Takes place after De-Stabilized

Also inspired by a picture from "Amethyst Ocean".

Who makes amazing Danny Phantom art.

…

Discovery

The fight was going on a lot longer than usual. In no small part because Danny had never faced this particular ghost before and, also because said ghost had a nasty habit of producing spikes from its blood, when approached.

Sam had tried to keep up, as they flew over the park. But had momentarily lost track of them in the taller trees. When she at last spotted the two again, she immediately realized that Danny was no longer moving with his normal grace or speed.

"Tucker, where are you?" She demanded into her headset. Pulling a Fenton Thermos from her bag and removed its top in preparation of taking advantage of the ghost's distracted state.

"I have no idea. Where are you?" Tucker countered and she informed him of their location. To which he answered with a quick. "Be there in 10."

She didn't respond. Hoping to maintain her stealth, as she looked up to find the new ghost charging Danny again. He attempted to defend himself with a shield. However, the new ghost had such a sharp form of energy that it simply pierced the wall, like it were made of cotton balls. This coupled with the force of the attack and Danny's shield shattered like a pane of glass. Forcing him to call up ice at the last second.

He barely managed to construct a layer around his body and the ghost, before the spikes hit and he was driven from the sky.

With no more time to plan, Sam ran from her hiding place and rammed the end of the thermos directly into the ghost's back. As it lifted a pointy fist to crush her friend. Making sure to aim upward so as not to trap Danny as well.

In a matter of seconds, the sharp ghost disappeared inside the cylinder, with a yelp somewhere between surprise and furry and continued to scream obesities until she slammed the lid down in anger. "Oh shut up," She ordered. Before throwing the damn thing away and rushed to Danny's side, who was struggling to sit up. Only barely managing it.

"Ow." His tone may have suggested humor. But his voice was full of pain. Even without that hint though, it was plenty evident that he was, from the multiple wounds that had left him covered in a glowing assortment of ectoplasmic blood.

"Are you okay?" Sam asked on auto-pilot and he give her a look. "Sorry," She was quick to offer and searched up her bag for the first-aid kit inside. All the while speaking into her com. "Tucker, Danny's down."

"I'm almost there," His voice answered in her ear. As she placed a clean disinfectant cloth against Danny's arm. Causing him to stuck in a breath through his teeth. Unfortunately, she couldn't let that get to her and she couldn't give him time to cope.

His super healing made it a dangerous necessary to clean the wounds before they closed. Of course, this proved to be the least of their concerns. For, as she brushed away the layer of frost covering his body, she discovered glass-like shards of red ecto-energy still embedded in the injuries.

A quick worry flashed through her head as she saw them. And hoped the mixture of two ghosts' ectoplasmic blood wouldn't cause illness like in humans.

Looking back up, she found Danny squeezing his eyes shut and forcing some breathing exercises through his body, which actually didn't even need to breathe at the moment. Further proving how much pain he was in.

"Danny," She said. Reaching up to touch his face and he looked at her. His normally bright green eyes dulled slightly from the shock and making her wish, not for the first or even the last time, that his ghostly metabolism would allow pain killers to provide an effect.

Of course, they had tried that before. But the few seconds of peace it would grant him were too disproportionate to the time they lost waiting for it to come.

"I need to take them out," She told him sympathetically and he nodded. Forcing himself to move that she'd have a better view.

Taking a breath and steeling herself for the act. She did her best to be as gentle as she could. In the hopes of causing him as little pain as possible. Though she already knew it was pointless.

…

Valarie continued her search from her hoverboard. Able to recognize the ghost boy's flight pattern even from a distance. Though the spirit he was fighting was definitely a new one.

She still wasn't sure whoshe was going to shoot once she finally found them. But, if nothing else, she could beat some answers from Phantom. It was clear that he had known about Vlad. For how long, she didn't know. But he had let her serve the monster. Let her do his dirty work. Let him use her.

No … that wasn't fair. It wasn't his fault she'd been too naive to see it before now. But he could have said something at least. Not that she would have believed him, but still.

Gahhh! Why couldn't she just hate the damn ghost and be done with it? Why'd everything have to be so complicated?

It had only been a couple days since she'd seen Vlad's double identity and already her frustration had boiled into a rage ready to destroy anything that irritated her. Even her friends at school were giving her a wide berth. And, now that she finally had a chance to work off some stream. That stupid ghost had to go and beat her to it.

To make it worse, if what she had seen of the fight was anything to go by, Phantom was hurt. So she couldn't take it out on him either. He'd never attacked her when she was down, so she wouldn't do so either.

But if she got to the other ghost before him – oh it was on.

Of course, that was assuming the ghost boy hadn't already cleaned up the mess and left, which was looking closer and closer to being the case. But, just when she considered calling it a night and going home with her frustration intact. A scream nearly had her jumping off her board.

Pulling up quickly, she searched the ground and almost immediately spotted a ghostly white glow in the trees. Prompting her to zip around and hide from sight.

Once close enough to the ground. Her board fizzled out of sight and she rushed behind a tree. Gradually making her way toward the light. Which she only now realized was accompanied by voices.

"I'm sorry, I'm sorry," A female voice begged. Even as Phantom continually informed her that it was 'okay'. It took a second, but as the Huntress got closer, she discovered that she recognized the othervoice too.

Coming up behind one final tree, she peeked around to find the ghost on his knees. Clearly in a great deal of pain. While none other then Sam Manson cared for his wounds.

'What on earth is she doing here?' Valarie's inner monologue demanded. Watching the other girl removing what looked to be large pieces of red-colored ice from the ghost's shoulder.

Phantom struggled not to scream again as Sam continued to work. Giving him barely any time at all to recover from the pain, before moving onto the next shard. Causing even Valarie to wince.

'Man – that looks like it hurts.'

"I'm sorry Danny. I need to get them out," Sam insisted. Dropping one shard after another, after another onto her growing pile. But yet there always seemed to be another to go back for. "Your skin is healing over them."

"I know, I know," He answered through clenched teeth. Hissing when yet another was removed. "How many more?" He begged.

"Maybe – five," Sam guessed and he let out a breath. Clearly feed up with the whole situation and Valarie couldn't really blame him.

She herself had needed to pull multiple cactus needles from her skin, when she'd fallen off her board once. Right into a patch of the prickly plants. So she could sympathize with his pain.

"Danny, Sam," A new voice spoke then and Val ducked down to avoid being seen. As another person rushed into the area. Only for her to blink owlishly upon discovering it was Tucker Foley this time.

"What?" She whispered at the scene. Trying to make sense of this craziness. How were those two connected to the ghost boy and, if they were, did that mean Danny Fenton was too?

Somehow that didn't sit comfortably with her at all. There was still a deep longing in her heart to be with Danny and the idea that he was helping one of her enemies was hard to swallow.

'Wait.' Her mind insisted then and she looked back at the three people in the clearing. Studying them more closely. Until she realized that Sam and Tucker were talking to the ghost like the three of them had known each other for years.

That just wasn't possible. Phantom had only appeared one, maybe two years ago. It wasn't long enough to forge the kind of friendship she was seeing. It didn't matter what they had been through.

It was only then that pieces began falling into place. Her recent interaction with Vlad Masters AKA Vlad Plasmius. The young girl ghost, Dani Phantom, who she also knew to possess a human side. If there were already two – then why not –

She had to bite her tongue to keep from exclaiming her shock out loud. And suddenly her mind was comparing Danny Fenton to the ghost before her. It only took a heartbeat to see the resemblance. Their appearances, their voices, their names.

Whirling around to press herself against the tree. She struggled to control her breathing rate, so as not to be caught.

Could it really be?

Still trying to wrap her flustered mind around these new facts and attempting to find anyway to deny it. She found herself interrupted by a flash of light so bright that it suddenly lit the entire area. Only to be followed by a cry of pain, that pulled at her instincts to look again. And then she stopped breathing altogether.

Danny Fenton, the boy she had once been willing to give up ghost hunting for. Only to turn around and leave behind in the hopes of protecting him from those same ghosts. Was now sitting where her long-time enemy had just been.

Leaning against his friends for support. Clearly in agony from the many cuts and injures that had only seconds before been Phantom's.

"Well, at least we got them all," Tucker muttered. Throwing away the last shard of ectoplasm that he'd managed to pull out, before his friend had changed forms.

"Yeah, but he's still bleeding," Sam insisted. Getting under Danny's arm and made to lift him. An action that she should have struggled with, considering the boy was taller and heavier than her. However, she did so without any issue at all. Clearly having done this kind of thing many times before and knew how to hold him. "Let's get him to Jazz. We need to make sure those things aren't going to make him sick."

Valarie could do little more than stand there in shock. As her classmates helped their friend to his feet, despite protests of discomfort and headed for the park entrance. She let them go. She couldn't have moved enough to stop them anyway.

Eventually she just leaned back against her tree and contemplated what she'd just seen. Her cluttered thoughts keeping her company well into the morning. Until she at last removed her armor and headed home. Still uncertain of what to do or who to trust.

…

I'm open to suggestions for new chapter ideas.

No AU's allowed

Sorry