Chapter Twenty Three - Blood on the Horizon

Valerie felt horrible. She had been sniffling all day, and she was furious that her dad had sent her to school. Her phone vibrated, and she tried not to roll her eyes, and she pulled it out.

"R u OK?- Danny," she read his fifth text that day.

"No ghosts, no attacks. There is plenty of schoolwork, and I have a head cold. Same as the last 5 times. How are you?" she typed back.

"OK, c u in 15," he replied back. She rolled her eyes. There was no way she was going to walk to Fenton Works that quickly.

She frowned. It had been three days, and Danny could barely talk in human form. It wasn't just his lack of words he was struggling to remember things, and it was unnerving everyone. He had barely recovered at all and was constantly asleep. Until today, that is, and now he was driving her crazy.

Two things remained constant. Danny was always worried about them, and he was sure Vlad was going to show up. Her father thought Vlad was staying away, hoping that he would not be revealed with the ectosignature reader. Meanwhile, Danny was sure the man was going to grow impatient and attack.

She walked by a cluster of blood blossoms and glared as she sneezed. The flowers had not gone away. They were everywhere.

A truck pulled up beside her, and she jumped as she saw Alicia driving the tinted truck. "Need a ride?" the woman smiled.

Valerie opened the cab and looked in the back seat to see Tucker, Sam, and Danny. "What are you doing here?!" she glared. "There are blood blossoms everywhere."

"He is stubborn," Sam rolled her eyes.

"And extremely persistent," Alicia grumbled.

Danny rolled his eyes, "M' arents are blaming emselves for flowers. You are sick from flowers, too."

She nodded, and the thought had been present. Tucker snorted, "I think Danny was going to combust if he didn't get back here anyways."

"Not combust," Danny reached forward, and Valerie jolted as his ice-cold hand landed on her shoulder. "Sorry, older than normal. Bree slowly."

"Breath?" she asked, and she saw the frustration on his face as she asked.

Danny signed 'yes', and she jolted as his hand went into her, "Stay ill." She stayed still as his hand swiped through her. "Better?" he asked as she saw his hand drop something out through the side of the truck.

She took a large breath and looked up at Danny, who nodded as he sat back tiredly. She could breathe better, and her headache was gone.

"You were right?" Sam asked incredulously. He signed 'yes' since everyone knew that one by now.

"What was right?" Valerie asked Danny, who was rubbing his bad elbow. Danny just jestered at Sam to continue.

"He thought this wasn't normal blood blossoms. It was affecting ghosts differently, less than normal. It was affecting you more than it should. He thought they were grown to affect those around ectoenergy, not just ghosts," Sam said.

"But why would someone do that?" Valerie asked.

"To weaken anyone that can cause harm to ghosts… Ya' ghost hunters. It's done a pretty good job of keeping everyone hunkered down too," Alicia growled. "Except Danny can clear it outta our systems fairly easily."

Valerie looked to Danny, who was looking out the window. He looked miserable and exhausted with dark shadows under his eyes. He was wearing an oversized hoodie that was swallowing him.

"Dude, if you're right, you shouldn't stay here," Tucker grumbled.

"Right about what?" Valerie asked.

"Can't find em'. Vlad never eft," Danny's gravelly voice called from the back seat. "Flowers were to weahen and 'atch you of guard."

Val opened her mouth to say he was being paranoid but stopped. Danny jolted forward and looked around wildly. Her eyes instantly looked out to where Danny's eyes were narrowed to. Blaze stood on a rooftop looking out.

"Val, 'ave your dad check," Danny whispered. His hand flew through the air as he said something to Alicia that Val couldn't understand.

"Does he know you're here?" Alicia asked. Valerie saw Danny sign 'no', and Alicia continued, "Good."

"Valerie, are you okay?" her dad called.

"Dad, are there any signatures on Birchwood with the office center?" she asked. Danny tapped her and made a "shh" motion. She looked up to see Blaze looking in their direction.

"No, just some faint weapon signatures. Why?" her dad asked. Valerie watched as Danny signed something, and Alicia started moving her truck.

"Blaze is on the roof there," Valerie answered quietly.

Her father swore, and Danny chuckled. The man must have heard it because he dad growled, "And what are you doing trying to do? Get caught, Danny?"

"No," Danny growled.

"Get back here, Val," her dad ordered as he hung up.

"So they found a way to mask their signatures," Tucker said. "How come I'm not surprised."

"Thought I sensed 'em earlier," Danny's eyes were hard. "Circling the school, guess e' wasn't 'anning his hair or anything. 'E feels different…"

"Different how?" Sam asked. "I thought cores only felt different if they got weakened."

"I don't know, is stronger," Danny sat back.

"Danny, you need to leave before they catch you," Sam looked at him. "You can't fight right now."

"Not in this life," he whispered and vanished from the space he was vacating. Valerie realized they had parked in front of Fenton Works.

"I hate it when he does that," Sam groaned.

"He was right though something strange is going on. Why hasn't Vlad attacked yet if he has been here this whole time?" Tucker asked. "I understand fooling Walker, but why do you go out of his way with these blood blossoms?"

They walked inside to find Danny, who had avoided the crowd and just gone to his room upstairs. Valerie wished she could have done the same. Ellie and her dad walked over as soon as she was in the door.

"You feeling okay, Ellie?" Valerie asked the halfa who had been given some mixture from the Fentons that morning.

"Little lightheaded," she shrugged. "I think it worked. It's just not fast acting like ecto-dejecto. Danny is going to do something stupid now, isn't he?"

"Dear Lord, I hope not," Damon grumbled. "He says he can't do anything about his arm yet. But I don't think his parents want him leaving anyway."

There was a knock on the door, and the group looked around as Danny floated down through the ceiling and answered it. Mr. Lancer gave Danny a dry look as everyone noticed Danny's large grin.

"What do you need my help with now, Mr. Fenton?" the teacher asked shrewdly.

"Oh no, I already don't like this," Tucker groaned.

"See… I told you he was feeling better," Sam grinned as Danny signed quickly to Mr. Lancer. Danny's family walked closer to the pair, but when Danny noticed, he motioned to the couch. He brought his hand to his neck, and he let his rings transform him into Phantom.

"Don't worry," he held a glowing green hand to his neck. "I didn't go ghost just so I can talk again. I need to heal my neck some more so I don't feel like Nearly Headless Danny anymore." When no one laughed, Danny grumbled, "Though crowd."

"Danno," Jack grinned at his son, "Not that we don't appreciate hearing you, but why go ghost now?"

"Because when Blaze or Vlad realize the flowers aren't affecting you anymore, we will lose our total advantage. I'm done playing defense," Danny's eyes glowed brighter.

"Sweety, you're not healed," Maddie reminded gently.

"I may not be able to heal completely," Danny gripped air with his plasma hand as his other continued to glow around his neck. "And even if I do… the government is going to investigate Daniel Fenton reappearing suddenly from a ghost abduction. Things can't go back to how they were. I'm sorry, Mom, but Danny Fenton is gone."

The room fell quiet as Jack pulled Maddie against him. Danny sighed as Jazz walked to him and pulled him from the air into a hug. "Danny, we can figure something out. I'm sure there is some way…"

"Jazz, unless there is another ghost artifact to control the minds of everyone again, there isn't a way. Someone is going to get curious and ask questions. Besides… I doubt I'm going to be able to heal my arm for weeks at this rate, if I can. Every day, I don't have the energy to heal it. More of the nerve endings die. Those are painful to heal…" Danny finished. "Let's not worry about the medical wonder that is me for a second. I have a plan to get Vlad, and then I think we can handle Blaze."

"Kiddo, you are in no shape to fight," Alicia frowned.

"I'm not," Danny grinned. "But you still have me, and I have all of you helping me now. That sounds pretty unstoppable to me. Vlad won't know what hit him."

@TourettesDog

Blood blossoms start to grow uncontrollably all around Amity Park.

@GoingDeceased

Valerie never had allergies before, so why is she sneezing everything she's around blood blossoms now?