Disclaimer: I do not own Danny Phantom.
Metanoia
Chapter 13
"Are you certain?" Vlad's distinctly accented voice crackled through the communicator. "Are you absolutely certain?"
"Yeah." Danny replied shortly. "There's no mistaking the Fenton Ghost Portal."
The agent had been so swamped by the revelation that he had yet to reverse the transformation from Phantom to his human counterpart. Danny had to admit that he looked ridiculous. Ghost hunters of his caliber were not usually found slouching forlornly on beds in a foetal position, with their arms around a pillow. But right now, he didn't care. It wasn't like anyone was going to see him like this.
"If what you say is true, this is disastrous." Vlad massaged his temples. "Forgive me. I should have purchased Fenton Works the moment you moved out of there."
"It's not your fault, Vlad." Danny ascertained, trying to subdue the sick feeling in his stomach. "There's no way you could have known that the Fenton Portal would still be functional."
He couldn't believe that the reason behind the ghost attacks in Amity Park had been sitting in his home the whole time. The concept was just unimaginable. The Fenton Ghost Portal, the invention responsible for everything that had happened to him, was also responsible for ruining the lives of everybody else in Amity Park for the past three years.
Vlad grimaced, unconvinced. "I suppose not."
"We have more important things to worry about." Phantom's brilliant green eyes narrowed.
"Agreed." The veteran spy's expression mirrored Danny's. "What did the portal look like?"
"Kind of like ours." Danny shrugged. "But smaller. It didn't even have a security code on it."
"Really?" Vlad raised an elegant eyebrow. "Most unlike the Guys in White. Could it be possible that they are unaware of its usage?"
"Probably." Danny's ice blue eyes narrowed. "They either destroy their captures or keep them in ridiculously inefficient containment devices."
"Did you manage to record any evidence of the portal in operation?" Vlad queried, taking a sip of his Earl Grey.
Suddenly, having the one person he trusted implicitly question his word was more than Danny could handle. He felt indescribably angry. Angry at the incompetence of the Guys in White, that they had not yet managed to notice that the source of Amity Park's ghost attack was right under their noses. Angry at Vlad for his disbelief. Angry at Val for her previous treatment of Phantom. Angry that Sam preferred his alias over his human counterpart, jealously fueling his rage. And most of all, angry at himself for deceiving everyone around him.
"You don't believe me, do you?" Danny lashed out. "Why is it so hard for you to believe that I'm telling the truth?"
"I am on your side, Daniel." Vlad Masters roared, his eyes flaring crimson. "I never doubted your word for a minute."
"Then why are you asking for physical evidence?" The ghost hunter yelled, his glowing green eyes matching the glares of his mentor stead for stead.
"For god's sakes Agent Phantom, stop acting like a petulant child." The veteran agent bellowed. "Do you really believe for a moment that the higher authorities will accept the presence of another ghost portal based merely on the unfounded intelligence of a new recruit?"
"No." Danny maintained, faltering. "But-"
"But what Daniel?" Vlad countered. "Your gifts do not make you appear superior in the eyes of Caleb Jones. You are just another agent to him. Having an indulgent benefactor does not ensure the rest of the CIA views you in higher esteem."
"I'm not asking him to view me in higher esteem." Danny argued. "I'm asking you. If you tell the higher authorities that the Guys in White have a ghost portal, they're sure to take your word for it."
"I don't know." Vlad replied wryly. "The spymaster and I have never been on the best of terms."
Now that his previous fury was spent, guilt for shouting at Vlad began creeping into the pit of Danny's stomach.
'How much more of a jerk could I possibly be?'
"I'm being stupid." Danny apologised, slumping further into the soft comfort of his bed. "None of this is your fault. It's all mine. This evening's been a huge shock to me, and I'm sorry I took it out on you Vlad." He finished, somewhat lamely.
"You are forgiven, Daniel." Vlad replied gruffly, quaffing the last of his tea with unusually crude demeanor. "Your anger towards the situation is understandable."
"Not really." Danny shrugged. "I could have taken it a lot better."
"What I don't understand is why you didn't see fit to inform me of this mission." His mentor grumbled.
"My infiltration wasn't exactly legitimate." Danny apologised. "I was afraid that I would get you into trouble if I was captured."
"Even in your moment of irrationality, you should have realised that you stood a far lower chance of being captured if you had included me in the infiltration." Vlad's sharp gaze cut through his vision, and Danny felt a familiar stab of guilt as his benefactor's words hit home.
For the past two months, all he had done was lie to Sam and Tucker. Especially Sam. He couldn't believe how badly he had handled the situation between her and Phantom. Danny had never been completely honest with Valerie either, especially regarding the identity of her partner. Now, he had chosen to deceive Vlad. He just wanted the mission to be over so he could return to Wisconsin and pretend none of this mess had ever happened.
"I apologise for my insubordination, Agent Masters." The agent averted his gaze, not wanting to meet his mentor's eyes. "I will remove myself from this assignment if you see fit."
"Do not be a fool, Daniel." Vlad snorted. "Why on earth would I remove you from this mission when you're the only one capable of gathering the evidence we require to incriminate the Guys in White?" His benefactor raised an eyebrow, amused.
"You're not making me come back to Wisconsin?" Danny looked up, surprise evident on his features.
"Absolutely not." Vlad maintained. "You are to commence the infiltration tomorrow evening."
"Great." The veteran agent's statement was matched with a hardened look of icy determination, as his apprentice's ethereal green gaze met his own, eager for payback. "So what's the plan?"
-
Danny groaned as he was jerked roughly from the comfort of sleep by the annoying beeping of his alarm clock. Today could possibly the worst day in the history of his life. According to Vlad, it was imperative that he went to school to keep up appearances, but Danny didn't really see the point, especially since he would be leaving Amity Park as soon as the mission was over.
The impending doom of the day ahead was reason enough to get Danny out of bed. He just wanted this day to be over. Somehow, facing the machine that had almost killed him and murdered his family seemed less painful than having to face Sam and Tucker at school before abandoning them all over again, just like he had done three years ago. They deserved far better friends than jerks like him. Pulling on a simple shirt and a pair of black combat trousers, he started getting ready for school.
At least returning to Casper High would give him one last chance to speak to Sam before he left. If one good thing had come out of this screwed up mission, it was the opportunity to get to know Sam and Tucker again. They had been great friends to him, and he was sorry that he was just going to walk out of their lives once more. At least he still had Valerie and Vlad. He would always have Valerie and Vlad. Danny didn't know what he would do without his partner and his benefactor.
Stepping into the kitchen, the ghost hunter sniffed the air appreciatively, the heady aroma of brewing coffee was definitely helping to ease his mood, as he poured himself a generous mug of the dark liquid.
He had no clue what he was going to say to Sam and Tucker. Perhaps it was best that he didn't tell them, especially since he had no idea how they would react. Besides, he was looking forward to one final day of normality, before he was forced to return to his new life as a ghost hunter. Danny was especially reluctant to accept that this would be the last day he would ever spend with Sam. Although he knew that duty would prevent him from ever securing a true relationship with her, it felt wrong just to leave her hanging, especially after that kiss he had stolen from her as Phantom.
To make matters worse, he had promised Sam a visit from his alias.
Danny groaned at the memory of his sheer stupidity, pushing his messy dark hair out of his eyes. He was just going to have to appear at Manson Estate later that evening as Phantom and tell Sam that he could never see her again. There was no other way around the matter. He had screwed up, and he was going to have to break Sam's heart to clear up his own mess.
What had he been thinking? Even though he had technically been suspended from the mission by Vlad when he had initiated the relationship, he should have known that things would never have worked out between them. Especially since half the ghost zone would probably give anything to have him killed. If Phantom's enemies were to ever find out about Sam, she would be endangered for life.
Danny hated himself. He never should have revealed Phantom to Sam in the first place. Now, his crush had fallen for his alter ego. He had already placed Sam in inescapable danger once before. Danny knew that if he continued this relationship, the incident with Skulker would only be the first of many. To make matters worse, he wasn't even going to be in town long enough to defend her from future attacks.
He glanced down at his nearly depleted mug of caffeine. Hot and strong, the only way coffee was ever meant to be. Danny had always been something of a self admitted coffee addict, a trait that ran in the family. However, his parents had never quite understood Danny's preference of having his with no milk, as black as he could get it.
Ever since the accident in Fenton Works three years ago, human dosages of drugs seemed to have lost their effect on him, with the unfortunate inclusion of caffeine and alcohol, forcing him to up his dosage of caffeine to inhuman quantities. He supposed that was why Vlad lived off tea. The veteran agent probably had to drink a dozen cups to feel the slightest effects of caffeine.
The ghost hunter gulped down the dark liquid, smirking as he recalled an incident at Dalv Enterprises regarding a certain squadron member who had once decided to nick his mug of coffee. The unexpected overload of caffeine to his system had resulted in the unfortunate ghost hunter constantly scrambling to the bathroom to seek relief for an entire morning of training.
To Danny's amusement, Vlad Masters had been rendered less than pleased with his employee's performance. Needless to say, the incident had never been repeated. Teaching rookies never to touch his coffee was always a lesson Danny enjoyed.
He started as the ridiculously ornate grandfather clock in the corner of the lounge began chiming. It was eight o'clock. Danny sighed, shoving his mug into the dishwasher. Breakfast would just have to wait. It was time for school.
Turning invisible, he disappeared in a bright flash of white light, reappearing in the boy's locker room at Casper High. Danny was grateful for the increased range of his teleportation abilities, especially since this particular gift had saved him from the wrath of Lancer on more than one occasion. It appeared that Vlad was right about him learning faster on field missions and in times of heightened emotion.
Convinced that the coast was clear, he materialised behind a cubicle, joining the rest of his peers in the hallway. It felt wrong, how this was the last time he would ever travel to school at Casper High. Frowning, Danny chewed his bottom lip. He would enjoy this final day with Sam and Tucker, without worrying about what was to come later that evening. He had plenty of time to consider the mission after school.
"Morning Danny." Sam grinned, as Tucker yawned in greeting.
"Hey." Danny replied, retrieving several heavy textbooks from his locker.
The ghost hunter forced himself to suppress the sudden uprising of guilt that threatened to overcome him at the sight of his friends. It seemed strange, the vivid amount of detail he was suddenly taking in that he had never noticed before, such as the worn seam at the edge of Tucker's beret, or the exact shade of purple lacquered onto Sam's slender fingernails. He inhaled slowly, the familiar soft scent of Sam's perfume invading his senses. It pained him that this would be the last time he would ever be close enough to smell her perfume.
"Busy day ahead?" Tucker quipped, noticing his friend's uncharacteristic discontent.
"You have no idea." Danny replied gloomily.
"That bad, huh." Sam teased, pushing herself off his shoulders to give herself a large enough boost to tousle his hair in an affectionate gesture.
"How does Nasty Burger after school sound?" Tucker offered.
"Yeah." Sam agreed, grinning. "My treat."
"That sounds great." Danny returned the grin, but faltered as he remembered the infiltration he had to perform after school. "But I've got something I need to take care of after school. Maybe next time."
Not that there would ever be a next time.
"Sure." Tucker shrugged, puzzled by his friend's downbeat behavior. It wasn't like Danny to act so depressed.
"You okay?" Sam queried, concerned.
"I'm fine." Danny replied as he attempted to reassure her with a smile. But it was difficult for him to be genuine through the guilt of how badly he was going to screw her over later that evening. After tonight, she would have every right to hate him. Both human and ghost hunter.
Sam sensed his insincerity in a heartbeat.
"What's wrong Danny?" The Goth grabbed his arm, forcing him to look into her eyes. "I know something is bothering you."
"It's nothing." He maintained, shrugging free from her grasp.
"It's not nothing." She insisted, refusing to release the fabric of his shirt from her grasp. "You're hurting, and I want to know why."
"It's just stuff about Fenton Works." He conceded dully.
At least there was some truth in that statement. Danny didn't know if he could bring himself to lie to her again. He was sick of the pretense and deception. All he wanted was to tell Sam the truth about everything. About who he really was. About what he was doing back in Amity Park. And most importantly, how he felt about her. Sam deserved better than the pathetic half truths he had to offer.
It wasn't like he had any reason left to remain here. The mission had practically collapsed on itself. The ghost hunter couldn't believe that he had been so stupid. Now, it seemed so obvious that the Fenton Portal had been responsible for the ridiculously high ectoplasmic energy levels at Amity Park. His family- he was to blame for everything that the town had gone through in the past three years.
He didn't know how he would ever make it up to the citizens of Amity Park for all the damage he had ever caused to the town. If Sam and Tucker were to ever find out, would they hate him? Perhaps it would be easier to leave if he knew that he was despised by them. But somehow, the mere concept of Sam hating him was too much to bear.
"Do you want to talk about it?" Tucker offered, snapping him out of his reverie.
"Are the Guys in White still refusing to give Fenton Works back to you?" Sam demanded, her pretty lavender eyes flashing.
"Vlad's having a hard time sorting out the legal issues." Danny shrugged noncommittally.
"Do you need better lawyers?" Sam's gaze hardened. "Because you can use some of my family's if you're having trouble suing."
"It's not that." Danny reassured. "Everything's fine. Me and Vlad will work it out."
"Are you sure?" She insisted. "Because you know that me and Tucker are always here for you. No matter what."
"Yeah-"
"Hey, Fenton!"
Danny froze, swearing under his breath. Dash Baxter and his cronies were the last thing he wanted to deal with right now. The agent was in no mood to keep up appearances, especially when maintaining his cover included getting beaten up by a stupid quarterback that he could tear in half in a single move. At least in the past few years he had grown too tall to be stuffed into lockers.
Tucker, sensing danger, spontaneously relocated himself to behind Sam as his self preservation instincts kicked in.
"What now, Dash?" The ghost hunter stood his ground, willing the quarterback to get it over with. The less time he spent in Dash's presence, the less likely he was to pummel the arrogant popular boy into the ground. Unsurprisingly, he just didn't have the energy to deal with the bully today.
"Your legal guardian is Vlad Masters, isn't it?" The football player drawled, massaging his knuckles menacingly. "The billionaire."
"So what if he is?" The ghost hunter glared, wary of the quarterback's new approach.
"Even with all that money, he's still unmarried, isn't he?"
"How is this any of your business?" The agent countered, the beginnings of a new wave of anger simmering at the the pit of his stomach.
"How much does he pay you?"
"What are you implying?" Danny demanded, icy cerulean eyes narrowing, although he knew fully well what the quarterback was insinuating.
'Oh God.' Sam's breath hitched in her throat in mounting apprehension, sensing impending disaster. Considering her crush's current mood and the recent revelation of Danny's superior combat abilities, there was no way this would end well.
"I figured he can't be straight. The only reason a billionaire like him would take in a loser like you was in exchange for certain... favours." Dash sneered, his insult coupled with the raucous laughter of the other football players.
"Shut up Dash." Tucker warned, in an uncharacteristic display of defiance.
Danny's breathing was harsh, irregular, as he clenched his fists so hard his knuckles cracked, his fingernails digging painfully into the palm of his hand. Sam softly placed a hand on her crush' forearm, willing him not to lash out at the quarterback. In his current state of mind, Danny hardly noticed it.
"Don't do anything stupid." Sam cautioned, murmuring into his ear. "He's not worth it."
"Take that back." Danny demanded, his voice barely above a whisper, and for no more than a millisecond, Sam could have sworn that his eyes flared a frightening shade of bright green as Danny snatched his arm from her grip.
The Goth wasn't the only one who had noticed the sudden change in Danny's demeanor. Several of the quarterbacks started at the pure fury lacing the ghost hunter's voice. Dash, however, seemed completely unaffected by the waves of angry rage Danny seemed to be exuding, shrugging away the hand Kwan had placed on his shoulder as a warning to back off.
"So tell us Fenton," The quarterback smirked. "What's it like being bottom boy to a billionaire?"
Danny was upon him even before the words were fully out of his mouth.
The halfa's first punch threw the quarterback halfway across the hall, crashing against the lockers with a sickening crunch. The quarterback yelped in surprise as he was thrust into the air, not expecting an attack of this magnitude. Sam winced, as several of the onlookers screamed. Dash would be suffering some serious broken bones at the very least.
"What the-" Tucker started, shock evident as he regarded the inhuman distance in which Danny had managed to hurl Dash in a single blow.
The quarterback's lower lip was raw and bloody where Danny's fist had connected with his face, and his knee appeared to be badly dislocated, having bent backwards on itself.
Sam had always viewed Dash and the rest of the popular kids as an annoyance, as superficial thorns in her side. Her stance regarding Paulina in particular had always been violent to say the least. Over the years, the Goth's attitude towards Dash had fluctuated between all ranges in the spectrum of mild indifference to hate.
But Sam never thought she would regard the quarterback before her with pity. Somehow, it didn't seem real, as she watched with morbid fascination the unnatural way in which Dash's leg had twisted itself. She and Dash had never gotten on, right from the very beginning. So why didn't she feel even the slightest bit glad that the quarterback was finally getting what he deserved?
Perhaps it was because Danny's uncharacteristic violent rage was turning him into something he was not. She had always wanted to get her own back at Dash, but not if it was to Danny's detriment. Somehow, Sam knew from the sick feeling in her stomach that if she allowed Danny to throw another punch at Dash, he would be passing a point in his life that he would never be able to return to. She couldn't let him cross that line.
"Danny, stop this." Sam cried, spreading her arms as she shielded Dash's prone form. "You've made your point. He's never going to bother you again."
"Danny!" Valerie Gray yelled, dashing towards the direction of the screams. "What do you think you're doing?"
"What I should have done months ago." Vlad's apprentice growled, advancing towards the quarterback for his second assault.
"Stop it!" Sam pleaded, digging her heels into the tiled floor as she and Tucker struggled to restrain him. "You'll kill him."
He was frightening strong, advancing towards Dash despite the pair's desperate attempts to stop him, shrugging them off as though they were nothing more than minor annoyances. Even discounting the impossible distance that Danny had managed to hurl dash, Sam could not subdue the icy dread in her stomach that something was very wrong. Never before had she ever seen Danny Fenton subjected to such impertinent rage.
"Have you lost your mind?" Valerie demanded, grabbing his wrists in a practiced technique of immobilisation.
The ghost hunter adverted his gaze to meet his partner's eyes, and Valerie was stunned by the murderous intent that exuded from his being. She took a step back, unable to comprehend what had pushed klutzy, docile Danny Fenton to such an act of violence on another human being.
"You can pick on me all you want, but leave Vlad out of it!" Danny raged, completely oblivious to the screams from spectators that filled the hallway as he continued to approach the quarterback.
'That would explain things.' Valerie raised an eyebrow, unsure if she should laugh or cry. The ghost hunter knew that if she had been placed in the same situation, she probably would have reacted identically to Danny. Vlad Masters had his apprentices' implicit loyalty.
Nonetheless, her partner had to be stopped before he did something that he would regret for the rest of his life. Although Valerie Gray would not be much help against a rampaging halfa, the Red Hunter was a different matter. Especially since Danny had been provoked into using his abilities.
"Where are you going?" Tucker yelled, a note of hysteria in his voice as Valerie abruptly turned on her heels and sprinted across the hallway, reluctant to allow one of the only people who could succeed in calming Danny down to disappear from their line of vision.
"To get help." Valerie shouted in reply, dashing into an empty classroom at the far side of the hall.
She might have no idea what had occurred in the last twenty four hours that had managed to invoke the unfamiliar, aggressive side to her partner that she had never before encountered, but she did have some inkling of how she was going to stop him. The ghost hunter activated her battle suit, allowing the red alloyed metal to encase her body as she tumbled deftly out of the window, throwing her weight onto the barely assembled jet sled that emerged from her combat boots.
Mere moments later, the Red Hunter appeared from the opposite end of the corridor, coupled by the whir of her jet sled. Valerie had to admit that it had been far from the most subtle of transitions, but in her peers' current state of panic, she highly doubted anyone would have been capable of putting two and two together, that Valerie Gray was in actual fact the Red Hunter. Besides, it was imperative that she got to Danny before he did anything stupid.
Gathering speed, she sped towards her best friend, charging at him in mid air. The sheer force from the attack sent the pair hurtling forwards despite Danny's attempts to resist her as they collapsed together on the floor in a heap at the end of the hallway, with the Red Hunter pinning him to the ground in a rugby tackle that would have made Vlad very proud.
"Get off me, Red." Danny growled, his eyes flashing. "This isn't any of your business."
"You're harming an innocent civilian. I'm making it my business." Valerie countered, glaring.
Even with the enhanced abilities of her battle suit, Valerie knew that she would not be able to keep him down forever, even in human form. It didn't seem fair, how quickly her best friend's abilities had progressed, while she had already reached the peak of her abilities with the battle suit.
"Danny." She pleaded, as she struggled to regain the grip on her partner's right arm that he had managed to break. "You have to calm down."
Her persuasion seemed to have the desired effect on Danny, who relaxed in her grip, his fury nearly spent.
"Agent Phantom." His partner coaxed, as she pressed her lips to his ear. "Stand down."
Had the situation not been so serious, she would have laughed at the manner in which Danny's eyes widened in astonishment as she uttered his alias.
"You know?" Danny's lips curved into a wry smile. Suddenly, reality seemed to be moving too fast for him to follow. At the moment, he didn't even have the energy to be properly surprised. "Have you always-"
"I realised yesterday." The Red Hunter shook her head. "But I guess deep down I always knew."
"I've screwed up, haven't I?" Danny glanced at Dash's bloodied form, his voice bitter. He couldn't believe that he had just attacked a civilian, an innocent schoolboy. Well, perhaps Dash was not altogether innocent of the blame.
"Not necessarily." His partner pointed out, releasing Danny from her grip. "We could pretend that you were overshadowed."
"For what it's worth, I'm sorry." Danny massaged his knuckles as he sat up, grimacing has he noticed they were smeared with Dash's blood, from where his fist had connected with the quarterback's face. "That was beyond stupid."
"Maybe just a little." The Red Hunter laughed. "He had it coming, though."
"Where's the ghost threat?" Danny started, only just taking in that his best friend had changed into her battle suit.
"You were the ghost threat." Valerie Gray laughed at the indignant expression on Danny's features. "Now pretend to attack me. We have to make this look convincing."
"You know I don't hit girls." Danny deadpanned, the beginnings of a grin forming on his features.
"But you'll pummel oafs like him who are more vulnerable than me?" Valerie jibed, gesturing towards Dash.
"Ouch." Danny grimaced. "Can't say that I didn't deserve that."
"Just shut up and hit me." Valerie mounted her jet sled. "The sooner we get this over with, the sooner we can get you out of this huge hole you've dug yourself into."
The halfa complied, leaping to the air as he released two weak ecto blasts in the general direction of his friend, which she easily avoided.
The crowd of onlookers gasped, and Danny could practically sense the mounting confusion among his peers as he levitated in the air above them.
"What's happening?" Sam screamed, as she and Tucker ran towards the pair engaged in combat.
Everyone is to evacuate the premises immediately." The Red Hunter declared, charging her ecto blaster. "He's been overshadowed."
The onlookers were quick to oblige, rapidly emptying the hallway, stunned by the recent turn of events. Apart from Sam and Tucker. Valerie shook her head, torn between annoyance and amusement. At times like these, it seemed almost unfortunate that Danny had managed to find himself such loyal friends.
"Is Danny going to be okay?" Sam demanded, pushing her way through the mass of people heading in the opposite direction.
"He'll be fine." The Red Hunter reassured. "You on the other hand, have to leave. I can't protect you and attempt to detain a ghost at the same time."
"I'm not leaving Danny." The Goth insisted. "What if-"
"Everything is under control." The ghost hunter asserted. "Every minute you stand here arguing with me is just putting Danny in more danger."
"But-" Sam protested, faltering.
"Please. Just go." Valerie maintained. "I promise I'll bring him back safely."
"Come on." Tucker urged, gently tugging her towards the direction of the exit. "The Red Hunter knows what she's doing."
"Thanks, autograph boy." The Red Hunter grinned, blowing a kiss in the techno geek's direction. "I owe you one."
Tucker flushed scarlet, practically stopping in his tracks. His crush laughed, her amusement spurring the techno geek to make an even hastier exit, despite the protests on Sam's part.
"You shouldn't be flirting with Tucker." Danny chided, the moment he was certain his friends were out of earshot. "I was worried they were going to recognise you."
"No way." Valerie laughed. "That was impressive acting on my part." She grinned, removing her helmet now that the last of the civilians had finally evacuated the premises.
"Autograph boy?" Danny snorted. "And I thought Tucker's pick up lines were bad."
"Oh shut up." Valerie blushed, turning her ecto blaster down to the lowest setting as she released a beam of energy at her best friend. "Now we're even." She grinned, changing the subject.
"What was that for?" Her partner yelped, indignant.
"That." The Red Hunter smirked, ecto blaster smoking. "Was for keeping me in the dark all this time."
"I said I was sorry." Her partner protested, throwing in his wide eyed puppy dog look for good measure. "We just got off on the wrong foot and I didn't want to tell you in case it made things awkward between us. I like having you for a best friend, Val."
Valerie laughed. "Right back at you, pretty boy."
"So we're cool?" Danny queried tentatively as he favoured his best friend with an apologetic look, wary of Valerie's usage of the derogatory term usually inflicted on his ghost half.
"Definitely." Valerie grinned, pulling her partner into a crushing hug.
Her glance flickered towards the now unconscious quarterback at the other end of the hall. Judging from his injuries, it didn't look like Dash would be playing football anytime soon. "We need to call an ambulance." She stated, as Danny flushed, adverting his gaze.
"If it makes you feel any better, I probably would have done the same thing." She reassured, grinning. "Dash is a jerk, and we both know it."
"That doesn't make my behavior acceptable." Danny grimaced. "I've just been having a really bad day."
"Take the rest of today off." Valerie suggested. "You have a long day ahead of you."
Her partner shook his head. "This is the last day I'll ever spend in Casper High. I want to be here."
"You could always come back and visit." Valerie reassured, tousling her best friend's hair. "It's not like you'll never get to see Sam again."
Danny shrugged. Even if he could, he wasn't sure if he ever wanted to see Sam again. The prospect seemed far too painful, especially after the crap he was about to put her through later that evening. His partner, sensing his misery, did not pursue the subject.
"Come on." Valerie sighed, grabbing hold of her best friend's hand. "We should go before they realise that I haven't been registered during the evacuation."
"Yeah." Danny nodded, turning the pair invisible. "I'll teleport us to the evacuation grounds."
"And Phantom?" The Red Hunter added, tightening her grip on her best friend's arm. "Whatever Vlad has put you up to tonight, promise me you'll be careful."
Author's Notes: I apologise for how long it took me to update, but I have been so incredibly busy. It wasn't even a particularly long chapter, so I don't even have a good excuse. Nevertheless, I hope that you will forgive me. Thanks go to Sasia93 for getting my butt in gear to update. I'm amazed that our mutual updating pact actually worked.
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