Chapter 32: The Bird and the Bat
Third Person POV
Sunday afternoon, Bruce Wayne and Dick Grayson had been in Amity Park for two days now patiently awaiting a response from Danny. Bruce knew he had said that Danny could take as long as he needed to, but the billionaire could tell that his young ward was feeling a bit restless with all this waiting. Bruce sat in a plush recliner reading the morning paper, while casually glancing over the top of it to see Dick pace back and forth across the hotel room. "Dick, if you don't stop all that pacing you're going to wear a hole in the floor." Bruce said, taking a sip from his coffee.
Dick stopped pacing and turned to Bruce, frowning. The raven haired teen took a seat on the bed and slumped forward, resting his elbows on his knees. He couldn't help it. He was bored and anxious. The two of them had barely left the hotel since their arrival in Amity Park. They were leaving tomorrow and they had still heard nothing from Danny. He understood this was a lot to take in and Danny would obviously need some time to make his decision, but he couldn't help but wonder if they were doing the right thing.
Danny had a life here. He had a family, friends, not to mention he was Amity Park's protector. If Danny went back with them they would be taking him away from his life. Dick placed a hand on his chin as he felt an ache in his heart. Maybe it was time to let Daniel Grayson go, so Danny Fenton could live.
Suddenly, Bruce's cellphone went off. The billionaire placed his paper on the side table and pulled out his phone, answering it. "Hello?" He said, expecting it to be his secretary from Wayne Enterprises or Lucius.
"Mr. Wayne? It's Maddie Fenton."A voice said from the other end of the line. Bruce's eyes widened as Maddie continued, "Danny would like you and Richard to come over. He wants to tell all of us his decision together."
Bruce nodded, his eyes returning to normal. "Understood. Dick and I will be there as soon as we can." Bruce answered before hanging up the phone. He then finished his coffee, stood and walked over to the closet in the room to retrieve his coat.
Dick watched his guardian as Bruce tossed Dick's coat at the teen. "Where are we going?" He asked, slipping on the jacket.
Bruce finished putting on his jacket and took out his phone once more to call a cab. He turned to his former sidekick and responded, "To get your answer."
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Almost twenty minutes later, the Fenton family along with Bruce Wayne and Dick Grayson were once again gathered in the Fentons' living room. They were all going to get Danny's answer for Dick's question.
Bruce had to admit he didn't expect Danny to answer it so soon. He thought the teen might take at least a week. But, maybe a lot had changed in the two years he had been missing. Danny had to have matured a lot and had most likely had to make a few hard decisions, being Amity Park's hero.
The young halfa sat on the lounge chair in the living room, nervously rubbing the back of his neck. He cleared his throat to gain everyone's attention and took a deep breath. "I've been doing a lot of thinking these past few days," Danny began, "and I think I've come up with an answer to my..." Danny trailed off for a moment before quickly resuming his speech. "My brother's question."
Maddie reached for her husband's large hands and clasped them tightly. Jack gently rubbed his thumb over the back of his wife's delicate hand in a effort to help calm her nerves. Danny had refused to tell them his answer when he told them he had decided on what he was going to do. The two adults had been worried all day.
Jazz placed a reassuring hand on her mother's shoulder. She had been a bit worried too. She felt that Danny was making his decision too soon. Something like this required a lot of thought. Then again, her brother was famous for making quick decisions and in the end most of them turned out alright. Jazz bit her lip, pushing those thoughts from her mind and only focusing on her little brother.
Danny ran a hand through his raven hair. "I'm going back to Gotham with Mr. Wayne." Danny said.
Maddie and Jazz felt tears forming behind their eyes and they fought to keep them contained, hiding them behind fake smiles. Jack felt an ache in his big heart.
Bruce and Dick were shocked. Both heroes had thought for certain that Danny was going to stay in Amity Park.
"But," Danny added, "it's only as a trial period." Confused gazes fell upon Danny. The young halfa began to explain. "I don't really remember my past but I do want to try and recover my lost memories, so going to Gotham might help." Danny said, holding up one hand. He raised his other hand, tilting his head slightly towards it, "On the other hand I have a life here in Amity Park and I really like it here." Danny lowered his hands and shifted in his seat. "So I was thinking, maybe I go to Gotham and stay there for maybe a month or two just to see if I like it there. And if it doesn't work, then I'll come back to Amity Park and maybe I can just visit Gotham every now and then, like during the summer?" The young halfa finished his explanation and waited patiently for a response.
The adults and teenagers all exchanged looks. "I don't see why that wouldn't work." Bruce Wayne answered, "It is summer break for you after all so there would be no complications with school. You could spend the rest of the summer in Gotham, if you so wished." The billionaire looked over at Jack and Maddie Fenton. "And as long as your adoptive parents are alright with it."
For some reason, hearing Mr. Wayne call Jack and Maddie his 'adoptive parents' stung Danny a little. He had never thought of them as such and hearing Mr. Wayne point it out hurt slightly.
Jack and Maddie shared a look and quickly excused themselves from the room. The couple went into the kitchen where hushed whispers could faintly be heard. Moments later Jack and Maddie exited the kitchen. "As long as we're able to contact Danny and you, Mr. Wayne, every now and then to check in on our son then we're fine with Danny spending the rest of the summer, or however long he wants, to stay in Gotham with you." Maddie answered.
And with that, the matter was settled. With the help of Jazz, Danny packed his bags in preparation to leave for Gotham the next day. He called Sam and Tucker who soon arrived at his house to say their goodbyes. Sam reminded her boyfriend of his promise to call her every night or he would feel the wrath of her combat boots, to which Danny laughed. Though he did keep it in mind as he could tell Sam was only half-joking.
The next day, Danny piled into a car with Bruce and Dick. He watched as the glowing neon Fenton Works sign grew smaller and smaller, and felt a pain in his heart. He was leaving Amity Park, possibly for good, and it didn't feel right.
Dick watched his brother, feeling slightly guilty. He felt bad for taking Danny away from his life, but in a way this was a good thing. He was finally reunited with his brother and he was going to make sure that Danny was going to stay safe. Both Dick and Bruce agreed to not tell Danny anything about his superhero past. Danny would hopefully never remember working alongside Batman and Robin as Crow, and it would be for the best. A lot of painful memories rested behind Crow's mask and that was where they should stay. Dick shifted in his seat to get comfortable. It was going to be a long ride.
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Danny watched in awe as the car pulled up to a large manor. The vehicle came to a stop and the door was opened by a familiar looking elder man. "Hello Master Danny. It is good to have you back at Wayne Manor. I do not know if you remember me, but I am this house's butler, Alfred Pennyworth." The man said.
The young halfa smiled up at him, climbing out of the car. His eyes grew wide as a random memory flashed to the front of his mind. "You were the one who always scolded me and Dick whenever we played on the chandeliers." Danny said. The teen was surprised by what he had just said. Maybe his thoughts had been right about him remembering more about his past by coming to the Gotham.
Once Bruce and Dick got out of the car and Alfred grabbed Danny's bags, the four men made their way into the enormous manor. They set foot in the entrance hall and Bruce immediately stopped. "Excuse me, but I have a lot of work to catch up on. I should be finished by dinner time." He quickly said before disappearing to somewhere in the manor.
Danny watched confused as Bruce ran off. He then remembered that Bruce had a habit of being always busy when he was growing up here. Though he couldn't remember why. Something work related maybe? Danny's gut clenched with fear as an image of the Man with the Face of a Bat appeared in his mind. He gasped softly and Dick and Alfred were immediately concerned.
"Master Danny are you alright?" Alfred asked as Dick placed a hand on his brother's shoulder.
Danny nodded quickly and urged them to keep going. Though they were still slightly concerned, Dick and Alfred continued through the manor and showed Danny to his room.
"Dinner should be ready soon. And make sure you're on time. Alfred gets cranky when we're late to dinner." Dick informed his younger brother before he and Alfred left the boy to get comfortable.
Danny quickly unpacked his things and looked through his room. He found old comic books, clothes and even some old toys. Everything he looked at had this almost nostalgic feel to it. As soon as Danny was finished in the room he rushed downstairs and found his way to the dining room after getting lost almost five times. The manor was huge!
As Danny entered the dining room he noticed that only Dick was seated at the large table already eating his meal. Danny walked over to the table and sat down. "Where's Mr. Wayne?" Danny asked.
"Apparently he missed a lot more work than he had thought while we were gone." Dick answered, taking a bite out of the steak on his plate.
Alfred walked into the dining room and strolled over to Danny, placing a plate of steak in front of the teen. "Unfortunately this seems to be the infamous pattern of his." Alfred mused.
Danny frowned, he felt like this was all too familiar. Something nagged at him in the back of his mind about the reason why Mr. Wayne was always busy but he just couldn't grasp it. The Man with the Face of a Bat flashed in his mind again, as did the oddly colored Robin, but this time they were joined by a blue and black crow. Danny shook away the images of the bat and the bird, but kept the image of the blue and black crow at the back of his mind as he continued to eat his dinner. There was a secret that the members of Wayne Manor were keeping from him, and he was going to figure it out.
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Almost two weeks had passed since Danny had come to Wayne Manor. The young halfa had kept his promise of calling Sam every night and his parents called to check in on him every now and then. Jazz would sometimes call him as would Tucker. It was a lot to keep up with but Danny happily managed. He missed them a lot but he had to give his focus to living in Gotham. Danny had asked a few times if he could go out and explore the city but he had been refused by everyone he asked. The worst part was they wouldn't give him a reason why he wasn't allowed to leave. It made Danny even more suspicious.
The teen made his way into the dining room for breakfast where Dick and Bruce were already waiting. Being in Wayne Manor was definitely helping Danny's memories. He had only gotten lost once on the way to the dining room. Having Bruce join them for breakfast was rare so Danny was happy he finally got to spend some time with the billionaire. Bruce Wayne was a surprisingly hard man to track down.
Unfortunately, the moment Danny sat down at the table both Dick and Bruce stood up. "Sorry Danny, but Dick and I have some matters to attend to this morning." Bruce apologized before he and Dick left the dining room.
Danny pretended to not be bothered by it as he watched them leave. He quickly wolfed down his plate of eggs, bacon and toast and rushed out of the dining room while Alfred looked on sadly. But little did the butler know was that Danny wasn't upset, he was suspicious. The teen had noticed Bruce and Dick disappeared a lot, especially during the night. He had finally had enough of sitting on the sidelines, he was going to figure out their secret. Danny ducked into a nearby empty room and quickly transformed into his alter ego. He then turned himself invisible and began to float through the manor, searching for his brother and guardian. He soon found the two of them in a study, standing in front of an old broken clock. He watched silently as Bruce adjusted the hands until the clock moved upwards on the wall to reveal a hidden passageway.
Danny had to stifle a gasp as he watched Bruce and Dick enter the passageway, the clock sliding back into place behind them. The young halfa flew out of the study and up to his room, transforming back into his human self. He collapsed on the bed, processing what he had just seen. Now he was more curious than ever to know what those two were hiding from him. But it would be too risky to investigate the secret passage with them there. He would have to wait until later, when he knew that the two of them would be busy with something else. Then, and only then, would he finally be able to uncover the truth.
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Danny glanced at the clock on his bedside table. It read 5:15 A.M., a time where most people would be sleeping. The teen slowly crawled out of bed and transformed into his ghostly alter ego. He activated his invisibility and intangibility as he flew through the manor, checking to make sure all residents of Wayne Manor, excluding himself, were sound asleep in bed. Lucky for him, they were.
After a quick flight to the study, Danny found himself staring at the broken clock. He didn't know what time unlocked the passage but fortunately thanks to his ghost powers he didn't need to. He phased directly through the clock and found himself in a dark damp cave. Curious, Danny floated into the cave, taking care not to bump against any walls or touch the floor. He wasn't entirely confident the place wasn't booby-trapped. Danny's eyes widened in awe as he enter the main area of the cave and bats squeaked overhead. A giant network of technology and gadgets. On a separate level of the cave were all sorts of weird trinkets like a giant green question mark and an over-sized joker playing card. In the center of the cave sat a sleek black car that was reminiscent of a bat.
Actually, the more he looked around, Danny noticed a bat theme. His attention was then drawn to a line of containers on the far wall holding odd looking costumes. The young halfa floated closer to them and gasped as he recognized the suits of Batman and Robin. As he tried to process the shock of what the costumes meant, the teen found himself drawn to a skin tight black suit with blue boots and gloves. It had a domino mask, a white utility belt and a blue cape attached to a dark hood. A small white C emblem rested over where the heart would be of the person who wore the suit.
"It's time to remember." A voice whispered softly in the back of Danny's mind. Suddenly, everything came back to him. His parents' murder. Bruce Wayne taking them in. The confrontation with Tony Zucco. Training to become Batman's sidekick. The falling out between Dick and Bruce. The explosion at the warehouse. Everything.
The shock of it all forced Danny to fall to the ground clutching his head as he bit back screams. He felt the cool white rings wash over him as he returned to his human form. The Man with the Face of a Bat became Batman and the oddly colored Robin became the former sidekick Robin. And the blue and black crow became a young boy aspiring to avenge his parents' murder. "Crow." Danny muttered, holding back tears, "I was Crow."
"I take it this means your memories have come back?" A voice said from behind the pained teen. Danny whipped around to see Bruce and Dick standing over him, worried expressions on their faces. The young halfa scrambled backwards, away from the pair. He was disoriented and confused. Nothing really made sense to him at the moment and he was afraid.
"It's okay Danny. You're safe." Bruce assured him, taking a few cautious steps towards the frightened teen, "I promise I'll explain everything, but you need to calm down."
Danny tried to summon forth his ghost half, but he was too terrified to focus. He couldn't find the energy or willpower to activate the transformation. Bruce reached out and gripped Danny by his shoulder, pulling the boy close as he tried to get away. Dick rushed over to help by hugging his brother around the waist as he tried to say soothing words to Danny. Slowly, but surely, Danny did calm down enough that it was safe for Bruce and Dick to release him. They helped him to a seat in front of the Batcomputer and, once Danny had fully calmed down, began to explain everything.
The told him of his past as Crow and how he really lost his memories. They answered any questions Danny had with great patience, and he had quite a few. Once Danny had finished asking questions about his past he finally addressed the elephant in the room. "So you're Batman and Robin." He said. Bruce and Dick nodded. "So that means you know about me being Danny Phantom." The pair nodded again.
Dick chuckled, "It was actually pretty interesting. I would have never guessed my little brother was a metahuman."
Danny looked up at the elder Grayson confused. He raised an eyebrow as he asked, "A meta-what?"
"Some humans possess a"biological variant," known as the meta-gene." Bruce explained, "This gene often lies dormant until an instant of extraordinary physical and emotional stress activates it." The billionaire placed a hand on his chin. "I assume the meta-gene inside you activated during the portal accident. That explain how you were not only able to survive the accident, but gain metahuman abilities as well."
As Danny tried to absorb all of this new information, a beeping noise came from inside Dick's pocket. The elder Grayson reached into his pocket and pulled out a small communicator with a T insignia on it. He and Bruce shared a look as Dick walked over to a different part of the cave to answer the communicator. The call was quick and Dick soon rejoined his brother and guardian with a solemn expression. "I'm needed back in Jump City." He said plainly.
Bruce nodded. "Understandable. You have been gone for quite some time." The billionaire replied.
Danny's brow furrowed. "Wait, what's going on?" He asked, "Why do you have to leave? What's in Jump City?"
Dick ran a hand through his hair, chuckling nervously. "Well you see... I'm sorta the leader of a group of heroes called the Teen Titans." The young vigilante explained, "And apparently I'm needed back."
Danny's eyes widened. So that was what happened to Dick after he left. He managed to make some new friends and create a team of heroes. The young halfa smiled softly, he was happy that his older brother was able to find happiness after he left Gotham. But at the same time, Danny felt sad. Dick was leaving again, and they had just been reunited not that long ago. He wasn't ready for Dick to leave, but asking him to stay would be selfish. So Danny just bit his tongue and nodded, giving the elder Grayson a smile.
Sadly, Danny was not a very good actor as Bruce and Dick immediately saw past his fake smile. They shared a quick look and Dick smiled at Danny. "Would you like to come with me to Jump City?"
Danny's eyes lit up with excitement and nodded, practically leaping out of his seat. He wrapped his arms around Dick, surprising the elder Grayson. Slowly, Dick moved his arms to hug Danny back and a smile grew on his lips. He never realized how much he had truly missed his brother until that very moment. And now, he was going to make sure he never lose him again.
Bruce smiled as he saw how happy the Grayson brothers were and headed towards the cave exit. A chill ran up Bruce's spine and he whipped around, eyes locked on the two raven haired teens. His eyes then scanned the room, not really knowing what he was looking for. Bruce then shrugged thinking to himself that it must have been a draft. Yet, as continued his walk out of the cave he couldn't help but feel like someone was watching him. Or, more specifically, the Grayson brothers.
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Far away, in the deepest corners of the Ghost Zone, a purple cloaked ghost smiled softly as he looked upon the friendly scene in his viewing screen. "Looks like your memories have finally returned Danny." The ghost mused, turning away from the screen and retreating further into his tower. "Now we shall see where this adventure goes next."
A/N: Whoa, an update that didn't come out a month after the last one? IMPOSSIBLE! HOW CAN THIS BE?! Yep, I think I'm finally getting back to normal so hopefully my updates should follow the same pattern. I'm hoping that the longest gap between updates is no more than two weeks but we all know how bad I am about keeping a schedule so...
See you all in the next one!
**EXTRA** Hey peoples, I'm kinda sad to say it but this book is growing closer and closer to its conclusion. Because of that I am working on a new project. I have three ideas but I would like to hear what you all would like to see next:
A SVTFOE fic
A HTTYD fic
Or a Voltron fic
Thanks!
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