BEEP BEEP HERE COMES THE ROSIE TRAIN NEXT STOP ITALICSLAND USA

ok in all seriousness i've been slamming into a serious wall with enigma. also i've been hopping fandoms like a bunny on a pogo stick. with a sugar rush. like, not leaving fandoms, but just adding more and more to my already-extensive list. XD looks like i'm looping back around though, which means more one-shots! :D

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Twinkle

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Valerie's ghost detector beeped, but she only spared it a quick glance before turning back to her window, where the waning moon shone in the sky.

In the distance, she could see a giant ghostly green blob try to escape its tiny pursuer, only for a pulse of blue-white to shrink it down and capture it.

A mirthless smile tugged at her lips. Even after everything, Danny was still protecting the town.

The grin slipped away, replaced by a frown. She couldn't quite call it a scowl, but her eyebrows scrunched up all the same.

How had she not seen it?

The shimmering silver glow of Danny's Phantom self shot off towards Fentonworks, most likely so he could try and grab a few Z's before school that day.

Val knew she wouldn't be as lucky, what with her emotions running laps around her mind, so she sighed and opened the window, calling her suit into existence for what may very well have been the last time.

She needed to think.

With a subsonic whine, she sped away from the claustrophobic apartment and into the open sky, dropping her helmet to let the wind blow through her hair. For a moment, she felt strong again, she felt free.

She almost felt like laughing. She'd been missing out! She always had her face covered, but Danny could feel the breeze on his skin-

-and the scalding burns of ecto-weapons when they hit home.

Suddenly she didn't want to let the wind blow on her face.

Her facemask slid into place on her absentminded command. She coasted to a standstill above the city, lowering herself onto her board so she could sit and gaze out at the horizon.

It really hadn't been his fault, had it? Ghost dog or regular dog, if it wasn't properly trained, then of course it would do whatever it pleased! It would find someone friendly, latch on, and go to them when it wanted attention.

But because it had been a ghost dog, it had latched onto a ghost boy, and the powers that came with ectoplasm gave it more ways to unintentionally wreak havoc.

Valerie grimaced, laying on her board. Vlad Masters, Danielle, and now Danny. While she was off on a misguided attempt for justice, someone she liked, someone she could've maybe even gone farther with, was getting wasted by a rich guy with nothing better to do and a disturbing lack of a moral compass.

And Danielle…oh, Dani…

Val's eyes screwed shut as those terrifying moments floated to the forefront of her mind.

Danielle had been Danny's clone, but she was so much more than just a copy, and she had very nearly fallen apart in Danny's hands after her torture at Vlad's!

Val's own issues seemed petty, now she had some perspective.

She was an A-Lister, once upon a time. Already, she was more privileged than the so-called Loser Trio.

Her dad lost his job.

Danny lost his life and found it again.

Her friends lost interest in her.

Danny's interests in school were pushed to the sidelines so he could keep them all alive and breathing for another day.

She took a bad thing and let it fuel her, blind her.

He took a terrible thing and let it inspire him, help him.

She hunted ghosts.

So did he.

Like two sides of a coin, almost. Val chuckled bitterly at that thought.

"Uh…Valerie?"

The voice startled her from her reverie, and she jolted up into a sitting position. She blinked away tears she hadn't remembered shedding and saw Danny once her vision cleared.

Not Fenton, not Phantom, just Danny.

"Not that I mind you…y'know, not shooting me down, but…" Danny rubbed a gloved hand against his neck, "…you okay?"

Val folded in on herself, finding her hands extremely interesting. "…how can you be so calm?"

"Eh…what?" Danny blinked in confusion, the glow of his eyes turning his eyelids a strange green-pink.

"I hunted you, Danny!" Valerie's voice cracked against her will, her fists clenching. "I…gah, I hunted you down for months! Over a stupid misunderstanding! And you're up here, asking me if I'm okay?!"

She swallowed down the lump in her throat, gesturing vaguely with her arms as her voice grew higher. "I just found out I was trying to brutally murder someone I actually care about while he risked his neck to save this town, then the whole stinkin' world! The guy who gave me my first suit was insane, ghost-human hybrids exist, and, oh yeah, to top it all off, you're checking to make sure I'm okay!

Her helmet slid back again, giving her a chance to wipe away the tears she couldn't stop. In a shaky voice, she mumbled, "I don't know how I feel, but I don't think it could ever be called 'okay.'"

Danny sighed, his hand moving to his elbow. "Figured as much. It's been a kinda long couple of days, hasn't it?"

Val snorted. "Kinda, yeah."

Danny sat down on the other side of the board, idly kicking his feet. "This whole thing has been crazy, no matter how you look at it." He leaned back to face Valerie with a wry grin. "Half-ghosts are pretty rare, though, so there shouldn't have to be any more 'dramatic reveals' anytime soon." He threw in some jazz hands near the end, snickering.

She barked out a laugh, laying back against her board. Danny followed suit, his head dangling next to her legs.

They floated there for a while in companionable silence, watching the stars twinkle as color slowly seeped into the sky, before Valerie laughed humorlessly. "What kind of pair are we?"

"Well, we're a couple of insomniacs, for starters." Danny grinned, watching the world come alive again in the first moments of dawn.

"I probably oughta get back home so Dad doesn't freak out." Val pulled herself back onto the board all the way, then watched as Danny phased through it, floating up to her eye level. "See you at school?"

"Count on it." Danny grinned. "Maybe we could race?"

"Let's get breakfast, then you're on!" Valerie returned the grin, then turned towards home. Before leaving, she smiled over her shoulder. "Thanks for the talk, Danny. I think…I think I'm okay now."

Behind her, Danny beamed, shooting down into Fentonworks as the first alarm clocks chirped all across town.