Valerie felt underdressed for the occasion, but Tucker seemed to be casual enough to match her own hasty attire of loose jeans and a wool sweater. It was Sam and Danny that were dressed more formally, although Valerie supposed that it was as much a date for the two of them as it was a homecoming occasion. After all, they only saw each other when they were home from school.

The Spices Warehouse was certainly a more upscale establishment than Nasty Burger. Well-dressed waiters bustled about, handling heavy platters of food while the front desk phone rang constantly and a steady stream of clients were lining up at the front desk. Valerie felt out of place; her family budget really didn't permit eating out often and thus it had been a while since she had seen the sight of tabled patrons sipping red wine and conversing without guffawing and snorting the way they did at the more youthfully attended and crude Fast Food restaurants that she worked at part time. It was a further cry than the secret vigilantism that she carried out in the shadows and dirty places of the city, making her feel even more tentative with each step, but with the sight of her friends at a corner booth, under the light of a warm hanging light that swung subtly above their heads, she quickened her pace across the plush red carpet, a happy smile crossing her face.

"Well hey! There's our Waldo" Tucker exclaimed as he looked up from his food. "We were wondering what happened to you, getting back from skydiving or something like that?"

"Ha ha Tucker, as if" Valerie said in a playful sort of annoyed, although was slightly disconcerting just how closely he had guessed to the truth. "So, anything left for me?"

"If you want spice city, sure!" Sam said on the opposite side of the table, tucking a lock of her relatively short black hair behind her ear as she turned her attention towards the latecomer. "Sorry, I'm a fan of hot spice and everything else nice and burning for the tongue"

"I thought you were a purist vegetarian and nothing else Sam" Valerie teased as she sat down next to the Tucker, who was ungraciously busy with a large slab of steak, despite the evil looks that Sam was sending him. "But really, did you order …"

"Spaghetti?" An older waiter interrupted cheerfully, setting a plate in front of her. "I was on the lookout for the fashionably late Madame"

"Thanks for waiting" Danny piped up "We all know just how busy Valerie is sometimes between 3 jobs and Amity Park Community College"

"You wouldn't believe it" Valerie rolled her eyes and dug into her meal, relishing the taste. "From here to Main street I have more hours to work than I think I can afford sometimes"

"You're doing a good turn for your father" Sam nodded. "So how fares thy city Valerie? Anything changed since we left in the fall? Any new misbehaving from my parents? I can scold them if you want"

"you already did" Danny raised an eyebrow as he finished his plate, eyeing a bowl of soup hungrily. Valerie listened with a sly smile, anticipating a rebellious tirade from Sam against her guard. "yeah" Tucker said "I saw it live at the banquet they were holding at the convention Center, Sam was like the Joker from the Dark Knight, sending guests screaming from the mere sight of her"

"I can do it again" Sam was practically rubbing her hands together. "They are sponsoring an Auction tomorrow at Dinner Time and I know just how much they enjoy their 'clinically disturbed' daughter cutting into their pipe dreams"

"Your parents do a lot of good around these neighborhoods Sam, I don't understand your enmity with them" Valerie frowned, although she knew that nothing was going to change Sam's devious grin on her face. "But really, it's been really quiet ever since you left"

"Like Amity Park quiet, or quiet quiet?" Tucker asked.

"Quiet quiet, no ghost attacks, no ghost diseases, not even the Box Ghost has shown up since the school year started up. Which certainly relives Mayor Masters, he nearly lost the recent election because of the mounting attacks"

"Which would have been fine by me" Danny grumbled.

"What is your problem with him?" Valerie retorted.

"A Lot" the three friends spoke simultaneously, making Valerie drop her fork in surprise. "Oh…kay, that's an implicit unanimous agreement for sure"

"The question is" Danny darkened, his voice lowering almost dangerously while his blue eyed gaze was abruptly fierce and subtly threatening "what do you like about him?"

Valerie opened her mouth to speak, but then realized that any favorable statement about Vlad Masters would tie her closely with the Mayor, which was infringing upon her own secret identity which was tied inextricably with the billionaire. Not to mention that there was something hidden about the way that Sam, Tucker, and Danny were looking at her pressingly, almost accusingly. This was something older than a seasonal development and stretched back in time to old High school Days, Valerie sensed, and knew better than to spit out words into a Lion's Den.

She quickly changed her tone. "Never mind that, it's just politics"

"Like Fire-eater Politics" Danny murmured before Sam jabbed an elbow into his side. "Knock-it off Danny, I did not drive back to my parent's hometown all the way from freedom and Loyola University to get into an argument about a stupid mayor"

"Stupid is right" Danny grumbled before another elbow in the ribs shut him up.

"Stupid like George Bush stupid" Tucker said with a mischievous smile.

"TUCKER!" it was Valerie, Sam, and Danny's turn to shout unanimously while Tucker cracked up. "Ha ha, you should have seen your faces just now. Relax, I don't even know what the word 'politics' means anyway"

"let's leave partisan topics for the insane asylum and stand-up comedy okay?" Sam glared at Tucker "you can save it for the MIT dormitory but not here!"

"How is MIT Tucker?" Valerie asked, looking over as Tucker took a long draft of a glass of a water.

He shrugged "hell on earth, as per the reputation. But I'm already getting job offers as a sophomore, so I'm not complaining any more than the internet memes that I make mocking my professors…and when I pull all night study sessions."

"I never knew you to be a hard studier Tucker" Danny said between mouthfuls of food.

"You need to be, especially considering that Professor Harding is Hard, No pun intended" Tucker said seriously. "And how is community College Valerie?"

"A lot better than everyone says it is. The class sizes are small, the homework light and the teachers good." Valerie said before taking a mouthful of her food, pausing and swallowing before saying her next thought. "Although your Mom is my favorite teacher by far Danny"

"His Mom!?" Tucker exclaimed "since when did your Mom teach Danny?!"

Danny shook his head "Tucker you lunk head, Valerie has been studying under my Mom since summer and you know it for…what's that degree called Valerie? Paratheol…"

"Paraosycology? Offered at the Duke University Rhine Research Center? Yeah " Valerie smiled proudly "And I must say that your Mom is the best teacher I ever had and your Dad is a genius when it comes to engineering ghost-capturing devices, like this"

She held up a strange looking device that looked like an oversized old fashioned pocket watch, complete with a complementary chain for conveniences of access. However, upon its chrome exterior, there was a small digital readout display next to a LED light that glowed Green above a matrix of coils that wrapped around the edge of the device. Danny seemed disturbed by the watch, Sam distrustful, and Tucker in love.

"What wondrous piece of electronic gadget is this?" Tucker spoke as if hypnotized by the slow swaying of the watch back and forth.

"it's a Fenton Spectralameter. It measures ambient ectoplasmic saturation of the atmosphere. Actually, your parents make a fortune selling this thing to ghost hunters internationally, they were even able to pay off most of their debts on their equipment and let me tell you, that's a hefty sum"

"I know" Danny said warily "it's the only way that they're paying for the tuition for both Jazz and me, and let me tell you, Harvard is not cheap regardless of whatever plentiful financial aid they gave"

Tucker's mouth fell open "Wow Danny, your IQ must have jumped from below average to genius if you transferred to Harvard from Wisconsin State"

"Shut up!" Danny jabbed back with a scowl. "I'm talking about Jazz dimwit" but Tucker was laughing anyway. Danny just ignored him. "anyway, when did they come out with that thing? Back in June?"

"I helped with the patent paperwork on it" Valerie said cheerfully as she looked at the Spectralameter with a glowing smile on her face "probably the greatest contribution to the field of paranormal science since the invention of the ghost portal which…by the way"

She was suddenly puzzled to notice that the digital readout was ticking upwards and the LED light changing from green to yellow and then orange as she hovered the watch more or less in Danny's direction. 5.7 was a high reading, even for natural ectoplasmic hotspots.

"When Danny was 14, he had a bit of a run in with the Ghost Portal…in fact he activated it, giving him a severe electrocution. Thankfully it wasn't any worse, but ever since then all of our equipment has been confused by his ectoplasmic readout, which is unusually high, might I had. At first I assumed that it was just some long-term residual contamination, and as you know, all living persons have a low ectoplasmic signature naturally, but Danny's contamination didn't go away, it continues to increase year by year. Something around 5.5 the last time I checked it, but don't you worry about a thing, its perfectly normal…"

Valerie nodded in understanding, recalling what Maddie had told her concerning the slight anomaly surrounding Danny. It was odd, but nothing to be concerned about. He seemed perfectly fine. What did seem out of the usual was the way Danny looked back as she put away the watch. It was an almost deja-vu moment, there was something in that serious way he examined her at that moment that reminded her of someone other than Danny, but she didn't give it much thought, but just waved a hand.

"Earth to Danny, you okay?" she asked.

"Yeah" he said slowly, almost cautiously. "So what else is new with my parents? I'll be seeing them later after the movie"

"Oh, they're eccentric as usual. Your Dad teaches me circuitry and your Mom does ectoplasmic physics, so between the two, I am probably among the most educated ghost experts in the world" she said jokingly, although Sam and Danny both seemed to take her words at their face value.

"Fascinating, isn't it?" Danny asked. "I'm almost envious"

"Really Danny, I thought you were glad…" and as Sam spoke, Valerie swore she saw her wink at him "to be away from home"

"Well, of course, what are you talking about? I'm not envious at all Sam" Danny said kiddingly "I am doing so well in Professor Donahue's Chemistry Class of Doom alongside Math for Dummies with Professor Can't speak English"

"Oh quite whining" Sam rolled her eyes "At least you see your teachers. Loyola has big lecture halls and even more students, and too many professor assistants, but I don't want to talk about my…experiences there"

"Why not?" Valerie asked.

"Don't ask" Sam said darkly. "let's just say that the administration and me don't always agree on unannounced mass rallies mysteriously organized by A Reformer."

"Cough cough Sam is a neo-Hippe Cough Cough" Danny and Tucker both spluttered, although Tucker got away without a condemning glare. Danny just grinned sheepishly. "Nothing Honey Sammeykins" he said before a cuff over the head silenced his antics.

"Are you asking for death, because you are half way there and I can finish the rest of it" Sam warned. Valerie and Tucker both snickered as Danny gave Sam a wide-eyed look in return, although something about the seriousness in Sam and Tucker's eyes seemed to imply some sort of inside joke that Valerie was not privy too.

By the time the clock was indicating that they would be late to the movie, Valerie felt like the group of friends had never left. One by one they had exchanged stories, explained their circumstances both good and bad, and provided a true cross-section of their individual lives, bringing to life Facebook photos and posts, and laughing at odd situations they had been somehow ended up in during the long months that they had been away from home. It did make her wonder about the way that life was slowly changing them, turning Danny Sam, herself and Tucker into different individuals than they had been while enrolled at Casper High school and how, despite their similarities, their lives were vastly different and unique in that matter, both on the inside and out. It was a comfort to know that deep down, they were still the same personalities as they had been several months ago at their graduation parties, but she did notice that there was a bit of shield that they each held a bit closer they had than before, hiding small parts of their lives that were not to be shared.

Everyone holds secrets, Valerie knew that first hand to an extreme; she had an entire vigilante identity to protect along with all the responsibilities of keeping Amity Park safe with it, but as a general rule of thumb, there is the part of mind that lets memories and experiences in, and then never lets them out. She often craved to know, for instance, why Tucker occasionally looked at her with a scrutinizing glare. Was he passing judgments that he hadn't made before he had gone off to school? Had he learned something about himself that made him treat her differently? What about Sam, and the 'rebellious lifestyle' she referred too. What was that like from her perspectives? They shared their stories but it was impossible to completely share their lives. Even if they had had hours to talk, nothing could exchange the true viewpoint in which they each individually saw life.

Perhaps it was just paranoia or a symptom of nostalgia.

No matter now, Valerie thought as she rose to let Tucker out of the booth. Sam was searching her purse while Danny pulled on a black coat, fumbling with the buttons.

"What are we seeing again?" Valerie asked as she stood up.

"The Life within the Deeps, by some obscure director" Sam spoke with relish as she complied the bill and prepared to pay "I absolutely adore these more unusual movies. Beats watching the good guys shoot up the bad guys for 2 hours"

"Hey, don't diss Clintwood" Tucker protested "he's more tough than Chuck Norris and Arnold Schwarzenegger combined"

"Sounds like someone is compensating for something" Danny said as he lightly punched Tucker in the arm as Tucker's jaw dropped open in feigned offense.

"How Dare you!" Tucker waved his arms wildly "are you implying that I watch tough movies because I'm weak? I, for your information, lift weights now" and Tucker lifted his nose and closed his eyes with an air of superiority, even though Valerie knew that he was joking.

"How about we test that behind the dumpster right now?" Danny stepped in front of Tucker and drew himself up to his full height, flaunting the 4 inches he had over his friend. "I would just love to get beaten the same way you beat me on Skyrim"

"Is that a challenge?" Tucker said playfully, although not seriously.

"If you boys don't stop acting like idiots now I will send those pictures of the All Night Senior Party to your parents" Sam growled. "Now will you act your age and get moving? We're late already"

Valerie chuckled "you better take her seriously. I don't think you will be spending much time away from the phone explaining those photos to Mom and Pop if you don't do what she says"

Danny and Tucker looked at Valerie and Sam, and then back at each other. Danny grinned at Tucker. "A Quest? Sir Foley?"

"A Quest to reclaim our honor and photos? Oh yes indeed" Tucker looked at Sam. "I didn't know you had blackmail on us"

"LET's GO!" Sam said, amethyst eyes flashing as she swept out of the booth, bill in hand. Danny and Tucker just laughed as they followed her.

"Hey gang…what about the tip?" Valerie asked.

"Oh…Valerie, could you do that? I have to go take care of this" Sam said over her shoulder, motioning to the bill in her hand. Danny and Tucker were conversing avidly, not noticing their negligence.

"Sure" she didn't mind. Sam was covering their costs after all. "What's the total?"

"About 70 dollars"

"Alright…let's see. 15% is about 10 bucks so…"

Valerie noticed at that moment, even as her hand stretched for her wallet that a set of keys was left behind, lying on the plastic seat cover of the booth next to a crumpled napkin that had fallen from the rubbish covered table top.

She set down the money and grabbed them. It was a simple ring with a Ford key and remote, along with a house key, apartment key, old antique key, strong box key and…

Antique?

She looked around. The trio hadn't noticed her deliberation and were talking amongst themselves as they headed out the front door. She turned her attention back to the key and scrutinized it, shocked to see two small initials on the neck between the small finger ring and the old fashioned skeleton key arm.

D

The same D that Danny Phantom had on his suit, the same D that symbolized the other vigilante that occasionally patrolled the town, the same…

A beep distracted her, coming from the Spectralameter in her pocket, a single high pitched tone that indicated a high reading of ambient ectoplasm. She raised the watch to eyelevel and held it close to the hey, watching as the digital display counted up to 6.5 and the LED light glowed a crimson red.

"Valerie, come on!" Danny called, holding open the front door for Sam and Tucker.

Valerie froze, looked at Danny and back at they key, and without a second thought, tore the antique skeleton key from the main key ring and stuffed it in her pocket. She quickly strode over to Danny, handing him his forgotten item.

"You might want this Danny" she said nonchalantly.

"Thanks" he said gratefully, dropping the keys in his coat pocket without a second thought.

Valerie didn't look back to see his expression or whether he thought something was amiss. Her conscience was in revolt as she entered the cold of the night and followed Sam and Tucker to the parking lot, but she merely buried it under an old mantra that she had repeated since freshmen year.

When it comes to Phantom, the means to the end is without question.

Read and Review! I own nothing nothing nothing! (Echo)

Thanks to the following for their reviews

Miss Frizzle

baby Cyclops

jeanette9a

Corin Manson aka Spectral Rose