I live on reviews. Seriously. GIVE THEM TO ME! Please :)

Rated T for violence/injury and the occasional mild curse word. Seriously, I think this first chapter has more colorful language than the rest of the story.

Just to be safe, cause everyone seems to be doing it, I don't own the characters in here.

As this is my first writing work, and being a fast learner, you'll find that my writing style drastically improves over the course of this fic. I ask that you be patient in the meantime. Writing is a lot of work, but this one gets significantly more engaging as it goes on. I promise.

Tony's always had a thing for sushi.

The fact that it's ten in the morning held no significance to him. Good thing Pepper's out of state on business at the moment. She'd put up a fuss, say it's too early to eat something raw. Tony's a grown man, dammit. He can eat what he wants when he wants to.

He uses chopsticks because he can and it makes him feel cultured. He lifted up the second roll when a loud WHAM resonated from his side. Tony instinctively jerked to the side, flinging the sushi roll halfway across the room. He turned and saw a large smear on the nearest window. His fingers lax and the chopsticks fell to the floor, his jaw following pursuit.

After a few seconds pause, Jarvis piped up, "Sir, it would seem a large object hit your window."

A few more seconds and Tony slowly shook himself out of his stupor before glaring at the ceiling. "No shit, Sherlock." He turned back to the window. "Either Big Bird learned how to fly or that was not a bird… Jarvis, pull up surveillance footage."

Rather than respond, Jarvis promptly lowered the kitchen television, playing the last minute's footage. Tony watched intently, eyebrows creasing in concentration before his eyes widened and he bolted for the elevator. He simply shouted, "Ground level!" and the elevator doors opened in response.

On the way down, he paced, ready for the worst. That was 89 stories. That girl, however strange she may appear, couldn't have possibly survived. How did she get her hair so white anyway? And was she flying, or was that just forward momentum? How did she make a green and glowing portal? Where did she come from? Who gave her fashion advice? Because she needs some serious help.

Tony shook his head, shoving his curiosity aside. Questions like that can wait. By the time he ran outside, a couple dozen people had formed a semicircle on the sidewalk. He shoved his way through, people parted when they saw his face. In the center he finally saw her, surprisingly whole, though clearly with some broken bones, if the angle of her limbs is anything to go by. A small puddle of iridescent green formed underneath her head and through her stark white hair. Her nose bled the same substance.

A young man, with a hand reached back to clutch a small child, held two fingers to her neck. He slowly stood, made eye contact with the others, and shook his head. Tony already knew that had to be the case, but having it come to fruition wasn't any easier. They all stood there, letting it settle in and unsure of what to do next, when a little girl shouted and pointed excitedly.

"She's moving!"

Tony didn't believe her but looked anyway. After a few moments he sees it, a slow and shallow rise and fall of her chest.

"That's not possible." He muttered, stalking around her to reach for her pulse on her neck. There is nothing. He watched the rise and fall of her chest again.

"What are you?" He whispered to no one, unheard in the commotion.

A hand grasped his shoulder, a hint tighter than polite.

"We'll take things from here," a familiar voice states.

Tony internally groaned and turned to face a man he has grown to despise: his babysitter.

"Coulson," he acknowledged, standing to level with the agent.

By now men in suits had managed to move the bystanders from Tony and Coulson. Tony hadn't even noticed them arrive.

Coulson ignored Tony's tone of voice and said, "SHIELD picked up a large energy spike here. That girl was behind it. We need to bring her in." His tone left no room for argument.

Tony hated backing down, but this was beyond him. He opened his mouth to object, then closed it again. He figured he could always hack SHIELD later to sate his curiosity. And if anyone can help this girl recover, it's SHIELD. He nodded and stepped aside, allowing the men to place her on a stretcher and carry her to the nearest van.

Tony will figure this out. He always does.

A few hours before, very far away.

I grinned at Danny and his two best friends on live chat on my laptop screen. "I got it!"

Danny, who knows me best, realized what I meant and his face lit up first. "No way! You mean it actually worked?!"

My office chair scooted impossibly closer to my bedroom desk as I subconsciously tried to get as close to them as possible. "Of course it did! Did you ever doubt Jazz? She's entitled to good ideas now and then, you know."

Tucker interjected, voice heavy with sarcasm. "Yeah, just ask Ghost X…"

I shivered involuntarily. "Ok, point. But where she fails at creative names, she makes up for in psychology. She knew how the people would react to my going public. It was only a matter of time until they would demand I be made an official citizen."

Sam rolled her eyes. "Yeah, it only took the government, what, three months?"

I couldn't hide the smirk growing on my face. "I think I can forgive them for the wait. It's very unique."

Danny made a show of grabbing the camera and shook it, giving the rest of us a blurred view of his college dorm room. "Well, don't keep us in suspense! Show us them, Dani!"

My hands eagerly snatched my new and official birth certificate and social security card and held them up where my camera could see them in all their glory.

Sam was the first to notice what made them so unique. "Are there two years on the birth certificate?"

"Exactly! My date of birth is now officially April 7th 1994/2006!"

Tucker coughed. "So you're like both seventeen and five?"

"Yep!"

Danny's head tilted to the side. "Why April 7th?"

My hand automatically reached to scratch the back of my neck. "It's the day we first met. I figured it's a better birthday than the day that… Vlad…"

Danny gave me an expression of understanding. "Hey, I like it. It suits you." I know that look on his face. He wishes he could give me a hug. But that's a little difficult when you're not even in the same state. The whole cloning thing makes us all uncomfortable, but Danny tries hardest of all to make me feel wanted. I'll always appreciate that.

He continued, "So, this means your birthday is only next month! Way to mess up our schedules."

I maturely stuck my tongue at him.

Sam folded her arms and leaned back. "At least you finally have something to show after dealing with the paparazzi for so long. How is that by the way? None of us can exactly defend you when you're all the way back in Illinois."

"It's calmed down a lot. I only catch one hiding nearby every couple of days. I don't know how you've been able to put up with it for so long, Danny! They're really annoying… At least at school there isn't so much staring. And the ghost attacks that bring the paparazzi out are still a lot less often since before the disasteriod incident. When they do happen I still have Maddie, Jack, and Cujo. Maddie is training me in karate, and the school has finally given me permission to leave for ghost attacks now. So that's a bonus from going public."

Danny smiled. "Speaking of school, don't you graduate in a couple months? How's it feel to be almost free from High School?"

"I think I'm actually going to miss it. Unlike, well, everyone, I actually chose to go, if you recall. But I'm really looking forward to summer when you all can come visit!"

Tucker pulled out a bag of M&Ms. "So, what are you going to do after you graduate? You want to be an astronaut like Danny?"

A familiar well of frustration rose in my chest. Why does everyone compare me to him? There was once a time that he was my role model. I wanted nothing more than to be like him, to belong. But as we grew, it became obvious that while we are alike, that doesn't make us the same.

I love Danny, but I'm my own person, not him. I wasn't raised on Jack's and Maddie's laps, gazing at the stars and calling them by name. I didn't build a rocket for the fifth grade science fair. DNA only goes so far… Surely Tucker knows this by now. It's bad enough that I get it from everyone outside of family and friends. Like always, I shoved the feeling down and ignored it.

"No… No, I don't want to be an astronaut. I'm not sure what yet, but not that. I've learned a lot from Jack and Maddie and am really good with machines. Maybe I could be some sort of inventor or engineer? That's what the college that accepted me specializes in."

Sam twirled a strand of her waist length hair on a finger. "You could always be a spy or interrogator, especially with that power of yours."

I groaned. "Why? I hate that power!"

Tucker stopped chewing his M&M and slammed his hands on his desk. "What?! It's awesome! You can literally overshadow people and push their spirits out of their bodies! Can you come visit? I want to go flying around as a spirit again. I miss flying."

I shook my head. "It's too dangerous! If you stay out of your body too long, it could be permanent or you could die."

"I'll be responsible."

"When I do it, I can read all your thoughts and memories. Don't you feel violated?"

"No one can ever get too much of this lady's man."

My forehead slammed against my desk. A loud moan of exasperation escaped my lips. "How can you even enjoy it? No one except ghosts can even see or hear you. You can't touch anything. You just float around on an hour's time limit."

Tucker folded his arms and his lips set into a pout. "Not all of us can fly whenever we want to."

Danny stepped in. "I know it's rich coming from me, but you really shouldn't be afraid of your own powers. It's not healthy. You've had this one for almost two years now. Besides that, Mom told me you just got your cryokinesis powers a couple days ago. How are you holding up?"

I lifted my head up enough to rest my chin on my forearms. "You sound like Jazz. Who are you and what have you done with my brother?"

Danny rolled his eyes, a small smile of affection came before it was masked. "Dani."

I huffed. "Fine. It's fine. I'm training with Frostbite when I can between homework and school. Maddie's making me wear a belt that keeps me in ghost form-"

"So that's why!"

I ignored Tucker. "- because she's afraid I might freeze and damage my human body. I'm not freezing myself anymore, but she says you can never be too safe and I'll only have to put up with it for another couple days. Sometimes if I get too distracted or emotional I will freeze things, but otherwise I have pretty good control. But I seriously can't wait to take this thing off. I'm tired of all the weird looks at school."

Danny leaned closer. "Mom made you a belt that keeps you in ghost form? That would have been useful in my first couple of years…"

I suppressed a knowing smile. "Tell me about it. How you were able to keep your secret for so long is beyond me. You have more luck than the rest of us combined."

Danny snorted. "I won't argue with you there. I assume Mom installed the anti-tear sensors?"

"Of course. She learned after raising you, didn't she?"

Sam's eyebrows raised in confusion. "Anti-tear sensors? What's that?"

Danny held his face up with a fist. "Oh, sorry Sam. I forgot to tell you. Do you remember when I was in the middle of a ghost swarm and one of them almost tore clean through the thermos?"

A nod.

"Well, Dad knew we would have been in a big pickle if the thermos released all the ghosts I already caught, so he updated all the equipment Dani and I use. Now if something rips into one of them, there are sensors that pick that up and an adapter borrows our intangibility powers so that only we can touch it and it won't be damaged anymore."

"Smart."

"Well, he is an inventor."

"Smartass."

"Well, I am the son of inventors."

I barely kept my laughing quiet and behind my hand. Tucker did the same. Their chemistry is hilarious. "I- hehe- I have to go. I have a little time to meet up with Frostbite before dinner."

All three returned their focus to me again. Danny smiled. "Alright. Let us know how the training goes!"

"Will do."

Frostbite has taken to calling me "The child of the Great One."

It's kind of weird, but he says it with such pride and endearment that I can't find it in my heart to correct him. So long as no one else hears about it, it's not a big deal.

I just finished another long and exhausting session with him. Floating doors blast by in a blur as I rush to make it in time for dinner. I was about halfway to the portal when Skulker spotted me.

Ever since I went public, he's been after me nearly as persistently as he has been after Danny. I was far too tired to face him so I sped up instead. There are new and improved countermeasures that are programed into the Fenton portal to ignore my ectosignature. All I needed to do was get close enough and the firepower would take care of my newly acquired shadow.

But of course, it couldn't be that simple. A natural portal opened up right in front of me, giving me no time to swerve or stop. To this day I can't help but wonder if Clockwork had anything to do with it. Natural portals that lead to another planet can't possibly be that common, if the fact that ghosts that actually live in the ghost zone don't seem to be disappearing. But I suppose I'll never get the chance to confirm that theory.

The portal opened mere feet from the side of a skyscraper. The last thing I saw was my own reflection and a hastily closing portal behind it before I slammed head-first and saw no more.

Now, let me clear up a couple things.

Tony is not going to adopt anybody. Like that's never been done before...

This is NOT a piggy back story! I'm not going to have Dani show up when the Avengers are brought together and help defeat the Chitari. In fact, the timeline is everywhere. So just remember facts about characters you learned from the movies but forget when and if everything happens because this is going to start out as its own story.

Huge shout out to my beta, RosyThorn, for encouraging a massive revision in this first chapter. It was sorely needed, and I'm much more proud of it now.