A/N: Last chapter! None of this comes from anywhere in the series, it's post-series.
Chapter 9
Post- Phantom Planet
Vlad was gone, lost in space. Danny had saved the world and revealed his true identity to everyone. I cheered when he changed, same as everyone else even though I already knew. It had been three weeks and I wanted to tell him that I'd known and I was sorry for everything, but I just couldn't bring myself to face him. Guilt weighed me down, but if I never made amends, I would never forgive myself.
Finally, I caught him and Sam at the Nasty Burger. Nervous, I went over to talk. "Hey, Valerie," Danny greeted with a smile. I returned the gesture, but I'm sure they knew it was off.
"Danny, I need to talk to you," I told him. They looked at me expectantly. "Alone." He glanced over at Sam, who nodded. Danny stood and headed for the door. I followed. We sat on the ledge of the window at the corner of the building.
"What's on your mind?" he asked. I bit my lip. It was too late to back out, so I took a breath and spat it out.
"I'm sorry," I said. He smiled.
"Apology accepted." A second later, he added, "What are you sorry about, exactly?"
"Everything! I'm sorry I hunted you. I'm sorry I tried to kill you. I'm sorry I hurt you fighting. And I'm sorry I worked for Vlad." I hung my head, waiting for him to say he changed his mind and would never forgive me for being so cruel to him. And I would deserve it.
"Apology accepted," he repeated. I looked up, surprised. How could he forgive me so easily? I had to know.
"How can you not hate me?" I asked. He studied my face for a moment before answering.
"A lot of people hunted me and tried to kill me." He shrugged. "My own parents wanted to do me in. It's not like you knew it was me. I can't hold that against you." I smiled a little. I would never understand how he went a whole year as a secret ghost in the home of ghost hunters without them ever putting it together.
"There's something else," I muttered. "Remember when we went to save Dani?" He nodded. "Well, you sort of passed out and... changed back." Danny sighed.
"I'd hoped you didn't see that," he admitted. "Is that why you let me go?"
"Yeah. I looked at you and saw Danny. This Danny. You know, it made me think of all the horrible stuff I did or tried to do to you. If I'd killed you..." I shuddered. "I wouldn't have been able to live with myself."
He rubbed the back of his neck and smiled sheepishly. "Sorry about that."
"I wish you'd told me."
"Only Sam, Tucker, and Jazz knew. I could have told any of the people who wanted to kill me, but I didn't because... well, I would have never forgiven myself if they were attacked because of me."
"Did you really just make a superhero reference?" I asked, raising an eyebrow.
He laughed and said, "Yeah, I guess I did. But it's true. My powers could have put the people I cared about in danger. Everyone was better off not knowing."
"Sure you don't hate me?"
He smiled again and stood. "If I hated you, do you really think I would have gone out with you?" My face grew warm. "Later, Valerie."
"Later, Danny."
End