Inspired by this post on TikTok
This is a crossover between DC x DP, but not in the usual way. Instead of characters traveling to or existing in one dimension, one character is reincarnated into another dimension, dies, and then returns to their original dimension—only for the cycle to repeat in reverse.
Wes Weston spent his entire life obsessively trying to prove that Danny Fenton and Danny Phantom were the same person. What he didn’t realize was that everyone around him already knew, but they deliberately kept it from him. Why? Because if Wes suddenly stopped trying to expose Danny, it might draw unwanted attention to him.
On his deathbed, Wes finally learns the truth: everyone had been protecting Danny, and by extension, protecting Wes from himself.
He dies wondering, "Why did they keep me in the dark when Phantom's enemies became his closest friends? Did they just find 'Mad Wes' entertaining?" He almost laughs at the thought. "Maybe 'Mad Wes' was always the clown in the room. Entertaining Wes."
As darkness creeps in at the corners of his vision, Wes stares at his ceiling with tears slipping from his eyes. He dies believing that no one will mourn him, his last thoughts bitter and hollow. "Why did they give up on me? If they had just shown me the truth, maybe I would have stopped."
The God of Rebirth and the Ancient of Reincarnation take pity on him. Just a little. They grant him another chance at life—reincarnating him as Tim Drake.
But there’s a flaw. Neither god notices it until much later. Wes is reborn as Tim with no memories of his life as Wes Winston.
In his first timeline as Tim, nothing changes. He never regains his memories as Wes. He becomes Joker Jr., descending into chaos, trauma, and pain. Even if he had remembered Wes’s life, it wouldn’t have helped.
But the real problem begins after his death as Joker Jr. Wes returns.
When Wes regains his consciousness in the Ghost Zone, the curse of Joker Jr. follows him. He remembers everything. Terrified of what he could become, he runs.
He flees with no plan, no resources, just the clothes on his back. He hides in the first small town he finds. When the pressure of Joker Jr.’s curse overwhelms him, he lets it out—just for a moment.
That’s when Freakshow finds him.
When Freakshow’s crystal shatters, Wes feels the curse of Joker Jr. break too. The pain is excruciating, but for the first time, he feels truly free.
Bleeding and weak, Wes sits in a cage, smiling faintly as his blood drips down his hand. He welcomes the pain—proof that Joker Jr. no longer has control.
The tent flap opens. Sunlight blinds him. He struggles to stand but collapses. He remembers then—he caved in his own chest to stop Joker Jr. from hurting anyone, especially in Amity Park.
A police officer rushes to the cage, prying it open. Wes sees Danny Fenton, horrified, watching from the crowd. But Danny doesn’t recognize him. Why would he? They never met in this timeline.
Wes falls into a coma in the hospital. Declared brain-dead, his mind is quieter than it has ever been. For the first time in all his lifetimes, Wes rests.
(What Wes doesn’t know is that in this timeline, the peace treaty between humans and ghosts took much longer to establish. Danny starts investigating why Wes was in that cage. Ghosts begin referring to Wes as “the poor child with a cursed ghost.” Cursed ghosts are rarer than halfas, infamous for their bloodlust, and they latch onto humans they find “interesting.” Wes was simply unlucky. This story, however, is for another time.)
When Wes wakes again, he’s Tim Drake. This time, though, instincts from his past life bleed through—combat reflexes, a heightened sense of danger. He dodges the early steps that would have turned him into Joker Jr.
But danger always finds Tim.
The first thing he sees in Titans Tower is Red Hood, and the last thing he sees is Red Hood holding him as he bleeds out. Death is slow. Batman arrives too late, cradling Robin’s broken body—the second Robin he couldn’t save.
Wes wakes up in his old body and breaks down. Days pass before he leaves his room. But the pull of vigilantism is too strong. He picks up a pair of brass knuckles from the Fentons' trash and begins hunting ghosts at night.
Two versions of Wes are born:
The morning Wes – a miserable, broken man who reeks of depression.
The night Wes – a feral, unhinged fighter that Team Phantom and the Red Huntress come to know.
This Wes dies a hero, surrounded by people who love and mourn him. As darkness takes him, a tear slips from his eye—but this time, it’s one of peace.
“Mad Wes is Entertaining Wes,” he thinks. But now, it means something different.
With his dying breath, Wes becomes Tim Drake again.
This time, Tim lives through Joker Jr., Red Hood, Damien, the Al Guls, the timestream, betrayals, death sentences. He survives it all.
Only to die cold and alone, happiness just out of reach.
Then Wes wakes up again. But this time, it feels final. He decides to live as an observer, a background character. (Well, except for that one time when everyone thought he was Phantom—mostly for nostalgia’s sake.)
At Danny’s coronation as Ghost King, Wes stands quietly in the corner. He feels no regret.
A familiar tap comes on his shoulder. The God of Rebirth and the Ancient of Reincarnation are waiting. Wes puts his drink down and follows them to a portal. It’s time to disappear.
He’s already told everyone he wanted to explore the Ghost Zone. No one will look for him. His death will be explained, written into the story.
If he had turned back, he would have seen Danny staring right at him. But he doesn’t. It was time for him to fully live as Tim Drake.
Later, in the Batcave, Batman and Robin argue. Robin’s anger peaks, and in that moment, memories from all his past lives flood back.
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