I do not own the Red Huntress. Pretty sure she'd kick my butt if I claimed to.

Valerie scowled, surveying the scene below her. Scorch marks. Broken glass. A partially demolished wall. No ghosts.

The huntress ground her teeth. Every time - every time, that stupid Invisobill got there first! How was she supposed to protect Amity Park if some dumb spook kept getting in the way? He always left a mess behind him - probably let the ghosts get away, too. It was beyond annoying! With a last grimace, she turned and kicked her jet sled into high gear.

Next time, she'd get there first. Invisobill, the Fentons, those incompetent Guys in White: they'd all better stay out of her way.

~oOo~

The next time her ghost detector went off, it was the middle of the night. Valerie groaned, but rolled out of bed and let herself out the window. Her scanner led her straight toward the ghost; as if the flashing lights and sounds of property damage weren't a big enough clue. Her mouth tightened. That probably meant she was already late.

Sure enough, by the time she arrived, there was nothing there but a few craters and some kid in a jumpsuit. Valerie squinted. Did he have white hair? Weird. Must be some goth thing.

"Hey, kid!" she called. "Don't you know it's dangerous to hang around during a ghost attack?" She smirked as he jumped about a foot in the air.

"O-oh, right." He turned to face her, revealing startlingly green eyes. "Generally. Y'know, for most people." The kid grinned as if he had said something clever. "Hey, aren't you that new ghost hunter?"

"Yeah, that's me," she said proudly.

His grin widened. "Catch any ghosts yet?"

Instantly her smile dropped. "None of your business, kid!"

"Guess that's a no, then."

Valerie growled. This was so not worth her time. She shot toward the sky, only to freeze in midair at the kid's next words.

"If it makes you feel better, the Fentons can't keep up with me, either!"

What? Slowly she turned to face him, only to find those acid-green eyes inches from her own.

"Boo!"

"AAAAH!" She couldn't help the scream that escaped her, and by the time she pulled herself together, he was gone. Valerie clenched her fists, fuming. A ghost! There was a ghost right in front of her, and she didn't even realize! Even worse, he was probably floating just out of range, laughing his butt off - at her expense! With another scream - this time of frustration - she rocketed away.

Just you wait, ghost kid, she seethed. I'll get you for this!

~oOo~

She ran into him again the next day, and the one after that. In fact, she saw him quite a few times over the next several weeks. It wasn't until the second ghost fight that she put it together. She knew who he was: Invisobill, the unseen specter. The ghost who always got there first.

He smirked and Valerie scowled, tightening her grip on her gun. Not for long, spook.

~oOo~

It was a sunny day - a Saturday - when she arrived to find a large glowing wolf and no sign of her rival. Was she really that lucky? Valerie paused, but soon shook herself into action. There was no such thing as luck - it was straight-up skill that got her there first. Her. Valerie Gray. Not some dumb ghost kid with an attitude. She raised her gun, smirked triumphantly, and fired.

As it turned out, fighting ghosts was harder than Invisobill made it look. There were a few close calls; she worked around them. She could do this. She was born for this. She shot, dodged, spun in the air and fired again.

And then it was over.

Valerie hovered over the empty street, staring down at the containment device in her hand. She caught a ghost. She caught a ghost!

"YES!" The huntress - and she had earned that title now - punched the sky. Victory! Take that, Ghost Kid!

"Woah!"

She whirled; speak of the devil.

"You- you actually got it?" The ghost's voice was full of shock. It was almost funny, but she wasn't sure she liked the glint in those creepy green eyes.

"That's right - what do you say to that, spook?" She put her hands on her hips, just waiting for him to make a move. She was riding high on adrenaline and sure she could take him.

"I- wow. Okay." He rubbed the back of his neck. "I-"

"Look, Invisobill," she interrupted, ignoring his scowl. "Just because you fight ghosts doesn't mean we're on the same team. I'm in a good mood right now. You better scram before that changes."

"Oh. Right." The ghost got ready to dart away, then stopped and looked back. "Hey, Red!"

She scowled. "What?"

"Congrats on your first catch!"

Valerie stared at him open-mouthed as he smiled - actually smiled - and vanished. He seemed to genuinely mean it, but . . . was that even possible?

~oOo~

For some reason, she saw more ghosts after that. The suspicious side of her whispered that Invisobill was letting her get them, but she squashed that thought like a bug. She was skilled, and that was that. Besides, sometimes he showed up halfway through a fight to get in her way.

He never attacked her, though. It was the only reason she hadn't blown him out of the sky.

Yet.

~oOo~

Today was so not her day. It had started all right, in spite of getting paired with Fenton for some dumb "shared responsibility" project. Then she'd fallen into an electric trap and woke up handcuffed to Invisobill. Now she was running through some god-forsaken ghost jungle, trying not to get shot and dragging a piece of dead-weight from her wrist. The stupid spook wouldn't shut up, either.

"-slow down for a minute? This is the Ghost Zone, I am a ghost, I can help us both!"

Valerie scoffed and tipped them over the edge of the island. Her jet sled activated in three seconds flat. "Why should I trust you?"

Invisobill raised an eyebrow, pointing to their shared handcuffs.

". . . Fine. I'm open for suggestions."

The Ghost Kid grinned. She resisted the urge to punch him in the face.

"Pick a door, Red. Sometimes they're portals between the Ghost Zone and Earth."

She steered them toward the nearest door and yanked it open - to reveal a train with a freaking face barreling right for them.

"Not that door!" Invisobill screeched.

She slammed it shut and raced for another. "Then, maybe you should be a little more specific, huh, Invisobill!"

"Could you please not call me that? It's totally not my name!"

Valerie scowled. "Oh yeah? What do I call you, then?"

The ghost opened his mouth, then stopped, a look of confusion crossing his face. "I . . . don't know. Never really thought about it." He rubbed the back of his neck. "Heh, that's kind of weird. I don't have a name."

She looked back at him incredulously. "How can you not have a name? That's basic, even for ghosts!"

"I dunno?"

Valerie grabbed another door handle. "You're an idiot."

"Hey!" He scowled at her. "Look, I'm not exactly like other ghosts."

"You got that right."

"Yea- hey!"

She laughed at him and flew through the portal, slamming its door behind her. Who'd've guessed teasing a ghost could be fun? Valerie grinned. At least he was good for something.

In the long run, it turned out he was good for more than she thought. With a little teamwork and a surprisingly cooperative ghost, she eventually managed to take down the creep responsible for the whole mess. After the Ghost Kid found the key to those stupid handcuffs, she gingerly lifted her ruined school project from the ground. So much for that grade. Valerie cringed. Fenton wasn't gonna be happy.

"Hey, can I borrow that a sec?"

Valerie narrowed her eyes at the ghost. Just because he helped her this time didn't mean she trusted him, but . . . at this point there wasn't much damage he could do. "Fine."

"Thanks!"

Grinning like a loon, Invisobill - except that wasn't his name, was it? He didn't have one. Valerie rolled her eyes. Anyway, the Ghost Kid leaned over by the hunter ghost and - made the flour sack fart in his face? The huntress snickered. Served that creep right. He deserved far worse for dragging her to some freaky ghost dimension.

"Okay, I'm done. Here you go."

Valerie grinned, confidant that her mask would hide it. "No problem." She fidgeted a bit, then forced herself to continue. "I guess I was kinda harsh on you before. I never thought a ghost could be anything but trouble."

The Ghost Kid smiled gently. If she didn't know better, she would have thought his creepy eyes held understanding.

"That's because you never bothered to get to know one." He held out a hand. "Truce?"

Valerie looked at him, then down at the offered hand. It was glowing, but somehow still managed to look human. The huntress shivered. Sort of. Human hands weren't that cold. Valerie steeled herself . . . and shook hands with a ghost. "For now. Get me out of this ghost world, and we'll see how long it lasts."

"It's . . . more of a Zone," the Ghost Kid said. He had that smile again, the one that couldn't possibly be real. "But, if you insist!"

Valerie flinched as he moved toward her, but the ghost only grabbed her arm. Then he was pulling her through the air in a way that was completely different from her jet sled.

She tried not to enjoy it, but she knew she was smiling as he dropped her off outside her apartment.

~oOo~

Ever since their little trip to the Ghost Zone last month, she'd seen a lot more of the Ghost Kid. He hung around after fights now; sometimes he even fought beside her. Grudgingly, Valerie had to admit he wasn't half-bad.

Of course, that didn't make him any less obnoxious. She probably would have blown their truce already if the dumb ghost didn't act so happy to see her. She couldn't figure it out. It wasn't like they were friends or anything, so what was he smiling at? Could ghosts get lonely?

The huntress shook her head. She wasn't so desperate that she needed ghosts for friends - she had Danny now, and occasionally Star. The Ghost Kid was not trying to befriend her. He was just being weird.

~oOo~

"Hey Val, guess what?"

Valerie rolled her eyes. The ghost in front of her was vibrating like a six-year-old on a sugar high. "What?"

The Ghost Kid grinned. "I have a name now!"

"You do?" She retracted her mask, wanting a better look at his expression. "What is it?"

His smile turned soft. "Phantom."

Valerie raised an eyebrow. "Really? That's the best you could come up with?"

"Hey! There's nothing wrong with it! And actually," the newly-christened Phantom crossed his arms, "I got it from Maddie."

Valerie froze. "Maddie? As in Maddie Fenton? The ghost hunter?"

"Yup!"

She sighed, pinching the bridge of her nose. "Only you, Ghost Kid."

He flashed her one of those infuriating smirks. "You know you love me, Red."

~oOo~

It was utter chaos outside. The sky was swirling green; the streets, overrun by ghosts. People kept shouting, and the whole town was crammed under the Fenton's ghost shield. Including Phantom; god only knew how he'd got in. Valerie frowned, shutting down that line of thought. She'd interrogate him later. Right now, they had more important things to worry about.

Like who was gonna use the Ecto-skeleton.

"We don't have time for this!" she hissed, glaring at her sometimes-partner. "Just let me take the dumb thing so I can save us!"

"Not while you're injured," Phantom hissed back. "I'm the one in better shape. I'm the one who can take the bigger hit. So I'm the one who'll be using that!"

Her hands twitched, itching for an ectogun. How dare he patronize her!

Before she could think of a good argument, Phantom leaned in close, speaking right in her ear. "And so help me, Val, if you take one step toward that suit, I will pull that mask off your face!"

Valerie's blood ran cold. Her father was still in the room. "You wouldn't!"

"To save your life? You better believe I would." The ghost glared at her. "Maddie said 'fatal.' You're already hurt. Let the dead guy handle it."

"But-"

"Ma-ask~!"

"Aargh, you little- fine! Go ahead!" She stomped away from the Ecto-Skeleton. "I hope the Ghost King kicks your butt!"

"Gee, thanks Red."

"Get lost, Phantom!"

"I'm going, I'm going!" The ghost grabbed the suit, levitating it toward the ceiling. "Geez, talk about touchy."

She clenched her fists.

"And you better come back, you dumb ghost!"

~oOo~

Valerie stared at her wrist and scowled. There was a low-level spook two streets over, but no sign of the ecto-signature she was looking for.

"Come on, Ghost Kid," she muttered. "Don't leave me hanging like this. Or did you actually destabilize yourself using that thing?" She scoffed. "So much for 'taking the bigger hit.'" A twinge of anxiety soured her flippant mood. It had been almost two weeks since the invasion, and she was still waiting for Phantom to show his smug face.

Suddenly, her radar went crazy. The huntress jumped and spun, scanning her surroundings for the threat. Whatever it was, it was powerful.

"Valerie!"

"AAAAH!" She couldn't stop a scream - the voice had been right in her ear! Laughter drew her attention to the sky, and she glared at the ghost floating above her head. Why had she even bothered worrying about that idiot! "And where have you been for the last two weeks?" she demanded.

"Hello to you too," Phantom said with a smirk. "Aren't you gonna congratulate me? I did defeat the king of all ghosts."

She shoved an ectogun in his direction. "Answer the question!"

The ghost held up his hands. "Okay, fine! Jeez! That fight took a lot out of me, you know - this is the first time I've had the energy to fly."

Valerie smirked. "And here I thought you were supposed to be the tough one!"

"Shut up! I had to beat up a whole army and the Ghost King!"

Her smile faded, and she hesitated. She knew ghost hunting had more or less destroyed her social life, so she was probably just desperate. But she'd been forced to admit, waiting for him to come back, that she kind of, slightly, almost considered the Ghost Kid a friend. Maybe it wouldn't hurt to show it every once in a while. She placed a hand on his shoulder. "Yeah, well . . . I'm glad you're okay."

Phantom, of course, completely ruined the moment with his trademark smirk. "Aw, Red, you do care!"

Instantly, she withdrew her hand and punched him in the arm.

"Ow!"

"Don't let it go to your head, Ghost Kid!"

And just like that, everything was back to normal.

~oOo~

"So, I have an alliance with the Fentons now."

Valerie stared at him for a moment, then shook her head. "You know what, Phantom? I'm not even surprised anymore."

I've been working on this . . . pretty much since I finished "Not A Ghost." I am a very slow writer. And a perfectionist.

Ah well - hope you guys enjoyed!