By the third day after coming home from the North Pole, the Fentons had disconnected the doorbell, taken the phone off the hook, and tried to turn the ghost shield into a human shield. It was only after the last exploded impressively and slimed the assembled paparazzi that the reporters finally backed off. (Getting covered in ecto-gunk from a failed invention was an everyday occurrence in the Fenton household, but the newsmedia saw things a little differently.)

So the knock on the door the morning of the fifth day came as something of a surprise.

The woman in the crisp charcoal-grey suit did a double take when Jack Fenton, larger than life in his usual day-glo orange jumpsuit, threw open the door, bellowed, "Sorry, we don't want any!", and slammed the door in her face.

Or tried to. But the woman wedged her foot between the door and the frame, and before Jack had time to react she'd forced a hand through the crack, flashing a badge. "Mr. Fenton? Agent Claire Adams. I'm with the government. Might I have a word with your son?"

It took a lot of very fast explaining that she really wasn't there to kidnap Danny and whisk him away to some mysterious secret facility for 'study' and dissection, but finally Agent Adams managed to convince Jack and Maddie to let her in. The family assembled in the living room, the agent alone opposite them.

"I thought Danny was officially wiped from your files?" Maddie demanded, before the agent had a chance to say anything. "A token of gratitude from the government?"

"Yeah, and a way better 'token of gratitude' than those stupid statues," Danny muttered.

The agent ignored this aside. "That is true. Your son is officially no longer a person of interest to the government of the United States. All detain and capture orders have been cancelled, and the files on Danny Phantom have been closed."

"But not destroyed."

The agent shifted uncomfortably under Danny's glare. "No. It's imperative that we retain intelligence on individuals who might compromise national security."

"She means they keep information on possible threats," Jazz translated, and the look of utter confusion on her father's face vanished, replaced by a scowl.

"But Danny's not -"

"We also," the agent interrupted, "need to be able to contact individuals with…extraordinary capabilities, should a situation requiring the aid of such individuals arise." She leaned forward slightly, looking Danny directly in the eye. "And that's why I'm here."

"What, you need my help?"

Agent Adams sat back, crossing her legs. "Early this morning, we received an unscheduled and highly unusual transmission from the International Space Station. There are three astronauts currently aboard, and this morning at 0400 hours, they radioed our ground base in Houston to report that they were being held hostage."

"Let me guess. Vlad wants to come home."

The agent nodded once. "And all charges against him dropped, and his public record erased."

"I guess you're not planning to negotiate."

"We can't negotiate. We can't fulfill his terms, and based on past experience, we're highly unlikely to reach a compromise that's acceptable to both parties. We need to end this situation before it can escalate."

"So what do you want me to do?"

The agent seemingly ignored the question. "There's a manned supply mission that was scheduled to leave in a month. We've managed to push it up to four days from today. We'll enter into negotiations to buy us some time, but it's not the negotiations that are going to save those three people." She paused, and took a deep breath. "We want to put you on that shuttle."

When Danny didn't answer, the agent pushed ahead. "I have clearance to put you through a crash course version of basic astronaut training. You won't get the full course, and probably you wouldn't be able to operate the shuttle on your own afterwards, but it would be better than sending you up completely unprepared."

Silence.

"I know it's a lot to ask. If you don't want to -"

"Are you KIDDING?" The agent was the only one who didn't jump at Danny's excited shout. "I've only wanted to be an astronaut since I was six! Of COURSE I want to!"

"Excellent." For the first time, Agent Adams actually smiled. "You should go and get packed. We'll be leaving as soon as you're ready."

AN: For anyone who is eagerly awaiting updates for Doors, they are on their way. However, I have undertaken NaNoWriMo and discovered that no, I do not have time for school, a 50k-word novel, and fanfiction during the month of November. Until what time I manage to get my act together and actually write more of Doors, I offer instead a collection of one-shots, two-shots, AUs, sneak previews, and other assorted old things which have made their way onto my tumblr but not onto for a variety of reasons. I hope you enjoy, and I will do my best to return to your irregularly-scheduled updates soon!

Oh, and the agent can be with SHIELD if you wish.