Band aid

-V-

"Guys this isn't working." I gritted my teeth as I chased Phantom through the sky shooting at him. I forgot what this was like. Hunting Phantom down was once my only purpose in life. Now I felt like I was going to throw up.

Phantom was Fenton.

"Val's right." Came Sam's voice, "We can't do this forever; we need some kind of solution."

"The only solution is with Danny mastering his powers and that will take time." Tucker said back, sounding just as frazzled as us.

When I finally got the injured Danny- Phantom into the lab. Sam stitched him up, while Tucker called Jazz up. Jazz confirmed that their Phantom- Danny, was still in the Ghost Zone. We all decided that whatever these were; copies, clones, or figments of Phantom's- Danny's insanity it would be best if they were kept separated. None of us were willing to risk more weirdness that may happen if they interacted with each other.

So with little to no explanation of how Phantom was Danny, Sam and I were sent out to do the best we could to keep the growing number of Phantom's- Danny's separate. With the rate that they were appearing there was no time to sit down and try to explain the situation, let alone convince each Danny to stay put. So we were stuck with cheap tricks to keep them all separate.

Which is what led to me chasing Phantom through the sky in order to get him away from the other versions of himself.

"There has to be some way. A temporary fix, something to buy us some time." said back. Watching Phantom continue to fly well outside of city limits.

I was exhausted. I had done nothing but run or fly all day. Get one Danny hooked on a video game. Another started on his homework in the park. Eating something at the Nasty Burger. Wait for me at the school. They just kept coming. I was running out of places to put them, excuses to get them to stay away from certain areas. Sam was to. Tucker was glued to the computer barely being able to keep up with the number of Dannys and the town changes.

Tucker huffed, in thought. "…well if we still had the Reality Gauntlet maybe but Danny destroyed it so no one could use it."

"Reality Gauntlet?" I asked as I swooped down and kidnapped a Danny that was getting a bit too close to the park. Ignoring his sounds of surprise as I flew somewhere I could put him. I had learned that if I 'caught' him in human form he rarely transformed, and would often go along with what I was doing.

"A glove that could change reality." Sam replied.

I raised an eyebrow as the world changed around me again. I wanted to show my skepticism that such an item was destroyed because it seemed to be happening right now but I held it in, I was too tired for even a wit battle. I paused in mind air taking in the environment before spotting an alley and dropping him in one telling him to stay. Not the most original but it worked. Free of eavesdroppers I returned to our conversation. "I would ask but now isn't the time. Are you sure it's destroyed?"

"Positive, watched Danny do it." Sam said.

"Unless one of the other Danny's brought one with them." Tucker said the ever-present typing in the background. "Valery, has any of the Danny's you've seen been wearing this? Sam have you seen it?" a picture of a creepy looking glove that reached all the way to the elbow appeared on my visor alongside the new map. Sam made a negative noise but I perked at the picture.

"Yeah!" That Phantom I remembered.

"Awesome, which one?"

"I don't remember." I groaned rubbing my face tiredly. "I've met like 50 Danny's today. How am I supposed to keep them straight."

"Try to remember." Came Sam's voice. "narrow it down at least."

I did, while the Danny wearing that glove was engraved in my memory. I had been all but throwing Fenton and Phantoms around left and right it was hard to keep straight which one I put where. "Maybe that was the one I said was a ghost at the mall."

"Go check it out." Came Sam's voice as the world changed around me. I huffed as I appeared in a windowless living room. "On a less serious note I found an adorable cat-Danny."

Tucker burst out laughing.

"No way!" I exclaimed with a wide smile deactivating my board and walking towards the nearest exit of the room ignoring the looks I got from the couple snuggling on the couch.

"How do you know it's Danny and not just a cat?" I asked as I pulled open the nearest window and leaped out. The new map came in, impressive seeing as the laughing over the phone never stopped. My board buzzed to life and I turned to the mall which had conveniently spawned closer and flew off.

"Besides the fact that the cat is still in my arms, unchanged after the world shifted ?" Sam asked. "He's got the DP signia on his chest."

"Aww." I said despite myself.

"I know. I kinda want to keep him."

I deactivated my board landing on the top of the mall in a place I knew there were no cameras. Pulling out my tracking device I tried to get a better reading on where the Phantom I was looking for was. "Keep me posted on the adorable-"

"What is going on?"

"Ahh-" I screamed turning to see the Phantom I was looking for hovering not a foot away. His outfit was different. He had a trench coat, belt filled with weapons and the medieval bejeweled armor I now knew to be the Reality Gantlet on his arm.

"There is no ghost here," came Phantom's low and even voice. "And you were talking to someone even though I seem to recall that you only work solo."

As goosebumps crawled on my skin I was steadily reminded why I remembered this Phantom. This Phantom gave me the creeps. He seemed old. Not physically, he still looked very much like a teenager but his eyes were old, his posture too stiff, his speech too eloquent.

"I –"

"Tell me the truth Valery!" Phantom demanded his voice even and commanded, cutting off whatever I was about to say. Even I didn't know.

What do I do? We had all been spending the last several hours keeping the Dannys separate how could I just come out and expose it after all that hard work. But right now this Phantom was looking very angry at me and he had a weapon that could alter reality itself on his hand. And despite what was currently happening that was still a terrifying thought.

"Tell him." Came Sam's certain voice.

"You sure?" I asked quietly, my voice trembling slightly as the ghost's glare sharpened at me.

"Yes, the truth is the only way he will give you the Reality Gauntlet and there is no way you can take it from him now."

I paused only for a minute. Tucker and Sam knew Danny, they knew hunting. And despite not knowing them that well I knew they were telling the truth. Exhausted and just tired of wearing my suit I pulled off my helmet Sam and Tucker's voices falling silent. Phantom looked surprised at the gesture.

I threw him a small smile letting my body language and expression speak the truth, met his gaze and told him the truth. I told him how multiple Dannys have been popping up and that with each Danny the world itself changes. How we weren't sure what would happen if the Dannys interacted but we didn't want to chance it. And how I had been running around sending everyone on wild goose chases hoping to keep them from meeting.

His eyes never left mine through the whole story. His expression never changed even as the world around us did. Finally my story came to an end when I told him about our plan to use the Reality Gauntlet to help. We stood in silence for a minute the ghost just watching me. This was why I took off my helmet before I spoke. Besides being a sign of trust, and just wanting to get a breath of fresh air, it was also to show Phantom I was telling the truth.

After a long moment of Phantom just watching me, he slid the glove off of his arm. But didn't offer it to me instead holding it in his hands eyes still locked on mine

"The Reality Gauntlet is a powerful item. It whispers to be used, begs to be taken advantage of. Before I give it to you I must have your word that imminently after you use it you take it apart."

"Don't you want it back?" I asked confused, warry and hopeful all at the same time

Phantom shook his head. "When you use it to alter reality, you will either erase me and the others from existence or send us back from wherever we came from. Either way I won't have a chance to reclaim it." Phantom's eyes burned into me and I wondered what had happened to this Danny that he was perfectly calm with the idea of possibly being erased from existence.

"What if we need it again." Who knows how long it would take for our Phantom to get better.

"I said take it apart not destroy it Valery." Phantom said understandingly. "The gems. And different parts of the armor are able to be removed. Once your done, take the gantlet apart, split the pieces between trustworthy people, have them hide it and never tell anyone where they hid it. The temptation will be less if the pieces are removed and scattered as far as you can."

That was a simple price. The only problem would be if there were not enough people to split the pieces between. "I think I can do that."

I smiled enormously grateful at Phantom as he handed me the ancient object before putting my helmet back on imminently calling Tucker and Sam. "I got it!"

"Great work Val, I knew you could do it." Praised Tucker.

"Thanks, so what do I do?"

"Bring it back here. You need to know the combination in order to unlock Its power. Once it is we can change reality back, and figure something out from there"

"Finally." I said sagging a little activating my board once again. I turned back to Phantom. "Thank you so much."

Phantom only nods a shadow of a smile on his face as he floated in place.

I turned in the direction of Fenton Works on the current map when a worried voice called in my ear. "Tucker where is cat-Danny?"

"He jumped off of my lap." Tucker said confused about Sam's concern.

"Yeah but where did he go?"

"I don't know."

"Tucker did you forget we still have injured Danny in here?"

I froze.

"Ohhhh"

"Yeah 'oh' and -NO!"

The line went dead. I was already Facing Fenton Works so I was able to see the explosion-like storm encase the building covering it in a gray dust-like mist. Cracks and tears were erupting in the sky, ground and buildings. Everything shook, crumbling causing more gray mist to pour through and join the storm that was swirling around and around, growing bigger blocking part of the town from view. Flashes of light almost like neon green lightning flashed from inside.

"This isn't good." Came a voice behind me.

I looked to see Phantom had moved to join eyes wide and worried though his posture and tone was unaffected.

"No shit Sherlock." I bit out angrily though worry ate at my soul. Tucker and Sam were at the center of that.

"Not just the storm and cracks, Valery." Came Phantom, again calm though not. "If I can see it then my other selves can see it and as heroes they will all come to help."

My eyes widened as I saw numerous white and black streaks flying into the storm.

"and when they see each other they will fight each other."

"Oh my God!" I whispered as two blurs flew towards one another viciously. There was a flash of pure white light and another dust-storm-like-explosion erupted. It began fighting for the gray mist, pulling it from the ground, buildings, cracks and worse than the other storm. The cracks grew wider until large chunks of asphalt, park benches and even whole buildings started getting pulled up and disappearing into the dust. Once inside nothing but gray dust was seen. Two, three, four, five storms erupted. People were screaming running for their lives, animals howled taking shelter but it all sounded echoey and warped. There was no escape from this.

While I stood floating in shock, this was like an apocalypse movie. Only this was my home town. These were people I knew since childhood. My entire world was ending and I just couldn't believe it. And all I could do was stand and watch.

"You might want to put the gauntlet on Valery." Phantom called gently.

I gave a start as the glove moved. I turned to see Phantom was slipping it onto my arm. "Me?" I asked still in shock. "but-"

"You're the only one who remembers your world. You're the only one who can change reality back the way it was supposed to be." Phantom reminded. As he pressed one of the gems in like it was a button.

"Look out!" I screamed just as another Phantom tackle dove my Phantom way. As close as I was I watched the two erupt into blinding light, actually two lights. Almost as bright as a star but only as big as a basketball. They exploded outward blasting me back faster then I had ever moved before. Then the swirling gray took me. Spinning round and around faster than I could comprehend. Sometimes I would catch glimpses of people, things, or words, I would swear I heard words, a song, a scream, but when I looked again it was gone. It was what I would imagine being trapped in a tornado would be like. Only less debris. Which was strange.

I gasped for breath. I was full on hyperventilating now. My mind was on overdrive, my body strung tighter than ever before. I was alone, completely alone this time. Starting out I had prefered it that way but knowing what I do now I realized that I always had backup. Phantom had always been there to bail me out if I got in too deep, if I picked a fight with something too strong. Then when Phantom left I had Tucker and Sam. They didn't just swoop in and save me though, they taught me, equipped me so I could dig myself out, so I could face those 'too powerful' threats myself. But this wasn't something I could fight. This was bigger, so much bigger than me and I was alone. No more backup, no more training wheels. This was all me. Win or lose it was on my shoulders now.

With those ever cheerful thoughts I brought the gauntlet up to me and started frantinly pounding the jewels. My panic driving me deeper and deeper from reason. I fleetingly wandered through my panic how often Phantom went through something like this. No wonder he was always a cool cucumber, compared to this Skulker was not even a blip. Tears were gathering in my eyes. I punched the gems and they glowed.

POWER flowed through me washing away all thoughts. The world seemed to ripple and I stopped moving. I was still in the middle of swirling gray but it wasn't touching me. I could feel it. In some weird way. Like I was connected to the entire world. Like it was a part of me. I could feel the buildings crumbling. I could feel reality itself tear and shred as two, four, twenty, places collided. I could feel things from somewhere beyond get pulled into this one by the storm and things from this place get pulled into another. What that place was I could not feel but I didn't like it. It felt wrong, disgusting.

I pushed the unknown away, commanding reality to heal or at least cover the wound so nothing else could travel through. The gray swirled around slowly dissipating. Bit by bit, the crumbling buildings of my childhood came into sight but I didn't really see it. I felt it.

It was mine. All of reality was mine to manipulate. I could have my life back. My father could get his job back. I would be popular again. I could even rid the world of ghosts forever and always with a wave of my hand. But why stop there. I could erase Paulina, the so called 'friends' that abandoned me and now hunted me like some kind of criminal. I could make the town love and accept me more than it ever did with Phantom. I could make Phantom the bad guy I always believed him to be. I could even make Tucker and Sam as my friends instead of his.

The gray storm shifted, swirled again. Twirling and dancing in a beautiful melody. Didn't it know it was dying? Didn't it know I was commanding it to go? And yet it danced, it laughed, it sang. For some reason it reminded me of a certain ghost who always had something to say, especially when things got tough. Danny.

My mind went back to my world. The imperfect, but happy life I led, in a run down apartment hunting paranormal creatures that most would cower and hide from. My dad working long hours but making time to show that he loved me instead of just throwing money at me like he used to.

I smiled as I thought of him. I barely noticed the world calm around me. It was as if I was in a bubble, separated from the rest of the world. My mind turned to my new friends Tucker and Sam. The two unpopulars that were so brave, smart, and incredibly cool, imperfectly perfect. The nerd and geek that were secretly heroes in every meaning of the word. Then my thoughts went full circle and I thought of Danny. Danny Fenton and Danny Phantom. The two being the same person blew my mind. I still hadn't had the time to fully process that and yet it made sense. After seeing the hunting side of Tucker and Sam I could easily see how the two sides could be Danny.

Some part of me could feel power flowing through me and cascading out in waves but decided to focus on my thoughts and feelings. Some part of me felt that the Reality Gauntlet required feelings, along with thoughts, and concentration. Rebuilding all of reality from one person's memory seemed like an impossible feat on its own.

I dug up my explosion of emotion about the high school that I braved everyday in order to get a diploma. I remembered about the mall where I spent hours just walking around as something to do. I thought about Amity Park. The town I patrolled day and night, the streets that I learned how to ride a bike down, that one day, I wanted to drive a car down. The parks I relaxed in. The job I worked at. The public who didn't accept me yet but would when I deserved it, when I had redeemed myself.

That was the best and worst thing about Amity Park. Sometimes good and bad things didn't just happen. Sometimes you earn them. But it always gives you a second chance. This town had changed me. When my Dad and I moved out here I was a selfish snob, then I became a ghost hunter with all but bloodlust obsession, now I was a hero. And everyone else in Amity, in the world, in this reality, they deserved their second chance.

-)(-

-V- Valerie Gray (Red Huntress) point of view

Wow…

Just wow. That got more intense then I intended.

So, I'm just going to move on to my random note, cus I don't know what to say.

(Where did that come from?)

In case you're wondering the Ancients did arrive at the scene but only after Valery was pulled into the storm. So naturally she didn't see them (at the time). That was why she didn't die/get erased/ lose consciousness after she got pulled in. The Ancients weren't able to reverse the damage until Valery got the gauntlet going then they were able to help guide its power to help treat the problem best they could. I don't know if I am going to write that scene or not. Maybe if I make a sequel or something. Valerie, Tucker, and Sam meeting the Ancients does sound cool.

Personally, I feel like the Reality Gauntlet would have some kind of limit to how many times you can type in a combination before it cuts you off or blows up or something but that wouldn't work in this story because Valerie is too panicked. She is not at the point in her awesomeness where she can be twirled around in an interdimensional dust-lightning-storm-of-destruction and still think clearly. Though she is on the right track.

I do not own 'Danny Phantom'