Thank you to AquaJinx, Lexosaurus, Anon, and Lighting Streak for your reviews on the last chapter! Here we go folks, the conclusion to our tale here.

Everything was chaotic after Valerie left.

Danny's next move had been to check on Sam and Tucker, and he was relieved to find that aside from being tranquilized, they were fine. The duo immediately began asking him questions upon their awakening, none of which he was able to answer before the arrival of Jazz and the police.

The Amity Park Police Department were irritated that Valerie hadn't stuck around for questioning, but agreed to take her statement later after Jazz insisted the other woman was probably in no mental state to be interrogated right then.

Danny was tempted to watch Hayes get officially arrested, but something else was nagging at him more. He found Laura watching the whole scene from a little ways away. She was sitting, legs pulled up to her chest. He sat down next to her.

Danny broke the silence. "She asked you for a serum?"

Laura blinked up at him. "You didn't know? She told me you two agreed that you should have one."

Danny shook his head, brow furrowed. "No, I didn't. I wanted a weapon."

"What?" Laura snapped, glaring at him.

Danny shrugged. "Yeah. I… I asked her to carry the only weapon that could kill me."

"I thought she wanted the antidote in case you ever encountered Blood Blossoms in the wild." She crossed her arms, clearly upset at being deceived.

Danny shook his head. "I guess… She wanted a way out. I guess she didn't trust herself."

"That's a lot to put on one person. And for what it's worth, you're very lucky. Valerie only called yesterday. I had all the research but that cure was incredibly rudimentary and experimental. I hadn't even had a chance to test that stuff. Not to mention how lucky you are that Jasmine thought to call."

He blinked at her. "How did Jazz get your number?"

"Valerie." Jazz answered as she walked up on the duo. "Thanks Laura, for saving his life." She squatted down so she could rest a hand on the woman's shoulder.

Laura smiled. "No problem. Though I'm not sure I should take the credit. It sounds to me like Valerie was the one who had the plan."

Danny bit his lip at that. "I had no idea she's been doing all this. How did she know to set this up?"

"That's the thing," Jazz stood, looking down at her brother with her arms crossed over her chest, "She didn't. You gave her half a plan Danny. You can't blame her for taking extra precautions. Especially since you didn't tell anyone else about this crazy idea of yours."

"I, I guess I thought it was all under control. How did you even know to bring the serum?"

Laura shrugged. "Jasmine only told me that there was something going on in the park. She knew the GiW was involved and it didn't sound good, and she called because Valerie mentioned I was the only one in the GiW she trusted. It was lucky I grabbed the serum. I just thought that since Valerie was involved and she had just asked for the research… I don't know."

Jazz shook her head. "How did she see this coming?"

"I don't think she did." Danny admitted. The chance of it all left the group in silence, all incredibly thankful that it had worked out the way it had.

Jazz hummed. "Look, we could be here all day discussing how lucky it was that she'd already covered her bases. Danny, you need to go talk to her."

Danny nodded. "I know." He leapt into the air, ready to rush over to her apartment. Jazz grabbed his ankle.

"Oh no you don't. Tomorrow. Give her some time to deal with everything, yeah?" Her tone and the hand on her hip left no room for arguing.

Danny sighed, floating back onto the ground. "Yeah, tomorrow." He gazed off in the direction of her home before reaching down and offering Laura a hand.

"Let's go finish talking to the police then."

Danny couldn't sleep.

He huffed in frustration, opening his eyes and staring at the glowing green numbers on his alarm clock. 3:14 am. He grabbed his phone on the bedside table, working it in his hands. Would she be up?

No, of course not. It was 3 am. Would she be angry if he woke her up?

Maybe. After all, she saved his life today. She probably could use some rest after all of that.

He just desperately wanted to talk to her. Thank her. Apologize. Comfort her. Anything she needed from him. Mind made up, he unlocked his phone. He opened her name under his messages and started typing before her noticed the gray dots in the corner.

She was awake! And texting him. He cleared his message and was about to lock his phone when he paused. Instead, he just watched and waited. After what felt like years, her message came through.

Hey. Are you up?

A short message. He wondered how long it had sat there, waiting to be sent. He replied immediately.

Yeah. I can't sleep.

He sent it, already sitting up in his bed as he waited for her response. He watched three gray dots bounce in the corner of the screen. He tried to wait, but he needed to see her.

Could I come over so we can talk? Please?

As he sent his text, her's came through.

Could you… Maybe come over or something? I don't want to be alone.

He hopped out of bed, typing his reply.

Yes!

Yeah.

Their responses came at the same time again. He was relieved at that. They seemed to be feeling the same way about everything, and above all, anxious to talk about it.

I'll be there soon.

He responded again. He changed into his ghost form and slid his phone and key into his boots. With that, he phased through the wall out into the night air.

Valerie felt like an idiot.

She knew she should've held off on texting him. She had even sort of hoped he wouldn't be awake and wouldn't see her impulsive message until the morning. Of course he was awake, and on his way. She hadn't even had the time to figure out what she was going to say.

What do you say to someone you almost killed?

She'd have to figure it out quick though, because he would be there any minute. She felt the temperature of the room drop suddenly, sending a chill down her spine.

Sooner than a minute then.

He blinked back into the visible spectrum, staring at her from a few feet away. She returned the look, unable to think of anything to say. Even if she could, she wasn't sure she'd be able to talk past the lump in her throat.

She walked over to him, needing first and foremost to prove to herself that everything was fine. That he was whole. When she was close enough, she reached out to grab an arm. He let her pull it towards her, and felt her running her fingers up and down his veins before resting for a moment on his wrist.

He changed back into his human form, causing her to look up at him in surprise.

"My heartbeat is harder to find in my ghost form. My core works a little differently than my heart." He explained.

She didn't respond, only concentrated on the feeling of his heartbeat for a moment. Finally, she seemed satisfied and dropped his arm. "I'm sorry."

Danny blinked at her for a moment before chuckling. "What?"

Valerie frowned at him. "I'm sorry." She crossed her arms. "Look, I know I owe you a lot more than that but I couldn't think of what to say…"

"Hush, Val." He pulled her into a hug, which she returned with more gusto than he was expecting. "You don't have to say anything. I'm just genuinely glad we're both okay." He pulled away a little and smiled at her confused expression. "Which is due in large part to your planning ahead, so thanks for that."

She pushed herself away from him, noticing but not acknowledging the way his face fell when she did. "Wait, what?"

He nodded. "Yeah. Laura and Jazz filled me in. They didn't even realize you had made them part of your contingency plan. Luckily they're both smart as hell and figured what to do."

"So they told you everything?"

"Uh, yeah?" He shrugged. "Was I supposed to believe they just had everything they needed to save us lying around?"

Valerie shook her head. "You weren't supposed to know anything. I just… hated feeling like the weapon could become a situation that I couldn't get out of. You know I don't work like that."

He moved closer to her, wrapping her up into his arms again. "I know, and I'm sorry I asked you to." He gave her a gentle squeeze. "But we won the day. I think we both need to accept that and get some sleep." He began to pull away when she grabbed his arms, stopping him.

"Wait," She bit her lip, looking a little embarrassed but determined, "Can you stay? It might help me sleep."

He grinned down at her. "Sure. I just need some extra blankets and I'll sleep on the couch."

Valerie rolled her eyes. "Please. If I let you sleep in my bed with me you won't try anything funny, right?"

He blinked at the offer. "Of course not!" He promised.

She gave him a small grin before leading the way to her room.

Valerie almost wished she and Danny hadn't blown the truth about Hayes and his shady plans wide open.

Almost.

There was just so much paperwork. She and Danny had gone to the APPD station the next morning so she could give her statement. Discussion was flying about court dates and testifying and wondering if a ghost could testify.

Everything had been non-stop. The duo just barely managed to get away for lunch. Danny suggested the Sam, Tucker, and Jazz meet them at Nasty Burger.

"So wait, you might not even get to say anything in court?" Tucker asked, although any concern was masked by his mouth full of food.

Sam peeled her eyes away from the disgusting sight. "If it makes everyone feel better, I'm still pretty sure we can muster an attempted murder charge."

Valerie huffed. "We should, but who knows. Not even to mention that Hayes and some of his guys might have enough to pin me down with attempted murder."

"It wouldn't work." He smirked at her, nudging her with a shoulder. "Phantom's already dead."

"What a dark loophole," Sam grinned, "I love it."

Jazz hummed. "That reminds me. Danny, you should try and talk to the ghost who did… Whatever that was to Valerie. Make sure there are no side-effects we should be worried about."

"I remember his name," Valerie chimed in, "Mercy."

Tucker snorted, prompting the rest of the table to fix him with a hard stare. "What? It's kind of funny. And ironic."

Valerie shook her head. "Believe it or not… I don't think he was actually a bad guy. He even apologized to me before... He mentioned that it was in the agreement for his freedom."

Danny nodded. "Well, I'll ask around about him. Finding ghosts without any sort of knowledge about them can be tricky though, so no promises."

Tucker took a loud sip from his drink. "Okay, so we have a plan, kind of. So what now? I mean, the trial is at least a week off."

Valerie shrugged. "Try and be normal, I guess. The GiW for this branch is getting a new director, so I might even still have my job when all is said and done."

"New director?" Danny asked, raising a brow at her.

She nodded. "Yup, that's all I know."

"Hmm. Can't wait to meet him." Sarcasm dripped from his words.

Valerie pursed her lips. "I thought you hated working with the GiW?"

Danny shrugged, swirling his drink with his straw as he avoided her gaze. "I do, but you work for them and that means I get to work with you, so…" Valerie smiled, angling her head downwards so she could hide her blush.

Sam shot Tucker a look at the interaction. He simply gave her a stupid grin back, eyebrows wiggling. Sam rolled her eyes and glanced over at Jazz, who was also clearly amused by the duo.

"So you guys," Sam asked, looking between her best friend and her newest friend, "Do you think you have everything handled here in Amity? Enough for us to leave?"

Valerie and Danny shared a smirk.

"I think we can handle it." He replied.

"But we'll be sure to call if we need the support." Valerie finished.

Jazz smiled at them. "It's settled then. Looks like the city is all yours again guys. How's it feel?"

Valerie answered for them. "It feels good."

Danny had been released for the day following lunch. There was still too much of a question as to whether or not his story could be used in a court of law, and the lawyers figured they'd might as well not waste his time.

He was quietly grateful, though he felt for Valerie. He gave her a sympathetic look as he walked out of his interrogation room. She stood from her place in the waiting room area.

"You free?" She asked.

He nodded. "Yeah. I'm going to see about finding Mercy. He doesn't have any way back into the Ghost Zone, so he's pretty stranded right now."

"Good news for us?" Valerie asked.

Danny shrugged. "Who knows? He's been quiet but it's barely been a day since everything went down. Anyway, I'm going to check the park."

"Okay," She looked past him at a lawyer who had stuck his head out of the room to stare at her impatiently, "Guess I'll be here. I'll text you when I'm done."

"Sounds good. Good luck in there." He gave her a little smile. She rolled her eyes but returned the look before walking past him into the room.

An idea formed in his brain. He couldn't do anything about it now, but he had time. With that thought, he left to go find his loose ghost.

Turned out finding Mercy wouldn't be a problem after all.

As a matter of fact, if Danny didn't know any better, he'd say that the ghost had been looking for him. Mercy had clearly stayed near the park, wandering around the more deserted areas.

He was hard to see; Danny could only assume he didn't have enough energy to fully maintain his corporal form. If not for his ghost sense, he might have looked right past him.

He couldn't get a bead on the how the other ghost was feeling, since he didn't have a face even when he was fully powered up. Danny almost hoped for a fight. Just the sight of the ghost was enough to infuriate him. The ectoplasm in his hand burned in the most comforting way as he prepared for battle.

"You're back." Mercy's voice was soft, wispy.

Danny nodded stiffly. "I am. And I'm angry, for the record, so I really hope you have a good reason for still being here."

The other ghost's voice held no fear. "I have been waiting for you. I know anger like I know myself. I knew you'd want your revenge on me. I just had to wait."

"For a ghost whose power is wrath," Danny said, extinguishing the ectoplasm in his hand and crossing his arms, "You have an awfully calm way about you."

"I cannot help my power, certainly, but I understand after so many years the power of diplomacy as well." He paused. "I'll answer the question not yet asked: I have no ill will towards you or the Huntress. I did what I must for my freedom. I hope you can understand the sentiment."

Danny shrugged. "Sure. Still doesn't explain how Hayes caught you."

"He's a hunter. I'm a ghost. It should seem obvious, no?" The ghost's calm voice and vague answer was only managing to piss Danny off more.

"Cut the shit. I know those robes. You're council." He glanced down at said robes, noticing their state. "Or you were, anyway. You're too powerful for him to have easily caught you."

The ghost hummed. "I hadn't expected you to recognize the dress of the council. You've not interacted with them much, have you?"

Danny shook his head. "I saw a member once, when I was with Clockwork. Not to mention he never has kind words for them. Are you still a member?"

"No," the ghost admitted, "None of those I served with still sit on the council."

"Why?"

"We were voted out, peacefully, as it always goes. Our rule was not… We were perceived as weak. It was believed that power over emotion – as many of us had – ought to be a grand weapon in ensuring our continued existence. We were hesitant to use these powers, of course, because of our inability to control the affected party. Even in the case of Valerie, I had to plant seeds of anger aimed towards you, and it certainly wasn't guaranteed to work even then."

Danny furrowed his brows. "You don't have any offensive powers, do you? You can only fight through others." Mercy nodded. "That explains a lot." He sighed. "Look, I just need to know if there are any long-term effects to what you did to her."

Mercy shook his head. "No. And for your forgiveness I offer you my service." He paused, thinking for a moment. "I have a brother, one who can create feelings of intense love. Perhaps you could plant an emotion better suited to your desires in her mind…"

Danny drew back in disgust. "Absolutely not. Valerie can feel however she wants about me, but I want it to come from her. Anger, love, whatever. I'm only asking you to leave us both alone."

The ghost nodded. "I can, certainly, if that is your wish."

"It is."

Mercy nodded once more. "I will leave your dimension then, and tell my siblings of your great kindness to me." He paused, staring at Danny for a moment. "Though I promise I will never act against you again, dear friend, I cannot guarantee that I am quite finished with you yet. Your character… It fascinates me so."

Danny rolled his eyes. "Yeah, sure. Just leave Valerie out if it, please."

"Of course. Until we cross paths again." Mercy bowed deeply before disappearing from the visible plane.

Danny frowned to himself. He had no idea what else the ghost might want from him later, but he knew that whatever it was wasn't going to be simple. With a sigh, he accepted the problem as one for another day, and flew off to meet Valerie at the station.

To Danny's surprise, Valerie was sitting in the waiting room when he entered. He walked over to her, immediately noticing how tense she was.

"What's wrong?" He asked, sitting in the chair next to her.

She rubbed her eyes before giving him a dull look. "The new director of Amity's GiW is here. He wants to meet us."

Danny groaned. "Please tell me you're kidding."

She shook her head. "Nope. He just ran to the bathroom. We've been waiting for you. He won't tell me anything, says he wants to talk to both of us at the same time. And he somehow charmed the police into letting use one of their empty interrogation rooms for some privacy."

"What? How the hell did he manage that?"

"I used to be a police officer before I was an agent for the Guys in White. I still have some old friends here, luckily."

Danny and Valerie jumped at the interjection, both looking up to the man standing before them.

He held out a hand. "My name's Ross Packard." When neither of them took it, he pulled it back, unphased by their hesitance. "We have much to discuss, if you two don't mind?"

Valerie and Danny shared a look. Saying no didn't seem like an option for them. They stood, following him to the private room.

They walked in and situated themselves in the cold metal fold – out chairs. They already had been in and out of the bland interrogation rooms all day, so they focused all their attention on the man before them.

"As I'm sure Valerie has told you, I have been chosen to take Hayes's place as Amity's director." He sighed. "I… I am sorry for what Hayes did to you both. He was once my partner, and he was always very intense, but I hadn't realized how far he would take everything."

Valerie frowned. "You were his partner? Were you…?"

"One of the twenty people at the pole? Yes." He watched Danny for a reaction.

Valerie did too. He looked calm enough, but Valerie knew calm was probably the furthest from what he was feeling.

Still, when he spoke his voice was even. "Okay. So is that what you wanted to discuss?"

Packard shook his head. "No, but I wanted us to go into this on the same page. That's all I want through this whole process." He leaned forward onto the table between them. "I can understand why you didn't trust Hayes. But I want you to trust me. I want to have your backs."

The duo shared another look, but didn't reply. Packard didn't appear frustrated.

"Which is why I want you two to rest up for a few days. I'll see both of you on Wednesday in uniform for a 9-5 shift." He stood to his full height, crossing his arms.

Danny snorted. "Cute, but I don't work for the Guys. Hayes had Phantom as a consultant."

"Which is why he was able to go behind your back so easily. If you want real transparency, you need a real job with us so I can grant you real clearance."

Valerie looked at Danny, who was quickly beginning to show his irritation. She placed a hand on his forearm, reminding him she was there. "We're not exactly 9-5 type people."

"I know," Packard assured them, "And I have no intention for setting either of you up with that sort of schedule. I need you here on Wednesday because we will be going through Hayes's desk, talking to everyone, seeing what he had going on around there."

Danny hummed. "Okay. But I still don't understand why you want me as an employee."

"I can't give this sort of intel to some stranger. Daniel Fenton has no affiliation with us. Daniel Phantom is a ghost and can't be put on payroll. I'm happy to be transparent with both of you, but this is how we have to do it."

Valerie shrugged. "I mean, I already work for the Guys. I'm willing to give this a shot."

Danny bit his lip. "I'll hate it, you know? Wearing that fucking uniform after everything this organization has done to me and my family," He took a deep breath, "But I'll do it."

Packard smiled at that. "I won't let you regret it. I have no intention of doing you any harm, and I hope this is the first step to creating an allegiance that you two can trust." He walked towards the door. "I'll see you Wednesday." And with that, he left.

Danny and Valerie's trip back to FentonWorks was quiet. Upon arrival, the duo immediately made their way to the couch, flopping onto it together. Valerie sighed heavily.

"That sucked." She looked over at Danny, who looked just as tired as she felt. "This whole day has sucked."

He nodded, eyes falling shut as he eased further into the couch. "It has." He opened his eyes again, looking over and smiling at her. "I sure you didn't miss all of this fun stuff."

She snorted. "No, but it's alright. I feel like things will be okay. Or we'll be okay, at least."

He sat up, turning up to her more fully. "Hey."

Valerie cocked a brow and smirked at him. "Hey."

"Would you," He paused, fidgeting with his hands, "Would you want to go on a date with me sometime?"

Valerie blinked. "You want to… date me again?"

"I mean, yeah." He smiled. "You're incredible. You always have been. We weren't ready then but… I mean you totally don't have to I just thought… I don't know."

She hummed in thought. "Yeah. Yeah I would love to go on a date with you."

His eyes widened. "Really?"

Valerie nodded. "Yeah, you dork," She paused as she toyed with a thought, "But I do want to know: do I have to wait until then to kiss you or…?"

Danny laughed, pulling her closer to him. "Of course not." He didn't waste any time in pulling her close and kissing her soundly. They separated after a moment, both grinning.

"You've gotten better." Valerie quipped.

Danny blinked at her. "What?!"

She shrugged, pecking his lips again. "Since last time we did this."

"I was 14! No one is good at kissing when they're 14!"

Valerie hummed. "Well what about me? Did you think I was good when we were 14?"

"I mean," He looked away, "…Yeah," he admitted with a sigh. Valerie laughed, prompting him to give her a pitiful look as he pouted. "Are you still going to be mean to me while we're dating?"

Valerie nodded. "Absolutely." She leaned him to kiss him again, and he reciprocated with enthusiasm.

"I can't wait." He joked as he pulled away again.

"Me either."

The duo settled into a comfortable silence. They adjusted, laying down on the couch and finally relaxing fully as they drifted to sleep.

I really don't know where to start with this, because I've never been great at expressing my emotions about this sort of thing. This is the first time I've ever finished a fully story with a plot and beginning and an end and I can't even begin to describe how that accomplishment feels. I truly believe that part of the reason I was able to do this is because of the three or four people who made a real effort to review every time I posted. I'm so happy to be done, and though I'll miss this story, I am glad it can now live as a complete idea. And if any of you are bummed, I may or may not be playing with a few ideas for a sequel. I don't want to make any promises, but some of the preliminary thoughts and plot lines I'm playing with are really exciting. At any rate, I'd love to hear about your experience with this story or what your final thoughts are! Thank you all again for sticking with me through this, and I hope I can count on you all if I do decide to write a sequel. Love you all!