Author's Note:
I was sincerly not expecting to post another chapter so soon. But here it is! Your comments are all wonderful! I love you guys all so much! I appreciate all the comments and Kudos I've received on this work. I've got the rest of this story mostly plotted out now. It had initially only been meant to be a oneshot/two shot to get some ideas out of my system. Now It's grown! I hope you enjoy and keep commenting and letting me know your thoughts!
Danny woke up to the sound of the door opening as a man walked in, Danny slipped off the couch and got into a fighting stance ready to assault the mystery guest/potential attacker but paused when he recognized him.
"Oh… Dick is you, you're Dick… why Dick?" Danny asked. He'd recognized Nightwing but figured it wouldn't pay to advertise to the Bats that he could sense their… souls? Aura? Something… about them making them identifiable. It was a wonder his ghostly enemies couldn't do the same with him.
"Yup, I'm Dick. My parents are Romani and… well the nickname stuck, they didn't really realize it's connotations, they didn't really know what they nicknamed me. It's just my name now, i've learned to live with it." Dick shrugged. "Do you always wake up ready to fight?" He teased good naturedly as he made his way to the kitchen.
"When you're on the run… yes." Danny acknowledged, slipping his shoes back on and following Dick.
"Fair enough. I heard quite a bit about your situation from the Bats. I'll just be asking some clarifying questions, a transmission and recording will be sent to the Batcave, is that alright with you?" Dick asked.
"You'd probably do it whether I consent or not, and I came for help, the best I can do is offer as much information as possible." Danny nodded as he sat at the kitchen island as Dick began pulling out ingredients for breakfast.
"It's been a while since I've eaten a meal that wasn't reanimated." Danny mused as he saw sausages come out of the fridge.
"What?" Dick looked at him incredulously and Danny shrugged.
"My parents aren't the best with the whole lab safety thing. Ectoplasm has the strange property of reanimated things… like hot dogs." Danny made a face. "Sometimes if I wanted to eat, I'd have to kill something again. Usually it affected the meat first, but even our toaster ended up gaining sentience after one too many ectoplasm spills."
"I am both horrified and fascinated." Dick said as he stared at Danny for a moment before focusing on cooking once more. "I'm never going to look at sausages the same way again, I may join Damian in being a vegan." He said with a shudder.
"Damian…" Danny said, his brow furrowed slightly, the name itched at the back of his mind. Something just out of reach, like when you forget a word and struggle to find it. He knew a Damian once, the name was so familiar and yet… he just couldn't remember who he was and what exactly he'd meant to him. He'd been important, that he could tell.
"Oh, my brother… adopted." Dick said with a shrug, distracting Danny from the feeling of near remembrance.
"Huh… my friend Sam is Vegetarian, specifically ultra-recyclo vegetarian." Danny mused, making conversation.
"Which is what exactly?" Dick asked, looking up from the frying sausages and raising an eyebrow.
"She doesn't eat anything with a face… though I'm not entirely sure how that differs from normal vegetarianism, but she claims it's different so…" Danny trailed off and ended the sentence in a shrug.
"Do you have any siblings?" Dick asked.
"I have a sister. She's a bit of a pushy know it all… she always has to be right, is constantly sticking her nose into my business, and is a genius… but she was patient, kind, and sweet. She's my sister." Danny said with a shrug.
"They said you're adopted?" Dick asked. "I was also adopted at a young age, I understand it could be rough to adjust to a new family and new environment, especially with how eccentric the Fentons are. How did you adjust.?" He asked, it seemed part curiosity, part interrogation.
"Is this part of the questions from the Bats or just curiosity?" Danny asked looking up.
"It's a bit of both if I'm being honest." Dick gave him a reassuring smile as he pulled the sausages out of the pan and onto a plate. Danny stared at him for a moment, surprised by his admission before he nodded and shrugged.
"I don't know… When the Fentons adopted me… they're the only family I've ever known. I have no idea who I was before they found me." Danny said as he traced the grain of the table with his index finger before speaking again. "I don't think I had a normal childhood even before the amnesia… my parents were probably way more accommodating and patient than so called normal people would be. I was a bit of a stabby monster when they first found me."
"Stabby monster?" Dick raised an eyebrow and Danny sighed, not answering and letting the silence stretch between them, broken only by the popping of eggs in the pan as they fried. Danny traced a knothole in the grain of the table over and over before he sighed heavily and looked up at Dick.
"Dick…" He said softly, his voice betraying his vulnerability.
"Yeah Danny?" Dick asked, glancing over. Danny swallowed and opened his mouth, closing it, then frowning as he grit his teeth a moment before finally speaking.
"What… What's in my state adoption file is a bit of a lie… mostly because no one would have believed my parents if they told the truth." Danny said. He hesitated, wondering if it was right to tell this secret… but if they had answers for him it could be worth it. Especially after his encounter with Robin, he wanted to know more.
"A lie?" Dick asked, looking at him with suspicion and curiosity.
"My parents created a portal in their basement… it goes to an alternate plane of existence they called it the Ghost Zone, it's been included in the report my friend created… the flash drive I gave to Batman… anyway… they've had a few false starts over the years and… Well I came out of the portal during one of their attempts to power it on. Whoever I was before must have lived a bit of a harsh life. I don't even know if I fell into a portal somewhere and was thrown out through their portal, or if I was trapped in the realms or… I just don't know." Danny sighed. He never really talked about this, about his adoption, he wouldn't be surprised if most people didn't even know he was adopted.
"You… you came out of a portal to another dimension?" Dick asked, completely baffled. Danny nodded, looking up at Dick with a small shrug.
"Yeah… one more weird thing about me, trust me there are plenty more." He sighed and looked down at the ground.
"Can… Can you elaborate on the stabby monster thing?" Dick asked, intrigued but not completely dismissing Danny's claim of coming from an alternate dimension.
"Um… I don't know… I tended to attack anything that got too close, my parents found a ton of weapons on me when I first came from the portal… they didn't let me use proper knives until I was like 10 because I'd throw them at people, well… I stopped before I turned ten, but they were still worried about me. I was kind of feral honestly… I guess I'd spent some time fighting before I came out since I was pretty good at it. I've adjusted since then and I'm not a feral demon brat anymore." Danny said with a weak smile. Dick raised an eyebrow as he plated up eggs.
"How long have you been living with the Fentons?" He asked.
"I was about seven… as best as they could guess from my x-rays… I didn't remember the year I was born, but somehow remembered the date… I don't remember much from before… I knew how to fight… I knew my name was Danny. I don't remember my last name, or my birth father nor my birth mother or any siblings I may or may not have had." Danny said, taking the plate and fork that Dick offered. "Anyway… I guess that makes it… eight years with the Fentons."
"The adoption you'd figure out anyway from my records, but the ghost zone stuff… I guess I hoped sharing would help get me some answers. And with Batman being the world's greatest detective or something he'd be able to help me find those answers… I never thought I wanted to know where I came from or who I was… until last night." Danny admitted.
"Why not?" Dick asked as he speared a sausage onto his fork.
"Multiple scars, broken bones, head injuries… wherever I came from before was clearly not a good place. I didn't want to know, I don't remember so it's better to just be Danny Fenton, not wonder who I was before… but… Robin said he recognized me. That I look like someone he knew and… I had questions. Am I the person he knew? What does that mean for my past? Could I be a clone like he probably suspects? If I was a discarded clone how did I end up in the realms… the Ghost Zone… why did I end up there?" Danny pushed the food on his plate around and frowned, his brow furrowed as more questions flooded his mind. He really hadn't cared too much to know about his time before the Fentons, figured that it was a past best left forgotten… but if he left people behind, people who thought he was dead… he sighed and dropped his fork rubbing his temples.
"I'm not going to lie to you kid, that sounds like a heavy load. I can't promise that Batman can answer any of your questions, but he will try, he's obsessive like that anyway, he'll want answers for himself if no one else." Dick said with a smile. Danny looked up and returned the smile half heartedly.
"I appreciate that." He said, then he sighed and looked down at his plate. "who knows if the family I had before would even want me… I'm supposed to be dead after all… and I'm ecto-contaminated now… technically I could be classified as non-human… who wants a dead boy coming home to them." He mumbled and picked up his fork to stab at a sausage.
"If I had a brother come back from the dead… I'd be overjoyed, no matter the condition he was in." Dick said as he looked at Danny. Danny looked up from his sausage, feeling the sincerity in his words, he wasn't sure what to say to that. He looked back at his plate.
"I'm not even sure my parents would accept me if they truly knew the extent of what the ecto-contamination did to me, why would anyone else care? Especially a family who thinks I'm dead! And if I am a clone? What then? Nothing against clones mind you, I have a clone and she's amazing but… not everyone has the same mindset you know?" Danny rambled, he should have been watching his words more, but he didn't think.
"You have a clone?" Dick asked, raising an eyebrow. Danny cursed in ghost speech and Dick flinched away.
"Shit sorry." Danny winced. "Ghost speech is… grating on the living, forgot sorry… and yes I have a clone… no I didn't mean to tell you, no I will not be elaborating more on that right now." He growled into his eggs, poking the yolk and watching it run down the small peak of the egg. He stuck a sausage in it and swirled it around.
"Ghost speech?" Dick asked leaning forward, his own food abandoned.
"Side effect of ecto-contamination. I can understand and speak with the dead. Huzzah." he said, punching the air half heartedly before eating his yolk drenched sausage link. He hummed in satisfaction. "Food is so much better when you don't have to fight it."
Dick stared for a moment then shrugged, he'd had enough run ins with Condiment King to agree to that sentiment. He slowly focused his attention back on his food and a silence fell over the table as the two of them ate. Danny scraped up the last of the yolk with his sausage, leaving the toast untouched, and took his plate to the sink. The toast was deposited where it belonged, in the trash.
Dick followed suit not long after, though the man had eaten his toast, and they took a seat in the living room this time. Danny realized it was time for the proper interview to start, he held no illusions that Dick hadn't been recording the entire time. The Bats were likely listening in, at least one of them, they'd be analyzing and sorting through everything he'd said.
"So…" Dick started as he pulled out his phone, looking over the list of questions that Batman and Co. wanted clarified. "Let's start with… the ghosts… apparently they found records of attacks? That isn't going to work in your favor with the anti-ecto acts, at least not on the ghostly aspect. Can you tell us anything more about the assailants?"
"The ghosts that attack Amity Park are really in the minority. If the whole Infinite Realms rose up against humanity… humanity would lose. Even if you were able to destroy some ghosts, the deaths… it would just add to their number." Danny rubbed his temples. "There are factions of the Realms that want war, especially after the things that the GIW did to their people… the experiments… the necropsies…" Danny shuddered and pulled his knees to his chest. He took a few steadying breaths before continuing. "Most of them are peaceful… you just see the ones who come out to play… and that's what they see it as for the most part, playing. When you're dead… the concept of dying becomes moot, they really don't think about it, they don't want to think about it. Not all of the ghosts that came to Amity were dead, but most of them were. They don't like to remember their deaths and that usually means they don't think about death at all."
"Most of them?" Dick asked, raising an eyebrow.
"Some of the denizens of the Realm are… neverborn or undying… it's complicated. You have ghosts who are ghosts of the deceased, then you have ghosts who aren't really ghosts in the traditional sense… they're concepts, guardians, gods even. You then have ghosts who are formed in the Realms, ghost children who are the byproduct of ghost intercourse so to speak." Danny elaborated.
"Ghosts can have sex?" Dick asked, his eyes widening.
"Ghosts have freaky sex." Danny made a face. "Honestly I don't want to think about it… but the process to create a new entity between two ghosts is different from human intercourse. It's not like I've gone to Frostbite and asked him to give me the birds and the bees talk… I had enough of the human one thank you very much. My dad is… very awkward."
Dick laughed at that and then made a quick note on his phone.
"Who is Frostbite then?" He asked, tilting his head slightly like an intrigued puppy.
"He's… a yeti… but also a doctor. I… I have a very unique physiology and he has helped me before with my whole ecto-contamination thing. My parents are very much in the camp of managing symptoms with an eventual goal to help rehabilitate me, decontaminate me or whatever. They don't know about Frostbite nor the medical treatment I received in his care."
"So… Yeti Ghost Doctor… right…" Dick said, looking like he wasn't sure if Danny was pulling things out of his ass or not.
"Yup." Danny said, popping the P as he drummed his fingers on top of his knees.
"Next big question then; among the files that were sent… there are a few videos of… well.. the experiments that they did. One in particular… Phantom… who is Phantom, what do you know about him?" Dick asked. Danny closed his eyes, taking a moment. He'd been prepared for this question, they'd left a few videos of him while he was in GIW custody. They were added to the file after Tucker and Technus had worked together to eradicate the data from the GIW. While the data they'd gotten from the torture sessions had been deleted… the videos had remained. The videos showed the depth of their depravity and cruel enjoyment in taking him apart. That didn't make it any easier to talk about.
"Phantom… yeah… he's a ghost." Danny said as he rested his chin atop his hands, which were already atop his knees. "He's something of a hero in our town. He usually stops the rogue ghosts from causing too much havoc. He's got the best track record at catching them… even if there is still a considerable wake of destruction… If my memory is right, no one has ever died when Phantom was the only one on scene." He knew he'd never had a civilian death when he fought alone, there were an unfortunate many when the GIW got involved. When the GIW were hunting him it was harder to keep track of every human in the area. He had kept most casualties to a minimum… that didn't mean there were zero.
"The independent research showed cases of Phantom kidnapping the mayor, attacking the Drs. Fenton, and theft. What about those cases." Dick asked. "Would you consider Phantom a threat?"
Danny was quiet for a moment as he considered how to answer. He wished he could honestly say: No! Absolutely not! But that would be a lie. So he debated a moment before answering.
"Yes but no… He's a threat the same way any superhero could be a threat. He fights for both humans and ghosts, he keeps the humans as safe as he can manage from the ghosts, and keeps the ghosts as safe from humans… at least as much as he can, especially when the GIW or other ghost hunters are involved. The cases you refer to… there are circumstances I'm sure. In the case with the Mayor I believe he may have been overshadowed… possessed, but I'm not certain. As for attacking my parents… I don't know. I've seen his ghost ray push ghosts out of people who are overshadowed, maybe he thought they were being controlled? Speculation on my part… as for the robberies… I'm guessing some form of mind control. It's all a guess really." Danny shrugged half heartedly. "You'd have to get the full story from Phantom."
"Do you know Phantom? Personally?" Dick probed. Danny bit his lip, debating on how much to reveal before speaking again.
"Yes… He… He uses a lot of my parents' tech… how else do you think he gets it?" Danny looked down at his shoes.
"Any chance you could arrange a meeting?" Dick asked hopefully.
"I don't know… maybe? Phantom has been captured once before… you've seen some of the clips right? I doubt he wants a repeat of those circumstances, he's not likely to show up without assurances that he'd be safe." Danny said, he stared at the splatter of spray paint on his shoe and wondered how he was going to clean that. He probably wouldn't, he didn't really have a lot of time, nor access to anything to clean it. Maybe he should just get new shoes. He really wanted a shower too. He'd managed to phase most of the dirt and grime off him… but that didn't mean he'd felt clean.
"Okay… I'm sure the Bats will want to meet him eventually." Dick said.
"Assess threat level, develop contingencies, determine possible alliship?" Danny guessed, raising an eyebrow as he looked back at Dick.
"I wouldn't doubt it." Dick sighed. "You seem to know how the Bats operate."
"I did a bit of research before coming into this… while Gotham was a bit of a chance since I got here first… I did have a list of heroes in mind when I ventured out of Amity. I knew enough of how Batman operates and his sense of justice to put him near the top of the list." Danny explained with a shrug. "I'm more of a make it up as it goes kind of guy… but this seemed too important to wing it. Plus… I knew Batman would be thorough."
"Fair point." Dick smiled. "How did you get out of Amity with the lockdown in place?"
Danny had also been expecting this question and he debated on how much he'd reveal when he told his story, in the end he'd decided to tell it as close to the truth as possible without giving away his secret.
"My parents have a ghost portal in the basement… I went through the Realms." Danny said.
"So… you went into an alternate dimension to get here?" Dick asked, shock and something like respect filled the air. Danny gave him a half hearted smile.
"Yeah… I know a few ghostly allies, such as Frostbite, they helped me get here, find a natural portal to slip through. It helped that Gotham has a lot of ambient ectoplasm, not Amity Park levels, but enough that portals form semi frequently, though they collapse fairly quickly."
"Interesting… is it due to your connection to Phantom that you know so many other ghosts?" The question wasn't one on the list, but clearly Dick was curious.
"Yes." Danny nodded, he didn't elaborate any further so Dick moved on.
"There are reports in the flash drive of the GIW trying to destroy the infinite realms. What sort of consequences might that have? What are the Realms exactly? Are there any governing bodies? How much can you tell us about this place?" Dick said looking down at the questions on his phone.
"That… Yes, the GIW tried to destroy the Realms, they tried to launch an anti-ecto missile into it from my Parents ghost portal after buying the whole house from them. I'm not sure if it would have been effective but… the whole of reality would collapse. The Ghost Zone is the realm between realms, it's connected to everything, every reality, every afterlife, every place and point in time… As for governing bodies, various sections of the realms have different governing bodies, though in the past, the entire zone was ruled over by one King and his various vassals… Everything I know about the realms would barely scratch the surface of what exists."
"That'll drive B crazy." Dick chuckled to himself. "What do you mean in the past the zone was ruled over by one King?"
"His name was Pariah Dark, he was locked up ages ago… he's not a threat any more." Danny said, shaking his head.
"Anymore?" Dick raised an eyebrow.
"Pariah had all of the Infinite Realms under his rule and he still wanted more. He was a tyrant and a creep. He tried to worm his way into other universes and take them over. Our universe has weaker borders between here and the Zone, it's easier to gain access from here or there. There are other universes with thin walls, but we live in this one. He… he escaped a while back… Phantom stopped him, he's since been… Ended." Danny said, looking back at his shoes. He hadn't Ended anyone before Pariah… but he'd been forced to for the sake of the realms and the infinite universes it glued together.
"Is there a new King? Is Phantom King now? Something like the right of conquest maybe? How do these things work?" Dick asked intrigued. Danny sighed heavily and continued to stare at his shoes for a moment.
"It's complicated… Phantom… while powerful… he's… he's a young ghost… technically he received the title, but he won't be able to properly rule for a while." Danny shrugged. "Bureaucratic nonsense or something, but he's not really the power hungry type and would rather let the Council and the Observants rule in his stead as much as possible. He's a teenager… yeah being King is cool and all… but having that much power… that much sway… it's terrifying." Danny shuddered and shook his head. "Better to leave it to the older ghosts, he only steps in as King if he absolutely has to… Luckily he hasn't really had to… yet."
"How did Phantom end up on the GIW's most wanted list?" Dick wondered, ticking another question off the list.
"Personal grudges combined with the circumstances and cases you mentioned before. Plus they are all ghost hating bigots… I.. I don't really know." Danny shrugged. "The more he does to disprove that he's evil the more they go after him… I think Phantom would have let them be if they were only after him… but they went after innocents… they went after innocent ghosts and humans… then they captured him while he was trying to free some ghosts." Danny's hands clenched into fists and he stared holes through his shoes, his eyes glowing ectoplasmic green as the anger rose inside him. If Dick noticed, he didn't say anything about the glow, after a moment he spoke again.
"Are you okay?" He asked. Danny blinked, looking up at Dick surprised, the glow fading from his eyes.
"I… No… yes… I don't know." He mumbled and sighed. "This isn't a therapy session though, so does it really matter?" Danny raised an eyebrow.
"It matters to me. It seems like you've been through a lot at such a young age, plus it couldn't have been easy dealing with ghost attacks, helping Phantom while hiding from your parents, who are ghost hunters. Not to mention traveling to Gotham through an alternate dimension, even with allies. Plus… the ecto-contamination you mentioned, whatever side effects it has. Dealing with that has to be troublesome. Being labeled a non-human entity because of circumstances out of your control… it's a lot. Are you okay?" Dick asked.
"No one has really asked me that before." Danny admitted softly, he looked away, he could feel Dick's sincerity, the undercurrent of anger on his behalf and the strange sense of respect. Why Dick would respect him, especially when he was Nightwing, Danny had no idea.
"I'm asking now." Dick said, his smile kind and genuine.
"No. I don't think I am… but I have to be right? It's pointless to break down over all the bullshit I've gone through so I just… I work through it. My sister and my friends also help me… they help Phantom too… it… It's still a lot." Danny sighed, burying his face in his knees.
"Regardless of what the Bats decide - though I think they'll lean toward helping - you can count on me to help."
"Right… sure." Danny mumbled.
"Seriously, Danny. Especially while you're here in Gotham… do you have a phone?" Dick asked. Danny frowned as he looked up then shook his head.
"Ditched it. Didn't want the GIW figuring out I'd left town… The cover story is that I'm sick… not sure how long that will last though." Danny sighed.
"I'll get you a phone you can use, maybe I'll even see if the Bats can work up something with security measures to make sure it's secure enough that you can call home." Dick said.
"I… I'd appreciate that." Danny gave him a weak smile then looked back at his shoes. "Can… Can we take a break from this whole questioning thing… I'd… I'd like to shower and maybe get some clothes… if I can find anything that's under fifteen dollars."
"I think I can get you some clothes, don't worry about it." Dick said, gently putting a hand on Danny's shoulder. "I have more questions I'm supposed to ask, but we can work through the list later."
"Thanks." Danny said with a small smile and a nod. "Um… I… I'm going to go get that shower now." He mumbled as he slid off the couch and made his way to the bathroom.
Damian listened into the conversation and recording. His mind whirling as he wondered if Danny really was his Danny. The scars matched, the mentioned broken bones and head injuries could each be connected to training or mission incidents. Most interesting was the ectoplasm and its reanimation properties, were the Lazarus Pits somehow connected to ectoplasm? If they were, did they somehow connect to the Infinite Realms Danny spoke of? If they were connected… Was that where Danyal disappeared to when they couldn't find his body? If he had… then the possibility he'd come out somewhere other than the Pits was high. If he had… Did that mean that Daniel Fenton was Danyal Al Ghul?
He felt something similar to hope, but tried to quash it down. He'd hate to be disappointed and find out that this Danny wasn't his twin. He was so like him in so many ways. A search of social media on the boy had found out his love for stars and the cosmos, the same passion that his twin shared when he was alive. Further inspection also revealed a love for puns and a surprising amount of death jokes. He'd also recognized Damian's words, he'd spoken using a dialect of Arabic specific to the League, no one but someone trained by the League should have known what he was saying. And most damning of all… Danny had called him Dami. Granted the other teen had been half asleep when he said it… but maybe… just maybe there was a possibility that underneath the amnesia and years apart… Danyal Al Ghul was alive.
He wanted to know more about the other teen with his twin's face. It was maddening not to be able to go speak with him. If he could speak with him… maybe he could help Danny remember. Would Danny even want to remember? What had Danny's life been like without him? What would it be like to fight beside his twin again? Would father accept two Robins? Maybe Danny would have his own persona instead? Would Danny even want to join the family business?He seemed to be able to fight well enough… but just being able to fight didn't make one a Bat. He frowned at the screen, replaying the moment when Grayson had mentioned him to Danny. . "Damian…" he sounded like he almost knew the name, but perhaps he'd just known him as Damian Wayne. He was a public figure in addition to being Robin after all.
Damian sighed and rested his head back against the chair, staring up at the rocky ceiling of the Batcave. There was so much to consider, it could be a trap, but all of Danny's information had checked out. The stuff about the GIW, the ghosts, the town being under lockdown, and his past… except how he'd come to the Fentons - though Danny himself admitted the real story there - it was all true. Beyond the stuff in the flash drive their independent investigations corroborated the story. Drake seemed to be a man possessed as he dug up information from various sources, social media, Amity News, government files and more. Though perhaps possessed was not an appropriate term given that they were dealing with ghosts.
It bothered him that he still felt he couldn't be certain… at least not about Danny being his twin. He wanted to be certain… he hoped… but hope was dangerous. He feared he may be becoming as paranoid as Father, but paranoia was good at times. It kept you sharp. It kept you alive. He couldn't run head first into this on some glimmer of hope and reveal secrets he had no intention of revealing. So he'd watch and wait and Robin might talk to Danny, but for now Damian had to stay away.
"Damian." Bruce interrupted his musing as he walked up to the Bat computer.
"Father." Damian acknowledged.
"I think it's about time we had that talk." Bruce said. Damian read the disappointment on his father's face. Of course the man would feel hurt that Damian kept another son from him, even if his twin had died. Damian sighed and resigned himself to his fate.
"As you wish, Father." Damian nodded. He would have to approach this as a report, not as a personal tale. He'd long since buried Danny in his heart… he couldn't have hope yet, not without more evidence.
"Let's go upstairs." Bruce said and Damian quietly followed his father up stairs and to the study, slouching into a chair and waiting for Bruce to start the conversation. It seemed Bruce was waiting for the same as the two of them merely stared at each other for a minute before Bruce took the initiative to speak.
"You had a twin." His words were statement of fact, not a question. "Tell me about him."
"Danyal Al Ghul…" Damian nodded. "He and I were born of Mother and your sexual relations. Grandfather only ever cared about one heir and Danyal was stillborn. Mother convinced him that Danyal could be of some use and was allowed to use the Lazarus Pit to resurrect him. We were trained together, side by side, went on missions together, fought together… I think we always assumed we would each carry on a mantle, I was to be heir to the Demon… Danyal was always intended to take on your cowl." Damian paused, swallowing back emotion, he refused to cry in front of anyone, especially at the age of fifteen. He felt he'd long since outgrown such childish displays of emotion.
"Take your time." Bruce said softly, his eyes kind, yet haunted by the son he'd lost before he'd known of him.
"Danyal and I were training… sparing… there had been unrest among the League for a while… We had dealt with assassination attempts before, some felt that children such as ourselves received too much favor from Grandfather… this time… I was sloppy, I made a mistake… Danyal paid the price of that mistake with his life. He pushed me aside as the assassin aimed a blade at my heart… it pierced Danyal's chest, it wasn't immediately fatal, but he was drowning in his own blood. I begged Grandfather to let Danyal use the Lazarus Pit once more… Grandfather acquiesced to my request… but the Pit swallowed Danny. His body never resurfaced. Danny was going cold in my arms… blood loss and shock… I thought he'd return. I hadn't contemplated what would happen if he didn't." Damian looked down at his hands, folded in his lap and thought a moment before he spoke once more.
"They dragged the pit… searching for Danny's corpse… it was never found. Sometimes the Pit seems to take as much as it gives… bodies vanishing in the depths… I never thought it would happen to Danny. He was written off as dead… erased from the League as if he never existed. The Demon Twins were no more, there was only Damian Al Ghul… no Danyal… not anymore." Damian shook his head sadly, taking another steadying breath and still refusing to look up at Bruce. The man was quiet for a long moment before speaking again.
"Why didn't you tell me?" He asked, a hint of betrayal and sadness in his voice.
"What use was it?" Damian scoffed and looked to the side, still avoiding Bruce's gaze, then softer he shook his head and looked back down at his hands. "He died, Father… He died and Mother and Grandfather pretended he'd never existed. Why… Why should I have mentioned him when he was already gone? It would only serve to wound you further to know there was another son out there who had failed to live." Bruce was quiet for a long while so Damian finally raised his head to look at him.
"I… I wanted to keep him to myself." He admitted softly. "He was my brother, my twin… he died because he was protecting me. You and Grayson and the others may have taught me the meaning of family after that tragedy… but Danny taught me first." He felt his eyes mist and he closed them, refusing to shed any tears. They sat in silence for a long while, the only sound the ticking of the grandfather clock before Bruce spoke at last, his voice thick with emotion.
"And… Danny Fenton? What do you make of him?" His tone was wary and yet hopeful. To find out he had another son who was presumed dead but could be alive… he wasn't sure the emotions he felt but he wanted to explore that relationship if possible. Damian was quiet a moment, before gathering himself and switching back to his report mode.
"Daniel Fenton, aka Danny Fenton is a remarkable replica if he isn't Danyal. I've compared scars and injuries to those from his past, they match up with my memories perfectly. He has common interests with Danyal, even if his personality is much more open than Danyal was. That could be attributed to time spent away from the League and its influence, nevermind his apparent amnesia. Grayson spoke with him about his past and it seems possible that he could in fact be… be Danyal." Damian stumbled over the last sentence. Possibility wasn't solid proof, he couldn't let himself hope yet.
"And?" Bruce prompted, sensing there was more on his mind than what he'd shared. Damian hesitated before sighing and hanging his head.
"I… I went against your orders and saw him last night… as Robin… He… He understood the League Dialect, only those trained should have known what I said… I suppose I was trying to test him… a test he passed. More… More convincing… he called me Dami." Damian swallowed back the anxiety. "Danny is the only one who ever called me Dami… He's the only one I let call me that… but he was half asleep… if… if he is Danyal… perhaps somewhere beyond the amnesia he recognised me."
"You still have doubts." Bruce said, reading the hesitation on Damian's face.
"Of course I have doubts! It's not like we haven't dealt with clones before! Even clones meant to infiltrate us or the Justice League, never mind the various teams or others… It wouldn't be right to give into sentiment and not do our due diligence. Even if he isn't a malicious clone, that doesn't make him my twin just because he looks like him." Damian growled, getting irritated. "But he has all the same scars, all the same injuries even if he has new ones. Looking at his DNA might have told us something, clones usually have genetic markers to tell us if they are clones, but we can't even be certain because he claims his genetic code is corrupted… but that could be just a clever excuse. His DNA is conveniently corrupted so we can't get a clear answer yes or no… and even if it wasn't corrupted, we have nothing to compare to the original Danyal because everything connected to him was erased. There is no genetic material for comparison so the best we can hope for is DNA matches with you, Mother or I." Damian ended the rant in a huff and folded his arms. Bruce's brows rose, then he took a deep breath and spoke.
"What do you mean? You say the League erased all genetic material and everything else proving that Danyal Al Ghul existed." He confirmed.
"Of course. I was with Mother when she did so. Otherwise I'd even suggest reaching out to her to get a sample to compare to. Though I doubt she'd be cooperative. Even if she was willing to help and Danny isn't a clone, then she'd probably just want to get him back in her grasp again. Especially now that I've 'turned against her' as she believes." Damian grumbled, exasperated.
"How would the League make a clone with no genetic material?" Bruce probed, apparently trying to get Damian to figure something out for himself.
"Well they… they could… I don't know." Damian admitted as his mind ran through possibilities. "I suppose they could approximate a match based on samples of your DNA and Talias or mine…" That seemed a bit more far fetched, and the clone would likely be less than stable resulting in a by-product that didn't live for more than a few years… Danny Fenton had been around for much longer than that and showed none of the usual symptoms of being force grown.
"The sample is still running. It's taking time to figure it out with the corruption, but we should know by the end of the day." Bruce said. "Given his story, and what we are finding out about the Infinite Realms… there may be a possibility that he is your brother. We will take every precaution to ensure that he isn't a threat."
"It can't be him!" Damian yelled, standing up and losing his cool. Bruce stared at him kindly for a moment before asking.
"Why not?"
"Because!" Damian shook his head. "Because that means I mourned him for nothing! That means he was alive this whole time blissfully unaware of me. He wanted to keep it that way while I lived without my other half! You have no idea who I was before Danny died! If Danny hadn't died maybe I would have been better! Maybe I wouldn't have been so vindictive and angry about your other children! Maybe I wouldn't have attacked Tim! Maybe… maybe I could have been a better person." Damian flushed red, suddenly embarrassed by his outburst.
It was true he changed dramatically after Danny's death. It was also true he harbored resentment to the others for calling themselves brother when his "real" brother had died. It was also true that he was jealous that Danny had gotten to live a somewhat normal life - though clearly life with the Fentons wasn't exactly normal - without being shot at, stabbed, hunted, brainwashed, and without even remembering what they'd both gone through in the League. Even with all of that being true he still hadn't meant to reveal it.
"Damian." Bruce said softly and pulled him into a hug as if that would encompass all the feelings he couldn't put into words. Damian froze before sighing and leaning into the hug.
"I… I don't know what I'll do if he is my Danny." He admitted.
"Whatever we find out… we'll face it together. As a family." Bruce reassured as he gently patted Damian on the back.
Family… he had a family now, one that wasn't always trying to kill or manipulate him… and maybe… just maybe… he had his brother back as well.