A/N: Have y'all calmed down a little? Well, might be a good idea to not get so comfortable, 'cause everything's going to be not so good from now on. And it starts with Chapter 20! Don't forget the 'IDNOAC' mantra. And enjoy!
TrueHeart—Chapter 20—The Birthday Party
Bertrand had not even gone past the front hall when he grunted! He had been monitoring his gauges for the Ghost Kid. But his quick little side-visit to Spectra was enough for him to lose track of where the Ghost Kid was. But what he didn't know was that during this time Danny and Sam had made up, and therefore, his gauges weren't picking anything up from Danny.
The shape-shifter pushed some more buttons and groaned. Even his little machine couldn't help him find the hybrid right now. Instead, another, very powerful reading was suddenly demanding his attention. Bertrand grew excited about that and decided to pursue this first. And there was plenty of time to act on his impulse and still finish his and Spectra's plan. But first, he just had to tell Spectra about this new reading!
Suddenly, he groaned at his very next thought. "Darn it, Derek is still waiting for me in the cafeteria! Well, let the pesky little ghost wait! This new development just can't wait! Besides, I can't find the Ghost Brat right now, so, a bird in hand was better than two…something." He paused and groaned a little before adding, "Gee, slipping on my own catch phrases! Oh, well, no time to kick myself—I've already done enough of that lately. So, it's back to Penelope!"
Smugly satisfied with his decision, he flew right back out of the school and right to their rendezvous point.
"Penelope! Come here!" Bertrand called, his voice clearly quivering with excitement. He was now in his human form and he quickly went to seek her out. He found her near the still-caged ghost dove.
The ebony ghost animal perked up her head when she heard his eager call. The dove listened in carefully as the two other ghosts talked.
"What is it?" the shadow ghost asked as she came up to him. Her face immediately brightened when she saw the excitement on his. He must have gotten some of the Ghost Kid's pheromones after all—which would mean that Danny's love boat was kaput!
He pointed to the little machine and uttered, "The sensors on this machine are going crazy!"
"Oh, really?" Spectra replied, looking down at the gauges even though she didn't know how to read them. But she added with a touch of suspicion in her voice, "That's good news, right?"
"No, that's great news!" he beamed. "That means that some human's pheromones are just about at the purest, most powerful level!" He pushed a few more buttons and gasped with glee.
Spectra had been looking anxiously on, unconsciously licking her lips in anticipation, waiting for him to explain. And just as she heard Bertrand's last response, she grew more attentive. "Well?" she egged him on.
"It's that Foley kid!" he exclaimed, still looking at his gauges.
"'Foley kid'? I didn't want it to be him! I wanted it to be…" she complained loudly. But Bertrand cut her off.
"I know, I know! I do, too. But beggars can't be choosy. Besides, the Foley kid's in a lot of distress now! And those pheromones we're interested in are at an incredibly high level in him!"
But Spectra hadn't heard his last comment. Still pouting, she whined, "I don't care about any of those other teens' pheromones! Even though it's a bonus to mess up any other kid's life, this whole plan was just to get Danny's more important ones— and to mess up his life, of course!"
"You're right, of course, Penelope, but, like you said, a bonus is up for grabs. If we ignore this, that would be like passing up free T-bone steaks just to get the filet mignon! We can always put the 'T-bones' in the freezer while enjoying the filets!"
The female ghost narrowed her eyes, but especially squinting her left one, dryly replied, "I think I'm getting nauseous with all those 'catch phrases', Bertrand, especially when they have to do with food….not that I've ever cared about that before!"
This time, Bertrand frowned in irritation and with a roll of his eyes, said, "Whatever! Remember, this is for your benefit as well as mine! I think we should take what we can certainly get right now. And there'll be plenty of time for the rest. In the meantime, I think I need to investigate about the Foley kid."
"All right! Do it already!" Penelope huffed a little. Even though she didn't like his snippiness right then, she knew he was right. Even still, she was partially mollified by what her assistant said. She dryly added, "And don't forget to bring the machine with you this time!"
"Of course I won't," he replied, a little annoyed at her patronizing tone when she had said the last remark. "But before I do, better have a little 'insurance'."
Even though he had already put some on before he had left for the school with Derek, he grabbed the ghost-masking spray bottle and doused himself with a heavier dose—just to be sure. Then he grabbed the machine, put it in his pocket, and quickly morphed back into a little fly.
But he stopped a moment and flew right back at her.
Spectra looked at him in confusion, keeping her full attention on him as he drew closer.
"Oh, and Penelope?" he said, with a voice that was both cloyingly sweet and annoying at the same time.
"Yes?"
"Please be a dear and go fetch Derek. And, of course, meet me back at your lair! Ta!"
She blinked, stunned by his 'orders'. She then scrunched up her face in irritation.
But it didn't matter. Her assistant hadn't waited to see her reaction. He had quickly buzzed away, in search of the latest, delicious buzz….
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In the meantime, Tucker had left school without his friends. He wanted to be alone. And he wanted to take a very slow walk home. Feeling as if all his problems were large weights, his shoulders slumped under them. He kicked debris and snow out of his way in frustration.
But he wasn't alone. Bertrand had spied him just as he was leaving school and flew as close as he could so that he could see and hear what was going on—and collect his prize.
Tucker kicked more debris intermixed with snow as he kept thinking. This had been such a terrible day from the very beginning! Sam blew him and Valerie off. Well, he kinda understood Sam's blowing off Valerie, but not him. Yeah, she had apologized; and he kinda had lied that everything was 'okay', but none of it had really mollified him. He had the nagging feeling that it would only be a matter of time when she would blow him and Valerie off again for some other attempt that the Red Huntress definitely would make to waste Danny Phantom. And then there was that thing about Sam kissing that new guy; and, of course of his accidentally blurting that piece of disaster to his best friend. Danny must be very upset with him as well!
Then another thought finally occurred to him. Why did Sam do that? He tried to think of a reason, but none of the ones he thought of made sense. Then one finally did. Maybe Danny blew off on her after he had ran away from them this morning, getting mad at her for her getting mad at him. And maybe kissing that new guy was her way to get back at Danny. Still, this kind of explanation didn't sit well with him. Sam was totally into Danny and wouldn't do that. Not especially after everything that had happened to them in the past. Besides, Sam wasn't the grudge-holding type. Or at least, he didn't think so.
But then, there were those little snippets of talk about her lately. Tucker groaned. They were probably started by that crazed-up jealous blonde. Still, Sam was never one who got into or cared about any rumor…well, except for that one last year. But that one had to do with Danny….But this new one now surrounding Sam was not a pretty one at all. She had better watch herself on that one. He grumbled at his next thought: as if she watched herself with him and Valerie! He sighed, depressed once more when none of this stuff made any sense any more…He was just glad he wouldn't be seeing Sam for awhile.
He kicked another innocent pebble that happened to get in front of his frustrated foot, and he thought of Valerie. She had tried to talk to him again after school but, of course, she was interrupted by that ghost alarm of hers! And, of course, she just had to run off to hunt that ghost! Not that he was really complaining. He hadn't really been in the mood to see her as well. He was now more confused more than ever about his feelings for her. How could he let himself fall for her when she had such hatred for his best friend? When she hadn't given Danny Phantom a chance, had no compassion for him—or for any ghost, for that matter—even for all those times Danny actually had helped her? And hadn't she even noticed that his ghost friend never ever had even hurt her? Or that he was only defending himself all those times and not actually attacking her?
He sighed and shifted his backpack. He was getting tired; and felt weaker, but not really physically, but kind of so. Then he groaned. Now his stomach was feeling queasy.
Just then, he heard a familiar sound behind him. However, he kept walking. A moment later, he heard footsteps running up behind him. He knew that sound anywhere, especially when those footsteps melded into panting breathing.
"Tucker!" Valerie breathlessly said. "I'm so glad I caught up with you! You're not going to believe what just happened!"
Tucker had stopped when she had called his name. Then he jolted with a sudden thought. With all his emotional turmoil today, he had forgotten that it was her birthday! He silently groaned. He slowly turned around, wishing now, more than ever, that she had not come.
She was, of course, out of her 'Red Huntress' gear when he saw her. But for all that he was feeling at this moment, and now worried that she might be mad at him for forgetting her birthday, he hoped that he wouldn't be hearing more bad news.
Too bad he was wrong.
"Uh, what's that, Valerie?" he said, his voice betraying his gloominess and his anxiety.
But she didn't notice his tone because of her own chagrin. And she wasn't even thinking that he had forgotten her birthday. She immediately ranted, "I really still can't believe it myself! And I think I should warn you that it's a real shocker!"
Now she had all of Tucker's worry and his interest piqued. "What do you mean?" he finally asked, resuming his slow walk.
She stepped right beside him without missing a beat. "Well, okay. But remember. I warned ya!" she remarked. But then she paused a little, mustering up the gumption to spill the beans. "I saw….I saw Sam about to kiss that Phantom kid earlier today!"
Tucker's eyes widened and he momentarily—and abruptly—halted. He had to throw his hands up to his mouth to keep from snickering. Still, this was not good news. But he knew he couldn't let on, and then came up with a quick response. "What?" he choked out. "Did you say you saw Sam about to kiss that Phantom kid?"
"Yeah, but she didn't get a chance because I sho…stopped them!"
Tucker gulped and felt his stomach knot up when he just knew she was about to slip and tell him that she had shot Danny. Of course she would have—if she saw him as the Red Huntress! So she had seen him earlier in the day? That was good and bad. Good that it must have been another ghost she was after when they were interrupted after school. But bad, because he hadn't seen Danny since before lunch. He had wondered why Danny and Sam hadn't met up with him at lunch today. Instead, Tucker had eaten quickly and left way before his best friends had come in very late for lunch.
Was Danny okay? Tucker was now worried about his friend. And he still couldn't let Valerie know that Sam's kissing Phantom—or Phantom's kissing Sam—was perfectly all right. He choked out again, "Then what happened?"
"Sam acted like she was guilty as charged. Then they both just disappeared. Literally. I can't believe that, either! But how could Sam do that to Danny? Poor Danny!"
Tucker, of course, felt the same way, but not about what Valerie saw. But about Sam's kissing that new kid at school. He unconsciously resumed his slow, depressed walk.
Valerie started up right with him, unaware that they had started to move again.
Tucker was pulled from his thoughts when Valerie continued, "I don't get it! I thought Sam was way into Danny and now she's after that Phantom punk?! I don't see what she sees in him! What's with her anyway? Danny's way better than that putrid ghost!"
Tucker's thoughts were now on fast forward after those remarks. This was too much. Sam in a love quadrangle? No, not possible! Still, he could understand Valerie's jumping to conclusion like she did. After all, she didn't know that Danny Phantom and Danny Fenton were the same person. And she couldn't. No one could see the resemblance. In fact, neither Sam nor he could tell that Danny was still Danny while in his ghostly form. Not when it first happened, that is. That's because Danny's white energy ghost aura that surrounded his entire body actually distorted the light rays in the surrounding atmosphere. And that unique bending of the light around his glowing ghost form twisted the perception of any human looking at him. They could not and would not recognize him as one and the same person. Unless they were right next to him and thought of looking at him intensely. Even then, they might not recognize him, since the brightness of his glowing green eyes and white hair would cast a ghostly—some would even say, sinister—shadow on the rest of his facial features. Otherwise, if they weren't particularly intent on seeing his face, their eyes would be tricked and Danny wouldn't look like himself at all, even though under his aura, only his hair and eyes were different and all of his other physical features hadn't changed at all. [1] Or maybe some people just wouldn't believe that a human boy and a ghost boy could be one in the same. Besides, Danny did act differently when he was in his Phantom mode. Maybe no one could see them as one in the same also because of that. [2]
Tucker had no more time to ponder about that. He was about to get even more bad news!
Valerie had suddenly gotten into one of her 'rant' modes. She growled, "That stupid, putrid, grr, slime of a ghost! Man, just when is that Ghost Punk, that jerk, going to leave us alone? He's already messed up my life and now he's not only screwed up my birthday, he's going to screw up Danny's life! Still, I don't see what got into Sam! I didn't think she was like that at all. Hey, maybe he made her do it or something? You know how evil ghosts are. And I wouldn't put it past that scumbag to do that! Maybe that jerk somehow put her under his power? Or maybe he had another ghost making her do it?"
Tucker jolted at all the vile pouring out of her mouth just now. Every word spewing out of her was dressed in hatred. Not realizing just how more depressed he was after that, he unintentionally mumbled an answer to her speculating that a ghost had forced Sam to kiss Phantom, "No, Danny would've…" But he caught himself just in time. He was about to say that his friend would've detected another ghost with his 'ghost sense'.
"What did you say, Tucker?" Valerie asked, frowning with confusion.
"I-I mean," he stammered, "Anny-body would've, probably, kinda, would've had to do what that ghost had said."
She glanced at her boyfriend. He hardly made sense and she suddenly realized that he looked awful. Still, she was glad he had kinda agreed with her. "Maybe you're right." Then she growled again, "Man! Then that Ghost Kid's even more evil for coming between Danny and Sam! I wish someone would take care of his ghost hide once and for all!"
Tucker looked right at her and the blood drained out of his face. The hateful ring surrounding each word that she spat out about his best friend rattled his spine like fingernails on a chalkboard.
But before he could comment, she continued, "You know, come to think of it. Sam seemed kinda miffed after I, uh, got him to leave. Maybe that was the after-affects of his losing his power over her? I just don't know." She paused, thinking she needed to investigate this little detail.
Tucker, meanwhile, was speechless and had slowed his pace to a crawl. Now what was he gonna say?
But fortunately—or unfortunately—she didn't give him time to do just that, because she suddenly realized she was getting carried away. She suddenly chuckled in embarrassment. "Uh, yeah, you know how I can go off on that jerk! But I'm not gonna let him get under my skin anymore! He's just not worth it."
Tucker smiled weakly at her. But he, of course, was still upset. Still, he had to say something. And the next sudden thought had sort of come to the rescue. It hadn't made him feel better, but it was a way to both get off the subject and clear up another matter. Even still, he was upset on what he was about to say and inadvertently stammered, "H-Hey, V-Valerie, uhm… I'm sorry I didn't wish you a 'Happy Birthday' today. I-I was a real jerk not to, I know, but I-I haven't been…feeling good today at all."
She then frowned a little with real concern for him. "I knew something was wrong this morning! You really looked, uhm, kinda bad all day. Are you sick?"
He wanted to say that he was sick…sick at heart. But he said, "Sorta."
"Oh, I'm sorry! Maybe you should go home and rest. I mean, it's okay. I'll understand if you can't come to my par—….?"
"No, I'll come!" he insisted, interrupting her. He wasn't that big of a jerk.
She smiled a little with his response; but then, she frowned. "Okay. But only if you think you'll be alright….But what about Danny and Sam? Maybe it would be better if you told them not to come? I would feel like a heel if I didn't say anything to them about what happened this afternoon and spoil everything right there. What do you think?" She finished her question and looked to her boyfriend, searching for his eyes to tell her what to do.
Tucker swallowed hard. He, too, wondered if Danny and Sam were going to come after all he had told Danny. But they would have called by now. Or maybe not—if they were way upset. His shoulders slumped again. If they were any more upset than he was at this moment, they wouldn't be coming. He lowered his eyes and unconsciously blurted out, "Well, I don't know. Maybe after what I saw today, they won't be coming."
"What do you mean?" she asked, her eyes widening.
Tucker's eyes widened in return. He hadn't meant to spill that out! Now he'd done it! He tried to cover up his blunder, but he was too nervous and unconvincing when he replied, "Uh, nothing! I didn't mean anything by that!"
Valerie narrowed her eyes and frowned at him in suspicion. "C'mon, Tucker, what happened? You can tell me."
He sighed and knew he wasn't going to get out of this one. He then hesitantly told her what he saw in school earlier that day; that is, what happened between Sam and Armen.
Valerie's face fell. This must have been why he had looked so distressed today! "Oh, this is bad, Tucker."
"Yeah, I know," he sadly replied, his face melting into a more sagging downward turn. "But I don't understand it at all! That is so unlike Sam. Yeah, she can be hard sometimes, but I don't think she would do that on purpose to Danny." "Unless she wanted to break up with him?" he said privately to himself. But he rejected that thought as well. He continued instead, "I think we should just find out for ourselves tonight. If they don't come, we'll know that it's even worse. It'll be all over!" But, secretly, he hoped that everything would be fine and they would come.
"But maybe I should just cancel the whole thing? I'm really beginning to get bummed about all of this!" Valerie offered.
"No, Valerie, please don't do that. I mean, we're both kinda in the same boat right now, being bummed and all, and it still is your birthday. Maybe we've just blown all this stuff out of proportion?" But underneath, he wasn't so sure. Still, even with his doubts about his girlfriend and their relationship right now, he couldn't ruin her birthday. That would just be way too jerky and putrid of him to do.
Valerie looked at him a moment, thinking of what he had just said. Maybe he was right—except the 'blowing out of proportion' about Phantom. But then, his wanting to still be with her on birthday, even under the circumstances, was nice. Sad, but nice. And he actually told her what he wanted this time instead of going along with what she wanted.
Tucker began to get nervous and even more depressed when she didn't answer him. Finally, he muttered, "Uhm,…"
But she interrupted him. "Okay, Tucker, just come on over like we planned, okay? If Danny and Sam come, then we'll just make due and not make a scene. But if they don't, then we still have each other." She ended with a weak smile.
He looked at her and though that it was kinda weird what she had just said, it was sort of a nice kinda weird.
He finally said, "Uh, thanks, Valerie." And when he saw that they were nearing her house, he slowed and said, "Well, looks like we're here."
When they got to her front door, they stopped and Tucker said, "See you at eight?"
"Yeah, see you at eight," she softly said as she grabbed his hand and stepped closer. He, however, felt all wrong. Hadn't she noticed just how upset he still was? And suddenly, he felt his stomach tighten up. He felt nauseous and weaker immediately after that. Still, he didn't prevent her from leaning closer to him.
They were about to kiss when they jumped at the next voice they heard.
"Valerie!"
"Dad! You're home—early!" she gulped as she pulled abruptly back from Tucker.
Tucker, in turn, cringed.
"So, I see," her father said a little tersely.
"Y-Yeah, well, ahem, see you later, Mr. Gray. I mean, Valerie!" the boy said with a very nervous laugh, before turning right on his heels and scurrying off.
In the meantime, and just before Valerie had arrived on the scene, Bertrand had been tracking Tucker. And when he got to him, he had begun to harvest some of the kid's pheromones, sampling some of them as he did. He had been concentrating so much on harvesting the kid's stuff that he was caught off-guard when Valerie had snuck up on Tucker. It had surprised Bertrand so much that he had almost accidentally materialized right in front of the couple! Luckily, he caught himself in time and was quick to listen in on their delicious conversation.
Bertrand smiled wickedly at this latest juicy development as the teens kept unintentionally feeding him information. Still, there was that more important task. He landed in the alley just next to the teen pair when they stopped in front of Valerie's house, and, remaining invisible, turned himself back into his human form. He then took the pheromone-extracting machine out of his pocket, and monitored Tucker. By the look of the gauges, Bertrand just knew that the kid was about to explode. He quickly took a sample. It was nearly perfect: just a shade lighter than the perfectly dark purple that it needed to be. And even though it could not be bottled, the ghost was surprised how quickly the vial had filled up. He smiled. Even more perfect.
And it was at this precise moment that Tucker had felt nauseated and weak.
Bertrand then pushed the 'dose' button and whiffed all of its contents in. He felt instantly revitalized. "Don't mind that I had this little appetizer before the party!" he snickered. He didn't resist the urge to take another sample, which he immediately did. "There! That should last me for several days!
He jolted when he heard Valerie's father's protest. He quickly shoved the machine into his pocket and morphed back into a ghost fly. Then, he perched himself in a nearby crack in the wall.
He could hardly wait for tonight!
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Danny and Sam had already forgotten about their tiff as the day wore on. So, they were in good spirits when, later, that evening…..
"So, you ready to go?" Danny asked, holding his cell phone to his ear as he 'combed' his hair with his other hand.
"Almost. Give me about five minutes, okay? How about I meet you halfway there?" his girlfriend asked.
"Okay. Uhm, did you…?"
She interrupted him, "Yeah. I've got both of our presents, so that's covered."
He sighed in relief. "Okay. See you in about five minutes," he said before hanging up.
Danny hurried downstairs and headed for the kitchen. He smiled when he saw his parents there, as usual, working on some kind of invention.
"Hey, Dad, Mom!" he said with a smile. "Sam and I are going over to Valerie's tonight. She's having a birthday party!"
"Well, that's certainly very nice. I hope you have fun!" his mother replied, not looking up from the gadget on which she was working.
"Gee, son, it's been a long time since I went to a party," his father commented.
"Me, too!" Danny said to himself. "Well, except for Dash's party…but that doesn't count!"
But his father interrupted his thoughts. "But that's okay. Being with your mother is always a party to me!" He suddenly reached for her and affectionately pulled her closer to him.
"Yeah. Heh-heh, well. I'll just be leaving for my party now and leave you to yours!" Danny nervously replied.
His parents chuckled a little as their son made his very quick exit.
Danny quickly joined up with Sam where they said to meet. He grabbed the larger of the two presents and took his other hand in hers. They continued on down the road in silence, enjoying each other's company. They unconsciously smiled and nodded to several other happy young couples they met along the way to Valerie's.
Even in the soft streetlights and under the full moon's glow, Danny and Sam could clearly see various couples as they passed by the snow-laden neighborhood. Some of those couples were strolling as slowly as they, enjoying the moment. Others were gushing with energy, obviously teasing the other with affection written all over their faces. And still other couples were pushing a baby stroller. Danny and Sam didn't see the other blush when they saw that.
But then, there were much older couples, some that moved so slowly with age that Danny and Sam weren't sure that they were even moving. Still, the young couple smiled when they noticed one of those elderly couples in particular; and when that senior couple glanced at them, the seniors, in turn, smiled warmly and nodded politely back at them. The teens were amazed at the elderly two, even in that brief moment when they all connected as they passed each other. Danny and Sam couldn't help but have the same thought. Even though they had guessed that old couple must have been married for many, many years, the older couple still wanted to clasp their knotted hands together, locking their hearts with that symbolic gesture, as they treasured yet another moment with each other as if it were their first one in all those years. Danny and Sam secretly smiled underneath and wished they would be like that one day.
But as Danny and Sam continued onward, they also noticed some not-so-happy couples. Couples who were obviously upset with each other, or were maybe upset about something that had happened to one or both of them. Danny and Sam unconsciously squeezed the other's hands more tightly when they saw one of those scowling couples arguing hotly as they passed them by. The snippets of spiteful words that each of the teens briefly heard bit into them and they cringed. Both of the teens secretly hoped that they would never be like that.
Finally, they had arrived at Valerie's, and Danny knocked on the door.
Bertrand perked up when he saw them. He flew upward, turning invisible as he phased into the house right before they could enter, but far enough away that Danny would not have detected him even without the de-ghost-i-fying concoction.
Mr. Gray answered it and said with a smile, "Oh, hello, Danny and Sam! You're just in time! As soon as I show you where to go, I'll tell Valerie you're here, okay?"
They nodded; and as they stepped in, they handed him their presents. He smiled as he took them and said, "Thank you, and, uh, this way."
He led them through the front living room and down a small hallway just to the left of the stairs. At the end of the hallway was a lone bedroom which had been converted into a parlor. Computers, a very large screen TV, an impressive sound system, and a small game area had been set-up in this room. The stereo was going, but it wasn't so loud that anyone in the room wouldn't be able to talk.
The young couple grinned with delight when they saw the room and then smiled even wider when they saw Tucker within it. Their bespectacled friend, who was sitting on a nearby couch with his eyes toward the floor, had not yet noticed the three of them.
Meanwhile, Bertrand successfully phased through the ceiling and perched himself on the ceiling light of the parlor. He listened in carefully.
"I'll be right back, kids. Make yourselves at home," Mr. Gray said as Danny and Sam totally entered the room.
Tucker then saw his friends at the sound of Valerie's dad's voice. The first set of eyes his eyes met was Sam's. He frowned disapprovingly and looked back down.
But Danny noticed his friend's reaction and called to Sam's mind, "Hey, Sam! I thought you said you apologized to him!"
"I did!" she countered when she caught the drift of his thoughts. "I don't know what his beef is!"
"Well, let's find out, okay? He sure looks down-in-the-dumps!" Danny suggested only to her mind.
"Alright," she mentally growled. "I just hope you don't make me apologize more!"
Danny silently smirked at her reply. But finally reaching Tucker, he quickly tried to start out the conversation between them and their friend on a lighter note, and said, "So, where's the birthday girl?"
"She's getting ready with her surprise. She said she'll be down in a little bit," Tucker hardly mumbled. Why were they in such a good mood?
Danny looked to Sam when they heard Tucker's lackluster response.
She shrugged and then motioned for her boyfriend to keep talking to their friend.
"Uhm, heh-heh. Are you sure this is a birthday party and not a funeral?" Danny finally said with a nervous chuckle, and then cringed.
Sam cringed, too, but kept mum.
But when Tucker didn't respond, Danny pressed on. "Okay. I'll just come out with it. You look kinda down, dude. What gives?"
Their bespectacled friend looked up at the both of them and growled to Danny, "You may have gotten over the 'Armen' thing, Danny, but I haven't. How could you cheapen your relationship like that?"
Danny blinked in total shock at what his friend just said.
Turning to Sam this time, Tucker continued with an accusatory tone, "And I feel more of the same way about you, Sam! I still can't believe that you would do that to Danny. So, you would kinda deserve all those stupid rumors I've been hearing about you!" He paused a moment, but went right back to his attack, "And I still think you're way wrong about Valerie. You've just never given her a chance, never tried to get to know her!"
"You let me tell you something, mister," Sam reflexively and angrily began, but immediately clammed up when she spied Danny frowning her to silence. She could tell that he felt that this was the time for them to listen to Tucker. And she knew that he was right.
The couple then stood in disbelief as they continued to allow their best friend to lash at them. And from all the heated vibes they were most definitely getting from Tucker now, a funeral would have been cheerier!
But before they could even think of saying anything else, Tucker pressed on, and his voice quivered in pain as he did, "And it's even worse! 'Valerie the Ghost Hunter' will never stop hating Danny Phantom! I just can't take all of this anymore! I just don't know what to think or say about anything anymore!"
He jolted upward off the couch and started to leave when Danny gently grabbed his shoulder and said, 'Hey, Tuck, don't go! We need to talk about this!"
"What's there to talk about?" his friend barely uttered, shrugging his friend's hand off his shoulder.
But before he could try to leave again, Mr. Gray came in with some drinks. He hurriedly said, "Please, everyone! Sit down. Valerie's coming right now!" He quickly turned away and left.
Just as Mr. Gray left, the three best friends could hear Valerie's footsteps on the stairs.
"C'mon, Tucker, it is her birthday!" Sam finally said with a weak smile. "Let's try to make the best of it, okay? We can talk about all this later." She swallowed hard. That was difficult to say, but she was, underneath, glad she said it. She really didn't like seeing her friend like this, even if he had made her mad.
Tucker didn't answer her, but turned around and plopped back down on the couch. Danny and Sam sat right next to him, but Sam made sure that Danny was in between them.
Just as Valerie touched the landing of the stairwell, her father met up with her. He frowned slightly in worry as he said, "Are you sure about this, Valerie? Do you think it's a good idea?"
But she assuredly replied, "Yeah, Dad. Thanks for asking, though—again! But you know that I don't like things the way they are. So, don't worry, okay?"
"Okay, if you say so, honey. Good luck, then!" he answered before he gave her a slight peck on the cheek. Then he added with a twinkle in his eye, "Oh, and, by the way: happy birthday, Honey! You're the sweetest sixteen-year-old daughter I know."
She smirked at the similar line he used every year—with that little tweak, of course. Still, she obliged him and added, "But I'm your only sixteen-year-old daughter!"
He chuckled a little. "Yeah, I know. But you're still the best!"
She smirked again as she continued toward the parlor. She stopped just outside the door and hesitated, suddenly unsure of her idea. Maybe it wasn't the best thing to do, now that Danny and Sam were having problems. Still, they were here, weren't they? Then, that could only mean that somehow they had worked it out. She didn't understand how, but she wasn't going to think about that now.
She pushed those thoughts away. And when she pressed on, she loudly announced, "Okay, everybody! Close your eyes for my surprise!" She paused, and then commanded, "I mean it! Close your eyes!"
This time, all three best friends did oblige her and Valerie peeked around the door to make sure that they had obeyed her. Seeing that all three did have their eyes closed, she slinked the rest of the way into the room and planted herself firmly in the middle of it. Just as she raised her hands to her hips, she said, "Okay, open them!"
The three other teens did just that and all of them gasped loudly at the same time.
Valerie was standing proudly in front of them in her full 'Red Huntress' gear! But they couldn't see her face. Her improved helmet, which she had modified not too long after she had gotten this new suit, had completely hid her face behind a large dark, sunglasses-like plastic shield.
But the sight of her was too much for Tucker. The blood drained from his face and he jumped up and ran out of the room. Without stopping, and leaving his stunned friends behind, he darted out of Valerie's home as well. He had never run as fast as this his entire life.
Bertrand, meanwhile, tore out of the house right after Tucker. He really didn't care about that silly teen's 'surprise'. He needed those pheromones! He quickly morphed into his human form while still maintaining his invisibility. And just as quickly, he pulled out his little machine. Gagging his chuckle, he turned it on and it dutifully began to harvest Tucker's pheromones. He removed the first vial just after it filled. It was a dark purple! Perfect for storing. He continued in glee with his task. Vial after vial filled as the shape-shifter activated the tiny machine over and over again, stopping it just before its warning bell. Now, he wished he hadn't added that feature. He made a mental note to take care of that in the future.
Angrily wiping the tears that had managed to escape with his sleeve, Tucker continued to run toward anywhere far from his friends. But then, he grew confused as his legs began to grow heavy. He felt suddenly very weak and nauseous; and he slipped on some snow-covered ice. Sure, he had been running for awhile, but what he felt wasn't a 'tired' weak; it was a sick, hopeless-feeling weak.
He slowed his pace, panting with anxiety. Then in the bright moonlight, he saw the place he might find refuge. For how long, he didn't care. He was just too upset to think anymore as he plunged into the thick, overgrown and snow-laden forest.
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Danny and Sam sat speechless at first, and then their faces tensed with worry when Valerie helplessly turned her head and watched her boyfriend flee in obvious distress. They simply didn't know where Valerie was going with this. They hadn't been surprised, of course, that she was the Red Huntress. They were surprised that she had suddenly told them about it at all in this very abrupt way.
But before Valerie could say anything, Danny nervously cleared his throat, trying to come up with something to say—or at least trying to think on how to get out of there.
But he hadn't meant to get Valerie's attention yet. Still, he did get it.
And Valerie turned her head back to the couple.
Danny sheepishly smiled. He was surprised how his voice squeaked a little as he said with a tense chuckle, "Uhm, nice costume. But don't ya think you're way too early for Halloween?"
Sam took that as her cue and stood up.
Danny immediately followed suit.
Sam then chuckled a little nervously as well as she added, "Yeah, this certainly is a surprise, though I don't know what statement you're making….Aren't you afraid that the real Red Huntress will get upset?"
Now Valerie frowned in irritation. But they didn't see that. "Don't you get it? I am the Red Huntress!" She pushed the button on her wristband and reverted back to just 'plain' Valerie once more.
Both Danny and Sam feigned a startle when she did.
But then, Sam just snickered nervously as if Valerie were joking. Still, Sam was positive that the girl was serious. "Sure. Sure. And I'm 'Supergirl'! And I bet Tucker was in on this one, too, huh? Still, nice ice-breaker. I'm going to have to remember that one!" But she added to herself, "I certainly won't forget!"
All three fell silent after Sam had mentioned Tucker. They all knew he wasn't 'in on it'. When they looked at each other again, they suddenly all just knew that they all wanted to get out of there—fast!
Finally, Danny choked out, "Uhm, hey, look, Valerie, what a neat trick and all, but, uhm…" But he really didn't know how he could say they were leaving without making matters worse. And he was now more worried about his missing best friend.
Valerie could feel her stomach seize her throat. She suddenly and definitely regretted her decision to finally come out with her secret so that she could move on and hopefully become real friends with these three special people. And she was worried about her boyfriend. She felt her frown pull at her cheeks and she bit her lower lip, trying to stop it from quivering. And she was suddenly aware of a distressing pressure in her eyes.
Danny and Sam just knew the girl in front of them was about to lose it. And they didn't want to be here to see it. Again, Danny was able to say, "Well, ahem, now that we know that you're the Red Huntress,….it's nice, to, you know, to know…I guess." He silently groaned. He had better shut up.
But Sam piped in, "Uhm, but you know, Valerie, this is so….sudden, you know, unexpected….Uh, maybe it would be best for us to go for now." She reached for Danny's hand when she said that.
"Yeah, maybe it would be best. But thanks for, uhm, inviting us anyway, Valerie. That was sure, er, nice." Danny was quick to add before leading Sam out of the room.
They came upon Mr. Gray, who was holding a tray of snacks and had been heading to the parlor. As they passed him, Danny nervously said, "Uh, thanks for letting us come, Mr. Gray. But we have to go!"
The man's face fell to a disappointed frown, but he didn't object to their leaving. He really had understood. After all, he had tried to talk his daughter out of telling them her secret like this. But he knew how stubborn she could be.
"Okay, kids, I understand and thanks for coming!" he finally managed to say as he showed them to the door. But Danny and Sam and Mr. Gray didn't have the heart to look at each other as they left.
Valerie's father turned back around as he closed the door. He headed right to the back parlor. He had to be there, no matter what Valerie might think.
Just before he stepped into the room, he wondered what Tucker thought about all this. But when he entered the room, he got his answer. Valerie's boyfriend was nowhere in sight. He said nothing, but his heart ached to see his little girl's mute tears sliding down her anguished face. He walked slowly over to her and offered her his silent open arms.
She immediately thrust herself against him, buried her head in his chest, and bawled.
Mr. Gray swallowed down the lump in his throat as Valerie's mind twisted in turmoil over this worst birthday ever.
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[1] A/N: Disclaimer: Just so you know, I didn't come up with this explanation by myself. One of my past readers did and darn it if I can't remember who! I'm sorry, and whoever you are, I give you full credit to it. I just thought it was such a NEAT explanation, that I just had to spread the 'facts'! Thanks for letting me use it! If you want to tell me who you are, I promise to post your name and give you credit where credit is definitely due! Truephan
[2] Now,this little added part was from pearl84. I really LOVE her explanation, too, so why not throw it all in? COOL!