Adults around town couldn't properly complete their work. Children couldn't play with abandon. Everyone in Amity Park had their minds solely set on the merriment happening Friday, that is, everyone but one. This left Danny Fenton to be, seemingly, the only one not caring about Friday. His mind was still running through possible scenarios of refriending Sam and Tuck. The only two things that detracted from his train of thought was the incident with Vlad and the weirdness his parents had been exuding since Sunday.

Both Maddie and Jack repeatedly reminded Jazz and Danny to be home on time Wednesday evening to help clean the house and fix an ectoplasm-free dinner. Jazz had just thought they were trying to instate a weekly Fenton Family Dinner. Danny was mostly thinking of Vlad. How had he gone past the giant brick wall twice without acknowledging it twice? How had Bella's bite turned into a burn? How had he let Vlad influence him so much? And since when did Danny even care about Vlad other than when the old Fruitloop was scheming something utterly absurd and over-the-top complicated that would end in an embarrassing mess for the coot?

But this line of mental questioning only made Danny's head run in circles, finding no ground or answers that would satisfy himself. So when the end of school came on Wednesday, Danny found himself forlornly staring at his locker, holding his phone in his hand after he had just read a text from his mother telling him to be home, showered, and dressed slightly formally for dinner. He had thought about reaching out the Sam and Tuck, especially since the duo's favorite holiday was coming up and their moods were lightening up. But now, he had to get home quickly for whatever was being planned that night.

Since it was Halloween week, everyone was wrapped up in making plans and hanging out with close friends so Danny met no resistance as he walked out of the hallowed halls of Casper High and through his part of the city. When he reached his house, all seemed normal enough…which was odd. Even with the ghosts' silence as of late, odd noises and weird flashing lights still came from the Fenton house. But now, the only lights coming out of the house indicated that the television was on in the living room. The only noises that could be heard were the over-excited newscaster reporting about a symposium that would occur that Saturday. The front door was surprisingly unlocked and the Fenton security system was disarmed so no glowing green goop landed on the suspecting young man.

He walked into the house and saw no one around but smelled a faint hint of smoke and burnt meat in the air. Confused and concerned, he called out, "Mom?" His heart started to race when Maddie did not answer. "Dad?" Danny's palms began to sweat as he gripped his backpack strap tightly. He got no answer until he called out again. "Jazz?" He was about to bolt through the house until—

"In here!" A slightly muffled yell came from somewhere near the kitchen. He followed the echo of the sound and saw the most hilarious scene. Half of Jazz, the back end, was wiggling out of a slightly smoking oven, feet barely touching the floor. Next to her were various cleaning supplies and a big black trash bag which Danny supposed held the smoldering remains of a failed dinner experiment.

"Still can't cook, Spazz?" Danny questioned between chuckles, barely hiding his amusement of Jazz's predicament.

"Yeah, yeah, yeah," she groaned in reply, crawling back out of the oven.

Her face did not do any favors for Danny and just caused him to guffaw louder. His hands clutched his stomach and he teetered, threatening to fall over, as Jazz puffed her cheeks and crossed her arms in indignation. Her face and arms were completely black, covered in soot and gunk and whatever else from trying to clean the oven.

"Yuck it up, Danny," she glared at him. "I'd like to see you get rid of this mess."

As she tapped her foot righteously, Danny's laughs settled down and he walked next to Jazz. Smirking at her haughty look at her predicting his failure, he placed his hand on the oven and simultaneously turned the oven intangible and sent a wave of concentrated ectoplasm that destroyed every ounce of dust or grime that touched, lived in, or settled under the oven.

At her speechless jaw drop, Danny chuckled once more and headed to his room, saying over his shoulder, "You'll catch up one day, sis…maybe."

He bounded up the stairs and saw his mom had laid clothes for him on the bed. It was a light blue dress shirt which brought out the icy blue of his eyes, sharply ironed black pants, black dress shoes with light and dark grey argyle socks, and a thin, white tie. Arching his eyebrow at the clothes, Danny sighed, dumped his bad on his desk, and moved to the bathroom to shower.

Sometime between his entering the shower and dressing, his parents had entered the house, making a slight ruckus, and had fully set the table for the evening dinner. Unlike usual, however, there were six places set, the table elongated to accommodate for the change.

He headed into the kitchen to see if anyone needed his help and was met with the antsy Jack fiddling with a long, fat, black tie around the collar of a Day-Glo orange dress shirt. At least he had switched out his usual jumpsuit outfit, reluctantly if the slight grimace on his face was any proof. His father yelped at Maddie smacking his hands away from the offending accessory.

"Honey, stop messing it up," she admonished. "I didn't struggle twenty minutes with you to tie it correctly for you to undo my hard work in one minute."

"I know, Sugar Buns," Jack whined. "But I don't see why I need to get all gussied up! If he'll work with us in our everyday clothing, I don't see why Mr.—Danny-boy! You look like a spectacular Fenton man!" His horrible concentration was broken by Danny walking into the kitchen area.

Maddie turned around, making the skirt of the teal dress she was wearing slightly lift at the motion. "Danny," she beamed lovingly. "You look so handsome! I wasn't sure what you were going to choose to wear tonight but I'm glad you have that." She walked over to him, circumventing the obstacle that was her husband. "You look so adora—no, you look so grown-up!"

"Thanks, mom," Danny sheepishly admitted, raising his hand to rub the back of his head.

Maddie went back to fixing the table and told Danny just to be ready for company, steamrolling over his questions and concerns about dinner. Jack returned to his seat, silently hoping, even though everyone else knew what he was doing, that Maddie would give him fudge if he did a good job impressing their guests tonight. Jazz appeared out of nowhere, trying to scare Danny but instead just mildly annoyed him.

"Mom, you need any help?" Jazz asked, skirting around Danny in a teal sweater blouse and simple black skirt with her usual hairband. Danny's mind faded out of the present and took a back seat on the family moment. The picture the four of them made was wacky. It was a strange hodgepodge assortment of genius and passion. It was odd and full of secrets and both good and bad memories. It was weird. It was family.

Danny belatedly joined in on a laugh at Maddie shooing Jack's hand away from the steaming turkey she had placed on the table, telling him that his impatience is what caused them to lose the first one in the oven. Jazz sat at her usual spot, to the left of their mother. Jack was on the opposite side of his wife. They all were facing the open archway connecting the dining area and kitchen to the living room, where Danny stood appreciating the three of them for being in his life.

He stepped forward, fully ready to join them and not stand on the sidelines of the moment, but was impeded by the ringing of the doorbell heralding at least one visitor. At the sound, his mother's head popped up and she asked, "Sweetie, if you could get the door, please?"

Danny groaned loudly in mock consternation and ducked to avoid the slightly charred oven mitt she had chucked at him. He chuckled and shook his head, reaching towards the door way. It was not until his hand was on the door knob and the door was slightly open that it finally hit him.

Mom didn't pick out my clothes.

But his surprise was interrupted by the broad shouldered image in front of him. The man turned his back around to look at Danny and had to slightly incline his head downwards to directly meet the gaze of the smaller teenager. Another face, much younger and around Danny's age, popped up from behind the man's shoulder. Both males, just like Danny, had the blackest naturally colored hair and blue eyes. The older's eyes were a deep cobalt blue not unlike Danny's father's and the boy's eyes were an excited ocean blue. The man moved slightly over so that the younger could be fully seen by Danny. He was short…about Sam's height even with her steel-toed boots. Both were dressed formally in expensive clothes. The older man had on a well-tailored black suit with a white dress shirt. He had on a thick, silk, black tie that momentarily reminded Danny of his father's cotton-blend one. The teenager had on similar black slacks and bright red shirt that was slightly wrinkled as if it were just thrown on but it was still clean and costly looking.

Grins, practiced—Danny could tell—grew on their faces in the split second it took for the observations to occur. Danny tried to keep his composure calm. Something was off about these guys and they almost made him feel kind of like Vlad did the first time they met for the reunion.

"Danny," his mother's voice carried from the kitchen. "Who is it?"

His face must have broken and definitely not into a smile because the younger man's posture slightly stiffened and the older gentleman's eyes lost some of their fake warmth.

The man took the initiative in the conversation and cleared his throat. He reached out his right hand fluidly but commanding and directed to Danny, "Ah, you must be Daniel Fenton. My name is Bruce Wayne and this is my ward Richard Grayson. It is a pleasure to finally meet you."

A/N:

Dun dun DAAAAHHHHH! Cliffie number...3...I think. If Night were here she would smack me but she's in Tennessee and I'm in Indiana so suck it! I mean...I love you just in case you decide to read this later on...On to replies and gratitude!

Replies to Reviewers:

scheffelman: I am a firm supporter of Robin and Starfire but iffy on Raven and Beastboy. So no on the Starfire and meh, I'll think about it on Raven.

Expergiscimini: 1) It took me so long to spell your username right -_- 2) Sometimes we have to save ourselves.

Poohbearmorris: When is the old Fruitloop ever up to anything good? And thank you for appreciating the mind fuck!

allietheepic7: They call him clueless for a reason. Naw, he'll stick around for just a bit.

The Dark Imperial: Anime is the savior for my boredom. I've taken to walking around random parts of my city and bringing my tablet with me so I can watch weird hilarity in public. And Danny's to sweet and not-Dan-like to be a total psycho killer...yet, my friend...yet.

Good Witch of Babble: Holy...alright, let me roll up my sleeves first. I am honored and completely befuddled as to how I have made you clueless. You have some good ideas though which I sort of am trying to use in this and the next chapter but you're still on the right, if however vague, track! I'm thinking of turning Bella into a somewhat spirit animal for Danny especially because I just realized that Harry's patronus is a deer and I see so many similarities between the two boys even if the seriousness level of their shows, books, and movies vary greatly. I always enjoy reading your reviews because you remind me of some of my friends that I could discuss things with thoroughly to the point of our exhaustion or the exhaustion of the topic and I love it!

Crimson Leo: Well it's not like he sparkles...being a Cheesehead is bad enough. And thanks! Spoiler Alert: I may just make him glitter a bit just for you! :P

UltimateTouken: Sorry for no full or even slightly partial introduction...but more will come! MORE WILL COME! And it doesn't take mind control to influence a person...just a bit of strain, physical, emotional, financial...and anyone can snap.

Ninuhuju: Debates are fine as long as no one has long lasting bruises but the ways I've debated in the past with people I know differ greatly from normal debates. We use ruler swords and build rubber band firing robots. And once a creep, always a creep.

Phantom heir daughter of Zeus: I have cuz I know it! Sorry it took so long though!

therealdeal10311: Eventually, maybe they all will. For now they certainly have. Maybe she's feeling some pressure in her private life and she needs to lash out...I should probably expand on that later...

zombiw4queen: Water machine cool or ice-cold?

TheBoss3254: Thanks! And they could but Vlad would probably gunk it up really bad and Danny would need the entire support of his family or at least their regular love which he isn't getting now so...his attitude's even worse than usual.

gratsulover117: Why thank you kindly! And I just guess you'll have to find out!

To everyone who either followed or favorited the story in my absence, thank you soooooooooooooo(times infinity) much! And to those who followed or favorited me as an author...ARE YOU OUT OF YOUR MINDS?! *ahem* I meant, "Thank you as well for putting your faith and trust in me."

Looking forward to seeing your reactions! And anyone who has contacted me earlier about beta'ing this, I've kept you in mind for the other fics I'm working on and you'll hear from me first!

Love, JennaUtena...Deuces!