True Family

Chapter 3

The raven-haired teen stood there, frozen in shock, as he stared in amazement at the Team.

When Danny was getting ready to explain why and how he ended up in the forest, he was absolutely terrified. Of what you might ask? Judgement. Judgement about what he was, the reason for running from his old home, and the disappointment of the once hero.

But what he saw in front of him now, was DEFINITELY unexpected.

They were calm. Sure some of them had smiles, sad or genuine, and other members were frowning or disappointed. But Danny somehow knew that the disappointment wasn't directed at him, but at what had happened to him. And THAT is why Danny was now frozen, not from fear nor anxiety, but from shock and amazement.

The long silence was broken when Danny finally felt the courage to speak up, "Y-you're not a-afraid of me? You're not d-disgusted at what I-I am?"

Yes, he had told them about the Disasteroid incident and the months following and the trouble his Ghost-half (ability-wise) had brought him. But he knew better then to reveal what he looked like, at least until he knew for sure that they weren't going to shoot him on sight.

Everyone seemed to look a bit shocked at his question, some concerned, others slightly amused, but mostly shocked.

Miss Martian stepped towards Danny, but felt himself unintentionally take a step back. She stopped immediately with a slightly concerned look on her face, but asked gently, "We understand that you may be surprised. But why would you think that we would be afraid of you or 'disgusted'?"

Danny looked down and tried to swallow down the lump in his throat, "Where- I'm from- everyone, even my own parents, Maddie and Jack, had claimed that all ghosts were 'evil'." He chuckled sadly as he said, "Or as Maddie used to call me, 'An odd and evil manifestation of ectoplasmic energy and post-human consciousness'..."

He looked up to see Miss Martian with a look of sympathy and then looked at the rest of her Team and the ever shadow of a figure Batman looming behind them. The Team looked between each other and Danny got that feeling that they were actually talking to each other again. Artemis stepped up this time, Danny not backing away, and said, "Okay, that explains the 'disgusted' part, but what about 'afraid'?"

Danny took a deep breath and said with a slight shake in his voice, "Because of what I am. I'm a scientific anomaly, I shouldn't even exist... even to the ghosts I'm a freak of nature. I'm an unpredictable impossibility that has caused more than enough problems in the past."

Again, Danny was in awe, but this time by the looks on most of the Team's faces, it was understandment.

And the look being passed between Aqualad and Nightwing asked, 'Is that what is parents had said to him?' and 'That seems to be likely...'

Nightwing walked up to him and smiled, genuinely smiled, "Most of us knows how that feels, trust me when I say, we've all experienced something like that, especially when we feel as though no one could relate. But the truth is... we're never alone, because we have each other."

Smiles began to appear on all of the Team's faces, even Batman seemed give a little smirk.

"We're not just a team of heroes, Danny... we're all friends here, " Nightwing said with a smile.

Aqualad joined in, "I once thought that the only home for me would be Atlantis. But after I joined the Team, after I met everyone, I realized I was wrong. I realized that home is here, with my new friends that are like family."

Danny (not processing the fact that Aqualad mentioned Atlantis) looked at all the Team members and their smiling agreements.

Beast Boy jumped up and down excitingly, "Yeah! And you're our friend too Danny!"