This took a lot longer than expected, BUT it didn't take a whole year, so, like, yay?

In any case, this chapter was a nightmare. I honestly think I hate it, but that's just personal feelings after struggling with it for so long. I actually think the writing is okay.

...Mostly.

Anyway, longest chapter I've ever written at 12,000+ words so hopefully that makes up for the wait! Enjoy!

Chapter 11
Monster Chapter from my own Personal Hell
...Part 1

"I'm so tired, but I can't sleep...standing on the edge of something much too deep...funny how I feel so much but cannot say a word...we are screaming inside, oh, but we can't be heard...so afraid to love you, more afraid to lose...clinging to a past." -Sarah McLachlan

This was bad.

Nothing about the day had been good, but this…Danny glared at his gloved hands as the lights that heralded his transformation fizzled out of existence for a third time.

Extremely bad.

"Come on," he whispered. Phantom's bruised throat turned Danny's voice into a hoarse growl that suited his mood. "We don't have time for this. We have to speak to Valerie before she leaves."

Jack's voice rang out through the house again, loud enough to be heard over the humming of the lab machinery despite being a floor above. Danny floated higher, ready to dart through the ceiling if the group moved into the basement. If they found Danny Phantom in their lab after the night they had all just had, he was dead.

…er.

His tail flicked in agitation as Danny ground his teeth. Even when he had first received his powers, Danny rarely struggled to revert to human. Turn ghost, yes, control his powers, yes, hold onto his ghost form, god yes, but not the reverse. He was human, had always been human. He might have been one with supernatural ghost powers, but he was still human.

Of course, that was before…everything. Before he had spent the weekend as a full ghost, before he had started seeing his human half as a separate person, before they had rejoined and his own heartbeat felt so weird…

"Okay," he said, taking a deep breath. "Think human thoughts. Think like…"

Fenton.

"I am Fenton, shut up!"

Danny pushed his hands through his hair and clutched at the white strands. He didn't have time to lose his mind, he had to speak to Valerie. They had just 'learned' her secret. Fenton couldn't—they couldn't—Danny couldn't just disappear on her now. Not now. He had to reassure her everything would be alright. He had to tell her he still trusted her, that he thought she was more amazing than ever. Compliment her. Maybe ask a few questions he had wanted to ask for a long time. Have a touching moment with her that, if done right, might end with a kiss that would—

Butterflies erupted in his stomach. Danny gasped and jerked backwards in midair. His thoughts whirled, his headache hit with renewed force, and the rings—the hells damned transformation rings—burst into life around his middle. Danny drew a sharp breath into his reawakened lungs. Then the rings passed over his head and he plummeted towards the metal floor of the lab. Danny let out the breath in a sharp cry and stretched his arms out as if to somehow break his fall.

Which is exactly what he did.

Danny stared at the floor less than a foot away from his fingers. He panted for breath as his heart hammered uncomfortably in his chest. He knew even as he did it that he wouldn't find him, but Danny couldn't help looking over his shoulder for Phantom. Stupid. Of course he wouldn't see him. He was Phantom. He knew he was Phantom because only Phantom would feel protective over their fall, the general sense of are you insane, are you okay, what happened, at odds with I almost died and an overwhelming feeling of gratitude towards their ghost powers that soon silenced the cacophony in their head.

They drew in a finale shaky breath. Then Danny, who could feel the ghost power he was using to hover in place (because, duh, he was half-ghost again, he had saved himself), lowered himself slowly onto his knees. He flinched, having forgotten they were bruised, and shifted them apart so his weight rested on his rear.

He closed his eyes and breathed in another, deeper breath. He was Fenton—human again, which was good. Very good, considering. But since he had de-transformed on accident…

"We're in so much trouble," he groaned.

They hadn't lost control of their powers after merging any time before this. Not on Saturday, not last week, and not after the Technus incident. Something had gone wrong with this merge. It had hurt as much as splitting apart had, which should have been their first clue, but now their powers and…and Danny couldn't tell who he even was anymore. He should feel whole, normal.

Instead he felt more broken than ever.

They could split apart again. Try remerging later. Maybe after they cleared things up with Valerie. There was no real reason they had to be one single Danny now, not when it was causing them so many problems they hadn't expected. Maybe they could even—

Footsteps on the staircase reached Danny's ears, and he jolted upright, blushing as he realized he had been staring at the Ghost Catcher. He looked at the entrance to the basement instead, but the footsteps were approaching slowly. Carefully. A step every half-second. Danny felt himself tensing, an instinctual response that had little to do with his confused mind. Neither ghost nor human liked being stalked.

The footsteps were too soft to be his dad, too cautious to be Jazz, and too loud to be his mom. That left Valerie.

Danny tensed further, though he didn't fully understand why. They were human now, there was no reason for them to hide from Valerie. She was a hunter, yes, and she probably wanted to torture some answers out of Phantom again, especially now, but Phantom was as safe from Valerie as he had ever been. Fenton made an excellent decoy that way.

Or…whatever.

Valerie paused on the stairway, just shy of seeing inside the room. Listening? Danny pushed himself into a half-crouch and inched backwards, his heart beating fast and his stomach twisting itself into knots. He might not know the reason why, but Danny couldn't face Valerie. He couldn't. He just couldn't. Not now. Not in the basement.

But they needed to talk to her—

Later—

Now.

Danny's right foot turned intangible, and he slipped forward, banging his bruised knee into the floor as he caught himself. He hissed sharply through his teeth—too loud. Valerie charged down the last few steps, her pistol beginning to hum. She swept it across the room as her eyes scanned the area. Both passed harmlessly over Danny. He shivered, realizing from the chill on his arms that Phantom—that they had activated their invisibility. He slowly pulled his intangible foot out of the floor, but the damage was already done. They really couldn't face her now.

Valerie stepped further into the room, and Danny, afraid of making another noise, kept as still as possible. "Okay, Phantom," she hissed. Danny flinched. "I know you're down here, you're not as quiet as you think you are."

The basement must have distorted Danny's voice, given it an echo that made his human voice sound ghostly, something Phantom had noticed himself barely an hour ago. But why was she so hostile? Danny knew she still disliked his ghost half, but after they had worked together to save Danielle, she had become less aggressive towards him.

Before Danny could do more than frown, Phantom's memories pushed forward, reminding him of the setting sun glinting off Valerie's faceplate, mischief alight in his veins as he flirted and teased his oblivious girlfriend. All humor had left as soon as she mentioned Fenton's name and he realized how much time had passed, but more importantly…

She thinks I'm haunting her boyfriend.

Danny cringed. That was… great. Just great. Not only were Danny's powers on the fritz and his mind a confused jumble of ghost and human, but Valerie was also going to be on the lookout for any odd behavior. Great. Fantastic. Way to go, Phantom.

Of course, Fenton had been the one to recruit them for ghost training, and that would prolong their exposure to not only Valerie but also to their parents and the ghost hunting technology that had a tendency to activate around Danny, human half or not. So… way to go, Fenton.

…Touché.

Valerie stepped further into the room, continuing to sweep the area with her eyes. Danny resisted the urge to move away from her. He could probably do it without alerting her, but if he lost his invisibility now, he really would be in trouble. Definitely as Fenton, but more so as Phantom.

There was something in Valerie's eyes. Not the usual fire that Danny had first been drawn to, the kind that appeared whenever Valerie met a challenge head-on, but one that bespoke anger. Frustration. He could see it in the way her nose flared with each breath, in the tight way she moved, like each muscle held tension just waiting for a release.

He wasn't sure if it was Phantom or his parents (or Danny himself for disappearing on her when she needed him the most), but now was the time to remain hidden. Danny wasn't the only one who embraced the term "misplaced aggression."

"Listen, ghost, whatever game you're playing on Danny," Valerie said and then paused, her mouth forming unspoken words before she snapped it shut. She closed her eyes for a couple seconds, taking several deep breaths. When she opened her eyes again, the fire remained, but her expression smoothed itself into a calm mask. "There's something going on, and I'm going to get to the bottom of it. Whatever it is. Consider this your last warning, Phantom, because if you hurt him, if you're playing with him to get at me, the understanding between us is over."

She stood just inside the basement a while longer, either driving her point home or waiting for Phantom to appear and defend himself. Danny, feeling sick, held absolutely still. Finally, Valerie's calm expression cracked. She swore explosively, spun around, and stormed back up the stairs. Danny didn't react until he heard his dad's voice boom Valerie's name.

He let out a breath he had been holding and sagged forward, closing his eyes as the cold chill of his invisibility left him. "So much trouble," he whispered to himself.

He stood up, his legs still a little shaky, and looked at the ceiling above him. His parents, Valerie, and Damien were up there. Talking about ghost hunting. About hunting him. The feeling that had made Fenton want to hide from Valerie was back, but this time the Phantom half agreed. They felt trapped. Backed into a corner.

Danny summoned the transformation, and this time the rings appeared and passed over his body without hesitation. He jumped off the ground as Phantom and shot towards the sky, passing through the living room where the hunters were talking, through his bedroom where the whole mess had begun, and into the night sky.

He didn't have a clear destination, but as soon as the moon caught his eye, Danny shot off in its direction at his fastest speed. It had risen above the horizon several hours ago, angling Danny's flight into a trajectory that quickly carried him above Amity Park. Within moments he was above the skyscrapers and entering the airspace reserved for airplanes about to land, surrounded by nothing but the stars.

It was reckless, dangerous, especially with their powers acting up, but the higher and faster Danny flew, the more Danny felt himself smiling. He rolled to the left and then to the right, feeling the wind tug at his hair, equilibrium lost as the stars spun around him. He righted himself and looked down, his hair whipping around his eyes as he watched the illuminated buildings and streets of Amity Park get smaller and smaller.

Just as they had when Phantom carried Fenton into the clouds.

The memory hit Danny like a physical blow. He gasped, eyes wide as he remembered Phantom's cold arms holding Fenton tightly to his chest, Fenton's hot breaths warming Phantom's collarbone, the darkness of the clouds right before the two halves of himself burst through the stratosphere and they saw the stars stretching out above them, a blanket of white clouds beneath.

Danny jerked to a stop. He stared up at the moon, his chest heaving for breath he didn't need while his core—Phantom's core—thrummed as it produced an uncomfortable amount of cold. The water vapor closest to him crystallized and made the air around him shimmer, but Danny was more concerned about how cold his face felt because that meant he was blushing.

Blushing.

Because he was…embarrassed?

They were embarrassed.

Phantom and Fenton.

Muddled as it was, the emotions of both were entirely laid bare, and their breathing quickened as they felt the echoes of their own and each other's reactions from that moment above the clouds reflect the beginnings of something tender. Something...

The meteors streaked across the sky in a brilliant light show that brought an awed smile to Fenton's lips. He had given up on watching the meteor shower until Phantom had flown them above the clouds for no other reason than because Fenton had wanted to see it. Not because they had to do something for Valerie, but because Fenton had wanted to see it.

He eventually fell asleep against his other half, putting all his trust in Phantom. It stirred a tenderness inside Phantom that made him hold Fenton just a little closer, a little more securely.

He lingered above the clouds long after his human half fell asleep, reluctant to let the moment go.

Danny breathed out a shaky breath. Wherever it had started, it had deepened into something impossible up here.

Phantom had recognized the beginnings of a crush forming, but Fenton…

Danny felt his blush deepen, and he groaned. He—they—Danny buried his face in his hands and closed his eyes tight. He couldn't do this. They couldn't do this. Enjoying a kiss was one thing, feeling romantic affection for the other half of himself was something else entirely. Worse, it hadn't gone away. Phantom and Fenton had merged, but the feelings were still there, inside Danny because they weren't completely merged, they were just…overlapped.

There was a part of him that liked what he was feeling.

Desperate, Danny shot into the sky again. He looped in a circle, and at the apex of the climb, allowed himself to fall towards the ground before corkscrewing to the side. He moved faster and faster, spun and twisted until he lost track of the ground. Anything to avoid thinking. He closed his eyes and lost himself to the wind buffeting his flight, to the exhilarating experience of flying after being earthbound for three days.

A part of himself relished in his joy of flying rather than the flight itself, the delight of one adding to the joy of the other, and it caused a fluttering sensation in his chest. There was too much affection in the feeling, and he shoved it away.

It wasn't until Danny tried to fly higher, failed, and felt his heart begin beating again that his eyes snapped open. He saw the last light of the rings vanish above his head, felt the wind on his face turn cold, and had enough time to suck in a deep breath before he plummeted towards the ground in a fall that was as familiar as it was terrifying.

The wind buffeted Danny, turning him head over heels as he fell. He couldn't even hear his own scream over the wind screeching in his ears. He tried spreading his arms out in a vane attempt to slow himself or at least control the fall, but that wouldn't save him. He needed ghost powers. Phantom.

He concentrated on reaching that part of himself that held his ghost powers, but they felt as out of reach as when he was only Fenton.

"Are you fucking serious right now?" he yelled. "Fuck, fuck, fuck, okay, language, right, fuck, he hates bad language. Fuck!"

He could only catch glimpses of the ground as he was spun around, but the buildings were growing in size at an alarming rate. He could already distinguish streets between them. He started screaming again. If he died, Sam and Tucker and his parents were going to track down his ghost and kill him again. If Valerie didn't get to him first, anyway.

Finally, finally, he felt a spark of concern amid the fear, and Danny seized on it. Coaxed it. Embraced whatever tender feelings came with it because he was going to die if they didn't go ghost right now, Phantom, come on.

The rings burst around his middle and spread outward. Ghost energy flooded Danny's veins, and he didn't wait another second. He twisted into the wind to take control of his spinning and angled himself into a gentle swoop to carry him upwards again. As his momentum began to ebb, Danny wrapped his arms around his chest. By the time he slowed to a stop, Danny was all but hugging himself, his legs fusing into a tail that coiled around itself.

He was less than a hundred yards above the nearest skyscraper.

"We're okay," he whispered, staring wide-eyed at the building's lights. "We're okay."

But if that had happened closer to the ground or, worse, during a ghost fight…

It wouldn't have happened at all if he hadn't pushed Phantom away. Danny closed his eyes and bowed his head, shaking from reaction. Lesson learned. He had fled Fenton Works to escape his problems, but this one had followed him. Would always follow him.

He couldn't escape himself.

After falling hundreds of feet, Danny 'limped' through the skies until he saw the Fenton Works sign. His descent had been slow and cautious, his trust in his control fractured. He wasn't sure what time it was, but if he played it right, he could claim to have been cleaning the basement…with a brief trip outside to the garbage container if Valerie brought up her visit to the lab.

Danny flew through the walls of the kitchen and hovered in place while he braced himself. He thought he had it down now. Sort of. His power hiccups seemed to coincide with the Fenton half or Phantom half gaining too much dominance over his mind, so if he allowed himself to feel nervous about seeing Valerie again while activating his transformation…

The rings appeared obediently. Danny transformed in midair and landed on the kitchen floor as a human, grinning until he realized that that was…really stupid. He cringed and scrambled for cover behind a counter. He waited for any of the three ghost hunters in the other room to investigate the flash of light, ecto-surge, or whatever was destined to give Danny's secret away because of course something was going to happen.

It had been that kind of night.

He could hear them talking in the living room about the Fenton Inventions, and after listening for a few minutes, Danny realized he only heard his parents. A glance at the microwave clock proved what he already suspected; Valerie had likely gone home hours ago. Her dad would never want her to stay out past eleven on a school night.

Danny stood up slowly and breathed out a sigh. Relieved as he was to not have to face her yet, Danny knew the reprieve would cost him. Although nothing had technically changed for him, there were still many things they ought to discuss now that Valerie knew Danny knew her secret.

His parents, on the other hand, were less intimidating, even if they were just as likely to attack him if he showed signs of being a ghost's 'human meat puppet.'

Danny squared his shoulders, reminded himself he was one single Danny, and walked through the kitchen arch as casually as he could manage. "Hey, Mom, hey, Dad."

His mom and dad looked up from the papers scattered across the coffee table and beamed near-identical grins at him.

"Danny!" Jack shouted as he bounced up. "There's my boy! Come on over here, son, we've got some things to discuss."

Danny hesitated. The excuses he had prepared for where he had been dried up in the face of his dad's enthusiasm. He looked at Maddie for a sign of what the 'discussion' could be about, but Maddie had gone back to studying the blueprints and papers, her grin having softened into a smile.

"O-kay," Danny said as he moved towards his parents. "Like what?"

"Valerie! The Red Huntress!" Jack grabbed Danny's shoulders and pulled him down onto the couch beside him. "Tell me everything!"

"Um...I just found out about her being Red when you did."

"No, no, no! Tell me what she is like!"

Danny stared at his dad, his mouth hanging open on words he couldn't voice.

"Jack," Maddie said sweetly, "we'll find out what she's like for ourselves soon enough."

If anything, that seemed to excite Jack further. He practically bounced in place. "We're going to show her all our inventions, Dan-O! She agreed to train with us! Gosh, that'll be something, right, Danny?"

"Uh, yeah," he mumbled. "It'll be something..."

"We've never had a pupil before," Maddie said, and though she wasn't as animated as Jack, Danny heard the excitement in her voice. "You and Jazz are wonderful, but it's clear the two of you aren't as interested in ghosts as your father and I."

Danny forced a smile.

Maddie clapped her hands, beaming once again. "And she has such wonderful form! It's no wonder she became such a successful hunter without any proper training. She's a natural."

A part of Danny agreed, but the other part, the current dominant part, only shrugged. "Well, she is a black belt."

Maddie's eyes instantly focused on him. "Really?"

"She said she started training back when she was..." Danny hesitated. He couldn't remember. Like the coffee thing, he knew the knowledge was there, he just couldn't remember… He closed his eyes, hoping that would help, but a second later he felt them burn beneath his eyelids.

He stiffened, his face paling, but the words came easily to his lips this time. "She began training when she was six and earned the basic black belt when she was eleven. She dropped out after her mom died."

"Oh," Maddie said, regretful. "I hadn't realized her mom had died."

Danny nodded. He hid his left hand behind his back and carefully willed a small amount of ice to form on his palm. The burn in his eyes turned cold, and he cautiously half-opened his eyes, keeping his head angled downwards. "I never asked. I doubt she wants to talk about it."

"No," his mom agreed, "probably not."

In contrast to their somber tone, Jack scribbled furiously on a piece of paper. "Parent issues! Maddie, she really does have all the makings of a superhero!"

Danny stood quickly. "I'm going to my room," he said, moving away from his dad before he could be pulled down again. He paused after a few seconds, however, when Fenton's memories reminded him of a problem. "You guys fixed my wall, right?"

His parents grew suspiciously quiet. Danny let the ice in his hand fade, waited a few seconds to make sure the burn in his eyes wouldn't return, and then turned back to the couch. Maddie had dropped her head in her hands.

Jack smiled at Danny sheepishly. "It won't leak!"

Danny groaned.

"We'll work on it some more while you're at school tomorrow," Maddie promised, lifting her head.

"Aww..." Jack whined. "But, Maddie..."

"You blew a hole through his wall, Jack."

"There was a ghost!"

Danny blushed. Phantom's memories of that moment were clearer than Fenton's, and they were not something Danny was prepared to think about. If ever. "Alright, I'll talk to you guys later, good night!" he blurted and made a dash for the staircase.

"Wait!" his mom called. "Danny!"

Danny winced. He paused with one foot on the first step, his hand on the banister. "Yeah?"

Maddie breathed in deeply as if she was bracing herself. "Phantom is a dangerous ghost no matter how friendly he seems." Danny stiffened, and Maddie's eyes, usually so kind and understanding when looking at Fenton, hardened. "I'm serious, Danny, he is not a hero. I want you to stay away from him."

Usually, his parents calling Danny Phantom evil hurt, but it was a pain that was easily brushed away with the knowledge that they just didn't know. This time, Danny's hand curled into a fist, and he had to consciously keep from clenching his jaw. "Right," he bit out before charging up the stairs.

As soon as he reached the top floor, he made a beeline for his room. He knew Jazz was in her room, he knew he could talk to her about what was going on in his head, he knew she could probably help, but his pace didn't even slow as he passed her door. If he couldn't admit even to himself what was happening, how could he explain it to Jazz?

Once he was in his room, Danny closed the door, pressed his back against the hardwood, and sank to the floor. The orange street light shone through his window, the only light source in his room aside from the glowing stars on his ceiling. He crossed his arms over his knees and rested his forehead on them, his eyes closed. The warm, skin-on-skin contact registered in his mind in the same way his heartbeat felt alien and flying felt like a new experience all over again, but he ignored it.

It was almost funny. He—whole, complete Danny—had been here in this exact position just last night after checking himself out in the mirror and fleeing from his own reflection. Now he was here again, the same problem as before only with several additional problems added to the load. As if the last one wasn't bad enough.

And they still hadn't gotten that shower.

Danny groaned, lifted his head, and dragged his hands down his face. "I can't take a shower now, I'll end up...looking. Ew. Damn it." He pushed his hands into his hair and pulled. "We—I can't do this. I can't avoid taking a shower for the rest of my life!"

There was literally nothing new for him to see, but if he couldn't even touch his own arms without some part of him noticing how nice it felt, then how could he take a shower where he would need to wash…everywhere?

No.

He was already—

No.

He couldn't.

Can we even get dressed?

Danny sucked air in through his teeth. Shit, he still had to change into his pajamas. Fenton had fallen asleep prematurely each night, but Danny was also Phantom, and the Phantom aspects of his personality was sure he did not want to spend a third night in his day clothes. No matter how embarrassing changing would be.

"Easy for you," Danny muttered under his breath, "we're not in ghost mode."

He stood, grunting as his sore knees protested the movement, but once on his feet, he hesitated, trying to remember where his pajamas were. The last time he had worn them, his only concerns had been a kiss that got a little out of hand and asking Valerie out to the meteor shower. Minor worries.

Several seconds passed before Danny, frustrated, pulled a new pair out of the drawer and set them on the dresser. Taking a deep breath, he grabbed the back of his collar and pulled the shirt over his head. Gooseflesh instantly broke out over his skin and he shivered, but he wasn't sure how much of the cold air was simply room temperature and how much was due to his ghost powers.

He didn't want to know.

He tossed his shirt in the general direction of the laundry bin and quickly pushed his arms through the pajama sleeves. He paused, hesitating as he looked at the barely-visible buttons. Fortunately, it was too dark to see the details of his chest, but it occurred to him that an unbuttoned shirt against a flat chest was actually…

Danny flushed to the tips of his ears. Shit, he was so not going to have a gay moment while looking at his own chest. He couldn't even see it, but he knew how he looked, he could easily picture—

"No!" Danny hit his head a couple times. "Stop, stop, stop!"

He closed his eyes and quickly tried to button the shirt by feel alone, muttering under his breath about how stupid he was being.

A few buttons in however, the muttering trailed off as Danny's blush deepened. He was Fenton and Phantom at the same time, and with each experience receiving dual reactions from his senses, it was too easy for the motions of his fingers to be interpreted as one buttoning the shirt of the other, especially when the colder tips of his fingers brushed against his warm skin.

Danny swore and left the last two buttons undone. He pressed his hands over his eyes and willed the fluttering sensation in his stomach to stop.

God, he was such a mess.

He didn't even want to try unzipping his pants. At this point, that was just asking for a disaster. Fortunately, as with most things in his life, this one could be solved with a little help from his ghost powers. Danny grabbed his waistband and pulled the jeans through his legs in one clean, fluid motion. He grinned, pleased to have so neatly side-stepped the zipper situation, but froze the next instant as the thought 'That was hot…' floated unwanted through his mind.

Danny made a small noise in protest but couldn't really deny—

Striping clothes off like that was—

Holy shit. He had a ghost kink.

"We are not," he said, "we are so not thinking about that. Ever."

He dropped the jeans on the floor and kicked them away as if they were personally responsible for the images running through his head. He couldn't stop himself from imagining what it would have been like if Phantom had done the same thing to Fenton's clothes during the practice sessions. They never would have done something like that to Valerie, but it had really stopped being about practice after the first few makeouts—

Danny, in the act of lifting his leg, froze with his foot poised over his pajama bottoms. "Wait…what?"

He managed to maintain his balance on one foot while he thought back to Saturday in more detail than before, but the muddled memories, emotions, and sensations were too intense when combined. There were too many sounds, too many touches shared, too many moments where their eyes opened at the same time during a kiss. Too much pleasure amplified by two.

Danny sucked in a startled breath. He flailed on one foot, his heart suddenly beating too fast, the muscles in his leg trembling. He lost his balance and pitched to the side only for his ghost powers to catch him at the last second.

Danny was already blushing thanks to the memories, but the flustered feeling in his gut intensified. He attempted to accept and ignore the feeling like he ignored everything else he couldn't change and simply used his ghost powers to right himself.

Because they were his ghost powers. He had caught himself. Not Phantom.

Well, kind of Phantom, because Danny was Phantom, but not like…not like Phantom catching Fenton. They weren't separate anymore, that couldn't happen.

Even if it felt like it had.

"Focus," Danny said to himself as he spread the waistband of his pajama bottoms again. "Focus. And stop thinking."

The act of pulling on pants was routine and a lot easier to do without looking than the buttons had been. It wasn't until Danny settled them around his waist and looked at the draw strings that he encountered the first obstacle…considered it…and decided it wasn't worth the risk. They would just come untied during the night anyway.

Fully clothed in proper sleepwear, Danny let out a relieved sigh. It was a small step towards normalcy, and it wasn't exactly a success, but it was still a step. Unfortunately, while he would need to change again tomorrow morning, changing before and after PE would be the true nightmare. Even if he skipped the locker room shower, Dash and his cronies would pounce on any odd behavior, particularly behavior like blushing and fumbling fingers.

Shit…

If last week had proved anything, Danny's best option was to simply go to sleep. Shut his mind off and just…not think about anything. It had helped align his thoughts last time, though not as successfully as he would have liked. The problem was that he was as wary of lying in bed when he felt…like a stranger occupied the same physical space he did as he had been about changing clothes.

But, quite frankly, he was exhausted. Emotionally, physically, mentally…

Danny navigated his way through the dark room, sat on his bed, criss-crossed his legs, and pushed his hands through his hair as he lowered his head. Tired as he was, he didn't think he could fall asleep. Whatever his human body felt, his mind was too active. Too excited. There was a restless energy just beneath the surface that made him feel too wired for sleep.

And he was afraid that the reason was because he was half Phantom now, and Phantom didn't need sleep. At all.

Danny groaned and flopped backwards, throwing his arms above his head. The hole Jack had blasted through Danny's wall was right above his bed, barely illuminated by the street light, but it appeared to be covered well enough with wood planks and tarp. It wasn't the first time Jack had blown a hole through a wall, so Danny knew the construction was just a temporary fix until his parents could get the stuff they needed to fix it. He trusted it would hold for the night. Hopefully. Probably.

There wouldn't even be a hole in the wall to fix if Phantom hadn't given in to his attraction. Danny brought a hand to his lips as Fenton had done upon waking up. The way Phantom had after he fled behind the neighbor's house. The kiss had been chaste, not nearly as passionate as the ones he and Fenton had shared on Saturday, but it had affected them more. The only one that truly compared was the very first one, the one that had spiraled out of control after they had stopped focusing on what was wrong and started doing what felt right.

Which was ridiculous because all of it was wrong.

Danny turned on his side, blowing out a frustrated breath through his nose. He needed to stop thinking about the ghost half of himself kissing his human half and vice versa or he really was going to lose his mind. He rolled onto his front and crawled to the headboard before flopping down with a sigh. He closed his eyes and snuggled into his pillow.

Rain pounded against the window as the wind shrieked around the walls, but inside the room, Phantom's familiar chill aura surrounded Fenton, the gentle dip in the mattress signifying how close he lay, his cold breathes breezing across Fenton's lips. If Fenton hadn't been so tired, he might have smiled. He wouldn't be alone. Not tonight. Warmth swelled in Fenton's chest as his breathing grew quieter, sleep overtaking him.

A barely-there pressure brushed across his cheek—

Danny jerked his head off the pillow and sat up, ignoring his suddenly red cheeks. Fenton's memories faded soon after that moment, but Phantom's were clear and full of emotions Danny wasn't prepared to examine. "Okay, how about some video games," he said to no one in particular as he scrambled off the bed. "Some nice, mindless video games with, like, shooting and violence and stuff."

Birds chirped outside, the scent of freshly watered earth heavy in the air. The newly born sunrise softened familiar cheekbones, highlighted Fenton's mussed black hair. He shifted on the bed, his lips parting as he turned on his back, and just like that, the peaceful atmosphere took on an enticing edge

A cold touch on his cheek, a warmth against his hand, both sensations mingling on their lips.

Blue eyes snapped open. Fenton and Phantom gasped and jerked their head and upper body off the desk so fast their chair tipped onto its back legs. Their alarm activated Phantom's powers, and they passed intangibly through the chair's backrest before crashing with a pained grunt onto the concrete floor. Their chair fell on top of them a second later. Laughter burst around the room despite none of the other students having seen what actually happened.

"Grapes of Wrath!" Lancer shouted over the laughter.

Fenton and Phantom pushed their chair off them and slowly began to pick themselves off the floor, careful to avoid putting unnecessary pressure on their knees. By the time they once again sat on their chair, Lancer had crossed the room and stood over their desk, frowning down at them.

Torn between sagging in defeat or smiling sheepishly at his teacher in apology, Danny did neither and simply blinked up at the man.

Lancer's frown deepened, the hard glint in his eyes softening. "Everything all right, Mr. Fenton?"

Fenton nodded and Phantom said "yes" at the same time. They—no, Danny furrowed his brow and shook his head, amending, "I-I'm fine. Just, um, tired."

Lancer hummed, but continued to eye him. "Any headaches? Dizziness? Nausea?"

He believes we might have a concussion.

Danny shook his head again, although the action made his headache worse. "I'm fine, Mr. Lancer, really."

Lancer's expression didn't change, but he seemed to accept his excuse (or the secretive nature of teenagers) because he returned to the front of the class, lecturing about…Puck? Hockey puck? Doubtful, but neither half of Danny was willing to listen past the pounding in his head. With Lancer's back turned, Danny sank in his seat until his shoulders pressed against the backrest.

He couldn't doze again with Lancer glancing in his direction every few minutes, but that was probably for the best. One tender dream about kissing himself was enough for one class hour, thank you. Danny crossed his arms over his chest and stared at his desk, at the tiny nicks in the polished surface and the crude pencil drawing of a penis in the corner. He quickly moved his gaze to the opposite corner.

Spoilsport.

Danny ground his teeth together. He wasn't teasing himself. Phantom and Fenton no longer existed, it was just him. The one and only.

He still moved his notebook over the drawing and very carefully resisted the smile he felt tugging at his lips.

Motion in the corner of his eye drew his attention to Tucker. His friend lowered the hand he had waved and mouthed, 'You okay?'

Danny nodded. Shrugged.

Tucker didn't look convinced, his eyebrows still pinched in worry, but Danny turned away. He looked out the window as Lancer droned on about Midsummer Night's dream. It had started to rain while he slept, and the rivulets on the window distorted the outside world in a way Danny could totally sympathize with. The sight made shivers race up his spine and made his chest feel tight, memories of his two halves lying in bed together pressing to the forefront of his mind, but it was better than enduring Tucker's or Sam's concerned gazes.

Besides, he could—reluctantly—admit the sensations and memories weren't…entirely unpleasant. A bit alarming and, admittedly, more than a little concerning, but…enjoyable. Once he got past the awkwardness of its source, anyway.

Of course, that could just be the exhaustion talking. Between Phantom's restless energy and Danny's fear, he had stayed awake well into the morning.

It had been a very long night.

Danny sighed explosively. Deciding he was too tired to care about Lancer's watchful eye, Danny scooted up his chair and laid his cheek on the desk again. Lancer continued to drone on, making it harder to hear the sound the rain made. Nevertheless, Danny found himself straining to hear it.

He didn't think he could listen to the rain or watch another meteor shower without some part of him remembering Fenton's warm body sitting on Phantom's lap or Phantom's cold arms wrapping around Fenton's waist or the two lying in bed together while a storm raged outside. He didn't think he could ever escape the prevailing thought he would never be alone again.

It was disgustingly sentimental, and Danny hated how the thought made his insides warm with pleasure.

"Dramatic irony is when the audience knows more than the characters in a story do," Lancer said, as unaware of Danny's inner conflict as ever, "thus causing the characters' words and actions to take on a different meaning for the audience. For example, throughout the play, we know the fairies make the characters fall in and out of love through magic and pranks, but the lovers are completely ignorant."

Danny blocked the rest of Lancer's lecture out. He didn't want to hear about people falling in love, even if fairies were the cause. That of course left only the rhythmic pounding of the rain on the glass and memories of his two halves lying in bed together, when a confusing mix of fondness, longing, and fear brought Phantom's forehead against Fenton's. When Phantom's chilled aura lulled Fenton into falling asleep in his presence a second time, the human half of Danny feeling tired, safe, and finally able to relax after a long day...

Riiiiing!

Fenton jerked his head off the desk and stared wide-eyed at the students standing up around him. "Wha?"

Sam raised an eyebrow at his confusion. "That was the bell, Danny. Time to go?"

"Oh," Fenton—Danny said, blinking rapidly. "Right." He stood and began gathering his scattered supplies. Where was his pencil?

On the floor.

Right.

Half the students had already left by the time Danny stood and looped his backpack through his arms. Sam and Tucker waited patiently by his desk, and as soon as he was ready, they left the room as quickly as possible. They were the last ones out, and although Lancer frowned and watched Danny leave, he didn't call him back to his desk. So it was a win. Freedom at last.

"Sooo," Tucker drawled, "rough night last night?"

Danny flinched but immediately tried to cover it by laughing. "Of course not! What makes you think that? I slept great! There were no ghosts, no disturbing dreams, nothing but a peaceful night. Alone. By myself. One hundred percent me. Alone." He glanced at his friends-Tucker's eyebrows had shot up and Sam's face had settled into a deadpan 'are you serious' expression. "Too much?"

Sam snorted. "Yeah."

"I can't tell if you're lying," Tucker said, "or just neck deep in some serious denial."

Both.

Danny clenched his teeth and ignored the goosebumps the cold voice inspired.

"You know," Sam said, leeching emotion from her voice, "if you're having a little difficulty after merging, you can talk to us. We won't judge."

No, Danny thought, and for once, both his halves were in complete agreement, I can't talk to you guys about it.

Telling Sam and Tucker might lead them to asking why they were struggling so much to unite as one Danny, and from there they might find out about the...that they had...

Kissed.

And that they had liked it. A lot. His friends didn't consider Danny a freak because of his ghost powers, but would they if he admitted to what he had done? To what he was feeling? Even coming out as bisexual to them was making his palms sweat, and that was just a part of the problem.

Danny kept his head down, shoulders slightly hunched. "I'm fine, guys..."

It was obviously a lie, and Sam sighed. Tucker shook his head. But they didn't press him, and that silent support no matter what his decision made the tense knot in his stomach ease. Fists he had unconsciously clenched around his shoulder straps relaxed their tight grip, and Danny smiled at the two of them, albeit a little shakily.

"So," he said, forcing his voice into lighter tone, "what are the plans for today?"

Tucker raised an eyebrow. "Aren't you grounded?"

"Oh. Right..."

"I'll probably just hang out at my house," Sam said. "Work on homework, blast some Dumpty Humpty, get into an argument with my parents…the usual."

"You have a built in home theater and bowling alley in your house!" Tucker objected. "And that's all you've got planned?!"

"I can't exactly bowl by myself, now can I?" Sam shot back.

"But a TV the size of your wall," Tucker persisted, throwing his arms out to emphasize the width of the theater-sized screen. "And released movies that aren't even in theaters yet!"

"Which aren't nearly as exciting to watch by myself!"

Danny winced, but neither friend noticed. He walked a little faster, hoping to reach his locker before a full-scale debate could break out. He usually enjoyed Sam and Tucker's fencing as much as they did, but his head ached and he was tired.

"Then invite me over!"

Danny stumbled half a step and huffed out a startled breath of air. That was an unexpected turn.

"Fine!" Sam shouted back. "But we're bowling so I can kick your ass!"

Did we miss something?

Danny shook his head. It actually wasn't that surprising. Tucker and Sam hung out all the time together, especially when he was busy either ghost hunting or stuck with his family. And since he had been spending more time with Valerie (and himself) than Tucker and Sam lately, they had probably been hanging out more often.

No, we missed something.

Danny clenched his teeth and ignored Phantom's voice. His voice. He was Phantom. Had always been Phantom—no, wait, Phantom had always been Danny and...

His head throbbed painfully, and Danny placed a hand over his eye.

"Still got that headache?" Tucker asked, frowning at Danny in concern.

"'M fine," he muttered through his teeth. "Just comes and goes a lot."

"Seems to come more than it goes," Sam said dryly.

Danny mumbled something incomprehensible.

The crowd finally thinned in front of them, giving the trio a direct line of sight to their lockers. Sam and Tucker branched off to go to theirs, but Danny froze in place. The heavy flow of teenagers eager to escape school wouldn't abide somebody standing in the middle of the hallway, and a shove to his back quickly got Danny moving towards his locker again. More specifically, moving towards Valerie who leaned against the locker beside his.

Valerie had her arms crossed over her chest as she frowned down at the floor, but at Danny's approach, she looked up. Her expression didn't change. "Fenton."

Danny froze. Did she know...?

She often calls us 'Fenton'.

Oh. Right. Danny cleared his throat and nodded in greeting. "Valerie."

He felt incredibly awkward. Too much like Fenton. If there was ever a time for his Phantom personality to become the dominant personality, now would be it.

...Minus the transformation.

...Probably better to avoid that possibility all together, actually.

"I was wondering if you wanted to walk to your house together."

Danny blinked, hesitating. "Uh, why? I'm grounded."

"Because your parents decided to start my 'training' immediately," she said, disdain dripping from her tone. "Which you would have known about if you hadn't run off last night."

Danny winced. He had known avoiding Valerie would land him in hot water with her, but considering how awful his night had been anyway, he didn't regret it. Even if that meant he had to do damage control while he was sleep deprived.

He slumped his shoulders. "Right. Sorry. I—"

Valerie held up a hand to stop him. "Not here." Danny closed his mouth and frowned. Valerie rolled her eyes. "Look around, Danny."

He did, but his head was throbbing again, and it took him a second to realize people were looking in their direction. Watching them. He stiffened. Jazz had checked the newspaper to make sure Fenton and Phantom hadn't been photographed together on the weekend, and she had given the all clear, but what if—no they were looking at Valerie too. His parents hadn't given away her secret...had they?

A little further down the hall, he saw Starr staring at him with her lips pursed.

He shifted uncomfortably. "Um..."

"They're just hoping for some drama," Valerie said as she glared at the people around them. Most looked away or pretended they hadn't been staring in the first place. "They're still talking about that picture of Phantom flying into your room, and they know how I feel about him."

Still? Danny thought in despair. It's been three days!

I have a very dedicated fan base.

"They're hoping I'll fight with you about it and they'll be able to overhear if you admit it."

Danny swallowed. "Admit what?"

"That you know Phantom." Valerie's lips thinned. "I want an answer myself, but that's something we should talk about out of earshot of everyone else."

Danny stared at her, a little wide-eyed. "It's raining," he pointed out weakly. Valerie raised an eyebrow and moved her leg to the side, bringing Danny's attention to the umbrella leaning against the lockers beside her. "Oh. Right."

Valerie grabbed her umbrella and stepped aside so Danny could more easily reach his locker. He sighed as subtly as he could and moved forward to unlock the combination. He only needed his jacket and history book. He hadn't thought to bring an umbrella. He opened the locker, and with the door temporarily between him and Valerie, Danny closed his eyes and took a deep breath.

If he messed this up, if he let his ghost powers show in front of Valerie, he could end up single. Or dead. If there was ever a moment he needed to be wholly united, it was now.

Danny stuffed his history book into his backpack, set it on the floor, and then shrugged on his jacket. It would be his best defense if he started to lose control of Phantom's powers. He turned to Valerie and smiled as he looped his arms through his backpack straps again. "Ready to brave the storm when you are."

Valerie raised an eyebrow, and for a moment it looked like she wanted to smile too, but something was holding her back. She offered her hand instead. He took it, and together they joined the flow of students heading for the doors. Danny glanced back at Tucker and Sam and managed to make eye-contact. Tucker flashed him two thumbs up and a wide smile while Sam mouthed 'Be careful'.

A stream of students blocked his view of his friends, and Danny breathed out through his nose, facing forward again as his mind raced.

Most of the students made a mad dash for the buses as soon as they got outside, but Danny and Valerie stepped off to the side out of everyone's way just inside the entryway so Valerie could let go of Danny's hand and open her umbrella. As the rain pounded against the door windows, Danny pulled his hood as far over his head as possible, tensing as his heart did an odd little flutter.

Rain pelted the window and roof, a sharp noise like pebbles thrown from the sky. Fenton groaned and buried his face deeper into Phantom's shoulder, woke enough to feel Phantom's arms pull him more securely against the ghost's chest. His lips formed a tiny smile as he dozed again, lulled by the noise and Phantom's familiar chill aura.

Danny shivered and clutched his backpack strap. Valerie pushed her umbrella through the doors, stepped outside, and then held the door open for Danny. As soon as they were clear, they intertwined their free hands and marched through the downpour, too many students running past them to risk talking.

Danny couldn't have spoken anyway. Not when he could smell the rain, could feel it soaking into his clothes and hear it plopping onto the wet pavement. It was too familiar. Too memorable.

By the time Phantom caught up to Fenton, they were both soaked from the rain. It meant nothing to Phantom's black, skin-tight suit, but Danny's white shirt had turned nearly transparent. It clung to his torso whereas his jeans hung off his waist, teasing Phantom with the barest hint of a red waistband. Fenton's face was angled down even as he stared at Phantom, desperate to know he had not messed things up for them. He kept brushing his wet bangs out of his eyes, but he didn't lift his chin, even as he scowled, trying to hide his confusion when Phantom didn't blame him.

Of the two of them, Fenton had gone against his nature the most, trying to make the date work and learn to kiss despite how uncomfortable and out of his depth he felt. And Phantom realized he wanted to do something for Fenton for once. Something that would make Fenton smile and not regret the day they had spent together.

Danny had enough sense not to clutch Valerie's hand, but he all but strangled his backpack strap. Despite the rain and the chill wind, his cheeks burned from his blush.

But Fenton had looked good...

Shit.

By this point, he and Valerie had passed the line of buses, so Danny stepped closer to his girlfriend, halfway under her umbrella, and raised his voice to be heard over the rain drops drumming against the canopy. "I have a few questions myself. How about we take turns?"

Valerie moved her umbrella to cover him more and tilted her head, arching an eyebrow. "I'll answer truthfully if you do."

Ouch.

Danny smiled, though his stomach twisted. "Sounds good."

"Then my first question." Valerie took a deep breath. "Are you upset with me?"

Danny, halfway through mentally preparing an explanation for Fenton's and Phantom's behavior the previous night, froze with his mouth partially open. "Uh?"

"You've been avoiding me ever since you found out about my secret." She didn't look at him, her eyes narrowed and fixed on the path ahead of them. "It's not that hard to figure out. I hunt ghosts just like your parents, and I've been blowing off our dates to do it. I've been lying to you. Of course you're upset; I just hadn't thought you would run away like that."

"I..." Danny's mouth hung open, half-closing around words that weren't properly forming in his mind. Two responses warred within him until, finally, he managed to force out, "I wasn't avoiding you." Valerie snorted. "I wasn't! I just needed to think." Which was true, even if it wasn't about Valerie. "A lot happened last night..."

Valerie sighed deeply. "You can say that again."

For a moment, the only noise between them was the rain drumming against Valerie's umbrella and Danny's jacket, the two teenagers thinking about the events of the previous night and the huge mess that had resulted. Valerie's exposure was pretty big...but Danny's thoughts circled around his two halves and the merging. It was hard to think about Valerie's secret—something he had actually known about for two years—when he was in the middle of an existential crisis.

"You didn't answer my question," Valerie said over the rain. "Are you mad at me?"

This time, the answer came more readily to his lips, and if his eyes burned a little, he kept them focused on the ground and angled slightly away from Valerie. No need to take chances. "Not mad, no. Worried, amazed, and a little tempted to wrap you in bubble wrap, sure, but not mad." His lips tugged into a smile. "I did say the Red Huntress was really cool during our date, didn't I?"

"That was before you found out you were dating her," Valerie responded. There was less tension in her voice, though, and her hand gave Danny's a brief squeeze. "It puts a different spin on things."

"Not so different that it'd change my opinion." The burn in his eyes subsided, and Danny took the chance to meet Valerie's eyes and grin. "Besides, how many guys can say they have a superhero girlfriend?"

She laughed lightly, and Danny thought her cheeks might have reddened a bit. "Not even you can say that, Danny. I'm not a hero."

"You were my hero yesterday," he said softly. His unoccupied hand tingled suspiciously, and he stuffed it into his pocket, bit his lip, and added as the sensation faded, "But don't count me out, next time. I can handle a ghost fight."

Valerie raised an eyebrow. "You could have handled two ghosts by yourself?"

"One ghost," he corrected. "And I wasn't exactly by myself."

"Ah." The smile vanished from Valerie's face and her gaze hardened. "Of course. Phantom was protecting you."

"Yeah." Danny pressed his lips into a thin line because a fluttering sensation in his stomach made him want to smile and that was...a problem. He didn't even know which part of himself was causing it. "He was."

Valerie grunted, a short, sharp sound that voiced her disagreement without words.

A part of Danny knew he shouldn't ask, but it was something they needed to know. He needed to know, if he was ever going to tell her his own secret. "Do you hate him?"

Valerie's lips thinned as she clenched her jaw. "It's complicated."

"Why?"

A rebellious spark appeared in her eyes as she lifted her chin, and for a moment, Danny wondered if she was going to claim he'd already asked his question. But then she let her breath out in a sigh. "I used to hate him, but if it weren't for him, I wouldn't be who I am. And I like who I am better than who I was. I know who my real friends are, I'm earning my own money instead of living off my dad's, and I'm the greatest ghost hunter this city has. I have Phantom to thank for all of that."

"...But?"

"But he did cost Daddy his job and it's because of him I live in a crummy apartment we're struggling to pay rent for instead of the house my parents bought together. He's the ghost that turned my life upside down. It's easy to blame him when things go wrong. More importantly though, he's hiding something."

Danny's gaze darted to her face and then away just as quickly. "What makes you say that?"

A bus drove past them, spraying water around the wheels that only barely missed the sidewalk. Worse, the bus produced a harsh gust of wind that buffeted Danny and Valerie. They braced against each other until the wind calmed. Danny looked over his shoulder to see if any more buses were coming, but most appeared to be driving straight rather than turning down the quieter street him and Valerie had.

Valerie started walking again, and Danny followed. Although his stomach was tying itself into knots, he didn't press her to continue, afraid of arousing suspicion. Had she figured it out? What did she think he was hiding?

Finally, Valerie said, "He has a cousin, did you know that? A little girl about two years younger than us." She chuckled to herself. "She's adorable and spunky, and I kind of wish she could have stuck around longer. She has a...condition that makes her a little unstable. And Phantom, he's...even when I was..." she took a deep breath, "torturing him for information, all he could think about was saving her from somebody, making sure she was okay."

Danny kept his head down.

"We made a deal where we would work together to save her and then Phantom would surrender himself to me and tell me everything I wanted to know. I thought he would just disappear afterward, but Danielle flew off safely, and as soon as she was out of sight, Phantom held out his hands to be cuffed." Valerie kicked a loose stone. It skipped over the soaked concrete before splashing into a puddle. "After everything, I couldn't do it. I let him go."

"That must have been hard," Danny said, a bit hesitant.

"Not really. It felt right. At the time." Her eyes narrowed. "I don't think he's evil, and I don't hate him anymore, but every time I try to get close, to find out more about him, he evades. He's hiding something from me, I know he is. Maybe I could let that go, but now he's targeting you."

Danny jerked reflexively. "Uh..."

"Between the newspaper, the way you've been acting this past week, and what happened last night, it's not hard to figure out." She looked at him, her eyes hard and serious. "So tell me truthfully, Fenton. Do you know him? Or is he trying to get at me through you?"

"Uh..." Startled, whatever response he had prepared before their walk began splintered into pieces. He opened his mouth to respond, but no words came. Nothing coherent formed in his mind. He couldn't deny it because then she would hate Phantom all over again, but he couldn't fabricate a lie without Valerie hating Danny when she found out the whole truth. He couldn't tell her the whole truth because then she would ask about seeing them together the other day and that would eventually lead to her finding out he had kissed himself, which was bad but not as bad as developing feelings for each other.

What could he say?

Valerie narrowed her eyes. "Is he holding something over you?"

"No," Danny managed to force out. He wanted to explain further, but his thoughts whirled from one tangent to another.

What could he say?

Valerie hardened her voice. "Then what is going on?"

She sounded less like his girlfriend and more like the ghost hunter who hunted his alter ego. A chill began to spread through Danny, and it was exactly the last thing they needed because if they transformed in front of her—

But if they didn't think of something to say—

Danny pinched his eyes closed. He focused on his racing heart, the nervousness twisting his stomach. Let me handle this. Then, a little desperate, Please. We can-I can-

The chill subsided, but the alarm remained, along with a wariness that felt...alien. He shivered.

"I…" He drew air in through his mouth and let it out in a rush. "I don't know."

"How can you not know?" Valerie demanded.

He helplessly shrugged his shoulders. "Uh, well, you're asking the wrong person. I mean…" He felt a hysterical laugh bubble up in his chest, but he suppressed it. Now really wasn't the time to have an identity crisis. He smiled a little crookedly at her. "Who can say why a ghost does anything? But I don't think he's using me to get at you."

She stared at him, dark green eyes intent on his face. "Because you know him."

"Well, we're not, like, friends or anything."

"It's a yes or no question, Fenton."

"It's a complicated answer, Valerie."

"Why?"

"Because I...I thought I knew him but now I'm," he hesitated, reluctant to admit a truth he still hadn't come to grips with himself, "not sure..." To his discomfort, his voice sounded as lost and confused as the rest of him felt. Valerie continued to watch him with narrowed eyes, but at his tone, her eyebrows began to pinch together in concern. Taking a chance, Danny asked, "Did you ever think you knew someone only to realize they weren't who you thought they were?"

Valerie pursed her lips. After a few seconds of silence, her eyes softened. "Well," she drawled, one corner of her lips curling into a smile, "there was this one guy who was a complete jerk during a school project…"

Danny's own smile felt more natural than the others as both halves of himself relaxed. "The guy paired with that one girl who insisted she was too busy to care for their child instead of just admitting she was working one of the worst jobs ever?"

"It was humiliating!" Valerie protested. "Besides, I was also hunting ghosts."

"Oh really?" Danny asked, feigning surprise. "How long ago did you start?"

"Right after my dad lost his position and we moved to Elmerton."

"Wow. So...what's your origin?"

"My what?"

"You know, your origin story? How you became a superhero? All the heroes have one."

"I'm not a hero," she denied immediately, but she fell silent after that and turned her head away from him.

Danny frowned at her as Valerie's shoulders hunched slightly inward. While they had never known for sure, him, Sam, and Tucker, had suspected Vlad had something to do with Valerie's appearance on the ghost hunting field, especially after the invasion by Pariah Dark's forces. It was just Vlad's style to prey on someone who had fallen on misfortune, just as he had tried to benefit from Danny's confusion over his powers. But they couldn't deny Valerie might have been desperate enough for Vlad's money and charm to willingly or unknowingly become his pawn after she became the Red Huntress.

"My dad made my first suit after Phantom's dog attacked Axiom Labs," Valerie finally said, her light tone at odds with her posture. "Of course, he didn't mean for me to use it, but after Axiom Labs rejected it..."

Danny nodded slowly. "Your dad...?"

Valerie looked at him again, and this time there was something vulnerable in her eyes that made the gentle tingle of Phantom's powers buzz beneath Danny's skin. But then the wall slammed down as she straightened her shoulders and beamed at him. "Of course! He's a great inventor."

Danny blinked, torn. After a second too long, he laughed. "I'll say! That first suit was pretty cool. Don't tell my folks, though, or they'll never let you guys go."

"Noted," Valerie said, smiling, but the humor in her voice rang hollow.

She fell silent immediately after, and Danny, concerned and confused, didn't push. He didn't know what to say. Neither half of him did. There was something bothering her, something about how she became a ghost hunter. A small part of Danny hoped she was rethinking her rigid stance on ghosts after having met Danielle, but if that had been the case, she wouldn't still be so distrustful of Phantom.

There was one way he knew to lighten the mood, however, courtesy of Phantom and Fenton's time together.

Danny grinned and nudged Valerie's shoulder with his own. "Now that the rain is stopping, could you fly us the rest of the way? Perks of dating a superhero?"

Valerie raised an eyebrow. "So people can see Danny Fenton hanging out with the Red Huntress too? Isn't Danny Phantom enough?"

"Well, maybe people will finally make the connection that I'm the son of ghost hunters. Meeting ghosts and ghost hunters is bound to happen."

Valerie continued to hesitate, but an excited gleam was appearing in her eyes. "I have an identity to protect, Fenton."

"Well, you're going to be working with my parents soon, right? They're going to want to bring us out into the field at some point. Do you want to be seen training with them as the Huntress or Valerie?"

She pursed her lips. "I hadn't thought about that."

Danny didn't say anything else as Valerie thought, not wanting to pressure her, but he didn't have to. Her lips were already gaining an eager grin.

"If anyone asks," she said, her hand squeezing his, "I just saved you from a ghost."

"What?"

Valerie yanked Danny into an alley. He stumbled after her, too surprised to maintain his footing. The rain, now a light drizzle, was almost nonexistent between the two buildings, but stagnant puddles gathered on either side of the alley and gave it an unpleasant odor. Halfway through, Valerie released Danny's hand and turned to face him, grinning. She half-closed her eyes, her grin becoming wicked.

"Fold this," she said, passing the umbrella into Danny's hands.

He did so, briefly looking at the umbrella as he folded it before frowning at Valerie. "Are you going to..." he trailed off, his mouth working silently as he tried to find the right word. 'Transform' wasn't right because she didn't actually alter her form, not the way Danny did, but he also didn't think her suit worked the same way her old one had. "...change?" he finished, a bit lamely.

Valerie chuckled and spread her arms out. "Stand back, Danny."

Danny had never truly seen Valerie change into the Red Huntress, but he had theories. Fantasies. Daydreams.

He hadn't expected lightning to be involved.

The first few bolts swirled between him and Valerie, and Danny flinched back. The umbrella fell through his hands. His skin prickled from the electric charge, his heart beating too fast, his vision of Valerie's eyes lost as the purple energy surrounded her and green energy flashed in his eyes.

The cold sensation of ectoplasm suddenly coursing through his veins as his skin burned, electricity surging around him, illuminating the once-dark tunnel in shades of toxic green. His heart beating erratically, oddly, strangely, the scent of ozone and agonized screams-

Two screams?

He blinked as the electricity surrounding Valerie began to dissipate, leaving behind black and red armor that encased her from head to toe.

Danny gaped a few seconds too long as his head ached. Finally, he forced himself to whisper, "Whoa."

Valerie beamed, the sight just visible through the tinted glass of her faceplate. She didn't seem to notice how shaky he was. Danny subtly tried to hide his intangible arms behind his back.

"Pretty sweet, huh?" she said.

He forced a smile. "Electric."

She chuckled at his pun, which was fortunate because Danny didn't think he could string two words together yet without vomiting.

Note to self, he thought, don't ever stand near Valerie when she transforms.

Noted.

Danny bent down to pick up the umbrella, hoping to buy himself some time, but as he did so, another stray thought crossed his mind.

She activated my ghost sense.

He paused. He stared at his trembling hand as he thought back to the last few seconds, but all he could remember seeing was the portal. The accident. It wasn't until his fingers closed on the iced-over handle of the umbrella and felt the ice melting beneath his heated skin that he remembered seeing the cold wisp of his ghost sense.

He stood up slowly. His hands were still shaking, he felt like he was going to be sick, but if he showed any hint that something was wrong, Valerie might suspect Phantom. He couldn't even spare the time to worry about what effects the suit might have on Valerie because his ghost side would likely breech whatever flimsy barriers were still in place.

He had to act normal.

"Does it hurt?"

If his voice sounded too high, his tone slightly off, Valerie didn't comment on it. She shrugged. "A few tingles here and there, a bit cold. It doesn't hurt." She held up a hand and curled it into a fist, smirking as the material moved like a second skin over her fingers. "Not me, anyway."

Danny nodded and forced his smile to spread a little wider. "It's wicked."

She grinned back at him. "Deadly."

His grin faltered. He broke eye contact and looked around Valerie's feet. "Uh, what about your board?"

"Cover your eyes," she warned.

Danny tensed as more electricity gathered around the soles of her boots. Light flashed, and Danny quickly looked away, raising an arm to shield his eyes. When the light faded, he cautiously lowered it and stared at the red and black hoverboard floating at least three feet off the ground.

Valerie lowered the board until she was only a few inches off the ground. She bent her knees slightly and held her hand out to Danny. "Ready to fly, Danny?"

Danny couldn't restrain a small, ironic laugh. "Always."

He grabbed her hand, and Valerie pulled him onto the board behind her. He settled his feet easily enough, but as soon as it came time to hold on, he stared at Valerie's back, hesitating. "Um..."

"You're gonna want to hold on," Valerie called over her shoulder, sounding amused as she commanded the board to float higher.

"Right," Danny said, his eyes darting to her shoulders and then back to her waist. His mind was too torn for quick decisions like this. "Right."

Valerie angled her board into a more vertical angle, causing Danny to slip backwards. He yelped and threw himself forward, locking his arms around Valerie's waist more out of instinct than conscious decision. She laughed, the last sound Danny heard before they rocketed into the sky.

I want to promise I'll get the next chapter done quickly...but I'm currently working 10 hours overtime and I'm usually too exhausted when I get home to do much of anything. Doesn't help that the next chapter promises to be as difficult as this one. Juggling three characters in one body isn't easy. One of you asked if it was hard writing Danny now and oh my god yes. I have to keep him in character but in a way that doesn't allow Fenton and Phantom to be lost. I have to keep the romance between them moving, but I can't lose sight of Danny in the process. It's a delicate balance. I feel you, Danny, I really do.

And then on top of that, writing a tense conversation with Valerie? The struggle is real, my friends. And it gets worse next chapter. Jack and Maddie and ghost hunting equipment and ghost training...this gonna be fun I can tell.

Before anyone points it out, yeah, Valerie's going easy on Danny here. She likes him. If he doesn't want to give a full answer, she's not going to drag it out of him. It's not like he's Phantom, right?

At any rate, I really, seriously, fucking love you guys. I've tried replying but I always get tongue-tied or nervous so I procrastinate and the next thing I know a week has passed and it's even more awkward replying. Kind of hate myself because there were several of you I just really wanted to crush in a hug because what you said was so nice and inspiring and I'm actually trying harder with this story instead of simply pronouncing it "good enough".

Omfg I just really love you guys, alright? I'm sorry I don't show my appreciation too well, but you guys are inspiring. Thank you