Sins

Disclaimer: I don't own Danny Phantom, Teen Titans, or anything DC-related. If I did then it wouldn't be as popular as it is.

The story was written & developed by Nightmares Around Winter. The story is based on 'The Forgotten Hero' by TheWhiteTitan.

Beta read by Leaf Ranger

Author's Note: So some of you may notice that I deleted most of my stories, leaving this one and Devil Dog (A My Hero Academia story). Well, that is because due to me getting less and less time to write fanfics, I figured it would be best if I limit my story to the ones I am looking forward to working on. So every so often I will do s few chapters of Sins and a few chapters of Devil Dog, or DD. Would I start other stories? Yes, in fact I have a poll set up on my profile so you can help with potential stories, but once again will only do so till I think stories get enough progression done or if an idea really takes me. Hopefully, you all enjoy this chapter, and sorry for the long wait.

Also, a reader has pointed out the idea of adoption for this story and while I ain't giving it up for adoption (hopefully I will actually finish this thing before it comes to that), I will say that there is still nothing stopping anyone from doing their take on a story like this. In fact, this story was inspired by TheWhiteTitan's 'The Forgotten Hero' so I obviously make no real claim on it. If you wish to make your own take on this story because I don't update enough for you, which is fair, or you don't like the direction I take this story, which is also fair, then I would love to see other's people take. Sincerely, if you want to do a fanfic based on this one or inspired by this one then by all means do so. In fact, send me a link sometime and I'll try to read it myself! I love seeing people do their take on such things!

Without any further ado, I hope you enjoy it.

"Talking"

'Thinking'

"Demonic/other-worldly voices or thoughts"

(Author's Note/Translation)

Chapter 19: I Don't Want to Remember Me

Kara sat in a chair having finished telling her story to Valerie and Shayera about her encounter at the burned-down mansion. "I can't believe it..." Valerie stated, "A fully functional ghost portal out there in the wilderness."

Shayera turned to the resident ghost hunter. "You said only the Fenton's had been able to figure out such technology, right?" She asked.

Valerie nodded as she picked up the burned photograph from the table. She couldn't pick up any traces or markings but if the Kryptonian was being honest, it gave her an idea. "That could have been the last location of one Vlad Masters."

"Who is he?" Shayera asked.

"College friend of Jack Fenton, owner of Axiom Labs and former mayor of Amity Park," Valerie answered. "And the designer of the first rendition of my first suit and hoverboard, before I got upgraded to this," she added while gesturing to her more advanced suit. "He disappeared after the explosions at Fenton Works. Most thought he disappeared out of grief since his last order was to establish a memorial park in honor of the lost."

"Do you think he died in the fire?" Shayera asked Kara.

"I didn't see any human remains. Only burnt wood and ash." Kara answered. "The real question is if this got started from an accident or was this because of an attack?"

"If what you said about Vlad's lab is true, then any accident would have resulted in an explosion like the one that took out the Fentons," Valerie responded. "Meaning that there wouldn't be much left, let alone an entire lab to extract anything from. Everything would have been vaporized."

"Then that leaves an attack...possibly Vlad himself started the fire to hide his escape," Shayera stated. "Maybe to try and hide his research. Or someone already got their hands on it and wanted to make sure they left no traces behind."

"I guess it doesn't really matter now." Kara said. "But that still leaves one thing...when I entered that portal, a ghost spotted me."

"Right...they called out for their king," Shayera said as she placed a hand against her chin in thought, "meaning that there is someone in power over there."

"Yeah, but the name...you said it was 'Fenrir'?" Valerie asked. When Kara nodded, Valerie looked down at the table in contemplation. "That's...worrying."

"Has there ever been a ghost king?" Shayera asked.

"Yeah, but he was a ghost named Pariah Dark." Valerie answered. "And he was already insanely powerful. When he first awoke, ghosts came pouring into Amity Park by the dozens. All of them tried to escape from him after he destroyed their homes, leaving them nowhere to go. And even then he was able to send his right hand, a ghost called the Fright Knight, to call upon his power and transport the entire city straight into the Ghost Zone as a part of his kingdom. So...if there is a new king in charge then that could mean..."

"That this 'Pariah Dark' was overthrown," Shayera answered as she turned towards Supergirl. "What was his name again?"

"Fenrir...King Fenrir," she answered.

"Excuse me," another voice called out. The three women looked over to see Nightwing standing nearby. "Sorry I was just passing by."

"Oh hey, Boy Wonder." Supergirl smirked. "Funny seeing you here; thought you would be on some super secret mission. How's Connor?"

Nightwing smiled at Kara. "Connor is doing good. We've been kinda busy adding Valerie's anti-ghost countermeasures. Mind if I sit down?"

"By all means," Shayera said, her gaze sharpening slightly at the sight of the first Robin. Valerie even crossed her arms and regarded him carefully.

"Sorry but that name, you said Fenrir, right? Where did you hear that?" Nightwing asked as he sat down.

"It was a name I heard on an investigation," Kara answered.

"Really? What were you looking into?" He asked with a small smile on his face.

"Smuggling ring over in London. Small-time stuff." Shayera answered for her. "Right?"

Kara stared at Hawkgirl for a moment before turning towards him. "Yeah, someone said that they were making a delivery to a person of that name."

"I see." Nightwing said, his smile fading slightly. "Strange, Bruce was looking into that name. Apparently, an assassin of that name is going around making a name for themselves. They haven't been active lately but Bruce seems to think that they've been behind a few attacks."

"Really?" Valerie asked. "Like what?"

Nightwing sighed. "Apparently, the man that killed the Greek prime minister called themselves Fenrir. At least if Cheshire's word is to be taken seriously."

The three took an interest in that. "Really? Strange." Shayera answered. "Anything else?"

Dick looked somberly out the window for a moment, looking out onto the planet. He pondered for a moment, "Okay look, don't tell Batman this. You know how he gets about leaks. He's been looking into this assassin and apparently, there may be a connection to him and these recent ghost attacks in Gotham and Dakota."

"Impossible,' Valerie stated. "I was at Dakota. That thing was not human, and I can bet my life that whatever was that thing that attacked Arkham wasn't human either." Shayera and Kara locked eyes with each other, remembering how Batman claimed that the Arkham Assailant reminded him of their Danny.

Dick stood up from his seat. "Look, that's all I can say. Batman hasn't told me this and I doubt he would be happy if I told you all of this, but I think your smuggler," he said making the three women frown at his words, "and Batman's hitman, along with these ghost sightings may be connected. Want my advice? Go back to the scenes of the crime and see what turns up. Especially back in Dakota." He said as he took his leave.

The three women sat quietly. "I'll go back to Dakota City," Valerie said as she stood up, stretching lightly. "I'll take my leave. Good luck with you and yours." She said as she walked away.

Kara and Shayera sat silently, thoughts racing through their heads. Kara was the first one to break the silence. "Shayera..." She said softly. "I have a meeting with someone in two days...someone who might tell us about Danny." The winged woman turned to her, "I don't know what they have to say but...I doubt it would be things we would want to hear."

Shayera nodded. "As long as it brings us closure. Yet...I still think there is something not right..."

"About what?"

"...about all of this."

Meanwhile

"So is it normal for this to feel...'tingly'?" Harley whispered to him, his hand was on her shoulder allowing the pair to be invisible as they watched the abandoned fairground.

"I suppose. I never noticed it myself." Danny responded quietly. 'Or maybe you're just feeling the breeze, it's not like you're wearing much.' He thought to himself. Before coming here, Harley insisted they go 'shopping' for clothes. Running around invisible with a half-naked, pale-skinned woman, stealing clothing and make-up products was not something he expected to do...ever. Yet the clothes in question seemed to be not that much better than the large shirt and underwear she was wearing before. It was hard not to ogle the woman as she walked around in black booty shorts and a red crop top that left her stomach exposed. Her athletic yet curvy body is highlighted by the attire and leaving her newly bleached skin out to the air might be the cause of her 'tingles'.

"So...where did Ivy find you?" Harley asked.

"You're asking questions? Now?" He whispered back.

"What? It's boring just waiting for Mist-I mean Joker to leave. Might as well talk and it isn't every day I get to talk to the 'King of All Ghosts'." She said. Despite both of them being invisible the smirk she had on when saying his title was clear in his head.

"With all due respect, Doctor," he said, emphasizing her title, "the last psychiatrist I talked to was a soul-sucking monster who fed off misery."

"Hey, ain't we all?" Harely answered back.

"N-No, I meant she was a literal ghost. She somehow got into my school posing as a counselor. Only so she could make the students depressed by feeding into their insecurities so she can feed on their actual misery to keep herself young." He clarified.

"Oh? Sounds personal. And this happened at school? Interesting." Harley said. "Seems like I gotta take a look into your life before here and now."

Danny's body braced at her words. "A life long since passed," he said.

"Yet one that still holds value." She countered. "Come on, tell me more."

"No," Danny said sharply.

"Oh come oooooooon," she teased lightly. "Don't I get to know my ghastly, ghoulish savior?" She asked, her voice thick with a sweet, pleading tone.

"Look, I just don't want to talk about it. Especially not here out in the open. Okay?" He whispered.

Harley frowned at that statement. "Very well, but how about you and I have a session together later?"

"I told you I'm not talking to a-."

"Yeah yeah, but hear me out will ya?' I'm technically not a licensed professional anymore so I really am just a psychiatrist in practice only. So it should be fine right?" She said. "Besides, it will help me remember what things were like before I fell for that red-lipped, greasy-haired circus freak's lies."

"...I don't think that's how it works." Danny said simply before letting out a sigh. "But fine. Only on one condition, when I say 'No' then you drop the subject on it. Got it?"

"Crystal clear," Harley said as the sound of engines starting in the distance drew their attention. The pair watched several black vans head out of the fairgrounds. "Right! Now's our chance!" She said as she quickly rushed over to the fairgrounds, desperate to get to her boys. Danny watched as she took a head start and quickly jumped over the chain-link fence around the perimeter with a single bound before landing on her feet and darting into a nearby tent.

Danny followed suit as he phased through the fence.

"Boys! Mama's home!" Harley's voice called out. Danny entered the tent only to stop and look on in shock as he watched the pale woman sitting on the floor with two large hyenas cuddling up to her as she lovingly petted and ran her hands along the sides of their necks. "Oh, it's so good that you recognize me! Even after all this! My pretty babies! My lovely handsome boys!" She said in a babying tone.

"You um...didn't mention they were Hyenas," Danny said, staring on in shock at how the two vicious carnivores were acting like mere lap dogs for her.

"Oh I didn't? My bad." She said while still snuggling with the two beasts. Yet as soon as the pair noticed him they instantly reverted to being vicious predators as they started to growl at the phantom. Danny steeled himself, not afraid of the mere beasts but still not wanting to hurt them and thus destroy Harley's trust in him. That is till, "Hey! No," Harley said, causing the two hyenas to stop and move back towards Harley's sides. "Sorry about that, but my boys can be very protective of me." She said as she went back to running her hands along their manes.

"N-No. That's alright, it's actually impressive how you seemed to have them so tamed." He said.

Harley smiled. "Well thank you. It didn't take much honestly, Joker stole these two when they were just pups from the zoo. It was a spur-of-the-moment thing, so the poor things instantly cuddled up to me when I was the only one who gave them any real attention."

"I see. Still rather impressive." He said as he looked around the tent. "So is this Joker's main hideaway?"

"Eh, sorta. It's where he's been hanging around for the better part of the past couple of months," Harley answered. "That chemical plant is usually a place where he goes to hang low, usually after a job. Yet this is where he likes to plan things out. He's been trying to prepare for something big. Something to really get under Batman's skin."

Danny looked back at her, intrigued. "Really? Like what?"

Harley shrugged. "Hell if I know. He's been having a hard time planning it out. That was...part of the reason why he did what he did."

"What do you mean?" He asked.

"That day...when you saved me. I gave him the plans for something I was cooking up. He...didn't take too kindly to it. Said that I was 'stepping out of my place'." She said, the hyenas seemingly picking up on her anger and started to cuddle up more on her.

"I see. I'm sorry, Harley I didn't mean to-."

"I-It's fine...it will make me tougher in the end, right?" She asked with a faint smile.

"I think it worked for me," he responded. 'At least for the most part,' he thought to himself. "Do you mind if I look around for a bit? Might be something useful around here."

"Well, I ain't gonna stop ya. I'm gonna take my boys and pick up my things, and maybe break all of his shit." She said with a large grin. "Come on boys!" She called out to the two hyenas as they went along with her. Danny hovered over to what seemed like an office located in the back of the tent. The office was small with just a simple desk covered in papers, and a couple of file cabinets. Danny began searching through the papers, most covered in crude notes and unsightly sketches. With nothing catching his eye, he forced the desk drawer open, spotting a formula written down on a notepaper. "'Joker Toxin'?" He said to himself as he read the formula, his cybernetic eye sending information directly to his mind. "So this is the infamous laughing poison?" He muttered before tearing the note into pieces and going back to the desk. Opening the bottom drawer he found a document rolled up and held together with elastic bands.

Undoing it and unrolling it on the desk, Danny's eyes widened at the plans he found written on it. "Holy hell..." He whispered. He rolled the blueprint back up before conjuring a small portal and tossing it through it before hovering back towards Harely. As he did he smirked as he started to conjure a mound of sharp ice exploding out from the center, tearing and ripping the office apart before waving his hand and causing the ice to explode, destroying the office and its documents. Harley was right; ruining Joker's shit was fun.

He flew over to Harley, watching her carrying a large cartoony hammer with ease. "You use that thing?" He asked, making the woman jump slightly as she turned to him.

"HEY! Don't sneak up on me like that! Ya creep!" She said before smirking. "And yes. This is mine. What? Don't think a girl like me can swing it?"

"I mean...before Ivy gave you that solution? Probably not. Though it's mainly because I pegged you more as a switchblade-knife kinda girl." He answered with a slight smirk.

Harley grinned back. "Eh, knives are more Joker's bit. And what does the great King of All Ghosts prefer? No wait let me guess...a sword right?"

"... Technically it's a claymore."

"HA!" Harley said with a large smile. "Figured ya would! And let me guess, you don't like using guns because it's beneath you or something too?" She teased.

"Spoken like someone who is jealous of not having ghost powers." He teased back before summoning a portal for Harley to go back to Ivy's hideout. "Here, take your stuff and go before we draw too much attention." He said.

"Wait you ain't coming with?" She asked with a raised eyebrow.

"I have business to attend to." He said. "I'll see you again later."

"What about our deal? When can I see you on my couch?" She asked, leaving Danny thinking for a second that she looked disappointed.

"...We'll sort out the details later, okay?" He offered.

"Fine, but I'm gonna hold ya to that, your majesty." She jibed as she performed a little curtsy before walking into the portal with her hyenas and items in tow. As Danny closed the portal behind her, he turned to the ruined fairground. Ice gathered in his fist as he unleashed icy blasts at the area, rending the tents rusty buildings, and rides with shattered ice before creating a portal back into the ghost zone.

The Next Day

Valerie Grey stared up at the building. It didn't seem that long ago she was here in Dakota City hunting down the Wendigo that ran wild here. The building was damaged by ice seemingly to the point of ruin, yet here she was staring up at it. Workers were still along the side repairing what damage was dealt but the 'Alva' along the side was replaced by 'Caduceus'. She walked through the door and into an empty main lobby save for a middle-aged woman at the front desk.

"Hello, welcome to Caduceus Medical. Anything I can help with?" She asked with a polite smile.

Valerie looked around for a moment. "Y-Yeah, um...forgive me but isn't this where Alva Industries was at?" She asked, feigning ignorance.

The woman frowned. "Sadly yes," she confirmed. "After that nasty bit with that horrible monster, Alva Industries was bought out by our founder Mr. Luthor, who established Caduceus. We've only been here for a few months so it's fine if you didn't know. If you have business with Alva Industries, I can give you a number that you can reach them by." She offered as she started to get on her computer.

"No that's fine," Valerie said. "So what does Caduceus do exactly?"

"Oh! Well, we specialize in advanced cybernetic prosthetics and restorative tissue procedures and surgeries." She answered. "So if you need anything from a new limb to repairing damaged organs, we're right here!" She said with a smile.

"I see, that's certainly impressive," Valerie said, with a raised eyebrow "You said Luthor, right? Like in Lex Luthor from Metropolis?" She heard from some of the other league members about the true colors of the man and if he had his fingers in this then it was a good reason to be concerned.

"Close," the receptionist said. "I don't know if our founder is related to him or not, but his name is actually Daniel. Daniel Luthor."

Valerie's stare softened. "I-I'm sorry, but you said 'Daniel'?"

She nodded. "Yep. Daniel Luthor. He's our founder and CEO, as well as our main surgeon and head of research."

"That's a lot for one guy isn't it?" Valerie asked.

The receptionist chuckled slightly. "Well in a way. As I said we haven't established ourselves as a certified facility so we don't have a lot of staff at the moment. For the moment Daniel does most things himself which isn't as demanding as you would think since we haven't gotten a lot of requests for our services. In fact, you're the second person to come here today."

"Am I?" Valerie asked. "Who was first?"

"Well, I can't say," the Receptionist, "confidential patient information of course. However, he was scheduled to meet with Mr. Luthor today so if you stick around you might actually meet him and he's more than happy to talk to others about what we do here. Especially how we always seek to provide our services for the lowest cost possible so anyone can afford it regardless of financials."

"Sure...why not?" She answered. She couldn't help but feel that something was off about this place. Almost as if everything was too good to be true. Especially with this stranger in charge.

"Great!" The older woman said. "Have a seat and I'll message Mr. Luthor that he has a visitor waiting for him. Mind if I take a name?"

"Valerie Grey." She said as she sat down in a chair in the waiting area. Arms crossed as and relaxed into the chair...even the chairs were too comfortable to be true.

Danny carefully studied the damage to Virgil's spine. He already gave him the necessary treatment to prevent him from feeling the pain of his cutting into his spine but Virgil was still conscious.

"So how's it looking Doc?" Virgil asked. "Not gonna back out of this now are ya?"

"No need to be concerned," Danny answered, his mouth muffled by his mask. Danny was already decked in his surgical attire with his hair tied back tightly. "Just planning my approach."

"Good." Virgil said. "But shouldn't I be knocked out for this?"

"The thing is that I need to make sure I'm actually doing this right. If I do what I think needs to be done and you wake up after I've closed up the entry and still don't feel your legs then that would mean I messed up and we need to do this all over again." He explained. "So it's simpler to keep you conscious and you describe how you feel to make sure we know the second you can feel your legs."

"I guess that makes sense. I just don't know what to talk about for however long this will take," Virgil responded.

"Oh talk about whatever comes to mind." He insisted as he started to grab his medical tools. "Tell me about yourself. Tell me about your career as a superhero."

"Well, shit man. You already know about my family. And you saw how being a superhero ended up for me," he said off-handedly.

"I don't know everything," Danny said as he began to work on Virgil's spine. "Tell me about your partner. The one who passed on."

Virgil frowned at that. "Gear," he said, "his name was Gear."

Danny's stare softens at the tone. "I see. Well...tell me about him. You two knew each other for long?"

"We did," Virgil confessed as he stared down at the operating room floor. "We've known each other since we were kids."

"I see," Danny said. "Was he at the docks too when the Big Bang happened?" He asked as he resumed working. The sounds of surgical tools at work fill the operating room.

"No." Virgil answered. "His powers came as a second-hand effect from being around me." He frowned at that statement. "Just like how he's dead because of me."

"NO." Danny said sternly. "You aren't responsible for his death. That monster is. That 'Stag Man' as they call it." He assured. His memories got in the way of his work as the memory flashed from his time as the aforementioned beast. Forcing him to stop for a moment.

"Doc?" Virgil called out. "You sure you okay?"

"Y-Yes," he said, "I'm fine. Don't call me 'Doc'. You can just call me Danny, remember?" He said with a faint smile.

"Okay, Danny. But you seemed upset about something." Danny somberly looked down at his patient. Virgil's words get to him.

"Let's just say we both have something in common. We've both lost people close to us." Danny commented.

"I guess we do." Virgil said. "You know a lot about me, but I hardly know anything about you." He turned his head to look at him. "When we first met you mentioned you know what it was like to be in need of a hero, but not getting one. What happened?"

Danny stared at him for a moment before turning his attention to his back. "Too much. Too soon." He responded. "But let's just say in one moment, my entire life collapsed on itself. I blamed myself for it, but sitting and wallowing in self-pity won't do shit for me or anyone else."

"I guess so." Virgil said as he turned away. "But I at least know one thing. Gear was murdered and that thing that killed him is still out there...somewhere. Maybe not in my town anymore but it's out there somewhere. The first thing I'm gonna do when I can walk is track it down and hit it with everything I got until it ionizes."

"Now that, I can get behind," Danny said. "But I am afraid before that, the first thing you're gonna do is go through some physical therapy. You haven't used your legs in a long time. So they are going to be a little atrophied, even with help excising them."

"Damn, how long?" Virgil asked.

Danny stopped as he inspected his work. "That depends...wiggle your toes."

Virgil looked back seeing Danny's smiling face. Slowly, he tried to do as requested, seemingly using all of his force. Virgil could feel the muscles flare in pain, even as his digits shifted. Virgil's eyes went wide with awe and relief. "I-I can move them!"

Danny clapped his hands together. "Congratulations Mr. Virgil Hawkins. You are, technically, no longer a paraplegic." He said with a satisfied smile. " Granted, we just started, but let's see if we can't get the rest of the legs to move, shall we?"

Valerie sat in the waiting room for what felt like hours, waiting for this founder to appear. She almost jumped when a scream came out from the hallway. Valerie almost set off her gear when she realized something was off. The scream wasn't fearful or pained...it was...happy? Valerie noted the receptionist looking down a hall that was out of her sight. Valerie got up from her chair and walked over to the front desk.

Down the hall in the distance, she could see three people; a young man, a woman, and an older man. The woman was hugging the young man tightly as he stood shakily, the older man looking on with what seemed like relief and joy as well but concern for the boy's legs before they gave in and caught him. The young man's patient gown made it clear that he must have been the one undergoing surgery.

Valerie couldn't help but smile at the scene of the happy family just as a fourth person joined them. Another young man with lighter skin wearing surgical clothes with black hair tied up walked in with a wheelchair in front of him but with just as big of a smile on his face. She watched as the patient sat down and they walked him toward her. As they got closer, Valerie began to hear what the doctor was saying along with recognizing the patient as the hero she saved from the Stag Man. "-while he has function over his legs and feet, he will still need to undergo physical therapy before he can walk as he should." The doctor explained.

"We really can't thank you enough!" The girl said as she gave the doctor a sudden and hard hug that startled him. "Please know that you're always welcome in our home." She said making her father sigh at her actions while Virgil could only roll his eyes.

"It's fine, Sharon!" The doctor responded. Valerie felt a sudden ping in her chest at his voice.

"No no no!" Sharon said glaring him down. "Really, please. Never be a stranger." She insisted.

"Well..." the older man started, "you did give my son his legs back. It would be rude if I didn't let you come by for dinner every so often." He said.

"I guess that would depend...you're gonna make more of that chicken-fried steak?" The surgical masked man asked.

"If that's what you want then be free to call me when you're coming and I'll get it ready!" Sharon stated.

Virgil shifted slightly in his chair, getting uncomfortable at his sister's seemingly desperate attempts to get the doctor home. "Damn girl, does Adam know you got a thing for miracle workers?"

Sharon's face turned a shade of red as she twisted her brother's ear making Virgil cry out in pain but still smirking at how red her face is.

Robert watched as his stern look softened back into a smile, seeing his son and daughter laugh for the first time in months before he reached out his hand toward the young doctor. Valerie was still watching as she couldn't help but note the blue eyes he had. "I thank you again, Mr. Luthor. It does mean a lot for us that you would do this."

Valerie watched as he looked down at the hand and then back up at the man. "It's not a problem, Mr. Hawkins. But please," he said as he took off his mask. Valerie's eyes went wide. "Call me Danny." He answered.

Valerie gasped loudly, drawing the group's attention to her. Virgil almost recognized her instantly as his savior from the Stag Man, Red Huntress. Yet her gaze was squarely on the man behind him who stared back at her with a similar look. "D-Danny?" She asked in disbelief. "Danny Fenton?!"

Danny stared back at her, flashes of her attacking him when he was the Stag Man coming back, as did more pleasant memories. "Valerie Grey." He said.

END

So that's it for this chapter. Sorry, it took me forever but life is a cruel and fickle bitch from wench there is no escape. So I try to do what I can. Hopefully, you all enjoyed it and I hope to see you all next time. As usual, if you have a girl for the harem you have in mind, don't be afraid to comment who you want to see.