A year really flies by huh? 'Awkward silence' Well... I was more worried about the end since I wasn't sure how you all would feel about. That's when I thought 'What the hell, I'm the writer, and I wanted to do it'. You'll understand if you get there and haven't already clicked away from this chapter update. Sorry for being a bum.=^-^=

Ch. 23 - Regression

Mt. Justice - June 13

Nightwing was in the briefing room with Super Boy going over last minute details for the plan when a League Alert appeared on the screen. The leader didn't miss a beat as he brought up the news feed showing a playground at a park. "We're here live at Metropolis Park where the creature was last sighted not even an hour ago." The reporter began with a serious expression. "The first report was from early this morning when a subway line was closed after having to make an emergency stop. The conductor had this to say." She lead into the interview as a smaller screen appeared next to her.

"I don't know where it came from or where it went but I know what I saw! It was big, harry, and had fangs like you wouldn't believe!" The shaken man explained as a man in a suit wrapped his arm around him.

"We have no further comments. I'm sure this man would just like to get some rest." Several other suited men cut off the camera from following. The screen froze and was pushed out of the screen.

"A handful of eyewitness sightings lead us here where we believe the creature is still hiding. One of these accounts was able to give us a crude drawing of what appears to be some sort of yeti creature." She looked as if she could almost laugh as the screen opened up to show the anchors in the studio.

"But what would a yeti be doing in Metropolis?" The male anchor asked in an amused tone. "It's expected to be in the 90s today."

"Your guess is as good as mine." She quipped back just as a few people were seen running in the distance. She turned to the scene in urgency. "It looks like it may have appeared again." She deduced as she motioned for the camera to follow. They pointed the camera to a new section of the play ground where a large metal dome with child sized holes sat in the center. "Oh my god-!" The reporter began as a purse was seen being dragged over to it. "Are you getting this?"

"I don't believe what I'm seeing. What exactly is that thing up to?" The surprised anchor asked as he looked at the camera in bewilderment.

"Tearing up that bag maybe?" The reporter proposed looking a bit worried there weren't enough officers around. The bag was shaken around until everything spilled out. What appeared to be a claw dug through what had fallen out before picking up a flat rectangular device. "It... It took a phone I believe?" She stated before looking back at the camera.

"What exactly is this?" Nightwing asked as he looked at the screen in confusion.

"I don't know... but it seems kind of familiar." The kryptonian noted as he crossed his arms in thought.

"Hey, Nightwing did you see the... news..." Gar trailed off after dashing into the briefing room and seeing the older heroes looking at the feed. "I'll take that as a yes."

"Do you know something about this?" Nightwing asked seeing the urgent expression of the young changeling.

"Uh... well, Quill and I think its Polar though we're not sure."

Conner looked back at the report where they were showing a few candid images taken by witnesses. "I think he's right. I met him at the lake and so did Beast Boy and Will."

Nightwing took a glance back at the screen and then turned to Garfield. "Then what is he doing in Metropolis? I thought he was supposed to be guarding the rift."

"That's what I thought too." Conner concurred as he looked around. "We should ask Phantom. I mean he'd know right?"

They both turned to Gar who gave them a sheepish shrug. "I thought you might know."

"Uh Gar?"

The green teen turned to see Quill peeking from around a corner. "Did you find him?"

Will shook his head and looked around. "So he's not in here?" He asked quietly as he finally headed over clutching something in his hands.

"Why are you talking so quietly?" Gar asked as he looked at the slightly paranoid halfa.

Will took another look over his shoulder. "Uh well... I kinda took this from his room." He held up the cell phone like he'd just robbed a bank and was on the run.

Gar furrowed his brow. "Uh... why?"

As if answering his question the device vibrated to life and Will nearly dropped it. "It went off twice when I went to look for him in his room, and three more since I left if you include this one. They're all the same unknown number so I kinda thought it might be important?" He proposed while still seeming afraid he was going to be hanged for his crime.

Gar gestured for the device and Will hesitantly gave it over. The halfa was surprised when the changeling answered it without hesitation. "Hello?"

"Thank the Frozen heights! Great One I urgently require your assistance!"

Gar held the phone away from the shouting voice and rubbed his ear. "Whoa..." He then held it close again when he heard the voice go quiet. "Uh... Before any of that may I ask who's calling?" He asked rather nonchalantly as if it was his own phone.

A strange pause ensued before he got a response. "Great One... You sound quite strange. Are you well?"

Gar looked a bit confused. "Uh I'm fine, but I don't know who this Great One is. Were you trying to get Danny by any chance?" He asked while getting looks from both heroes and the halfa.

"Well yes... did I not dial the correct numerical code for his cellular device?"

Gar nodded as he gave the worried Will a thumbs up. "Yeah, but he's not here right now. If you want I can tell him you called... if you tell me who you are first." He added in realizing he never got an answer before.

"This is most distressing. I was greatly relying on his assistance in this cumbersome situation I now find myself in. Do you know when he will be returning?"

Gar scratched his head. "Uh... no, but I imagine it won't be long if he left his phone behind. Just tell me your name and I can tell him to call you back." He insisted a bit more.

"I do not believe that would be wise. This device I am currently using does not belong to me, and I do not see my situation improving were I to steal it... uh, by the way, to whom am I speaking?"

Gar was looking a bit frustrated as he responded. "Hey, I asked first!"

"Oh, where are my manners. I'm deeply sorry. I allowed my current circumstances to circumvent my own manners. I am called Thuban." He responded much to Beast Boy's relief.

"Okay Thuban, my name's Garfield. I'm one of Danny's friends."

"Who's Thuban?" Will asked in a whisper.

Gar simply shrugged and mouthed out 'I don't know'. "Anyway, if you need some help maybe I could give you a hand?" The changeling proposed as he looked back at the minorly bothered older heroes.

"Who is that?" Conner finally asked since they already had the mission about Blue and now a strange creature to deal with.

"It's one of Danny's friends."

"I know, but do you know him? Can he call back?"

Gar seemed hard pressed as he held the phone up again. "So this situation you're in..."

"Please just tell the Great One to make haste. I believe I have somehow become lost in the human world... A city called Metropolis if any of these signs are to be trusted."

Gar seemed suddenly surprised. "Metropolis... wait a minute, you said lost in the human world right?"

"Yes, I did."

"Uh... one more question." He paused a minute as he looked at the news report. "You wouldn't happened to be one of those big FarFrozen guys would you?"

Metropolis - June 13

Garfield peeked around a building corner as he checked for people. "So this is the closest one huh?"

"Yeah, the park's just down the block." Danny informed as he watched Will exit the Zetatube next. "We need to get him quickly so it doesn't interfere with the plan for Blue."

Will looked up at the still high sun and then to Phantom. "So we're the only ones coming?"

Gar turned to him curiously. "Well yeah, I mean we're just trying to get a ghost stuck in the park. It doesn't really need a big team." Gar then turned back to look at the pedestrians. "Though all these people will make it hard to get to the park without a ruckus."

"Not really." Danny quickly corrected as he stepped up behind him.

"What do you mean? It'll be hard to miss Quill at the very least. I mean I'll just transform and... oh... well you can just be invisible I guess."

Danny smirked. "Exactly. It'll be pretty easy as long as the press is still keeping their distance from Thuban. Nightwing is keeping the league from intervening so all we should worry about is people getting too curious."

He turned to Will as he finished which made the younger halfa flinch. "Uh... right..."

"This isn't the time to be timid Will. Just make yourself invisible." The older halfa didn't seem to notice the younger halfa's real unease.

"I know that... I was just.." He didn't finish and instead became invisible like he was instructed.

"Good, let's go." Danny floated up and disappeared as well. "Remember the spot we agreed on Gar, and fly there."

Gar nodded as he transformed into a bird. It seemed rather obvious when Danny left since he didn't say anything else, but Gar could tell Will hadn't left. He changed back and looked back to where he'd last seen him. "Quill? Come on you're not in trouble you know. You need to stop being so timid around Danny. It's already obvious you respect him. Why are you still so surprised when he's nice?"

Will reappeared looking a little perplexed himself. "Well... I don't really know sometimes. I mean I know he's a good person, and he is trying to help me, but... I just can't help feeling like... I don't know, like he'd come after me if I do the wrong thing."

Gar looked at him seriously a moment. It made sense that Will could be afraid of Danny since he was super strong, but Danny would never do such a thing. Gar quickly lost his composure to laughter as he held his stomach. "Oh man Quill, you really need to relax. I mean if Phantom was going to do something like that he'd have done it back in Boston when he..." Gar suddenly cut himself off as he thought about it. The fight in Boston. He didn't see it himself, but now that he thought about it Danny was really cold that whole night. Nightwing had said the halfa's actions worried him, and he did beat Quill up pretty bad.

"Garfield- Uh I mean Beast Boy?"

The changeling shook himself out of his thoughts and took back his grin. "Sorry, but it really is silly to think that, I mean Danny's made tons of mistakes. You think he'll get mad when you make one?"

Will looked at him in slight embarrassment. "Well... I guess it is silly. I mean, I've already messed up tons of times."

"Yup so just relax already, and let's get going." He then morphed back into a bird and headed off to the park. Will followed invisibly, and within a few minutes the two joined Danny just inside the park next to one of the many park maps.

"I didn't think it would take you this long even if you were running Will. Did you have trouble holding your invisibility?" Danny asked as he floated patiently in front of the map.

"Nah, he just wanted to double check with me about the spot. He didn't want to get lost." Gar informed as he morphed and landed nimbly beside the younger halfa. "Right Quill?"

"Uh... yeah."

"Well that's fine I guess. The last thing we need is two ghosts lost in the city." He joked lightly with a chuckle.

Gar smirked at Will who now looked a bit sheepish. "Alright so that Thuban ghost should still be at the second playground right?"

Danny turned to the map. "Yeah, I told him to stay put. From what we've seen so far most of the park is deserted so either they all went to look or they all ran away."

Gar jumped up into a tree to take a look around. "Yeah, this playground over here is empty... but I do see some flashing lights over there." Gar pointed out as he leaned down to them and pointed.

Danny looked over the map. "Yeah and that's probably where Thuban is."

"So should we try to sneak him out then?" Gar wondered. "I mean it's not like we can just run up and grab him in some flashy show right?"

"Yeah, so we're going to have to hold back the people while pulling him out quietly." Danny took a moment to think before flying up. "Wait one second." He flew up invisibly to scope out the crowd. Luckily they all still looked to be keeping their distance, but the police force behind it was a different story. The heavily armed soldiers looked ready to deal with the suspected monster any minute now. "Looks like we'll have to do something now. No time for any real planning I guess." He floated back down with a slightly annoyed expression. "Alright, the situation is about to change so we need to act now. I want both of you to quietly get to Thuban under the jungle gym while I keep the police from getting involved. It'll have to be fast since the situation has been going on most of the day and the MPD probably want to ease the people as soon as possible."

Gar gave a nod. "Yeah you're right, but how do we get him out?"

Danny pointed to him. "First I think Beast Boy should make contact. He should recognize your voice. Then I want Will to help him phase free while keeping him invisible."

"Huh?!" Will let out in surprise. "Wait, I can barely do both just for myself, how can I do it for him too?"

Danny crossed his arms. "He's a ghost too remember? It'll be twice as easy to help him phase then a human. Plus you're actually pretty good a phasing as long as you don't get nervous." He praised rather surprisingly as he turned back towards the commotion. It sounded like someone was talking on a bullhorn. "And we don't have time for you to second guess yourself. You both move in as soon as you see I have their attention." He ordered as he flew out of the trees before becoming invisible. It only took a minute for the other two to notice a minor commotion though they couldn't tell what Danny was doing.

"Alright let's get going Quill." Gar suddenly announced as he turned into a cat and dashed off.

Will was flustered at the sudden action before following. "Hey wait up!" He shouted invisibly though he was lucky no one heard.

Gar spotted the dome quickly enough and perked his ears up. He wanted to make sure he couldn't hear anyone nearby since a kid could have hid instead of running. He slowly made his approach before ducking into one of the holes near the bottom. Through the available light he was able to see a strange and tall young man... or at least that's what he thought at first. The being's icy horns and bluish skin quickly rectified that deduction. The young changeling didn't go unnoticed as he slipped inside. "What is this? A curious stray perhaps?"

"Nope." Gar corrected as he morphed back to his normal state. "But I hope you're not disappointed. Thuban right?"

The FarFrozen was surprised by the change and that his visitor knew his name. "Ah, you are a friend of the Great One are you not? Your voice is familiar to me." He realized with a toothy grin.

"Yeah, and he sent me to get you... though I totally thought you'd be big and furry." Gar admitted as he turned back to the closest hole. "Hey Quill, you nearby?"

A moment later the young halfa was heard moving about in the sand. "Yeah, is Thuban ready to go?"

"Yup, so move around to the back and we'll get him out." Gar peeked through to see the crowd all focused on the officers though they were all on the ground for some reason. He assumed it must've been Danny's doing. "We don't know how long Danny will be able to keep them occupied."

"Ah, thank you young ones." Thuban expressed with relief as he found the invisible hand on his shoulder.

Will strained to phase the tall ghost free since he had to stay invisible too. "Easy... yeah right.." He grumbled as he pulled the ghost.

"Ah, this is perfect." Thuban declared as he rushed out with the young halfa's help.

Will was taken by surprise and fell back breaking his invisibility. "Crap.." He grumbled before flustering and making himself invisible once more. "W-we need to get going."

"Right young one." Thuban stood up, and made himself invisible as well. "Lead the way." He took hold of Will's shoulder so he could be guided away. Gar watched as they disappeared and morphed into a bird. He flew out towards the crowd and let out a small cry to get Danny's attention where ever he was. Danny wasted no time ditching the clumsy crowd and tracked the three of them to the bathrooms.

Thuban sat behind the building while Will caught his breath. "He said... it was supposed to be easier." He grumbled as he leaned on a tree.

"Well you did it right?" Gar pointed out as he landed with a grin.

"Yeah... I guess." Will answered as he thought about it. "Wait... If you're a ghost couldn't you have just gotten away by becoming invisible or phasing?" The young halfa inquired feeling confused.

"Oh... you're so right." Gar agreed as he turned to the large ghost.

Thuban seemed rather surprised by the question though it quickly merged with embarrassment. "Oh well, that is a valid question of course, and it isn't to say that I cannot do either of those things. It just comes down to the fact that I have very little talent for them you see." He admitted as he bowed his head. "I had already been using these abilities for most of the day, and my aptitude given long term strain is mediocre at best. While I may be proficient in the use of invisibility, intangibility is not a power I can normally make use of at all, and I am also sorry to say that I am a very poor flier." He finished with a modest expression of his thanks. "I am very grateful for your help in overcoming my own shortcomings."

"What's going on?" Danny asked as he landed with the group.

Gar seemed a bit perplexed as he thought over the information and answered. "Well, Quill and I were just asking Thuban about why he didn't use his own powers. It's weird a ghost can't phase easily isn't it?" He asked as he looked at the older halfa.

Danny cocked his head at the question before it hit him. "Oh right, I get it. I suppose it would be easy to think any ghost would just phase, go invisible and fly away from a problem." He stated with understanding.

"And indeed I had used my invisibility to find my way clear of many of my earlier conundrums." Thuban added in. "But well, while all ghosts have the ability to phase, there are lots of ghosts who have no practice with it."

"Here's a little thing to note, Ghosts can only phase in the human world." Danny explained to the two younger heroes.

"Oh, noted." Gar responded as he thought about it. It didn't clear it up completely, but it was something interesting he'd never even thought about. "Okay, so what about flying? You can't fly in this ghost world either?" He asked as well.

"Well actually flying is easier there." Danny responded after only thinking about it for a second.

Thuban wore a sheepish expression. "It is just that I'm am not really very good at it."

Danny gave a nod. "Right, I told Will before remember? Some ghosts just aren't very good at flying. Actually... I can't really think of any FarFrozen who are good at flying." The halfa noted at the topic.

"While that is an astute observation Great One, you really cannot hold them to a standard as high as you yourself have set." Thuban pointed out humbly.

"I guess... anyway Thuban, mind telling me what happened to you?" Phantom asked taking in the strange humanoid appearance of his friend. "And did you get shorter?"

Thuban blushed which was shown with a teal dusting on his light blue cheeks. "Ah well Great One... I'm sorry to say this is another reason as to why I needed your help. I ran-" Their conversation was cut off by a sudden tremor and an explosion not too far away.

"Whoa... what was that?" Gar asked aloud as he looked over towards where he saw a few birds flying away.

"Don't know... I'll check it out. You two get Thuban back to the cave, and check in with Nightwing. We'll talk more then."

He flew away without waiting for a response though Beast Boy gave him a slight salute before turning back to the others. "Alright, let's move. We should hurry up before people start coming back into the park."

"But... what about Phantom? That didn't sound like a small problem Beast Boy." Will countered as he looked over to where the loud crashes could still be heard.

"Worry not young one. The Great One can handle even large problems on his own." Thuban declared as he stood up to go.

"Yeah Phantom's fine. Plus, if we hurry, we can come back him up faster if it is a big problem." Gar explained as he transformed into a bird to lead the way back.

Mt. Justice - June 13

"Just continue watching. As long as he has it under control we don't need to give the Reach any reason to think we have anything planned." Nightwing ordered as he looked over the live feed of Toy Man's attack on the bank. Blue Beetle, though slightly careless with the debris did seem to have it under control.

"Alright, I understand."

"So how is it going at this point? Any changes?" Conner asked as he looked on as well. The two of them had been going over things all day.

Nightwing shook his head. "No, and now we have his location. Everyone's standing by, and Bat Girl and Impulse are already on their way to tail him."

"Mission accomplished!" Gar announced loudly as he dashed into the room from the stairway.

Nightwing turned to him with a grin. "Good, and what about-"

"Thuban?" He gestured behind. "Right here."

"This is a very spacious cave indeed. Most human dwellings have me watching my horns to be sure." He chuckled as he got to the top of the steps. "My more recent lodgings have been far more restricting to say the least. I find it strange even two humans could live in such a small domicile."

Connor wore a confused expression. "Wait... I thought Thuban looked more like Polaris didn't he? Wasn't the report on a yeti monster?" Conner wondered as he looked at the very human like blue ghost. He was dressed like Polar and had the horns as well as white hair, but only on his head. Unless you really looked at his face you would never even notice the slight curve of his nose or the fangs poking up from his bottom lip.

"Well that is quite the story I assure you." He stated in obvious embarrassment.

"Yeah, I was surprised too. Also," Gar held up what appeared to be a sharp curved icicle on a string. "He gave me a souvenir!"

Thuban merely chuckled at the boy's enthusiasm. "Ah well I suppose it is an interesting item. Stalhrim is not so common outside our realm it seems, and I have been told it can be quite valuable." He then turned to the kryptonian who still seemed somewhat confused. "It truly was but a few hours ago that I found myself regressed by several centuries. I find it most disconcerting to say the least." He looked over himself with a frown before taking a closer look at the slightly taller hero. "Ah, you are the one referred to as Super Boy are you not? My brother did mention the emblem on your shirt when last we spoke." Conner nodded. "It is an honor to meet you." He struck his chest respectfully. "And you as well." He finished as he turned to Nightwing. They were both a little intrigued by his formal mannerisms though Gar just found it funny.

"Oh right," He started as he remembered. "Danny went to check out something downtown. Did he check in?"

"Yeah, he's just observing. Blue Beetle is already on the scene." The leader informed as he gestured to the video on the interface.

"Hmm? That is an interesting user interface. I was not aware humans had this level of technology." Thuban remarked as he approached in interest.

"Come on Thuban, I wanna show you my other souvenirs before Dani comes back." Gar implored as he grabbed one of Thuban's hairless arms.

"Ah, of course. She mentioned you have quite the collection." He left without any further remarks and the two older heroes didn't really know what to say about the encounter. Of course Nightwing had a few questions for the ghost since he is supposed to be friends with Phantom. He could be good insight on the halfa's mindset since he was still hard to read at times. On the other hand, there was still plenty to do in terms of Blue and the Reach.

Metropolis - June 13

Danny had just broken off from Blue Beetle and was heading back to the cave before flying over a subway sign. He paused at it remembering back about Thuban first appearing at a subway according to Gar. "Maybe... a portal?" He muttered in thought as he looked down the stairs. There were very few people from what he could see, and it wouldn't hurt to just take a look right? It would still be a few hours before the team would need to move and that's only after they catch Blue Beetle. He decided to investigate for at least a bit just to make sure there weren't any ghosts around. If Thuban was somehow brought here than other ghosts could be too. He looked over the sparse crowd that thinned out the closer he got to the rails. He thought it was weird considering the time of day. There should be more people riding in a city like this. He then noticed a sign indicating several line closures. "Oh right... I guess they're investigating since there was a monster sighting..." He found himself laughing at that. It had gotten to a point in Amity Park were school wouldn't even close until something was destroyed never mind a sighting.

Phantom floated around the station a bit more until he realized the platform he was on was deserted. "Maybe the train...?" One did just leave so maybe they all got on that one? He heard a thud from behind. "Or maybe not." He turned to see a kid wobbling out of a rest room dragging a... briefcase? "Huh? Are you okay kid?" He asked as he reappeared and rushed over to him. It didn't take him long to notice something else odd about his find. This kid was wearing a suit, and it was obviously too big for him. "Hey kid?"

The boy shook his head to clear it. "Kid? Who are you calling kid?" He turned to look up at Danny. "I got kids your age I'll have you know, so I don't appreciate being treated like I'm younger than you." He reprimanded before reaching for his head again. "I am a bit dizzy though kid. Do you know what stop I'm at? I got off in such a rush I didn't bother to look."

Danny looked down at the boy. What was he talking about? Was this some kind of game. "We're at Main by the park. I don't know the name. Are you sure you're not a kid?" Danny kneeled down to be eye level with him. "You sure look like one to me."

The boy turned to him with a confused expression before realizing just how much taller Danny was. He then looked around to see how high everything was before looking at himself. "Huh!? W-what happened!?"

Danny didn't have a chance to ask before feeling his ghost sense activate. He looked back over towards the tunnel and saw a red bird of fire fly out. "So that's where you went human!"

It homed in on the pair and Danny took a defensive stance. "Who are you?" He demanded with his fists aglow.

The fire entity hovered in the air a moment and chuckled. "What's it to you kid?... Wait... you're that halfa aren't you?" It chuckled again. "The captain's gonna love this."

The bird's fire erupted in a bright flash that blinded both Danny and the boy who now cowered behind him. "Whoa! Hey!?"

Mt. Justice - June 13

Nightwing was growing a little impatient waiting for the halfa since it had been half an hour since he said he was coming back. "Phantom? Do you copy?" He called as he tracked the signal. He was definitely still in Metropolis. "Phantom!" He hailed again only this time he was answered.

"Huh... Uh yeah Nightwing?"

The leader raised a curious brow. "Phantom? Is that you? You sound strange." He noted thinking on the higher tone in his voice. Even a weak signal wouldn't make him sound like that right?

"Yeah, it's me I just... Where'd it go?"

"Where did what go? Did you find something after breaking off from Blue Beetle?" He didn't hear anything right away. "Phantom?"

"I did... and something else too." He heard a muffled curse before Phantom continued. "I think I just figured out what happened to Thuban earlier..."

Nightwing raised a brow. "What happened? You mean how he looks different right? Conner mentioned FarFrozen were supposed to look kind of like yeti or something."

"Yeah though not in the beginning..." He heard a sigh. "There was a ghost down here but they disappeared, and I can't find any trace of it."

"Just come back to the cave Phantom so we can go over what it was. I thought we went over the importance of teamwork last time?" Nightwing recounted thinking about how Danny liked to do his own work alone before he forced him to bring a team to the lake. "Even if you're used to going after ghosts on your own-"

"Yeah yeah, I know Nightwing seriously... I'm already kind of regretting not mentioning my detour before actually going."

That was a little surprising to the older hero as he smirked. "Okay so get back here and we'll figure out where to go from there." He ordered happy he didn't have to fight the halfa even in his area of expertise. He didn't have to wait even 10 minutes this time around as he approached the Zeta-tubes just as they activated. "Danny Phantom B06" The bright energy started to build a shape and Nightwing quickly found something wrong. A split second later the transfer finished, and there was something most definitely wrong. "Phantom?" He questioned the young boy now standing before him, arms crossed and obviously not happy with the situation.

"Yeah... just don't laugh okay?"

Laughing was probably in there somewhere but right now Nightwing was just too surprised. "How did you...?"

Danny floated up to be eye level with him even if it didn't change how he looked. "I ran into a ghost in the subway, and I guess this is it's power." His cheeks were a light green for a moment before he let out a sigh. "I thought it would a good idea to check out the subway where Thuban first appeared just in case another ghost was around... I was right." He uncrossed his arms. "I ran into a kid on a platform I thought was empty. I thought it was weird cause he was in a oversized business suit and had a brief case. Plus when I called him kid he got mad and mentioned kids of his own. That's when some ghost fire bird showed up and blinded me with its fire and boom I woke up like this." Danny explained in annoyance as he recounted the ghost. "The kid and the ghost were both gone too."

Nightwing furrowed his brow at the story. "So this ghost turned you into a little kid?"

Danny shrugged. "Probably."

He cocked his head to the side. What kind of ghost was this? "And you don't know this one?"

Danny shook his head. "Nope, never heard of a ghost that does this. I'm thinking Thuban might have run into this ghost too considering how he looked."

The leader rubbed his chin at the information. "So you're telling me there's a ghost that can turn people into kids running loose in the Metropolis subway?" No alerts have come up since Toy Man so what exactly could this mean?

"Probably more than one actually. He mentioned a Captain before doing this to me." Phantom informed thinking back, and Nightwing turned.

"I think we should go over this with that friend of yours too if he ran into him. Maybe he saw more than one." Danny gave a nod and followed the leader into the briefing room.

Conner was just heading up the steps with Thuban when he noticed the now much smaller Phantom. "What the... Phantom?" He asked aloud upon approach. Danny looked back a moment but didn't say anything out of embarrassment.

"Great One!?" Thuban wasted no time in inquiring on Danny's condition. "What has happened to you!? Please do not tell me you had a run in with the fire bird as well?" He could only hope but Danny's nod crushed it. "I guess I was right." Thuban looked disheartened at seeing his friend made so small. "My apologies Great One. If I had only been able to explain before we parted perhaps you would not have been reduced to a child as well." He bowed in penance for his mistake.

"Come on Thuban it's not like it would have stopped me from checking things out." Danny tried to comfort.

"Yeah, he shouldn't have gone off on his own in the first place." Nightwing added in with a serious expression. Danny was a bit surprised by the way he'd said it. He'd been dealing with ghosts on his own for years so it felt insulting in a way.

"Either way this thing's still on the loose right?" Conner asked crossing his arms. "Metropolis is a big city."

Nightwing turned to the computer. "I know, and so far everything's been quiet since the incident with Toy Man. If this ghost is going around turning people into kids, I'm sure it won't be able to hide long."

Later that night Nightwing monitored the mission in Biyalia. The team had already captured Blue Beetle and was in route to meet at the ruins where Batgirl reported the hieroglyphs. He was a bit uneasy since he had to switch Danny out for his cousin last minute. Since Phantom was turned into a child they didn't know how that could effect his powers and that could make him a liability in the field. The halfa in question agreed though didn't seem happy about it at the time. It had been several hours now, and Nightwing did find it strange Phantom hadn't come out to check on things. He turned to the stairs. "I'm surprised he's not curious."

He lifted his coffee and froze at the odd taste. "What the...? It's cold?" Had he really been waiting that long since the team caught Blu? He took a quick glance at the screen and decided to take his chance to freshen up his cup. He made his way down stairs where he found the coffee pot he'd made earlier still steaming. "Huh?" He found it curious for all of five seconds before filling his cup and heading back up. He was only a few feet out of the kitchen, however, before tasting another cold cup of coffee. "This was hot like 2 seconds ago." He recounted for himself in annoyance. He turned again to make his way to the coffee pot, but as soon as he grabbed it he slipped out of nowhere. The pot itself was saved inches from the ground but all its contents were spilled. "Damn it.." The hero cursed as he stood. The ground only appeared to have the spilled coffee. "What did I slip on?" He took a good look around before heading over to the cabinet for more coffee.

As soon as he opened the door he found his answer. "Boo!" Phantom burst out causing the older hero to stumble back a step from surprise.

"Phantom?! What are you doing?"

Danny was floating in a laying position with his head on his hands. "What? I'm bored." He complained back with an odd whiny tone of voice.

Nightwing raised a brow and reached for the coffee. "I'm surprised you haven't checked in with the mission if you're bored."

"Well that sounds boring too." Danny complained again with an eye roll.

Nightwing didn't really know what to say to the halfa. Nothing about his tone or expression felt right. "Are you okay Phantom?"

"Of course not, I'm bored. Duh." Danny then floated down to the ground and held his hands behind his head. "And you're no fun either."

The leader had no words for the way Phantom was acting. He was like a completely different person all of a sudden. Was it a side effect of being turned into a child? He certainly sounded like a child, but why'd it take so long? He was acting normal before. "Sorry to disappoint..." He then noticed something odd sticking up from Danny's collar. "Hold on a sec..."

"Hmm?" Danny turned to look back and saw Nightwing pluck what appeared to be a red feather from the back of his collar.

"What is this?"

Danny just shrugged. "A feather?"

The vigilante held in up close to inspect it before suddenly realizing it was hot. A split second later and fire ignited on his glove causing him to drop the coffee can in his other hand. "Whoa!?" He tried shaking it off or putting it out but it only got brighter until it blinded him.

.

.

"Nightwing?"

"Huh?" He opened his eyes. When had he fallen asleep?

"You okay?" He turned to see Danny squatting beside him with a curious expression.

"What happened?" His voice sounded odd to him, but he still found it odd he'd passed out.

"Uh... I'm not sure, but you're uh..."

Nightwing moved to get up and found his suit so loose he couldn't hold himself up straight. "What the..?" He held up his right hand and the glove was sliding off. That's when it finally hit him. His whole suit wasn't just sliding off, it was too big. "You have got to kidding..." He groaned once he made sense of his new size.

So this was an idea I randomly got after deciding a mutant alligator ghost would be kinda boring. I wanted a canon ghost to make an appearance. Any guesses? Also, I figured I should pick a member of the team to suffer with Danny. Nightwing sounded fun. Please direct any questions to the comment box below where comments (obviously) are welcome as well. I'd really like to know how you all feel about this twist. Happy New Year!=^-^=

About the long hiatus... well, I'm currently in a master's program so I kind of had lots of other writing to do. I know most of my fics have been collecting dust, but unless I put it in the story description, I do plan to finish them all... eventually.