Bats and Ghosts

Rating: K+ [Perhaps T it's mentions of abandonment and death...]

Pairings: None

Ages: Turns out it's not easy to find the Batfamily's ages easily. So this is how it is for this piece: Bruce: 35-38, Dick: 23, Jason: 20, Tim: 17-18, Damian: 14-15, Barbara: 22-23, Dan: 24-25, Danny: 14-15, Dani: 12-13. Something like that...

Summary: They seem to go together, right? More black-haired, blue-eyed children... Maybe Bruce has bitten off more than he can chew this time. None of his kids have had powers like this before. "Can you bring down a city block by screaming?" "Uh...not exactly..." "My point."


"I'm going to rip out your beating core you little rat!"

"It's not my fault your a sociopathic nutcase!"

"Come here!"

"NOOOOOO!"

Dick, Barbara, and Jason paused in their conversation as Dan and Danny came streaking down the hallways in their phantom forms. Dan was literally breathing fire and Danny was screaming like a little girl.

"Stop it Dan! Stop!" Dani screamed after flying through a wall beside the three bats to see her two brothers rush off. "Ugh."

"And I thought Jason and Damian were the most violent people imaginable," Tim expressed, coming into the kitchen as well.

"Shut up," Jason hissed.

Again the screaming got louder as Danny and Dan passed by again.

"Will someone shut those nimrods up!?" Damian screeched coming around the corner.

"I don't think that's going to happen any time soon. They can keep at it for days without rest with those powers," Barbara spoke, giving a sigh.

"Yeah. Dan's just a bit too sensitive. I guess that happens when you suddenly get your human-half back," Dani added, before settling on the kitchen counter and transforming into a human.

"What do you mean?" Dick asked.

"I mean, Dan is still used to not feeling emotion. He doesn't know what to do with ANY feelings. Anger was always his default in the past or stoic indifference. After his accidental… or I guess it was on purpose since Clockwork's portal for him opened above the darn thing… anyways, after his accidental dip in the Lazarus pit, Dan's been spastic, more than normal."

"Huh, that sounds familiar," Tim quipped only to get a dark glare from Jason as a reward.

The mansion rumbled and a straggled yell followed.

"I'm starting to think Bruce shouldn't have adopted us…" Dani sighed.

"It's not that bad," Dick answered her with a smile.

"Can you bring down a city block by screaming?"

"Uh... not exactly..."

"My point."

"Hey, don't worry about it. You and Danny are no trouble. Dan needs some help but then again all these bozos do," Barbara expressed, placing a hand on Dani's raven hair.

"HEY!" the boys yelled.

"Thanks Babs," Dani replied and jumped off the counter. "I'm going to try and pry Dan off Danny before his makes him a full ghost."

The youngest ran out of the room and the others gave each other a glance before following. The den was in shambles and Dan was steadily choking Danny out.

"Dan stop!" Dani cried out and ran over to grab at Dan's clawed fingers.

"He'll suffer right to the end…"

"Now you're just being dramatic."

"I don't care."

Danny only let out a cut off gasp.

"Don't be a baby. You'll take at least twenty minutes before your body actually needs oxygen, you twit." Dan growled and then finally let go.

"I didn't get a good breath of air!" Danny cried out before turning back into a human, Dan following shortly after.

"Not my problem."

"Stop it, both of you!"

"Enough!" Everyone in the room flinched and looked over to see an unhappy Bruce Wayne. Danny gulped slowly and Dan only folded his arms. "An explanation for why our den now looks like a war zone?"

"Danny wouldn't take his punishment like a man."

Danny whipped his head to the side to look at Dan with his mouth wide open. "You were trying to choke me to death!"

"Eh, would've been a nice accident…"

Danny furrowed his brows in anger.

"Still no explanation."

"I was trying to tell Dan to not behave and talk to people like an evil mastermind when we go to those galas or whatever. Everyone starts giving him weird looks like he's Luthor or the Joker or something!"

"Luthor wishes he had my mind and Joker wishes he had my charisma."

"Oh will you stop sounding like Vlad!" Danny snapped.

"In case you've forgotten, I AM HIM YOU MORON!"

At that, Bruce furrowed his brows. "Something you haven't gotten around to explaining yet?"

Dan and Danny froze and Dani looked at her shoes sadly.

"We don't have to tell you anything, you-" Dan started before Danny punched him in the arm.

"Shut up! Don't talk about him like that! He let us into his home!" Danny yelled out, tears starting to dot the corner of his eyes.

"As if I wanted or needed a home!" Dan screamed, eyes starting to glow red.

"Stop it!" Dani snapped. "Why aren't you behaving all calm like you were at home, Dan!? Why are you turning back into a monster!?" She then disappeared from sight, most likely running to her room.

"See? That's why I've been on your butt recently." Danny breathed out calmly.

Everyone simply watched, knowing that it wasn't time yet to intervene.

"I'm fine. You're both over thinking things. Jazz said I was almost in the average range physiologically. She practically fixed most of my probl-"

"Yeah, but it not like it stops after that Dan! You've got to keep working at getting better. It's not like solving a puzzle or outsmarting an enemy. That only takes one time! We've always got to keep getting better… and Jazz isn't here anymore to help you with that."

A silence fell over the house.

"And I'm afraid that she was your new and infant obsession and now that she's gone… you have no purpose again…" Danny spoke, tears now trailing down his face. "And if you go nuts again I'll have to try and stop you and not only do I not want to have to do that, but I'm not sure I could stop you. I may have the wail like you, but you've had so much more practice. You can make an army of yourself for God's sakes!"

Dan blankly stared at the emotionally distressed Danny.

"I don't want to be abandoned again…"

Dan growled at that. "Bruce isn't a coward like they were. That much I'll admit. And I do have an obsession still Danny, not that I would tell you… but can you trust me that I do?"

Danny blinked. "You do?"

"Yeah."

Bruce took a couple steps forward. "I can see that you both have trouble talking about things… I figure that's because you weren't used to trusting adults at all in your old world."

Danny nodded sadly, but Dan didn't budge at first. He rose and turned to face Bruce, eye to eye with the man. "That and he feels responsible for me."

"And why is that exactly? You seem to be the older brother of your trio."

Dan studied Bruce's eyes, noting the small bit of worry he could sense. Worry for them, he discovered. Bruce did seem to actually care and wasn't just watching them like Dan had feared.

"That's because me and Danny are more alike than either of us like to admit."

"Wait, are you a clone too, like Danielle?" Tim asked.

"You could say that, but through a more complex method. You see, I am Danny. I'm Danny from ten years in the future of our world. One of many possible futures. I was once… a being that knew no remorse or sense of emotion and destroyed our world within ten years."

Danny's face had drained of color.

"Some things happened and I was given a second chance because Clockwork felt bad that my fate wasn't exactly my fault. I had lost my family and friends and wanted to make my soul-crushing depression go away, so Vlad, the man who was our arch-nemesis took out my ghost half."

"He killed you…" Dick murmured.

"I guess. Point is, neither of us thought about how distressed my ghost half would be. I went nuts, having lost my obsession, I had no moral compass or clear thought. I stole Vlad's ghost half and we mixed." Dan gestured to himself. "I came out, a full ghost with two lives in my head and no reason to exist except for the purpose of revenge for my horrible treatment." He paused. "Jazz… our sister. She was the only one that saw her brother inside of me. I did align myself more with Danny than I did Vlad, perhaps Danny was stronger than Vlad gave him credit for… Regardless, she tried to save me. I like to think she did a good job, considering what I was. Danny reminds me not to kill or destroy my enemies so I can't remember the feeling of bringing about death and it's been working…" Dan looked over at Danny, who was staring at the ground. "If you can't give me the chance like Jazz did… that's alright, just don't judge Danny or Danielle based on me and my choices. The future isn't set in stone. Danny was right about that."

Danny looked up in surprise at Dan's words. "But… then you…" A look of understanding seemed to cross Danny's face.

Bruce hummed, looking over Dan's tan face and long black hair, which was pulled back. "If you fall out of line, I can't give you a second chance."

Dan quirked a brow. "You're either really stupid or wiser than anyone gives you credit for. Fine. You've got a deal. I murder one person, villain, monster, alien or other and you end me, not questions asked."

Danny blinked and stood up hurriedly. "Me too. I'm not without risk!"

"Oh please, like you could have the stomach for killing someone."

"I…I don't know."

Bruce shook hands with Dan. "It's a deal. Now, you both should go check on Dani. She seemed upset. I would do it myself, but she doesn't seem to trust me as much yet."

"I'll do it." Dan expressed and walked off down the corridor. Danny remained as the other bats started talking again about random things like nothing had happened. Bruce walked up closer to Danny.

"Thanks. For giving us all a chance," Danny murmured.

"It's not really that troublesome. It's a shame your parents didn't see what a wonderful son you are or daughter Dani is. Even Dan has his strong points."

Danny smiled up at Bruce as he rose from the ground. "I guess… I just kinda wish I could've saved Vlad too… He was a fruit loop, but he didn't deserve to be killed by his own friends…"

"He may have been misguided, but he did want what was best for you. I'm certain he's proud of you and happy for you too."

Danny nodded. "Yeah. I still miss the old fruitloop though…" Danny leaned into Bruce and started to softly cry.

"I know, Danny. I know."

The other bats watched with either sad or attempted indifferent faces.

zz

Batman watched as Phantom flickered in and out of view from his left side. Robin was on his right and seemed irritated at the lack of action. Danielle or Phantasma, of course, had put up a fight at being left behind again, but Batman and Phantom had managed to convince her she still needed a bit more martial arts training.

A buzz came from his comm. "I've got eyes on a few clown thugs here. No sign of Joker or Harley though."

Phantom glanced over as a mix of determination and nervousness came to his face.

"Sit tight for now Wraith, Nightwing."

"Roger."

zz

Phantom let out a strange cackling noise when another thug tried to run off screaming. He'd never had this fun at home! It was like they'd never seen a ghost before!

Phantom turned and saw Batman trading punches with the Joker and grinned. Before you could blink, he'd turned invisible and intangible and phased into Joker's body. "Heya!"

Batman froze before he noticed the green light shining in Joker's irises and recognized the change of voice. "You need to work on mimicking voices better. The green glow is a bit easier to write off."

"Aww…"

zz

"We'll get you good, Nightwing."

"We'll see…" Nightwing grinned before the thugs flinched at a disembodied snort.

"This is what you call evil?" Dan appeared, sliding up through the ground next to Nightwing, red eyes glowing like cinders.

"Come on Wraith, no need to hurt their feelings…"

"Fine, after all, they'll be hurting in other places soon enough."

"That was rough."

"Okay, look. I haven't exactly been in the pun business in ten years. I'm rusty." A thug rushed them at that moment and fell right through Wraith. "That's anti-climatic huh, bud?"

Looks of fear finally started to form on the thugs' faces.

"I'll take the brave ones and you chase the chickens?"

"Sure. Oop and there goes one. Hey! You can't escape~!"

"Phantom's right, you do sound like an evil mastermind."

"Shut-up."


This was fun. Props to KodiakWolfe13 since part of my inspiration for this came from his/her DP crossovers.