Combined expansions of two of Sapphireswimming's oneshots. You might know her as the super-cool person who runs the Phandom Rewatch project. She's a friend o' mine. I really recommend her stuff; I can't quite remember the titles of the two hundred word drabbles I borrowed for this (with her permission beforehand, of course, she loves it when people write things for her), as there are quite a lot and I suspect it would take me awhile to find them again, haha, but the name of the drabbleseries itself is, "Turning Pages." Take a look-see. Mention that I referred you.
INDECISION.
Dani shelters under an outcropping of rock, thankful that Amity Park is a locally famous camping center, thankful that she can find a secluded place to give all of her attention to smothering the choking sensation in her throat. She hates crying. She hasn't in months, her travels and the things she witnessed–good (those Tibetan monks), and bad (dead people on the ground...see, Dani, you don't have the worst deal ever, quit bein' so whiny) soothing the sting of Vlad's rejection. It's hard enough trying to convince the Grays and the Fentons–now that they know, god, why was she so stupid and thoughtless–Danny himself warned her that she should focus more on not instinctively transmorphing in her sleep–that being a halfa didn't make her some unstable, pitiable quasi-human–she doesn't wanna be all-human, she likes the way she is–and-and it'll probably be easier if she just told Danny (DanDad…) what's happening…that…
That, if the assholes can manage to find her (she takes pride in her flightiness), the more criminally-inclined enemies of the Phantom come after her. Why not? She has connections to the guy. She looks like him, and they're petty enough to take advantage of that, even if she doubts Plasmius went buzzing through the Badlands, telling every wanted specter he came across why there's some pathetic little girl with a strong resemblance to the second halfa in existence, with a higher catch-rate than Warden Walker's so-called professionally-trained goons. Danny's catch-rate, not Danielle's. She can't stomach fighting, anymore. Her emancipation from Vlad, and the trauma of it, effectively strangled her own ferocity. She's a wanderer at heart these days. The one difference between her and Danny. Danny gets a certain light in his eyes at the opportunity to hurt something, especially a jerkface sorta-something, but Dani just can't…muster it, anymore.
She pulls at her suit, taking in the stark white symbol emblazoned there. Her target. She wonders why she insists of keeping it. It's not hers, after all. It's his.
Valerie watches Danielle from a distance. She's been doing that a lot. Just, watching. Not interfering. She probably should. She should probably zip straight over there on her hoverboard, right now, no hesitation, and ask what's wrong. But, she doesn't. For one, someone might see the Red Huntress associating herself with a ghost, of all things, and secondly: Valerie doesn't know what she'd say.
She wants to. People have said a lot of things about her, especially since the dreaded drama of high-school began, but procrastinator has never made that list. She's always made nose-dives for whatever she wanted, and rarely regretted those actions. She didn't regret dating Danny Fenton, even if he turned out to as hopeless a venture as she'd suspected he'd be. Oh, she almost lured him away from Manson's path for awhile. It didn't last. Oh well. Some things are meant to be.
If she'd been allowed to pick, instead of having been the one chosen, Valerie Gray would've been the very last person Valerie Gray would've designated as Amity Park's foremost ghost-huntress. 'Foremost'–is that arrogant? She's a teenage girl with a fondness for aiming deadly weapons at a whole array of monsters which, by all rights, shouldn't exist. Ghosts give her the creeps. Always have. Horror movies freaked her out growing up, and she indulged Halloween costumes for the sake of her friends (ex-friends) in the past. The annual sugar rush the piles of chocolate, candy, and general excitement to be out roaming the neighborhood with so many other kids, those were benefits that countered the scariness. Back then. She's older now.
While she won't admit it to anyone, she's still scared. Of what? Of the otherworldliness. The inhumanity. The…the way reality seems to warp if she stares at them for too long. Does she still jump when a ghost pops up around her on patrol? Maybe. Maybe a little. She congratulates herself, though, because she hasn't outright screamed in ages.
It doesn't matter that she's scared. They've messed with her life, she's going to mess with their deaths.
But, Danielle isn't dead.
Not all the way…
Not…
The tears are streaming down Dani's face now, her mouth clenched closed teeth-crackingly hard, swallowing her sobs. The sheer force of it is visible, and Valerie…doesn't… know…what to do…for a human.
Who is not.