A/N: This one took longer than I wanted it to to get out, so I apologize for that.

Enjoy! :*

Danny had been trying to sleep for too long. His mind was buzzing. The thought of taking down Vlad for real seemed so incredibly surreal that he almost couldn't believe it was happening. After all, Vlad had been a part of his life – well more like an awful cold that he couldn't shake – almost as long as he'd first been acquainted with his ghost self. And now, he would just be… gone. He would no longer be the annoying bug in his ear or the worst part of his week. Danny wouldn't have a threat like Vlad to constantly be worried about. As far away and alien the idea seemed, it was also incredibly exciting.

Still, because the idea seemed so foreign, it scared Danny. Ironically, he was never really into change. So now that this part of him was changing, it seriously scared Danny. So much, in fact, that he couldn't sleep. He twisted to sleep on his right side, his black bangs falling over his forehead. He loved seeing his black hair. It made him feel safe and secure. He'd grown accustomed to his white hair, and it no longer shocked him to look in the mirror. Still nothing could replace his ebony hair and cerulean eyes. He often felt like he would trade all his new powers just to be normal, but he knew that being normal could never work again. He couldn't go back to not helping any one. If he saw someone in trouble, he'd do something to help – even if that something got him killed. He used to think of this as a character flaw, but the more Sam talked to him about it, the more he liked his hero-type persona.

But that wasn't his first problem at the moment. His problem was that he couldn't sleep. Insomnia had never been a problem for Danny. In fact, it was really the opposite. He was always exhausted because of his late-night ghost attacks. He supposed it had to do with the fact that there were no ghosts to fight lately. He hadn't been in his little haunted town for a while, so it was almost as if he'd gotten too much sleep lately, and now couldn't fall asleep.

He turned to his left side, and allowed the cool covers to pool around him. His room was always cold. Or maybe it was Danny who seemed to be perpetually cool blooded. It almost didn't matter, to be honest. The fact of the matter was Danny couldn't get warm or go to sleep now. It was so incredibly uncomfortable, and yet there was nothing that he could do to relax his racing mind. The worst part of Danny's new insomnia was he knew that he had to get to sleep since tomorrow was an important day. He simply couldn't will himself to actually fall asleep. He tried letting his mind drift, but it somehow always came back to the mission tomorrow. What would they do? What if there were casualties? Danny would never forgive himself if anyone under his roof tonight died. Never.

The thought seriously scared Danny. More than he could ever lead on. His heart was racing and his mind was buzzing. If he stared at one object in his dark room for too long, he felt the world closing in. Then, when he closed his eyes, he found himself gasping for air – as if his lungs simply couldn't get enough of it.

He rolled to his back and sat up. Strangley, Danny felt immensely hot. Sweat tricked on his hairline, so he flipped his covers off, exposing his skin to the cool night air. He looked down and watched his bare chest heave up and down. His heart kept beating, and Danny tried to slow it down with slow, big breaths, but it didn't work. If anything, it made the situation worse because he couldn't get the right amount of air to fill up his lungs. He flipped all around in a 180, and laid on his stomach. He breathed into the covers and tried to get enough air, but the more Danny tried to breathe, the more he couldn't.

Finally, after he realized it was almost midnight, he stood up onto his feet. They were flat against the carpet and he lifted his arms up high. Fisting the air, Danny willed an electrical belt to appear around his abdomen. The current of hot energy split into two hoops, one traveling south and the other north.

The southern hoop descended past his thighs and knees, transforming his bare legs into a spandex clad hazmat. At his mid-calf, the black suit tucked into large, heavy white boots that completely encased his feet.

The northern hoop, on the other hand, ascended upward to completely morph his upper chest and shoulders. The hot white light traveled to even cover his thick black bangs and his bare arms. He knew the transformation was completely when he opened his eyes, and clearly saw his white gloved fists. His eyes blazed from tiredness and worry, so he turned intangible, and traveled through the roof of his home.

Where he was going, he wasn't quite sure, but one thing that Danny knew was he couldn't sit around doing nothing. He had to keep moving – or at least get away from all those people. They would be the death of him, he was sure of it.

The dark, obscure night was clear through his viridescent eyes, and he flew across his quiet town. Past the Amity Park Mall and the Nasty Burger – two places his friends would often go. The Mall, of course, being the beginning of the end of Kim and Danny's friendly relationship. He also flew by the park and Square where the mayor made many speeches that for an unknown reason everyone loved (well, of course, Danny knew the reason, but that was a different matter altogether). He even flew by his high school, which made him wonder where he stood as far as missing 2 days of school.

Finally, he arrived at his beloved location. The small tree on a large hill, just shy of City Hall. He flew over there, and sat down. He gazed up at the night sky, and was thinking it would be nice if he could sleep. But even out here in the cold but pleasing fresh air, anxiety over took his subconscious, and there was no sleep for the young ghost boy.

A familiar aroma hit his nose. Not in a violent, kick, but in a relaxing embrace. The scent traveled all around him and engulfed his laying down figure. He breathed it in. it was relaxing yet exciting at the same time. It made his eyes pop open. Suddenly, he saw a familiar red head walking over to him. He sat up, and rubbed his eyes, making sure he was seeing things accurately.

Kim Possible walked right up to him, and smiled widely.

"What are you doing out here?" Danny questioned, though he was happy to see her.

"I could be asking you the same thing," she answered smoothly, and took a seat across from him. She sat on her knees, and gazed at him.

"We have a big day tomorrow, you should be getting to sleep," Danny told her.

"So should you," she reminded him.

Danny smiled, and let his hair fall into his eyes. "I don't need sleep." Was his simple answer although the truth was far worse. He hadn't slept in two days. Sleep was definitely something that he needed. At the same time, it was something that he couldn't get.

"How did you know I was out here?" Danny questioned the girl.

She chuckled in response, but Danny wasn't satisfied by that answer. He pushed further so Kim had no choice but to tell him what happened.

"I, er… well, it's kinda confusing… but, uh… in a nut shell, I saw that electrical flash from underneath your door, and decided to, well, follow you."

Danny's looked conveyed his perplexity. "Wait… you were in Jazz's room… how did you even see it? Is it really that bright?"

"It's hard to explain, easier to show. So do it," she smirked.

Danny was taken aback, "Here?" he questioned.

Kim nodded, and Danny realized he could not argue with her. He stood up from his seated position by the tree, and swallowed nervously. For a reason he couldn't quite place, Danny was scared to phase in front of Kim, even though he'd done it many times before. It was something in the way she was asking that made his limbs shake as he stood.

He walked over to her, and she grasped his sweaty palms as if to say "it's okay". He closed his eyes to properly concentrate, and awaited the belt of energy that appeared on his lower abdomen. He realized that the energy was actually very bright when it scorched through his eyelids as he tried to look at it.

The belt only grew brighter as it split into two. As always, the hoops just spread in two polar directions, transforming every part of his body into a human.

This process ended when he opened his azure eyes and saw raven black hair waving in front of him.

With his human form came a chill of the cold night air, and Danny looked down to find he was still in his boxers. He nervously locked eyes with Kim, who was blushing a deep rose on her already ruddy cheeks. Her stare only made him blush vermillion, and he gasped in both embarrassment and surprise. Immediately, he went intangible so that Kim couldn't see him. The problem with this was that it was short lived. He couldn't change into his fully clothed ghost state without going back to his visible state, which he couldn't do with Kim right there.

Of course, now that he was thoroughly invisible, Kim had no idea where Danny was.

"Danny…" she whispered. He loved the sound of his name on her lips. "You don't have to be embarrassed."

She looked to the ground, "In fact, you shouldn't be embarrassed. If anything, I should… I–"

A large gasp of a shaky breath made Kim stop short in her sentence. Realizing Danny was still not coming around, she asked him with completely sincerity, "Would you like me to run home and get you some clothes?"

That made Danny turn visible. He had his arms folded across his chest, so that they obstructed Kim's view. Only, when his arms were tightly squeezed the way they were, his firm pecks appeared more defined and rigid. Looking at him made Kim shiver.

"Why don't we just go home?" he asked.

"Because I have a feeling you didn't come all the way out here just to turn around and head home," she told him. Danny smiled, a gesture that conveyed Kim's correctness.

"And Danny," she spoke his name so he knew she was only talking to him. "Believe me when I say – you have nothing to be embarrassed over." She ran forward to cup his hands with her own. "You are so beautiful," she said, gazing into his baby blue orbs.

Without warning, Kim ran her fingers up and down Danny's chest. Her soft glides at first made Danny's breath hitch, but he soon grew to enjoy the sensation. In fact, the cool air no longer had an effect on him.

"Penguins…" she giggled. Danny was confused for only a moment before he remembered that was the pattern of the boxers he'd put on. His hands instinctively covered himself up again, but Kim gripped them before they could. "Again I repeat: nothing to hide."

Danny wished he could believe her, but he'd never had a real girlfriend before. The closest he'd come to a girlfriend before now was Valerie, and she hardly counted. She did try to kill half of him. There wasn't any real connection there any ways.

Kim on the other hand only had crushes. Sure, she'd been to parties where she may have made out with people – those crushes in particular – but it never turned out into anything. It was always just Kim and Ron who had each other's backs. A best friend could never hurt you the way that a boyfriend could. And yet, Kim felt no worry as she stood there with her hands resting on her boyfriend's abdomen. Danny was unlike any boy she'd ever met before, and every aspect of him just drew her in closer, deeper.

Danny, in turn, felt that Kim was a blessing from the skies. When she walked, her hair flowed in endless turns and waves; it curled in a nonexistent breeze – as if the gentle wind only touched her. Every movement she made was graceful. Whether she was walking or running, jumping or climbing, landing or flying; everything she did looked like a trance of simplicity. The way she could control him just by giving him a look or being too close to him was almost unbelievable. If someone offered Danny a million dollars to name one thing wrong with Kim, he couldn't name it.

Suddenly, Kim drew away. Danny grabbed her hands before she could get too far though. But she pulled away. She appeared to be shaking, so Danny approached her slowly. "What is it?" he asked her.

"I… I think you should change back into Phantom now…" she told him, eyes scared.

Danny began to blush again. He shyly covered himself, and nodded, "Oh yea… of course… yea… I-I'm sorry," he told her.

He held his hands out to change, but Kim grabbed them. "Nonononono, not because I want you to! In fact, I'd really prefer you didn't…" she added under her breath. "It's just that…I'm not sure I'll be able to control myself against you. Believe me – I'm biting back every urge not to jump you right now." Now Kim was blushing. Much brighter than before. She didn't know why she just said that – it didn't make any sense. She wasn't even thinking that until it rolled off her tongue, but she simply couldn't control it.

Danny smiled gently, and approached her once again. "You should've started with that," he chuckled. Grasping her hands in his own, he changed back into his white-haired dead state, and his effervescent eyes seemed brighter than ever before.

"So tell me the truth," Kim began. "Why are you out here?"

Danny shrugged, "I'm too restless to sleep." Kim smiled so incredibly understanding and sweet that it almost made Danny swoon.

"That's something I can help with." At those words, she strode past him, and went to sit down by the tree on top of that little hill. She patted the ground next to her, and told Danny to take a seat. He rolled his eyes, but only playfully. In actuality, he really wanted to sit with her.

He laid his ghostly back against the bark to the left of Kim, and lower his head to rest on her left shoulder. She soothingly stroked his hair. "Tell me what's keeping you awake."

"Is this supposed to help me sleep?" he asked with a hint of laughter.

"Yes," she said matter-of-factly and continued toying with his hair. "Now, answer the question: why can't you sleep? – and close your eyes!" she added, looking at him.

Danny smiled, but did not argue and closed his eyes. In response to her question, he simply said: "I already said: I'm restless."

"You can't just be 'restless'. There has to be something else in your mind, so what is it?" Kim persisted.

Danny sighed, "I guess I'm also anxious…"

"About…" Kim dragged on.

"Tomorrow," Danny half-whispered, without looking Kim in the eye.

Kim squeezed Danny's hand comfortingly, and told him, "Look at the city." From where the two of them sat, Danny could see the entire city. Especially in ghost form, Danny noticed that he knew where everything was in this small town.

But no one knew where he was.

Kim exhaled loudly, "Danny… you have to remember that you're doing it all for them. To protect them, because if you don't… who will?"

"I know why I'm doing it, I just don't think I can…"Danny sighed.

"You've fought him before, haven't you?" Kim asked, a little surprised.

"Yes, but not like this. Not with so many more people. It's always just been me and him fighting. Now I have people to worry about. People who have no idea what they're getting into," Danny admitted, exasperated.

"People like me…" Kim whispered.

"NO, not people like you! People like your parents and your friends – people who haven't ever fought a ghost."

"I'm gonna ask you something that I hope you can answer quickly," Kim told him. "Why are you starting this war if you don't think you can finish it?"

Danny chuckled darkly, "Cause I'm a hero, aren't I? That's what heroes do. That's what I have to do."

"And what do you have to do?"

"Defeat the nemesis that has threatened me and my friends for too long. I have to put an end to him before… before he does something that can't be undone… It's my job, and it has been for quite a while now."

"I get it," Kim told him, tightening her grip on his palm. "I really do."

Danny squeezed back, and smiled, "I know you do, and I think you're the only one."

"So who else in this town knows your secret?" Kim questioned curiously, having never asked before.

"My sister, my friends, and that's about it. Valerie almost figured it out, but I was luckily able to stop her."

Kim was surprised, "Valerie? What does she have to do with this?"

"Well… she's not who you think she is… she's what I call the Red Huntress. She's a ghost hunter, whose sole mission is to destroy me," he told her.

"What's so special about you? You know, besides the obvious?" Kim asked.

Danny laughed, becoming redder, "Well, I might have… destroyed her father's job and made her and her dad go bankrupt and have to sell everything they own," he said the second part hurriedly, hoping somehow Kim couldn't hear him. "Oh! And I made her lose all her friends…" he added shyly.

"Danny!" Kim accused. "Didn't you ever apologize?"

"Yes! I did, but it wasn't really my fault! I… well… I was chasing this ghost dog, who happened to run through her dad's lab, which then made her dad lose her job, and uh so on…"

Kim didn't reply at first. She was deep in thought. Finally, an idea came to her, "What if she helped us with Vlad tomorrow?"

"She still hasn't forgiven me…" Danny reminded her.

"I know Valerie pretty well. I think I can convince her, but I need you to say it's alright."

"Why?"

"Because it involves sharing your secret."

"WHAT?" Danny couldn't even believe what she was suggesting.

…

"Well that didn't go well," Danny told her after they returned to the tree.

"She'll come around," Kim said, matter-of-factly.

"How do you know?" Danny asked. He had thought when she said "get out of my way, before I make you" meant exactly that.

Kim shrugged, "If she's anything like I thought she was, then I just know."

Danny didn't reply with words, but instead collapsed on the soft grass against the tree. Kim sat next to him and cuddled up close. "You're so cold," she told him worriedly, and gripped around his waist.

"I'm a ghost," he chuckled, but allowed the extra touch and even placed his left hand on Kim's shoulder.

They laid like that for what seemed like only a few moments, but at some point they both must have drifted off.

The next thing Danny remembered was rising with the sun's rays prickling against his closed eyes.

A/N: Not to fear, readers, you will all know how the encounter with Valerie went in the next chapter ;)

R&R, please!