Part 2
The Journal of Daniel Fenton, Entry # 5
Part of me writes this because actually seeing it down on the screen helps convince me it's actually happening.
I have mentioned Valerie Gray in the past. She went to my school, and was a popular wealthy kid turned ghost hunter thanks to bad circumstances and my old friend Vlad's interference. She went from hating me to grudgingly respecting me back to hating me again when I revealed her identity to her father to keep her safe from Pariah Dark. So to speak. Valerie hates my ghost half.
She likes the normal me.
In fact, though I blush to write this, I think she really likes the normal me.
And therein lie a few problems.
Because she found out about my secret several weeks ago due to my aforementioned time travel adventure. A secret she seems to have somehow completely and utterly forgotten!
My grades may not be all that great, but I know when something's not quite right. Considering her grudge against my ghost half, and how outside of an ill-considered happening with the Fenton Ghost Catcher we're one and the same, you would think one of two possibilities.
One, she's setting me up.
Two, she has indeed somehow forgotten about me having ghost powers.
As silly as it sounds, I want to give it to the latter. True, my excuse of 'Maybe the time travel correctence (there's my word again! I need to take out a patent) screwed up and/or erased her memories' sound lame, you forget that I live in a world where I'm not only half ghost, I have an evil older alternate version of me and have had a somewhat well known for being incredibly impenitent super hero apologize to me. Compared to that, time traveling memory muckery sounds downright plausible.
And also because…the latter hurts less. Far less. Because if it is the former, it means that all that Valerie and I have done far has been a set-up for something.
And I like her.
I really do.
I've mentioned Sam before. What we have beyond the friendship…I still can't make sense of it. With Valerie, it's simple. I like her as a friend…and as a girl.
I did call her, the next day. We talked. Called her the next day. We talked again.
She asked me on another date on the third call. I hemmed and hawed a bit…but I accepted. We went to see a movie. We have similar tastes in film. We had another coffee afterward. She caught a cab home. Very casual.
Until I got back home and she called me. And I realized how nice it was to hear from her.
And before I knew it, we were dating steadily.
So to speak. It's only been three weeks, so far be it from me to be able to tell what this is…but I like it. I like Valerie, and I like the fact that she likes me.
And if she's just doing this for revenge…hell, I understand the fact. I've seen the nastier side of her personality, back during the bag of flour incident with Skulker. But people can change. So can their interactions. But the possibility that's nothing's changed, possibly even more then the execution, hurts.
And something else hurts too: I have to tell Sam. I respect her too much not to. I can't remember the time when I didn't have her in my life, and despite what's happening here, I still consider her my dear friend. And I know she does too.
I'm still afraid this will change something, something in that damnable mass that keeps swirling beyond where Sam and I stand. But my mind is made up. If I could stare down a lunatic fire spirit who wanted nothing me then to send me screaming into the abyss, I can tell Sam and Tucker I'm dating Valerie…
Even if doing say may be just as hard.
"…You're going out." Sam said. She had been expecting this for nearly ten days: she could read the fact that Danny was looking for a way to tell her something he didn't know she already knew. But now, in the Nasty Burger, Danny had finally sat both her and Tucker down and told them about Valerie.
Now all Sam had to do was act like she didn't know. It wasn't too hard: she had known about them having coffee. She had only WONDERED if it had led to more. And now Danny was telling her that yes, it had led to more, and that he and Valerie were probably a step away from 'casual dating' to 'being a couple', or at least a couple defined by high school terms.
"…Yeah." Danny said. He'd predicted Tucker's reaction fairly well: he looked stunned (Tucker could put on an act when necessary), but Sam's was a bit harder to read.
Hell, even Sam didn't know what to make of it. On one hand she was thankful for Danny's openness and honesty, telling her to her face instead of sneaking around. On the same hand was the calm rational voice pointing out she didn't own Danny, that he was free to do what he chose to do (and buried under that was the tiny voice pointing out Sam could've been in Valerie's shoes, but she'd contemplated too long and lost her chance), and that just because Danny was now seeing Valerie didn't mean that it would be that way for the rest of his life…if she even decided she wanted to wait in the first place. After all, she was her own girl. She was Danny's good friend, but she wasn't beholden to him.
A strong argument…that still had a great deal of difficulty with the other hand, the murky emotional hand, the part that felt strongly even if the feelings didn't make sense, the part that asked how could Danny start this with another girl when she was right there, how he could possibly do something like like another girl, and a girl who could be setting up him for a fall at that, and the part that agonized that Valerie had won the challenge, and deep down, thoroughly buried and under control but still with a voice, the part that wanted to reach across the table and grab Danny and scream that he was a no good piece of trash for doing such a terrible thing like breaking her heart…
Except, as the twin sides warred within Sam for a moment, she realized he hadn't broken her heart. Because she'd never given it to him, in any big sense. Maybe a bit here…a piece there…but nothing serious.
"…Oh. Well…this is…a surprise Danny…" Sam said, trying to keep her voice as neutral as possible. "I mean…I wasn't really expecting it."
"I wasn't expecting it either. It just…kind of happened." Danny said. There was pleading in his eyes, pleading Sam could see all too well. And it reminded her that no matter what he did, Danny still cared for her.
It helped dull the pain.
Mostly.
But she could live with it. She'd adapt. She was strong. It could have been worse. It could have been Paulina, after all.
"Sam…you're ok with this right?" Danny said.
And she managed to say the words.
"…Yes Danny. Why wouldn't I be ok? It's your life, after all. I hope it goes good." Sam said. She thought the words sounded about as truthful as she could make them.
They seemed to work for Danny, who looked relieved…and yet, in his eyes, she could still see a few notable bits of emotion that differed from the relief. A spark of regret, a flash of worry…but much more so then those two was…contentment.
Their complications aside, this made Danny happy.
And he deserved it.
So Sam sucked it up and made her peace with it. She'd adjust. After all, Danny'd always been her friend, who said this would change anything? Maybe this would be a good time to just be a friend. She might spot potential danger to Danny: Valerie wasn't entirely to be trusted after all. And another thing: she remembered when she'd accidentally erased Danny's memories of her, how the events around that had caused her to end up in a brightly colored dress in front of Paulina, who had commented "She surrendered her individuality to a boy!" like it was a totally natural thing for a girl to do like getting her period or producing breast milk for a baby and how the words had burned into Sam, her fierce sense of who she was butting up against her murky feelings and she had sworn at that very moment that no matter what happened she would never fall into that unnatural garbage that Paulina had spouted and here was a test of that very vow and she wasn't going to fall over and break that damn Titan Noel might have thought she was weak and easily breakable because of her lack of so called life experience but this wasn't world affairs or history this was her own mind and heart and she wouldn't shatter just because a boy she might or might not like was dating another girl she was much stronger then that…
"Sam?"
Sam snapped out of her mental fugue to find both Tucker and Danny staring at her.
"Earth to Sam. Come in Sam. Over." Tucker said, tapping on Sam's head. "You really zoned out there for a moment."
"Oh yeah I was just…pondering a math homework question." Sam semi-sputtered. For an excuse it hit new records in the field of lame, but Danny seemed to accept it. Whether it was for his sake or hers, Sam didn't know.
"Tucker was just pointing out something I already knew: Valerie knows the truth about my double identity." Danny whispered.
"And she doesn't like his ghost half." Tucker said.
"To the point where I doubt she could so perfectly balance like and dislike." Danny finished.
"So you think she could be setting you up?" Sam asked, and then scolded herself inwardly for the very faint trace of eagerness in her tone.
"It's crossed my mind a few times. The only other option is she somehow forgot who I am. I haven't fully denoted that possibility yet…but if she is setting me up, I don't want to just be sitting around waiting for it. And I doubt she would confess if I out and out asked her. And even if I did ask her, then I'd be revealing the truth about myself if she once again somehow DIDN'T know, and if I don't do anything and she doesn't know, I'll still constantly be wondering if she does and that could drive a wedge through our relationship."
"A knotty problem." Sam said.
"Yeah, it is. I have, however, hit upon a potential solution. However, there's another problem with that: it's rather…unscrupulous." Danny said.
"What is it?"
"My overshadowing power." Danny said. "It allows me to control other people…and I think that it also allows me to view their thoughts and memories. It should, considering that memory and body manipulation both come from the brain. Using that power, I could potentially sneak into Valerie and find out the truth from the source."
"And you have overshadowed Valerie before." Tucker said, referring to the flour sack incident…and wincing as he recalled how spectacularly his grand idea around the assignment had blown up in his face.
"Yeah, so I have a basic lay of the land, even if I was just moving her body around."
"Ok. What's the problem?" Tucker asked. Danny's head jerked over to Tucker.
"Tuck! Really! You think it's fair for me to go diving into Valerie's mind, turning through her private thoughts like I'm a dimwitted cop searching for evidence, learning her secrets and personal matters just because I think I might find something malevolent about me?"
"Well, the other options are possibly fall into a trap of hers, or that she somehow forgot, no need to go into the minutiae of that." Tucker said, and sipped his soft drink.
"True, hence I'm not ruling it out. And the target forgets overshadowing as soon as I leave, as long as I'm careful. And…Valerie and I have another, uh, meeting tomorrow night, at this very restaurant. So here's what I was thinking." Danny said. "We go back to my place, and I practice the overshadowing ability. With you Tucker. No offense Sam."
"None taken." Sam said.
"Right. If I can develop it in such a way that I can figure out just where such information would be, and to get just THAT information…then I'll do it and find out myself what's going on. But only if I can practice it with you two. Besides that, I'm lost." Danny said.
"Works for me." Tucker said. "You want to head to your house right now?"
"The sooner I figure out something to do, the better."
Danny's breath came out in a white fog as soon as he stepped into the house. But his ghost sense wasn't going off: the house was freezing.
"BRRRRRR! What happened, did the heat get shut off?" Sam commented, as she clutched her arms, goose pimples rising on her bare flesh.
"No…my dad may be absent minded but not that much, and even if he was my mom would remember to pay any bills…hello! Anyone home?" Danny called.
"Oh Danny." Maddie Fenton said as she stuck her head through the kitchen doorway. "We expected you later. We thought we'd be done by now."
"But now you can come take a look at our latest project!" Jack semi-yelled as he stuck his head above his wife's, Maddie unphased as usual. "It's really cool! Come on!"
The three teens looked at each other, and then shrugged and headed into the kitchen.
The whole kitchen table was covered with gear that looked to have been ripped from a mad scientist film, and front and center on the table was…a skull. An artificial one, as it turned out, but one that still made Danny and Tucker start.
"Geez Mr and Mrs. Fenton, what are you doing, planning to do a performance of Hamlet in Alaska?" Tucker asked.
"No Tucker, this is my latest inspiration! Do you remember Back To The Future?" Jack said.
"More then you'd realize." Danny chuckled to himself.
"Well, remember the scene where the doctor said how he fell and hit his head on the toilet while hanging a clock and came up with the idea for a Flux Capacitator? Well I was watching a movie marathon and I went to make a snack and I opened the fridge door and hit myself in the face with it…and I was struck by similar inspiration!"
"You're going to try and build a time machine?" Danny asked, a hint of worry creeping into his voice. He'd had just about enough of time travel.
"No! Something different! Behold! The Fenton FACE!" Jack said, as he thrust his latest creation into Danny's own.
"…Dad, that's a mask. Of some generic person, no less." Danny said.
"At the moment, yes! But this is just the very beginning prototype! We're running tests, hence we have the heat off, sorry about that!" Jack said as he took the mask over to the skull. "The problem with masks is that they are obviously masks! But once the Fenton Face is complete, we will have a mask that perfectly and completely molds to the features of a man, so thin it will be virtually undetectable, so lifelike and realistic it will be virtually impossible to tell it's not a real face! True, we're just starting out! But we're getting somewhere! Look!" Jack said, as he put the mask over the skull and stepped back. After several seconds, the mask did indeed contract to the point where it fit over the skull like skin, though the lack of eyes or a nose made the effect more then a little creepy.
"We've worked out the plastic and chemical mixture so it doesn't contract to the point of splitting, but there's a lot still to do! First thing is to get it so it actually works in temperatures BESIDES sub-zero ones!" Jack said as he shivered for a second. "But I know I'll find out a way! And once all the kinks are worked out, imagine the use we will have for such a creation!"
"Oh really. And what use would that be Dad?" Danny asked.
"Well uh…you could use it to sneak up on a ghost! Or hide from a ghost! Or maybe…we could market it to a Halloween company! Or heck, if we could combine some kind of voice altering technology with it, we could sell it to the CIA or something!"
"Or use it to sneak into one of the seminars you've been kicked out of for being called a kook?" Maddie said good-naturedly.
"Yes! No! I mean…anyway we're just starting out for now! Check back later kids, it'll be so cool it'll be hot!" Jack said, and gave the assembled teens a thumbs up before turning back to carefully remove the mask from the skull.
"Say mom?" Danny whispered as he leaned in close to his mother.
"Yes dear?"
"What kind of movie marathon was he watching?"
"Tom Cruise." Maddie replied.
"Ah, this makes a bit more sense now." Danny said, as he nodded to Tucker and Sam. "Where's Jazz?"
"In her room. She has a space heater…"
All three of the kids were gone so fast Maddie could have sworn they broke overland speed records.
Jazz looked rather cross when she opened the door, though Danny could tell it wasn't at him, as the look faded as she saw whom it was.
"Da-" she began, before Tucker charged into her room, followed swiftly by Sam. "And friends. Sure, come in, make yourself at home." Jazz said with a hint of sarcasm.
Tucker took advantage of the words to dive under Jazz's blankets. That led to several seconds of Jazz trying to dislodge the teen from her bed, while he protested he would freeze to death if he were anywhere else. Jazz finally dislodged Tucker onto the floor and began making her bed again, while Danny watch in amusement and Sam looked at the television in Jazz's room, one that was apparently a 24 hour news channel with some breaking news involving a trial, Sam though.
"So, what does my brother and his Ghosties want?" Jazz said as she finished.
"Oh well…what?" Sam said. "What did you call us?"
"You guys need a nickname. I'm trying different ones out."
"How about 'Sam and Tucker, Not In Need of Additional Aggravation'?"
"Then I wouldn't be a very good big sister would I?" Jazz said, and grinned.
"Are you watching this Jazz?" Danny said to change the subject, pointing to the TV. Jazz briefly looked cross again.
"No, I've heard enough." Jazz said, as she picked up her remote and turned the TV off.
"What's wrong?" Danny asked, remembering Jazz's cross look.
"What, haven't you been paying attention to the news? It was the biggest story after your fight with Sizzle died down." Jazz said.
"Hmmmmmm, what could possibly distract me from watching the news, there was something, yes, it's on the tip of my tongue…" Danny said as he assumed a faux deep thinker pose. Jazz aimed the remote at Danny and repeatedly pressed the mute button as if that could shut him up.
"Ever heard of Deacon Gunner?" Jazz asked as she put the remote down.
"GAH-NAIR. It's produced GAH-NAIR." Tucker said. Everyone looked at him. "Info on webpages. Yeah, businessman, rumored to be a lot more, all bad, on trial. What happened?"
"They acquitted him."
"WHAT?" Tucker said. "I might not be an expert, but wasn't there a lot of strong evidence?"
"Focused around two witnesses. One disappeared. The other swiftly recanted. Without them they couldn't keep the case together. You see the result. What REALLY burns me is that we all KNOW what happened and we can't do a damn thing about it because there's no solid PROOF. Proof, ha. I swear, justice isn't just blind, it's stupid as well."
"Well how does that affect us?" Danny asked.
"It doesn't, I suppose…could you do anything Danny?"
"Me? Unless it's ghost related, kinda out of my area."
"Gunner…"
"GAH-NAIR."
"Everyone calls him Gunner, because he's supposed to be one of the biggest damn arms dealers in the States, it's Gunner to me." Jazz said. "But he's just a man…his son on the other hand…ugh."
"Ugh? What do you mean ugh?"
"Abel Gunner. He was at the trial, day in, day out. Early 20's. Seems normal enough…but there was one time he glanced at a camera, I think he was looking at something beyond it…ugh. There was just something WRONG in his eyes. Not right…but also probably not ghost related. In any case, it's out of our hands." Jazz said. "What's with the visit?"
"Well uh…where do I begin…" Danny said.
"Danny's got a girlfriend." Tucker said. Danny glared at him, while Jazz looked positively delighted.
"Oh Danny! My little brother, growing up so fast!" Jazz said as she sprang off her bed and enveloped him in a sisterly hug.
"Jazz! Friends! In presence of! Reaction! Bad! Not wanted! Cease! Desist!" Danny said, both trying to squirm out of his sister's grip and jerk his head to indicate to her who he didn't want her doing this in front of. Jazz released him, and started to turn to Sam. Tucker immediately saw the immensely awkward situation that was about to unfold and cut it off at the pass.
"Valerie Gray." Tucker said. Jazz stopped.
"Wait, what? Valerie Gray?"
"Yeah. Danny's dating her."
"Valerie Gray?"
"Yeah." Danny said, rubbing his wrist.
"The ghost hunter? The one who doesn't like Danny?"
"Phantom. Danny Phantom to be specific." Danny said. Jazz looked at her brother.
"Um Danny…not to sound condescending…but…"
"Yes Jazz, we all know something is a bit off about this. We'd like your help in determining just what." Danny said, and gave Valerie a rundown of his thoughts and his plan.
"Well, true, not the most ethical of tactics…but you're doing everything you can to minimize that…and if she is planning something…but why do you need me?"
"I plan to practice on Tuck first. But…I'd also like a female test subject. Just once, to make sure there wouldn't be any differences in each overshadowing. I'd wondered if you'd help in that regard Jazz. I don't feel right doing it with you Sam. I feel there's…too much of a privacy risk."
"…Oh. Ok. Um, thanks…I guess…" Sam said.
"Well…after the whole Kitty thing it probably wouldn't be so bad…all right. We going to do it now?" Jazz asked.
"Yes." Danny said, as he raised an arm. White circles flashed over him, and then he was Danny Phantom.
"Awwww. You didn't do the battle cry." Jazz said.
"Didn't feel it was necessary. You ready Tuck?"
"Hit me!" Tuck said, tapping his chest.
Danny turned intangible and dove into Tucker's chest.
Tucker stood there for a few seconds.
"Danny?"
"Yeah?" Tucker said in Danny's voice. "Sorry, used to OOPS!" Danny-Tucker said as Tucker fell down.
"Ow! Danny! Be careful!" Tucker himself said as he got back up. Danny's head poked out of Tucker's shoulder.
"Sorry. This is all new ground to me. You can't expect me to hit the nail exactly on the head." Danny said as he disappeared back into Tucker's body. What followed was about fifteen seconds of a weird jerky dance, as Sam and Jazz giggled over the spectacle.
"Better then anything Hollywood's produced in the last ten years." Sam commented.
"I am reminded of watching tapes in history class of Richard Nixon giving speeches wherein he looked like a large and disorganized committee of alien beings had taken over his body and were just learning how to operate it. 'Ok! Let's try to wave. Who's operating the arms?' 'Me!' 'No, me! 'NO…'" Jazz joked as Tucker continued his little goofy motions.
Until Danny popped out of his body. He looked a bit stunned.
"Ok, that went a little too well. I now know TOO much about Tucker." Danny said.
"What? You mean…" Tucker said.
"Yes Tucker, I know all about your rock."
Tucker's yard.
A rock.
With 'Tucker's Rock' spraypainted on it and signs that said 'Go away' and 'Keep out' nearby.
"…Y-you mean you know what I do near the rock? When no one's around?" Tucker said, looking horrified.
"Yes Tucker, and you should be very ashamed of yourself."
"I get so lonely…" Tucker said, and then glanced at the stunned faces of Jazz and Sam. "OK! The rest of this experiment will be in this nearby bathroom, away from prying ears! Yes it will!" Tucker said as he shoved Danny into Jazz's small personal washroom, closing the door with a slam.
There was a moment of silence, and then Jazz turned to Sam.
"I'm sorry." She said. She watched as Sam tried to look surprised and unaware of what Jazz was apologizing for. In Jazz's opinion, she didn't succeed very well.
"Why?" She asked anyway.
"You know why."
"…What, Danny and Valerie? Heck…who am I to say who he should date or not?"
"So you're ok?"
"Yes!…Yeah…well…"
"What?"
"One thing."
"Ask away."
"…Jazz…let's assume Valerie has forgotten Danny has a ghost side, and one she really doesn't like much at that. I know that she said she kinda liked Danny himself beforehand…but it seems like she made a big jump from that area to one where she'd ask him out! It just strikes me as…off. Not quite all right. But I can't figure out why. You want to be a psychologist…can you think of what's not kosher?"
"…Well Sam, I'm still very early in my field of study…but I can give it a try. Tell me everything you can about Valerie and her relationship to Danny beforehand."
Sam did so, telling Jazz everything she could recall, most of it gleaned through conversations with Danny. She told Jazz about Valerie's original 'status' at Danny's school, her 'demotion' and Danny's inadvertent role in it and how that played into her becoming a ghost hunter, her sparring with Danny at the same time of them being paired up for a school project and how the ghost Skulker had gotten involved and allowed them to forge an uneasy truce. She spoke of how Danny and Valerie had had the precise set of circumstances that led to Valerie liking Danny Fenton and hating Danny Phantom occur, and finally she told Jazz of what she knew about the time travel incident (which provoked a lot of disbelieving looks from the redhead), and finally ending up with what she'd seen in the mall. She was amazed she got it all out before Danny and Tucker came back out of the washroom, but she did.
"…Well, that is quite a twisted rope." Jazz said at the end. "And I, unfortunately, can't immediately pluck an answer from thin air. I need one last piece of information: if Jazz did somehow forget Danny's secret. If she HAS…then I may have something. I need to know for sure though."
"I'll tell you as soon as we find out."
"And I'll give it some thou…"
The door opened, and a somewhat bedraggled Tucker came out, followed by a floating Danny.
"Ok, it took some practice, and some messing up of the bathroom…"
"My oils!" Jazz said, running into the washroom past the males.
"But we think we've figured out just where to look in the brain without prying too deep. Assuming Jazz doesn't want to lynch me, we'll test it on her." Danny said. Jazz came out of the washroom thirty seconds later, a bit cross looking again but not in a blocking-the-intended-plan way.
"Well? We don't have all day, little brother." Jazz said. Danny looked sheepish, and then dove into Jazz. Jazz stood there for about 12 or so seconds, and then Danny popped out again.
"Your last test you took, the correct answer was smudged, you circled another answer that wasn't fully correct and argued with your teacher that if the correct answer was so messed up that you couldn't tell the difference between it and a wrong answer you weren't going to gamble on circling it. She gave you full credit."
"…Yeah…I never told anyone about that, it was two weeks ago…" Jazz said, still a wee bit dazed from the overshadowing.
"YES! I rule." Danny said, and changed back to normal. "At least now we have an option."
"You sure you didn't pry while you were in there?" Jazz asked.
"Jazz, you're my sister. I don't WANT to know your secrets." Danny said. "Well, glad we did that, we'll do lunch later, gotta go!" Danny said, not wanting to answer for the messy bathroom as he tried to exit Jazz's room.
The blast of frigid air from the hall reminded him why he was hiding in Jazz's room in the first place.
"Or maybe not later." Danny said, as he turned around, Tucker and Sam next to him as they'd been exiting too. Jazz smirked.
"Sure. Stay. I think I have some baby pictures that I haven't shown your friends yet." Jazz said.
Despite carrying Sam and Tucker, Jazz was certain that Danny HAD this time broken an overland speed record.
So the plan is in place. Tomorrow, when we meet…I'll hopefully, finally, have an answer.
I just hope it's the one I want.
Fenton out.
"You know what I was thinking of today?" Valerie said, looking at a menu.
Danny'd been nervous the whole day, and it hadn't slacked off much. His concentration was zip, and Danny had spent most of the time making plans for both possible circumstances. Now that he was here, he had no idea just when he should put the overall plan in motion to find out which set would be needed.
"What?" Danny said, as a tiny part of him hoped a sinkhole would open up under the restaurant and render his need to do this moot.
"I was shopping, I saw a bag of flour…reminded me of that assignment we did a while back. Remember that?" Valerie said.
"Yeah. We didn't get along very well, did we?"
"I was still in a period of adjustment. I think at the end…that was when I started to notice the real you. When you gave me the day off from this damnable place. Oh, I'm so glad I got a better job." Valerie said.
"Yeah, how's that going?"
"Good I suppose. Dad's working his butt off to get back up the ladder. Of course, I'd have never fallen DOWN the ladder if not for…" Valerie said, anger briefly flashing across her face. "But that's done. Maybe for the better. Gave me the chance to see a few things. Like how deep my friendships really ran. And you, I suppose." Valerie said. Danny blushed slightly.
"Well…humility is good, I suppose. I should know, I get plenty of it! Probably far more then the recommended daily dose, ha ha ha!" Danny said.
"Danny, relax. I know you're shy. Heck, I don't blame you." Valerie said. A bored waiter briefly saved Danny, but the food ordering didn't take too long and when it was done Valerie was talking again. "I got a look at the whole high school food chain, from both ends. Must be hard, just having a few friends, longing for stuff beyond your 'station'…you still like Paulina?" Valerie asked.
"What? Well um…she uh…"
"No need. I know. I understand. Things are different now. Right?" Valerie said, and arched an eyebrow.
"…Yeah. Exactly." Danny said. Valerie smiled slightly.
"So tell me, have you read this new report about Diet cola? I sometimes wonder…" Valerie said, changing the subject to a more casual topic. It gave Danny some relief.
At least until the food came.
"So, have you told anyone about us?" Valerie asked. Danny nearly choked on his fry.
"Told? Well um…"
Valerie looked on expectedly.
"…A few. My sister. And…well, Sam and Tuck."
"You told your friends?"
"Why wouldn't I?"
"…No reason." Valerie said. Danny turned the words over in his head, searching for any hidden meanings. He couldn't find any.
"So…what's with Sam?" Valerie asked.
"Sam?"
"Yes."
"…Well…she's my friend Val. For a long time."
"…Ok. Well, good for her. You're a good guy." Valerie said, and gave Danny that smile again, just the very bare hint of seductiveness, and Danny felt his temperature rising as he nearly choked on his food again.
He figured that was as good a time as any, as he kept coughing after the discomfort had passed.
"Danny?" Valerie said. "You ok?'
"I…not sure…I…" Danny said, and faked a stomach cramp. "Uh oh…oh dear, I think the Nasty Sauce is a bit off today…oh crud!" Danny said, putting a hand on his mouth as he got up and ran for the bathroom, Valerie's worried eyes following him.
There was no one else in the washroom anyway, but Danny went through with the act of running into a stall and making puking noises anyway. Gazing down at the toilet, he blinked.
"…Sorry Val." He said. "But I like you too much not to do this."
Danny's last thought, as he transformed, was that was probably the same excuse wife beaters made to themselves as they took off their belts.
It took Danny a little time to sink into the floor, and while invisible, skim alongside the ground with just his face exposed. By the time he was out of the bathroom Valerie was up and yelling at the manager, accusing him of doing a sloppy job and demanding compensation for her ill date. They say you can tell a lot about someone by how they act when you're not around, but Danny, sadly, knew he had to be sure.
"…WHEN I WORKED HERE!" Valerie finished yelling, and turned back to her table, starting to fetch her purse.
Danny rose up behind her.
"Sorry Val." He whispered, and dove into her back.
Valerie went rigid, and remained leaning over the table. Fortunately, to any observers, it looked like she was rooting through her purse. She remained that way for nearly thirty seconds.
And then Danny popped out of her back. He looked at Valerie for a second, and then flew back into the bathroom.
"Ohhhhhh…" Valerie said as she came back to her senses. "What happened? Damn, I think the food is affecting me too…geez, maybe I should file a lawsuit, pay for college on their backs…ohhh…feeling better now…Danny, where's…"
"I'm right here Val. You ok?" Danny asked as he appeared next to Valerie. She blinked at him.
"…Yeah I feel fine now. How about you Danny?"
"Me…oh. It seemed that it went out the same way it came in. I feel much better now." Danny said, and Valerie could see it in his eyes. "Everything's fine now. Everything."
Addendum to Entry No #5
Nothing.
I don't believe it…and yet I jump for joy. Nothing at all.
No hidden revenge plans. No grand scheme. No loathing hidden behind the eyes. I went through every surface memory area that I had figured out was 'safe' and I didn't find a single trace of a plan that involved taking me down. Danny Phantom, yes. But…nothing about me.
Somehow, she's forgotten. Whether by my theory or by some other, not a memory remains.
At least on the surface. I could have looked deeper. But I swore to myself that I would keep out of such things, and I did. Valerie's not a trained soldier, conditioned with mental techniques to hide things deep. If she had some kind of a plan, there would be a trace on the surface. But there was nothing there.
At least in that vein. For all my efforts, I did pick up on a few things. Hopes, fears, general feelings…and me.
She likes me.
As the Hollywood saying goes, she really, really likes me.
…I'm at a loss for words, really. And there are still issues to be worked out.
But I can go to sleep peacefully for tonight.
Who knows what tomorrow will bring, but I know it will bring at least some good things.
Danny Fenton, floating off to bed.
Log Entry No 58-Valerie Gray
Woke up with cramps this morning. They passed, thankfully. I did a little scouting: no sign of any ghosts or that damn ghost boy. He's been pretty damn incognito these last several weeks: every time I hear he's at a precise location he's gone when I get there. But I'll get him. Revenge is a dish best served cold.
And besides…I have other things to occupy my life. My job, keeping my dad away from my new stash…and Danny.
I really don't know what happened. Sure, I kinda liked him when I got to know him, hiding away from Nathan (Creep), but when I saw him in the mall, after not seeing him for a bit…well, maybe it's true what they say: 'Absence makes the heart grow fonder.' I almost felt drawn to him, like I had to make a connection…and I did. We did.
There's still the issue of his 'girl friend' Samatha, but even if she has a problem it's not her issue. And if she wants to bring it, she'll find me ready. But I don't want to think about that.
I think about him. Not obsessively, not all the time…but I never did that with a boy before. Danny's the most real person I've ever met.
…Well I'm not ready to bust out the big L word just yet. Hell no.
But I'm looking forward to hearing from him again.
I'm looking forward to seeing where this goes.
And if I can kick the crud out of that damn ghost boy, then my life might actually be getting back to some degree of normalcy.
Of course…I might have to tell him I'm a ghost hunter. Then again, his family's obsessed with that kind of stuff, he can probably handle it…
Maybe he'll think it's a turn on…
…What am I writing! I'd better delete that…
Ack! Here comes my dad! I'll do it later!
Log over!Though Danny had had Valerie escort him home where he'd written the entry (Jazz was thankfully out of the house and the heat was back on), he still felt too good to just go to sleep. So he transformed and just took a slow flight around Amity Park. He felt like he owned the world.
He didn't see the eyes, watching him. Observing. Weighing factors.
"…Hmmmmmmm." It said.
And then in a swirl of ectoplasmic cape, it was gone.
To Be Continued