Chapter Eleven

FentonWorks, April 24, 2006

From the moment he'd disappeared into the swirling mists of the Fenton Portal, Val had been worried. She was mad at him - though anyone could understand why he hadn't told her. She had, after all, been trying to kill him. For about a year and a half.

Though didn't love mean not having to say you're sorry?

First she'd donned the ghost hunting uniform in full fury. She cooled down, a little, and her instincts improved along with her physical health. Then Phantom'd become Public Ghost Enemy Number One, and she'd been overjoyed.

Then he'd saved everyone from the ghost king. And she hadn't believed he was good, part of the thirty-four percent of Amity that didn't.

Heck, she still wasn't entirely sure whether or not he was 'evil'.

But he was Danny, Danny Fenton, right? Sweet, innocent Danny Fenton who could never be evil.

But then, he was Danny Phantom, too.

Still . . . he was Danny. It wasn't likely that he would even have the nerve to do something evil.

Of course, it wasn't likely that she could've gotten stuck in an alternate dimension, either.

"Is there anything I can do for you, Valerie?" Danny was asking.

Val shook her head, laying it on the Fenton's kitchen table. "No thank you, Danny. You really don't have to do anything for anyone," she told him after a beat. "Would you like to go somewhere? Do something?"

His look became slightly nervous. "Only if you would, Valerie."

She sighed. This was something to take her mind off of Danny . . . the other Danny. "No, Danny. Something you would like to do. Before you became a slave, what did you like to do?"

His expression relaxed just slightly. This was a factual question, anyway, Val knew. It might be a little better. "I . . . I enjoyed . . . playing video games . . .Valerie . . ." he replied uncertainly. "I think . . ."

Mrs. Fenton, who was cooking dinner, but listening intently to any conversation between her son and Val, spoke up. "We have an old version of Slammin' Sumo Showdown upstairs . . . in Danny's old room."

Val smiled. "Well, let's go play that, then."

Valerie, who'd been ignoring them as best she could up to this point, turned to Danny and Val. "I have to put my foot down, here. I'm not letting him play video games. He shouldn't be calling you 'Valerie' either . . . the proper term is 'milady,' or 'Mistress Gray.'"

"I told him to call me that. Oh, just keep this in mind; your father owns him technically, because you're a minor, and he's going to give him back to Mr. and Mrs. Fenton. They'll make him legal again. And so you might as well get used to this."

Val only barely caught the corners of Maddie's lips turn up, slightly.

Valerie growled, and slammed her head onto the table. "Whatever," she grumbled.

Val took Danny by the hand, and led him up the stairs. She'd visited his room before, in her universe, so she knew where it was. Once they were up there, she looked him over, and then leaned in, gently ripping the rough fabric collar off of his neck.

His hands almost instantly shot up, tracing the area where the neckband was previously. "V - Valerie . . . I can't . . ."

"You're not a house pet, Danny," she said to him softly.

"I . . am . . . Valerie." Judging by the look in his eyes, he thought he'd answered right. Had Damon and the other her played that sort of mind game with Danny?

She'd kill them if they had.

"No, you're not. You're a human being. And . . hopefully . . . you'll be treated like one. Soon."

Danny's expression faltered, slightly, and Val could've sworn that she'd seen tears well up in his eyes. "I'm not human, milady."

"Yes, you are," Val sighed, not noticing the switch back to 'milady'. Deciding to put this aside before he could comment further on how inferior he was (her heart couldn't take it, not with her Danny missing and after all the other slander he'd said about himself), she added, "Let's play Slammin' Sumo Showdown. Do you remember how?" .

"Yes, Valerie." His face was blank once again. Val walked over and turned on the GamePyramid.

Dun-da dunny-dunny dunna . . . on and on went the SSS music. It had been (at least) two years since this had been turned on, judging by what Val knew, and it still worked like a charm. Lucky.

She picked up the controller hesitantly (when was the last time she had time for this?), and motioned for Danny to sit down. "C'mon," Val said.

Danny obediently came over and sat down stiffly. "Pick up the controller," Val instructed slowly.

He did so. "Now let's play!"

They played a rather slow, awkward game. Val had grown unaccustomed to the way of the video game, as had Danny. Though he probably would have been better off, had he not been completely unwilling to do anything to beat Val - he simply did his best to hurt his character.

Val tried to go easy on him, and of course, she did. But in the end, she just gave up. This was pointless. "You can try to beat me, you know," she said. "Or you can try to beat the computer."

Flipping a switch on her controller, she moved to his bed and watched. Danny had taken her last statement as an order, and did his best to defeat the computer-commanded digital sumo wrestler. She swore she saw a hint of a smile on his face.

Meanwhile . . .

"Why are you doing this to me, Mrs. Fenton? Why?" Valerie whined suddenly.

"Why am I doing what?"

"Taking Danny away from me? There is no where in the Ghost Zone a ghost as gorgeous as Danny. I could very well end up with one of those hideous goo-blobs. Not something I want to look at every single day."

Though her back was turned, Valerie could tell Mrs. Fenton was angry. "Your father was planning on hiring a human to do your housework, Valerie. And if he wants to give Danny back . . . that's not up to you. Have you ever stopped loving someone for no good reason, even though you're supposed to love them unconditionally? I have. I still remember the hurt look on his face, too, when we shipped him off . . . It hurts more now, obviously, but still . . . And then Jazz went crazy, and now she's in a coma. The doctors suspect it has to do with Danny."

"You didn't stop loving him, Mrs. Fenton. You just thought you did," came a voice from the stairs.

"Thank you, Valerie . . . that means a lot," Maddie said weakly.

Valerie's face turned red again. She hated Val . . . oh, how she hated Val. Was that technically self-loathing?

Val sat across the table from Valerie. "He's playing that game."

Valerie glared at her, then noticed what was in Val's hand. "You took off his collar!" she hissed.

"He's not a dog."

"No, he's a ghost. A filthy, rotten ghost who has to wear a collar, because that's what filthy, rotten ghosts do."

"Get. Out. Of. My. House. Now," Maddie boomed. "I won't have you talking about my son that way."

Valerie opened her mouth, shut it, and ran out of the house. It would do some good to talk to her father anyway.