I've rewritten this chapter more times than I can count. I'm not very skilled at writing angst. I promise the next chapter will have a much lighter tone, but I feel it's important to establish what things have been like for Dani over the past couple of years.

Dedicated to Bookwormrdd and Riqis Inna Sunja.

Chapter Three: Dani's Story

Dani cautiously walked the corridors of Stark Towers. "I feel like a princess in some fairytale," Dani mused. "Night before last, I was sleeping on a bench in Central Park. This morning, I woke up in a mansion." Well, technically it wasn't the Avengers Mansion, but like all of Tony Stark's residences it was still pretty swanky.

"You're awake," said a very proper older gentleman holding a serving tray. "Enjoying your visit to Avengers headquarters Miss…"

"Danielle. Well, everyone calls me Dani," Dani replied shuffling her feet. "At least, they used to," she muttered.

The gentleman raised an eyebrow and replied, "Well Miss Dani, my name is Jarvis. If you need anything you can use the intercom system to contact me. I imagine Mr. Stark will want to speak with you when he wakes, which I wouldn't expect to be any time before noon. Some of our other residents take great value in their privacy, so you will find that the upper floors are locked."

Dani nodded. It seemed perfectly reasonable that the heroes that called the tower home would want to keep their identities secret.

"Good," Jarvis replied, sounding pleased. "Feel free to explore the lower floors. The kitchen is down the hall and to the right. I'll have breakfast ready in about an hour."

Dani's stomach growled in response. "Thank you, Sir."

"Not Sir, just Jarvis," Jarvis corrected. "There are some paintings two rooms down if you want to kill some time."

"Thank you, Jarvis," Dani replied and headed in the indicated direction. As Dani wandered she found her thought returning to the day before.

Dani had been out walking dogs when the chaos had started. Dani had found a small community just outside of Central Park to settle down in for a while. The area was primarily condos and apartments for the city's single working class denizens. Dani found that she could make decent money as a dog walker. Before her arrival, there was a small group of dog walkers taking advantage of the residents. They charged prices that could only be described as "highway robbery." Dani had moved in a mere two weeks ago, but she now had twenty regular customers because she was willing to work for less.

As it turns out, it's very hard for a clone to find a job. Dani had just turned sixteen and she had no permanent address, family, job history, ID, driver's license, or social security number. Potential employers refused to hire a "runaway." So yeah, she was basically screwed.

"Runaway." The thought made Dani laugh. The term implied that she had something to run away from. What did she have really? Vlad? No, the scum would have her lying dead on an examination table ready for autopsy. Danny? While she did care very deeply for her "cousin," he really didn't have much to offer her. It wouldn't take long for the Fentons to realize that Cousin Dani didn't really exist. Well maybe Jack wouldn't have, but Maddie surely would have. There was the Ghost Zone to consider, but the idea didn't really appeal to Dani. She'd spent some time there trying to control her powers. For one thing, it's very hard to find fresh, edible food in the Ghost Zone. For another, the Ghost Zone and its occupants seem almost stagnant. The ghosts go through their same routine day in and day out. Box Ghost tries to attack people with boxes, Lunch Lady always serves the same thing for lunch, Skulker hunts things… After a while it all became way too predictable.

Dani's thoughts were drawn back to the present as she reached the aforementioned room. The paintings Jarvis had mentioned were all of Avengers, current and former. She marveled as she traveled slowly through the gallery. These were real heroes, like her cousin. For a short moment, Dani allowed herself to daydream. What would it be like, to be one of those heroes on the wall? The more Dani thought about it, the more impossible it seemed. After all, she was just a clone, a pale imitation of a real hero.

'Heck I didn't even get all of his powers,' Dani thought. After Vlad had collected Danny's DNA sample, Danny began to develop new powers. Dani's powers had evolved along a different path. Instead of a ghostly wail, she gained empathic abilities, like Spectra's. She also gained control of fire, as opposed to ice.

It was her fledgling powers that drove her into the Ghost Zone for more than a year. Fire had proven to be more than she could handle alone. It didn't take long to track Ember to her lair; the tricky part was convincing Ember that Dani wasn't going to attack her like her cousin. After that, the two women became good friends. It was through Ember that Dani met Spectra and consequently learned to control her empathy as well.

Dani turned a corner and nearly ran into Wiccan. The young sorcerer was staring at a collection of paintings and Dani could feel sadness and regret rolling off of him in waves. Dani paused to look over Billy's shoulder and was surprised to find that the painting was of a young woman. Familiarity tugged at edges of Dani's subconscious, but she couldn't quite remember where she had seen the woman before.

Billy turned and looked at Dani questioningly. "Um, hi," Dani said and gave a small wave. "Billy right?"

"Uh, yeah," Billy answered. "But how did you?"

"Your friend called you that last night," Dani replied and gestured towards the painting. "Who is she?"

Billy smiled, "I really need to talk to him about secret identities. She's my mom, Scarlet Witch. No one's been able to find her in five years." (1)

Jarvis called, announcing breakfast, and Billy turned and left. Dani looked back at the painting thoughtfully. Scarlet Witch was famous. It's possible that Dani simply recognized her from an old newscast or something, but Dani wasn't sure. Her eyes swept across the wall and she noticed a smaller painting of a much older Scarlet Witch. Dani leaned in carefully for a closer look. Now, she remembered where she'd seen Scarlet Witch. It had been two months ago on a visit to see Clockwork.

"Have you been enjoying your stay in the Ghost Zone, Danielle?" Clockwork asked.

Dani shrugged. She honestly had no idea why the old sage had called her to his realm, but every ghost knew that it was unwise to ignore a summons from Clockwork. "It's okay, I guess."

Clockwork nodded. "I'm sorry Danielle, but it's time that you returned to the human world."

Dani's mouth opened and closed like a fish's. "I don't see how that's your decision to make," she replied. Her hands were fisted and glowing green. "There is nothing waiting for me in the human world."

Clockwork sighed and called behind him, "Wanda, could you give me a hand?"

Scarlet Witch entered the room and spoke quietly with Clockwork. The sorceress nodded and Dani blacked out. The next thing the young halfa could remember is waking up in Central Park.

XxxLine BreakxxX

House of M was published from 2005-2006. That's why I said that Scarlet Witch has been missing for five years.

Thanks to anyone who's still reading this. I promise not to make you wait so long for the next chapter.

Until next time, please REVIEW. I answer every review and they keep me motivated to finish stories.