Archive of Our Own

Chapter Text

Left. Below. Twist. Above.

Phantom shoots at each attacker, sending a wave of ice to incapacitate each new opponents that surrounds him.

A buzzer sounds throughout the room, and the holographic enemies disappear as a robotic voice announces, "Training simulation completed. Goal accomplished in time of 10 minutes, 28 seconds."

Danny huffs. He's gotten slower.

After the most recent attacks and scares, Danny had come to the realization that he couldn't afford to slack off anymore, not when so many unknowns are waiting to catch him off guard.

It is this realization that leads Danny here, the Watchtower's training room.

"Your score has decreased," Batman states as he and Superman walk in from the observation room, Neil riding on Clark's shoulders and pulling his hair like reins.

"Oh really? Hadn't noticed," Danny replies sharply, flying past the man to greet the other two.

"You still coming by later?" he asks Clark, holding in a laugh as Neil gives the Kryptonian's hair a vicious tug.

"Yup," he responds, voice higher than usual as he attempts to pry the baby's hands out his hair.

"Good," Danny smiles, part amused and part just genuinely happy for Clark's increase in visits. He hadn't realized how isolated he was before all of this, before the boys and before Clark.

Don't get him wrong, Sam and Tuck are great, and his family wouldn't ever go more than a month without some kind of check-up, but its been a while since he's had a such consistent contact with another person. It's a nice change from his previous life of solitude and JL missions.

Speaking of loners… Danny's smile drops when a raspy cough interrupts his peace.

His attempt to ignore the intruder is met with a bat-grunt, which is left similarly ignored.

It is not until Batman verbally says, "Phantom," that Danny turns to look at the man with an unimpressed eyebrow raise.

"I…need to speak with you," the vigilante says before turning his head in Clark's direction and clarifying, "alone."

The ghost rolls his eyes. It's not like Clark can't hear them from the next room, but still he says, "Sure."

"I'll just uh, be outside?" Clark hedges before fleeing out the door, Neil shrieking joyfully at their swift exit.

Danny sits in silence, staring at Batman. The ghost is usually up for joking around and speaking enough for the both of them, but now, he has little desire to fill in blanks for the other man.

"It has been brought to my attention that there has been a decreased amount of communication between you and I in most recent weeks. Further reflection on this pattern has shown your increased attempts in distancing yourself both physically and through shortened responses when approached."

Phantom narrows his eyes at the man, mouth pointedly shut.

"It is clear that the source of this behavior is due to the aftermath of the failsafe simulation and that since then, you have been doubting my leadership.

"This team was formed on a basis of trust, as surface-level as it may have been at the start, and without that trust, there is no team."

Danny glares at the whites of the bat-cowl, a sneer forming on his face as he listens in disbelief as Batman tries to guilt-trip him for what? Not acting all buddy-buddy with the guy?

"That being said," Batman says, holding himself more rigidly than a human probably should before the tension releases, leaving the man looking vaguely…defeated? "I…would like to apologize."

The ghost hears a thud on the wall where Clark is no doubt eavesdropping, but Danny himself is too caught up in catching himself from face-planting on the floor.

"Pardon?," Danny croaks, slowly lifting himself back up to his original position.

Batman turns his head towards the wall but answers dutifully. "I ignored your input on the training despite the validity of your concerns. I had believed that my methods would strengthen the team and that possible risks were worth the benefits.

"I did not trust you, and for that, the entire team and yourself have undergone possibly long-term mental harm. I have lost your trust as a leader by putting you all in harms way during that training.

"I will not be repeating this mistake," he states before striding out of the room with his usual flair.

Clark sheepishly moves out of the way when Batman opens the door to reveal him standing there, listening intently.

Danny and Clark meet each other's wide eyes with matching expressions of bafflement.

"Did…did Batman just apologize?," he asks.

"I think so…" the halfa responds, absolutely certain that if it weren't for Clark, he may have believed this all to be a hallucination. "Are we sure that was Batman?"

Clark frowns at the door despite Batman being long gone. "I didn't sense anything different about him. You sure he wasn't overshadowed?"

Danny silently nods his head; the two of them stare at the empty doorway with goosebumps prickling their arms.

The zeta-tube announces the arrival of the heroes and baby to the mountain, the three of them stopping by to pick up Conner for dinner.

Before Danny can even start to search for the teen, Clark perks his head to the side.

"I got him," the super says, already having found the boy it seems. "Be right back."

With that, Superman flies off, Neil still in hand, and Phantom decides to grab a snack from the cave's kitchen. Despite all Batman's faults, Danny can't help but admit his ability to splurge on the good stuff.

In the kitchen he finds M'gann, her attention focused on measuring out a cup of flour and the counter around her filled with various other ingredients.

"Hey M'gann," he greets on his way to the fridge.

Said girl yelps at the sudden voice and drops the measuring cup into the bowl. When she turns to see who the newcomer is, however, her nervousness only seems to skyrocket. She mumbles a hello but keeps her eyes determinedly downward.

Danny pauses at the scene. He thought she has gotten better at being around him again since the simulation training, but it seems he's mistaken. Then again, Danny realizes that the two of them have never actually been in the same room without others as a buffer.

"M'gann…," he starts, unsure of how to actually address the girl's discomfort.

The girl jumps up, smacking the palm of her hand to her forehead saying, "Hello, M'gann! Sorry, Phantom, I uh—have to go. I just remembered I have to do something very important."

With that, the Martian girl flies out of the room, leaving behind a counter full of half-opened baking ingredients.

The halfa sighs, leaving his snack-hunt in favor of seeing what's taking Clark so long.

As he floats down the hall, Danny jolts at the feeling of his ghost sense going off; years of differentiating ghosts from sense alone tell him this presence is not his son.

As he races towards the source, finding himself in the cave's guest-room section, the sound of Artemis's voice halts the halfa from entering the room.

"Well, what about Phantom?," she asks. Her voice lacking any sense of panic or concern.

The other occupant in the room seems to make a noise of consideration, but Danny makes himself known before the conversation can progress.

"What about Phantom?," he asks, leaning against the open doorway with crossed arms.

In one of the cave's unused guest-rooms sits Artemis, Zatanna, and some unknown ghost girl dressed in white.

The girls freeze at the newcomer, the two humans staring at one another in a silent argument, and the ghost staring at Phantom with a hesitant but curious expression on her face.

Seemingly coming to a decision, the human girls begin to speak at once, though not in harmony, and Danny sits through their rambles in deep concentration.

It's a bit hard to make out their words, but from what Danny can understand, the ghost girl, Secret, helped them takedown her murderer on Halloween and the girls offered her a chance to come back with them to the cave.

"She's not a villain or anything," Zatanna hurriedly assures, "she just needed a place to go."

Artemis makes an effort to appear less affected by the whole situation, but still she defends, "We figured with your whole ghost thing going on, she'd be able to fit right in. Plus, she's pretty strong; she'd be a good addition to the team."

Danny looks at the ghost girl, noticing the faint sense of distress emit from her at that last declaration. "And does she want to join the team?"

The heroes startle, turning to the ghost who ducks her head at the sudden attention.

"Secret…?," Zatanna softly questions. "Do you… you know being on the team isn't a requirement, right?"

Secret raises her eyes, hope and confusion expressed on her face.

"Yeah,"Artemis cuts in, "You can still stay at the cave if you want, it's not like the cameras can see you."

"Actually, they can," Danny corrects. "I had them upgraded."

The girls stare at him, deadpan.

He puts his hands up in surrender. "Sorry, but if it makes you feel better, I doubt anyone around here would really mind. It's not like they aren't used to ghosts already."

"Used to ghosts huh," Artemis mutters, sharing a look with Zatanna.

"Actually, Phantom," Zatanna straightens but looks slightly nervous, "we had also considered another alternative… We thought maybe she could stay with you? In Amity Park."

Danny backs up, eyes wide. "What? No way, I already have enough strays at my house, I can't just take in everyone that comes my way. No way. Absolutely not. Nuh-uh."

"Who's this?," Conner asks when they meet up at the zeta tube.

"Guys, this is Secret. Secret, this is Conner, Superman, and Neil. She'll be joining us for dinner, for the foreseeable future." His last statement comes out as a mumble, but the effort is futile when speaking to two people with super-hearing.

Clark stares at him in bewilderment. Conner and Neil greet the newcomer with a nod and a fanged smile.

Weak, Danny thinks to himself, I am a weak, weak man.

Chapter Text

"So…you kidnapped a new kid," Ellie drawls, leaning back on the Danny's couch, Jazz at her side.

"I wouldn't say kidnap," Danny deflects, averting his eyes towards his untouched mug of coffee, away from his sisters' judgment.

If anything, Danny would argue he was the one forced into this situation! He will not, however, be admitting to either of his sisters that he was peer pressured by a group of teenage girls.

"So you just snatched up a kid on impulse?," she asks, taking an obnoxious slurp of her soda. "Again?"

"…It sounds bad when you put it like that."

"It sounds bad anyway you put it," Jazz sighs, Ellie cackling at his defeat in the background.

"Where is the kid anyway?," Ellie asks, looking around the room in vain.

"Out at park with Clark and the boys."

She grins menacingly at that information and stands to leave before getting dragged back down by Jazz.

"Ellie, leave that poor man be," she pleads.

"Whaaat? I wasn't going to do anything to him! I just wanted to spend some time with my favorite nephews."

The eldest Fenton siblings snort in disbelief, causing the youngest to shrug in defeat. "A girl's gotta try," she defends.

Getting back on topic, an unfortunate turn of events for Danny's sanity. Jazz asks, "I take it Secret will be staying with you then?"

Danny rubs the back of his neck in discomfort. "Seems like it. I mean, it's not like she can stay at the cave, what with her wanting to keep away from all the fights and danger."

Ellie scoffs. "Then there's no way she can stay with you. 'Mr. Every Person in a 10 Mile Radius has Tried to Kill Me.'"

The older halfa glares at the younger in offense. It's not like he tries to get people to kill him.

Jazz, the traitor, makes a faint noise of agreement. "She's got you there, Danny."

"What am I supposed to do then?," he demands. His question comes out sounding less rhetorical that he wanted. "I can't just send her back when I agreed to house her!"

Unmoved by his distress, Ellie rolls her eyes. "Just send her somewhere she can live in peace, dummy."

Both siblings look at the youngest in shock.

"What?" She squints at them.

"Nothing, I just didn't expect you to actually have a good idea," Danny answers.

Jazz winces at the wording but does not correct it.

The squint turns to a glare. "My ideas are always great," she protests.

"Ehh…" "Well…" The two eldest start at the same time.

"Whatever," Ellie dismisses. "So what about the kid?"

With a hand dragging down his face and an exhalation, Danny says, "I don't know… I mean, who could I even send her with? They'd have to be someone I trust whole-heartedly, who is comfortable with ghosts, not to mention a teenage ghost. They'd have to be able to give her a peaceful home and help her process her death, and still visit often enough to let Secret see her friends on the team," he lists off hopelessly.

"Just give her to Jazz," Ellie throws out, causing the others to whip their heads in her direction. "Oh come on," she complains at their looks of confusion. "She obviously fits the bill, and it's not like you have any friends here."

"Hey! I have friends," Danny retorts.

"In Amity?"

"… What about—"

"No, Danny. Customers that ask about your day don't count."

Danny, wisely, keeps silent, and instead turns a questioning expression towards his older sister.

Jazz nervously clears her throat, fidgeting with her tea cup on the table. "Well, I— This is a bit unexpected."

"It's okay Jazz," Danny assures, looking away in guilt, "I won't ask that of you. I'm the one that promised."

"I'm not saying 'no'," she cuts in, firmly. "I just think, maybe we should get to know each other first and see how secret feels about this arrangement. It's not like it would be my first time handling a ghost teen."

A grin twitches onto Danny's face, mischievous despite his immense gratitude. "Aww Jazz, are you saying you miss having someone to fuss over?"

Ellie chuckles, quick to jump in. "Haven't you seen the way she is with Neil and Conner? I swear she's two steps away from bundling them up and taking them home."

Jazz's resulting glare only serves to worsen the halfas' laughs.

"Ha. Ha." Jazz deadpans before continuing in an overly sweet voice, "Hey Ellie, since I'm going to be staying here for a little while, I'm sure you wouldn't mind staying near to bring me back and forth to school."

Ellie's laughter cuts out. "What what? No! You can't make me suffer because of Danny's adoption issues!"

"What do you mean 'suffer'?" Jazz asks, her tone unchanged and completely ignoring Danny's protest against his so called 'adoption issues.' "It's just more time to spend with your favorite nephews. Right?"

The youngest sibling looks at her amused companions in despair, her only reply being a weak, "Right…."

"Wait!" the hero girl shouts as Secret begins to slowly sink back into her final resting place. Now that her brother's crimes have been brought to justice she can be...somewhat closer to peace, or she would have, if it weren't for the archer and the magician calling her back.

"You don't have to leave," the magician tells her, a concerned look on her face. "You can come back with us, to the team."

The archer sends her partner a surprised look but confirms her claim. "It's true. You wouldn't be the first ghost member there anyway."

Secret stares at the heroes in front of her, what would have been her heart fluttering is instead a strange rush of energy flowing through her body as she considers their words. She can belong still? Even now, like this?

Their words ring false in her head, but looking back at the hidden, makeshift grave awaiting her, Secret decides to take a chance on their offer.

Ah, Secret thinks to herself as the girls practically beg the ghost hero to take her with him. I knew it was too good to be true.

Phantom, or Danny as he says to call him, seems kind enough. Superman had left briefly after their meeting, and at Danny's home, the group is met with a man named Clark. Secret can't find it in herself to be surprised when the older ghost shoos Secret off with this new person to some nearby park.

Conner, the teen who also seems to be a hero, shows Secret around the park. Introducing her to nearly each human and ghost (to her shock) that passes their way. There are too many names and faces to connect. She remains silent throughout the tour, knowing the boy wouldn't be able to understand her anyway, just as the two hero girls hadn't.

On the way back to Phantom's home, Secret watches as the other teen sways the baby above his head, making rocket ship sound effects as he walks. She turns away from the scene, the longing in her soul blocking out the sounds of Clark's attempts of conversation. She wants her own family back; she wants her own life back.

As she stares at the loving siblings play, she can't help but wonder how she could possibly fit in.

"Secret, this is my sister Jazz."

Secret dully meets eyes with the red-haired stranger before zoning out of the conversation once more.

Her attention is forcefully brought back when she hears Phantom mention Secret staying with the new woman.

'No' she tries to say, but the only sound she makes is a hushed "Secret."

She does not hear the following words of confusion and questions of what is wrong. Her thoughts whirl in a blend of fear and anger at the thought of having been sent away once again.

Her parents, her brother, the heroes, and now even the ghosts. Why, she frenzies, why me? Why again? It's not fair! Why do they all want to get rid of her?

In the midst of her thoughts, she does not notice the surging lights throughout the house or the sudden whirlwind of household items that attack indiscriminately.

Why didn't they just let me rest? Why bring me back to send me away again? Why don't they want me? Why did I have to die? Why did he— Why why why why—

The world seems to freeze as a pair of hands envelop her own and give a tight squeeze. She can't remember the last time someone was able to touch her; the warmth almost burns by how foreign the feeling is by now. And yet, she can't bring herself to pull away.

"I know," the voice beside her says, "I know It's not fair, and I'm sorry for what's happened to you."

The ghost's entire form seems to shudder at the words. 'I just want it all to stop. I don't want to be sent away, don't make me leave again.'

The warmth squeezes at her hands again. "We won't. I promise you, we won't ever force you to go."

Startled by the fact that her words were actually understood, Secret looks up to see green-tinted, teal eyes looking back at her.

"You're part of this family now," Jazz says, a smile on her face in spite of the disarray of her hair and the fresh cuts lining her face and arms. "You're stuck with us," she says, a tone of teasing in her voice that does nothing to cover the sincerity of her words.

Secret stares and stares until movement in the corner of her vision causes her to look at the room around her. Nearly each piece of furniture is overturned and the floor is littered with loose decorations and shattered glass.

The horror of realization only increases when she sees the green shield protecting Conner and Neil. The other adults seem unharmed though despite their lack of protection.

I did this, she realizes with an overwhelming rush of dread. I did this, she thinks, looking at the blood pooling on the woman holding onto her, a small smile still on her face.

'I'm sorry,' she says, her voices croaking, "Secret."

Jazz's expression softens and— Oh. She looks at Secret like her brother did, back when he was still kind to her. "It's okay," she responds.

'You…can understand me?' Secret asks after confirming that the woman in front of her is actually a human.

Tilting her head, Jazz brings attention to the strange metal earrings she's wearing. "Mini-ghost gabbers," she says what Secret assumes is meant to be an explanation. "Pretty useful to have around here."

Kneeling down next to Jazz, human Phantom looks at Secret with an apologetic expression on his face. "I'm sorry of I made you feel unwanted, Secret. I really didn't think my words through."

"Yeah!" The human Phantom look-alike chimes in from across the room. "He was being a complete dummy!"

Phantom looks back at the woman, mouth open in shocked betrayal.

A giggle sounds throughout the room, and Secret is surprised to find it came from herself. Seeing the look of betrayal directed towards herself only causes more quiet laughs to follow.

Phantom, Danny, huffs in defeat. "I just thought Amity Park wouldn't have the peace you're looking for. Of course you're more than welcome to stay." In a volume Secret barely hears, he mutters, "It's not like Batman didn't put more than enough rooms anyway."

"Hmm. I don't know, little brother," Jazz teases, giving Secret's hand a final squeeze before letting her free. "I think Secret might actually enjoy staying with me more after all." Turning back to Secret she says, "I think you would like Connecticut; it's much closer to your friends over in happy harbor."

"Are you bribing her right now?" Danny demands, his tone bewildered.

"Of course not. Bribing her would be me offering to take her shopping at Specter Plaza for a new wardrobe."

Secret isn't sure exactly how a ghost like her is supposed to change into a different outfit, but the offer makes Danny open and shut his mouth wordlessly before weakly retorting, "I would have done that too."

"Hmm," Jazz says dismissively, and Secret fights down a smile at the silliness of their fight, the two of them fighting over actually wanting her.

For years, since her death, it seemed the only peace awaiting her had been the grave her brother dug for her. Now though, between these two bickering siblings trying to come up with increasingly impressive bribes to convince Secret to stay, she finds a fate she had never even considered possible.