A/N: ... At this moment, there are no possible words to describe my guilt for taking so long on this story. I am really sorry. Right now, my emotions are more haywire than ever, and it's a struggle to find the concentration to sit down and write. Hang in there, guys. I'm not giving up.
On the bright side, this is the chapter you've all been waiting for. This is where we find out what happens when Valerie and Danny meet again. This is where we find out what will happen to their relationship. Will it get better? Will it ever be the same again?
One word of advice, folks: I wrote this chapter very painstakingly. I was extremely careful with my word choice. So make sure you pay attention to how things are worded. Most of all, pay attention to how Danny and Valerie act, not just what they say.
Enjoy the chapter!
Blue eyes met green eyes, and the world came to a screeching halt, if only for a moment. Tension hung over hospital room 416 like a suffocating blanket. The two teenagers simply looked at each other for a minute, until Valerie decided she couldn't handle the intensity of Danny's stare any longer.
"Hey, Danny," she said quietly, her eyes downcast. Danny didn't respond at first, but directed his gaze away from her. Valerie didn't say anything else, merely waiting. Compared to how she had pictured this, he was welcoming her with open arms.
"Why are you here?" he finally asked, a bitter edge to his voice. "Have you come to gloat about your victory over the ghost kid?"
"Danny, look, I… I was just really confused, and – "
"Oh really?" Danny snapped. "You seemed pretty certain when you shot me." Perhaps he was being a bit harsh, but now that he had gotten started, his feelings were spurting out like a geyser.
"No, I was angry," Valerie retorted, crossing her arms. "And I had every right to be mad at you!"
"And, let me guess, you had every right to put me in the hospital, too?" Sparks were flying as bottled up feelings were released.
"You're lucky to be in the hospital!" Valerie said. "I could've let you there to die!"
"Oh, so now you're threatening me. What a productive conversation this is," Danny said with a glare.
"No! No, I'm not trying to threaten you!" Valerie exclaimed, snapping out of her anger. She quickly subdued her temper; it made everything she said sound a hundred times worse. "I'm trying to make you see how confused I was!"
"And you expect that to excuse you from what you did to me?" Danny demanded, fire in his eyes. Then, he looked away, and his voice softened. "I tried to tell you a lot of things that night, Valerie. But you wouldn't listen."
"I know," she said, her voice softer as well. Her eyes burned, but she held back the tears. "I know, and I'm sorry, but you shouldn't have kept that from me. Why did you have to lie?"
"Because I was afraid this would happen," Danny said. "I was afraid that you would be angry and prejudiced. I was afraid that you would hurt me… and that I would hurt you." By the end of the sentence, his voice had dropped to a whisper. Valerie dared to walk closer to his hospital bed.
"Danny, I… well… It was just really shocking, you know?" When he had no heated retort, Valerie took this as a good sign, and plowed on. "To find out that one of my best friends is also one of my greatest enemies… I just didn't expect it."
"So instead of giving your friend a chance, you attacked your enemy," Danny said. "I guess we weren't as close as I thought we were."
"Maybe not…" Valerie said. Then she realized what she was saying. "But maybe so. You know me, Danny. You know how short my temper is. You must have known how I would've reacted to the fact that you're half-ghost. Can't you understand how I felt? How I still feel?"
"Well, that the question, isn't it?" He looked straight into her eyes with a gaze that demanded nothing but pure honesty. "Exactly how do you feel?"
Valerie felt her heart just might explode from all the emotions still locked up inside. A single tear fell, and everything was set free. "I feel confused! I feel angry and hurt and betrayed and used!" she sobbed. She gulped down some air and continued in a softer tone, still crying, "And I feel worried and sad… and guilty… and ashamed…"
Her sobs faded, and she cried silently, now kneeling on the floor. Through her blurred vision, she thought she could see a tear or two on Danny's face as well. They remained silent for a while; whether it was minutes or hours or days, they weren't sure, they didn't bother keeping track.
"But… how do you feel about me?" Danny asked, so quietly she could've pretended not to hear it over the beeping of the monitors nearby.
"I… feel like I don't know you anymore," she said, wiping tears from her eyes, immediately taken aback by the words tumbling from her mouth. But they kept coming, one hundred percent true. "I feel like you've tricked me into believing you were my friend. But you never were. Or were you?" Valerie added, thinking hard. Figuring out her feelings was like trying to catch smoke with her hands. "I just don't know. I can't trust my own judgment anymore, because what if you really are my friend? What if you really do like me for who I am and through everything I've done? I don't know whether you possibly could, but… maybe…" She realized she had started rambling, and drifted off.
Her words tore at Danny's heart, but he was more or less numb to it by now. "Before, I did. I accepted you." He shook his head, took a breath, gathered his thoughts to say what must be said. "But now…" he continued sadly, "I can't trust your judgment either. I can't trust what you've saying, can't make myself believe that you actually care."
Now it was Valerie's turn to feel the sharp blade of truthful words. It stung. "But… Danny… I…" She found herself speechless; she had nothing to say.
"You shot me as me," Danny said, voicing the worst part of the whole ordeal. His voice shook as he continued, "Not the ghost kid, not Phantom, not your enemy, but Danny Fenton. Don't you remember him? Don't you remember us?" His eyes were pleading.
Valerie tried to remember all those happy times she had spent with Danny. She was presented with flashing memories of him making excuses, turning his back, being the ghost kid, lying to her… Upset, she still couldn't speak; another wave of tears threatened to spill over as she diverted her gaze from him.
Danny turned his head away again, looking out the window, but not really seeing the late morning sunlight that filtered through the trees. "Then go away."
"Danny…" Valerie managed to whisper, her eyes fixed onto him again.
"Please, Valerie," Danny said, his voice nearly breaking. "I… I just can't do this anymore. I can't pretend that everything's fine between us, because it's not." He squeezed his eyes shut, willing the tears away. "Please… just go."
Valerie stood, and wiped her cheeks dry. Though she said nothing, the dismal look on her face told him everything. Suddenly, her old anger was back; she clenched her fists, narrowing her eyes and scowling. With this expression, she turned her back on him, in more ways than one, and walked away.
"'Bye," Danny said suddenly, and Valerie froze in the doorway, just for a moment. The next second, she was gone, leaving behind nothing but the teardrops on the floor and the pain she had caused.
I'm sorry…As footsteps approached the door of the hospital room, Mr. Lancer jumped away from the door and flattened himself against the wall. Wide-eyed, he watched as Valerie stormed down the hall, and a great many puzzle pieces fell into place.
Have you come to gloat about your victory over the ghost kid?
To find out that one of my best friends is also one of my greatest enemies… I just didn't expect it.
You must have known how I would've reacted to the fact that you're half-ghost.
You shot me as me. Not the ghost kid, not Phantom, not your enemy, but Danny Fenton.
Though he decided he would postpone his planned meeting with Danny today, Lancer had a feeling he wouldn't need the security camera tapes anymore.
A/N: DUN DUN DUN!!!!!!!!!! Did you guys like it? I sure hope so! I labored on this baby for hours! Days! Weeks, even!
Oh, by the way, I totally forgot to mention something about Danny and Jazz's hospital room numbers. Both of them are significant, in a way specific to the person residing in the room. Danny's is 416, Jazz's is 106. If you can figure them out, PM me. If you're right about one of them, you'll get a sneak peak of the next chapter. If you're right about both of them, you'll get an even bigger sneak peak of the next chapter!
Speaking of the next chapter, all Karli fans are going to be happy with it, I hope: It features a lot more of our favorite midget! I'll see you all next time!
