Chapter #4: A Mutual Friend
"Valerie, I think I've fallen in love with a ghost," she states abruptly.
"A…ghost?" she quirks an eyebrow, lowering herself slowly into her chair, "I thought…"
"First I saw my husband's ghost, and then I ran into Phantom on the street–"
"Sweetie, he's just called Phantom. I was just kidding about the whole 'actually a ghost' thing–"
"No, he's an honest ghost," she insists, "And supposedly a extremely powerful one."
"…are you okay, Sam?"
"I had dreams, Val. Wonderful, awful dreams. Is that even remotely okay if I've only met the guy twice?" she downs a large portion of her tea, "No, it shouldn't be."
"Sam…"
"He's beautiful, you know. Snowy-white hair, acid-green eyes…"
"Sam, honey…"
"He isn't standing behind me or anything, is he?"
"No, but a very flustered looking Danny Fenton is," Val takes a slow sip of her own tea as Sam turns, locking eyes with the coal-haired young man.
"Mrs. Harwood, a…mutual friend…suggested I give you something," he whispers, "It's in a crate at your manor."
"What is it?" she whispers back.
"A canine of…ectoplasmic origin," he fidgets, "he said it would eat the miasma and exude positive emotions…two birds with one stone, if you will. He also asked that I remind you about a garden party?"
"You know…?"
"My parents study ghosts, Mrs. Harwood," he smiles abashedly, "in their spare time. Regardless, they've yet to see a real ghost. Jazz and I, on the other hand…" he shrugs, "really, we know more than either of them…but what they don't know can't hurt them, now can it?"
"So...you know how to contact him?"
"Yes," he nods, "So if you need to speak with him, just let me know. He…he's fairly reclusive."
"What if I want him at my garden party?" she presses.
"I'll let him know, and then tell you if he's available or not," he replies, "He's a busy man."
"I'll tell you when I know the details then," she dismisses, "Thank you, Mr. Fenton."
"Danny," he corrects, "You have a nice day, Mrs. Harwood."
"Manson," she corrects softly.
"Well then," for a moment, she thinks she sees green swirl through his eyes, "Have a nice day, Miss Manson."
He vanishes into the crowd with the blink of an eye, as though he hadn't been there at all.
"…I didn't know you two were so…chummy. When did this happen?" Valerie frowns.
"It seems we have a mutual acquaintance. He was just passing on a message," Sam explains, still curious about his sudden disappearance. There had been something…familiar in his voice just before he vanished. She lowers herself slowly back into her chair.
"So…what's this about a garden party?"
"Ah," Sam smiles, "Well, I was thinking that I need to…brighten up the manor a bit. Give myself some…some good memories…" her smile fades, and she stares into the swirling depths of her tea.
"So you want to throw a garden party?"
"A nice evening with you and a few other people I don't hate," Sam nods, "I can spend time working on the garden out back – it'll get me out of the house – and when I'm done, I can show it to you."
"Makes sense. I think something to focus on outside of your house will be healthy."
"Yeah, I think it will too."
-BREAK-
"Woah, dude, I think we need to slow down and repeat that part where you stayed the night at her house!"
"I was in the guest room!" Danny hisses back, his eyes darting around to scan for eavesdroppers, "She was just scared he was going to come back. It wasn't anything…romantic. She just wanted a guard-dog."
"Keep telling yourself that," Tucker retorts, "I think she might like you, man."
"She doesn't like me," Danny growls, green flickering in his eyes, "She likes Phantom, if anything. She's just been through a rough six months, her husband's ghost is back…he just makes her feel safe. The moment everything's okay, he – I – will be a simple acquaintance."
"Danny, you're her knight in shining armor!"
"Just drop it, Tuck!"
They stride across the town square, meeting in front of the bulletin board. Danny scans each piece of parchment, before finding one with a skull scrawled in the bottom-left corner. He snatches it away, quickly reading the note.
"The Lefevre patriarch passed away," he explains to Tucker, "Pity. He was an excellent craftsman. I hope his sons have the skill to make the tools I need…"
"So they've requested you?"
"Yeah. Two nights from now," he glances around surreptitiously, and pulls a stamp from his pocket. He stamps the 'DP' symbol on the little paper and pins it back, telling the family he's accepted their request.
"So…you really don't think you have a chance? I think you should risk it," Tucker begins again, "Because I would like to think I have a chance with Valerie Grey."
"And at your funeral I'll sing about a guy who didn't realize he was way out of his league and was killed by an overprotective father. You do not want to mess with Damien Grey."
"It'll make for a good song, at least," he shrugs, "a tragic story of love."
"…those are pretty popular," Danny growls, "Anyway, I need to plan the song a bit, so…" they duck into an alleyway, and, checking that no one else is present, he slows his breathing, concentrating. A few seconds later, a duplicate of himself slides from his body. It transforms into Phantom and vanishes, flying for the Lefevre home. Danny releases a long breath, "Now…off to the factory. I've left my parents alone for way too long this morning."
"Yeah, I need to get back to the store. See you tonight for some work?"
"Yeah. See you then," he nods, jogging out into the crowd.