One Two Three
By: Wilona Riva
Disclaimer: This is based on Cordria's Nova Shots #34. I have no claim to this story or Danny Phantom. He belongs to Butch Hartman.
Finding Phantom
"Damn that ghost!" Valerie muttered, dark circles under her eyes. "Where did he go, this time?" She activated her cold sensors and began circling over the three city blocks in between Ciry Avenue and Scopes Park. The obnoxious FentonWorks sign glowed beneath her like the noonday sun.
"I wonder if these guys have ever heard of light pollution?" she muttered.
"Tried," Phantom's voice whispered into her ear. "What are you doing here, Val?"
"AHH!" she screamed, spinning around on her jet sled, glaring at him. Activating her specter sniper, she aimed directly for his heart. "You're dead, halfa."
Phantom raised one eyebrow. "Where did you hear that term?"
"A classmate," Valerie answered.
"Ah," Phantom said, nodding in understanding. "So, have you figured it out yet?"
"No," Valerie muttered, lowering her gun. "This cat-and-mouse game you've initiated, Phantom, is getting mighty old. Why don't you just tell me who you are?"
Phantom grinned and shook his head. "Will you hunt me down in my human form?"
Valerie grinned. "I didn't think it would be that easy." She deactivated her weapon and put it away. "I'll just have to keep guessing then."
Phantom saucily saluted her.
"Before you go, ghost boy," the huntress said, stopping him in his tracks. "Would you mind answering me one question?"
"Sure," Phantom replied, swallowing. "Just one?"
"Just one," Valerie smiled behind her helmet. "What did you have at Bessie's last night?'
"A vanilla ice cream malt," he automatically answered. He clamped both hands over his mouth, emerald eyes bulging out of his sockets. "Oh, crud!"
"Hello, Danny Fenton," she laughed. "Why didn't I notice the similarities between your two forms before?"
"Appearances can be deceiving," he mumbled, knowing he was dead. "Val, look the ghost dog-"
"Old news," she replied, waving him off. "I won't be letting you off scott free, Fenton, just because you're a ghost."
"Halfa," Danny corrected.
"Halfa," she grudgingly agreed. "Screw up, Phantom, and I'll send you straight to the Ghost Zone."
"Val-"
"No, Danny," she interrupted him, taking off her helmet and shaking out her hair. "We're not friends; we're not enemies. Gah, I really have to crop my hair; it's too long and frankly, I'm getting sick of helmet hair."
"Try flat on the top and shaved on the sides," he suggested.
"Out of your mind, ghost," Valerie grumbled. "My dad would kill me."
"You kind of looked cute with your hair like that."
"When did you see me-Hey!" Valerie exclaimed just before she was nearly blasted by a green ecto-ray.
"Watch it!" she heard Phantom yell downwards. "Some people are trying to talk up here!"
"Not on my city block, ghost punk!" yelled back the familiar voice of Jack Fenton. "Where's my son? It's past his curfew."
Phantom rolled his eyes upwards. "They never give me a break," he muttered. "How should I know?" he called to his father. "Invent something that tracks halfas or something."
"What's a halfa?"
Phantom smacked his forehead. "Too much info, Fenton."
"Well if you see him, tell him he's grounded," Jack shouted up. "He ate the last of my peanut butter fudge." He slammed the window shut and went back to bed.
Valerie laughed as she watched the exchange between Phantom and Jack Fenton. "If you don't watch it, they might figure it out faster than I did."
"Last thing I want right now," Phantom, no Danny, told her. "See you at school tomorrow?"
Valerie smiled, putting her helmet back on. "You're on. Tomorrow should be enlightening."
