Chapter Thirty: Unexpected Company

Breakfast was a silent affair, like yesterday. As soon as they finished, Vlad walked with him to the Fenton's house and then stopped, turning to him. "I'll meet you at Amity Park Cemetery, then."

Dan nodded, giving a brief wave before swiftly walking off down the block. He had to get as much space between him and Jack Fenton, or else he would end up breaking his promise to Danny.

"Vlad! We were worried you wouldn't make it!" Jack's voice boomed in the distance, and Dan covered his ears before running faster.

He kept running, unsure of where he was going, until he bumped into something and a girl's voice said "Hey!" as he stumbled back.

"S-Sorry." Dan shook himself out of his daze and looked up. 'Valerie.' He thought.

"I guess it's alright, but what's got you in such a hurry?" She demanded.

"…I was running from something." He said softly.

"From what?" She looked behind him, frowning.

"…A voice." He replied softly. He noticed her all-black dressy attire. "…Funeral?"

"Yeah." She nodded. "What about you?"

"Yeah." He glanced away. Valerie and him had never gotten along in the first place, Danny got along with her better, so talking to her as a stranger seemed to come along as second-nature. "…I'm sorry. I heard he was quite the boy."

"Well, he was cute." Valerie nodded, blushing a bit. "We had a thing for a short while, but we ended up breaking it off. Last I heard, he confessed his love to Sam Manson before…" She faltered. "Why am I telling you this? You don't even know who Sam Manson is!"

"Actually, I met her last night." Dan replied. "She kept talking about my 'poison-green' eyes and how much I resembled the deceased."

"Ouch, that's not a good topic." Valerie cringed. "Though, she's right. You DO look a lot like him."

"Coincidences happen." He shrugged. "Did he have a very unique face?"

"Well, not really." Valerie admitted.

"Well, there you go." Dan nodded. "Sorry for bumping into you."

"No, it's fine. Where were you off to?" Valerie asked.

"…Don't know. First time in town; and all I've seen is an arcade, a hotel and a diner." He lied.

"Well, maybe I can show you around a bit. I got time before the…" She faltered again.

"Yeah. Alright, that works." He nodded. "I'm Dan, by the way."

"Nice to meet you, Dan. I'm Valerie." She smiled and turned to go, gesturing for him to follow. "Let's start by going to the park."

As they walked, she told him about the city, pointing out different places and people. He nodded along with her, giving comments where they fit, but he already knew everything she was telling him. He knew this place so intimately, all the ins and outs that even she didn't know. He'd been in the attics of decrepit old houses, in the sewers, in the cracks between walls. He'd seen all these people, talked with them, been admired by them and watched them bully Danny only to get back at them for it a bit later. They reached the park and found a bench and she started to talk about the history of the town.

He knew all this. He was just giving her something to distract herself before the inevitable event and it gave him something to think about besides Danny's monster of a father.

"Do you want some ice-cream?" Valerie asked, seeing a truck go back with its cheery music-box tune. He shrugged and she nodded, getting up to get some. When she returned, she handed him a typical fudge bar. "Chocolate?"

"Sure." He took the ice-cream and unwrapped it, starting to eat. He was careful to let the drippings only on the wrapper, knowing Vlad would change into Plasmius and deck him if he ruined his suit. The fruit-loop worried about the weirdest things. He chuckled softly, thinking of his stern expression.

"What's so funny?" Valerie asked.

"Mm…just thinking of my godfather. He'd kill me if I ruined my suit." He chuckled.

"Sounds like a strict guy." She frowned.

"Well, you might know him. Vlad Masters?" Dan offered.

"Oh, yeah." She nodded. "I know him. He's the one who funds my gho—my, uh, personal projects." She glanced at him guiltily.

He sighed. "I'm well aware of my godfather's…eccentric interests." Dan replied. "And also that Amity Park has a reputation for being the most haunted city in America. If you help to stall the hauntings, then it's nothing to be ashamed of, Valerie." He smiled.

Valerie blinked, staring into his "poison-green" eyes – Damn, Sam had been right. They were like an addictive poison you just couldn't escape. Almost like the green eyes she'd always seen with white bangs and a soft, green glow when she and Phantom – for various reasons – worked together.

"Valerie?" He spoke up, breaking her from her reverie.

Valerie pulled her eyes away from them, her dark cheeks tinted pink from the embarrassment of being caught staring. "Uh…yeah, I guess you're right. It's nothing to be ashamed of at all, and I can work with the Fentons openly if I would just come clean about it." She nodded. "So, uh…do you live with Mr. Masters?"

He nodded. "It's a new development, I arrived at his place the day he received the notice about the funeral."

"Where did you live before that?" Valerie asked.

He glanced away, his gaze darkening a bit. "…I don't like to talk about it."

"Oh, sorry. I guess…we all have secrets." Valerie nodded, glancing away guiltily. 'Great, now you've upset the new guy!' She scolded herself. 'He probably doesn't want to be around you anymore!'

"Have you lived in Amity Park your whole life?" Dan asked.

Valerie looked at him. "Yeah, I was born and raised him. Not too many people from out of town here." She grinned a bit.

"Has it always been so horribly haunted?" Dan looked up at the sky, where a ghost was flying overhead. He could see one of the Fentons giving chase on some air-board, yelling something at it.

"…No. We had a few, but the really big stuff started about a year ago, I think." Valerie said softly. "When the Fentons finished their wacky portal. I heard it didn't work, though, so it can't be related."

"Maybe, maybe not." Dan shrugged. "I don't know. Has it always been just you the Fentons fight them off that long?"

"Well, there was one other guy." Valerie nodded. "He called himself Danny Phantom. But, no one's seen him in weeks. The last time anyone even heard his name was when Danny was begging to see him in the hospital."

"…Tell me about him." Dan said softly.

"Well, he was a ghost that acted like he was a superhero. He fought against other ghosts and claimed to be saving the people of Amity Park, even as he destroyed it and nearly killed people with grudge matches." Valerie shook her head. "I guess Danny was his friend or something. Maybe that's why he was against fighting them so much. I don't know why he changed his mind after Spring Break, but all he would talk about is how excited he was to go ghost-hunting with his dad." She looked down. "They went on a long ghost-hunting at the start of Summer Break. It was during that trip that…that he…" She swallowed back a sob, tears slipping down her cheeks, smearing mascara he hadn't noticed was there. "I heard it was a ghost…or a wild animal. Or something. Sam and tucker said that Danny told them it was the Guys in White. Why would they attack Danny, though? Why? He was just a kid. Just a weak, defenseless kid who just wanted to spend time with his dad…"

He pulled her close, wrapping his arms around her. "Stop thinking about it. The more you think about, the more pain you'll feel. You'll start blaming yourself for not being there to help, when rational thought would say that you wouldn't be allowed anyway. You don't have to ask questions or regret not being there. All you have to do is grieve for him, and then try to smile and live on. I'm sure that would be what he wanted."

She wrapped her arms around him and let out a soft sob, burying her face in his chest as her cries grew in volume. He held her close, letting her cry it out.

Hours seemed to pass as they sat there on the bench, but he could see from her watch that it was only minutes. Finally, her sobs decreased to just sniffles and she sat back. "Thank you, Dan." She wiped at her face. "I should…go wash up." She got up and headed for the park bathroom.

Dan watched her go, then looked at his empty ice-cream stick. It was one of those inspirational ones, which had words printed on them. His said "If you know where you're going, all you gotta do is go and you're get there!". A cheery thing, but as he threw it and the wrapper away he looked towards the Fentonworks building. He couldn't go there. Not yet.

"Dan?" He looked over his shoulder at Valerie. She let out a little giggle and he raised an eyebrow. "You've got ice-cream on your cheek." She held up a damp paper towel and wiped it off, tossing it in the trash. "There." She smiled. "Thanks for being here to talk to me, Dan. I don't have many friends to turn so, so…"

He nodded. "Any comfort is comfort all the same."

She nodded, then held out a hand. "It's…almost time. You wanna walk to the cemetery together?"

He blinked, then took her hand in his. Her hand was warm, warmer than Danny's had been. Because of him, Danny's body was a lower temperature than most humans. He tightened his grip a bit and walked along with her as she led the way.

A crowd had gathered at the cemetery, and he could see Vlad looking around for him.