Disclaimer: Butch, not me, yadda yadda. Commercial for TUE aired... Can't talk, squeeing. :-D Oh, and for the person who asked about Cade breaching professional ethics in the last bit, there's a bit of an explanation here...

Session 7: Valerie Grey

Age: 14

Okay, this was getting to be a running gag. Cade looked up as the door to his office swung open just slightly, waiting for the inevitable "peek through the doorframe" bit. Sure enough, he wasn't disappointed, though he was a bit surprised to see the dark curly hair and green eyes of Valerie Grey.

"Can... I come in?" She asked shyly. "I don't have an appointment..."

"I take walk-ins," Cade replied genially. "Have a seat and tell me what's on your mind."

As Valerie sat, Cade couldn't help but notice her wince. Most of the school knew she'd gotten some fairly impressive internal injuries during the ghost siege of the city... nothing that required hospitalization, but he could see she was still recovering.

"Still tender, huh?"

"Docs say I bruised up my ribs pretty good, not to mention my spleen. I'm just lucky with the beating I got, I didn't rupture anything... My dad's freaked out enough about everything. If I were hospitalized, he'd really be hovering."

Cade nodded. He'd met Valerie's father... the man could definitely be overprotective, though raising a teenage girl alone was probably a good reason why. And finding out that same teenage daughter was running around with heavy weaponry, taking on things that made adults cringe... yeah, overprotective was probably an understatement.

"So, what's on your mind?"

She sighed, shifting slightly to get more comfortable in the chair. "Kinda confused right now... You mind if I use you as a sounding board? Danny says whatever gets said in here stays in here."

"Unless you specifically give me permission to discuss your case with a colleague, yes. And I'd only even ask if I think there's something you need that they can help with. If you just want to vent, bounce stuff off a listener, then you can be sure it's not going to get out of here."

"Okay, then... I figure you know about my side job? As a ghost hunter, I mean. When I got into it, everything seemed to make a lot of sense, but now... I don't know. Especially that one ghost... Danny Phantom he said his name was... He was the reason I got INTO this! He ruined my life, my dad's job... but then he wound up saving me from some goons, and we worked together during the Amity Park siege... and THEN he turns around and pulls my mask off right in front of my Dad! I just... I don't know what to think!"

"What were you doing when he pulled the mask off you?"

She winced. "Well... There was a big argument going on about who was gonna use the Fenton's new suit. They'd all kinda... taken each other out, so I went for it. Then my Dad came in, and then bam!"

Raising one eyebrow, Cade propped his chin on his hand. "Correct me if I'm wrong, but wasn't that thing still sucking its wearer dry like a kindergartener with a juice box?"

"Yeah..."

"And... didn't you have some fairly impressive internal injuries at that point?"

That got a scowl. "You saying something?"

"Nope, not a thing." He bit his lip to stop the chuckle threatening. He very much doubted she'd appreciate the humor right now.

"Okay, fine, MAYBE I wasn't in shape to use the suit... but he still didn't have to ruin my cover like that! Maybe he's not evil, but he sure can be... ARROGANT!"

Par for the fourteen-year-old course, Cade thought, wincing. No time to think, so you just react... and jump right in feet first.

"But... I mean, he did save the city..." She sighed, putting her head in her hands. "I don't have this problem with most ghosts. They're bad. I catch them. And I'm good at it. My... um, benefactor even says so."

THAT had Cade sitting up straight, alarms blaring. "Benefactor? You mean whoever's supplying your gear?"

She nodded. "Uh huh. He made me promise not to mention his name... He likes his privacy. But he actually BELIEVES in me. He picked me, out of anybody he could have chosen!"

"Okay, clueless grownup moment here-- Somebody approached YOU, told you he wanted you to hunt ghosts for him, but not mention his name... and this didn't seem WEIRD to you in any way?"

"He knew how ghosts had wrecked my life! He wanted to help me make them pay!"

The psychiatrist shook his head. "Revenge is usually a bad reason to do anything, Val. It tends to make you blind to what's going on around you. Not to mention... if he knew about that, he was WATCHING you. That'd freak ME out." He shrugged. "But heck, maybe I was a cop too long. You do get kind of paranoid. And you didn't come here to hear me lecture, sorry."

To his surprise, her frown eased, then melted into a weary smile. "You know, I think this is the first time anybody's ever APOLOGIZED for lecturing me... You're okay, Dr. M. And... maybe you're right, about the revenge. That's not why I do it anymore, anyway... I do it because I can. And somebody has to. But... maybe I need to think a little more about some of the things I've been assuming." With some care, she levered herself out of the chair.

"Danny's right... you're easy to talk to. And I DO feel a little better. Can I come back sometime?"

Cade nodded. "Sure, my door is always open. But Val... piece of advice? Be careful about what you do and why. You don't want to end up playing somebody else's game for 'em."

"I know what I'm doing," she assured him, her tone carrying all of a teenager's confidence in her own abilities and immortality. "But... thanks." She dashed out the door in a flash of yellow.

He groaned. This is getting more convoluted by the day... Maybe it's time I switched to espresso...