Epilogue

Footsteps echoed throughout the halls as he walked. Villains they've captured before lifted their heads up, some snarling at him, and some ignoring him completely. The Fenton parents glared at him as he walked past them.

He stopped in front of Freakshow.

He was in a bright green cell, Foley's design, so that no ghost could ever break him out.

"It seems that some of our files have gone missing," Fury told him, putting his hands behind his back as he calmly looked down at the pale skinned man. Red eyes glowered at him. He launched himself at Fury, but was stopped by the thick glass of his cell. He was mere centimeters away. He could practically taste the blood he could spill.

"What a tragedy," he spat. Fury hadn't even flinched. It made Freakshow seethe with anger.

"Because those files were lost, we have to make new ones. So you and the Fentons are going to provide any knowledge of them that you have, and also make us aware of any other artifacts like your nifty little staff."

"And if I don't comply?"

"Well, your paperwork hasn't been processed yet, and I've got a trigger-happy firing squad ready. Your choice."

Freakshow thought for a moment, and sighed as he sat back down.

"Fine. I do know of a few other artifacts…"

In the next few weeks during Danny's recovery, he and Valerie stayed at the Tower, where they were bugged constantly by everybody and Jarvis. Danny had a bad case of PTSD from this, and had a lot of sleepless nights, but the bright (and sad) side to this was that Steve also had a lot of trouble sleeping.

They stayed up together until dawn on several occasions, and would talk until Steve went on his morning run, where Danny would go back to bed and catch a few more hours of sleep.

He and Tony and Bruce spent a lot of time in the lab, too. They had seen the file, and while they didn't want to know anything about what went on there, they did ask him about his physiology, and how he was able to be dead and alive at the same time. Tony had theorized that Danny was just possessing his own body and using a secret shape shifting power to turn into Phantom, to cope, and Danny shut that down really quickly on the scientific basis of creepiness.

He found out that it wasn't just Freakshow who ended up in S.H.I.E.L.D. custody either. His parents also got thrown in, for attacking a superhero. Attempted murder, whether it was on a ghost or not, wasn't a good idea to do on an Avenger. So they get seven lifetimes, and Danny went ahead and threw afterlife in there for good measure. And because he was petty.

They stayed there for three weeks before heading back to the Zone, promising to come back once a week for game night. Bruce had finally found another who was just as obsessed with Dungeons and Dragons, and wanted to run a campaign with them. Which, in turn, got everybody else interested.

Back in the Zone, Danny breathed in the scent of their lair. The throne room, their bedroom, everything. He hugged Valerie tightly once they were settled in, swinging her around in excitement and happiness.

"Woah, calm down, Tiger," she said, pulling herself away from Danny, a smile on her face.

"You love that. And I feel fine, my healing factor worked like a charm."

"Not for us, honey," she said. Danny looked at her, confused, until Valerie put her hand on her stomach.

"I'm pregnant."

"What?" Danny shouted with excitement. He rushed forward and hugged her tightly, restraining himself from swinging her around. "Wait," he said as he pulled back. "How do you know? You haven't tried any pregnancy tests or anything. Not that I've seen, anyway."

Right at that moment, Valerie started glowing and floating. Danny pulled her down and hugged her again.

"I'm so, so fucking happy right now. I can't believe I'm gonna be a dad. I love you so much."

"I love you too, Tiger. Now come on," she pulled away. "Let's figure out how to baby proof the castle."