This idea came out of ispacey's Grey Ghost Week "Role Reversal" prompt, although there's absolutely no romance in this fic and Danny doesn't even really appear, aha, so take that as you will.

Like ave-aria, I sort of changed this prompt from a literal role reversal (ghost!Val and hunter!Danny, awesome as that would be) to more a personal reversal. In this AU, Danny's the one who thinks ghosts have ruined his life and is after revenge. Valerie's got the hero complex.

For Danny Phantom SG-1—my creator as a creature of fandom—upon the date of her birth. 8D

Title from… yet another Laurence Fox song?

So Be Damned

October 18, 2015

For Liv

Valerie still hadn't gotten used to getting woken up in the middle of the night, but she was becoming well familiar with the lingering headache that stuck in the middle of her temple and refused to go away no matter how much coffee she tried to down when each new day brought with it less and less sleep.

One hand covered her face as soon as she realized that her room was completely dark except for the streetlamps streaming in through her mostly useless shades. It was early. But never too early to save people in danger from bloodthirsty ghosts. She shivered but pushed out from underneath her warm cocoon of covers.

She reached out a hand to blindly pat near her night stand for the beeping tracker but stopped as soon as her brain woke up enough to realize that it wasn't the right noise.

Wasn't her ghost equipment. Wasn't her alarm. But then...

… her phone?

Ice cold dread ran down her spine when she didn't recognize the number. Wasn't Paulina with a sob story about her love life or Kwan affectionately drunk dialing because Dash had challenged him to a post-game drinking game.

The last time someone had called at... she glanced at the time... 3:41... the last time someone had called this early, they'd been calling about her mom.

And Dad was out on the night shift…

All of the blood drained out of her face. It wasn't… it couldn't be… He was fine. It was just a wrong number, right? That happened sometimes.

She flipped the phone open and held it up to her ear, panting harshly.

There was silence on the other end.

"Hello," she croaked, trying—and failing—to convince herself that nothing was wrong.

"Hello, Valerie."

Her eyes narrowed, not all panic now that caution was creeping in. The voice sounded only mildly apologetic for calling in the middle of the night which probably meant that no one had died. But that still left the question of…

"Who's this?" she demanded, trying to sound forceful when she was in her pajamas with her hair all rumpled and grit in her eyes.

"I'm sorry to disturb you at this hour, my dear."

Valerie made a face at the weirdly familiar tone. "Okay, look, I don't know who…" she began.

"My name is Vlad," the voice interrupted.

That stopped her cold. Vlad? As in… Vlad Vlad? They mysterious guy who'd been dropping off packages of ghost hunting equipment for her? The guy she'd been trying to track down for months now to no avail?

"Yes, that Vlad," he said, as if reading her thoughts.

She bolted upright, electrified by the thought that she was talking to her mystery donor at long last. There were so many questions she wanted to ask, but she also couldn't scare him off or annoy him into hanging up, not when this was the only two-way contact she'd ever been able to make with him. It was hard to send messages when you didn't know where the person lived. And she couldn't just leave letters for the guy laying around for her dad to find. Or at school. Or the break room of the Nasty Burger, where she found her last box.

She'd have been thoroughly creeped out if it didn't give her the only means she had of protecting the town. Except now the guy apparently also had her cell phone number. So yeah, maybe a bit creeped out.

"I see you've been making good use of the things I've sent you."

"Y-yes," she said, trying to figure out where he was going. I guess I should thank you for…"

"No need," he broke in coldly, then sighed. When he continued, his tone was slightly apologetic. "I think you may have realized by now that I am not doing this out of the goodness of my heart. However," he continued. "You are skilled, Miss Grey. And have exceeded even my expectations."

Valerie refrained from thanking him when she realized that whoever this guy was had been watching her. She should have realized that he was analyzing her battles when she'd gotten a pocket blasters just a few days after she'd been caught off guard at school and hadn't been able to get to her backpack in time to stop the ghost getting through the gym.

"Thank you," she finally said.

"And so I would like to sponsor you."

Valerie frowned in confusion. "… I thought you already were."

"So I am," he said. "But I was thinking something more… far reaching, if you were agreeable."

Valerie shifted. "I'm listening."

"Thus far, you are the best ghost hunter going."

"Flattered," Valerie said, "but I'm not sure I'd got that far. The Fentons…"

"Are brilliant in their own right, yes, but for various reasons, they are unable to deal with the problem as effectively or comprehensively as this situation truly requires," Vlad countered. "You, however, are on the road to becoming a key player with the training, technology, and street smarts to provide Amity Park with its first line of defence.

"Now it seems to me," Vlad continued, "that the greatest roadblock is your lack of time. School is important, obviously; I wouldn't try to persuade you to give that up. But, if you agree to become my piece in this game, I will see to it that the school administration waives any detentions, unexcused absences, missed homework, and any property damage that may or may not occur in your immediate vicinity. Not to be taken advantage of to skip classes whenever you don't feel like it, of course," he added, "but you will need a certain amount of latitude when dealing with entities near school property."

Valerie was speechless.

"And of course there is the matter of your job at the Nasty Burger. That will have to stop effective immediately."

"But…!" Valerie protested before she could stop herself. She loathed that job with ever fiber of her being but it was her only source of income. And not only did she need it for basic amenities that her dad wasn't treating her to any longer, she needed it for lunch money and groceries and rent that her dad wasn't able to pull out of a magic top hat and next to non existent security jobs.

"Miss Grey, I am able to offer your father a full time position as head of security with a large and growing firm. His salary will never have been higher. And as for you, my patronage would include not only more equipment in the same line as those you've been receiving, but also a bi-weekly stipend to cover any wardrobe replacements, lost hours of sleep, etc." Before she fully had time to digest that, he added, almost as an afterthought, "Medical bills will be covered entirely by an anonymous third party."

Valerie blinked. The thought was not comforting at all.

"In short," Vlad concluded, "There is no need to worry about your monetary status."

Valerie tried to realize just what this meant, but her brain didn't seem to be working properly. "Oh wow," she breathed eventually.

"Does this sound agreeable to you?"

"How long do I have to think about it?" she asked.

There was a mirthless laugh on the other end of the line. "My dear, if you'd like my lawyer to put it in writing, I'll have it to you by the end of the day. But, regardless, this works out to everyone's advantage. You, me, your father… and the entire town. I can't imagine that you're seriously considering a refusal at this juncture."

Even if it was true, Valerie didn't like other people assuming it on her behalf. She frowned.

As if Vlad could sense it from the other end of the line, he sighed. The edge in his voice disappeared and now he just sounded as tired as she was.

"If you have any further stipulations to make, I'm sure we'll be able to work in anything else you'd like to request."

Valerie blinked a few times, the glow from the lights on her alarm clock just barely coating the room in an eerie glow.

She was smart, though, and it may have been four in the morning, but her dad was always telling her that if things seemed too good to be true then they probably were. It had been crazy enough getting advanced weaponry in the mail so that she could protect the town whenever ghosts showed their ugly ectoplasmic faces. But now getting promised carte blanche? A better job for her dad? The freedom to quit her job and still have an allowance on the side? There had to be a catch here somewhere.

"Okayyyyy," she said, rubbing her forehead. "But why are you calling to tell me this now? You know where I live so you have to know what time zone I'm in."

There was a calculated pause on the other end. "I knew you were bright," he eventually said. "Very well. I'll lay my cards out on the table."

Valerie opened her eyes wide and made a concentrated effort to pay attention.

"I need someone to hunt ghosts, just as you've been doing. You're the best option in town for my purposes. Perhaps my only option. Therefore, I need you to continue hunting ghosts, just as you've been doing. But with more equipment and more latitude. And I'm willing to pay to make sure that happens."

Valerie decided to push a little.

"Why?"

"I have a vested interest in this town, my dear girl. And in some of the people in it. I'd like to make sure they stay alive. And without your patrols, I'm not entirely sure that they will remain so."

Valerie sobered. She knew that her ghost hunting was necessary and good, but hearing her benefactor say point blank that she was the only reason that certain people were alive… that added a whole new layer onto the title of town protector.

One she wasn't sure she wanted, even if it technically rested with her regardless of her thoughts on the matter, so long as she kept doing what she had been doing.

And when he put it like that, though, it wasn't like she could stop. And if she wasn't going to stop, she might as well be paid for her efforts, have the road paved to make a nearly impossible job just a little bit more bearable.

That made sense, right?

"Fine," she said before she could stop herself. "I'll do it."

There was a shaky breath of relief on the other end. "Very well, I shall make the necessary arrangements to formalize what we've discussed. You'll find the first installment of your stipend waiting for you later this afternoon. And I want you out of your job today."

"But…"

"Today," he repeated. "You're not going to need a reference from the Nasty Burger and there are plenty of sulky teenagers able to pick up your extra shifts in order to make some pocket money," he sneered. "You have more important things to be doing. I want you out every time you think that there's something worth dealing with."

She nodded and he seemed to sense her silent acknowledgement just fine.

"And," here he hesitated for the first time. "I'm sure you've noticed that not ghosts are created equal, yes?"

Valerie hummed in agreement.

"There are two that I don't want you to engage."

She tilted her head, wondering if she was hearing correctly. Wasn't the whole point to fight all of the ghosts?

"Plasmius, for starters," he said and Valerie's forehead scrunched up because she had absolutely no clue what he was talking about. "Dashing vampire get-up. Blue skin, white cape. He doesn't pop up on this side of the plane often, but he's not the sort of ghost you're after if he does. Powerful," Vlad admitted, "very powerful, but not a threat to humans."

Valerie's head was reeling. "How… do you know?" she asked.

"Ah, some secrets must remain mine, my dear. But surely, you'd expect the man who can provide you with so much ghost hunting equipment to know a thing or two himself. I'll be sure to pass along any relevant information, if that's what you're worried about," he added with what she was sure was a smirk.

She decided not to press further.

Vlad's voice grew serious when he continued. "The other ghost… is Phantom."

Valerie swallowed heavily.

"You know Phantom," he said, knowing the answer already.

Oh yes.

She knew the berserker ghost that attacked its own kind, coming out fists blazing with powers she'd never seen before, attacking ghost after ghost in every corner of the city. He dispatched his quarry quickly but ruthlessly.

When her monitors had given her enough warning to actually arrive on the scene of one of his battles… well she didn't know how anyone would survive in Amity if he suddenly realized that people were targets too.

Thankfully he seemed hell-bent on engaging ghosts whenever possible, seeking out encounters at every turn.

"Do not engage," Vlad pressed. "If you see him in a situation where he can handle himself, leave. Turn around, and walk away. Do you understand me?"

Valerie was grateful for this stipulation at least. She'd have to rethink her agreement if it had been the opposite.

"And…" she ventured, "If it doesn't look like he can handle himself?"

Vlad let out a long breath.

"Stay out of his way but take out some of the other ghosts until he can," he said, his soft voice insistent on this point. "Don't stay until it's over. Don't catch his attention more than necessary. Do not attempt to capture or coerce or converse with him. Yes?"

"Yes," Valerie said, relieved more than she was willing to admit. "Fine. Can do."

"Very well. This is my private number. You can't see it, but if you return my calls, you'll be able to reach me in cases of emergency. I trust you won't need to," he added, an edge creeping back into his voice.

"Right," she said, a bit mystified.

"It was pleasure doing business with you, Miss Grey."

"And… you…" she trailed off as her phone went dead. Valerie flipped it shut and held it in the palm of her hand.

She blinked for a while at the ceiling, fuzzy in shadow above her. Then the window; it was a waxing moon tonight. Her clock blinked at her in large red digits. It was far too early for her to wrap her mind around this.

It might not even be real. Maybe the most bizarre dream she'd ever had in her life. She set her phone back down on her nightstand and double checked to make sure all of her equipment was as it should be.

Then she slid back under the warm covers, letting her thick eyelids slide shut.

She'd double check everything in the morning. See if she really could quit her job at the Nasty Burger. See if her dad was offered a promotion out of the blue.

All this to keep the town safe. This to do the right thing…

She was a superhero, she thought with a soft snort as she finally drifted off.

But her dreams were filled with darkness and streaks of fiery white and sickly glowing green and the ghost that didn't rest…

Not sure how much of this translated to the fic, but the idea is that Danny is so obsessed and revenge driven that he's out at all hours of the day, actively looking to pick fights with any and every ghost he's able to find. Like Valerie was with him in the show, except with a much wider scope. Vlad's worried that he's literally going to get himself killed if he doesn't stop, and he can't trust Jack and Maddie with ghost fighting since they'd definitely go after Phantom even if he specifically instructs them not to. So he tries to work damage control on the Fentons while he slips Valerie tech and finally sets her up as this full time protector of Amity Park.

He's also paving the way for his personal involvement if it actually comes to that, but he's hoping that he can talk some sense into Daniel before it comes to that. It would get awkward if he actually had to set up shop in Amity Park and Valerie put two and two together.

Not planning on doing more with this, but I like the idea so if anyone else wants to pick it up, as always, just come talk to me! :D