AN: Hm. I am worried about ending this because that means I will no longer have an excuse for not finishing Family and Friends. (it is literally killing me guys) Ah well. It is what it is.
Ugh. I rewrote the beginning of this chapter like a million times. Let me tell you friends, writing is hard. Which I'm sure isn't surprising to any of you, but it is still true. Especially when it comes to endings. Endings are so hard. Why do I do this to myself? BUT! I prevailed in the end, and it is all worth it!
I've said it before, and I will probably end up saying it again. I don't own Danny Phantom or Young Justice.
Robin glanced over at Danny periodically. The halfa was sitting on the curb, staring blankly at the building they had escaped from. He hadn't move an inch in the last half hour.
Robin wished he could be sitting beside Danny, or better yet, get him out of this place entirely, but he was busy coordinating the local police. For some reason, they trusted him more than any of the other teen heroes, despite the fact that he was the youngest. The curse of being a Bat, he supposed.
Still, things were finally winding down. They had cleared the building pending an investigation of exactly what went on in there. Robin's one regret was that they couldn't tie this to Luthor. Most people didn't even realize that this building was connected to Luthor at all. Honestly, Batman may have been the only one who knew. Even if they proved that Luthor owned the building, the man could just claim he had no idea what was going on there. He had done it before.
Robin waved off a couple of reporters who were trying to get his attention and walked over to Danny. He sat down next to him, not saying anything for a moment. Danny didn't react to his presence at all.
"How are you-"
"Is everyone out?"
Robin blinked at Danny's sudden words. He hesitated before nodding.
"Yeah, but why do you… Shade? What are you doing?"
Danny ignored Robin, getting to his feet. He walked through the crowd, grabbing a cuffed prisoner from a group of them.
"You." Danny said, his voice completely monotone. "The anti-ghost tech in there. Is that all of it? Are there copies anywhere else?"
The man sneered, spitting in Danny's face. Danny didn't move, letting the spit drip down his cheek.
"I would suggest," Danny said slowly. "That you do not do that again."
All the blood drained from the man's face. Robin didn't really blame him. Danny's words seemed calm, but there was something about him in that moment that made Robin's blood run cold. At times it was easy to forget what Danny was, but then he would do something like this and it all came crashing back. Robin distantly remembered Danny mentioning a 'creep' factor that all ghosts had. Danny usually toned his down, but apparently he was entirely capable of using it to his advantage.
"That's, that's it!" The man stuttered. "It's all there. We were keeping it contained until we had a better understanding of it."
"Thanks." Danny said, dropping the man. He turned away, heading toward the building.
"Superboy." He called. Superboy looked over from where he was herding civilians. He raised a questioning eyebrow.
"I would suggest," Danny said blandly, not looking away from the building, "that you cover your ears."
And then Danny screamed.
Every person in the vicinity clapped their hands over their ears. Quite a few fell to the ground, covering their heads with their arms. Robin staggered back a step, but he managed to keep his feet. He watched in amazement as a wall of sound smashed into the building. It was slow at first, with only pieces flying off, but the longer the attack lasted, the more effect it had. Soon the building was nothing but rubble, completely destroyed.
Danny stopped screaming. He staggered a step, and Robin could see him trembling. Clearly the attack took a lot out of him. But he recovered, turning to address that crowd that was staring at him.
"I am done." he said, staring over their heads. "I refuse to stand by and watch my people suffer any longer. Humans clearly can't be trusted with this technology. I will not let the cycle continue."
Danny shook his head slightly, emotion finally filling his face again. He looked… tired. And so, so sad.
"Those things in there… they weren't instruments of science. They were torture devices, ones that I have experienced personally. I can't… I can't let them fall into the wrong hands again."
Danny's entire body shook, and he stumbled. Robin stepped forward, worried.
"Shade! Are you okay?"
Danny stared at Robin with wide eyes.
"I- I have to go." And he vanished.
Thanks a lot Danny. Robin thought sarcastically. Destroy a building, make a huge speech about ghost rights, and then just leave me to deal with the press. Ugh. Totally not feeling the aster.
Robin stalked out of the zeta tube. He had sent the rest of the team ahead almost an hour earlier. The had gone looking for Danny while Robin stayed to clean up his mess. It had been a disaster. Some people seemed to think that Danny was going to wage a one man war on humanity now or something. Robin had tried to explain that Danny had undergone a severe emotional shock inside the building and that his PTSD was causing him to act in ways that he normally wouldn't, but not everyone was convinced. Robin had finally just left, saying that they should contact the Justice League with further questions.
Robin collapsed onto the couch, groaning. No one had been able to find Danny, and Robin was worried about him. He was unstable, emotionally and physically. He really shouldn't be alone.
Robin closed his eyes, breathing deeply. As he sat there, he suddenly realized that he could hear something. He sat up, listening carefully. He followed the sound, only to realize that it was coming from his room.
He eased the door open silently, looking around. The T.V. was on, showing the news. The newscaster was talking about Danny, speculating on what his actions meant. As Robin watched, the channel changed, showing a different news show, also discussing Danny.
"I'm sorry."
Robin didn't jump, glancing over at his bed. Danny was sitting there, curled up in a little ball. He had a blanket wrapped around him, leaving only his eyes showing.
"It's fine." Robin said softly. "This isn't the first time a hero has made a scene. It will blow over. Anyone who knows what you went through will say that you were justified."
Danny shook his head. "I shouldn't have done it. It was irresponsible and short sighted. I was only announced to the world yesterday, and I've already gone and made a mess. If it was just me, that would be one thing, but I'm the representative for all ghosts. What if there is backlash because of this? The law is so close to being changed. If it doesn't because of what I did-"
"It will." Robin said, sitting down next to Danny. "Don't worry. We can use this to our advantage. If we get you legally diagnosed with PTSD, than we can use it as evidence to show that ghosts can feel emotions. It will be okay. The law will change. I promised you it would, and I always keep my promises."
Danny nodded, before swaying slightly.
"Whoa!" Robin grabbed him by the shoulder, steadying him. "Seriously, are you okay? Also, what the heck man? I didn't know you could do that! Why didn't you mention you had a super powerful sonic attack? Canary is going to flip!"
"Can you stop yelling?" Danny said faintly. "My head hurts."
Robin swore, slowly lowering Danny so he was lying down. "Are you about to die? Should I do something?"
"I'm fine." Danny said with a slight smile. "The Wail just always takes a lot out of me. I usually try not to use it if I'm being completely honest. It's a last resort kind of thing because it has a tendency to take me completely out of the fight for a couple of hours."
"You still could have mentioned it." Robin muttered. "BC could probably help you learn how to control it."
"I would have, I swear." Danny said hurriedly. "But, I haven't been able to use it since I got out of the lab. I kinda thought it was gone until Dani-"
Danny stopped abruptly. Robin placed a hand on his shoulder.
"What happened?"
Danny looked away. For a long minute, Robin thought that Danny wouldn't talk, but then the halfa finally spoke.
"I saw her again. She was there, but… she also wasn't. There was no saving her. I think I always knew that, but I just couldn't let her go. She begged me to. She said that her presence was killing me. That's why I couldn't do the Wail before. Supporting her was draining me of energy and my body just couldn't take it anymore. So… so I finally did it. I let her go, and now I feel so empty. I was never sure if she was really there before, but now that she's gone, I can feel her absence."
Robin sighed. "I wish I could say 'she'll always be with you' or something like that, but I know how little that helps. I wish there was anything I could say that would fill that hole in your chest, but I just don't think there is."
Danny looked away, hunching in on himself.
"Hey." Robin said, pulling Danny's gaze back to him. "I wasn't done. I may not be able to take this pain away, but I can promise to stay with you. On the good days and the bad. I'll help you move past this. You won't be alone."
Danny smiled uncertainly. Robin grinned back.
"Now come on. The rest of the team is out looking for you. We should call them back so they can stop worrying."
Danny grimaced. "Oh boy. I am so getting yelled at."
In the end, Danny did get yelled at, though not by the team. They were too relieved that he was okay to yell at him. Black Canary on the other hand, had absolutely no qualms about yelling at the wayward halfa, though she was mostly just upset that Danny hadn't told her about his sonic attack.
When she was finally done yelling, she pulled Danny into a fierce hug.
"I'm so glad you're alright." She whispered, holding him tightly. Danny gently placed his arms around her.
"I'm okay."
Canary pulled back, smacking him on the head.
"Don't go pulling another disappearing act, all right? Once is enough."
"I promise." Danny said, holding up one hand in a mimicry of the oath one would take in court.
Canary started to speak, but she was cut off by the zeta tube announcing Batman's arrival. Danny flinched, unsure of what the Dark Knight would say to him.
Batman walked over to the group. He looked at Danny for a long moment.
"I should probably scold you for causing a scene," Batman began. "But considering the fact I was going to break into the building and sabotage the equipment there myself, I think I can let it go this time."
Danny blinked, his mouth opening and closing a few times, before he decided to just let it go and take the win. He wasn't sure if he would survive being yelled at by the Batman.
"But." Batman continued, leveling Danny with a stern glare. "Make sure you don't do it again. And I want to start having regular sessions with Canary. I let it go before, but this time I insist. You're just hurting yourself by refusing."
Danny shifted uncomfortably.
"Sorry," he muttered. "I've just… had some bad experiences with counseling. But I'm willing to give it a try, if you think it will help."
Batman nodded, seemingly satisfied with that response. He turned to the rest of the team.
"Good job on this mission. You adapted well and got everyone out alive."
Danny couldn't help but flinch at that. Not everyone. Robin placed a hand on his shoulder, squeezing slightly. Danny shot him a grateful look.
"Of course, Scarecrow is still at large…"
"Oh come on!" Wally yelled. "That is so not our fault! We were set up, which you should… should have… um."
Wally trailed off as Batman glared at him. The speedster seemed to abruptly come to the realization that he had just yelled at Batman.
"I suddenly remembered that I have to do a… thing. Right now. So… I'm going to go do that."
Wally sped off, running into the zeta tube. Other team members started to disperse as well, either heading home or to their rooms in the cave. Robin started to walk to the zeta tube before pausing.
"Seriously Danny, are you okay?"
Danny thought about the question. He saw his friends and family in his mind's eye and felt the pain he always felt when he thought about them. He thought of Sam and Tucker, who had always supported him and his ghost fighting. He thought of Jazz who had covered for him and helped him with homework. He thought of his parents, who had instantly defended him, turning their backs on years of prejudice without hesitation. And he thought of Dani, who had stayed with him through his lowest moments. Nothing would ever replace them, not in a thousand years.
But… Dani was right. He wasn't alone anymore. He had a new family, one that was different, maybe a little strange, but still good.
With that in mind, the smile he gave Robin was real.
"I'm not okay." Danny said honestly. "But I think that I will be."
"And in other news, the law defining ghost rights has finally been changed. As of today, ghosts are considered sentient beings with all the rights granted to humans. The final push for the change came when ghost hero Shade was diagnosed with post traumatic stress disorder resulting from his time spent in a GIW lab. Many saw this as the final proof necessary to prove that ghosts could feel emotion."
Danny turned off the TV. He felt almost numb. He was finally free. It was strange. It had only been a little more than a year since the law defining ghosts as non sentient had first gone into place, yet it felt like a lifetime. So much had changed since then.
"So you heard the news."
Danny looked over at Robin, who was leaning against the doorframe to his room.
"I thought I would be more excited." Danny said, leaning back in his chair. "But I don't. Why?"
Robin shrugged, walking into the room. "Maybe because you feel it shouldn't have ever happened in the first place?"
"No." Danny said, frustrated. "I mean, yes, but that's not it really. I guess… it doesn't really change anything, doesit? Everything still happened. My family is still dead."
"True." Robin said, sitting down next to Danny. "But at least it won't happen again. And it won't happen to anyone else. You have to learn to look at the bright side of things."
Danny squinted at Robin. "Have you been talking to Canary?"
Robin laughed. "Of course! I've been talking to her for years. But if you're asking if I've been talking to her about you, than no. I would never ask, and she would never tell. The whole positive thinking thing is just good advice. Or so I'm told."
Danny huffed, but he let it go. Robin sobered quickly as he looked at Danny.
"This is a good thing Danny."
"I know that!" Danny yelled, standing up abruptly. "It's just… what do I do now? I've been pushing through, working to get justice for my people, and now? I don't know what to do anymore!"
"You move on to the next injustice." Robin said seriously. "Trust me, the world will never run out of evil. You have so much power Danny. You have the chance to do so much good in the world, and now nothing is holding you back."
Danny didn't say anything, but he stopped pacing.
"I know you're struggling, but crime fighting is an excellent distraction." Robin smirked a little. "I speak from experience, here. Stick with me Danny. Our families are gone, but if we can save even one other person from our fate, don't you think it's worth it to try?"
Danny took a deep breath before letting it go. He turned to Robin who extended a hand.
"Are you with me?" the Boy Wonder asked.
Danny hesitated one last time before grabbing Robin's hand.
"To the end."
AN: TADA! That's the last chapter! Next time will be an epilogue that I am really looking forward to. I already have it planned out, so it should be coming really soon.
Thanks to everyone who followed, favorited, and reviewed. It honestly makes me so freaking happy. I am thinking that I may do a sequel to this if I can come up with a good story. The epilogue will show you the direction I'm kinda going to go in if the sequel does happen. So console yourself with the fact that this may not be completely over!
Bye for now guys and again, thanks for reading!