Eyyyyyy I got this out a little quicker this time! :D I think you guys might like this one.

Wes skimmed the endless walls of text on a library computer, a notebook laying open on a half-finished page next to the keyboard. The only sound that could be heard was the clack, clack, clack of the mouse being repeatedly picked up and readjusted in an attempt to keep the web page scrolling. Wes's free hand cradled his chin, his eyelids drooping as he tried and failed to take in the massive blocks of information on his screen.

He was supposed to be having a tutoring session right then. However, Jazz had approached him earlier that morning with a frenzied apology, as she had forgotten that she was scheduled to be taking her ACT test after school, when she would ordinarily have tutored him. And with a history test coming up worth a pretty hefty portion of his final grade, that left Wes to study on his own. And it was boring.

But it seemed like it wouldn't stay that way for long. Wes jolted, his mouse clattering as it fell to the desk before tumbling off, dangling by its cord. Wes looked this way and that, finding himself alone, save for the school librarian stationed near the doorway, paying him no mind. When Wes was sure she wasn't looking, he ducked under the desk, the hefty backboard providing him enough cover to keep from illuminating the entire library.

And not a moment too soon, as Skulker was hurtling through the ceiling hardly a second after. The librarian screamed, looking around just long enough to confirm there were no students in the room before fleeing.

"Cease your hiding, brat," Skulker boomed, jetpack whining as he hovered mere feet above the row of computers. "I know your schedule, and I know you're meant to be here studying for one of your useless classes!"

Wes readily obliged, flying out feet first to shove Skulker back. "Yeesh, how many times are you gonna show up this month? You're almost as bad as the Box Ghost!" He glanced his attacker up and down, taking in his appearance. Skulker looked about the same as he always did, save for the red and green accents on his arms and torso, characteristic of Technus's work. "Still have that special suit, huh?"

"Oh, you noticed?" Skulker asked, oddly chipper in reply. "Technus did such a great job, didn't he? It should be more than enough to take out you and the other impudent whelp!"

Without warning, Skulker charged, manifesting a blade from the mount on his wrist. Being more than familiar with this tactic by now, Wes swerved out of the way with ease, getting in even closer to plant his flat palm right against Skulker's chest. He pulled at the current he could feel inside, but to his surprise, the accents lit up, and Wes found himself getting drained. He gasped, darting just out of reach as Skulker took another swipe at him.

"Oh, didn't you know?" the hunter taunted. "Figures you wouldn't, with the way the other ghost kid keeps tugging your leash. Honestly, you can't expect the same trick to work twice, can you?" Forgoing the knife for the time being, Skulker instead brought forth one of his shoulder cannons. "But that's not all this suit can do!" Rather than elaborate, he let his weapon speak for itself. Once again, the red lines that adorned it lit up, and with a rather foreboding hum, the cannon expelled not a missile, or a bullet, but a rather impressive, blood-red laser.

Wes's eyes bugged out of their sockets. That did not look like something he wanted to get struck by. Luckily, he was able to make a quick getaway, leaning to the side to avoid the beam. It nearly hit him anyway, so close that he could feel the energy on its fringe searing his cheek, painful and yet almost comfortably familiar.

Was Skulker using his core energy to power the suit?

If that was the case, then Wes really wasn't equipped to fight him alone, and Skulker knew it. The hunter grinned, his cannon whining as it once again powered up. "Now, why don't you make this easy and stay put for me, brat?"

But he never got the chance to fire. He found himself caught in a beam of light, which began to slowly drag him upwards. "What?! No, no!" With one final scream, he dispersed, being absorbed into the thermos overhead.

Wes slumped in relief; he was so not looking forward to that fight. "Phew, that could have been bad. Thanks... for the... save..." He trailed off as he finally looked up at his savior. "...You aren't Phantom."

And she wasn't. With a familiar black and red full-body suit, a tinted visor obscuring her face, and a pronged hoverboard that was somehow deathly silent at rest, she was about as far from Phantom as one could get.

And she didn't seem too keen on the comparison, either. She raised her red and silver thermos, one hand poised threateningly over the cap. "You better believe I'm not, ghost."

"Oh, crud." Not wanting to give the newcomer a chance to capture him, he took off, darting behind a bookshelf for cover before slipping out the window. But the new hunter was in hot pursuit, not at all bothered by the shattering glass around her as she took chase. "You're the Red Huntress!" Wes exclaimed. "What are you doing here, I thought you retired or something!"

"What, taking advantage of my absence?!" Red called after him. "Oh, just you wait until I get my hands on you!"

When she fired, it was not the cone of light from the thermos that Wes narrowly dodged, but rather the beam of a rather impressive laser, one so large that Red had to balance the brunt of the weapon against her shoulder. Before, she was aiming to capture. But now, it was clear that her goal was to maim.

"Leave me alone!" Wes shrieked, swerving around another bar of sizzling energy before it could hit him. "You already caught the bad ghost! I don't wanna fight you!"

"No," Red hissed, "you don't!" She held out one arm, wrist upturned, and from a slit in her glove fired a barrage of black, spinning stars. These were just as easy to dodge as the laser had been, but even after they passed Wes by, they simply turned and continued to pursue him. Gritting his teeth, Wes discharged, the shock that wracked his body harmlessly detonating each star as they got in range.

"Looks like you've got a few fancy tricks," Red noted. She reached her hands back, and when she brought them forward again, she was in possession of a pair of hefty pistols, already lit. "But do you think they'll save you from these?"

"Wait, stop!" Danny cried, catching up to the pair. Once he did, he parked himself between Wes and Red, flying backwards with his arms spread out as he kept pace with them. "Wait, Va- er, Red. Red! Hold on, don't shoot at him!"

"Oh, perfect, you're here too," the huntress sneered. Without bothering to fix her aim, she fired, the twin blasts striking Danny's chest. The beams weren't very powerful, barely scuffing the jumpsuit. Even so, they had more than enough kick to make him yelp, stumbling midair and veering off-course.

Wes whirled around, just in time to see Danny catch himself. Even so, the attempt to take him down had Wes turning red, and he altered course and went straight for the huntress. Not expecting this sudden change in behavior, she wasn't able to change direction, forcing her to put her arms up to defend against her attacker, who had made a grab for her. While he was still in contact, he pulled, hoping to drain whatever was powering her suit. But rather than the array of sparks that usually came with his Sap n' Zap, he was instead met with a piercing scream.

Despite his bout of anger, Wes wasn't aiming to seriously hurt her. Alarmed, he pushed away from her, throwing a rather sloppy punch as he got out of range. But Red had already recovered, dodging the messy blow, and before Wes could get away, she grabbed him by the collar of his jersey, pressing the barrel of a pistol up against his jaw. "I don't know what you just did," she growled, slowly depressing the trigger, "but you are going to pay dearly for it."

"Would the two of you knock it off?!" Danny shouted, squeezing between the two before physically pushing them away from each other. "This is all a huge misunderstanding!"

"How is this a misunderstanding?!" Red yelled back, trying to aim over Danny's shoulder. But the Halfa moved to block every attempt she made. "Obviously he's evil and needs to be stopped!"

"Wait, who said I was evil?!" Wes cried, offended.

"You attacked me!" Red barked, still struggling to reach him.

"Only because you attacked him!" countered Wes, baring his fangs.

"Well if you're so good, then why did you run away earlier, huh?!" Red demanded. "Only the guilty run, ghost!"

"Uh, why wouldn't I run?!" Wes snarled. "You always shoot first and ask questions later! I wasn't about to let you kill me!"

"That's enough, both of you!" Danny shouted, pushing both of them back. He made sure he was facing the huntress, glaring daggers. "You can't hurt him, Red, and you can't turn him in."

Red clearly wasn't happy with Danny's rough handling of her, finger curled around the trigger. Still, she had notably lowered it, her glower palpable even through the visor. "Oh, yeah? And why not? He a friend of yours or something?"

"As a matter of fact, he is," Danny replied, crossing his arms. "And you can't hurt him, because... because..." His words died in his throat, and he pursed his lips. He looked back over his shoulder at Wes, who was staring at him curiously. He would probably be upset for a little while, but if it kept Valerie from hounding him, then it would be worth it. Danny turned back around, smiling nervously. "...Well, uh. You remember Danielle, right?"

Red cocked her head, her gun lowering a tad further. "How could I forget, after that whole mess?" She paused. "...Wait. This isn't another cousin of yours, is it?"

Danny laughed. "No, he's not my cousin," he told her, shaking his head. "He's... Well, he's a h-"

Wes grabbed Danny and spun him around, the odd shade of magenta in his eyes indicating that his grin was anything but a happy one. "What are you doing?" he hissed. "You can't tell her that!"

"Wes, I need you to trust me on this, okay?" Danny pleaded.

"And normally I would," Wes whispered. "But telling her my secret? Your friends, fine. Your sister, sure. But the bounty hunter who goes out of her way to hunt ghosts? You said it yourself, if the wrong person finds out, nowhere is safe!"

"She isn't the wrong person, Wes," Danny murmured back. "I've seen it, you can trust her. She isn't gonna try to k-"

"Hold on," Red cut in. It was hard to tell, but she sounded shaken. "You don't mean... He's human, isn't he."

Wes tensed, and Danny sighed. He grabbed Wes's wrists so that he could remove them from his arms, then turned to face Red. "...Yeah. He is."

"...No. You're lying," Red bit out. "Do you think I'll believe you just because you said so? You're just trying to protect him."

"Of course I'm trying to protect him!" Danny cried, throwing his hands in Wes's direction. "But I'm serious, he really is part human! Which is why I'm saying you don't want to hunt him!"

"Fine, then," Red growled, once again raising her pistol. This time when she spoke, it was to Wes. "If you really are part human, then show me. Change back and I'll spare you."

Wes gulped, staring at the gun. He glanced at the ground below them, then back up. "Uh, could we at least land first? I'm uh, not very good at flying in my other form." He hesitated on the last word, glaring at Danny out of the corner of his eye. He'd better be right about this.

Under her helmet Red quirked a brow, not completely buying the excuse. But even so, she relented, huffing. "...Fine. But after that you'd better be telling the truth."

Lavender with apprehension, Wes began to lower himself, slowly as not to encourage Red to pull the trigger. She followed him down, hoverboard whining as it lost altitude, and Danny joined him, reaching for his hand to try to convey some form of comfort. He knew Wes was scared, and probably angry. Rightfully so. But Wes's palms were sweaty, and he yanked himself free from Danny's grip, wiping his hands off on his jersey.

The act did not go unnoticed by Red; ghosts weren't known for their tendency to sweat. But that didn't mean that the act couldn't be mimed. There was only one way to find out whether or not Phantom was telling the truth about this new ghost. "Now transform."

Wes felt like he must have been sweating bullets. There was no way he would be wriggling out of this, and even if he did, there was no doubt in his mind that the Red Huntress would relentlessly hunt him down until she got the answers she was looking for. But changing now didn't guarantee his safety, either. It would give Red a human identity to track down, to dispose of however she saw fit. If she determined that he was a threat, then there was nothing Wes could do to hide from her, nowhere he could go. Danny had put him in a dangerous spot, all on a gamble that Red would miraculously decide he wasn't worth hunting.

He'd better be right.

"...It's, um... You might wanna cover your eyes, it gets kinda bright," Wes warned. Red didn't move or speak, but she had to have heard. Wes took a moment to make sure the three of them were alone, glancing from side to side. Mentally steeling himself, he sucked in a breath, letting the transformation wash over him.

Red's reaction was not one he expected. She immediately lowered the gun, in apparent shock. She took in his smattering of freckles, his jade green eyes, his brick red hair, his unmistakable Casper High basketball jersey. With barely a thought, her helmet receded, revealing her awed expression for all to see. "...Wes?"

Wes was almost equally surprised to see who Red really was. "Valerie?"

Danny gaped. "Hold on, did you not know?" Wes shrugged, not at all breaking eye contact with Valerie.

"But... I don't understand," she murmured. "How? You never showed up on my scanners. You never showed up in ghost form until a few months ago. I just... how?"

"It's kind of a long story," Wes said quickly. "...So this is what you've been doing? Hunting ghosts? Is this why you stopped talking to me?"

"You guys talked?" Danny cut in.

"Yeah, we did," Valerie bit out. "After you ruined my life, Wes was the only one who didn't totally ditch me. He and his dad even helped us move. We hung out at lunch, and swapped stories, and I went to his practice games whenever I could. But of course your dog had to ruin that, too."

"I already told you he wasn't my dog," Danny whined.

"Like I would buy that for even a second," Valerie snarled.

"You have a dog?" Wes asked.

"He's not my dog!"

"...So have you been a ghost... er, part ghost, this whole time?" Valerie asked. "Or is... all this... new? Oh god you didn't die, did you?"

"No, I didn't die," Wes replied, his laugh somewhat shrill. His hands came up to pick at the number on his jersey. "I-I mean, I'm still alive, I have a pulse and all that. I just, um... My powers only came in a few months ago. Uh. Late bloomer I guess." It was better to pretend he had always been this way; he didn't know what he would say if Valerie were to ask how one could half-die. "How come you haven't tried to hunt me down before now, anyway? Your whole thing is taking out ghosts, right?"

Valerie rubbed at her arm. "Well, that's just it. When I first got my suit, that's just what made sense for me to do. Ghosts were evil, and it was my job to stop them. But then I ran into Phantom's cousin, and then I found out what a snake Mayor Masters turned out to be... I've had a lot to think about. A lot to reconsider."

"Mayor Masters?" Wes asked. "What does he have to do with anything?"

Danny clapped a hand on his shoulder. "Now that is a long story. The short version? He basically hired Val as a child mercenary." He looked at Valerie. "So you finally believe me about him?"

"Believe you? I saw it with my own eyes. And believe me, once I'm done cleaning up this town, he's next."

"...As in, you're kicking him out of office, right?" Wes clarified nervously . "You'll bring his corruption to light and have him voted out, right?" In response, Valerie manifested a laser that more closely resembled a futuristic shotgun, giving it a good, solid pump. "...Oh boy."

"So I guess you aren't working for him anymore," Danny ventured, not at all perturbed by such a blatant display of hostility. "...Then what are you gonna do with all the ghosts you catch? What about how long you've been gone? He's gonna ask questions."

Valerie waved him off. "I asked him for a break after what happened with Dani, and he okayed it. As far as he's concerned, I'm still 'emotionally recovering,' so long as I don't make myself too obvious. As for what I'm gonna do with this..." She pulled out her thermos, frowning down at it. "...I know these can only hold so many ghosts. I can't take them to Mayor Masters, but I can't just release them. And I can't take them to the Fentons, either. Who knows what they'll think when they figure out who I am? They'll make sure my dad grounds me for life."

"Then give them to m- uh, I mean to Danny?" Danny suggested. Wes frowned. Smooth. "Or maybe Jazz? They can keep a secret, and they would be happy to smuggle out any ghosts you catch."

"Danny?" Valerie asked, incredulous. "I can't drag him into this. I'm trying to keep him out of it, not put him in danger."

"Are you kidding? His parents are ghost hunters," Danny chuckled. "He's more involved with ghost stuff than you would think. At least enough that he can make sure a few ghosts can get back to the Zone here and there. You can trust him... And Jazz. You can also trust Jazz."

Valerie frowned, not entirely convinced. Wes spoke up. "Or you can give them to me, and I can give him the thermos. He's been doing this kind of thing a while, but that way he at least won't be involved with you directly."

Valerie's eyebrows shot up, and Danny shrugged. But it seemed like the offer wasn't what surprised her. "...But wait, don't you hate Danny? Ever since that stupid dog ghost attacked during your game, you've been trying to convince everyone... he was... Phantom..." Her eyes narrowed as the realization slowly crept up on her. She looked at Danny, her mouth opening wide as if she were about to scream-

"NO! No no no no no nononononono they're not the same!" Wes cried with frantically flailing arms. "I made it up! I made it up. I, uh... I was... mad! Because everyone always said I was Phantom, but I'm obviously not, so uh. I made it up. Because they looked alike. Yep. Just didn't want to be called by a different ghost's name. Yup. That's it. Mm-hm."

Danny shot Wes a deadpan look. "Nice save," he muttered sarcastically.

Valerie wasn't entirely convinced. Her lips were pursed, her brows drawn together. "...So Phantom isn't Danny. You just made it up because people were calling you the wrong ghost name."

Wes nodded vigorously. "See, exactly, yeah, that, you got it. I mean it's not like part-ghosts just pop up out of thin air. What would even be the odds?"

Valerie quirked a brow. She still wasn't sure if she believed Wes, but it wasn't like she could say he wasn't telling the truth. But he must have been. If Danny really was a ghost, she would have been one of the first to know. "...Okay."

Both Wes and Danny sagged with relief. That was one bullet dodged. "Great, glad we got that all cleared up," Danny said with finality. "So you aren't gonna be hunting Wes down now just because he's part ghost, right?"

Valerie gave a curt nod. "I won't. I hunt ghosts, not humans." She paused, brows furrowed with thought. "...And maybe I'll think twice before hunting those, too. Ghosts are more complicated than I first thought. Some are nicer than they look, and some... are way worse. I'll think about that before I go in guns blazing."

"Great, and did you decide that before or after trying to shoot me?" Wes asked dryly.

He went completely ignored. Valerie narrowed her eyes at Danny, forming a V with her fingers and jamming them in his direction. "But I've still got my eye on you, Phantom. I'll give you a pass today, but don't think I'll show you mercy next time."

"I think that's what you said last time," Danny joked.

"Don't push your luck, ghost!" Valerie barked. She pocketed her thermos, her helmet reforming around her head. "If I find out you're up to something, then temporary truce or not, you're dead meat!" Her hoverboard whirred to life, and in the blink of an eye, she was gone.

Once the coast was clear, Danny transformed, coming up next to Wes. He clasped his hands behind his back, looking everywhere but at his friend as he rocked on his heels. "...So you and Valerie. Were you, you know...?"

Wes blinked. "Huh? What- Oh. No, we were just friends. She's, uh, not exactly my type." He smirked wryly. "I just... She was a lot like me, you know? She had a lot going for her, then boom. Barely a step up from the bottom of the social ladder. She didn't really have anyone to back her up. So I guess... I guess I didn't want her to think she was alone in that. And hey, it turns out she's pretty cool when she isn't acting like she's better than you."

Danny smiled, but it didn't quite reach his eyes. "Yeah. She really is."

Even knowing that Wes and Valerie were never an item, Danny couldn't help but be a bit jealous. It wasn't like he hadn't offered to help Val move after the whole Cujo fiasco, too. She'd acted like he pitied her. And yeah, he felt bad, but he had only wanted to make things less hard on her when they didn't have to be. So why would she so readily befriend Wes when he did the same thing? Were they really so alike?

As far as Danny could recall, Wes never really had any high social standing to begin with. He was into sports, and that seemed to protect him from the worst high school had to offer. But nobody seemed to outright shun him until he started spouting all his Phantom theories, and that wasn't even until a couple weeks after Cujo had gone to the Ghost Zone. Still, it was hardly the fall from grace Valerie had suffered.

What kind of kinship could the two of them have possibly had?

({O})

It took almost no time at all for Valerie to fly home, slipping in through the window. The moment her feet touched the ground, her suit was dismissed, folding over itself as it retreated into her body. She sighed, sitting heavily on her bed as all her energy left her.

Wes was a ghost. Of all the people to be one, he was the person she would have least expected. She'd never seem him do anything even remotely suspicious; even if he'd said he'd only had his powers for a few months, surely there would have been some indicator that he wasn't entirely human. A blip on her radar. A funny feeling when he walked into a room. Something.

...But it wasn't like the signs weren't there, either. It could be argued that he had something of an... obsessive personality. Could it have been the implication of a ghostly obsession? He didn't have the limited emotional range that would suggest that were the case, likely due to being partly human. He didn't have the same limitations as other ghosts in that regard. But everything he did, he put his all into, whether that be basketball, cryptozoology, or butting into everyone's business. Could one of those things be his obsession? Was it sports? Danny? Myths? Being nosy?

And all of that wasn't even considering the way he seemed to know when a ghost was coming before one showed up, lately. Randomly throughout their classes, she would see him drop everything, and hide, flee, or go still, always moments before a ghost attack.

...Just like Danny did.

Wes had said that he'd made the whole "Fenton is Phantom" thing up, but now that Valerie had seen firsthand that someone could be both a human and a ghost, someone she knew, she would be foolish to rule out the possibility. Didn't Danny seem to have an uncanny knack for avoiding ghosts? And what about the fact that the two looked so much alike? Valerie had been quick to dismiss Wes's theories just like everyone else, but now, it all suddenly seemed so possible. Even the fact that both Danny and Phantom had been seen in the same room couldn't rule it out; Valerie saw for herself that Vlad was able to duplicate himself somehow with different forms. There was so much evidence pointing to Danny being Phantom, or vice versa.

...Or it could all be one crazy coincidence. Those seemed to be common around Amity, didn't they? Kyle from the football team seemed to almost never be around for ghost attacks, either (on second thought, Valerie made a mental note to confirm his living status later). And then there was that whole mess with Gregor being confused for Phantom; a good chunk of the student body had a running theory that he was the ghost's human disguise. Either way, this wasn't the first time that appearances had been deceptive, and where the reality turned out to be something nobody would have expected, something so outlandish that no one thought to consider it.

But Wes was definitely hiding something, and it wasn't just his secret identity. Whether Danny was a ghost or not, Wes was covering for Phantom somehow. But why the lying? Why accuse him of being Danny, and then take it back? What was he trying to cover up?

Whatever it was, Valerie was going to find out, whatever it took.

Valerie my beloved

I've got this headcanon that after Valerie lost everything, Wes saw the tough spot she landed in, sympathized, and made it his mission to help her out however he could. The difference between him and Danny that led to his success in doing so? He was just really persistent in his efforts. (It's not that deep Danny, he just tried harder to help her lmao). Long story short, Valerie and Wes became friends in a similar financial boat who could swap stories and share problems. The game with Wes's one canon scene? The gang all only went to that game because Valerie wanted to watch him play.

Me finding ways to further incorporate Wes into canon? Couldn't be me kjfghklfghfgkjgf

Anyway yeah. I feel like y'all are gonna REALLY like the next chapter I've got in store ;)