Disclaimer: Not mine

Chapter 5

Danny stared at Tim, utterly confused. "I…what?" he looked between Tim and Jason, seeing the considering look on the older man's face.

"With the Justice League hopefully stepping in with Amity, how long till you're listed as a missing person? Sooner or later, someone will realise your DNA is a match to mine and I doubt you want your origins becoming public."

Danny couldn't help the flinch at that and Tim smiled sympathetically.

"No one will think twice about learning my parents had twins and gave the younger up for adoption, they only wanted an heir and not a…not a spare. Identical twins separated at birth isn't unheard of, especially somewhere like Gotham."

Tim…was willing to claim him as his twin? "Why would you do that? You don't know me, you don't trust me, and no you want to claim we're twins?"

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Tim touched his side; the wound Danny had healed completely on impulse because it was causing Tim pain. All of the intel he had brought to take down his parents and the GIW, handed over to someone he didn't know but wanted to. Tim reached out and grasped Danny's hand in his own, noting his skin was a bit cool. Was he coming down with something? He wouldn't be surprised given the stress Danny had been under.

"Everything you've done Danny…I want to trust you," he admitted. "I want to get to know you, I want you to stay," Tim found himself saying and…it was true. They stared at each other, Tim willing him to understand and then a small smile spread across Danny's lips.

"Okay. But you know once the town is free, you're taking on more than just me right? Blood related or not, there's no way Jazz'll let me move to Gotham alone. And I've got two friends who'll be right behind us once they can."

"I always wanted a big sister," he admitted. Cass did her best at filling that role but she was rarely in Gotham anymore. They loved each other but she needed her freedom. He'd drifted from the bats but maybe…he could still have a family. Maybe he was being crazy but there was something inside him that screamed this was the right thing to do.

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Diana was angry as she left the meeting but she kept it under control due to centuries of practice. How had no one noticed an entire town being cut off? The population was that of a small city, nothing like Gotham or Metropolis but they still should have noticed. Surely someone had shouted for Kal, how could this GIW stop that?

She had no doubt that 'ghosts' existed, not in a world with gods and her people. Perhaps connected somehow to Hades? She would have to ask what was known back home when she had the chance. The research by those Fenton's, she was not a scientist but even she could see how biased and unproven it was. And those weapons…she was a warrior, she had seen many horrible things, but the recording of some of the weapons testing… they had to be stopped.

She did wonder who the escaped civilian was to have been able to grab so much of their information. One of their children or perhaps a friend?

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Danny wished he could see the look on Ellie's face at someone else accepting their clone like he had her. He missed his baby sister so much, but it had been the only way to save her. She'd never fully stabilised, no matter what they tried, not as she was. She was somewhere in the Realms, living her afterlife with no memory of being Danielle 'Ellie' Phantom, Vlad, him…any of it. Clockwork and Frostbite had done everything they could to keep her 'alive' for him but in the end, he'd lost her in a different way. They were strangers now but he would always love her, even if she was a full ghost with no memory of her life before.

But was Tim really for real? His senses said yes, he felt nervous but there was no sense of duplicity.

"Danny Drake," he murmured, it wasn't a name he'd pick but a newborn given up would be named by the adoptive parents and then to go back to the birth family name could make off combinations.

For a vigilante it all seemed very impulsive. All because he'd healed Tim? Tim thought he was a meta, due to his accident, could he let him keep thinking that? Even after skimming the Fenton's research, he hadn't realised…then again, he'd left before Danny could really explain what being liminal was.

"Danny?" Tim asked, and Danny squeezed his hand.

Jason had died and was very liminal, almost to the level of a halfa, and Tim had suffered what should have been a mortal blow that had haunted him for over a year. If anyone would understand.

"I'm not a meta Tim," he admitted.

"But…you healed me?" Tim frowned in confusion.

"I drew out energy that shouldn't have lingered in the wound…death energy. When you didn't die, it should have dissipated over time as the scars healed but something locked it in. That's why it wouldn't finish healing and why it hurt, it was fighting to finish the job, to…"

"Kill him?" Jason finished for him, and Danny nodded.

"Eventually it would have killed you, probably not for a few more years but it would have been an agonising death as the energy spread. Slow organ failure for no medical reason."

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Jason watched as Tim went white as his future death was described to him. That was…well, even for them that was messed up. The idea of Tim slowly wasting away as his organs gradually shut down…watching the kid slowly fade. Or would he have left to spare them seeing it happen? That was something Tim would do.

Nothing about Danny said he was lying, then again Tim was an excellent liar – was that genetic or because of his 'upbringing' if you could call basically raising himself that.

"How?" Tim asked, and Danny shifted.

"The accident…didn't just electrocute me. Turns out having an interdimensional portal open up right where you're standing while being electrocuted…" Danny shrugged slightly and Jason's stomach plummeted again.

He can practically see the thoughts racing through Timmy's head and then his little brother's eyes widen in shock and he moves to his computer, bringing something up. He stared at the screen and then swallowed, obviously upset by what he was seeing.

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Bruce stared at the image in shock. That…that was his son. But that was impossible, Tim was safely in Gotham. So how could there be photos of him in Amity Park? He couldn't have been undercover, not when the dates on some of the images aligned with missions or galas, they had both attended. Had Tim researched the Fenton's, had he seen them?

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Tim stared at the blurry image, how…how had he not seen? How could he be so blind? But how was that possible? But… "You're Phantom," he whispered, and Danny stiffened, fear in his eyes.

And of course he was scared, his own parents had tried to kill him! But then Danny met his eyes, wary but also knowing…

"And you were one of the Robins, I'm guessing the one with the staff going off our ages."

"What?" How the hell had he jumped to that conclusion? Good guess though.

"The way you move, the muscle you hide under your clothing, the way you just called Oracle… there's a lot of little clues that add up."

And Jason was laughing at him, he could tell. Basically, the same method Tim had used, though it had been one flip that had made him investigate. He supposed it shouldn't really be a surprise.

"I thought Amity was cut off?" He asked.

"Yeah, about seven months after my accident. That Robin debuted when I was thirteen. I saw online on the bus here that there's a new one with a sword and that…Red Robin uses a staff so is probably the last Robin," Danny shrugged, but then looked at Jason. "You're his older brother and you died."

Jason laughed, shaking his head. "Should have seen this coming Timbo. You do have the same brains after all."

Tim sighed but then nodded. "Red Robin and Red Rood," he admitted. "So…how do you change your hair colour?"

That had Danny tensing again, shifting nervously. But then he pulled away, standing up to walk part way across the room. He took a deep breath. "Don't freak out?" and then rings of light appeared at his waist, splitting to pass over his body. It was still Danny, but with white hair that floated about his head as if he was under water and his eyes…they were glowing green.

Tim found himself on his feet but didn't remember standing, walking slowly towards his 'twin'. He reached out but then hesitated, meeting Danny's eyes, and he stayed still so Tim slowly touched his shoulder, feeling the cold radiating from his body. Still, he was so still…his chest wasn't rising and falling with breath. He wasn't breathing!

"Danny? How…you're not breathing!"

Danny took his hand and placed it against his wrist, Tim waiting, but there was nothing, no pulse. "I'm a halfa. Half living…half dead. The portal to what the Fenton's call the Ghost Zone, really the Infinite Realms, it opened right where I was. The electricity killed me and the sudden outpouring of ectoplasm brought me back at the exact same time," Danny explained, voice shaking slightly.

"This is why your sister wanted you to get out of the house, of Amity Park," Tim whispered, and Danny nodded, not meeting his eyes now.

Tim carefully set both hands on his shoulders, ignoring the coldness, it wasn't as bad as getting hit by Freeze after all. Danny hesitantly looked up at him. "I'm sorry this happened to you," Tim told him. "They should have had proper lab safety; you should never have been able to get near that thing."

Green eyes were wide, Danny staring at him in shock. The shade was different to when Jason lost himself but there was enough similarity for Tim to be very sure there was a connection between the Pits and ectoplasm.

"I'm Red Robin, Danny. I've got friends who are meta's, aliens…so what if my brother can do a magical girl transformation," he teased to lighten the mood, and Danny squawked, Jason laughing. "It's not hurting you is it, being like this?"

Danny shook his head. "This…this is my ghost form," he whispered. "I can use the base powers without transforming, but they're not as strong. It doesn't hurt."

"Good." Tim smiled at him. "Can I hug you?" he asked.

Danny stared at him, eyes searching his, seeming confused, but then he slowly nodded. Tim closed the small distance between them, hands slipping from his shoulders to rest on his back. Yep, that was cold, colder than a dead body and he pushed that comparison away. Slowly, Danny lifted his own arms to return the hug.

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Vlad frowned as he stared down at the street where two men in white suits were harassing a group of teens. He had made a serious error in backing the GIW even temporarily. They had gone from something of a joke, to a serious threat, backed by the Fenton's inventions. He knew Daniel sabotaged a lot of their work, with help from his little friends, so how much more dangerous would they be without that? And where was his little badger? He hadn't been seen anywhere in days, not that his parents had noticed. But Jasmine and the others were doing everything they could to hide the fact he wasn't there.

Had…had he left Amity Park? Of everyone there, the two of them were the only ones who could manage due to the portals. The agency was tightening their grip on the town, had he left to try and get help? It was something he would do, always trying to help others. And for once, he had to agree, if the GIW was not stopped…the entire population might find themselves under the knife.

He loved Maddie and he always would, would always want her…but not this version of her. She had become as obsessed as any ghost, maybe even more so, and her obsession was to cause harm. What had happened to the woman he loved? He wanted to say it was all Jack's fault but…he couldn't. Even a blind man could see that she was the driving force in that relationship.

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He watched in awe as Tim worked, apparently it had to be done immediately since as soon as any of the bats looked into the Fenton's they would be curious and suspicious of a boy who looked like Tim. Danny was okay with computers but he was better at building things, hacking was Tuckers niche. The two of them would probably get along great when they met, if they met. He didn't know what would happen once the Justice League acted. He wouldn't let them keep the portal, no, it had to be shut down. Gotham had enough ectoplasm to support him if he stayed…would Tim want him to stay? Sure, they would be brothers now but they'd both be adults soon and families often split up for school and stuff.

Jason was still there but it felt less like he was keeping an eye on Danny and more…he didn't really know what. He offered a snarky comment here and there as Tim worked, Tim giving distracted responses.

He glanced around the massive underground base, three whole levels! And the vehicles! He knew Tim had money, he was the Drake heir and now a Wayne, so a secret basement wasn't a shock. But his definitely beat Vlad's. Sure, there were sciencey areas but they weren't creepy or anything. Was he the only hero/vigilante without a cool secret base?

"Okay, digital files are handled, all we have to do now is break into the hospital and change Mom's records to say she had twins, give you a birth record. Timothy Jackson born 11:18 am and Daniel Janus born 11:35 am."

"Janus" Danny asked, curious.

"There's no male version of Janet but Janus is listed as a possible one. It…it seemed to fit," Tim answered.

"Better than James." He'd never really liked his middle name. It was hard to believe but Tim had done it, claimed him as his twin.

"Hey Tim?"

"Yeah Jay?" Tim glanced over.

"What are you gonna say when B asks why you didn't know? Cause we all know you would have researched and found out about Danny years ago."

"And found him living in a nice place with an eccentric but loving family," Tim answered. "by the time things started seeming odd, I was busy with Robin and YJ and then Amity Park started being cut off."

Danny just stared at him and yep, there was the awe.

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"Oracle?"

"I've got the records…" she trailed off. "B…"

"What is it?"

"Timothy Jackson Drake born 11:18 am and Daniel Janus born 11:35 am. Eight hours later Daniel Janus became Daniel James Fenton. A private and completely sealed adoption."

Bruce grimaced; this would hurt Tim so badly. He'd been so lonely as a child, to learn he had a brother his parents gave away… or…Tim was so curious, or at least he used to be, so thorough. Was it possible he knew of Daniel? But why not tell them, Bruce would have arranged a meeting between the brothers if Tim wanted it.

He stood and headed for the zeta; this was not something he would speak with Tim over comms about. Should he go to the apartment or ask Tim to come to the Manor? Maybe it would be best on Tim's territory, where he would feel safest. Bruce had only been to his apartment once; he had helped him home after a bad patrol. Tim was very protective of his space and privacy, none of them had been in his Nest.

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Tucker paced his room, Danny was gone. Jazz had run into Sam and a quick conversation revealed that she had pushed him to sneak out of town with help from Wulf. Everyone knew things were getting worse, had he gone for help? But who would help them?

He was glad that Danny was away, hopefully there were less agents in other areas of the country. Maybe he'd leave the US altogether to be extra safe. Ghost attacks had dropped off a lot lately, even before he left. But that hadn't stopped the Fenton's or GIW. It felt like they were everywhere, like the only safe place to be, was at home.

And then he stared at his computer in shock. Someone…someone had breached the digital blockade the town was under. They were looking at…the Fenton's. Please be help.

TBC…