The plan was foolproof. Valerie was going to keep her feelings bottled up very tightly and then, one day, she would eventually die.

It seemed solid enough. Off the top of her head, Valerie couldn't think of a lot of things that could go wrong if she didn't do anything to get the attention of Danny or his friends. It even seemed to be working. For the first few days, at any rate.

The nightmares stopped, which was nice. Getting a halfway decent night of sleep had helped a lot. Valerie finally gave into her dad and stopped ghost hunting at night. It didn't help them spend time together since he still had work and she was often asleep long before he got home, but he was cheerier than usual and woke up early every morning to kiss Valerie on the forehead and see her off for school.

It all seemed too easy.

The alarms alerting Valerie to Phantom's presence still went off, but now she only watched them with worry on her face. She wanted to help Danny of course, but she didn't trust herself with that. It was obvious that Sam was still steaming. She glared holes in the back of Valerie's head during class and, if not for Danny, Valerie was certain that the goth would have jumped her days ago. None of the threats had power levels anywhere near as high as Danny's anyway, so Valerie tried to lay low and let him get back into the normal swing of things.

On some level, ignoring it worked. Danny Phantom was the media's darling as always, Danny Fenton continued to skip classes and get barely passable grades, and Valerie Gray didn't talk to anyone but Star and took more shifts at "work" than should be allowed for a minor.

It could have worked out perfectly. Valerie would slowly move past what happened, and maybe work up the courage to talk to Danny before they both eventually left for college. She would apologize and they could rekindle their friendship and, if he wasn't already dating Sam by then, she didn't see any reason not to ask him out once they smoothed over this awkward patch in their relationship. Unfortunately, that wasn't exactly how things happened.

Valerie couldn't sleep.

The exhaustion of her double life had more or less faded into white noise, and she wasn't sore enough to force herself to sleep like she usually did. She kicked her blankets off of her bed, pulled them back up, flipped her pillows twenty different times, and tried so many different positions to get comfortable that she was starting to get a kink in her neck. Sleep simply refused to come.

Blearily, Valerie sat on the edge of her bed, her elbows on her knees and her chin propped up on her hands as she focused on the view out of her tiny apartment window. The view wasn't fantastic — it was just the slow, two-lane road that emptied out onto the highway a few blocks down. She couldn't hear the traffic with the window shut, and she almost wished that she could. A distraction of any kind sounded just perfect.

As it was though, she had nothing to do but sleep. The alarm clock on her nightstand told Valerie that it was 2:26 in the morning, which meant that she had been trying to sleep for almost five hours now. She hadn't made any progress. She still felt wide awake and she couldn't figure out why. What did it matter? Nothing was wrong. She didn't need to eat or go to the bathroom and she was clean and warm in her home, so why wouldn't sleep come? Was there something she was missing?

She stiffened at the sound of beeping, only to soon relax. As was typical, the beeping was only in her head. Another warning for Phantom. It seemed like he was chasing the ghost this time, as he entered her ten-mile scan and started zig-zagging through and between buildings. Valerie ran a hand through her thick hair, a frown of irritation on her face. It seemed like Danny couldn't sleep, either. He would be alone right now, too. He wouldn't wake Sam and Tucker for what Valerie judged to be no more than a level three ghost. She thought about it for a moment longer and then got to her feet with a sigh.

It was a relief to feel cold metal settle over her skin, covering the frilly pink pajamas she had worn to bed. Dimly, Valerie was aware that finding metal more comforting than cloth wasn't normal for girls her age, but she didn't find it that concerning. Her suit made her feel safe and powerful. If only it had been like that when she had first met Phantom. Maybe then, things wouldn't have gone so downhill with her life.

The thought made her strangely uncomfortable, so she pushed it away. Her bedroom window slid open silently, thanks to the time she spent keeping it greased. Her dad would be home at around 6:30, so she had plenty of time. She wasn't even sure what she was going to talk to Danny about but, almost without any good reason, she knew that she needed it.

Gracefully, she dove through the window, doing a forward flip at the same time that she deployed her board. She caught herself just before hitting the ground, the motor of her hoverboard whirring as she kicked herself right back into the air.

This time, gravity didn't bring her back down. Valerie let herself drift up until the street lights were just dots on the ground, and she let her eyes close. It didn't matter if she watched the street or not. A map displayed on the back of her eyelids, and she let the board guide her as she approached Phantom's ecto signature.

She wondered if Danny was aware of how unusual and powerful he was. Two weeks ago he had had a power level of 6.9, and now he was at 7.1. Sure, it didn't seem like a lot, but ghosts almost never increased their power level. It took an incredibly strong artifact or years of practice. Danny was growing at an alarming rate. She wasn't sure how to react to that. Proud? Worried? Confused? Valerie hardly had any idea of how she felt anymore.

Ten miles dwindled into seven, then five, three, two… She slowed down. Danny had stopped moving. Frowning, she pushed forward. The ectoplasmic signature of the other ghost blinked out of existence. It took Valerie a moment to figure out what had happened but, once she did, she slammed her foot on the gas. She had never seen the effects of the Fenton Thermos on her map before, but it made sense that it canceled out ghost energy from the inside. Unfortunately, it also meant that Danny would be leaving soon, so she held the gas down and urged her board faster.

Two miles snapped to zero, and she narrowed her eyes at the glowing figure floating just above the roof of a nondescript apartment building. Danny seemed perfectly at ease and calm for the later hour. He was turned away from her, unaware, and clipped the Fenton Thermos at his hip. He was planning to fly off at any second, and Valerie didn't want to chase him down.

Valerie blamed her lack of sleep and love of the dramatics for what she did next.

She ordered her board to shut off. The howling motor died, assembling right back into her suit. Hitting the ground didn't worry her. It would only bruise if anything. Valerie used the last bits of her board to launch herself forward, and Danny turned just in time for his eyes to widen in realization before she crashed into him at 267 miles an hour.

Her arms went around his shoulders and she subconsciously tucked Danny's head against her armored chest as they hurtled towards the rooftop. He was durable in his ghost form, she knew, but now that Valerie was aware that the ghost she had been shooting at for so long was actually her crush, she didn't like the idea of pushing it any more than she already had.

They hit the roof with loud snapping and crumbling and the rough asphalt-like material of the roof left scratches on Valerie's armor as she took the brunt of the fall. She landed on her back, tucking her head forward to keep her skull from slamming into the ground, and threw her body weight to the side to send her and Danny into a spinning roll.

Dizzy and disoriented, Danny didn't put up any fight at all when Valerie straddled him and pinned his wrists to the asphalt beneath him. He winced, more out of surprise than pain, and blinked blankly up at her. "Mmgh… Valerie?" He squinted up at her. "Valerie, what are you doing?"

There was no fear in his voice. And desperately, Valerie wished that there was. She wished he hated her or feared her or loathed her for everything she had done, the same petty way that she had loathed him. She wanted anything other than the concerned look he was giving her. Why? Why couldn't he just be angry at her? Was it really that hard? Why did Danny have to be so calm, so reasonable, so forgiving?

Before she could convince herself not to, Valerie's hand curled into a fist. The other knotted in the front of Danny's jumpsuit, and she slammed her fist into his jaw.

It probably didn't feel very good considering that her hand was currently covered in thick, sturdy metal, but Danny barely even blinked. He didn't turn intangible either, and the feeling of her fist meeting his skin made Valerie cringe. Why wouldn't he just do something? He could disarm her, turn intangible, fly away, but Danny only stared at her with sad eyes that made something inside of her snap.

Another punch came and went like it was nothing, but it didn't help the unbearable pressure in her chest. Valerie hit him again and again and again, barely even noticing when her vision became blurred with tears and the armor fell away to reveal her pajamas. She kept going, beating on his chest weakly with her flat palms until she couldn't hold her own weight up anymore. It felt good to let go. Her fingers curled weakly in Danny's jumpsuit and her arms shook so Valerie lowered herself down, pressing her face against his obnoxious "D" insignia on his chest. She didn't even bother trying to keep quiet, sobbing against him.

Danny was obviously uncomfortable with having someone cry on top of him but, infuriatingly, he kept himself very still and didn't say anything. After a moment, Valerie felt his gloved hand settle in her hair, carefully petting her. She didn't have the heart to be angry for it.

After what felt like years, slowly, carefully, Valerie lifted her head up. She blinked away the remaining tears, not at all surprised to see the green-tinted bruises on Danny's face already fading. If punches could seriously injure a ghost, she wouldn't have bothered with weapons in the first place. He looked confused and upset but didn't try to make Valerie talk. Shakily, he forced a smile, hesitantly stroking her hair in a way that might even be described as affectionate.

Valerie groaned, dropping her head right back down against his chest. "Why are you so nice?" She croaked. "It would be so much easier if you hated me, Fenton. Come on, please. I've hunted you for so long and hurt you. Just punch me or something — I deserve it!" She insisted almost delusionally.

She pushed herself up into a sitting position, brushing Danny's hand away. Even with a huge bruise on his face, he looked beautiful, and Valerie hated him for that, too. She had plastered enough photos of Phantom in her room to know that he was attractive, even if she wouldn't have ever admitted it a week ago. It was the same bone structure as Danny, the same person, but he looked so different.

The white hair hung in front of his eyes the same way it always did when he was human, his green eyes blinking at her owlishly from behind the wisps hanging in front of his face. He was more tanned in this form, somehow more mature. The jumpsuit was tight enough that it showed off the muscles he was beginning to develop from ghost fighting. And the ghostly glow of his skin was mesmerizing. It made him look blurry at the edges as though he would disappear if Valerie pushed too hard. She supposed that, in a way, that was an accurate assessment.

Danny shifted nervously and opened his mouth as he finally found his voice. "I… Valerie, I'm not going to hit you." He sat up, pulling his legs out from under her and getting on his knees like she was. "I'm kind of surprised that it took you this long to ambush me, actually. I figured that you would have snapped sooner." He managed a smile that she didn't return.

Questions raced through Valerie's mind. She wanted to ask for answers, but she didn't know what she would be asking for. The truth, or what would make her feel better? Valerie was close enough to touch him but she had never felt further apart. She finally had to look away, shaking her head. The tears had gone, leaving Valerie cold. Unlike the crushing weight in her chest from before, though, it didn't feel so hopeless.

"I hate you," she mumbled, wrapping her arms around herself as though cold. In truth, the chilly air barely registered. "You're just so… you should be mad at me, Danny. After everything I did… Why don't you hate me the way I hated you?"

There was no answer. Danny's arms fit around her shoulders like puzzle pieces, and she didn't fight it as he pulled her against his chest. She let her eyes close, tucking her face gracefully against the crook of his neck. Again, Danny's hand slid into her hair, and he cradled her head as if she was something precious.

Just when Valerie was convinced that he wasn't going to answer her, she felt Danny's lips turn up into a smile as he pressed his lips to the top of her head. "I don't hate you, Val," he whispered. "Everyone deserves a second chance. Especially you."

Swallowing a fresh wave of tears, Valerie chose not to reply. She pressed closer, as if minimizing the space between them would somehow fix the hole she had shot through her heart.

Valerie managed a smile. It didn't feel quite so forced anymore.

A/N: Inspired by the song "Six Degrees of Separation" by The Script. I highly suggest giving it a listen.

UPDATE: Incase I didn't make it obvious, this is the last chapter. This is it. There isn't going to be an update, though I'm flattered that anyone would want one. I like leaving it like this, and it's how I planned it from the start. Thanks for reading.