Thanks to Savirox, LexyMaree, MsFrizzle, Mychron, Zaqhirix Cheshire, and Lexosaurus for your review on Chapter 2!

Danny was shrouded in secrecy. Valerie didn't know if it was because he had spent some of his most formative years hiding a double life or if he had always been this way. Back when they had discussed the terms of their friendship, a meeting that was too business – like to feel very friendly, Danny agreed that he needed to be as open and clear about himself and his powers as possible. Together, they formed their contingency plan.

In retrospect, the whole situation had reeked of raw fear and a lack of trust that made them perhaps a little too thorough. No one could blame them though, really. The incident with Danny's evil future self was incredibly fresh on his mind and Valerie was still reeling from the revelation that somehow also felt like a betrayal.

As the years passed and everything felt less and less like an open wound, they both got more relaxed about the deal, and though Danny didn't actively hide anything from her, he wasn't calling her up at odd times in the night, going on about this or that new ability anymore.

She remembered sort of missing it though. Danny, by nature, was the upbeat sort (save for his rough depressive stint throughout his freshman year) and even though the calls were meant to be at least somewhat serious, he would babble excitedly about his new found skill. Valerie found the raw passion in his voice so incredibly endearing, she could probably listen to him go on for hours.

As the morning caught up with her sluggish brain upon her awakening, the long discussions they had the day before held a strange new weight in her heart. Those talks hadn't felt like taking stock to better make plans to stop him. They felt like trust. Like secrets you only told your best friend at slumber parties.

Valerie groaned as she sat up. Her head was pounding, a not so gentle reminder of her questionable choices last night. She stood and grabbed her toiletry bag from its place at the foot of the bed. As she shuffled towards the bathroom down the hall, she couldn't help but hear Danny downstairs, singing freely and off key from the kitchen.

She smiled fondly, and she suddenly felt sad that she hadn't been ready to be Danny's friend when they were younger, as opposed to his keeper. As she shut the bathroom door behind her, she made a silent promise to herself that things would be different this time around.

Valerie didn't feel particularly better after washing up and changing into her Guys in White uniform. As she walked into the kitchen, she found herself highly aware and slightly irritated that Danny had apparently been coherent enough last night to change into his ghost form and burn the alcohol from his system before going to bed. Valerie was not so lucky.

Danny, who was busy at the stove making pancakes, only laughed for a minute or two at the look Valerie gave him upon entering the brightly lit kitchen before he gently pulled Valerie towards him. She stumbled over, bumping into him slightly. She didn't even have time to glare for his "rough" treatment before he lifted them slightly off the ground and turned them both intangible.

Intangibility wasn't Valerie's favorite sensation. It felt like ice cold water shooting through her veins, and it made her chest feel heavy. With that being said, the moment Danny brought them back to full tangibility, she noticed a stark difference in how she felt. Her hangover was still present, but at least a hundred times more bearable than before. She blinked a couple times before staring at her friend in shock.

"How did you…?"

He shrugged nonchalantly before turning back to his previous action of flipping pancakes. "Yeah, like I said, alcohol reacts weird with ectoplasm."

Valerie drew back, a little concerned. "Wait? You put ectoplasm in my system?" She really hadn't meant for it to sound accusatory, but the frown that twitched Danny's lips told her it definitely did.

"No, Val. Some of the alcohol evaporated out of your bloodstream when I made you intangible. That's all." His tone was a little short, though it sounded like he too was trying not to sound confrontational. He placed a pancake onto the plate he had set out on the counter before looking at her again. "Ectoplasm isn't poisonous, per se, but it isn't healthy for humans to have it in their bloodstream."

Valerie blushed, thoroughly embarrassed. Danny still stared, not quite enjoying her discomfort, but not overly concerned about it. His eyes were blue, she noticed, and yet they still seemed to glow. "I'm sorry. I know you wouldn't do anything to hurt me. I'm just tired and in a mood." The apology felt strange on Valerie's tongue.

She didn't apologize for her actions very often, especially when it came to Danny's ghost half; but she was adamant about trying to be a friend to him first. Friends apologized.

Danny blinked in shock for a moment at her words before giving her a wide smile. Valerie bit back a comment about not seeming so surprised. He shook his head slightly, fond grin still in place, before turning to the stove to take the rest of the pancakes out of the pan and cutting the stove off. "Don't worry about it. It's a fair question, I guess." He placed their plates down on the table across from each other and sat at his. Valerie took her seat as well. "Just so you know though, everyone I spend prolonged periods of time with have traces of ectoplasm on them. Mostly just on the surface of your skin though."

Valerie nodded and reached to grab the syrup. "Makes sense." She put a generous amount on her food before passing the bottle to Danny. "You're not stupid, you'd tell me something I needed to know."

Danny smirked at her. "It sounds like you're trying to convince yourself of that." He pointed out as he too covered his breakfast in syrup. Valerie hummed at that. It was a fair assessment, though said in jest.

"I do trust you Danny." She reiterated. "I want to. And part of that means I can ask you tough questions and you'll be honest." She bit into a pancake, and gave him a quick thumbs up as she chewed. He was a decent cook himself. Or at least he knew how to make simple breakfast foods. She wasn't complaining, either way.

Danny chewed on his bottom lip for a moment at that. "That's… that's really fair." He fidgeted when Valerie looked up at him with confusion at his sudden change in tone. He glanced back at her and began to explain himself. "Ghosts feed off of negative emotion. Fear. Embarrassment. Anger."

Valerie swallowed and pursed her lips at the non-sequitur. She rolled with it, figuring he'd get to the point momentarily. "I thought only ghosts like Spectra did that?"

Danny shrugged and looked down at his plate. "She just did it in a more direct way. It's why ghosts scare people. It makes them stronger." He still seemed to be edging around what he wanted to say.

Valerie processed this for a moment, noting that he had yet to come out and say that he obviously fed in a similar way, at least in his ghost form. "I must've been a buffet when you and I fought. I remember how angry I used to get." She said off-handedly. She wondered if Sam and Tucker and Jazz knew about this little quirk. She wondered how they reacted.

Danny nodded. "Yeah. I didn't realize it then, but you… made me stronger." He blushed at his wording. "That came out creepy, didn't it?" He gave a hesitant smile, which Valerie returned.

Valerie held up a hand. "It's ok." She still wasn't sure why he was telling her this now.

He must've noticed her ongoing confusion. "It's just… uh… I thought telling you that would maybe prove that I'm all in on this plan of ours."

Valerie cocked her head. "Last night?" She snorted. "It wasn't really a plan," She said with a shrug, "It was me agreeing to go about this whole thing like a grown up." She shoved more pancake into her mouth.

Danny shook his head. "You're right. Sorry," He flushed again, "I don't… This has always been the hard part of our friendship, you know? The ghost stuff." He too took a big bite of his breakfast.

Valerie cringed internally. Didn't she know it? "Yeah… You're right." She racked her brain for a way out of this conversation, but she knew deep down that it would have to happen eventually. "But we're past that now? Being weird about this? I mean, I want to be." She admitted, her gaze hopeful.

Danny seemed to deflate in his relief. "Yes!" He blinked and gave her a sheepish smile at his exuberance. She laughed at his actions, and felt herself feeling lighter as well. "So now I have to ask you, and I really wish it wasn't necessary, if you see anything going on at the GiW… Anything at all that seems out of place, will you tell me?" His gaze was steady and expectant.

Valerie's eyes widened for a moment at his question. "Huh?"

He shook his head quickly. "That came out bad. I meant… I've told you one of the reasons why Hayes gets under my skin," He looked lost in thought for a moment before returning his intense gaze to her, "Well one of the other reasons is how much he hides stuff from me."

Valerie frowned. "I mean… it's a big organization…"

Danny nodded. "Which I get, I mean, I'm not trying to peek into his classified files or anything, but we agreed to be open about what kind of research and weaponry he was making for me. You know, to stop me."

Valerie's brows furrowed as she processed this. "So he's not telling you what he's up to?"

Danny shook his head. "Which wouldn't bother me so much if… Look, you know I'm all about being careful and having the means to stopping powerful ghosts, even if that includes me, but I think he's messing with some stuff he doesn't understand."

"Like what? I need you to be a little more specific if I'm going to know what to look out for." Valerie crossed her arms in frustration. Danny had two modes: full disclosure or murky as Amity Lake.

Danny's leg bounced, a habit he only had when he was really nervous. "It's… It's a flower." He said finally.

Valerie raised an eyebrow. "A flower?"

"It's called a Blood Blossom." He cringed as if remembering something specific. "They're bad news. If I'm even close to one I start feeling awful and my powers start fritzing." He looked her dead in the eyes, and Valerie suddenly understood how serious this was. You couldn't fake fear like that.

"And contact?"

"Like burning." His gaze was distant, and Valerie felt a little sick.

"Ingestion?"

"Haven't ate them, but I'd imagine it would be straight up poison." He shivered at the thought.

Valerie bit her lip. "Injection?"

He shook his head. "Bad, Val. These things are bad news."

"But you can't tell him that." She realized.

Danny nodded. "I don't mind having some sort of Blood Blossom weapon," the look on his face suggested otherwise, but Valerie decided not to push the issue, "But I do mind that he has it." He said finally.

Valerie took a deep breath as she processed everything. "Ok." She said finally. "Ok. So if I see these things, I'll let you know, and we'll figure out a way to get them out of his hands-"

"And into yours."

Valerie's eyes snapped up to meet his steady gaze. "What?"

He shrugged. "You're the only one I can think who could ever use it. I mean, I'd never ask my family or Sam and Tuck to carry that burden. I don't think they'd be able to… do it."

Valerie's chest constricted. "But I would." She finished, knowing it was true and hating the responsibility more than she's ever hated anything else in her entire life.

Danny put a hand over her's and gave her a dull smile. "I'm sorry."

She shook her head, wondering why the whole fate of the world had to land in their hands. Why they couldn't just be ignorant and normal and happy, for once. "Just… Don't give me a reason to use it, Fenton."

He squeezed her hand. "I promise."

The GiW was a beast of consistency. Valerie had worked at three separate GiW facilities in her time under them, and they were all almost eerily similar. The layout of the buildings were essentially the same. Labs to the south wing, Holding Rooms to the east wing, Business and Administration north wing, Equipment and Training west wing.

Scale was usually the only difference between Headquarters, and though she could tell that this one was just like the others, the sheer size of it left her feeling lost. Hayes had met her at the door upon entering and had handed her a manila folder labeled "Phantom" before giving her a sticky note that simply said West 288.

She didn't know where she was headed, but Hayes was gone before she could get a word in. With a long suffering sigh, she began her trek through the stark white halls towards… whatever.

She did her best to ignore the stares that followed her as she maneuvered through the building. Valerie really felt that she ought to be used to them by now, considering that it was common knowledge in the GiW that she was the famous Red Huntress.

Still, it appeared to her that she would once again end up as untouchable and friendless as ever here. Now that she was used to. As if on cue, her phone chimed. She glanced down to see that Danny had texted her.

Hey, I forgot to ask earlier, but I thought you could text me your new address and I'll meet you there on your break to meet the truck and help you unpack. I'll bring lunch.

She bit her lip to contain her smile. So not friendless this time. She hadn't wanted to be moved back to Amity Park initially, but one day in and she was already thinking that this may have been a blessing in disguise as she typed her answer.

Sounds great. I'll be getting my address soon, I think.

She was standing outside West 288 when his response came through.

Have a good day :)

Thanks

She was grinning openly when she opened the door. It was short lived, however, when she got a good look at the desk in what she realized was her office. There was already a tall stack of manila folders waiting for her. With a groan, she walked towards the desk and picked up the standard issue desk phone. Hayes number was already taped onto it, and she dialed it.

While the phone rang, she tossed the "Phantom" folder on the desk and began flipping through the only other folder on the desk that wasn't part of the huge pile. In it, she found her address, work schedule, and several papers she would need to sign to get the apartment under her name and finalize her transfer to a new branch of the GiW. Hayes picked up.

"Gray?"

She wasted little time. Hayes seemed like the type of boss where you had to get to the point before he found something else that needed his attention more. "Are these all cases?"

"They are. Already stacked in order of relative importance. I'd get to work. Your reputation is excellent and I expect you to maintain it while you're here."

She rolled her eyes at that. "Understood." He hung up first. Valerie huffed at the dial tone and put the phone back on the receiver. She pulled out her cell and quickly texted Danny the address and her lunch hour.

She grabbed the folder off the top, careful not to knock over the rest of the cases, and flipped it open to the first page as she flopped into her desk chair. She began to skim its contents, not particularly interested until she got to the toxicity report. Apparently this particular ghost was plant based. It would fire some kind of goo that, once in contact with any plant, mutated it into a deadlier version of itself.

That wasn't what caught her attention. In the report, the author mentioned that they had been studying other ecoplasm based plant – like organisms and that unlike their previous test subject, these plants had no particularly damaging or toxic effects on other ghosts (read: Phantom). Valerie had been fighting long enough by now to know that mostly harmless ecoplants were the norm, and whatever this scientist's other test subject was had to be something she hadn't encountered before.

Like Blood Blossoms. She flipped through the report until she found the author. Head of Science Division Laura Brannon. Valerie stood to head over to the Labs when her work phone rang. Caller ID identified Hayes.

"Gray," He began as soon as she picked up, "We need you at the park. Any chance you read the case file on Thorn? Should have been near the top if I remember correctly."

Valerie had already put the phone on speaker and activated her suit, reveling in the confidence and strength it gave her as the microtech slid over her skin from its origin on her back. The Fentons had really outdone themselves with this one, making carrying her suit around as easy as wearing a holster like contraption under her clothes. A flat disk pressed against the skin of her back and could release her suit upon command.

"I was just looking through his file, actually. I didn't get through all of it, but I think I've got the gist." By the time her sentence was finished, her battle suit was primed and ready for action.

"Probably more than you're used to knowing about new opponents. There's a button on your desk, should help you get out of there a little quicker. Consider it your homecoming gift." The line clicked as he hung up, and Valerie quickly spotted the innocuous looking button. It was black and had a clear plastic cover over it. She flipped the cover off and pressed the button.

Her large window suddenly split right down the middle, the reinforced glass sliding smoothly to the side. With a grin, she ran forward and threw herself out the window, clicking her heels and activating her hoverboard. Like a shot, she was off towards Amity Park.

The moments before battle were terribly calm. Valerie relaxed into her focus, quieting her breathing so she could hear and reveling in the boost of adrenaline that made her whole body tingle like a primed weapon. As the park came into view, she reached down to her belt and grabbed the hilt of the Ecto-blade. With the press of a button and flick of the wrist, the solid light ectoplasm that composed the blade activated. The guess had been a good one, she noted, as the park was covered in the remains of battle. Tall, thorny vines sprouted from the ground; some still fully intact and moving aimlessly as it searched for a new target and others already severed and burnt. Flowers and shrubs with large pointed teeth snapped at her from the ground, leaping up at her but not managing to get very close.

Valerie didn't slow to take in the scene, choosing instead to take the most direct route towards the sound of a fight and simply cutting through any of the plant obstacles. It didn't take her long to locate Danny and the ghost, which looked like a demonic garden gnome. It sat in the center of a mutated tree and laughed wickedly as the gnarled branches swiped at Phantom.

She saw his gaze flick towards her before he focused back on the tree beast with a smile.

"That all you got, Prick?" He called out, flying backwards and faking a yawn. "These little fits of yours are getting more and more boring every single break out."

Thorn directed his monster to chase after Danny. It was almost comedic, since Valerie knew the slow moving creature would never be able to hit Danny with his speed. She slowed her board down so it would be quieter as she flew in closer to the beast's fully exposed back.

"My name is Thorn!" The ghost shouted, clearly agitated, "How many times to do I have to say that before it'll catch on?!" His thick Scottish accent took on a tone that suggested Phantom wasn't the only one who didn't call him by his true alias.

When she got close enough, Valerie flicked her wrist again to extend the length of the blade in her hand. She grabbed the hilt with two hands and twisted her torso. Using her board to provide some extra momentum, she swung her blade. Her blade cut through the trunk like a hot knife through butter, and she took a little pride in the way the ghost screamed in shock at the whole upper half of his plant monster falling to the ground.

He pat the top of his pointed hat, shaking as he noticed the tip had been cut off as well. He turned to face Valerie slowly, and gulped loudly as she twirled her blade casually.

"We haven't met. I'm Red Huntress," She dropped into a sword fighting stance and narrowed her eyes at the ghost, "And I'm the mean hunter from around here."

Thorn didn't manage a full reaction before he was enveloped in a bright blue light. Valerie could have sworn he looked a little relieved as he was sucked up into Danny's thermos. Danny capped it and grinned at her.

"Beautifully done, Red!" He called, floating over to her. "Faster than ever, I see."

Valerie rolled her eyes at him. "Well, I did catch him by surprise." She shut off her blade and placed it back on her belt.

He shook his head. "So humble. At any rate I think you've made a great first impression."

"My specialty." She smirked at him before turning her board back towards the GiW.

She was seconds from darting off when she heard Danny speak. "So nice to have you back Red."

Her smirk grew into a smile that Danny couldn't see. "Nice to be back Phantom." She mumbled to herself.