Disclaimer: All rights to Danny Phantom belong to Nickelodeon and Butch Hartman. This is fanfiction in the DP world that is loosely based off of A Christmas Carol, which does not belong to me. I make no claim to the origins, but do not repost without my consent.
VALERIE GREY DID was not a Scrooge and she did not hate Christmas, thank you very much.
She did, however, despise everything that involved Christmas; directly or indirectly. Like Chrismtas trees, the smell of apples and cinnamon, the music, the colors, and the way that everybody was just so goddamn happy.
Nobody should be happy.
Not with her mother gone.
Her mother used to love the holiday. She would put up numerous Christmas trees in their old humongous house, drown the house in lights on the outside, blast the same twelve Christmas songs louder than all, and bake enough Christmas cookies for a small country.
And to be honest, Valerie used to love Christmas too. Like the discount sales on pricy clothes when she used to have money, making ginger bread houses, and sipping hot chocolate by the fire while she either read or listened to the audio of The Night Before Christmas.
That is until she walked in on her mom and an attractive Santa in his early thirties making-out on the couch when she was twelve.
Yeah, it killed Christmas for most likely the rest of Valerie's life.
Her mom and Santa ran off and she never saw them again, aside from the numerous texts and calls she got every day from a deleted number that she refused to answer to.
Okay, so maybe she hated Christmas. She hated Christmas a lot.
Perhaps even more than she hated Inviso-Bill.
Which brings us to how she ended up in this not-so-jolly Christmas mess!
To be fair... The ghost boy started it. He had started it years ago when he had destroyed Axion Labs, lost her father's job, and ruined her life. The princess in silk was forced to become a hunter in rags.
And how Valerie hated him for it. He made her loose everything, he would pay for all the trouble and pain he caused her.
So, she hunted Danny Phantom down, not even a single doubt ever crossed her mind about what she was doing. If it was right or wrong, hunting a person down as if they were an animal.
But Phantom was not a human, therefor he was not a person. He was a ghost, a moving embodiment of ectoplasm, post human consciousness, and revenge.
That was all he was.
An embodiment of ectoplasm that resembled a teenager around her age: sixteen. An embodiment of ectoplasm that continuously lied about being hero.
He was no hero.
Before he came around, Valerie never really had a reason to hate anybody. She lived a good life, she was in a popular clique, and she had nearly everything handed to her on a silver platter. But she never realized just how much hatred she was capable of, she was blind from it, drowning in a bottomless pool.
It was like a wave crashing down, smashing her to the floor, and messing with her thoughts. Before she had known it, she was getting smashed by that wave every day, and she began to hate that wave. Even if it was not Phantom. She began to blame it for everything that crossed her path: her bad grades, her mother.
It was his fault. It was all of his fault.
She was blind, so tragically blind. Revenge was the only thing she saw. Her life had become dedicated to terminating it, to wipe it off of the face of the universe.
It was Christmas Eve in Amity Park and the citizens were not afraid to show it. Houses everywhere were decorated with sickly beautiful lights, carolers sang without shame. People rushed out of stores with arms full of presents from last minute shopping, children laughed in anticipation, the bakeries smelling fondly of cookies. The town was a winter wonderland. The small city coated in a layer of white blankness, snow fell gently and gracefully. The sharp winter breeze blew through the bare trees, shaking their empty branches. The wind a howling beast whom could not be conquered.
They were in Town Square, where a hundred-foot Christmas tree stood in the center. Covered from star-to-base in magnificent ornaments and glitter. Many lights strung across it, glowing like a beacon of Christmas spirit.
But one soul was not in said spirit, for the Red Huntress hovered on her board over the injured creature whom laid at her mercy.
Phantom lay on the snow-covered sidewalk, his small form curled into a ball. Valerie smirked, malicious dancing in her eyes, like an eternal fire. The ghost was injured and badly. Ectoplasm stained the snow beneath them, it was in puddles, it was overwhelming for anyone who looked- and oh, God, there was just so much blood...
People fled in terror, parents shielding their children's eyes because after so many years, the Red Huntress finally had him. After years of falling to its tricks, years of loosing, she finally nailed Phantom.
A clear and unsuspected shot.
A day when she was not as blinded, she would've felt a sense of guilt- for the people of Amity had feared her in that second. They feared what she was capable of. Even though Valerie was not a ghost-fighting hero like Phantom, she did not want to be the villain.
The white-haired teen groaned as it lifted its head. Its fluffy white locks- purer than the snow around them- fell in its eyes, its eerie green eyes- eyes that were the color of trees, the color of Christmas.
The Red Huntress stepped off of her hoverboard, a sneer plagued her face, a once beautiful face. Her eyes burned with a million fires that was a thousand times more powerful than the sun.
Phantom only stared at her, the boots of her suit crunching the snow under her feet. Valerie smirked, she grabbed it by the chin. She glared at Phantom, it only continued to stare blankly, its hands pressing against its wound on its chest. "How does it feel to be at someone else's mercy?" she crooned, a scowl glued to her face.
No answer.
She sneered and abruptly, she grabbed Phantom by its collar and slammed the back of its head against the cement. The remaining people- too mortified to move- winced, stepping back cautiously, but not screaming, they weren't sure if they even could.
It cried out in pain and she watched- watched as green-colored liquid oozed out of the back of its head, dying its snowy white hair ectoplasmic green.
She could see him begin to tremble, his shoulders shaking. She could hear soft whimpers, muffled sobs from a creature not capable of pain. And then she saw it, a tear streaked down its face. A crystal, see-through-tear trailed down his cheek then dropped into the snow.
She could see the words in his eyes, they were pleading, they were begging her. Please stop...
But Phantom had not stop ruining her life.
The Red Huntress grabbed a fistful of its white hair and it let out a strangle cry of agony, heart-wrenching agony. "Listen here, Phantom," she whispered, her voice gravely dangerous. The ghost kid winced, it was scared of her. And then she began to laugh, she laughed- because the all-mighty Danny Phantom was terrified of her. It was terrified. It was afraid.
Phantom whimpered, slamming its eye lids shut. Its hands slipped towards the gapping wound that had not ceased to stop gushing green substance. Green blood flowed through his hands, flowing like a water fall onto the snow. It cringed, its chest aching in pain and overwhelming fear.
It didn't even fight as Valerie roughly grabbed its shoulder, slamming ghost cuffs on its wrists, and dragging it onto her hoverboard. All that Phantom could think about was the gaping wound in its chest, its eyes bleared with drowsiness and blood loss.
She landed at an abandoned warehouse, the same warehouse that she had taken Phantom when it had convinced her to save Danielle. But that was when there was a larger agenda at hand. That was when she wasn't completely blinded. That was before when she had one-hundred percent dedicated her life to hurting it. That was before she had gone insane.
Nearly effortlessly, Valerie chained the ghost to the wall. Phantom did not struggle, its body limp. It was unconscious and Valerie laughed at that.
She finally had it. She finally had Danny Phantom.
The Red Huntress chuckled softy, examining the gun that Vlad had given her long ago. True, she no longer worked for him, but that doesn't mean she wasn't going to use the weapons.
The weapon was the size of her palm, pocket-size. The black barrel housed a jaw of tasers. It was small and it would hurt.
RING! RING!
She cringed, placing the ecto-gun down on the table. Her face carved into a deeper scowl, a sneer plastered on her face. She deactivated her suit, pulling out the cracked phone from her back pocket.
"Yes?" she hissed, grinding her teeth together. She pressed the phone to her ear, still scowling.
"Don't talk to me like that, young lady," her father scolded, frowning, an edge cut at his voice.
Valerie forced a smile, the next words that came out were far too sugary to be real. "Yes, Daddy," she said innocently.
"Where are you?"
She glanced over her shoulder, the Ghost Boy's limp form still bleeding. She smirked. "I'm at the library, reading on Egypt."
The lie was smooth and well-constructed, a lie similar to those she had told many times.
"It's Christmas Eve, Valerie," said Damon. "There's no school for a week."
"I know- but Egypt is so-" she made sure to put an emphasis on that- "interesting!"
"Hm," her father hummed.
There was a long moment of silence. There was no question to if he believed her lie. He had fallen for it a million times and he would continue to a million times more. Damon was simply thinking about what to say next.
"Well, it's Christmas tomorrow- now, I know it's not your favorite holiday, but you shouldn't be roaming town in the cold alone."
"What makes you say I'm alone?"
He sighed heavily, "Val, both of us know you haven't talked to anyone much lately."
Did her own father just call her a loner?
"Fine," she grumbled, "I'm heading home."
"Bye. Love you."
"Love," she said, hanging up. The ghost hunter turned to face Phantom, he wasn't going anywhere... Not this time.
Valerie activated her suit, flying to a disgusting alley next her and her father's run down apartment. She detransformed once more, quickly rushing inside, rubbing her arms for she had forgotten her coat. The keys in her pocket unlocked the rusty lock on the door. It creaked as she opened it then quickly closed it behind her.
Her and her father lived in a shoe-box apartment, it was small expectedly. With a dining room/kitchen/living room, two bedrooms, and a bathroom. The once colorful paint on the walls was faded, the paint and the paper peeling. The cheap lights glowed with florescent light. The carpet was covered in dirt and mold, the air inside smelled of rotten eggs. In the corner of the living room sat a pathetic three foot Christmas tree, three ornaments hanging from its green branches.
"Hey, sweetheart," greets her dad, kissing her forehead. He ruffled her hair, smiling down at her, his eyes sparkling with a thousand stars.
How could he be so happy?
"Hi, Dad," Valerie said, brushing a hand through her long tangled dark hair. "How was your day?"
"Good," he laughed once more. His laugh sounded like the Santa's from the movies. "I got my Christmas bonus."
Her eyes sparked, "Really?"
"Yep," a larger grin graced his face. "And I'm making dinner- and it is not Nasty Burger this time!"
"Thank you, Papa," she smiled, kissing her father's cheek. The hunter walked to her bedroom, collapsing on her cheap bed that squeaked as she put her weight on it.
She should be happy.
Her father got a bonus, she wasn't stuck eating Nasty Burger again, and Phantom was at her mercy, completely at her whim. It was injured badly with no means of escape. Any minute she could walk into that warehouse and cause it pain, so much pain that it screams, tears streaming down its face until the prideful Danny Phantom was reduced to nothing but a sobbing piece of ectoplasm crying out for help. Phantom was already half way there, in fact.
So, why wasn't she happy? She should be celebrating, cheering at the top of her lungs.
"Not happy?-... Hm, not surprised," said a voice at her window.
The Red Huntress yelped, she jumped from her bed, her eyes widening in shock. Her hands trembled, her shoulders tense in disbelief. She stuttered, "S-s-s-tar?" she gulped. She recognized the blond instantly.
Her former best friend sat at her window sill, her window opening its arms to the sharp and bitter wind of winter. Her blond hair floated around her face like she were a mermaid in water, her classic hair pin still in place. Her skin glowed with a light that wasn't natural. Her thin wrists were covered in chains and locks, which connected to bricks and anchors. The weight weighed down her shoulders and her eyes glowed with an intelligent peace that did not belong in the A-Lister's eyes.
Valerie stuttered, words forming and dying. "Wha- how- why- what?"
A smile graced her pale pink lips, a smile full of wonder and empathy. "So," she began, looking down at herself. The girl looked back up Valerie, tilting her head to the side. "Do you have a minute?" she chuckled, her eyes sparkling in the light.
Suddenly pieces slammed into place inside her head: the glow of her skin, the floating hair. Valerie cried out a noise that could not be described. "Y-yo-you're a ghost!"
Star giggled, concealing her mouth behind her hand, the chains on her wrists rattling as she moved. "Oh, my, no... I'm a Shadow."
"A shadow?" repeated the disbelieving Red Huntress. Her feet slowly moved against the creaking floorboards, her arm stretched to her shelf where a shiny ecto-gun laid.
Star raised an eyebrow at her movements. She stretched out her hand, Valerie yelped, dodging to the side. The gun flew into Star's palm and she effortlessly smashed it. The pieces of metal drizzling to the ground.
"A Shadow," repeated Star. "I am not Star. I foretell her future in the afterworld."
The ghost hunter's eyes narrowed, "The Ghost Zone?"
She smiled, "The Ghost Zone is only one land of the dead, child." she told her gently.
Valerie sneered, "If you think those are the only weapons-"
"Then pull them out," she stated, her eyes fell into blankness, it was a challenge. "Do it. Shoot me. It won't hurt me anyways."
She sneered, lowering her hand. Glares made of daggers pierced into Not-Star.
"Will you let me finish?" she asked. Silence. "Good..." she trailed off. She raised her hands, the chains rattling noisily, a surprise that her father did not hear the noise. "I am a Shadow. My kind reflect the souls of the penalties people will face for eternity, what has happened or what will happen."
"What are you talking about?"
"What I'm saying, Valerie Marilyn Grey," she said. The hunter's shoulders tensed, her eyes narrowing, the scowl on her face deepening. "Is that these chains are what your former friend, Star, has formed in her life time," the Shadow raised her wrists. "She forged them link-by-link and when she dies, if she comes to our afterlife, she shall forever carry these chains."
"That's not my problem."
"I have come to warn you," the blond stated, her eyes shining boldly with courage that did definitely not belong to Star Mathews. "Your chains were this heavy and long two years ago when you started to hunt Phantom." she smiled cruelly at her next words, "Can you imagine how long they are now?"
She glared at her, "Why does it matter to you about my afterlife?"
"Because you and your choices will effect the course of history, for the good or the bad it is not clear yet," the Shadow claimed. Valerie scowled deeper. "Three shadows much like me shall come in the night and they intended to teach you two lessons."
"I intend to learn none."
"Then don't," replied the Star-look-alike coldly. "It is your choice and your choices that shall hurt or benefit others around you."
Phantom popped into the hunter's head.
"If you continue your ways, Ms. Grey," said the shadow, "your fate will be much, much worse than you believe. Trust me on that."
Valerie folded her arms over her chest, seething in anger, "And why should I trust you?"
She smiled, "Because you have no other choice, my dear."
And then she was gone, leaving Valerie in her empty room with the howling wind.
{Yeah, I basically reuploaded this from Wattpad ( Book_Worm117) because... Yeah, actually, I don't know why... It might be because I feel guilty that I deleted all of my stories on this site or I want more views... Hm... Greed be an ugly monster...
Is Valerie OOC? Yup. That's sorta the point.
The time line is altered, it takes place when Danny and Valerie are sixteen, two years after Danny got powers and one year after D-Stabilized. Since there is no Phantom Planet, Val has obviously continued to hunt Phantom to the point of obsession. And because the whole series takes place within a year (despite there being a Christmas special and two summer episodes), "Reality Gauntlet" instead takes place during spring while "Claw of the Wild" is basically the whole summer...
This Christmas special shall be shorter than my normal fics on Wattpad, but hopefully better written if all goes according to plan (probably won't tbh)
Please review! I'll try to reply to comments.
Bye!}
