Disclaimer: not mine

Chapter 12

Tim woke slowly, gradually remembering what had happened, grimacing. He rolled over to find Danny was still asleep, a slight crease between his eyes, and Tim felt bad about that. His reaction last night…he hated fear gas antidotes for a reason. He shifted closer to Danny after checking the clock. He gently kissed him, slipping a hand back into Danny's hair. He teased at Danny's lips and his boyfriend began sleepily responding, without waking. But gradually, bright blue eyes fluttered open, Danny wrapping an arm around him.

"Morning," Tim whispered.

"Tim?" Danny asked sleepily before yawning.

"I'm sorry. It wasn't anything you did Danny, I swear. I don't react well to one of the ingredients in fear gas antidote, I should have warned you," Tim rushed to explain why he'd been so distant last night.

Danny stared at him and then nodded, pulling him closer. "You scared me Polaris," he admitted. "I didn't know if there was something wrong, I almost called Bruce but you were sleeping okay so I figured I'd call this morning if something was still off."

"I'm sorry," he didn't know what else to say, shifting to rest his head on Danny's shoulder.

"Any other antidotes you have issues with?"

"I'm partially resistant to the one for Joker venom since I've had so much, but that shouldn't be much of an issue anymore." There were probably some stockpiles of it, but it didn't have a massive shelf life so a few more months and they'd be in the clear.

"Okay, we can deal with that," Danny decided. "Are you calling in today?"

Tim grimaced but nodded. "Were there a lot of calls?"

"I muted your phone," Danny admitted. "No way was I answering and having the press asking questions, that's the last thing we need right now."

Tim nodded, they wanted the press focused on the anti-ecto acts and not Tim's love life or yesterday. "What about you? We should have talked about this before really."

"Over the counter drugs don't work on me, even the stronger stuff isn't guaranteed, I burn through it too quickly. No allergies though."

That was good to know. Tim reluctantly reached for his phone and called Tam, letting her know he wouldn't be in but she already expected that and quickly gave him a rundown on what her dad was planning to do about the day before. "I should call the Manor and ask about Damian," he muttered.

"Later, you didn't eat anything last night," Danny decided. He gave Tim a sweet kiss and then got up.

Tim lay there for another few minutes and then dragged himself out of bed to dress and head down to the kitchen.

,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,

Bruce grimaced as he saw the latest headlines. Damian had never endeared himself to the press, no matter how much coaching they gave him on how to act in front of them, he never dropped the superior act. There was a reason the company had been willed to Tim and it wasn't just because he'd been raised to run a company, Tim knew how to play the press like a fiddle. Sometimes, he couldn't help wondering how much of the real Tim anyone ever saw, even them. Though from the interactions he'd spotted between Tim and Danny, he thought that the young man was given the most, as it should be.

So, Damian attacking Tim, the media darling of the family, just made it even worse. The press loved Dick too, but it was mostly for his looks and smile and he'd lost some of that for defending Damian while Bruce was gone. And now Dick was taking another hit from the picture of Tim scrambling away from his eldest brother. The picture of Superboy trying to help Tim was better, because the blind panic was missing from Tim's face. Interestingly, the photo's with Banshee were distorted, but still clear enough to see that Tim was letting him close. There were some questions as to who he was, if he was a new Bat or not but not much else. There was even a blurry photo of Banshee holding the slowly passing out Tim.

Sadly, the main photo in every article was of Tim on his back, struggling to dislodge Damian's hand from his throat, the younger boys face locked in a snarl of rage. Thought there was also one of Red Hood helping which was about the only good thing about the articles, he could use all the good press he could get to help prove he'd moved on from the utter violence of his early days.

How had he been so blind to Damian's attitude? He knew Damian was not fond of Tim, but he had not realised it was still so bad. Until that patrol that had gone wrong, he had thought Damian tolerated Tim, had accepted he was part of the family, but he'd been wrong. He was going to have to put Damian into some kind of therapy now, the articles had tied his hands there. But getting Damian to cooperate?

He glanced at the monitor, seeing Damian was still asleep, Dick and Alfred watching over him. With no antidote, they'd kept him sedated all night for everyone's safety.

Bruce grabbed his phone and dialled; he knew Tim would be ignoring his phone so he didn't bother trying to call him.

"Hey B," Tim answered Danny's phone and he sounded alright, maybe a little hoarser than normal.

,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,

Clark read the articles, hating the look of terror on Tim's face as Dick approached him. The one with Kon was better, he didn't seem as scared at least. Though Clark did wonder at the last figure, it was none of the family that Clark recognised but Tim let them close enough to administer the antidote. The picture of Damian and Tim was going to cause a lot of trouble. Honestly, none of the pictures should have been published, Damian was still a minor and both boys were under the influence.

It was reporting like this that made him angry and he could hear Lois ranting about it. It wasn't ethical. Just because of the Wayne's wealth and publicity, they thought they had the right to air everything. They were dragging up everything they could, from Tim vanishing after Bruce's death, to his return and taking on Bruce's position with WE then eventual shift to co-CEO, Tim's injuries after Damian appeared, pictures where the two were always kept as far apart as possible, the sneers sent Tim's way… nothing was left alone. But…he'd warned Bruce that more needed to be done in case something like this happened.

The Wayne's had faced worse before, they'd come through it. But it still wasn't good. Lois was on the phone with Perry, organising the publication of her interview with…a ghost? She hadn't been joking when she told him she was interviewing one about the acts and GIW? At least Conner had been there for most of the time, until Tim had called for him.

,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,

Tucker read Lois Lane's interview with Phantom, shocked that he'd actually given an interview. The way he explained the Realms would hopefully help knock sense into people. Tucker grinned and went to work, spreading more of the information he'd hoarded over the years, information that backed up the things in the interview. If all went well, maybe Phantom could come out of hiding...and he could actually speak with and see his best friend again.

,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,

He scowled as he read the interview. How dare that woman flaunt the law by interviewing that thing! How had they missed Phantom's presence in Metropolis? They could have ended this all by dealing with both of them at once. Certain other government agencies were beginning to poke their noses in where they didn't below. Was it possible Ms Lane was being Overshadowed? It would explain her accepting that trash about the Ghost Zone being some infinite glue between dimensions. They needed to bring her in and check.

,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,

Danny kept an eye on Tim but it seemed that whatever effect the antidote had on him was well and truly gone, he was back to normal. He was stressed over the articles but that was normal. And then the articles with the interview hit the press and it seemed like the internet was blowing up. Opinions on ghosts had been very split but it seemed that Lois Lane sitting down and talking with one had helped a lot more see that ghosts really were sentient and sapient.

"You okay?" Tim asked, glancing over from where he was reading on his tablet.

"It's… a lot," Danny admitted. "And I can't help wondering…how my parents would have reacted to all of this. If they would have stuck to their opinions or if maybe they could have accepted that they were wrong."

"I'm sorry Danny," Tim reached for his hand, and Danny mustered a smile for him.

If his parents hadn't died, would he have ever met Tim? It didn't seem fair that to have him, he had to lose his family. But in a way, he'd lost them the day the Portal activated.

Tim looked at him and then nodded, standing and tugging his hand. "Come on, let's get out of here."

"With the press camped outside?"

"Red Robin and Banshee. Come on, want to officially meet Superboy?"

Danny blinked. He'd technically met him as Phantom and Banshee. Would he put the two identities together if they met again? "Do you know Superboy's id?"

"Yeah, and he knows mine, which means he might work out who Banshee is. I trust him completely."

Danny considered it before nodding. "Okay, let's do it."

They headed down into the Nest to change and Danny followed Tim through Gotham to where the Zeta tube was, apparently there was one in the Cave too but sometimes they were on the other side of the city when they needed to access it so there was one hidden. Tim set it for Metropolis and they were off.

They grabbled to the roof of a nearby building and Red Robin looked around before cupping his hands around his mouth. "Superboy!" he yelled. "And now we wait." He sat on the edge, letting his legs dangle and Danny sat next to him.

,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,

Conner paused as he heard the call of his name and then smiled as he realised who was calling for him. He quickly changed and then took off, flying to the rooftop where Tim was perched with another domino wearing figure, the same one who had brought the antidotes. "Hey Red," he called in greeting as he landed, nodding at the stranger.

"Superboy, this in Banshee. Figured the two of you should meet."

Tim sounded happier than he'd expected and his body language said he was relaxed with the other vigilante at his side. In fact, he was very close to the new vigilante…closer than he got to anyone…Tim had a boyfriend in his civilian life…

"Red?"

Tim snorted, and then reached up to push his cowl back, revealing his hair had been partially tied back, he felt sorry for whatever businesses had cameras nearby since Tim had obviously taken them out at least temporarily. He looked at his companion who reached for their domino, revealing a face Conner had only seen in photos.

"Conner Kent," he offered his hand and it was taken.

"Danny Nightingale, nice to finally meet you."

Tim rolled his eyes. "I had a cover to keep!" he whined.

"Oh, come on, our Dads get away with knowing each other, us being friends could be explained by them introducing us," Conner pointed out, smirking.

"Makes sense to me," Danny agreed with him, and Tim was practically pouting.

Oh yeah, he was gonna get on great with Danny.

,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,

Tim was kind of regretting introducing them as they swapped stories. Really, he should have introduced them months ago. Kon had been pretty busy the last year between College, parti-time work, and hero work so it wasn't always easy to call let alone meet up outside the cape. He fired his grapple, swinging easily to the next roof, Danny beside him, and Kon flying beside him. It was sweet of Kon to do that, watching over the 'newbie' to using a grapple. If he didn't know Danny could fly, he'd be more worried but he he'd seen a few instances where he knew Danny was compensating with his powers when they were out in the city together. It wouldn't be noticeable to anyone else though so it didn't matter.

It was good to get away from Gotham for a few hours, away from the pressure and current media storm.

"So, how'd you find out about Tim's big secret id?" Kon asked as they landed on a roof, and Danny shrugged.

"He crashed through my window half dead and soaked to the bone. It was very suspicious that Red Robin had the exact same scars as my boyfriend."

Kon just stared and then rolled his eyes. "Yeah, that sounds like our Tim."

"Hey!"

,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,

Bruce smiled at the paper with a blurry photo of Superboy and two figures grappling around Metropolis. The paper assumed one was Red Robin since he was occasionally spotted in the city visiting Superboy. The other wasn't clear but it was being asked if he might be the new vigilante who'd helped out at the fundraiser.

He then picked up the list of certified counsellors for teenagers with issues like aggression. He'd prefer to just have Damian speak with Dinah but she had already warned him she'd have to turn him down since she worked with Tim. It wasn't a large list; Gotham did have issues with psychologists and the like. Plus, he needed one who wouldn't leak anything to the press.

But he eventually worked his way through the list and called to make an appointment.

,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,

Tim hung up with a frown. He knew Dinah was likely correct but it was frustrating that she was leaving for a mission which meant he'd have to see someone new. She'd passed on a list of possibilities in Gotham who appeared well qualified for the job. He didn't want to see someone new, but he'd been having nightmares since being dosed. Too many traumas too close together and he knew how dangerous that was. He'd finally been getting over the mess with the Joker and now he was backsliding.

Cool arms wrapped around him and he leant back against Danny. He was so glad Danny had moved in, having him there made it easier to deal with things. Plus, he was eating less take out so his diet was better than ever.

,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,

Damian sat in the car; arms crossed. This was ridiculous! A waste of time and money since what could some civilian ever understand? He did not want to be there but Father insisted and threatened his time at the animal shelter if he did not cooperate. So, what if he'd attacked Drake? He'd been drugged, use that as an excuse, except apparently that wasn't good enough for the idiotic press.

He glanced at Richard who was driving him since Father had to cover for Drake at work and Pennyworth had driven him in. He had recovered just fine, so needing several days off from work just proved further how incapable Drake was.

"Counselling isn't that bad Dami. And Bruce vetted this one."

"This is a waste of time," he sneered.

"Bruce doesn't think it is." Richard shrugged.

Well, Father was wrong.

,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,

Danny smiled at Ms Lane as he landed on the balcony of a different building to last time. He'd spotted several suspicious white vans throughout Metropolis on his flight, glad he'd been invisible and intangible, his power pulled in as close as he could. Metropolis was not high in ectoplasm so he'd be easier to track if he lingered.

She was sort of Conner's Mom; would she keep his secret? It would be safer for everyone if the interview was done in human form.

,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,

Bruce frowned as he watched Damian storm away. Wasn't therapy meant to help, not make things worse?

"Give it time Bruce," Dick murmured, and Bruce looked at him. "First sessions can be really bad, depending on what topics were brought up and how open he is to the help. Since he doesn't want to go," he shrugged.

,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,

Danny frowned as he found Tim sitting on the couch just staring into space. He hadn't had an episode in ages but he could just be lost in thought. He looked tired but they hadn't gone out last night. He was seeing a therapist too, not his usual but a new one as well, maybe the first sessions had been rough? "Tim?" he called softly, not wanting to startle him.

It took a little to get his attention and every mental alarm Danny had was going off. He knelt down in front of him, gently cupping his face. "Hey Polaris," he murmured, not liking how dull Tim's eyes were.

"It's all my fault," he mumbled, sounding utterly miserable, and Danny froze. No…

"Tim, what's the name of your new therapist?" he asked, trying not to sound too alarmed, knowing that after four sessions, if it was her…

Tim just waved at the table and Danny found a business card there, knowing his eyes had flashed green in rage, the temperature around him fluctuating.

He grabbed his phone and dialled, relieved when it was picked up. "Jason, can you come to the penthouse? It's an emergency."

"On my way."

Danny moved back to Tim and took his hands. "Tim, can you look at me, please?" he coaxed. "Nothing is your fault. What you're feeling…it's being induced. She isn't a real therapist, she's an ecto-entity. She does this, preys on peoples insecurities and pushes them into depression. I'm going to stop her but you need to fight it. She's feeding off your misery to fuel her youthful looks. What you're feeling isn't real."

"But she's right," Tim mumbled dully.

Danny shook his head. This was way worse than what she'd done at the school. She'd used words to push them for the most part, she hadn't been able to influence them to a massive degree with her powers, but now it seemed…her abilities had evolved? If he stopped her, would it reverse whatever she'd done?

"She's feeding off those feelings, Tim. It's making her stronger to have you feel like this."

Tim seemed locked in a cycle of self-blame and he wasn't really hearing him. There was no way he could leave Tim alone like that, how many students had been driven far too close to suicide because of her that first time? If she was more powerful and Tim was so vulnerable right now…yeah, he was not leaving him alone.

Jason must have broken several traffic laws because he was soon appearing in the elevator to the Nest. "What happened?"

"Tim's new therapist isn't a real therapist," Danny answered as he tried to coax Tim into drinking some water. "I need you to stay with him while I deal with this."

"What do you mean?"

"She tried this at my high school, literally drove a bunch of teenagers way too close to suicide. Apparently, she's been working on her skills."

,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,

Dick ducked the thrown vase. Okay...that was a bit much, even for Damian. He was just getting angrier and less controllable, what the hell was that therapist doing?

,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,

Jason walked around the couch to see the bleak, dull, expression on Tim's face. He'd never seen Tim look like that, even post Joker confrontation. "Hey Timbers," he called, and Tim barely reacted.

"Don't take your eyes off him, make sure he doesn't hurt himself," Danny told him before heading for the door.

"Wait!" Jason called, and Danny paused. "Mask?"

Danny shook his head. "No, she knows me. She tried to kill my sister back then, along with a lot of the students. She's…not normal. I know how to deal with her."

And then he was gone.

Jason sighed but sat beside Tim and gently pulled the kid to rest against him, petting his hair. "I've got you Tim, you'll feel better soon."

,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,

"Of course, I can take on a new patient," she smiled in anticipation as she turned off the intercom and then the door opened.

"I wouldn't be smiling if I was you, Spectra."

She turned to stare at the male in the doorway. Black hair, blue eyes…and the temperature in the office plummeted. Her smile morphed to a sneer of rage. "Danny Phantom, I heard you went missing."

"Guess you don't read the Daily Planet," he shot back. "I am this close to getting the anti-ecto-acts repealed and you have to come to Gotham of all places?"

She shrugged, what did she care of such things.

"You hurt someone I love, again. I'm not giving you the chance to keep going."

She went to blast him only to find she couldn't move. She looked down to find ice crawling up her body, freezing her in place. Clever boy.

"You will return to the Realms and never step foot outside of them again," he commanded and she felt it settle in her Core, her eyes going wide. There…the shadow of frozen flames… she'd messed up.

,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,

Jason jumped as Tim gasped, shuddering. But he grabbed his brothers' shoulders, steadying him.

Tim blinked and looked at him, eyes clear. "Jason? What are you doing here?"

He didn't answer, just crushing the kid to his chest in a hug. He didn't know what Danny had done but he didn't care since Tim was back to himself.

,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,

Damian lowered his arm, staring at the cup he was holding. He then looked up, finding them watching him. "Father?" he was confused, what was happening?

"Damian?" Father asked warily, slowly approaching to take the cup from him.

"What is going on?" he asked in return.

He saw the alarmed looks they shared and then there was a sting in his neck, everything becoming blurry.

"It's alright Damian, we'll work out what's happening," Father murmured, catching him.

,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,

"So, Crane's serum had lasting effects?" Dick suggested.

Bruce stood, Damian in his arms, heading for the Cave to take a blood test. Until they worked out what was going on, it was best for him to be sedated. He settled Damian on the medical bed as Alfred prepared to draw blood. Bruce then put through a call to Tim, if Damian was still being affected.

"Sorry old man, Tim can't come to the phone."

"Jason? Is anything wrong?"

"Not now, long story that I'm missing most of," Jason admitted. "Don't think he'll be on patrol for a while, sorry."

"Was it fear gas symptoms?"

"No, why?" Jason asked, confused, so Bruce explained what had happened. Jason talked with someone in the background. "Was Damian seeing a therapist?"

"Yes, a Dr Spectra."

"Ah, then problem solved. Apparently, she has powers? Nearly caused a bunch of suicides at Danny's high school. Tim…well he called me to sit with Tim and keep him from doing something…permanent."

Bruce blanched. A therapist who drove patients to suicide? And Tim… he closed his eyes, how close had he been again to losing his son? "Damian wasn't suicidal, he was enraged."

"Hang on."

"Mr Wayne."

"Danny, could she have done this to Damian?"

"Back then, no. She mostly got in their heads with words, but it seems her powers have grown. Tim snapped out of it immediately, did Damian?"

"He did suddenly stop and seemed confused."

"Then they, and anyone else she was working on, should be fine."

"Where is she?" Bruce growled.

"No longer in Gotham, or the US. She'll be dealt with by those who know how to contain her. She won't be back."

Bruce stared at the phone, had Danny hung up on him?

,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,

Tim sat on the couch, sipping hot chocolate. The last week was a confused blur of ever-growing depression. And apparently, she'd seen nothing wrong with treating him and Damian, which meant the brat had become even more violent. He shifted, pressing into Danny's side, and an arm wrapped around his shoulders, cool lips pressing to the side of his head.

"She looked human," he murmured. That much was clear.

"Yeah, she can do that. She won't threaten you again Tim, I made sure she won't leave the Realms."

"I feel like an idiot."

"She's good at what she does Tim. It's so subtle no one notices till it's too late. She even had her office cold when she was at the school so I wouldn't notice my ghost sense going off. She got to me, got to a lot of people who knew to be wary of ghosts showing up."

Tim nodded; it wasn't his fault. He just had to keep believing that…and make an appointment to see Dinah once she was back. He was not risking someone new again.

,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,

He grinned as the shipment arrived. That was the last one he was waiting on and construction would soon be completed. Daniel was doing well in gaining popular support for the Zone and ghosts which would make everything easier. Soon he wouldn't have to hide and he would have his lover with him forever. Daniel would never suffer as he had.

TBC…

Not sure if in the show Spectra had powers to make people feel bad, but here such powers have been growing. So, she increased Damian's anger and made Tim's issues grow as well. Good thing Danny knew those signs.

Next chap, Tim will not be drugged or hurt emotionally. Danny's turn for trouble.