Alright guys, sorry for not posting anything in a while but good things come to those who wait! I do not own Danny Phantom that is rightfully Butch Hartman's. Anyway, I thought this would be fun topic. I apologize if any part of this seems rushed in any of my chapters but if pretty easy to understand why I did so.

One Terrible Idea after another

Chapter 1

The sun shined down brightly on the ground. I was a hot summer day. So hot, in fact, one could see the heat waves radiating from the ground. Most people in AmityPark complained about the heat as they walked around town but luckily, Danny didn't have this problem. Due to his ghost powers and ice core, he could keep himself cool and comfortable in this weather. He didn't need to worry about the temperature in his ghost form either due to ghosts being resistant temperature. Danny was walking around town in his human form taking a slow patrol. It was a fairly slow day and only a few ghosts showed up. Unfortunately, he couldn't go hang out with Sam and Tucker due to them being on vacation with their families. Oddly enough, this year his family didn't have a Fenton outing like they normally did which left him bored out of his mind. To make matters even more depressing, the only mental and physical stimulation he really got was from ghost hunting and fighting Valerie. However, Valerie suddenly eased up on him after the whole Dani incident. At first Danny was a little worried that Valerie might have found out he was only half-ghost but those thoughts were quickly buried. After all, Valerie didn't know Dani was his clone. Maybe Valerie finding out Dani was half-ghost opened up her mind. That hope was quickly squashed by her behavior, making Danny have doubts. The teen was quickly dragged out his thoughts when his ghost sense went off. With a small sigh he found a place to 'go ghost' before flying off into the sky to face the Box Ghost for the fifth time today.

"Don't you have anything better to do today than irritate me?" Danny asked the Box Ghost as he began his normal introduction.

"Beware! I am the Box Ghost! I control all things cardboard and squa-," The ghost was suddenly cut off when Danny finally had enough and sucked the poor ghost up into the thermos.

"He really should find something better to do." Danny mumbled to himself but tensed when an ecto-gun was heard charging up behind him.

"You know, I could really say the same thing about you, Phantom." Valerie quipped as she watched the white haired boy turn to face her. It was true she had lightened up on the ghost after the whole Dania and Vlad incident. She now knew both Dani and Vlad were half-ghost. After learning this piece of information she had a feeling Phantom was one too. At first she suspected it was genetic but that wouldn't make sense for Vlad had no wife or kids. In addition to this, he looked nothing like Dani and Phantom. It was strange seeing them together because they looked so darn similar, almost like a clone. Valerie pulled herself of her musing when Phantom finally spoke.

"Well it's summer and it is not like I have school or anything." The Ghost Boy shrugged, apparently not realizing what he said. He did it again, talking as if he was living.

This manner of talking only gave Valerie more reason to believe he was half-ghost. However, she would no let him get away with this comment unnoticed. "Oh? You go to Casper High?" Valerie smiled when she saw the ghost teen finally register what he said and try to back track. It was pretty easy to figure out he went to Casper High for it was the only high school around.

"No, that's not what I meant. I-," Before he could say anything else to try and cover up his comment he was interrupted by an irritated Valerie. He never told the truth! She shut him up by shooting an ecto-blast just inches away form his head with her ecto-gun. The shot whizzed past his head and Valerie got the reaction she wanted. Valerie was not in the mood to hear excuses.

"I don't wan to hear some excuse, ghost." Valerie hissed, her eyes narrowing, "You always seem to be full of them."

"I was not-," Phantom cut off what he was about to say when Valerie sent him a killer glare. If looks could kill Danny would definitely be full-ghost by now. Finally having enough of Valerie's attitude about ghosts and him in general, he snapped. His eyes lit up in rage and he yelled at the huntress, making wild gestures as he talked. "Maybe if you listened before jumping to conclusions you would understand more! Didn't anyone teach you it's not good to make assumptions?" Danny clenched his fists but didn't move from where he was floating.

"Maybe if you said something worth listening to, I'd listen!" Valerie yelled back, getting in Phantom's face. Her own face was twisted in a snarl. The ghost had no right to be angry with her!

"Maybe if you let me finish what I was going to say you'd know if I said anything interesting!" Danny argued back, unaware he actually was able to finish a sentence just then. His eyes were blazing with rage but he made no move to physically hurt her.

Valerie opened her mouth to argue back but thought better of it and closed it. A low animalist growl escaped her throat as she aimed her weapon at the ghost ready to shoot him. However, by the time she did this Phantom was already gone. "Damn it!" She cursed, putting her weapon away as she though about their past encounters. She hated to admit it but Phantom was right. Every time they met, Valerie shot first and asked question never. However, this time, things would be different. Maybe if she actually listened she could determine if Phantom was only half-ghost. Even at the very least, find out if he knew anything about them. Suddenly her wristband started beeping alerting her to more ghost activity.

"Come on Skulker, you're never going to catch me. Why can't you just give up already?" Phantom wined clearly irritated. He didn't seem to notice Valerie as she observed the interaction with the mechanical ghost.

"I collect all things rare and exotic, Whelp. There is nothing I cannot catch and I won't let a Halfa ruin my reputation!" Skulker declared as he shot at Phantom.

"Halfa?" Valerie muttered under her breath as she watched the two ghosts engage in battle. It didn't take long for Valerie to figure out Phantom would win. However, she wasn't focusing on that. She was thing about what Skulker had said. Halfa must mean half-human half-ghost. Then that would mean…she was right! Phantom is only half-ghost! There could be no other explanation. She looked up from her pondering to see Danny in a tight spot. Without thinking, she helped Phantom by shooting Skulker with her ecto-gun to get him off the teen. The hybrid quickly sucked Skulker up in the thermos. He nodded a small thanks to Valerie but was apparently still upset with her because he turned to fly off without saying a word. Before he could run away, she called out to him, making him stop and turn around.

"Wait!" She waited for him to turn around and face her. Curiosity was plastered on his face at why she stopped him but he made no move to come closer. His unearthly, neon green eyes stared into her own, suddenly making her a little nervous. He waited patiently as Valerie snapped herself out of it and stared back, her gaze unwavering. In order to get the information she wanted out of the ghost she knew she had to listen to him. "I…I was wrong." Valerie forced herself to say leaving a bad taste in her mouth. "I should have listened to you and in order to do that I suggest a truce." Valerie finished hoping the teen would agree. She knew he would because he always made it annoyingly clear how much he didn't want to fight her.

He rubbed the back of his neck as he replied. "I'd like a truce and I'm really sorry for yelling at you." He looked at her with pleading eyes for forgiveness.

His round doe eyes reminded him of someone she knew but she couldn't place her finger on it. She couldn't even believe he was the one apologizing! She had been so mean to him and yet here he was, apologizing. Filing that little detail about his personality away, she began to get to the real point of apologizing…her true adjective. "While we are being honest, I've been thinking about the whole Dani incident." She began quickly getting lost in her thoughts as she said them aloud. "You and Dani look so similar, if I didn't know any better I would say Dani was your clone." Valerie was so consumed in her thoughts she didn't see Phantom visibly pale. "I think you two are related but then that would mean you were half-ghost too." This time Valerie looked up to see Phantom's expression. If she thought a ghost couldn't get anymore paler, she was proven wrong just then. She watched as he suddenly became nervous and avoided eye contact. "You are half-ghost aren't you?" Valerie said much more excitement in her voice than she wanted to let on. This meant she was right!

"Yeah…," Phantom answered much to her surprise. He looked reluctant about giving this piece of information away for he was suddenly interested with his boots.

"Oh my God! I was right! Who are you?" Valerie began to throw questions at him still excited she had been right. Any thoughts of Dani completely disregarded. Valerie suddenly became wary when Phantom's demeanor changed back to it's cocky self.

In reality, Danny quickly formed a plan. He knew Valerie wouldn't leave him alone until she found out who his human form was, so why not have fun with it? Danny smirked as he looked down as Valerie with a mischievous glint in his eyes. "I'll be at the Nasty Burger at noon." Phantom gave a small wave before flying away.

"Just tell me who you…are," Valerie trailed off when she realized she was talking to air. "Noon, huh," She mused as a smile spread across her lips. Phantom was going to play a game with her. Alright, she would play. It was a very general clue, in fact, probably the vaguest one he could give but it was a start. He was taunting her. He was practically saying, "If you're so smart figure it out!" She grumbled slightly but she would definitely not back down from a challenge. "Oh, he is on!" She yelled out before flying back home.

The next day, Danny woke up late but he didn't care. At least he could get some sleep. He purposefully left the Box Ghost and Skulker in the thermos so he could do just that. Stretching and letting out a nice big yawn, he climbed out of bed. Maddie was in kitchen making breakfast for her son. She herself slept in too on one of those rare occasions. Unlike the males in her house, she was more a morning person like Jazz. "Hi honey!" She greeted the hybrid cheerfully as she flipped a pancake over in the pan. A grunt was heard in response as Danny groggily made his way down into the lab. Maddie noticed he son would go down there at least once or twice a day but only when nobody else was down there. It was strange. She didn't know what he did down there but she didn't question it. He would tell her when he was ready. Danny released the two ghosts back into the Ghost Zone before heading up stairs to eat breakfast. He didn't eat much, saving his appetite for the Nasty Burger in a few hours.

"How has your summer been so far Danny?" Maddie asked trying to make conversation with her son. She made plenty of pancakes for when Jack came downstairs but apparently, Jazz already left for the library.

"Pretty boring, it only started to get interesting yesterday." Danny chuckled at the memory of yesterday. "I'm playing a game with…someone."

Maddie saw Danny's mischievous smile and was instantly curious. "Oh? What happened yesterday that was so interesting?"

"I don't know if I should tell you…," Danny looked at her amused, he was finally awake from engaging in a conversation with his mom. He shoved another piece of chocolate chip pancake into his mouth as he got another idea. How could one more player hurt? He knew he had to tell his parents eventually and what better way than with a game. They would slowly learn the truth giving them time to comprehend what he was saying.

"You can just not tell me now!" Maddie laughed as she leaned forward. "I want to play this game too. You have me curious now."

"Curiosity kills the cat." Danny laughed. He enjoyed screwing with his mom just to make her frustrated.

"But satisfaction brought him back!" His mom immediately quipped back.

"Okay you win, you can play…," Danny quickly interrupted his mother's squeal of triumph. "But there are a few rules." As he said this, Maddie instantly looked at Danny with interest as she waited for him to give the rules. He smiled as he began to give the rules. "First of all, you cannot talk to any of the other players, besides Dad. The other player of this game is Valerie. You CANNOT let Valerie know you are playing. If you do, I will quit the game and you will never know, so make sure Dad doesn't spill the beans if he agrees to play. Secondly, no outside help is aloud along with any inventions that will work on me. Even if they are ghost weapons." Danny warned lightly. "That's all the rules… oh! You can't hound me about giving more hints either. I'll give them as I see fit. That's all the rules."

"What are we trying to figure out?" Maddie asked making a note of remembering all the rules.

Danny's smile grew even more mischievous. "My secret." He watched when Maddie raised an eyebrow. "I'm sure you have noticed that my behavior has changed. The secret I have explains everything you have noticed about me. Will you accept the rules and become a player?"

"Of course!" Maddie smiled devilishly. "I never back down from a challenge!" She paused for a moment as she saw Danny get up and start to leave the room. "What's my first clue?"

Danny paused in his stride and turned back around to face her. "I'll be at the Nasty Burger at two o'clock." This would give him plenty of time to trick both of them. "Let's have lunch together."

Maddie looked like a fish out of water her mouth was hanging open so much. Her son never wants her to be seen at the Nasty Burger with her! "I'll be there!" She called after him before the front door shut behind him. Oh, this would be good.

Danny snickered once he was outside. He could meet with Valerie and talk with her at noon then come back in two hours to eat lunch. This has to be the best idea ever.

-Two hours later-

Danny walked into the Nasty Burger to see Valerie sitting in a booth already snacking on some fries. She has positioned herself in the restaurant to give her a clear view of the door. Danny wore his usual jean with no identifying marks but instead of his usual white and red shirt, he wore a black shirt that Sam gave him a while ago. Instead, if his usual black hair and blue eyes, he was in his ghost form but just in street clothes. He knew it would definitely tick Valerie off but it was worth it. Even he had to cause some trouble. His ghostly glow couldn't be seen unless someone looked closely so he looked like just a normal teenager. Waltzing up to Valerie, who was watching him, he slid into the booth and greeting her with a charming smile. "Hey Valerie."

She looked at him with irritation in her eyes. A slight scowl was on her face showed a well as she looked at him with displeasure. "I thought you were going to be in your human form." She spoke low so nobody could hear them. At least she wasn't making a scene yet.

"I just said I would be at the Nasty Burger. I never said I would be in human form." Danny smirked at Valerie's irritation. He had taken the loophole and it was hilarious to see Valerie cursing herself for not implementing her own conditions. "Don't worry; this is the only time I'll do this. You should see your face though, it's priceless," Phantom chuckled, clearly pleased with himself. He stole a fry from Valerie who just raised an eyebrow at him as she watched him nimble on it.

"I didn't know you could eat in your ghost form." She pointed out eating a fry herself.

"Of course I can." The ghost-powered teen looked at her as if she was crazy. Though really it was just to mess with her. "I can even use my ghost powers in human form. It's not as if I'm just two different beings in the same body. I'm one person. Besides, we all make mistakes but people think that because I'm a ghost I'm not capable to do such a thing." Danny told her careful with his words while getting a point across to her. In a way, it was a clue in itself but Danny knew she wouldn't get anywhere with that clue. After all, Danny does act two different ways depending on which form he is in and who is around.

Valerie listened to Phantom's little speech. She knew he was willingly giving her information about Halfas so she was trying to retain as much information as she could. "I know you, don't I?" Valerie suddenly asked as she smacked Phantoms hand away as he tried to smuggle another fry away from her. He dropped the fry and rubbed his hand.

"If you didn't know me I would not have started this game with you, now would I?" Danny raised an eyebrow at her. He silently made a note to himself. He was fighting with Vlad too much for he started to sound like him.

Valerie rolled her eyes but she couldn't argue. It was weird; she was sitting in the local teen hangout with one of her so-called 'enemies' and having a normal conversation over French fries. On top of that, she was at total ease. This was probably due to the fact that Phantom was in street clothes and not his normal 'business' attire, if Valerie could call it that. "Do you normally wear street clothes when you're a ghost?" She asked trying to keep the conversation light but still get information out of him.

"Only for you," Phantom smiled sweetly in a joking, flirtatious manner.

"I'm flattered." Valerie said deadpanned but smiled when he started laughing.

They continued to talk and joke around as if they were old friends. Valerie was surprised he was so easy to talk with. It was almost like talking to Danny Fenton. He was so easy going and open that anybody could have a conversation with him even if they were socially awkward and didn't know what to say. She pushed Fenton from her thoughts. There was no way Danny could be Phantom. They were complete opposites after all. Soon Danny Fenton exited her thoughts as she was roped back into the conversation with Phantom. He suddenly pulled out his phone and checked the time. His eyes widened slightly at the time. It was thirty minutes until two o'clock! He had to swing back by Fenton Works to change back into his normal attire before meeting up with his mom as Fenton.

"Sorry to cut this short but I have to meet up with somebody soon. I'll swing by your house and give you the next hint in our next conversation this afternoon. See you tonight!" Phantom wavered good-bye before he existed the Nasty Burger and walked home. Once he was in view of Fenton Works, he turned invisible and flew up to his room. He quickly changed back into his normal ghost attire, in other words, his jumpsuit before flying back to the Nasty Burger. He changed into Fenton in the alley behind the restaurant and reentered the building. Valerie was still there so he waved to her before he went ad ordered himself some food. The only thing he had on his stomach was one of Valerie's fries so he was plenty hungry. His mom came in a few minutes later and ordered some food too before sitting down with Danny. "Hi sweetie." She greeted as she slid into the booth Danny was in. When she entered, she glanced over at Valerie but didn't say anything, remembering her son's rule. It wasn't long before Valerie left the restaurant. "Did you already give her the next clue?" Maddie asked, she was really curious.

"Nope, not yet," Danny simply said as he took a bite of his burger. "Though I think Valerie has it easier in this game." Her son admitted but refused to comment on why that was when Maddie asked. Instead, he changed the subject. "So, did Dad agree to play too?"

"He did but I thought it would be better if I came alone this time." Maddie reasoned as she finished her burger.

Danny hummed slightly in acknowledgement. Again, he really needed to stop fighting with Vlad so much. Next thing he knew if he wasn't careful, he would become a Fruitloop too! Danny thought about what his next clue would be. Should he go ahead and let her know it was ghost related? No, they would find out too quickly. He snapped his fingers as an idea formed in his head. "Alright, for your next clue you have to be clever. I will let you ask me one question and my answer will be a clue. However, if I don't like the question, I will refuse to answer and you must pick another one. Don't worry; any of the questions I don't answer will be answered once you figure out my secret." Danny assured his mother.

Maddie looked at Danny with a serious gaze. She would have to pick her question wisely in order to make any progress. She pondered about this for a few minutes, compiling questions in her head. "Is it ghost related?"

"I refuse to answer that question at the moment." Danny replied coolly, unfazed by the question. He had a feeling she would ask that. If he answered that now his fun would end too soon. "Next."

Maddie huffed in frustration before she asked her next question. However, Danny turned away that one too. He turned down two more before she asked a question she knew he would answer, to some extent at least. "Why do you come home with so many injuries?"

Danny looked slightly surprised at this question before muttering to himself, "thought you won't notice that."

Maddie just rolled her eyes at him. "I'm your mother; it's my job to notice these things. Just because I don't say anything doesn't mean I don't notice." She smiled as Danny had a calculating look in his eyes. She had never seen this kind of look on her son. This look was one Jazz would always give. It was nice to know that at least Danny was putting thought into this little game.

Danny paused for a moment before he spoke, wording his answer carefully. "I get into a lot of fights but I don't go looking for them. Trouble just seems to find me but this doesn't happen as school and it's not gang related or anything like that."

In reality, his answer was really vague but at least it was something. Maddie never thought Danny would go looking for a fight. She thought he was being bullied but she was never sure for he never said anything about that. Then again, if it wasn't at school and it wasn't a gang then what was it? Maddie's mind jumped back to her first question. Danny would have a reason for not answering her first question which probably meant the answer to it was 'yes'. It would have taken her a longer time if he said 'no' so it has to be ghost related. Does that mean Danny is fighting ghosts? Maddie gave her child a once over. He was very thin for his age, most likely underweight. In addition, he didn't have much stamina as proven by him barely passing the fitness exams. On top of that, Danny always acted scared of ghosts. It had to be something else. Maddie mentally reprimanded herself for assuming things that she didn't know were true or not. She had to look at the facts and right now there was no way Danny could take on a ghost. He would be killed! Maddie ruled out Danny ghost hunting; oh, how wrong she could be.

It was in the afternoon when Danny finally decided to give Valerie her next hint. He was still not completely sure what his next clue should be but it should be something that will get her to think. The Nasty Burger had been fun but it was time for Valerie's second clue. With Valerie playing, he was at a slight disadvantage for she knew about the existence of halfas and that he was one. This means it will be easier to figure him out. He quickly decided on what he would tell her and flew to her house. Her room light was on when he reached the window. He knocked on the window a few times waiting for a "Come in" before he phased into the room. Valerie was sprawled out on the bed listening to music when he entered. Deciding to just float in the air comfortably, he listened to the Humpty Dumpty song that was playing.

"Humpty Dumpty is a great band." Phantom commented to begin the conversation.

"If that's your clue then it's not a very good one. Every teenager likes Humpty Dumpty." Valerie rolled her eyes as she sat up in the bed.

"Just a conversation starter…" Phantom mumbled slightly irritated that she only thought he was just going to swing by and give her the next clue. He wanted Valerie to accept Phantom before she found out it was Fenton. This would better his chances for Valerie to accept him and continue their friendship.

"It was a joke." Valerie quickly covered up her last statement so Phantom wouldn't take her comment so personally. It seemed to do the job for he brightened back up and became to converse with her. She caught herself quickly forgetting about the clue as they ventured deeper into the conversation. Phantom talked mainly about general things so she couldn't really learn anything about his human-half.

"Remember when you totally called out Paulina in Mr. Lancer's class. That was hilarious! I can't believe I used to like her, she is so shallow." Danny purposely brought up the incident with Valerie calling out Paulina when she was claiming she could totally be the ghost boy's sidekick. It was actually pretty funny. Danny could hardly breathe when Valerie was listing all the reasons why Paulina could not possible be his sidekick. However, this was beside the point, it was just a way to bring up him being in one of her classes.

Valerie smiled at that memory then paused. "You were in Mr. Lancer's class with me." She stated as she finally realized her clue. Everyone was laughing really hard at the time as far as she could remember so she couldn't figure out his identity that way. That doesn't mean he was laughing the hardest. Valerie reprimanded herself for making another assumption; luckily, she had caught it this time.

Phantom just smirked as he saw the gears working in Valerie's head. Today had been a good day but it was not nearly fun enough. He pondering about his next actions as Valerie thought about the clue he gave her. Yes, he would definitely have to step up his game…well with his mom at least. He was pulled out of his thoughts when Valerie spoke, disrupting the peaceful silence that they were sitting in.

"So, where were we?" She asked the ghost. Honestly, she was fishing for more hints but as much as she didn't want to admit it, she enjoyed talking to him. He was very witty and kind. At some point during their talk, he had brought up a few of his 'criminal' acts but Valerie had already forgiven him for those, though he still felt the need to explain them anyway. It was interesting to realize how wrong she had been. When he finally left, she had a plethora to think about. For instance, he had narrowed down the male population at her school to those only in her English class last year. In addition to this, the way he talked about Paulina showed that he wasn't on the A-list. This narrowed down the people on her list to about half. It was a good start. Now, all she had to do was start investigating these people and figure out which ones may be Phantom. She thought about his behavior for a moment, comparing it to the kids on her list. None of them seemed to it the bill. Maybe this was because she didn't know anybody on her list that well. The only person she talked to on a regular basis was Danny Fenton but he never acted brave or cocky like Phantom does. Sure, they are both witty but she couldn't just go by that. No, she wouldn't knock Danny off her list just yet. She couldn't knock anyone off until she was absolutely sure…even if it was one of her true friends.

I hope you enjoyed this so far. Please review and post any questions, comments, or snotty remarks you may have. The next chapters will probably not be as long as this one so Es tut mir leid! (Translate: I'm sorry!)

Ghostfudge160