This is where the slice of pizza comes in.

Of course, the pizza isn't a really important part of the story, but it's sort of how Fate brought Danny, Dani, and the Teen Titans together in the first place.

So... That makes it kind of important.

Anyway, here's what happened. We really can't make any progress on this story until the slice of pizza is explained.

You see, Garfield Logan, alias Beast Boy, wasn't the cleanest person in the world. Nor was he the most organized. Which goes to say that he didn't have the best memory. Which also means he forgets about stuff. A lot.

Now, there's someone out there who's saying "Ah! Now I get it!" Of course, if you aren't that person, then let this clear it up for you:

Pizza, after a long amount of time going undetected, unprotected, and improperly contained, starts to smell funny. Then, the bacterial spores that float around in our oxygen start getting attracted to it. A short time later, quicker than you'd naturally suspect, the spores start growing something called "fungi". Fungi can come in all different types of shapes and sizes, depending on the kind of climate and habitat that the fungi spores decide to nestle in. And since we know that mushrooms don't grow on pizza anywhere except for in a Pizza Hut, then you can guess what kind of fungi decided to grow on Beast Boy's month old slice of pizza, which he so conveniently left in the Tower's control closet. Now, let's please refrain from asking how our innocent pizza got there, because surely there are some of us who, frankly, do not wish to know.

As we all should know, mold, after a time, starts to get quite damp, and make an ideal home for all sorts of creepy crawlers. Here, we have ants, cockroaches, beetle grub and, most unpleasantly, termites.

Of course, our dear little Cyborg remains oblivious of these masked little horror until today, when our resident termites decided the shiny red wires that connected the Tower's security mainframe would make a much more tasty snack than a month old slice of pizza.

Thus, the glitch. And thus, Cyborg's frustration. And thus, the professional. And thus, the Fentons.

So, not that you all know exactly how that slice of month old pizza brought our lovely heroes together, we can move on with our fantastical tale of suspense, mystery, and adventure!

You see, the Fentons still need to fix the alarm. This is how they did it:

Ductape.

Ductape is the force that holds these frail and terribly horrid universes of reality together. Ductape is the one substance that keep this very world from ripping apart. It is stronger than titanium, harder to break than diamond, sturdier than Superman himself. It is...

Ductape.

Anyway, Dani repaired the Titan's Tower's alarms by re-sealing the wires, then coating the weak points in ductape while Beast Boy removed our fateful slice of pizza.

As explained to Cyborg by Danny, when the inside of the decaying wire had rubbed against the steel bean it, and thousands of other tiny little wires were wrapped around, it created an electrical current, mistakenly causing the glitch we saw today; making the alarms go off periodically—or whenever the wire sparked or carried electricity.

When Cyborg and the rest of the team found out that all that problematic stress and trouble had been caused by one tiny, worn-down wire, they almost refused to believe it! However, when Dani dove down into the large forest of vast, uncharted and unexplored wires, found the right one in a matter of minutes, and covered it in ductape, the alarms immediately cut off—and the Titans were shocked into silence, the twins staring at them with large, bright, hoping-to-please smiles.

Finally, Raven broke it with a relieved sigh. "Well, at least that's over."

Cyborg glared over to where Beast Boy (who, at the moment, had mysteriously disappeared from the scene)had been, and was about to start complaining loudly when Danny smiled up at him cheerfully. "If you want, Mr. Cyborg, I know of a system more powerful than this one you use currently. It is harder to hack, and wireless as well!"

Robin raised an eyebrow appreciatively. Cyborg froze, then grinned wildly before placing a hand on the black-haired boy's shoulder. "You and I. We're gonna get along famously. Where can I get one?"

Danielle shook her head and glared playfully at Danny. "Stop teasing, brobro." Turning to Cyborg, she said, "They're not for sail anywhere, because we invented them. We have one working perfectly at the Keep Out. Keeps away robbers and all kind of unwanted visitors like the plague!"

Robin stared at the duo. "... You." It wasn't really a question.

Raven sighed at looked at the ever-surprising twins. "I'm really not surprised.

Cyborg re-hinged his formerly gaping jaw and raised an eyebrow. "Oh? And why is that?"

"If you'd seen their shop, you'd understand."

The two smiling twins grinned even wider. "Why don't we go there now and discuss things over lunch?"

Robin tapped his chin thoughtfully. "Well, I'm don't know. We actually have a lot of business to take care of first, and—"

"Yes!" Raven yelped, sounder extremely eager. They all turned to stare at her, and she blushed. "Um, I-I mean, we should. It'd be nice for us all to do something together, and I'm sure you guys would love it..." She bit her lip and waved. "Hi."

Starfire clasped her hands together happily. "Oh! Is it nice there, Friend Raven? Do they serve the mustard beverage?"

Dani paused, then grinned excitedly. "Of course! I always eat a mustard and mayonnaise sandwich for snack!" She ignored everyone's, excluding Danny and Starfire's of course, horrified expressions and wrapped a tanned arm around the alien girl's shoulders. "I'm definitely sure you'd like it! C'mon! We can go make some, and I can teach you a few cooking tricks!"

Starfire clapped. "Oh joyous, Friend Dani-with-an-i!" She exclaimed wholeheartedly, following the paint splattered girl out the door.

:(~)-(~)-(~)-(~)-(~)-(~)-(~):

To say that the Titans were flabbergasted when they entered Keep Out would be The Understatement of the Year.

They were shocked, amazed, completely starstruck. More so. But they had a pretty valid reason to be. The shop was the worlds Eight Wonder!

"If you like this, you'll love it during the nighttime." Danny told them casually. "Our largest crowed is the Wednesday Night Crowd."

Starfire gasped in delight, clapping. "Oh, can I?"

The boy smiled. "Of course. We're open from 5am-11pm everyday except Sunday. You're free to join us whenever you feel like it."

The orange-skinned Tamaranian princess squealed and flew up towards the bookshelves to browse. Beast Boy changed into a kitten, hoping to catch the attention of the café girls. Unfortunately, they had eyes only for Danny.

Raven was left alone with Robin in the lounge square when the Fenton twins went over to help in the kitchen, and Cyborg had discovered the tech-greenhouse.

Raven sighed, sitting down on one of the leather couches and leaning back to gaze at the starry ceiling. She soon felt the cushions give way as Robin sat down beside her and looked up as well. "Amazing, huh?"

She nodded. "They painted it themselves."

He looked over at her. "Who?"

"The Fenton twins. Danielle said it took them weeks to finish the ceiling alone. Danny said they had to start over fifteen times before they got it right. He told me it would've taken longer if they didn't know so much about astronomy."

He looked back up at the ceiling and whistled. "Wow... Those twins are really something else!"

"So much talent," A voice told them, startling them out of their revere. "They really know how to use it."

The two teen heroes turned in surprise. A middle-aged man sat on the sofa opposite of them, and was currently looking at the masterpiece above their heads with a look that plainly said. "Knew it. Told ya so."He had graying, salt and pepper hair tied back in a low ponytail, save for one lock that casually hung down over his forehead. Keen blue eyes peered up at the stars, and he wore one of the most expensive looking suits Robin had ever seen, which was saying something. The fabric was so sleek, it almost looked like silk, but not as fragile. Though the button and tire underneath it probably were silk, both blood-red. He would have looked like Lucifer himself, if not for the pleasant composer and kind look on his face, which sported a neat goatee.

He offered them a red, silk-gloved hand. "Vlad Masters. I funded the building and opening of Keep Out. Pleasure to meet you both."

Robin shook his hand first. "Vlad Masters? Aren't you suppose to be, like, the richest man in the world?" Raven's eyebrows shot up.

Mr. Masters chuckled. "Contraire, Robin. I am the richest man in the world."

"Father!" A voice cried, and Danielle Fenton was soon found pouncing on the man.

It had taken much getting used to, but the twins had eventually realized that Vlad wasn't really evil anymore. The death of his old high school friends had made him realize that there was much more to life than petty revenge, on an accident of all things; and that a moral that was based on jealousy was no true moral at all. After a while, when the two look-a-likes saw how hard he was trying to right his wrongs, they upgraded his nickname from "Fruitloop" to "Uncle". Finally, they'd settled on calling him "Father," but that was as far as they went. "Dad" was reserved for Jack Fenton only.

Danny straddled over, balancing a large silver tray of food on one hand above his head. He placed his free arm around the older man's shoulders in a sideways hug. "Hey, Father. How's it in Wisconsin?"

"Daniel!" Mr. Masters marveled. "My, my, you have grown!" He turned his gaze to Dani. "And so have you, my dear. When was the last time we spoke? Last month? Why, you both seemed to have shot up at least a foot!"

Dani giggled. "You can cut it out now, Vlad." While they called him "Father", he knew he could never really take the place of Jack, even for Danielle—thought he never knew why that was. "You know you don't have to be formal at the Keep Out."

Mr. Masters grinned, poking her in the side and making her squeal. "And you know I do it all for you!"

Danny sighed loudly, somewhat dramatic as he made a show of setting down the large and very heavy-looking tray down on the glass surface of the coffee table. He looked over at Robin and Raven and smiled graciously. "Dig in!"

Beast Boy the Kitty caught a waif of the luncheon and popped into existence just above Danielle's shoulder. "Dude! Look at all that food! Did you make all of this?"

The food was amazing. Slices of honey-crusted sweetbread topped with a light strawberry sauce was arranged in a semi-circle around a bowl of mango pudding. There were cold-cut buffalo-wing sandwiches delicately smothered in barbecue gravy. A small plate of tofu turkey slices were laid on a bed of fresh lettuce, and was covered in what looked lick a thick, creamy soup mixed with cheese. A wide bowl of buttered popcorn, salted in sea-salt, sat just to the right of a large platter of noodles that were battered with a white cheese sauce.

Danny nodded toward the kitchen, and a redheaded girl with brown eyes wearing an apron and a name-tag that said Carmen came over with plates and silverware."Yes. The only ones who know the exact recipe for all our dishes are me, my sister, and our hired cooks."

Cyborg sat down, grinned, and dug right into the buffalo-wing sandwiches, thanking the twins over and over again between bites.

Beast Boy smiled proudly down at the tofu turkey, and forked some onto a paper plate before carrying it over to the café.

Robin eagerly dished himself up with some of the white noodles. "I love fettuccine! Haven't had it in a while, but this is probably the best I've ever tasted!"

Raven took small samples before settling on a small bowl of mango pudding and one of the sandwiches.

Dani ran to the kitchen and returned with a small plate of sandwiches snacked neatly on one another. Starfire smiled brightly before taking one and biting into it. "Mhmm! These bitter mayo-nayes constructs are so tangy, Friend Danny-with-an-i!"

Dani grinned. "Finally! Someone with my taste! Oh, and please call me Dani, Seniorita Starfire."

Her brother rolled his eyes. "Realmente hermana? Españolas de nuevo?" (Really sister? Spanish again?)

She shrugged. "¿Qué? España fue uno de mis vacaciones favorito!" (What? Spain was one of my favorite vacations!)

Danny shook his head once more, then realized the Titans were staring at them. "¿Sí? I-I mean, yes?"

Robin cocked his head, quizzically. "You guys speak Spanish?"

Mr Masters, who had been indulged in the mango pudding, looked up with raised eyebrows."Well, the Fenton family did originate from Spain, my boy."

Dani blinked in surprise. "We did?"

He brother stared at her. "Wait, this is news to you?"

She blushed. "I so did not know that..."

He blinked. "Ohhh-kay, then..."

"Dudes..." Beast Boy came over right then, eyes wide. "How are we gonna pay for all this?"

The other Titans paled, but their worries were soon eased once Danny raised a hand for quiet. "None to fear, my friends. This is all on the house, as you were invited by my sister and I. Also, I, as one of the owners of the Keep Out, give you permission to come here whenever any of you please, and use all of our facilities free of charge. Cyborg blinked as the team of heroes stared at the two beaming children blankly for a moment. "Ya mean... You're giving us all a lifetime free-pass?"

Dani nodded. "Sí. After all, you risk your lives every day for our safety, as well as the other citizens'. It is the least we can do."

Beast Boy turned slowly to grin at the computer lab/greenhouse. "Awesome..."

Raven sat back into the couch after she'd set her now-empty plat down, and stared up at the masterpiece that was the ceiling once again. "... So, how long did it take you two to paint that again?"

"The whole month of August, and a little into September." Was Danny's instant answer. "We kept having to start over."

Cyborg, Starfire, and Beast Boy goggled up at the ceiling as if they'd just noticed it. Robin held back a grin, leaning back as he stretched, before grabbing some popcorn from the large glass bowl on the platter on the table.

Raven nodded. "Oh, right. What about those?" She pointed out the beautifully painted canvases that had been framed and hung on the walls around the whole complex. "Did you guys paint those, too?"

"No," Danielle shook her head. "Those were all done by our students."

Robin raised an eyebrow(even though it was questionably if anyone actually saw). "Your students?"

Her twin nodded. "That's correct. We instruct up-and-coming artists in our studio, during paid-for class hours. Once a pupil completes their course, we hang the finished piece on the walls, in a place of their choosing. See that large one, there?" He pointed a pale finger toward a part of the wall that the cafe was nestled in, and they saw a large painting that depicted a snowy field, and a calm, yet dark sky, over a forested land hanging in what seemed as a place of honor. It was much, much larger than the medium sized pieces that were grouped in other areas.

They nodded, and Danny continued. "That one was special. We decided to change things up a bit, and the whole class worked together on that one. It was during Christmastime. Now, all of the artists who took part, besides us, of course, are famous, and visit regularly, when they aren't on world-class tours."

Starfire clapped her hands, and her friends looked very impressed. "Oh, glorious! Would you, perhaps, be willing to teach me in the art of painting as well, Friends Dani-with-an-i and Danny-with-a-y?" She hovered near a particularly large group of paintings.

Danny smiled kindly as she gazed longingly at the scene of a lily being blown by the breeze in a meadow. "Of course, Seniorita. All of our services are, as I said, free of charge to you."

"Joyful!" The alien princess crushed him in a super-strength hug. "I am very grateful for your kindness!"

To the Titan's great surprise, Danny returned the hug in almost full-force. "And I will be honored to have such a famous hero, not to mention a princesa, as a student."

Starfire released him, a faint pink coloring her cheeks, and she giggled, clapping. "I hope to not disappoint you!" Robin bristled slightly as he shifted in his seat, but he didn't speak.

"I'm sure you won't." He assured her.

Dani coughed loudly, gaining the two's attention. She smiled at the teen heroes. "So, would you like anything else?"

They shook their heads, but became alert as Robin's communicator started beeping wildly. "Titan's, trouble!" He called after he'd looked down at the screen.

The other teens jumped up, rushing out of the door after apologizing to the Fentons. Raven paused just before she left. Turning, she quickly thanked Danny before running to join her friends. The silver bell above the entrance jingled softly behind her.

Dani made a kissy-kissy face at her brother, and Danny punched her playfully in the arm and shoved her away with a grin, though his cheeks were slightly rose-tinted. "Shut up, it's not like that. She grinned, shaking her head before turning toward a very amused looking Vlad Masters, who had been silently observing from the sidelines for quite a while now. "So, pops, why you here?"

Mr Masters snorted. "What a pleasant way to greet me," he glared playfully at the young girl before turning towards her brother, causing Danielle to pout at the lost attention. "Daniel, C.W. has requested me to inform you that he has two people he wants you to meet."

Danny raised an eyebrow. "Newbies?" The numbers of Halfas in existence had grown to about over twenty, shocking Vlad and causing Danny and his clone to feel more at home in the changing worlds—thought they were the three most powerful, their abilities far out-matching that of the newer ghost/human hybrids. Clockwork had looked toward The Fenton-Masters family to train the new additions to the Halfa society. Most of the newer Halfas were more like one-fourth, to even one-eighteenth ghost, however, instead of fully half.

Vlad shook his head. "No, I don't think so. But he did say it was a bit urgent, and that you were to come immediately."

The two siblings looked at each other, surprised at the insistence from the Master of Time. "Okay then..."

Danielle led them up the back stairs to their apartment, locking the door behind the three while Cujo attacked Vlad with puppy spit; a welcome back, if you would.

After he had successfully calmed the hell-hound down, the black suited man re-adjusted his tie and looked at the two teens standing before him pointedly. "Well?"

Danny sighed, before nodding at his sister. The two closed their eyes and let the familiar, cold sensation of the transfer rings wash over them. Blue-tinted white rings of spectral energy and light ran the lengths of their limbs, before clearing their feet, and heads, and disappearing again.

In a matter of seconds, Danny and Dani Fenton-Masters had changed into the myserious, notorious, and rarely seen Shadow and Shade Phantoms.