AN: I'm ecstatic over the support this story has garnered, so I'm going to post the second chapter now. Also, I was too excited to edit my first chapter before posting, so I went back and made edits, nothing big. I'll try to keep my end author notes short or nonexistent to avoid misconceptions about the chapter length. Beginning ones will start to shorten too.
Disclaimer: Butch Hartman, oh how you butcher me. (wow, a Tucker approved pun)
What Once Was
Chapter 2
Though the ceremony was over, the after party to celebrate Mr. Foley's new position as Mayor had just begun. When Tucker, Danny, and Sam entered the Foley residence, it was almost impossible to locate Tucker's dad. After scanning the crowd, Tucker realized that his father was probably at the epicenter of the mass.
"Hey guys, I'm going to go congratulate my dad on being mayor. I doubt you two wanna help me push through all these people. I'll catch up later," Tucker said, turning to take his leave.
"Dude, I can just go intangible and literally push through them. Now that I've revealed myself I can use my powers whenever I want," Danny rebutted, grabbing Tucker's shoulder to turn him around.
"Nah, it's okay. The reporters haven't noticed your presence yet, and they'll be in you in a flash if you were to bring me to my dad," Tucker countered. "Anyways, don't you two have some 'talking' to do?" He raised his hands to place air quotes around 'talking'.
Tucker left the blushing pair alone as he looked to the crowd. It was mostly friends and family, but a few news reporters had weaseled their way inside. As Tucker braced himself for the trek to his father, he was stopped by a hand on his shoulder.
"What now, Danny?" Tucker exasperated as he turned around.
"Are you Tucker Foley? Son of newly appointed Mayor Martin Foley and once head of the technical procedures during the tribulations in the North Pole?" At the voice, Tucker gasped and straightened himself. The director of Axiom Labs was addressing him.
"Y-yessir. That is I." Tucker managed to blurt out as his heart raced in excitement.
"After reviewing your performance in such a dire situation, it was concluded that you have high potential and would be a valuable addition to Axiom Labs." The director continued, unaffected by Tucker's nervousness. "We would like to offer you a job. We were considering rehiring Damon Gray, as we were unable to find a more qualified substitute, but you seemed to have already surpassed Mr. Gray's abilities. Are you interested, Mr. Foley?"
Looking at Tucker's face, his answered was obvious. "That would be an honor!" However, as Tucker thought it through, he realized how improbable it was for him to maintain a job. "But you should take Valerie's dad instead. I'm still in school, so I have no time to dedicate myself to Axiom Labs. Especially since I have to help Danny catch ghosts and stuff. Despite my reluctance, I must turn down your offer."
The boy's downcast face was easy to remedy. "What about a part time job? Surely you can consent to that. We'll even leave your hours extremely flexible. A talent such as yourself should be benefitting society, instead of fooling around by yourself in your room."
Tucker tried to hide the blush that threatened to emerge as he thought of the implications the director's words. "Now that is an offer I cannot deny. Getting paid for something that was once a hobby is like a dream come true!"
"Excellent," the director responded, "then I expect to see you at 7 am sharp friday morning. Hopefully that'll allot enough time for your life to regain some sort of balance, not only from the recent threat but also your father's new position as mayor. When you arrive, head to the front desk and tell then your name; the receptionist should direct you to my office. There, we can talk about your duties at Axiom Labs, and you will receive your pass-card. Your actual shifts won't begin until monday. We need to go over a couple of ground rules first. This is imperative, so don't oversleep."
"Yes sir!" Tucker called out to the director's retreating figure, "7 o'clock sharp!"
I can't wait to tell Danny and Sam! Even though this will cut our break short. Still, they'll be so excited! Tucker grinned as he reached in his pocket for high cell phone. He stopped himself. They'll probably still talking. I wouldn't want to ...interrupt anything. At the thought, Tucker's grin only widened.
...
As Tucker departed, Danny took Sam's hand. "C'mon, Sam, let's go to the park or something." Sam's face tinged pink as the contact, but Danny didn't notice. Still holding her hand, Danny walked towards the door and reached for the doorknob. Immediately as he opened the door and stepped out, the paparazzi sprung on him.
"Daniel Fenton! How long have you been Danny Phantom?"
"When did you first get your ghost powers?"
"What got you into ghost hunting?"
"How did your parents react when they found out about your other half?"
"Does Jasmine also have supernatural abilities?"
"Are you and Samantha Manson dating?"
The last question left both teens flushing red. Sam tried to let go of Danny's hand to quell the paparazzi's questions, but Danny just gripped her hand harder. In a flash of light and a gust of wind, Danny had transformed into Danny Phantom and fled, leaving the flabbergasted paparazzi who immediately began comparing transformation photos.
Danny placed Sam gently under their favorite meeting tree before reverting back into his human half.
"That was quite the exit, Danny. I bet you've given them even more to talk about now," Sam said, leaning on the tree's trunk.
"Who cares. It's kinda fun feeling like a celebrity sometimes, Danny remarked, taking a step closer to her and reaching out to hold her hands.
"Sam, about that last question the paparazzi shouted," Danny began hesitantly, "I want to be able to answer it. I want to able to call you my girlfriend. I've had all these feeling bottled up inside of me without know how to express it. But I'm sure now. These feelings go beyond friendship. I no longer want us to remain friends when my heart longs to be so much more! Please, Sam. Tell me you'll be my girlfriend."
Sam looked up to meet Danny's gaze. She hadn't noticed how much closer he'd gotten during his speech. Her vision began to blur as she answered, "you don't know how long I've been waiting for you to ask me that." She quickly dried her eyes with the inside of her shirt collar before continuing. "Danny, of course I'll be your girlfriend. I've luh—er-liked you since, like, forever and I wished, more often than I'll admit, that you'd realize it.
Smiling down at Sam, Danny brushed some of her hair back behind her ear, leaving his hand cupped on her cheek. "Samantha Manson, you are the prettiest girl ever, even prettier than Paulina. Your inner beauty surpasses that of any girl, and that's what makes you so special. You stand strong behind your beliefs, and don't let anything faze you. I can't say the same for anyone else. Anyone who doesn't see you for who you are is a fool, though I can't say I'm unhappy about that. I'd be a jealous wreck."Danny ended with a small laugh.
The tears she had tried to quell previously now flowed freely from her eyes. The emotions that overwhelmed leaked out her tear ducts. The tear drops were quickly brushed away by Danny's thumbs. Even though Sam knew Danny only used her full name for emphasis, she used it as a attempt to hide her weakness.
Sam punched him lightly on the shoulder. "You should know better than to call me by my full name, Daniel Fenton. I can forgive you this time, but next time, I will throttle you." The statement elicited a small chuckle from Danny. Pushing away her irritation, Sam, let out a breath, looked Danny in the eye and confessed, "You, Daniel Fenton, are more special than any guy I've ever met. Not including your ghost powers. Your personality is so pure, and your smiles are always genuine. Danny, now that the world know, don't let anyone look at you differently. Yes, you're different, but you're also better." She then stood on her tip toes and placed a chaste kiss on his lips, lingering a little more than necessary.
Pulling back, a big cheesy was plastered upon Danny's face. Sam's expression mirrored his. Holding her hand and stroking the back of it with his thumb, Danny reached his hand into his pocket. "This is the best day ever, and there is only one thing that could make this even better." He pulled out the ring and holding it between his index finger and thumb to show Sam. "I once was going to give this ring to Valerie, so I would understand if you don't want to wear it; but it would mean so much to me if you did. I guess I really was the clueless one since even my dad knew that we were meant to be. The engraving is proof enough."
"It's okay, Danny. I would love to wear it."
Danny slipped the ring onto the appropriate finger. "Perfect," he whispered. "Just like you."
Sam blushed as Danny leaned in for another kiss. Yep, definitely the best day ever.
What once was an unwavering friendship had evolved into beautiful relationship.
...
She was torn. Valerie sat on her bed and stared at her Nasty Burger Mascot costume. She wished she had someone to talk to about her dilemma, but nobody would understand. Also, she didn't plan on revealing her identity as the Red Huntress. "Even though Danny and his friends already know," she muttered to her plastic companion.
Danny had left her so much to think about, and it was driving her insane. Valerie got off her bed and began pacing the floor. She decided that she would first analyze her past with Danny Fenton. Their friendship had started off on a wrong note. She was too popular to take notice of a loser such as Danny, even though she had always thought of him as cute. After the loss of her father's job, due to Phantom's immaturity the memory eliciting a scowl,Valerie had been bumped down in the social ladder, forcing more contact between herself and Danny Fenton. They hadn't gotten along too well, especially during the flour sack project. Danny had acted like a complete jerk. He didn't understand that people could be as busy as she. Valerie worked her butt off to help provide for her and her father. Doubled with ghost fighting, Valerie's life was a hectic mess. Danny could have helped her out, instead of acting the way he had. He wasted his time away floating through the sky as a supernatural freak. Danny, being half ghost, had only added to the duties of the Red Huntress.
The Red Huntress, Valerie sighed. She glanced over at her wall of ectoplasm rays. Her new lifestyle had been provided to her by Vlad Masters, who was also half ghost. That hardly mattered anymore, for Vlad was forever condemned to a nomadic life in space.
Valerie could not help but feel hurt at Vlad's betrayal. She had placed her complete trust in that man. To know that she was only asserting Vlad's power to the denizens of the ghost zone made Valerie feel used. He never cared about calming the ghost numbers in Amity, all he cared about was his damned reputation. More so when he became mayor. She gasped in realization. A ghost had been mayor of Amity Park. The inhabitants had entrusted their safety to a ghost!
No doubt, Vlad Masters had been a danger to society. That fact was irrefutable when he took Dani captive and attempted to decompose her into nothing but mere ectoplasmic goo. Danny Phantom had been there to help Valerie save her. She was glad that Danny changed her mind. Looking back, Valerie knew she would have regretted her decision to help Mr. Masters destroy a helpless little girl. Even though that girl was half ghost, she was still a civilian. Valerie had begun ghost hunting to protect her townsfolk from ghostly threats, and Vlad had been that ghostly threat.
Maybe there was some good in Danny Phantom. They had worked together flawlessly when they were being hunted by Skulker. When they had finally escaped him, Danny could have easily left Valerie wandering around the ghost zone. Though his unconventional method was highly displeasing, Valerie was at least thankful that Danny had not left her.
However, both instances could be seen as Danny saving himself. Phantom had told Valerie that Dani was his cousin. That means he used her to save his own family! Why didn't she see it before? Phantom had tricked her into risking herself to help save a ghost's family member!
"That selfish brat!" Valerie seethed. "All he cares about is himself! I bet the only reason he cooperated with me during the situation with the mercenary ghost was so he could escape! I don't see why he guided me out of the ghost zone in the first place. That ghost already ruined my life once, doing it one more time wouldn't have changed anything."
Valerie growled in frustration. Her mind was racing back and forth. She glanced up from the floor that she had been glaring holes into and noticed one of her prized possession. My weapons wall, she thought fondly.
Walking over to her weapons wall, Valerie picked up a small ectoblaster. After making sure it was powered down, Valerie brought the ectoblaster at eye level and pretended to blast off the Nasty Burger mascot's head. She glanced up at her collection of ecto-weapons as she replaced the small ectoblaster in its empty spot. A few of the weapons were running low on energy, whereas a couple had been rendered useless from the lack of battery. "How am I supposed to replace my ghost hunting gear now?" Valerie didn't want to admit that she needed Vlad to restock her wall. She would find a different way to obtain her artillery. "And why couldn't they just make ghost weapons that use regular AA batteries?"Valerie voiced her frustrations aloud to the mascot. Exasperated, Valerie flopped onto her bed. The action resulted in a light gust that disrupted a piece of paper on Valerie's nightstand.
As Valerie leaned over side of her bed to pick up the paper, she realized it wasn't ordinary paper, but photo paper. Flipping the photo over, Valerie came face to face with a memory from her past. The photograph was taken when Danny and Valerie were on the ferris wheel during the annual carnival. Inspecting the picture further, Valerie took note of the jubilant expressions that undeniably genuine.
Danny...Valerie sighed. She would never have guessed the impact that the nerdy, scrawny adolescent could have on her life. Overlooking the bad, her and Danny Fenton had shared many good moments together. He apologized for acting like a jerk during the flour sack project, and he even replaced her in that asinine costume she has to wear. After that day, their friendship had only grown stronger.
She knew her duty, and she knew Danny's friendship was worth more that anything she had owned in her previous life. Decisions were difficult, especially one of this magnitude. Sprawled across her bed, Valerie was finally nearing a conclusion. The sun's rays began peeking over the horizon, and Valerie would soon allow her mind the well deserved rest. She had to remain steadfast in her decision, even though part of her would always feel regretful. With one more glance at the photo and one at the wall of ectoplasmic weapons, Valerie's lips pursed in reluctance.
There's no turning back now, she resolutely noted as she gripped the photo in her hand. Valerie Gray had made up her mind.
AN: Don't expect routine updates since I'm just posting as I finish. Also, volleyball season is approaching, and with that, the beginning of the school year.
Another note, I got a Flame about wavering from the show. This is my fic, so I made some edits. How could the trio hang out if Tucker was busy being mayor?