Jeremy Manson was being driven by his chauffer through the streets of New York City. He sneered as he looked at the common people who walked on the sidewalk. He was glad he had been born into money and a higher station than these people.

Things had changed since his daughter's death. His entire world had fallen apart, but he had to do this.

He looked down at his lap. He had brought along an old laptop. Giving it a scrutinizing look, the wealthy socialite was ready to complete his task. Despite his distaste for the people he was going to encounter, he would pull through.

He had to.

Pulling up to the location in question, Jeremy told his driver to wait as he approached the gates. Glancing at the intercom next to it, he pressed a button.

"Xavier's Institute." Jean's voice answered. "May I ask who I'm speaking to?"

"Jeremy Manson." Jeremy responded. "Here to see Daniel Fenton." He looked at the laptop in his hand.

"Alright, right hand on red." Rogue said as she and her boyfriend were playing twister. It was board game day at the institute, which usually got Jubilee excited, but right now she was bored.

"Can we play something else?" Jubilee asked as she sat on the couch with Beast as they watched the two lovers having fun. "Maybe a game where we can all play instead of sitting out because we can't risk touching Rogue."

"Hey, I never got to play this game because of my powers." Rogue said. "So, I'm going to enjoy it for all it's worth." She then found herself positioned above her boyfriend's face. "Pucker up, lover boy." Rogue then kissed Danny, causing him to fall. "I win!" Rogue cheered.

"Great." Jubilee said sarcastically. "So, can we play something else now?"

The group was now playing Clue.

"I say it was Colonel Mustard in the lounge with the wrench." Danny said.

"Why do you keep insisting it's Colonel Mustard?" Logan asked. "It's the third time you accused him, bub."

"Trust me, I have a feeling it's him." Danny replied. "There's something suspicious about him."

"Danny." Jean walked into the room. "There's someone here to see you."

"Who is it?" Danny asked curiously.

"A Mr. Jeremy Manson." Jean replied.

"Him?" Danny said in disbelief. What was he doing here? And how did he know he was here?

"Who's that?" Jubilee asked.

"He was the father of one of my old friends." Danny answered as he frowned in confusion. "But why is he here? He and his wife always hated me. They thought I was a bad influence on their daughter."

"Bad influence?" Rogue repeated. "Sugar, you are the farthest thing from being a bad influence. Gambit's the one who's the bad influence."

Gambit nodded. "That's true."

"I better go see what he wants." Danny walked to the front door to greet the man.

Jeremy narrowed his eyes as he looked at Danny. Danny wasn't intimidated by the man in the least, but he still felt guilty. It was his fault that his daughter was dead. Maybe he and his wife were right. Maybe he was a bad influence.

"Hello, Fenton." Jeremy greeted coldly.

"How did you know I was here?" Danny asked.

"I got into contact with Vladimir Masters." Jeremy explained. "He had custody of you after the whole..." He paused at the memory. "Accident. He told me that you were here."

Well, that answered one of Danny's questions. "Why are you here?"

Jeremy held the laptop out to the ghost. "I was going through some things I had in storage when I found Samantha's old laptop. I thought she would want you to have it. I just can't look at it without remembering her and ending up crying."

Danny took the offered device, looking at it in wonderment. This used to be Sam's. He gave Jeremy a grateful look. "Thanks; tell your mother I said hello."

"My mother is dead." Jeremy stated bluntly.

"Oh, I'm sorry." Danny felt awkward being in this situation. "My condolences to you and your wife."

"My wife left me." Jeremy replied. "The bitch took half of my money."

"I'm sorry to hear that." Danny apologized. "But why did you deliver Sam's laptop to me in person? How come you didn't just mail it to me with a note attached?"

Jeremy glared. "Because I wanted to take one last look at the person who got my Samantha killed." He walked off the porch and back to his car. Not giving a look back at Danny.

Danny felt guilty for the pain he had put the man through as he went back into the institute.

"Hey, sugar." Rogue said when Danny came back. "How'd it go?"

Danny waved the laptop in his hand. "He wanted to give me his daughter's old laptop. Said that she would've wanted me to have it."

"Well, that's nice." Rogue replied.

"Yeah, nice." Danny said as he went back to playing the game with his friends.

It was nighttime at the institute. Danny and Rogue had a good round of sex before Rogue fell asleep. Danny was still awake as he looked through Sam's old laptop. A wave of nostalgia hit him as he looked at the things that were here. He found an old version of Doomed on the computer. There was a photo library that consisted of him in front of the portal before he got his powers, one of him and Tucker cuddling in their sleep at the zoo, and one of the three standing in front of Fenton Works.

What caught Danny's attention, however, were Sam's journal entries that she kept here. Curious to see what her thoughts were, Danny read through the entries. He laughed at some of Sam's funny thoughts, quietly, of course, since he didn't want to wake up Rogue.

It was interesting to see Sam's perspective on his adventures. He also found out that she had feelings for him and was jealous of Paulina.

'I'm sorry I never noticed, Sam.' Danny thought to himself.

As he was looking through the entries, he came across one in particular. He looked at the date. It was the date of the C.A.T.

Danny, despite his instincts telling him not to, read the entry.

Dear Journal.

Yesterday was the most fucked-up day of my life. It all started when we were in Danny's room talking about him using the answers to the C.A.T. to cheat. We were also talking about some strange medallion Danny had gotten from some strange ghost when we were attacked by Skulker. Not only that, but he had joined forces with Technus. As Danny fought him, Tucker used his PDA to shut him down. As we were trying to get Danny out of Skulker's grip, we found ourselves teleported to some strange place. Turns out it was somewhere in the Ghost Zone.

We were looking around when we saw this device that showed us the future. In it, we saw Danny destroying everything. Yeah, you heard that right; Danny was destroying everything. He looked scary; his hair was made out of fire. He was more muscular, and he had red eyes that conveyed nothing but rage and hatred. Just looking at him made me shiver in fear.

Danny couldn't help but agree with Sam's assessment of Dan. He truly looked like something born out of nightmares.

Next thing I know, we're being attacked by some ghost called Clockwork, the supposed ghost of time. He could control time, which made it child's play for him to beat Danny. That was until Tucker found that the medallion made him immune to Clockwork's powers. He found two more, which he placed over Danny and me. As we tried to get away from the ghost, we ended up in the future.

It was so bad. It was just like those post-apocalyptic futures you see in movies like Terminator or Mad Max. I couldn't believe that Danny was responsible for all this. After a run-in with Valerie. We found out that Tucker and I had died after the C.A.T. If that wasn't scary enough, we ended up running into Danny's future self. He was even more horrifying up close. Tucker and I ended up escaping by removing our time medallions, which transported us back to the present. Danny soon joined us, claiming that he beat his future self and made sure everything was fine.

Danny frowned at the last sentence. He realized this was when Dan had returned to the present disguised as him. He felt horror at the fact that his friends had hung out with Dan, not knowing who he truly was.

After spending time together, we all went home, where I finally screamed into my pillow. I couldn't believe that I was almost killed by Danny, of all people. I don't believe it. Well, actually, I could. I know I haven't told you this before, Journal, but I've always been afraid of Danny. Ever since the accident, he has always scared me. I never told him this because I was afraid that he would hurt me. But now, after seeing what he would become, I think it's time to get away from him.

What? Danny must have misread it. He read it over again and found that he wasn't mistaken. Sam was afraid of him.

How could that be? Sam had always gone on about how he was unique and that it was good. Or was that all just a lie so he wouldn't hurt her?

Was it all just a lie? Did she really think that he would become Dan? How could she? She was his friend, and he promised her that he would never become him.

I called Tucker and told him of my concerns. Turns out he felt the same way about Danny.

Tucker felt the same way. But how could he? He and Tucker had known each other since forever. How could he be scared of him? He would never have tried to hurt him or Sam.

After several minutes of talking, we decided that we're gonna convince our parents to move out of Amity Park. That way, we have the perfect excuse to leave Danny without that freak getting mad at us.

I better go. Mom's just finished making dinner. I'll tell you how it went some time later, Journal.

See ya.

Danny couldn't believe this. All this time, his friends had feared him and acted like nothing was wrong. How could they do this? Didn't they know that Danny had cared for them? That he would give his life to protect them from anything.

He reread the passage again, and when he read the word freak, he felt himself rage.

Freak.

That was all he was to them. An evil freak that was destined to destroy the world.

Danny felt nothing but fury toward his former friends. That they would plan to lie and abandon him was something that he couldn't' take.

His hands gripped the computer tightly as he desired for something to take this out on.

Tears were streaming down his face at the betrayal he had felt. This couldn't be real. This had to be a dream or some kind of mistake. But he realized that it wasn't. This was the reality he was living in. A reality that his friends never truly accepted him.

Danny couldn't take it. He threw the laptop to the ground, shattering it into several pieces.

Rogue woke up at the sound and saw Danny getting out of bed.

"Danny, what the hell is going on?" Rogue demanded, irritated that her sleep had been interrupted. She saw Danny's face and saw that he was crying.

She got out of bed as she tried to comfort her boyfriend. "Honey, what's wrong?"

Danny just kept on sobbing as he felt sadness and rage course through him. He then gripped his head as he felt something painful.

Deep within Danny's mind, a door was floating through the vast void. It had chains on it when something happened. A link in the chain snapped as they all fell off. With no obstructions, the shadow was finally able to come out again.

"Free again." It said. This time, it was more malevolent than last time, as if any redeeming qualities had been ripped out. The shadow looked around and saw a bunch of flames coming towards it.

Instead of fleeing, the shadow held its arms out as the flames engulfed it. The shadow soon absorbed the fire, feeling immense power. It laughed manically at its sudden good fortune.

Rogue was trying to figure out what was going on with Danny when he let out a scream of absolute agony. When he was done, he fainted and fell to the floor.

"Danny!" Rogue tried to wake him up, but to no avail. "I gotta get help!"

Rogue raced out of the room to find Xavier, Hank, or anyone else who could help her.

"Danny, it's Xavier." Xavier said as he, Moira, Jean, and Rogue looked over Danny as he was in the infirmary on Muir Island. "You're going to be all right. We are here with you on Muir Island."

"I don't understand, professor." Rogue said. "What's happening to Danny?"

"I'm sensing the energy of the Phoenix." Xavier said.

Rogue was confused. "How is that possible? Danny said that when he erased the M'Kraan Crystal, the Phoenix faded away."

"It did." Xavier confirmed. "But it could've left a bit of its power deep within Danny." He connected his mind to Danny's but was forced out, though he managed to get a glimpse of something.

"Charles." Moira said. "What did you see?"

"I saw some shadow-looking creature before I was forced out." Xavier answered

Rogue's eyes widened. "The shadow."

This caught Xavier's attention. "You know about this, Rogue?"

"When Danny was helping me fight off Ms. Marvel, we ended up in his mind, and this shadow thing appeared." Rogue explained. "Danny told me that it was his dark side."

Xavier nodded. "I see. That shadow must be a manifestation of Danny's negative emotions. A dark side just like I possess."

"Do you know what could've caused this?" Jean asked.

"I don't know, Jean." Rogue said. "I woke up to see that Danny had thrown his friend's laptop to the ground, and he was angry and crying. Then he felt a pain in his head and collapsed."

"He must have found something on there that upset him greatly." Xavier theorized. "Enough that his dark side emerged. Not only that, but his dark side must have fused with the remaining powers of the Phoenix left in Danny, making it much stronger."

Rogue felt trepidation at the idea of that shadow having the power of the Phoenix. "This is really bad."

Xavier agreed. "Indeed." He looked at Danny with concern.

Gambit and Cyclops were at a club listening to the newest song from the singer known as Dazzler.

Gambit was impressed but saw that Scott seemed out of it. "Hey, Cyke, loosen up. How about that Dazzler, huh? Didn't I tell you she was something?"

The audience clapped as Dazzler bowed and walked off stage.

"I'm just worried about Danny." Scott admitted. "Jean told me that there's something very wrong with him."

"Oh, you know Danny." Gambit said. "He'll be all right in no time."

"Yeah, well, as a leader, I have to make sure all my teammates are all right." Scott said. "You stay here and enjoy the club, Gambit. I need some fresh air."

Scott walked out when he heard a voice.

"There she is!" A man said. "Grab her!"

"Let go of me!" Dazzler struggled. She was being held by two men while the third, a blonde guy wearing old clothing, opened a car door.

"Get her in the car!" He said. "Hurry!"

Scott blasted the two men holding Dazzler hostage with his optic blast. "Hands off the lady."

The blonde man glared at Scott. "Meddling fool!" Scott fired more blasts, but they just bounced off of him. "Don't you know who you're dealing with?" He pulled off one of his sleeves, revealing his arm to be mechanical.

Scott wasn't intimidated. "No, should I?"

He ripped out a car engine and threw it at Scott, only for him to destroy it with his optic blast.

"Whoa!" Scott got out of the way of the debris.

"Not bad shooting." The blonde man said. He then picked up a sign and held it over his head. "But not good enough! Goodbye!" He then had a burst of light appear in front of him, courtesy of Dazzler. "I'm blind!" He cried.

Dazzler went to the injured Scott. "Are you all right?"

"I'm fine." Scott said.

Dazzler was grateful for Scott's rescue. "Thank you for saving me."

"I should be thanking you." Scott said as they saw the men drive off. "Who was he?"

"Some big shot who won't take no for an answer." Dazzler answered. "I hope you'll be here tomorrow night, in case they come back."

Scott hesitated. "Well I..."

Dazzler looked at her car, which had its engine missing. "Looks like my car has seen better days."

"I would like to talk to you about your mutant powers." Scott said.

"Tomorrow night, then." Dazzler offered. "It's a date."

"Uh, I have a girlfriend." Scott said.

Dazzler snapped her fingers in disappointment. "Darn."

Back at the institute, Logan was digging through the fridge. "Where's that blasted salami? I can smell it!" He then found it. "Ah! All it needs is slicing!" He pulled out his claws to cut it.

"While you're at it, fix one for me." Scott said as he came in through the back door.

"Looks like you've been having fun without me." Logan said. "Where's the cajun?"

"He's still back at the club." Scott replied. "I met an interesting woman there, a mutant."

"Save it." Logan said as Jean walked in. "Your girlfriend might get jealous."

"Jean!" Scott went up to her and hugged her. "How's Danny doing?"

"Still no signs of getting better." Jean said. "The professor has theorized that a dark manifestation of his emotions has merged with the leftover power of the Phoenix in an attempt to control him."

Scott felt worried for his friend. "Is there anything we can do to help him?"

Jean had a downcast look on her face. "I don't know. We brought him back here in case something happened. Rogue is especially worried. She said that Danny had found something on his friend's laptop that really upset him."

"What could've made Casper snap; he's usually a pretty easy-going guy?" Logan asked. "It had to be something pretty bad."

Rogue was staring at Danny while he was in the institute's infirmary. She felt useless. Danny had always been there for her during her problems. He was there for her when she was contemplating the cure, and he was there for her during her ordeal with Ms. Marvel. Now, when Danny was in trouble, she couldn't do anything to help him.

"What do I do, professor?" Rogue said. "Danny has always helped me through my problems, and yet I can't do anything to help him with his. I'm such a terrible girlfriend."

"Rogue, Danny wouldn't want you to think such things." Xavier said. "No one, not even him, could have foreseen something like this happening."

"I just feel useless." Rogue confessed. "I don't know what to do to help him."

"The only thing I feel you can do for now is be there for him." Xavier said. He then left the infirmary, leaving Rogue alone with Danny.

Rogue took hold of one of Danny's hands and kissed it. "I won't let anything happen to you, Danny. I promise."

In a building called the Circle Club, the blonde man was talking to a group of people who were dressed similarly to him.

"She was not right for us." The man said. "Through the centuries, only the most gifted and the most powerful have been allowed to join the Inner Circle!"

"Excuses." A pudgy man said.

A black-haired man turned to the blonde man. "So, Pierce, your failure with Dazzler makes me wonder. Were you trying to recruit her for the Inner Circle or for yourself?"

"I warned you, Shaw, not to send a cyborg to do a man's job." The round man said to Shaw.

Pierce slapped the glass out of the man's hand. "Being half machine makes me no less a man, Leland." Pierce argued.

Leland raised a hand as Pierce felt his arm started to short-circuit as he fell to his knees.

"I'll see you never lift that hand against me again!" Leland vowed.

Shaw placed his hand on Leland's shoulder. "Leland! Save it for our enemies. You have sworn an oath of allegiance to this club and all its members. Remember it." He then turned to Pierce. "As for you, Pierce, the cost of that crystal will be added to next quarter's dues!"

"Forget Dazzler, Shaw!" Another man came in with a blonde-haired woman named Emma Frost. "A far greater prize awaits recruitment to our circle!"

"My psychic abilities have discovered a creature with even more power than even you can imagine!" Frost said.

Shaw was intrigued. "Do tell."

"They call her the Phoenix." Frost explained. "She was the guardian of the fantastically powerful M'Kraan Crystal. To protect the crystal, she inhabited the body of Daniel Fenton, a human with the abilities of a ghost. With their powers combined, they managed to erase the crystal from existence. With its duty fulfilled, the Phoenix faded away, but it left a bit of its power in Fenton. He is now currently with Xavier and his X-Men."

"How is it that you know so much about these matters, Frost?" Leland demanded. "What is the source of your information?"

"Xavier's own computer!" Frost revealed.

Leland laughed. "Impossible!"

"Leland is right, for once." Pierce agreed. "Even your psychic powers are no match for Xavier."

"Daniel Fenton's plight has put Xavier under great pressure." Frost said. "He's been distracted. And he's been away for weeks. Still, it took great skill to breach his computer's security and remain undetected."

Emma then turned to Shaw. "Shaw, listen to me. He could be the source of limitless power! Tradition demands that such power be wielded by us, the Inner Circle."

"If this Daniel Fenton is so powerful, how can he be brought under our control?" Shaw asked.

"He is only as strong as the mind that controls him." Frost said. "His supernatural nature makes him immune to my psychic manipulation. But I know of another way to get him under our thumb."

"What is it that you want?" Xavier asked the unconscious Danny.

Rogue was also by Danny's side.

Danny had awoken a few minutes ago, but his eyes glowed with power, and he spoke as if he wasn't himself.

This only meant that the shadow was now in control.

"To protect myself." The shadow spoke through Danny.

"From what?" Xavier asked.

"The world." The shadow elaborated. "The world will see me as a threat. It is inevitable. I might as well make sure it doesn't hurt me before it gets the idea. I am forever alone, an outcast to everybody."

Rogue was feeling anxious over what the shadow was saying. Did Danny also feel the same way?

"Danny was really distressed when he found something on the laptop." Rogue said. "Do you know what it was?"

"The truth." The shadow answered. "The truth that we are forever alone!"

Danny shot out of bed as he screamed in anger.

Rogue grabbed him and tried to keep him from getting out of bed.

"Professor, help him!" Rogue begged.

"Control him, Danny." Xavier urged as he tried to connect his mind to Danny's. "Control the shadow!"

Danny's eyes stopped glowing, as he was now back in control of his body.

"Professor." He said weakly. "Rogue."

"Relax, it's over." Xavier assured him. "Relax."

"It's over, sugar. You're safe." Rogue comforted him. She then lowered Danny back to bed as he fell asleep. She turned to Xavier. "What is it, professor? What did you see in his mind?"

"It's not what I saw, Rogue." Xavier said. "But what I felt. The shadow's mind is becoming dominant. There is turmoil, frustration, anger, yet an excitement to come out."

Rogue looked at Danny with concern.

Meanwhile, Scott was getting ready for the club when Jean walked in.

"You going somewhere, Scott?" Jean asked.

"The man who tried to kidnap that mutant Dazzler might return." Scott said.

Jean nodded. "I'll go with you, Scott."

"Who is it that you found to help us, Frost?" Shaw asked.

Frost gestured to the doors, where a man in dark clothing and clown makeup entered. In his hand, he held a staff with a glowing red orb on top.

"I would like to introduce you to Frederick Isaac Showenhower." Frost introduced.

The man smirked bashfully. "Please, call me Freakshow."

Shaw was still unconvinced. "This clown will help us control Daniel Fenton?"

"I have done it before, and I can do it again." Freakshow said. "Thanks to the help of the lovely Frost, I have been able to reconstruct my family's heirloom." He waved his staff. "With this, he will do your bidding."

"Excuse us for a moment." Shaw said as the members of the Inner Circle entered another room.

"Why not just take the orb from him, Frost?" Shaw demanded.

"It is made so that only his bloodline can use it." Frost said regretfully. "But no matter. Once he has Fenton under control, I will use my psychic powers to put Showenhower under our control. Through that fool, we will have ultimate power."

Shaw was still skeptical. "How come you have not done it already?"

"There is some presence that prevented me before, but I sense that it is gone now." Frost cleared up. "I will take control of him once he has Daniel Fenton under wraps, and then we will have the ultimate power at our disposal."

Shaw nodded. "So how do we get him to Fenton?"

"Trust me, we've unknowingly cast some bait for his friends." The man who came in with Frost said. The man's name was Wyngarde. "The X-Men will protect Dazzler in case we come back. And when we get to them, we get to Fenton."

'And then I can have myself a groom that can give me the world on a silver platter.' Frost thought to herself.

Freakshow was still waiting alone with a smile on his face. "How fun." He said to himself. "They don't think that I'm on to their little power plays. Well, I'm not one to watch others play. It's time that I make my move on this grand chess board."

The Inner Circle then returned to Freakshow. "We welcome your assistance, Showenhower."

Freakshow shook Shaw's hand. "Please, just call me Freakshow."

"I am curious; how is it that your staff can do what Frost's powers can't?" Shaw asked.

"Well, you see, this thing controls ghosts by placing them under an illusion." Freakshow said. "Not all ghosts, mind you, but ones that haven't balanced their obsessions."

"Obsessions?" Shaw prompted.

"What ties them to this living world." Freakshow revealed. "This staff works by numbing their senses and giving them their greatest desires in their minds. Since he was a half-ghost, his obsession was still developing when I first encountered him, and I'm positive he's still figuring it out, which makes him right for the picking."

Scott and Jean were clapping politely as Dazzler finished her song.

"She seems very pretty." Jean said, feeling a twinge of jealousy.

"Not as pretty as you." Scott smirked.

Jean smiled. "I didn't think you were the one who could talk so smoothly with the ladies. Have you been taking lessons from Gambit?"

Scott chuckled. "Danny actually."

The fun was then ruined as a blast knocked Dazzler off her feet.

Dazzler got up. "Hey! What gives?"

Everyone turned to see where the blast came from and saw a teenage girl wearing gothic makeup. She had blue hair and was dressed like a rockstar with a guitar in hand."

"A mutant?" Scott said to himself.

Jean shook her head. "No, her presence is different. She's a ghost."

Scott's eyes widened. "A ghost?"

"I've had enough of you, Dazzler, and of you stealing away the crowd." The ghost floated up to the stage and took the mic as she began to play. "It's time that I show this city what real music sounds like."

She addressed the audience. "Hello, New York City. I'm Ember McLain, and I want you to tell me who you love."

"Dazzler!" The crowd shouted.

Ember frowned for a moment before her smirk returned. "We'll see how you feel when you hear what I've got."

She then started playing her signature song as she started to sing.

Her song, amplified by her powers, played through the whole city.

Danny was tossing and turning in his bed as the music irritated him. Finally having had enough, he got out of bed as if some other force had beckoned him to take action. He opened the window and climbed out.

Rogue had just come back from the bathroom when she noticed that Danny was missing.

"Danny!" She left to get the others.

Scott had tried to blast Ember with his optic blast, but even with the improvement, it didn't damage her.

"Scott, her music is having an effect on the crowd." Jean said as she pointed to the people cheering.

"Mind control." Scott realized. "We got to stop her!"

Danny was walking the streets of New York alone in his human form when his ghost sense went off. Looking in the direction of the club. He went towards it and entered.

The music was grating on his ears, but he paid it no mind as he walked to the stage. On the stage was a familiar figure.

Ember McLain.

Ember was enjoying herself when an ecto-blast was fired at her.

Glaring at her song being interrupted, she demanded to know who attacked her.

"Which one of you dipsticks did that?"

Danny walked forward in front of Ember's gaze.

"Who do you think you are?" Ember didn't recognize Danny, as he had grown since the last time they fought.

"Danny!" Scott and Jean cried at seeing their friend out of bed.

"Danny?" Ember said as she observed the man. Could it be?

The hybrid merely stared at her blankly as he transformed into his ghost form.

Ember gasped at seeing her old enemy again. "Baby pop? What are you doing here?"

Danny sent a blast that Ember dodged.

"No matter." Ember played her guitar as it released a wave of energy that hit Danny. "I'll get rid of you, especially now that you're an adult. I can't stand them." She then got an idea as she changed the setting on her guitar. "Although maybe I can put a love spell on you just like last time. Remember how head over heels you were for your goth friend? How's she doing anyway? You two hooked up yet?"

Ember's ignorant questions had set Danny off, as his eyes glowed green with energy. Electricity crackled around him as his ghost form changed to the one he had when he was the Phoenix.

Scott and Jean gasped at Danny's return to this form.

Ember was intimidated by this new form. "Well, that's new. But still not enough." She sent another blast, but Danny made it dissipate with a wave of his hand. He then summoned her guitar into his hand, and he smashed the instrument."

Ember glowed with rage. "You're gonna pay for that!" She charged at him, only to be sent back by an ecto-blast. Danny then raised his hand as a ghost portal appeared and sucked Ember up before closing.

Danny then walked out of the club, ignoring Jean and Scott's shouts.

As he walked out, Freakshow was standing by a corner. Smiling, he raised his staff as Danny soon gazed upon it.

In his mind, his surroundings had changed. Instead of Freakshow standing in front of him, it was Rogue.

She smiled at her man. "Come on, sugar. Over here!"

"Rogue." Danny followed her as Jean and Scott raced out of the club.

"Danny! Wait!" Scott cried.

It was too late as Danny stood next to Freakshow and, using his powers, the two vanished.

"We got to find him." Scott stated.

"I have him." Freakshow stated as he appeared in front of the Inner Circle with Danny.

"Excellent work." Shaw said.

The Inner Circle looked at Danny with awe at the sheer power he possessed.

Emma looked at the hybrid with greed. "Now Shaw I think I deserve a reward for bringing you this being."

Shaw nodded. "What is it you want?"

She pointed at Danny. "I want to take him as my husband."

"Very well." Shaw said.

Emma turned to Freakshow. "Make it happen."

Freakshow used the staff on Danny. "Propose to that woman."

Danny saw Rogue looking at him with love and adoration in her eyes.

"I love you, Danny." Rogue said. "I know you will never become Dan. I will always love you and accept you, sugar."

Danny felt an immense relief in his chest at this news. He then felt that he needed to do this. He had to do this.

He kneeled down and took Rogue's hand. "Rogue, will you marry me?"

Emma smirked at this powerful being kneeling towards her.

"I accept." Emma said.

The X-Men stood in front of the Inner Circle building.

"Well, the tracker says that he's here." Beast said, looking at the ghost tracker he brought.

"You said that he left with a man holding some kind of staff?" Rogue asked Cyclops.

"Yes, he disappeared with Danny." Scott said. "He was wearing clown makeup for some reason."

Rogue realized who it was and growled. "Freakshow."

"Who?" Wolverine asked.

"He was this guy who once used a staff to take control of Danny and other ghosts." Rogue explained, remembering what Danny had told her. "He then made them all commit robberies until Danny broke free of his control."

Cyclops frowned. "He seems to be under his spell again, but why? Shouldn't his mind be strong enough to fight it off?"

Rogue didn't have time to wonder about that. Her man needed to be saved. "What are we waiting for?" She asked. "Invitations?"

Wolverine agreed. "I got invitations right here." He pulled out his claws. "Enough for everybody!"

"Wait a minute!" Cyclops stopped him. "We can't just charge in the front door! There may be innocent bystanders." He turned to Rogue. "Rogue, see if there's any way we can get in quietly."

"My pleasure, sugar!" Rogue flew to the top and looked through the skylight. Her eyes widened as she recognized that Danny was in a wedding ceremony with some blonde lady.

"Do you, Daniel Fenton, take Emma as your lawfully wedded wife?" Shaw asked.

"Oh hell no!" Rogue burst through the skylight and landed between Danny and Emma.

The X-Men heard the commotion as Scott gave Storm an order. "Storm, get us up there, quick!"

"Swirl mighty winds and carry us to Danny." Storm summoned a whirlwind that brought them up to the roof.

Rogue was glaring at Emma. "Back off, hussy, that's my man. If he's going to be marrying anyone, it's going to be me." She turned to Danny and tried to break him out of his trance. "Danny, honey, you got to snap out of it! They got you hypnotized or something. Come back to me, please; I love you."

"Forget it, X-Man." Shaw said. "He's in a world where you're nothing but a dream."

"I'll send you off to dreamland!" Rogue threatened.

Shaw wasn't scared. "Go ahead!" Rogue punched him, but it did nothing. "My mutant power absorbs the energy you use against me!" Rogue still kept punching him. "The more you fight, the stronger I become!" He then punched Rogue.

"Hey!" Rogue was sent through a wall.

"Good work, Shaw!" Wyngarde praised.

They then saw the other X-Men arrive.

Emma sent a blast at Scott, knocking him into a bookcase.

Gambit threw a card at Emma, knocking her aside.

"Just flipped your last ace, ace!" Pierce lifted him up with his arm.

"Everyone a comedian!" Gambit said.

"Drop him!" Beast demanded.

"Gladly!" Pierce threw him at Beast.

Pierce then turned to Wolverine. "Next?"

"I hope you're into recycling." Wolverine said as he slashed at Pierce's arm.

"My arm!" Pierce cried. "Blast you!"

Storm flew above him. "I believe that pleasure is mine!" She then blasted Pierce.

Wolverine approached Leland menacingly with his claws out. "The bigger they are, the more pieces they make."

Leland held out his hand as Wolverine was trapped in a force field. "What? What's happening?"

Leland then pushed his hand down as Wolverine went through the floor and the others below him.

Cyclops fired his optic blast at Shaw, who absorbed it.

"Thanks for the recharge, Cyclops!" Shaw taunted.

Cyclops kept firing as Shaw advanced toward him slowly.

"Cyclops!" Storm said as she was battling with Frost. "Begone!" She blasted Storm before doing the same to Leland.

"I summon the cold of the Arctic Winds!" Storm cried as she froze Shaw.

Storm was then blasted from behind and gasped at who it was.

Rogue had rejoined the battle and was also shocked to see Danny had turned on the X-Men.

"No! Danny!" Rogue cried. "Why!"

"He's not Danny anymore." Freakshow boasted. "He's now my own pawn to do with as I please. As much as I love weddings, I prefer my dog to remain celibate." He turned to the members of the Inner Circle. "And I prefer now to stop pretending that I'm not aware of your attempts to manipulate me. You see, I believe that your little club is in need of some new leadership, am I right?"

Emma tried to control him, but something prevented her from accessing his mind. "How are you able to resist my powers?"

"You can thank dear Lydia for that." Freakshow said as a ghost wearing a red hood and sporting several tattoos appeared next to him. He then had Danny free Shaw from his icy prison. "Now I'm in a generous mood, so I'm willing to let you all live if you pledge your allegiance to me."

The Inner Circle bowed to him.

"We will follow you, Showenhower." Shaw said reluctantly.

"I told you it's Freakshow." Freakshow replied. "Now my first change is the name. The Inner Circle sounds too boring. I've got something better. How about the Hellfire Club?"