Hi
Chapter 12
Dramatic Irony
A lie may take care of the present, but it has no future - Unknown
Valerie shot into the sky, the wind and her boyfriend screaming in her ear. She cleared the buildings on either side of them within seconds and had to fight the turbulence just above the roofs to keep her board flying straight. It was a familiar battle for her, but Danny's arms tightened around her waist as the board rattled beneath their feet.
"Holy shit!" he cried.
Valerie laughed. "Too much for you?"
Danny shook his head, but Valerie was already allowing a sudden downdraft to push her board into a short dive that made her passenger yelp. She righted her board soon after and pushed it to begin climbing again.
"Is it always so windy?"
Already impressed he wasn't begging her to set him down again, Valerie grinned and placed a hand on Danny's arms. "Always. Don't let go."
"Wouldn't dream of it."
Unlike ghosts, there were natural laws Valerie had to observe whenever she took to the skies, and by this point in her career, she knew how to surf the air currents as well as any surfer on the ocean. She banked into the rough winds the buildings created, dove with the downdrafts, rose with the updrafts, and twisted her board into rolls whenever the wind would allow.
All throughout, Danny's arms remained locked around her waist, alternatively tightening and loosening with her maneuvers. After that first terrified shout, he never screamed. In fact, to her delight, Danny soon brought his head beside hers and yelled over the wind, "Can you go faster?"
She beamed. She didn't know how Paulina and the others had been fooled into believing Danny a coward when he clearly had more courage than the entire A-list combined.
"Hold on!" she yelled back.
Instead of accelerating her speed in a straight line, Valerie angled her board upward and shot higher into the sky. Danny buried his head in her shoulder, but he didn't cry out. Little rain drops splashed against her visor, not so much impeding her vision as reminding her to be mindful of the weather. She squeezed Danny's arm reassuringly. It was a long flight to reach the height she wanted, but she didn't dare fly any faster with a passenger in this weather.
And anyway, she liked how tightly Danny was holding on to her.
She leveled out and coasted to a stop just below the clouds. The rain had slackened considerably since they left the school, but it still drizzled from the clouds, and she didn't want to risk flying into them. Not with Danny there. He was new to flying, had only his grip around her waist to keep him safe, and he—
Danny's arms fell away as he stepped back. Surprised, she hurriedly held out a hand out to steady him, but he didn't seem to notice. The wind was fierce just below the clouds. Her board accounted for the turbulence well enough, and Valerie's boots were magnetically attached to her board, but Danny wobbled slightly, his jeans and the loose folds of his jacket pulling tight against his slight frame. Yet despite his precarious balance, Danny shuffled to the edge of the board, looked down at the city far, far below and…smiled.
Valerie frowned. It wasn't quite the reaction she had expected. Or hoped for. She looked down herself. The buildings had shrunk to the size of Lego constructions, the streets nearly indefinable. Any sane human would have freaked out or at least moved closer to Valerie. Maybe dropped to their knees to reduce wind drag.
Danny looked…fond.
A sneaking suspicion crept into her mind. "You've been up here before, haven't you?" she asked, raising her voice to be heard over the wind.
Danny turned wide blue eyes on her, the wind blowing his black hair around his face now that he had turned his back on the wind. "What? No. How would I—"
"Phantom."
Danny was never very good at lying. Valerie watched him flounder for a response, his mouth open but voiceless. Valerie turned away, feeling bitterly disappointed. She didn't know how deeply the connection between him and Phantom went, Danny seemed too confused himself to give a straight answer but there was something there. She'd heard it.
The sound of Phantom's voice screaming at Danny to move haunted her as if it were its own ghost. Phantom had always been emotional for one of his kind, but that shout held more fear for Danny than a mere acquaintance could account for. When she and Phantom had made their truce, the explicit goal was to keep Danny safe from Skulker. At the time she had assumed it was mostly for her that Phantom offered. But that shout…
And now, it seemed, Phantom had been the first one to share the skies with Danny. It could have been Valerie, it would have been her if she hadn't been too afraid to trust him with the secret that would have allowed her to do the same.
Danny's hand grabbed her shoulder. She couldn't feel his body heat through the armor plating, but she felt the slight pressure as he squeezed. Just the right amount of pressure to be felt through the strange metal. "Val, whether I've been up here before or not doesn't matter. Now is the first time I've been up here with you."
She looked over her shoulder. Danny smiled softly at her, a sweet expression that was hard for her to resist. She smiled back, pushing her resentment aside. For now. "You wanted to see how fast I could fly, right?"
Danny's eyebrows shot up and his gaze darted back to the ground far, far, far below them. His mouth formed an 'O' of dawning realization.
Valerie grinned. "Just like riding a roller coaster."
Danny threw an incredulous look her way. "Roller coasters have safety bars."
Valerie half-lidded her eyes and twisted her lips to form a more mischievous grin. "Stand in front of me and I'll hold onto you this time. Is that safety bar enough for you?"
His cheeks gained a rosy color, less from the tease, she thought, and more from her proposed positioning. "Oh, uh, right. Right."
"I can fly us down more slowly," she offered, trying to soften her voice, but it wasn't easy. This was her. She loved pushing herself to the extreme, daring the world to throw everything it had at her. If Danny couldn't handle it…
Danny's eyebrows knit over his forehead as he frowned at the ground. He straightened his shoulders and grinned at her, though Valerie could tell he was more determined than eager. "Let's do it."
Valerie gestured for him to move in front of her. His grin faltered and his blush regained its hue, but he cautiously edged around her and stood at the front of the board, just shy of where the prongs split down the middle. Valerie pressed against his back and wrapped her arms around his chest. She felt him gulp and couldn't help smiling.
"You ready, Fenton?" she asked sweetly.
"Ready," he said, his voice cracking. Valerie allowed the two tips of her board to dip down, and Danny's hands latched onto hers. "Oh my god," he croaked, only heard because Valerie's helmet pressed against the side of his head.
Valerie laughed. "We haven't even started."
"That's not the problem," Danny whispered, likely not intending Valerie's helmet speakers to pick up on the quiet words.
Valerie edged the board further forward, hissed one last warning to Danny, and pitched the board into its dive. Danny screamed, full of terror. Excitement. The wind ripped it from his lips. The force of their flight shoved Danny into her, straining Valerie's muscles as she held her ground for both of them. She clutched Danny as tightly to her chest as he squeezed her hands. They were halfway to the ground, the buildings rapidly growing in size, when Danny's scream tapered off into a howl of laughter. His hold on her hands loosened, and he stretched his neck out as far as the inertia would allow him. This further sign of Danny's bravery made Valerie let out her own joyful shouts. She turned her board just slightly, causing their flight to circle as they descended. Danny tightened his grip, the twists causing him to fall against Valerie's right arm, but he adjusted quickly, shifting his footing to remove some of the burden from her arm. He started laughing again.
Valerie tucked her chin between his neck and shoulder and hugged him to her. Danny wouldn't be able to tell the difference between her 'safety-bar' hold and her hug, but she knew.
She should have shared this part of herself with Danny ages ago.
She eased the nose of her board up, leveling their flight until they were once again flying straight. Below the roof of most of the buildings but well above the streets, Valerie guided her board towards Fenton Works, now farther away than when they had started. Danny didn't seem to mind. He shouted above the wind out of sheer excitement at their speed, and Valerie laughed.
Unfortunately, they were close enough to the ground people might notice how close the Red Huntress and Danny Fenton stood. Their velocity was slowing, so Valerie stepped away from Danny's back. Danny glanced over his shoulder at her, the wind wiping his hair into his eyes. He loosened his grip on her hands as she moved them to his shoulders.
"Val?" he shouted in question.
Valerie smiled, though she didn't think he could see it through his hair and her visor. "Don't want people thinking your cheating on me with myself!"
His eyes widened and it looked as though his cheeks colored. He jerked his head back into place. "Yeah!" he shouted, his voice sounding strained. "That…that would be bad, wouldn't it?"
They arrived at Fenton Works soon after, but they still had a little too much velocity to safely stop. Valerie flew around the Op Center a few times, Danny shifting his weight to accommodate the sharp turns. He was a fast learner.
Valerie flew lower as they slowed until she hovered in place a foot or two above the backyard. Danny jumped down easily. His legs didn't even wobble, though Valerie's had for weeks after she had first started flying. He looked back up at her, lips curled into an exhilarated smile, and for a moment, Valerie thought she saw green in his eyes.
It was probably a trick of the light.
"That was amazing!" he shouted.
Valerie grinned, but a more cynical part of her wondered if flying with Phantom would have excited him just as much. Maybe the reason he was so brave was because Phantom had helped him overcome that fear already. It was an unpleasant thought, and she quickly shoved it aside. She dismissed her board and dropped onto the ground beside Danny as it vanished.
"I always thought so." She stretched her arms above her head. She had never flown with a passenger before, and the slight burn from her muscles surprised her. "This suit is a lot faster than my old one, though. It was even able to fly me into space."
She expected him to bombard her with questions about what space had been like after that, space nerd that he was, but while his blue eyes did light up, it wasn't for the reason she expected.
"Do you realize that means you had to be flying at least seven miles a second?" he asked, practically standing up on the balls of his feet, and suddenly Valerie could see the family resemblance. "The G-force alone must have been killer!"
"I barely felt it, actually." She patted her chest piece. "This suit must nullify it somehow. I haven't experienced any vertigo or motion sickness since I got it."
It was adorable how excited her boyfriend looked as he breathed, "NASA," but Valerie had crazier Fentons to deal with that day. She had spent the whole day dreading her first day at 'training,' and while flying with Danny had certainly lifted her mood, Valerie still grimaced as she faced the Fentons' back door.
She didn't need training, it was a waste of time and degrading besides. It was only because of her age that Jack and Maddie thought she needed training at all. Her father would forever insist she wasn't ready, but the Fentons had respected her alter ego until the moment they learned she was the same age as Danny.
Danny came up beside her and nudged her arm. "Hey, they're mostly harmless. I think my dad just wants to show off his inventions to another ghost hunter."
Valerie pursed her lips. She could understand that. Grudgingly. "So long as they don't try to turn me into some sort of sidekick, we shouldn't have any problems."
Danny huffed a laugh. "As if you could ever be someone's sidekick."
She smiled back at him, but her stomach twisted. It wasn't such a huge leap from one man's pawn to someone else's sidekick. In some ways, only the word changed. The Fentons and Vlad had once been friends for a reason. She would have to remember that.
There was no more time for delay, however. Danny was already moving towards the door. Resigned, Valerie followed him.
The back door led into their small kitchen, and as Danny swung the door open, he called out that he was home and Valerie was with him. A crash resounded from the lab, and Valerie started, her muscles tensing.
"What was that?" she asked.
Danny unzipped his jacket and smiled apologetically at her. "Brace yourself."
"SHE'S HERE!" Jack shouted from the basement.
"Welcome home, sweetie!" Maddie said, only slightly quieter than Jack. "Come on down, your father and I are almost finished."
"Almost finished with what?" Valerie demanded, her voice high.
Danny shrugged. He slipped his backpack off his shoulders and set it on the table before pulling off his jacket and draping it over the back of a chair. "Probably some way to test you and your battle armor so they know what they're working with."
"You said they'd just want to show off their inventions."
"No, I said my dad probably just wants to show off his inventions. Mom is more interested in you and your suit's abilities. She'll be the one pushing you to your limits."
Valerie wrinkled her nose. "Great."
"It gives you a chance to show off," Danny pointed out, the dry tone of his voice slipping as he offered her a reassuring smile. "A chance to make them regret ever thinking you needed training."
Valerie couldn't help smiling back, her ire fading. "I knew there was a reason I liked you, Fenton."
For a moment, Danny's oddly colored eyes caught on hers, his smile faltering, but then another loud bang rang from the basement, and Danny abruptly broke eye-contract by bending down to untie his shoe before Valerie could ask why he had looked so startled. Not because of what she had said. He knew she liked him. He had to know. Sure, their first kiss had been a disaster, their date on Saturday a little odd, and finding out about her secret yesterday…
Okay, that was pretty major.
She reached down to touch his shoulder, her mouth already open to assure him she had only lied to protect him, but Danny spoke before her fingers could make contact.
"Go on ahead," he said, his fingers fumbling with the laces. "I need to take care of a few things first. And Mom and Dad are probably anxious to get started."
Valerie straightened and pursed her lips. Fine. She wouldn't push him. "Just don't take too long, Fenton. I could use some backup. They're a bit…"
Danny tilted his head to look up at her. "Intense?"
That was putting it politely, but Valerie nodded.
"I'll be quick," he promised.
Valerie sighed. The one good thing about training had been Danny's presence, but if he was going to insist on avoiding her again, there wasn't anything she could do, not without getting into a big fight, anyway. Valerie didn't want a fight. She just wanted Danny to stop acting like he was tip-toeing around her.
"Whatever," she said. "See you soon then." She moved toward the basement, her armored soles thumping against the tiles.
"See ya."
Valerie looked over her shoulder as she descended the stairs and saw Danny rubbing his forehead like he had a headache. She thinned her lips. Worried. Frustrated. But there were bigger concerns on her plate than Danny's insecurities, and she faced forward again.
The Fenton's basement-turned-lab had intimidated her the first time she saw it during the Ghost King's invasion, but now its rectangular shape and metal walls just seemed bland and small. Vlad's lab had more space, more finesse, but it had also felt darker, the atmosphere set by an innocent girl strapped to a metal slab. Jack caught sight of her and beamed. Behind him, Maddie fumbled with a metal ring half her size, but she managed to smile at her as well, and Valerie decided she preferred their crazy lab to Vlad's.
"Huntress!" Jack swiped something off the counter and charged towards Valerie, ignoring or not hearing his wife's "Jack!" as she tried maneuvering the metal ring without his guidance. "We call it the Ghost Gabber, and it was one of our first—"
"Jack!"
"Oh right!" Jack shoved the invention into Valerie's hands and ran back to help Maddie. "Sorry, Mads!"
Valerie looked down at the invention in her hands. It didn't look very destructive. It looked as if it had been built from spare parts. The speaker in the center could have come from an old stereo. She turned it around so the screen was facing her and the oddly shaped light bulbs gave her something to aim with, but unless the light bulbs were really lasers, she didn't see how it could help anyone fight ghosts.
Valerie looked up and watched the Fentons set the large ring against several others just like it that were leaning against the wall. There were a few boxes stacked on the ground beside them. She frowned and walked towards Danny's parents, setting the 'Ghost Gabber' on the counter as she passed.
"What is all this?
Jack perked up at her approach, but it was Maddie who answered first. "These are parts from our old obstacle course. We're going to build a new one to better suit you and Danny since the two of you will be training with us now." Her eyes were hidden behind reflective goggles, but her mouth was spread in an excited grin. "We'll need an accurate rating of your abilities, and a current measuring of Danny's after his latest growth spurt." Her smile softened, her voice warming as she spoke about her son. "He's getting so big…"
Valerie's lips twitched. Though Danny had grown to be the same height as his mom and certainly stood taller than Valerie as a result, if only by a couple inches, most of the guys at school still towered over him and would have laughed at the notion. He still fit in the lockers.
"I can't fly my board in here," Valerie pointed out. "Not at a good speed, anyway."
"Of course not," Maddie agreed. "That's why, while we're in the basement, we'll focus on fitness, aim, close quarters combat, tactics, ectoplasmic studies, and ghost theory."
Valerie lost her smile as the list grew.
"While in the field, we'll work on your speed and aim, show you and Danny how to work as a team, instruct you on how to approach a hostile target, how to locate a ghost—"
"Which is where the Fenton Finder comes in handy!" Jack crowed. He pushed forward with another invention, similar to the last, if a bit smaller. "It uses satellite data to locate the energy ghosts give off like a beacon and tracks those sneaky spooks down." He brandished it around in a sweeping arc.
Valerie frowned. Her current suit had to lock onto an ecto-signature, and the wrist alarm she had kept from her old suit alerted her when a ghost entered a certain proximity, but she never had anything that would allow her to see how many ghosts were in the city and where. If the Fenton Finder really used satellite data—and never mind how crazy that was—it was no wonder the Fentons kept breaking into odd places, claiming a ghost was around. She had thought they were just letting their paranoia get the better of them.
…Then again, they had broken into her class more times than she cared to count, and there definitely hadn't been a ghost. Her watch would have alerted her if one had gotten that close. Poor Danny had always looked like he wanted to disappear like a ghost afterward, though. The laughing students might have had something to do with that.
"Jack," Maddie said, sounding a little aggrieved, "we're still working on that. Remember how it…?"
"Oh." Jack straightened and his eyes widened. "Oh, right. Well." His grin regained its intensity. "There are still a few bugs to work out, but when this baby is done, there'll be nowhere for those spooks to hide!"
Valerie raised an eyebrow. "What bugs?"
Maddie waved a dismissive hand. "It has difficulty distinguishing ghosts from humans that have been in close proximity to ghosts and retain a charge from the radiation. We probably just have to adjust the sensor ratings, tweak the algorithm so it rejects lower-based radiation…although that might allow weaker ghosts to slip through the net…" She trailed off, her brows pinching together as she thought.
It made sense. The Fentons followed faulty equipment that insisted the kids in the school were ghosts, which led to them busting down walls or doors and jumping whatever student had last been attacked by a ghost. Ghosts were oddly drawn to the school, it wouldn't surprise Valerie if the students were contaminated by this point, but it still seemed ridiculous for supposed geniuses to mistake a human for a ghost.
Valerie breathed out a sigh. These were the adults who were supposed to train her.
"Let's get started," Maddie said brightly, clapping her hands. She looked around, as if finally realizing her son was missing. "Where's Danny?"
Valerie crossed her arms. "He said he would be down in a minute because he had to take care of a few things."
Maddie frowned, apparently as confused and displeased as Valerie. "I suppose we can start without him…"
Valerie shrugged, trying to demonstrate how unconcerned she was. "Fine by me. Let's get this over with."
Danny drank the last of the water in his glass and held it under the faucet to refill it again. He had already taken his bag up to his room, told Jazz he was home and that Valerie would be training as the Red Huntress so she couldn't join them no matter how much she pouted, used the bathroom as awkwardly and as quickly as possible, and now he was dallying at the kitchen sink, drinking his third glass of water. He had been stalling for almost half an hour, the procrastination was making his head ache so badly he thought he might throw up, but still he fought with himself, reluctant to go downstairs.
The lab was more dangerous than ever with three hunters training down there and his powers reacting to every positive response Valerie sent his way. His secret could be exposed in minutes, and then what was he going to do? Explain to his parents and Valerie that he wasn't possessed by Phantom and hope by some miracle they believed him? He would be forced to tell them the whole story just to appease them, every embarrassing detail about the weekend before because they had seen Fenton and Phantom as separate people and would want to know how and—worst of all—why.
At the same time, he had already messed up with Valerie the night before, he couldn't abandon her again. If she needed him, wanted his company, he needed to be there for her. Even stealing the time to compose himself probably hurt her, but it was either create a little distance or let Phantom's swooning ruin everything.
Danny frowned. "I wasn't swooning." The fond look in Valerie's eyes when she joked about liking him might have made him feel weak-kneed, but he hadn't swooned.
Bottom line, he needed to face his parents and Valerie or things were going to get worse. He just needed to keep himself together. Sure, Valerie was downstairs and would likely look amazing as she showed off her skills, but Jack and Maddie were supposed to be training Danny too. Maybe he would be too distracted for Phantom to notice Valerie. Maybe his Fenton half would enjoy training so much he wouldn't get nervous. Maybe everything would turn out all right.
"Yeah right," Danny muttered as he refilled his glass. "Not with my luck."
It was just something he had to do. He might not want to, he might be scared, but what else was new? That had been his life for the past two years. He walked toward the stairs, glass in hand, and tried to stifle his anxiety with the same determination he used every time he had to fight a powerful ghost at three in the morning. Because what else was new?
His headache ebbed, and Danny paused at the top of the stairs. The headache, the ever-present pressure in his head that had haunted him since the merge and had gotten worse just a few minutes ago was…gone? Just like that?
Just like that…
Slowly, cautiously, Danny allowed himself a small, triumphant smile. It was one more success, one more piece to the puzzle that would help him understand and overcome the incomplete merge. Because…duh! His head hurt every time the two halves of himself warred with each other, but if he could find the middle ground, the compromise between the lover and the fighter, the suave and the awkward, he would find himself.
He could do this.
Danny took a drink from his glass as he descended the stairs. His mom shouted at his dad to wait, but the warning came too late for Danny's reflexes to react in time.
His human reflexes.
Eyes burning, limbs suddenly shot with cold, Danny dropped his glass and caught the Booomerang between his hands.
He stared at the invention he held, wide eyes crossed, as his mom scolded Jack and Valerie's voice rose to ask what the problem was. Only then did Danny realize he had stopped breathing. He sucked in a deep breath, the cold tingling sensation in his limbs dissipating as his lungs filled, but the concern remained, directed at himself as if he was…Fenton.
Danny dropped the Booomerang and stepped back—onto the water that had spilled from his cup and turned to ice. He tripped backwards on the stairs, gasping, and like the night before, his powers activated and saved him from banging his head against the metal steps moments before impact.
The concern amplified. It was coming from himself but it was for himself.
Danny sucked in another deep breath and released it on an explosive, "Fuck."
"Danny?" his mom called.
Danny scrambled to his feet, worried the hunters might look up the stairway. "I'm okay!" he called back. He fumbled with the Booomerang and his empty glass. "I, uh, I caught it!"
"Caught it?" Valerie said. "I thought the boomerang was supposed to track ghosts."
Danny winced. He descended the last few steps into the basement, and his parents rushed to his side. He flinched, a minor jerk of his head, but they didn't notice. Maddie cupped his face between her hands and tilted his head to the light, checking for bruises. Danny rolled his eyes to the side and searched for Valerie. She stood a little way off, arms crossed over her chest. He couldn't see her expression through the glare on her faceplate.
"Sorry about that, Danny!" Jack said, clapping a hand on Danny's shoulder. "I forgot the last repair didn't take."
"It's fine," Danny insisted, his lips a little puckered due to his mom's hands. He handed the Booomerang to Jack and used his freed hand to gently pull Maddie's away. "I told you, I caught it."
"Ha!" Jack crowed. "That's my boy! You've got the quick reflexes of a Fenton!"
Maddie sighed and reluctantly stepped back. "So long as you weren't hurt."
"Hurt?" Valerie walked towards them, the glare vanishing and reappearing over her visor as she passed beneath the fluorescent lights. Danny tensed. Her voice had regained its hard edge, the one she used on Phantom. "You said it was supposed to target ghosts."
Jack and Maddie shared an unhappy look, and Danny felt his panic spike.
"It likes me?" Danny suggested quickly, forcing a smile. By the glare Valerie sent him, his weak joke was neither funny nor distracting.
"All our equipment identifies Danny as a ghost," Maddie explained.
Danny closed his eyes and tried not to groan.
Valerie's voice dropped to a lower pitch, almost a growl. "Why?"
"It's complicated," Danny tried, but Jack spoke over him.
"He turned on the Fenton Portal from inside the tunnel! His friends said there was an explosion, but Danny was perfectly fine, weren't you son? The doctors even said so!"
"An explosion?" Valerie's voice wavered, and in the midst of his panic, Danny wondered if she was upset because she was worried about him.
"Just a, uh, a bunch of ectoplasm," Danny said. "Not like fire or anything. It, uh, it didn't hurt. At all."
"He's perfectly healthy," Maddie agreed, her voice caught between cheerful and guilty. "But we believe the saturation of so much ectoplasm caused him to pick up a permanent signature. Our inventions can't tell the difference between Danny and a low level ghost. We haven't found a way to make them ignore his specific signature, but we're working on it, aren't we, Jack?"
"You betcha socks we are!"
Valerie's arms remained crossed over her chest. The overhead lights made it difficult to see through the tinted glass of her faceplate, but Danny could tell from her rigid posture she was probably frowning.
He opened his mouth, about to add a few details to his parents' hypothesis to make it more believable, but before he could, Valerie asked, "What did you mean when you said Danny turned on the Fenton Portal?"
Danny paled. He clamped his mouth shut. Valerie's head turned slightly to face him, and he dropped his gaze to the floor, afraid to meet her eyes, however obstructed.
He didn't see it, but he heard Jack's proud smile as he said, "He's the one who got it working! Mads and I had given up on breeching the Ghost Zone after it wouldn't activate, but then Danny here fixed it." He clapped Danny on the shoulder. "A genius in the making, just like his old man."
"You put the 'on' switch inside the portal, Jack," Maddie reminded him, sounding exasperated. Worried, Danny glanced up, but his mom was smiling fondly at Jack.
Danny's dad blushed. "Well…where else would I have put it?"
Maddie shook her head, still smiling.
"So if Danny hadn't turned on the portal…" Valerie said and then trailed off, waiting for one of them to finish the sentence.
Danny spoke before his parents could. "There would be no ghosts." He kept his head angled down, but met Valerie's eyes as best he could. Valerie might have been wrong about the details of Cujo ruining her dad's job, but in its own way, it had been his fault, and he let the regret and guilt show on his face. Not just for Valerie, but for everyone the ghosts effected.
It occurred to him in a distant part of his mind he tried not to acknowledge, that his pose and expression were the same as the ones Phantom had found so appealing on Fenton after the date on Saturday.
Danny shifted on his feet, his cheeks warming uncomfortably.
"Can you imagine how awful that would be?" Jack said, unaware of the tension between Danny and Valerie. "No ghosts? Booooring!"
Maddie laughed. "Oh, Jack."
Jack beamed. He patted Danny's shoulder again and walked back to their table, Maddie following at his side. Alone, Valerie eyed Danny, her head slightly tilted. Her stance remained taut, stiff. Danny swallowed and tried not to squirm.
"Is that why you've been avoiding me?" she asked. "Because you're ashamed now that you know what costing my dad's job led me to?"
Danny sucked in a breath, paling all over again. If she blamed both halves of himself, hated them for her predicament, he didn't know what he could do to fix it. "I wasn't avoiding you," he said. "But…I don't feel good about it."
Valerie nodded curtly.
"It was an accident," he tried.
"Was that how you met Phantom?"
Thrown by the non-sequester, Danny could only blink at her, his mouth open. "Uh, w-what? Phantom?"
"If you're not friends but you know him, then it's because you must have met at some point. You wouldn't have trusted a ghost if you knew how dangerous they were, so he must have been one of the first ones you met."
Danny frowned and shifted on his feet. She was putting a lot more thought into his relationship with Phantom than he would have liked. "Um, not exactly."
"'Not exactly?'" Valerie stepped closer, her movements sharp, aggressive. "Why don't you just tell me and stop dancing around a straight answer? What are you hiding?"
"I'm not hiding anything!"
"You are! And I'm going to find out what." She pointed a finger at his chest. "Whatever you're hiding, whatever reason you have for hiding it, nothing good comes from ghosts. Especially that one."
Hurt rolled through Danny, and he clenched his jaw, suddenly angry. "What happens after you do?" For all the anger he felt, his eyes didn't flash. "What if you don't like what you find?"
Her eyes narrowed. "It already sounds like I won't."
Danny felt himself start to panic, but he firmed his jaw. "You won't."
Valerie shifted, the glare clearing from her visor, enough for Danny to see her lips were thinned and her eyebrows had lowered over her eyes. "Are you trying to protect him? Or yourself?"
Danny raised an eyebrow. His head throbbed and his heart pounded in his chest, but he managed to mutter in a low tone, "You're not a human hunter, Red."
Valerie's whole body stiffened. Danny tensed as well, drawing in a breath.
Fenton, you idiot, he berated himself. "Val," he said aloud, but Valerie swept a hand between them.
"Save it," she said. "Until you're ready to trust me, I don't want to hear anymore excuses." She spun around and followed Jack and Maddie to the far end of the basement.
Danny pressed a hand against his forehead and groaned, frustrated and in pain. It was one thing not to tell her, it was another to imply she was too violent to be trusted, that he valued Phantom's safety over their relationship. Damn it. Phantom wasn't even his own person anymore. There was no one to protect. Not that he would have needed protecting from Valerie. She might be quick to act, but she wasn't violent.
Even if she did torture him that one time.
And electrocuted him after she found out how much it hurt him.
And yelled abuse at him and hunted him for over two years.
Danny sighed. It sounded pretty bad out of context, and maybe it wasn't so insane to want to protect his ghost half from his ghost hunting girlfriend…but there was still no reason to do it now. Phantom wasn't in danger of her learning the truth because the truth was that Phantom and Danny were the same person.
…Mostly.
He followed after Valerie, muttering under his breath about how stupid it was to piss off his girlfriend. Stupid and unnecessary and not sweet, dang it.
Maddie lifted a stopwatch off the counter, and Danny hissed. Valerie looked over her shoulder at him, but turned back to Maddie as Danny's mom explained how important it was to keep in shape and know one's limits. Danny stopped beside Valerie and eyed the gadgets on the counter with mounting dread.
They were going to take a fitness physical.
"Damn it," he cursed quietly, and then just as quietly, "Language."
Valerie rolled the 'Jack-O-Nine-Tails' stick around in her hands and listened with half an ear as Jack explained the engineering behind it. Beyond 'it electrocuted ghosts on contact,' she didn't care. She kept her eyes on Danny, watching him sprint from one side of the basement to the other in Suicidal Sprints.
There was something different about the way he moved compared to gym class last year. His expression for one. His eyes stayed narrowed, his eyebrows drawn low in concentration whenever she saw the air sweep his bangs from his eyes. He used his whole body as he dropped into a crouch to touch the tape on the floor and rose again to sprint to the other marker.
If he had moved like that, or even wore that expression more often, she doubted their other classmates would have written him off. Had something changed? Or was it just another side Danny kept hidden? She chewed on her bottom lip and nodded in absentminded agreement as Jack said electricity seemed to be a useful tool against ghosts. Danny panted heavily, more out of breath than Valerie had been during her turn, but not as bad as their classmates would have her believe.
Had Danny kept this part of him hidden from her as well? She didn't share his gym class, but it wouldn't surprise her if their classmates were so intent on seeing him as an unatheltic loser that they didn't see his potential. Anyone who could tackle Suicide Sprints with that much focus had a future.
She glanced at Danny's mom. Maddie didn't seem surprised by Danny's athleticism, but she shouted encouragement at Danny with an excitement that was embarrassing to watch. She held the stop watch in a tight grip and joined Danny's progress back and forth in short, jumping bursts. It was almost cute.
Valerie sighed through her nose and rolled the metal stick in her hands again. So far, all the Fentons had done was test her suit's flexibility by making her stretch, measured her visual and auditory input, and ran her and Danny through a series of exercises she would have preferred remained a gym-only activity. She didn't know what all that data was supposed to tell the Fentons, but Maddie's enthusiasm hinted at some sort of payoff.
Jack just wanted to get down to the actual hunting aspect of ghost hunting and was biding his time by showing off as many of his nutty inventions as he could get away with.
And they were nutty. Case-in-point, Jack's face was at the center of the tails in the 'Jack-O-Nine-Tails.'
What bothered Valerie the most was that if it wasn't for the weirdness of Jack's trademark, the gadget would actually be quite handy. Almost all of them would be.
Valerie allowed her eyes to wander around the lab. There were many inventions on display, some of them more impressive than she would have expected from Danny's wacky parents, not that she would admit that out loud. What surprised her most were how few there were that were straightforward, shoot-destroy, annihilate-the-enemy type weapons. There weren't that many weapons at all. Most of their inventions were about identifying, subduing, or capturing the ghost.
They really were scientists.
"Time!" Maddie shouted.
Valerie looked back in time to see Danny drop to his knees and then lay down on the metal floor, his chest heaving as he panted. He made a dramatic whine, and Valerie smiled, amused.
"That was ten more sprints than your last record," Maddie said excitedly, beaming at the clicker she held in her other hand. "That's a twenty percent increase in a three month-dear, you know you shouldn't lay down like that. Here." She looped the stop watch around her neck and held her freed hand out to Danny. "Walk around the lab until your breathing and your heart settles."
Danny groaned again, but he took his mother's hand and allowed her to help him to his feet. He set one hand on his knee as soon as he let go of Maddie's hand. Valerie watched him take several shaky steps, his muscles no doubt aching from the abuse. She hummed softly in thought and twirled the Jack-O-Ninetails in her hand. Catching the movement from the corner of his eye, Danny flinched but tried to hide it by continuing to move to the outer edges of the lab with only a slight misstep that could have been blamed on exertion.
If he hadn't done something similar every time Jack handed her a new invention or she handled one carelessly.
Valerie supposed she couldn't blame him. She would be on edge too if ghost hunting equipment activated around her. But she didn't like it. There was something…
"This is the Fenton Weasel!" Jack crowed beside her.
Startled, Valerie fumbled to catch the Jack-O-Ninetails as it slipped from her hand. She clutched it to her chest and darted a glance at Danny, meeting his wide eyes before he turned away, pretending his back wasn't stiff and his hands hadn't fisted at his sides. Valerie sighed. Suspicious as she was about Danny's condition, she didn't actually want to hurt him. She didn't know if the drop would have activated the Jack-O-Ninetails, or if it would be able to launch itself at Danny from so far away, but given how the Booomerang, the security system, and the Finder had reacted to his presence in the lab, it was probably best not to risk it with one of the few inventions actually intended to harm.
Straightening, Valerie turned her attention to the new invention Jack held up proudly. Like most, it appeared to have been made from household item junk, this one a wet-vac. She held back a groan. The Fentons were definitely basement scientists.
"It sucks up ghosts and holds them in this secure compartment," Jack explained, bending down to pat the rectangular box the hose was attached to. "I once caught Phantom with this baby. He never would have escaped either if the Wisconsin Ghost hadn't threatened my family."
Valerie blinked. "Who?"
But Jack had already moved on, tucking the hose beneath his arm and aiming the nozzle like a gun. "Next time I catch that spook, he won't have a prayer..."
Maddie came over and put her hand on the nozzle, forcing Jack to lower it. Valerie wondered if it was dangerous to Danny too, but for once, Danny barely spared it a glance. "Have you shown Valerie our most important invention?" she asked, smiling sweetly as she set the clipboard with Danny's and Valerie's stats on the counter behind them.
Jack's face pinched in thought and then brightened into a beaming grin. "The Fenton Portal!"
"No."
His face crumbled and then brightened again. "The Fenton Family Assualt Vehicle!"
"No."
Jack frowned. "The Fenton Ghost Gloves?"
"No, Jack."
Jack hummed in thought, his eyebrows knitting over his eyes.
Maddie sighed. "Important to her, Jack." When Jack continued to look confused, Maddie suggested, "The Ghost Catcher?"
"Oh! Right!" Jack's grin reappeared on his face. "The Fenton Ghost Catcher."
At the mention of its name, Valerie tensed. "It's not important," she snapped. "Not to me." She remembered Maddie forcing her into a corner with just the threat of that device all too well. She knew it could apparently be used to remove her ability to hunt ghosts, and that's all she needed to know. "I'd rather hear more about the Ghost Portal."
Jack beamed at her as she thought he would, but Maddie wasn't so easily distracted. "It's important for you to know your options," she insisted.
Valerie crossed her arms. "I made my decision a long time ago. I want to hunt ghosts. I'll continue to hunt them no matter what you or my dad think, and that's all there is to it."
Maddie frowned. "I'm not threatening to remove your suit. I wouldn't dream of coming between the Red Huntress and her career. Jack would never stand for it…"
"No, I wouldn't!" Jack proudly agreed.
Valerie narrowed her eyes. "That didn't stop you from mentioning it last night where my dad could latch onto the idea."
Maddie sighed softly, closing her eyes. When she opened them again, they were as kind as Valerie had ever seen them. She reached for Valerie's shoulders, but Valerie stepped back, and Maddie's hands fell back to her side. Seemingly undeterred, her expression remained the same, only a pinch in the corner of her eyes displaying her concern. "Valerie, dear, you don't have to do everything alone."
Valerie stiffened. "I don't—what is that supposed to mean?"
"It means," Maddie said, firming her voice, "that Jack and I want to help you become the best ghost hunter in any way we can. We want you to succeed, Valerie! That's why Jack has followed your career so closely! That's why I agreed to take you on as an intern. I want to help you."
"By removing my ability to fight ghosts?"
"If removing your suit is what it takes, yes." Valerie narrowed her eyes, and Maddie quickly added, "But for now you can think of it as us showing you how to remove a ghost who is overshadowing someone."
Valerie opened her mouth to retort but didn't voice the words. "…What?"
"It can be applied to yourself too, of course," Maddie said, brightening, "if you ever change your mind about letting a ghost-powered suit of unknown origins reside inside you. But Jack and I designed the Ghost Catcher to separate ghosts and their energies from their human hosts."
A thump and a pained grunt interrupted Maddie before she could continue, and the three hunters turned to find Danny spread out over the metal tiles. He laughed nervously at them and quickly began to pick himself up. "I, uh, tripped? Wasn't, uh, wasn't watching where I was going."
Valerie eyed the bare floor around Danny, but Jack and Maddie were already moving on, Maddie scolding Danny to be more careful and Jack lamenting the clumsy 'Fenton genes' that also affected him when he was Danny's age. Danny smiled awkwardly throughout, shifting his weight from one foot to the other like he was uncomfortable with their attention.
Valerie crossed her arms, heaved a sigh, and called out in a dull voice, "Okay, so where is this miraculous Ghost Catcher?"
Danny's gaze jumped to hers, and while his awkward smile remained, she saw his body tensing. Like most inventions, the Ghost Catcher seemed to put Danny on the defensive, but why did the Ghost Catcher alarm him when all it did was remove ghosts? Wasn't the reason he was 'training' with her now because he'd had it in his room? She narrowed her eyes. She hated not having all the answers.
"It's this way!" Jack bellowed despite standing right beside her.
His large hand hooked around her shoulders, and he practically dragged her to the dream catcher stand she had initially dismissed as decoration. She gaped at it, noticing now that she was closer that the webbing had a faint green glow and that the hoop was large enough for an average-sized human to fit through, assuming they wouldn't be caught by the net, anyway.
"That's it?" she asked. "It's looks like a dream catcher." She flicked one of the feathers that dangled from the side.
"The Native design works best for disrupting ectoplasm's hold on our world's molecular structure," Maddie said, standing beside her husband. "We're not sure why. Perhaps something to do with the circle and the webbing working in tandem? We're not sure if the beads and feathers are important, but Jack insisted."
"So what?" Valerie crossed her arms again and eyed the device warily. "How is it supposed to work? Does it just...suck the ghosts out of people?" She didn't have a ghost inside her, but the Fentons had believed it would work on her suit... She stepped back.
"Well..." There was an uncertain quality to Maddie's voice, and Valerie turned her suspicious gaze on her. Maddie smiled unconvincingly. "That had been our initial plan, but it didn't appear to work as well as we had hoped, and there wasn't any real way for us to test it without contriving a possession more serious than the ecto-cold we picked up."
"Ecto-cold?" Valerie asked, dubious.
"So we adjusted it, altered its core design, and...Jack added a 'merge' option..." she finished this with a small exhale.
Jack puffed out his chest. "If we could gain control of the possession ourself, we could harness the ghost's powers, Mads."
"It's not feasible, Jack, and even if it was, would you really want to share your body with a ghost?"
Jack pouted, his shoulders slumping. "No..."
Valerie frowned. Danny hesitantly joined them, his own eyes bouncing between his parents and Valerie. He didn't look as confused as Valerie felt, but he had probably heard the argument at its creation rather than at its conclusion the way Valerie had.
"You would have to trust a ghost," he said.
"Exactly," Maddie agreed, as if that proved her point.
"Okay," Valerie said, holding up her hands, "what the heck are you talking about? What is the 'merge' option supposed to do exactly?"
She looked at Danny for an answer and watched as his eyes and then his head lowered. "It, uh, merges ghosts with us? In theory."
"And other organic material," Jack chimed in. "Like fudge!"
"And other ghosts," Maddie added, her goggles glinting as she smiled. "Also in theory."
Valerie brought a hand to her forehead, feeling the smoothness of her faceplate. "And you created a way to merge ghosts with other things because...?"
Maddie looked at Jack and Jack coughed, his cheeks slightly red. "Uhm, well, I might've, hmm, wanted to, um…" Even Danny turned to watch his dad, his expression just as curious. "That is, I might've…wanted to…" Jack coughed again and said in a rush, "become a superhero and fly and fight ghosts. Like you."
Valerie blinked and straightened. Surprised. Flattered.
"It didn't work, though," he mumbled, his shoulders slumping.
Maddie rubbed his arm. "Of course not, dear. Everybody knows a human can't have ghost powers."
Valerie twitched. A retort jumped to her lips, but she managed to stop herself before she could blurt out Danielle's secret. For all she knew, the Fentons could be just as willing to experiment on her as Vlad had been. They were friends, after all. Or had been. Besides, Danielle hadn't been stable, and that could have been because human and ghost weren't supposed to mix.
Vlad was a better example, but while she didn't care about exposing his secret, she didn't know enough about his condition to argue the point. She had assumed he was like Danielle, but he could just as easily be a ghost impersonating a human for however many years.
Better to let the comment pass and switch to a different topic. "So," she said, recapturing their attention, "how does it work?"
"Well," Maddie started, "we had originally intended for it to draw in any ghosts and ecto-energy that was nearby, but Jack and I discovered while we redesigned it that our hands pass right through the net!" Maddie clapped her hands together and rose onto the balls of her feet. "Like we were ghosts! We experimented with our weapons to see if it would strip them of their ectoplasm—it did!—and that was when Jack got the idea to add the merge option."
"So the net removes the ghost," Valerie said.
"Exactly!"
"And it can remove ghost energy-based...things, like my suit and your guns."
"Yup!" Jack said, grinning.
"You also have a son that's so coated in ecto-radiation your weaponry identifies him as a low-level ghost."
Neither Jack nor Maddie responded, the two parents going still. In contrast, Danny's eyes went wide.
"So why," Valerie said slowly, her eyes locking on the pale face of her boyfriend, "haven't you used it on him?"
Jack and Maddie looked at Danny, and he took a small step back, shaking his head.
"We never considered that," Jack said, thoughtful. "That would solve a lot, wouldn't it, Mads?"
"It would," Maddie agreed slowly, "but, Jack…we would have to make a few adjustments. Run a few controlled experiments first before we could use it on another person, especially Danny."
"You didn't have a problem with using it on me!" Valerie objected.
Maddie shook her head. "We were only speculating. We would have needed to make similar adjustments and run multiple tests before actually striping you of your ghost-powered suit. We just wanted you and your father to know it was possible. We would have to do the same with Danny."
"Don't I get a say in this?" Danny asked, his voice oddly strained.
"Of course you will, sweetie," Maddie said, her tone soft and gentle as she turned fully to face him.
"You can't seriously think you're better off with the radiation," Valerie demanded. "Half your parents' inventions think you're a ghost!"
"Exactly!" Danny shot back, his voice high as he took another step back. "Yeah, exactly, what if it does the same thing? Think I'm a ghost, I mean."
"That's why we'll need to make a few adjustments first," Maddie said. "We'll make sure it's perfectly safe."
But Danny shook his head again. "No, no way."
"C'mon, Danny!" Jack cheered. "Face it like a Fenton!"
Danny's expression became strained.
"Jack." Maddie laid a hand on her husband's arm. "We can't force him."
"Are you serious?" Valerie felt like screaming. Why weren't they taking it more seriously? "He's in danger every time he steps in this room! There's a large chance your inventions will activate and attack him! Mine might do the same! How are you supposed to train him?"
"Oh sure," Danny huffed, "no one can make you go through it for your own safety, but it's perfectly fine to force me?"
"It's not the same thing," Valerie objected. "I won't give up my ghost hunting because it protects the city. You're just scared. What if the radiation is hurting you? What if it's not just the weapons, what if your endangering yourself too? Ghosts and humans aren't supposed to mix, right?"
Danny flinched. He took a deep breath and crossed his arms over his chest. "I'm fine, okay? It's been two years. If there were any side-effects, I think they would have shown up by now."
"How can you be so sure? Two years isn't exactly a long time."
Danny opened his mouth, but he didn't seem to have a ready comeback. He faltered with that for a moment before his dad crowed, "Vladdy!"
Danny snapped his mouth shut, wincing.
Valerie glared at Jack. "What does the mayor have to do with anything?"
"This wasn't the first time something like this has happened," Maddie explained. "Vlad also got hit with a high concentration of ectoplasm about 20 years ago."
"Right!" Jack cheered. "And we have the cure for the ecto-acne now too! So if Vlad's fine, Danny will be fine!"
"But Vlad's not—" Valerie stopped, her mouth still formed around the word. Human.
He wasn't human.
"The same thing happened to him?" Valerie asked. She looked to Danny for an explanation, her heart beating a little faster in her chest.
Danny shrugged and turned his head to the side, breaking their eye-contact. "Yeah. Sort of. He got blasted by Mom and Dad's first proto-portal when they were all in college. He's covered in as much…radiation as I am, but he still invents ghost hunting equipment without killing himself. And he hasn't kicked the bucket or anything because of some deteriorating ghost disease or whatever. So there's really no need for me to…" He waved his hand in the Ghost Catcher's direction, not even looking at it.
"That's because you found the cure for the ecto-acne, sweetie," Maddie said, beginning to frown. "It very well could have killed him when he had his relapse…"
Valerie brought a hand to her head and squeezed her eyes shut. Danny and Vlad had had the same accident with a ghost portal, they both radiated ghost energy the Fentons' attributed to some ghost contamination thing Valerie hadn't even heard about, but one wasn't human and one was…
Hiding something.
"Yeah, but I've never shown any signs of it," Danny objected. "And that didn't have anything to do with the ghost signature thing. Your equipment still thought he was a ghost after we cured it."
It was impossible. It should have been impossible. But the more she thought about it, the more she felt like she was going to throw up. It made sense. It made too much sense.
"I'm not goring through the Ghost Catcher," Danny said again, more firmly.
Valerie drew in air through her teeth. "Yeah. Sure. Fine. Whatever." She just had to get home. Preferably before she slammed Danny against a wall and started demanding real answers. At gun point.
This chapter is also known as the one where Trance regrets setting her OTPs against each other...
Much as I was dreading writing the Fentons, I love Jack. Best part of the chapter, hands down. Maddie was/is/will forever be my monster though. Balancing mother instincts with goofy energy and genius scientist ravings? Why does she conspire against my low level intelligence? Stop it. But no, actually, the hardest part of this whole chapter was writing from Valerie's POV and still showing Danny's struggles without Valerie actually noticing which meant I couldn't explain or point anything out. Valerie had to believe everything was fine while you the audience, the ones who know what's going on, could see things she wouldn't. I mean, I let a few things stick out to her, but they had to be things she could explain away until the moment the story was ready for her which was also, hopefully, the moment you guys least expected it.
That said, I had the same problem when I switched to Danny's POV so real quick! Valerie told Danny she's not angry about the Cujo incident anymore in D-Stabilized, so I didn't think she'd linger overlong on his turning on the portal aside from wanting to know if he had been hurt because...well, why would she? It's a pretty big, life-changing thing for Danny (and us), so he has trouble seeing it as anything else, but for Valerie it's mostly just "Oh, so that's why ghosts are a thing now." Kind of like Danny 'finding out' her secret was a BIG DEAL for her but for Danny it was just old news. The unknown connection between Danny and Phantom on the other hand has her feeling insecure and worried so she's trying to pin that down.
Speaking of, has she finally pinned down the answer now that Danny unknowingly gave her a major clue on a silver patter? ...Ahh! Maybe if this was a normal revelation fic :P She saw Fenton and Phantom interacting, her thoughts may not immediately jump to Phantom as Danny's ghost half. The revelation in this fic isn't a climax or a resolution. It's problem.
Originally, this chapter was a lot longer (like 20k words long) but I decided to let Valerie's revelation stand on its own, so good news: the next chapter has already been written! Bad news: I have been on overtime (10 hour shifts) for almost the entire year. I am exhausted...This month and next are supposed to be slow months, but that's what they said about November. And September. And May. It was all lies. The new Chapter 13 needs a lot of work because it's Important and I'm not satisfied, so...not making any promises. But the rough draft is finished.
Anyway, you guys continue to be amazing. You would not believe how many times I read over each comment, I love you guys! I can't believe how much you liked the last chapter, I became a giddy mess, I swear. I continue to be a shy, exhausted toadstool, but a very happy one too. So, seriously thank you!