Formerly Sanguinesmi1e

The orb, whom Jimmy had said was called Phantom, didn't have another big show of excitement, but vibed quietly the entire time they were in the javelin. (This did not seem the time to find out in Jimmy had also had Clark's ability to survive in a vacuum).

On the way up Jimmy told him about his last seven months. About the experiments. The operatives. The facilities. and about Phantom, what little he'd managed to learn at least. About the changes that had started happening to him. About his captors plans to let him die and start experimenting.

About feeling his heart stop.

And the entire time Clark is passing the information along. To Bruce and Lois to root out this group and what laws it's operating under. To Diana and Arthur to provide sanctuary on Earth if need be. To anyone if they'd heard of a young hero named Phantom and to be surprised the only one who had was Boston Brand. And the heartbreaking follow up of asking if he should let Phantom's family know he'd been found. Clark didn't know how to answer that one. 'He seems to be an orb' was the best he had.

The Javelin docked shortly after Jimmy stopped talking. Clark just held his friend, reassuring him through touch that he wasn't alone and that he was NEVER going back. They exited and Clark had to blink as it looked like the hanger had been decorated for Pride. Or Mardi Gras. Or a paint factory exploded. Either way bright, eye catching colors were splashed over every inch of the hanger. It confused him until he felt Jimmy r4eleased tension he didn't know he was holding. Right, his captors had a fixation with stark whiteness. He likely hadn't seen much, if any color, till he escaped. Surrounding him with color helped ground him that he was really out. This had Bruce's fingerprints all over it. ~ Jimmy had acknowledged he didn't need to breath or have a heartbeat. He hadn't thought about what those met or come to any conclusions about what that meant for him and his future, but he acknowledged them with the understanding that there would be an epic meltdown later, but for now he had to survive.

Superman being there helped, but it wasn't until he saw the rainbow of colors in the Watchtower that he relaxed. It was a mess and so antithetical the where he'd been kept it flt almost like a ward keeping them away. He thought he felt Phantom relax too, but it was hard to tell how much of what he felt from Phantom were really things he was feeling from Phantom and how much was him projecting.

Seven months of terror, of fear and uncertainty, of his body becoming more and more unrecognizable overflowed into sobs and wails and he was barely aware of Superman reassuring him. He broke into fresh sobs when Superman ran his hand through his hair and he realized he couldn't remember the last time touch hadn't mean pain and injections. "Why?" he asked when he could at least speak real words. "Why did they do that to me? Why did they kill me? They killed me. I felt it." "I don't know." Superman answered as honestly as he could. "What do I do now? I don't even know what I am."

"You're Jimmy, and that's the only thing that matters." Superman said, his voice full of conviction. "Nothing else matters. What you're going to do is recover while the rest of us take this group down permanently and make sure it's safe for you to go back to whatever life you want to live. I know there's still a place for you at the Planet. But I can also understand. if you'd just want a fresh start elsewhere." "They probably have a new photographer by now." "They can have more than one. Lois and Perry? They never stopped looking, never stopped pushing to find you." Superman promised. "What about Clark?" "Him too." There was a fondness, almost like a hidden joke. But Jimmy couldn't quite bring himself to ask about it.

Then Jimmy felt something inside him. Like a twitch he couldn't explain. "Someone's here." he forced himself to focus and realized half the room was covered in ice and frost. "Did I-?" A shadow loomed on the curtain and a hand knocked at the wall next to it. "May we come in?" "Who's we?" Superman asked, seeming to not recognize the voice. "I'm Frostbite. I'm here with-" "Where is my brother!" a girl about a year or so older than Jimmy barged in. Jimmy felt a flare of joy and recognition from Phantom and pointed to the jar. "Why is he in a jar?" "I don't know. I just grabbed it and ran from the lab they were experimenting on us in." Jimmy tried to explain, but a mountain of a man barged in and twisted the lid off the jar. Phantom sang through the empathic bond. Love and hope and family and belonging and- "He's really happy to see you." Jimmy explained, trying to explain through the surge of emotions. "I'd hope so," said the girl in an exasperated voice. But she looked like she was about to cry.

Jimmy backed into Superman as more people flooded into the room, crowding around the orb. The temperature began to drop and the red head who burst in first looked him up and down an something clicked in her eyes. "Fenton Family stop!" The intruders froze at the authoritative tone in her voice as she turned to Jimmy. "Who are you?" "Jimmy Olsen." He squeaked, trying to calm back down. "You got Danny out of there?" "If Danny's Phantom then yes." "Which one of you is Frostbite." Superman cut in, his voice almost but not quite hostile. "He's the only one we were told to expect after we brought Jimmy and Danny here and we were hoping for answers." "That would be me." A yeti with powder blue fur entered the room. Because why not at this point. "The Fentons informed me the Great One had been found and was in dire straights." He sounded as lost as Jimmy felt.

The girl pinched her nose. "Am I to assume that you were expecting a doctor to look over Jimmy and figure out what happened to him?" "Yes." Superman's voice was firm. "Dad, did you listen to anything after being told that Danny was found?" she accused. "No?" the big man admitted.

The girl let out a long suffering sigh. "Okay, Mom, Dad, Sam, Tucker, Dani, take Danny and find someplace Frostbite can do his thing. Frostbite, when you've gotten Danny as stable as he can be, can you please come back as see what you can do for Jimmy here?" "Of course, I'd be honored to help the liberator of the Great One." Frostbite nodded his head. "If I'd known I had more than one patient, I'd have brought help." "And we'll be discussing that later, Dad." the girl's vice was pointed. "You all go, I'll do triage here to get ready for when Doctor Frostbite is ready."

"Thank you, Jasmine. It should not be long, as I was made aware of the Great One's condition. However, it would be good to join him as soon as you can." "I am aware." Jasmine smiled at him even as she herded her family and Phantom out. Jimmy couldn't help the twinge of worry of not being able to see Phantom. But he could feel Phantom felt safe with them, and that would have to do. Jasmine sighed again. "I am so so sorry for this. I can get Dad's excitement, it's been a year and a half since Danny went missing, but that's no excuse for putting the person who rescued him into a near panic attack. I'm Jazz Fenton, and I'm the one who usually runs herd on our family. I can't say even if we knew it would have gone differently, but I'm still sorry." 18 months. More than twice the time Jimmy had been there. "It's okay." "No it's not." Jazz said firmly. "I'm sure you have questions, and I'll answer what I can, as well as getting information ready for Frostbite. But I need to know, would you prefer I be blunt or dance around things." "No wrong answers." Superman promised. Jimmy considered. He was afraid of the answers, but he already knew the worst thing, right? "Blunt." he said. "I'm dead, aren't I." "Undead. Or unalive. Not in the meme internet way saying dead without dead, but without more information I can't say more with any certainty." "What's the difference?" Superman pressed. "Undead is someone who's dead but presents traits of being alive, like being able to think and move. Unalive is someone alive who presents traits of being dead. Danny, at the time of his capture, counted as unalive." That he might not anymore hung heavy in the air. "Until Frostbite does some tests I can't say if they just contaminated you with ectoplasm till you started presenting as unalive or if they killed you." She winced at her words, but was doing her best to honor her request for bluntness. "It was the GiW that did this to you, right? They didn't capture you like this?" "It was. And I felt my heart stop right before my escape." Jimmy admitted. "Believe it or not, that's not diagnostic for differentiating between undead and unalive." Jazz gave a half smile. "Have you reverted back to a living form?" "No." Jimmy's voice was small.

"You may not be able to until you feel safer," Jazz reassured.

"Why did they do this to me?" Jimmy asked, the question that kept circling in his head.

"I don't know." Jazz took a deep breath. "Their mission statement, all their action until this point, it's about destroying anyone and everything with even the slightest hint of ectoplasm. So forcing it on a person enough to change them? That's new. And bad." "Is there any way to fix this." This was the hardest question, if only because he was so sure of the answer.

"If you're anything like Danny, there's no going back to 'normal', but you'll still be able to live a mostly normal life one you have a handle on things. If you're undead...less so."

That was more than he expected, at least. "If I am undead, what do I do? Where do I go from here?" Do you mourn your own death? "I don't know." she answered regretfully. "but you already have some good friends here. And you saved Danny, so all of us are behind you too. We'll figure something out." she promised. "I don't know. There's more I probably more should ask, but I don't know." Jimmy felt...lost. He'd had a goal to focus on with his escape, but now that he was out he didn't know what to do next. "You've been through a lot and your mind needs time to heal." Jazz assured him. "May I ask some questions for Frostbite." Jimmy nodded. "Do you want Superman to stay in the room for this, or would you rather keep as much privacy as you can?"

"He stays!" Jimmy insisted. Jazz didn't seem to take notice of how insistent he was. "Some of these may seem odd, but I promise they're important, so please answer honestly. Have you had thoughts that seemed to cycle in your head over and over again to the point of compulsion?"

"I don't think so?" Jimmy answered. "I was pretty focused on escape once I heard they were just waiting for me to die, but I think that was justified." "Has thoughts of escape continued here?"

"No," Jimmy answered honestly. The Watchtower, surrounded by heroes and out of enemy jurisdiction felt like the safest place he could be.

"Have you notices powers following a similar theme, or elemental affinity?"

"They're kind of like Superman's. And I seem to be doing a lot of ice when stressed."

"That's," Jazz looked like she was holding something back. "Okay, have you known Superman long? Like as a person, not a headline?"

"Years." Jimmy promised. "Almost since the beginning."

"Good. You clearly gain comfort from him staying here with you. Would you feel just as safe with Wonder Woman or Green Lantern?" "No." Jimmy answered immediately, seeming almost surprised by the answer.

"Thought so. Superman, would you be okay staying close to Jimmy for the foreseeable future?" "Of course," Superman said. "Honestly I hadn't really planned on letting him out of my sight until his kidnappers were taken care of." "It might be longer than that." Jazz warned. "Why?" Jimmy asked. "I know I'm in not great shape, but he's also Superman. The world depends on him."

"Because he's the only current member of your Fraid and no matter what that makes him crucial for your recovery."

"My/his what?" Both Jimmy and Superman asked, confused.

"A Fraid is a term for a ghost's...community isn't quite right, but close. Individuals the ghost share a bond with. These bonds can be romantic, platonic, familial. When the ghosts in question are healthy, it's really no different that a human relationship of the same kind. But when they're not, when they're hurt physically or mentally, the Fraid is an important stabilizing influence. That's why all Danny's family and friends came with the doctor. No matter what treatment Frostbite gives, it will go better having us with him." "Bringing in close family and friends of yours will likely cause you to form a Fraid bond with them the same way you have with Superman. But for now, he's likely the only one you have, so he needs to stay close, at least until you have more." "Is that why I've been clingy?" Jimmy asked, slightly embarrassed.

"So a 'Fraid'. I guess that would be Lois and Clark. Mom and Dad. I don't know, some more people from the Planet?" Jimmy rattled off the top of his head, and that let Clark push back the static a bit. Focus on the now and future. On helping Jimmy and not just revenge.

"It sounds like a good start." Clark assured him. Oh, that could be a complication. Jimmy would expect Clark and Superman. Would he be able to sense they were the same person through the bond? They never did establish if the empathic link he said he shared with Phantom was on his end, Phantom's end, or if something external was linking them. It was enough to push the static away because he had a decision to make.

And in the end it was a simple one. Having these bonds with people he cared about was anchoring to Jimmy's well being. Breaking or damaging one of those bonds by one of his identities not showing up would be detrimental at best. And he was not doing that to Jimmy, not after failing him for seven months in a row.

"Just so you know, Clark won't be showing up with Lois." he told Jimmy.

"He won't?" Jimmy sounded scared. "Is he hurt? Did someone else get him?"

"No, nothing like that. I'm just already here." He changed his voice to the inflections he normally used as Clark and he watched the light go on in Jimmy's eyes.

"Oh." he whispered, his voice small. He sat down on the edge of the bed and stared at the ceiling. "That's a lot."

"Jimmy?" Clark asked, suddenly worried, he'd done more harm than good.

"I'm okay. It's a lot, but a good a lot which is better than anything else going on in my head. Wait, does Lois know? Lois better know!"

There was such an 'or else' tone that Superman had to laugh. "Yes, the wife and mother of my child knows who I am. Ma would have had my hide if I didn't tell her before asking her to marry me."

"Good." Jimmy nodded to himself. "Holy crap."

"So who know besides Lois? So I don't mess it up."

"My parents, and son of course. Some of the older leaguers like Batman, Wonder Woman, and the Flash. All of Batman's kids. Nightwing grew up calling me 'Uncle Clark'."

"How many kids does Batman have? Or am I not allowed to ask?"

"Let's just say if someone's a vigilante in Gotham, odds are better than even they're one of his kids." Clark smiled. "Don't tell him i told you, but he's a total dad."

"Wow." But the wonder of this new reality began to fade as the shock wore off and and his worries began to resurface. "Clark, what if I'm dead? Like dead-dead and not 'unalive'?"

He could almost feel Superman wince. "Then we take it one day at a time until we figure out what it means for you. We have at least two member of the League who are undead. Not to say you're under any obligation to get into hero work just because you have powers."

'Having Powers' was a nice way of putting it. It was easier to think he had powers than that he was dead. But he still couldn't make himself quite believe it.

"I'd bet not having to worry about keeping yourself alive would given you access to seeing a whole range of things people normally couldn't. Mountaintops where the air is too thin, areas of the ocean where the pressure is too deep."

And the shots he could take, Jimmy realized. Being able to get up close to a villain fight and not have to work about being crushed or lasered. And he could fly, which meant he could take shot previously only available through drones. That...that felt nice. His hands itched for a camera

"Hello." Frostbite knocked on the wall again.

"I expected you would take longer," Jimmy admitted, standing up.

"I will not say the Great One's condition is not severe, but core reversion is a known phenomena and one we already have a treatment for. It was merely a matter of setting up the treatment and refreshing it every few hours. After that it's just a simple case of rest and being in the presence of his Fraid."

"So he's going to be okay?" Jimmy asked, feeling a little of the ever-present anxiousness in his chest ease.

"With time. It will be a while before he's back where he was, but I expect a rough corporeal form in a few day and a full humanoid one in a week or so. But let's talk about you. You may be pleased to know that from Jasmine's preliminary questioning, odd are high you're closer to the unalive than the undead side of the spectrum."

"Really?" Jimmy looked at Clark in surprise, wondering which if any of the questions could have led to that conclusions.

"Ghosts and other undead are being of habit and memory. It is hard for us to switch gears, even with good reason and external stimulus. You spent several month focused solely on the concept of escape. Once you achieved your goal you moved past it, no longer seeking escape or even leaving the room you were given. That points far more to a living mindset than an undead one." Frostbite explained.

"Oh." For the first time since his heart stopped, Jimmy felt hope. "So I might be able to turn back?" "It is exceedingly likely." Frostbite reassured him. "Now Jasmine mentioned your abilities seem to be mimicking your friend's. Do you know if this was on purpose on their part?" "I don't think so." Jimmy thought it over. "I tried to hide what powers I was getting. Some of it I couldn't, like when I broke something with my strength or froze my coffee with ice breath like Superman's. But they didn't seem to care I was hiding it or what powers I actually had. It was just injections, pills, questions, and scanners. Sedation if I refused. I was sleepy a lot but I don't know if it was long term sedation or a side effect."

"Then it's likely coincidental." Frostbite wrote something on a clipboard. "You think it's by chance Jimmy developed the same powers as I did?" Clark asked in mild disbelief. "By chance no, but coincidental." Frostbite glanced up to see them both confused. "From the sounds of it, they did not care what powers young Jimmy had aside from ensuring he moved more down the liminal scale to solidly unalive or undead. As I mentioned we are beings of habit and memory. Also of our own self images. If Jimmy started with a power that even superficially resembled yours - flying is quite common and he likely inherited his ice affinity from the Great One. But if that connection was enough to make him believe your abilities were being reproduced in him, that would be enough for it to become a self fulfilling prophecy."

"Oh." Jimmy blushed, blue spreading across his cheeks. "Sorry."

"it gave you what you needed to escape." Superman assured him.

"It is important to remember, though, that though you have the same end results, your powers are fundamentally different from his." Frostbite warned. "You will have issues and weakness he doesn't and vice versa."

"Okay. Wait, I was wondering if my ability to kind of feel Phantom and what he was thinking meant I have empathic abilities? Does that mean I'm going to?" "Do you want emphatic abilities?" Frostbite asked.

Jimmy thought for a moment. "Not really. it seems invasive and hard to turn off."

"Then let's be thankful you're not going to." He said with a wink. Ah, because if he believed he wasn't going to he wouldn't and...this was confusing.

"I would like to get a sample for precise analysis. Would you consent to letting me cut some of your hair?" "My hair?" Jimmy blinked. "Given what you were subjected to in captivity, the normal methods of gaining data, namely scanners or an equivalent to a blood draw, are likely to make you feel unsafe, which is to be avoided. A hair sample would give us the same information and be far less intrusive." "I am overdue for a hair cut," Jimmy admitted. "I can't promise this will be fashionable," Frostbite apologized. He took what appeared to be a set of surgical scissors and attempted to snip a lock of hair off. They all winced as the scissors shattered.

"That was...unexpected." Frostbite raised an eyebrow. He conjured a set of scissors made from ice and attempted again with the same results. "Those should have been at least as strong as tungsten." "One of my better known powers is invulnerability." Superman admitted.

Frostbite threw back his head and laughed. "Useful indeed, even if it is currently presenting us with a problem."

"Wait, does this mean I can't cut my hair? Or shave?" Jimmy asked, panicked. "How do you cut your hair?" "Laser vision," Clark said, sounding a little embarassed. "How do you cut your hair with laser vision?" Jimmy asked incredulously. "Very carefully and initially with lots of damage to the bathroom." Clark admitted, sheepishly. "I could probably cut off a lock of yours though."

Jimmy ran a hand down his face. "Please." Clark pulled the piece Frostbite had away from his head and let his own eyes turn red. He calibrated it the way he did when he shaved, enough to burn through his hair, but not his skin. He was using his hand as a backstop, so as not to accidentally shoot a hole in the space station, and he didn't think Jimmy would take it well if he hurt himself giving him a haircut. Thankfully the beam of concentrated heat sliced the hair off neatly. "How do you even do the back?" Jimmy bemoaned "With a mirror and even more holes in the bathroom." Clark joked.

"I'll take this for analysis. Now I know Jasmine gave you the basics, that spending time with your Fraid will help your recovery. Another thing that will help will be to use your powers, preferably in a form of play."

"Play?" Jimmy asked, a little incredulous.

"Play is important for all sapient beings. Making snow for snowball fights is a common way my people learn our powers. And I know the Great One likes to fly around to relax." Frostbite laid a hand on Jimmy's shoulder. "Your powers are a part of you. To only use them in defense or as a weapon makes that part of you a weapon. If you shun them, you're hurting a part of yourself. It will take time for you to fully be comfortable with yourself, but play will help. And if I may say so, you already have far better control over your ice than the Great One."

"I already accidentally froze this room once in a panic attack and I haven't even been here an hour." Jimmy admitted.

"Perhaps, but you have not frozen yourself solid or sent spears of ice through people, so a marked improvement." Frostbite laughed.

Neither Jimmy or Clark felt as amused. "Do I have to worry about being around my normal human family?" Jimmy fretted.

"No," Frostbite assured him. "The Great One had to go straight from activation to weaponization to rescue his entire fraid and thus was forced to skip a few steps. Some sweaters or jackets will be the extent of protection they'll need. I should have final confirmation of things in the next few hours. Bring your fraid together as soon as possible."

"They're already on their way." Clark promised.

"Told you, I'd get you here fastest," Flash said jokingly as he set his cargo down. "Jimmy!" Both his parents leaped at him, hugging him. He bobbed under the new weight but was still floating a few inched off the ground.

"Mom...Dad..." it sunk in that there were times he hadn't believed he'd see them either. But they were here. They were together. It was going to be okay. "Thanks Barry." Lois whispered, as she slid down more sedately. "Any time Mrs. Kent." he gave her a wink.

Giving Jimmy time with his parents, Lois went to stand by Clark. "You did it. You found him." Clark shook his head. "He saved himself. Got himself to where I could hear him. He did all the work, I just helped with the aftermath."

"The aftermath is going to be what keeps him alive." Lois noted, before seeing her husband wince. "What?" she asked flatly. "Let's go with 'with us' instead of 'alive' for now." Clark suggested.

Lois didn't quite know what to make of that, but it was nothing good. "Salt the earth in their wake?" "Leave nothing but a glassy wasteland." Clark muttered.

Her eyebrows rose. "What did they do?" They killed him Clark thought, but didn't say. "Later," he whispered. "Let Jimmy have this."

He didn't know if it was having his Fraid there in it's entirety, or just being able to hold his parents again, but Jimmy seemed to be settling, the slight glow around him seeming to strengthen. Clark hoped this was a good sign and not a bad one.

All three Olsens were still hugging it out, Jimmy's parents apparently uncaring that their son was hovering or able to hold both of them in the air. At least until his mother commented "I wouldn't have thought it, but blue looks good on you." "Blue?" Jimmy asked confused.

"Your hair." His father said. "Looks a fair sight better on you that that Hotwire person. The zappy one with the shirt cut too low." "Livewire?' Lois corrected. "That's the one. Like I said, it looks much better on Jimmy." "My hair is blue? Since when?" Jimmy glance upwards at his overgrown hair.

"It has been since you called for me. I thought you knew." Clark explained. "Or at least noticed when we cut your hair."

"I was a little distracted with trying to imagine how you cut the back of your hair with laser vision." Jimmy confessed. "Because I, um, might also have invulnerable hair."

"Oh, just like Rapunzel in that tv show."

"No, she had healing hair, dear. Remember, she brought that thief fellow back to life?"

"In the movie. In the tv series her hair became invulnerable and she used it as a weapon."

Flash shot them an 'Are they for real?' look, to which Clark and Lois just shrugged. They'd spent a lot of time with the Olsens while looking for Jimmy.

"I still say it looks good, but you can always wear a hat if you don't like it." Mrs. Olsen offered.

At this point the ludicrousness of it caught up to Jimmy and he began laughing. Real, mirthful laughter, Something he couldn't remember doing for so long.

Lois reached over and ruffled his hair. "We got you, Jimmy. Hats and all."

And with that something finally clicked. Like relaxing an over used muscle something let go inside Jimmy and in a flash of light he thudded to the floor, hair red, eyes green, and heartbeat off, but going.

"I'm...I'm ali-I'm back!" JImmy exclaimed. "I guess we don't need to wait for the Doctor's analysis after all." Clark said with a smile.

"I guess not." Jimmy breathed He was breathing

"Does that solve the invulnerable hair problem?" Jimmy's dad asked. "Or do we need Superman to cut it since you don't have lasers."

"I do have lasers." Jimmy admitted. "Or at least I did? I don't know if I still do?"

"Then the problem is solved either way. Good." his Dad nodded to himself and Flash looked even less sure of what was going on.

Lois pinched her nose. "How about you two tell us all you can, and we'll figure out where to go from there."

"Yes I would like to hear that too." There was a glint in Jimmy's mother's voice. "Who took my son and where can I find them?" Clark and Jimmy shared a look, and then Jimmy began to talk. ~

Well Jimmy was undead-adjacent and Lois was firmly on board with Clark's glassing plan. She didn't think he was being literal, but she was preparing some spin in case he was. Of course this Fraid thing with them needing to stay by Jimmy under Doctors orders helped Clark not do that, but that would only last so long.

Jimmy's parents were very positive about the whole thing, applauding his presence of mind to plan his escape and save the other victim. Flash had a first looked like he didn't know if he was supposed to leave or not, but no looked like he wanted to see if he could punch everyone remotely involved and be back before anyone noticed.

Jimmy was still looking rough and underfed, but Clark had assured her he was looking better than he had before. Which definetly lent credence to the whole fraid thing helping him.

"I do wish we'd thought to bring your camera."Jimmy's mother bemoaned. "I didn't even think of it."

"Red Robin might have a spare around," Clark offered. "He used to do photography as a hobby."

"That would be lovely." Jimmy's dad answered before Jimmy could refuse. "He's one of the younger heroes, right? Maybe the two of you could 'hang out'."

"Dad," Jimmy bemoaned. "I don't think this is the time for looking for more friends."

"It's the perfect time. Your fraid helps you heal, right? So it's the ideal time to look for new friends." His mom added cheerfully.

"They're amazing." Lois said softly, leaning against him.

They really were. There was nothing Clark could do to hide his own grief at Jimmy's absence and what he'd been through. The Olsens, though, seemed adrift in their own currents in such a way that drew others along with them. They made it feel like the horror was over in a way the bright colors and open door hadn't managed to achieve.

Jimmy felt a wave of annoyance from Phantom and the large man chuckled.

"Doctor's order Danno. Don't worry, you'll be right as rain, soon enough." He gently let the girl down so she was laying completely on the couch. Then he came over and engulfed Jimmy in a huge hug.

"You saved my boy. You need anything, you let us know."

"Maddie Fenton." The woman introduced herself. "Danny's mother. This is my husband, Jack. Our daughter Jazz, and our niece, Dani."

"With an I," Jack added, since Dani wasn't awake to say it herself.

"And Sam and Tucker, Danny's best friends." Tucker gave a small two finger salute, and Sam didn't budge. "You make up Danny's 'fraid', right?" Jimmy's mom seemed eager to use the new term. "I'm Ellen Olsen, this is my husband, Mathew. We also have Lois Lane who's worked with Jimmy since he was an intern and I'm sure you know Superman. Oh, and the Flash is here because he brought us up and I think he got swept along."

"They're like a typhoon." Flash quipped.

"Oh we're going to get along great!" Maddie grinned.

"I'm out." Tucker pushed his controller away. "My ego can't take this anymore. Anyone else want to play against Sam?" "Want a go?" Sam waved her controller towards Jimmy.

"I don't really know the game." Jimmy admitted. On the other hand, it would probably get him out of any conversations his parents were having about the nitty gritty of him being 'unalive' and he didn't think he was ready for those yet. "But I'm willing to learn."

~

"This is friendship betrayal." Tucker declared. "You're taking it easy on him. You're teaching him your mojo."

"Yes," Sam said with a smirk. "Because when I asked if he play Doomed before, he admitted he hadn't and that he was willing to learn from me. Unlike two other guys I could name who insisted they were experts who knew everything about the game and were better at it because they were boys."

"We were literally fourteen Sam. Let it go!" Tucker bemoaned. Jimmy felt Danny's agreement.

"Honesty is the best policy boys, and actions have consequences." Sam cracked her knuckles.

"Delivery for James Olsen." came a tired and annoyed sounding voice behind them. "One new camera, courtesy of Batman."

"Sorry, You didn't have to." Jimmy looked embarrassed.

"Oh, I very much did." There was something sharp in Red Robin's grin. "Here," He gently tossed the box to Jimmy.

Jimmy caught it, half expecting the camera that had started this whole mess, because that seemed like a very Batman play, and he wasn't sure how he'd feel about that. Wanting that camera had led to...a lot. But it turned out that wasn't the same camera. That camera wasn't even in the same league as this camera. No amount of extra part-time jobs or clinical trials could have convinced him he'd ever afford it.

And Jimmy was torn between the urge to set it down gently and back away and the urge to declare mine like a gremlin. "I can't afford this." He finally said.

"Luckily for you, Batman can. " Red Robin said flippantly.

"I don't know that I can accept this."

"Please do." Red Robin pleaded. "Let me have this petty revenge."

What? "Petty revenge?" Jimmy was confused now.

"My instructions were to pick out a good camera for you, and then join your protection detail. Of course you're on a flying space station no one can reach with out Authorization from the core seven members of the Justice League that is literally filled with superheroes. And you're staying in close contact with Superman. The fact that I'm redundant here is painfully obvious. So why would master strategist Batman assign me here?"

"To keep you out of the way?" Sam guessed.

"Exactly." Red Robin sat in a huff. He plopped down and began typing on his phone. "He might as well have just said it, but we all know he's allergic to open communication. So please accept it. You might actually need a camera medically (not pretending I understand that) and I need to get one over on the old man."

"Why do you believe Batman's trying to keep you out of the way?" Jazz asked, closing the book.

"Well, let's see." He was answering Jazz but staring straight at Superman. "A teen hero, who was a ghost, was captured based on the idea that she-he didn't have any rights due to being dead. He was tortured and almost reduced to nothing. Gee, Uncle Supes, I wonder what Batman thought my reaction would be?"

It was the accidental gender switch that made things click in Clark's mind. "You were going to blow up Mount Rushmore again." he said flatly.

Red Robin threw his hands in the air. "We weren't even going to blow up Mount Rushmore the first time. That was sabotage!"

"You should." Sam said "The defacing of Tȟuŋkášila Šákpe is an affront to the Lakota peoples."

"Valid, but not the point." Red Robin noted. "The point is the last time there was an active undead teen heroine, the government kidnapped, experimented on, and tortured her in a hidden lab in Mount Rushmore. So it seems that would be a real good place to start looking for answers."

"This had happened before?" Ellen was aghast.

"A different group, and before the Anti-Ecto Acts even existed." Superman assured her.

"Yeah, funny how the Anti-Ecto Act popped up right after we freed Secret from there. Almost like they were covering their asses so if they got her again, you'd let them keep her." the accusation was clear in Red Robin's voice.

"We would never let them keep her." Superman's voice was firm and unyielding. "But you and your team went in blind with not intel and..." Suddenly everything he knew about Young Justice and how they acted around each other was re-contextualized with the information he'd gotten under the past few hours. "You were a fraid." Superman said in shock

"Of course I was afraid!" Red Robin snapped. "They took her, they were going to hurt her again, and you weren't listening."

"No wonder you and Wonder Girl lost the plot when Kon and Bart died."

"We did not-" Red Robin said automatically before remembering his hundreds or cloning attempts and Cassie's cult. "Okay fine, we don't deal with grief rationally. But you've met Batman."

"And it doesn't track." Jazz looked pensive. "Even if they were part of a fraid, and if a teammate was a ghost that does seem likely, a fraid bond do not affect normal humans in any way. It wouldn't make someone more likely to have obsessive reactions. You'd need to be crazy liminal to have reactions to a fraid member like a ghost does and not like a human..." She looked at Red Robin, remembered what line of work he was in, and closed her eyes. "Red Robin have you and your teammates ever encountered strong death magics, traveled to one or more afterlifes, or been brought back from the verge of death?"

"Yeah." Red Robin answered. "Not that uncommon in this line of work. I've spent some time near Lazarus Pits. Been to a few afterlife's, including 70's Disco Hell." "Oh man, that place sucked." Sam griped. "That Dante guy was such a tool. Too cool a name to be wasted on him." "I thought the name was cliche." Tucker added. "Supergirl punched him?" Red Robin volunteered, still sounding confused about, well, everything in this conversation.

"Nice!" Tucker and Sam high-fived and Jimmy felt a surge of vindication from Danny. "Kids, what were you doing in Disco Hell?" Maddie asked sternly.

"Found it while mapping the Infinite Realms." Sam said casually. "It sucked."

"Trying to escape a corrupt courthouse." Red Robin answered when her gaze turned on him. "I knew the current justice system was going to hell," Tucker joked.

"Well, welcome to liminality." Jazz sighed.

"We don't have T-Shirts, but we could probably make them." Sam chimed in.

"And you get to join in on my planned discussion with Jimmy about how your psychology likely doesn't adhere to normal human principles and what to expect from that. Your friends can join us too, as I'm guessing your ghost friend didn't tell you about this." "I don't think she knew. And also she's alive now."

"Yeah we can pencil her in too."

"Jazzy-pants is the best in the field in interactions between human, ghost, and liminal psychology."Jack said proudly.

"About ten minutes ago." his mother answered helpfully.

"This place is amazing." A girl with short blonde hair wearing a dust colored cloak and mask walked in.

"Tell me about it." Another girl, equally blond, but with longer hair wearing a red mask came in. "I remember when we had to make do with a tricked out cave."

"We definitely should have asked Snapper Carr for more funding." added a third, this one with dark hair wearing a gold and purple full body outfit.

"Don't knock the tricked out cave." Red Robin said, jokingly, waving to them from his spot on the couch. "Everyone this is Secret, Arrowette, and Empress. I thought you were bringing your parents."

"Uncle Ish and Aunt Bonnie said they'd watch them."

"Aunt...that's still a thing?" Red Robin asked, a little surprised.

"Empress and I are basically cousins at this point." Arrowette sighed. "I just wish they'd make it official instead of acting like it's a fling three years later."

"They're still making excuses for spending time together." Empress shook her head. "But it's free babysitting for Mom and Dad, so I can't complain."

Flash opened his mouth to ask and question but hesitated.

"Parents permanently deaged, currently toddlers." Red Robin filled in.

"Ah."

"And you're taking care of them by yourself?" Jimmy's mother fussed.

"Uncle Ish and Aunt Bonnie help. So do my friends. Some of whom do so by vaguely threatening my landlord when he tries to strong arm me or raise my rent and doesn't think I notice." She shot Red Robin a look.

"I have no idea what you're talking about," Red Robin answered, looking smug. "By the way, nice mask Secret."

"It's one of Arrowette's old ones. I never needed one before, because I didn't exactly have a civilian identity." She fidgeted nervously.

"It looks good." The playfulness was gone, from Red Robin's voice, replaced with sincerity.

"Thanks." She smiled, then glanced at Jimmy. "You're like I used to be. But...different?" she sounded confused.

"I guess, I still don't really understand what I am." Jimmy admitted.

"Life and Death are a spectrum and you and the the Dannys are smack in the middle." Jack answered cheerfully.

"Alive, Liminal, Unalive, Undead, and Dead." Maddie filled in. "All ghosts, zombies, and other dead that can think and act in the world qualify as Undead, while true dead are beyond the touch of the world forever."

"Oh, then I suppose I was undead, but now I'm alive?" Secret asked questioningly. "I don't have any of my powers anymore, at least."

"If you weren't at least liminal, I'd be very surprised." Jazz said, then cocked her head. "Definitely liminal. Danny said he felt you when you entered."

"I think I did too." Jimmy admitted. "Just a weird feeling, but I had it when Doctor Frostbite came too."

"It's unusual to be able to sense a liminal as opposed to someone who's unalive or undead." Jazz mused. "But if you were fully undead at one point, that might change things. But I think we'd need Frostbite to look you over and he has his hands full between Jimmy and Danny."

"Can we get back to the non-human psychology thing?" Arrowette crossed her arms. "You know, the reason you called us here?"

"Yeah, apparently exposure to death magic and getting dragged to different afterlives can change your brain chemistry. Who knew?' Red Robin shrugged. "Also we were apparently something called a 'fraid'."

"Ghost social group, size can range from between two individuals or a few hundred. Most fraids are a tightknit group that act as family for each other. These relationships can be familial, romantic, or plantonic." Jazz recited as if from a textbook. "Maybe I should just write a book. Or at least a pamphlet."

"Sorry to put you on the spot." Red Robin apologized. "But something affecting our minds and ability to rationalize is a priority."

"No it makes sense just, you're doing important work but..." Jazz huffed in frustration.

"What Jazz is trying not to say, is that we are also liminal as Hell, with the Fentons being close to Unalive, especially Jazz who's been exposed to death energy pretty much since birth, and now that we know someone hurt a member of our fraid to the point of core reversion, the fact that Danny needs us to heal is the only thing keeping us from tracking down the GiW and ripping them apart with our bare hands." Sam's statement ended in a bloodthirsty snarl.

"I'd rather use my guns, but the statement stands." Jack said grimly. "If Danny didn't need us we'd be peeling him like an onion!" "Well, yeah, that's normal." Red Robin said, only to realize most of the adults in the room were now looking at him with either shock or sympathy (the later being the Fentons). "That's...not normal?"

"Anger is, certainly." Lois sound unsure. "Ripping people apart or peeling them...less so."

"Is this my fault?" Secret asked nervously. "Because I was a ghost and also I pulled you into in my soul. to pull you out of that ambush." "I'd almost repressed the memory of that." Red Robin winced. "But that was more an 'icing on the cake' thing. There was also disco hell, and having open surgery next to a Lazarus pit, so a culmination, really." "Why were you having open cavity surgery next to a Lazarus pit?" Empress asked pointedly. "In case the surgery didn't work, in which case the dip in the pit would probably be the biggest contribute." Red Robin shrugged it off. "Batman would never approve of that." Superman said with full confidence.

"You're right, he would. But he didn't really have a say when lost in the time stream, did he?" There was something brittle and sharp between Red Robin and Superman in that moment. And to the surprise of most, it was Superman who looked away first. "Jazz, I'm sorry to bother you, but it seems you're the best person to ask this. With...ghost psychology...if a fraid member is missing, believed gone by most, but you know there' even the smallest chance they could be alive. How far would you go?" "End of the Earth, no question. No, even that's not a limit. The only thing that stopped us from finding Danny is we didn't know where to look." Jazz answered solemnly and without hesitation. Superman closed his eyes. "You were always going to go. The best I could have done was make sure you didn't go alone. I'm sorry. Not just for not believing you, but for not supporting you." Red Robin's eyes were wide open and his jaw dropped slightly. Then he swallowed. "You know, no one believed me, not even Wonder Girl. But you're the first one to actually apologize." "Wonder Girl didn't believe you?" Arrowette asked dryly. "After everything we've seen and done?"

"No, no, actually it makes sense." he finally put his phone down. "If I'm 'liminal' enough to be thinking in a decidedly non-human manner, then it makes sense I might be creating these social bonds myself, not just be the recipient of such a bond from Secret. So the old members of Young Justice are a fraid with Secret at the center, but I probably have my own fraid with the other Bats. I don't know if they're liminal enough to reciprocate, but I wouldn't put it outside of the Realm of possibility. So to Wonder Girl, I'm a member of her fraid, but Batman isn't. She wouldn't have the psychological drive to do whatever it took to find him, but she would to stop me from what looked like a suicide mission to try and save a dead man. Because that was what looked like the best way of protecting me." He pinched his nose. "I need to go over every social interaction I've ever had as to whether or not I understood what 'rational' was from other's perspectives."

Jimmy held his camera a little closer. It probably should have made him feel better that there were other people, heroes at that, who'd gone through whatever psyche changes he was going through as well.

It didn't.

"I think I'm going to go back to the room and lie down for a bit." Jimmy hedged. "Oh you must be exhausted and I dragged you in here." his mother looked contrite. "We can all go back." "No, no. You and Dad stay and talk to the Fentons!" You need answers and as long as Superman's with me it's fine, right?" "Jimmy, we just got you back! If you think we're letting you out of our sight-"

"Let him have his rest." his Dad put his hand on her shoulder. He looked his son in the eye and Jimmy squirmed realizing he dad had seen through his excuse immediately.

"Flash, can you have some extra cots moved into the room or set up here? If both fraids are staying for the time being, they'll need to sleep." "Both or all three." Flash asked with a lopsided grin. "Since Secret is no longer in danger from whoever did this, our fraid should be safe to leave once we've been finished our brief from Miss Fenton." Red Robin answered. "The other three should be here soon."

"Really? Cause I think we could turn this into a whole thing. The 'Fraid Wing' of the Justice Tower." Flash joked. "It's not a bad idea." Lois mused. "There's not a lot on information on such things, at least not in the living world. A centralized hub with information, and maybe some more doctors like Frostbite being readily accessible could be a good thing."

"I'll leave that in you capable hands." Clark resisted the urge to give her a loving smile. "You know where to find me." "Sorry," Jimmy mumbled, as he headed back. There was a part of him that balked at leaving Lois and his parents behind, but it didn't have to be for long. He just...didn't want to ask this with anyone else watching. In fact, he didn't even make it all the way to the room before the question tumbled from him lips.