Author Notes: WOW. So this story won the poll. Truly I'm not surprised by that. Looking at all the reviews and data, points to one fact. This is by far my most popular story. It has been a long time since I updated. Sorry about that. I have been busy. But all the love I feel from you for this story made me want to come back . . Plus it won the poll about what I should work on. I really do appreciate all of the love and the reviews this story gets. Now on to other things. I get it everyone. I made Wally a bit TOO much of a jerk. I will work on it. Though, in the last chapter, Kid Flash wasn't saying he wanted to kill Danny. It just sounded like that. I have personally done stuff like that (sounding like I saying one thing when I meant something else) and I used that as a reference. Hasn't everyone said something that come out sounding differently than how it sounded in their head? I do everything for a reason and this has it's own reason. I CAN'T tell you since it would ruin the story. Also, PLEASE stop asking when Dani will show up. I DON'T KNOW IF I WILL USING HER OR NOT. I get why you guys want her and it has great potential. The moment I have reached a decision, I will tell you all about it . . . while keeping it a secret. I want to give a shout out to lightreader1 and Is-this-a-good-name. These two are my favorites on the site. NONE of you can have them. They have helped me in ways I just can't describe in words. I hope you two read this and know just how much you mean to me. Thanks for being there for me. Now on to the reviews. As a side note, last one I promise, I am done putting my replies to reviews on the story. I am going to still reply, just not publically. I will message you. Sorry guest reviews, this means no more replies for you. Get an account if you want a reply.

Altered Fates Chapter 12: Parallels

After traveling down a few hallways, Megan and Danny got onto an elevator and stopped at the top floor. Once the doors opened, they walked out (with Megan still pulling Danny around by the hand like he was a small child) and onto a platform that was in a large cavern. Beyond the platform was rough cave-walls and below was water. In the distance, two large metal doors could be seen. But the most noticeable and interesting thing was the large red and black egg shaped thing sitting on the middle of the platform.

"What's that?," asked Danny as he pointed at the large egg.

Smiling, Megan answered. "She is my Bio-Ship." The martian had taken up calling the ship a she after Wally's poor attempt to cover up what he was actually saying. It just felt right and it made the Bio-Ship happy. Megan hadn't told the team but martian ships had their own personalities. The ship's level of sentience was hard to explain. The Bio-Ship was almost like a dog, very affectionate and loyal almost to a fault, but she could do complicated tests similar to a computer and comprehend abstract concepts like a human could. As Megan raised her hand towards the ship, she couldn't help looking at Danny. "I wonder how he will react when he sees her change." With that thought, she telepathically commended the ship to awaken. She felt the ship respond affectionately to her mental connection. Turning, she watched as excitement came to Danny's face when he saw the egg change into a ship.

"Wow," Danny said as he walked up to the ship. He stopped once he was right next to the Bio-Ship. Looking at the ship, he thought "So from the bio in the name . . . that means it is alive." His parents were geniuses and always talking about stuff like that, so some of it HAD to rub off on Danny. "Can she feel and think? I wonder? Will her surface feel like metal or flesh? . . . Only one way to find out." He then raised his hand and gently rubbed the surface of the ship's side. Danny didn't know if he was being foolish or not about the ship being alive, but he wasn't going to chance it. He personally knew what it was like to be told he had no feelings or that he was just faking them. So he was not going to do to the ship what had been done to him.

Megan giggled when she felt the ship telepathically purr in response to the petting. The Bio-Ship was very happy. She wasn't used to Megan's friends gently or affectionately touching her. They treated her like she was just a machine, not a living thing that happened to also be a vehicle.

"Who is this?," the Bio-Ship asked in between purrs. Her voice was full of curiosity and excitement.

"This is Danny," Megan said. "He is my new friend." She had told the ship about her other friends before.

"He is so nice." Megan could feel the happiness radiating from her pet ship. "He is my new favorite out of the others." Her old one being Superboy since Megan had a crush on the kryptonian. But that teen had never been this nice to the ship. "Can you introduce us?"

Megan was both greatly surprised and saddened by the question.

Surprised since the Bio-Ship had never asked that before . . Not even when introduced to Megan's friends for the first time. When asked about it (after the Mr. Twister incident had calmed down), the ship replied that she didn't want to communicate with anyone not smart enough to realize that an ORGANIC ship was probably somewhat alive and conscious at some level. Though from the way Danny was petting her, the ship could tell that the teen knew, or guessed, that she could feel his touch.

The martian was saddened because even though she really wanted to introduce them, Megan couldn't. The ship was only able to speak telepathically and the martian couldn't connect with Danny's mind enough to establish communication. The Bio-Ship had a limited telepathic ability, meaning that on her own she could only communicate with those who actually had the mental power. So she would need a go between, in this case that would be Megan, to connect and communicate with anyone else. This meant that even though the ship wanted to, she wouldn't be able to talk with Danny. But she could hear him since she had sensors that could pick up sounds.

With a heavy heart, Megan told the ship the problem. "I can't actually connect with Danny telepathically. I can only sense his feelings. I am so sorry."

"That is . . . regrettable," the Bio-Ship said, clearly disappointed and sad. "I would have liked to communicate with him. . . ." In a hopeful tone she asked "Maybe you can just talk to him for me?" It wasn't the same as talking to the teen herself, but it would be better then nothing at all.

"I would be glad to," Megan said before turning to Danny, who was still petting the ship. "Danny, the Bio-Ship says hello and is very happy to meet you."

"So she is conscious and alive," Danny said to himself in an relieved tone, but he wasn't quiet enough so Megan and the ship heard him. He continued to pet the side of the ship. "It is nice to meet you too," he said to the ship.

Megan was a bit taken aback that Danny didn't sound more surprised by finding out that the ship was alive and conscious. She also found it kind of adorable how he was petting her. "Just like I did when we first met."

Walking up to Danny, Megan stood next to him. She joined in on petting the ship's side, much to said ship's delight. "How did you know that the Bio-Ship was alive?" She and the ship both wanted to know. Megan couldn't determine how he figured it out while her team, who spent more time around and in the Bio-Ship, still had no idea.

"Well," Danny said as he lowered his hand from the ship's side, much to her disappointment. He then rubbed the back of his head with a hand. "I figured that s-since bio usually has to do with life or living things and because that is part of her n-name, the ship was alive. . .and has f-feelings." He looked at the ship with a sadness in his eyes, remembering having his own status as a living organism with feelings being questioned or completely denied, before turning back to Megan and shrugging. "I j-just didn't know to what extend she was conscious." He was a bit nervous since usually he was wrong about informational things like what "bio" actually means. He was afraid that he was wrong again and had just gotten luckily thinking that. "I really don't want to look like an idiot . . . but with the amount of school time I missed . . . I usually end up making a fool of myself anyways." A small beam of happiness shown in the darkness of his self-doubt. "At least I was right about the ship."

Sensing his feelings, Megan said "You are totally right about the meaning." She smiled when she felt his mood brighten a bit more. Deciding to really make an even greater improvement in his feelings, Megan said "And you know what?" Looking at her curiously, Danny shook his head in the negative. "That was really smart." A small dusting of a blush came to his face. No one had called him smart before. Add to that his genius family, Danny usually felt like the idiot black sheep among the intelligent white ones. "No one on the team has realized that either." That brought a small confused look to his face. "They have known her for a little over half a month and haven't figured out that she is alive and has feelings." She sent a proud smile Danny's way. "And you figured it out in like seconds of meeting her . . . That is impressive. . . ." Megan got a message from the ship. " . . . And the Bio-Ship thinks so too."

"Thanks," Danny said looking at Megan. He then turned to the ship and hugged her side. "I'm just really glad that I treated you like the living creature with feelings that you are . . ." He press his cheek to her side, nuzzling her, as he closed his eyes. "Especially since I know what it is like to be denied those rights." Danny didn't even realize he had said that out loud.

"Danny," Megan said after a few moments of just looking at him in shocked silence. Her words broke him out of his little snuggle with the ship, causing him to look at her. "What do you mean by that?" Her voice was full of worry and concern. "Has he been treated like how I was on Mars?" She didn't like it, but his words implied that he had.

Neither did the Bio-Ship. She knew what it was like for a white martian, sincere her owner was one, and his words made her question if Danny had a similar past as Megan's. So upset, the ship was beyond forming a sentence and could only send a distressed mental signal to Megan. The martian replied with a gentle and calming petting . . . both physically and mentally. She also told the ship that it would be okay and she would find out what Danny meant. That helped to ease the ship but she was still worried about her new favorite out of Megan's friends.

When Danny just gave her a confused look at her question, Megan said "You said you knew what it was like to be denied the rights of a living and feeling creature. . . What do you mean by that?"

Danny sucked in a breath as he backed away from the ship and Megan. "I can't believe I let that slip. I'm so stupid." Before he could really freak out and mentally beat himself up even more, Danny looked at Megan. The concern in her eyes helped to make Danny realize something. "I can trust her. She has been nothing but nice . . . . and something tells me she will understand."

Taking in a calming breath, Danny said "I c-can turn into a ghost." He transformed into Phantom and floated up a few feet off of the ground. "Many people believe t-that . . ." He hesitated and looked away. " . . . that they don't have feelings at all . . and just fake them and . . . ." He flinched, concerned about what he was about to say. " . . and are nothing but evil creatures h-here to terrorize the l-living." When Megan didn't say anything, Phantom grew worried that she would feeling the same way. "It's not true though," the ghost quickly added. "Ghosts are just like normal humans . . . except for the powers and the being . . dead thing. . . We have feelings too."

Megan still didn't say anything for a few moments. It wasn't because she disapproved of Phantom like he feared. No, she was shocked by how similar his past was to her own. "He is treated as a lower class of being just because he is a ghost . . .or part ghost . . . Which is shocking enough by itself . . . Just like I was on Mars since I'm a white martian."

Seeing Phantom slowly floating away from her and the ship as he shrunk into himself, Megan said "Oh Danny." Feeling horrible, the martian realized he thought she was rejecting him like those that believed he was just an evil unfeeling dead creature. Floating up, she quickly moved over to him and brought him into a hug. Slowly, she directed them both back down to the ground. "That is horrible. No one should ever be treated like their feelings don't matter." She thought about telling him about her own similar situation, but decided not to. She was too scared and traumatized by her youth of rejection. That was why she came to Earth, to escape the prejudge against white martians. She didn't fear that Danny would reject her because of it, she knew he would accept her completely since he too knew and experienced her pain, but she didn't want anyone to find out in fear she would be sent away back to Mars.

The Bio-Ship decided to help too. She gently moved so that her wing would nudge into Phantom's side. That action was like that of a cat rubbing up against someone.

Knowing what the ship was doing, Megan held Danny at arms length and said "And the Bio-Ship agrees with me." She smiled at Phantom. "Neither of us will think differently of you just because of what you are." She felt a little hypocritical saying he could trust her in this when she wouldn't fully trust him with her similar secret.

"T-thanks," Phantom said. He laughed when the ship's wing pushed him in a ticklish spot. Freeing himself from Megan's hold, he carefully moved his hands down and stopped the ship from tickling him.

The Bio-Ship was a bit surprised that the teen was strong enough to stop her from moving, but didn't question it. She had seen a teen move at super-fast speeds, one that could breath underwater, one that could hack into anything, and another that was super strong. So really it wasn't that super surprising. "But I didn't expect one so small and skinny to be so strong."

After that, Megan lead Phantom into the ship. At first she was just going to get the equipment for the game, but decided to give Danny a tour and let the ship show off to her new friend. To the Bio-Ship's delight, the ghostly teen was looking at her in amazement and hanging on to all of Megan's words. This increased her liking of him. The other teens had never been this amazed by her and his attention made her feel special. So when Megan was showing Phantom the control panels, the ship formed a chair right behind him. This caused him to fall back into the seat with a surprised squeak that Megan found adorable and made her laugh. The ship then wrapped the seat's buckling straps tightly around him before the seat started to vibrate and release a small bit of heat.

Phantom had almost tried to escape, but the seat was just so comfortable and the vibrations felt too good to the teen, who was used to sitting and laying against the cold hard and unforgiving ground. So moving wasn't an option in his mind. Plus the vibrations and the small bit of heat that radiated from the seat released the stress from Phantom's body that the ghost boy didn't even know he had. His tight muscles sighed in absolute joy as they relaxed for the first time since their owner's life turned into a horror show.

Megan giggled at their interaction. This caught Phantom's attention and he lazily turned his eyes towards her. The pleasure he was getting from the seat was almost going to put him to sleep. He was so relaxed that he slipped back into human form without even thinking about doing it.

"Sorry, but you two are so cutie together." Megan knew Danny wouldn't get what the ship was doing so she explained. "This is the Bio-Ship's way of giving you a hug as she rubs up against you and purrs like a cat."

"Oh," Danny said in a relaxed tone. "This feels great Bio-Ship. We should so do this again in the future." He felt like he was going to melt into the seat and fall asleep.

"That is fine with me, my favorite out of Megan's friends," the Bio-ship said. Turning her attention to her owner, the living ship said "I think you should make this one your mate. He is so much nicer than that other male you like so much."

Megan blushed at the Bio-Ship's suggestion. "No. Just no." She looked at Danny and was glad he was so blissed out of his mind that her red cheeks, along with the rest of the world and his problems, were completely ignored for the time being.

"Why not," whined the ship. "I bet he would make a great mate. . . His hands are so soft. His touch is so gentle and pleasant. I believe you would ENJOY his hands very much on your body. . . And more importantly, he would understand about you being a white martian. . . . Plus you two would have such cute offspring." Looking at Danny and Megan, she could just imagine the little human-ghost-martian hybrids running around, being all adorable.

"Yes, he would understand me and my . . . issues," Megan replied, as she held back the blush that was begging to erupt at the mental image of Danny and herself having children together . . . . . thought she too couldn't help thinking the resulting offspring would be a cutie. "But I can't. He is like a little brother to me. . . . Plus I really like Superboy." She felt the ship about to say something about the kryptonian being not nice and cut her off. "I know he isn't always pleasant to be around." If the ship had eyes, she would have rolled them at Megan. "Okay fine. He can be a bit of a jerk sometimes. ."

"You mean most of the time," interrupted the ship. She was still a bit angry over the times that Superboy had yelled at her martian. The Bio-Ship didn't even understand what Megan saw in the kryptonian at this point. "He is so grumpy and she is so cheerful. The attraction just doesn't add up in my option."

"That is only because he is still unused to being an actual person and dealing with his feelings," said the martian, defending the guy she liked. It almost felt like she was having to justify herself to her parents over her choice in guys to like. She dreaded the time when she would actually have to tell her parents about Superboy.. . .Well, that is if they ever got that far . . . Her parents were so protective of their youngest daughter . . . . especially seeing as she was a white martian. "And I want to help him learn how to live life and not just be a weapon."

The martian's tone told the ship that she wouldn't be changing Megan's mind any time soon, no matter how much she pushed the issue. That didn't mean she wouldn't whine and complain about it.

"Fine," whined and huffed the Bio-Ship. She would have crossed her arm and turned away but two things prevented that. The ship didn't have arms and it was kind of hard to turn away from someone when they were actually inside of you. " . . . . But I still think Danny is the better choice of mate over Superboy." She then proceeded to focus her attention on snuggling Danny, who by this time was moments away from falling asleep.

Megan allowed the two to cuddle for a few more moments (so her blush could die down) before she decided to put the adorableness on hold for the time being. "It's time to let go of Danny."

Reluctantly the ship complied, removing the strap and stopping the vibrations and heat. Danny, whose eyes were closed, didn't reply or even move. After waiting for a few moments, Megan walked up and tapped Danny on the shoulder, removing him from that tingly feeling that comes right before you fall asleep.

Sluggishly opening his eyes, Danny released a yawn and stretched his arms, causing some of his bones to pop. "That felt so pleasant," he said as he slowly stood up.

"I'm glad you enjoyed it so much," the Bio-Ship gushed.

Giggling, Megan said "I bet it did. You were practically asleep there for a few minutes. . . .The Bio-Ship is happy you liked it. "

"It just felt so good," Danny defended himself. "A lot better than sleeping on the streets." He looked fondly at the comfortable seat as it dissolved back into the floor.

"Well you two can spend more time bonding later," Megan said. She was happy that they got along so well. "I'm sure she," the martian reached out and petted the side of the ship, "wouldn't mind doing that again." The ship quickly agreed. "But for the time being, we have kept Wonder Woman and Hawk-Woman waiting for long enough."

Agreeing with the martian, Danny let Megan lead him to the back storage area of the ship. The martian then opened a storage container built into the wall of the ship. Megan pulled out a large box. Placing it on the floor, she opened container and looked inside. The box contained folded up poles, a board that was three feet by two feet and about two inches thick, a bunch of wrist bands, and two orbs about the size of basketballs, and one orb a little smaller than a soccer ball. All of the equipment was a bright red color with black circuit-board like patterns. Each piece of equipment had its own special place made in the box so that you would instantly know where everything went or if something was missing.

Once she was sure everything was there, Megan closed up the box and, using her telekinesis, made it float behind her. With the needed equipment, the two exited the ship. When they stepped off the ramp, Danny surprised Megan by turning back to the ship and waving as he said "Bye Bio-Ship. I'll see you later."

Megan and the ship were touched by his words because none of the martian's friends ever said bye to the Bio-Ship before. Yes the team didn't realize she was aware, but they should have. They were smart enough to be heroes and solve crimes, but couldn't realize this? This was right underneath their noses and it confused the two aliens that the teenage heroes didn't figure it out.

"Bye my favorite," the ship said, making Megan realize that was what the Bio-Ship was going to call Danny from now on, much to her embarrassment. She was really appreciating the fact that Danny couldn't hear the ship speak right now. "Come back whenever you want to! Megan make sure you tell him that!"

As they were walking away, Megan mentally assured the Bio-Ship that she would. The only thing she wouldn't say were the embarrassing parts. Right as they got on the elevator, the martian turned to Danny and said "It seems you gained a friend."

"Really?" Danny happily asked with a shy smile. He didn't know exactly what he did. The ghost boy just treated the ship how he would have liked to be treated.

"Yes," Megan said as she pressed the elevator's button and they went down. "The Bio-Ship said you are welcomed to come back anytime. . . She is very excited to see you again."

"I think I will visit her later tonight," Danny said in a thinking tone. He looked sheepishly at the martian. "Do you have to accompany me or can I go by myself?" He didn't mind either way, but figured he should ask since the ship was sort of Megan's pet. . . . and he didn't know if he was allowed to move around the cave freely. No one said he couldn't, but . . . Danny may be a bit clueless at times, but he wasn't a complete idiot . . . . Danny knew that some of the cave's occupants had a problem with him just being here. The ghostly teen just didn't know WHAT the problem was and didn't want to risk making things worst.

Thinking it over, Megan said "I think you can visit by yourself if you want." She figured it wouldn't be a problem. "It's not like Danny is a prisoner here." Yes the two wouldn't be able to communicate, but they would probably just end up cuddling like they did before. "And something tells me that wouldn't be a problem with either of them . . . especially for Danny. He needs all the snuggles he can get. And getting Danny to relax would be a great thing. He clearly needs it." She smiled at the teen. "I know she will greatly enjoy the visit," Megan said as she thought "And so will you."

"Just check if it is okay with Wonder Woman first," Megan quickly added. "Okay?" The martian may not have a problem with Danny moving freely around the cave, but she didn't want either of them to get in trouble just in case.

"Will do," relied Danny.

As the elevator continued down, Megan realized she needed to tell Danny something. Turning to him, she said "There is something the Bio-Ship and I would like you to do for us."

"Sure." Danny nodded his head that he would do it, even though he didn't know what the favor was. There was very little he wouldn't try to do for his two kind friends.

"Don't tell anyone about Bio-Ship being conscious or having feelings." At his adorable confused head tilt, Megan explained. "The Bio-Ship doesn't want to communicate with anyone not smart enough to realize or even question if she is alive and has feelings." It confused the martian why the Bio-ship felt this way, but since it was what the ship wanted, Megan would go along with it. Megan shot a smile at him. "So please don't tell the others about at her."

"I promise I won't tell them." Danny kind of understood where the ship was coming from. Why would someone want to speak to a person that wouldn't knowledge that they have feelings. Talking to them would only lead to problems or hurt feelings. "But they might change their actions if they knew."

Knowing that she could trust him to keep his promise (even though she didn't know what extents he would go to keep a promise), Megan smiled at him and said "Thanks."

"No problem." Danny would do anything within his power to help his friends. So if the ship didn't want anyone to know about her consensuses unless they figured it out themselves, then Danny would NEVER say anything. Though he did find it a little strange. "It isn't like they are doing it deliberately . . . you don't usually think that a vehicle would have feelings . . .I personally would be shouting at them that I'm alive and can feel, not just sitting back and ignoring them." In fact that is what he did (screaming that he was alive and could feel at the white suited agents until he couldn't scream anymore) in the past. He mentally shrugged. "But whatever, it isn't my decision. They can do whatever they want and I will help them keep their secret." But if he saw the others treat the Bio-Ship like she was just a vehicle, he would have to bite his tongue and stop himself from standing up for the ship. Though he would stop them if he thought they were going to hurt her physically or emotionally.

As they continued back to Wonder Woman and Hawk-Woman, Danny would ask the martian questions about the game they were going to play. Megan never answered any of them, playfully saying "You are just going to have to wait till I explain it to everyone."

The cute pout that came to the ghostly teen's face at her words only made the martian giggle.

When they entered the room they paused when they saw that Black Canary had joined the two women. Dinah had arrived a few minutes after the two teens had left. She explained to them (Diana and Shayera) why she was there (to make sure Megan was okay, to deliver her "homework", to check on Danny, and to eventually set up appointments with him). When Diana told her what happen between the martian and ghost boy, she was relieved. With how quick the teenage girl was to get over her distress and go on to guide Danny with his telekinesis, showed that Megan was fine. Probably still upset with Wally, but okay. She also like that Danny and Megan had formed a friendship. That would be helpful to Danny (and Megan) in the long road to overcome his (and her) dark problems.

Frozen in place, Megan just realized that she had left a debriefing with Batman before it was over. "That can't be good." But she couldn't help leaving. At the time she just couldn't stand to be in the same room as Wally any longer. "He is so not getting any of my cooking for a long time. Not even a crumb." For a moment, she was worried that she was going to be in trouble.

But the feeling disappeared when she sensed the fear coming from the teen next to her. Megan's concern shifted from herself and immediately redirected towards Danny.

Danny was fearful that something would happen with this unknown woman (who he felt like he should recognize for some reason, but couldn't) in the room. Logically, he knew that with Megan, Diana, and Hawk-Woman there, this blonde didn't stand even a small chance of trying to do anything to him. The three females would act before she could even lay a finger on him. But his past had installed a fear of strangers that was hard to overcome. It was stronger with adults since all the agents that hurt him were grownups.

Turning towards Danny, Megan said "It is okay Danny." She levitated the box of equipment over to the coffee table before pulling Danny into a short hug that she could tell comforted and calmed the teen down a little. Releasing the hug and taking his hand in her's, Megan lead him slowly over to Dinah. They were moving slowly since Megan could feel the hesitation from Danny. Once they were standing in front of the heroine, the martian gesture towards her. "This is Black Canary, the team's hand-to-hand combat instructor and counselor."

Dinah saw Danny jerk a little at the word "counselor." For a moment, she feared that he wouldn't be comfortable speaking to someone in her profession. Silently, she cursed the young martian for ruining her plan of befriending Danny before telling him her profession.

But the fact was that Danny felt the exact opposite. His fear diminished greatly until it was gone. "Are you a psychologist?"

Sighing, Dinah said "Yes." She believed that to help him and get Danny to open up to her, she had to be completely honest with him.

Gaining a sad smile, Danny said "My big sister always wanted to be a psychologist." There was a tear in his eye at remembering Jazz's life long ambition. . . . especially since that dream would never be reached because of him. And since it was always her goal, trusting those in the profession had been installed in to Danny since he was very little.

Everyone was surprised that the teen had immediately opened up to Dinah and revealed something so personal. Diana actually felt a little jealous and hurt by how quickly he trusted Black Canary when compared to herself. But the feelings were pushed to the side when she realized that this was a good thing. "Dinah is here to help him with his problems where I can't. . . . but that doesn't mean I still don't feel a bit hurt."

As if sensing Wonder Woman's feelings, Danny said "Jazz . . my sister . . always said that psychologists were there to help you. . . And since you're here with Wonder Woman, you're probably here to help me." His words made the amazon feel better since it wasn't really Dinah herself that Danny was trusting, but his sister's words and the amazon's judgment.

"Yes I am Danny," Dinah said in a pleasant tone. "And you can call me Dinah if you want." She then reacted out a hand for a hand shake. "It is a great pleasure to meet you."

As Dinah's hand moved towards him, Danny had a flash of memory move through his mind. A memory of Dinah trying to reason with him when he thought the heroes were really GIW agents. But this time there were no hallucinations distorting the view.

The teen now knew where and why he should remember this woman.

Backing up a few feet, Danny said "We already m-met and I'm-m s-sorry about attacking y-you." He felt horrible about attacking her when she was just trying to help him. He felt like he was going to cry. "Attacking those who only want to help you . . ." He shook. "That is something only done by a mons. . ."

Before he could say or think anything more, Dinah said "There is nothing to apologize about." Danny looked at her, not understanding. She sent an understanding look at the teen. "You weren't in control of yourself at the time. If you were, none of that would have happened." "And from what I've seen, if Danny really did want to hurt us . . or those white suited people . . he would have nothing stopping him from doing so. . .. . That is except for his morals." She wanted to step closer to Danny and comfort him, but didn't since she feared he might flea. "I'm here to help you with why the fight happened and," she looked at Megan for a second and knew she had to be subtle, "anything else you want to talk about."

"You accept my apology . . Just like that?" A confused look came to Danny's face. "And you want to help me too?" His brain was having a bit of trouble accepting what was happening. Here was ANOTHER person being nice to him for no reason . . .especially when he didn't feel like he deserved it. "Though maybe I do," he hesitantly though as he sent a look at Megan, Diana, and Hawk-Woman.

"Yes, I do," Dinah said casually, as if it was nothing. But she knew that to Danny, her kindness for just kindness sake, would be hard to understand. "The streets are a tough place to live. . . He probably hasn't seen any kindness until meeting Diana." "And I would like to set up some counseling appoints to just sit and talk about anything you want to." She thought she might be pushing things a little to fast, but Danny was accepting everything so far. Plus she thought it would be okay since, with what she just learned about his sister, she felt he would be fine with meeting her for counseling.

"Okay," Danny said. Part of him wished it could have been Jazz doing the counseling, but he knew that could never happen. "Maybe Jazz would be happy that if I see someone." That made him feel a little better. "But do we have to do it right now. . ." He looked at Megan and rubbed the back of his head before turning back towards Dinah. ". . W-we were just about to go play a game."

Releasing a chuckle, Dinah said "Of course not. I don't want you to drop everything just to talk to me." "Plus from what Diana said this game would be a great thing for you." She cast a look at Megan. "And I'm going to do nothing to interrupt you bonding with a friend." "You and I can just talk later today if you want to."

"That sounds great," said Danny.

With that out of the way, (the three adults were surprised how easily it was to get Danny to agree to counseling, but from his words they had Jazz to thank for that), Megan telekinetically grabbed the box of equipment and they all headed outside, towards the beach. Dinah had asked if she could watch since she couldn't join in and as she said "It would be interesting to see an alien game." She was a little bit interested in that, but her focus was on how Danny interacted with the others. It would help her learn about him. From what she hear this would be a positive interaction. "Unlike what I have heard about with the boys. . . I need to see them interact with Danny in person before I try to help them get along or decide if another action is needed."

As they were walking, Danny turned to ask Wonder Woman about visiting the Bio-Ship, but stopped. He couldn't say anything without breaking his promise. If he asked to visit, he would most likely end up having to tell the amazon about the ship's consciousness. So realizing he was in a jam, Danny figured that when he was alone with Megan again, he would have to ask her what to do.

When they were standing on the beach and at the edge of the water, Megan dropped the box of equipment next to her and turned to the others. "This is how the game works." Opening the box, the martian took out the poles. Having the poles float next to her, Megan split them into two groups. One group just floated in the air while the other was arranged into a large triangle. She then let the finished triangle just float as she arranged the second one.

"These are the goals." Megan gestured at the triangles. "And that," she had the smaller of the three balls float over into Danny's hands, "is the scoring ball." She fiddled with the triangles for a moment before one of the triangles glowed with a light blue highlights while the other one glowed light purple. Megan then used her telekinesis to place them in the air over the water. They were quite high up in the air. When she released them from her mental grip, they stayed in place in the air.

At the same time, Danny noticed that the ball he was holding felt weightless. Looking down at it, the teen saw that it was glowing with green highlights, reminiscent of his ghostly eyes. Releasing it, the ball stayed floating in place. He let it float there for a moment before recapturing it with his hands.

Seeing this, Megan said "The goals and ball are connected so when I activated the anti-gravity in the goals, it activated in the ball too. . . . So the point of the game is . ."

Hawk-Woman cut her off. "To get the ball through the goals." It was so painfully obvious. "We have a similar game on Thanagar." She used to play it with Rex all the time.

"Yes," Megan said. She was a bit miffed at being interrupted, but she didn't let it show. "That might be, but I think Wonder Woman and Danny might still need an explanation." She turned to the two and focused on them since Hawk-Woman probably really did know what to do to play. Shayera's people were fliers so it wouldn't be surprising that they had similar air games. "The goals float and can be moved anyway you want. . . even out of the way of someone getting a goal." She tapped her chin in thought. "What else do you guys need to know . . . You can only use your telekinesis to simulate flight or to move the goals and the other players. It can't be used on any of the balls . . . But those rules really only applies to martians. . ." She turned slightly to Danny. "Plus you." She smiled. "Also you can't use any other powers. Not intangibility, camouflage, telepathy. . ." These were mostly aimed at martian players. ". . . duplication, teleportation, energy beams, or any other powers you might have." This time her words were aimed mostly at Danny, but also Diana and Shayera. "Any questions?"

"Why are we playing over water?," the ghostly teen asked.

Danny's question caused the others to look at him. Wonder Woman was smiling at him. Megan was holding in a giggle as she looked at him. Hawk-Woman was looking at him with an "are you serious" look. All of their looks had a bit of confusion mixed in.

Noticing their looks, Danny blushed as he fiddled with the ball in his hands. "W-what?" The way they were looking at him made him nervous and feel kind of stupid.

"Do you really not see the point of playing over the water?" asked Diana in a careful and caring tone.

Shacking his head, Danny nervously rubbed the back of his head. "Yes." His tone was hesitant, showing he was embarrassed to admit the truth.

"It's for if one of us falls. Instead of land on something hard, we will hit the water," Diana gently said, wanting to not make him feel bad for not realizing it himself.

Looking up at the rings and then down to the water, Danny shrugged. "I guess that makes sense. That is a long way to fall, just to meet a hard surface." "I know that from first hand experience."

Smiling at Danny, Megan asked "Got anymore questions?"

In fact, Danny did have more questions. But he was a little hesitant since his last one made him feel a bit stupid for not realizing the answer. Looking at the happy martian though, he figured it wouldn't hurt to ask his other questions. He knew Megan wouldn't tease him for another dumb question. "What are the wrist bands for?" Danny emphasized his question by pointing back at the box. "And the other balls, what are they for?"

"Good questions." Megan's tone was happy. She had felt Danny's hesitation and wanted to reassure him. It worked since she could feel the relief from him at her reply. "The wrist bands have five purposes." Megan telekinetically floated a band to each player. "First," she held up a finger, "they change color so that everyone knows who is on what team." She held up a second finger. "Secondly, they track who scores a point so it can be show up on the score board." She lifted the board out of the box. Fiddling with something on the back, two large zeros appeared on the side. One was light blue while the other was light purple. Megan then placed the board so it was next to Dinah. A third finger was put up. "Thirdly, they suppress telepathy. That way no players can cheat by reading their opponents' minds and finding out what they are planning to do." Holding up four fingers, Megan said "The fourth thing the bands do is make it so you can't move any of the balls with telekinesis." A shy smile came to the martian's face. "The last thing about them also has to do with the other two balls."

Turning to Dinah, Megan said "And this is where you can help us out." Black Canary was confused, but when Megan gestured for her to come over, she did. Floating the ball out of Danny's hands, she gave it to Dinah. "You can be the referee."

"But I don't really know enough about the game to be referee," said Dinah.

"That's not a problem," Megan replied, reassuring the woman. "All it really means is that you will set the balls into play." Showing Dinah a small button on the inside of the case, Megan said "Only press this when we are ready to start."

"What does it do?," asked Dinah.

"It releases the smashers." Megan saw that everyone didn't understand. "The other balls are called smashers. They target whoever is closest to the scoring ball by locking on to their wristband." She gained a sheepish look. "And trust me, you want to make sure you dodge them." The martian rubbed her side as she remembered a past pain. "They can really hurt if they land a direct hit."

"I wasn't expecting that," said Shayera before smirking. "That is surprisingly violent . . . Though it does sound like good training." Diana and Danny silently agreed. "I might just have to ask J'onn to pick me up a set next time he visits Mars."

As Danny placed the band on his wrist, he asked "Will this even work on me?" This question was also on Diana's and Shayera's minds as they donned their own wrist bands. They wondered if it would do anything to them or Danny. "It's meant for martians not ghosts."

"Not sure," Megan said in a questioning tone. "Maybe we don't really need them. . . . . I mean only I have telepathy and the only ones here with telekinesis are you and me. Plus we are just playing for fun and neither of us would cheat."

"I might," Danny said, mostly to himself, surprising the others. Upon seeing the way they were looking at him, Danny knew they heard him and held up his hands. "I-I mean in the bending the rules kind of way." In a quieter tone he said " . . . unless breaking the rules meant saving a life. . . " He continued in a louder voice so he was sure they could hear him. "You don't know how many times cheating," he made air quotes with his hands as he said cheating, "has saved mine or others' lives. . ."

Danny fell silent as he got lost in his thoughts. The truth was the ghostly teen hated cheating. The whole thing with getting the career aptitude test answers and deciding to cheat that lead to everyone being at the Nasty Burger explosion had taught him that cheating was bad. "If I hadn't decided to cheat then maybe they all would still be alive." But the thing was, Danny knew there was a time and a place to cheat or to play dirty. But that didn't mean Danny was comfortable with the thought of cheating. "I will only do it to save a life."

"When I first got my p-powers, I always fought against opponents with far more experience." He sent a look at the others, hoping they would understand. "I l-learned to do whatever I had to do just to survive the encounters. . . ." He looked at the ground, not proud of what he was going to admit. ". . . sometimes that meant throwing dirt in someone's face, biting them or even kicking them in a VERY sensitive place . . . I did it for my life . . . and the lives of those around me."

The women around Danny just stared at the teen. They all wondered what he had been though. His emotions were all over the place and seem to change at the drop of a dime. By his tone and body language, it was clear he hated the idea of cheating, but was still willing to do it even if it tore him apart inside.

Megan just wanted to give him a hug, promise that she understood him, and that everything was okay.

Diana looked at him, seeing the inner strength this child must have to keep going on when it was clear that his self hate was crushing him. She became even more determined to make him see the hero he was.

Dinah was looking at the teen in concern. She was VERY glad that he was going to start seeing her today. She knew that everything that had happened to him was going to lead to a bad end if something wasn't done to help him soon.

Shayera couldn't help looking at the teen and seeing her little brother. Well an emotionally hurt and fragile human-ghost hybrid version of Rex. It was activating her protective big sister mode.

Danny heard foot steps walking up to him, but he didn't look up. He didn't want to face the disappointed looks he was sure would be on the others' faces. "A true hero would not have to bite someone . . . or cheat . . . to save themselves or others." Feeling a hand placed on his shoulder, he still didn't face them.

"That is a good mentality to have." Shocked by the comforting words, Danny looked up and saw that it was Hawk-Woman standing next to him with her hand on his shoulder. There was a smile on her face aimed at the teen. "Pride is a good thing to have . . . but it is truly worth nothing when your life or the lives of others are on the line." Danny looked at the Thanagarian, a bit surprised that she understood exactly what he was trying to say.

Diana decided to join in on reassuring the teen. "I agree." Danny turned to look at her and she smiled at him. "Though we Amazons like a fair fight, I too have learn that sometimes you have to do . . something less than respectful to accomplish your goals or to save lives."

"And the mentality of survival and protecting those we care about at any cost is one my people have and see as a valuable trait," Hawk-Woman said. "We, Thanagarians, are warlike creatures and we will do anything to protect ourselves and our loved ones." She smiled at Danny. "I like your attitude . . . it reminds me of home." "And you remind me so much of my little brother." Clapping a hand on his back, she said "So that's why WE," her arm pulled Danny into her side, causing Danny to blush since he was pressed into the side of a certain feminine body part, "are going to play on the same team." She looked back at Diana, who didn't look happy at that.

The Amazon had been planning on having Danny be on her team. Though upon seeing how happy the Thanagarian was, she wasn't going fight her on this. "But next time, Danny's on my team."

"Diana, you can have the Martian."

Megan didn't like being referred to as just the martian. It was her game they were playing after all. Plus, she too had been hoping to team up with Danny. But she didn't say anything because she knew Danny and herself would be hanging out more in the future and figured there was always next time to play as a teammates instead of as opponents.

Turning back to Danny, Hawk-Woman snickered. "We are so going to dominate them. . . . Megan doesn't TRULY fly and Diana . . . She's not as good at aerial combat as us."

"Really?" Danny looked at the amazon in surprise. He had seen her fight in the air before and didn't think she was that bad, let alone that he was better than her at it.

After a moment, Diana said "It is true." She stood proud and tall even thought she was admitting a fault of her's. "While I can fight in the air, I'm nowhere as graceful as you." She look specifically at Danny. "You are the most elegant flier I have ever seen. . . ." Danny blushed slightly at the praise. Diana shot a glance at Shayera. "Even better than Hawk-Woman." The jab got a "hey" from the thanagarian. "I fight much better on solid ground."

"Wow," Danny said in a stunned voice as he looked at Diana.

"You don't have to sound so surprised." The amazon's voice may have been even, but she was still a little hurt by the way Danny was looking at her. "I may be an Amazon and blessed by several Goddesses, but that doesn't make me perfect. I'm still human."

Some of her hurt feelings leaked out into her voice a little and Danny realized he had offended Diana. Quickly moving over to the amazon, he hugged her side before she could say anything. The hug only lasted a moment before Danny released it and took a step back. "I'm sorry." He looked up at her with sincere eyes. "I didn't . . uh . . I . . mean. . . " He didn't know exactly how he hurt her feelings. All he knew was that it must have had something to do with the way he looked at her. So after a moment, he just decided to be honest and say what he was feeling. "I am amazed that you are so strong and confident that you can stand there and admit to a weakness like it is nothing. . ." He looked away from her for a moment, before turning back towards the amazon. When she looked at his eyes there was an intense sincerity in them. " I could never do that and look as confident as you do. . . . I wish I was as strong as you are."

Diana didn't know how to reply for a second. The amazon was reminded again that she was Danny's personal hero and the one he looked up to. She was able to keep a blush from coming to her cheeks at his flattering word.

Taking a breath, Diana knew she had to say something. "What would a mentor say to their protege at a time like now?" She felt a bit giddy at this situation. "How can the others with proteges EVER complain about having one? To help shape the heroes of tomorrow is the highest honor. . . plus it is so much fun."

Placing a hand on the teen's shoulder, the amazon said "You are strong." She stressed the words to make sure Danny knew she was speaking the truth. "It isn't a weakness to admit that you aren't the best at everything. . . or to feel like you can't either. . . . As long as you are truthful to yourself about what you can and cannot do, and work to improve on yourself. That is what truly matters. . . ." Diana lifted up Danny's chin so they were looking into each others eyes. "And I KNOW you have the strength to do great and amazing things." "Even if you don't think so. . . but I'm going to change that." "That is why we are going to work together until you know and believe this too."

Danny was stunned by Diana's words. "Does she really think that of me?" Her tone of confidence in what she said, shoved his doubts away until they disappeared for the time being. And that amazed him into silence. All the teen could do was node at the amazon.

Seeing the interaction, Megan thought they were cute and could just stand there, watching them for a while.

Dinah liked what she was seeing, this bonding would be good for Danny, and she wasn't going to do anything to interrupted them.

Shayera on the other hand . . . .

"If mommy and child are done making each other feel good and warm inside, I for one would like to get this game started." Her words would have been insulting if it wasn't for teasing tone she had said them in. Though if Shayera was honest with herself, the woman felt a bit of jealousy at the display. She remembered a time when a teenage Shayera had to say something very similar to a five year old Rex. She couldn't help missing her little brother. "And he might be standing right there. What's stopping me from getting him back?" Her heart and morals gave her the hard answer. " . . . . the simple fact that it might NOT actually be Rex." There was no way Shayera could prove or disprove this. But her gut told her that Danny was her reincarnated brother. She then imaged what would happen if she acted on her feelings and the wedge it might put between the teen and amazon. "I can't put Danny or Diana through that. Diana is my friend and this bond clearly means a lot to her. And Danny has been through so much already. I can't possibly add to that list of pain." Shayera decided she would have to find a way to deal with these feelings that wouldn't end up hurting anyone.

Danny blushed in embarrassment at the winged woman's words but didn't move away from the amazon. Diana just stood there looking at the thanagarian. Shayera may have kept her jealousy from entering her voice, but the amazon had seen the small spark of it in her eyes. "I might need to talk to her about that later, but for now . . . " "You are correct. We should get this game started." She gave Danny a small push in Shayera's direction, getting him to walk over to the woman. "Oh. And Danny." Diana waited until he looked at her before continuing to talk. "Though Megan and I aren't as good in the air as you two, neither of us will be holding back . . . . I expect you to return that respect to us."

"Sure," Danny said with a smile. "It's not like we are truly fighting or anything." He shrugged his shoulders. "So there is no reason to hold back."

His words caught the attentions of the others. The three adults wondered what would happen when Danny joined the other teens in there training session later today. Megan was wondering the same thing, she just didn't know that Danny WOULD be joining in.

"Now we just have to link up our wrist bands with our goals," Megan said. She held up her wrist with her band. "Just fly up to a goal and tap the band against it." Demonstrating, she flew up and tapped her wrist band against the light blue goal. The others, who had also flown up, went over to their goals. Diana joined Megan next to their light blue goal while Hawk-Woman and Danny went over to the light purple goal.

Danny watched as his band started to glow light purple. He couldn't help the tear that escaped as it reminded him of Sam. "Purple was always her favorite color . . . after black of course." He couldn't help feeling sad and happy at the memory.

Before the sadness could over come the happiness, the teen was broken out of his thoughts by the thanagarian.

"Hey Danny," Hawk-Woman said.

"Yeah Hawk-Woman?" replied Danny. He was sure that the woman was going to start setting up a plan to win this game. The teen was glad for the distraction even though he was better at acting in the moment than planning in advance. Danny could set up a plan, but the thing was that the plans he was involved in usually fell apart, causing him to think on his toes.

"You can all me Shayera," the winged woman said as a small part of her thought "Even though I would prefer if you called me big sis." But she couldn't have him call her that . . . at least not yet. It was WAY to soon to even try to get him to call her big sis. So the woman went with the next best thing, her actual name.

"Sure S-shayera." Danny felt nervous and honored. Another hero was telling him their secret identity. He knew how big this was, but something inside his mind told Danny that this meant more for some reason.

Getting over his fan-boyness, Danny asked "So what is the game plan?" The teen looked over and saw that Diana and Megan were talking, clearly going over what they were going to do. Looking back towards Shayera, he saw her flapping her winds as she gained a thoughtful look.

After a moment, Shayera finally said "I was just going to wing it," Danny giggled at the unintentional pun, causing the woman to smile, "and see what happens." She gave a calm shrug. "How's that sound?"

Danny was silent for a moment before a smile broke out on his face. "Sounds like my usual plan." His like of Shayera increased every time he spent time with the thanagarian. A smirk broke out on his face. "We're going to wipe the floor with them." Danny felt confident in himself. He hadn't felt like this in such a long time.

Returning his smirk, Shayera said "Now THAT sounds like a plan." Turning towards Megan and Diana, she shouted "You guys ready to lose."

"Yes," Megan said. The happy and oblivious look on her face caused Shayera to laugh as Danny tried to swallow his laughter down, yet failed as he released small giggles. It took the martian a moment to realize what she had just said and when she did, Megan blushed as a flustered look came to her face. "I meant we are ready to start."

The martian's blush caused the ghost's and thanagarian's laughter to increase.

Trying to ignore the two laughing fools, Megan turned towards Dinah down on the ground. Speaking loud enough so she could be heard, the martian said "We are ready for you to throw the ball into play and to release the smashers."

Looking up, Dinah shrugged and threw the ball up as hard as she could. As the two teams went for the ball, she went over to the equipment case and pressed the button Megan showed her before. The smashers started to glow red until they looked like miniature red dwarf stars. The red balls then flow off with the intention of doing some player smashing.

Back with the players, Danny had dived for the ball before it could reach the height that the players were at. He was moving so fast that his legs subconsciously morphed into a ghostly tail. This caused the adults to raise their eyebrows in surprise and Megan to actually pause in her movement. That pause was enough of an opening for Danny to get the ball and slip right past the martian.

Flying towards the goal, Danny thought "I have a clear shot. Now all I have to do is . . ." At that moment Diana took her place back infront of the goal. " . . . get past Wonder Woman. . .Damn."

The ghostly teen paused for a moment, facing off against the Amazon. While Danny was thinking of a plan of action to bypass the woman, he caught the glint of something red in the corner of his eye. His gut told him he had to move NOW, so he did. Shooting to the left, Danny saw as a red ball of light passed by right where he was just a moment ago. "That would have hurt."

Floating there with his tail twitching nervously, Danny asked "What was that?" The teen wasn't expecting an answer, but he got one.

"A smasher, silly." Megan was floating next to Danny. The ghost had been so focused on the smasher that he didn't notice the martian approach him. So her voice had surprised Danny, causing him to release a startled squeak.

Giggling at the fact that she had spooked a ghost, Megan looked at Danny. Seeing that he had loosened his grip on the ball, the martian decided to take the opening. Delivering a spinning kick, the ball left Danny's hands as he was thrown downward.

With the ball in her possession, Megan flew towards her opponents' goal. She had a clear shot since Shayera had also went after the ball and hadn't gotten back to the goal yet. Megan took the shot and scored.

Megan gave a happy "Yay!" as she did a cute little victory dance, shaking her hips and thrusting her fists into the air.

"Don't get cocky," shouted Shayera as she flew past with the ball in her hands. A moment later the two smashers flew by, almost taking Megan's head off.

Freezing in place, it took Megan a moment to realize that Shayera had the ball. "Hey!," the martian shouted before giving chase.

Shayera was flying with her wings spread out straight. Seeing a smasher coming at her from below and above, the thanagarian went into a spin as she folded her wings in. Just in time too as the smashers passed by her sides. They would have taken out her wings if she hadn't reacted fast enough.

Flying towards the blue goal, the only thing sanding in between Shayera and scoring was Diana.

The amazon prepared herself to keep Shayera from scoring. So focused on the opponent right in front of her, she didn't see the second one coming for her until the last moment. Dodging out of the way, Diana avoided a collision with Danny. But in doing that, she left the goal unprotected, which was Danny's objective in the first place.

With the goal unprotected, Shayera scored a point, leaving them tied with one point each.

Megan was a bit saddened that their head start was so short. But she didn't have long to dwell on that. Danny had retrieved the ball and was about to score a second point. Acting quickly, Megan raised a hand and telekinetic moved the goal to the right about a foot. The ball sailed simply to the left of the blue goal.

Right into the hands of a waiting Amazon.

Taking off, Diana flew quickly towards the purple goal. When the smashers came for her, the Amazon simply used her impressive strength to bat them away. Getting close the goal, she took the shot.

The ball stopped short of making a score. It LITERALY stopped right infront of the goal and hovered in the air. The ball then floated over to Danny, who had a surprised look on his face, and landed in his hands. "I didn't think that would work."

"Hey," Megan said as she floated over to the ghostly teen. "You cheated." She had a disappointed look on her face and her hands on her hips. "You aren't allowed to use telekinesis on the ball"

"S-sorry." Danny's tone was sheepish as he rubbed the back of his head. "I was j-just wondering if the bands," he raised his wrist, "would work on me." He gave Megan a shy smile. "Guess what works on martians, doesn't work on ghosts." Gaining an apologetic tone and look, Danny looked downward as he said "I r-really am s-sorry and I w-won't do it again." A small part of him feared that Megan wouldn't want to play with him anymore.

Sensing his feelings of regret and fear, Megan said "As long as you don't do it again." She then smirked. "And as punishment." She raised her hands and snatched the ball out of his hands before Danny could react. "The ball is ours." She then flew off towards the purple goal, giggling at the stunned look on Danny's face as he just floated there for a moment.

Danny couldn't help smiling before flying after the martian, feeling the happiest he had in such a long time. "I hope this feeling lasts forever."

=============================Back On the Beach=============================

Watching from below, Dinah couldn't be more happy about the interactions she saw going on. "Danny is opening up to them." She could tell the ghostly teen was happy from his body language and his laughter. "Even his tail is wagging like a puppy. . . That is simply adorable."

As the woman was going through her thoughts and what she would bring up during her meeting with Danny later, Dinah heard footsteps approaching her position. Looking towards the sound, the woman saw Kaldur, Superboy, Kid Flash and Robin walking in her direction. They were looking up and staring at the four playing in the air.

"Hey," Wally said while still looking up. "Why weren't we invited to play?"

Seeing the look on his face, Dinah knew he wanted to add "And why invite Danny?" But Wally was smart enough to keep his mouth shut . . . . this time.

"Besides the obvious reason . . . Megan isn't happy with you guys right at the moment. Especially you, Wally," thought Dinah. But she didn't say this. She wanted to see how the guys interacted and replied. "This might give me some insight to why they seem so hostile towards Danny and how to start fixing the problem."

"Isn't it obvious KF," said Robin. Getting a blank look from his friend, the boy wonder sighed. "For this game you need telekinesis or flight . . . . Which, last time I checked," Robin poked Wally in the side with a finger, "you and the rest of us don't have."

Wally smacked the poking finger away in frustration as he turned towards Robin. "Well." He crossed his arms over his chest as he kicked a shell in the sand and a pout came to his face. "Megan could have modified the game so we could play too."

"I believe that would have defeated the point of the game Wally," relied Kaldur. He lay a supportive hand on the young speedster's shoulder. "I remember Megan telling me that this game is used to get young martians used to using their telekinesis to fly."

Sighing, Kid Flash shrugged of the hand and kicked at the sand again. "Still could have invited us to watch or something," Wally mumbled to himself.

"Are you pouting," stated Robin. There was amusement in his voice.

"No," was the instant reply even though it was obvious that Wally was pouting.

"You totally are," laughed Robin. "Aw what's wrong?Jealous that Megan is paying attention to someone else." Robin knew that he had hit the nail on the head when Wally blushed and turned slightly away from his friend. The boy wonder just laughed at the reaction, upsetting Wally further, and causing them to descend into juvenile bickering.

Off to the side, Superboy gave an angry grunt at the reminder of another difference between him and Superman. "Why can't I fly or shoot lasers from my eyes?" The thought made him angry and want to smash something just to make himself feel better.

Hearing what Robin said about Megan basically picking to hang out Danny over them, caused his anger to find a target. Danny. But the problem was he couldn't just attack the teen. That wasn't the right thing to do. Though that didn't make the idea any less appealing.

Dinah watched all of this and thought "I have my work cut out for me. Not just with Danny, but these guys too." It was clear to her (and EVERYONE) that Wally had a thing for Megan. "It's not like he is even trying to hide it. And for whatever reason, he sees Danny as opponent for the martian's affection."

Dinah hummed in thought as she looked up just in time to see Danny, who had the ball, dodge Megan. . . . Only to receive a smasher straight to the stomach, causing him to drop the ball which was stole by Wonder Woman and used to score a point for her team. Making the score 2 for the blue team and 1 for the purple team.

"Ouch!" Dinah winced in sympathy. "That looked like it hurt . . . ." Her thoughts returned back to the speedster's jealousy. "Though Wally doesn't have to worry about those two becoming romantic. They have more of a . . ." She tapped her chin in thought. ". . sibling thing going on."

Looking over at a frowning Superboy, Dinah thought "Though Wally does have an opponent right here. . . . That is if he can get over his anger issues a bit. . . . But what I don't get is WHY does he seem so angry at Danny." The thing was that she knew this had to be dealt with sooner then later since Superboy's anger was most likely going to end up getting someone hurt. "Most likely Danny." But Danny's safety wasn't the only reason this anger needed to be handled. "Superboy is eventually going to do something in anger that he greatly regrets."

Turning towards the last two teens, Dinah frowned. Kaldur was watching the aerial game with a neutral look on his face and Robin was still care-freely bickering with Wally. "Robin will probably be the hardest one to figure out. . . . He admires and is so much like Batman. . . . And since the bat distrusts Danny, the robin will too. And it doesn't help that he will probably side with Wally. He cares very much for his friends." She knew that the reason Robin was teasing Kid Flash was to distract him from being upset. "Though since they are friends, if one of them gets to know Danny and befriend him, the other won't be far behind." Her thoughts then turned to the leader of the team. "Kaldur seems to be considering if Danny is a threat to the team or not. . . . and I believe that he will be the easiest to change his mind about Danny. . . . he already seams to be coming around by himself. . . .And since he is the leader, the others might follow him in befriending Danny."

With these thoughts in mind, Dinah started to form a game plan. But before the psychologist could hammer anything into place in her mind, the woman heard the sound of something incoming.

"MOVE!," Dinah shouted as she quickly dodged to the side.

Everyone followed her lead. They had moved just in time too. The object landed right where they had been standing, creating a small crater in the sand.

"Ouch," Danny said as he stood up from his landing. Rubbing his head, he walked out of the crater. He still had the ball with him.

Once she realized it was Danny, Dinah quickly moved over to his side. "Are you alright?" She looked over this body to see if there were any injuries.

"I'm fine." Danny smiled and since his hood was down, the woman got a full look at his face. The smile on his face was so bright that it would be clear to anyone that he was having the time of his life. "Now if you excuse me, I have . . ." He suddenly moved forward and collided with Dinah, moving them several feet. The woman landed on her back with Danny on top of her and pressed up to certain personal places.

Dinah was wondering why Danny did that when she got her answer. A smasher had come down and collided with the ground right where they had been standing.

Quickly standing up, Danny jumped into the air and regained his ghostly tail. "Sorry about that." He shot a smile at her. "I'd stick around, but I got two glowing balls chasing my tail and I don't want you to get smashed." With that he shot into the air and back to the game.

Standing back up, Dinah watched the teen fly through the air. She couldn't help thinking "I'm not going to bring up the fact that he just got a free feel of my chest." She knew that he did by accident while keeping her from getting hurt, but that didn't mean she wasn't still a bit embarrassed. "I hope the team didn't notice." Looking at them, she saw that they were standing silently around the hole Danny had just created.

Walking up, the woman looked and saw what had captured their attentions.

At the bottom of the shallow crater was solid rock. It was deeply cracked, showing that it was a hard landing.

They all had the same thoughts.

Danny had to be really tough to casually walk off a landing like that as if it was nothing.

===============================Back in the Air===============================

Danny shot through the air and towards the blue goal as fast as he could.

The two teams had adopted the strategy of having the older heroines guard their goals while the teens were the ones trying to score. This worked since Danny and Megan were the only ones that possessed telekinesis and could move the goals into better scoring position without touching them.

Danny and Megan went head to head. Megan had more experience in this game and her telekinesis, but Danny had the advantage of better flight skills and speed. Every time Danny tried to get past the martian and closer to the goal, she would block him. She would use her telekinesis to push him away or throw him through the air. The reason he didn't use his telekinesis to counteract hers was that he was using it to push the smashers away from him.

Deciding he would have to do something dramatic to get past Megan, Danny made up his mind. "I hope she forgive me for this." Waiting for the perfect time, Danny kept an eye on the martian and the smashers. Suddenly, Megan throw him through the air and a smasher got the chance to glance his side. It didn't hurt that much, but it had loosened his grip on the ball.

"NOW," Danny thought. He let the ball fly from his hands. Seeing Megan forget about him and go for the ball, Danny smirked. As she passed by him, the ghostly teen grabbed the end of Megan's cape and pulled. This caused the martian to choke for a moment. Danny then swung Megan around and throw her. Right into the path of the two smashers. One of them hit her legs, causing Megan to spin in the air. This was surprisingly fortunate for her since it caused the other smasher to just skim the top of her head instead of smacking full force into the body part. The contact still left Megan slightly dazed, giving Danny the chance to bypass her.

Now all the teen had to do was get a goal past Diana.

"This isn't going to be easy."

Danny tried to fake the Amazon out by feigning left and then going in the other direction, but Diana saw right through him. He even tried to get one of the smashers to hit her so he could slip past her. The amazon simple smacked the red ball away. The ghostly teen was coming to the realization that he was going to have to try something more involved to get past Diana.

Much to Diana's surprise, Danny shot strait at her. He then throw the ball up into the air so that it was going strait up above her. As Diana was looking up at it, she thought "That went nowhere near the goal. What is he up to?" She got her answer when Danny flew into her view. Before the amazon could react, Danny placed his feet on her shoulders and grabbed the blue goal. He then pushed off on her shoulders, sending her downward and him upward. Danny flew up towards the ball as fast as he could. When he was close enough, the teen swung the blue goal up and around the ball, scoring a point.

Just as Danny was about to swing the goal around again and score the winning point, something pulled him downward by his leg. This made the goal pass just inches away from capturing the ball and scoring a point. Looking down towards the limb, he saw nothing. "Must have been Megan." His thoughts were confirmed when he saw Megan with her eyes glowing green and hand extended towards him. The smirk on her face put the final nail in the coffin if it wasn't obvious enough as it was.

The score was now tied and the next score would win the game.

Diana retrieved the ball and passed it to Megan, before taking up her guard post infront of the goal. The martian flew through the air and Danny was quick to follow. He was purposely not overtaking her with his speed so that he could surprise her with an unexpected acceleration.

When Megan saw an opening to get the ball past Shayera, she took it. Just as the ball left her hands, Danny burst past her and caught it before a point could be scored.

For a moment, Danny and Shayera shared a look. The woman know just what they would do next since she had seen that look on Rex's face when they played together.

Without a word, the thanagarian and ghost took off. Their goal was left unprotected since they were going all out on this play. They past by the martian so that she went between them. As they flew and orbited around each other, they passed the ball between them. They worked perfectly together, almost like they did this a hundred times before. They almost seemed to be dancing together. The two did this to avoid the smashers from hitting them and to make it hard for their opponents to follow the ball.

When they got close, Shayera went head to head with Diana while Danny flew out of the way.

"So it comes down to me and Shayera," thought the amazon. She watched her opponent's movements very closely. The thanagarian flew upward and flared out her wings, moving into position to shot the ball at the goal. There was a confident smirk on Shayera's face. "Shayera may think she is going to win," Diana flexed her muscles, "but she had better think again."

It was at that moment that Diana realized something very important that she missed.

"She doesn't have the ball." Quickly figuring out that if Shayera didn't have the ball, then Danny had it, Diana looked around for the teen. She didn't see him anywhere. It was as she was turning to glimpse behind her that she saw a bit of black.

The Amazon turned fully around just in time to see Danny floating on the other side of the goal. Giving a simple wave, Danny gave her a cheeky smile. The teen was close enough that all he had to do to score was raise his hand and hold his arm out infront of him. And, before Diana could act, that is EXACTLY what he did.

With that the game ended quite anticlimactically with Danny and Shayera winning.

Not that they cared. The two regrouped to celebrate.

"We did it," Danny said, sounding almost shocked by the outcome. "We actually won." He couldn't keep his ghostly tail from wagging in excitement.

"Was there any doubt." Shayera smirked. "Nice moves out there kid."

"I couldn't agree more," Diana said after flying over to them. She laid a hand on Danny's shoulder. "You played especially well."

Joining them, Megan flew over and gave Danny an excited hug. She was just so excited and happy over how the game went. Losing didn't even phase her since all she wanted was to actually play the game with friends. "You did so AWSOME." She spun them around. Her glee was infectious and Danny smiled at the happy martian. "And you scored the winning point too." While still hugging him, she stopped spinning and looked at Shayera. "You two played so well together. You guys could be professional players on Mars." Releasing Danny, she sent a look at him as she gained a fake suspicious tone. "Or did you suddenly gain telepathy."

"Nope." Rubbing the back of his head, Danny blushed from all the positive attention he was getting. "It just felt . . . natural." He shot a smile at Shayera. "Like we have done it before."

The thanagarian's mind told her "Because we have. Just tell him and we can have our brother back. How many people get a second chance like this?" Shayera pushed the thoughts away since there was not way she saw that working out well. Returning the smile, she said "Yeah. . . .Next time we have to play against each other."

As the four spoke, they lowered down to the ground. They touched down near the guys and Dinah. While Megan put the equipment away, she asked "Is anyone else hungry? I don't know about all of you, but I worked up quite the hunger."

Wally was just about to say yes to her, even though Megan's question wasn't aimed at him, when a loud rumble drew everyone's attention.

Danny blushed as he place a hand on his stomach as if he was trying to quiet it.

Giggling, Megan said "I'll take that as a yes," causing Danny's blush to deepen. Shayera and Diana laughed good-heartedly at him too. He smiled sheepishly.

To reassure him it was okay, Megan grabbed his hand and started to drag him back towards the cave. "Come on. We can make lunch together."

Smiling shyly, Danny happily let himself be dragged. He could have easily escaped her grasp, but he didn't. Being with the martian made him happy.

The three adults followed closely after the two. When the group was a bit away, the boys followed after them.

After a few moments, Danny made himself float weightlessly behind Megan so she could drag him along easily.

"Hey, I have a question," Danny said in a questioning tone. Getting everyone's attention, he continued. "Does the game we just played remind anyone of something?"

"Not really," replied Diana.

"It does remind me of the games we had on Thanagar," said Shayera. Getting a confused look from the ghostly teen she elaborated. "That's the name of my home planet."

"Cool," Danny said with an awestruck expression. After a moment of being excited over learning the name of an alien planet, he said "That isn't exactly what I meant." He paused to think of his words. "The game reminds me of this book I heard about." He then mumbled, "Never got to read it because of the whole ghost fighting thing." Danny didn't notice the sad looks from the four around him. "Anyways. . . It was about this boy . . . I think his name was like Henry or something . . I do remember it started with a "H". . . So he was like a wizard or magician . .," Danny shrugged, "or something like that and went to this place that was called. . . " For a moment, he tapped his chin. "It had something similar to pigs in the name. . . anyways, there was this part where they played this game on brooms. It was REALLY similar to the game we played." Noticing that the others were looking at him weirdly, he said "What? I just wondered if the game reminded anyone else of that."

It was silent for a moment.

"That . . . ." Diana paused for a moment. "Sounds like quite the interesting book."

"Yeah it does," Megan said excitedly. "It is weird the parallels that happen between Earth and Mars." She then smiled. "Though they do call them sister planets after all." Looking at Danny, she said "Maybe later we can try to find out what that book is and read it." She though about asking her friends for help with that since maybe they might know or be able to find the book easier, what with them being from Earth after all. "Maybe later, after they get a bit . . . friendlier towards Danny. . . . since at the moment, they probably won't help." It saddened her a bit that her friends didn't get along with Danny.

"I . . that . ." Almost choking on his happiness at how thoughtful and kind Megan was, Danny stumbled over his words. Finally he got out "I would like that, thank you."

Danny smiled at the martian and that made Megan feel happy and forget for the moment about her friend's attitudes.

As the group entered the cave, Danny thought "I think this has been the best day of my life." Happiness was flowing from his core and filling his body.". . I wonder how the rest of the day will go . . ." He smiled. "All I know is, it can't possibly get better than this."