Woot, I have finally come up with a better story idea! (At least, I hope so. My previous – and first – story was blech. I reread it, and realized it was kind of cliché and… well, dull. I'm really hoping that the break between my first attempt and the story you're about to begin reading is worthwhile.) Anyways, I shall now present my first chapter, right after my disclaimer…

Disclaimer: I do not own Danny Phantom. If I did, I'd have so much fun messing with the fans' minds… just kidding. (Although actually, that'd be kind of fun.)

Now… enjoy the fanfic! (Well, at least I hope you'll enjoy it. :)…)

Summary: After the break-up between Danny and Valerie in Flirting With Disaster, a friendly relationship remains, despite the lack of romance. However, this still frustrates Sam, and she finds herself wishing that Valerie were out of the picture. Desiree, of course, grants this wish, and Valerie is suddenly declared missing from Amity Park. Can Valerie be saved, or have Sam's words trapped her in a mysterious place that has yet to be explored beyond the myths?

Chapter 1

"I am the Box Ghost! Fear me, and all things cardboard and square!"

Danny Phantom smacked his forehead, before holding up his thermos and aiming it at the ghostly blue midget that was floating in front of him. Granted, the Box Ghost was never much of a threat at all, but that didn't make him any less annoying. Danny knew full well that his time could easily be spent doing something more productive and, of course, more enjoyable.

"So long, Boxy," the half-ghost grumbled, as the Box Ghost was quickly sucked into the Fenton thermos, shouting out his usual cry of, "You cannot contain me in your cylindrical device!"

With a sigh of content, Danny turned around to fly home. The full moon illuminated the watch on his wrist, causing him to speed up a little. He had ten minutes to get home, or else he would miss his ten o'clock curfew for the third night in a row. If that were to happen, Jack Fenton threatened to limit his online time, which Danny normally spent playing Doomed with Sam and Tucker. They had avoided it after the incident with Technus, but after he unsuccessfully proceeded to enter space from Axion Labs, they were reassured that the game was safe from any ghostly attacks.

Unfortunately, a sudden blast caught Danny off guard whilst he was lost in his scheming thoughts, which sent him painfully flying into the side of a towering clock. Danny took a brief second to glance up at it, and its hands revealed that it was eight minutes until his curfew. A sweat drop slid down his cheek as he turned to see what had initiated the commotion – Valerie Gray.

"Think I forgot about you, ghost?" she commented, before firing her gun for the second time. The blast got Danny's arm, causing him to do a midair back flip and lose his balance. This bought Valerie a little bit of time as she reloaded her gun. Of course, Danny didn't exactly have the guts to hurt her, anyway. She was a ghost-hunter, yes, but it seemed mightily awkward to fire away at your friend, who was also your ex-girlfriend. It was times like these where Danny hated the consequences that came with his ghost powers – particularly his secret identity.

"Will you stop shooting already?" Danny called out, as he summoned a ghost shield to protect him from another one of Valerie's blasts.

"Why should I trust you?" the huntress shot back. "What would I gain from that?"

"Well, a lot of free time would be a good place to start," Danny retorted, before another blast threw him to the ground. "How often are you out fighting ghosts, anyway?"

Through her transparent mask, he could see Valerie's eyes narrow as she grew more angry. "It isn't any of your business how often I'm out," she said through gritted teeth, "but I have to fight you and your stupid little friends whenever they come out and attack. You think you can do whatever you want with your innocent act, but I see right through that."

"What innocent act?" Danny cried out in sheer frustration. "I'm the one who helps send the other ghosts back to the Ghost Zone – I'm on your side! We have the same enemies!"

If Valerie wasn't too busy concentrating on the ghost-boy, she would've rolled her eyes at his remark. "Just because we share some enemies doesn't mean you're off my own list. We'd all be better off without you, and I'm the only one in this town who has the weapons to do it."

"Well now would be a good time to drop that 'duty' of yours," Danny replied, gesturing at the clock. "I don't really have the time right now!" Time? he thought to himself. Oh, crud, I forgot all about it!

"My curfew!" both he and Valerie exclaimed at the same time. Shortly afterwards, the huntress gave the ghost-boy a funny look. "You have a curfew?"

Danny mentally slapped himself, as he quickly gave the best excuse he could muster, "Uh, yeah. Ghosts still have to be home by ten, you know. I better get going."

With his last words hanging in the air, Danny spun around and flew for his life, as Valerie's last gunshot missed his back by an inch. Her mind was on other things, which included her unsuccessful ghost-mission, and the curfew she was about to miss.

oOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoO

"Where were you just a few minutes ago, son?" Jack Fenton asked, standing in the doorway of Danny's room. He looked down upon Danny as the boy inconspicuously took a good grip on the tip of his sheets, while his mind unsuccessfully raced to find a good excuse.

Without much luck, Danny managed, "I was here the whole time, Dad. You were probably too busy with your invention thingamajig to notice."

Jack scratched his head, as he contemplated what his son had just told him. Finally, he said, "You're probably right. I can't hear much down in the basement. Besides, it's not like you're hiding some big secret from me or anything." With that, Jack gave Danny a friendly, yet painful whack on the back before exiting the room and closing the door behind him.

As Danny switched off his bedroom lights, his father's last words hung in the air. With a sigh, Danny muttered under his breath, "You'd be surprised, Dad. Very surprised."

A/N: Yeah, the first chapter is kind of short. I'll admit, I'm not that great at action scenes, although that was probably evident already. The next chapter gets into it a bit more, but I didn't think it would work putting it right after this scene. It would seem a bit weird if it jumped directly into the next day; particularly because the next few scenes fit better if they're all together.

Well, I hope the first chapter turned out okay. Sam does make her wish very soon, and then the real story will begin. Constructive criticism is greatly appreciated, because the only way to go is forward.